CHAPTER XIX

 

MILITARY MATTERS

 

Oakland County Soldiers Of The War Of 1812—Napoleonic SolDiers—Early Military Organizations—The Mexican War— The War Of The Rebellion—First Michigan Infantry—Second Infantry—General I. B. Richardson—The Second Regiment— Third Infantry—The Fifth Infantry—Seventh Regiment— Eighth And Ninth Infantry Regiments—The Tenth Infantry —Death Of Adjutant Cowles—The Fourteenth Infantry— The Fifteenth And Sixteenth—Twenty-second Infantry— Governor Moses Wisner—Twenty-ninth Infantry—Thirtieth Infantry And "mechanics And Engineers"—Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade—The Eighth Cavalry—Ninth And Tenth Cavalry Regiments—Michigan Light Artillery—One HunDred And Second United States Colored Troops—Military Matters Of Late.

 

In Chapter VI has been recorded the careers of those soldiers of the Revolution who settled in Oakland county, some of whom became prominent in her citizenship. For several years previous to the War of 1812 the military spirit of the Revolution had been kept keenly alive by the campaigns of the American soldiery against the Indians, inspired and supported by the British, and at the time of the defeat of Tecumseh by Harrison in November, 1811, a large force of home troops had been collected in Ohio ready for contingencies. They were divided into three regiments and placed under the command of Colonels McArthur, Findlay and Cass. A fourth regiment under Colonel Miller joined them, and the entire command was placed under Governor Hull, of Michigan territory. His disgraceful surrender of the American army, so eager to uphold the native name for bravery and patriotism, is, unfortunately, a matter of history. So far as the War of 1812 directly affects the record of Oakland county and her citizens, lies in the fact that a number of those who participated in its campaigns afterward located within her limits. In this connection it should be remembered that the county's first permanent settler did not appear until 1817.

Oakland County Soldiers Of The War Of 1812

The list of soldiers of the War of 1812 who became citizens of this county is as follows: Addison township—Derrick Hulich and Jesse Elwell; the latter died in 1874.

Avon township—John Sargent served from 1812 to 1817; was stationed for a long time at Fort Gratiot.

Brandon township—James Arnold from New York; Adam Drake, who died in 1874, aged ninety-seven years.

Commerce township—Cornelius Austin.

Farmington township—A Mr. Burns.

Oakland township—Ezra Brewster, served in Captain Lacey's company of New York militia; also Josiah Dewey and James Coleman, in the same command.

Oxford township—Peter Stroud, served in Captain Abraham Matteson's company of New York troops.

Pontiac township—Elizur Goodrich and Robert Parks, settled in Troy in 1822-3; former afterward moved to Auburn for a time.

Troy township—Solomon Carswell and Captain Robert Parks.

Waterford township—Isaac Willets.

Napoleonic Soldiers

It is known that at least two soldiers of Napoleon the Great have been residents of Oakland county—Joseph Laubley, a native of the canton of Berne, Switzerland, who settled in Groveland township in 1836 and died in 1841; and John Oliver, who located in Rochester about 1830 and died there about 1875.

Early Military Organizations

Under territorial laws every man between the ages of seventeen and forty-five was liable to be called upon for military service, and a regiment was organized in Oakland county as early as 1825. Among its earliest commanders were Colonel David Stewart, Henry 0. Bronson and Calvin Hotchkiss. Within a few years the regiment grew so rapidly that it had to be divided into what were known as the Rifle and the Militia (or Floodwood) regiments.

The first company organized in Pontiac was commanded by Calvin Hotchkiss, who subsequently rose to the rank of general of the state militia. A general muster occurred annually in the autumn and the company drills were of frequent occurrence. At the time of the celebrated "Toledo war" great preparations were made by the Pontiac contingency to cover itself with glory; but its efforts, as is well known, were fruitless. In 1826 Almon Mack was elected ensign of Captain Hotchkiss' company and T. J. Drake, lieutenant. Lieutenant Drake afterward resigned and G. O. Whittemore, formerly ensign, was promoted. Ensign Mack was promoted lieutenant in the fall of 1827 and detailed as acting adjutant the same year.

Governor Cass was present at the general muster in 1827 and made an address to the regiment. The Governor was a strong Jackson man and the regiment is said to have had three Jackson men in its ranks; so that his really interested audience was very select.

Colonel Stephen Mack, so prominent in the early affairs of Pontiac, received his military title in Vermont previous to removing to Michigan, as he was a colonel of a Green Mountain regiment before the War of 1812.

