The part taken by the people of Miami county in the War of 1812 was one of excitement. While no battles were fought within its limits, its patriotic citizens sprang to the call of arms and performed their allotted duties in an earnest manner. This war brought on by the aggressive and tyrannical policies of England, was destined to blacken the frontiers with all manner of crimes. Its inhumanities were accentuated by the employment of Indians who, tiger-like, in their hunt for white victims, swept down upon the settlements of Ohio and left behind them a trail of fire and blood. The boasted fate of England received a blot which has never been wiped out. Those who steered the Georgian monarchy through that struggle covered themselves with disgrace which remains to this day. Not content with meeting the armed forces of the young Republic in the field, the British ministry connived at the brutalities perpetrated by the Indians. Some of the red captains were made commissioned officers by the King and actually wore the uniforms of his generals.

I shall not discuss the causes that led up to the War of 1812. It was not until 1813 that the Miami border felt the shock of war. The siege of Fort Meigs, which took place that year, was the incentive that turned Tecumseh and his warriors upon this fair region, which had just begun to blossom under the influences of civilization. The late Dr. Coleman, Sr., in his interesting reminiscences writes: "Rumors were in circulation of combinations among the various tribes of the Northwest and South, under the leadership of Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, backed by British influence. Our Government wanted more of their lands, but they refused to sell. With a view to bring them to terms, an expedition was fitted out in 1811. It was organized at the Falls of the Ohio and consisted of the Fourth United States Infantry and some two or three regiments of mounted Kentucky volunteers, all under the command of Gov. Harrison of Indian Territory. They proceeded into the Indian country in a northwesterly direction, striking the Wabash River near the present site of Lafayette, the Indians falling back and accumulating their forces, but still declining to treat. While in camp six miles north of Lafayette, the Indians made a night attack, attempting to storm the camp, but were finally repulsed after a most desperate hand-to-hand fight with tomahawk and bayonet."

This engagement is known as the battle of Tippecanoe, and it was the defeat of the Indians on this occasion which sent the storm of savage warfare hurtling through the forests of Ohio. Tecumseh, who led the Indians in this battle, chafed under his overthrow and resolved to deluge the whole frontier in blood. Of this scarlet Chieftain, perhaps one of the greatest that ever wielded a tomahawk, much has been written, and since some of his warriors entered Miami County and shed some of her settlers' blood , I may be pardoned for giving some of his history here.

It has been asserted that both the Anglo-Saxon and Creek blood ran in the veins of Tecumseh, but the better opinion seems to be that he was wholly a Shawnee. Col. Johnston, the Indian agent at Piqua, and Stephen Ruddell, of Kentucky, who for nearly twenty years was a prisoner among the Shawnees, possessed ample opportunities for knowing the lineage of Tecumseh. They both assert that his father was Puckeshinwa, a member of the Kiscopoke and Methoataske, his mother being of the Turtle tribe of the Shawnee nation. The parents of Tecumseh came from Florida to the north side of the Ohio about the middle of the eighteenth century. The father was killed in the Battle of Kanawha in 1774, leaving six stalwart sons and I one daughter. Tecumseh was the fourth son. His name means "the Shooting Star," and he certainly was a swift meteor of destruction.

Some diversity of opinion has prevailed as to the birthplace of Tecumseh, but it has been established that he was born in the valley of the Miamis on the banks of Mad River, a few miles below Springfield, and within the limits of Clark County. Ruddell says that the chief was born in 1768, which probably is correct, which would make him forty-three years of age at the beginning of the War of 1812, when he was in the full prime of savage manhood. He is supposed, though little more than a boy, to have taken part in the resistance offered to General Clark during that officer's campaign against the Indians in this county in 1782.

Early in life Tecumseh conceived the greatest plan that ever entered into the brain of an Indian. In this he was ably seconded by his brother, the Prophet, who was a gigantic fraud, but whose devilish incantations and wild sorcery gave him great control over the superstitious savages. Tecumseh's scheme was to unite all the red tribes against the whites; if he could accomplish his purpose he would bring into the field an army of warriors that would prove irresistible, and he proudly hoped that this tremendous force, sweeping forward as a unit, would put an end to American domination in the West. To this end he and his one-eyed brother visited all the tribes, going as far south as Alabama, Tecumseh stirring them up with his native eloquence and the Prophet filling their hearts with his boasted prophecies direct from the Great Father. The conspiracy was worthy the brains of its inventors. But it was not to succeed.

Tecumseh was stricken down at the height of his fame at the battle of the Thames in Canada, October 5, 1813, and with him died all hopes of a great Indian confederacy. His body was not found after the battle. The accepted story that this great warrior was slain by Col. Richard M. Johnson is based on fiction, as it is not known at whose hands he fell. The one bright spot in Tecumseh's life is his humane treatment of white captives, but in spite of this he is largely responsible for the deluge of blood that overwhelmed the frontiers during the War of 1812.

