“Columbus, Ohio, April 30, 1861.
“Col. McCormick:—After leaving Marietta we were received with ‘loud and long applause’ at every village along the Muskingum valley. At Lowell, (Capt. Buell’s home,) the whole neighborhood was on the bank of the canal. At Beverly patriotism was boiling over. The ladies on Sunday morning went to work and made a flag 54 feet long and well proportioned in width, and the gentlemen got a pole 60 or 75 feet long and raised it within about 30 feet of the locks, and by the time we arrived there the flag was ‘proudly floating to the breeze,’ with men, women and children rallying around. Captain Barclay, with about 40 men for a ‘Home Guard,’ received us with three salutes, each man having a gun of some kind. At Windsor, Luke Chute, McConnelsville, and in fact every place along the river the people were out on the banks cheering for the Union and for the volunteers. We arrived at Zanesville about 12 o’clock midnight, and marched through several of the streets, led by our ‘Young America Brass Band,’ who received scores of compliments for their excellent music. We left Zanesville at 2:00 o’clock A. M. arriving here about 6 A. M., and it was 1 P. M. before any of the boys got their breakfast, and when they got it not one could eat, the meat being bad and the coffee very poor, but, through the influence of Mr. George W. Gili, we got good quarters on Thursday evening, where we have been ever since. After breakfast we march to Camp Jackson, and drill until 12 o’clock, then march back to our quarters and take dinner. In the afternoon we go through the same and return to supper. From 5 o’clock we have until 9 for our own use, and you can just bet high we make use of it. At 9:00 the roll is called and we retire to the loft of a very large brick barn with our blankets and each a good comforter. It is the general opinion that we will be sent back to Marietta or to Camp Dennison, to be kept as the reserve militia of Ohio, either of which will be protested against by every member of our company. We want to go where we can have something to do. There is not a man of us who can bear the idea of lying around a camp. If there is to be any fighting done we want a hand in it. We parted from our friends with the expectation of being in Washington city, or on our way to Fort Pickens or Fort Sumpter before this time. If there is any fighting done it will be a sore disappointment to all of us if we do not have a mix.
“E. P. B.”
As friend Boring states we arrived at Columbus about 6:00 A. M. We were marched up to the State House and spent the day about the grounds. We had a meal about 1 o’clock P. M., at the “Goodale House,” but so many hungry men had preceded us that but little to eat was left and that little was of poor quality and poorly cooked and served.
Some of our boys had friends in the city and were invited to dinner with them and thus fared sumptuously. The first night we were quartered in the basement of the state house, where we slept on beds of straw upholstered with small lumps of coal. The next night we quartered in the rotunda of the capitol building, sleeping on the marble floor with neither straw nor coal to temper the springs of our beds. The next day we went to “Camp Jackson,” now “Goodale Park.” Here we spent some four weeks, drilling and learning the other duties of soldiers. On Thursday, the 25th, we were given quarters at the Ohio Penitentiary, taking our meals there and sleeping on the parlor and office floors and in the loft of a large barn adjoining the prison. Our meals during the time we were quartered here were taken at the mess table of the officers of the prison and were very satisfactory and a great improvement over our camp fare. We remained here about two weeks, when we returned to our barracks in camp. During our stay at the Penitentiary we spent the hours between meals at the camp drilling, etc.
Our patience was sorely tried during this period for we were very anxious to be assigned to a regiment and to get into the field. Some of our members finding opportunity to get into regiments that were going into active service sought transfers and left us. Among these I now recall R. L. Nye and Frank Bosworth, who entered the 17th O., J. Mills Kendrick, who found a position in the Adjutant General’s office, at Columbus, and “Dick” (Richard H.) Green, who recruited a company for the 25th Ohio, three year service, and became its captain. However, we at length were assigned to the 18th O. as Co. B. Capt. Buell was a modest man, without political “pull,” and our representative in the legislature, Hon. John Haddow, while a patriotic, level headed, well meaning man, was inexperienced in political wire pulling, and was no match for the men of large experience and great cheek, who were constantly wedging themselves in and wedging us out. Both Mr. Haddow and Captain Buell were blamed for these delays, but I am satisfied that they both did the best they could. Buell was scarcely more than a boy, being but 23 years old, and he could not be expected to cope with men of greater experience and less conscience.
But at last the order came for us to “break camp” and it was received with uproarious delight. We left “Camp Jackson” on May 23rd for Loveland, where we changed cars for Athens. We arrived there on the 24th and were mustered into the service by Major Joshua W. Sill,[1] of the regular army.
After spending a few days here in “Camp Scott,” we departed for Marietta on the evening of the 27th. Arrived at Marietta about 11 o’clock in the evening and marched up to “Camp Putnam,” where we spent the night. Co. K, Captain John Henderson, of Beverly, accompanied us to Athens, from “Camp Jackson.”
At Marietta we found a number of other companies of the regiment assembled.
On the morning of the 28th the company was formed and marched down town to show our home people the improvement we had made in our military education. After an exhibition of our skill in military evolution and an hour or two spent with our friends, we returned to camp. At this time quite a number of recruits joined the company and were mustered in. Immediately after dinner we received marching orders. We left camp about 3:00 P. M. and marched down town and across the bridge to Harmar, where in due time we boarded cars and pulled out for Parkersburg.