The coordinates for the final cemetery are: N39 AB.CDE x W084 FG.HIJ. Your job is to plug in the missing numbers that you find on the tour. If you have gathered all of the clues correctly, you should be standing in front of Frank Dancy, who will guide you to the Cache. The clues to find will be in red. The numbers you need to find will be in ( - ).You will also need to visit the points of interest that I have listed along the way. * = SEE TOUR II FOR MORE INFORMATION / HISTORY.
You will need these instructions / stories, a good compass, a writing stick, your GPS, and a love for history. Like any tour it is best to start at the beginning. You will need to take a mini-tour of the village to find the first cemetery.
The cemetery is at: N38 W7.XY1 x W084 1Z. 1YX. You should know what to do. (See Above)
Let’s get started: N38 57.198 x W084 16.952
This two story house with the big front porch, was the home of my Grandparents, William and Theresa. In this home they raised three children, Margaret, Joe (My Dad), and Don. Joe and Don went off to war in the 1940s; Joe to Europe, and Don to the Pacific. Both serviced their country during her time of need and returned home safely.
Dad was 16, at the time of the great flood of 1937. He told a story of how the family moved everything that they could up to the second floor as the water was rising. Any furniture too big to get up the stairs they put on cinder blocks. The family moved upstairs to wait out the river. They were awakened during the night by the dining room table banging on the ceiling of the first floor. The water was still rising and it was time to get out. Grandpa had the johnboat tied to a porch post with a rope long enough to let it ride with the water. By the time they grabbed a few important items and clothes, the Ohio River was half way up the porch roof and rising. Don helped his mother and sister into the boat as Grandpa and Dad held it steady. Don was up front with the lantern; Grandpa and Dad were manning the oars. They pulled hard against the current for the leeward side of other buildings, finally making their way to the safety of the hill side and the home of friends.
The normal pool stage for the Ohio River is 26 feet. Flood stage is 52 feet, with most streets being covered in the Village at 57 feet. At 59.5 feet the water is over the road where you are, and the mighty Ohio comes through the front door of Granny's house at 62.3 feet! On Black Sunday, January 26, 1937, the river crested at 80 feet! The roof of Grandmas house was still visible in the swirling muddy water.
On March 5, 1997, the river, swollen from heavy rains locally and up stream, covered the Village again, when it rose and crested at 64.7 feet. Find Granny's address 31(Z).
POINT OF INTEREST: N38 57.024 x W084 16.852
This church took an early and uncompromising stand against slavery. Rev. Amos Dresser, the famed Lane Seminary rebel, and anti-slavery martyr, was a minister. The church hosted the organizational meeting of the New Richmond Anti-Slavery Society in 1836. Anti-slavery speakers James B. Birney, Calvin Stowe, George Beecher, John Rankin, and Alexander T. Rankin used the church pulpit to speak of the evilness that was slavery. In 1843 the church drafted two strongly worded anti-slavery statements to the Cincinnati Presbytery. Look high for the date that the church was built; 18(W)6.
POINT OF INTEREST: N38 56.986 x W084 16.964
Jacob Light and the Village. What year were Susanna and New Richmond merged? The fourth number of this year divided by the third number = X.
Tip: Turn Right, and a half block down is the Front Street Café. Why not stop for coffee and a sandwich? No I don’t own it; just a nice place to watch the world go by!
POINT OF INTEREST: N38 57.057 x W084 16.990
The Underground Railroad, and Village flood gauge, with a great view from the little park that overlooks the Ohio River. On the bottom of the sign is a set of numbers, _-1_. Add the end numbers to get Y.
POINT OF INTEREST: N38 57.131 x W084 17.069
Here was the home of Dr. John Rogers. He was the first president of the Clermont County Anti-Slavery Society in 1836. Dr. Rogers was a financial supporter of James G. Birney, publisher of “The Philanthropist” newspaper, and often patrolled the streets of the village to guard the paper’s office. Rogers was married to Julia Morris, daughter of abolitionist and U.S. Senator Thomas Morris. Dr. Rogers practiced medicine for over 60 years and is most noted for the delivery of Ulysses S. Grant. * Look for the address – 3(E)9. Plug into the cache waypoint!
CEMETERY#1:
Here you will find the final resting place for some of the early settlers of this area. Not much is left after all of the flooding over the past 196+ years! Find the markers for Jacob Light and his father John. *
Jacob Light was born on August 10, 1756 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the fourth son of John and Catherine Light. John was born in Palatinate Germany, in 1724. He came to America in 1738.
The Lights were devout Christians troubled by war. They did not seek military service. They were industrious farmers. John and his sons made gunpowder during the Revolutionary War to help the cause for American independence. In 1780 the Lights took a new look at war when the British began enlisting Indian tribes to wipe out all the white settlers in western Pennsylvania. New military forces were raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. At this time, Jacob and his father and brothers enlisted for service with the 2nd Battalion Pennsylvania Militia. Jacob with the (I) company, John with the 3rd company. Father and sons; fighting side by side for Independence.
