Calvin Messerly (1845)

Calvin Messerly
 * At age 17, Calvin enlisted in Company K, Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry on 14 Sep 1861 and trained at Camp Dennison, OH. He was first assigned as a flag bearer.  Later he carried a gun rather than the colors.   At the rank of private, he died 2 years later at the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia where the Army of the Cumberland under Rosecrans was defeated with 18,000 casualties.  At the time of the battle, his chain of command was:
 * Army of the Cumberland under William Rosecrans
 * XIV Corps under Maj. General George Henry Thomas
 * 3rd division under Brig. Gen. John M. Brannan
 * Brigade 1 under Colonel John M. Connell
 * The Seventeenth Ohio regiment under Lt. Col Durbin Ward
 * Company K under Captains Kumler, or Clark, Lieutenant William Cook and Second Lieutenant Seth Collins

Shenanigans at Crab Orchard, Kentucky
Calvin was involved in procuring cherry bounce wine and molasses from a Kentucky warehouse. Others also had participated, but Calvin had the misfortune of being caught.


 * "In 1861 while we lay at Crab Orchard, KY in an old ware house, or hotel, the boys found two or three barrels of molasses and one of cherry bounce, in the cellar. Some made several trips for themselves and friends, to the cellar for wine and molasses and as they had to crawl through a window in the cellar to get to it, more or less molasses was spilled on the window sill, which daubed the boys up considerably. The owner of the wine and molasses complained to General Schoepf, commander of our brigade. While he was investigating the matter he saw Calvin Messerly, company K besmeared from head to foot. The German officer said to him. "Where you got dot molasses? Look me in the eye, you beeze a thief; you beeze a thief at home." then giving him a slap on the side of the head, put him in the guard house. He then gave orders for all Captains to have their companies fall in line and report to him all who took molasses or wine. Captain Stinchcomb, company B in a loud voice, commanded his company to fall in. The boys did not know what was up,but obeyed some of us having molasses on our whiskers and clothes. The Captain nearly laughing said," Company B, it has been reported to me that some boys in our regiment have been stealing cherry bounce and molasses out of the cellar below us and it is my duty to see if any of my boys have." He then commanded, "All you boys who stole any of that molasses or wine step two paces to the front." Not one stepped out. Then smiling he said, "That's right I'm glad none of my boys stole any. Go to your quarters. "

Battle of Chickamauga
Calvin died sometime during the defense of Thomas's right flank when Longstreet's attacked just as a quarter mile gap was created in the federal line.

The blunder occurred when division commander General Thomas J. Wood obediently followed a nonsensical command from Rosecrans. Rosecrans was known for micromanagement of units who 90 minutes earlier subjected General Wood to a severe reprimand in front of his staff for not following orders immediately. Rosecrans was under the impression that a unit to Wood's left was in motion to the right. Rosecrans' intent was to close what he thought would be a gap between Wood and the other unit (Reynolds). The order read:  Headquarters Department of the Cumberland September 20 - 10:45 a.m.
 * Brigadier General Wood, Commanding Division:


 * The general commanding directs that you close up on Reynolds as fast as possible, and support him.
 * Respectfully, etc.


 * Frank S. Bond, Major and Aide-de-Camp

In military language, "closing up" means to stay in line and close any gap. However, the second part means something quite different. A support position would be to move out of line to the rear of Reynolds.


 * "Starling gave the order to Wood, and as he was reading it, began to explain its intent, but Wood cut him off. Wood could clearly see that Brannan's division was still in position on his left, between he and Reynolds. He pointed out to Starling that there was no gap in the line to be filled. "Then there is no order", Starling told Wood. Yet this did not suite Wood. As will be recalled, Rosecrans had hotly berated Wood in front of his troops a short time before that morning for not obeying the order to come into line quickly enough after Negley was ordered to the north. Additionally, Rosecrans had sent a written rebuke across the wire for all to see, following Wood's part in a failed reconnaissance mission on Lookout Mountain some days before the battle. Being twice humiliated by the commanding general in front of his troops was enough for Wood. He snatched the order out of Starling's hand. The order was quite clear, he told Starling, and he would obey it at once. Wood expressed that he was glad Rosecrans had put it in writing, as it would be a good thing to have "…for future reference". Before placing it in his pocket notebook, it is believed that he held the order aloft and waved it around in front of his staff. He said "Gentlemen, I hold the fatal order of the day in my hand and would not part with it for five thousand dollars" (Cozzens, 1992) With that, incredibly and spitefully, Wood ordered his division out of line."

Although Wood could have verified the meaning of the instructions since Rosecrans was 5 minutes away, Woods decided instead to follow the orders creating maximum vulnerability at exactly the point where the Confederates would attack. Rosecrans fled the battle and did not return to assist Thomas in his stand at horseshoe ridge which averted destruction of the army. Rosecrans was quickly relieved by Grant in October. .

