Rickvox79, Civil War Ancestry

This is a wonderful thread. You have surely done a lot of research on your family. I know it has to make you feel good to have this information. The search for family is a never ending quest but when you find different ones, it is so rewarding. at least this is way I feel.
 
This is a wonderful thread. You have surely done a lot of research on your family. I know it has to make you feel good to have this information. The search for family is a never ending quest but when you find different ones, it is so rewarding. at least this is way I feel.

Thanks Donna. Yes, it is extremely rewarding to find more information about my family. When I find a relative that served during the Civil War or Revolutionary War it almost feels like I hit the jackpot. Now if only I can find more pictures of these relatives! But in my search for more Civil War relatives, I have found even more about my family that my parents and even grandparents didn't know. I hope to be able to pass down this information to my kids, their kids and beyond. The internet has its good and bad, but in the case of family research it has been a blessing for sure.
 
. It was from the high cliff on the east or Virginia side of the road that the rebel general tumbled the cannon off when he was compelled to surrender to our forces, coming upon him from both directions. They all lie in the road a mass of metal and rubbish, except a sixty-four pounder, a fine brass gun which ledged on a shelf about a hundred feet from the summit and which will be there perhaps for centuries.

Lets get out our metal detectors and go search for that cannon!!

Great letters.
 
I posted this on the general forum but thought I'd copy it here since it has family ancestor ties to the story.


I thought I'd post this small Civil War story because it has a local tie to me and from what I found out just last Friday a personal tie as well. Forgive me, it's kinda of lengthy for a small Civil War story but I thought I'd share it with the forum. Unless you live near NW Florida, most of you probably only know Baghdad, Iraq and not Bagdad, Florida. It's a small community close to Milton, Florida about 15-20 minutes from Pensacola. If you keep up with any golf at all you have probably heard of their most famous former citizen golfer Bubba Watson. I lived in Milton until I was 10 but the school district zone where I lived was for Bagdad Elementary, so I actually went to school there and was in the same class as Bubba until we moved 30 minutes away after my 4th grade year.

Before and after the Civil War, Bagdad was known for its lumber mills. During the Civil War many were burned down by retreating Confederate soldiers or occupied by Union troops when they took over the area. After the war the business boomed again and the town even rivaled Pensacola in terms of business and commerce. Times changed though and by 1939 the last lumber mill closed and many people from that area moved to Alabama or into Pensacola. My great-grandfather was one of those that was affected. He moved to Pensacola after the lumber mills closed down and many in the area lost their jobs.

Ok getting back to the Civil War aspect of this tale! There is a house in Bagdad known as the Thompson House.
Expired Image Removed

It was built in 1847 by Benjamin Woodson Thompson. The house is close to Bagdad Elementary School so when I was probably 8 or 9 we walked to it on a field trip. In the 1970's the new owner's of the home were scrubbing the old paint across the walls when they stumbled across graffiti left by Civil War soldiers in 1864. There caricatures scribbled on the walls, some legible and some not legible writing. The most famous legible writing is what appears to be a caricature and then "Bagdad Mr Tompson Spur's First Fla Cavalry camped in your house on the 26 of Oct 1864."

As a kid I thought it was really neat, and it is one of my first Civil War memories along with visiting the Cyclorama in Atlanta. What I didn't realize at the time was that I had a personal connection to it. For some reason last Friday I remembered the old house and taking a field trip there and decided to Google it to remind myself the story behind it because it had been so long since I had been. When I saw the message I was immediately struck by the "First Fla Cavalry" part of the message. Probably a year ago or so I tracked down a relative that was in the Union 1st FL Cavalry. I remember it well because I was in complete shock to have run across a relative from my paternal Grandmother's family since all of them were from southern Alabama and fought for the Confederacy. My GGG-grandfather William Thomas and my GGG-uncle Harvey Gatewood (his brother-in-law) were in the 1st FL Cavalry.

When I started doing my Civil War family research in 2011 my Dad had told me that his grandmother once told him that her grandmother remembered walking to Fort Barrancas in Pensacola from Wing, Alabama to visit her husband and bring him food while he was stationed there. I sort of chalked it up to hearsay or maybe wrong info passed over the years because the Confederates abandoned Barrancas and Pensacola in 1862. I had found no evidence of a Confederate ancestor that would have been there. My Dad also told me of speaking with a distant relative in the early 90's that told him that some of our ancestors fought for the Union and it caused a stir in the community. Again, I had found no evidence of that until I was looking through Findagrave.com and found my uncle Harvey Gatewood. He had a Civil War Soldier's tombstone and it said 1st Fl Cavalry. When I looked him up on the NPS site I couldn't find him. The problem was I was looking under Confederates. It wasn't until I found the document where his Civil War Veteran's tombstone said US 1st FL Cavalry that I realized he fought for the Union. I found that my GGG-grandfather was in the same unit shortly thereafter.
6401710851_1127b33960_z.jpg


I didn't understand it. Why would I have two relatives that fought for the Union when I had so many others fighting for the Confederacy. I remember when I asked the Ancestry forum on this site for more information, East Tennessee Roots explained to me how some people, even from the deep south, were put off with the Confederacy or more specifically Confederate soldiers for their burning, looting etc. I guess I never realized that the looting could go both ways. Interestingly in an article I found about the house in 2003 it states "Florida was a Confederate state, but many Panhandle residents had opposed secession and were alienated by retreating Confederates who burned homes, mills and businesses to keep them out of Yankee hands." So I don't know if that happened to my grandfather and relatives or if by early 1864 he decided the Union side was going to win and joined up with them.