The personal appearance of this remarkable man was uncommonly fine. His height was five feet nine inches. His face was oval, his nose handsome and straight, his mouth beautifully formed like that of Napoleon I., his eyes clear, transparent hazel, with a mild expression when in repose or in conversation; but when excited in his orations, or by the enthusiasm of conflict, or when in anger, they appeared like balls of fire; his teeth were beautifully white, his complexion a light brown or tan. He always stood very erect and walked with a brisk, elastic step. He always dressed in Indian- tanned buckskin, wore a frock reaching to the knee, a belt of buckskin, in which were his silver-mounted tomahawk and knife, short pantaloons connected with leggings and moccasins, with a mantle thrown over his left shoulder. He was a general in the British army and one of the finest looking Indians that ever lifted a hatchet. Such, in brief, was the man feared by the early settlers of Miami County.

A number of our early settlers volunteered for service in the war. The border was in a state of suspense and fear, especially so after the murder of the Dilbones, an event already described. But for the efforts made by Col. Johnston in keeping the neutral Indians at Piqua during hostilities, the county might have been the scene of more than one massacre. At one time he had four thousand at his place and such was his power over them that they were prevented from taking the warpath.

Perry's victory on Lake Erie practically put an end to the war in the West peace soon came back to the Miami settlements. The settler felt safe when he could place his rifle on its pins above the door and cultivate his fields without having to guard against Indian surprise.

Captain James Blue and Charles Wolverton were among the first citizens of the county to lead men toward the seat of war. Wolverton, hearing of the murder by the Indians of a man named Rush, marched after the savages, came upon their camp near Greenville and killed a few, including some squaws. The whites scalped their victims. A Covington company forayed along the Stillwater, but did not come to an engagement with the enemy. A few other forays were undertaken by the whites, but none of them were killed.

Among the men of this county who served in this locality during the war were Captains Reuben Westfall, E. Kirtly, William Barbee Sr., Charles Wolverton, Jacob Mann, William Luce, Gardner Bobo, Charles Hilliard, John Williams, Conrad Plesher, Robert Reed, Moses Patterson, James Patterson, Timothy Titus and John Johnson. The roll of the privates included Joseph Marshall, Joseph Culbertson, William and James Shackelford, Aaron and John G. Telford, William Barbee Jr., David McClung, James Youart, Aaron Tullis, Andrew Thompson, James Brown and Samuel Mackey.

These men, with a host of associates equally brave, stood between the scattered homes and Indian invasion during the whole period of the war. They were ready at all times for the most exacting and hazardous duty. But for them, roving bands of Indians might have swept across the county carrying destruction in their wake. The cemeteries of the county, today, hold the remains of these defenders. They are gone, but their deeds are not forgotten. Fortunately for the inhabitants of the county, the seat of hostilities was beyond her borders, but this does not detract from the services of her patriotic volunteers.

The part played by this county in the War with Mexico was very small. Not over five men enlisted from within her borders. No regular command was raised here. The few who went served in a command raised at Dayton. This command did not see much real fighting in the Land of the Montezuma's, but did some hard marching and took part in various side campaigns. One of the survivors of this little group of Miamians is the venerable Captain Frank Hardy, of Piqua, who has reached his ninetieth year. Captain Hardy is also a veteran of the Civil War, but his memory is bright and he relates with much vim some recollections connected with his service in Mexico. The Mexican War owing to the slavery question, was not popular in this county, which fact no doubt discredited enlistment's here.

In no county of the state were the portentous events that preceded the War of the Rebellion watched with more interest than in Miami. In the first place the people were opposed to human slavery. In early days a part of the "Underground Railroad" was operated in the county and more than one slave escaping from inhuman masters was concealed and steered to freedom. Therefore, when the South sought as a pretext for dismemberment the election of Abraham Lincoln, the people of Miami County prepared for what they regarded as the inevitable. The first shot directed against Fort Sumter had hardly ceased to echo in the North before enlistment's began within the county. Men of every walk in life came forward and offered their services to the National Government. There was no hesitation. Deep seated in the minds of all was the conviction that Secretary Seward's "breakfast spell" was to become at least an all day's job. The mettle of the South was well known. Men who had worshiped for years at the shrine of Calhoun, Yancey and Toombs, who had conspired in the shadow of the Capitol, were not embarking in war as child's play. It was to be a death grapple between Puritan and Cavalier, between the men of the North and the men of the South, Americans all, and brothers of the same blood.

Parts of six: regiments were raised in Miami County during the war. These were the Eleventh, the Forty-fourth, the Seventy-first, the Ninety-fourth, the, and One Hundred and Forty-seventh commands. Apart from these, organizations of men from this county enlisted in other regiments, while not a few took service in the navy. The story of the soldiers of the county is almost the story of the war. They proved their valor on some of the most hard-fought fields of the Rebellion- at South Mountain, Antietam, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Monocacy, Petersburg, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Stone River, Shiloh, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Nashville and other places, witnessing at last the glories of Appomattox. I shall give in detail the service of these regiments, beginning with:

