Family Group Record John H

Family Group Record John H. FETZER

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Husband: Johann (John) Heinrich FETZER(1)

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AKA:

Born: Abt 4 MAY 1843 - Geiselberg, Waldfischback-Burgalben,

Germany

Baptized:

Died: 10 OCT 1916 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(2)

Cause of Death: Septicemia (?) due to an infected foot.... duration 3 months

days

Buried: 11 OCT 1916 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Father: Johann Nicolaus FETZER (Abt 1797-1891)

Mother: Elizabeth DORR (Abt 1806-Abt 1859)

Marriage: 16 APR 1869 Place: North Liberty, St.

Joseph, Indiana

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Events

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1. He served in the military enlisted as a Private in the Indiana

Volunteers, Company C, 73rd Regiment on 16 AUG 1862 in North Liberty,

St.

Joseph, Indiana.

2. He was discharged from the military on 1 JUL 1865 in Nashville,

Davidson, Tennessee.

3. He appeared on the census on 21 JUN 1870 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. John is a 27 year old white male farmer born in

Bavaria

having $200 value of personal property. Both his parents were foreign

born.

4. He appeared on the census on 23 JUN 1880 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. John is the 37 year old white male farmer, married,

born

in Bavaria as were both his parents.

5. He appeared on the census on 2 JUN 1900 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. John H appears as a 57 year old male born in May 1843

Germany who has been married 32 years. Both his parents were born in

Germany. He came to the US in 1859 and has been here 41 years and is

naturalized citizen. He can read, write and speak English. He owns

his

own home free of mortgage located on a farm.

6. He appeared on the census on 16 APR 1910 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. John H appears as the 66 year old head of household

who

has been married for 40 years who was born in Gernmany as were both

his

parents. He immigarated in 184X and is a naturalized citizen who

speaks

English.

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Wife: Margaret COIL

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AKA:

Born: Abt 18 DEC 1848 - Bremen, Marshall, Indiana

Baptized:

Died: 8 FEB 1923 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(3)

Buried: 10 FEB 1923 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(4)

Father: William COIL (Abt 1809-Bef 1870)

Mother: Jane Betz BATES (Abt 1810-Bet 1870)

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Events

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1. She appeared on the census on 12 OCT 1850 in My Division, Marshall,

Indiana. Margaret appears as a 3 year old female born in Indiana.

2. She appeared on the census on 8 JUN 1860 in Tyner City, Marshall,

Indiana. Margaret appears as a 12 year old female in the John Ellis

household. She was born in Indiana and attended school. John Ellis

was

her uncle?

3. She appeared on the census on 21 JUN 1870 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Margaret is the 22 year old white female keeping

house

who was born in Indiana,

4. She appeared on the census on 23 JUN 1880 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Margaret is the 31 year old female white wife of

John.

She is keeping house and was born in Indiana. Both her parents are

listed as born in Maryland.

5. She appeared on the census on 2 JUN 1900 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Margaret appears as a 51 year old born in December

1849

in Indiana. She has been married 32 years and had four children 2 of

whom are living. Her father was born in Maryland and her mother in

Ohio.

She can read, write and speak English.

6. She appeared on the census on 16 APR 1910 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Margaret appears as the 61 year old wife of John.

She

was born in Indiana, her father in Maryland and her mother in Ohio.

She

has had 4 children, 3 are living.

7. She appeared on the census on 26 JAN 1920 in North Liberty, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Margaret appears as a71 year old widow living with

Jacob

and Mina Grove. Born in Indiana with father born in Maryland and

mother

in Ohio.

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Children

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1 M Willard/William FETZER

Born: Abt 7 JAN 1870 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Baptized:

Died: Abt 8 AUG 1871 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(5)

Buried: Abt 8 AUG 1871 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Spouse:

Marr. Date:

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Events

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1. He appeared on the census on 21 JUN 1870 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. William is listed as the 5/12 year old white male

born

in Indiana.

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2 F Belmina M. FETZER

Born: 17 MAR 1873 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Baptized:

Died: 5 NOV 1954 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Buried: 8 NOV 1954 - East Lawn Cemetery, North Liberty, St. Joseph,

Indiana

Spouse: Jacob A. GROVE (Abt 1857-Abt 1932)

Marr. Date:

Spouse: Unknown HALL (Abt 1870- )

Marr. Date: Bef 1900

Spouse:

Marr. Date:

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Events

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1. She appeared on the census on 23 JUN 1880 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Belmina appears as the 7 year old female white

daughter

of John and Margaret. She was born in Indiana.

