Edward Borell - Letters From A Killed In Action Solider

Edward T Arnold 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company G

 “But the boys from the two companies of the 20th Ohio that were attached stayed strong and moved none. As the soldiers clashed they instantly became engaged in fierce, bloody, hand to hand combat. Without hesitation the two small companies fought gallantry against an enemy that outnumbered them now nearly 50 to 1.”

                                

Edward Thomas Arnold was born sometime in 1844 in Delaware County, Ohio. Prior to entering the service, his occupation was a tinner. A tinner was described as a person who made things out of or made repairs with thin metals like tin. 

Deciding he wanted a little more excitement than working with tin, on September 10, 1861, at only 20 years old, Edward would travel to Mount Vernon, Ohio and sign up to become a soldier in the Union Army. His description would show him at five foot, six and a half inches tall, with a light complexion, dark hair and eyes so dark they are actually listed as black. He would muster into Company G of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Camp Chase, located in Columbus,Ohio, on September 28, 1861. Here the new recruits would be given their uniforms, shoes, underclothes, stockings, knapsacks, haversacks and blankets. They would also undergo their physical examinations here. 

After leaving Camp Chase, the men of the 20th Ohio traveled by railroad to a location near Cincinnati called Camp Dennison. From here the men would march to Camp King which was 2 miles south of Covington, Kentucky. Here the men would learn drill and battle tactics that would transform Edward Arnold from a tinner to a Union Soldier. 

On November 19, 1861, Private Arnold would be ordered to recruiting duty back in Knox County, Ohio. He would keep up this roll until December 2, 1861.

On December 26, 1861, companies A and B departed Camp King on an expedition to Owen and Gatlin Counties in Kentucky (located roughly 35 miles southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio). Company D and Private Arnold’s Company G would leave to join their brothers in A and B companies(who had left just a few days before) on December 28, 1861. The area was known to be a rebel hotspot and the men were there as a show of Union force and to repress any Rebellious spirit in the area. While here the men of the 20th Ohio would capture a 6 pound cannon and numerous arms. They would also disband a confederate recruiting station and arrest 10 men, but they would not get to actively engage in battle here. Two of the companies returned to Camp King in early January and the other two companies would arrive back with the unit on February 11, 1862 which had now moved to the barracks in Cincinnati. 

Taking 26 wagons, two trips each they would eventually get their gear to the riverbanks and on February 11, 1862 the men of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry climbed aboard two steamboats named the “Emma Duncan” and the “Doctor Kane” and headed down The Ohio River. From here they split onto The Cumberland River. At roughly 4 p.m. on Valentines Day of 1862 they approached Fort Donelson and the men could hear the cannons and the other booming sounds of battle in the distance. They were ordered to spend the remainder of the day aboard their ships, docked at the shore right below Fort Donelson. Spending the remainder of the day undoubtedly talking about the horrors to come, the men would also each receive 40 cartridges for their rifles, finally filling their ammunition belt and increasing their standard load out to nearly 50 pounds. 

In the early morning hours of February 15, 1862 the boys of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry came ashore from their steamships and formed into columns of 4, prepared for battle. For the next 3 and a half hours, the snow crunched under the feet of the men as they marched 10 miles through a deep forest towards Fort Donelson. As they advanced towards the Fort, the men would pass Major-General Grant who was on horseback, on his way to speak with a colleague. 

As the men continued to march, the sounds of battle increased louder and louder. The men moved further, marching into the unknown. Out of nowhere the men would finally see some other Union faces when they came to an open wooded area on a hill, where several regiments were laying in rest. Further down on Wynns Ferry Road the men would hear musket fire increasing and were close enough to see smoke. The men were ordered to remove their heavy knapsacks and form a pile which were to be guarded by one man left behind. They then immediately reformed into columns and moved forward to a place of reserve behind the 8th Missouri Infantry. As they manned their position unsure what the battle would hold from them the fresh troops began to hear things sprinkling down from above the treetops. The pieces gradually increased in size until finally a large explosion appeared directly behind the men and they realized that the pieces raging in down upon them was shrapnel from rebel guns firing directly on them.

Wounded men would start pulling back to the position of the 20th Ohio from all directions. Some carried, some hanging off of stretchers and some even straggling back on their own wounded limbs. Some units were decimated to just 50 men in a single regiment. The men who were in reserve when the 20th Ohio arrived were called forward into battle and the boys of the 20th knew they were next. The word was spread around that the men could make fires to prepare coffee and lunch, many of the men would have hardtack and fat pork alongside their coffee. As the men were eating, the booming sounds stopped and the land engulfed in a strange calmness with even the tweeting of birds returning. As the men sat there they wondered what had happened and if the fighting was indeed done. 

