Load and Fire: A Soldier's Story of the Civil War

By David Ekardt

This is the story of a young man of seventeen and his friends who lie about their age and join the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. They run away from home, are accepted into the army and go through the rigorous training. They survive a bitter winter in the mountains of Virginia, sleeping in below freezing weather in tents and sometimes in the open to awaken covered in snow. Their first battle is uphill after marching through a driving snowstorm. They fight a few more battles and are captured in a battle at Port Republic, Virginia. They survive months of near starvation in prison and parole camps before being reunited with their regiment. They go on to fight at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and on Lookout Mountain. After several more short battles above Atlanta, they reach the end of their three year enlistment. During that time, they marched almost 1,400 miles, traveled about 1,600 miles by train and several hundred miles by ship.
Although written as fiction, it does follow the real actions of the men of the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, known as the Cincinnati Regiment, and is full of actual facts of what soldiers endured during this conflict. Anyone who is a knowledgeable of the Civil War, or who is just a lover of good stories about our history will find this an excellent read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667854977

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Load and Fire

A Soldier’s Story of the Civil War

By David Ekardt

Copyright June 2022

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

print ISBN: 978-1-66785-496-0

ebook ISBN: 978-1-66785-497-7

Dedication

To the memory of Great Great Grandfather John Wendelin Knosp and the men of the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as the Cincinnati Regiment

Other Books by the Author

Brady’s Rangers Frontier Defenders

Taggert of the Marines

The U.S. Marines in the Second Creek

and Second Seminole Wars

A Marine’s Letters from Nicaragua of

Master Sergeant Thomas Grant Bruce

Full Disclosure

Preface

This book is a work of historical fiction. The story centers on my great-great grandfather, John Knosp. After writing four other books on other topics, my cousin John Knosp asked why I had not written one on our ancestor. I had already gathered a lot of information, such as his army records from the archives, unit history and unit roster, thinking of writing one about him one day, so here it is.

He enlisted in the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry at the age of 17 although he lied about his age and claimed to be 19. The characters in the story by full name in the regiment, are real people, others by first name only or characters such as guards, or enemy soldiers are fictitious. Their interactions and conversations are fictitious, although the overall story of the regiment’s actions were real.

The story follows all the actions of the 5th OVI and is as realistic as possible. Having been involved in Civil War Reenacting as a Marine of the Civil War, I learned what these men went through and how the men were trained and how they fought. Many factual anecdotes are from the several research sources that I used, including some firsthand accounts.

During the war, the 5th Ohio traveled over 1,400 miles marching, 1,600 miles by train, and some of the men racked up over 1,800 miles by ship (which included the round trip to New York).

The 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment became known as The Cincinnati Regiment as it was made up of men from Cincinnati. They were laborers, shop keepers, tradesmen, dock workers, students, lawyers and business men. The many local militia groups mentioned in the story were real, most of which were basically fraternal organizations. The motto of the Regiment, Boys Keep the Colors Up! was uttered by Captain Whitcom of Company E as he grabbed the colors from a dying color guardsman, shortly before he himself was shot down and killed.

Having been a Marine in Vietnam, I can relate to a lot of what they went through. I had two of my friends who had experienced several close up firefights to review and give suggestions to the battle portions of the book.

Those who are students of history or lovers of historical stories should find this a very good read. You’ll learn of the hardships of their training, the lack of sufficient gear, weapons and rations, the hardships of their first bitter winter in the mountains of Virginia, the combat, the months of near starvation in prison and parole camps and the boredom in camps between battles.

My thanks go out to the many people who gave assistance in research and reviewing, as this has been a collaborative effort, and especially to great-great-grandpa, John Wendelin Knosp for his service.

John Wendelin Knosp

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. A Decision

Chapter 2. Army Camp Life

Chapter 3. Into ‘Rebeldom’

Chapter 4. Boys, Keep The Colors Up!

Chapter 5. Lynchburg and Belle Isle Prisons

Chapter 6. Parole at Fort Delaware and Camp Parole

Chapter 7. Back to the Regiment, Back to the War

Chapter 8. Chancellorsville

Chapter 9. Gettysburg

Chapter 10. New York

Chapter 11. Chattanooga

Chapter 12. Winter Camp

Chapter 13. The Last Campaign

Chapter 14. Epilogue

Special Thanks

Bibliography

1

A Decision

April 15, 1861

John stretched out his arm, picked up a piece of wood and put it on the dying embers of the fire between him and Peter. He pulled his arm back under his blanket as the morning air was still chilly this April morning. The two friends had paddled their canoe across the Ohio River from Cincinnati to the Licking River and camped a few hundred yards from the junction of the two rivers. The fishing had been good the past two days and they were due to go back later this day. Peter was still sound asleep, snoring loudly.

John laid there watching as the trees started taking shape in the pre-dawn light. The two friends had been talking late into the night about the current political problems in the country and the possibility of war breaking out. They discussed joining the army if war came about although their parents were adamantly against getting involved. He thought back about his past eleven years in this country and how his family decided to come to America.

