Day-Woodford Families » George J. Woodford (1841-1880)

Persoonlijke gegevens George J. Woodford 

• Hij is geboren op 11 januari 1841 in Huron (Erie County), Ohio.Bronnen 1, 2
• (Military) tussen 1862 en 1865 in Mauckport (Harrison County), Indiana.Bronnen 1, 3

  George enlisted as a private in the 5th Regiment Indiana Calvary, 90th Volunteer, Company 'D'. He was described as being 5' 7", dark complexion with grey eyes and brown hair. He contracted dysentery while serving as a scout. Author MacKinley Kantor, in one of his masterpiece historical novels, This Hallowed Ground, writes of this specific incident.
  
  The 5th Regiment, attached to the District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, was originally organized at Indianapolis, Indiana. Company 'D' comprised of men from Mauckport (Harrison County). The regiment moved to Louisville (Jefferson County), Kentucky on 28 Feb 1863 and again 95 miles to the south to Glasgow (Barren County), Kentucky from Mar 4 - 11. Sometime during December 1862, the cavalry moved to Munfordville (Grayson County), Kentucky and stayed for a year before joining with another regiment at Glasgow.
  
  The 5th regiment attached themselves to many brigades following their formation for scouting out the enemy. Prior to Aug 1863, the men of Company 'D' assisted the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 223rd Army Corps. From Aug - Oct 1863, the regiment joined the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps. Soon after Oct 1863, the regiment attached to the 4th Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps. They stayed with this brigade through Nov 1863 where the calvary joined up with forces of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Calvary Corps until Aug 1864.
  
  From Aug - Sep 1864, the 5th Regiment joined the Dismounted Calvary Brigade, Calvary Division, 23rd Army Corps. On the same month, the regiment joined forces with the 1st Brigade, Calvary Division, 23rd Army Corps.
  
  Through Nov 1864 the calvary moved to Louisville, Kentucky. They attached to the 1st Brigade, 6th Division, Wilson's Calvary Corps, Military Division of the Mississippi. On Dec of the same year, the regiment joined up with the 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, Calvary Corps, Military Division of the Mississippi. They stayed with this brigade until Jun 1865.
  
  Between Dec 1862 through 17 Apr 1863, the men provided scouting reports from Glasgow, Kentucky and toward the Cumberland River. Expeditions were performed of the Cumberland River on Apr 18-22 in the same year. On Apr 19th, the town of Celina was scouted and Glasgow again through 22 Jun 1863. The regiment then scouted Marrow Bone Creek, Tennessee on May 18th, and traveled near Edmonton (Metcalfe County), Kentucky on Jun 7th. Expeditions were done from Glasgow to Burkesville, as well as the Tennessee State line, from 8-10 Jun 1863 with emphasis at Kettle Creek on Jun 9th. The calvary moved to Tompkinsville (Monroe County), Kentucky on 22 Jun 1863.
  
  On 4 Jul 1863, the regiment received word a Confederate brigade was advancing into Ohio. On July 13th, Brigadier General John Morgan (Confederate) and his raiders crossed into Ohio at Harrison. The plan was to sweep across the state of Ohio and harass the enemy, plundering where possible. After the raiding, Morgan hoped to move at an angle toward the Ohio River and cross into West Virginia. It was felt that the Southern sympathizers on the West Virginia side of the river would aid the cavalry escape back to the Confederacy. This battle, known as the "Morgan Raid", was soon to take place at Buffington Island (Meigs County), Ohio.
  
  Morgan's progress seemed to be going according to plan. His raiding in Ohio was successful, even though thousands of Union troops were chasing around after him. Morgan was elusive. He would strike a town, leave in a hurry, and always have a group of reconnaissance forces scouting the best route to the next objective. Unfortunately, at Washington's Woods his luck would run out, and his plans would be shattered.
  
  As fate would have it, the direction of Morgan's moves were reported to Union troops who relayed it from one detachment to another. As soon as orders were given, the 5th Calvary saddled their horses and galloped with speed to stop Morgan from advancing (this trip was approximately 350 miles).
  
  By now the entire area along the Ohio river was alive with activity and talk. To local residents it seemed that the Union had an armada of ships and troops in the area. The flagship of the floating fortresses was the ELK, and it was accompanied by several converted gunboats and steamboats such as the LOGAN filled with troops.
  
