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William Henry Cleveland
b.28 Mar 1836 Conquest, Cayuga, New York, United States
d.24 Nov 1913 Norwalk, Huron, Ohio, United States
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 25 Nov 1828
(edit)
m. 28 Mar 1863
Facts and Events
William Henry Cleveland entered service 23 Feb. 1864 in Company B of the 25th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and received a disability discharge 13 Feb 1865. During this time the 25th Ohio saw action in the battles against Fort Sumter and Charleston, Honey Hill, Coosaw River, and Deveaux's Neck. This regiment lost during service 280 men, including 158 from combat wounds. Both the 1890 Veterans Schedule and the 1900 Census give his address as 93 Benedict Ave., Norwalk, OH. Evelyn Rockwell, daughter of Ruby Cleveland who was raised by William H. Cleveland, does not recall hearing of any military service by William H. Cleveland. William Cleveland made banjos (one of which is in the possession of Valerie Rockwell). He practiced taxidermy. He worked for the Railroad and was present at the transcontinental golden spike ceremony. He retired on a raiload pension. Battle of Honey Hill. South Carolina, November 30, 1864. Excerpts from a letter written by Corporal Samuel Wildman, Company B, 25th Ohio Volunteer Infantry to his father, August Wildman, a veteran of the 55th OVI. Boyds Landing, Near Pocataligo Bridge, S. C., Monday, Dec. 5, 1864 My Dear Father: -- At last my real soldier life has commenced. I have "smelt gunpowder." Seen the smoke of battle, heard the crash of artillery and musketry, done my duties as well as I could in the front of battle all day long and come out unscathed... We were now at Boyd’s landing where we disembarked, finding many troops already ashore. Long before this time we had surmised as our ultimate destination the Pocataligo Bridge, on the Charleston and Savannah RR. Several attempts have been made during the war to force a passage to this bridge and burn it, but all have failed thus far. I believe our troops had never until now effected a landing so near the bridge as this point. We halted perhaps an hour and there started inland, the 127th New York taking the lead, followed by the 25th Ohio. We were divided into two brigades, under the command of Gens. Potter and Hatch. The 25th was in that of Gen. Potter... About seven o’clock, I think, in the morning of Wednesday, November 30th, we again commenced our advance, and soon found the enemy. A battery of their artillery was posted on the road in front and shelled us as we advanced. As soon as we ere near enough for their shells to begin to take effect, we formed in line of battle, the right wing of the 25th on the right of the road and the left wing on the left, in fields covered with tall, dry grass and weeds. We continued to advance along these fields when the left wing found its onward course opposed by a dense wood. I cannot describe these South Carolina forests. They must be much like the chapparel of Mexico which I have read of, full of a thick undergrowth of thorny vines, so dense that the eye can penetrate but a few rods into them, and seeming like an impassable obstruction in the way of a marching column. Even our skirmish line did not try to advance, but the whole line of battle halted a few minutes and then moved by the right flank to the road and crossed. I am describing, you understand, the movements of the left wing, only of the 25th, we having lost sight of the companies on the right of the regiment where we first separated from them. Now we found ourselves on the right of the road, and again steadily advance, the shells of the enemy’s battery bursting overhead, in front and in rear of us, but fortunately without effect. We soon found another obstacle to our passage, more invincible than the first. The high grass of the field had been set on fire between us and the rebels, perhaps purposely, perhaps accidentally, by the fire of the artillery. The wind was blowing in our faces, and the broad sheet of flame swept rapidly toward us, roaring and crackling in its onward course. Major Randall who was in command of the left wing of the 25th moved us by the flank to the other side of the road again, when we advanced in spite of thorny bush and rebel shell and shot. We relieved the skirmish line, which had been composed of the 127th New York, if I remember correctly, and pushed on. A battery of our own artillery unlimbered in the road on our right and we halted to await the effect of their fire. They opened on the enemy on a few well directed shots silenced the latter and removed the principal obstacle to our progress. The rebel battery fell back, we returned to the road and again moved forward by the flanks. The right wing of the 25th joined up and we were glad to learn that they had lost only one man thus far wounded. Onward we still pushed undeterred by the occasional skirmishing in