He remembered his early years growing up in Erlach, Baden, and his parents deciding to leave their country with other families. His father told him about the revolutions which had broken out in Baden, other German principalities, France and Italy in 1848. Although they were put down there was great animosity between the different groups and caused immense ill will in their community which his parents and others grew weary of and decided to make the move.

He was only six years old at the time and could still remember the awe he felt when they took the long train ride north to Bremen where they boarded a great ship, the Helene, along with nearly one hundred other men women and children, bound for a new life in America. They were crammed together in the steerage section of the ship, with very little privacy for almost seven weeks. He can still remember the stench of the bilge water, bodily odors and spilled slop buckets of vomit and the lazarettes which seemed to over whelm with the excrement of so many people. The crossing of the Atlantic in December 1849 was past the hurricane season, however they did encounter several smaller storms that made life miserable and very wet below decks for a few days at a time.

The families spent time socializing with other families, taking the opportunity to go on deck when allowed for brief periods, playing games of cards and dominoes, and singing and playing a collection of musical instruments. One of the women was a school teacher who could speak English so she tutored them in separate groups, the men in one, and the women in another group and the children in another. Not all participated however, John’s father insisted that they did since they would need to be able to converse in English even though a lot of the people where they were going still spoke almost all German.

The ship put into New York, and he can remember the doctor and inspector who came on board to inspect everyone for disease. They warned the new arrivals of the villainy rampant in the largest city he had ever seen. Fortunately the families that came together from Baden were headed to Cincinnati together and were able to gain passage on the Pennsylvania, Ohio Railroad trains right from the harbor in New York so they did not have to stay in the city.

The two day train trip was chilly and John was fascinated watching the new countryside go by as the train rumbled along. They had to make a few stops and change trains twice along the way. At one of their stops his father took him to see the engine and the engineer let him get up in the cab of the engine and even blow the whistle. Trains fascinated him then and still did. Every time that he could, he went to the local depot to look over the engines and talk with the crewmen.

The years since were filled with school, church, fishing and hunting when he was old enough. He had been working with his father the past two years at the John W. Gosling Carriage Manufacturers at Sixth and Sycamore streets. His father had been a carpenter in the old country and his skills fit well in the carriage building trade. John was hired out to paint the carriages and had become quite proficient painting intricate ornamental designs on them.

Although John and his brother and sister were christened in the Catholic Church in Renchen, a small town close to Erlach, his father had for years read many of Martin Luther’s pamphlets and catechism. There were no Lutheran churches close to them in Baden, so when they got settled in Cincinnati, they started attending the local Lutheran Church.

He reached out and put a couple more pieces of wood on the fire as the sunlight was starting to show through the trees. There was a low mist on the river a few yards away. He looked over to see Peter was finally stirring. Wake up Peter, it’s your turn to cook breakfast. He chided his friend.

Later it’s still too cold! he replied. Put some more wood on the fire so I can get the chill out of my bones!

John threw a few more pieces of wood on the fire and got a good blaze going, and then climbed out of his blanket. What should we have for breakfast, fish or fish? he chuckled. I’ll go down and get a couple off our stringer in the water while you warm up. He pulled on his shoes stood up and stretched.

He walked over to the water’s edge and climbed over the log there to where their stringer of fish was tied onto the stub of a branch on the log. To his surprise there was the biggest raccoon he had ever seen, happily chewing on one of their fish. Get out of here! he yelled as he picked up a rock and threw it at him. The raccoon reared up, hissed at him and waddled off defiantly.

What’s going on over there? called Peter. John walked back to the campfire holding their stringer of fish that now only held the heads and bones of what was left of the several fish that they had gutted and left in the cold water on the stringer.

It looks like we’ll have to settle for biscuits and coffee this morning. That was the biggest raccoon I have ever seen and he was not the least bit scared when I tried to chase him off. He walked away like he owned the woods. If he ate all these by himself, he won’t be moving very fast the rest of the day. Too bad we didn’t bring our shotguns, we could have made a fine meal out of him!

Yeah too bad, I haven’t had any coon meat in a long time. Peter remarked. Well we’ll just finish the last few biscuits and head home early. Herr Gosling will have plenty of things for us to do when we get back. It’s going to be tough on him if we do go to war. I’m sure he’ll get a lot of business building wagons for the war effort if it comes about. Do you think it will happen John?

I don’t see how it can be avoided, six states have seceded from the Union already. The Navy Yard in Pensacola, plus other federal forts and armories in those states seized and then Fort Sumter in Charleston being fired on the other day, old Lincoln will have to do something. John responded. You know, if it comes about we’ll have to go secretly and sign up before the folks find out, and lie about our age.

Did you ever talk to old McGregor? He joined the army when he was only sixteen to fight in the Mexican War and told me how he got in. He put a piece of paper with the number eighteen in both his shoes, so when he was asked how old he was, he said, Sir as I stand here, I am over eighteen!, so that’s what we will do! exclaimed Peter.

John laughed, Alright, let’s hope that trick works for us! Give me some more of that coffee and then let’s pack up and go home after this mist lifts off the river. I don’t relish the idea of getting run down by a steam boat when we get out on the Ohio.

