Opening Shots In Vicksburg

Early Civil War opening shots near Vicksburg, Mississippi on January 13^th 1861 were fired at the steamboat, the A O Tyler which was thought to be carrying Union related supplies.

On the evening of January 13^th 1861 the steamboat the A O Tyler was making a regular run down the Mississippi River between Cincinnati, Ohio and New Orleans, Louisiana with general cargo.  As the Tyler rounded a bend near Vicksburg and came opposite of Fort Hill, the Captain John Collier was surprised when he was fired on.  Collier didn’t understand that the shots fired into the water near his ship where an order to stop.

Shortly after this the A O Tyler made a routine stop at the port in Vicksburg.  It was here that Collier was given orders to turn his ship around and return up river to Fort Hill, to report to the officers in charge of the battery which had fired on his ship.  Collier tied the A O Tyler up at a small dock at Fort Hill, where he was met by uniformed Mississippi militia.  The militia stated that they were going to search the A O Tyler for weapons and armed soldiers.  None were found and Collier was allowed to proceed on his way.

The firing on the A O Tyler turned out to be the response to a rumor that a steamboat with 500 armed men, known as “Wideawakes” was on its way down the river with plans to attack Vicksburg.  The A O Tyler would just seven month latter become a Union gunboat when she was purchased and commissioned at the USS Tyler.

A Minor Setback

Rear Admiral David D Porter and Major General Ulysses S Grant were defeated on April 29^th 1863 at the Battle of Grand Gulf, although it was a minor setback on the way to Vicksburg.

Union Admiral David D Porter took seven ironclads up the river in an attack against the batteries at Grand Gulf, Mississippi.  The attention was to shut down the Confederate guns and secure the landing area for troops of Union Major General John A McClernand.  At about 8am the ironclads began the attack and continued to fire on the Confederate batteries until about 1:30 pm.  The ships silenced the guns of Fort Wad, but the upper Confederate batteries at Fort Cobun continued their return fire.  The Union ironclads drew off, but returned again after dark engaging the Confederate gun, and running the steamboat troop transports down the river past Grand Gulf.

Grant moved his men overland below Grand Gulf across Coffee Point.  The transport ships landed at Disharoon’s plantation just below Grand Gulf.  Grant’s men loaded onto the transport.  They disembarked on the Mississippi shore and began marching overland towards Port Gibson, Mississippi.

An Independent Battery

The 26^th Ohio Independent Battery, made up of men from the 32^nd Ohio Infantry, was organized as a distinct battery on December 22^nd 1863.

The battery was organized August 1861 as Company “F” of the 32^nd Ohio Infantry at Camp Dennison in Cincinnati, Ohio.  They were detached under the command of Captain Theobold D Yost; when they were captured at Harper's Ferry September 15^th 1862.  During the Vicksburg Campaign the unit was known as the Yost’s Independent Ohio Battery.  They were permanently detached from the 32^nd on December 22^nd 1863.

The men of the 26^th Ohio Battery mustered out of Union service on September 2^nd 1865 in Columbus, Ohio.  They lost 22 men during service all dying from disease.

Diseases Took There Toll

The 38^th Iowa was mustered in for three years of Union service November 4^th 1862, they were known as the Martyr Regiment.

The 38^th Iowa Infantry was recruited from Bremmer, Chickasaw, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties.  They received their initial training at Camp Franklin in Dubuque, Iowa and mustered into Union service on November 4^th 1862.  The Regiment moved on January 2^nd 1863 to Fort Thompson in New Madrid, Missouri where they performed garrison duty, until June 6^th 1863 when the men left for Vicksburg as part of Union Major General Francis Herron’s Division.

The 38^th arrived near Vicksburg on June 11^th 1863.  Union General Ulysses S Grant moved the Division to the southernmost part of his line to protect against Confederate Cavalry thought to be moving in from Yazoo City, Mississippi.  The 38^th crossed the river on June 14^th 1863 and went into camp at Warrenton, Mississippi.  The 38^th and 34^th Iowa Infantry consolidated on December 12^th 1864.  During the Battle of Fort Blakely in Alabama on April 9^th 1865; one of the last battles of the war, men from the old 38^th charged redoubt #4 loosing 1 man killed and 8 men wounded.

