The 59th Ohio Infantry

Isaac Penny - Company H

A few days ago I started a Facebook page on the 59th Ohio Infantry, raised from men (and perhaps two women) from Brown, Clermont, and to a lesser extent, Highland Counties.  Why did I start another Facebook page?  Because the more I learn and study about this regiment, the more I become convinced that a regimental history might be a good book project to tackle.  But, I also know that I am not the best researcher out there - I love learning, but digging in, and having the bulldog determination to see a project like this through is a bit daunting.  And really, where does one start?  How do I know what libraries and repositories might have information on the 59th?  Luckily knowing a few folks on Facebook who are Civil War experts is starting to yield some results, and it might lead to a collaborative effort with a noted author, who has offered to work on this together, if we find there is enough source and primary material to put together a good story on the 59th.  More on this later if it comes to fruition.

Because the men from the 59th were mostly from Brown and Clermont Counties, finding their graves has also become a bit of obsession for me.  I've already adopted the grave, through the Civil War Augusta Adopt-A-Soldier program, of Sergeant Nathaniel Yates, who is actually buried in Payne Cemetery in Augusta.  Yates must have moved to Bracken County after the war, and most likely with his brother, as I have also found the brother's grave in another cemetery outside of Augusta.  There are also another half dozen men from the 59th buried in Bracken County, and this really got the bug going for me.  To that end I have created a virtual cemetery on Find A Grave, and at this time have 132 men of the 59th listed.  I will visit as many of these men as I can, and do a little cleaning of their stone, so that their grave will attract a few visitors as we think about their stories.

UPDATE:  Now 210 men on the Find A Grave virtual cemetery.

Nathaniel Yates' grave in Augusta, Kentucky

Where Did They Come From? Name Origin of Augusta Union Dead

Alpheus McKibben - Hillside Cemetery

Unlike most of Kentucky, which was settled from Virginia via the Cumberland Gap, the settlements along the Ohio River were founded by men and women not of Scots-Irish ancestry, but of mostly English.  The Ohio River route was traveled by those coming from the mid-Atlantic colonies and states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and the surnames of those men fighting in the Union home guard for the most part reflected that heritage.

Drake, Augustus C. - The name is either from Anglo-Saxon or Middle English origin and can mean dragon or snake.

Landen, Charles A. - An Old English name, most likely from Landon, meaning long hill.

McKibben, Alpheus - Irish (they are everywhere!).  The Gaelic form is Mac Giobúin.  Mc or Mac means "son of."

Story, William B. - Story is an old Norse name, which became ingrained in England as part of the numerous raids by the Norse, and occupation of parts of England.

Taylor, B.W.H. - Taylor stems from French and Latin and used in England as an occupational name. In Latin taliator means "to cut."

The Civil War Augusta group has an Adopt-A-Soldier program in place to mark those fallen Home Guard men.

Civil War Augusta - Next Meeting

The next meeting of the nascent group trying to increase awareness of the Civil War in Augusta, Kentucky will be meeting at 1:00 p.m., December 15th, at the Augusta Irish Pub.  If you want to get involved with a true grassroots cause, this might be the one for you!  All are welcome as we plan a tour day in April and an anniversary event for September, 2019.

Some Musings....

This entry is just a few thoughts gathered together as 2018 comes to a close and I look forward to what promises to be an exciting 2019, from a Civil War point of view at least.

Last week I was fortunate enough to guide the Southern Kentucky Pastfinders on a tour of sites around the greater Lexington area.  Starting with Henry Clay's home, Ashland, we then toured the Hunt-Morgan House, and then stopped at the Lexington Cemetery to visit Morgan's, Duke's, and Breckenridge's graves.  Day two was the two battles at Cynthiana, and day three concluded with a rainy tour of Richmond Battlefield.  They were a fun group to be with, and I hope this will lead to another tour with them in the future!

I attended a meeting for those interested in being a part of the Cynthiana Battlefields Foundation newsletter, possibly to be named The Home Guard.  It was a productive meeting, even if not attended as well as we hoped, but some good ideas and a fairly defined direction were a result, and I believe if the editor is left to take care of business, it will be an asset to the CBF. 

I do have a couple of more events on the horizon, both speaking engagements, both talking about the Second Battle of Cynthiana.  The first is on November 10th at the Scott County Library in Georgetown, and the second is speaking to a Civil War Round Table in Madison, Indiana, on November 13th.  Add to that the second meeting of the Civil War Augusta initiative on November 4th, and again on December 15th, and the end of 2018 still has a lot going on.

Potential "Stuff" for Augusta

This Sunday I am meeting with the Augusta tourism person and other interested locals to discuss increasing tourism and awareness for the town's Civil War history.  From that I hope the following might occur:

Thick black numbers represent current and proposed tour stops

1. Expanded tour to include three additional stops - The current tour is a nine stop affair, easy to walk, with good information on the Battle of Augusta website, but it is missing not only stop by stop directions, but also three additional locations that are part of the story.  These three additional stops would be by vehicle.  They would be the Baker-Bird Winery (with limited visitation hours), the Cemetery on the Hill (or Hilltop Cemetery), which offers a nice view of the town, is where the Confederates initially setup their artillery, and has the impressive monument for Dr. J.T. Bradford, who commanded the Home Guard.  The last stop would be the Confederate monument at the Payne Cemetery, along Kentucky Highway 8.  The last three stops could be visited when folks are making their way back out of town.
2. Create a group that would work on providing events such as scheduled tours and talks.  This could be a group that is organized through the city itself, or a separate non-profit organization, but obtaining the latter has become a far more expensive process in recent years, costing several hundred dollars.  For such a group there is a community center in Augusta that could be used for meetings and talks, and it is within the city's purview so cost to rent should be minimal.
3. Preservation - Realistically this would be a fairly minor concern, as the fighting took place in town and there is no land to preserve per se.  There should be a city ordinance to preserve any building present at the time of the battle, but beyond that, not a lot needs to be considered here.
4. Create a brochure for the tour that visitors could download from a website, and that is available in the caboose which serves as the visitor center.  When I was in town a few weeks ago I did not see anything for the Civil War tour at the visitor's center.
5. Denote the route of the walking tour with some sort of marker to encourage more visitors to take the tour and to create curiosity for those who see the markers.
6. Establish partnerships with city businesses that would benefit from increased tourism, such as shops and restaurants.
7. Apply for a grant to have a Civil War study completed.  This would give additional ideas and direction for increasing tourism.
8. Develop interpretive panels for various stops and apply for a grant to pay for their cost.

I am hopeful that Augusta will embrace some of these ideas.  More to follow!