Civil War Memoir's of William Henry Barner

This is written exactly as I found it in my great-grandfathers Diary. I have corrected some grammar to make it easier to read, and have filled in a few words that I knew to be what was there.

Other than that ,these are William Henry Barner's Memoirs of his experience during the Civil War.

Memoranda of 1864 - 1865

By William Henry Barner

WH Barner was taken from home on Saturday March 12^th by Longstreet's men to the courthouse in Sneedville.

There kept under guard till Monday Morn, March 14. Then the command of all the conscripts being about 20 left for Bulls Gap. Major Cary being in command. Camped first night at an old saw mill on the branch above where Dr. Farmer now owns arrived at Bull’s Gap.

Tues. March 15 went to Greenville same night on train. Single Box. Put in Court House there under Guard till Thurs March 17. While there was assigned and sworn into Co. D 7^th Regt Tenn. Inft Lt. Col. Shepard commanding __________ Regt Lieut. Geo Martin commanding Co D in Archer’s Brigade, A. F. Hills Corps. Heaths Division Army of Northern Virginia. Gen. Robert E. Lee Commanding.

Left Greenville Fri 18^th and went on train to Bristol TN and put in the guard house.

Sat March 19 left Bristol and arrived at Richmond.

Sunday March 20 – in soldiers home.

Monday March 21 arrived ______ Orange Court House put in guard house there about an hour ____________ then was sent on foot to said________which was near army in w____ quarters was drilled every day until Thurs May 5 at which _____(time?) the army moved to fight Grant at Spottsylvania Court House. Known as the Wilderness fight.

Myself and a man by the name of Childres of my Company left that evening about dusk to scout our way home.

Childres lived in Sulivain Co. TN and was a conscript & both Union men. We got back about Midnight to our camping place that we left that day and hunting around we found some half canteens and some corn dough from which we baked our haversacks full of bread and struck out across the rail road in a westwards direction and in the woods. _________ of a night and ______ day time our only chance to get something to eat was to watch the Negroes while at work in the fields an get them to come to us after dark at a certain place with something to east which the invariably done, and no disappointment. We wandered ______ of a night not traveling much in the roads, until Thurs May 12 at ____ch time through carbsniss(sp) we got __________ Road that followed a creek, & _________ing up some in broad say ________out moon we ran upon two _________ipt Officers that was fishing __________ creek they took us in. We _______ at the ford of the Blue ___ and in a mile of Brown’s Gap at which place we armed to cross said Ridge, then men who arrested us was by that name Brown they taken us up to this house and gave us our dinner and then sent us down the same day to a rail road station and was just on the train and sent to a prison in Charlottesville Virginia.

While there I with several other to help cut through 3 pine plank in two places between the sleepers for the purpose of going out several did go out that night, my partner Childres being one of the number. I aimed to go out but gave it out thinking that I would be recaptured. That was the last time that I ever saw Childers.

On Thurs May 19, I was taken out of said prison and put on the train and sent a considerable distance and put in a guard house at Guineas Station, VA there I saw a good many of Lee’s wagon trains falling back towards Richmond. I was not there more than an hour or (two) until I was put on the train ______ sent the same day to Castle Thunder in Richmond one of the worst prison pens in the

Confederacy, where men sti___ death and died with all kinds_________ chronic diarrhea. Scorlutis and kindred diseases which we all had with few exceptions and hundreds died there by means of starvation which was the primary cause. We had doctors there who would administer medicine to the sick and if very seriously ill would send them to the prison hospital for medical treatment, which was near said prison. I was sent there twice during my stay in Castle Thunder and when well or better was sent back to the Castle, there was a great many Union men in said prison, some was sent there for deserting, others for refusing to bear arms in support of the confederacy & I was classed as a deserter which was true and all our thoughts was centered on the best way as to how to get out of the horrible place. And an escape from there was almost impossible as the prison was guarded by armed soldiers and every door and window and plank _____ks made all around the house______the grounds at every row of windows on which the guards ______their beat. While in there peititioned Jeff Davis twice _________ if he would turn us out that ___would go in the front row of any battle that was to be fought, but we got no answer form him whatever, finally we had all agreed on a plan to get out. That was when Childers opened the door to bring our dinner that we would all make or brake to the door wrench the guns out of the guards hands knock them down and run out. The plan was not put into execution by us as others before us had tried the same plan unsuccessfully. Childers, the keeper of the prison was a very ambitious, crabby and ill natured man and had no mercy or good feeling for a prisoner and consequently the prisoners did not like him & would have killed him if they had had an opportunity. During my stay in said prison. Every few days & sometimes of night a man or men would come to the door with a long list of names and call for a half an hour at the time. Those that answered to the call was taken out and what was done with them I cannot say. As to my name it was never called while there. Although I was very anxious to hear it. I wanted to get out of ha _________ rible place for I could not possibly get to any place _______that. My name was not called until the last time that I was in the prison hospital which was in the latter part of July. I was then called late after dark but was physically unable to go out. I remained in said Hospital until Sunday, July 31 at which time I was sent back to Castle as I went down the stairs I seen an officer at the foot of same with some large books laying on a stand I went to him and said that my name had been called a few nights previous and I called to know of him that cause, he asked me my name, company and regiment, when I told him he gave me instructions in writing, directing me to _____ and it to the door keeper of the prison when I went in I done se the man looked at it and told me that I could go out that evening which I did & was guarded to the soldiers home where I stayed till ___ning having been in said prison form the 19^th day of May till Sunday July 31, 1864. Total 73 days.

