Fighting Fools

Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor.  No, this isn’t a National Park Service commercial.  It is a list of the major engagements of which the “Fighting Fools” of the 8^th Ohio Infantry took part.  Now, the vast majority of my ancestors were Confederates who fought in the Western Theater.  (And two Federal ancestors who did as well.)  But I do have a handful of ancestors (three Confederate and two Federal) who fought in the, “gasp”, Eastern Theater!

My two “Yankee” ancestors weren’t true Yankees I suppose because they were immigrants.  When the war began, they enlisted in the 8^th Ohio Infantry for 90 days.  Once their enlistments expired, they reenlisted for three years.  After the three years were up, one of them went home and his brother joined the 4^th Ohio Battalion for the duration of the war.

The 8^th Ohio was part of the “Gibraltar Brigade” and their exploits at Antietam and Gettysburg earned them the respect of friend and foe alike.  There are some good references available for them online.  Check them out if you are interested.  Click here for a really good list of sources or here for some more!

You know, if I had to have ancestors fighting in that little sideshow in the East, the 8^th Ohio is a good regiment for them to have belonged.

My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.

(My wife was discharged from the hospital this morning and is recovering nicely.  Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes.)

First Tennessee Infantry

As part of my blog, I will profile units in which my ancestors served.  I will trade off between Confederate and Federal units.  I'll begin with the famed First Tennessee Infantry.  Many people may be familiar with them because of the wonderful memoir written by Sam Watkins.  He served in Company H.  My ancestors served primarily in Company G, also raised in Maury County.

Without getting bogged down in details, the 1st Tennessee fought at Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Franklin, Nashville, and Bentonville.  They were fearless on the attack and tenacious on the defense.  The men of the 1st Tennessee stayed the course until the bitter end.

I am related by blood or marriage to the following:

Morgan Fitzgerald
Haywood Taylor
Henderson Vestal (killed at Perryville)
John L. Jacobs

There are even folks in England that reenact as members of the 1st Tennessee.  That is pretty cool.

My next regimental post will discuss the "Fightin' Fools" of the 8th Ohio Infantry.

My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War addict.