Research Arsenal Spotlight 3: John L. Hebron, 2nd Ohio Infantry Collection
While serving in the 2nd Ohio Infantry, Company G, as a bugler, John L. Hebron wrote hundreds of letters home to his family. These letters offer a valuable insight into the mind of a Union soldier who served from September 1861 to October 1864 as well as the movements and actions of his regiment. The letters of the Hebron collection begin in September 1861 and continue through the end of August, 1864.
The 2nd Ohio Infantry in 1861
The 2nd Ohio Infantry was originally formed as a three-months regiment and mustered into service at the outbreak of the war in April, 1861. Although John Hebron did not serve in the three-months regiment, he enlisted in the three-years regiment on September 10, 1861.
John Hebron’s first letter to his family in the collection comes from Camp Dennison, Ohio, just one week after enlisting on the September 18, 1861. He assured them that his regiment had enough food and mentioned some of the other regiments passing through the camp:
“We have a good time of it down here. We had big bonfires down here last night. There was an Illinois Regiment come along hungry and we got them their supper. They were the 24th [Illinois]. Two regiments left here on Sunday for western Virginia — one zouave regiment and the 32nd Ohio.”
In early October, 1861, the regiment was engaged in battle for the first time at West Liberty, Kentucky. John L. Hebron wrote home about the skirmish to his mother:
“I now sit down to write you a few more lines after the war [battle] of West Liberty. We started from Camp Garrett Davis on Tuesday at 2 o’clock p.m. and marched all day and all night. Early in the morning we met the enemy about 200 strong. They fired first without doing any damage. Then we tore down a fence and got in a field and throwed a shell among them which scattered them in every direction. They all broke for the hills. Then we marched about a hundred yards and then throwed two shells into the town about a half mile distant. We thought there was more in the town. The inhabitants fled in all directions.
The cavalry went after the soldier secesh and killed 6 or 7 of them while they only wounded one of the cavalry — a lieutenant. One of our company received a flesh wound in the arm while another had a ball go through his coat on top of his shoulder. None of the rest of the companies had a bullet come near them. The secesh heard that we had only 75 men and they had an awful frolic on the head of it. They left blankets, their grub, and everything else. They thought they were going to take us right away but they was sold.”
John L. Hebron’s Animosity Toward General Don Carlos Buell
In the summer of 1862, the 2nd Ohio Infantry was serving under General Major Ormsby Mitchel whom John L. Hebron had grown to like along with the rest of his division. General Mitchel had recently captured Huntsville, Alabama, for the Union army and Hebron attributed jealousy over that success to General Don Carlos Buell coming down hard on the men of his division. In a letter from July 20, 1862, Hebron wrote:
“ I see the papers are giving Mitchel’s division thunder on all sides — something he don’t deserve at all. The whole division was down on him at one time but now they like him so much the better. I guess Old Buell didn’t like it because Mitchel got another star on his shoulder. The citizens around Huntsville made a poor mouth [complained] to Buell how Mitchel has used them and Buell is now giving them our rations and feeding us on half rations. Old Mitchel told them [the citizens] he wouldn’t allow the stores to open till his trains could go through to Shelbyville without being fired into and it was nobody but the citizens that done it. And they tried to burn the bridges and fired into the cars when they were full of soldiers every chance they could get. [In retaliation,] Old Mitchel burnt down some of their houses and the people in Huntsville will spit in a soldier’s face now. We all were down on Mitchel because we thought he was not hard enough on them but Old Buell won’t make much by feeding us on half rations for the hogs and sheep look very saucy at us and we have to shoot them for fear they will bite us for we know they are secesh. And [we] don’t like to leave them lay around to stink so we eat them.”
Two days later John L. Hebron had even harsher words for General Buell:
“Dave Laizure just came from Huntsville last night. He was shot through the foot above the big toe some 2 or 3 weeks ago but he has got able to walk now. He says that Buell is giving all the sugar and nearly all the other rations to the citizens and we are living on half rations. He says the negroes are going around with wheel barrows of flour and meat. He [says] the citizens are stepping around with their revolvers and knives and a guard can’t say a word to them. If the government don’t do something with Buell soon, some of our division will for he was shot at by one of the 10th Ohio and shot through the hand and there has been a good many threats made. I believe he is as bad as Old Jeff himself.”
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought between December 31, 1862 and January 2, 1863. The Battle of Stones River resulted in a Union victory, high casualties on both sides, and the withdrawal of the Confederate forces under General Braxton Bragg.
During the battle, Lieutenant Colonel John Kell of the 2nd Ohio Infantry was killed and the regiment was credited with capturing the flag of the 30th Arkansas Infantry regiment. John L. Hebron was present for the first day of the battle and even helped to transport the 30th Arkansas flag, as he described in a letter to his mother after the battle:
“On the morning of the 31st [December], our division to the front or away back through some cedar bushes that was so thick you could hardly see 10 steps ahead of you. We went through them about ¼ of a mile and maneuvered there a few minutes and then fell back in order that we could get a better chance at them. We went about 400 yards from the woods and stopped and layed down as the rebs had followed us and were firing on us. On they came towards Terrill’s Battery which was at our right. Our regiment let them come till they was pretty close [and] then let them have it — and the Battery gave them grape and canister and just mowed them down. They dropped their flag and run like scared sheep.
It was while charging on us that [Lt.] Col. [John] Kell was killed and Waty Nichols, William Dunn, and Elijah Matlock was wounded. Somebody picked the [dropped] flag of the rebs up and gave it to Gen. Rousseau and Gen. Rousseau gave it to Major McCook for the 2nd [Ohio]. He said they took the flag. Major [Anson G.] McCook gave the flag to me and told me to keep it till the fight was over so I took the flag and put it in the ambulance and went to gathering of wounded for that is the musician’s job in battle.”
Conclusion
John L. Hebron and the 2nd Ohio Infantry went on to fight in many more battles including the Battle of Chickamauga as well as the Atlanta campaign. Miraculously, Hebron never received a single wound in battle and was mustered out on October 10, 1864, returning to his home in Ohio and remained in the state until his death in 1914.
With nearly 150 letters as well as photographs of John L. Hebron and his family, the collection is a fascinating and detailed look at one Ohio man’s service during the Civil War. We would like to extend a special thanks to William Griffing of Spared & Shared for his work in transcribing and sharing the letters.
Join the Research Arsenal today to view all these letters and thousands more by Union and Confederate soldiers and their families.
Looking for more spotlights on our collection? Try reading about the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery in the Chester Chapman letters or the US Ram Fleet in the Alfred Washington Ellet letters.
