Clay County Indiana Civil War Soliders
Names of the First Company of Three Months’ Volunteers from Clay
County Who Enlisted for the Civil War Service.
COMPANY F, 10TH REGIMENT.
Ezra Olds, captain Joseph C. Gifford
Demetrius Parsley, first lieutenant Jacob Gibbons
Isaac W. Sanders, second lieutenant Harry Hicks
Julius Hunt, first sergeant George H. Hansel
Webster Nanee, sergeant Robert M. Jlollingsworth
Lewis Manker, sergeant Roswell S. Hill
Robert W. Osborn, sergeant Uriab Keeler
George W. Kress, corporal David Keeler
William Leveye, corporal Andrew J. Kidd
Elisha Haddon, corporal James A. Leasure
Rodney Grimes, corporal Alexander McDaniel
Robert B. Wright, musician George W. Morgan
John C. Britton, musician John Moore
Henry Albright William E. Moore
Frank W. Armstrong James A. Moore
Robert N. Benefield Clark A. V. Moore
Benjamin S. Benefield James A. Mark
William Belk James T. Matthews
Benjamin F. Belk John Myers
James K. Brackney Alexander Nicholson
Demas D. Britton Aloazo B. Olds
Daniel H. Bresler Edwin D. Parsley
George W. Brush John F. Pell
William A. Brush Isaac F. Pratt
Richard T. Bowling William Painter
John Burk John A. Payne
Frederick A. Chipman Robert Robinson
Jesse Chambers Abel Rarden
William Cordery James Riley
Benjamin F. Cornwell James H. W. Stallcup
Isaac P. Davis Miles V. Stunkard
John Dunlavy James Stunkard
Christian Erliscb Franklin D. Stewart
Henry M. Erahart Samuel Tatham
George W. Eaglesfield Frederick Ward
Godfrey Eazley Tillman Westfall
Landon Ford Winston Westfall
Samuel Gonter Samuel Yocum
This company was mustered into service at Indianapolis, on the
25th day of April, 1861, and mustered out on the 6th day of August,
following. Samuel Yocum, the last one enumerated, was killed in battle
at Rich Mountain, Virginia, July 11th.
Clay County Volunteers in Thirty-one Regiments.
In the Civil war, aside from the first company of volunteers, which
went out in the spring of 1861, on the first call made for troops, in the
Tenth Regiment. and those of the Forty-third Regiment. elsewhere enum-
erated, there were Clay county men in twenty-nine other regiments as
here named: Ninth Regiment, two: Eleventh, nine: Twelfth, two; Thir-
teenth, sixteen; Sixteenth, nine; Twentieth, three; Twenty-first, one
hundred and twenty-nine; Twenty-sixth, one: Twenty-ninth, eight;
Thirty-first, sixty-five; Thirty-fifth, six : Thirty-eighth, four: Forty-
first, forty ; Forty-second, four ; Forty-seventh, one : Fifty-first, four
Fifty-second, two; Fifty-seventh, nineteen; Fifty-ninth, thirty; Seventy-
first, one hundred and forty; Eighty-fifth, one hundred and twenty-two;
Eighty-seventh, one : Ninety-seventh, forty-four : One Hundred and
Twenty-fourth. fifty-seven: One Hundred and Twenty-eighth, one: One
Hundred and Fortieth, one: One Hundred and Forty-ninth, one hundred
and twenty-nine ; One hundred and Fifty-sixth, thirteen.
The Thirty-first Indiana was known as the "Iron Regiment,” from
its reputation as one of the best disciplined regiments in the army of the
West, most hard)’ and enduring, unswerving in devotion to duty and ever
ready for any of the vicissitudes of war. There were sixty-five Clay
countians in this regiment. The first Clay county man who lost his life
in this regiment was James Taylor, killed at Fort Donelson, where Elijah
Ferguson, well known throughout the county after his return from army
service, lost his arm.