Jacob married Caty Harmon in early 1782. By April 1785, they had two girls, Elizabeth and Mary. Around this time, Jacob signed with the federal government as an Indian scout. He was assigned to the Detroit area. In early 1786, Caty joined him in the wilderness, leaving the two girls with other family members. A son, John, was born in the Detroit area on February 6, 1787.
Jacob resigned from the service in the summer of 1788. Guided by a friendly Indian, Jacob and Caty walked, carrying their infant son, from Detroit, through a dense forest along Lake Erie, then to the Ohio River near Wheeling, West Virginia. The journey took five weeks. They joined the family in Lancaster County, later moving to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In March of 1789, a daughter Susannah was born there.
In 1791, the fifth child, Daniel, was born in Pennsylvania. In 1791, Jacob, with his brothers Daniel and Peter, came down the Ohio River on a flat boat to Columbia, (Lunken airport area). Near Maysville, Kentucky, Daniel was shot in the side by an Indian on the shore. The wound was cleaned by drawing a silk handkerchief through it and the wound healed nicely. Jacob Light was also shot. The bullet entered his left shoulder, causing a paralysis in his left hand, giving him trouble the rest of his life. An eleven year old boy was with him at that time and was kidnapped by the Indians. His story is told in a book entitled “The Indian Captivity of O.M. Spencer” by O.M. Spencer.
The Lights set up a powder plant near Columbia and provided powder to Fort Washington. In 1793, the Ohio River showed the residents of Columbia why it isn’t wise to build in a flood plain. The first bad flood in Columbia occurred, washing away half the homes, including Jacobs. Salvaging what he could, Jacob moved his family to Kentucky. There, the sixth child (4th daughter), Catherine, and the seventh child, Samuel, were born.
In 1797, Jacob moved to the Northwest Territory (Ohio), just downriver from Twelve Mile Creek (then called Cross Creek), possibly in the River Pines RV Resort area, in what is now the village of New Richmond. The next four sons, Jacob, David, Peter, and Benjamin, were born in the village.
Jacob was elected Justice of the Peace for Ohio Township and on February 15, 1806, he performed the wedding of his oldest daughter Elizabeth to Hugh Rankin.
In 1810, Jacob built the first brick house on what would become Front Street in New Richmond. In 1813, his sister, Barbara Robb, brought their father John, then 89 years old, to live with Jacob, where he made his home until he died in 1822 at the age of ninety-eight years.
Jacob began to lay out the original village of New Richmond in September of 1814. His nephew, Martin Light, from Richmond, Virginia, did the surveying; thus the name New Richmond. Jacob died on May 13, 1831 at the age of seventy-four years.
POINT OF INTEREST: N39 00.557 x W084 15.555
Spann - The Ten Mile Presbyterian Church was active from 191_ - 194_. Add these two numbers to get (H).
CEMETERY#2: N38 59.708 x W084 12.535
Here you will find at rest Isaiah M. Corbly, who served in Co. A, of the 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the War Between the States. Isaiah was KIA during the battle of Winchester, Virginia, July 24 1864.
The 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised at Camp Lucas near Toledo on September 1, 1861 under Colonel Abraham S. Piatt. Most of the recruits came from the northwestern part of the state. The regiment was equipped and originally armed with M1842 muskets, but received the Enfield rifle muskets in 1863. The men were uniformed in light blue Zouave dress, one of only two Ohio regiments to be so attired. They were called the Piatt Zouaves.
ZOUAVE (zoo-ahh-vah) was the name given to native North African troops employed by the French Army as fighters and mercenaries. These troops were well trained and disciplined and were famous for great feats on the battlefield, and often mischief and rowdiness off the battlefield.
They wore distinctive uniforms usually consisting of a fez and turban, very baggy pants, a vest, a short jacket that was cut away from the top with only one button or clasp at the throat and a sash. They also wore leggings. The uniforms were usually brightly colored and had much trim and/or braid and many brass buttons on them.
Their dash, spirit, and heroic style of warfare caught the fancy of many military observers worldwide in the 1800's, including a young American named Elmer Ellsworth. Ellsworth organized the "US Zouave Cadets", the first Zouave organization in this country, and toured the north where they participated in parades and drill competitions. The popularity of the cadets caught on in other areas of the nation and it was this idea that gave birth to "Zouave Regiments" during the American Civil War, in both the North and South in 1861.
The young man who started the Zouave craze in America did not live long enough to see the Zouave regiments march to the battlefield. At the outbreak of the war, Ellsworth returned to New York (his home state) and organized the 11th New York Infantry, "Ellsworth's Fire Zouaves", from the many different fire departments in New York City. The 11th New York moved to the defenses of Washington that April where their commander, Colonel Ellsworth, paid a courtesy call on the president. Ellsworth had become an acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln while living in Illinois, and the president was very fond of the dashing 24 year-old officer, viewing him as a symbol of Union and patriotism. On May 24, 1861, the day after Virginia seceded from the Union, the 11th New York Infantry was ordered to seize Alexandria, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington. While securing the city, Colonel Ellsworth personally removed a Confederate flag from the front of an inn known as the Marshall House and was gunned down by the furious innkeeper. A grief stricken President Lincoln ordered Ellsworth's body to be laid in state at the White House before bring taken home to New York for burial. Ellsworth's tragic death became a symbol of the Union cause while northern newspapers and politicians eulogized him as one of the North's greatest patriots. Soon after his burial, his old regiment changed their nickname to "Ellsworth's Avengers".
