HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY
CHAPTER 7
VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FIFTIETH REGIMENT
In September and October the enlistment of men in the county was rapidly pushed. Cyrus L. Dunham had been commissioned Colonel of the Fiftieth Regiment to be raised at Seymour. Col Dunham was a strong Democrat, and aided by John Hungate and others succeeded in raising a full company. mostly in the western part of the county, the men coming largely from the Democratic party. War meetings were held under the stimulus of fiery speeches, and soon the requisite number of men were secured. The men were mustered in as Company F of the Fiftieth Regimnent on the 1st of October, and on the 1st and 5th of November, 1861, with the following officers: John Hungate, Captain; B. F. McClintock, First Lieutenant: Isaac A. Craig. Second Lieutenant. The regiment moved into Kentucky late in 1861 The regimental sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume.
THE FIFTY-THIRD REGIMENT
In January and February, 1862, another company was raised, mostly in Orange County, by W. R. Reeves, Mereda McDonald, John Vestal, W. T. Cloud, and others, the men coming mainly from in and around Orleans. The men were at first designed for the Fifty-second Regiment, but later became Company K. of the Fifty-third, and were officered as follows: Wiley R. Reeves, Captain; Mereda McDonald, First Lieutenant; Wiliam T. Cloud, Second Lieutenant. About two-thirds of this company, or perhaps. three-fourths, were raised in Orange County. The men were mustered in February 24, 1862, and the regiment under Col. Walter T. Gresham, moved from New Albany to Indianapolis, where it did guard duty at Camp Morton until March 15, when it moved to St. Louis, thence to Savannah. Tenn.. and on April 15 joined the army moving toward Corinth. After the evacuation of Corinth it moved to La Grange, thence made expeditions to Holly Springs and elsewhere, then moved to Memphis, and in September to Bolivar, and then toward Corinth, and October 15, fought at Hatchie, where it crossed the bridge on fire and charged the rebel lines. It marched with Gen. Grant's army into Mississippi, then returned to Moscow, Tenn., and soon marched to Memphis. In April, 1863, it moved with the Third Brigade of the Fourth Division of the Sixteenth Army Corps to Young's Point, thence to Grand Gulf, thence returned to Young's Point and Chickasaw Bluffs, and joined the army besieging Vicksburg. Here it bore an honorable part, and after the surrender moved to Jackson and participated in the movements there. It then returned to Vicksburg. thence moved to Natchez where it remained three months. In September it moved with the Seventeenth Army Corps into Louisiana, capturing a fort and damaging the enemy. It returned to Vicksburg and remained there until February, 1864, when it moved on the Meridian campaign. At Hebron 388 men "veteranized." After "veteran furlough" it went to Vicksburg, and June 6 joined Sherman's forces at Ackworth, Ga., and then participated in the subsequent engagements of the Atlanta campaign. June 27 it assaulted the enemy at Kenesaw Mountain; July 5 it fought at Nickajack Creek; July 20 it fought at Peach Tree Creek, and July 22 before Atlanta bore an honorable and conspicuous part. It suffered severely at Atlanta- - its Colonel, Jones, being killed. It pursued Hood, and later marched to the sea. It then marched northward through the Carolinas, and after Johnson's surrender, moved to Raleigh. Richmond, thence to Louisville, Ky., where it was mustered out July 21, 1865. It then marched to Indianapolis and was publicly received July 25 by Gov. Morton and other State officers, and by Maj.-Gen. Sherman who was present. It was then discharged and the boys came trooping home.
THE FIFTY-NINTH REGIMENT
During the late fall of 1861 and the early winter of 1861 - 62 about half of a company was raised in the vicinity of Valeene and Chambersburg by W. H. Wellman, Thomas Riley, James N. Murphy, William Churchill and others for the Fifty-ninth Regiment, which rendezvoused at Gosport., Ind. The men were mustered in at Gosport, December 2, 1861; February 13, 1862, the regiment moved to New Albany. During its term of service it participated in the following movements: Siege of New Madrid, Mo., the capture of 5,000 prisoners at Tiptonville, expedition to Fort Pillow, siege of and skirmishes around Corinth and pursuit of the enemy, expedition to Ripley; battle of Corinth, October 3 and 4, 1862; pursuit of Price to Hatchie; sundry expeditions --one to Yazoo River in March, 1863, the Vicksburg campaign, fighting at Forty Hills, Raymond, Champion Hills, Jackson, Big Black River, and the bloody assaults on the fortifications of Vicksburg, where it suffered severely, losing 126 men, killed and wounded; in September, 1863, moved up the river; fought at Mission Ridge, November 25; veteranized at Huntsville, Ala., January 1, 1864; enjoyed the veteran furlough; took the field again April, 1864; did guard and provost duty in Tennessee until November, 1864, and then marched with Sherman to the sea, and then through the Carolinas, and finally to Washington City. It was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 17, 1865. It was pnblicly received at at Indianapolis, July 18, and was then discharged.