On Monday, August 1^st was put on the train and sent under guard _____command which at that time _________in front of Petersburg VA. I ___there the same day being a distance of 22 miles south of Richmond. When I got there my officers looked somewhat soured at me but I said nothing out of the way and I was kept under guard a few days after my return to the Command Lieut. Jas. Martin handed my a piece of writing charging me with desertion which would be investigated at the next Court Martial, I was satisfied that I would be shot if I waited the action of a court martial in my case so I made it convenient to go to Lieut. Col. Shepards Head Quarters late one evening who was the only man of my regiment was a member of the court martial. I told him a long plausible story as how I happed to get separated from my command, and in which I made a great many false statements that he was unable to detect and by so doing after hearing my story he directed me to go back to my command that he would not bring my case before the court martial, at that time Lee____ fell back from the Wilderness Fight to Petersburg and ent_____ his army around said pla___ and Richmond also. Grant entrenched his army in _______rear of Lee and in sight and near Lee’s line of breast works the two armies remained in that condition for a long time. Sharp shooting and shelling each other every day and night. The confederates went in the breast works by Regiments, and remained in for two or three weeks. Then came out to the rear and an other Regiment would go into supply the place of the one that come out. The going in and out all had to be done after dark in order to keep the yanks from seeing them, and who would shell them if see or at the lease noise if unseen. My regiment went in for four days after my return to the army. I was with them and we had to slip in after dark and make no noise. We could nearly feel the wind produced by the bullets of the yanks sharp shooters as we went in, the shooing was kept up day and night and occasionally killed a Reb the artillery of both armies was ____ly all the time shelling each ______ but the shells generally ____ over us doing but little ____age.

We stayed in said works till about the 20^th of August and was then relieved by an other Regiment. I was sick the next morning after I came out of the Breast works and was laying down. My officer come to me to go into a fight on the Weldon Rail Road. I told him that I was sick and could not go he then sent a doctor to examine me and the Doctor had me sent to the field hospital a short distance off when I got there the doctors had me sent on a train from there to the Chimboraza(?) Hospital situated in the lower end of Richmond.

This was about from the 20^th to the 25^th of August 1864. And is the only date that I do not remember to a day.

I remained in said Hospital until Saturday Oct the 1^st at which time I was able for duty and I with all others which was 800 or a 1000 men, was taken out and formed a new Battalions and New Officers and sent out to the Rebel Breast works in support to their batterus, which was south east and near Richmond when the Federal Cavalry was ma___ a demonstration by throwing ___shells over the edge of town ___rained all day and I got the doctor who waited on ____ward that I was in at said hospital was by the name of Brown or Brownig which I do not now remember, he found out that I was a good scribe and had me sent for at another ward to help make out payrolls for the army. I pleased them so well with my work that afterwards they offered me a position in the medical department worth a $1000 a year to me, which I refused to accept, as I did not intend to stay with them much longer. While I was in said Hospital I drew $40 in confederate money as pay for my service which I either lost or I stolen from me before I spent any part of it. Returning back to my subject, I will say that when we got to the breast works above named , the Federal Cavalry had all gone back to and there was nothing to do the next morning being Sunday. All the citizens in the vicinity where we were stationed ___dome to the officers to get them to __tail 5 or 6 men to each family for the purpose of guarding their houses, ____cribs and stock and proposed ____ the guards while the army ___close to them. Their request was ___ted and the men selected to go to ___arious places as guards. I was ___at went and I heard good family, as long as I stayed which was but a few days.

On Friday the 7^th of October the command moved south about 6 miles to a place known as fort Gilmore, near Drewrys Bluff, the said fort had originally been held by the Federals but in a recent battle in which Ben Butler’s Negro troops was engaged. The Rebs was too hard for Butler, and he fell back leaving said fort in the possession of the Rebs. We got to said Fort late in the evening on the above named and went inside of the stockade. The yanks still held their line of Breast works about 3 miles west of said fort, which we could readily see from our fort. The yanks would shoot shells in our fort and bounce outside before they exploded. The Rebs had artillery planted on top of the fort and would shoot back at the yanks until night set in. when I got to the fort on the day stated. I soon learned that the woods was full of yanks south of said fort. I could hear them chop wood, laugh and holler, and seen one or two ____ the evening stated, and it too______ heavy picket to protect each one _____ armies. The officers of my comp. D never put me on any other _____ on picket while we were with our officers at said fort were____ strangers to me, and me to them.