  Morgan's men had ridden hard but lost their way. They finally stopped to rest and obtain a guide in the small town of Chester. his was a most unfortunate stop, for without it, Morgan would have been able to cross against very light Union resistance. The two-hour break meant that it was almost dark when Morgan and his several thousand cavalry troops reached sight of the island.
  
  Some fortifications had been built at the riverbank, and without knowing its strength, and feeling tired, Morgan decided to wait until sunrise. Some say that the river served as a swimming hole for naked rebel and federal troops that night, swimming together before the fateful morning when they would meet in combat. What a shame that Morgan decided to wait until morning! If he had attempted to cross when he arrived, Morgan would have made the crossing in safety.
  
  When the sun rose on the beautiful greenish blue water that Sunday morning, the Confederates were ready to make the crossing. General Morgan ordered Colonel Duke to attack the fortifications and cross the Ohio river with his brigade. Colonel Johnson was ordered to attack any Union forces coming down the river attempting to intercept the crossing. Morgan planned to watch the maneuver from the hill and keep the remainder of the forces in reserve. So the stage was set.
  
  With two regiments Colonel Duke sounded charge, and the sound of galloping hoofs could be heard charging toward the hastily constructed Union fortifications. It seemed to be so very simple. The small force of Union men had abandoned the fortifications, so Duke signaled Morgan that it was safe to cross. As the Confederates began moving their horses into the water near Buffington's Island, they must have looked longingly toward the West Virginia shores. They would soon be in an area where they expected to find more friends to aid their escape from the pursuing Union forces. With a little luck they could make a safe return to the Confederate lines.
  
  A few companies from the 6th Kentucky Rangers and the 9th Tennessee Cavalry succeeded in making a peaceful crossing. Then the peaceful crossing was broken by the sound of gunfire. Looking down the river, the rebels observed the federal gunboat MOOSE steaming toward them with other gunboats trailing it. Some of these other federal boats included the REINDEER, VICTORY, and SPRINGFIELD. The rifles and guns on the federal boats seemed to crack almost simultaneously and continuously, and many rebel cavalrymen were shot or jumped from their horses into the beautiful Ohio. The Southerners headed back toward the Ohio shore, and the lead gunboat followed. Once the boat was tied up, Union troops disembarked to join those who had gathered to fight on the shore.
  
  The battle raged on for hours on both sides of the river. The Union troops under General Judah were determined to halt the advance, and capture and destroy the thieving rebels. Confederates were equally determined to defeat or break away from the dirty Yankees. For awhile the results were a toss-up. Confederates captured and killed many Union troops, including General Judah's adjutant general, and the Union was having equal success.
  
  The turning point in the Battle of Buffington Island came when Judah committed the 5th Indiana Regiment to a full charge against the Confederate lines. Morgan's forces began to panic when the Yankee horse soldiers broke through. Up the hills and into the woods ran the rebels. It seemed to the Union forces that they had won the battle. But wait! What was this coming over the hill? The rebels were counter attacking! The Union troops were in a state of shock. They hadn't counted on Morgan's cunning in quickly reforming his retreating men to attack and surprise the enemy. Judah was worried. Could his men withstand the shock? Then at what seemed to be the precise moment in a melodrama, help was on the way for the Union. Hobson's forces of about three thousand strong, who had been chasing Morgan for weeks, were charging up the road from Pomeroy.
  
  It soon became obvious to the rebel general that he was going to lose the battle, so he quickly tried to organize an orderly retreat up the river toward Colonel Johnson's brigade. The withdrawal went well at first, as the rebels took turns covering each other's retreat. Soon the Union forces had the situation well sized up. The order for another direct regimental cavalry attack was given. This time there was no Confederate counterattack, and retreat turned into a rout. Before long the Yankees had captured over seven hundred prisoners, and the remaining rebels were beating a hasty retreat up the river. At Portland about three hundred rebels charged into the water and were successful in crossing the river. Soon there were rebels scattered on both sides of the river.
  
  During the night, Morgan and about 400 men escaped encirclement by following a narrow woods path. The rest of his force surrendered. Casualities were high with 25 Union soldiers dead and 900 Confederates also dead. The 5th Regiment stayed in Buffington Island through 26 Jul 1863.
  
