Category Archives: Civil War

Col. J. L. Kirby Smith, 43d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1862
Mar 15 2010

Col. J.L. Kirby Smith, “a born soldier, lost too soon”

Remembering Joseph L. Kirby Smith (1836-1862), first colonel of the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1861-62. From “Our Kirby Smith” – a Paper Read before the Ohio Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, March 2, 1887 by Companion John W. Fuller:

Col. Smith’s service in the field covered merely eight brief months and he was but twenty-six years old when he fell in battle. So young, that only a few could realize that a born soldier had been lost; so soon, that only his kindred and a few who loved him would keep his memory green.

West Point, class of 1857

Our Kirby was born in Syracuse, N.Y., on the 25th day of July, 1836. He entered the Academy at West Point in 1853. He had less than the usual trouble in conforming to the discipline of the school, as he had long been taught both the propriety and the necessity of obedience. That other attribute, without which we should have no true soldier, viz., loyalty, was born in him. He graduated sixth in his class in 1857.

Offered command in 1861

When command of the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was offered to him by Ohio Governor Dennison, he promptly and gladly accepted. On reaching Camp Chase, near Columbus, he found a mere squad of men. He removed headquarters to Mount Vernon[Camp Andrews]. Speedily the ranks were filled, and so thoroughly were the men drilled, that the 43rd was soon known as one of the finest regiments Ohio sent into the field—and this is saying a good deal.

New Madrid, Missouri, Feb. 1862

It was about the last of February, 1862, when I first met Colonel Smith. He, with his regiment, joined the Army of the Mississippi at Commerce, Missouri, where General Pope was organizing his forces preparatory to the movement upon New Madrid. Smith’s regiment and mine both belonged to the First Division of that army, commanded then by General Schuyler Hamilton.

I did not see Smith during the first day’s operations at New Madrid, when the enemy’s gunboats made so much noise, as his regiment was held in reserve; but General Pope soon after gave him an order to make a reconnaissance with his regiment, to learn more of the enemy’s strength and position. He discharged this duty very satisfactorily to General Pope, and he did it in such a fearless manner as to attract the enemy’s attention; for when we captured the Rebels, some weeks thereafter, some of them inquired particularly after the officer who that day rode the white horse, and were loud in their commendations of his gallantry.

The Ohio regiments that originally formed the First Division became the First Brigade of the First Division by April 1862. In July, Col. Fuller became the brigade commander.

The Battle of Corinth

On Oct. 2, 1862, Colonel Smith was ordered with his regiment and a section of artillery to Kossuth; but during the night, Gen. Rosecrans, now satisfied that Corinth was Confederate Gen. Van Dorn’s objective, ordered everything to concentrate there.

Oct. 3, 1862

[On the night of Oct. 3], Colonel Smith’s regiment was formed on the left of Battery Robinet, facing to the west; the other regiments of the Brigade (27th, 39th and 63rd Ohio) were to the right of the Battery facing to the north, [to await the next day’s battle.] During the night, I called Colonel Smith to accompany me while making the rounds, to suggest anything which might have been overlooked, to guard against any surprise. The chat we had together that night was the last I enjoyed with him. He was cheery as ever, and joked in low tones with as much unconcern as though the Rebels were miles away. “Colonel,” he said, “where did you get forage for your horses to-night? I don’t know whether mine smells the battle afar off, but he keeps singing out, ‘Hay! Hay!’ and I think he made a remark about oats.”

Oct. 4, 1862

[Amid the battle], an enemy column which advanced along the west side of the road got close to Battery Robinet, and the men of the 43rd, sheltering themselves behind stumps and logs, were firing sharply.

“Those fellows are firing at you, Colonel,” said one of the 43rd’s men.

“Well, give it to them,” answered the Colonel, and immediately thereafter fell from his horse.

While I was bringing up the 11thMissouri, glancing over my left shoulder, I saw some men picking up a wounded officers whose face was stained with blood. I did not then know  it was Col. Smith…That regiment seemed dazed, and liable to confusion; but Lt. Col. Wager Swayne immediately galloped up just in time to help.

In Gen. Stanley’s official battle report, he stated, “I have not words to describe the qualities of this model soldier…The best testimony I can give to his memory is the spectacle I witnessed myself, in the very moment of battle, of stern, brave men weeping like children, as the word passed, ‘Kirby Smith is killed!’”

It was nearly an hour after he was shot when Smith became conscious, and word came to us from the hospital that his wound was not mortal. I jumped upon a fallen tree in rear of the Forty-third and sang out to them that Col. Smith was not killed, but would recover. This was repeated by Swayne and the cheer which followed, taken up by the men of other regiments also, would have gladdened Kirby’s heart.