In 1835 the military of Oakland county formed the Third brigade of the Second division, Brigadier General John Stockton, commanding, Colonel Wells Waring commanding the brigade. In 1837 the brigade was. commanded by Colonel Calvin Hotchkiss. In 1838 Oakland county contained two regiments—the Ninth and Tenth, of the Fifth brigade, Third division. William Crooks was colonel of the Ninth, and Orange Foote of the Tenth.

Avon, as one of the townships first settled, was quite prominent in military matters. The Avon Riflemen were considered a star organization. Calvin Chapel was captain of the company; Calvin A. Green, first lieutenant; Almeron Brotherton, second lieutenant; Thomas Stewart, third lieutenant, and Christian Z. Horton, Ormul Stewart, Francis Brotherton, and Calvin H. Potter, the four sergeants. There were four corporals, two bass drummers, two snare drummers, three fifers and forty-four privates. The first officers were commissioned July 9, 1838, Almeron Brotherton being elected captain in May, 1840.

The Mexican War

Oakland county was represented in the Mexican war by Company A, Fifteenth Regiment United States Infantry, which served from the commencement of hostilities in 1847 until it was mustered out of the service July 30, 1848. The privates numbered a full hundred and most of the men enlisted in March and April, 1847, nearly a half being enlisted by Lieutenant Samuel E. Beach in Pontiac. Captain Eugene Van de Venter was the first commander, being afterward promoted to major, his commission for the latter rank dating from December 22, 1847. He was transferred to the Thirteenth Infantry.

Company A saw active service at Chapultepec, Churubusco, Vera Cruz and the city of Mexico, and her dead and wounded were practical tributes to the bravery of the boys who went from Oakland county. The officers of the command who led the soldiers into the field were as follows: Thornton F. Brodhead, captain; William R. Srafford, first lieutenant; Samuel E. Beach, second lieutenant, breveted for meritorious conduct at Contreras and Churubusco and promoted first lieutenant, February's, 1848; Edwin R. Merryfield, second lieutenant; Lewyllen Boyle, second lieutenant; Charles Peternell, second lieutenant, promoted first lieutenant January 26, 1848; Thomas W. Freelove, first lieutenant.

That the soldiers who went from Oakland county were honorable men is proven by the records which note but two cases of desertion. On the other hand the list of killed in battle and died of wounds and sickness is large, in proportion to the number enlisted and recruited.

Killed in battle:—Samuel Carney, at Churubusco, August 20, 1847, and John Haviland, at Chapultepec, September 13, 1847; both privates.

Died of wounds:—Hiram Brown, battle of Churubusco, October 26, 1847; William R. Koch, battle of Chapultepec, September 17, 1847; Henry Wydner. battle of Churubusco, August 28, 1847.

Died of sickness:—Thomas Ainsley, Vera Cruz, July 2, 1847; John Aseltine, Jr., Chapultepec, December 1, 1847; William R. Buzzell, city of Mexico, October 29, 1847; Charles Calkins, Puebla, July 28, 1847; Chandler Delong, Puebla, July 28, 1847; Andrew J. Griffin, Perote, August 20, 1847; Daniel D. Haines, Perote, July 15, 1847; Edward Kelley, Camp Rio San Juan, June 13, 1847; James M. Proper, Chapultepec. December 9. 1847; Claudius H. Riggs, Vera Cruz, July 12, 1847; Henry Clay Rice, Vera Cruz, July 2, 1847; George Scudder, Chapultepec, December 8, 1847; Jacob Strobe, Perote, September 20, 1847.

The War Of The Rebellion

In proportion to her wealth and population, Oakland county was second to none in Michigan in her contributions of men and funds to support the Union. The amount of money raised by the county and its townships during the Civil war was $586,556.98, which sum was exceeded only by Wayne county in the state of Michigan.

Under the Soldiers' Relief law $127,993.38 was expended, and large amounts were raised for sanitary purposes by the Sanitary Commission and the various Ladies' Aid Societies. ''God bless the women" was no empty sentiment in those days, when uttered by the soldiers in the field or hospital.

The State Sanitary Commission included as delegates from Oakland county: Rev. J. M. Strong, of Clarkston, Rev. W. P. Wastell, Holly; Rev. J. W. Allen, Franklin, and Rev. John Pierson, Milford, all attached to the Army of the Potomac and all engaged for six weeks with their duties of relieving the soldiers of Michigan in the field. Among the volunteer surgeons from Oakland county were Drs. John Smith, J. L. Wilson, and F. B. Galbraith.

In the fall of 1864 commissioners were appointed by the governor, under authority of the state legislature, to proceed to the various sections of the country at which Michigan troops were in service and superintended an election for presidential electors; in other words, to place the privilege of the franchise within the hands of the soldiers in the field from their state. Upon this commission was Asher E. Mather, of Pontiac, who had charge of the casting of the presidential ballots by the Ninth and Twenty-second Infantry, Army of the Cumberland.

