52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 47: Soldier – Amos Gorrell Wrote About His Daily Life as a Civil War Soldier, Part II

This is my second year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

My husband’s family is very fortunate. We have typed transcriptions of the diaries his great-grandfather kept while a soldier during the Civil War.[1] At the beginning of the 1861 typed volume, Amos wrote “My Semi-occasional Journal, or Diary while a Soldier in the war of 1861. Transcribed from a penciled account which I carried with me. With some corrections. ++ A. Gorrell”  I will record some of the entries and will not correct any of the spelling shown in italics.

I have started transcribing some of the entries in a previous blog post, “Amos Gorrell, Jr., Served in the Civil War, Part I.” I shall continue the story here.

There were no surviving diaries for the period of 1863 and part of 1864. We pick up his journey in August 1864 until his discharge.

He purchased this particular book in Chattanooga, Tennessee on 9 July 1864 for 60 cents. He is still part of Co. A of the 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

During August he wrote about writing letters to various  people back home and about loading lumber onto boats. There was light rain most of the days with warm weather.

Aug. 1st

“Weather cloudy with heavy rain. We load one of our boats at the Timber yard on the creek, the other two drop down to the other yard on the bank of the River and load, when loaded we drop the other boat down there, also and stay over night, as it rains very hard in the evening. I go with most of the Crew to a Citizens house by the name of Fry to sleep, we sleep in a room on the floor, our clothes are all wet. Ceases to rain after dark.”[2]

Aug. 22nd

“Weather, clear and warm, most of the day. We (the boat crew) unload one boat in the A.M. At noon we have orders to get ready with ten days rations to go to Dalton to build a bridge. We get every thing ready and the order is countermanded, and we don’t go. In the evening we are ordered to get ready to march tomorrow morning with three days rations and 80 rounds of cartridges. Some of the boys of our Co (McGroff, Goff, Lane, and Bennett) have a row, and a little fight. No person hurt much. It is reported that the Rebel Cavalry have crossed the Tenn. River above here, and are committing some depradations.”[3]

So they assemble and board long trains of cars. They start at noon on the third train on the Knoxville Railroad. At Chickamauga Station they away for two more trains to be loaded with men. They run a short distance when one of their cars goes off the tracks. After getting it back on, they continue toward Knoxville, traveling through Charleston, crossing the Hiawasse River until they come to a place where the Rebels have torn up the track.[4]

Of course now they have to march.  “March 5 ms to Mousecreek Station, or Riceville. And stop and get breakfast. Then continue our march along the RR Cross into McMinn Co. pass through Athens the Co Seat, and Bivouac in the woods 4 ms from Athens. Have travailed about 20 ms. A good many of the boys give out on account of the Heat and hard marching. Some are Sun Struck. We find the RR track torn up all along our march by the Rebel Cavalry (Wheelers). It is said to be torn up for 25 or 30 ms. Athens is 20 ms from Charleston.”[5]

After all this marching, they end up going back to where they started.  He remained in camp until September 1st. They traveled by train to various places, always returning to their camp. There were skirmishes but no fighting until September 27.

“Warm and clear most of the day, a shower of rain in the evening. We get breakfast at Collumbia and start for Pulaski (co seat of Giles co) at 7 oclock. Get to Pulask at 10 Oclock AM When we get there we hear our Cavalry and the enemy fighting. Genl Rousseau is comanding our forces. He rides up to our Regt. tells us that he knows the 18th Ohio to be a fighting Regt. for he tried them at Stone River Battle. Our two Brigades are formed into line of battle on the South West side of town Our Regt is suporting Battery G of the 1st Ohio Art. Genl Rosseau informs us that it is his intention to draw our Cavalry back to Decoy the enemy, and draw them onto our Batteries Y Infantry. Our Cavalry falls back. The Enemy follows closely. But does not advance on our Position. Their line of Battle advances in plain view, a Qr of a mile off. They draw up a Battery and open on us with solid Shot & Shell at a range of about a mile. Most of their Shot & Shell goes over our head without doing us much injury. About 100 men from our Regt. are called on for to go on the skermish line. Officers call for volenteers. I am one that move of to the left. Our loss in killed & wounded is about 150. Our Regt has one man wounded. The enemy loss is supposed to be about the same as ours. We dig some Rifle pits and lay on the Battle field that night.”[6]

Over the next couple of weeks, they head toward Athens. Amos is part of the advance scouts. He writes, “Frost this morn. [Oct 14th]. We go into Athens and turn our horses over. Our co  & the 1st Vet. are complemented very highly by Genl Rousseau for our good behavior as advance guards. He tells us that we done better than any Cavalry ever he had.”[7]

They headed toward Chattanooga. and spent the next few days in camp, where he received letters from family and friends and got paid. On October 20, they got the word they would all start for home. A photographer had been there taking photos of the soldiers.

On Nov 8th, while in Columbus, Ohio, he wrote “I am in camp all day. It is presidential Election day. Polls are opened in our Regt. I vote for McLellan and Pendleton. Our election goes off peacefully.” [8]

He was still in camp awaiting his discharge orders. On the 10th his company leaves the camp for Columbus. He received $178 at discharge which included his Bounty. “I buy a suit of clothes and a trunk which costs $40. I put up at Jacob Fahrbacks (a saloon keeper) to stay all night. Pay 50 cts per meal & 25 cts for a bed.”[9]

To get home, he got a canal boat at Columbus which cost $2.50 for the passage and one meal. He arrived in Chillicothe the next morning.  “Weather cool, and cloudy most of the day with a little snow in the Evening… I got to Tony Herns tavern and get breakfast for 50 cts. go around through town a while, leave my measure for a pair of boots at Frances Aids. go to Sam Coldwells for dinner. Ride out home with T.J. Wilt in his wagon. Walk from there home. Stop and take supper at Danl Shottses. Get home about 8 o’clock. Father and mother appear glad to see me.”[10]

So the crux of his war experiences appeared to be in the diaries that are missing. It may be that they were lost sometime during the battles and hospital stay. We know he was injured badly and was in the hospital from his Civil War Pension papers. He was wounded at Chickamaouga on 20 Sep 1863 and in a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.[11] The Athens Messenger also listed names of injured soldiers of the 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.[12]

There are sites that cover some of the 18th Regiments of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. I will have to peruse other materials to find out what his experiences were during the more intense fighting his unit was involved in. An example of a good synopsis of what the 18th Regiment did comes from the National Parks’ site. It covers the time period missing from his diaries. I will also be investigating other resources to find out more about his life while in service.

Stay tuned!

Example of Amos' diary, this one 1869

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[1] He also kept diaries after the war into the 1870s. The whereabouts of the originals are unknown at this time. They were passed down to the grandchildren of Amos and my father-in-law received one of them. The books are very small, small enough to fit into a pocket.

[2] Amos Gorrell Diary, August to December 1864,” entry Aug 1.

[3] Ibid., entry Aug 22nd.

[4] Ibid., entry Aug 23rd.

[5] Ibid., entry Aug. 24th.

[6] Ibid., entry Sept. 27th.

[7] Ibid., entry Oct. 14th.

[8] Ibid., entry Nov. 8th.

[9] Ibid., entry Nov 10th.

[10] Ibid., entry Nov 12th.

[11] “Volunteer Service, Civil War or War with Spain,” Amos Gorrell (Prt., Co. A, 18th Regt., Ohio Infantry, Civil War), pension Invalid no. 1110444; Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15; Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[12] “Lists of Casualties,” Athens Messenger, 8 Oct 1863, p. unk., col. 2, digital image, NewspaperArchive (https://newspaperarchive.com).

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