From Chickamauga to Libby Prison: The Journey of Major Bedan B. McDonald, 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry

     It was June 1863 near Murfreesboro, Tennessee in the days leading up the Tullahoma campaign when Major Bedan B. McDonald of the 101st Ohio, dressed in his finest uniform and proudly sitting atop a new horse, proudly led his regiment out one afternoon to discharge their muskets after dress parade.

    "He was a fine fellow and the Major sat on him like a king," recalled Lewis Day of the occasion. "He had taken the regiment out in good shape and we stood in line. 'Company A," sang out the major in his best voice, 'Ready! Aim! Fire!" Every gun blazed. But the new horse did not understand it and he was off in a twinkling, nor stopped until he reached camp. Some of the boys almost died with merriment. The major soon quieted the trembling beast and with much coaxing got him within a few rods of our line when Company B suddenly fired as one man and away to camp went poor McDonald, his coat-tails flapping wildly in the breeze. He took some time to get the frightened animal back near the line when another company fired, and for the third time our major was carried, blue with rage, back to camp. He was finally compelled to leave his horse in camp and walk out to where we were. We received him with a cheer, but Mac was ready to butcher the whole crowd. He was advised as a matter of safety to ride his new horse in our next battle. Poor Mac! If he had followed our advice, he might have avoided capture that awaited him at Chickamauga."

Major Bedan B. McDonald of the 101st Ohio poses in the back row far left in this CDV showing the four Federal officers who engineered the breakout from Libby Prison in February 1864. The officer seated at center is Colonel Abel Streight of the 51st Indiana; immediately behind him is Captain Henry B. Chamberlain of the 34th New York, and on the right is Lieutenant Colonel William W. Scearce of the 51st Indiana. Streight and Scearce had been captured May 3, 1863 at Rome, Georgia during Streight's Raid; Chamberlain was captured July 1st 1863 at Gettysburg while McDonald was captured at Chickamauga as he describes in the account below. 

 

    The young Bucyrus officer seemed to have his fair share of falling into bad luck; he was the fourth officer to have command of his regiment at Stones River and would be the second of three to command the 101st Ohio at Chickamauga but would be captured on September 20th with about 30 members of his regiment. The following account, written from Libby Prison in November 1863, describes the circumstances of his capture during that battle and provides a superbly detailed description of how prisoners of war were marched off the battlefield and processed into the Southern prisoner of war system. Later, Major McDonald played an important role in digging "Streight's Tunnel" at Libby and was one of the officers who successfully escaped on February 9, 1864. He returned to the regiment and by June 1864 was in command, and led the 101st for the rest of the war. 

    McDonald's account first saw publication in the December 11, 1863 edition of the Bucyrus Journal. 

The 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry mustered into service in August 1862, its companies coming out of several counties in north central Ohio. The regiment saw very hard service at places such as Stones River, Chickamauga, Atlanta, and Franklin; Bedan B. McDonald led the regiment on multiple occasions due to the loss of other regimental commanders but when Colonel Isaac M. Kirby was promoted to brigade command in June 1864, McDonald assumed command of the regiment on a permanent basis. McDonald suffered a wound at Franklin on November 30, 1864 but led the regiment until mustered out in 1865. The monument above is at Chickamauga National Battlefield and is located in the Viniard Field near Lafayette Road. 

Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia

November 15, 1863

          It has been a long time since I last wrote to you and thinking perhaps that a line from the prisoners of war in Libby would be read by you with some interest, I will endeavor to get one to you by the underground railroad as in all probability I might (before I close) speak of something that might be considered contraband by the Rebel authorities and therefore prevent its transmission through the regular channels.

          On Sunday September 20^th, the second day of the battle of Chickamauga, the noble little 101^st Ohio was moved into and became engaged about half past 11 o’clock, they at that time being the left regiment of their brigade. We were attacked by a heavy line of infantry extending beyond my view both to the right and left, and this before there was any troops arrived at position in line of battle on the left of our regiment when placed in this position.

I, having command of the regiment, was ordered by Brigadier General [William Passmore] Carlin, commander of our brigade, to hold that position. I answered that I would try and turning to the regiment I said to the boys that I wanted them to remember the compliment the general had paid to them and for them not to lose the glory that they had so dearly won the day before. (The General had complimented them very highly on Saturday night for their conduct in battle during that day.) I will here say on behalf of the officers and men of our regiment and that all did their duty nobly and remained at their posts until completely flanked on both right and left. Seeing that we must all be slaughtered or gobbled, I called for them to retreat and save the colors if they could. They immediately made the attempt. The color bearer fell just as he was passing by me; I could not tell whether he was shot or not, but fear he was.