After the battle

That evening I went with Gen. Stanley to the hospital. It will be readily understood that the nature of Kirby’s wound prevented speech; but as soon as he saw us he indicated a desire to write. I took out a memorandum book and pencil, when he immediately wrote: “How did my regiment behave?” Gen. Stanley commenced to write a reply, when a quizzical look of the Colonel’s reminded us he could hear well enough, and Stanley answered, “Most gallantly.” This seemed to please Smith greatly and he at once acknowledged it with one of his graceful salutes.

The 43rd OVI suffered 25% casualties on Oct. 4, 1862 at Corinth.

I sat down at Kirby’s side. Would he like to have me write to his mother? A nod said “yes.” Was there any one else he wished me to write? He made no sign in response, but seemed hesitating about something he felt loth to drop, and kept looking at me with a steady gaze.

“Shall I write to Miss –?” naming the lady to whom he was betrothed. A pleasant smile and nod together was his answer, and I said I would do the best I could.

During the eight days we were absent, frequent letters advised us that Col. Smith was better, walking about the room a little, making people laugh at the quaint things he wrote, and the comical gestures he made; in short, seemed like himself again.

When the Brigade returned, I rode to the house where the Colonel was lying, and saw, almost at a glance, that all hope of his recovery must be fast fading out. I was greatly surprised to find him so feeble, so cold, so drowsy. I could hardly suppress my disappointment. Poor Kirby, however, did not observe much. He put out his hand before I could reach his cot, and grasping mine, made a feeble effort to shake it. In response to my question, “How are you, my dear fellow?” he took a pencil and in my memorandum book slowly scrawled two words, “Utter exhaustion.”

Just after supper that evening, Col. Swayne came to my tent and said Col. Smith was worse. We rode over to see if, in any way, we could contribute to his comfort. We were too late. As we entered we noticed that the room had been freshly swept, and we saw a white sheet covering something on the cot, now moved back against the wall, which told us that he was gone.

Col. Joseph L. Kirby Smith died of his wounds on Oct. 12, 1862.

Nancy Rhoades was notified on her 90th birthday that Swallow Press would publish the Lybarger letters she had found & transcribed.
Sep 22 2009

Aunt Nancy’s 90th birthday brought the good news

On Sept. 17, 2005, her 90th birthday, Nancy Lybarger Rhoades received the news that Swallow Press at Ohio University would publish the Lybarger Civil War letters, a project she had nurtured for many years.

Nancy Rhoades (1915-2007) was the granddaughter of Edwin Lewis Lybarger (1840-1924), who served in the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1865. In 1991, in a trunk in her attic, she discovered 168 letters written by several dozen women family members, friends, and sweethearts to Edwin throughout the war.

Nancy transcribed these letters, and they were published in 2009 by  Ohio University’s Swallow Press, with a social commentary by Lucy E. Bailey, on the significance of women’s war work in the North during the Civil War.

WANTED–CORRESPONDENCE: Women’s Letters to a Union Soldier

Edited by Nancy L. Rhoades and Lucy E. Bailey

Fact to Fiction:

Aunt Nancy let me read the transcripts in 1996, and I read late into the night. By morning, I felt committed to writing about this family history. Since we didn’t have Edwin’s letters, only those he received and saved, I determined to write a novel in order to tell his story too.

My aunt was always the keeper of the family flame, and had been a reference librarian most of her life. It took me several years to gain her permission to write Edwin’s story as fiction. In addition to the letters, she trusted me with Edwin’s other war papers, and I made some great discoveries.

My best discoveries were Edwin’s daily journals, which Nancy thought had been lost, loaned to someone and never returned. But when I saw four small bound notebooks in the bottom of a box, I knew immediately what they were. They were written over four years, 1862 through 1865, a mainly straightforward log of his whereabouts each day. I spent several months transcribing them, my progress impeded by Edwin’s often illegible handwriting. But the ink was durable, I was persistent, and I eventually succeeded in discovering Edwin’s day by day itinerary throughout the war. This became the accurate bones for my novel.

Some years have passed since I first read the Lybarger letters, but after extensive research and several revised drafts, I have completed a novel that is based on Edwin Lybarger’s Civil War diaries and letters. The title has evolved from Civilities to The Arithmetic to The Color of Prayer.

 I hope Aunt Nancy would be pleased.

