Chapter II Enlistment in the Civil War It was very fortunate, indeed providential. for the cause of the Union, that as the Commencement of the Strife, the Governors of most of the Northern States, were men of sterling patriotism. and strongly devoted to the cause of Human Liberty. the names of John a Andrew, of Mass. Andrew Curtin of Pa. O.P. Morton of Ind. Kirkwood of Iowa and Austin Blair of Mich. were towers of strength to the cause, and through the entire 4 years conflict they met every demand made upon their respective states by the General Govern- ment- not least among them, was our own war Governor. Blair of Mich.- he gave up up the practice of his profession entirely, and devoted his time and talents, and his wealth to the Cause he had so much at heart, and the close of the war found him in impaired health & in reduced financial circumstances. While many made great fortunes out of the war, he gave himself and his all to it. 25 years ago a great Concourse of 2 the citizens of the state, met at its Capitol Lansing to dedicate to his memory a Beautiful monument. It stands directly in front of the capitol – the place of honor- and writes in Beautiful Language the deeds of him, who did so much to make the name of Michigan illustrious during the great Civil War. . It was during this time when Lincoln made his call for 300,000 more , that a company was formed in our town. and in which I, with a large number of my neighbors, and ac quaintances, enlisted. I had read enough about war, for Years, to know what it meant, and it was no light matter to sign my name to articles that bound me for 3 years or du- ring the war. to army life. but it was a necessary step. and I have never regretted it. A Young man by the name of B.F. Batchelder and I enlisted together Aug 11 “ 1862. We had talked a good deal about the matter for some months. We made up- our minds that we would take good care of ourselves, do all we could for the cause in which we were 3 engaged, and see all we could of the Coun- cotry at uncle Sams expense. Two or three weeks after our enlistment-. we were ordered to report at Pontiac Mich. 30 miles from our Home. The 22 Mich. Inftry was being raised, and as it was to be commanded by Ex. Gov. Moses Wisner, we were glad to get in that Regt, we were anxious to go out in a fighting regiment. we were there some 10 days drilling with great crowds of people watching all our movements. The experience of war was something new to that Generation . and all was eagerness & excitement. a number of our friends came from Home to see us while we were there. About Sept. 1/62, a Regular Army officer came up from Detroit to muster the regiment into the U.S. Service as orders had come for it to go to Kentucky. When our Co. “E” was called up we lacked 2 men of the maximum. No., & our capt. was ordered to take his Co. aside, and another Co. to take our place. Our Capt. was almost frantic He offered $500 for 2 man to fill our ranks. but could not find them, and the 22nd. was mustered into the U.S. service & started off for the south. 4 We all felt badly over the matter, and some of our boys actually cried from disappoint- ment- but it could not be helped, and on the whole it was the very best thing for us. They went down to Ky. right into fighting, without discipline, or drill. in the hot weather of Sept. & they lost a great many men. Later in the Fall, Ty- phoid fever broke out among the men. Col Wis- ner died at xmas time . and the regiment was fearfully reduced by sickness. Dr. W.B. Fox. the surgeon of the Regt. was from our own town & he had promised our parents to care for us in sick- ness & to look after us generally. & we felt his loss keenly. A few days after our Co. was or- dered to report to Jackson Mich. 75 Miles W. of Detroit, on the M.C.R.R. and about the same distance from our home that Pontiac was. Here we were one of the first Co's. of the 26th Mich. we had a fine Camp Ground north of the city and during that long pleasant Fall (for we did not leave the state till Dec. 13th). we got used to camp life by degrees, learned how to take care of ourselves, became proficient in Drill and had a very enjoyable time. We made many very pleasant acquaintances in Jackson. we had 5 several opportunities of going home for two or three days to see our friends.- on the last occa- sion before going south a company of my school mates was in to bid me good bye. & one said it is probable we shall not see you again, it will be just your luck to be killed in the first battle in which you are engaged, Before the spring flow- ers, appeared in May. That young man died of Typhoid fever, and another one of the company died before I got home at the close of the war and here I am, 45 years after, living in the enjoyment of good health. 