Major Collin Ford And His Experience During The Civil War

MAJOR COLLIN FORD--As a contribution to the history, which is to commemorate the toils, sacrifices and achievements of the heroes of Warren County in the war for the Union, we present the following narrative:
At the outbreak of the great rebellion, Mr. Collin Ford-now Major Collin Ford-was superintendent of the Union School in Lebanon, in which position he remained until August, 1862, when he enrolled himself as a private with a squad of Normal students which was afterwards attached to Captain Stillwell's company, 79th O.V.I. He was here elected first lieutenant, in which capacity he served until May 24th, 1864, participating in the grand Atlanta Campaign of General Sherman and the battles of Resaca and Cassville.
In June, 1864, he was appointed Major of the 100th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. This regiment he organized and commanded for than seven months without the aid of a single field officer. He commanded his regiment in the battle of Nashville on December 15th and 16th, 1864, and in the memorable campaign which followed. During the battle his regiment made two desperate charges, the first on the morning when the contest opened, driving the rebels from their outer line of works on Rains' Bluff-the second, the famous "charge of Overton's Hill," the most critical spot on all the battlefield of Nashville. Here our troops were repulsed. The battle flag of Major Ford's regiment had fallen for the fourth time when he saved it with his own hands. Giving it to a mounted officer, with directions where to place it, he rallied his regiment under a fearfully destructive fire and reformed it in advance of the original position. This regiment did its full share of duty in this campaign, including the capture of Decatur, Alabama, and the dispersion of the rebel Gen. Rhody's command. After this, being exhausted by so much exposure and fatigue, Major Ford was unable to perform active service in the field. He was, therefore placed on the Military Commission at Nashville, where his legal requirements attracted the attention of the authorities. He finally became a fixture of the military under Major General Thomas. He presided in the trial of the notorious guerrilla, Champ Ferguson, and acted as Judge Advocate in the trial of Emerson Ethridge. Major Ford has been mustered out of the service, but he still wears whatever of honor there is in a title which was won in the red glare of battle-"once a Major, always a Major." .He took up the sword to fight for the cause of his country, and he stood by the flag of the nation till it waved in triumph over the states. (Taken from the Western Star)

FOOTNOTES: [a place to add additional information that you might want to submit]

NOTICE: All documents and electronic images placed on the Warren County OHGenWeb site remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. These documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the submitter, or their legal representative, and contact the listed Warren County OHGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.

This page created 12 August 2004 and last updated 18 November, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik  All rights reserved