No commonwealth has a more magnificent memorial to its soldiers and sailors than has Michigan at Detroit, and upon the board of directors which brought the enterprise to such a splendid conclusion were M. E. Crofoot and W. M. McConnell, of Pontiac. They officially represented a county which had sent to the front more than 3,700 of its brave men, of whom more than 400 laid down their lives for the Union cause in battlefield, prison and hospital. Scattered throughout the county are also minor monuments which stand as mute memorials of love and honor erected by the living, while many a grave in the beautiful homes of the dead is yearly covered with the flag which the sleeper loved so well. In Oak Hill cemetery is an especially gallant company—Major General I. B. Richardson. United States Volunteers, mortally wounded at Antietam; Colonel Moses Wisner, Twenty-second Michigan, died at Lexington, Kentucky; Captain T. C. Beardslee. Twenty-second Michigan Infantry, died at Nashville; Lieutenant Samuel Pearce, Fifth Michigan Infantry, killed at the crossing of the North Anna, Virginia; Lieutenant Percy S. Leggett, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed near the Rappahannock; Lieutenant Richard Whitehead, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed near Hanover Courthouse; Lieutenant Joseph McConnell, Eighteenth United States Infantry, killed at Stone river; Sergeant Major William Churchill, Seventh Michigan Infantry, killed at Antietam; Captain William North, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, killed at Cedar creek. Memorial day has generally been observed in Pontiac, especially interesting and impressive ceremonies being observed on June 4, 1869. Upon that occasion Rev. W. H. Shier delivered the principal address of the day. Among other statements which he made were that twenty-seven soldiers ranking from a major general down to a private lay in the Oak Hill cemetery, and out of that number he knew of but one who had nothing to mark his resting place, and that was Major General I. B. Richardson (or, as he was more familiarly known in the army, "Fighting Dick"). He proceeded to state that the General was a graduate of West Point, fought under General Scott in all the important battles in the Mexican war, and as soon as the rebellion broke out was one of the first to offer his services to his country. He fought bravely in the Army of the Potomac up to the time he was killed, but after he had gained such a national reputation as a patriot and a fighting general, being the first to be created a major general, a stranger desirous of visiting his grave could not find it in Oak Hill cemetery, as it remained up to that time (1869), wholly unmarked.*

The First Michigan Infantry

The First Michigan Infantry was naturally a three months' organization. Under Colonel Wilcox, it lead the advance of state troops to the front, and at the battle of Bull Run fixed the standard of Michigan troops for the entire period of the Civil war. The boys from the Wolverine' state were both stubborn and dashing, and at Bull Run, as in many a hard fought battle afterward, the dead of the First Regiment were found nearest the enemy's works.

Among the loss to the regiment were Captain Butterworth, Lieutenants Mauch and Casey wounded and taken prisoners (who afterward died of their wounds in the hands of the enemy), and Colonel Wilcox, who was wounded, taken prisoner and held at Richmond for fifteen months.

The regiment was mustered out at the expiration of the three months' term of service, August 7, 1861, but was soon afterward reorganized as a three-year's regiment. It returned to the Army of the Potomac, August 16th, under command of Colonel John C. Robinson, who was succeeded on his promotion to a brigadiership, by Colonel H. S. Roberts.

The Second Infantry

The Second Infantry was commanded by Oakland county's most distinguished and popular soldier, Israel B. Richardson, who was wounded

at the battle of Antietam and died November 3, 1862. A West Point cadet from his native state of Vermont, upon his graduation from the military academy he was breveted second lieutenant and assigned to the Third United States Infantry. As first lieutenant, to which he was promoted in September, 1846, he commanded his company in the Mexican war (at Cerro Gordo), and was afterward breveted captain and major for gallantry at Churubusco and Chapultepec. It was soon after the close of the Mexican war that he moved to Oakland county, where the War of the Rebellion found him.

General I. B. Richardson

On the first call for volunteers General Richardson offered his services. Governor Blair at once appointed him colonel of the Second Michigan Infantry, and, when he arrived at Washington, General Scott fittingly acknowledged his services in the Mexican war by assigning a brigade to him. He was in the first battle of Bull Run; was soon after promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and both his dash and judgment in the peninsula campaign under McClellan were so conspicuous that he was advanced to the major-generalship. As had been well stated: "At Antietam his zeal led him to do a colonel's work, and in leading a regiment he received his mortal wound."