2. She appeared on the census on 2 JUN 1900 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. "Mina" appears as a 27 year old widow born in March

1873

in Indiana. Her occupation is listed as Milliner and she was not

employed in the last 12 months. She can read, write and speak

English.

3. She appeared on the census on 16 APR 1910 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Mina appears as the 38 year old widowed daughter to

John

and Margaret. She was born in Indiana and had one child who is still

living.

4. She appeared on the census on 26 JAN 1920 in North Liberty, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Mina appears as the wife of Jacob. She is 47 years

old.

5. She appeared on the census on 26 APR 1930 in North Liberty, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Mina M appears as the wife of Jacob. She is 65 years

old first married at age 20.

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3 M Frank Cecil FETZER

Born: 6 SEP 1876 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Baptized:

Died: 16 SEP 1972 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(6)

Cause of Death: Cancer of the Throat (Larynx) with ??

Buried: 19 SEP 1972 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Spouse: Fannie OLINGER (1881-1968)

Marr. Date: 24 DEC 1900 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(7)

Spouse:

Marr. Date:

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Events

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1. He appeared on the census on 23 JUN 1880 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Franklin is the 4 year old white male son of John and

Ellen born in Indiana.

2. He appeared on the census on 2 JUN 1900 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Frank C appears as a 23 year old single male born in

September 1876 in Indiana. His occupation is that of Stockbuyer and

can read, write and speak English. He worked in the past 12 months.

3. He appeared on the census on 16 APR 1910 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Frank appears as the 34 year old white male head of

household born in Indiana whose profession is retail stock, self

employed

and owns his home mortgage free.

4. He appeared on the census on 26 JAN 1920 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Frank C appears as a 43 year old white male married

Stock dealer born in Indiana with his father born in Germany and his

mother in Indiana. He lives on Main Street.

5. He appeared on the census on 26 APR 1930 in North Liberty, St.

Joseph,

Indiana. Frank is listed as a 50 year old white male whose age at

first

marriage was 24. He did not attend school in 1929 and he can read and

write. His occupation is Assessor, County.

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4 M Clarence H FETZER

Born: Abt 2 AUG 1879 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana

Baptized:

Died: After 1930

Buried:

Spouse: Maude Mae SIX (Abt 1882-Aft 1930)

Marr. Date: 6 AUG 1902 - North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana(8)

Spouse:

Marr. Date:

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Events

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1. He appeared on the census on 23 JUN 1880 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Clarance is listed as the 9/12 year old white male

son

of John and Ellen who was born in Indiana.

2. He appeared on the census on 15 JAN 1920 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Clarence H appears as a 40 year old white married

male

born in Indiana who is a farmer. His father was born in Germany and

speaks German. His mother was born in Indiana.

3. He appeared on the census on 4 APR 1930 in Liberty Township, St.

Joseph, Indiana. Clarence H is the 50 year old white male head of

household who was born in Indiana He is a farmer and not a veteran.

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General Notes (Husband)

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What follows is the account of the Civil War that Johann experienced from

the

Commander's view point:

Streight's Raid through Northern Alabama

Tuscumbia / Day's Gap/Blountsville / Gadsden/Centre /Cedar Bluff

Report of Col. Abel D. Streight, Fifty-First Indiana Infantry, commanding

expedition.

Headquarters Fifty-First Indiana Volunteers, Chattanooga, Tenn., August 22,

1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report that since my return to duty, June 1 last, I

have been endeavoring to obtain the necessary information, from the several

regiments that composed my command, to enable me to render you an accurate

report of my expedition in April, 1863; but, owing to the absence of most of

officers (who are still confined as prisoners of war) and the scattered

condition of the men, I have been unable to collect as many of the

particulars

as I had intended. On April 7, 1863, I received orders from General

Rosecrans

to proceed with the Provisional Brigade - about 1,700 officers and men,

composed of my regiment (the Fifty-first Indiana), Seventy-third Indiana,

Colonel Hathaway; Third Ohio, Colonel Lawson; Eightieth Illinois,

Lieutenant-Colonel Rodgers, and two companies of the First Middle Tennessee

Cavalry, Capt. D.D. Smith - to Nashville, and to fit out as speedily as

possible for an expedition to the interior of Alabama and Georgia, for the

purpose of destroying the railroads and other rebel property in that

country. I

was instructed to draw about half the number of mules necessary to mount my

command, at Nashville, and to seize in the country through which I passed a

sufficient number of animals to mount the balance. On arriving at Nashville,

organized the following staff, to wit: Capt. D.L. Wright, Fifty-first

Indiana

Volunteers, to be acting assistant adjutant-general; Maj. W.L. Peck, Third

Ohio, to be brigade surgeon; Lieut. J.G. Doughty, regimental quartermaster

Fifty-first Indiana Volunteers, to be acting assistant quartermaster;

Captain

Driscoll, Third Ohio, to be acting assistant inspector-general; Lieut. J.W.