 
March 1860 fashions in Godey's Lady's Book
Sep 11 2009

Passementeries, soutache & ruching

An 1860′s century fashion glossary

(from www.merriam-webster.com):

gauffered (variation of goffered) flounces: crimped, plaited, or fluted fabric, esp. with heated iron.

mousquetaire cuffs: referring to 18th century royal musketeers, known for their flamboyant dress.

paremont (variation of parament): ornamental ecclesiastical vestments.

passementaries: ornamental edging or trimming (such as tassles) of braid, beadwork, or metallic threads.

ruching: pleated or gathered strip of fabric for trimming.

soutache: narrow braid with herringbone pattern, for trim.

tarletane (variation of tarlatan): sheer cotton fabrid in open, plain weave, sized for stiffness.

Sultana Opera Cloak

The extremely elegant effect of the Sultana Opera Cloak cannot fail to strike the observer. The graceful, easy flow when on the figure is pleasing to the eye, and exhibits symptoms of most successful taste. It will be seen that the folds fall in a totally different direction to the generality of opera cloaks. Instead of draping from the shoulders downward, thereby creating an unnatural stiffness in the figure, they assume a semicircular form, fall gracefully into the waist, and produce a becoming fullness in the skirt otherwise unattainable. The hood, or rather semblance of a hood, is very recherché, and ornamented with tassels, manufactured expressly for the cloak from a design obtained from one of the internal decorations of the principal court of the Alhambra. It is fastened in front with a loop and buttons to correspond with the tassels, and affords unusual protection to the chest.

A discussion of the latest fashions for ladies 

from Jan. 1860 Godey’s Lady’s Book:

Striped silks, the stripes being from four to six inches wide, and alternating in color, style, etc., are among the richest figured materials for street-dress, as a stripe of dark green satin, with the alternate stripe of silk, figured in some pretty floral design. Alternate stripes of black silk and velvet are also very elegant. Moiré antique is worn rather more now than the past season, the favorite colors being royal purple and emerald green. The broché silks are in fact real brocades of our grandmothers, broché meaning only embroidery- a rich black or gray taffeta ground is sprinkled with small sprays or bouquets of flowers. These are much worn for evening-dress. Fawn, green, mode, ashes of roses, etc. are among the shades used as a ground, the flowers being in their natural colors. Black, deep purple, maroon, and deep blue taffetas, figured with black velvet, are, perhaps, the most expensive dresses.

See more Godey’s fashion plates

CU Sister Anthony
Aug 8 2009

The charity of Christ impels us

with special thanks to Jim Schmidt for his guidance in matters of Civil War medicine and the role of the Sister-nurses in Army hospitals. See his blog on Civil War medicine: http://www.civilwarmed.blogspot.com.

In the spring of 1861, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Louisville, Martin John Spalding, offered the Sisters of Charity as nurses to the Union Army in Louisville, Kentucky. The offer was accepted by Gen. Robert Anderson (of Fort Sumter fame), in command of the department of Kentucky, in the following agreement:

The Sisters of Charity will nurse the wounded under the direction of the army surgeons, without any intermediate authority or interference whatever. Everything necessary for the lodging and nursing of the wounded and the sick will be supplied to them without putting them to expense; they giving their service gratuitously. So far as circumstances will allow, they shall have every facility for attending to religious and devotional exercises. –Robert Anderson, Brig. Gen., U. S. Army

Union Gen. Smith, in command of 7,000 Union troops in early 1861, appealed to the Sisters of Charity for their nursing aid at Paducah,Kentucky. Sister Martha Drury, the mother superior of St. Mary’s Academy at Nazareth, Kentucky, accepted the challenge of turning Sister-teachers to Sister-nurses. Paducah was filled with dying and wounded soldiers from the battles at Fort Donaldson, Fort Henry, and other battles early in the war.

The First Baptist church at the corner of 5th and Jefferson Streets in Paducah was converted into a military hospital. In Sept. 1861, Sister Martha Drury closed St. Mary’s Academy and led the teachers to Paducah: Sisters Sophia Carton, Justine Linnehan, Mildred Travers, Beatrice Skees, and Mary Lucy Dosh. They received brief training in first aid, from another Sister nurse. Their habits of black serge consisted of a plaited skirt and cape worn over black waist and sleeves; a neat white collar, and a simple, black cap (covered by nuns’ veiling on the street).

Sister Mary Lucy Dosh, a music teacher and one of the youngest of the religious, became a devoted nurse to the soldiers with typhoid fever. On Dec. 29, 1861, she died of the disease herself. The soldiers gave provided her coffin an escort in a gunboat from Paducah on the Ohio River to Uniontown, then a military escort carried her toSt. Vincent’s Academy for burial. The soldier guards kept vigil all night with blazing torches made of pine knots.

Many of the wounded Union soldiers were not Catholics and had never seen a religious. The Sisters had to overcome the distrust and prejudices against “Catholicity” by many of their patients, who would cover their heads with a blanket when they came near, or refuse treatment. The Sisters did not discriminate based on the patients’ religious beliefs (or lack of beliefs), or expect any to convert. Their charitable actions quickly earned them wide respect.