71 years & 6 months old, we can never see the end from the beginning. We had large tents which would Contain 13, and men of immediate neigh- borhoods congregated together, on one occasion some one proposed, that each of us should write the name of a lady on a slip of paper. These slips to be put in a hat shaken up, and each pledged him- self to write to the Lady whose name he drew. I drew the name of a Miss May. Daughter of a minister in Tyrone, north of Hartland & we carried on a pleasant correspondence for some time. I think it was at this time that one orderly Sergeant WQ [Swille ?] drew the name of Julia Root and commenced a correspondence 6 which ended in their marriage 2 years later.- About the first of Dec. There came a heavy fall of damp snow just right for snow balling and the whole Regt was soon engaged in a piched Battle. 5 Compa- nys against the other 5-. we engaged in it with all the earnestness of a Real Battle , the officers led the men, and some of the officers were cap- tured by force and shut up in a tent un- til the Battle was over. Hundreds of people came up from the city to see the Contest , and for for 2 hours it was a very exciting one, and greatly pleased our visitors. From the time we came to Jackson our whole Regiment, officers and men. were great fa- vorites of Gov. and Mrs. Blair, their house was between our camp and the City, and we were all welcome there as any home, Mrs. Blair was intensely patriotic. and any thing she could do for us was cheerfully done when we left the state the officers of the Regiment presented them with a Beautiful [pair] of Black horses and an elegant carriage They took great care of the Horses & one was living as late – I think . as 1880. 7 When we left the state for the Front Dec. 13” 1862 we were presented with a beautiful silk Flag, by the Ladies of Jackson. we carried it with us all thru the war: it was with us at Suffolk Va. : on the peninsula within sight of Richmond. Into the wilderness and spotsylvania, and cold Harbor & Petersburg & was at appomattox at the surren- der when the Regt returnd to Jackson, at the close of the war for muster out the Flag was presented to Mrs. Blair Some years after, when we were forming a Regimental Organization for the purpose of Yearly Re-Unions we thought it would be a nice thing to have the flag in our possession. around which we could rally & which would bring to our minds the scenes of the other years. and I was instructed, as the secretary of the association to corespond with Mrs. Blair for the Return of the flag. accordingly I add- ressed her the following letter : Mrs. Austin Blair: Dear Madam: At a meeting of the surviving mem- bers of the 26th Mich. Infty. a Resolution was passed instructing me as there Secicty. to Correspond with you in regard to the flag presented to the Regiment by the Ladies of Jackson at the Commencement and returned to them thru you, at the close of the war. As we now have a permanent organization and meet regularly every year the members thought 8 it would add greatly to the interest of these re-unions if they had the flad [g written over d in original] in their possess- sion. That it would remind them as they looked upon it of the dangers thru which they had passed of the Battles where they had followed it. and that as they meet year after year, they could show it to their children. and teach them the principles it represented and embodyed and this they would have ever before there an incentive to holier pariot Patriotism, and they thought perhaps. for such a pur- pose you would be willing to return it to them. Our annual Re-union takes place Nov. 10” at Brighton Mich. the prescense at that time of Your self and the Governor would afford us all great pleasure. and we tender you our earnest invitation to for present. we all remember & gratifully acknowledge the many kindnesses we received at your hands while at Jackson, and your name is intimately associated with our many pleasant recollections of that time. We think of it as the Poetry of War- the hard prose and blank verse we found later. as the wilderness & andersonville. A few lines from you if unable to attend, to be had at one meeting, would be received with pleasure. and with your decision, whatever it maybe 9 We shall rest content.