But anyway, that's my long story on an extremely small slice Civil War history. Little did I know when I went on a field trip in elementary school to an old house, that two of my relatives camped there possibly and someone from that regiment left their mark that was still be there 150 years later.
 
Great story, rickvox. I've actually been to Bagdad, so it was especially interesting.

And my husband has ancestors with the last name of Fox, some originally from Northampton, Pennsylvania.
 
Last edited:
Great story, rickvox. I've actually been to Bagdad, so it was especially interesting.

And my husband has ancestors with the last name of Fox, some originally from Northampton, Pennsylvania.

Oh really? Wow we may be related then because that is where my family is from. Any names that you could give on those ancestors?
 
I'm interested in your Boles from Alabama. I had Bowles from north Georgia who crossed the border into Bama.

I believe my 4th gen great-grandfather Elijah Boles was born in Jones or Jones County Georgia if Ancestry.com is to be believed. Don't have any official sources on that though. I believe they are originally from South Carolina before ending up in Alabama.
 
A minor update that is not Civil War related. A distant relative had sent me a compilation on the Boles family history awhile back. Recently, I remembered that it mentioned one of my relatives from the Boles was a sheriff but I couldn't remember where. I dug up the document and found that it was my 5th gen great-grandfather James Boles and it was in Dale County, Alabama. I had told my dad that we had a sheriff in the family awhile back and he always joked about going to whatever county it was and seeing if they had a picture of him up on the wall.

Well after I dug up the document I decided, for the heck of it, to see if Dale County's Sheriff's office had a website and if they did, would they mention a history of previous Sheriff's for the county? Much to my surprise they did.

"The Dale County Sheriff’s Office was created in 1827. James Boles was the first elected Sheriff serving from 1827 until 1828. To this date, 34 individuals have been elected to this office. One of the more colorful Sheriff’s in the History of the Sheriff’s Office, was Sheriff A.P. “Pat” White, who served from 1923 – 1927."

http://www.daleso.com/newsandmedia/history

Ha so there it was! A small mention but still cool to stumble across. I only halfheartedly looked not expecting anything and turns out they mentioned my great-grandfather James Boles. So now my dad wants to know why he only served 1 year. Was he shot? Run outta town? So begins another journey of discovery...
 
Well, I just ran across something pretty interesting. I was reading Larry Daniel's book on the Battle of Stones River (I am planning on visiting the battlefield this weekend) and I ran across the story of Colonel James Brown Forman the "boy colonel" that was killed at Stones River. When I saw the last name "Forman" it hit me that I may be related to him but I thought it may be a long shot. My relations with the Forman family go back to the Revolutionary War where one of my 1st cousins was Brig. General David Forman. My 5th generation grandmother was Elizabeth Wyckoff Forman before she became a Scudder after marriage.

Her grandfather, my 7th generation grandfather, was Ezekiel Forman and her mother, my 7th generation grandmother was Elizabeth Seabrook and then became Elizabeth Forman after marriage. Well lo and behold after pulling up Col. James Brown on findagrave.com I see that his brother's name was Ezekiel Seabrook Forman and another brother was Thomas Seabrook Forman. Their father was Thomas Seabrook Forman 1808-1849. Now I just need to find if there is a connection between their father Thomas Forman and my 7th great-grandfather Ezekiel Forman but it is looking pretty likely with the addition of "Seabrook" as the middle name. Let the search begin!
 
Last edited:
Ok I believe I found the connection. My 6th generation great grandfather Ezekiel Forman and James Brown Foreman's great-grandfather Thomas Forman were brothers. Not sure what that would make us...2nd cousins? 3rd cousins?
 
Ok I believe I found the connection. My 6th generation great grandfather Ezekiel Forman and James Brown Foreman's great-grandfather Thomas Forman were brothers. Not sure what that would make us...2nd cousins? 3rd cousins?

Good researching Rick ! You have a photo of him ? If not I can post one.

Fifteenth Infantry
KENTUCKY
(3-YEARS)
Fifteenth Infantry. -- Cols., Curran Pope, James B. Forman,
Marion C. Taylor; Lieut.-Cols., George P. Jouett, Joseph R.
Snyder, Noah Cartwright, William G. Halpin; Majs., William P.
Campbell, Henry F. Kalfus, James S. Allen, Ahimaaz H.
Chambers.

The material of this regiment all came from Louisville and its
vicinity. The regiment was organized in its camp at the fair-
grounds near the city, and was immediately ordered to duty on
the Nashville railroad. For a short time it encamped at New
Haven, and thence went to Bacon creek, where on Dec. 14, 1861,
it was formally mustered into the service.