Pavey, Eightieth Illinois Volunteer, to be ordnance officer, and Lieut. A.C.

Roach, Fifty-first Indiana Volunteers, to be aide-de-camp. As soon as

possible

all hands were at work to supply the command with the necessary clothing,

ordnance, and equipments for an expedition of this kind, and on the

afternoon

of the 10th I received orders from General Garfield, chief of staff, to

embark

at once on steamers then at the landing and proceed down the river to

Palmyra,

land my command there, and march across the country to Fort Henry, and to

seize

all the horses and mules I could find in the country. Everything was

speedily

put on board, although it was late in the evening before the mules were

brought

to the landing for shipment. I was temporarily absent at the time, attending

some business affairs preparatory to starting; consequently did not see

them.

As soon as everything was ready we proceeded down the river to Palmyra,

where

we arrived on the evening of the 11th, and disembarked at once. I sent the

fleet, consisting of eight steamers, around to Fort Henry, under the command

Colonel Lawson, Third Ohio, and furnished him with four companies of the

Fifty-first Indiana Volunteers as guard. He had orders to stop at Smithland

and

take on a quantity of rations and forage for General Dodge's command. As

soon

as it was light the next morning, all hands were set at work to catch and

saddle the mules. I then for the first time discovered that the mules were

nothing but poor, wild, and unbroken colts, many of them but two years old,

and

that a large number of them had the horse distemper; some 40 or 50 of the

lot

were too near dead to travel, and had to be left at the landing; 10 or 12

died

before we started, and such of them as could be rode at all were so wild and

unmanageable that it took us all that day and a part of the next to catch

and

break them before we could move out across the country; but in the mean time

had sent out several parties to gather in horses and mules, and they had

been

successful in getting about 150 very good animals, but mostly barefooted.

the 13th, the command left Palmyra and marched about 15 miles in a

southwesterly direction, and encamped on Yellow Creek. My scouting parties

did

not succeed in finding many horses or mules. The people had got warning of

our

movements, and the stock was mostly run off. Early the next morning we

resumed

our march, and arrived at Fort Henry about noon on the 15th. We had scoured

the

country as far south as it was safe, on account of the proximity of a large

force of the enemy, under [T.G.] Woodward, and although about 100 of the

mules

gave out and had to be left behind on our march, yet when we reached Fort

Henry

our animals numbered about 1,250. Those that we had collected in the country

were mostly in good condition, but were nearly all barefooted. Contrary to

expectations the boats had not arrived, nor did they reach there until the

evening of the 16th, having been delayed in getting the rations and forage

above referred. General Ellet's Marine Brigade and two gunboats accompanied

the

fleet to Fort Henry, and informed me that they were ordered to proceed with

as far as Eastport, Miss. General Ellet assumed command of the fleet, and we

embarked as soon as possible; but the pilots declared that at the existing

low

stage of water it would be unsafe to run at nights; hence we did not start

until the morning of the 17th, when we steamed up the river, but, despite

all

my efforts to urge the fleet ahead as fast as possible, we did not reach

Eastport until the afternoon of the 19th. As soon as we arrived at

Eastport, I

left Colonel Lawson in command, with orders to disembark and prepare to

march,

while I went to see General Dodge, who, with his command (some 8,000

strong),

was awaiting my arrival 12 miles up Bear River. After my interview with

General

Dodge, I returned to Eastport about midnight, and was informed that a

stampede

had occurred among the animals, and that some of them had got away.

Daylight

the next morning revealed to me the fact that nearly 400 of our best animals

were gone. All that day and part of the next was spent in scouring the

country

to recover them, but only about 200 of the lost number were recovered; the

remainder fell into the hands of the enemy. The loss of these animals was a

heavy blow to my command, for besides detaining us nearly two days at

Eastport

and running down our stock in searching the country to recover them, it

caused

still further delay at Tuscumbia to supply their places. Quite a number of

the

mules drawn at Nashville had to be left at Eastport, on account of the

distemper before mentioned; several died before we left. We left Eastport

the afternoon of April 21, and reached General Dodge's headquarters the

following morning about 8 o'clock. We then proceeded in rear of General

Dodge's forces, which were continually skirmishing with the enemy as they

advanced as far as Tuscumbia, Ala., scouring the country to the river on the

left and to the mountains on our right, and collected all the horses and

mules

that could be found.

