My name is Charles Harrison Block, a U.S. soldier in the Civil War. This is my story about my nearly four years of service as a soldier in the Union army. As told by my great grandson.
My two older brothers, George, 24, and Frank, 20, enlisted for 3-months service on April 23, 1861 — right after Fort Sumter was fired on by the Rebels. My family wouldn’t let me enlist — I was only 16. So, I was left behind in Defiance, Ohio to help run the family farm.
I was still 16 years old when I enlisted in Company E of the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on September 1, 1861 for 3-years service. My brother George had already re-enlisted as Company E’s second Sergeant on August 21. My family charged George with the task of watching over my well being. My other brother, Frank, stayed in Defiance until he re-enlisted in the 9th Ohio Cavalry on October 28, 1863. You could say that the three Block brothers were dedicated to the preservation of the Union.
I remember those early 1860s debates about secession, the attack on Fort Sumter, my father’s dim view of slavery, and the reasons why I fought to preserve the Union. The Block family agreed with Lincoln who in 1858 said, “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.”
Our local newspaper, the Defiance Democrat, had no quarrel with slavery. The same could be said of most of the citizens of Defiance. Nearly all of the 14th Ohio’s officers were Democrats and felt the same way. Most of the men of the 14th Ohio were Lincoln Republicans. Colonel Edwin Phelps, one of our Brigade commanders, who was killed by a mini ball while leading our charge of Missionary Ridge believed “that this war should not be waged in any spirit of oppression, nor for any purpose of conquest or subjagation nor purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or established institutions of the States, but to defend and maintain the union….”
Phelps also said that “That the Civil War…is the natural offspring of misguided sectionalism, engendered by fanatical agitators North as well as South; and that the democratic party having been equally opposed to the extremists of both sections…” Phelps was content that slavery remain, but was passionate about preserving the union as were all the men of the 14th Ohio.
Nearly all of the men and officers of the 14th Ohio had no military experience. Most of the officers were involved in either politics or the law or both. The common soldiers were mostly small-town boys with no special awe of officers. With our devil may care attitude, it took a special man to lead us. But, the men of the 14th Ohio were tough, used to a hard life, and knew how to handle a rifle — a squirrel rifle that is. Once we enlisted, we learned the basics of military drill, set up a camp, and cook in any kind of weather.
After enlisting in Defiance, Ohio, I took the train to Toledo, Ohio on September 7, 1861 and there I officially became a soldier. After three weeks of daily military drill, I was issued a Springfield rifled musket on September 25, which made us feel more like a real soldier. On September 26, we left Toledo on railroad cars reportedly on our way to Washington, DC where we would become part of the Union army there. We got as far as Grafton, Ohio, when our orders were countermanded because of a Rebel invasion of Kentucky. From Grafton, we were re-directed to Columbus, Ohio where we arrived about midnight. After supper, we continued on to Cincinnati, drew blankets at Camp Dennison, feasted on hardtack and coffee, and spent the night at the Orphan Asylum, but with all the activity, few of us got any sleep.
Soon after midnight on September 27, we were issued a cartridge box, a cap box, a gun strap, and 24 rounds of cartridges. At 3:00 AM we were ordered to be ready to move out. We marched to a ferry crossing at 4:00 AM and by 5:00 AM, we had crossed the Ohio River into Covington, Kentucky. At that time, it was not known whether Kentucky, a slave-holding state, would join the Rebels or stay in the Union. We marched in column to the Covington & Lexington Railroad Depot, and at 11:30 AM left by rail for Lexington, Kentucky. We stopped for a short time at Cynthiana, Kentucky were the 35th Ohio was camped. We continued on to Lexington where we arrived about midnight. We marched to the Lexington & Louisville railroad depot where we were finally able to sleep 70 hours after leaving Camp Oliver in Toledo.
Growing up, I’d never set foot out of the state of Ohio. Little did I know that over the next four years I’d march, ride the rails, or ride steamboats through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. I marched and countermarched thousands of miles in pleasant weather, rain, storms, heat, cold, snow, mud, and dust. I marched during the day and sometimes at night. I trudged up and down hills and mountains and forded uncountable streams & rivers.
On September 28, we marched to the north of the Covington & Lexington railroad and encamped with our newly-issued tents and other camp equipment. Union man from the town came in camp and brought us firewood, coffee, milk, bread, cake, and pies. After dinner, by request of the citizens, the 14th Ohio marched through the city of Lexington to the wild cheers of, as I recall, 3000 Union men and women. They treated us like conquering heroes. We marched around the 130-foot monument of the great Patriot Henry Clay and there we heard a speech from Andy Johnson, who would become president of the United States when Lincoln was assassinated. We camped near a cemetery in view of the Clay monument where we enjoyed our first night’s in our brand new “canvass houses.”