From Bowling Green it proceeded to Nashville, Franklin and
Mitchellville, Tenn. and Huntsville, Ala. In Aug., 1862, it
entered upon the memorable march of Buell's army from
Tennessee to Louisville. It was engaged in the severest part
of the battle of Perryville, where the 3 field officers were
killed, also Lieuts. McClure and McGrath and 63 men, and 200
were wounded.

After the battle of Perryville it proceeded to Nashville,
where it was assigned to Beatty's brigade, Rousseau's
division, Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Gen. George H.
Thomas. It was engaged in the great battle of Murfreesboro,
or Stone's River where Col. Forman and 80 others were either
killed or wounded.

In the movements immediately preceding the battle of
Chickamauga and in that battle the regiment was in Beatty's
brigade (1st), Negley's division (2nd), 14th army corps, Gen.
Thomas, and lost 5 killed and 43 wounded. On Sept. 21 the
brigade was fiercely attacked near Rossville, and Gen. Negley
says, after a brisk engagement with artillery and musketry the
enemy was checked in the gap by Stanley's brigade and driven
from the mountain crest by a gallant charge of the 15th Ky. of
Gen. Beatty's brigade.

While not participating directly in the battle of Missionary
Ridge, it was under orders and its colonel, Marion Taylor,
went personally into the battle with the division and was
highly complimented for his service by the division commander,
with whom he acted.

On May 2, 1864, it was at Ringgold, then moved to Buzzard
Roost, Rocky Face Ridge, Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, where the
regiment suffered great loss by the death of Capt. Irwin
McDowell, who was killed on the enemy's works while cheering
forward his men, was then with Sherman's army through May,
June, July and August, in all the battles until Atlanta was
captured, the regiment being at that time at Jonesboro. The
loss of the regiment in that campaign was 61.

After the capture of Atlanta the regiment was with Sherman's
army until the march to the sea began in Nov., 1864, when it
was assigned to the command of Gen. Thomas in Tennessee. It
was stationed at Chattanooga, and on Oct. 8 was sent to
Bridgeport, Ala., where it remained on garrison duty until
December, when it was ordered to Louisville. On Jan. 14,
1865, it was mustered out, having served faithfully 3 years, 3
months, 3 weeks and 3 days.

Of the 888 men mustered into service in 1861 over 400 were
killed or wounded.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 4, p. 328

**************************************************************************************
 
Good researching Rick ! You have a photo of him ? If not I can post one.

Fifteenth Infantry
KENTUCKY
(3-YEARS)
Fifteenth Infantry. -- Cols., Curran Pope, James B. Forman,
Marion C. Taylor; Lieut.-Cols., George P. Jouett, Joseph R.
Snyder, Noah Cartwright, William G. Halpin; Majs., William P.
Campbell, Henry F. Kalfus, James S. Allen, Ahimaaz H.
Chambers.

The material of this regiment all came from Louisville and its
vicinity. The regiment was organized in its camp at the fair-
grounds near the city, and was immediately ordered to duty on
the Nashville railroad. For a short time it encamped at New
Haven, and thence went to Bacon creek, where on Dec. 14, 1861,
it was formally mustered into the service.

From Bowling Green it proceeded to Nashville, Franklin and
Mitchellville, Tenn. and Huntsville, Ala. In Aug., 1862, it
entered upon the memorable march of Buell's army from
Tennessee to Louisville. It was engaged in the severest part
of the battle of Perryville, where the 3 field officers were
killed, also Lieuts. McClure and McGrath and 63 men, and 200
were wounded.

After the battle of Perryville it proceeded to Nashville,
where it was assigned to Beatty's brigade, Rousseau's
division, Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Gen. George H.
Thomas. It was engaged in the great battle of Murfreesboro,
or Stone's River where Col. Forman and 80 others were either
killed or wounded.

In the movements immediately preceding the battle of
Chickamauga and in that battle the regiment was in Beatty's
brigade (1st), Negley's division (2nd), 14th army corps, Gen.
Thomas, and lost 5 killed and 43 wounded. On Sept. 21 the
brigade was fiercely attacked near Rossville, and Gen. Negley
says, after a brisk engagement with artillery and musketry the
enemy was checked in the gap by Stanley's brigade and driven
from the mountain crest by a gallant charge of the 15th Ky. of
Gen. Beatty's brigade.

While not participating directly in the battle of Missionary
Ridge, it was under orders and its colonel, Marion Taylor,
went personally into the battle with the division and was
highly complimented for his service by the division commander,
with whom he acted.

On May 2, 1864, it was at Ringgold, then moved to Buzzard
Roost, Rocky Face Ridge, Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, where the
regiment suffered great loss by the death of Capt. Irwin
McDowell, who was killed on the enemy's works while cheering
forward his men, was then with Sherman's army through May,
June, July and August, in all the battles until Atlanta was
captured, the regiment being at that time at Jonesboro. The
loss of the regiment in that campaign was 61.