The uniforms of these regiments were very distinctive and made them stand out in camp and on the drill field. Zouave uniforms were difficult to obtain in America, so manufacturers of specialty clothing were employed to make the uniforms. There were many distinct styles and colors, depending on the design submitted by the benefactor of the regiment. Friends of the organizer provided money to pay for the uniforms along with donations from the town where the regiment was organized. Despite these efforts, a Zouave regiment only retained its distinctive dress if the men repaired their clothing and the distinctive Zouave uniforms slowly disappeared from the army as time passed. By the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, many of these regiments had lost or worn out their original uniforms and adopted the standard Union uniform.
The Zouave volunteers raised in Ohio were not so gaudily dressed as their Eastern brethren. The 34th Ohio never wore the baggy trousers or open oriental-style jacket of the true Zouave. The 34th aka the 1st Ohio Zouaves, and its sister Regiment, the 54th Ohio aka 2nd Ohio Zouaves, wore the same uniform, a short dark blue jacket trimmed with red edges. Their sky blue trousers had a red double stripe and were tucked into russet leather leggings. The men of the 34th wore their fezzes uncrushed, standing erect as in the Ottoman armies, the blue tassels dangling against the side. Both regiments also wore a three cornered hat with red tassel.
A unique presence in Zouave regiments was the vivandiere (vi-van-de-air). This was a special person in the regiment because they were female and dressed in a uniform similar to the men. Many Zouave regiments had vivandieres who performed a variety of duties, most notably nursing on the battlefield. Mary Tepee, or "French Mary" as she was called, was the vivandiere of the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry. Mary was present on almost every battlefield where the regiment fought and acted as a battlefield nurse and aide. She carried water and bandages into battle and was wounded during the war. Mary was present with the regiment at Gettysburg and was one of the few women with the army to ever experience combat.
Zouaves disappeared at the end of the Civil War in the US, except for veteran's groups. They continued on in the French Army until World War I when the ability to blend into the battlefield required more traditional green uniforms.
While working on a farm near Bantam, Ohio, a young John Williams learned of the outbreak of the Civil War and together with a one-armed veteran of the Mexican War, he helped raise and outfit a company of volunteers for state service. After the company was refused in the federal service, however, Williams enlisted in the 34th Ohio Infantry (the Piatt Zouaves).
After training and drilling, the new regiment moved by rail to Camp Dennison, Ohio a few miles east of Milford. Within a week, they were entrained for the front lines, arriving on September 20 at Camp Enyart on the Kanawha River in western Virginia. Their baptism of fire was with a Virginia Confederate regiment at Chapmanville, Va., Sept. 25th, in which the loss was 1-KIA, and 8 wounded.
John Williams would keep a diary of his time in the war. In his undated post-war manuscript, A Brief History of My Army Life as I saw it, he writes of the sharp engagement at Chapmansville. ...”our advanced guard were attacked by the rebels under command by Colonel Davis the fight now commenced. We were in a gap with high hills on either side; the Johnies were on the hills volley after volley were poured into us. As brave men we returned the fire and drove the rebels who retreated into their breastworks. The Battle now commenced in earnest. The Rebs poured volley after volley into our ranks. We gave them the best we had a charged was ordered. You ought to have heard the yell of the zouaves. We charged the breast works and routed the rebels. The day was ours we were successful in our 1st Battle… During the fall and winter months, Piatt's Zouaves were on picket and scouting duty, and engaged in occasional skirmishing with guerillas. It initially served in the forces under George B. McClellan, and then under a variety of generals for the next two years while engaging in several raids and operations in the region.
In May 1863, the 34th Ohio was converted to Mounted Infantry, during its campaigns in the mountains of West Virginia, adding to its unusual history as Zouaves. In July, they had their first engagement on horseback during an expedition on Wytheville, Va., where, Williams reported ...” after a desperate fight [we] captured the place with all the enemy’s artillery and burned the town. Colonel Toland was killed, the Colonel of the 2nd Va. Col. Powell was wounded, and Capt. Delano was killed. The loss of the 34th in this engagement was 4 killed, 13 wounded, 33 missing. On the day previous to the fight at Wytheville, Company C of the 34th which was acting as a rear guard was attacked by guerrillas losing a number of men, including Capt. Cutter and 15 men who were taken prisoners…
When the regiment's term of enlistment expired late in 1863, the men voted to re-enlist on December 23. The 34th OVI was re-mustered as a veteran regiment on January 19, 1864, and were part of Crook's Expedition against the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad in early May and fought in the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain on May 9. The 34th participated in many of the battles of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, including the Second Battle of Kernstown on July 24 1864, near Winchester, Virginia. At this time, young Isaiah Corbly of the 34th Ohio, along with the 91st Ohio and the 9th and 14th West Virginia made up the 2nd Brigade under Col. Daniel D. Johnson. The second brigade was part of the 2nd Division, Col. Isaac H. Duval commanding.