On Sunday morning, September 29, after a leisurely breakfast, we heard a rumor that 600 Rebels were camped at a little town called Eminence, a small town about 60 miles northwest of Lexington, on the way to Louisville. The following day, we struck tents and were ordered to take rail cars for Eminence at 1:00 PM. The cars were loaded and ready to roll by 3:00 PM. As the train moved off toward Eminence, several thousand citizens were wildly cheering us on with a show of patriotic enthusiasm.” At Eminence, there was a telegram ordering us to return to Lexington. If there ever were any Rebels in town, they had left for parts unknown. The new rumor was that Rebel General Felix Zollicoffer was advancing toward Lexington with a large force. So after some delay, off we went back to Lexington.
We arrived back in Lexington the next morning, Tuesday October 1. The “fires of patriotism still burned” with the loyal Kentuckians and we received and accepted many invitations to join families for breakfast. Later that day, at 7:00 PM, the 14th Ohio left by train to Nicholasville, a small town about 12 miles south of Lexington and the end of the railroad line. We arrived in Nicholasville at about 8:00 PM and made camp in a beautiful blue-ash grove. Unfortunately, our tents did not arrive in time, so we slept with nothing but blankets for cover.
The next day, October 2, we were awakened at 6:00 AM to the “tap of the drum” to “rise, wash, and get breakfast.” Company E’s captain, John W. Wilson walked to Nicholasville to get, as he said, “something good to eat.” The Captain reported that he went to the main hotel in Nicholasville where Mrs. B, the hostess, made sure he had a sumptuous meal. He said he found nothing in town he liked and returned to camp. The Regiment was soon ordered to “Fall in” and at 10:00 AM started a forced march to Camp Dick Robinson, which is 15 miles to the south between the small Kentucky towns of Danville and Lancaster. It was a warm day, the road dusty, and the marching resulted in some very sore feet. We reached Camp Dick Robinson at sundown, had coffee and crackers, and lay down to rest, still without our tents.
The 14th Ohio was part of the first brigade that General George Thomas (at that time a Colonel) organized at Camp Dick Robinson in 1861. The division to which the 14th Ohio belonged remained General Thomas’ favorite. This division became part of the 14th Army Corps, which was considered an elite force. Sherman insisted that the 14th Corps go on the March to the Sea when he told Thomas, “It is too compact and reliable a corps for me to leave behind.”
We spent 17 days at Camp Dick Robinson where we drilled about four hours a day, except Sundays. One afternoon as we were going through the Battallion drill we formed a hollow square and were addressed by General Robert Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumpter. We learned to be soldiers under the leadership of Colonel George “Pap” Thomas. Under Thomas, I learned to be a real soldier.
Until Chickamauga, I fought in no major battles but was involved in what I’d call minor skirmishes. The first man killed in the 14th Ohio was Thomas Davis of Company D on August 8, 1862 in Huntsville, Alabama…a long way from home. It was more than a year later when many more of my comrades were killed. That was at the first day of the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19, 1863.
There were many battles that the 14th OH missed, but only just barely. These include:
- Camp Wildcat, Kentucky (we arrived soon after the battle ended),
- Mill Springs, Kentucky (we were a day late),
- Perrysville, Kentucky (again, we were a day late),
- Shiloh, Tennessee (we arrived two days after the battle),
- Iuka, Mississippi (we were in the area of the battle but not involved),
- Stone’s River, Tennessee (the 14th Ohio was chasing John Hunt Morgan), and
- Bentonville, North Carolina (we were guarding the 14th Corps supply train).
I served under some of the best and worst generals in the United States Army. These included Don Carlos Buell, Jefferson C. Davis (who shot and killed General William “Bull” Nelson at Galt House in Louisville during an argument), Henry Slocum, John M. Brannan, Absalom Baird (awarded the Medal of Honor), William Rosecrans, William T. Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, and our best and best-loved general, George “Pap” Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga.”
Me and my comrades fought against many of the most famous Confederate generals including James Longstreet, Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Hunt Morgan, Joseph Johnston, John Bell Hood, William J. Hardee, and Patrick Cleburne. We also faced off with one of worst Rebel generals, Braxton Bragg.
I remember re-enlisting, along with 321 of my comrades, in December of 1863 in Chattanooga. We were promised a $400 bounty and given and a 30-day furlough the following January. That furlough was the only time I returned home to Defiance to visit my family and friends during my nearly four years of service.
