Holland City News, December 7, 1961 Holland, Michigan Residents in the Civil War 25th Michigan Mustered At Kalamazoo in 1862 #2 by Rev. Edward J. Masselink, Ph. D. Pastor of Central Ave. Christian Reformed Church The Twenty- fifth Michigan Volunteer Regiment was mustered in at Kalamazoo on Sept. 29, 1862. At the farewell convocation a silk flag was presented to them with the inscription, "This flag is given in faith that it will be carried where duty and honor lead." There were ten companies and the mustered strength of the regiment was 879. Colonel Orlando Moore was the regiment commander, and he proved to be one of the outstanding officers of the war. He was held in the highest esteem, and he commanded the absolute loyalty of his troops. One of the men writing home ventured a few words of English: "Our Colonel is a pretty smart man. Before he became our Colonel he commanded D battery and a cavalry battalion. He could be promoted, I suppose, to Brigadier General, but I would rather keep him as colonel. I could not have better respect for my best friend than I have for him. He ain’t handsome looking, but is a gentle and kind and friendly looking man. I hope we keep him until the end of the war." From Kalamazoo they went to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where they spent most of the first winter drilling and doing picket duty. They lived twelve men in a tent, and slept on the ground. When on picket duty they worked on 24-hour shifts. They stood watch for two hours, and then were relieved for four hours. At camp they were well provided. Every morning an army wagon came with 100 pounds of dried beef and salt pork, and also a crate filled with loaves of bread. For breakfast they all had salt pork with bread and coffee. At noon their meal consisted of rice soup made with meat fat, with crackers. At night they had meat, presumably with vegetables, and bread and coffee. Their basic pay was $13 a month. Bowling Green is situated on Green River in central Kentucky. This is a quiet, serene little city planted along the rolling hills of the south. A few miles away, within hiking distance, was Mammoth Cave. Cave City, nearby, is frequently mentioned in connection with troop movements. Bowling Green is the capitol of the tobacco industry and twice a week they could attend the tobacco auctions with the arresting sing-song of the tobacco auctioneer. On every side they could see the fields covered with the broad- leafed tobacco plant. This brought them into first hand contact with slave labor and slavery conditions. The tobacco growers were, in general, more considerate of their slaves than the cotton growers. The condition of most of the slaves in Kentucky was not unbearable. A few miles to the north, at Bradstown, is "The Old Kentucky Home." where Stephen Foster wrote his famous ballad. Foster caught the tempo of slave life in Kentucky. The place is now preserved by the state as a museum, with all the rooms intact as they were in the Civil War days. The slave huts are still there, and also the grave where Massa lies buried in the "cold, cold ground." The winter was mild. In the late fall and early spring, the "sun shone bright." In the heart of the winter there was a long period of cold, drizzling rain which took its toll. At least for the time, the tension of war passed them by. One of the highlights of the winter was a visit to Bowling Green by some of the men from Holland who were in General Phillip Sheridan’s Cavalry Regiment, as the following letter will indicate. Bowling Green, Kentucky February 8, 1863 Dear Mother and Brother: On the third of this month we left Louisville by train on our way to Nashville. Learning that the 25th Regiment is at this place, I felt obligated together with C. Thiel, J. Vogel, H. Westveld, J. De Jongh, and G. Hurink, to look up the boys from Holland. We came here at night and woke up the boys. You can hardly appreciate the mutual joy when we saw each other. C. Thiel, J. Vogel and I had the honor to take breakfast and dinner with Lieutenants M. De Boe and J. Doesburg. Jan Riemersma was with us again in Louisville. I am writing this letter in the office of the Lieutenants above named. Because I am in a hurry, this letter is poorly written. Jan Nies Company B, 2nd Michigan Cavalry, Army of the Cumberland Evidently the schedule was not too strenuous, and they were allowed considerable freedom. Twice a week they met in one of the tents for Bible study, although not nearly all of them came or were even interested. Several of them at one time attended a Methodist Negro camp meeting, and one of them writes home about it. "Last night we went to a Negro Prayer meeting, and we were deeply impressed with the simplicity and earnestness with which they took part. I thought, truly God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in things that are eternal. Many of them are so nearly white that some of our Holland boys could be taken for Negroes." The saddest part of the winter came when a severe epidemic of dysentery, followed by measles, struck the camp. For several months the entire camp became a hospital. Almost all the men were taken down with the illness, and many of them did not fully recover until late summer. Medical care was still in an elementary stage, and they had little more than simple home remedies at their disposal. The regimental surgeon was Dr. Bolivar Barnum of Schoolcraft, with Francis M. Oakley of York as his first assistant, and John N. Greggs of Schoolcraft as his second assistant. Those who were well took turns at being nurses. These days belonged to the unforgettable experiences of the war. Among those who were stricken was William Ledeboer. He was a lad of only 18 years old, but before he died he gave such earnest testimony of his faith that his comrades were deeply impressed. After the war, D. B. K. Van Raalte married Willie Ledeboer’s sister. Before the winter was over, the epidemic had taken the following toll in Company 1: Captain William Dowd, Arie Rot, George Allyn, Isaiah Crofoot, Sylvanus Hammon, Mense Horlings, and Wulf Van Appeldorn. Most of these men are buried in the Cave Hill National Cemetery at Louisville, Kentucky. Lieutenant. Jacob Doesburg received a discharge for medical disability. One man in seven in the Company had been stricken down. By the middle of March the flowers were again in bloom, and by the first of April, 1863, Company 1 was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky.

Transcribed by Joan M. Van Spronsen
Created: 23 July 2006