General Richardson's remains were brought home to Pontiac for interment, and the funeral obsequies were performed November 11, 1862, a little more than three weeks after the battle of Antietam at which the splendid soldier received his death wound. At the courthouse the dead general lay shrouded in the colors to which he had sworn fealty in boyhood and which he had so faithfully and ably defended in two wars. Detachments from the military organizations then in the state were in attendance, including the Detroit Light Guards and Captain Daniel's battery of light artillery. Rev. Mr. Eldridge, of the Fort Street Presbyterian church, Detroit, delivered the funeral oration; the procession to Oak Hill cemetery was formed and commanded by General Henry D. Terry, a companion in arms; and the remains of "Fighting Dick" were laid to rest with the solemn ritual of the Episcopal church and the soldiers' volley.

The Second Regiment

The Second Regiment was under the immediate command of Colonel O. M. Poe, in Richardson's brigade, participated in the engagement at Blackburn's Ford and covered the retreat of the army at first Bull Run. Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, second Bull Run and Chantilly followed; and in 1863 it participated in Grant's Mississippi campaign, being also with Burnside in east Tennessee and the defense of Knoxville. In General Sherman's pursuit of Johnston it is credited with making one of the most daring and gallant charges of the war, it being then commanded by Colonel Humphrey. The regiment also won bright laurels at the siege of Knoxville by Longstreet in November, 1863. Its charge of the 24th against a force of investing confederates was another notable event of the war. Afterward the Second returned to the Army of the Potomac and participated in the famous campaign of General Grant in 1864, the last notable operations in which it participated being the siege of Petersburg from June 17, 1864, to April 5, 1865.

The Third Infantry

Although the original Third Michigan Infantry was raised in Grand Rapids, the decimation in its ranks was largely filled by Oakland county men. It was a part of Richardson's brigade at Blackburn's Ford and afterward belonged to Berry's celebrated brigade of Kearney's division. It was particularly distinguished at Fair Oaks, where its losses were heavy and Captain Samuel A. Judd was killed. It lost forty-one, killed, wounded, and missing at Gettysburg, and followed the fortunes of the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Potomac until the final siege of Petersburg in April, 1865. On June 20, 1864, the regiment was mustered out of the service, but reorganized and left for the field in Tennessee October 20th, following. With the Second, it afterward returned to the campaigns in Virginia being conducted by Grant through the Army of the Potomac. The reorganized Third was stationed in Texas during the winter of 1865-6 and was mustered out May 26, 1866.

The Fifth Infantry

The Fifth regiment, often called the Fighting Fifth, left Detroit for Virginia, September 11, 1861, commanded by Colonel Henry D. Terry and, as a part of Berry's brigade, had its first engagement at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862. There its conduct was gallant and its losses heavy, among the killed being Lieutenant James Gunning and the wounded. Lieutenant Colonel S. E. Beach, of Pontiac. Captain L. B. Quackenbush and Lieutenant Charles H. Hutchins were killed at Fair Oaks, and Lieutenant Charles-H. Traverse mortally wounded. At Chickahominy, Peach Orchard and Charles City Cross Roads, the regiment conducted itself as it should, Lieutenant W. T. Johnson being killed and Major John D. Fairbanks being mortally wounded at the engagement last named. Fredericksburg caused the death of its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Gilluby, the losses of the rank and file at these battles telling the story of general bravery. The regiment participated in the desperate charge made on the rear of Stonewall Jackson's forces, near Chancellorsville, which threatened the destruction of the right flank of the Union army; was at Gettysburg during the two days' battle, losing on July 2d. in one hour, 105 men and officers, and on July 2d, assisting to repel the final charge of the Confederates on Cemetery Hill. In May, 1864, under Colonel Pulford the regiment entered the great campaign of Grant against Richmond, and within the following three weeks participated in the general movement to the North Anna river, in the crossing of which Lieutenant Samuel Pierce was killed. On the 10th of June the Third Michigan was consolidated with the Fifth. From March until April, of 1865, the regiment was engaged in the general movements around Petersburg, on the 3d of the latter month participating in the general assault and capture of the enemy's fortifications.

Brigadier General Berry complimented the Second, Third and Fifth (all of which regiments were in his brigade), most highly when he said of them: "A nobler set of men never lived. Any man can win fights with such material."