The Eleventh Ohio Volunteers was first enlisted for three months, pursuant to President Lincoln's first call for troops for the suppression of the Rebellion. It as mustered into the three years service June 20, 1861. Miami County furnished five full companies - B and F from Piqua, D, H and E from Troy. The men were in the full vigor of early manhood, types of western strength, patriotism and intelligence. The regiment first rendezvoused at Columbus and then proceeded to Camp Denison. It remained in its second quarters till July 7, when it received orders to pack up and move towards the seat of war. It's colonel was Charles A. DeVilliers, who soon afterward left the service. Crossing Ohio, the Eleventh reached Point Pleasant. It made a night march over Sugar Loaf Mountain and had some experience in picket duty on the sacred soil of Virginia. August 18, 1862, it moved to Parkersburg, and thence to Alexandria, near Washington, D.C., where it encamped. August 27th it was thrown forward to Manassas, where the Confederates had taken position. Previous to this, however, the Eleventh had seen some, exciting service in West Virginia, where it had encountered the enemy at Hawk's Nest, Cotton Hill and Gauley Bridge. These minor engagements had to a degree tested the mettle of the men and they were ready for the greater events in store for them. At Manassas the regiment crossed Bull Run and checked the enemy, who had driven back Taylor's New Jersey troops, but the Confederates, advancing in heavy force, forced the Unionists toward Fairfax. During the retreat the Eleventh acted as the rear guard. Remaining a short time within the lines at Washington, on the 29th of August the regiment occupied Munson's Hill, and on the 6th of September it took up its march for Maryland in pursuit of Lee, who had crossed the Potomac with his army. On the 12th the enemy was found holding a bridge over the Monocacy near Frederick. Three Union columns were formed, with the Eleventh in the center. The enemy was driven back and the bridge taken and two pieces of artillery were lost. Led by Col. Coleman, the regiment marched forward, recaptured the cannon and hurled the Confederates from their position. After a night at Monocacy the Eleventh crossed a spur of the Blue Ridge, debauched into Middletown Valley and --153 on the 14th advanced up the slopes of South Mountain, occupied by Garnett's division of General Lee's army. On this day was fought the battle of South Mountain, the prelude to Antietam.

The principal fighting done by the Eleventh on this memorable occasion took place on the summit of the mountain at a place since known as Wise's Field. Their advance was met by fire from all sides. The regiment was surrounded by a growth of mountain laurel and the enemy was protected by a stone fence and was hard to dislodge. The regiment, after some desperate work, advanced on a charge, drove the Confederates from their position and held the ground. Many acts of individual bravery occurred among the ranks of the Eleventh on that day. Night put an end to the fighting, and Lee, failing to hold his position, fell back upon Sharpsburg, where he and McClellan were to meet in the bloodiest one-day's battle of the whole war.

The Eleventh was attached to the Kanawha Division, Second Brigade. On the morning of the 17th of September 1862, Company F was sent out on the skirmish line with instructions to keep a close watch on the enemy. Captain Teverbaugh had hardly issued hi s instructions when the enemy, from his works below the bridge, on Antietam Creek, opened a lively fire. Company F was ordered to withdraw and, moved to the right to act as a reserve to Company C. The bridge across the creek being an important point, General Burnside, who commanded that wing of the army, was ordered to carry it. The bridge was a stone structure, twelve feet wide and one hundred and fifty feet long, with three arches. Six thousand Confederates were in position cross the stream, and the bridge was swept by their artillery. Skirmishers were thrown out and the Eleventh moved forward. Simmons and McMullin's batteries were raining their deadly missiles among the Southern ranks, who, in turn sent volley after volley from their muskets and artillery in the faces of our advancing troops. Bravely the men struggled forward, but in vain. The steady stream of cannister poured from the rebel cannon forced the line to waver and finally fall back. In this forward movement Col. Augustus H. Coleman, of Troy, received a wound, which caused his death in a few hours. In advance of his men, cheering them on and closing up their broken ranks, he fell with his face to the foe.

Colonel Coleman was one of the bravest men in the Union Army. He was the son of Dr. Asa Coleman, one of the early pioneers of the county. He received his military education at West Point, and at the opening of the war was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He recruited a company of men within forty-eight hours, and proceeded to Columbus with them April 26, 1861. At the reorganization of the Eleventh for the three years service he was elected major of the regiment and was promoted to lieutenant colonel January 9, 1862. A fine disciplinarian, he was the man of the hour and was a favorite with his troops. In his heroic death at Antietam the country lost a true soldier and a useful patriot.

The failure to carry the bridge across Antietam Creek forced Burnside to call for reinforcements, but none was sent. The order was repeated to carry the bridge at all hazards. The lines were reformed for another assault. The Eleventh responded nobly. They had replenished their empty cartridge boxes and moved forward again. It was to be death or the bridge. Despite the rain of missiles from the rebel gunners, the Unionists rushed on, reached the bridge and heroically gained the prize. In these desperate assaults the regiment took a prominent part. There was no better set of fighting men in McClellan's army. After taking the bridge the regiment advanced along the slope. Lee attempted to cut Burnside off and Burnside told McClellan that he must have more men and guns. McClellan said he had none to spare and the troops were compelled to fall back to the bridge. The hardest work done that day at Antietam was performed by the Kanawha Division. Burnside's bridge was the key to the whole affair. To lose it was to imperil Lee's whole army, and it is to the glory of the Eleventh that it did much to make victory on that part of the field certain.

