Bloody Homecoming: Winchester and New Market with the 123rd Ohio

     For Sergeant Frederick Wickham and his comrades of the 123rd Ohio, marching through the streets of Winchester, Virginia in May 1864 had the sense of both a homecoming and a funeral. “This was my first visit to the place since my capture last June and to march through the streets of the old town seemed like old times and I assure you afforded me a great deal of satisfaction. The bands of the different regiments struck up “Yankee Doodle” and the men, keeping step with the music, marched along with light step and proud satisfaction. As we passed through the place, the citizens were gathered in front of their houses watching us as we passed along and many an angry scowl were gathered on their faces, denoting their hatred for us and our noble cause,” he wrote.

    “Passing through town we marched out on the Strasburg pike a mile or two from town and encamped on the identical ground where we fought last June, and where so many of our brave and noble boys offered up their lives to their country. It seemed strange, indeed, that we were once more there, and after pitching our tents, we strolled through the field to find marks of our previous strife, and also to find the graves of our boys who were killed and buried on the field. In making a search, the graves, or rather the scoop holes, of our dead were found. In most of the cases where positive proof was had of the fact, the remains of our boys who were killed and buried by the enemy on the field were raised, put in a box, and decently buried again.”

    Wickham’s account of the march through the Shenandoah Valley and subsequent Battle of New Market was published in the May 31, 1864 edition of the Norwalk Reflector.

 

The drum was a constant in the lives of Civil War soldiers: it woke them up in the morning, sent them off to duty, keep cadence during a march, served to entertain them during the day, and sent them to bed at night. As the 123rd Ohio marched into Winchester, the regimental musicians played Yankee Doodle much to the dissatisfaction of the town's residents. 

Camp near Strasburg, Virginia

May 19, 1864

    Our whole force under the command of General Sigel left Martinsburg on the 29th of April early in the morning and marched to Bunker Hill, a small town halfway between Martinsburg and Winchester where we encamped. Here the force was organized and the regiments assigned to brigades, our regiment being assigned to the First Brigade, First Division. The division is commanded by General Jeremiah C. Sullivan and the brigade is under the command of Colonel Augustus Moor of the 28th Ohio. The forces comprising the brigade are the 18th Connecticut, 28th, 116th, and 123rd Ohio regiments.

    We remained at Bunker Hill until the morning of May 1st when we left for Winchester, arriving there in the afternoon of the same day. This was my first visit to the place since my capture last June and to march through the streets of the old town  seemed like old times and I assure you afforded me a great deal of satisfaction. The bands of the different regiments struck up “Yankee Doodle” and the men, keeping step with the music, marched along with light step and proud satisfaction. As we passed through the place, the citizens were gathered in front of their houses watching us as we passed along and many an angry scowl were gathered on their faces, denoting their hatred for us and our noble cause. But there were a good many that seemed delighted at our coming and waved their handkerchiefs to denote their joy. Such manifestations as the latter brought forth many a cheer from the boys, while the former were treated with silent contempt and a feeling such as we cherish towards our enemies in the field.

Commissary Sergeant Frederick C. Wickham
123rd O.V.I.

    Passing through town we marched out on the Strasburg pike a mile or two from town and encamped on the identical ground where we fought last June, and where so many of our brave and noble boys offered up their lives to their country. It seemed strange, indeed, that we were once more there, and after pitching our tents, we strolled through the field to find marks of our previous strife, and also to find the graves of our boys who were killed and buried on the field. In making a search, the graves, or rather the scoop holes, of our dead were found. In most of the cases where positive proof was had of the fact, the remains of our boys who were killed and buried by the enemy on the field were raised, put in a box, and decently buried again. Just before the burial, the chaplain of the 18th Connecticut was called to the grave and made some appropriate remarks and offered up an affecting prayer. The grave of one other of Co. B by the name of Conger was found, but he was buried a sufficient depth below the surface that his remains were not disturbed. The graves of quite a number of our regiment were found on the battlefield and I assure you the sight of them caused sad feelings among us. There was a felling, however, which gave us comfort: it was that they had stood as a barrier against the enemy, willing to be beaten down if necessary for their country’s good. We all knew now how nobly they had stood up in the face of the foe and how nobly they fell, and therefore we mourned the loss of our comrades who were so good, so brave, and so true. Their remains lie mingling with the dust, but the recollection of them together with their heroic deeds will live in our hearts until we are gathered with them.