The Seventh Infantry

More than one hundred men from Oakland county joined various companies in the Seventh Infantry, Francis Daniels of Company H being promoted from a sergeantcy to second lieutenant in December, 1864. The regiment was organized under the direction of Colonel Ira R. Grosvenor at Monroe, and served through the Peninsula campaign, one of its greatest services being performed as the rear guard of the Army of the Potomac on the retreat to Harrison's Landing. It was also engaged in all the Maryland actions, and at Antietam it lost more than half its forces engaged, including Captains Allen H. Zacharias and J. H. Turrill and Lieutenants J. B. Eberhard and John A. Clark. The regiment passed through the Wilderness campaign under Major S. W. Curtis, especially distinguishing itself at Hatcher's Run by the capture of an important Confederate command five hundred strong with a force of only eighty-five. The Seventh continued in active service until the surrender of Lee, April 9, 1865, being finally mustered out on the 5th of the following July.

The Eighth And Ninth Infantry Regiments

Only about sixty men from Oakland were with these commands. The former, raised by Colonel W. M. Fenton, of Flint, was engaged in nine battles in four states—South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland— and afterward served in the several campaigns of the Ninth corps in Tennessee and Mississippi until the close of the war in Virginia. The only officer from Oakland county was William A. Clifford, who entered the service as sergeant major of Company B; was promoted to be first lieutenant October 5, 1864, and adjutant of the regiment, April 25, 1865.

The Ninth Infantry was chiefly noted for the part it took in the brilliant defense of Murfreesboro, July 13, 1862, and its participation in the battle of Stone River, in January, 1863. It was mustered out of the service September 15, 1865. Officers from Oakland county: C. C. Starkweather, who joined Company I, as sergeant, was made second lieutenant May 14, 1863, first lieutenant (Company E), September 20, 1864, and Captain of Company B, April 20, 1865; John B. Gunning, sergeant of Company I, promoted to second lieutenant Company D, April 20, 1865; and William Wilkinson, Jr., who was mustered out as a non-commissioned staff officer,' September 15, 1865.

The Tenth Infantry

The Tenth Infantry, organized at Flint by Colonel Charles M. Linn, contained a large element of Oakland county soldiers, and its officers were well represented among the citizens of this section of the state. The latter include the following: Sylvester D. Cowles, first lieutenant and adjutant (formerly first lieutenant in Fifth Infantry), who was killed by a Confederate sharpshooter at Farmington, Mississippi, May 26, 1862; John Piersons. first captain of Company H, and promoted to be lieutenant colonel of the 109th United States Colored Troops, August 30, 1864; Alva A. Collins, second lieutenant Company C, who was promoted first lieutenant, June 2, 1862, and captain of Company H, August 30, 1864; Fred S. Stewart, sergeant major and promoted first lieutenant and adjutant, May 28, 1862; Benjamin B. Redfield, first lieutenant; Sylvan Ter Bush, first lieutenant of Company H, and promoted to captain of Company C, March 31, 1863 (wounded at Jonesboro, Ga., September 1, 1864), major May 20, 1865, and lieutenant colonel June 7, 1865; Joseph E. Tupper, sergeant major, and promoted second lieutenant, May 13, 1863, and major United States Colored Troops, November, 1863; Warren G. Nelson, sergeant Company H, and promoted first lieutenant of Company C, February 24, 1865; Eslie R. Redfield, sergeant Company C, and promoted first lieutenant Company F, September 3, 1864, and captain Company I, May 20, 1865; Charles P. Rice, sergeant, and promoted second lieutenant June 7, 1865; Alex. H. Allen, sergeant, and promoted second lieutenant June 7, 1865; Mark H. Ridley, sergeant Company C and promoted second lieutenant Company B, June 7, 1865; and Fletcher W. Hewes, sergeant Company C and promoted first lieutenant Company D, May 8, 1865.

The Tenth Regiment first encountered the enemy in battle near Corinth, Mississippi, and among the most marked events in its splendid history were the engagement at Buzzard's Roost, Georgia, February 25, 1864; the battle of Jonesboro, September 1, 1864, and the fight at Bentonville, March 19 and 20, 1865.

Death Of Adjutant Cowles

The death of Adjutant Cowles was a great blow to the Oakland county boys. In company with other officers of the regiment he was riding along the picket line at Corinth examining the rebel works. lIe dismounted, in order to get a better view, and at first stood behind a tree. Not satisfied with that position he stepped into the open, remarking as he did so, "I guess they won't hit me." He had scarcely uttered the words when the bullet from the Confederate sharpshooter struck him in the left breast, passing through the body obliquely and coming out through the right shoulder. He simply exclaimed, "I am hit," and expired.