The 38^th had a total of 1037 men in its service.  Two men were killed, and 315 died from diseases.  The 38^th lost more men to sickness than any other Iowa Regiment during the war.

If you’re interested in reading more about this Regiment A Brief History of the 38th Iowa is a good web site.

A Family Afair

Union Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet who commanded the USS Queen of the West, died October 29^th 1863.

Charles Rivers Ellet was born June 1^st 1843 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the son of Charles and Elvira Augusta (Daniel) Ellet.  He was studying medicine at Georgetown University when the war started.

Ellet first served the Union as an Assistant Army Surgeon.  After his father started the Union Ram Fleet he got a transfer in the spring of 1862 to serve with his father.  Ellet received a promotion to Colonel on November 5^th 1862 and the command of the USS Queen of the West.  He had her on the Mississippi below Vicksburg in February 1863, and captured several Confederate riverboats on the Red River.  Ellet and the Queen came under heavy fire at Fort DeRussy and the ship was run aground.  Ellet’s next command was the ram the USS Switzerland, which was steamed, passed Vicksburg in March 1863.  He became the second in command of the Mississippi Marine Brigade and was with them when they fought on March 22^nd 1863 in the Battle of Miliken’s Bend.

Ellet became ill with typhoid and died at Bunker Hill, Illinois October 29^th 1863.  He is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Other Richmond

A part of the Siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of Richmond was fought June 15^th 1863 in Richmond, Louisiana.

Richmond, Louisiana was an important part of the Confederate supply line for Vicksburg, Mississippi.  After Union troops won battles at Milliken’s Bend and Young’s Point they were able to move against Richmond.  Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman ordered Brigadier General Joseph Mower’s brigade from the trenches around Vicksburg, and told him to coordinate an attack against Confederate forces in Richmond with Union Marine Brigadier General Alfred W Ellet.

The Union troops advanced on Richmond on June 15^th 1863 with Ellet’s men in the lead.    Confederate Major General John G Walker’s scouts learned of Ellet’s men movements.  Walker had line of skirmishers made up of the 18^th Texas Infantry; they stopped the initial Union forward movement.  The Confederate held their line until Mower came up with his infantry, formed in line of battle and opened with their artillery.  The battle continued until Mower’s men made it through a bayou and got on Walker’s flank.

Walker had gotten his supply wagons to safety, and finding himself outnumbered, he withdrew his men.  As they pulled out of the area, the Confederate destroyed the bridges.  The Union win at Richmond on June 15^th 1863 took away another supply route from the garrison at Vicksburg.

A Forlorn Hope

Union General Ulysses S Grant ordered an assault on the heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi on May 22^nd 1863.

On May 22^nd 1863 Union General Ulysses S Grant pulled together a plan to attack the Confederate held heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Grant was stretching Confederate Lieutenant General John C Pemberton's line of defense.   He called for volunteers, as there wasn't much hope for survival.  This mission of “forlorn hope” called for the building of a bridge across a ditch, then placing ladders to scale the embankment.

One hundred and fifty men volunteered.  They came under Confederate fire at once, and were trapped in the ditch.  Even though the Union made several attacks against the Confederates, they were unable to cover the volunteers so they could get back to safety.  Out of the 150 men who volunteered for the storming party only 79 survived.  They would all received the Medal of Honor.

Among the men who were awarded the Medal of Honor was Leonidas Mahlon Godley.  His citation tells the story.  “The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Leonidas Mahlon Godley, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 22 May 1863, while serving with Company E, 22d Iowa Infantry, in action at Vicksburg, Mississippi. First Sergeant Godley led his company in the assault on the enemy's works and gained the parapet, there receiving three very severe wounds. He lay all day in the sun, was taken prisoner, and had his leg amputated without anesthetics.”

A Brave Drummer Boy

Union Private Orion Perseus Howe one of the youngest Medal of Honor awardees, received the Medal for action on May 19^th 1863 as part of the Vicksburg Campaign.

Orion Perseus Howe was born in Portage County, Ohio December 29^th 1848 the son of William Harrison and Eliza Ann (Westland) Howe.  Following the death of his mother in 1852, the family moved to Waukegan, Illinois.

