Calvin Day French-43 Ohio Volunteer Infantry Civil War Diaries Kirk French

This episode details Calvin's Civil War Pension, Civil War deaths from the battlefield or disease and Calvin's life after the war including his courtship, marriage and employment with the Delaware & Hudson Railroad and National Express.

This episode covers Calvin's participation in the Union Army Grand Review in Washington, D.C., the Trial of Andersonville Commandant-Henry Wirz, the history of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his travels back home to Ohio where he musters out of service with the Union Army.

Calvin Day French
continues marching north through North Carolina and Virginia nearly 600 miles under
the command of General Sherman in April and May 1865. He marches in April through
the North Carolina towns of Kinston, Goldsboro, Raleigh, Huntsville and
Ridgeway. After the surrender of the Confederate armies by Generals Lee and
Johnston in April 1865, Sherman continues marching his army in May through the Virginia
towns of Petersburg, Manchester and Alexandria arriving in Washington, DC. On
May 26, 1865, Calvin marched with Sherman’s Army in the West of 65,000 in the
Grand Review totaling 165,000 troops down Pennsylvania Avenue from the US Capital
Building past the reviewing stand in front of President Andrew Johnson and his
cabinet concluding at the White House. Sherman’s
Army of the West was loose and lean and sparked fever of enthusiasm among the
spectators. Former slaves followed Sherman’s army as they marched down
Pennsylvania Avenue with southern prizes such as dogs, goats, mules, raccoons,
gamecocks, and even a monkey. The men wore ragged uniforms and hung chickens
and hams from their bayonets to the crowd’s delight. The band played the same
songs they had played when they began the march to the sea, including Battle
Hymn of the Republic. After concluding his Civil War service, Calvin then begins
his travels back to his home in Ohio.

In January, February and March 1865 Calvin and the 17th Corp are
marching north from Georgia into South and North Carolina in Sherman’s
Carolinas Campaign of nearly 425 miles. Calvin marched and skirmished through the
South Carolina towns of Beaufort, Humboldt, Pocotaligo, Robertsville,
Lawtonville, Branchville, Midway, Orangeburg and Columbia. After reaching the
outskirts of Columbia by February 16th, Sherman’s army then continued
north from Cheraw, South Carolina to the North Carolina towns of Bennettsville,
Johnsonville, Averasboro ending at Goldsboro.

After a three week furlough following his escape from the Confederate prisoner train, Calvin travels 900 miles by train from his home in Ohio to Atlanta. There he joins up with General Sherman's Army on November 18, 1864 and marches nearly 300 miles across Georgia reaching Savannah on December 10, 1864. During the "March to the Sea", General Sherman and his troops destroy and burn towns and railroads and forage the land. In this episode, a female family member of a descendent of Calvin reads from a woman's historic diary of her account of the destruction of the railroad and railroad station at Gordon, Georgia.

The Confederate government began the construction of their Union prisoner of war camp in Andersonville, Georgia beginning November 1863 and started accepting prisoners in February 1864. The prison was designed to house 10,000 prisoners. During the operation of the prison 400 prisoners arrived daily resulting in nearly 45,000 Union soldiers being transported to Andersonville. Nearly 13,000 Union prisoners died at Andersonville from disease, exposure, and malnutrition. The dead were buried in mass graves dug by the prisoners outside the prison walls. There was an extreme lack of shelter, food, and water. By August 1864 32,000 prisoners remained within the 26-acre prison site.

The Union gained control of Atlanta during battles in September 1864 which resulted in 14,000 Confederate and 6,000 union casualties. Fewer Union soldiers were being transferred to Andersonville due to the Confederates concern that the Union would attempt to continue south of and liberate the prison camp. Attempts to liberate the prison by the Union had failed. Prisoner exchange was not agreed to by General Grant nor President Lincoln. As a result of the Union capturing Atlanta and concern of further attempts to liberate Andersonville, on September 7, 1864, the Confederate government began transporting the well bodied prisoners out of Andersonville. The prisoners were told they were being transported by train for a prisoner exchange. Instead, they were being transported to other Confederate prisons located as far east as Savanah, Georgia.