The Fourteenth Infantry

The county sent more than ninety into the Fourteenth Infantry, including the following officers: Frank Powell, captain Company I; John P. Foster, first lieutenant of Company I, who was promoted to be captain January 29, 1863, and wounded at Averyboro, North Carolina, March 16, 1865; Alfred A. Parker, second lieutenant of Company I and promoted first lieutenant June 20, 1862; Frederick Banks, sergeant of Company I, and promoted second lieutenant June 20, 1862; Newcome Clark, sergeant of Company I. and promoted second lieutenant June 16, 1862, major First Michigan Colored Infantry (102d United States Colored Troops), March 12, 1864, and lieutenant colonel June 19, 1865; Cornelius Losey, sergeant Company I, and promoted first lieutenant August 10, 1864, and captain, February 13, 1865 (wounded March 20, 1865) ; and Isaac Olive, sergeant Company I, and promoted second lieutenant Company F, March 14, 1865, and first lieutenant, July 7, 1865.

The Fourteenth Infantry left Ypsilanti, where it was rendezvoused, in command of Colonel Robert P. Sinclair, of Grand Rapids, under whose direction it had been recruited, and joined the Western Army at Pittsburgh Landing. It participated in the battle of Stone River, in December, 1862, and January, 1863, and was also actively engaged in the Atlanta campaign. The battles of Jonesboro, Georgia, on September 1, 1864, and Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19 and 20, 1865, were its special fields of honor.

The Fifteenth And The Sixteenth

Both the Fifteenth and the Sixteenth Infantry regiments received a number of recruits from Oakland county, each about sixty, and several officers were also drawn from her citizens. Dr. Levi M. Garner, surgeon of the Fifteenth, died May 17, 1862; W. H. Hubble, sergeant of Company F, was promoted to the first lieutenantcy October 1, 1862, and to the captaincy, March 4, 1863. Most of the recruits of this regiment were received during the later days of the war, the engagements in the Atlanta campaign and "Sherman's March" being the only actions in which they participated.

The Sixteenth was raised and organized during the summer of 1861 by Colonel T. B. W. Stockton, and was for some time known as Stockton's Independent Regiment. Its active service began with the siege of Yorktown in April, 1862, and ended at Appomattox Court House, after having passed through the various campaigns of the Army of the Potomac with highest credit, as a part of the Third brigade, first division, Fifth corps. Among the battles in which it participated none are perhaps more.to its credit than Gaines Hill and Peebles' Farm. In the former engagement Captain Thomas C. Carr and Lieutenants Byron McGraw and Richard Williams were killed, and Colonel Stockton had his horse shot from under him. Captains Mott and Fisher and Surgeon Wixom were taken prisoners. At Prebles' Farm, Colonel N. E. Welch was instantly killed while going over the enemy's works sword in hand.

The Twenty-second Infantry

Of all the regiments which went to the front, the Twenty-second created the most widespread interest throughout the county. More men from Oakland county joined its various companies than those of any other regiment (something like 560) and its commanding officer was Moses Wisner, who had already served as governor of the state and was among its most honored and popular citizens. It was largely through

his efforts and personal influence that it was raised. His command left the state of Kentucky September 4, 1862, and Colonel Wisner died of typhoid fever at Lexington, Kentucky, January 5, 1863. It is thought that his unremitting labors in the raising, organization and drilling of the regiment brought about such a nervous condition as to make him an easy victim to the disease which caused his death.

Governor Moses Wisner

Governor Wisner was an able lawyer and a broad minded public man, and as he was a thorough disciplinarian and deeply read in military tactics his friends and the public at large looked confidently to see him make a splendid reputation as a soldier. He not only possessed the true temperament for a military leader, but he inherited the ambition to be such from his father (also Moses), who was a colonel in the War of 1812 and brave and masterly in battle. Colonel Wisner was buried in Oak Hill cemetery on January 9, 1863, without military display, but as unostentatiously as he had lived. The legislature, the supreme court of the state and the bar of Oakland county all adopted resolutions of respect and affection, and, as expressed by a local publication, "the resolutions passed by his own regiment were like the wailings of orphans for a dead father."

The deceased was succeeded in the command by Colonel Heber LeFavour, who first led the regiment against the enemy at Danville, Kentucky, March 24, 1863. At Chickamauga, on September 9th, it formed part of Whittaker's brigade, and played a leading part in coming to the rescue of Thomas' imperiled line. The Twenty-second lost on that day 372 in killed, wounded and missing, and among those mortally wounded were Captains W. A. Smith and Elijah Snell. Most of the missing were taken prisoners, including Colonel LeFavour. The regiment also participated in the battle of Missionary Ridge, November 26, 1863, its last action being before Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 and 23, 1864. Elijah Snell, captain of Company D, died of wounds received at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Altogether sixteen officers of the regiment hailed from Oakland county.