The Second Battle of Kernstown/Winchester
On July 19, following a series of unsuccessful Union attacks on his flanks, Confederate Lt. General Jubal A. Early, decided to withdraw from his precarious position at Berryville to a more secure position near Strasburg. During the evacuation of the military hospitals and storage depots at Winchester, Union forced under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell won a rare victory over Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur at the Battle of Rutherford's Farm. The poor Confederate performance at the battle, as well as a series of small cavalry engagements south of Winchester the following day lead Union commander Major General Horatio Wright to conclude the Confederates were merely fighting a rearguard action and that Early was leaving the valley and heading for Richmond. Believing that Early's army was no longer a threat in the Valley, Wright abandoned his pursuit and ordered the VI and XIX Corps to return to Washington, where they were to be sent to aid in Grant's siege of Petersburg. Wright left Brigadier General George Crook with the three-division strong Army of the Kanawha and some cavalry to hold Winchester.
The following two days were relatively quiet with both armies resting in their camps some 15 miles from each other. On the afternoon of 23 July 1864, Confederate (CS) cavalry advanced aggressively down the Valley Pike, driving US cavalry from Newtown (Stephens City) to Kernstown. Brig. Gen. George Crook directed Duval's infantry division to deploy across the pike and clear the town of Confederates, which they did with little difficulty. John Williams writes, “...when within 4 miles of Winchester near Stevensons depot on the widow Carter farm we were attacked by the enemy, fought them for some time and drove them from the field… we entered Winchester and fought the enemy for 2 days’. Crook then withdrew his infantry to Winchester behind Abrams Creek, leaving a brigade of cavalry to picket Kernstown. The CS army encamped in the vicinity of Strasburg with headquarters at the Kendricks' House: Ramseur at Capon Grade, Rodes at Fisher's Mill, Wharton and Gordon on Hupp's Hill. The CS cavalry withdrew to the vicinity of Newtown.
From prisoners caught in the skirmish, Early learned of Wright's departure. In order to continue to be of service to General Lee in the valley, Early realized he had to attack the diminished force in front of him to ensure that Grant's force at Petersburg would not be reinforced.
At first light, on the morning of July 24, 1864, the stage had been reset and the players were again in place for the Second Battle of Kernstown. The CS infantry left their encampments near Strasburg and advanced down the Valley Pike. At Bartonsville, Ramseur's division was directed west on side roads to the Middle Road. Gordon, Wharton, and Rodes continued ahead on the pike. Early sent two columns of cavalry to the east and west; a wide- ranging maneuver which would have them converging on Winchester, and the Federal rear. Cavalry led the advance down the pike, coming up against the main US force at Kernstown around 10:00, and heavy skirmishing broke out. Couriers alerted Crook to the attack. Crook still believed Early's infantry had left the Valley and sent only two of his division with cavalry support to meet the attack.
In the early afternoon the infantry of both armies had arrived on the field. The Confederate position extended well to each side of the Valley pike south of Kernstown, anchored on each flank on high ground and screened by cavalry. Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon's division formed the Confederate center along the Valley Turnpike. Ramseur's division formed on his left across the Middle Road at Mrs. Massie's house, with its flank resting on Sandy Ridge to the west of Kernstown, screened by Col. William "Mudwall" Jackson's cavalry. Brig. Gen. Gabriel Wharton's division, led by Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, formed the Confederate right, with its flank screened by Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn's cavalry. Rodes moved east from the Pike, following a ravine. Early initially concealed his infantry in a woods, sending out his cavalry and skirmish line of sharpshooters to draw the Federals into battle, thus playing into Crook's misconception that he the Confederate infantry had left the Valley.
Crook received information that Early's army was approaching and brought two of his three divisions into line just north of Hoge's Run at Kernstown. Mulligan's 3rd Division held the US center behind a stone fence at the Pritchard House, supported by Capt. Henry DuPont's artillery massed on Pritchard's Hill; one of the keys to the Union success at the First Battle of Kernstown in 1862. Duval's two brigades were separated and posted on Mulligan's flanks, along with some cavalry. To his right, Isaiah Corbly’s 34th Ohio and the rest of 2nd Brigade formed a line west of the Valley turnpike. Behind them, Col. Joseph Thouburn's 1st Division was formed on Sandy Ridge, and held in reserve. To Mulligan’s left, future president Col. Rutherford B. Hayes' 1st brigade formed east of the Valley turnpike. A strong skirmish line was posted near Opequon Church.
