Civil War Dispatches

[germansons]

BATTLE OF CORYDON

The Battle of Corydon Memorial Park is the July 9, 1863 site of the Union left flank where Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s advance element made the initial attack against the position held by companies of the 6th Regiment Indiana Legion. Image courtesy of Dave McBeth.

For several years I have provided five-part presentations at the Battle of Corydon Memorial Park, one mile south of the Corydon, Indiana Town Square, based on research I had engaged in for that purpose but had never committed to narrative. Recently I had received a request for information regarding the 1840s era cabin that replaced a similar structure that had been on the property since 1940.

The existing cabin had originally been built on a site just over three miles east of the park and had a history that is now the third part of the presentation that I created. This blog is intended to document that portion of the presentation for future use for anyone who shares an interest in our local history.

On entering the cabin, I revert to the history of the structure by explaining that historically, no building existed on the site at the time of the battle and that the ground likely remained fairly opened without the benefit of the tree canopy we enjoy throughout the area. This was farm land that probably resembled the open properties west of the park that can be seen today and wood, being the primary fuel further reduced tree coverage that close to town.

This poor image of the present cabin area illustrating the land around 1929 clearly shows the cultivated field to the left of the fence line up to the trees and pasture out to the roadbed of Old State Road 135 out of view. The copse of trees gives the impression that most were not there 66 years previously.

In early 2010, it became obvious that the old cabin that had been on the site since 1940 had experienced advanced deterioration to the point of becoming a public hazard. The popular story assigned to the old cabin tells of the landowner who lived on the west side of Old State Road 135 who moved the cabin to the battle park in order to marry off one of his daughters and simply gifted the building to the county after the event. The Battle of Corydon Park Committee began researching options to repair or replace the building, and through the efforts of Dan Bays, a cabin located on property along the Corydon-New Middletown Road was donated to the committee and County as a replacement for the existing cabin.

Harrison County native Jean Benner, who passed away in Tampa, Florida in 2015, provided us with the oral history behind the cabin that was originally built by her Uncle Amos Lemmon’s father, John Lemmon. Jean was the niece of Medora “Dora” Sonner, the second wife of Amos Lemmon. Her mother Sarah Sonner lived with Amos and Dora to attend high school in Corydon and “…she was sorta a household helper, to defray her room and board…but was one of the family forevermore.”

Kentuckian John Lemmon settled in Harrison County in 1824 to raise a family of ten children and serve his community. U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 shows location of John Lemmon’s property in the bottom left corner of Franklin Township in 1882.

John Lemmon, born in Shelby County, Kentucky February 1, 1804, originally built his two-story log home in Franklin Township, Harrison County, Indiana it is believed, sometime in the 1840s. Lemmon purchased a farm soon after arriving on land a little south of Turley Road, SE and East of New Middletown Road, SE. John and Elizabeth (Johnson) Lemmon were married in Harrison County, Indiana at the end of June 1826, and their first son Henson was born 1833.

By 1850, John and Elizabeth had eight children including two sons. Amos Lemmon was born in the cabin the third son to John and Elizabeth on August 3, 1850, and during the course of two decades, the status for the family improved as John Lemmon served in the Indiana Legislature in 1852, 1854, 1862, and 1864. Amos was 9 years old when his mother died in November 1859. As the sons reached adulthood they left in pursuit of their lives and John remained owner of the property until his death.

In June 1884, Amos married Medora Sonner, born in New Amsterdam, Harrison County, Indiana December 31, 1863. The couple’s first child, Walter Wesley Lemmon, was born in 1886, but died the following year. Daughter Georgia H. Lemmon, born in 1888, died in 1973, and son John Hardin Lemmon, born 1889, died in 1975.

The oral history indicates that it was John who possibly dismantled the cabin and moved it to Corydon-New Middletown Road, but accounts and land records show that John Lemmon lived on the land he purchased up to the time of his death. Amos Lemmon purchased a large lot that extended from that road, west to what is now Smith Hill Road after his return from Rockport, Spencer County, Indiana following his father’s death in September 1882. Amos was working as Spencer County Assistant Court Clerk and living with his first wife of nearly five years, Caroline “Caddie” Sharp, until she died from accidental drowning after falling into the cistern of their home in April 1882.

U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 from 1906 shows location of Amos Lemmon’s property just above the top left corner of the map’s blank space in the bottom right corner.

Before Amos remarried to 21-year old Medora Sonner in 1884, the old-growth tulip poplar logs of John Lemmon’s 18 x 22 foot cabin were marked with Roman numerals, deconstructed and removed to a prepared site over a well-constructed limestone block root cellar along Corydon-New Middletown Road. Two substantial additions, one to the rear of the structure and the other at the northwest end of the house, extended the living space about twelve feet in each direction.

This image of the cabin sometime in the 1960s shows the front of the house outfitted with aluminum storm doors and windows. Jean Benner indicated that all the clapboard siding had been removed prior to a sunporch being installed across the front of the house and a screened porch that was built spanning most of the rear of the structure.

Clap-board siding had been installed to hide the log nature of the home and additional framed porch structures were later added to the front and rear of the home. Sometime in the late 60s, when it became cool to live in a log home again, the clap-board siding was removed to expose the poplar logs.

During that decade, an 8-foot wide concrete slab was installed the length of the front face and an aluminum window sunroom with substantial roof was built. A screened in framed rear porch constructed of plywood was built along three quarters of the rear of the home on a cinderblock foundation. Members of the family lived in the house until approximately 1975 when it remained vacant until donated to Harrison County in the early fall of 2010.

Image of the southeast side of the Lemmon home in September 2010 before any work began. Several mature trees had grown right next to the front of the building and a virtual jungle had grown over the Northwest end of the house. A young sycamore sapling had a couple of season’s growth next to the root cellar entrance just below the center window with a nice crop of poison ivy adding to the hazards.

In the nearly 35 years that the house had been empty, nature had encroached on all sides requiring removal before entry could even be made through some doorways. Between early September and mid-November 2010, volunteers from the Battle of Corydon Memorial Park Advisory Committee set about clearing the trees and bushes to begin the task of dismantling all structures attached to the original 18 x 22 foot cabin. In less than 3 months, the volunteers reduced the structure to the roofed skeleton of the cabin, including the exposure of interior log walls both upstairs and downstairs.

