Our train now held the full regiment, the first time we had come together as such since leaving Parkersburg, May 29th. We arrived at Oakland on the morning of the 14th, and lay in camp until the afternoon of the 15th, when, Whitelaw Reid says, “About 5:00 o’clock P. M., Gen. Hill moved with the 5th and 18th Ohio regiments from Oakland in a diagonal line to the bridge on the Northwestern Pike, over the west branch of the Potomac, at which point he was to be joined by Col. Irvine’s command from Red House, intending to turn the enemy’s right and cut them off before they could reach Petersburg. Here, at the bridge a dispatch was received from McClellan informing Hill of the action at Carrick’s Ford and the death of Garnett.”
We “marched over the Allegheny mountains, a distance of 35 1/2 miles in 24 hours, after leaving Oakland. At 4:00 o’clock the next morning (17th) Gen. Hill, with about 800 picked men in light marching order started for an additional forced march but after moving five miles was overtaken by a courier with a dispatch from McClellan ordering him to return.”
We returned leisurely to Oakland and there went into camp, remaining until the morning of the 23rd of July, when the regiment took cars for the west. We reached Bridgeport about the middle of the afternoon and after getting our camp guards and equipage aboard moved slowly on to Clarksburg. Here we went into camp until the 30th when we again took cars for Parkersburg and home! While in camp at Clarksburg a call was made for volunteers to go to Rosecrans, on Gauley, where he was about to engage in battle with Gen. Floyd’s forces.
The regiment was drawn up in line and a call made upon those who were willing to go to step out five paces to the front. Not a score of men left their places in the ranks. Our time had expired on the 17th, and many of the men had already made arrangements to enter the three years’ service in other organizations and were anxious to get home and take up the new work.
We jogged along nearly all night, 30th-31st, side-tracking for eastbound trains, nearly all of which carried troops. As we were nearing Parkersburg early in the day of the 31st a man belonging to Co. I, fell from the top of a car and was mortally hurt, dying a day or two later. At Parkersburg we took the railroad ferry steamer, “Daniel Webster,” for Marietta, the same boat that brought us to Parkersburg in May. We arrived off Harmar about 2:00 o’clock P. M. The banks on both sides of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers were lined with our friends, who had assembled to bid us welcome.
The “Putnam Light Artillery,” of Marietta, boomed forth a loud-mouthed welcome. The boat rounded to near the “Point.” Here we disembarked and after a warm greeting by our friends, fell in and marched through the city to “Camp Putnam.” The whole population seemed to be out and our march was a continuous ovation. Before “Camp Putnam” was reached Co. B was reduced to a platoon. Many of the town boys quietly slipped out of ranks and accompanied their friends home. About the middle of the following forenoon the regiment was drawn up in line in Camp Putnam, when Col. Stanley gave us a few final words of farewell, and we were dismissed until such time as we should be called together for final muster-out and pay. On August 30th, the following call appeared in the Marietta papers:
“ATTENTION COMPANIES B AND K!
“Companies B and K, 18th Regiment, O. V. M., will be paid off at Marietta, on Thursday, Sept. 5th prox. All members are ordered to rendezvous at the time and place appointed, to receive their money and discharges.
FRANK BUELL, Capt. Co. B.
JOHN HENDERSON, Capt. Co. K.