"At dusk we were withdrawn to the edge of the woods, our lines carefully adjusted, our cartridge boxes replenished, and everything put in order. As the several companies fell in for roll call, there came over the boys a sadness none save those who have had the actual experience can understand. There were many vacant places. Somes of the boys were dead, some were wounded unto death, some were prisoners, some were missing, many were in hospitals, maimed, and mangled. Darkness had settled over the field and silence deep and pervading had succeeded the roar and din of battle. Floating upon the solemn stillness would now and then come the heart-burdened cry of some poor fellow who was compelled to lie there unknown and uncared for the live-long night. Some of the heartbroken wails ring in my ears to this day." ~ Lewis W. Day, 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Just at this moment, I with about 30 men of our regiment were captured and moved to the rear of the Rebels on the double quick. The regiment that we fought at this time was the 19^th Alabama (see here) and the most consoling words that I can say for the 101^st is that for each of their men that was killed or taken prisoner in that desperate struggle that they left a dead Rebel on the field. I observed in passing to the rear that we had left a regular line of battle of killed and wounded of that regiment on the field about 50 yards in front of the slight fortifications behind which we were placed.

The shell-tattered fragment of the 101st Ohio national colors shown in an image dating from about 1880. At Chickamauga, Lieutenant Colonel John Messer was severely wounded on September 19th which gave command to Major McDonald. McDonald was wounded (many of his men thought mortally) the following day and the colors barely escaped being captured. The color guard had been nearly wiped out when Captain Private George S. Meyer of Co. E  was ordered to join the color guard. "Just as Meyer reached the color guard, the man who was holding the colors was shot dead," it was reported. "Meyer lifted the flag and planted it on a little knoll in the face of the enemy. He was wounded, but stood bravely by the precious emblem, only carrying it away when there were no troops to defend it." 

After being marched hurriedly about three miles to the rear, we were brought up to the provost headquarters and there our names, regiment, and rank were taken. About 4 o’clock p.m., we were formed in column and marched for Ringgold, the nearest station on the Georgia State Railroad eight miles distant where we were supplied with rations. The column consisted of 75 officers and about 300 non-commissioned officers and privates, many of them having been captured on the morning of the day before and had nothing to eat during that time now being two days. We arrived at Ringgold Station about 9 p.m. and after some delay it was announced that there were no rations to be had there and we had to go four miles further that night and then we would get plenty of rations as that was a depot for supplies.

We moved slowly over a rough road, crossing a creek three times on our way by fording, the water sometimes waist deep to the men. Arriving at the appointed place sometime during the night, all being tired, we were turned into a field and permitted to lay down until morning, a strong guard being at all times over us. Morning came and with it the news that there were no rations for us at that station, that we had to march three miles further south on the railroad to Tunnel Hill Station, there we would be allowed to remain until the next day in order to draw rations and prepare them for our journey to the Rebel capital of Richmond. On arriving at Tunnel Hill Station, we were turned into a field in about the same manner that a drover would his cattle, and the roll officer in charge started in search of rations. It was soon reported that we would get rations.

We were ordered to fall into line for the purpose of counting off to ascertain how many rations would be required. It was found that our squad amounted in all to 1,419 men. Thereupon, there were several sacks of cornmeal that made their appearance, accompanied by a lot of old iron pots, skillets, Dutch ovens, etc. for the purpose of baking or cooking the cornmeal. After some controversy in regard to the manner of procedure, it was agreed to make a detail to bake the whole of the meal before it would be divided. At about the time the detail had got to work, there was two trains arrived from the South loaded with soldiers on their way to reinforce Bragg. As soon as they disembarked, we were ordered aboard the same cars for Atlanta, Georgia. This order compelled us to abandon our long-looked for rations without having completed the baking of the first corn dodger.

Lieutenant Colonel Bedan B. McDonald (1840-1880) was a civil engineer busily engaged in installing Bucyrus' natural gas lines when the war began. He raised Co. C of the 101st Ohio in July and August 1862 and served with the regiment until it was mustered out in June 1865. McDonald led the regiment on the last day of Stones River, on the second day of Chickamauga, and after mid-June 1864. The plucky Ohioan was wounded twice, captured once, and helped engineer and build Streight's Tunnel at Libby Prison which he later escaped through. After the war, he returned to business in Bucyrus but a number of business failures along with the death of his wife led him to seek his fortune in Colorado. Misfortune continued to follow him: one of his feet became frostbitten while he was out hunting and it grew so severe that the foot had to be amputated. But it was too late to save him: gangrene had set in and Colonel McDonald died December 21, 1880 near Denver, Colorado in the care of his daughter Susan. He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Bucyrus.