All wiring, electrical outlets and light fixtures were removed along with ductwork for the HVAC system. The chinking used between logs that was original to the reassembly of the structure in the 1880s revealed horsehair used in the mud. Wider gaps between the logs were filled in with hand-cut oak slats before the mud was applied, all of which was removed. The two room additions that were added to the northwest end and rear of the cabin at time of reassembly were obviously accomplished by a master carpenter.

Once the volunteers had accomplished the removal of all editions and cleared debris and outbuildings from the site, the project went up for open bid to have the roofed cabin deconstructed and moved to the battle park to be assembled into the cabin on site today. Shireman’s Construction Company of Corydon, Indiana won the bid and completed the construction by late summer 2011. With the exception of the roof, fireplace/chimney and foundation, all material is intrinsic to the Lemmon house that existed for over 160 years.

Perhaps it is proper that the Lemmon house ended up being a part of the battle of Corydon history. On July 9, 1863, Daniel F. Lemmon, the older brother of Amos Lemmon, stood to arms with his comrades of the Jordan Guards Militia of the 6th Regiment Indiana Legion, within sight of the present day cabin as they awaited the arrival of General John Hunt Morgan.

[germansons]

MEMORIAL DAY TOAST.

With the influx of immigrants from Germany escaping the revolutionary turmoil in their country in late 1840s into 1850s, Turnvereins, or athletic clubs, organized in the larger cities of America, ultimately becoming the social cement for German–American communities across the Nation during a time of strife. From these athletic clubs came the core element in the formation of dozens of companies and regiments that served during the Civil War. These new Turner clubs delved into far more than gymnastic activities by contributing to the organizational life of the German-American communities in funding libraries, reading rooms, and sponsoring lectures. Supporting satellite organizations sprang up as the movement became more diverse. Military training was employed through drill competitions, Jaeger Clubs and Schützenvereine, or Sharpshooters Clubs. In several Indiana cities, German home guard units formed with names such as the Steuben Guard, German Home Guard, Sigel Guard or the New Albany German Artillery. German culture was kept alive by means of arts and crafts, the press, literature, theater, and music. Männerchore and Sängerbund musical societies thrived and flowed into the national competitions that involved groups from numerous states that met annually to demonstrate their talents. These annual reunions, as well as activities of most Turnvereins, ceased during the year wars as members went off to serve the Union. In September 1867, the first National Sängerfest to take place since the war began occurred in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the closing banquet of the four day event beginning September 3, General August Willich offered a timeless toast that speaks eloquently of the terrible loss the country had suffered during the long struggle of the Civil War.  Willich proclaimed:

“Among the thousands of noble patriots who offered their lives for their country’s preservation are many, many of our members. They acted unto death what they sang in life.  Their memory is sacred to us forever.”

[germansons]

Camp of the 32nd Regiment Indiana Volunteers, Company “A,” Near Stones River, Tennessee, January 1863. Lawinsky Days at Company “A”—“You are the father—Don’t deny it.” 9x12 watercolor. A soldiers’ characteristic that transcends all time is that despite terrible combat, loss and deprivations beyond endurance, there is always time for “horseplay” and humor.  An officer bearing a strong resemblance to Colonel Erdelmeyer looks on from the left background as Lawinsky makes his final appearance in Metzner’s artwork.  The “camp comedian” was carried on the rolls as a deserter until listed as unaccounted for, but returned prior to the regiment’s return to Indianapolis.

THE CIVIL WAR ART OF CAPTAIN ADOLPH G. METZNER.

Today, I spent several hours retraining myself on how to blog after an absence of well over a year due to numerous other projects that I have on my plate. Recently I got sucked in deeply to Facebook, wasting time with the political embarrassment that is ongoing. So, after an initial blog posting to see if I knew what I was doing, I thought I would start going into Facebook only to concentrate on disseminating local and regional history items that I have accumulated over years of research, realizing that I cannot ever expect to use it in any other venue. However this item is more news oriented for all of you who are as ate up with history as yours truly.

Since my last blog, one of my missions in life has been fulfilled with the recent acquisition of the stunning Civil War art collection of Captain Adolph G. Metzner by the Library of Congress. I was allowed the honor of working with the entire collection by Metzner's descendant, E. Burns Apefeld of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in 2010, the Indiana Historical Society published a coffee table book I compiled with most of the art samples. Metzner created this remarkable collection of over 110 sketches, drawings, and paintings during his period of service with the 1st German, Thirty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry from August 1861 until September 1864. It survives today as a visual diary of what this excellent fighting unit endured in some of the most grueling battles of the Civil War.

Metzner created this remarkable collection of over 110 sketches, drawings, and paintings during his period of service with the 1st German, Thirty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry from August 1861 until September 1864. It survives today as a visual diary of what this excellent fighting unit endured in some of the most grueling battles of the Civil War.

In late September 1861, the 32nd Indiana departed Indianapolis for Kentucky with just over nine hundred men in the ranks. Three years later, only 280 of the original enlistees returned to the city. When the final tally was officially reported it showed 268 men and officers died in service and two thirds of those were combat deaths.  Another 441 men were wounded and some died years later from complications due to those wounds. These men provided the North one of the first tangible victories of the war in Kentucky at a time when the Union cause suffered embarrassment on other fronts. They went on to fight in many of the major western battles from Shiloh to Atlanta. In the brigade commanded by Brigadier General August Willich, the 32nd Indiana was one of those stalwart regiments that helped earn General George H. Thomas the sobriquet, "Rock of Chickamauga."

They would be one of the first to plant their banner in the center of the crest atop Missionary Ridge outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, when the Army of the Cumberland broke the siege of that city in November 1863. Many historians readily cite the names of Sheridan and McArthur in association with that battle despite the fact that they arrived on the crest after the Germans of the 32nd. From Chattanooga, the regiment moved south with Sherman participating in the many bloody battles of the Atlanta Campaign. After three grueling years of war, the original enlistees were sent home as “non-veterans” from the trenches in front of Atlanta for muster out after refusing to reenlist for the duration of the war.

The remnants of the regiment returned to Indianapolis to a hero’s welcome and contributed greatly to weaving the fabric of America. A good many of these men went back into the fray serving until the end of the war.  Metzner’s artwork is one of the very few records from a member of Indiana’s 1st German Regiment that provides a hint of the struggle these men experienced and I can't be more delighted to know that it's preserved for posterity, along with the Adolph G. Metzner photograph collection that had been donated in the 1950s by his spinster daughter Helen Metzner.