    Some of our boys were wounded and died in the hospital and were buried in the cemetery. Among those I found while visiting the place was the grave of the much loved and brave Frith, and also that of Richard Evans. Rough headboards were placed at the head of their graves with their names together with the date of their death written on them with lead pencil.  As I looked on the graves of those who, but a few months ago were along with us, engaged in the great work of restoring this union; who were amongst us enjoying good health, and whose hopes and anticipation were as bright as ours are now, I could hardly bring myself to the thought that they were taken away from us forever. But still, while I looked on the heaped up mounds of earth, I thought that no sacrifices were too great for such a government and such a country as ours.

    We stayed in Winchester a week and then moved further up the valley as far as Woodstock. Here we remained until early Saturday morning when orders were received to march in the direction of Mount Jackson, up the valley. The orders were received very early in the morning and at 4 o’clock the regiment was on its way to Mount Jackson. We passed through Woodstock a distance of about a mile from where we camped and also through Edinburg, a town six miles from the former place, and continued along the pike until we reached Mount Jackson. At this place we stopped for a rest, having marched very fast from our camping ground since early in the morning and were quite tired.

Major General Franz Sigel

    Having gotten pretty well rested, we started again and having marched a mile or so out of town, cannonading was heard in the direction of New Market, a distance of five or six miles. We heard soon after that the enemy was firing on our cavalry that had advanced to within a mile or so of the latter place. The cannonading was kept up all the time during our advance, and when we had arrived to within two or two and half miles of town, our batteries (which had gone forward and chosen their position) commenced to reply to the enemy’s gun with spirit. The battery of the enemy was posted on a high hill about a mile and a half from our guns on the right. Our batteries were posted advantageously on their right and in their front and threw their shells right among the enemy with seeming good effect. The artillery firing was kept up while the infantry was being placed into position. During this time, night was coming on and the firing soon ceased.

    Our regiment with the 1st West Virginia was posted on the right in support of a battery. Skirmishers were thrown out in advance and in a short time the enemy’s pickets or skirmishers were engaged, and a heavy fire was poured upon them by our men which forced them to retire. In the fire one of our men was wounded in the arm; his name is Carson from Co. C. After this fire nothing more was heard of the enemy during the night, and our men held their position. During our march from Woodstock and up to this time a shower of rain was falling upon us and the men were drenched, which of course, produced very disagreeable feelings, but the men endured it without a murmur. We supposed, from the obstinate stand the enemy made during the day, that they had quite a force and that they would open upon us early in the morning.

    Morning came and time passed by without bringing any tidings of the enemy, but it was supposed they were only holding back in order to draw us on; accordingly a squad of cavalry was deployed into line and advanced cautiously across the field and through a piece of woods in our front for the purpose of feeling the enemy. They were advanced to where the enemy was posted the evening previous but nothing could be found. It was supposed then that they had retreated and a force of cavalry was sent ahead to discover if such was the case. They passed beyond the town a few miles but could not discover anything until coming back when they were fired upon by the enemy, who were posted on their right and occupying a very formidable position. Our artillery was immediately place in position and opened on them with vigor. This was about 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning and soon the cannonading was pretty hot from both sides.

Musician James B. Willoughby
Co. F, 123rd O.V.I.

    We had heard previous to this that the Rebels had been largely reinforced during the night and therefore we felt as if the day would bring on a heavy engagement. They had thrown up breastworks on a high hill and were strongly posted. After about an hour or two of cannonading by two of our batteries and those of the enemy, the rest of our guns commenced coming up and as soon as they arrived, they would be properly posted and then open upon them. We had more artillery than they and when all of our guns commenced firing there was pretty lively work. The infantry soon opened fire upon them pouring deadly missiles into their ranks, killing and wounding a large number of them. During this time the enemy was advancing in three lines of battle and as their force was much larger than ours, we were compelled to fall back.

