This Regiment had been organized under a law passed in 1863, forming the Militia into volunteer Companies and Regiments. The 27th was enrolled with the following roster of officers: Colonel, Allison L. Brown; Lt. Col., James H. Haynes; Major, Ebenezer Rozelle; Adjutant, Robert Larrimore; Quartermaster, D. C. Anderson.
The North had suffered an enormous drain upon her resources, had seen her men sent home from the front, suffering from disease and wounds, pitiful survivors of battles in which thousands had gone down to death. The romance and glamor of war had gone, the horror of it remained. There was scarcely a family in the North who did not suffer sorrow that cannot be described, hardly a fireside that did not mourn for a husband or lover, brother or friend, who went forth with pride, never to return. Under such circumstances the men of the hundred days service, knowing just what to expect, hastily arranged their affairs, and from the stores, work-shops and farms, flocked to the defence of their country in the hour of its direst need.
On Wednesday, May 4th, the 27th Regiment O. N. G. reported at Camp Dennison. It was a cold, disagreeable day. Snow fell that afternoon, a day on which men would rather have remained by their own fireside, but a firm determination of duty urged them on.
It was found necessary now to have a reconstruction of the Regiments and Battalions. The eight companies of the 27th were by consolidation reduced to seven. Three companies of the 55th Battalion from Clinton County were added, making ten companies. By orders, the Lieut. Colonel and Adjutant were relieved, and returned to their homes. The Regiment entered the United States service as the 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
In the organization of the National Guard, it was generally understood that it was for state service only. The call for active service came at a time when to go entailed great personal sacrifice of business interests on the part of its members. Farmers with scarcity of help, turned over their work to their wives, who in this time of emergency proved themselves helpmeets indeed, carrying the business of the season thru. A few of the members of the Guard were discontented, and by the help of Southern sympathizers, endeavored to fan this sentiment into a flame, and to induce the men to refuse to enter the service. However, to the credit of the men, after an address, delivered by Governor Brough at Camp Dennison, only one Company of the Guard refused to go, and they were promptly and dishonorably mustered out. The officers of the 149th O. V. I. as re-organized were as follows: Colonel, Allison L. Brown; Lieut. Colonel, Owen West; Major, E. Rozelle; Adjutant, T. Q. Hildebrant; Q. M., D. C. Anderson; Surgeon, W. A. Brown; Assistant Surgeon, B. F. Miesse; Chaplain, W. Morris. Non-commissioned staff: Sgt. Major, George L. Wolfe; Quartermaster Sgt., Austin H. Brown; Commissary Sgt., Edward F. Beall; Hospital Steward, James F. Sproat.
From May 4th until the 11th the Regiment remained at Camp Dennison, during which time they were uniformed, armed and equipped, and mustered into the United States service. On the night of May 11th orders came for the Regiment to report to Gen. Lew Wallace at Baltimore, Md., going by way of Columbus and Pittsburg. We started at midnight, being crowded into box cars, without a seat or bed except the floor. We rode in this manner for three days and four nights. Thursday noon found us still south of Xenia, and did not reach Pittsburg until Friday evening. There the Regiment was handsomely received. We marched to a hall where a bountiful supper was provided for us by the loyal ladies of that city. That supper to the tired, hungry soldiers was an event long to be remembered. The good people of Pittsburg fed every Regiment that passed through, going or returning. Early the next morning we passed Altoona, Pa., and the great “Horse Shoe Bend.” At this point one of the brakes on our car dropped to the track as we were descending the steep mountain grade; we could hear it “bump, bump,” on the track, but luckily it held, or the history of the 149th would have ended then and there. Nothing could have prevented the train rolling over the mountain side.
However, the longest ride must have an end. Our train pulled into Baltimore at 3 o’clock Sunday morning. As soon as possible Col. Brown reported to General Wallace, and the Regiment was assigned to duty at several points in the city, relieving the 8th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, Col. Porter commanding. Col. Porter with his command, two thousand strong, immediately left for the front, and after six weeks but seven hundred remained, the Col. and all of his staff being killed.
Companies A and F 149th were assigned to Fort No. 1 on the outskirts of Baltimore, Capt. Wm. W. Peabody of Co. A being appointed Garrison Commander.
Between the days of May 4 and 16, 35,982 men, composing forty-one Regiments and one Battalion, were consolidated, organized, mustered, clothed, armed and turned over to the United States military authorities for assignment. The Guard was composed of the most substantial men left in the state, men of every department of trade, and of every profession. Ohio had at that time sent ten per cent of her entire population into the army. What a sacrifice on the altar of the country was this great outburst of patriotism.
Companies A and F settled down to routine garrison duty at Fort No. 1. Cooks were detailed and the men assigned to barracks, Co. A occupying the first floor and Co. F the second. The duties of the day after roll call consisted of dress parade and guard mounting. Guard duty, was by detail, two hours on, and four hours off each being held for duty twenty-four hours. Time was given the men for many trips into the city, and this part of our service was very pleasant and safe. Many of our friends from Ohio came to visit us while we were there and brought money, and good things to eat for the boys. Four Companies of the Regiment were assigned to Fort Federal Hill, and Cos. D, K and I at Headquarters in Baltimore. On May 25th several companies were sent to the eastern shore of Maryland, with Headquarters at Salisbury. They had orders to quell the rebellion sympathizers, and to do Provost guard duty at that point, to guard the telegraph lines and to patrol the Bay for smugglers. The author’s service being with Company A, he is more conversant with the movements of the Regiment in which that Company took part. The memory of it all is dim. Like a dream in the night, it is misty and seems to have occurred ages ago. We who were just boys of from fifteen to eighteen years of age at that time, are now the aged and broken veterans, and the youngsters of today look upon us, just as we used to think of the old Revolutionary soldiers, when we were young. But we were having too good a time in Baltimore for it to last. The last opportunity we had to go down town was on the evening of the 4th of July when there was a grand display of fireworks.