[Tuscumbia]

We arrived at Tuscumbia about 5 p.m. on April 24. Here General Dodge

furnished

me some 200 mules and 6 wagons to haul ammunition and rations. I ordered my

surgeon to carefully examine my command, and send back to Corinth with

General

Dodge all men who were not fit for the arduous duties before us. This

reduced

my command to 1,500 men. General Dodge informed me that there was no doubt

but

Forrest had crossed the Tennessee River, and was in the vicinity of Town

Creek;

hence he agreed to advance as far as Courtland , on the Decatur road, and,

possible, drive the enemy in that direction, but if they (the enemy) turned

toward Moulton, our cavalry, under General Dodge, was to be sent in pursuit.

With this understanding, I marched from Tuscumbia at 11 p.m. on the night of

the 26th instant in the direction of Moulton via Russellville. It was

raining

very hard, and the mud and darkness of the night made our progress very

slow.

One hundred and fifty of my men had neither horses nor mules, and fully as

many

more had such as were unable to carry more than the saddles; hence fully 300

the men were on foot. It was expected when I left General Dodge that the

greater part of my command would be able to reach Moulton, some 40 miles

distant, by the next night, but, owing to the heavy rains and consequent bad

condition of the roads, it was impossible; consequently I dispatched a

messenger to General Dodge, stating that I would halt at Mount Hope and wait

for the portion of my command who were on foot to come up. We continued to

scour the country for horses and mules, but so many of those drawn at

Nashville

were continually failing,that, although we were successful in collecting a

large number, still, many of the men were without anything to ride. On the

night of the 27th, at Mount Hope, I received word from General Dodge,

stating

that he had driven the enemy, and that I should push on. My command had not

all

come up yet, nor did they until about 10 s.m. the next day, when we

proceeded

to Moulton, where we arrived about dark. Up to this time we had been

skirmishing occasionally with small squads of the enemy, but I could hear of

force of consequence in the country. All of the command but about 40 men

were

now mounted. We started from Moulton, in the direction of Blountsville, via

Day's Gap, about midnight on April 28. The two previous days it had been

raining most of the time, and the roads were terrible, though on the evening

the 28th it bid fair for dry weather, which gave us strong hopes of better

times.

What comes next is the transcription of the Pension papers filed for Civil

War

service by John:

GENERAL AFFIDAVIT

State of Indiana, County of St. Joseph, ss:

IN THE MATTER OF Pension claim by John Fetzer Co. "C" 73rd Reg. Ind. Vols.

ON THIS 4th day of October, A. D. 1894, personally appeared before me, a

Notary

Public in and for the aforesaid County, duly authorized to administer oaths,

John A Frazier aged 49 years, a resident of South Bend in the County of St.

Joseph and State of Indiana well known to be to be reputable and entitled to

credit, and who being duly sworn, declared in relation to the aforesaid case

follows:

I was a member of the same Company as the claimant and knew him well. While

the Straight raid we rode mules and carried our guns by a strap sling over

the

shoulder, the gun hanging down the side. One day near Day's Gap we stopped

a spring to get some water and the claimant said to me "my gun chafed my

leg."

He showed me his leg which was bleeding near the ankle. I saw his leg often

after this until we came to Indianapolis, Ind. He leg grew worse and by

this

time was pretty bad. We left Indianapolis, Ind. in the fall of 1863 for

Nashville, Tenn.

(Note: It appears from the record of the 73rd Indiana Infantry Volunteers

roster that John A. Fraizer was from LaPorte and was the Chaplain for the

entire Regiment.)

[Day's Gap]

He further declares that his back was injured by the falling of a mule while

a raid with Colonel Straight near Days Gap in Alabama about April 30th 1863.