After the battle of Antietam the Eleventh returned to West Virginia. It took post at Summerville, where it remained until January 17, 1863, when it moved to Gauley, joining General Crook and immediately embarking on the Kanawha River, this time for the Army of the Cumberland. It was on board of boats during the second fight at Fort Donelson. From the time of its transfer to the west the regiment served with the Army of the Cumberland till its muster out. Its loss at the taking of Burnside's Bridge was one officer and three men killed, one officer and eleven men wounded and five men missing.

There was still a lot of hard fighting in store for the Eleventh. On the 13th of April, 1863, the regiment had an engagement with the enemy at McMinnville, Tenn., and on the 23d it joined General Reynolds in a move against Wheeler and Forrest's cavalry. June 24th the Eleventh engaged the foe at Hoover's Gap and led the advance into Manchester. On the 29th the command moved on the Tullahoma Road and drove the enemy back. At Decherd Station, Tenn., General Turchin assumed command of the Second Brigade.

The month of September, 1863, witnessed the sanguinary conflict at Chickamauga. In this battle the fighting Eleventh bore a conspicuous part. It was the great grapple between Rosecrans and Bragg. During the forenoon of the l8th the Eleventh changed position several times, and about daylight on the following day went into line of battle near Lee and Gordon's Mill. Chaplain Lyle rode to the center of the line, and with Colonel Lane's consent addressed the regiment in words of comfort and encouragement and asked the men to join with him in prayer.. Instantly every head was bowed and every hand clasped devoutly on the gleaming muskets. The old colors, pierced and rent on many battlefields, were drooped and amid the rattle of musketry the voice of prayer was heard. The sacred ceremony ended, the regiment moved to the front line. Not a man faltered. It was a day of hard work for the boys of Miami County. Charge after charge was made through the death-struck woods. Sergeant Peck went down with the colors, but they were picked up again and pushed forward. When the enemy hurled his legions against the division Turchin changed front and charged. The next day the Eleventh took position on a slight elevation behind a breastwork of logs and stones, where it was subjected to a galling fire. The breastworks caught fire several times. In the afternoon the rebels, pushing through a gap in the Union lines, poured a heavy crossfire upon the regiment. It was more than the men could stand. The brigade charged and drove the enemy back. That night the regiment withdrew to Rossville, having covered itself with glory in the bloody woods of Chickamauga.

The regiment remained cooped up in Chattanooga until the advance on Mission Ridge, November 24th. In this assault it fought splendidly and bore a prominent part in that memorable battle. One color bearer was struck seven times, and when he (Sergeant Bell) went down they were picked up by Lieutenant Peck, who fell mortally wounded. The Eleventh pursued the flying enemy towards Ringgold, Ga., and after fighting at Ringgold returned to Chattanooga. George Green, of Company H, received a medal for conspicuous bravery in the assault on the Ridge. In February, 1864, the regiment was paraded to receive a new stand of colors presented by the ladies of Troy. The next forward move of the regiment resulted in its conflict at Buzzard's Roost, after which came some hot work at Resaca. In all these engagements the regiment bore an honorable part.

It's term of service having expired, the Eleventh was mustered out at Camp Denison, June 21, 1864. Two companies whose time had not expired and the veterans of the regiment were recognized as the Eleventh Ohio Battalion and as such took part in the battles of the Atlanta Campaign and the march to the sea. During its whole service the Eleventh Ohio Regiment proved its worth as a military organization and reflected credit on the State on many a hard- fought field. During its three years term it lost 152 men, many on the field of battle and others in the infernal prison hells of the South. The principal engagements in which the regiment took part are as follows:

Hawks Nest, Gauley Bridge, Princeton, Bull Run Bridge, Frederick, South Mountain, Antietam, Hoover's Gap, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Buzzard's Roost, Resada -a list of which the Caesarian legion might be proud. It can be said of the Eleventh that it shirked no duty; it performed nobly every service demanded at its hands, and today its survivors are among the best citizens of the Union.

The Forty-fourth, Ohio Volunteer Infantry known after veteranizing as the Eighth Cavalry, was organized at Springfield from September 12th to October 14th, 1861, to serve three years, and was mustered in at Camp Clark by J.H. Young, Captain Fifteenth Infantry, U.S.A. Its colonel was Samuel A. Gilbert, who resigned in April, 1864. After its muster the regiment moved to Camp Piatt, W.Va. Several companies of this regiment were recruited in Miami County. Shortly after the regiment's arrival at Camp Platt, five companies were ordered to Gauley Bridge, where they assisted in driving the rebel general, Floyd, from his camp. Two other companies were sent to Platona, which place they captured, and then moved against Colonel Jenkins at Logan Court House, but the wily colonel fled at their approach. Having passed the winter in comfortable quarters, the 1st of May, I862, found the command again at Gauley Bridge, where it was brigaded with the Thirty-sixth and Forty-seventh O.V.I. under Col. George Crook.