Army surgeons who worked with the Sisters of Charity praised their dependability and discipline. They eased the doctors’ work, were cooperative, and handled the men better than the surgeons. The medical men appreciated their “sturdy practicality in handling problems, in making the best of conditions, and their steadfastness in the accomplishment of their assigned tasks.”

“The charm the Sisters of Charity carried, as the soldiers soon discovered, were blameless lives, absolute devotion to duty, and entire self-forgetfulness.” (Barton) Their patience and sincerity is said to have brought out the best behavior of their soldier patients, curtailed cursing, and earned them gratitude, gifts, and the highest praise: “You are must like my mother.”

Additional sources: Angels of the Battlefield: A History of the Labors of the Catholic Sisterhoods in the Late Civil War, by George Barton (Philadelphia, 1897); To Bind Up the Wounds: Catholic Sister Nurses in the U.S. Civil War, by Sister Mary Denis Mayer, 1989; The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, by Anna Blanche McGill (Encyclopedia Press, 1917); Summer Winds: Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky 1859-1912, by James Spillane (Abbey Press, 1991).

 Facts to fiction:

Read an excerpt of Jennifer Wilke’s historical novel-in-progress, The Color of Prayer, inspired by these historical facts and Edwin Lybarger’s Civil War diaries.

43rd OVI colors
Jul 18 2009

43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Col. Joseph L. Kirby Smith, 1st colonel of 43rd OVI (1862)

Col. Wager Swayne, 43rd OVI (1862-65)

The 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Andrews in Mount Vernon, Ohio from September 28, 1861 through February 1, 1862. The regiment mustered in for 3 years service under the command of Colonel Joseph L. Kirby Smith, and served in the Army of the Mississippi’s “Ohio Brigade,” under Col. John Fuller, with the 27th, 39th, and 63rd Ohio regiments. The 43rd transferred to the Army of theTennessee in late 1862. In late 1863, the majority of the regiment re-enlisted for 3 years.

 

Battles:

Battle of Island No. 10

Siege of Corinth

Battle of Iuka

Second Battle of Corinth

Atlanta Campaign

Battle of Resaca

Battle of Dallas

Battle of New Hope Church

Battle of Allatoona

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

Battle of Atlanta

Siege of Atlanta

Battle of Jonesboro

Battle of Lovejoy’s Station

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Carolinas Campaign

Battle of Bentonville

Casualties:

The 43rd Ohio Infantry lost a total of 256 men; 4 officers and 61 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 189 enlisted men died of disease. The regiment mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky on July 13, 1865.

43rd OVI Itinerary:

1862

Feb. 21: Left Ohio for Commerce, Mo.

Mar. 3-14: Siege operations against New Madrid, Mo.

Mar. 14-April 8: Siege and capture of Island No. 10, Mississippi River, and capture of McCall’s forces at Tiptonville, Mo.

Apr. 13-17: Expedition to Fort Pillow, Tenn.

Apr. 18-22: Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn.

Apr. 29: Action at Monterey.

Apr. 19-May 30: Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss.

May 8: Reconnaissance toward Corinth.

May 30-June 12: Occupation of Corinth and pursuit to Booneville.

June 13-Sept. 11: Duty at Clear Creek until August 20, then at Bear Creek.

Sept. 19: Battle of Iuka, Miss.

Oct. 3-4:Battle of Corinth.

Oct. 5-12: Pursuit to Ripley.

Nov. 2, 1862-Jan. 12, 1863: Grant’s Central Mississippi Campaign.

1863

Jan. 12 – April: Duty at Corinth.

Apr. 15-May 8: Dodge’s Expedition to northern Alabama.

Apr. 22: Rock Cut, near Tuscumbia.

Apr. 23: Tuscumbia.

Apr. 28: Town Creek.

May-Oct.: Duty at Memphis, Tenn.

Oct. 1863-end of year: Duty at Prospect, Tenn.

1864

Jan.: Home furlough

Jan-Feb: Duty at Prospect, Tenn.

May 1-Sept: Atlanta Campaign.

May 8-13: Demonstrations on Resaca.

May 9: Sugar Valley, near Resaca.

May 13: Near Resaca.

May 14-15: Battle of Resaca

May 18-25: Advance on Dallas.

May 25-June 5: Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church, and Allatoona Hills.

June 10-July 2: Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain.

June 27: Assault on Kennesaw.

July 2-5: Nickajack Creek.

July 3-4: Ruff’s Mills.

July 6-17: Chattahoochie River.

July 22: Battle of Atlanta.

July 22-Aug. 25: Siege of Atlanta.

