Permit
me to say a word in regard to the “Old Home Paper” of which
I have become a recent subscriber. For a good, clean, county paper it
cannot be excelled, giving all the county news in a brief way that makes
it very interesting. While I am not acquainted very much in the “backwoods” district,
yet I see many old familiar names of long ago when I lived in Gallipolis
during the Civil War, and where I enlisted in Company G, 195th O.V.I.
Almost the entire company was from Gallia County. Andrew
J. Beardsley was our first sergeant, and he was dandy to we boys from your city. Most
of us being under 18 years of age we made it “warm” for the older
ones from the country district. I often see the names of Halfhill, Hawley,
Needham, Sheets (four of them in the company) and many others that bring back
memories of 65 years ago. Ben Rutherford of Cheshire was our captain, John
Porter first lieutenant. I think in later years he was elected sheriff of
Mason County, W.V. I do not think they made a mistake in electing him, for
he was not afraid of man, beast or that old fellow who is super-intendent of
the place that Gen. Sherman said war was.
Fifty-five years ago this 4th of July we were in camp
near a big woods near Winchester, Va., and a few days later we started for Washington,
D.C., then to Alexandria, Va., and Bull Run and the Manassas Valley. So far as
I can find out there are but few of the old comrades living. A few more
years and all will have answered the last roll call. They are not dead,
but gone to bask in the smiles of a loving Heavenly Father, and to be with those
who have served their country and loved their God.
I appreciate more than I can tell you the fine letter
from Rev. Samuel Denney. I have wondered if he is a son of John Denney,
I believe a city officer during the war and a great old shouting Methodist, a
companion of the venerable Lud Langley. No one went to sleep when they were
at meeting.
I wish your Crown City correspondent would hunt up some
more “wall paper” newspapers. My, how interesting it was, and
what made it more so many old Gallia and Meigs County boys were with Gen. Grant
and the old Fourth Virginia regiment was there and “helped to catch the
rabbit.” Let us all thank God that now there is no North, no South,
no East, no West, but united we stand and divided we fall.
Robert Haley,
320 N.Western Ave.
Springfield, Ohio
Submitted by Linda Halley Criner |