The brigade moved to Lewisburg and from there the Forty-fourth penetrated to Dublin Depot and destroyed a portion of the railroad track. Returning hastily to Lewisburg, the enemy was met in full force and a lively battle followed. Great gallantry was displayed by the regiment on this occasion. It charged upon and captured a four-gun battery, took a number of prisoners and contributed greatly to the rout of the rebels. Falling back from before a force of 6,000 rebels, the regiment, with the brigade, reached Meadow Bluffs. On this occasion the Forty-fourth guarded the rear. The regiment was attacked, but fell back fighting to the Gauley, where the retreat was begun in earnest. All day and far into the night the regiment guarded the rear in a creditable manner. On September 13th the rebels appeared at Charleston and attacked. Another spirited contest ensued. The enemy was firmly met and held at bay for some time, but his overwhelming numbers forced the Unionists back, though every inch of ground was hotly contested. The brigade withdrew across a deep tributary of the Kanawha, severed the hawsers that held the suspension bridge, and retreated safely to Racine, on the Ohio, from which place it was conveyed by steamer to Point Pleasant.

The next campaign of the regiment was on Kentucky soil. For some time it was engaged in watching the movements of Kirby Smith, whom it pursued as far as Lexington, where it was assigned to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of Kentucky, commanded by General Gordon Granger. It returned to Frankfort December, 20th, where it was mounted and did some effective work against the rebels. The men from now on lived almost constantly in the saddle, and engaged in many hot skirmishes with the enemy. At Dunstan's or Dutton's Hill it gallantly charged the rebel position and contributed materially to their rout.

Upon Burnside's advance into Tennessee the Forty-fourth was dismounted and accompanied him. The regiment bore an honorable part in all that took place in this movement. It pursued the enemy with vigor on many occasions and finally went into camp at Strawberry Plains, January 1, l864; the proposal to re-enlist was made with a proposition that the regiment should be mounted, and nearly the whole six hundred accepted. On the 7th the Forty-fourth marched for Camp Nelson, Kentucky, thence to Cincinnati, where it waited for its muster rolls, after which it went to Springfield, where the men were paid off. This last act terminated the career of the regiment, after which it became the Eighth Ohio Cavalry. The new organization reported for service at Camp Denison, March 28, 1864. Cincinnati was left behind May 10, and Charleston was reached on the 14th, the men having ridden thither barebacked. On the 29th the Eighth marched to Lewisburg, and June 1st started with Averill on the disastrous Lynchburg raid. Staunton was reached on the 9th, where a junction was formed with Hunter. The whole command now proceeded toward Lynchburg. The enemy prevented the capture of the city by heavy reinforcements and after the close of a sharp fight the Unionists were obliged to retreat. It was an exciting episode in the history of the Eighth Cavalry. There was fighting much of the way. The Eighth was ordered to strengthen the rear guard, which service it did in an excellent manner. Fighting at one time a brigade of the enemy, it lost seventy-one in killed, wounded and prisoners.

Upon reaching White Sulphur Springs the regiment was divided and a part sent to Beverly. On the 23d of August three companies of the Eighth were surprised at Huttonville and captured. Later on Company A shared the same fate. October 29th three hundred rebels dashed into the camp of the regiment and some desperate fighting took place. On the lst of December, Col. Moore joined the regiment with his detachment from the Shenandoah. The veterans of the Eighth were almost constantly in the saddle for six weeks previous to the battle of Winchester. It made a charge upon the rebel fortifications at that place, fought bravely at Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek and followed Early in his retreat up the Valley. Its work in the Valley elicited the praise of the commanding generals.

At Philippi a part of the regiment was surprised and captured, the prisoners being compelled to march afoot through the snow, then were loaded into stock cars at Staunton at the rate of seventy to a car and taken to Richmond. After suffering in the rebel prison till February 15th, the prisoners were sent to Annapolis for exchange and thence to Columbus, Ohio. In August, 1865, the regiment was once more ordered to Camp Denison, where it was mustered out of the service. The patriotic service of the Eighth Cavalry was highly creditable to its members. It endured many hardships, fought gallantly and sustained to the very last the honor of the Ohio soldiery. Whether under Hunter, Averill or Sheridan, the regiment made its mark wherever it served.

The Seventy-first Ohio Volunteers was recruited in part in Miami County, which furnished companies F, C and E. It was a fighting regiment and covered during its term of service more ground than any one similar command in the Union armies. It was recruited under the superintendence of Barton S. Kyle and G.W. Andrews. In the latter part of October, 1861, the regiment rendezvoused on the Old Fair Grounds at Troy, and reached Camp Todd at Columbus February 10, 1862. It received its baptism of fire at Shiloh on the memorable 6th of April. The regiment was unfortunate in the choice of its colonel, who was Rodney Mason, of Springfield, a man boastful when there was no enemy in sight, but not so brave in actual combat. On the fatal morning of the 6th the regiment, fresh from the comforts of home, was hastily formed in line of battle. I cannot better describe the part taken by the Seventy-first on the 6th of April than in the words of the late Captain E.S. Williams, who was a member of the regiment and a regiments rallied again and charged. We fell back only when we were literally surrounded by the rebels."

