Wolbach's Camp & Field

Web Author's Notes:

The following image is taken from a book titled "Mortality and Statistics of the Census of 1850" in which it is believed retired Captain Rezin H. Vorhes, Company H, pasted over the pages a series of articles written by Cpl. Theodore D. Wolbach, Company E, titled "Camp and Field" and published, by chapter, in the Holmes County (Ohio) Republican newspaper from February 24, 1881 to August 17, 1882. The articles tell the story, in great detail and color, of the 16th OVI, from the inception of the 3-year regiment in October, 1861, through all its camps, battles and marches until it was disbanded on October 31, 1864. The articles pasted in the Vorhes book cover the first 35 chapters, published through October 20, 1881. All the remaining chapters were recently found in a Holmes County library by researcher Rob Garber who obtained copies, performed the transcriptions and provided to this website and which are also presented here, thus providing the complete work by Theodore Wolbach.

Throughout these articles click on the underlined white text for additional details.

The webauthor thanks 16th Ohio descendant Rob Garber for his excellent research on the Camp And Field articles and for performing the tedious digital transcription of those articles found on each page. The transcriptions were made to reflect the original articles verbatim, misspellings and all. Rob is the 3rd great nephew of Capt. William Buchanan, Company F, 16th Ohio, who served in the 90-day regiment as a private, re-enlisting in the three year regiment, and eventually making the rank of Captain of Company F. Thanks Rob!

sulted fatally to one, who was shot and killed by the other, a notorious character named Jim Stivers. The murderer was arrested, tried by court martial, and sentenced to be shot. The execution took place in a field east of town. DeCourcey's brigade was marched out to the place, and formed in hollow square. The grave had been dug and the coffin was there. The grave had been dug and the coffin was there. An ambulance, escorted by a guard, made its appearance with the prisoner, accompanied by a chaplain. The firing party of twelve men, some of them from our regiment, took their position. The condemned man was placed about fifteen paces in front of them. He stood erect in front of his coffin. Still farther back was the grave. The square was open at this end. Several low, sharp commands were given, twelve rifles came up together, flashed in one sharp report, and poor Stivers dropped dead. The troops filed past the prostrate body and marched away.

After a council of war, General Morgan decided to evacuate Cumberland Gap. On the afternoon of September 18th, the 49th Indiana regiment started for Cumberland Ford. At night the balance of the 7th division followed. Lieut.-Colonel Gallop, of the 14th Kentucky infantry, with a resolute detachment, watched the enemy south of the Gap. All through the early hours of the night the artillery and wagon trains stretched out on the Kentucky road that led north. Infantry and everything else that could be moved followed. The Government buildings and piles of material that could not be taken away were fired. The increasing flames tinted the base of the dark overhanging clouds with a lurid light that revealed to the impatient Confederates away to the south at Powell's river the culmination of the long expected event. It was a night of Egyptian darkness and rain was falling in torrents. Repeated flashes of lightning momentarily illumined the moving column. Terrible peals of thunder, that seemed to make the earth tremble, bellowed overhead. Captain Patterson's engineers, as if supplementing the bass of the Almighty,

blew up the magazine in the fortifications. The enemy, eager to ascertain more accurately the situation of affairs, pushed a force up towards the Gap. On one of the ridges that run parallel with the main mountain, they unexpectedly encountered Col. Gallop's men and were repulsed.