After the capture of Atlanta the regiment was with Sherman's
army until the march to the sea began in Nov., 1864, when it
was assigned to the command of Gen. Thomas in Tennessee. It
was stationed at Chattanooga, and on Oct. 8 was sent to
Bridgeport, Ala., where it remained on garrison duty until
December, when it was ordered to Louisville. On Jan. 14,
1865, it was mustered out, having served faithfully 3 years, 3
months, 3 weeks and 3 days.

Of the 888 men mustered into service in 1861 over 400 were
killed or wounded.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 4, p. 328

**************************************************************************************


Thanks East. Found his picture online:

1d57b05bf44f3f434de6075b50cc84d0.jpg


Only 21...pretty amazing and sad. It looks like his brother Ezekiel Forman was a 1st Lieutenant in the 15th Kentucky also.
 
This is what Larry Daniel wrote about him in his book about Stones River:

The action now turned to Beatty’s far right, held by the 15th Kentucky, commanded by the “boy colonel,” twenty-one-year-old Colonel James Forman. Just before going into the Slaughter Pen, Forman had been joined by several of Rousseau aides, Lieutenant Will McDowell among them. “Will, you have always wanted this horse; now it is my desire that after this battle you should have him. I will be killed in the fight, and I can call on you gentlemen to see that he gets it,” Forman said. Attempting to joke off the gesture, McDowell quipped: “Jimmy, if you are going to be killed let me have him right now and [you] take my horse.” Forman answered solemnly: “I am in earnest. I know what I am talking about and I want you to remember I will be killed, you will be wounded, and the horse will also be wounded, and I want Major Allen to see that the horse is cared for and given to you.” Beatty’s men, still not realizing their isolated position, braced for a second assault.18

Daniel, Larry J. (2012-11-05). Battle of Stones River: The Forgotten Conflict between the Confederate Army of Tennessee and the Union Army of the Cumberland (pp. 137-138). Louisiana State University Press. Kindle Edition.


and then lastly:

This put the Georgians on a direct collision course with Jimmy Forman’s 15th Kentucky. “Orderly,” the soldier/correspondent of the 3rd Georgia Battalion, reported to his readers: “Concealed by a slight valley and timber from view we moved ten steps further and drew their fire. We gave them one volley and then ‘charged.’ They could not stand, but like the Ohio troops, broke and fled before us like frightened antelopes.” The Kentuckians left eighty dead and wounded behind, the slain colonel Forman among them.20

Daniel, Larry J. (2012-11-05). Battle of Stones River: The Forgotten Conflict between the Confederate Army of Tennessee and the Union Army of the Cumberland (p. 138). Louisiana State University Press. Kindle Edition.
 
That was the one I would have sent. Here's what looks like a report on the 15th Ky with Sherman in Georgia.

Report of Lieut. Col. William G. Halpin, Fifteenth Kentucky Infantry.

ATLANTA, GA., September 8, 1864.
SIR: I have the honor to transmit the following report of the
operations of the Fifteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry during
the Campaign just ended:

The regiment left Chattanooga on the morning of the 2d of May
and joined the brigade at Ringgold on the evening of the same day.
Here the regiment was drilled during the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th of May,
and left with the brigade on the morning of the 7th with 267 muskets
After a short march the regiment was drawn up in line of battle and
advanced in that order, skirmishing with the enemy until the evening
of the 8th, when the brigade arrived in front of Buzzard Roost.
In the afternoon of the 9th the Fifteenth, in connection with the
Forty-second Indiana, was ordered to ascend the western slope of
Rocky Face Ridge to reconnoiter the enemy's position, and, if possible,
discover a vulnerable point in his lines. After advancing a
strong skirmish line, supported by the balance of the regiment, to
the summit of the slope, a perpendicular wall of solid rock at least
100 feet high confronted us, from the top of which the enemy fired
on our line, and, finding his fire unavailing, hurled down huge rocks
on the skirmishers. Finding no assailable point directly in front,
the line moved by the right flank about one half mile with like success,
when the regiment was ordered to take up a position at the
base of the ridge, where it remained, subject to the fire of the enemy's
sharpshooters, until the morning of the 11th, when it was retired
about a mile. On the morning of the 12th the regiment was ordered to
march with the brigade to the right, and, after passing through Snake
Creek Gap, bivouacked for the night some distance south of that
point. Next morning the regiment with the balance of the brigade
marched in the order of battle, skirmishing with the enemy until
after dark, when the division was relieved by Gen. Williams'
division, of the Twentieth Army Corps, and retired a few hundred
yards. About midnight the regiment was moved to the front again,
the men resting on their arms until morning. On the morning of the
14th the brigade was divided into two lines, the Fifteenth in the second
line covered by the Thirty-third Ohio. Skirmishing commenced
early in the morning and continued very brisk, our lines advancing
steadily until the enemy's skirmishers were driven with their main
line into their works. After a short rest a charge was ordered, the
two lines of the brigade being at the time very close to each other.
The lines attempted to advance across an open field, but no sooner
showed their colors than the enemy opened a very heavy and destructive
fire from two lines of works on the opposite hill, which
compelled the advancing lines to halt and await the cover of night
to retire. In this action the regiment lost 1 commissioned officer
killed and 5 wounded, and 1 enlisted man killed and 9 wounded,
exclusive of 2 wounded on the skirmish line, both of whom [have]
since died. On Sunday morning, 15th, the Fifteenth Kentucky and
Eighty-eighth Indiana were moved to the extreme left of our lines
and ordered to occupy a position covering the enemy's right, with a
view to silence a battery of six guns which he had been working in a
strong redoubt. While the regiment was getting into position the One
hundred and twenty-ninth Indiana, which we were about to relieve,
suddenly ceased firing and gave the enemy time to turn one of his
guns on us, which sent a shell into the midst of the regiment, killing 1
enlisted man and wounding a commissioned and a non-commissioned
officer. After this mishap, our unceasing fire kept the enemy quiet
during the day without any further casualty occurring in the regiment.