When rebel troops poured into the gap created by Wood, Colonel Connell ordered the Seventeenth to turn and face south towards the 44th Alabama brigade that was threatening his now unprotected right flank. Under the command of Col William F. Perry, the 44th Alabama caught the Seventeenth as it was in movement, and the Seventeenth broke when the rebels got within 75 yards of their line at Poe field. As reported in the History of Fairfield county, only Company B retreated in order. It then turned, gathered others of the 17th and charged. Calvin may have died during this action or later in the afternoon when the confederates attempted to dislodge the Thomas's forces from Horseshoe Ridge. Col. Ward was shot through the chest sometime during this battle, but one account has him in command of the Seventeenth on the afternoon of the 20th, so it is possible it was an afternoon rather than the morning battle in which Calvin died.

History of Fairfield County:
 * At the battle of Chickamauga the regiment was on the extreme right of the center, attached to the corps commanded by General Thomas. When General Wood's division was double- quick out of the line, the gap left exposed the right flank and front, causing it to lose heavily, and scattering the men in confusion. Company B, being the only one of the regiment that retreated in a body, was halted about three hundred yards from where they had been driven, gave three cheers, sounded the rally for the Seventeenth Ohio, gathered some two hundred of them together, and charged back on the enemy, but to little purpose, as the rebels outnumbered them ten to one. Falling back again, now only about one hundred strong, they held a given point, and fought throughout that memorable day, leaving the field with but fifty-two men. The loss of the Seventeenth in this battle in killed and wounded was over two hundred, not counting those with slight flesh wounds. This was the severest fight in which the regiment had participated. The gallant Captain Rickets fell dead in the early part of the fight, and Lieutenant Colonel Ward fell about the middle of the afternoon, on the front line, badly wounded.

From wikipedia article'' on the Battle of Chickamauga:
 * Thomas requested reinforcements, and Rosecrans began shifting units to react to the initial attacks on his flank. At about 11 a.m., General T.J. Wood was ordered to replace Brig. Gen. John Milton Brannan's division, which had been ordered to Thomas's aid. Brannan had not followed the order, however, after being attacked by Stewart's men; the order was poorly written and told Wood to close up and support Reynolds. Although he could not close up on him, he could move his men to a supporting position, which created a real gap that corps commander Alexander McCook was trying to fill when Longstreet's entire wing of the army attacked. They were able to exploit this gap and struck the columns of Union soldiers in their flanks as they moved. Longstreet had, however inadvertently, achieved another successful surprise assault, for which he had a well-deserved reputation in the war.


 * The Union troops in the gap began to retreat, carrying Rosecrans along with them, and McCook's and Crittenden's commands soon followed. By 1 p.m., Thomas was the sole commander left on the battlefield. He received word from Rosecrans to withdraw the troops to Rossville, Georgia, a few miles to the north in the direction of Chattanooga. But Thomas was too heavily engaged to move. He began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill. The Union Reserve Corps commander, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, who was north of the battlefield at MacAfee's Church, heard the firing to the south and, on his own initiative, sent Brig. Gen. James B. Steedman to support Thomas. Steedman arrived about 2:30 p.m., just in time to stop Longstreet's attempt to envelop Thomas's right flank. At about 4 p.m., Longstreet made one final effort but could not break the stubborn Union defense.

Burial
The Union army was in retreat in the face of overwhelming rebel strength, so it is doubtful that Calvin's body was recovered. The number of dead on both sides was staggering, and the few marked graves indicated by findagrave for Chickamauga Military Park are those of southern troops.


 * "Three months after the bloody fighting at Chickamauga, the obligation of providing a proper burial for the dead remained. The confederates were in possession of the of the ground for a month after the battle.  While the rebels went through the motions of burying the dead of both armies, it was generally felt that 'they had treated the Union dead in a most shameful manner... at the best but a slight covering of earth was given thre reamins of any.'  The federal government had done nothing more in the two months after the Confederate withdrawal to Dalton.  Nadine Turchin wrote in disgust in her diary,
 * "what is horrible to say and incredible to acknowledge is the fact that up to now no official steps have been taken for a decent burial for all these defenders of our country fallen on the battlefield. When the enemy occupied the land we denounced loudly and repeatedly through the press the inhumanity of the Confederates for letting dogs and pigs devour our dead.  Although the enemy was beaten and driven back thirty miles a month ago, we have not yet thought to bury the remains of our poor soldiers... Horribly unbelievable but true.'
 * "The Army of the Cumberland sent a detail from every regiment to collect and bury the remains. They proceeded on December 16.  General Turchin and his staff accompanied the burial details.  Turchin upon returning told his wife, "Many corpses are no more than bones".  Men of the Eleventh Ohio reported finding 'many arms and feet protruding above ground, and parts of bodies half burned.'"