But they were not that lucky, at 3:30 p.m. the roar of cannons and rifle fire started up again, increasing steadily, engulfing the wooded valley in booming sounds from all directions. Colonel Whittlesey ordered the men of the 20th Ohio to their feet. The men sprang up, forming their lines of battle and proceeded to load their rifles in anticipation of battle. They moved forward, taking up direct reserve positions to the regiment in front of them. As the men ahead of them started to advance, the 20th was just steps behind them. Dodging rifle, pistol and cannon fire, the boys followed to the sound of the Union Band towards the sounds of battle. As they neared closer, they would witness dead men who were scattered about the forest floor. 

As nightfall approached on February 15, 1862, the 20th Ohio was ordered to march slightly to the right, and to camp in the frozen battlefield. As the men huddled for warmth and to cook supper around the campfire; the men spoke of what they had seen already, and what they thought was to come. Osborn Oldroyd of Company E, 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, said that: 

“it is quite common to hear soldiers who have never seen the first fight say they are afraid they will never get any of the glories of this war. They never ‘spoil’ for the second fight, but get glory enough in the first to last them.”

The morning of February 16, 1862, the men of the 20th Ohio prepared to move out as the advanced regiment in the attacking column for the day, but as prepared for battle as they were, the orders to attack never came. As they were awaiting orders, a wave of cheer came across the Union men, as Fort Donelson was now in Union hands.

Upon victory, Major-General Grant ordered the men of the 20th Ohio to escort roughly 6,000 ( half of the total captured Confederates) rebel prisoners to various prisoner of war camps in the North. The prisoners were waiting at Dover Landing, Tennessee where they were loaded up on two steamships along with the men of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment headed back north. 

As they cruised through the town of Eddyville, Kentucky, the southern sympathizers, who were the captain and the crew of one of the boats, jerked their vessel towards the shore in an attempt to free the Rebel prisoners. A crowd gathered on the bank cheering for Jefferson Davis and cursing at  the Yankees on board. As the prisoners screamed towards their loved ones (the 8th Kentucky was local to the area of Eddyville, Ky) Captain McElroy of Company D approached the boat Captain, and pulling and putting his pistol to his skull, easily convinced him and his crew easily to change their minds. The rest of the trip would be relatively uneventful, the various companies would be split in order to transport their prisoners to such places as Columbus and Cincinnati in Ohio, Cairo and Camp Douglas in Illinois, and even away as Boston, Massachusetts. 

On March 12, 1862 the 20th Ohio (minus Companies A, F and I who had arrived back on March 4) disembarked in Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. The 20th Ohio (who now belonged to the 3rd Brigade) marched from Pittsburg Landing to Crump’s Landing, starting on March 23, 1862. Once arriving at Crump’s Landing, they would be assigned the duties of guarding the rear and flank of Grant’s Army, a position they would keep until being ordered to move to Purdy, Tennessee, on March 30, 1862. That night, they would camp in the open fields, waking in the morning to march to the small village of Adamsville, Tennessee, which was only around 5 miles away from Cump’s Landing. They would also make up camp here.

The next few days were relatively uneventful, but on the morning of April 6, 1862, on a Sunday nonetheless, the men of the 20th Ohio heard loud firing from the direction of Shiloh Church (nearly 6 miles away). The boys would do their normal morning inspections, and soon after be ordered to move out at a moment's notice, an order that did not come until around 3 in the afternoon (They were towards the rear of Lew Wallace’s Division). The men would leave their tents and unnecessary baggage back at the camp in Adamsville, and proceed to march directly towards the sounds of battle.

As they continued to advance, and just nearly a mile from Grant’s camps, the men heard a horse galloping, as they watched a Union Staff Officer approach and inform them that they were headed directly into Rebel territory. The men immediately turned and took an alternative route towards Pittsburg Landing. As the men marched in the rain and mud, they would finally  reach “Snake Creek Bridge” around 8 at night. Just over that bridge the 20th Ohio would take up their ordered position on Grant's right flank. The position the 20th Ohio now occupied was previously the camp of the 81st Ohio, which had since been abandoned, but most certainly still bore the scars of the battle. Dead Union men lay about the camp, and their close proximity to the Rebel’s positions meant that the men were forbidden from light fires as they might alert the enemy to their position. 

Having made it through the cold, uncomfortable night, the next dawn (April 7, 1862), the men of the 20th Ohio and the rest of the 3rd Brigade were formed into line and began moving forward towards Tilghman Branch Creek. As they moved forward, the Southern bullets flew above their Ohio heads. Passing through the creek, and directly into battle, the 3rd Brigade moved through Glover Field and into the wooded area that lay on the other side. While the Union boys took up positions behind a hill in the woods, they began to receive Confederate shell fire from an artillery battery that was roughly 800 yards away. As they began to receive shell fire, the men would hit the dirt, breaking and bending bayonets and sabers in the process. Colonel Whittlesey, who was with the boys in the field, ordered the men to “fix bayonets”. As they pushed evermore forwards into a zone known to history as “Jones Field” around 11 in the morning they looked forward and would see thousands upon thousands of both Union and Confederate troops in opposing lines commenced in battle ahead. Smoke and the sounds of battle filled the air.  

