19th Illinois Infantry | Spared & Shared 23

*I could not find an image of Thomas but here is Luman Fowler (1841-1924) who served in Co. C, 19th Illinois Infantry wearing his enlistment Zouave uniform. Ancestry.com.*

The following letters were written by Thomas Wright Oziah (1836-1908) of Co. B., 19th Illinois Infantry. Company B was raised in Stark county, Illinois, most of the members mustering into State service in May 1861 and into the United States Service for three years on 17 June 1861.

At the time that Thomas mustered into the regiment, he was described as a 25 year-old, brown-haired, blue-eyed “Miller” who towered over his comrades at 6 foot, 1 inch. During a portion of his time in the service, Thomas was detailed to the 14th Army Corps Headquarters to serve as a clerk for General Thomas.

After the war, Thomas married in 1867 to Hannah I. Meredith, and resumed his employment as a miller in Stark county. His parents were Anthony Oziah (1793-1848) and Anna Jayne (1797-1876). In his letter, Thomas mentions two brothers—James K. Oziah (1839-1879) who served in Co. I, 65th Illinois Infantry, and David Jayne Oziah (1819-1895), Co. B, 47th Illinois Infantry. Another brother, George W. Oziah (1832-1863) of Toulon, served in Co. F, 112th Illinois Infantry and died on 14 March 1863 at a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

Letter 1

Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sunday, January 31, 1864

Dear Sister,

It is with pleasure I improve this opportunity of writing you a line in answer to your letter of the 19th inst. which came to hand in due time. Your letter found me well and I hope this may find you and the rest of my friends at home all well.

Ann, I have nothing of interest to write you. We moved our camp a few days ago. We are now in a very pleasant camp and are fixed pretty well for living. Everything is handy with the exception of water that we have to go some distance after. We are getting plenty to eat now and are having good times generally.

The weather for the past two weeks has been very pleasant. We had a light shower yesterday for the first in a long time. It is cloudy and looks very much like rain today. I expect we will get plenty of rain and mud next month to make up for the pleasant weather we have had during the month of January.

The cars came in here on the 14th inst. and have been running regular ever since. The business that is going on at the Depots here makes times quite lively and the place seems more like civilization than it did during the long starvation months of October, November, and December.

I have not hear from Jim yet. I am afraid there has something happened to him but I can’t hardly believe that he is killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. I saw a young fellow from Knoxville a few days ago. He told me he seen some of the boys that belonged to the 65th but the most of the regiment was out on duty. He saw Jim Powell and had a long chat with him. I think if Jim Oziah had had any bad luck, Jim Powell would have said something about it to this fellow. It was about four weeks ago that he seen Jim Powell.

I suppose you have seen George Miller before this time. He started home about 10 days ago. I would like to be there with him but what little time I have to serve yet will soon roll round. I was sorry to hear of the death of Keffer &Williams but such is the fate of man and we know not how soon we may be called to follow those that have gone before us. I have not heard from Lucy for a long time so I guess she don’t get as much time to write as she did before. She had so many little ones to look after. Do you ever hear from my old gal? I think if reports are all true, she played thunder. What do you think about it?

Tell Frank Fuller when you see him that I would like to hear from him again. Give my compliments to all inquiring friends. Write often and remember your affectionate brother, — Tom

Letter 2

Graysville, Georgia
March 12th 1864

Dear Sister,

I now take my pen in hand to answer your welcome letter of the 14th of February which came to hand two weeks ago today. Ann, I must confess that I have been very negligent in answering your letter and I hope you will excuse me this time and I will promise to be a better boy for the future.

We are ow encamped fifteen miles from Chattanooga on the railroad running from Chattanooga to Atlanta. We have been here nearly two weeks. I presume you have seen an account in the papers of our late trip to Dalton so what little I could tell you about it would be old news by the time this gets around.

We had very pleasant weather while on the march and a little more fighting than was agreeable although we did not bring on a general engagement but had more or less skirmishing with the gray backs for several days. Our company was the only unfortunate company in the regiment. Orderly Sergeant [James] Jackson was killed on the field and Edward Ervin was dangerously wounded. He was carried off the field and was alive the next morning. Since that time we have heard nothing from him. The Colonel gave orders for him to be taken to Chattanooga but I think probably he died and was buried somewhere along the road. Capt. [Alexander] Murchison was up to Chattanooga yesterday. He could not find out anything about what had become of him. He may possibly be alive although there is but little hope for the doctor said he did not think he could recover. Jackson and Ervin were two noble boys. But alas, it was their fate to fall and their friends at home have the sympathies of the members of the 19th.

Ann, it seems hard to stand by and see our comrades fall—especially those whose time is so near out and those who have been our daily companions through the trials and hardships of this infamous rebellion. I am in hopes that our regiment will not be called upon to enter the field of battle again during our time and I hardly think we will for in my opinion our time will expire before Grant is ready to start on his spring and summer campaign.

We are now encamped in a very pleasant place and I will be satisfied to remain here until out time is up. We have had two or three very heavy thunder storms since we came here. The balance of the time the weather has been very pleasant. Ann, I guess you will have to pick out another woman for me for Springer won’t tell me who Mary Ann is but he will show me her picture before long. I received a letter from Dave last night and also one from Jim. They were both well. Dave was at Vicksburg when he wrote and I think by the way he wrote, he has joined the Veterans. Jim is 16 miles east of Knoxville. I am going to try and get a few days leave to go from here up there in one day.

