The Seventh Regiment: A Record

by George L. Wood

"Professor H. E. Peck, at the request of the General Committee, delivered the address on behalf of the city, as follows:

"'On a fair Sabbath in May, only three short seasons ago, just as the bells were calling the town to worship, a regiment passed down yonder street. That, citizens, was a spectacle which you who saw it will never forget. Not because the marching column was striking to the eye. There was no pageant. There were no arms, no banners. There was not even a uniform. The farmer, the student, and the smith, were in that line; and the farmer marched in the garments he brought from the furrow, and the student and the smith were attired as they had been in the recitation-room and shop. But for all that, the display was profoundly impressive. Here was the flower of the Reserve. Lake, Mahoning, Trumbull, Lorain, and Erie, each had a hundred; Portage, twice a hundred; and Cuyahoga, thrice a hundred in the line. And each hundred was made up, not of the rabble, but of sons, whom worthy fathers and mothers dearly loved; of men, who, if they should stay at home, would soon be conspicuous for wealth, or learning, or skill in useful arts. And these thousand true men, loved well at home, made of sterling stuff, were on their way to war—to actual war. To serve the imperilled country, they had quit all,—farms, shops, books, friends, hopes, the past, the future,—all but duty and honor. They might never return. The vow on them might take them to bloody fields, from which there should be no passage except down through the gates of death. Oh, kinsman, was not that an impressive scene? Did you ever see the like? Did not tears wet your eyes as you looked on? Were not the cheers with which you sent the heroes on their way divided, as shouts of yours had never before been, nor have been since, between admiration and sorrow?

"'This, friends, was the first march of our gallant Seventh. You do not forget that in that march the column was led by a young captain, whose high carriage and soldierly bearing were almost the only signs of real military display. The body of that young captain lies in one of yonder coffins. Of him, and his brave comrade who sleeps beside him, I am to speak on this occasion. The history of the noble Seventh is their late history. With it, therefore, let me begin.

"'The Seventh left Cleveland May 5, 1861. It went hence to Camp Dennison, where E. B. Tyler, of Ravenna; W. R. Creighton, of Cleveland; and John S. Casement, of Painesville, were made its first field-officers. In the June following, while it was still at Camp Dennison, the regiment was reorganized and sworn into the three-years' service. I well remember seeing Captain Crane, whose remains are yonder, on a sweet Sabbath afternoon—men, sun, air, and earth, all were glad, and the harmonies of nature were tunefully praising God—bringing his company to the colonel's quarters to be sworn in. I well remember the impression which the strong voice of the sombre captain made upon me, as, after the young soldiers, with bare heads and uplifted hands, had taken the oath, he cried, "Company, right face; forward, march!" The tone of the command was as if he would say, "Now, men, there is no retreat. Only service, perhaps death, is before you."

"'A week later, General McClellan, who had then just taken command of the Western Department, came looking for the right material with which to begin his Western Virginia campaign, and inspected the regiment. But it was not at garments the shrewd leader looked. It was the person he studied. He sought the eye. He narrowly scanned the look. Down the line and back again he slowly went. I saw the expression on his face, as at the end, he seemed to say to himself, "They are the right sort!" In the reorganization of the regiment, the staff remained as it was before.

"'On the 26th of June, 1861, the Seventh left Camp Dennison, to enter on active service in Western Virginia. With many long marches it sought the foe. It had begun to doubt whether it would ever meet him, when, at Cross Lanes, on the 26th of August, he came, with overwhelming force. For a brief space, the companies, separated from each other, held their ground. Then, from bare and irresistible necessity, they gave way. Twenty-four gallant men were left on the field, dead or wounded. One hundred were carried away prisoners, and the remainder were scattered like partridges which have received the sportsman's fire. At first, tidings came to us that the Seventh was wholly destroyed. How ached our hearts! Presently, better news came. Major Casement had brought four hundred men through the wilderness into Charleston, and Captain Crane had come to Gauley, bringing, not only almost his entire company, but a flag which he had captured from the enemy.

"'Then came to the regiment days of distraction and despondency. You, and others of the Reserve, heard of, and agonized over its condition. To encourage and cheer it, you sent it a stand of beautiful colors. At the Academy of Music, as you will remember, before a throng of your best citizens, the standards were dedicated.

"'On a mountain-side, in Western Virginia, with Rosecrans' army lying miles up and down, and with the smoke of the enemy's camp-fires rising in the distance, they were presented to the regiment. I wish I could picture the scene, the splendors of the magnificent landscape, the exquisite beauty of the colors as they proudly glowed in the clear sunlight, the enthusiasm of the men and the pride of the officers. Your present helped to rouse the spirit of the regiment. The words of love and considerate regard, which you sent with the gift, assured it that its honor was not yet lost. How thrilling, how hopeful, was the cheer which rolled off among the hills, as the color-guard took its trust!

"'From the Kanawha the Seventh went, on the 17th of December, 1861, to the Potomac. There, now led by Lieutenant Colonel Creighton—Colonel Tyler having taken temporary command of a brigade—it met, at Winchester, March 23, 1862, Jackson's celebrated "Stonewall Legion." Hot was the fire, when the Northern iron met the Southern flint. The Seventh left fifty-six dead and wounded on the field. But it won a name in the fight. The story told of them, the land over, was, they fought like veterans. Then came the long chase up the Shenandoah, then the hard march across to Eastern Virginia, and back to the gates of the Shenandoah. Then came Port Republic, the first square stand-up fight which the regiment had, when, led by Creighton, in an open field, in a line trim enough for a dress parade, and with "Cross Lanes" for its battle-cry, the glorious Seventh charged down on Jackson's steadfast front. Ah, how the list of the dead and wounded was again fearfully swelled! Seventy-two names were added to it.

"'By this time the regiment had become so reduced by the casualties of war, that its friends on the Reserve asked that it might be sent home to recruit. "No," promptly replied discriminating Halleck, "not so long as there is a lame drummer left; not if you will send us a whole new regiment in place of this handful. We know these men, they are just such as we want." Colonel Tyler's promotion to a brigadiership brought Lieutenant-Colonel Creighton to the head of the regiment, and this, and other changes, presently made Captain Crane a Lieutenant-Colonel. The regiment now had plenty of duty. It fought at Cedar Mountain, and there, on the extreme advance, it met the brunt of danger.