Gleanings (1865-1895)

When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
(Deuteronomy 24:21)

Chapter 13: 1865, The 18th Ohio Infantry

Union County, Ohio was all in for the Union. There were many boys from the county serving in the ranks of the Union Army, and Joseph Powers’ sons (William and Joseph) were among them. They had been there as William Tecumseh Sherman had made his devastating march through Georgia to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

2 At long last, the end was in sight. For the young men who had not had a chance to participate in this great crusade, however, the rush was on to enlist before the war was over.

3 Caleb Haines and Jeremiah Miller had been following the progress of the war and were both apprehensive and excited about joining the army and participating in the great war that had been raging for the last four years. Slavery was clearly wrong, and the Union must be preserved.

4 Even so, by most accounts, the war would be finished soon. It looked like the South was finally on the ropes. General Grant was in hot pursuit of what remained of General Lee’s army in Virginia. This was the situation when Caleb and his brother-in-law joined the Union Army.

5 After they were issued uniforms and drilled by their sergeants, Caleb and Jeremiah waited with the other men from their respective companies to board the train to Chattanooga. “It seems like being in the army involves a whole lot of waiting,” Caleb sighed to the man standing next to him.

6 “Better get used to it,” the man replied. “My brother’s been in the army for two years now, and he says that’s most of what they do.” The two men chuckled, and then noticed that they had finally started lining the soldiers up to get on the train.

7 As they stepped from the train in Chattanooga, the evidence of war was all around them. There were forts and military installations everywhere. Cameron Hill loomed over one end of the city with its various fortifications with more forts directly across the city pressed against the banks of the Tennessee River.

8 Fort Phelps (or Fort Negley, as some of the locals referred to it) and Fort Wood stood like sentinels on either side of the railroad tracks leading into the city. Caleb and Jeremiah soon learned that their units had been assigned to guard duty at Fort Phelps.

9 It was a massive, star-shaped affair. Moreover, it was literally swarming with activity. There were soldiers and civilians everywhere. The overall effect of the place was to make one feel small and insignificant, especially Ohio farm boys.

10 Another surprise was the presence of so many Black troops. Caleb and Jeremiah had never seen so many folks of color concentrated into one place in their lives. “They’re helping to secure their own freedom,” Caleb thought. “After all, most of this has been about them.”

11 Still, it was clear to everyone (including Caleb and Jeremiah) that the war was rapidly approaching its conclusion. Sherman was pushing through the Carolinas now, and Private John H. Rutledge (Alfred’s son) had died near Salisbury in Rowan County, North Carolina at the end of March.

12 The fighting in Virginia came to an end at Appomattox. Accompanied by Colonel Charles Marshall (another Camp cousin), General Robert E. Lee had surrendered there to General Ulysses S. Grant. And, although the news of that event brought relief and joy to Caleb, Jeremiah and their comrades, the war was clearly not finished yet from the Army’s perspective.

13 Their joy, however, was also tempered by the news of President Lincoln’s assassination. “Don’t pack your bags just yet, boys,” the captain had reminded them. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do down here.”

14 May was a pleasant enough month, but June and July were miserable. Standing in one place in uniform for hours at a time in the hot, Southern sun was very uncomfortable. The humidity made it even more unbearable. The only relief was an occasional plunge in the river or in one of the many creeks which surrounded them.

15 During their down time, Caleb and Jeremiah would walk up and down the streets of Chattanooga, especially Broad, Market and Cherry. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for all of it to become monotonous and too familiar.

16 Then, unfortunately, they learned that they would be going down into the heart of Georgia. Soon, they would be headed for Augusta and more heat and more guard duty.

17 “This place is too hot!” Jeremiah exclaimed. “The Rebs can have it as far as I’m concerned.”

18 The environment in Georgia didn’t do anything to change his mind. The animosity and resentment of the natives was thicker in Augusta than it had been in Chattanooga.

19 “These are the most miserable bastards I’ve ever run across in my life,” Jeremiah grumbled. “Well, Sherman did give it to ‘em pretty good down here,” Caleb reminded him. Soon, however, it was October and the men learned that they were to be mustered out of the army and returned to Ohio.