Aug. 25-30: Flank movement on Jonesboro.

Aug. 32-Sept. 1: Battle of Jonesboro.

Sept. 2-6: Lovejoy’s Station.

Sept. 29-Nov. 3: Operations against Hood in northern Georgia and northern Alabama.

Nov. 15-Dec. 10: March to the Sea, in Georgia.

Dec. 9: Montieth Swamp.

Dec. 10-21: Siege of Savannah.

1865

Jan.-Apr.: Campaign of the Carolinas.

Jan. 20: Reconnaissance to the Salkehatchie River, S. C.

Feb. 2: Skirmishes at Rivers and Broxton Bridges, Salkehatchie River.

Feb. 3: Actions at Rivers Bridge, Salkehatchie River.

Feb. 9: Binnaker’s Bridge, South Edisto River.

Feb. 12-13: Orangeburg, North Edisto River.

Feb. 16-17: Columbia.

Mar. 3: Juniper Creek, near Cheraw.

Mar. 19-20: Battle of Bentonville, N.C.

Mar. 24: Occupation of Goldsboro.

Apr. 10-14: Advance on Raleigh.

Apr. 14: Occupation of Raleigh.

Apr. 26: Bennett’s House.

Apr. 29-May 22:  Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington,D.C., via Richmond, Va.

May 24: Grand Review of the Armies.

June: Moved to Louisville, Ky.

July 13: Regiment mustered out of service.

Organization:

The regiment was attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Mississippi, to March 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Mississippi, to April 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Mississippi, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 8th Division, Left Wing, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, to December 1862. 1st Brigade, 8th Division, XVI Corps, to March 1863. 4th Brigade, District of Corinth, Mississippi, 2nd Division, XVI Corps, to May 1863. 3rd Brigade, District of Memphis, Tennessee, 5th Division, XVI Corps, to November 1863. Fuller’s Brigade, 2nd Division, XVI Corps, to March 1864. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, XVI Corps, to September 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XVII Corps, to July 1865.

Maltese kitten
Jul 14 2009

Stealing men’s hearts

In 1909, my great-grandfather Edwin Lybarger and his wife Nancy (Moore) traveled from Warsaw to Newark, Ohio for the GAR Encampment of Civil War veterans. They stayed with Uriah Brillhart and his wife Ida (Severn). The Brillhart family had lived in Spring Mountain, and Uriah would have been a young boy when Edwin returned in 1865 at the end of the war.

Among his papers, Edwin kept this old newspaper clipping:

“Capt. E. L. Lybarger at last is the possessor of a pretty little maltese kitten. For several years the Captain has been the lover of beautiful cats but could not keep them in his possession. He has bought them, had them given to him by the dozens but something happened to each of them, they either died or strayed away to some other place.

Capt. Lybarger was attending the G.A.R. encampment at Newark, Ohio this week and one day he was visiting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Uriah Brillhart. The Brillharts owned a little maltese kitten which as soon as was seen by the captain captivated his heart. The Captain told Mr. Brillhart of his luck with cats and said that if he had any way of taking the kitten home with him that he would steal it. The conversation was then turned to other topics and the subject was dropped.

When the Capt. And Mrs. Lybarger were getting aboard their train for home Friday, Mr. Brillhart handed the general a small box saying that it was a souvenir of the encampment. After the train pulled out the box was opened and there snuggled up within the box was the baby cat. The captain carried the kitten home with him and it is now drinking milk and eating strawberry short cake.”

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Abraham Lincoln loved cats and could play with them for hours. When asked if her husband had a hobby, Mary Todd Lincoln replied, “cats.”

President Lincoln visited General Grant at City Point,Virginia in March of 1865. The Civil War was drawing to a close and the enormous task of reuniting the country lay ahead, yet the President made time to care for three orphaned kittens. Abraham Lincoln noticed three stray kittens in the telegraph hut. Picking them up and placing them in his lap, he asked about their mother. When the President learned that the kittens’ mother was dead, he made sure the kittens would be fed and a good home found for them.

Wool sock pattern, 1860
Jul 1 2009

Cast on 38 loops on each of 3 pins.

Pattern from Godey’s Lady’s Book, Jan. 1860

Materials: Six ounces of lambswool; 4 pins, No. 18.