The Commander's account continues:

We marched the next day (the 29th) to Day's Gap, about 35 miles, and

bivouacked

for the night. Every man now was mounted, and although many of the animals

were

very poor, nevertheless we had strong hopes that we could easily supply all

future demands. We destroyed during the day a large number of wagons

belonging

to the enemy, laden with provisions, arms, tents, &c., which had been sent

the mountains to avoid us, but, luckily, they fell into our hands. We were

now

in the midst of devoted Union people. Many of Captain Smith's men

(Alabamians)

were recruited near this place, and many were the happy greetings between

them

and their friends and relations. I could learn nothing of the enemy in the

country, with the exception of small squads of scouting parties, who were

hunting conscripts. We moved out the next morning before daylight. I will

here

remark that my men had been worked very hard in scouring so much of the

country, and unaccustomed as they were to riding, made it still worse;

consequently, they were illy prepared for the trying ordeal through which

they

were to pass. I had not proceeded more than 2 miles, at the head of the

column,

before I was informed that the rear guard had been attached, and just at

that

moment I heard the boom of artillery in the rear of the column. I had

previously learned that the gap through which we were passing was easily

flanked by gaps through the mountains, both above and below; consequently I

sent orders to the rear to hod the enemy in check until we could prepare for

action. The head of the column was at the time on the top of the mountain.

The

column was moving through the gap; consequently the enemy was easily held in

check. I soon learned that the enemy had moved through the gaps on my right

and left, and were endeavoring to form a junction in my advance;

consequently I

moved ahead rapidly until we passed the intersecting roads on either flank

with the one we occupied. The country was open, sand ridges, very thinly

wooded, and afforded fine defensive positions. As soon as we passed the

point

above designated (about 3 miles from the top of the mountains), we

dismounted

and formed a line of battle on a ridge circling to the rear. Our right

rested

on a precipitous ravine and the left was protected by a marshy run that was

easily held against the enemy. The mules were sent into a ravine to the rear

our right, where they were protected from the enemy's bullets. I also

deployed

a line of skirmishers, resting on our right and left flanks encircling our

rear, in order to prevent a surprise from any detached force of the enemy

that

might approach us from that direction and to prevent any straggling of

either

stray animals or cowardly men. In the mean time I had instructed Captain

Smith, who had command of our rear guard (now changed to our front), to hold

his position until the enemy pressed him closely, when he should retreat

rapidly, and, if possible, draw them on to our lines, which were concealed

the men lying down immediately back of the top of the ridge. The lines were

left sufficiently open to permit Captain Smith's command to pass through

near

the center. I had two 12 pounder mountain howitzers, which were stationed

near

the road (the center). They were also concealed. We had hardly completed our

arrangements when the enemy charged Captain Smith in large force, following

him

closely, and no sooner had he passed our lines than our whole line rose up

and

delivered a volley at short range. We continued to pour a rapid fire into

their

ranks, which soon caused them to give way in confusion; but their

re-enforcements soon came up, when they dismounted, formed, and made a

determined and vigorous attack. Our skirmishers were soon driven in, and

about

the same time the enemy opened upon us with a battery off artillery. The

enemy

soon attempted to carry our lines, but were handsomely repulsed. During

their

advance they had run their artillery to within 300 yards of our lines, and

soon as they began to waver I prepared for a charge. I ordered Colonel

Hathaway, Seventy-third Indiana, and Lieutenant Colonel Sheets, Fifty-first

Indiana, on the left, to make a charge, in order to draw the attention of

the

battery, and immediately threw the Third Ohio, Colonel Lawson, and the

Eightieth Illinois, Lieutenant-Colonel Rodgers, forward rapidly, hoping to

capture the battery. The enemy, after a short but stubborn resistance, fled

confusion, leaving two pieces of artillery, two caissons, and about 40

prisoners, representing seven regiments, a large number of wounded, and

about

30 dead on the field. Among the former was Captain [William H.] Forrest, a

brother General Forrest. Our loss was about 30 killed and wounded, among the

latter Lieutenant-Colonel Sheets, Fifty-first Indiana (mortally), a brave

and

gallant officer, and one that we were illy prepared to lose, and Lieutenant

Pavey, Eightieth Illinois (on my staff), severely. It was now about 11

o'clock,

fighting having continued since about 6 o'clock in the morning. I had

learned,

in the mean time, that the enemy were in heavy force, fully three times our

number, with twelve pieces of artillery, under General Forrest in person;

consequently I was fearful that they were making an effort to get around us

and

attack in the rear of our position; hence I decided to resume the march.

Everything was soon in readiness, and we moved out, leaving a strong guard

(dismounted) in the rear, to check any immediate advance the enemy might

make

previous to the column getting in motion. We were not too soon in our

movements, for the column had hardly passed a cross-road, some 6 miles from

our

first battle-ground, when the enemy were discovered advancing on our left.