During the night of the 15th the enemy evacuated his position in
our front and the regiment was moved next day to the village of
Resaca, where we bivouacked for the night. On the morning of
the 17th we resumed our march after the retreating foe across the
Oostenaula River, through Calhoun and Adairsville, reaching Kingston
in the afternoon of the 19th, and bivouacked a few miles south
of that point (after burning the saltpeter works) until the morning
of the 23d, when the regiment "stripped for battle," crossed the
Etowah, and by easy marches reached the Allatoona hills near Dallas
on the evening of the 26th. A portion of the Fourth Corps being
hotly engaged on the 27th, the brigade was sent to its support, but
night putting a stop to the fight, the regiment was not brought into
action. Next morning the regiment took a position between the
Eighty-eighth Indiana and Tenth Wisconsin on the extreme left of
our lines, threw up some hasty works, and soon became engaged
with the enemy's skirmishers. At this point Capt. Waggener,
brigade adjutant-general, was killed early in the day in front of
our works. His body was left inside the enemy's lines until the
afternoon, when a detachment from the regiment charged the enemy's
line and recovered it. The regiment occupied this position
until the 2d of June, constantly skirmishing with the enemy, losing
1 man killed and 6 wounded. In the afternoon of the 2d the line
was changed forward nearly at right angles with that originally
held, and the regiment relieved that evening and retired one-half
mile. It lay in this position until the morning of the 6th of June,
when it marched in the direction of Big Shanty, the enemy having
previously retired. Engaged in marching and countermarching
until the 16th; the regiment on the afternoon of that day found itself
confronting the enemy before Kenesaw Mountain. The 17th and
18th were devoted to skirmishing, the main line being advanced, as
well as the skirmish line, on the evening of the 18th, about half a
mile. During the night the enemy again retired and the regiment
marched next day in pursuit and took up a position close to the base
of Kenesaw at midnight of the 20th. Here it lay close to the works
of the enemy, constantly skirmishing and subject to a raking fire
from several batteries, until the night of the 22d, when it was relieved;
retired and lay in reserve until the night of the 27th, when
it was again placed on the skirmish line, and remained there until
the night of the 2d of July. The balance of the army being moved
to the right, the brigade was relieved from duty in the center, and
marched to the left, where the men were engaged during the night
constructing breast-works, but the morning of the 3d revealed Kenesaw
deserted by the enemy, and the regiment was immediately
marched through Marietta and four miles south, where the troops
bivouacked for the night. In the afternoon of the 4th the regiment
was moved to the right of the Second Brigade and began to erect
works on the skirmish line close to the enemy's main line. After
working all night it was discovered on the morning of the 5th that
the enemy had abandoned his formidable works and retired to the
Chattahoochee. At daylight the regiment was put in motion and
moved rapidly forward until the enemy's skirmish line was struck
near the railroad, about one and a half miles from the river. Here
the regiment was placed to support the Thirty-third Ohio, deployed
as skirmishers, until retired across the railroad, where it lay under a
galling fire of the enemy's sharpshooters until the morning of the
9th, when it was deployed on the skirmish line. Early in the day
the line was ordered to be advanced in connection with that of the
Third Brigade on our right and the Third Division on our left. The
regiment advanced some 300 yards, driving the enemy from his skirmish
pits into his main works. We occupied the rifle-pits of the
enemy until he threw a strong line against the Third Division, which
gave away, exposing our left flank, which compelled us to retire to
our original position. During the night the enemy retired across
the Chattahoochee. The Fifteenth Kentucky following up at daylight,
found the railroad and pike bridges burned. We skirmished
for some time with the enemy's rear guard until relieved, when we
returned to our former position across the railroad, where we remained
until the morning of the 17th. On that day we crossed the
Chattahoochee at Pace's Ferry, and soon after commenced skirmishing
with the enemy, which continued until the 20th. In the afternoon
of that day the enemy assaulted our lines in strong force,
forcing a portion of the One hundred and fourth Illinois from their
works. The Fifteenth, seeing the rebel colors planted on the works
of the One hundred and fourth, opened fire in conjunction with that
regiment and soon caused a hasty retreat. The skirmish line was
then advanced, and followed up on the morning of the 22d to a
point near Atlanta, the enemy having retreated inside his works
around the city during the night. Here works were constructed,
while skirmishing continued during the day. We were relieved that
night and remained in reserve until the 26th, when we relieved the
Seventy-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry on the front line west of
the railroad. Here the regiment remained skirmishing with the
enemy until the 2d of August, when the skirmish line was advanced
and new works built some 300 yards in advance of the old position.
On the morning of the 3d the brigade was moved to the extreme
right of our lines, and in the afternoon of the 5th made a reconnaissance
on the enemy's left. This accomplished we were moved back
the same night some two miles, and took up a position on the front
line at daylight on the 6th. On the morning of the 7th the main
line was advanced and new works constructed. In the afternoon of
that day the brigade skirmish line was advanced and the regiment
ordered forward to occupy the rifle-pits of the enemy between the
left of our line and the Fifteenth Army Corps. While marching
to this position we were subject to a very severe fire in front and
flank. We held our position during the day under trying circumstances,
and built substantial works during the night. At this
point we remained, skirmishing with the enemy daily, until the 13th,
when the skirmish line was again advanced. The enemy's skirmish
pits were captured, occupied, and strengthened. Many prisoners
were also captured. Our skirmishers remained in this last position,
the regiment in its main works, until the night of the 26th August,
when we moved with the main body of the army and bivouacked
on the Atlanta and Montgomery Railroad on the evening of the 29th.
Next day we skirmished with the enemy, while the Second and
Third Brigades were destroying that road. From the morning of
the 30th until the evening of the 2d of September the regiment accompanied
the brigade as guards to the Fourteenth Army Corps
train, when we reached Jonesborough, Ga., and heard of the fall of
Atlanta.