At the age of 12 Howe, along his younger brother Lyton Druett Howe joined the 55^th Illinois Infantry as musicians.  Their father was the regimental band leader.  During a battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi May 19^th 1863, Howe crossed the field under fire to report the need of ammo to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman on the behest of Colonel Oscar Malmborg.  Howe and several other men volunteered, and Howe although badly wounded was the only one to make it.  It was reported that “he ran through what seemed a hailstorm of canister and musket-balls, each throwing up its little puff of dust when it struck the dry hillside. Suddenly he dropped and hearts sank, but he had only tripped. Often he stumbled, sometimes he fell prostrate, but was quickly up again and he finally disappeared from us, limping over the summit and the 55th saw him no more for several months."

Howe reenlisted in the 55^th Illinois on December 25^th 1863.  He was discharged November 30^th 1864 as a Corporal having seen action in 14 battles.  General Sherman wrote about Howe to Union Secretary of State Edwin M Stanton and attained an appointment for him to the United State Naval Academy.  Howe didn't make it through the Academy, but did graduate from the New York University.  He settled in Springfield, Missouri, where he died January 27^th 1930.  He is buried in the Springfield National Cemetery.

Howe’s Medal of Honor reads, “A drummer boy, 14 years of age, and severely wounded and exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy, he persistently remained upon the field of battle until he had reported to Gen. W. T. Sherman the necessity of supplying cartridges for the use of troops under command of Colonel Malmborg.”

Sherman Ordered Town Destroyed

The Battle of Meridian was fought February 14^th through the 20^th 1864 in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, with Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman inflicting a great deal of damage to the town.

Following the Union victory at Vicksburg and the burning of the Mississippi state capital, Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman turned his forces east toward Meridian, Mississippi.  Meridian was home to a Confederate arsenal, prison of war camp, hospital and a railroad center.  The Union plan was to take Meridian and then move onto Selma and Mobile, Alabama.

About 20,000 Union troops under Sherman moved out from Vicksburg on February 3^rd 1864 and another 7,000 cavalry under Brigadier General William Sooy Smith left from Memphis, Tennessee traveling along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.  The two forces were supposed to meet at Meridian.

Confederate Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk merged his troops near Morton, Mississippi.   Sherman made some feints to keep Polk guessing about his real target.  Confederate Calvary under Major General Stephen D Lee skirmished with the Union troops as they moved toward Meridian.  When Polk realized that Sherman was moving on Meridian he evacuated on February 14^th 1864 falling back to Demopolis, Alabama, to launch an attack into the Union rear.

Smith didn’t make it to Meridian as he ran into Confederate troops led by Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest at West Point, Mississippi, and was forced to retreat into Tennessee.  Sherman’s army in Meridian didn’t know about Smith’s retreat and he waited in Meridian until February 20^th 1864.  Deciding at that point to move back to Vicksburg, Sherman ordered that Meridian be destroyed.  The Union troops burned and tore up 115 miles of track, 61 bridges, 20 trains, and 3 sawmills.  The Union troops left the city without any food, Sherman said that “Meridian with its depots, store-houses, arsenal, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists.”

Up The River

The USS Signal got underway January 4^th 1863 on an expedition to attack Fort Hindman.

The USS Signal was a small 190 ton steamship which the Navy outfitted as a gunboat.  There is no record of when she was commissioned, but it is known that the Signal was in operation October 22^nd 1862.  She departed on that date from Carondelet, Missouri as part of the campaign against Confederate held Vicksburg.  On November 29^th 1862 the Signal entered the Yazoo River on a reconnaissance expedition.  She was fired on from time to time by Confederates on the river bank, but returned that afternoon unscathed.

On January 4^th 1863 the Signal started on an expedition up the White River to attack Confederate held Fort Hindman.  After a three day long battle the Fort surrendered.  The Signal continued up the White River to make reconnaissance on Little Rock, Arkansas.  In February the Signal returned to the Yazoo where she probed until the fall of Vicksburg.

May As Well Lose Them Here

The opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign, the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou was fought December 26^th through the 29^th of 1862.

