Otto C. Hager of the 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 2

His first battle under General Grant was at Fort Henry, Tennessee, and then at Fort Doneleson.  He was promoted to orderly sergeant after this.

Then came the Battle of Shiloh. After this, he was made captain of Company D. 45th Illinois.  The reason for this was that the captain, 1st and 2nd lieutenants had been killed.  (Just the captain, Thomas Connor had been killed.)

Then came Vicksburg and Co. D was there.  During the siege, Captain Hager received a flesh wound in the leg and was in the hospital for two months.    On July 4, 1863, the Union Army entered the surrendered city.  Captain Hager, at the order of the colonel of his regiment, planted the United States flag upon the Vicksburg court house.

After Vicksburg, Company D was granted a furlough and Captain Hager returned to Galena.

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 2: Action at Fort Donelson and 'Baptism of Fire'

On February 1, 1862, the 45th was assigned to the Second Brigade, commanded by Colonel W.H.L. Wallace, First Division, commanded by  General John  A. McClernand.

On February 2, the regiment left Cairo with General Grant's Army for the Tennessee River and on the 4th reached Camp Halleck, four miles below Confederate Fort Henry.  On the evening of the 6th, the regiment marched into Fort Henry after its abandonment by the Confederates.

On Feb. 11th, they moved toward Fort Donelson and on the 13th took position on the right of the Union line.  That afternoon, the 45th received its "baptism of fire."  In other words, they "saw the elephant."  The regimet saw plenty of action at Fort Donelson and lost two killed and 26 wounded.

Afterwards, the 45th remained in camp at Fort Donelson until March 4, when it marched to Big Sandy River mouth and took boats up the Tennessee River, arriving at Savannah on March 11.  There they remained until March 25.

Saw the Elephant Indeed.  --Old Secesh

This Month in Civil War: The Formation of the Confederate States of America

From the February 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

FEBRUARY 4, 1861

**  The seceded states meet in Montgmery, Alabama, to form a new government.

FEBRUARY 5, 1865

**  Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia, begins.

FEBRUARY 8, 1861

The Confederate States of America adopts a provisional constitution.

FEBRUARY 9, 1864

**  109 Union officers escape from Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia.

FEBRUARY 16, 1862

Union captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee, where U.S. Grant gains the nickname "Unconditional Surrender."

--Old Secesh

Galena's John E. Smith-- Part 4: At Fort Donelson and Shiloh

When the Star of the West was fired upon at Charleston Harbor, Smith went to Springfield to get Governor Richard Yates to do something.  He got a colonel's commission and was apponted aide-de-camp in charge of  Illinois militia.

He got Grant to train Galena's troops which ultimately became part of the 12th Illinois Infantry.  Grant wanted a commission in the regular U.S. Army, not militia and went to Ohio to get it, but McClellan refused him.

Then, Smith introduced Grant to Governor Yates.

Smith received command of the Leadmine Regiment from the Galena area, which became the 45th Illinois Infantry.  Their nickname was the Washburne Leadmine Regiment.  Smith commanded this regiment at Fort Donelson and Shiloh.

Smith was courageous in both actions.  He was in the open at Shiloh and was seen cleaning and filling his pipe and then took a puff while under fire.

The regiment took heavy losses at Shiloh and had to cut their way out.

----Old Secesh

Capt. Harley Wayne at Fort Donelson and the Rebel Officer Who Didn't Want to Give Up His Sword

From the Nay 30, 1987, Northwest Herald (McHenry County, Illinois) "The captain's word disappears" by Jeff Kuyper.

On February  16, 1862, at 10 a.m., the Confederate command at Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in Tennessee, surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

An hour later Captain Harley Wayne and the others with the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry were on the scene.

"I never saw such confusion and excitement as existed all around," Wayne wrote his wife later.  :We landed and touched on shore and received on board about 500 prisoners.

"I was officer if the day and it was my duty to take entire control of them.  I had to examine them individually and take away all weapons, pistols, knives and so firth.  There were a great many Bowie knives, hideous looking weapons."

Several prisoners were reluctant to turn over their weapons.

"One, an officer, yet had his sword.  I asked him to deliver it up,"  Wayne wrote in his February 18, 1862  letter home. 

(Unfortunately, the article does not say whether Harley Wayne's Confederate officer gave up his sword.  Of course, I can't imagine capturing an enemy and not immediately checking for weapons they might still have on them.)