The Union artillery, in a commanding position atop Pritchard's Hill, commenced firing at the Confederate army facing them. Crook dispatched cavalry under Averell to ride around the Confederate right flank and get in its rear. As the two armies skirmishers encountered one another the battle got under way. It soon became apparent to the Federal divisional commanders that they were facing a superior Confederate force. Swarming over the Pritchard farm and in the nearby vicinity were 13,000 Confederates against the 10,000 Union forces. The once tranquil Pritchard farm had once more become a raging, roaring, bleeding battleground between two opposing forces. Again Helen and Samuel Pritchard, with their three children, took refuge in the cellar of their home. Again, they waited for the battle to end and for calm to return. This time it would be the Northern men who were routed from the field.
About noon, Gordon's division advanced in line west of the pike, driving back the skirmishers and closing with the main US line in the vicinity of Opequon Church. Crook soon became impatient at the lack of his division commanders to attack the Confederate position, and distrusted their report of the Confederate strength. He ordered Mulligan to attack the Confederates with Hayes brigade in support on his left. At 1 p.m. the Union infantry reluctantly moved out, abandoning Pritchard's Hill. Mulligan's division made it as far as the Opequon Church just south of Pritchard's farm in Kernstown where it took possession of the churchyard. Mulligan’s soldiers bitterly held their ground, sheltered there from the intense firing behind stone fences and headstones in the cemetery, when its advance was halted by Confederate Gen. Gordon's men.
Gordon regrouped and again advanced, compelling Mulligan to fall back 250 yards to the stone fence along Pritchard's Lane. Gordon reached Opequon Church but could make no further headway. CS artillery was brought up south of the church to engage US artillery on Pritchard's Hill. One of Wharton's brigades came into line on Gordon's right. Crook repositioned his forces.The 34th Ohio, along with the rest of Duval's right flank 2nd brigade was moved west, astride Middle Road. Thoburn's 1st Division was brought forward to fill the gap between Mulligan and Duval. Elements of Duffi‚'s cavalry supported the right flank on the Middle Road and picketed Cedar Creek Grade to the west.
Ramseur's division came into line from the Middle Road on Gordon's left and advanced. Gordon shifted a brigade to the open ground west of Opequon Church and advanced against Thoburn in conjunction with Ramseur. Thoburn was supposed to support Mulligan's right flank in the attack, but because of the topography of the battlefield, he became separated from Mulligan. Without orders, Gordon's brigade attacked and dislodged US troops sheltering behind two stone fences. Thoburn withdrew to the base of Pritchard's Hill, bending his line back to the north and exposing Mulligan's right flank. Gordon's Confederates exploited the gap in the Union line; Ramseur advanced in force, wheeling right to confront Thoburn's line and bringing a heavy enfilade fire against Mulligan's line.
Breckinridge marched Wharton's division to the northeast, to threaten the US left flank held by Hayes. Wharton's division came to a deep ravine that ran perpendicular to the Valley Turnpike. He turned the division into the ravine, which screened his movement from the Federals on the turnpike. Elements of Averell's cavalry division were in position to delay this maneuver but withdrew without engaging. About 1500 hours, as Hayes led his men up the road past the ravine, Wharton's Rebels came pouring out in a bayonet charge and assaulted Hayes's exposed flank and sent his brigade reeling in retreat, taking many casualties. Hayes retreated to the stone walls that lined the Valley Pike and rallied his brigade, facing east at right angles to the center held by Mulligan.
Union Col. James Mulligan found he was caught between two Confederate divisions. Three CS divisions now moved in concert to envelope the US center. Mulligan's division was under fire from three directions. The crack troops of Gen. Breckenridge were pouring in from the east, Gen. Ramseur advancing from the west and Gen. Gordon coming directly from the south. Mulligan tried to rally his troops behind the wall and prevent a full rout during the retreat, but seeing that they were heavily outflanked, Mulligan immediately ordered a withdrawal. As they pulled back, fierce fire tore at the Union ranks lined up behind the stone wall along the entrance lane to the Pritchard farm. While trying to direct the defense, Col. Mulligan was mortally wounded by five mini balls from Confederate sharpshooters. As his troops attempted to carry him from the field, sensing defeat and his own mortality, he admonished them to "Lay me down and save the flag". The US center collapsed, and soldiers began streaming to the rear. Hayes' brigade stood long enough on the crest of Pritchard's Hill to allow the US artillery to escape. Elements of Duffi‚'s cavalry made a brief counterattack along the Middle Road, buying time for Thoburn's division to retire in relatively good order. The Confederate infantry pressed the fleeing Federals all the way back through Winchester.
A brigade of Thoburn's division made a stand near the toll gate at the intersection of the Valley Pike and Cedar Creek Grade, while the rest of Crook's infantry retreated through the streets of Winchester. Averell's cavalry had attempted to flank the Confederates as ordered but ran headlong into Vaughn's cavalry on the Front Royal Pike. The shock of the unexpected Confederate cavalry attack sent the Federal cavalry racing towards Martinsburg. When the fleeing cavalry encountered the retreating wagon and artillery trains north of Winchester it incited a panic among the Federal teamsters, causing many to abandoned their charges as they got caught up in retreat. Many of the wagons had to be burned to prevent them from falling into Confederate hands. Vaughn’s cavalry followed the Federal forces north to Stephenson's Depot.