Cast on 38 loops on each of three pins. Knit two plain, one pearl in every row. Knit till the work measures nine inches, narrowing five times in that space by knitting two stitches together on each side of the back seam; divide the loops in half, and form the heel thus: Place one half of the loops on one pin for the heel, the remainder on the two pins for the instep. Knit the loops on one pin for four inches, narrowing twice; knit to the back seam, divide the loops and cast off. Pick up the loops at each side of the heel, knit these with those for the instep. In the first round make a stitch after every third on the two side pins; in the next round, narrow by knitting the last on the side pin and the first on the instep in one; repeat at the other side of instep. Next round, plain. Repeat these two rounds fourteen times; then knit about eighty rounds; after which, narrow for the toe. Narrow three times at each side of the pins in every other round, till the whole are narrowed off the sole of the foot, and the last sixty rounds must be plain knitting.

CU Col. Wager Swayne, 43rd OVI
Jun 30 2009

Col. Wager Swayne, 43rd OVI

From the journal of Harry Swayne Lybarger, son of Edwin L. Lybarger, 43rd OVI:

“[My father's] first Colonel Smith, a Westpointer, was killed in action. His next colonel, Wager Swayne, he probably thought more of than any man living, so much so that he named his only son Harry Swayne Lybarger.

Col. Swayne lost a leg from a cannon ball shot, crossing a bridge, on a charge ordered by General Mower, which my father always said was unnecessary. I met the great colonel once at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in 1897, when he came from his law office in New York City to attend the Grand Encampment of the GAR while my father was Grand Commander of Ohio.”

Oct. 4, 1862

(2nd) Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, Oct. 4, 1862

After days of hard marching, on Oct. 3, 1862 the Ohio (Fuller’s) Brigade arrived in Corinth, Mississippi late in the day on Oct. 3 after the Army of the Mississippi’s fight with the enemy had come to a stop for the night. One of four regiments in the brigade, the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was commanded by a West Pointer, Col. J. L. Kirby Smith, and Lt. Col. Wager Swayne, an Ohio man.

In 1887, John W. Fuller recounted the battle in “Our Kirby Smith,” an address to Ohio Commandery of the GAR (Union veterans):

“The Ohio Brigade was ordered to the crest crowned by Battery Robinet, to resist any further advance of the enemy. Col. Smith’s regiment was formed on the left of Battery Robinet, facing on the west; the other regiments of the Brigade (63rd, 27th, 39th Ohio) were to the right of the Battery facing to the north…As soon as it was light enough to see, our own batteries drove the Rebels back…As the Ohio Brigade occupied the crest of a ridge near the center of Rosecrans’ line of battle, we had a magnificent view of the enemy as he came out of the woods, in fine style, and marched over and through the obstructions with such noticeable gallantry. Our guns were all turned in that direction…[Col. Smith was executing the order to 'change front forward' to face the advancing enemy.] An enemy column which advanced along the west side of the road got close to the battery, and our men sheltered themselves behind stumps and logs and fired sharply.

‘Those fellows are firing at you Colonel,’ said one of the 43rd’s men. ‘Well, give it to them,’ answered the Colonel and immediately thereafter fell from his horse…I saw some men picking up a wounded officers whose face was stained with blood. I did not then know it was Col. Smith…[Amid shouts that their colonel was shot], the regiment seemed dazed and liable to confusion; but Lt. Col. Wager Swayne immediately began to steady the ranks…”

Fighting was fierce. In his official report, Fuller described the brigade’s impassioned defense of the battery: “…and every rebel who showed his head above the parapet of the fort, or attempted to enter it by the embrasures, got his head shot off.”

Stunned by the loss of Col. Smith, the 43rd rallied behind Lt. Col. Swayne. The Ohio Brigade held Battery Robinet, and Gen. Rosecrans’ Army of the Mississippi won the battle. The 43rd had 25% casualties, the 63rd had 50% casualties. Swayne gained command of the 43rd OVI and the rank of colonel.

Nov. 25, 1863

An invitation to the first national Thanksgiving dinner

Col. Swayne wrote a letter to Lt. Edwin Lybarger, on Nov. 25, 1863, inviting him to dine the following day, Nov. 26. My great-grandfather kept that dinner invitation for the rest of his life, and it took nearly 150 years to find out why. See Lookout Mountain or dinner with the colonel

Feb. 3, 1865

The Bridges, on the Salkahatchie in South Carolina

From Edwin Lybarger’s journal:

Feb. 1, 1865: The Army of Sherman being now in readiness to move started for some point, Sherman and God, only know.

Feb. 2, 1865: The enemy found in our front, harasses us all he can and seems determined to dispute every inch of ground. We lose several in killed and wounded during the day. Notwithstanding the resistance we made about ten miles.