--Old Secesh

Writes to His Dad-- Part 3: His Dad Missed Him as Well

If Charles missed his father and the promised pony, the father, Harley Wayne, missed his son just as much.

In a letter home dated December 29, 1861, Captain Wayne wrote in a letter to his wife:  

"I am very glad to get your letter and Charley's picture.... The letter and picture were at once sources of pleasure and pain.  I could see the pretty features and the loving beaming eyes of my noble darling boy but I could not hear his voice nor could I grasp him in fond embrace s my whole soul yearned to do.

"And I was sad....  Do write me often and send me your picture.  Tell Charley I was pleased, very, with his picture and letter.  I will write to him again soon."

Less than two months later Captain Wayne joined Gen. U.S. Grant's command at Fort Donelson.  Captain Wayne missed the first major battle on February 15 and 16, 1862, that would catapult Grant into the forefront of Union war leaders.

--Old Secesh

15th Illinois Infantry Regiment at Shiloh

From Wikipedia.

The 15th Illinois and 14th Illinois participated together in movements around  Rolla, Missouri, ahead of the Fort Donelson  Campaign, with Gen. U.S. Grant in command.  Both regiments were part of Gen.  Steven A. Hulbert's 4th Division, called "The Fighting Fourth" and assigned to a camp near the Union left wing at Pittsburg Landing on April 6, 1862.

They were brigaded under the command of Colonel James C. Veatch.  When the attack came, they were ordered forward  to support General Sherman who was heavily pressed on the right wing.

An anecdotal memoir by Sergeant  Moses Gleason Montgomery described heavy fighting at what became known as the Hornet's Nest before they proceeded to a defensive position to support the retreat of the Union Army's right wing.

Sgt. Montgomery was shot in the chest during this engagement, and describes his  survival that night by a "Blessed Rain."

On the second day of the battle,  General Grant took direct command of the 14th and 15th in the counter attack against Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard.

Captain Harley Wayne was killed at this battle.

During the course of the war, the 15th Illinois lost 6 officers and 81 enlisted killed in action or died of wounds.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Prisons Discussion

Some of the things we discussed March 27, 2021 on prisons.

**  Confederate dead at Illinois prisons:

Alton: 1,534

Rock Island:  Over 2,000 Confederates

Camp Douglas:  Official count was 4,454.  But other sources say as high as 6,000  (Chicago)

Camp Butler: 850  (Springfield)

About ten years ago, the Illinois Sons of Confederate Veterans erected a memorial to the dead at Camp Butler.

At Camp Butler about 700 died in the summer of 1862 in a small pox outbreak.

The first 8000 Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas were captured at Fort Donelson.

Two famous prisoners held at Camp Douglas were Sam Houston, Jr. and Henry M. Stanley, the African explorer.  (Dr. Livingston I presume.)

--Old Secesh

Seven Critical Civil War Battles-- Part 1

From March 5, 2021, History by Patrick J. Kiger.

These battles were among the most pivotal of the war.

There is more information than I have written, but I am summing up why it was pivotal.

1.  FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN:  Both sides became aware  that the struggle would be longer and more grisly.

2.  FORT DONELSON:  The victory here and at nearby Fort Henry opened up the state of Tennessee to Union invasion.  Also brought U.S. Grant to national attention.

3.  BATTLE OF ANTIETAM:  Stymied Lee's invasion,  gave Lincoln the confidence to go ahead with the Emancipation Proclamation which redefined the war.  Matthew Brady's photographs of the battlefield brought the horror of war to the home front.

--Old Secesh

Fort Donelson

From the American Battlefield Trust 2021 calendar, February.

FORT DONELSON,  Tennessee

370 acres saved.

Ulysses S. Grant received a promotion to major general for his success at capturing Forts Henry and Donelson in February of 1862.

To save land at Fort Donelson and other Tennessee battlefields, the Trust has gratefully drawn upon the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund, the state's own dedicated, annually recurring source of grant funding for battlefield preservation.

Thank You Tennessee.  --Old Secesh

Sure Wasn't Expecting to Be "Out West" with This Blog, But, Here I Am: "RoadTrippin' Through History"

Now, this is about mt 17th blog entry dealing with Nebraska and Colorado.  Two months ago, I did not know of any of this and it all started with a move in Nebraska to put up a statue in honor of their 1st Nebraska Infantry Regiment at Fort Donelson.  Before that, I did not even know Nebraska had any regiments during the war.  And, I suppose that since this is not a Confederate statue, certain people will leave it alone.