Williams describes the brutality of this day “... The rebels received heavy reinforcements and were commanded by Gen. Jubal Early on the 24th of July we were attacked by Early’s whole force. The fighting was fearful if ever I heard the rebel yell I heard it that day. Our regiment lost heavy. Col. Shaw was killed, owing to superior numbers we were forced to give way. The 34th was the last regiment to leave the field which it did under a galling fire…”The Confederate cavalry swept the countryside looking for Federals who had become separated from their units in the retreat, taking hundreds of prisoners until darkness ended the pursuit. Young, brave Isaiah lay dead, while most of the Federals spent the night out in the rain, scattered across the countryside, trying to evade capture.
The disorganized Federal army retreated to Bunker Hill where it regrouped. With his army broken, Crook continued the retreat before dawn and eventually reached the Potomac River on 27 July, and crossed near Williamsport, Maryland.
When the field of battle again became calm, the Pritchard home once more, became a hospital with the wounded and dying brought in for nursing care and comfort. Col. Mulligan was carried into the Pritchard house immediately behind the battle line. There he was nursed and cared for by the Pritchard’s but his wounds were severe and he died three days later, in Samuel's arms.
The Second Battle of Kernstown was a decisive Confederate victory, but it was to be the last such in the Valley. Gen. Jubal Early's victorious Confederates inflicted 1185 casualties in smashing Gen. George Crook's Army of West Virginia, clearing the Valley again of Union troops, and opening the way for Early's route into Pennsylvania. As a result of this defeat and Early's burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on July 30, Grant returned the VI and XIX Corps to the Valley. In Washington, President Lincoln moved to put the entire Valley area under the command of Gen. Philip Sheridan. The battles of Third Winchester, Cedar Creek, and the Great Burning of the Shenandoah Valley were to follow.
In essence, the Second Battle of Kernstown marked the beginning of Sheridan's Valley Campaign of 1864, of which the 34th Ohio took part. The Pritchards' home was utilized as a headquarters by Sheridan's cavalry chief, Gen. Albert Torbert, while the Pritchard farm and countless other farms in the valley for miles around were turned into a massive Union camp. What resources remained on these farms were largely demolished and utilized in the camp to build huts for the soldiers.
Sheridan’s slash and burn Campaign effectively destroyed the breadbasket of the Confederacy tilting the balance of power in the Valley in favor of the Union. The Shenandoah Valley...its families, its farms, its livelihood...was left in ruins. In 1862, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson had said "If this Valley is lost, this war is lost."
Two months after they came, the Union army moved the camp fifteen miles north leaving the once prosperous farms and families of the Lower Shenandoah Valley in shambles. The Pritchards were now penniless. After Cedar Creek and Fisher’s Hill the 34th Ohio Regiment returned to garrison duty and had the misfortune of being captured en-mass along with elements of the 8th Ohio Cavalry during a surprise attack on the post of Beverly. The much depleted regiment was amalgamated with the 36th Ohio Infantry on February 22, 1865.
The 34th Ohio Regiment was in 33 battles, fights, and skirmishes.The Regiment suffered 10 Officers and 120 enlisted men killed in battle or died from wounds, and 130 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 260 fatalities during their otherwise steadfast service.Two commanders of the regiment were killed on the field of battle.
Travel 44 paces at 240 deg. and you will find The Reverend Ichabod Temple, Pastor of 2nd Ten Mile Baptist Church, who died August 12 18(D)8 at the age of 76. I ^ k’ ebo ^ d) [Hebrew = inglorious], in the Bible, son of Phinehas and grandson of the High Priest Eli. He was born at the hour of the Ark’s capture by the Philistines and was named to commemorate the unfortunate event.
Ten Mile Baptist Church was begun on September 2, 1802, it is said to be the third oldest Baptist church in Ohio. It stood on the present site of 829 Ohio Pike. The church moved to Ten Mile Rd. in Pierce Township, in 1814 to be more centrally located for the congregation.
From Ichabod go 24 paces at 304 Degrees to find Andrew Coombs Jr., Dec. 24 1805 - May 26 1864, and his wife Kitty A. Shannon, Nov. 25 1811 - March 10 1906.
Andrew was an Underground Railroad conductor and the organizing secretary of the Gilead Anti-Slavery Society in 1836. The Coombs residence was once located next to this church. It became a way station for the poor souls being transported between John Rankin in Ripley and Levi Coffin in Cincinnati.
The constitution of The Gilead Anti-Slavery Society states that their goal was “the entire abolition of slavery in the United States. While it admits that each slave holding state has by the Constitution of the United States, the exclusive right to legislate in regard to the abolition of slavery within its own bounds, this society will endeavor, by arguments, addressed to the understanding and conscience to convince our fellow citizens that slave holding is a heinous act in the sight of God, and that the safety and best interests of all concerned require its immediate abandonment without expatriation”.