- A few days later we received the following letters- Dear Sir: Mrs. Blair had received your letter of the 4th inst on the subject of the Flag. presented to the 26th Infty- by the Ladies of Jackson, and desires me to ack- knowledge the receipt of it for her, and to assure you that she will, with great pleasure. accede prompt- ly to the wish of the surviving members of the Regt. to have the flag again in their possession. Our reccol- lections of the 26th are of the most pleasant kind. and we rejoice in every opportunity to show our sense of their gallantry in the most trying exigense of our great struggle. The flag you carried so honorably thruso many battles shows the rough wage of actual war. It is torn and [illegible in original] in almost every part, but you will recognize it as the same you carried through bloody sacrifices to be suficent victory. It will be sent by express to your ad- dress immediately, and may the brave men who fought under it live long to enjoy the ripe fruits of their victory. Your Obt. servant Austin Blair- and the following from Mrs. Blair, both in their own hand writing- Jackson. Mich Nov. ____ 188 [in purple ink] Dear old tattered and war worn flag- good bye the brave boys who followed when you led 10 on to victory or death, and who would have died to save you from dishonor, have recalled you. and into better hands & [?] a more loyal or pat- riotic organization, I could not deliver you- The flag staff stands alone, with barely enough of the blue and the gold to cover it, like its brave supporters its fragments are scattered on the hard fought battle fields of Bull Run to the bloody battle of the wilderness, as you stand in their midst yearly. You will refresh their memories with the faces of their comrades, who went out from Camp Blair & whose last salute in front of the old Brown House on the Hill. as you passed the last time for the front. Still rings mournfully in my ears. Boys. for the sake of those who did not return cast your eyes up to the scarcily dis- cerbable figures “26” and remember the widows and orphans and be assured you will ever hold a warm place in the heart of your war mother.- Mrs. Austin Blair- One more reminiscence of Mrs. Blair- As the last reunion we had in the city of Jackson before she died. she being then in very [illegible in original] health. 11 The result of a stroke of paralysis. After our banquet was over- 50 of us marched up to the Governors Home to pay our respects to Mrs. Blair. We formed in line in the front Yard. and saluted her as she came to the door. Mayor Church explained that we had learned with deep sorrow of her serious illness & [illegible in original] & had called to express our sympathy in her affliction. & that we had not better dis- turb her by coming into the House, but she would not have it so – we must come in. & she insisted on being introduced to all and actually kissed every one of the Fifty. Telling us what great honor we had conferred on her & the State by upholding the integ- rity of the Union. She would be glad to have us write her at any time. Some time after I wite her about my being wounded and my expe- rience in Andersonville. Ga. She sent me a letter and a Beautiful Portrait of Gen. Grant on Ivory-. She was loved by all the Solider Boys of the State. I am glad to pay this feeble tribute to her memory. At Last, on Dec. 13/ 62 the order came to go to Washington. no more visits home. or among Jackson friends but pack up & Start. 12 We went by way of Toledo & Cleveland. O. via the Lake shore. R.R. to Elmira N.Y. It was warm when we left Mich. but the mountains around Elmira were white with snow & From here we went south over the mountains to Williams port & to Harrisburg Pa. all day long we followed the Susquehanna River feasting our eyes on the objects of in- terest every where around us, and we were objects of interest to the people of every town we passed through. From Harrisburg we went to Baltimore. No such welcome awaited us as the 6th Mass. experienced the year before. as soon as I found out at what hour we should start for Washington, I ran away to see the Washington Mounument of which I had read a great deal. It is not as tall as the one at Washington, but from its summit a great view of the City of Chesapeake Bay, and the surrounding Country can be had. After enjoying the view for a time, I amused my self with snow balling the passers- by on the side walk and I enjoyed very much the time spent in this old city. Sometime in the night we started on the cars for Washington 13 and as soon as it was light I was out on the Platform to get a first sight of the Cap- itol of the United States of America. I saw it when a long way off but the nearer I came to it the grander it appeared- As soon as we came to the depot, just below the Capitol a guard was thrown around our Regiment, but I managed to step through, and was off for the Capitol. It is by far the finest Building on the Western Continent and few in the Old World surpass it. I went all around and through it to the Home of repre- sentatives and the Senate Rooms. Beautiful pieces of Statuary are in front of the Buil- ding and magnificent paintings are scattered thru the Interior. I was never tired of the Capitol, others went to the Patent office to the Smithsonian Building . to the Presidents Home, but they had no chances [?] for me as compared with this[?]