egiment we
became company E. The first commissioned officers of this company were
elected after our arrival at Camp Chase, and were Captain Sylvester M.
Hewitt, First Lieutenant Henry C. Brumback and Second Lieutenant James E.
Godman. Captain Hewitt was promoted to Major and transferred to the 32nd
Ohio Infantry, and James K. Ewart was commissioned Captain of company E,
July 29th, 1861, the same date that we left Camp Chase for Virginia. The
Quartermaster's department was unable to furnish regulation uniforms as
fast as the new troops organized, hence our first uniforms consisted of
gray pants and roundabouts. This caused great annoyance during the first
two or three months of our service in Virginia by our troops mistaking us
for the enemy and firing upon us. General J. D. Cox ordered that we be
kept on inside duty until properly uniformed. We arrived at the front at
Gawley Bridge, Virginia, August 11th, 1861. After our gray uniform
experience we were continually in front in all the campaigns of the army
in which we served. We remained in Virginia until February 1st, 1862, and
participated in the campaigns to Boon Court House, Sewal Mountain, Cotton
Mountain, and Fayetteville and were engaged with the enemy at Horseshoe
Bend, Sewal Mountain and New River. The casualty of battle, however, was
one. Corporal John McCausland, by concussion of a bursting shell, was
seriously injured at Horseshoe Bend. Our loss from all causes was three
deaths from disease and ten discharged because of disability. The company
had seven deserters during its entire service, but as none of them were of
value to the company or government, we drop them at this early stage. Some
of them, however, were carried on the roll to a later date. One only of
this number enlisted from Morrow county. The regiment was transferred to
Louisville--

"Way down in old Kentucky,
Where they never have the blues,
Where the Captains shoot the Colonels,
And the Colonels shoot the Booze"--

And marched to Bardstown where the regiment became part of the 15th
brigade, commanded by General Milo Haskel; 6th division, commanded by
General Thos. J. Wood; army of the Ohio, commanded by General Don Carlos
Buell. In this brigade[2] the 26th regiment remained during the entire
war, the other three regiments forming the brigade leaving us at different
periods--the 17th Indiana to Wilders Mounted Infantry, the 58th Indiana
became the pontooniers of the army of the Cum