Feb. 3, 1865: The enemy more stubborn than yesterday. Col. Swayne has his right leg carried away by a cannon ball. The first division ordered to cross the Salkahatchie river and drive the enemy from his strong position. Sprague’s Brigade, the 43rd, in advance took the main road, with a deep swamp on either side. Two rebel batteries were in front completely commanding the road for a distance of half a mile. There were eleven bridges to cross with plank torn off. The last one about 60 yards long over the river and not more than 150 yards from the enemy’s main line. The 1st and 3rd brigades were to effect a crossing higher up stream. Two companies of the 43rd were armed with boards to plank the bridges. Ten men were to carry axes, to cut away the Arbutis, whilst the remainder of the regiment with fixed bayonets were to charge over the bridges, and river, and if possible take the forts. At the same time, the 1st and 3rd Brigade were to charge the enemy in front and rear. The 43rd behaved exceedingly well under most trying circumstances, marched up the only road that was passable under a heavy fire of shot and shell, under which some 20 of our brave soldiers fell. The 63rdOhio following lost equally severely but the enemy’s works were taken.

CU JH Rhodes, 43rd, Co. K
Jun 23 2009

Capt. John H. Rhodes, Co. K, 43rd OVI

After the April 1862 resignation of Capt. William Walker, John H. Rhodes became captain of Company K, 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a position he held for virtually the rest of the war. When Company K Private Edwin Lybarger was promoted to 2nd sergeant, he began studying military tactics., and Rhodes sketched him in the act.

Battle of Corinth, Oct. 4, 1862

Company K and the 43rd OVI fought in the Battle of Corinth on the second day, Oct. 4, 1862, in fiercely fought defense of Battery Robinet. Edwin was severely wounded, but recovered and rejoined Company K the following January. Eight other Company K men died of their wounds at Corinth. The injury affected Edwin for the rest of his life, according to his son Harry Swayne Lybarger: “A minnie ball went through Father’s knee, and while he was able to return and finish the war, he was always slightly lame, and as a boy, I could always outrun him. From the time I first knew him he carried a cane frequently.”

Battle memories still vivid after 50 years

John Rhodes wrote to Edwin on Oct. 4, 1914:

My dear old comrade: I don’t forget fifty-two years ago to-day – nor will you or any other of our comrades who participated with us in that fierce little battle of Corinth, Miss. Not as large as many other battles of that war but few of them excelled it in close contact and fierceness. Hand-to-hand fighting at the right of our regiment at battery Robinet but I don’t remember that it extended to the left as far as our Co. K. I do remember that it looked at one time as if it would reach us and changing my sword from my right hand to my left I got a little Colt revolver I had carried into my right to be ready but I don’t think I fired a shot. I have no recollection of the revolver since. That Oct. 4 was…a nice bright warm day I remember, perhaps not as warm as to-day, it was certainly hot enough while the engagement lasted.

Facts to Fiction:

Read an excerpt of Jennifer Wilke’s historical novel-in-progress, The Color of Prayer,

inspired by these historical facts and Edwin Lybarger’s Civil War diaries.

Hard tack
Jun 15 2009

“Nothing nice to eat, and nothing good to drink.”

Edwin Lybarger’s Civil War diaries make frequent reference to food, sometimes disparaging the Army’s rations, or half-rations, sometimes rejoicing in abundance, especially from foraging.

April 5, 1862: In New Madrid, Miss, received orders to cook three days rations & get ready for a march against night. The order countermanded.

May 5, 1862: In camp at Corinth cooking & drying our clothes.

Sept. 18, 1862: Marched all day through the rain & camped at 9 P.M. near Jacinto, Miss. Crackers & coffee.

Sept. 22, 1862: Called in to line at daylight, marched until 12 P.M. with out any breakfast. Drew rations & went to cooking.

From the 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion; Principally Designed for Staff Officers in the Field:

Camp cooking. Bones should never be thrown away, but broken up and boiled repeatedly. Meat or bones should always be put into the cold water for making soup, and boiled with it, not put into boiling water. Meat, previously wrapped in paper or cloth, may be baked in a clay case, in any sort of pit or oven, well covered over, and with good economy. Upon giving men time and opportunity to cook, and enforcing attention to comfort, depends much of their cheerfulness and efficiency.

From Edwin Lybarger’s diary:

Dec. 25, 1862: In St. John’s Hospital Paducah, K.Y. Ate a Turkey roast for dinner and oyster supper at night.

Jan. 9, 1863: Found the 43d Regt. At Bolivar, Tenn. Boys all well but living on half rations.

Mar. 11, 1863: Camped at Ft. Hooker, Tenn. Have nice log houses to live in get plenty to eat such as eggs, butter, milk, chicken, & fruit.

Nov. 4, 1863: Crossed the Tenn. River at Eastport, Miss.and went into camp on the Alabama side. The boys killed and brought in one deer and several wild turkeys.

Nov. 7, 1863: Resumed the march about 12 M, marched until after dark, and camped in the open field near Florence, Al. Forage every thing we see.