Sharp skirmishing commenced at Crooked Creek, which is about 10 miles south

Day's Gap, and finally the enemy pressed our rear so hard that I was

compelled

to prepare for battle. I selected a strong position, about 1 mile south of

the

crossing of the creek, on a ridge called Hog Mountain. The whole force soon

became engaged (about one hour before dark). The enemy strove first to carry

our right; then charged the left; but with the help of the two pieces of

artillery captured in the morning and the two mountain howitzers, all of

which

were handled with good effect by Major Vananda, of the Third Ohio, we were

able

to repulse them. Fighting continued until about 10 p.m., when the enemy

were

driven from our front, leaving a large number of killed and wounded on the

field. I determined at once to resume our march, and as soon as possible we

moved out. The ammunition which we had captured with the two guns was

exhausted, and being very short of horses, I ordered the guns spiked and the

carriages destroyed. I had ordered the Seventy-third Indiana (Colonel

Hathaway)

to act as rear guard, and I remained in the rear in person, for the purpose

being at hand in case the enemy should attempt to press us as we were moving

out. We had but fairly got under way when I received information of the

enemy's

advance. The moon shone very brightly, and the country was an open

woodland,

with an occasional spot of thick undergrowth. In one of these thickets I

placed

the Seventy-third Indian, lying down, and not more than 20 paces from the

road,

which was in plain view. The enemy approached. The head of his column passed

without discovering our position. At this moment the whole regiment opened a

most destructive fire, causing a complete stampede of the enemy. I will here

remark that the country from Day's Gap to Blountsville (about 40 miles) is

mostly uninhabited; consequently there is nothing in the country for man or

beast. I had hopes that by pushing ahead we could reach a place where we

could

feed before the enemy would come up with us, and, by holding him back where

there was no feed, compel him to lay over a day at least to recuperate. I

had

learned that they had been on a forced march from Town Creek, Ala., a day

and

two nights previous to their attacking us. We were not again disturbed until

had marched several miles, when they attacked our rear guard vigorously. I

again succeeded in ambuscading them, which caused them to give up the

pursuit

for the night. We continued our march, and reached Blountsville about 10

o'clock in the morning. Many of our mules had given out, leaving their

riders

on foot, but there was very little straggling behind the rear guard.

[Blountsville]

At Blountsville we found sufficient corn to feed our tired and hungry

animals.

Ammunition and rations were hastily distributed to the men, and the

remaining

ammunition was put on pack mules and the wagons burned, as it was now

understood that it would be impossible to take them over the roads before

us.

After resting about two hours, we resumed our march in the direction of

Gadsden. The column had not got fairly under motion before our pickets

were

driven in, and a sharp skirmish ensued between Forrest's advance and our

rear

guard, under Captain Smith, in the town of Blountsville. The enemy followed

closely for several miles, continually skirmishing with the rear guard, but

were badly handled by small parties of our men stopping in the thick bushes

the side of the road and firing at them at short range, and when we reached

the

East Branch of the Black Warrior River the ford was very deep and the enemy

pressed so closely that I was compelled to halt and offer him battle before

could cross. After some maneuvering, I advanced a heavy line of skirmishers,

who drove the enemy out of sight of my main line, when I ordered the troops,

except the skirmishers, to cross the river as rapidly as possible. After all

had crossed, except the skirmishers, they were rapidly withdrawn, under

cover

of our artillery, and a heavy line of skirmishers thrown out on the opposite

bank for that purpose. It was about 5 p.m. when the last of the command

crossed

the East Branch of the Black Warrior. We proceeded in the direction of

Gadsden

without further interruption, with the exception of small parties who were

continually harassing the rear of the column, until about 9 o'clock the next

morning, May 2, when the rear guard was fiercely attacked at the crossing of

Black Creek, near Gadsden. After a sharp fight the enemy was repulsed.

[Gadsden]

I had learned in the mean time, through my scouts, that a large column of

the

enemy was moving on our left, parallel with our route, evidently with the

intention of getting in our front, which made it necessary for us to march

all

night, though the command was in no condition to do so, and,, to add still

to my embarrassment, a portion of our ammunition had become damaged in

crossing

Will's Creek, which, at the time, was very deep fording. I only halted at

Gadsden sufficiently long to destroy a quantity of arms and commissary

stores

found there, and proceeded on. many of our animals and men were entirely

worn

out and unable to keep up with the column; consequently they fell behind the

rear guard and were captured. It now became evident to me that our only

hope

was in crossing the river at Rome and destroying the bridge, which would

delay

Forrest a day or two and give us time to collect horses and mules, and allow

the command a little time to sleep, without which it was impossible to

proceed.