. I wanted to see and hear the great men whose names were as household words. in my ears and I did not rest until I had found out those who specially interested me. I enjoyed that day as much as if I had been a member of the House & not a private soldier on his way to Battle fields & Southern prisons. 14. I do not mean here that I was ever absent from my company & Regiment. Contrary to orders but it was generally understood that those men we could be depended on to be on hand when wanted could come and go almost as they wished- colun [?] no pressing Business was at hand. It was soon decided that we should go out about 30 miles from Washington and build Quarters for the winter. so we went to Alexandria by Rail and from there we marched to our destina- tion, some 25 miles as I remember, we put up our Quarters of small log Homes, & were almost prepared to live comfortably when we were ordered back to Alexandria for the winter. Gov. Blair had been to Washington and protested against his State troops being all sent out to the front & had secured one return to the City. It was a fine thing for us and we enjoyed life in Alexandra very much. One Lieut Col. was made provost Marshall of the City, and our Regt had charge of the Peace and good order of the city. There was a good deal of guard duty to do in & around the city but no more duty than was needed for our strict military discipline. 15. Alexandria was a fine old Southern city. and there were many objects of interest in and around it. The Episcopal Church built of bricks brought from England and in which George Wash- ington regularly worshiped, when he lived at Mount Vernon & was one of these conties [?] of Inter- est, when we went there to service. which we often did, we tried to have the sexton seat us in Washingtons pew, which was a large Double one, with a silver plate with the words G. Wash- inton inscribed there , on the Door, a small piece of silver slipped in the sextons hand usually secured the coveted honor. A great many went to visit Mt. Vernon, but a few miles distant frought with mem- ories of Washington and his beautiful home life. There was an old Slave pen in the city, concerning which the negroes told some horrific stories in the days of Slavery. On New Years day 1863. I assisted in making out our Company pay Rolls, in the marshall house where Ellsworth was killed. It was Taken possession of by the government and used for Government purposes. 16 I was in N.Y. city in 1861 when the body of Ellsworth was borne thro the city & lay in state in the city Hall a great many thousands were on the streets and it was a Solemn occasion, as they reflected on the Great loss to the Country of that Young consecrated life. Near to the Provost marshalls office in Alexdra was a large theatre which during the winter entire ^ presented many fine plays. quite a good many guards were kept around the House to preserve order, and any time we wanted to attend was to take one musket and go in as a guard. I attended the theatre more that winter than [crossed out in original] I have in all the 44 years since. and you ought to have seen the way we went after Oysters, Alexandria was the great Hd Qrs of the Oyster trade. There was a pile of them down by the wharf nearly as large as a barn , and any soldier could have all he wan- ted by opening them, but that required some practice, and most of them preferred to buy what they wanted, as the price was low- There was quite a good deal of sickness among the soldiers that winter: an epidemic of measles prevailed and some small pox- 17 Many of the soldiers died, some from very home sickness, and among the first to go were the large broad shouldered one, while the [?] the light weights stood the purahoins [?] of Camp Life and of the march much better. I have in mind one little fellow of one Company.- Elias Durfer by name, some of the big fellow made fun of him and said he had better go home to his mother for a year or two before he thought of enlisting, but there were very few men in the 26th Mich, who were better soldiers than he. He was in all the battles and marches and skirmishes of the Regiment from the first to the last. He is still living, attends all the Re-Unions, & is always on the program for a speech- - I was taken sick in March of 1863 and was in the Hospital. They had five Hospitals in the City. The government had confiscated & taken possession of some fine large brick buildings of Disloyal persons & used them for Hospitals- I soon got better and Returned to the Company, and about April 18th we were ordered to go to Suffolk, almost down to the great Dismal swamp, which place was then Invested by Gen. Longstreet. End of 2nd Chapter [in different ink]