Twenty-ninth Infantry

Over one hundred men were recruited in Oakland county for the Twenty-ninth regiment, one of the latest to enter the service. Under command of Colonel Thomas M. Taylor'it arrived at Nashville, October 3, 1864, and, although "new at the game of war," when it met the enemy at Decatur, under Hood, on the 26th of the month, it behaved with great coolness. The regiment moved out from the breastworks behind which it was sheltered and, in the face of a hot fire of musketry and artillery took possession of a line of rifle pits. Colonel Doolittle, who was in charge of the Union force, had but five hundred men but with them he successfully resisted five thousand Confederates—Waltham's division of Stewart's corps. The Twenty-second was mustered out of the service September 6, 1865.

Thirtieth Infantry And "mechanics And Engineers"

The citizen soldiery of Oakland county was slightly represented in the Thirtieth Infantry, a home regiment which was stationed at different points in Michigan during the last year of the war, and the "Mechanics and Engineers," who so distinguished themselves in Kentucky. Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina both as fighters and bridge builders.

Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade

Of the cavalry regiments, the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth, all received considerable accessions from Oakland county. The First Cavalry was organized during the summer of 1861 by Colonel T. F. Brodhead, of Detroit (formerly of Pontiac), and left that city for Washington, December 29th. It participated in the campaigns on the upper Potomac, in the Shenandoah valley and on the slopes of the Blue Ridge in 1862, Colonel Brodhead being killed at the second battle of Bull Run, August 30, 1862. He was an educated lawyer, a member of the Oakland county bar, and after moving to Detroit served for some years as postmaster of that city.

The First Michigan Cavalry was in the Gettysburg campaign of 1863. With the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh regiments of cavalry, it was incorporated into what became widely known as the Michigan Cavalry Brigade in command of the lamented Custer. After the death of Colonel Brodhead the First Cavalry was commanded by Colonel Charles H. Town, and at Gettysburg his command successfully resisted a full infantry brigade of the enemy, putting them to route with drawn sabers. It was also at this terrific battle that the Fifth went to the relief of the Seventh Michigan Cavalry.

The history of the four brigades composing the command which Custer led forms a bright chapter in the Union operations of this branch of the service in the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac from Winchester to Appomattox. Colonel John T. Copeland of the First cavalry organized the Fifth, but in November, 1862, being promoted to the rank of a brigadier, he was succeeded in the command of the regiment by Colonel Freeman Norvell. Major R. A. Alger, of the Second Cavalry, was commissioned colonel of the Fifth on the 28th of the same month, and served in that capacity until September 20, 1864, when ill health compelled him to resign.

The sixty or seventy men from Oakland county who joined the Sixth and Seventh Cavalry regiments were generally transferred to the First; so that the record of the Fifth and First virtually covers all of interest to the readers of this history.

The Eighth Cavalry

More than two hundred men from Oakland county enlisted in the Eighth Michigan Cavalry, under command of Lieutenant Colonel G. S. Wormer. It formed part of the Union forces who pursued Morgan on his raid through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio in 1863, and whose sixteen days' chase resulted in the rout of the Confederate leader at Buffington Island, in the Ohio river, July 19th of that year. The Union troops captured 573 prisoners, 487 horses and mules and a large quantity of arms, but Morgan himself avoided capture for a week. A detachment of the regiment in charge of Lieutenant Boynton led a force commanded by Major Rue, of the Ninth Kentucky Cavalry, which captured the famous rebel cavalryman near New Lisbon, Ohio, on the 26th of July, 1863. The Eighth was raised by Colonel John Stockton, who commanded it until his health failed. During the war it was opposed by such brilliant leaders as Forrest and Wheeler and invariably held its own against them. Its achievements are most conspicuous while checking the advance of Longstreet's army and in the defense of Knoxville. One of its last engagements was that of November 28, 1864, at Duck Creek, Tennessee, where the Eighth Michigan and the Fourteenth and Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry dismounted, fixing bayonets and charged through the surrounding enemy, driving one hundred of the rebels into the river. In the following month, followed the engagements around and in front of Nashville, lasting from December 14th to 22d, the decisive battle between Hood and Thomas being fought on the 15th and 16th.

Ninth And Tenth Cavalry Regiments

Oakland county contributed over one hundred men to the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry. The former was the only regiment in this branch of the service which had the honor of accompanying Sherman in his entire march from Atlanta to the sea, composing the escort of General Kilpatrick when he opened communication between the army and the Atlantic coast. The Ninth also bore a conspicuous part in the pursuit and capture of General Morgan in his raid through Indiana and Ohio.

