What was your ancestor's last night? My husband has many surnames I am researching. This ancestor married Lucy Bass. Her parents were Tyra B. Bass and Dorenda Bass.. Both Walter and his wife,Lucy, are buried in the Bass-Burd Cemetery off Lonoke Rd. in Munsfordville, Ky. Hope to be able to check these cemeteries out one day.
I appreciate any other information you have.
Thanks again.
He's listed as Camel Ward. He's one of my wife's 2nd great-grandfathers. Her Dad's ancestors in Kentucky were Union. Her Mom's ancestors in southwest Virginia were Confederate. Camel's name was actually Jesse Campbell Ward. He must have had a speech impediment and like many men in those days preferred to be called by his middle name Campbell came out Camel ! LOL !!! The family settled in the Hodgenville, Larue County area after the war. Camel applied for a pension which we have copies of. He claimed a back injury from his horse falling on him at the Battle of Saltville, Virginia.
Shiloh after battle report:
Report of Lieut. Col. Cicero Maxwell,
Twenty-sixth Kentucky Infantry.
CAMP SHILOH, TENN., April 9, 1862.
SIR: I have the honor to report the part taken by the Twenty-sixth
Regt. Kentucky Volunteers in the engagement here on the 7th
instant. As the division of which the regiment under my command is a
part did not arrive at Pittsburg Landing until the night of the 6th, the
regiment under my command was not in the conflict of that day.
About 6 o'clock a. m. on the 7th the Fourteenth Brigade, of which the
regiment under my command is a part, under the command of Col.
W. S. Smith, was moved toward the left of the center of our army and
drawn up in line of battle close to the left wing of our army, then
engaged with the enemy. The regiment under my command was, as I
understand, the position taken on the left of our brigade. We remained
in this position until about 10 o'clock a. m., when the enemy
commenced a furious attack on the center of our army. The position of
our brigade was then somewhat changed, but owing to a regiment not
connected with our division coming too close to the left of our brigade
and commencing firing, the regiment under my command, when its
position was changed, was nearly entirely in rear of the Thirteenth Ohio,
and could not then be deployed to the left of our brigade without going
before the regiment spoken of on our left. This regiment, which I have
been told since I commenced writing this report was the Second
Kentucky Volunteers, was in a few moments moved farther to the left,
but not far enough; for when I had deployed the regiment under my
command as far as I could without getting in range of the fire of the
Second Kentucky, about one-half or more of the regiment under my
command was still in rear of the Thirteenth Ohio. Our brigade had
already commenced firing, and as soon as I made the deployment of the
regiment under my command I ordered the left companies to commence
firing. The command was obeyed very promptly, and the other
companies rushed forward, became intermingled with the regiment
whose left was in front, and commenced firing.
Our brigade now commenced a most furious charge, and the greater
portion of the men moved forward rapidly with loud cheers upon the
enemy, who was posted in a very dense thicket and vastly superior in
numbers, drove him for nearly a mile with great slaughter, and captured
a portion of a battery; but the enemy massing a very large force
immediately in front of us, and being sustained by powerful batteries, we
were compelled to fall back a short distance and leave the guns
captured, which was done in good order, our men contesting the
ground. It was impossible in this charge to keep in order of battle. Such
was the density of the thicket through which we passed, the rapidity of
the charge, and the enthusiasm of the soldiers, that the regiments
became mixed together, and when we retired behind the Eleventh
Brigade, which in the mean time had been ordered to our support, I
could not collect all the men of the regiment under my command. Many
of them got into other regiments, and rendered good service, as I am
informed, during the day.