Such was the heroism of the Seventy-first at Shiloh, a battle in which the regiment lost 130 men on Monday. It was a stand worthy the patriotism of Leonidas and his Spartans. Colonel Kyle, who was killed in Monday's battle, was one of the prominent citizens of Troy. He was born within the county in 1825. For six years he served as auditor of the county, and was elected as clerk of the common pleas court in 1859. He was a member of the National Convention which nominated Fremont for the presidency. Full of patriotism, he helped to recruit the Seventy-first and took the field with it. He was a vigilant and popular officer and beloved by his men, and his death was lamented by every man in the regiment. Fearless of danger, he fell at the post of duty as the true hero falls, and well deserved the eulogy of Whitelaw Reid, who said of him at Shiloh: "Ohio lost no truer, braver man that day than Barton S. Kyle."

After its terrible experience at Shiloh the Seventy-First was ordered to the Cumberland River to hold the posts of Fort Donelson and Clarksville. Six companies of the regiment were taken prisoners at the latter place August 18th. A gallant fight was made at Donelson. In Carthage, Tenn., three companies of the regiment were stationed and while there they encountered the rebel guerrillas in numerous bitter fights. It was at Clarksville that Col. Mason cowardly surrendered a part of the regiment when he could have routed the enemy. For this act Mason was cashiered.

The Seventy-first after its exchange had a varied and exciting history. In the spring of l864 it moved south and did effective work at Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station and Atlanta. When Hood swung northward, leaving Sherman to sweep towards the sea, the Seventy- First was among the commands that started on the race for Nashville. It was now a part of Stanley's Corps. At Spring Hill it narrowly escaped capture by Hood, who blundered there and brought on the bloody engagement at Franklin, in which the regiment took no active part. But it was in the battle of Nashville, a battle which destroyed Hood's army, that the regiment was again to show it's fighting qualities.

Under the leadership of Colonel Hart the Seventy-first dashed up the steep ascent of Overton's Hill amid a tempest of lead and iron and gallantly carried the rebel position. It was a desperate assault and grandly executed. It placed a new crown on the heads of the men from Miami. In the battle of Nashville the regiment lost one-third of its numbers in killed and wounded, including several excellent officers. Nashville was fought December 15, l864, when the Confederacy was tottering to its fall.

After this battle the regiment saw no more active fighting. It had enlisted for the war, but expected that with the surrender of the rebel armies and the collapse of the rebellion it would be mustered out. Such, however, was not the case. It was ordered to the Texas frontier under Sheridan to keep watch on the French in Mexico. The regiment, much decimated by its long and active service, its heavy loss in battle and prison, remained on Texas soil until long after the close of the war, when it was finally mustered out of the service. Its original strength was 879 men, when mustered out it numbered only 377. It was mustered out at San Antonio, Texas, and discharged at Camp Chase. Among the battles fought by this heroic regiment I find Shiloh, Clarksville, Hartsville, Fort Donelson, Cumberland Iron Works, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, Columbia and Nashville.

For some time the poltroonery of its colonel affected the reputation of the regiment and caused it to be considered as an "unlucky command," but all this was wiped out on the field of Nashville and the bloody slope of Overton's Hill. The Seventy-First came home with honor and furnished more men in prominent positions in public life after the war than any regiment that left the county. Two of its members, Capt.E.S. Williams and Charles M. Anderson, became members of Congress, and other members made their mark in official capacities. The regiment was among the last to turn northward after the war, proud of its record on some of the hardest fought fields of that terrible struggle and having in its ranks some of the bravest men that ever shouldered a musket or drew a sword.

Camp Piqua witnessed during the stirring events of 1862 the formation of two fighting regiments. One of them was the Ninety- Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under the supervision of Col. J. W. Frizell. Recruiting proceeded so rapidly that in one month one thousand and ten men were mustered into the service of the United States. The mustering took place August 24th. No time was given the regiment for drilling, for Kirby Smith had invaded Kentucky and troops were needed at the front. So the men of Miami were rushed from Camp Piqua to Cincinnati and thence to Lexington. Only three rounds of cartridges could be found for the men. The Ninety- fourth reached Lexington and learned of the Union defeat at Richmond a few miles distant. Matters had a gloomy aspect, and the regiment was ordered to Tate's Ford, on the Kentucky River, fifteen miles east of Lexington. It was the first marching experience for the men, and an exhaustive one it was. On this occasion the regiment first met the enemy and proved that it was to gather fame as it went on. Veterans could not have behaved better. The night was dark, the men lying down, when the rebel volley burst upon them. Hungry and almost without ammunition, a God-send came with some wagons which put an end to their needs for the present. During breakfast a rebel battery opened on the troops, but Col. Prizell succeeded in safely withdrawing his command.