    The fire of the enemy was very severe on our troops, but they stood up like brave and true men, returning their fire with vigor and effect. Officers and men stood their ground without flinching and their determined bravery and valor is attested in the number of the dead and wounded. The 123rd Ohio went into the fight with about 550 and their loss was some 89 killed, wounded, and missing. Companies D, A, and H were the severest sufferers, the former having lost 26 men and the other two losing about twelve to fifteen men each. Co. B was on the skirmish line and was very fortunate, losing only one man and he was taken prisoner. Although we were forced to fall back with a loss to our whole force of some 500-600, still the men were in no ways disheartened, but as ready and willing, as soon as they are called, to again meet the enemy in the conflict of battle, feeling confident that the time will soon come when they will prove victorious and be able to bear aloft the old flag where it has not waved for a long time and where treason now rankles.

Major Horace Kellogg led the 123rd Ohio into the Shenandoah Valley in May 1864 as Colonel William T. Wilson had been paroled but not yet exchanged. A large portion of the regiment was captured June 15, 1863 at the Second Battle of Winchester and Kellogg himself was wounded during the June 13th engagement on the outskirts of town. He was later promoted to lieutenant colonel and mustered out with the regiment in June 1865.  One of the "good colonels."

    General Sigel has issued an order congratulating the men for their bravery. The friends of the 123rd Ohio need never fear but what they will do their duty and never flinch from danger, and they may also feel proud of what they have already done. Our present commander Major Kellogg knows how to perform his duty and knowing it, always does it. He is a good and true man and a brave soldier. In time of battle, he leads his regiment as coolly as if he were on dress parade, and neither cannon nor musket ball can turn him from where his duty lies. His men love him and will follow where he leads. Major Kellogg had a very narrow escape. A ball struck his belt, passed through it, and also through his pants, grazed the flesh and dropped down into the seam of his pants where he afterwards found it. It was a very narrow escape for him. The Rebs evidently meant to fetch him, for his horse was shot three times; once in the neck, once in the head, and once a piece of shell struck him, tearing up the skin a little. We all feel rejoiced that the Major escaped as well as he did and hope he may never receive a more dangerous wound.

    The wounds of most of the men were quite slight ones. All that were wounded have been sent to Martinsburg to the hospitals of that place. Some of the wounds were very frightful and ghastly. One man from Co. D in our regiment was shot so badly in the arm just above the elbow that it had to be amputated. I saw the poor fellow just after the arm was taken off and I can tell you it looked hard enough. They had administered chloroform to him by the was somewhat conscious about the time they were sewing the flap of the arm and it must have been very painful, for he begged of the surgeons to give him some more chloroform in order that he might sleep off the pain. I pitied the poor man and felt thankful indeed that my arm was not amputated and that I had received no wound.

 Source:

Letter from Commissary Sergeant Frederick C. Wickham, 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Norwalk Reflector (Ohio), May 31, 1864, pg. 2

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on their way to
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of how Confederate jacke
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true warrior, for then comes the harvest of gain.
Read more

The Cannons are Now Silent: The Field of Death of Tupelo

Image
       The smoke of battle had drifted away from the battlefield at Tupelo, Mississippi on the hot afternoon of July 14, 1864, but the carnage of war lay spread across the open fields. “Scattered at intervals over the field of a few yards are dull gray blotches half shaded by grass,” an officer from the 7 th Minnesota Infantry recorded. “These are the Rebel dead. They have fought their last battle and lie generally in attitudes of rest; some of them look as if they had welcomed death. On the faces of two is imprinted a smile. One is a boy of 16 with delicate features, almost girlish in their beauty. His last gaze seems to have been directed toward his hand on the forefinger of which was a ring. A circle of purer white indicates its place; the ring was carried off as a trophy of the field.” The following account of the Battles of Tupelo and Old Town Creek was written by an unknown officer of the 7 th Minnesota Infantry, his account appearing in the August 5 th 1864 edition of the
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on securing all the Enfi
Read more