front, which became more frequent until, finally, there was an almost continual rattle of small arms. I hardly know how it commenced, but before I expected it, we were formed in line of battle, the 154th New York and 32d USCT on our right, and the 55 Massachusetts Colored Reg’t on our left. The line extended, I know not now much further in both directions, but the regiments named are the only ones whose positions I knew. A tremendous roar of musketry had commenced along the line, but we steadily advanced, right into the tangled wall of vines and briers, which clung to us as we tore our way through them. I was on the left of the 25th Regiment which had become badly mixed with the 55th Massachusetts, and, it is not surprising that I found myself among black faces instead of white, and totally at a loss to find the whereabouts of my comrades. I soon saw white men on my left and pushing through to them found that they were the right of the 144th New York Regiment. By this time I had been joined by two of our boys who had been separated from the 25th in the same manner as myself and were on the point of falling in with the 144th, when some on gave us a clue to the position of our regiment which we soon after found. All this time I think we had lost no men in our company, but we were not long to remain unscathed. We advanced perhaps half a mile in the woods, which I think were somewhat more open than they had been before we reached the road, when at last our onward progress was stopped by a more determined resistance than we had yet met. We were before an entrenchment of some kind although the density of the woods prevented our seeing it at the time, and the rebels poured a murderous fire into our ranks. ~ Sergeant Grandy was shot down close to me, mortally wounded, and Lowell Reece fell nearer the right of the company, a bullet passing through his wrist, and wounding him in the face, as his hand was raised in the act of loading. Corporal Williams was wounded and carried to the rear and also William Benson and Orderly/Sergeant McGuckin, nearly at the same time. I think all within the first few minutes after our onward progress had been stopped, in front of the rebel fortification. I saw upwards of an hour we loaded and fired, not in unbroken ranks, for we were fighting (loading and firing) every man for himself and on his own hook, standing, kneeling, or lying, according as the nature of the ground offered opportunities of "shelter." I saw Ira Sturges loading and firing a little way to my left, and joined him. He was standing behind a tree close to which Watros of Co. "B" and a man of another company lay wounded. It was the hottest place I saw all day, the bullets cutting the grass, striking the trees, and whistling all around us. I examined Watros’ wound and finding that he could walk with a little assistance, helped him a few rods to the rear and bound up his wound, a bad one... About 4 P.M. from... Gregory Landing and Pocataligo Bridge, SC...Thursday, Dec. 16, 1864 At length I find trying to continue my letter which was almost illegible from having been carried so long in a knapsack. (ed. Note: a few pages of the letter are heavily stained) I will continue where I left off in my description of the Battle of "Honey Hill." Watros was wounded in the neck. I helped him a little way to the rear and made him as easy as I could. Returned to the tree where I had left Ira Sturges and commenced loading and firing as before. Sergeant Henry Benson joined us and talked a few minutes with me, telling he had just assisted John Perdue (badly wounded) off the field. While we still stood loading and firing another "messenger of death" struck Benson down in his tracks. He fell on his face without a word or groan. I turned him on his back, with his head on his knapsack and removed his waist belt, unbuttoned his vest, shirt, & c. He was shot through the lungs. For some time this contest went on when our ammunition gave out and the battle line fell back in good order to the road, by the side of which there was a ditch and bank which served as an intrenchment. Soon after dark, we retreated under cover of our artillery which shelled the rebel works far into the night. We moved silently back, past the church and cross roads and biouacked at the Landing. It had been a desperate fight for the numbers engaged. The 25th lost in killed and wounded and missing 162. Company "B" loss was three killed and nineteen wounded or a total of 22 our of 52 engaged – nearly half the company. We shot away about 100 rounds of ammunition to a man... Good by for the present. I am afraid that my letter will not get off by the Fulton (ed. Note: not clearly legible, perhaps name transport) We have been over half a month without our tents or woolen blankets or change of clothing. Yours affcty, Sam Source: Wildman family collection, The Ohio Historical Society. References
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