The Ups and Downs of This God Forsaken-Region: A Buckeye Gunner in western Virginia

 In the midst of war, one can find beauty as Private Charles James of the 1st Ohio Battery described from his camp at Pack's Ferry in western Virginia in June 1862. His battery had spent the past few weeks marching up and down through the region as Federal forces tried to fend off Humphrey Marshall's offensive but finally had settled into camp along New River with spring fully sprung. 

    "When I look back on the few weeks when we left Beckley and contrast the aspect of nature with the present, I am forced to exclaim what a change! Then every appearance seemed unpleasant. The weather was cold and chilly, black winter hung over us like a dark dismal cloud and hid from our view the latent beauties of nature. But the farther we went south towards Dixie’s fair land, the more like lovely spring everything appeared. When we got to East River, everything assumed a vernal appearance. Flowers were in full bloom; the gardens full of early vegetables, and as time passed on the beauties of nature unfolded more and more. Surrounding scenes at this time, except the hills and deep ravines, reminded me of my happy home in Ohio. As I sit in my tent, I can hear the murmuring waters of New River in mournful cadence wending its way to the Great Kanawha. The sweet warbling of birds and rustling of the leaves as they swing to and fro by the gentle wind inspire me with grateful remembrance of Him who turns the seasons around." 

    The 1st Ohio Battery under Captain Charles McMullin spent most of the war in western Virginia attached to the Kanawha Division, but it did move east later in the summer of 1862 where it took part in the fighting at South Mountain and Antietam. Charles James' letter, a rare account describing the May 1862 campaign in the western Virginia mountains, first saw publication in the June 26, 1862 edition of the Weekly Lancaster Gazette. 

A ten-man crew demonstrates loading a cannon in this wartime view of (unfortunately) unidentified Federal artillerymen. The 1st Ohio Battery departed the state of Ohio in August 1861 for service in western Virginia equipped with two M1841 6-pdr smoothbores and two 6-pdr James rifles. 
(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)


Camp at Pack’s Ferry, Monroe Co., Virginia

June 7, 1862

Dear friend,

          I received your letter of the 26th ultimo this morning and was very glad to hear from you. Affairs have changed considerably with this division of the army since my previous letter which I saw published in the Lancaster Gazette. I will now relate a few incidents that have transpired since that time by referring to my memorandum book. 

May 10, 1862: We left Princeton, Virginia from which place I last wrote you. We received word that the 23rd Ohio had been driven out of Parisburg and our section was ordered in advance of our main body to reinforce them. We marched 22 miles in six hours and found the 23rd still there. The balance of our battery and the 30th Ohio came in about an hour and a half after our arrival.

May 11, 1862: The sun rose this morning in all its splendor and ushed in another Sabbath day, but alas, it was not a day of rest for the weary soldier. This beautiful morning, while the chimes of the church bells were ringing in your ears, we were ordered out to reconnoiter. We threw two shells at our enemy’s pickets and four into their main works to which they replied with much spirit. We soon found they had been reinforced by two regiments and a battery and saw them planting one on the opposite side of the New River. So, we fell back to our camp and then to a hill at the junction of East and New Rivers. This is a strong position. Our captain came to us this evening bringing to us the two field pieces.

May 17, 1862: This morning we received orders to pack our knapsacks. Heard that Humphrey Marshall had got in our rear and cut off our cracker supplies. Our section of two guns was to cover the retreat and not having army wagons, we had to leave all of our tents and cooking utensils. We marched as fast as we could through mud and drenching rain and got into Princeton again about 8 o’clock at night. Here we found that the Rebels had taken two of our boys prisoner. The Second Brigade was left here to guard the place, engaged the enemy and put them to flight and in their haste could not take the two prisoners with them, they being so sick they fell into our hands again. The loss in killed and wounded on each side was about 100 men. The Second Brigade consisted of the 28th, 34th , and 37th Ohio regiments, and the enemy had about 5,000 engaged.

Another view of an artillery crew in the field ready for action. Each member of the crew had a number with specific jobs assigned to them while loading and discharging the piece. The man standing at the left holding the sponge and rammer was number 1; his job was to run the wet sponge down the tube after discharge to put out any burning embers, then he flipped the pole to the rammer side to push the shell (placed in the barrel by number 2) down the barrel. A well-trained crew could discharge their piece roughly once per minute. (Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)


May 18, 1862: We left Princeton last night at 1 o’clock under the command of Colonel Hines, crossed Blue Stone River, and took up a position at a place called Cross Road to keep the enemy from cutting off our retreat. We arrived here a little after daylight, marching six miles through the darkness and bad roads to gain the position as early as possible. About noon, the Second Brigade came up and we camped here.