Back to Lexington went the regiment, and thence to Louisville. Bragg and Buell were facing each other on Kentucky soil, and their maneuvers brought on the desperate battle of Perryville, October 8th. In this engagement the regiment bore an active part, being in the thick of the fight and acquitting itself with the credit of an experienced command. Perryville, for the numbers engaged, was one of the most sanguinary battles of the war. The Ninety-fourth suffered a loss of officers and men, among the former being Captain John C. Drury, of Troy. Captain Drury was a Massachusetts man by birth. Coming to Ohio, he engaged in the mercantile business, and when the war broke out, being of an intense patriotic nature, he recruited a company for the Eleventh Ohio, in 1861, but afterwards took a captaincy in the Ninety-fourth. He was a good officer, much beloved by his men, and if his career had not been cut short at Perryville would undoubtedly have reached a much higher command. He fell at the head of his company during the crisis of the battle. Well may it be said of him:

There was no further fighting for the Ninety-fourth till it was called on to face the foe at Stone River. It had been Bragg and Buell in Kentucky; it was Bragg and Rosecrans in Tennessee. At Murfeesboro, or Stone River, the regiment maintained its reputation as a gallant body of men. Cast into the whirlpool of that desperate engagement, the regiment had some of the fiercest fighting that fell to its lot during its term of service. It was repeatedly struck by the advancing and exultant rebels and it gave the enemy as good as he sent, contesting every foot of the ground with great heroism. The battle of Stone River was fought during the closing days of '62 and the first of '63. It resulted in what might be termed a Union victory, since Rosecrans held the field and Bragg was forced to withdraw his army.

During the Tullahoma campaign the Ninety-fourth was in the advance and went gallantly into the fight at Hoover's Gap in June 1863. After a brisk little affair at Dug Gap came the memorable battle of Chickamauga. The regiment belonged to the, First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, during the fighting around Chattanooga. Its colonel was Rue P. Hutchins, its brigade Scribner's, its division Baird's, Thomas' Corps. Crossing the Tennessee at Bridgeport, Ala., the Ninety-fourth marched to Trenton Valley, and, after Dug Gap, remained in MeLemore's Cove till September 18th, when it faced about for Chickamauga. It reached Kelley's farm on the Lafayette Road at daylight on the 19th. The regiment encountered the enemy a short distance east of Kelley's field and pushed him back. From that time on the fighting was fierce. A part of Cheathan's rebel division attacked Scribner's front and right, and the brigade was forced back, losing heavily. In this hot work the Ninety-Fourth behaved splendidly.

On the morning of the 20th the regiment occupied a position in the front line of the brigade. Barricades of logs and rails were hastily thrown up. At 9:30 Held's brigade assaulted this part of the line and the Ninety-fourth assisted in hurling him back. Again and again the regiment was called upon to meet the fierce assaults of the enemy. Colquit and Walthall led their men in gray against the brigade, had but to retire. The Ninety-fourth held its position all day and until the general order to retire was given in the evening. The command retired rapidly through the woods, and, avoiding capture, withdrew with the whole army to Rossville. Such, in part, was the work of the Ninety-Fourth in the battle forest of Chickamauga.

On the 23d of November the regiment took part in the assault and capture of Lookout Mountain, and followed up its success by the 'heroic scaling of Mission Ridge, where Bragg was defeated. In both these engagements the regiment sustained its reputation as a fighting command and added to its laurels. Its charge up Mission Ridge is one of the most gallant feats of the war. This battle preceded the memorable campaign of Atlanta by Sherman, in which the ninety-fourth took part. It was under fire for one hundred days and fought in numerous pitched battles. When Sherman set out upon his famous march to the sea the ninety-fourth was well in the advance. It crossed Georgia, and turned toward the Carolinas, participating in the battle of Bentonville, one of the last of the war. It was the first infantry regiment to enter the capital of North Carolina, soon after which it beheld the surrender of Johnston and marched to Washington, where it took part in the magnificent review which followed the close of the war. Of the thousand and ten young men who marched out of Camp Piqua in 1862 but three hundred and thirty-eight marched up Pennsylvania Avenue on that occasion. Of the others many had died in battle or from wounds and disease, including not a few whom perished from starvation in rebel prisons. The battles of the Ninety-fourth included Tate's Ferry, Perryville, Stones River, Tullahoma, Dug Gap, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochie River, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Bentonville. The regiment is represented by monuments and tablets at Chickamauga and Mission Ridge, but these do not fully tell the story of its service in defense of the Union. This service given freely is the Ninety-fourth's guerdon of fame and succeeding generations can point with pride to the heroic manner in which it sustained the honor of the Nation, State and County.

Almost simultaneously with the organization and departure of the Ninety-fourth regiment the One Hundred and Tenth rendezvoused at Camp Piqua. Its colonel was J. Warren Keifer, afterward major general and speaker of the Lower House of Congress. Companies A, E, and G came from Miami County. The regiment, upon its departure from Camp Piqua was ordered to Virginia, where it did guard and picket duty for some months. Reaching Winchester, it was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Eighth Army Corps.

June 13th, 1863, it fought its first pitched battle with the rebels at Kernstown. Here the One Hundred and Tenth gave proof of its metal. At Kernstown the regiment encountered Lee's advance and disputed every inch of ground with the enemy. The next day twenty- six pieces of artillery were trained on the regiment's position and its works were assaulted. The boys held their works till forced out at the point of the bayonet and retired fighting . They fought their way to Harper's Ferry, where they occupied Maryland Heights for a time, moving next to the Capital.