The losses of the regiment from the 7th of May to the 2d of September,
1864, inclusive, are as follows: Killed, officers, 1; men, 5.
Wounded, officers, 6; men, 46. Missing, men, 3. Total, 61.

I am, captain, your obedient servant,

WM. G. HALPIN,
Lieut. Col. Fifteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.

Capt. J. W. FORD,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-Gen.


Source: Official Records
CHAP. L.] REPORTS, ETC.--ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. PAGE 544-72
[Series I. Vol. 38. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 72.]



Historical Data Systems, Inc.
 
That was the one I would have sent. Here's what looks like a report on the 15th Ky with Sherman in Georgia.

Report of Lieut. Col. William G. Halpin, Fifteenth Kentucky Infantry.

ATLANTA, GA., September 8, 1864.
SIR: I have the honor to transmit the following report of the
operations of the Fifteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry during
the Campaign just ended:

The regiment left Chattanooga on the morning of the 2d of May
and joined the brigade at Ringgold on the evening of the same day.
Here the regiment was drilled during the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th of May,
and left with the brigade on the morning of the 7th with 267 muskets
After a short march the regiment was drawn up in line of battle and
advanced in that order, skirmishing with the enemy until the evening
of the 8th, when the brigade arrived in front of Buzzard Roost.
In the afternoon of the 9th the Fifteenth, in connection with the
Forty-second Indiana, was ordered to ascend the western slope of
Rocky Face Ridge to reconnoiter the enemy's position, and, if possible,
discover a vulnerable point in his lines. After advancing a
strong skirmish line, supported by the balance of the regiment, to
the summit of the slope, a perpendicular wall of solid rock at least
100 feet high confronted us, from the top of which the enemy fired
on our line, and, finding his fire unavailing, hurled down huge rocks
on the skirmishers. Finding no assailable point directly in front,
the line moved by the right flank about one half mile with like success,
when the regiment was ordered to take up a position at the
base of the ridge, where it remained, subject to the fire of the enemy's
sharpshooters, until the morning of the 11th, when it was retired
about a mile. On the morning of the 12th the regiment was ordered to
march with the brigade to the right, and, after passing through Snake
Creek Gap, bivouacked for the night some distance south of that
point. Next morning the regiment with the balance of the brigade
marched in the order of battle, skirmishing with the enemy until
after dark, when the division was relieved by Gen. Williams'
division, of the Twentieth Army Corps, and retired a few hundred
yards. About midnight the regiment was moved to the front again,
the men resting on their arms until morning. On the morning of the
14th the brigade was divided into two lines, the Fifteenth in the second
line covered by the Thirty-third Ohio. Skirmishing commenced
early in the morning and continued very brisk, our lines advancing
steadily until the enemy's skirmishers were driven with their main
line into their works. After a short rest a charge was ordered, the
two lines of the brigade being at the time very close to each other.
The lines attempted to advance across an open field, but no sooner
showed their colors than the enemy opened a very heavy and destructive
fire from two lines of works on the opposite hill, which
compelled the advancing lines to halt and await the cover of night
to retire. In this action the regiment lost 1 commissioned officer
killed and 5 wounded, and 1 enlisted man killed and 9 wounded,
exclusive of 2 wounded on the skirmish line, both of whom [have]
since died. On Sunday morning, 15th, the Fifteenth Kentucky and
Eighty-eighth Indiana were moved to the extreme left of our lines
and ordered to occupy a position covering the enemy's right, with a
view to silence a battery of six guns which he had been working in a
strong redoubt. While the regiment was getting into position the One
hundred and twenty-ninth Indiana, which we were about to relieve,
suddenly ceased firing and gave the enemy time to turn one of his
guns on us, which sent a shell into the midst of the regiment, killing 1
enlisted man and wounding a commissioned and a non-commissioned
officer. After this mishap, our unceasing fire kept the enemy quiet
during the day without any further casualty occurring in the regiment.

