THE KANAWHA EXPEDITION - MARCH TO GALLIPOLIS

On this day the 16th Ohio resumed its march eastward, leaving its campground on Raccoon Creek early in the morning. The regiment, with DeCourcey's entire brigade (consisting of the 16th and 42nd Ohio and the 22nd Kentucky), marched 15 miles, passing through Gallipolis, Ohio, and camped 1 1/2 miles northeast of the town on the banks of the Ohio River.

Cpl. Theodore Wolbach, Company E, in his series of articles entitled Camp and Field - The Old 16th Ohio, writes:

In good season, on the 22d, we marched into Gallipolis. Coming from the north the column turned to the east in the centre of town. At this turning point a crowd of people, principally colored, were watching the soldiers pass. One negro (woman)(), kept jumping up and down, shouting her happy feelings to the soldiers, who responded with laughter and cheers. Up the river, east of town about a mile, on a broad strip of green meadow land, our brigade pitched tents for the night. There was considerable hooting and yelling about camp as night set in. Up further in the 22d Kentucky's camp the noise swelled into a tumult. The men there were yelling furlough and could not be quieted. In the retreat through their state many of them had marched past their homes without permission to stop and see their people. In thinking over it and talking about it, they became revengeful, and this night they had an outburst of feeling that was annoying to their officers. The 42d Ohio took up the cry because they were in good trim for yelling. The 16th chimed in, and at one time it seemed every man was contributing to the uproar. DeCourcey could stand it no longer. He had the first sergeant's call beat in our regiment, and orders were sent to each of the company commanders to form their men, without arms, and march them up to the Colonel's headquarters, where they were formed in column of companies, close order. DeCourcey mounted a barrel and delivered a hot speech. Part of it in substance was, that he had stuck to us and been as a father to us: - had felt that he had one of the best regiments in the service; - but now we were acting like a set of dom'd Ojibeways, and if another man said furlough, he would buck and gag him. He then ordered the men to break ranks and return quietly to their quarters. The ranks were no sooner broken than a fellow within twenty feet of the irascible colonel defiantly bellowed furlough. No attention was paid to it, and it proved to be the only violation of our orders, for the boys soon settled down in the regular way and were quiet.

* Information and italicized quotations from a series of articles entitled Camp and Field - The Old 16th Ohio, written in the 1880s by Theodore Wolbach, late Corporal in Company E, 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

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Wide and close view modern day maps of 16th Ohio's march to Gallipolis, Ohio, October 22, 1862 (positions approximated):

Blue pin - Portland (Oak Hill), Ohio
Red pin - Raccoon Creek campsite
Green pin - Gallipolis, Ohio