The two finished their meager breakfast and slowly packed their gear into their canoe. They had built it themselves out of scrap wood that Mr. Gosling let them have. The mist was slow in rising so they paddled down river until they reached where the Licking flowed into the Ohio River. They beached the canoe and sat on the shore smoking their pipes waiting for the mist to rise as it was much heavier on the larger river.

The sound of an approaching steamboat and the blast of its whistle validated their decision to delay crossing the river as they surely would have collided with the ship. You know we could always join the Navy or Marines. John suggested.

No thanks! I can still remember the stench on the ship that we came across the Atlantic on when we were children! You couldn’t pay me enough to join them and spend years being tossed around the ocean in a foul smelling ship again! Peter responded.

John laughed and stood up. I can see the other side of the river now and the steamboats docked there. We should be able to get across now. The two friends got back into their craft and shoved off into the current of the river. They dug in with their paddles and made a quick passage across the river. They got out on the steep bank, and found their two-wheeled cradle on which they transported their canoe.

The two wheeled their canoe up the steep bank and headed for the carriage works where they kept the craft. The place was already a hive of activity as the workers were busy constructing two new wagons and a new carriage. Boys come over here, Mr. Gosling called. He and John’s father were talking over by the new carriage.

How was the fishing boys? Must not have been very good, you didn’t bring us any. The two older men laughed.

We caught quite a few actually, and ate our fill of them. We had an uninvited guest in camp this morning, a very large raccoon who must have spent all night eating the many large bass off of our stringer. So we had only a couple biscuits and coffee this morning. Peter replied.

Well you can go around the corner to the coffee shop and get a real breakfast, then get right back here and get to work. While you were across the river, news came in about the attack on Fort Sumter. The soldiers manning the fort were forced to surrender as they were overwhelmed by artillery fire from around Charleston Harbor. If we aren’t at war now, I don’t know how or why. A few of our workers have already left to join one of the local militias. The town was loud and overrun with men giving speeches and several of the local militia groups just forming up were signing men up to go to war if it happens. Mr. Gosling explained.

I hope you boys don’t get it into you heads to go joining up, going to war is not something that is to be taken lightly. John’s father added.

The boys looked at each other in disbelief. They left and went to the coffee shop and ordered some sausage, eggs and coffee. The other diners were all in loud discussions about the surrender at Sumter. The two ate, while perusing some of the local papers lying about the tables.

"All these papers, the Volksfreund, the Cincinnati Commercial , the Times, the Wahrheitsfreund, the Christian Herald, the Star in the West, all these newspapers are full of war talk and militias forming in the city!" exclaimed Peter.

Yes and listen to some of their names as listed here, The 11th Ward Home Guards, Captain Patrick’s Company of Highland Guards, The Guthrie Greys, The Rover Guards, the Literary Club has formed the Burnet Rifles, Herr Friedrich Schmidt is forming an all-German Company, even Miami University has formed the University Rifles! added John.

I’m sure we can get into one of these militias if war comes. My brother already told me he is signing up as soon as it happens. He said he would vouch for me if I wanted to go with him, and I’m sure he would do the same for you. Said Peter

I know I will have to sneak out to do this. I can hear Vater now, ‘Wendelin John Knosp you will not join the army, it’s verboten!’ John quipped.

We can go next weekend, tell them we’re going fishing again. Returned Peter.

A man at the table next to them stopped his conversation with the men at his table and turned to talk to the boys. Friends, it sounds like you would like to join in the coming fight. You look like stout, healthy young men. We are with the Cincinnati Highland Guards and are looking for good solid, dependable lads to join up. If you are interested we will be having a meeting here tonight. If interested show up and tell them you talked to me, Robert Kirkup. The man suggested.

Thank you Herr Kirkup, we will consider it, thanks for the offer. Peter replied.

Are you both of German background? You both speak pretty good English. Most of the men in our militia group are of Scottish extract, however we have German, and others in our unit. Or if you didn’t know there is an all-German unit forming up if you prefer. Kirkup added.

My family is from Switzerland and John’s family came from Baden. Peter replied.

Well consider my offer, you can find me here, I am usually here for breakfast every morning. Kirkup suggested.

The two boys thanked him, finished their breakfast and coffee, then folded the newspapers back up and stacked them on the table where they found them.

We’re going to be working late tonight to finish the carriage that we have been working on. Herr Gosling wants it finished today so the paint dries overnight so we probably won’t be done till late. Let’s think this over a day or two, to see what happens. We could look into the German militia, however there would be men there who know us and that we are not old enough, so we might do better going with Herr Kirkup’s unit. John suggested.

That would be our best bet. You don’t want to be stuck painting carriages all your life do you? This is our chance to get out, see the country and have an adventure while we’re young enough to enjoy it! I know you have the need for adventure, I see it in you when we go hunting fishing and canoeing on the river! Quipped Peter.

"Ya, I want to have adventure, and this is the perfect opportunity. I’m for it, let’s figure out how