An incident of significance and worthy of special mention in the
services and history of the Forty-third Regiment was that of July 4th,
1863, at the battle of Helena, Arkansas, where it was distinguished by
supporting,.alone, a battery that was three times charged by the enemy,
repulsing each attack, and, finally, capturing a full rebel regiment larger
in point of numbers than its own strength.
But on the 30th of April following, the brigade to which this regi-
ment was attached was furiously attacked by about six thousand of
Marmadukes cavalry, on the way from Camden to Pine Bluff, in which
engagement it lost nearly two hundred in killed and missing. One
hundred and sixty-four men were captured and taken to the rebel prison
at Tyler, Texas. There were ninety-eight Clay county men in the Forty-
third Regiment.
Rezerses of the Seventy-first Regiment.
The Seventy-first Indiana Regiment, which was enlisted and orga-
nized in the summer of 1862, and mustered into service at Indianapolis
on the 18th day of August, was sent immediately to the field in Ken-
tucky, to aid in repelling the invasion being made by Kirby Smith, and
met the enemy in an engagement at Richmond on the 30th of the month
and was signally routed with heavy losses, two hundred and fifteen
officers and privates having been killed and wounded, and three hundred
and forty-seven taken prisoners, only two hundred and twenty-five escap-
ing capture, less than thirty per cent of the total number. Company
D of this regiment was enlisted at Bowling Green, composed of one
hundred and one men, almost wholly Clay countians. Among the
wounded and missing of this company were Samuel N. Rule, John
Inman, Gottlieb C. Hang, Henry Market, Benjamin Tribble, the first
named having died the same day. Among those who escaped capture
were Capt. D. A. Conover, Sergt. Joseph Boothe, Corporal Philip A.
Elkin, W. M. Merwin, Hiram Anderson, Peter Heath, John Doyle,
William H. Zenor, William West, Jacob Penrod, James Clemens, James
Francis, Morgan Donham, Harvey L. Donham, James Bohannon. Three
days later the prisoners were released, who found their way back home
as best they could. Though practically disbanded, the regiment was
reorganized later in the season and ordered to Muldraugh's Hill, Ken-
tucky to guard a railroad bridge under Lieut-Col. C C, Matson and
Major W. W. Carter, and while in that position the whole command was
captured by John Morgan. They were then paroled and sent back to
Indianapolis, where hey spent the winter in the barracks and the next
summer in guarding prisoners at Camp Morton, There was a total of
one hundred and forty Clay county men in the Seventy-first Regiment.
A report published in the columns of the local press in the month
of August, 1862, showed the number of enlistments in Clay county up
to the first of that month to be one thousand two hundred and eleven,
accredited to commissioned company officers and assigned to regiments
as follows:
Captains. No.of men. Reg.
Campbell 101 21st
Major 101 43d
Ellington 101 41st
Leabo 101 41st
Moss 101 43d
Bunt 101 16th
Olds 101 10th
Conover 101 71st
Mewhinney 50 31st
Beatty 13 31st
Stewart 20 41st
Allen 9 71st
Lieutenant Brown 60 59th
Lieutenant Elkin 29 21st
Scatteting 60 31st
Scattering 40 14th
Scattering 20 19th
Scattering 25 11th
Scattering 24 15th
Scattering 23 16th
Total......................................1,211
List of Commissioned Officers from Clay County as Enumerated in the
Adjutant Generals Report.
Ezra Olds, captain 10th Regiment (3 months). commissioned May 3,
mustered out term expired; re-entered service as captain 133d Regi—
ment.
Demetrius Parsley, 1st lieut. 10th Regiment, commissioned May 3,
1861, mustered out term expired; re-entered service as 1st Lieut. 2d Cav-
alry. Isaac W. Sanders, 2d lieut. 10th Regiment. mustered out term ex-
pired re-entered service as captain 78th Regiment.
James T. Duffield, asst. surgeon 7th Peginient (three Years), com-
missioned Aug. 20, 1862, mustered out Sept. 20, 1864 term expired.
Richard Campbell, captain 21st Regiment. commissioned July 29,
1861, transferred to 1st heavy Artillery died of disease April 26, 1865
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