[germansons]

        HENRY PETER CORBUN, INDIANA STATE SUPREME  COURT CLERK, 1820-1852. I recently attended a Murder Mystery event at Corydon, Indiana where I played the part of Henry Peter Corbun who was born the 4th of 10 children to Peter and Elizabeth (Poor) Coburn at Dracut, Middlesex County, Massachusetts 3-12-1790 and died at Indianapolis, Indiana 7-22-1854. Henry was survived by his wife of 34 years, Sarah, born Jefferson County, Kentucky 6-15-1792. She was the daughter of Hiram and unknown (Haas) Malott and died in Indianapolis, Indiana 1-4-1866. Her father Hiram served in Captain Philip Shirely's Company Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia commanded by Colonel John Calloway and musterd in at Newport, Kentucky 8-31-1813. They were part of the force led by Governor Shelby that defeated the British and Indians in the battle of the Thames in Canada 10-5-1813 that ended the fighting in the Old Northwest. Hiram Malott died in 1838 was buried at the Lutheran Cemetery in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

[germansons]

CIVIL WAR: ON THIS DATE

Jefferson County, Kentucky native Major Robert Anderson  evacuated  his command  from Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina on April 14, 1861 after enduring three days of bombardment from Confederate forces surrounding the Union garrison.

This assault on a Federal fortification ushered in “this wicked and unnatural rebellion” bloodlessly, but under the terms of capitulation, Major Anderson ordered a 50-gun salute to honor the Stars & Stripes as the flag was lowered from the shattered flagstaff that resulted in the death of Private Daniel Hough.

Hough died as the first casualty of the war, and five of his comrades were wounded, from an explosion after embers fell into loose powder.

In response to President Abraham Lincoln’s April 15, 1861 first call that followed  to activate 75,000 militia for three months service to suppress the rebellion, newly elected Governor Oliver Perry Morton of Indiana telegraphed to Washington, D. C., the pledge “On behalf of the state of Indiana, I tender to you, for the defense of the Nation and to uphold the authority of the Government, ten thousand men.”

The following day, April 16, Gov. Morton issued a proclamation calling "upon loyal and patriotic men of this State," to aid the President in enforcing the laws, to recover National property and to maintain the rightful authority Of the United States Government.

During the War of the Rebellion, 208,367 Hoosiers would serve to prevent the overthrow of the Federal Government, and of that number, 24,416 were killed or died of disease. Some 13,779 men are listed as unaccounted for, and a good many of them likely died in service.

[germansons]

THE JOHN STEVENS SHOP.

It has been a considerable time since I last blogged, but during the snow period, I jumped down a rabbit hole while I was preparing an old project for the wife to edit. A period of nice weather pushed me out of the house as well.

When I decided to focus on the Civil War due to a monument, I started on a regiment history of the 1st German, 32nd Indiana, but in a short time after beginning, I was asked to assist in a German-American display for the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum at Indianapolis.

That ultimately led to meeting my mentors Eberhard and Ruth Reichmann, and the publishing of my first book that was actually a rough draft of chapter one of the regiment history.

Published by the Indiana German Society of Indianapolis in 1997, I donated the book to them in 2000, but recently had to redo the entire volume because of a lost template. In the time since the donation, I had been feeding the history, and recently extracted that much expanded first chapter for editing when I fell down the rabbit hole.

For years I had been stymied by the unknown casualties of Terry’s Texas Rangers. All accounts of the battle placed the  Confederate casualties anywhere fro 6 to 80 men. Not long after I began my research I acquired a Rangers’ roster of the original 10 companies that had been prepared  after the war. This Texas archive handwritten roster contained numerous holes,  but did point to the fact that there may have been hundreds of potential casualties. But, given that I have filled in the blanks on every Ranger, that has to be for a future story.

Banner believed lost by Terry’s Texas Rangers at Rowlett’s Station, Kentucky,  December 17, 1861.

I have mentioned the preservation of the 32nd Indiana monument in previous blogs,  but one of the stories  that I have overlooked  until now is that of The John Stevens Shop, of Newport, Rhode Island,  chosen to create the wonderful replica monument that now sits at Cave Hill National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.

Dedicated by a large gathering at Cave Hill Cemetery on December 16, 2011, this duplicate memorial, cast from the original monument, will ensure that the story of these brave men will be carried forward for generations to come.

The detailed layout of old German fraktur script and the English translation on the reverse were exquisitely accomplished  by Mr. Nicholas W. Benson, a third-generation stone carver, and owner of The John Stevens Shop. Benson’s business was established in 1705 at Newport, Rhode Island,  making it one of the oldest continuous businesses in United States.

As one of the individuals involved  the preservation effort from the very beginning, I would like to extend a deep appreciation to Mr. Benson for preserving the style and spirit of the heart-felt craftsmanship that Sergeant August Bloedner applied to a slab of Kentucky limestone after the battle in December 1861. Nicholas Benson, thank you for keeping our heritage alive!

Nicholas Benson with the layout for the German fraktur script providing the account of the battle of Rowlett’s Station, Kentucky, December 17, 1861. The original monument, created by a regiment soldier, is the oldest surviving Civil War monument in the nation.

[germansons]

A VALENTINE STORY.

Adolph Metzner Collection-Library of Congress-Photograph #51, Lot #8751 Portrait by T. M. Schleier’s Photograph Gallery, Corner Cherry & Union Streets, Nashville.

I recently jumped into another project, to the exclusion of nearly everything else, so this is the first blog I've committed to in a spell. The upcoming Valentine's Day, and a prediction of a severe drop in temperature brought to mind the story of one of my boys in the German 32nd Indiana.

Valentine Koehler, born to Carl G. and Barbara (Huth) Koehler in Münchberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, July 23, 1842, received a fine education up to college level. He then served a three year apprenticeship in the mercantile business in Münchberg, but prior to reaching military age, he immigrated to the United States in April  1860, arriving at New York. Soon after, young Koehler located to Aurora, Indiana to begin clerking for John Hornberger, who operated extensive grocery and contracting businesses in the Lawrenceburg region.

