Journal History of the Twenty-Ninth Ohio Veteran Volunteers, 1861-1865 / Its Victories and its Reverses. And the campaigns and battles of Winchester, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, the March to the Sea, and the campaign of the Carolinas, in which it bore an honorable part

by J. Hamp SeCheverell

CHAPTER II.

The Departure from Camp Giddings—At the Front—Death of Lander—Advance up the Valley—Winchester.

Christmas morning, 1861, dawned clear, with the earth bountifully covered with snow, and soon the busy preparations for this the first march were apparent everywhere. Knapsacks were packed, tents were struck, and the camp equipage snugly put into shape for transportation to Ashtabula, and at 10 o’clock the drums beat off. Then the regiment filed out of the enclosure, bidding a fond good-bye, many for the last time, to the old camp, up through the town, where everybody was waiting to wish the “boys” God speed. “Head of column left,” and the Twenty-ninth regiment was en-route for Ashtabula and the front, followed by the prayers of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and sweethearts, that its every effort might be crowned with success, and that, if heaven so willed, all might return safely to the arms of loved ones, “when the cruel war was over.” How beautiful they looked in their new uniform, and how gaily the bayonets glistened in the bright sunlight as each man kept step to the music.

Arriving at Ashtabula, the regiment took cars, and was soon whirling rapidly towards Columbus, where it arrived the following day.

On disembarking from the cars, a march of four miles on the National pike to the west brought the regiment to Camp Chase, where it was assigned to barracks, and the sweets (?) of soldier life began to be more perceptible. While lying here, the regiment attended the inauguration of David Tod as Governor of Ohio, and perfected itself in the school of the soldier. On the 26th day of January, 1862, the long roll again sounded; the Twenty-ninth regiment fell in, and marched to the depot, a distance of four miles. It took cars, and steamed away for Dixie, passing through Newark and Zanesville, and across the Ohio river at Bellair, thence via the Baltimore & Ohio railroad through the mountains of West Virginia to a point some six miles below Cumberland, Maryland, where it made its first camp in Dixie. There it was assigned to the left flank of the Third brigade (the Seventh Ohio volunteer infantry occupying the right), Colonel E. B. Tyler commanding, and here it may be well to state that from this time until the Seventh regiment was discharged the service (July 8, 1864), the two regiments occupied the same position, engaged in the same battles, and endured an equal amount of the hard service incident to the several campaigns. The Twenty-ninth remained in active service for nearly a year after the discharge of its well-bred friends of the Seventh and until the collapse of the Rebellion. This for the benefit of those who imagine that only one regiment was recruited in Northern Ohio.

On February 5, 1862, a general movement was ordered to entrap the forces of Stonewall Jackson, then occupying Romney. The Twenty-ninth and its brigade took cars to French’s store, and marched some twenty miles to a point between Romney and Winchester to intercept the retreat of the rebels. The attempt was futile, however, as those whom the federals sought had flown ere the designated point was reached. This march was a terrible one, and told heavily on the men, many of whom succumbed to disease incident to exposure to the intense cold, the fording of streams whose icy waters were often waist deep, and the general hardships, were sent to hospital at Cumberland, and never returned to duty. Returning the following day, the regiment bivouacked at a point some eight miles from the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, known as Pine Levels or the Heights of Hampshire. Here it remained some ten days exposed to the intense cold, without tents, few blankets, on short rations, and no cooking utensils. Rude brush enclosures were constructed, which served the same purpose as Artemus Ward’s window sash, sort of “tangle the cold” or “keep out the coarsest.” It was by the greatest effort that the men were kept from freezing. This sort of thing seemed a pretty tough introduction to the “Sunny South,” but hardships of this kind became the normal experience of the Twenty-ninth regiment, and the sunny spots which occasionally intervened were duly appreciated.

The next move was to the eastward to Paw Paw station on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, near which the Twenty-ninth and its brigade went into camp. February 22d, Washington’s birthday, was duly observed. A general review was indulged in. The streets were prettily trimmed with evergreens; and arches, and other pretty devices were numerous. The Twenty-ninth were domiciled in small and nearly worn out wall tents.

On Saturday, March 1st, as the shades of evening were falling, the Twenty-ninth and its command marched with two days’ rations, in the direction of Winchester, Virginia, the object being the capture of that important point. After an all night’s march the command halted, and, in a blinding snow storm, waited for further orders. At 5 o’clock P. M. a counter-march was ordered, and at about midnight the old camp at Paw Paw was reached. The object of this move was to attend the remains of brave General Lander to the cars, which was accomplished on the following day. All the troops in the vicinity were present. At 9 o’clock on the morning of Saturday, March 8th, the command struck tents and marched to the railroad; at night took cars and moved in the direction of Martinsburg, en route for Winchester. Some two or three days were occupied in reaching the former place, as extreme caution was necessary. A burned bridge at Back creek stopped further steam locomotion, and on the 11th the command moved forward through Martinsburg, encamping some two miles out on the Winchester road. Here General James Shields, of some celebrity in the Mexican war, assumed command of the division, and the One Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania infantry volunteers was added to the brigade. The following morning the column continued the forward movement, under orders to join General Banks, in his attack on Winchester. The rebels retreated, and Shields’ division went into camp to the north of Winchester, some four miles out on the Martinsburg pike.

When the rebels first occupied Virginia General Johnston (commanding the extreme left of Beauregard’s army) took possession of Winchester. Troops from here destroyed the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and constantly harrassed our forces in the direction of Harper’s Ferry and Cumberland. It was of great importance that the Union arms gain and hold possession of this point, hence the concentration of Federal troops in this vicinity.

Skirmishing with the enemy was a daily occurrence, and, on the morning of March 20th, a reconnoissance in force was made up the valley to Strasburg. General Shields, with the Twenty-ninth and its brigade, numbering some six thousand men, moved direct to that point, while Colonel Mason’s brigade advanced on the Front Royal road. At Cedar creek a lively artillery duel transpired, during which the rebels succeeded in burning the bridge. The following morning the entire command fell back to its camp below Winchester. This was a march which tested the men’s power of endurance to its utmost. The rain fell lightly but continuously during the day. For rations the men had barely one cracker each, and yet they made the entire distance—twenty-two miles—in seven hours, halting only a few minutes about noon.