Watchful Waiting: With the 189th Ohio in Northern Alabama in 1865

The war was over. But for the soldiers of the 189th Ohio stationed in Brownsboro, Alabama, the dull routine of army duty continued day after endless day. The men just wanted to go home.

          “While waiting for final orders, drill and discipline are still maintained in their pristine rigor,” one soldier noted. “Private Jacks can’t understand why he is required to carry his rifle eight hours out of 24 on guard when he is to go home soon, while all the privates and officers in the alphabet swear worse than the old army at Flanders did at drilling as a battalion three hours on some hot afternoon. If you want a hornet’s nest, just blow the assembly about 3 o’clock!”

          It was a long period of watchful waiting. “The young and old secesh are quietly waiting for the blue coats to leave,” he continued. “Then they intend to ignore the proclamation of freedom and gobble up all the Negroes and put them to work as though the four years’ struggle never occurred.”

In the meantime, the men busied themselves around the camp. “Time passed wearily with us and expedients were resorted to for passing away time,” another soldier stated. “Rings and shellwork are most in vogue. We are cutting ornaments out of mussel shells to adorn the person of some favorite in the north. Others with a bit of strap keep rubbing steadily on the barrel of a Springfield while others devoted the intervals of duty to sleep and practical toils.”

Among those practical toils was writing letters to the home folks. One of the better examples of this was the following letter written in June 1865 by a soldier to the editors of the Toledo Blade. Writing under the nom-de-plume of Radix, he sent frequent letters to the Blade during his service in Alabama and proved to be a perceptive observer of events in that quarter. This particular letter first saw publication in the June 19, 1865, edition of the Blade.

 

Union soldiers tasked with staying behind as occupation forces throughout the South were quick to note the determination of the defeated Southern soldiers to return to the old ways. "It is impossible to convince the people that slavery is dead and I am convinced that were all troops removed from here, the Negro would either be held as a slave regardless of all proclamations or shot down on sight," our correspondent noted. Federal troops would remain throughout the South until 1877. After their departure, Jim Crow laws served to negate the rights secured during the war for freedmen. Radix called that one, too. "They intend to ignore the proclamation of freedom and gobble up all the Negroes and put them to work as though the four years' struggle never occurred." 

Brownsboro, Alabama

June 12, 1865

          Since the surrender of the miscellaneous gang of vagabonds called Confederate soldiers, we have had a peaceable time and pleasant, the intense heat excepted. The only item of interest had been the election of delegates to the Union Convention and withdrawal of troops whose term of service is near expiration. The election of delegates was held nearly a month since. Colonel Henry Kingsbury was appointed as one, the other I have forgotten. Preferences for candidates were as numerous as the detachments and no one man had a clear majority, although this one passed a resolution endorsing General James Steedman as their first choice. I had supposed you would be furnished an official transcript from regimental headquarters therefore neglected to do so myself.

          The political status of Alabama is much befogged and no efforts outside of old party hacks are being made to restore her to her position. The truth is the people in this section have been so long under U.S. protection without paying taxes that they do not desire civil law to be re-established with accompanying taxation. What the citizens desire is to simply let things remain as they have, i.e., have the U.S. troops to protect them and be free of taxation.

          The question of slavery is the stumbling block. It is impossible to convince the people that slavery is dead and I am convinced that were all the troops removed from here, the Negro would either be held as a slave regardless of all proclamations or shot down on sight. I have heard more than one so express themselves. His conduct is not such as to inspire strong hopes as to his future without protection.

The Negro himself is somewhat to blame for this. For ages he has been held in bondage until he lost all sense of independent manhood and now that he has it thrust upon him, he is at a loss to know what to do with his freedom. At present, his ideas are to get a ragged suit of soldier clothes, a bogus watch (the bigger the better) and go around the country without a pass. When absolutely necessary he will work for the government at $1.75 a day and rations, but as to working for a planter, catch him at it if you can. A Negro will no more trust the word of a man who formerly held him as a slave then you or I would have believed the pledges of Southern Rebels. The Negro truly says contracts with planters are binding only as long as the U.S. had force to compel their validity. The solution of this problem will puzzle more able minds than mine and to them I leave it.

          The most interesting topic at present is “when will we go home?” To this I can say we know nothing of it. No orders have been received to relieve us either at General Granger’s headquarters or regimental headquarters, but the probability is we will remain here for some length of time as we are about the last regiment left in northern Alabama. The 48th Wisconsin is at Athens and all others (18th Michigan, 102nd Ohio, and 73rd Indiana) have received orders to report at Nashville. Until the veterans are reorganized and the government determines what number of troops are needed in the field, we shall remain where we are and the good folks at home may disabuse their minds of the idea that we are on the way or likely to be so soon.

Many soldiers who enlisted in the 189th Ohio in early 1865 had served three year term of enlistments earlier in the war and had seen their fair share of fighting. With hostilities at an end and the job of ending the rebellion seemingly complete, the men just wanted to go home. At the end of September 1865, they finally did, being relieved by U.S. Colored Troops. "The citizens here are very much disgusted and annoyed at having Negroes here to guard and protect them," one 189th soldier observed. "Well Mr. Editor, they have sown the wind and they are now reaping the whirlwind." 


          The opinion of those most competent to judge is that cold weather will find us in the field. If we reach Ohio by the latter part of September or middle of October, it is as soon as a good majority now expect. Therefore, our friends need not stop writing for we expect to remain and gather the plentiful crop plums, blackberries, and peonies around us, We have luxuriated on a most beautiful supply of dewberries for three weeks which has wonderfully improved the health of our company as we can now shown a clean bill of health. All those in the hospital have been discharged and are probably at home.

          The weather has been very hot- thermometer at 100 degrees and dry in proportion, but notwithstanding this, we have our usual drill which improves the appearance of the company if not its temper. In hopes of cooler weather, I remain, RADIX.

 

Sources:

Letters from Radix, Co. G, 189th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Toledo Blade (Ohio), June 19, 1865, pg. 2; August 3, 1865, pg. 2, September 22, 1865, pg. 2

Letter from File Closer, Co. G, 189th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Perrysburg Journal (Ohio), May 10, 1865, pg. 4

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