In this, what may in truth be called a most brilliant and daring charge,
I am gratified to be able to say that the regiment under my command,
which went into it with only about 270 men, officers and all, with
perhaps a few dishonorable exceptions, acted a most gallant part. The
men generally behaved with great bravery, considering it was the first
engagement in which many of them had ever been, and the company
officers, so far as they came under my observation, acted with great
coolness and bravery. Maj. John L. Davidson, who behaved with most
undaunted bravery, was killed instantly on the field while cheering the
men on to the charge, as was First Lieut. Higdon, of Company F,
who fell early in the charge while cheering his men onward. Several of
the company officers were wounded while gallantly urging their men
forward. Their names will appear among the list of killed and wounded
which will be inclosed herewith. After we were compelled to retire I
collected all that I could find of the regiment under my command, the
men coming into line very promptly, and by order of Gen. Buell, as
I was marching to join our brigade, took a position in rear of the
Eleventh Brigade, where we remained for some time, but were
afterward ordered forward on what I have heard is the Purdy road, to
sustain a battery; but when we got to the battery the enemy was in full
retreat, and we bivouacked for the night in a drenching rain.
Although the regiment under my command was not long engaged the
loss was quite severe. A list of the names of killed and wounded will be
inclosed herewith. The number killed was 7; mortally wounded, 4;
severely wounded, 18; wounded, 9, but how I cannot say; slightly
wounded, 36; missing, 4; total killed and wounded, 74.* Many were
slightly wounded, and now report for duty.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. MAXWELL,
Lieut.-Col., Comdg. Twenty-sixth Kentucky Vols.
F. J. JONES,
A. A. A. G., Fourteenth Brig., Fifth Div., Army of the Ohio.
-----
CAMP SHILOH, TENN., April 12, 1862.
SIR: As a wrong inference may be drawn from my report, in connection
with Col. Smith's, in relation to a portion of our officers, I beg leave
to make an additional report as to the particular company officers in the
regiment under my command. Capt. Belt and Lieut. Ranney, of
Company A, though worn down by sickness, acted very gallantly during
the charge, but I did not see them any more during
the day. Capt. Netter, Lieut.'s Taylor and Stanley, of Company
B; Capt. Mattingly and Lieut. Smallhouse, of Company C,
Second Lieut. Overstreet being at Savannah; Second Lieut.
Wells, of Company D, the captain being absent; Lieut. Redfearn,
of Company E, the captain and first lieutenant being absent; Lieut.
Earnest, of Company F, the captain being absent, and Lieut.
Higdon being mentioned in my other report, and Capt. Farleigh, First
Lieut. Ashcroft, and Second Lieut. Brown acted with
conspicuous coolness and bravery during the charge and also while
falling back, and rendered great assistance in getting the men of the
regiment under my command together.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. MAXWELL,
Lieut.-Col., Comdg. Twenty-sixth Kentucky Vols.
F. J. JONES,
A. A. A. G., Fourteenth Brig., Fifth Div., Army of the Ohio.
Source: Official Records: Series I. Vol. 10. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 10
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NOVEMBER 27, 1863.--Skirmish at La Fayette, Ky.
Report of Col. Cicero Maxwell, Twenty-sixth Kentucky Infantry.
HDQRS. U. S. FORCES, SOUTHWEST KENTUCKY,
Bowling Green, Ky., December 2, 1863.
CAPT.: Yesterday I received report from Col. Murray, Third
Kentucky Cavalry, commanding at Hopkinsville, that a few days since
Lieut. Brunner and 17 men of the Third, in a stockade at La
Fayette, Christian County, were attacked by the rebel Hawkins with
largely over 100 men, and after an obstinate contest and after robbing
several stores, which Brunner could not protect from his stockade, the
rebels retired, losing 3 killed and 7 wounded, 4 mortally, Brunner losing
none.
Hawkins, after leaving La Fayette, went in the direction of Canton,
stealing all the horses he could find, pursued by Col. Murray;
and the colonel says but for the treachery of one Capt. Cox, of the
steam-boat Duke, who used his boat to ferry the rebels over the
Cumberland River, he (Col. Murray) would have overtaken Hawkins
at the river, as he was only an hour or so behind him.
Lieut. Brunner and his little band deserve great credit for their
gallant and successful defense against such great odds.