The men kept advancing, and around noon the 20th Ohio entered an area called “Crescent Field”. As they were advancing, three enlisted men and one officer from the 20th Ohio would be hit by stray confederate bullets. They jumped on a narrow, winding road to the right of the field and into a small wooded area, but the Confederates watched them and shot numerous rounds of artillery towards the 20th Ohio’s position. As the lead landed, the men advanced towards a fence bordering on the north side of “Ben Howell’s Field”, but once here, the Rebel artillery opened up again on the men. They laid on their bellies, trying to take whatever cover the land might provide them. The Rebel battery would fire roughly 10 rounds at the men this time, killing one comrade in Company B and wounding 10 others in the regiment. For some reason, most likely because they had no infantry attached to advance on the Union Troops, the Confederate Battery pulled back.

The action here would peter out around 4 in the afternoon on April 7, 1862. The 20th Ohio would advance to the opposite end of “Ben Howell’s Field” and set up camp. Later in the evening the men would go looking around the battlefield to “trade in” their heavy Harper’s Ferry rifles. Most of the men picked up Confederate Enfield rifles that scattered the ground. 

With the action done here, the 20th Ohio would take up the task of guarding military stores and roads for the next two months. On May 24, 1862 Private Arnold would be sent home on sick leave from Camp Shiloh. Many of the men here contracted Typhoid Fever. He would arrive back to serve with the men some time in July of 1862. When Private Arnold met back up with his unit they were located in the village of Grand Junction, Tennessee where they spent a couple of weeks guarding Union supplies (Salt pork and hardtack mainly).

On the 18th of August Private Arnold would be sent on a detailed service with a Captain Rogers. They would return on August 20, 1862. Not much is known about this expedition or Captain Rogers.

On August 29th, 1862 advanced Union cavalry troops encountered a group of Confederate Cavalry soldiers who were approaching the area of Middleburg, Tennessee. Two companies, K and G, (Private Arnold’s company) of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment were ordered forward to be attached to the 2nd Illinois Cavalry to help guard the lines. 

Guarding the line quickly turned into engaging with the enemy. Private Arnold’s Company G and the other Company F quickly advanced with the cavalry troops to a small wooded piece of ground located on the Van Buren road (roughly 5 and a half miles away from the town of Bolivar, Tennessee) where they started exchanging fire with the Rebel Troops. It was quickly discovered that for one reason or another, the number of enemy troops had been greatly underestimated. The Union commanders thought they were about to face between 300-400 foes, instead the number was closer to 6,000. Realizing this,in immediate order for additional reinforcements was created, but the camp being over 6 miles away meant that it would take several hours for them to reach the front. 

Although in a tough situation, the boys being outnumbered 20 to 1, the ground provided no cover for a retreat and it was a concern that they would be annihilated before reaching the safety of Union lines. With these options being weighed, it was decided that they would stay and fight, while waiting for reinforcements. Nearly 2 hours after the decision was made to receive reinforcements, the remainder of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and two field artillery pieces would arrive. In anticipation of a Rebel Cavalry charge, Company F and G of the 20th Ohio and the two Companies of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry were put on a defensive position on the left side of Van Buren Road. 

They would not get to completely set up in their new position before the expected charge came, but the men were ready. They immediately began firing at the Rebels riding towards them. Several shots hit men, knocking from their horses, and a couple hitting the horses themselves. The accurate and fierce fire of the 20th Ohio Infantry and 2nd Illinois Cavalry forced the Confederates to pull back some, leaving their men and horses on the battlefield where they fell. They would try their charge two more times, both times they would meet the same fate, from the rifle and pistol fire of the Union Troops. 