The enemy followed closely, and kept up a continuous skirmish with the rear

the column until about 4 p.m., at which time we reached Blount's plantation,

about 15 miles from Gadsden, where we could procure forage for our animals.

Here I decided to halt, as it was impossible to continue the march through

the

night without feeding and resting, although to do so was to bring on a

general

engagement. Accordingly, the command was dismounted, and a detail made to

feed

the horses, and mules, while the balance of the command formed in line of

battle on a ridge southwest of the plantation. Meanwhile the rear guard, in

holding the enemy in check, had become severely engaged and was driven in.

The

enemy at once attacked our main line, and tried hard to carry the center,

but

were gallantly met and repulsed by the Fifty-first and Seventy-third

Indiana,

assisted by Major Vananda, with two mountain howitzers. They then made a

determined effort to turn our right, but were met by the gallant Eightieth

Illinois, assisted by two companies of the Third Ohio. The enemy, with the

exception of a few skirmishers, then fell back to a ridge some half a mile

distant, and commenced massing his force, as if preparing for a more

determined

attack. It was becoming dark, and I decided to withdraw unobserved, if

possible, and conceal my command in a thicket some half a mile to our rear,

there to lie in ambush and await his advance. In the mean time I had ordered

Capt. Milton Russell (Fifty-first Indiana) to take 200 of the best mounted

men,

selected from the whole command, and proceed to Rome, and hold the bridge

until

the main command could come up. The engagement at Blount's plantation

revealed

the fact that nearly all of our remaining ammunition was worthless, on

account

of having been wet. Much of that carried by the men had become useless by

the

paper wearing out and the powder sifting away. It was in this engagement

that

the gallant Colonel Hathaway (Seventy-third Indiana) fell, mortally wounded,

and in a few moments expired. Our country has seldom been called upon to

mourn

the loss of so brave and valuable an officer. His loss to me was

irreparable.

His men had almost worshipped him, and when he fell it cast a deep gloom of

despondency over his regiment which was hard to overcome.

[Centre]

We remained in ambush but a short time when the enemy, who by some means had

learned of our whereabouts, commenced a flank movement, which we discovered

time to check. I then decided to withdraw as silently as possible, and push

in the direction of Rome, but as a large number of the men were ismounted,

their animals having given out, and the remainder of the stock was so jaded,

tender-footed, and worn down, our progress was necessarily slow; yet, as

everything depended on our reaching Rome before the enemy could throw a

sufficient force there to prevent our crossing the bridge, every possible

effort was made to urge the command forward. We proceeded without

interruption

until we reached the vicinity of Centre, when one of my scouts informed me

that

a force of the enemy was posted in ambush but a short distance in our front.

immediately threw forward a line of skirmishers, with orders to proceed

until

they were fired upon, when they should open a brisk fire on the enemy, and

hold

their position until the command had time to pass. The plan worked

admirably,

for, while my skirmishers were amusing the enemy, the main column made a

detour

to the right, and struck the main road some 3 miles to the rear of the

enemy.

As soon as our main force had passed, the skirmishers withdrew and fell in

the

rear of the column. I was then hopeful that we could reach Rome before the

enemy could overtake us. My principal guide had thus far proved reliable,

and I

had made particular inquiries of him as to the character of the road and the

country the evening before, and he assured me that there were no difficult

streams to cross and that the road was good; hence we approached the

Chattooga

River at the ferry without any information as to the real condition of

things.

Captain Russell had managed to ferry the last of his command across about

one

hour previous to my arrival, but the enemy had seized and run off the boat

before we reached there.

[Cedar Bluff]

I then ascertained that there was a bridge some 7 or 8 miles up the river,

near

Gaylesville, and procured new guides and pushed on as rapidly as possible in

order to reach the bridge before the enemy should take possession of it. We

had

to pass over an old coal chopping for several miles, where the timber had

been

cut and hauled off for charcoal, leaving innumerable wagon roads running in

every direction, and the command was so worn out and exhausted that many

were

asleep, ad in spite of every exertion I could make, with the aid of such of

officers as were able for duty, the command became separated and scattered

into

several squads, traveling in different directions, and it was not until near

daylight that the last of the command had crossed the river. The bridge was

burned, and we proceeded on and passed Cedar Bluff just after daylight. It

now

became evident that the horses and mules could not reach Rome without

halting

to rest and feed. Large numbers of the mules were continually giving out. In

fact, I do not think that at that time we had a score of the mules drawn at

Nashville left, and nearly all of those taken in the country were

barefooted,

and many of them had such sore backs and tender feet that it was impossible

ride them; but, in order to get as near as possible to the force I had sent

ahead, we struggled on until about 9 a.m., when we halted and fed our

animals.