Union Major General Ulysses S Grant started a campaign in November 1862 to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.  He spilt his army of 70,000 men into two wings, commanding one himself and placing the other under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman.  Sherman wing was authorized as the XV Corps of the Army of the Tennessee on December 22^nd 1862.  He organized his troops into four divisions under Brigadier Generals George W Morgan, Andrew Jackson Smith, Morgan L Smith and Frederick Steele.  Sherman’s men disembarked on the Yazoo River at Johnson’s Plantation on December 24^th 1862

On December 26^th 1862 Sherman deployed three brigades to make a reconnaissance of the Confederate defenses around Chickasaw Bayou.  The ground was ruff and swampy.  They skirmished with Confederate Stephen D Lee’s men.

Sherman ordered an artillery attack on December 29^th 1862 to weaken Confederate defenses.  It went on for about four hour, but didn’t do much damage.  At about 11 am the Union troops deployed into lines of battle.  Sherman knew it was going to be hard fighting and said, "We will lose 5,000 men before we take Vicksburg, and may as well lose them here as anywhere else."

The assault started at noon.  Union troops crossed water barriers and other obstacles, moving forward against the Confederates by the force of sheer numbers.  Once they reached the main Confederate line and came under heavy fire the Union line began to crumble.  Sherman’s men fell back on a corduroy bridge.  Confederate General Lee made a counterattack, capturing a number of battle flags and 332 Union soldiers.

After another day of fighting Sherman decided fighting more in the same location would be pointless.  The Union saw 1,776 casualties.

The Other Minnesota Regiment

The 3^rd Minnesota was completely mustered into Union service November 14^th 1861 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

Mustered into the Union Army by companies at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between October 2^nd and November 14^th 1861, the 3^rd Minnesota was sent to Kentucky.  There the unit was placed on garrison duty in Kentucky and Tennessee.  Must of the men of the 3^rd were taken prisoner July 13^th 1862 by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  The men were paroled and sent to Benton Barracks in St Louis, Missouri to wait for exchange.  The official exchange took place August 27^th 1862, and the 3^rd was transferred back to Minnesota.  In it’s home state the men were used to suppress the September 1862 Dakota War.

The 3^rd was reorganized at Fort Snelling following the Dakota War, and they returned in January 1863 to garrison duty in Kentucky and Tennessee.  They were called to join the Siege of Vicksburg, and they participated in the capture of Little Rock, Arkansas on September 10^th 1863.  The 3^rd would remain in the city on garrison duty until April 28^th 1864.  The 3^rd took part in an expedition up the White River in Arkansas, which ended in the Battle of Fitzhugh’s Woods April 1^st 1864.

The 3^rd was discharged from military duty September 16^th 1865 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.  They lost 17 men who died in battle or of their wounds.  They also saw 279 soldiers die from disease.

Opened The Way

A part of the Vicksburg Campaign, the Battle of Port Gibson was fought May 1st 1863.


In the spring of 1863, General Ulysses S Grant started his Vicksburg Campaign by moving his army south from Milliken’s Bend. He planed to cross the Mississippi at Grand Gulf, but the Union ships weren’t able to silence the Confederate guns there. The Union troops marched further south and crossed the river on April 30th 1863 at Bruinsburg, Mississippi. Advancing along the Rodney Road on May 1st 1863 moving toward Port Gibson, Grant’s troops under Brigadier General Eugene A Carr ran into Confederates shortly after midnight near the Shaifer House. They skirmished until after 3 am when the Union soldiers advanced along a plantation road at dawn. The Confederates engaged a Union advance at 5:30 am bringing on the Battle of Port Gibson. The Union side pushed the Confederate soldiers back. Several times during the day the Confederates established new lines of defense, but they could not hold off Grant’s men. The Confederates found they could not defend their line on the Mississippi River and retreated to the Bayou Pierre bottoms. This left the way to Vicksburg open for Grant’s army.

For more about this battle look at Peter Joseph Osterhaus's official report

Lieutenant Commander

United States Naval officer Andrew Boyd Cummings was killed in action March 18th 1863.

Andrew Boyd Cummings was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 22nd 1830. While at the Naval Academy Cummings was appointed to midshipman April 1847. He left the Naval Academy the next year for active duty on the USS Brandywine, before returning to the school in 1852. Cummings was assigned to the steamer USS Fulton and promoted to the ranks of Master and Lieutenant September 1855. He joined the steam sloop the USS Richmond in 1859 as part of the her Mediterranean deployment until 1861.