Society minutes read:
Baptist Meeting House - August 14th. 1836. “After an address by the Rev. John Rankin upon the subject of slavery, the constitution was adopted and a society was formed with 29 members, Andrew, Kitty, and Ichabod among them. (Their numbers would eventually rise to almost 100.)
Concord School House - Dec. 23rd. 1836, “After opening with prayer the following resolutions were passed. #1 That slavery is inconsistent with other principles of our government and the Christian religion. #2 That it is the duty of every republican and especially every Christian to exert his influence for the speedy abolition of slavery in our country. #3 That forming Anti-Slavery Societies and discussing the subject of slavery are the most effective means to procure its abolition.
Andrew and Kitty felt strongly about slavery. Look to your right and you will see that their son took it to a higher level. Albert B. Coombs was wounded near Bull Run, Va. and died two days later on Aug. 29, 1862. Age: 2(B) years, 1 month, and 6 days.
CEMETERY #3: N38 59.081 x W084 13.651
Here you will find a comrade in arms of Isaiah Corbly; Ludwick Evanshine of Co. A, 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry 1843 – 1920. At 300 Degrees and 20 paces you will find another comrade, Edmund Lindsey, also of the 34th. V.O.I., Co. A. Ludwick and Edmund were with Isaiah on the bloody fields of Winchester on that dreadful day in July of 1864.Were they with him when he was hit? Did they try to get him to safety? We will never know!
Where’s Waldo? Try 48 Degrees and 84 paces! He was “Esteemed by his companions” when he died too young at 17yr. (G) mo. 8 days.
At 176 Degrees and 70 paces you will find the final resting place of an Indian Wars Veteran, Edmond Lindsey, Dec. 1 1773 - April 1(A), 1855 and his Pioneer wife Barbary Dec. 17, 1788 - March 23, 1875. Edmond would have been of age to fight in the Miami and Tippecanoe campaigns. Was he the father of Edmund?
The Miami Campaign, January 1790 - August 1795:
In the late 1780’s a confederacy of hostile Indians, chiefly Miami’s, in the northern part of present-day Ohio and Indiana, restricted settlement largely to the Ohio valley. Late in 1790 a force of 320 regulars and 1000 Kentucky and Pennsylvania militiamen under Brig. General Josiah Harmar moved north from Fort Washington (Cincinnati) and was badly defeated in two separate engagements on 18 and 22 October, 1790 in the vicinity of present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Congress then commissioned Governor Arthur St. Clair of the Northwest Territory as a major general, and he collected a force of about 2000 men. This force advanced north from Fort Washington in Sept. 1791, building a road and forts as it went. On the night of 3-4 November 1791, some 1000 Indians surrounded 1400 of St. Clair’s men near the head waters of the Wabash River. The force was routed, and St. Clair, having lost 637-KIA and 263 wounded, returned to Fort Washington.
Weyapiersenwah (Blue Jacket) and Michikinikwa (Little Turtle) of the Miami were the main leaders of the Indian confederation that defeated the federal troops under Generals Harmar and St. Clair.
Congress doubled the strength of the Regular Army in 1792 and appointed Major General Anthony Wayne to succeed St. Clair. After peace negotiations failed, Wayne’s force advanced slowly from Fort Washington along St. Clair’s route, early in Oct. 1793. They traveled toward Fort Miami, a new British post on the present site of Toledo. Wayne’s men built fortifications along the way and wintered at Greenville. General Wayne resumed pursuit of the Indians on 15 August 1794. At Fallen Timbers, an area near Fort Miami, the Indians made a stand. On 20 August, the Indians were thoroughly defeated in a two hour fight.
Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (The Prophet) were among the Indian forces that were led by Blue Jacket in the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Falling back for protection from the British guns at Fort Miami, the Indians found the gates closed. The conflict was over.
Tippecanoe Campaign, 21 September -18 November 1811: In 1804 Tecumseh, a Shawnee, and his medicine man brother The Prophet, with British backing began serious efforts to form a new Indian confederacy in the Northwest. Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory rejected Tecumseh’s demand that settlers be kept out of the region. In 1811 Harrison moved from Vincennes up the Wabash River with a well trained force of 320 regular infantry and 650 militia men. After building Fort Harrison at Terre Haute as an advance base, Harrison marched with 800 men toward the main Indian village on Tippecanoe Creek, bivouacking in battle order on the north bank of the Wabash River within sight of the village on 6 November.
Tecumseh being absent, Harrison conferred with The Prophet about a peace proposal. Before dawn on 7 November 1811 however, the Indians attacked Harrison's force. In a wild hand - to - hand encounter the Indians were routed with both sides suffering similar loses. This indecisive victory for Harrison did not solve the Indian problems in the Northwest. The tribes of the area were to make common cause with the British in the War of 1812.
CEMETERY #4: N38 58.215 x W084 15.702
Here you will find He, who watches over us all. At His feet, on a heading of 148 Deg. and 24 paces, you will find Martin Johns, a Musician in the Regimental Band of the 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At 62Deg. and 24 paces lie Michael and Mary, my great-grandparents on my Dads side. Turn 180deg. to find me among my siblings.