THE SIXTY-SIXTH REGIMENT
But little effort was made during the spring and early summer of 1862 to raise volunteers for the war. The call of July, 1862, for 300,000 men for nine months, and the call of August 4, 1862, for 300,000 men for nine months, stimulated new enlistments, and war meetings were held throughout the county. The draft threatened for September, and afterwards fixed for October 6, together with offers of bounty was sufficient to bring out the troops. In July and August a little more than two full companies were raised for the Sixty-sixth Regiment, which rendezvoused at New Albany. Company D, except about seven men, was wholly from Orange County, and was officered as follows: John W. Payne, Captain; John Millis, First Lieutenant; James M. Hobson, Second Lieutenant. All of Company E, except about ten men, was raised in Orange County, the officers being: F. C. Bivins, Captain; Shadrach B. A. Conder, First Lieutenant; William Maple, Second Lieutenant. There were fifteen from the county in Company A, twelve in Company B, and a few in other companies. The men were all mustered in August 19, and the same evening the regiment, yet incomplete, marched southward to oppose Kirby Smith who had invaded Kentucky. It moved to Lexington, and on the 23d of August marched to Richmond, Ky., where on the 30th, it participated in that disastrous engagement, losing the greater portion captured. The men were paroled, sent to Indianapolis, and soon rendezvoused again at New Albany. The remainder of the regiment reached Louisville September 10. The entire regiment, November 18, was transferred to Indianapolis, was duly declared exchanged, and December 10 again took the field at Corinth. Here it remained a part of the First Brigade of Dodge's Division until August 18, 1863, when it moved to Collierville, where Companies B, C. D, E, G and I engaged the enemy October 11, 1863. It reached Pulaski Tenn., November 11, where it remained until the spring of 1864, and then with the Second Division of the Sixteenth Army Corps started April 29 for Chattanooga to join Sherman at Dalton, Ga. It then participated in the Atlanta campaign, fighting at Resaca, Lay's Ferry, Rome Cross Roads, Dallas, Kenesaw, before Atlanta (July 22) and Jonesboro. At Eastport it was transferred to the Fifteenth Army Corps. It reached Rome, Ga., September 27, and from November 15 to December 21 marched across Georgia to Savannah. It then moved through the Carolinas, and after Johnson's surrender reached Washington City May 24, 1865. Here it was mustered out June 3 and sent to Indianapolis, arriving June 12, and all except the recruits were discharged. The recruits were transferred to the Fifty-Ninth Regiment, and were mustered out July 17, 1865, at Louisville.
RECRUITING IN THE AUTUMN OF 1862
Early in September, 1862, about a dozen men left the county as recruits for Company A, of the Thirty-eighth Regiment. In August a dozen men joined Company G of the Forty-ninth, and a few Company K, of the same regiment. About fifteen joined Company F, of the Fiftieth Regiment, in September and October. The work of enlistment was well done, and at the time of the draft of October 6, 1862, only two townships - Greenfield and Jackson - were deficient, while the other townships, almost all, had a surplus, so that Orange County was in reality ahead of her quota. A few men from the county went into the Fourth Cavalry (Seventy-seventh Regiment), and a few more entered the Eighty-first Regiment, all prior to the draft of October.
THE NINETY-THIRD REGIMENT
Almost an entire company was raised for the Ninety-second Regiment in the vicinity of Newton Stewart, but really became H of the Ninety third, with the following officers: William T. Swift, Captain; John W Parks, First Lieutenant; Wesley Shoulders, Second Lieutenant. The men were mustered in at Madison, August 20, 1862, and on the 9th of November moved to Cairo, Ill., thence to Memphis, thence to near Oxford, Miss. Late in December, it moved to La Grange, Tenn., thence to Corinth, thence to near Memphis, where it did guard duty. About the middle of March, 1863, it sailed to Helena, and then to Duckport, La. It then participated in the movement on Vicksburg. Its first fight was at Jackson, Miss., where it lost 3 killed and 7 wounded. It moved back toward Vicksburg, and in assaults on that place lost 3 killed and 14 wounded. It then moved in the expedition to prevent Gen. Johnston from assisting the enemy in Vicksburg, but returned upon the surrender of the latter place. It then participated in the investment of Jackson, losing one killed and three wounded. After various movements it skirmished the enemy October 17, near Brownsville, Miss. It remained at Vicksburg, Memphis and other points, skirmishing several times, until May, 1864. On the lst of June it started on the Gun Town expedition, and encountered the enemy at Brice's Cross Roads. After a hot fight. the regiment was driven rapidly back, with the loss of 13 killed, 56 wounded and 184 prisoners. The remainder of the regiment reached Memphis June 12. July 15, another fight was had at Harrisburg, Miss., where the enemy was repulsed, and on the way back to Memphis several skirmishes ensued. It then moved up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, to Little Santa Fe, Kan., thence moved to St. Louis, thence (November 14) to Nashville, Tenn. Here on the 15th and 16th of December, 1864, it participated in the battle of Nashville. It joined the pursuit, and later selected winter quarters at Eastport, Miss. Early in February, 1865, it went by water to Dauphin Island, Ala., thence to Danby's Mills, thence to Spanish Fort, in the investment of which it was actively engaged. Early in April it moved to Fort Blakely, which was carried by storm. On the 20th, Montgomery, Ala. was reached. It moved to Selma, thence to Gainesville, at which place it was ordered home. It was mustered out at Memphis, Tenn., August 10, 1865, and August 11 was given a public reception at Indianopolis. Companies I and K remained with the recruits in the service until October, 1865.