Cummings served during the Civil War as part of Admiral David Farragut’s West Gulf Blockading Squadron. He served with distinction as Executive Office of the USS Richmond. They were part of the capture of New Orleans in April 1862. Commended for his performance, Cummings was promoted July 1862 to Lieutenant Commander. He was wounded in an attempt to pass the batteries at Vicksburg, Mississippi on March 14th 1863. Cummings died a few day later in New Orleans, Louisiana from those wounds March 18th 1863. He is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Quartermaster

Career United States Brigadier General Robert Allen was born March 15th 1811.

Robert Allen was born in West Point, Columbiana, Ohio March 15th 1811. After a public education, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1836. Allen was assigned to garrison duty in the 2nd United States Artillery. He saw his first combat at the Battle of Cerro Gordo during the Mexican  American War. Allen received a brevet to Major for his actions during this battle. Following the war he transferred to the Quartermaster’s Corps, and was asigned to be the chief quartermaster for the Department of the Pacific.

Allen was promoted to Colonel at the beginning of the Civil War and made the chief quartermaster of the Department of the Missouri. His abilities soon saw him promoted to chief quartermaster of the entire Mississippi Valley. Allen made his headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. He secured railcars from Northern railroads, ferried them across the Ohio River for use in transporting food and supplies to the Union army, using railways formerly held by the Confederates. His grasp of logistics ensured the Union Army was better fed and equipped then the Confederate Army. He was in charge of the supplies that went to General Ulysses Grant at Vicksburg, and Major General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta campaign. Allen was promoted the Brigadier General and ranked only under Quartermaster General Montgomery C Meigs. He received a brevet to Major General in March 1865.

Allen stayed in the Untied State Army following the end of the war. He retired in 1878. Allen was traveling in Europe when he died August 5th 1886. He is buried in the Chene - Bougeries Cemetery in Geneva, Switzerland.

A Fighting Lawyer

Union General Robert Brown Potter died February 19th 1887.


Robert Brown Potter was born July 16th 1829 in Schenectady, New York, the son of Alonzo Potter. He was a lawyer in New York City.

Potter enlisted at the beginning of the Civil War as a private in the New York militia. He was quickly promoted to lieutenant and then commissioned on October 14th 1861 to Major. Potter was wounded March 14th 1862 at the Battle of New Bern. He was in command of the 51st New York Volunteers at the Battle of Second Bull Run. As a Colonel Potter led the 51st in the Battle of Antietam, where he was wounded again. March 13th 1863 saw Potter commanding the Second Division of the IX Corps during the Siege of Vicksburg, and a new rank of Brigadier General. He was leading the Division during the Overland Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg were he was the only division commander at the Battle of the Crater. Potter was wounded again in the Battle of Fort Stedman April 2nd 1865, this wound keeping him out of the war until it ended.

With the war having ended and Potter recovered, he was given command of the Districts of Rhode Island and Connecticut which were parts of the Department of the East. Potter married September 20th 1865 to Abby Stevens. It was also on that day he received a promotion to Major General. He was mustered out of service on January 15th 1866. Potter spent the post war years as a receiver for the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. He lived in England from 1869, before returning the to states and settling in Rhode Island in 1873. Potter died February 19th 1887 in Newport, Rhode Island. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

If you would like more information about this subject check out Alonzo Potter Family Website

A Man Of Science And Ships

Union Rear Admiral Charles Henry Davis was born January 16th 1807.

Charles Henry Davis was born January 16th 1807 in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard and showed an interest in the science. He started as a Midshipman 1823 on the frigate the “United States” in the Pacific. From 1830 -1833 he served on the sloop the “Ontario”. Davis was promoted Lieutenant and was serving on the ship the “Independence”. He was part of the United States Coast Survey from 1846 to 1849. Davis was promoted to Commander in 1854 and given command of the “St Mary’s”.

When the Civil War started Davis was appointed in June 1861 to the Blockade Strategy Board. He received a promotion November 15th 1861 to Captain and placed in command of the Western Gunboat Flotilla. His ships fought in the Battle of Memphis June 6th 1862, and was part of the attack on Vicksburg, Mississippi along with Officer David G Farragut. In August Davis took his ships up the Yazoo river where they seized Confederate munitions and supplies. Following this he returned to Washington, DC where he was made chief of the Bureau of Navigation. Davis was promoted to Rear Admiral February 7th 1863.