I served under many, mostly excellent regimental and brigade commanders. These include James B. Steedman, George P. Este, Henry D. Kingsbury, Phelps, John Croxton, John W. Wilson, Albert Moore, Marshall Davis, David Gleason, and Speed Fry. Five of these men were eventually promoted to General. Colonel Phelps was killed leading the charge at Missionary Ridge. Major Wilson, who early in the war was my company commander, was mortally wounded at Jonesboro. Colonel Croxton was severely wounded at Chickamauga.
Out of the roughly 145 men who served with me in Company E at one time or another from 1861-1865, only 17 served the entire time. I was one of those. All were great men and terrific soldiers. One of the best was my tent-mate, William Sponsler who was wounded at Chickamauga and then wounded again at Jonesboro. Bill Sponsler named his first son, Charles Block Sponsler, after me.
From 1861-1865, about 1450 men served in the 14th Ohio at one time or another. 146 officers and men were killed or mortally wounded in battle. Another 186 died of disease. Many men were discharged due to disease, including my brother, George Harrison Block in 1862. George died in 1868 from the effects of of his illness. Many of the wounded who survived suffered from their wounds or the effects of their illnesses until their death.
55 men of the 14th Ohio became prisoners of war. 15 of those men died while imprisoned, including 11 at Andersonville. A recently released POW, was killed on April 27, 1865 by the explosion of the over-loaded river steamer Sultana while on his way home and sailing up the Mississippi.
I will never forget the 8 men listed as missing at Chickamauga who were never heard from again. All likely died but were never reported as killed, wounded, or POWs by either the Union or the Confederates. They just vanished. These men were probably killed outright or died of wounds on some unknown part of the battlefield. One of the eight, one was the writer’s great grand uncle, Emanuel Potterf.
At Chickamauga, a total of 131 Union regiments took part in the battle. The 14th Ohio had the third most killed and mortally wounded of all those regiments. Of the 449 men and officers of the 14th Ohio that went into battle, over 54% were killed (35), wounded (167), or missing (43). Chickamauga was the deadliest battle in the Western theater of war. In this battle, the Union army left many of their wounded and unburied dead on the field of battle. Many of our Chickamauga dead were not buried for days if not weeks.
The 2nd Brigade lost 938 men over the 2 day battle, second only to Brig General Whitaker’s 1st Brigade, 1st Division of Maj General Gordon Granger’s Reserve Corps made up of 6 infantry regiments.
In the deadly two-day battle of Chickamauga, our colors were shot down three times on the first day and twice on the second. The first day was a savage, on-the-move fight mostly in the woods and sometimes in farmer’s fields. The second day battle raged in which we inflicted a horrible slaughter on the Rebels who charged our boys time and time again up Horseshoe Ridge.
After our defeat at Chickamauga, we retreated to Chattanooga where we we were on short rations for about a month, our supplies coming via the so-called “cracker line.” Then, on November 25, 1863, we charged up Missionary Ridge and drove off the rebel army. A great victory for the United States.
On May 7, 1864 we began the campaign to capture Atlanta, which was about 100 miles to the south. For 17 weeks, there was death or the threat of death almost every day. Men were killed or wounded when they ate, while sleeping, during a charge on Rebel trenches, and out on the skirmish line. The Army of the Cumberland suffered 22,807 casualties. The Rebels abandoned Atlanta immediately following the ferocious and deadly 30-minute fight at Jonesboro, Georgia on September 1, 1864. In that battle, the 14th Ohio lost 18 killed and 74 wounded out of 328 men and officers — 28% casualties in a half hour.
We began Sherman’s March to the Sea through Georgia on November XX, 1864. It ended when Savannah was abandoned by the Rebels on December 21, 1864. To keep the 60,000-man army fed, each brigade assigned one company as foragers. The foragers were ordered to take food from rebel citizens, including cattle, sheep, poultry, some bacon, cornmeal, often molasses, and occasionally coffee or other small rations. The foragers called themselves “Bummers”. They left in the morning on foot and typically came back on a horse or mule loaded with food. Bummers were also ordered to kill all bloodhounds that were used to track runaway slaves.
Little did we know that Sherman’s March to the Sea was the start of a 1000-mile journey through the heart of the south, through 4 rebel states — Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia — in 6 months. After the war ended on April 9, 1865, we made our way to Washington DC. There we marched in the Review of the Grand Army on May 25, 1865 with 60,000 comrades of the Western Army. The spectators included President Andrew Johnson, that same man who spoke to us in Kentucky in 1861. A gigantic parade to remember.