In August 1861, Koehler enlisted as a sergeant in John Schwartz's Lawrenceburg Company that became Company D, 1st German, 32nd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Sergeant Koehler, advanced to sergeant major, served through the many campaigns of the regiment without loss time, up to the severe winter of 1863-64 in the mountains of East Tennessee.

After the retreat into Chattanooga following the rout at Chickmauga in September 1863, Company C 1st Lieutenant Christian Stawitz was tasked as Acting Regiment Quartermaster of the 32nd Indiana and he called on his friend and former tent mate Valentine Koehler to assist as his Quartermaster Sergeant because, as Stawitz recalled, "I liked him very well and he was a good office man, so I had him detailed."

Starwitz provided a deposition for Koehler's 1865 pension claim, stating he had known the sergeant since muster and remembered that Koehler “was all right at enlistment except that he was shortsighted, wore specks from the first time I ever met him.” Koehler's quartermaster detail ended when he mustered as 2nd lieutenant Company F on November 20, 1863, just days before the assault of Missionary Ridge.

Immediately after the victory, elements of the Army of the Cumberland, including Koehler  and Stawitz's regiment, were shifted east to augment Burnsides at Knoxville. But the winter in the Knoxville region, the most severe on record to that time, experienced by these men affected survivors for decades after. Many of the veterans of Chickamauga had not received the benefit of clothing resupply and their area of operations had been swept clean of resources by the Confederates. Heavy rains in the mountainous terrain greatly reduced resupply until later that winter.

Starwitz described conditions in East Tennessee and verified Koehler’s frostbite that was treated by Assistant Surgeon Emil Forstmeyer. Reflecting on the quickfrozen conditions they experienced, Starwitz testified “I also remember that on the night of Dec. 31, 1863 near Strawberry Plains, Tenn. a terrible cold spell struck us very suddenly after it had rained for ten days. I know some of the men were actually frozen to the ground and we had to chop them loose with hatchets.”

Koehler returned to duty serving as an aide-de-camp on General August Willich’s staff when the army moved south with Sherman to take Atlanta. During the assault on the Confederate line at Pickett's Mill on May 27, 1864, Koehler received a flesh wound to the head, and a spent ball struck his right collar bone. A month later at Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, an artillery round landed nearby, killing Koehler's mount, and in the fall, both bones of his left leg just inches above the ankle joint fractured, leaving him largely on light duty the remainder of his service.

Valentine Koehler survived the war, earning commendation for bravery, industry and good judgment in the arduous performance of his duties during the Atlanta Campaign, despite wounds. He returned to Lawrenceburg, married, built a life and died There June 5, 1894, survived by wife Marie Louise (Hornberger) Koehler and three children.

[germansons]

GENERAL LOVELL HARRISON ROUSSEAU.

Headquartered at New Orleans, Louisiana, as commander of the Department of the Gulf, Rousseau died suddenly on January 7, 1869, and his body was transported to Louisville, Kentucky for burial at Cave Hill Cemetery. In 1892, his wife had the remains removed from Cave Hill and re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 2, Grave #1847. In honor of Rousseau’s service to Kentucky, a massive memorial cenotaph was erected at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, surrounded by the military dead of both sides, on a ridge overlooking the city.

One of my major malfunctions is to engage in numerous small projects that take me away from the much larger plans. I'm shifting back to work on the massive 32nd Indiana history I've been feeding for decades, and in doing so, I discovered the files are missing an archaic reference about the December 1861 battle of Roweltt's Station, Kentucky.

In 1865, Frank Moore compiled a large book of anecdotes, poetry, and incidents of the conflict that was not published until 1889 when it was released by  Publisher P. F. Collier as The Civil War In Song And Story, 1860-1865, Collected And Arranged, Editor of The Rebellion Record, Diary Or The American Revolution, Etc., Etc.

Having never really inspected the entire contents of the volume, I discovered this interesting gem on page 50 related to a local personality. In 1861, Lovell Harrison Rousseau organized the 5th Kentucky Union Infantry, the Louisville Legion, at Camp Joe Holt, near Clarksville, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Louisville.

GENERAL ROUSSEAU relates the following incident of Shiloh:

Two days after the battle I walked into the hospital tent on the ground where the fiercest contest had taken place, and where many of our men and those of the enemy had fallen. The hospital was exclusively for the wounded rebels, and they were laid thickly around. Many of them were Kentuckians, of Breckinridge's command.

As I stepped into the tent, and spoke to someone, I was addressed by a voice, the childish tone of which arrested my attention: "That's General Rousseau! General, I knew your son Dickey. Where is Dick ? I knew him very well." Turning to him, I saw stretched on the ground a handsome boy about sixteen years of age.

His face was a bright one, but the hectic glow and flush on the cheeks, his restless manner, and his grasping and catching his breath as he spoke, alarmed me. I knelt by his side and pressed his fevered brow with my hand, and would have taken the child into my arms, if I could.

"And who are you, my son?" said I. "Why, I am Eddy McFadden, from Louisville," was the reply. "I know you, General, and I know your son Dick. I've played with him. Where is Dick?" I thought of my own dear boy, of what might have befallen him; that he, too, deluded by villains, might, like this poor boy, have been mortally wounded, among strangers, and left to die.

My heart bled for the poor child; for he was a child; my manhood gave way, and burning tears attested, in spite of me, my intense suffering. I asked him of his father. He had no father. His mother. He had no mother. Brothers and sisters. "I have a brother," said he. "I never knew what soldiering was. I was but a boy, and they got me off down here."

He was shot through the shoulder and lungs. I asked him what he needed. He said he was cold and the ground was hard. I had no tent nor blankets; our baggage was all in the rear at Savannah. But I sent the poor boy my saddle-blanket, and returned the next morning with lemons for him and the rest; but his brother, in the Second Kentucky regiment, had taken him over to his regiment to nurse him. I never saw the child again.

He died in a day or two. Peace to his ashes. I never think of this incident that I do not fill up as if he were my own child.

National Archives and Records Administration Compiled Service Records shows Edward R. McFadden, age 18, private, Company I, 4th Regiment Kentucky Infantry, joined for duty and enrolled by Major James Hewett for three years or during the war, traveled 170 miles to place of rendezvous, mustered into service by Lieut. McCall at Camp Boone 7-24-1861 and was transferred to Camp Burnett 8-30-1861 [both camps in Tennessee near the Kentucky border].