Well, I must close. Write soon. As ever, your brother, — Tom

Tell Letty to hurry up and answer my letter. Direct the same as before. — T. W. Oziah

Images of this letter were sent me by Chris Bremner whose ancestor was David Francis Bremner (1839-1922) , a Canadian by birth, who was living in Illinois at the time of the Civil War and enlisted in Co. E, 19th Illinois Infantry on 17 June 1861. He was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the company on 18 December 1862 and was promoted to Captain on 9 July 1864.

In transmitting the letter to me, Chris informed me that the letter was found among various documents that included the Descriptive Rolls for the company and other handwritten telegrams and dispatches that had been found hidden in his ancestor’s home when it was being remodeled recently. (How lucky is that?!) It is presumed that the documents were concealed prior to his ancestor’s death in 1922 and have not seen the light of day for over 100 years.

He sent copies of several letters to me but I singled this one out to showcase on Spared & Shared. It was written by Brig. General Stephen A. Hurlbut—described as a “hard-drinking Chicago lawyer”—who was a political general conspicuous for lacking both scruples and ability. When he didn’t get a civilian patronage job in the Lincoln Administration, his Galena friends, and Senator Orville Browning of Illinois, had him commissioned and posted at Quincy, Illinois. He was rather quickly dismissed as an obnoxious drunkard and relegated to positions of unimportance due to his incompetence in military matters.

He addressed his letter to John Basil Turchin, a Russian emigrant with prior military experience abroad who settled in Mattoon, Illinois, in 1858 and then landed a job as a topographical engineer with the Illinois Central Railroad. He came to this country with the surname, Turchaninov but when that proved to be too much of a mouthful for Americans to pronounce, he shortened it to Turchin.

Given his prior military training, his support of the Lincoln administration, and his abhorrence of slavery, Turchin offered his services to Gov. Yates of Illinois who immediately considered him suitable for a Colonel’s appointment to one of two regiments being formed at the time—the 19th or the 21st. At the same time that Turchin offered his services, so did Ulysses S. Grant and it is said that Yates offered the men of the 19th a choice of the two for their Colonel. They chose Turchin, and Grant was sent to command the 21st.

Turchin’s military experience proved extremely valuable in molding the civilian volunteers into a well-drilled military unit, instilling discipline, and esprit de corps. They were finally ordered from Camp Long near Chicago to Hurlbut’s command at Quincy on July 10th. On the 14th of July, they were sent across the river to relieve Grant’s men in the 21st Illinois who were guarding the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. A couple of the companies were strung out on the railroad line but six companies pitched their tents in Palmyra, the county seat of Marion county, some dozen miles northwest of Hannibal. Because they were ill-supplied with both arms, equipment, and provisions, with Turchin’s approval, the men of the 19th Illinois liberally requisitioned whatever they needed from the local citizens around Palmyra, most of whom they believed to be southern sympathizers. Citizens were so incensed by this outrage that they complained to Gen. Pope and other military leaders but Gen. Fremont—commander of the entire district, ignored their moaning.

This letter informs us that Turchin and his men soon feared they might be attacked by rebel citizenry around Palmyra and urgently requested arms to meet their needs though it appears nothing could be found but 53 “musketoons” already issued to Capt. Burnap’s company of the 1st Illinois Cavalry at Quincy. (A musketoon was a short-barreled musket which was better suited for cavalry than infantry.)

For those interested in reading more about John B. Turchin and the 19th Illinois Infantry, I highly recommend James A. Treichel’s graduate thesis prepared in 1962 entitled, “Union Cossack: General John B. Turchin’s Career in the American Civil War.”

Transcription

No. 23

Headquarters Brigade
Quincy, Illinois
July 17, 1861

Col. J. B. Turchin, 19th Regiment
Dear Sir,

I have just received a letter from Asst. Adjt. General Hardin at St. Louis Arsenal that there are no Minies at that Depot & consequently he cannot fill my requisition for your command.

I have telegraphed to Mr. [Orville H.] Browning, our Senator at Washington, and to Maj. General Fremont to push on as fast as possible. I shall write to Gen. Pope today at Springfield.

Capt. Williams of your regiment came in today and stating from your authority that the people of Palmyra were moving in expectation of attack & that the officers of the regiment anticipated one. [He] requested arms for his company.

I have given him an order for all I know of 53 State musketoons now in hands of Burnap’s Troop of Cavalry.

If the facts are as stated by him—that you have reason to apprehend attack—I should have known it formally. If it be true as he stated that artillery is in possession of citizens of Palmyra, unless they are true men beyond a doubt, they should be disarmed.

If these things are imaginations on his part, he should be advised not to bring such reports. I assure you every means in my power will be used to arm and equip your regiment. If any danger threatens you from any quarter, you will remember that there is not a disposable weapon controlled by the W. States on this side of the river.

Very truly yours, — S. A. Hurlbut, Brig. General

[Note: This letter was probably not in the handwriting of Hurlbut but prepared by an aide-de-camp. I have not checked his signature against known samples.]