During the night of the 15th the enemy evacuated his position in
our front and the regiment was moved next day to the village of
Resaca, where we bivouacked for the night. On the morning of
the 17th we resumed our march after the retreating foe across the
Oostenaula River, through Calhoun and Adairsville, reaching Kingston
in the afternoon of the 19th, and bivouacked a few miles south
of that point (after burning the saltpeter works) until the morning
of the 23d, when the regiment "stripped for battle," crossed the
Etowah, and by easy marches reached the Allatoona hills near Dallas
on the evening of the 26th. A portion of the Fourth Corps being
hotly engaged on the 27th, the brigade was sent to its support, but
night putting a stop to the fight, the regiment was not brought into
action. Next morning the regiment took a position between the
Eighty-eighth Indiana and Tenth Wisconsin on the extreme left of
our lines, threw up some hasty works, and soon became engaged
with the enemy's skirmishers. At this point Capt. Waggener,
brigade adjutant-general, was killed early in the day in front of
our works. His body was left inside the enemy's lines until the
afternoon, when a detachment from the regiment charged the enemy's
line and recovered it. The regiment occupied this position
until the 2d of June, constantly skirmishing with the enemy, losing
1 man killed and 6 wounded. In the afternoon of the 2d the line
was changed forward nearly at right angles with that originally
held, and the regiment relieved that evening and retired one-half
mile. It lay in this position until the morning of the 6th of June,
when it marched in the direction of Big Shanty, the enemy having
previously retired. Engaged in marching and countermarching
until the 16th; the regiment on the afternoon of that day found itself
confronting the enemy before Kenesaw Mountain. The 17th and
18th were devoted to skirmishing, the main line being advanced, as
well as the skirmish line, on the evening of the 18th, about half a
mile. During the night the enemy again retired and the regiment
marched next day in pursuit and took up a position close to the base
of Kenesaw at midnight of the 20th. Here it lay close to the works
of the enemy, constantly skirmishing and subject to a raking fire
from several batteries, until the night of the 22d, when it was relieved;
retired and lay in reserve until the night of the 27th, when
it was again placed on the skirmish line, and remained there until
the night of the 2d of July. The balance of the army being moved
to the right, the brigade was relieved from duty in the center, and
marched to the left, where the men were engaged during the night
constructing breast-works, but the morning of the 3d revealed Kenesaw
deserted by the enemy, and the regiment was immediately
marched through Marietta and four miles south, where the troops
bivouacked for the night. In the afternoon of the 4th the regiment
was moved to the right of the Second Brigade and began to erect
works on the skirmish line close to the enemy's main line. After
working all night it was discovered on the morning of the 5th that
the enemy had abandoned his formidable works and retired to the
Chattahoochee. At daylight the regiment was put in motion and
moved rapidly forward until the enemy's skirmish line was struck
near the railroad, about one and a half miles from the river. Here
the regiment was placed to support the Thirty-third Ohio, deployed
as skirmishers, until retired across the railroad, where it lay under a
galling fire of the enemy's sharpshooters until the morning of the
9th, when it was deployed on the skirmish line. Early in the day
the line was ordered to be advanced in connection with that of the
Third Brigade on our right and the Third Division on our left. The
regiment advanced some 300 yards, driving the enemy from his skirmish
pits into his main works. We occupied the rifle-pits of the
enemy until he threw a strong line against the Third Division, which
gave away, exposing our left flank, which compelled us to retire to
our original position. During the night the enemy retired across
the Chattahoochee. The Fifteenth Kentucky following up at daylight,
found the railroad and pike bridges burned. We skirmished
for some time with the enemy's rear guard until relieved, when we
returned to our former position across the railroad, where we remained
until the morning of the 17th. On that day we crossed the
Chattahoochee at Pace's Ferry, and soon after commenced skirmishing
with the enemy, which continued until the 20th. In the afternoon
of that day the enemy assaulted our lines in strong force,
forcing a portion of the One hundred and fourth Illinois from their
works. The Fifteenth, seeing the rebel colors planted on the works
of the One hundred and fourth, opened fire in conjunction with that
regiment and soon caused a hasty retreat. The skirmish line was
then advanced, and followed up on the morning of the 22d to a
point near Atlanta, the enemy having retreated inside his works
around the city during the night. Here works were constructed,
while skirmishing continued during the day. We were relieved that
night and remained in reserve until the 26th, when we relieved the
Seventy-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry on the front line west of
the railroad. Here the regiment remained skirmishing with the
enemy until the 2d of August, when the skirmish line was advanced
and new works built some 300 yards in advance of the old position.
On the morning of the 3d the brigade was moved to the extreme
right of our lines, and in the afternoon of the 5th made a reconnaissance
on the enemy's left. This accomplished we were moved back
the same night some two miles, and took up a position on the front
line at daylight on the 6th. On the morning of the 7th the main
line was advanced and new works constructed. In the afternoon of
that day the brigade skirmish line was advanced and the regiment
ordered forward to occupy the rifle-pits of the enemy between the
left of our line and the Fifteenth Army Corps. While marching
to this position we were subject to a very severe fire in front and
flank. We held our position during the day under trying circumstances,
and built substantial works during the night. At this
point we remained, skirmishing with the enemy daily, until the 13th,
when the skirmish line was again advanced. The enemy's skirmish
pits were captured, occupied, and strengthened. Many prisoners
were also captured. Our skirmishers remained in this last position,
the regiment in its main works, until the night of the 26th August,
when we moved with the main body of the army and bivouacked
on the Atlanta and Montgomery Railroad on the evening of the 29th.
Next day we skirmished with the enemy, while the Second and
Third Brigades were destroying that road. From the morning of
the 30th until the evening of the 2d of September the regiment accompanied
the brigade as guards to the Fourteenth Army Corps
train, when we reached Jonesborough, Ga., and heard of the fall of
Atlanta.

