Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/372

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��The organization of the One Hundred and Second has been given, and its course noted, until its arrival into Kentucky. It was mus- tered into service at Covington, Ky., September 6, 1862, and was ready for service, almost CA'cry man being accepted. Immediately after being mustered, it was ordered into the works around the cit3% where it remained until the 22d, when it left in two diA'isions by boats for Louisville, K}., arriving on the 24th. It re- mained there until the 5th of October, when it was ordered to Shelby ville, Ky., in charge of a division supply-train, arriving on the 6th. Thence it moved to Perryville, where it lay in line within hearing of the battle at that place, but was not taken into the fight. Thence it proceeded to Crab Orchard, and thence to Bowling Green, Ky., arriving on the 30th.

On the lOtli of December, the regiment moved to Russellville, thence to Clarksville, Tenn., arriving on Christmas night, where it remained nine months.

On the 2od of September, 1863, the regi- ment moved to Nashville, thence proceeded by rail to Elk River and Cowan, Tenn. On the 30th of October it went into winter quarters, at Nashville, Tenn., and was assigned to Gen. Ward's brigade, Rousseau's division, Twen- tieth Army Corps. It prepared to move to the front with the brigade, but was retained for duty in the city, where it remained six months.

On the 26th of April, 1864, the regiment was transferred to Tullahoma, Tenn. Here Col. Given was relieved of the command of the brigade, and, with his regiment only, marched across the Cumberland Mountains to Bellefonte, Ala., arriving on the 10th of June. Here the regiment was emploj^ed on the de- fense of the line of the Tennessee River from Stevenson to the foot of Seven Mile Island, a distance of fifty miles, every part of which was patrolled four times every twent^'-four hours.

��On the 1st of September, at Bellefonte, the regiment went on board the cars and remained on them fourteen days, patrolling the Tennes- see & Alal)ama Railroad, from Decatur, Ala., to Columbia, Tenn., and, on the 15th of Sep- tember, went into camp at Decatur.

On the night of the 23d of September, Col. Given, in command of the post, was ordered to send 400 men to re-enforce the fort at Athens, which was done by taking about equal num- bers from the One Hundred and Second Ohio and the Eighteenth Michigan. The next morning, this force met the enemy near Athens, cutting their way through two brig- ades of the enem}^. When they arrived in sight of the fort, they witnessed the humilia- tion of our flag, and the hoisting of the Confed- erate banner. The}' were surrounded by an overwhelming force of the enemy, a large num- ber of the men were killed and wounded, and the remainder captured. The officers were taken to Selma, and afterward transferred to Enterprise. The men were paroled and placed on board the ill-fated Sultana, at Vicksburg, and about eighth-one of the One Hundred and Second were lost by the disaster to that boat.

On the 24th of October, Hood, with 35,000 men and 108 pieces of artillery, attacked the garrison at Decatur, Ala., consisting of less than one thousand men for duty and seventeen pieces of artillery. During this siege, which lasted four days, the One Hundred and Second bore a conspicuous part in the defense.

After the siege of Decatur, the regiment was engaged in frequent conflicts with the enemy, in which they drove the rebels at diflferent times from four to ten miles.

In obedience to orders, Decatur was evac- uated on the 25th of November, and the regi- ment, with other forces, marched 100 miles to Stevenson, Ala. It returned by transports from Stevenson to Decatur, arriving on the 1st of June, 1865.

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