Adams County, Ohio Military History
Civil War: Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery
Second Independent Battery
The roster of the organization will be found on page 659 of Vol. 10, of the roster of the Ohio soldiers, published under the authority of the state. This battery was organized for the shortest term of service of any military organization which ever went out of Adams County, and it has been said that the rebellion could not have been put down had not it been for the assistance of this battery in the service. It was made up largely of citizens past military age and some who had seen soldiers' life before. The company was mustered into service on 17 Oct 1864 for a period of sixty days and they were mustered out on 19 Dec 1864, having served sixty-three days.
The original commissioned officers of the company were Samuel M. Espy, captain, of Ripley OH; James Tripp, first lieutenant, of Jackson OH; James H. Bradford, first lieutenant, of West Union OH; George H. Darling, second lieutenant, from West Union OH; and William S. Beasley, second lieutenant, of Ripley OH.
Those of the company from West Union or from Adams County, are as follows: Joseph Hayslip, James Moore, Jacob M. Wells, William Allen, John Naylor, John A. Cockerill, Casper Disser, Robert Baldridge, Samuel Beasley Handy C. Burbage, Samuel Burwell, Gabriel Crawford, Edward P. Evans, Wilson Hayslip, John Holmes, John A. Hood, Joshua B. Hook, George N. Hagenback, Joseph Lafferty, Robert Leach, Arthur L. Lloyd, Jesse A. Osborne, Addison Postlewait, Richard S. Postlewait, George W. Siberal, Levi Smith and Henry Wilson.
The battery left West Union and went to Cincinnati and from there to Sandusky and from Sandusky it went to Johnson's Island and guarded the Rebel prisoners, officers of the Confederate army, placed on the Island, until about 01 Dec, when it went to Cleveland and was there about twenty-five days. At Johnson's Island, it relieved the Eighth Independent Battery. There were no casualties in the service, but the weather was very severe while they were stationed at Johnson's Island, and being from Southern Ohio and unaccustomed to the climate near the lake, some of them came near freezing to death.
From A HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO
from its earliest settlement to the present time including character sketches of the prominent persons identified with the first century of the county's growth and containing numerous engravings and illustrations
Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers [1900, West Union OH]