Nov. 9, 1863: Resumed the  march at daylight. Passed through Lexington Ala. Foraged heavy on the country. Marched twenty miles & went into camp. Had plenty of chicken for supper and sweet potatoes in abundance

Nov. 12, 1863: Resumed the march after breakfasting on stewed chickens, boiled sweet potatoes, corn bread, and the usual ration of coffee & sugar. Went into camp near Prospect, Tenn.

From the 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion; Principally Designed for Staff Officers in the Field:

Stewed Salt Beef and Pork. Put into a saucepan about two pounds of well-soaked beef, cut in eight pieces, half a pound of salt pork, divided in two, and also soaked; half a pound of rice, or six tablespoonfuls; one quarter of a pound of onions, or four middle-sized ones, peeled and sliced; two ounces of brown sugar, or one large table-spoonful; one quarter of an ounce of pepper, and five pints of water, simmer gently for three hours, remove the fat from the top, and serve. This dish is enough for six people, and if the receipt be closely followed, you cannot fail to have an excellent food.

 From Edwin Lybarger’s diary:

Nov. 18, 1863: Nothing of importance going. Have plenty to eat and nothing much to do but write letters and study logic.

Nov. 25, 1863: Two years in the service today. Received in invitation to dine with Col. Swayne tomorrow. Accepted.

Nov. 26, 1863: “Thanksgiving day.” Dined with Col. Swayne together with all the officers of the 43d. & Col. Fuller our brigad[e] commander. Had a splendid dinner, served up in good style, to which I think I did ample justice.

From the 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion; Principally Designed for Staff Officers in the Field:

Kabobs. For a hurried dinner, boil the rib-bones, or skewer your iron ramrod through a dozen small lumps of meat, and roast them. In all cases, if your meat is of a tough sort, hammer it from time to time, when half done, to break up its fibre, and then continue the cooking.

From Edwin Lybarger’s diary:

Mar. 26, 1864: Left for Pulaski, Tenn. early and went into camp at 12 P.M. Had aplenty of eggs to eat.

Apr. 13, 1864: At Decatur. All quiet. Have a plenty to eat, viz. soft bread, meat, butter, canned peaches, tomatoes & etc.

May 13, 1864: The army in motion at 5 A.M. in fighting trim. Encountered the enemy near Resaca. Drove him steadily back with severe loss. Morgan Ulery killed. Our batteries get in position and silence the rebels’ guns. Laid on our arms all night. No blankets and nothing to eat but hard tack and sow belly.

June 1, 1864: McPherson retires his right by falling back some three miles northeast of Dallas. The rebs having caused something by their … charges & repulses, do not attempt to crowd us as we fall back. Hooker moves to the left. The soldiers on short rations. Our “grub” not of as fine a quality as I have eaten.

July 3, 1864: In the officers’ hospital near Rome, without any accommodations … Get a few berries & some sweet milk. The citizens as a general thing gone.

July 4, 1864: In hospital. Rome, Ga. No guns fired nor nothing else done to commemorate the day. Left Rome at 7 P.M. for Chattanooga. Arrive at Kingston and remain for the night. Fed by the sanitary. [U.S.Sanitary Commission].

From the 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion; Principally Designed for Staff Officers in the Field:

Salt Meat, to prepare hurriedly. Warm it slightly on both sides; this makes the salt draw to the outside; then rinse it well in a pannikan of water. This is found to extract a great deal of salt, and to leave the meat in a fit state for cooking.

Edwin Lybarger’s diary on the March to the Sea with the 17th Corps:

Nov. 16, 1864: Marched towards McDonald, Georgia. Find abundance of forage in the country, and we have no scruples about taking it.

Dec. 3, 1864: Marched to a station numbered 7. Encamped for the night. Forage plenty, soil sandy, affording abundance of sweet potatoes; we didn’t take any, no, not any.

Dec. 13, 1864: In front of Savannah; news received that Hazen’s division of the 15th Army Corps has taken Ft. McAllister at the mouth of the Ogeechee river. Out of provisions and living on sweet potatoes and rice.

Jan. 1, 1865: The 43rd on the Ogeechee Canal, 15 miles from Savannah with nothing nice to eat and nothing good to drink.

From the 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion; Principally Designed for Staff Officers in the Field:

Plum pudding. Put into a basin one pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of raisins (stoned, if there is time), three-quarters of a pound of the fat of salt port (well-washed, cut into small dice, or chopped), two tablespoonfuls of sugar or molasses; add half a pint of water, mix all together; put into a cloth tied tightly; boil for four hours, and serve. If time will not permit, boil only two hours, though four are preferable. How to spoil the above–add anything to it.