Both were territories during the war.

You just never know where any of my blogs are headed as I do my research and writing according to road cruising.  I start at a point and just don't know where I am headed with it or how far I'll go with it.   Kind of like going to YouTube to hear a song, and then four hours later, you're still listening to music on that site.

This is something I get from my love of cruising down old roads, especially Route 66, the Lincoln Highway and the Dixie Highway.  You know where you start, but have no idea where you're headed.  I call this "Roadtripping Through History."

It will be interesting to see how far I go with this, or, for that matter, where I go with this.

See You When and Where I Go.  --Old Secesh

Nebraska in the Civil War-- Part 3: Service of the 1st Nebraska

Called to the fighting,the 1st Nebraska was with Gen. U.S. Grant in the attack and capture of Fort Donelson and earned honor.  Then they were at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.  Later, they participated in minor engagements in Missouri and Arkansas.

In October 1863, the regiment was changed from infantry to cavalry and transferred to the frontier to keep the Plains Indians in check.  It was mustered out of service in 1866.

A total of 1,370 men served in the regiment during the war.

Commanders were:

Colonel John Milton Thayer
Lt. Col.  William McCord (commanded at Shiloh)
Lt. Col. Robert Livingston (commanded at Siege of Corinth)

--Old Secesh

Monument Proposed for Nebraska Soldiers-- Part 3: A Major Accomplishment at Fort Donelson

The 1st Nebraska played a significant role in Grant's capture of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, in February 1862.  It was well fortified with a large garrison.  Union troops also faced the additional problems of it being around ten degrees and with a lack of supplies such as tents, blankets or coats.

A first attempt to break through the Confederate lines failed and Union General Lew Wallace ordered the 1st up to block a Confederate counterattack.  They formed a defensive line and charged, driving the enemy back into their fortifications and they soon surrendered.

After the battle, Lew Wallace complimented the Nebraskans saying:  "Their conduct was splendid.  They alone repelled the charge."

His victory here led to U.S. Grant's name recognition throughout the country.  Had the 1st Nebraska, led by Col. Thayer, not stopped that charge the battle might have been lost.

Hope They Get the Monument.  I Also Hope They Get a Monument on the Capitol Grounds.  --Old Secesh

Monument Proposed for Nebraska Soldiers at Fort Donelson-- Part 2

The bill would also direct the Nebraska Secretary of State to request the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to authorize the placement  of the monument and create a monument construction committee.  This monument will be privately funded, with no public money going to it.

Steve Guenzel and Gayla Koerting, members of the Nebraska Civil War Round Table, testified at the hearing for the bill which has no opposition.

There is already a marker recognizing the 1st Nebraska's role at the Battle of Fort Donelson, but it is not much according to Mr. Guenzel.  He visited the fort and was expecting to see some sort of grand granite thing, but was disappointed that it was just a metal sign.

--Old Secesh

Monument for Nebraska Soldiers Proposed for Fort Donelson-- Part 1

From the March 23, 2020, Omaha (Neb) World Herald  "Monument proposed for Nebraska soldiers who helped  win a crucial Civil War battle" by Mia Azizah.

A picture of Colonel John M. Thayer, who led the 1st Nebraska Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862.  Thayer would later be governor of Nebraska and represent the state in the U.S. senate.

Sounds a lot like Francis E. Warren in Wyoming.

Nebraska was only a territory during he warm but her soldiers were instrumental in a major Union victory at Fort Donelson, which led to the fall of Nashville, Tennessee, the first capital to fall.

Senator Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln thinks they should be honored with a monument and has introduced Legislative Bill 850, which would create a monument to honor the 1st Nebraska at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee.

This is actually the first I've ever heard of Nebraska military units in the Civil War.

Completely in Favor of a Monument for Them.  --Old Secesh

Theophilus Lyle Dickey-- Part 2: Commanded the 4th Illinois Cavalry

In August 1861, the State of Illinois authorized Dickey to raise a company of cavalry which became the nucleus of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry.

In this process Dickey  and Illinois Governor Richard Yates over commissions of officers.  Both wanted to appoint the officers.  The governor especially liked to have  political patronage of those he would appoint.  In the end, Dickey got to appoint the officers.  (Usually the men in regiments voted on officers.)

Theophilus Dickey became the regiment's commander with the rank of colonel and its organization completed and mustered in September 26, 1861.

He commanded the regiment during Grant's advance on Fort Henry where it served as scouts and screening force and then again led the advance on Fort Donelson.  The regiment was then shipped to Pittsburg Landing where it participated in the Battle of Shiloh.