Later on the One Hundred and Tenth moved to Governor's Island, where it remained until sent forward to the front. In November, l863, it again encountered the enemy at Brandy Station, where it was severely shelled and was the first command to occupy the rebel works. It went into winter quarters at Brandy Station, and May 4th, 1864, it crossed the Rapidan as a part of Grant's grand army destined for the conquest of Richmond. The next day the command found itself amid the wild tangle of the Wilderness and the great game of war opened once more. The battle of the Wilderness cannot be fully described. There was none other like it during the war. In the series of encounters that took place, on this bloody ground the regiment bore a heroic part. It charged and was charged in return; it had to face about and fight the enemy from every quarter. It is no wonder that it lost one hundred men in that dense forest. The rebels protected by the tangle of trees and bushes assaulted from every side

On the 7th the regiment fell back to Spottsylvania Court House, where it again met the enemy, losing heavily in that struggle. Skirmishing and fighting till the 14th, the regiment waded the Nye and occupied the rebel works. June 3d it was in the front line at the battle of Cold Harbor, which was one of the slaughter pens of the war. All day it was exposed to a heavy fire, losing some officers and men and on the 14th it crossed the Chickahominy and moved by water and land to Bermuda Hundred. On June 20th it charged the rebel works near Petersburg, where it remained facing the enemy until a few days later, when it was sent north to assist in repelling Early, who threatened Washington.

On the 9th of July 1864, it took part in the desperate battle of Monocacy, where it fought till, hard pressed by a crush of numbers, it was obliged to fall back. At Monocacy it lost one hundred men. After a round of varied services it helped to fight the battle of Cedar Creek, September 19. It was now a part of the Sixth Corps, commanded by Wright, with Otho H. Binkley at the head of the regiment. Surprised by the rebels at Cedar Creek, the Union army was driven back till reformed by the opportune arrival of Sheridan from Winchester. In this battle the regiment performed prodigies of valor and its loss was again heavy.

After Cedar Creek the One Hundred and Tenth retired to Petersburg, where it remained all winter. On the 25th of March, 1865, the brigade of which the regiment was a part, assaulted and carried some rebel lines, capturing many prisoners. Lee now evacuated Petersburg and was hotly pursued by Grant's forces. At Sailor's Creek the One Hundred and Tenth fought its last pitched battle. In this battle it showed its old time gallantry. March 17th, at the presentation of captured flags to Major General Meade, the command, having captured more flags than any other regiment in the corps, was chosen as a guard of honor to escort the trophies to General Meade's headquarters. Continuing the pursuit of Lee, the regiment took part in the surrender at Appomattox Court House, the glorious consummation of the war, and afterward marched in the Grand Review at Washington in the presence of the President, General Grant and assembled thousands.

The record of the One Hundred and Tenth is one to be proud of. It had more men killed, wounded and missing than any one regiment during the war. Of the 1,000 men who marched in its ranks from Camp Piqua almost 800 had fallen from its ranks by the hand of war. It fought in twenty-one battles, among which we find: Union Mills, Winchester, Stephenson's Depot, Wapping Heights, Brandy Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Nye River, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Ream's Station, Monocacy, Snicker's Gap, Charlestown, Halltown, Smithfield, Opequan, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Cedar Springs, Jutersville, Sailor's Creek, and Appomattox. It came home with depleted ranks and tattered banners, a glorious part of that heroic army which by four years of war maintained the supremacy of the American Union.

This regiment was raised wholly within the boundaries of the county. It was called out for one hundred days to relieve veteran regiments that were needed at the front. It performed its duties in an able manner. It was mustered into service at Camp Dennison May 16, l864, and proceeded to Washington. First ordered to Fort Ethan Allen, it afterward moved to Fort Strong, where a part of it was stationed, the rest being sent to Fort Marcy. It was commanded by Col. B.P. Rosson, of Troy. At midnight, June 11th, the regiment was ordered to Fort Reno, where for a time it was exposed to a brisk fire from the rebels. At Crystal Springs it supported the lst Maine and 1st Ohio Batteries until the repulse of Early's forces. Had the One Hundred and Fort y-seventh been actively engaged there is no doubt that it would have reflected credit on the cause of the Union. Upon its return to Washington, the regiment was personally thanked by President Lincoln for its services, after which it returned home.

Such briefly were the services of the Miami regiments in the field during the war. Other soldiers from the county served in the Forty-second Ohio, Garfield's regiment, some in the First Ohio Infantry, the First Cavalry, in several Ohio batteries, and in the navy. All made splendid soldiers and upheld the patriotic standard of the county. All deserve praise alike. During the war with Spain a large number of the youth of the county went to the front and, so far as opportunity afforded, emulated the services of the heroes of the War of the Rebellion. The Spanish-American volunteers demonstrated that the spirit of patriotism was not dead in Miami. The dead of Miami County lie all over the South. They fell with their faces to the enemy or suffered death and worse in the prison pens which are a lasting disgrace to that fair portion of our country. On nearly every battlefield of the rebellion the soldiers of Miami fell for the perpetuity of the Union...their lives for the flag.

They endured the hardships of camp, battle and prison pen with a heroism worthy their American manhood. Their fame is everlasting, their glory is the Nation they saved from dissolution. Their deeds of valor will never be forgotten. All hail the patriotic soldiers of Miami County!