After the war and until 1867 Davis was the Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. He was placed in command of the South Atlantic Squadron in 1867. Davis returned home in 1869 where he served at the Naval Observatory and on the Lighthouse Board. He died February 18th 1877 in Washington, DC and is buried in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

We Will Lose Thousands Of Men

On December 29th 1862 a frontal assault was fought as part of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.


Part of the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign, the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou or Battle of Walnut Hills was fought December 26th - 29th 1862. Three Union divisions under the command of Major General William Tecumseh Sherman disembarked at Johnson’s Plantation on the Yazoo River. A fourth division landed upstream. On December 27th 1862 the Union troops moved through the swamps toward Walnut Hills. Several attempts were made to get around these defenses on December 28th 1862.

Sherman ordered an artillery bombardment on the morning of December 29th 1862 of the Confederate defenses on Walnut Hills under the command of Lieutenant General John C Pemberton. After four hours of bombardment the Union infantry deployed in line. Sherman said at the time, "We will lose 5,000 men before we take Vicksburg, and may as well lose them here as anywhere else." At noon the Union troops moved forward. They crossed water barriers and carried the Confederate advance line by sheer numbers. When the Union soldiers came up against the main Confederate line they fell under heavy fire, and had to retreat back into the bayou. Sherman then ordered an attack against the center of the Confederate line on Chickasaw Bayou; the Indian Mound area defended by the men of Confederate General John Gregg. Five attempts were repulsed by the Confederates defending the Indian Mounds.

That night Sherman said he was "generally satisfied with the high spirit manifested" within his men, even though their attacks had failed. Sherman decided that further attacks on the Confederate position would be futile. The Union lost 1,776 killed, wounded or missing. Confederate casualties were 207.

He Served Through Out The War

Union Brigadier General Green Berry Raum a politician, author and lawyer died December 18th 1909.

Green Berry Raum was born December 3rd 1829 in Golconda, Illinois. He attended local schools, studied law and admitted to the bar in Illinois in 1853.

Raum enlisted in the Union Army when the Civil War started. He was a Major in the 56th Illinois Infantry, and was their Colonel by 1862. Serving under Major General William S Rosecrans during the Siege of Corinth, Raum ordered the charge on the Confederate left, capturing an artillery battery. They were part of the army at the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi in July 1863, and he led the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division of the XVII Corps at Chattanooga. Raum was wounded at the Battle of Missionary Ridge November 1863. In 1864 Raum’s brigade held the line of communication during the Atlanta Campaign. He received a brevet to Brigadier General in September 1864. He and his men were called in to reinforce Resaca, Georgia in October and held the town against Confederate General John Bell Hood. He served through to the end of the war.

Following the war Raum returned to his home in Illinois. In 1866 he secured the charter for the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad and became its first president. He ran for and served as a Congressmen for two terms. Raum was the United States Commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service from 1876 through 1883. He oversaw the Commission of Pension, rejecting or accepting Union Civil War pension application from 1889 to 1893. Raum spent the rest of his life practicing law in Chicago, Illinois. He died December 18th 1909, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Three Year Cavalry

The Union 5th Regiment of the Ohio Cavalry was mustered out on October 30th 1865.


Raised in seven southwestern Ohio counties the 5th Regiment Ohio Cavalry saw most its duty in the western theater with the Army of the Tennessee. The 5th Cavalry was a three year regiment formed under Colonel William H H Taylor. It was organized near Cincinnati Ohio at Camp Dick Corwin as the 2nd Ohio Cavalry between October 23rd and November 14th 1861. It became the 5th Ohio Cavalry in late November 1861. The 5th was sent to by boat down the Tennessee River in February 1862, and they took part in the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Corinth. In 1863 the 5th served as guard for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in support of Ulysses S Grant during the Siege of Vicksburg.

The 5th was attached to Major General Judson Kilpatrick’s command in 1864 and took part in Sherman’s March to the Sea. In early 1865 they were part of the campaigning in North and South Carolina. After the end of the Civil War the 5th remained on duty doing picket duty in North Carolina. The 5th was mustered out of service on October 30th 1865. During the war the regiment had 170 casualties.