McFadden appears on a Company Muster Roll up to 12-31-1861 showing that he was enlisted by Capt. Thompson for three years at Louisville-Kentucky 8-1-1861, last paid for the first two months of service by Maj. Davis and present for duty. A Company Muster Roll covering the period from January to May 1, 1862 reports that McFadden was absent from duty, wounded at Shiloh and taken prisoner.

Edwin Porter Thompson's History of the Orphan Brigade, 1861-65 shows Edward McFadden, resident of Louisville, Kentucky, private Company I, 4th Regiment Kentucky Confederate Infantry, was killed in battle at Shiloh, April 7, 1862. U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 for Edward R. McFadden lists him as a Confederate soldier who, while a prisoner of war, died at Louisville, Kentucky and is buried in Cave Hill cemetery.

[germansons]

CORYDON CIVIL WAR VETERANS.

I haven't been able to blog lately due to weather. We've had temperatures around 50 with sunny skies here in the Ohio Valley, and it certainly makes it impossible to sit in front of a box when nature screams.

I recently finished a local reference book on Harrison County, Indiana Civil War veterans that I created for the benefit of the county. With well over 1,500 veterans listed, I learned a considerable amount on the long established families of the county, but one of the pleasures of this work is learning of little known historic gems that I stumbled on thanks to the consideration of others.

Patricia A. Hutt, Chapter Regent of our Hoosier Elm Chapter of the D. A. R., introduced me little-known local treasures donated to the community of Corydon by aging Civil War veterans of the town’s William L. Carter Grand Army of the Republic Post #522.

In 1902, the members of Post #522 donated a beautiful stained glass window of patriotic design to the new Corydon Methodist Episcopal Church, the second of three churches built in 1859 on the east side of the Corydon Public Square, replacing the first built in 1826.

The image above, produced sometime between 1902 and 1924, shows the window in place, centered to the left of the entrance. When this building was razed in 1924, the window was salvaged and installed in the building that stands on the site today. At that time, two additional stained glass windows were donated by the congregation members, with support from the G. A. R. post.

Post #522 was organized and mustered in 1898 by Corydon resident, and former major, William L. Carter, age 75, shortly before his death in April, the same year. Carter, a resident of Corydon, Indiana, mustered and commissioned as captain Company E, 38th Indiana 9-18-1861, promoted major with commission 9-10-1863, mustered into the rank 11-1-1863, promoted lieutenant colonel by commission 8-22-1864, but never mustered and resigned as major 3-29-1865. No post minutes/membership books have been located, but the men of this post did leave a lasting legacy to the citizens of Corydon.

[germansons]

METZNER PHOTOGRAPHS.

Captain Hubert Dilger, Adolph Metzner Collection-Library of Congress, Photograph #40, Lot #8751. Portrait by C. D. Fredericks, Broadway, N. Y., Habana, Paris. Dilger included a personal message in German on the back of this photograph that reads, "On the fifth day of the siege of Atlanta July 25, 1864 to my highly regarded friend Metzner, Indiana.  H. Dilger, nicknamed, Leatherbreeches. U. S. A.

HUBERT ANTON CASIMIR DILGER was born to Dr. Eduard and Emmeline (Duerr) Dilger on March 5, 1836, in the Black Forest village of Engen, in Germany.  As a young man, Dilger became a cadet in the military academy and then served as a lieutenant in the Grand Duke of Baden’s Horse Artillery, primarily at the garrisons of Karlsruhe and Rastatt.   In that position, the young officer created unique and unconventional artillery tactics emphasizing close support for infantry, rapid mobility, accuracy and speed of fire.  When news of the first battle of Bull Run reached Germany, Dilger secured a leave of absence and traveled to America offering his services to the Union. Despite the loss of such a valuable asset to his army, rumor circulated that the Grand Duke was more than receptive to Dilger’s request for leave as his daughter, like most of the ladies of court, was quite smitten by the dashing artillery officer. In April 1862, Dilger was appointed battery captain of mountain howitzers in the 1st Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery.  During his first action at the battle of Cross Keys, Union Major General John C. Frémont reported that “a Louisiana regiment of Taylor's Brigade, undertaking a charge on Dilger's battery was received with fire of canister and grape, delivered with such precision and rapidity as nearly destroyed it.” Prior to the second battle of Bull Run in August and September 1862, Dilger commanded the guns of Battery I, 1st Ohio Artillery in Major General Franz Sigel’s 1st Army Corps, Army of Virginia, and later in Brigadier General Alexander Schimmelfennig’s brigade of Carl Schurz’s 11th Army Corps.   Nearly captured by Stonewall Jackson’s advancing line at the battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, Dilger skillfully directed his six guns along the Orange Plank Road against onrushing Confederate infantry attempting to capitalize on the disintegration of the Union 11th Corps.   He frustrated the rebels until only one serviceable gun remained, which he used to fire canister with dreadful effect among Longstreet’s Confederates.  Dilger’s heroic stand allowed the corps to make a more controlled retreat and he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. In the Western Theater, Dilger’s accuracy and speed with his guns became legendary. Nicknamed “Leatherbreeches” due to his preference for buckskin trousers, the dashing and handsome young man became a popular personality that all felt comfortable to have near, especially when it came to his skill with the cannon. Dilger quickly gained a popular reputation for his uncanny accuracy with his guns and he drilled his gunners to respond to the clap of his hands as the signal to fire the bronze pieces by volley.   

General Richard W. Johnson (Metzner photo) recalled employing Dilger’s talents on May 13, 1864, saying: “I brought forward two pieces of Captain Dilger's battery, “I,” First Ohio Light Artillery, and caused them to be placed in position on the crest of the bluff overlooking the creek and near my center. The admirable practice of this section, conducted under the supervision of Captain Dilger in person, soon closed out the enemy's pieces, and was quite as annoying to them as theirs had been before to us. More than once their infantry, driven from their works by Dilger's shell, were shot down by my sharpshooters before they could gain the cover of the works in their rear.” Dilger’s propensity for taking his guns into battery as close to enemy positions as possible, often well ahead of Union skirmish lines, prompted Brigadier General David S. Stanley to humorously quip that “he was going to order bayonets for Dilger’s guns.” Following the war, he married Elise Tiedemann on Sept. 25, 1865, in Philadelphia and created a legacy of fourteen children, twelve of whom survived. For a time he served as Illinois Adjutant General but feeling a connection to the Shenandoah Valley, due to its similarity to the Black Forest region of Germany, Dilger purchased property near Front Royal, Virginia, and lived out his life as a farmer. He maintaind a close friendship with Adolph Metzner until he died May 4, 1911. Dilger was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington D. C., beside his wife who passed in 1906.