Straw Already Threshed: Sherman on Shiloh

Image
  W illiam Tecumseh Sherman was enjoying retired life in New York City when just before Christmas in 1889 he was presented with an article written by John Cockerill, a former drummer boy in the 24 th Ohio who was visiting his father Colonel Joseph Cockerill of the 70 th Ohio of Sherman’s division when the Battle of Shiloh began. Cockerill’s article, originally published in the New York Journalist and later featured in the January 1893 issue of Blue & Gray Magazine, Sherman later pronounced as “the best war story ever written” and the truest account of Shiloh.           On New Year’s Day 1890, General Sherman composed the following letter to his friend Marshall P. Wilder thanking him for sending along Cockerill’s article and giving his own explanation of Shiloh. “This to me is straw already threshed for we have fought this battle on paper several times, a much more agreeable task than to fight with bullets,” he concluded. “When in England some years ago I was gratified to liste
Read more

Federal Arms in the Stones River Campaign

Image
  T he following list, constructed after many years of research, lists unit by unit which type of weapons were carried by the Army of the Cumberland during the Stones River campaign. A number of sources were consulted including state ordnance reports, Federal quarterly ordnance reports (thank you Research Arsenal ), Ken Baumann’s Arming the Suckers, regimental histories and memoirs, captured ordnance reports, and consultation with knowledgeable experts in the field of firearms. Some of this information has been shared on the blog before in “ Rosy’s Heavy Metal: Artillery of the Army of the Cumberland ” or “ Shoulder Arms: How Sheridan’s and Davis’s Divisions Were Armed at Stones River ” but this is the first time the army as a whole has been presented. The overall conclusion I drew from looking at this data is that the Army of the Cumberland in December 1862 was an organization in the midst of transformation as far as arms. Many of the regiments still retained their original issue
Read more

Escape of Captain Henry H. Alban of the 21st Ohio Infantry

Image
Captain Henry H. Alban was among the dozen officers of the 21 st Ohio Volunteer Infantry who were captured on September 20, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga. The regiment had held its position atop Snodgrass Hill against repeated Confederate assaults and now battered and without ammunition, with the darkness of evening enveloping the hill, the remainder of that gallant band found themselves at the mercy of the 54 th Virginia. A total of 12 officers and 121 enlisted men surrendered; the regiment’s colors were taken, and the men marched off the field into captivity. Captain Henry Harvey Alban, Co. F, 21st O.V.I. Captain Alban along with the rest went through a series of Confederate prison camps before arriving at Columbia, South Carolina in October 1864. Determined to make an escape, he watched for his chance and one night made his leap for freedom, successfully eluding the local camp guard and setting out along the railroad to head for the mountains of eastern Tennessee and
Read more

Knapsack Compression: Wilbur Hinman recalls the first step of becoming a veteran

Image
L ooking back on his experiences during the war, Captain Wilbur Hinman of the 65 th Ohio (perhaps best known as the author of Si Klegg and His Pard ) recalled that the first road along which his regiment marched was strewn “with debris. A pair of six-mule wagonloads might have been gathered of notions that had been flung aside by a thousand suffering “tenderfeet.” “The average young patriot started for the war with a wheelbarrow load of clothing, a bed quilt or two, books, photograph albums, toilet articles, and gimcracks of every sort,” he wrote. “Neither he nor the good homefolks had the slightest conception of the capacity of a knapsack, nor did they for a moment imagine that before the close of his first day upon the road every pound he carried would seem a hundred.” To the true mark of a veteran soldier was one who “learned to dispense with every unnecessary ounce of weight, and just in the ratio that he did this he increased his efficiency as a soldier. It was of the highest
Read more

Federal Arms in the Chickamauga Campaign

Image
T he ordnance returns of the Army of the Cumberland at the end of September 1863 show the results of a transformational year in weaponry. Since taking command of the army at the end of October 1862, General William S. Rosecrans had repeatedly pestered the War Department to supply his regiments with better firearms both to improve the command’s efficiency as well as expand its striking power. The results speak for themselves: for the infantrymen at the end of September 1863, 90% of them now carried Class I long arms (36,058 out of 39,959), 8.3% carried Class II arms, and a mere 1.5% carried Class III weapons. Most of the foreign-made weapons (except Enfields) were gone, and by and large the army had settled on a single common .58 caliber ammunition, although a few .54 caliber and .69 caliber weapons remained within the ranks. The English-made Enfield rifle musket was by far the most common arm, carried by 56% of the men while the second-most common arm was the .58 caliber M1861 Spring
Read more