May 19, 1862: We left camp with the advance under the command of Colonel Hines and came to Flat Top Mountain where we camped, having marched 13 miles. The Second Brigade camped about one mile back at the tan yard.

May 21, 1862: Got orders this evening to leave. Marched 7 miles and camped.

May 22, 1862: Started early this morning and passed through a place called Jumping Branch, Mercer Co., Virginia, which we found had been laid in ruins. We crossed and recrossed Blue Stone River until we gained a point where we could command the Pikes Ferry and Princeton roads. We had our guns placed on a point so that we could turn it to either road and effectually guard them.

May 23, 1862: We left our camp at Blue Stone in a drenching rain and went up the mountain. Here we halted after having marched three miles then got our supper. We then received orders to return to the forks of the road. We got some crackers and prepared to march all night- went seven miles and laid over until morning.

May 25, 1862: Another day of rest but not for weary soldiers. We rose early- made some coffee and then started on our march. We came into Flat Top about 3 p.m. I will now pass over a few monotonous days of camp life and resume on.

The battery colors for the 1st Ohio Battery called out the battery commander "McMullin's" in red letters while two battle honors for Carnifex Ferry and South Mountain are arrayed in gold at top; the opposite side has Antietam as well. The slogan "Faugh a Ballah" is an Anglicized version of a battle cry of Irish origin meaning "clear the way," reflecting the Irish origins of Captain McMullin and many of the men of his battery. Whitelaw Reid noted that while serving in western Virginia, the 1st Ohio was known as a "jackass battery" a "class of artillery very efficient in the wild mountain districts of that country, it being furnished with mules instead of horses." 


June 1, 1862: Left Camp Flat Top with three guns under the commands of Lieutenants Creem and McClung. We left Lieutenant McClung with one gun at the forks of the road while we went down to the ferry. Here we found Cos. E and K of the 11th Ohio. We have now remained here about a week and every day it rained, attended with very heavy thunder. We are now camped on the banks of New River which is too full to be crossed, only by light canoes which we soon had made.

The Rebel scouts came down to the river occasionally to look at us working. They had the insolence to send us word by a woman that they were much obliged to us for building boats that they would come down and fire a couple of rounds and drive us away. Well, when we run at two or three volleys, they will know it sure. We are not those kinds of boys that can be so easily scared. We have all been under fire more or less. The Rebels under General Heth are camped about 30 miles from us.

          Now I will leave my memorandum book and give you some miscellaneous sketches of our ups and downs in this God-forsaken region. From what I have given from my memorandum book, you will readily see we are blessed with a vast variety and if variety be the spice of life, we have a full share. When I look back on the few weeks when we left Beckley and contrast the aspect of nature with the present, I am forced to exclaim what a change!

Then every appearance seemed unpleasant. The weather was cold and chilly, black winter hung over us like a dark dismal cloud and hid from our view the latent beauties of nature. But the farther we went south towards Dixie’s fair land, the more like lovely spring everything appeared. When we got to East River, everything assumed a vernal appearance. Flowers were in full bloom; the gardens full of early vegetables, and as time passed on the beauties of nature unfolded more and more. Surrounding scenes at this time, except the hills and deep ravines, reminded me of my happy home in Ohio.

As I sit in my tent, I can hear the murmuring waters of New River in mournful cadence wending its way to the Great Kanawha. The sweet warbling of birds and rustling of the leaves as they swing to and fro by the gentle wind inspire me with grateful remembrance of Him who turns the seasons around.

Tomorrow will be another Sabbath and I wonder if it will be a day of rest. Just one week ago tomorrow we left camp at Flat Top Mountain and every day it rained. This afternoon it looks like we are going to have fine weather for a while. The most disagreeable weather to a soldier is wet and chilly or sultry weather. It has a powerful tendency to make us feel lonesome, but whenever we feel this melancholy incubus stealing over us, we try to console ourselves that this war is on its last point and we will soon be home among the dear friends we left behind.

You need not entertain any fears that your letters will not reach me if they come in the regular mail as far as Gauley. From thence they will reach me by military mail. I am always glad to hear from you or anyone in Ohio and trust you will write as often as you can. I will close. My health is excellent, never better.

 

Source:

Letter from Private Charles William James, 1st Ohio Independent Light Artillery Battery, Weekly Lancaster Gazette (Ohio), June 26, 1862, pg. 3

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