Metzner and Dilger in the Shenandoah Valley after the war. Adolph Metzner served as pallbearer when his friend died in 1911.

Last photo not part of the Library of Congress collection.

[germansons]

ADOLPH G. METZNER PHOTOGRAPHS

Captain Adolph G. Metzner, Library of Congress.

One of my greatest pleasures in the recent past is the honor that allowed me to work with what I believe is the finest Civil War art collection that exists in our nation, created by Captain Adolph G. Metzner of the 32nd Indiana, but then, I may be a little biased.

The original manuscript that I submitted to the Indiana Historical Society merged a second Metzner collection with the art, but it would have negated the concept of the wonderful coffee table book they published in 2010.

Indiana Historical Society 2010 publication.

Metzner's spinster daughter, Helen Metzner, donated a 79-image photograph collection to the Library of Congress in the 1950s that Metzner gathered during his service. The rest of the family was not aware of this collection until I reintroduced it to them.

In the early days of my work on the 1st German, 32nd Indiana Infantry, I learned of the collection and managed to obtain a scan of the inventory before collecting the images. I set about correcting the inventory and gathering biographical notes on the fifty-three identified images, and with the help of others, we have since identified eight of the twenty-five unknowns.

Several years ago, I donated my work on the collection, along with biographical notes on the identified, to the Library of Congress, and updated it from time to time when I learned of a new identity.

A couple of years ago, I created a book of the entire collection, complete with biographical narratives on each identified man. With the enormous amount of projects I have ongoing, the chances of this work being published has the clock ticking, so I will share what I know of the collection in this venue.

Almost all of these images are men connected to the Army of the Ohio/Army of the Cumberland, and men of the 32nd Indiana, who fought in the western theater, from Shiloh to Atlanta.

To prevent your eyes from glazing over, I will make this a statement of intent, so look for individual entries from this collection coming soon.

[germansons]

BATTLE OF CORYDON, INDIANA.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I was a member Battle of Corydon Civil War board of volunteers tasked with coordinating the annual observance of John Hunt Morgan's Great Raid through Harrison County, among other projects.

One of those other projects was the development of a Civil War Museum in Corydon, located in the Emporium Building across from south west corner of the Corydon Square.

This was organized, largely through the efforts of Dan Bays, in late June 2013, and since that time up to October 1, 2014, over 2500 visitors signed in to see the free exhibits.This included  tourists from 37 states and 9 countries. It could not have happened if not for the extreme kindness of Mr. Mark Wiseman, owner of the building, who allowed us the space in support of this effort.

Most recently, the volunteers completed thirteen 3X4 interpretive panels depicting such highlights as the  battle of Corydon, the steamboat Alice Dean, Harrison County's role as a route for the Underground Railroad and an examination of John Hunt Morgan, the five brothers who rode with him and his extended family.

A couple of the panels also portray the exploits of four regional natives  who served in Morgan's  command and played a major role in the movements through Harrison County. One of the images we used for this effort made an impression on me the first time I came across it years ago. The image makes more of an impact now that I know his story.

Samuel Burk Taylor forever glares out at the camera with a look that in my day we called "the thousand yard stare." In his time it was called "Seeing the elephant." What captured my attention is the fact that I've seen this before...in the eyes of my friends...in the eyes of young men, and women, who had seen their "elephant" in the recent past.

Young Sam Taylor, the nephew of president Zachary Taylor, grew up in the Louisville region and served as captain of Company E, 10th Kentucky Confederate Cavalry of Morgan's command. Along with fellow Louisville native Henry Clay Meriwether, he captured the steamboats John T. McCombs & the Alice Dean, ensuring that Morgan could prosecute his vengeful raid into northern territory.

The Civil War museum, along with the panels created by Harrison County volunteers and designed by board member Keith Karcher, are our attempt to demonstrate that this history, our history, was neighbor against neighbor in our own front yard.  The successful effort by Dan Bays to keep history alive in this community is an excellent, well established baseline on which to build a very successful Harrison County Museum.

[germansons]

STONE'S RIVER: INITIAL ASSAULT.

The intense battle of Stones River opened at around 6:00 a. m. on the morning of December 31, 1862, when nearly 11,000 Confederates from John P. McCown's and Patrick R. Cleburne's brigades, arranged in lines six deep, came surging across the fog covered cotton fields and corn fields overlapping the right flank of Brigadier General Richard W. Johnson's First Brigade on the Union's extreme right.

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Erdelmeyer [Library of Congress], commanding the 1st German, 32nd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, filed his official report a week after the battle explaining the initial assault on the Union right wing, and the retreat of the tattered remanent of his regiment. "On the morning of the 31st, firing having been heard on our left, Lieut. S. Green, of the staff of General A. Willich, ordered me to draw in the pickets and move up to the brigade. Before I was able to assemble seven companies of my command and form them in line, facing toward the center, I observed the enemy's columns advancing and firing. At the same time a great portion of our battery, guns, caissons, and battery teams, together with a dense mass of infantry, in disorder, came rushing toward us, and, breaking through the regiment, forced our men to give way and fall back. "The confusion and panic having then become general, I was unable to reassemble the regiment until we had retreated along the creek for nearly three-quarters of a mile, when we succeeded in rallying about 200 of our men. I would respectfully state that Lieutenant [Edmund E.] Belding, of Captain Goodspeed's battery, retreated with me with one gun, and, by firing several times on the enemy, checked their flanking columns."