After the war as assistant attorney general for the United States and often argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.  In 1875, he was elected a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, a position he held until his death in 1885.

--Old Secesh

Martin R.M. Wallace-- Part 2: At Battles of Fort Henry, Donelson and Shiloh

With the coming of the Civil war, Martin Wallace helped organize the 4th Illinois Cavalry with Theophilus Dickey (where he studied law with his brother William Wallace).  He was commissioned as major of the unit on October 12, 1861.  Theophilus Dickey was the regiment's colonel (William Wallace was married to Dickey's daughter.)

Martin Wallace led troops at the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Shiloh.  His brother William was killed at Shiloh.

He assumed command of the 4th Illinois Cavalry following the death of Col.William McCullough in December 1862.  Promotions to lieutenant colonel and colonel came in January and June.  He was mustered out  on November 3, 1864.

On May 4, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated him Wallace to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March  13, 1865.The United States Senate confirmed it on May 16, 1866.

After the war, Wallace was named U.S.  Assessor in the Chicago District.  In 1869, he was elected to the Cook County Court and served for eight years.  He also served as attorney on the Cook County Board.  His wife, Emma, became a noted philanthropist.

Martin R.M. Wallace died on March 6, 1902, in Chicago and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Battle of Shiloh-- Part 2: A "Great Profanity in the Army Post Office"

Lew Wallace met W.H.L. Wallace at the Battle of Fort Donelson.  Lew Wallace's first impression of W.H.L. Wallace was describing him as looking like a "farmer coming from a hard day's plowing."  As far as them having the same last names, Lew said  that it must have caused "great profanity in the army post office."

For his conspicuous service at Fort Donelson, W.H.L. Wallace was promoted to brigadier general.  During the Army of the Tennessee's movement to Savannah, Tennessee, Union Major General Charles Ferguson Smith injured his leg and turned his division command over to W.H.L.

This is how W.H.L. Wallace came to command troops fighting next to the famous Hornet's Nest at the Battle of Shiloh where they withstood six hours of repeated Confederate attacks, buying time for the Union Army to regroup.

It was here that Wallace was mortally wounded.  He was carried to Grant's headquarters at Cherry Mansion in Savannah and where he met his wife, who provided care and love to him in his final days.  He died in his wife's arms with his last words, "We meet in  heaven."

His body was taken home and buried in Ottawa, Illinois.

He was brother to future Brevet Brigadier General Martin M. Wallace.   Wallace County, Kansas, is named for him.

--Old Secesh

The Battle of Shiloh-- Part 1: USS Tyler, USS Lexington and Brig. Gen. William H.L. Wallace

As far as my research for the discussion group on this battle, I concentrated on several aspects of the battle.
**  The first was the role played by the two U.S. Navy ships, the USS Lexington and the USS Tyler.  I am writing about those two ships in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog.

**  I also did some research on William H.L. Wallace (July 8, 1821 to April 10, 1862)  since he was from Illinois.  Of course, he was one of the two Wallaces commanding divisions at  the battle (the other one was Lew Wallace who wrote "Ben Hur" after the war).

W.H.L. Wallace was the original commander of the 11th Illinois Volunteer Infantry regiment which had suffered over 60% of its strength at the Battle of Fort Donelson.  His gallantry was noticed and with it a promotion from colonel to brigadier general.

A lawyer by trade, he had enlisted in the regiment as a private but was elected its colonel by the time it mustered in on July 30, 1861.

--Old Secesh

15th Illinois Infantry Actions and Campaigns-- Part 1: Battle of Shiloh

In Missouri to Feb. 1, 1862
Oct-Nov. 1861, part of Fremont's advance toward Springfield, Mo.
Capture of Fort Donelson, Tn.,  Feb. 16, 1862

Battle of Shiloh, Tn.,  April 6-7, 1862
Siege of Corinth, Ms.,  April 29-May 30, 1862
Duty at Memphis to Sept. 6, 1862

Battle of Hatchie River  Oct. 5, 1862   Also known as Battle of Hatchie's Bridge or Metamora
Operations in Mississippi  Oct. 31 to Jan. 10, 1863
Duty at Memphis until May 1863

Siege of Vicksburg   May 22- July 4, 1863
Assault in Jackson, Ms. July 12, 1863
Duty Natchez, Ms. Aug. 15 to Nov. 10, 1863

--Old Secesh