20 “Praise God!” Jeremiah exclaimed. “A-men,” agreed Caleb. The war had been long and hard. So much blood, sweat, tears, time, resources and treasure had been devoted to this effort. “Had it all been worth it?” Caleb wondered. Time would tell.

Chapter 12: 1865, She met him on his way home

Seaborn had sent word to Susan that the Yankees had released him from prison. “Can you make arrangements to meet me in Georgia?” he’d asked. They would rendezvous in Carroll County at the home of her brother.

2 Seaborn had been sick for weeks. The tightness in his chest was getting worse and being out in the weather didn’t make it any better. He trudged on through the rain and kept plodding southward. Nothing was going to keep him away from his wife and babies.

3 At about the same time, Susan had set out in a covered wagon from Randolph County, Alabama to meet her husband. She took their still small daughter, Leah, with her, while the child’s namesake (Seaborn’s mother) watched their three boys for her. The roads were unpaved and narrow at times, but she had helped to steer her father’s wagon to Alabama from Georgia many years before. She could do it.

4 Seaborn, however, was beginning to have his doubts. He was running a fever, and his chest was tight and burning now. Nevertheless, he pushed on. If he got to Anderson’s place ahead of her, he might have a few days to rest and recuperate before she had a chance to get there.

5 The dirt roads stretched on and on before him. He had lost track of all the hills that he had climbed, and the valleys he had crossed. Both of his shoes had holes in them now, and his clothes were ripped and torn from the briars and tree branches. But still he pressed on toward the meeting place. The place where Susan would be waiting for him.

6 And then one day, he was on Anderson’s front porch and knocking on the door. Sarah opened the front door, and barely had time to step aside as Seaborn fell into their cabin.

7 Her mother quickly stepped to the back door and hollered, “Anderson come quick!” Together, the three of them helped Seaborn into bed. He was burning up with fever.

8 Sarah immediately applied a cool, wet cloth to his forehead. “Thanks,” he finally managed. “I was beginnin to think I’d never git here,” he trailed off with a weak smile.

9 The following day, Susan and his daughter arrived. Sarah scooped the child up into her arms, and they quickly ushered her and her mother into the room where her husband was resting.

10 “Oh, my God!” Susan exclaimed when she saw him. She rushed over to the bedside knelt down and gently kissed his forehead. He opened his eyes and said, “You made it – I knew you would.”

11 “Yes, I made it; and look at our little girl!” she whispered with tears running down her cheeks as she motioned for Sarah to bring Leah closer to the bed. “She’s beautiful, just like you,” he said.

12 For the next three hours, Susan sat there by his bedside while he slept. She observed the rise and fall of his chest and listened to his ragged breathing. And then, suddenly and quietly, it was over. He was gone. He would not be coming home with her. Their children would never know their father.

13 “I wish I had brought the boys with me,” she sighed as she stared into his now still face. “You couldn’t have managed all of them youngins on your own,” Sarah comforted. She stroked Susan’s hair for a minute, and then walked to the back door and motioned for Anderson to come to the house.

14 “There’s a little cemetery about a mile from here, he said as he entered the house. “Of course,” Susan agreed. “That will be fine.”

15 She knew, however, that nothing would be fine. She knew that she would have to somehow raise four children on her own. She knew that the road ahead would be long and hard, but there was nothing to do except get up and tend to Leah.

16 “What a terrible price we’ve all paid for this war,” Sarah mused as she handed the child back to her mother. The thought of her own father’s death last year, and the loving sacrifice that he had made for her happiness was still fresh in her mind.

17 When the wagon at last returned to her mother-in-law’s house, Susan climbed down with Leah in her arms and ran inside to see her boys. She embraced them, crying and hugging them tight.

18 “Your daddy is dead,” was all she could choke out. Will and Levi started crying too. Leah sat down in the chair and held her stomach. It was then that Susan noticed her brother Will and his wife Mary standing there.

19 “He’s not ever coming home,” Susan said to everyone and no one. “I hate what this war has done to us!” she continued. “I know, sis,” William interjected. “I wish I could forget it all. I wish none of it had ever happened. And I don’t want to ever talk about it again,” he declared.