William Lewis Bartlett Civil War Memoir

Date: 1861 to 1864
Location: Ohio, United States
Surnames/tags: bartlett civil war Ohio

William had just turned 22 when he decided to enlist in the summer of 1861. The nation was in turmoil, with Southern states seceding and war on the horizon after the attack on Fort Sumter. William and his brother Sylvanus felt compelled to join the fight to preserve the Union. They enlisted together in Company B, 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Camp Wood in Athens.

After basic training, William's regiment headed south to Kentucky in the fall of 1861. That first winter camp was miserable, with constant rain and sickness. By February they were on the move through Tennessee, pursuing retreating Confederates after the Union victory at Fort Donelson.

In April 1862, William found himself in the midst of the bloody Battle of Shiloh. Wave after wave of Confederate attacks pushed his regiment back across a railroad. Exhausted and outgunned, they lost many men in the desperate fighting.

A few months later, William faced more ferocious combat at Stones River in Tennessee around New Year's 1863. Confederate forces under General Breckinridge attacked William's position, forcing his regiment to retreat across Stones River. When they counterattacked, William charged alone across an open field after becoming separated, bullets kicking up dirt around him. By some miracle, he survived unscathed.

The next summer found William marching through heavy rain into Tennessee again, this time toward the Confederate stronghold of Tullahoma. Just before the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863, he describes crossing a mountain and camping in the valley below, knowing a major battle loomed ahead.

The fighting at Chickamauga was hellish. William vividly describes the horrendous noise as both armies slammed into each other on that Sunday morning. During an assault in Kelly's Field, he was shot in the chest, collapsing to the ground stunned as soldiers on both sides fell dead and wounded around him.

After months recovering in hospitals, William transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps in 1864. He guarded railroads and infrastructure around Washington D.C. until finally being discharged after three long years of service. He had witnessed the brutality and horror of combat up close, given a piece of his youth to the war effort. William walked home from the train station in August 1864 a changed man from the wide-eyed recruit who left in 1861.

Key People

Name	Statements
William Lewis Bartlett (1839-1917)	Author of the memoir, enlisted in the 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1861 at age 22. Wounded at Battle of Chickamauga.
Sylvanus Bartlett (1827-1885)	William's brother, enlisted with him in 1861. Later became a lieutenant
Catherine Finney (1835-1861)	Was living at William's house when he enlisted, died of consumption while he was in training camp
Jesse Bartlett Finney (1830-1865)	Visited William when William was sick with typhoid fever, later died.
Ashbel Fenton (abt.1830-abt.1863)	Captain in William's company, killed at Stones River, mentioned in the transcript (p. 9)
John Hommel	Orderly sergeant in William's company
Gen. Turchin	Commanded William's brigade, drilled them in Zouave tactics. Called them "farmers mit guns."
Ben Wade	Reviewed William's regiment at Camp Dennison.
Jacob Strader (1795-1860)	Steamboat that transported William's regiment.
Thomas Miller Cherry (1832-1902)	Married Asenath (Finney) Cherry (1836-1904) in 1864 while William was home on furlough.
Julia Bingham (Bartlett) Junipher (1834-1928)	William's sister, visited him when he was sick with fever.
J.L. Hughes (1845-1915)	William visited this soldier while recovering in hospital. His father Rev. David Hughes (1819-1864) had just died.

Key Locations

Some of the locations discussed in the memoir. All locations in the United States.

Location'		Statements
New Plymouth	Ohio	Where William lived when he enlisted in 1861.
McArthur	Ohio	Where William enlisted in the 18th Ohio Infantry.
Athens	Ohio	Site of Camp Wood where William trained.
Camp Dennison		Camp in Ohio where William trained and later was in a hospital
Cincinnati	Ohio	William traveled through here by boat and train.
Louisville	Kentucky	William's regiment stopped here in fall 1861.
Elizabethtown	Kentucky	Camped here for weeks in 1861.
Bacon Creek	Kentucky	First winter camp of William's regiment.
Fort Donelson	Tennessee	Fell to Union forces in early 1862.
Nashville	Tennessee	William's regiment garrisoned this city in 1862.
Murfreesboro	Tennessee	Site of the Battle of Stones River in late 1862.
Tullahoma	Tennessee	William marched here in June 1863.
Chattanooga	Tennessee	William fought near here at Chickamauga and was treated in the hospital after being shot in the chest on the battlefield.
Andersonville Prison		William's comrade was held here as a POW.
Evansville	Indiana	William was treated in hospital here.
Washington D.C.		William guarded infrastructure here in 1864.
Elmira	New York	William mustered out here.