Very respectfully,
CICERO MAXWELL,
Col. 26th Ky. Volunteers, Comdg. Southwestern Kentucky.
Capt. A. C. SEMPLE,
Assistant Adjutant-Gen.
Source: Official Records
PAGE 575-54 KY., SW. VA., TENN., MISS., N. ALA., AND N. GA. [CHAP. XLIII.
[Series I. Vol. 31. Part I, Reports and Union Correspondence. Serial No. 54.]
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Nashville, TN after battle report:
No. 103.
Report of Col. Cicero Maxwell, Twenty-sixth Kentucky Infantry, of
operations December 15-16, 1864.
CAMP TWENTY-SIXTH KENTUCKY VOLUNTEER INFANTRY,
Five Miles North of Columbia, Tenn., December 22, 1864.
CAPT.: In compliance with orders I respectfully submit the following
report of the part taken by the Twenty-sixth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry in
the actions near Nashville, Tenn., on the 15th and 16th instant:
We left our camp near Fort Negley about 8 a.m. on the 15th instant: moved
slowly two or three miles toward the right, passed through our outer line of
works on the Hardin turnpike, and formed line of battle at 11 a.m. just
outside the works and on the left of the pike, the Twenty-sixth Kentucky
Volunteers being the right of the First Brigade. In forming line one of our
men, James H. Cohron, Company B, was instantly killed by the accidental
discharge of his own gun. Between 12 m. and 1 p.m. we were moved
forward about a mile, the right considerably advanced, and halted in a lane.
A heavy cannonade was going on at the time, and the enemy's shells
occasionally exploded near us, but no one was injured. After remaining here
an hour or so we were moved
by the right flank, changing direction somewhat to the right, a mile perhaps,
again formed in line of battle, and moved briskly forward. As we
commenced to move a strong position of the rebels in our front was gallantly
charged by some dismounted cavalry and a number of prisoners and several
pieces of artillery were captured. We continued to move, our right
advancing, until our line was nearly or quite perpendicular to the one first
formed in the forenoon; and at little more than a mile from where we
formed line the second time our brigade charged a strong position of the
enemy on one of the high hills, or knobs rather, between the Hillsborough
and Granny White pikes, about five miles from Nashville, and though the
men were exposed to a galling front and cross-fire, they moved steadily and
rapidly forward, drove the rebels in great disorder from their positions, and
captured a number of prisoners and several pieces of artillery. In a few
minutes we were moved about half a mile farther, and took position at
sundown on a high hill exposed to a cross-fire from the enemy posted on
another hill on our right. Here we remained all light and threw up
earth-works. Our regiment was not regularly engaged on the 16th, but was
moved forward with the First Brigade as the final charge was made late in
the afternoon, and bivouacked for the night near the new house of Mr. Lea,
on the left of the Granny White pike.
The line officers of the Twenty-sixth Kentucky, without exception, and the
enlisted men with few exceptions behaved very gallantly. We lost 2 men
killed, besides Cohron, and had 44 wounded, some severely, but the most
of them slightly. Capt. Hackett, who, as senior line officer, was assistant
me in the absence of the lieutenant-colonel and major, and was mounted,
was severely wounded while bravely urging the men forward. The
color-bearer, James Scott, was severely wounded in the leg as he ascended
the hill, but would not go to the rear until he had planted our regimental flag
on the top, and he was among the first there. Lieut. Brown, acting
adjutant, behaved with great gallantry and rendered me great assistance.
I inclose herewith a list of the names of the killed and wounded.*
I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. MAXWELL,
Col. Twenty-sixth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.
Capt. T. C. HONNELL,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-Gen.
Source: Official Records
PAGE 373-93 KY., SW. VA., TENN., MISS., ALA., AND N. GA. [CHAP. LVII.
[Series I. Vol. 45. Part I, Reports, Correspondence, Etc. Serial No. 93.]
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Bringing the