Here you will find my Dad resting with his parents, Wm. and Theresa. Let Dad help you. I am one of six; the first son, and second oldest, between two sisters. What number of the alphabet is each letter of my name? Add them and divide by 5 to find (C). Dad was born April 2(F).
Dad served with the 1252nd Engineer Combat Battalion, H&S Co., in General George S. Patton’s, 3rd. Army. The battalion sailed from New York City 22 Oct. 1944 on the HMR Tamaroa, and debarked at Avonmouth England 4 Nov. 1944.(While here, Dad wrote a big brother letter to Don, telling him about Army life. The letter was published in Andrew Carroll’s book, "Grace Under Fire". To read the letter, go to:
www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/graceunderfire/exhibit_guf_4.php
After moving to Torquay England where they received more training, the battalion sailed from South Hampton England on board MV Sobiesky, and landed via U.S. Navy LCVP at Lye Havre, France 31 Dec. 1944. The 1252nd participated in the Ardennes - Rhineland - Central Europe Campaigns, building bridges and roads, laying and removing mine fields, establishing water points, and pressing the enemy.
During the Rhineland Campaign: On 26 March 1945, Co. C, with two platoons of Co. A and one platoon of Co. B, relieved the 165th Engineer Combat Battalion at St. Goar, Germany, and continued to ferry the 89th Infantry Division across the Rhine River while under heavy small arms and 20mm cannon fire by the enemy. The 89th Infantry Division was the first American unit to actually come upon a Nazi concentration camp. Ohrdruf camp was quickly liberated on April 4.
At this time, Dad was up in the castle Burg Rheinfels, built in 1245, with the artillery forward observers, who called in artillery rounds that came whistling in over their heads, landing on the enemy positions across the river. The rest of the battalion crossed later that day and began to build the pontoon bridges for the units that were to follow.
The battalion suffered: KIA-5, Seriously Wounded-9, Lightly Wounded-23, and Injured-4, during their time in action, and captured 68 pillboxes, help take 5 towns, and took 76 prisoners. The battalion embarked at Marseille, France on the S.S. Bienville on 23 August 1945, arriving in the United States at Boston, 4 September 1945.
At 82Deg. and 37 paces, you will find my Uncle Don. He was a Tech. 4 and serviced in Co. B of the 98th Signal Battalion, in the Pacific theater, and later as part of the occupation forces in Japan. Donald R. - August 14 1926 – July 15 19(J)1 Betty L. - October 27 1925 – October 3 2004
CEMETERY #5: N38 AB.CDE x W084 FG.HIJ
Here lies Frank Dancy Co. H 5 U.S. C.H.A. The 5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery was organized April 26, 1664. The Regiment saw heavy action during the Battle of Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana, June 5 - 7 1863, when it was part of the 1st. Mississippi Heavy Artillery (African Descent).
Milliken’s Bend was one of the hardest fought encounters in the annals of American military history. “The bravery of the Blacks at Milliken’s Bend”, observed Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana, “completely revolutionized the sentiment of the Army with regard to the employment of Negro troops”.
On a heading of 68 Degrees, walk 64 paces to the base of Warren Hill. Be careful where you step; as there are more than a few sunken graves. You wouldn't want a grave to cave in under your feet!
CAUTION: This is the hard part! I suggest a zig-zag approach up and down. Stop for a breather and watch it if wet!
Once on top you will find Eliza Archard “E. A.” - Author, Traveler, and Scholar 1838 - 1912. Yes, she is up there! On a heading of roughly 125 degrees go 75 feet or so and you will find: Hepsibath Light Born May 3, 1805, Died Jan. 24 1851. Her husband Peter Light Born Feb. 10, 1803 Died June 3, 1880. (Hepsibath was a Whitney. Her family came to this valley in the summer of 1823. It was a very hard and dangerous trip. Hepsibath was 18 at the time. Her younger sister Diana died and was buried along the way. She was 16).*
Peter was a brother of Jacob Light, who together with their other brother Daniel, first came down the Ohio River in 1791. Daniels son Charles H. Light, was with Co. A, 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War. (Another comrade of Isaiah M. Corbly). He served for a time as a member of the Blazer Independent Union Scouts, under the command of Capt. Richard Blazer. Blazer's Scouts were an elite handpicked unit of 100 men selected to counter Mosby's Rangers, the Confederate guerrillas operating in Virginia and West Virginia.
Turn to a heading of 260 degrees, and go 14 paces to find that which you seek.Try not to disturb David H. Reese who has been resting at peace for over 170 years!
You have met those that risked it all to come to this land, and those that answered the call when they were needed. No sane person would want war, but these brave men heard the cry for independence, and freedom. They went off to make war not knowing what to expect. This would be the most dangerous, yet exciting times of their lives. Nothing they would ever do could surpass this experience!
When their job was finished, those that lived through it, came back to this valley to get on with their lives, find work and raise a family. They lived a good life and fought the good fight. We salute them! We will miss them!
I hope you have enjoyed the tour and found the stories as interesting as I have.