[Image by Capt. Adolph G. Metzner]

More detailed information was provided by a regiment letter writer to the Täglicher Louisville Anzeiger who described the scene of Erdelmeyer's retreat and the first defensive position he took as "We barely had a [split-rail] fence for protection and were nearly run over by the fleeing [men] and by the run away artillery horses, but we held our position and fired volley after volley at the enemy until everyone behind their front pulled back, and only after they saw that everything was lost did the valiant Germans have to retreat with large casualties, still escorting rescued cannon." A second regiment correspondent to the newspaper reported "Our regiment formed up again behind a fence. Our number was small; however, each one wanted to sell his life as dearly as possible. The flag of our regiment was in danger, the wild horde swarmed around it here, then Capt. Mank grabbed the flag of the 15th Ohio Regiment, sprang forward, followed by 50 to 60 men, among them Capt. Esslinger and Lt. Beyreiss from Evansville, and again kept it out of enemy hands, however, they had to pay dearly, half of the brave [troops] fell as a sacrifice for their loyalty, however, the flag was saved." These additional details of the battle, and the participation of the 32nd Indiana, may have been lost to history if not for the work completed by my friend Joseph Reinhart who diligantly translated dozens of letters soldiers of the 32nd Indiana sent to German newspapers in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. For more details on the Army of the Ohio/Army of the Cumberland that are seldom reproduced elsewhere, check out Joe's fine book "August Willich's Gallant Dutchmen, Civil War Letters from the 32nd Indiana."

[germansons]

NEW HARDEE DRILL MANUAL.

Over the decades, I’ve accumulated an enormous collection of newspaper copy that has proven a valuable asset from time to time. The following bit of humor comes courtesy of the Madison Daily Courier Wednesday, February 12, 1862, page 3, column 4:

Confederate General William Joseph Hardee wrote the U. S. Army's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics that was utilized by both armies at the beginning of the Civil War.

THE NEW HARDEE—From the fact that the usual mode of giving command by military officers falls so harshly on the ears of sensitive privates, the following style has been adopted by some of the companies attached to a regiment of Reserve Grays, and is appropriately termed the Chester field Manual:

1. Gentlemen, will you please give me your attention!

2. You will be kind enough to cast your head and eyes right, and endeavor to observe the immaculate bosom of the third gentleman from you.

3. Oblige me now by casting your visual organs to the front.

4. Allow me to suggest the propriety of coming to an order arms.

5. Gentlemen, you will condescend to order arms.

6. You will confer a special favor by coming to a (sic: arms?) support.

7. If it meets your approbation, I beg leave to propose that you carry arms.

8. Now, gentlemen, you will please present arms.

9. I shall consider myself under an everlasting obligation if you will once more oblige by carrying arms.

10. Having a high appreciation of your intrinsic worth, as well as your exalted position in society, I humbly trust that I am not infringing upon your good nature when I request you to trail arms.

11. Gentlemen, for the last time, permit me to remark that it is my earnest desire that you should come to shoulder arms.

12. If it is not too laborious, I should be delighted to see you change your position by coming to right face.

13. To complete your arduous exercises, I will still further trespass upon your well known affability by desiring you to come to arms port.

  Hmmm, this is over 150 years old and it sounds like something that could be for any period in Army history!

[germansons]

CIVIL WAR DISPATCHES: STONES RIVER.

On December 26, 1862, the Union army under newly appointed General William Starke Rosecrans moved out of Nashville in an offensive move against General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee assembled at Murfreesboro, Tennessee that ultimately led to the battle of Stones River beginning on December 31, 1862.

Detailed news of the battle first appeared in the Madison Daily Courier on January 3, 1863:

MADISON DAILY COURIER (INDIANA) SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1863 TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.—(BY THE WESTERN UNION LINE.)—THREE DAYS HARD FIGHTING AT MURFREESBORO—FEDERALS VICTORIOUS!—AMONG THE KILLED ARE GENERAL WILLICH; OF IND. GEN. SILL, LIEUT. COL. JONES OF THE 39TH IND., AND OTHERS.—GREATEST BATTLE YET!—REBELS IN FULL RETREAT!—FEDERAL LOSS 2,500! REBEL LOSS MUCH LARGER!— Nashville, Jan. 2. A terrible battle was fought at Murfreesboro.  The greatest carnage of the war. The Federals encountered the rebels on the 30th near Stewart’s Creek, and heavy skirmishing ensued.  The rebels were driven back. We captured 1,000 prisoners, and killed and wounded a large number. At daybreak on the 31st the fight was renewed with great fury.  McCook’s corps was opposite Hardee.  After desperate fighting and heavy loss on both sides, McCook retreated two miles.  He soon rallied, but was again driven back.  In the evening he was four miles this side of the ground occupied in the morning. The fight continued until 10 p. m., at which time we had maintained our position.

Brigadier General Joshua Woodrow Sill, age 31, killed at Stones River.

The Federal loss was very heavy. KILLED—Brig. Gen. Sill, Lieut. Col. Garrlabe (sic, Garesche), chief Rosecrans’ staff; Brig. Gen. Willich, of Indiana; Col. Kell, of 22d Ohio (sic, Lt. Col. John Kell, 2nd Ohio); Col. Schoffet; Col. Farmer, 15th Ky., acting Brig. Gen.; Col. Jones, 24th Ohio; Lieut. Col. Cotton, 6th Ky.; Lt. Col. Jones, 39th Indiana; Maj. Carpenter, 19th Regulars; Major Rosengarten, of Philadelphia (15th Pennslvania Cavalry); Capt. Garrets, 19th Ill.; Col. Carpenter, 18th Wis. Battery (sic, Capt. Stephen J. Carpenter, 8th Wisconsin Battery) and Lieut. Col. McKee, 15th Wis. WOUNDED—Maj. Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau, of Ky.; Brig. Gen. Wood, of Indiana; Brig. Gen. Kirk, of Ill.; Brig. Gen. Vancleve, of Minn.; Col. Cassilly, of Ohio; Lieut. Col. Berry, 15th Ky.; Major Slemmer [Fort Pickens Slemmer] of 16th Regulars; Maj. King, 15th Regulars, and a great many others. The 21st, 25th and 38th Illinois lost two-thirds their number. The 15th and 38th Wisconsin lost half their number. The 101st Ohio lost 125 men; the 28th Ind. lost about the same. The total number killed and wounded is estimated at 2,500. The rebel loss exceeds ours. The rebel Gen. Gains was killed and Gen. Cheatham was wounded and is a prisoner. We have captured 500 prisoners. The fight was renewed at 3 o’clock a. m. on New Year’s morning, and the cannonading was heard at Nashville. At 10 a. m. Generals Wood’s and Vancleve’s divisions were at Murfreesboro, driving the enemy, who is in full retreat. Three hundred prisoners reached Nashville on the 1st, at 6 p. m.  Among the officers captured are Maj. J. J. Franklin, 30th Ark., Capt. W. C. Johnson, 21st Ark., Capt. J. D. Kegle, 2d Ark., Capt. Stone, 1st Tenn. cavalry. Many buildings are taken for hospital purposes; great numbers of wounded are being brought in. The river is falling; 18 inches on the shoals.