The losses of the regiment from the 7th of May to the 2d of September,
1864, inclusive, are as follows: Killed, officers, 1; men, 5.
Wounded, officers, 6; men, 46. Missing, men, 3. Total, 61.

I am, captain, your obedient servant,

WM. G. HALPIN,
Lieut. Col. Fifteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.

Capt. J. W. FORD,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-Gen.


Source: Official Records
CHAP. L.] REPORTS, ETC.--ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. PAGE 544-72
[Series I. Vol. 38. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 72.]



Historical Data Systems, Inc.

Awesome, thanks East. Any info on his brother Lt. Ezekiel Forman? Like when he mustered out? Curious if he was at Chickamauga or not.
 
I'm glad this thread got bumped. You've got some great information here, and you're so well-organized! I can never remember who is who on my tree. I should make a grouping of the different families and their service as you have done.
 
I'm glad this thread got bumped. You've got some great information here, and you're so well-organized! I can never remember who is who on my tree. I should make a grouping of the different families and their service as you have done.

Thanks for the compliment. It has been little over 4 years of research so far. It seems like each time I kind of hit a wall the next thing you know I find something like I did today and it opens the floodgates. Always makes me realize that there is always more information to find as long as I keep digging.

Edit: I need to update my list some on here. I have it in an excel spreadsheet in the same format but haven't listed some of the more recent relatives I have found. Cousins take more time to find and verify.
 
Awesome, thanks East. Any info on his brother Lt. Ezekiel Forman? Like when he mustered out? Curious if he was at Chickamauga or not.

Couldn't find anything on a Lieutenant Forman. Dates indicate this could be the same man ??? Maybe rose to the rank of Lieutenant in the Ohio Cavalry ? His original enlistment in the 23rd Kentucky may have only been for
Awesome, thanks East. Any info on his brother Lt. Ezekiel Forman? Like when he mustered out? Curious if he was at Chickamauga or not.

one year ?

Ezekiel Forman

Residence was not listed;
Enlisted on 10/13/1861 at Camp King, KY as a Corporal.

On 1/2/1862 he mustered into "K" Co. KY 23rd Infantry
He was discharged on 8/6/1862 at Pulaski, TN
- Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky
....................................................................................
Ezekiel Forman

Residence was not listed; 30 years old.

Enlisted on 11/17/1862 as a Private.

On 3/3/1863 he mustered into "I" Co. OH 10th Cavalry
He was Mustered Out on 7/24/1865 at Lexington, NC
- Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio
 
Couldn't find anything on a Lieutenant Forman. Dates indicate this could be the same man ??? Maybe rose to the rank of Lieutenant in the Ohio Cavalry ? His original enlistment in the 23rd Kentucky may have only been for


one year ?

Ezekiel Forman

Residence was not listed;
Enlisted on 10/13/1861 at Camp King, KY as a Corporal.

On 1/2/1862 he mustered into "K" Co. KY 23rd Infantry
He was discharged on 8/6/1862 at Pulaski, TN
- Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky
....................................................................................
Ezekiel Forman

Residence was not listed; 30 years old.

Enlisted on 11/17/1862 as a Private.

On 3/3/1863 he mustered into "I" Co. OH 10th Cavalry
He was Mustered Out on 7/24/1865 at Lexington, NC
- Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio

Found him in NPS database: http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-...oldierId=8C001E9E-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A


Forman , Ezekiel S.
Battle Unit Name:
15th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry
Side:
Union
Company:
C
Soldier's Rank In:
Sergeant
Soldier's Rank Out:
First Lieutenant
Alternate name:
Film Number:
M386 ROLL 9
 
Back
Top