With this strategy unsuccessful, the rebels rushed down pass the fences and through the field that lay on the left of the 20th Ohio and then the 2nd Illinois Cavalry, in that order. The Rebels began to shoot their lead at the Union boys, while advancing on their horses at the same time. Colonel Hogg, who was commanding the unit of Illinois Cavalry, looked at the situation and then looked at Colonel Leggett from the 78th Ohio and said “Colonel Leggett, for God’s sake, don’t order me back.”. Col. Hogg was met with a reply of “Meet them with a charge Colonel, and may Heaven bless you.”. He looked at his men, ordered them to draw their sabers and yelled “Forward!”, as they started at the advancing Rebel Cavalry, Colonel Hogg screamed, “Give them cold steel, boys!”. Almost immediately Col. Hogg was hit with 9 pieces of Rebel lead, and falling dead on the battlefield the Cavalry troops pulled back a small distance. But the boys from the two companies of the 20th Ohio that were attached stayed strong and moved none. As the soldiers clashed they instantly became engaged in fierce, bloody, hand to hand combat. Without hesitation the two small companies fought gallantry against an enemy that outnumbered them now nearly 50 to 1. After some time of this type of fighting, the reinforcement soldiers of the various Union units finally began to show up. The advance line of the 20th and the 2nd Illinois Cavalry was ordered slightly back with the hopes that the Rebels would follow. As they pulled back, just slightly, their plan worked and the Rebels were now in range of the Union Artillery that had shown up to the rear. They began firing at the Reds and this caused them to spread out and start pulling back. 

Somehow Private Arnold was able to fight through the nearly 8 hour battle without a recorded wound to his physical body. He was one of the just 900 Union soldiers that would face off against the nearly 6,000 Confederates that showed up. 

On the 15th of September, 1862 the boys of the 20th would finally pack up and leave Bolivar, Tennessee. They would climb aboard railroad cars to head in the direction of General Grant who was assembling in Corinth, Mississippi. Upon arriving here they would be assigned as advanced guard troops, assigned to Major General Ord’s left flank located at Burnsville, Mississippi. Fast forward a couple days to September 18, 1862 and the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry were wading through swamplands, located east of Burnsville, when they ran into a group of Confederate Cavalry. The Union troops of the 20th Ohio started to receive fire from the Rebels, who quickly pulled back out of sight after harassing the Union boys. After a period of time, things calmed down some and they were ordered to set up camp nearby.

On October 5, 1862 the 20th Ohio Infantry Regiment would head out towards the area of Pocahontas, Tennessee in search of Confederates to fight. They were unsuccessful in their mission and moved back towards Bolivar. On October 26, 1862, Private Arnold would be transferred to the Divisisional Column, most likely as part of the Quartermasters. On November 4, 1862, the 20th Ohio would move to La Grange, Tennessee, in preparation for General Grant’s Central Mississippi Campaign. They would also be reorganized here and were reassigned to the 2nd Brigade of General John Logan’s Division. On November 12th, Private Arnold would be listed as belonging officially to the Divisional Quartermaster for detached service. 

On December 20, 1862, roughly 2,500 Confederate Cavalry Troops, under the lead of Major General Earl Van Dorn, rode into the Union supply base located at Holly Springs, and began attacking and raiding it. The previous night, Van Dorn had sent spies into Holly Springs using forged passports to scout the area. Here the Rebels found that the base was only manned by roughly 1,500 Union Troops. The spies returned and they split the force into two, planning to attack the depot from two separate roads. 

General Van Dorn was able to capture the entire Union Garrison by 8 a.m. on December 20, 1862, and Private Arnold was now officially a prisoner of war. After taking over the Union Troops, General Van Dorn posted his men at both sides of the town to prevent reinforcements from easily coming in. They also spent the next almost 10 hours burning and destroying supplies, homes, buinsuesses, communication lines and even railroad tracks. They also burnt a brand new Union Hospital containing 2,000 beds to the ground after trying unsuccessfully to make the sick and wounded men march.  

He would be released from being a prisoner of war on December 24, 1862, luckily just a couple of days after being captured. He must have immediately returned to service as he is listed as once again being at his “detached service” at the Division Headquarters, in the Quartermaster department. He would serve in this capacity throughout the final days of 1862 and the entirety of 1863. The 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry would see the following movements and engagements in 1863, undoubtedly with troops like Private Arnold supporting them:

Lafayette, Tennessee, January 14, 1863. 

Moved to Memphis, Tennessee, January 26

Moved to Lake Providence, Louisiana February 22, and duty there until April. 

Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25–30. 

Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi, May 1. 

Forty Hills and Hankinson's Ferry May 3–4. 

Battle of Raymond May 12 

Jackson May 14. 

Champion Hill May 16. 

Siege of Vicksburg May 18 to July 4.

Assaults on Vicksburg May 19–22. 

Surrender of Vicksburg July 4. 

Duty at Vicksburg until February 1864. 

Stevenson's Expedition to Monroe, Louisiana, August 20 – September 2, 1863. 

Expedition to Canton October 14–20. 

Bogue Chitto Creek October 17.

Duty at Vicksburg until February 1864. 

Private Arnold would be transferred to the Invalid Corps on January 28, 1864. Now assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 124th Company, Volunteer Reserve Corps, based in Columbus, Ohio, he would do similar work here as a clerk in the Quartermaster department. On September 24, 1864, Private Arnold’s enlistment term would expire and he would be formally discharged on September 28, 1864.