The operations of the Tenth Cavalry were mainly in Tennessee and extended from January, 1864, to April, 1865, the last three months of service being in North Carolina and Virginia. The regiment left Grand Rapids in December, 1863, in command of Colonel Thaddeus Foote, and was afterward led by Lieutenant Colonel L. G. Trowbridge. Among the officers contributed by Oakland county was James H. Cummins, who joined the Tenth as first lieutenant of Company L; was promoted to be captain April 1, 1864; and was brevetted major of United States Volunteers March 13, 1865, for capturing with one battalion at High Point, North Carolina, on April 10, 1865, $3,000,000 worth of property and destroying it.

Michigan Light Artillery

The regiment of Michigan Light Artillery was composed of twelve six-gun batteries, and was commanded by Colonel L. C. Loomis; but from the character of that arm of the service the batteries were never brought together as a regiment. About a hundred men were scattered through its several batteries—A, C, D, G, H, I, L and M—and also through the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth. Battery A, the first to leave the state, was originally designated Loomis's. It departed for western Virginia, under Colonel Loomis, on July 1, 1861, first engaging the enemy on the 11th of that month at Rich Mountain. Thence it was transferred to Kentucky, and did its full share in defeating a flanking movement launched against the right wing of the Union army. At Stone River it lost heavily, but won distinction, and at Chickamauga suffered little short of annihilation in defense of its guns. Missionary Ridge, Tennessee, November 25, 1863, was its last battle.

Battery H had quite a contingent from Oakland county, both of officers and gunners. Marcus D. Elliott was promoted through two grades to the captaincy on January 8, 1864; William Garner became first lieutenant May 29, 1865, and William King, second lieutenant June 10, 1865. This battery rendezvoused in Monroe in connection with the Fifteenth Infantry and left that place March 13, 1862 under command of Captain Samuel DeGobyer, to report to General Halleck at St. Louis. Thence it was ordered to New Madrid, Missouri, and afterward served in Kentucky, west Tennessee and northern Mississippi, taking an active part in the Mississippi campaign which preceded the siege of Vicksburg, during which Captain DeGobyer received a wound from which he died August 8th following. The operations of Battery H were conducted entirely in Mississippi and Georgia, its last engagement being at Lovejoy's Station, in the latter state, September 1, 1864.

One Hundred And Second U. S. Colored Troops

Forty citizens of Oakland county joined the only colored regiment raised in Michigan during the war. It was known as the I02d United States Colored Troops, was raised by Colonel Henry Barus of Detroit, and organized by Lieutenant Colonel W. T. Bennett. In March, 1864, it took the field in command of Col. H. L. Chipman, then a captain in the regular army who had procured a leave of absence for that purpose. The colored troops first faced the Confederates at Baldwin, Florida, in August, 1864, and decisively repulsed the attacking force of cavalrymen. The men there proved that they were gallant and stanch fighters, and fully sustained that reputation in the Carolinas and other states in which they were engaged in their progress northward. The regiment was mustered out of the service with honor on the 30th of September, 1865.

Military Matters Of Late

Pontiac is proud of her armory, as she should be. It came after years of effort and waiting, and is largely the result of the consistent work of D. L. Kimball, Alderman Henry Pauli and Charles A. Fisher. An independent company was organized soon after the Spanish-American war, in which Captain Kimball commanded a company (Thirty-fifth Michigan Infantry). It originally occupied quarters in the Bradley block on East Pike street and the third floor of the Howland building on West Pike. Along in 1907 a keen agitation was started for the erection of a separate armory, the original plan being for the state to appropriate $10,000 and the city to raise $8,000. The final decision was $15,000 for the state and $6,000 for the city, and the bonds which were issued for $21,000 were sold chiefly through the exertions of Alderman Pauli, in April, 1910. The armory was opened to Company E, Third Infantry (as the command was then known), December 22, 1911. On June 23, 1905, the original company was mustered into the regular service as a part of the First Battery, Michigan National Guard. In June, 1906, it was transferred from the artillery to the infantry, by action of the military board of the state, and was incorporated into the First Infantry, with William Marjison as captain, C. L. Allen as first lieutenant and H. H. Ross, second lieutenant. Late in 1906 Mr. Allen resigned, Mr. Ross was promoted to the first lieutenantcy and Fred Thorpe to the second lieutenantcy. In December, 1906, Captain Marjison resigned and on the 13th of the month, David L. Kimball received his commission as captain of Company E, Third Infantry. He is one of the best disciplinarians in the state and one of the most popular citizens of Pontiac. In 1909 First Lieutenant Ross resigned and Second Lieutenant Thorpe was promoted to the vacancy. Max Hodgdon was made second lieutenant. Company E has forty members in good standing.