By having to surrender the track to other trains, several of which were loaded with wounded Rebels, we were kept on that train until late in the evening of the following day at which time we reached Atlanta, having consumed 26 hours traveling a distance of 120 miles. Here, after being formed in line and kept standing in the street on exhibition for some length of time, all the time being tormented and tortured with the insults of the home guards and citizens, we were marched to quarters that had been procured for our comfort on the open commons at the suburbs of the city. Here we received half rations of bread and meat which were soon devoured, it then being four days since many of the prisoners had had anything to eat and three days for the balance.

We were kept in that place until the afternoon of the following day when we were removed to a lot of about an acre enclosed by a high close fence, at the entrance of which every man was searched and relieved of his blanket, haversack, pocketknife, and everything that was of any value that he had about his person if it was not well-secreted. By being somewhat obstinate and making use of many adjectives, I was pressed through the gate and permitted to retain what little money and other small articles that I had about me. We remained in this until the following day when we were marched through the city to take cars. During our march through the city to the railroad, the whole battalion of prisoners sung at the top of their voice’s patriotic songs such as the Star-Spangled Banner, Down with the Traitors and Up with the Stars, etc.; this appeared to annoy the citizens very much, but our guard, sensible of its weakness, did not attempt to stop the singing.

Arriving at the depot, we took the cars for Augusta, Georgia where we changed cars for Columbia, South Carolina, from Columbia to Charlotte, North Carolina, from there to Raleigh, then to Weldon and on to Petersburg then to Richmond, Virginia, making in all over 900 miles traveled by rail to reach the Rebel capital from the Chickamauga battlefield. At 9 p.m. on September 29^th we were landed in Richmond where the officers were separated from the men. The men were taken to Belle Isle and the officers to the notorious Libby Prison. I will give you a short description of Libby: it is a very strong brick building, 135 feet long by 108 feet deep, three stories high and divided into three rooms on each floor by thick partitions. The prisoners occupy the whole second and third stories of the building and the middle room on the first floor is used by them as a kitchen another of the lower rooms being used as a hospital for the sick and wounded officers while the third room on the first story is used as officers for the officials of the prison.

After the names of all the officers of our squad had been properly recorded in the books of Libby, the adjutant of the prison formed us in line and announced to us that we would be required to deposit all the greenbacks that we had in the office as the law prohibited the circulation of them in the Confederate States, and as the parties who deposited required money for present use, it would be paid to them in Confederate money at the current rates of exchange which at that time was $7 Confederate for $1 in greenbacks. Many of the officers having considerable amounts of money with them drew it from the place of concealment and deposited it at the office, while some concluded to risk the chances of theirs being found on their person while undergoing search by the officials. They held fast to what they had and many succeeded in getting through without being detected. The result now is that those that deposited have great difficulty in getting any money at all, while those that kept their greenbacks find no difficulty in getting the guards to exchange theirs at better rates, sometimes as high as nine for one. The rations issued to us would be half sufficient to keep us.

The "back" of a $1 U.S. greenback dated 1863. By the fall of 1863, McDonald reported that a single Federal greenback would exchange for from $7-9 Confederate money. Rampant inflation in the Confederacy in the final years of the war made that exchange rate worsen over time. 

Our ration consists of one-half pound of poor corn bread, about four ounces of meat, and a very small quantity of rice; sometimes we do not receive any meat for three days for the reason, they say, that they cannot get it for us. I am told that the men get a little more rations than the officers do as the officers are permitted to send out and buy many things and the privates are not. Notwithstanding what they get, it is not more than half enough for them and that of a very poor quality. I know we would suffer severely if we were not permitted to buy what we can and to receive boxes of provisions and clothing from home; and I fear we will soon have to depend almost solely on our friends at home as all kinds of provisions are getting some scarce in Richmond that we frequently have to wait three or four days to get the small orders that we send out to be filled. The prices they charge are beyond conception: butter at $6 a pound, beef at $2.75 a pound, sugar at $7 a pound, no coffee to be had, onions from $2 to $4 according to size, potatoes at the rate of $30 per bushels, apples from three to six for a dollar.

I had some hopes when I first came here that I would soon be exchanged and have the pleasure of returning to my regiment, but it now appears that there is no possibility of an early exchange of prisoners and of course we will have to abide our time. All the officers of the 123^rd Ohio regiment that were captured at Winchester (see here) are here yet; they are all well and among them are three from our county: Captain Caldwell and Lieutenants Bevington and Williams.

Sources:

Letter from Major Bedan B. McDonald, 101^st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Bucyrus Journal (Ohio), December 11, 1863, pg. 1

Day, Lewis W. Story of the One Hundred and First Ohio Infantry. Cleveland: The W.M. Bayne Printing Co., 1894, pg. 128