So on Sunday evening October the 9^th, the orderly came to me and most of the others, to go picket that night we all obeyed the summons and went out about dark. The picket posts was between the fort and the woods what the yanks was in, and the first two was put to the out post about dark and was relieved by two others every two hours, any two could go when called on, so about midnight when call was made for two more I got up and said that I and this man would go pointing to John Farmer of my regiment whom I knew to be a union man and also a conscript. Said Farmer, myself & the officer all went back leaving us on picket after they was out of hearing I said to Farmer that I was going to the yanks, he said that I went that he would also go. So we then struck out across an old field the direction of where we thought ____yanks to be. Each of us throwing _____our guns & 40 rounds of car-____ in the old field, we went on _____ we got to he fence next to the ____ds and lay there under some ____trees till day light then ___ted through the woods & soon come to the yank pickets who were shielded behind a blockade of split timber set in the ground endwise. When the pickets seen us we was hailed by them and we gave them a friendly answer & they said to come on and we did so they shook hands with us and treated us very kind. They taken us to their quarters and gave us breakfast, after which we were taken to all their officers head quarters from Captains up to General Ben Butlers who was known during the war as Beast Butler he had us brought in separate before him and questioned as to the situation & number of the Rebs & when was all together there seemed to be 20__ men all starting under guard to City Point late in the evening October 10 which was Monday.

There was piles of everything to eat. There in the line of army supplies and we all got what we could eat for the first time during our army service. Lee’s army had been on rat____all the time that we had b___ with it. The next morning I ____what seemed to be about a ____ment of Rebel deserters coming into City Point, Officers & ____.

On Wednesday October the 12^th we all left City Point under guard for Washington, DC in a steam ship going down the James River to the Ocean, then up the Chesapeake Bay to Washington, arriving there on Thursday October the 13.

We were quartered in the soldiers home, this was the last guarding that we had, the Provost Martial there had us all brought in before him separate who inquired where we wanted to go. & said that he would give us free transportation to any place in the federal lines. Myself and Farmer got ours to Cincinnati, Ohio, and left Washington DC on the train on Friday Evening October the 14, going east to the Ricly Houses(?) in of miles of Baltimore, MD where the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road turned to the left by the way of Harper’s Ferry, Martinsburg and the Cheat River Country to Bell Air a Rail road station on the Ohio river 4 miles below __ieling Virginia. Where we arrived ___nday evening October the 15^th and over there till Monday going up __wheeling to draw hard tac _______the Cheat River country is the ___best that I ever saw the high ___ mountains & hills are there & __country nearly uninhabited that region abounds in stone coal, which is layers on the top of each other to height of 100 ft seemingly and is on the surface of the earth, visible. There are 11 tunnels on said road one of them being 1 mile long. The Baltimore & Ohio road is one of the best in the US being double tracked all the way.

On Monday morning October the 17 we left Bell Air for Cincinnati, a distance of 360 miles arriving at said place the same day about sun down. We was hunted up there by the sisters of charity who had us conducted to a private house in said City where we were well cared for free of any charge. I remained there about a week taken the Chronic diarrhea and was sent to the City Hospital for medical treatment. Farmer said that he would go to the country and get work that was the last time that I ever saw him. I got well and was discharged from said hospital on Wednesday November 16.

Went to the authorities and taken the oath of allegiance, got free transportation to Louisville, KY. Started ____ bout 610 miles and arrive there the next day Nov 17 Thurs. Went to soldiers home there and ___ed until Thursday December _____ at which time I got transportation to go to Indianapolis Indiana.

Arrived there Fri _____day of December 2^nd went to the soldiers home there and stayed until Sunday December the 4^th at which time I left said place on foot going back south. I stayed that night at a house on the side of the road, next morning Monday I started on the road and arrived at W. W. Wilson’s, where I hired to work on his mill and help tend it.

I left there Sunday Morning December the 18^th being extremely cold, I walked to the Bloomington Rail Road, got on that day and went to Salem, Indiana arriving there about midnight. Went to a first class hotel got a good bed, no supper, breakfast next morning and paid the keeper $2.25, the highest bill I ever paid anywhere.

On Monday morning Dec 19 I left and went to my Uncle Philip Loughmiller's the same day Being just a few miles north of Salem ____r place of residence being Bradford. I stayed there a few days and then wen to Greenville and stayed at Alex Loughmillers. Then to John and George Loughmillers. I then went & hired ___by the name of Hoglan___his house for him. I stayed a good deal with Trigg Darnell who was George Loughmiller's father in law. He lived at Hancock Harrison Co Ind.,

I went to New Albany Ind. and bought a lot of varnish and went through the Country varnishing. By which I made enough of money to come home on.

So on Friday the 16^th day of June 1865. I left Greenville and crossed the Ohio river at New Albany Ind. and come to Louisville, KY on the street cars and taken the train there to come home by the way of Nashville, Chattanooga , & Knoxville, TN getting off of the train at Morristown, TN and walking to Bean’s station, where my family was, by noon on Sunday June the 18^th 1865.

The men who was taken off when I was are as follows :

Wm Rabeck, dead

Jesse Farchilds, dead

Abe Winkler, dead

Nichols Baldwin, dead

Uriah Gibson, dead

Jesse Gibson, dead

Thomas Gibson, dead

Milam Bowlen, dead

Sterling Rhea, alive

Arsterd Collins, dead

WH Barner, alive