| Lee's surrender to Grant at
Appomattox courthouse on April 9, 1865, marked the official end of the hostilities. Some
of the units from Shelby County were discharged before then, such as Schultz's Battery (October, 1864), but most served
until after the end of the war. The men of the 20th were mustered out in Columbus on July
18, 1865. The 15th Ohio was sent to Texas, and remained in the service until December of
1865. It was a frustrating time. Dr. Albert Wilson, the first Shelby Countian to enlist,
wrote to his brother Henry on June 1, 1865. "All are very anxious to get released
and get home as rapidly as possible. I have no desire to remain longer in the service."
He was home within the next month. Tragedy continued to haunt some soldiers even as they wound their way slowly back to their homes. Ft. Loramie farmer Henry Tholmier was back at Camp Dennison in Ohio, waiting to be discharged, when he was accidentally shot and killed by a provost guard. Perhaps the most senseless tragedy struck those who had already suffered the most. On April 26, 1865, the decks of the steamship Sultana were packed with emaciated Union soldiers who had just been released from Confederate prisons. As the ship headed up the Mississippi River, Shelby County soldiers William F. Clancy, a druggist by trade, and G. W. Shearer were on board. The ship's boilers blew up as the Sultana was in midstream, and 1,700 men, including Clancy and Shearer, died. |
Men crowd the decks of the Sultana [Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] 'Civil War' segment written in July, 1998 by Rich Wallace |