Dr. Gustavus A. Kunkler previously served as the Jefferson County Coroner as well as town physician in the Ohio River community of Madison, Indiana. He was captured with General August Willich in the opening shots of the battle, but remained on the field treating wounded for the duration of the fight.

[germansons]

NEAR VICKSBURG: DECEMBER 25, 1863.

One of my way too many projects that I feed from time to time is a regiment history written around a collection of letters a young soldier sent home to his mother in New Albany, Indiana during the first three years of the war beginning for him in July 1861. James Cornall Vanderbilt was one month away from his twenty-first birthday when he enlisted in the 23rd Regiment Indiana Infantry Volunteers at New Albany on July 27, and by December 1863, he had fought at Shiloh and the numerous battles during the siege of Vicksburg. This regiment was organized from the 2nd Congressional District that included Clark, Floyd, Harrison and Crawford County men. There are a number of men from Corydon who served in the 23rd Indiana, and young James, having survived the war, married and lived in Harrison County the remainder of his life.

He is buried about six miles south of Corydon, and the following is an excerpt from a letter he wrote on December 25, 1863, from his camp near the Black River Bridge east of Vicksburg, Mississippi to his mother Mary Ann Vanderbilt in Indiana. I seat myself to write you a few lines to let you know how we are a spending the hollow days in this forriegn [sic] Country.  Well every thing is as Jolly as could be expected. The boys, that is the most of them, are as drunk as can be.  They, that is our Regement [sic] and the Fifty-third has drunk six barrels of wisky [sic] since yesterday morning.  I believe every man in our Camp has had there botters [sic, their bottles] except our little mefs [mess] and we don’t allow it in our sherbang [sic].  Our mefs [mess] is only four and we are temperance men.   Well our Christmas dinner will be sow belly, light bread and coffee.  Last in Christmas it was corn on the cobes [sic] so times are a little better.  At this time last Christmas I was all bird footed but this one I have good shoes and clothing.  The next Christmas I hope will not be in the Army but there is no telling what will happen in one year’s time.... Last night there were four of us walked four miles to rob a hen roost but the old man that own them beg so hard for them that we would not take them.  If it had been some old rebel why they would have went up the spout if he had have cried his eyes out.   So we will not have any chicken this Christmas but if nothing happens why we will have plenty New Year.  Well Dinner is ready so I will close this paragraph by wishing you a merry Christmas and a hapy [sic] New Year.  Write soon.  I remain your affectionate Son.

PEACE!

[germansons]

CIVIL WAR DISPATCHES: VICKSBURG SNIPER.

One of the rewards of researching the individual soldiers of any given Civil War organization are those sidebar stories you run into that inevitably reveal a detailed view of elements of a battle already familiar, such as the battle of Vicksburg.

The Library of Congress image above, showing a tower on the battlefield of Vicksburg, is something I have come across before in images and the work of period illustrators, but I routinely took it in as part of the defenses of the city until I began researching the 23rd Indiana Infantry as part of a letter project. Henry C. Foster, age 23, lived in Jeffersonville, Indiana and worked as a bricklayer when the war began. He enrolled at Jeffersonville, Indiana July 1, 1861 and mustered as sergeant Company B, 23rd Indiana Infantry at New Albany on July 27. Just a week before the battle of Shiloh, Foster received commission and was promoted to 2nd lieutenant of Company B. He was serving in that capacity at Vicksburg when he gained the reputation as one of the most accurate and feared marksmen in the Union army by establishing a sniper's perch and devastated the Confederates inside the 3rd Louisiana Redan. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Volume 3, page 541 shows image of the tower with a footnote: Coonskin's Tower, according to Brevet Brigadier-General William E. Strong, was built under the direction of Second-Lieutenant Henry C. Foster, of Company B, 23d Indiana Volunteers.

A newspaper slip sent to the editors by General Hickenlooper contains the following account of "Coonskin" (Lieutenant Foster), which W. P. Davis, who was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 23d Indiana, says is substantially correct: "He was an unerring shot, and wore a cap made of raccoon fur. From this he was called 'Coonskin' the Seventeenth Corps through, and wherever he was, woe to the Confederate head that appeared above a parapet. "'Coonskin' went out once in the night-time, crept up toward the Confederate defenses and built himself a burrow in the ground, with a peep-hole in it. There he would frequently take provisions with him, and stay several days at a time, watching for Confederates. "At length he built 'Coonskin's Tower.' The Jackson and Vicksburg railway had been torn up for miles in the rear of Vicksburg, and railway iron and cross-ties lay all about. Taking advantage of the night hours, Coonskin built himself a tower of the loose railroad ties. Learned in backwoods lore, he knew how to construct the genuine pioneer log-cabin. "Working several nights, he at length built the tower so high that by climbing toward its top he could actually look over the Confederate parapets. He could see the men inside the works. Then, taking aim through the chinks of the logs, he would pick off the enemy. The tower was a terror to the Confederates. "They could not use their artillery against it, that having been already quite silenced by the Union batteries. All they could do was to fire musket-balls at it, which whistled around its corners or buried themselves in its logs." EDITORS. At home, the Tuesday, July 7, 1863 New Albany Daily Ledger reported "Lieut. Foster of the 23d Indiana is said to be the best sharpshooter in Gen. Grant's army. When the army took up its present position, Foster obtained permission to sharpshoot on his own hook. "He immediately dug a hole in the earth; within very short range of the rebel works, and there he has passed most of the time since. He is a dead shot; and never fails to "drop" the unfortunate rebel who shows himself within eight hundred yards of him. "His little fort is known as, "Coon Skin Hole," from the material of his shooting cap. Lieut. Foster is a resident of Jeffersonville, Indiana."

NOTE: The Battles and Leaders image shows General "Blackjack" Logan and staff watching the explosion of the mine at Vicksburg on July 25, 1863. The 23rd Indiana played a major role in digging the mine.