The men, being unaccustomed to riding, had become so exhausted from fatigue

and

loss of sleep that it was almost impossible to keep them awake long enough

feed. We had halted but a short time, when I was informed that a heavy force

the enemy was moving on our left, on a route parallel with the one we were

marching, and was then nearer Rome than we were. About the same time I

received

this information our pickets were driven in. The command was immediately

ordered into line, and every effort made to rally the men for action, but

nature was exhausted, and a large portion of my best troops actually went to

sleep while lying in line of battle under a sever skirmish fire. After some

maneuvering, Forrest sent in a flag of truce, demanding the surrender of my

forces. Most of my regimental commanders had already expressed the opinion

that, unless we could reach Rome and cross the river before the enemy came

with us again, we should be compelled to surrender. Consequently I called a

council of war. I had learned, however, in the mean time, that Captain

Russell

had been unable to take the bridge at Rome. Our condition was fully

canvassed.

As I have remarked before, our ammunition was worthless, our horses and

mules

in a desperate condition, the men were overcome with fatigue and loss of

sleep,

and we were confronted by fully three times our number, in the heart of the

enemy's country, and although personally opposed to surrender, and so

expressed

myself at the time, yet I yielded to the unanimous voice of my regimental

commanders, and at once entered into negotiations with Forrest to obtain the

best possible terms I could for my command, and at about noon, May 3, we

surrendered as prisoners of war. We were taken to Richmond, Va. The men were

soon sent through the lines and exchanged. My officers and myself were

confined

in Libby Prison, where we remained until the night of February 9 last, when

four of my officers and myself, together with several other prisoners,

succeeded in making our escape, and reached Washington in safety about March

The balance of my officers, or nearly all of them, are still confined as

prisoners or have died of disease, the result of long confinement,

insufficient

food, and cruel treatment at the hands of the enemy.

I am unable to report the exact number of casualties in the command, but

from

the best information I have been able to obtain, there were 15 officers and

about 130 enlisted men killed and wounded. It was a matter of astonishment

all that so much fighting should occur with so few casualties on our side;

but

we acted purely on the defensive, and took advantage of the nature of the

country as best we could. From actual personal observation where we had

driven

the enemy from the field, and from what my surgeons, left with our wounded,

learned in relation to the loss of the enemy, I am convinced that we killed

more of his men than we lost in both killed and wounded. Previous to the

surrender,we had captured and paroled about 200 prisoners, and had lost

about

the same number in consequence of the animals giving out, and the men,

unable

to keep up, broke down from exhaustion, and were necessarily picked up by

the

enemy; but in no case was the enemy able to capture a single man in any

skirmish or battle within my knowledge. I deem it proper to mention the

barbarous treatment my wounded received at the hands of the enemy. Owing to

the

nature of the service we were performing, we were compelled to leave our

wounded behind. I provided for them as best I could by leaving them blankets

and such rations as we had, and two of my surgeons remained behind to attend

them; but no sooner did the enemy get possession of our hospitals than they

robbed both officers and men of their blankets, coats, hats, boots, shoes,

rations, and money. The medical stores and instruments were taken from the

surgeons, and my wounded left in a semi-naked and starving condition, in

some

instances many miles from any inhabitants, to perish. Many thanks to the

Union

ladies of that country, for they saved many a brave soldier from a horrible

death.

In reviewing the history of this ill-fated expedition, I am convinced that

had

we been furnished at Nashville with 800 good horses, instead of poor, young

mules, we would have been successful, in spite of all other drawbacks; or if

General Dodge had succeeded in detaining Forrest one day longer, we would

have

been successful, even with our poor outfit. In conclusion, I will bear

testimony to the bravery and uncomplaining endurance of both officers and

men

of my command during those trying days and nights. To my staff I owe much

for

their good example and constant labors.

I have the honor, sir, to be, your obedient servant, A.D Streight, Colonel

Fifty-first Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry. Brig. Gen. William D.

Whipple,

Chief of Staff, Department of the Cumberland.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE SAME ACTION

Next is the official recording of the 73rd Infantry: