About this time another idea appears to have effected a lodgment in the minds of the authorities at Columbus, and that was that horses were quite essential for field artillery. A stirring up by Gen. McClellan caused a dispatch to be sent to Col. Barnett, authorizing and directing him to proceed at once to mount the regiment—or “battery,” as it was termed, for such only it really was—by purchasing horses in the vicinity of Marietta. A day later came the following, which will be of interest as a relic of the early days of the war:
Adjutant General’s Office,
Columbus, May 25, 1861.
Special Order No. 244.
Col. James Barnett: Upon receipt of this order, if you have not previously acted upon telegram sent this evening, you will purchase for your battery 76 horses, upon the best terms you can, putting them under the best discipline for prompt action.
From advices received from Judge Putnam it is expected that you can purchase for a sum not to exceed from 75 to 110 dollars each. The army limit I understand to be 120. You should not exceed $100 at these times, unless in special cases. Consult the citizens to whom you have letters and report your proposals by telegraph.
By order of Commander-in-Chief,
H. B. CARRINGTON,
Adjutant General.
To enable Colonel Barnett to carry out this order the sum of $10,000 was placed to his credit by the State of Ohio, in a Marietta bank, out of which the horses were to be paid for as fast as purchased. On the same day the above order was received, came also the following telegram, which threw Camp Putnam into a quiver of excitement and caused a wild rush into the region round about to look for horses:
Headquarters Dep’t of the Ohio,