  Buffington's Island was to be a sour taste of defeat for General Morgan. In addition to losing a large part of his forces, killed or capured, he had some personal losses. His brother and three of his leaders and advisors were captured, including Colonel Duke. A week later 2,500 rebels were captured and Morgan himself was captured near the Muskingum River as he was retreating up the Ohio. From there he was taken to Columbus to the Ohio Penitentiary. Soon after his arrival, Morgan engineered his escape and made his way to a railroad, where he hitched a freight car ride to Cincinnati. Outside the city he jumped the train and swam the Ohio for his escape to Kentucky and the Confederacy. Once there he tried to organize cavalry forces for more raids, but as fate would have it, he only survived until the next year when he was felled hy a Union bullet.
  
  From 27 Jul to 8 Aug 1863, the 5th Regiment marched from Louisville to Glasgow. They participated in the Burnside's campaign in eastern Tennessee from Aug 16th to Oct 17th. They took occupation of Knoxville (Knox County), Tennessee on 2 Sep 1863.
  
  Rheatown (Green County), Tennessee on 12 Sep 1863
  Kingsport (Sullivan County), Tennessee on 18 Sep 1863
  Bristol (Bristol County), Virginia on 19 Sep 1863
  Jonesborough (Washington County), Tennessee on 21 Sep 1863
  Hall's Ford (Washington County), Tennessee, near the Watauga River, on 22 Sep 1863
  Carter's Depot and Blountsville September 22. Blue Springs October 10. Henderson's Mill October 11. Rheatown October 11. Blountsville October 14. Bristol October 15. Warm Springs October 20 and 26. Knoxville Campaign November 4-December 23. Siege of Knoxville November 17-December 5. Log Mountain December 3. Walker's Ford, Clinch River, December 5. Bean's Station December 14 Blain's Cross Roads December 16-19. Clinch River December 21. Morristown Road January 16, 1864. Kimbrough's Mills January 16. Operations about Dandridge January 16-17 and January 26-28. Near Fair Garden January 27. March to Knoxville, thence to Cumberland Gap January 29-February 10. March to Mt. Sterling, Ky., February 17-26. Duty at Mt. Sterling, Paris and Nicholasville, Ky., till May 1. March to Tunnel Hill, Ga., May 1-12. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May to September. Varnell's Station May 7 and 9. Demonstration on Dalton May 9-13. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Cassville May 19. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Mt. Zion Church May 27-28. Stoneman's Hill May 29. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Allatoona June 23-25 and 30. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Mitchell's Cross Roads July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Campbellton July 10. Marietta July 19. Stoneman's Raid to Macon July 27-August 6. Clinton and Macon July 30. Sunshine Church, Hillsbore, July 30-31 (most of Regiment captured). Dismounted men on guard duty at Decatur and Atlanta till September 13. Ordered to Louisville, Ky., and guard duty there till January, 1865. March to Pulaski, Tenn., January 17-February 12. Post duty at Pulaski and operations against guerrillas in that vicinity till June. Expedition from Pulaski to New Market, Ala., May 5-13. Mustered out June 16, 1865. George moved up in rank during his time in the military, his final promotion was Sergeant.
  
  Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 40 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 188 Enlisted men by disease. Total 230.

• Hij is overleden op 29 april 1880 in Oakland Township (Schuyler County), Illinois, hij was toen 39 jaar oud.Bronnen 2, 4

  Oorzaak: of severe dirrahea

  According to the record book Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, George was farmer and a veteran of the United States Army. He was born in Ohio and both of his parents were born in New York. He was a resident of Fulton County for 11 years.
  
  A Woodford family Bible which is in the possession of Delbert Woodford of Macomb, Illinois, reads the following:
  
  George Woodford
  died April 29 - 1880
  age 39 years 3 mo 8 days
  G.O.D.
  5th Ind Calv.
  90th Reg
  IN D Vol

• Hij is begraven in Astoria (Fulton County), IllinoisSalem Cemetery.Bron 2

  This cemetery is located south of Vermont. The tombstone is best described as very large with only his name imprinted.

• Een kind van Jonathan T. Woodford en Sophia Johnson
• Deze gegevens zijn voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 14 april 2023.

Gezin van George J. Woodford

Hij is getrouwd met Dorothea Indiana Ritchey.

Zij zijn getrouwd op 28 januari 1861 te Fort Wayne (Allen County), Indiana, hij was toen 20 jaar oud.Bronnen 5, 6

According to the book titled, The History of McDonough County, Illinois: Vol. 1, by Ruth Chenoweth and Sara Wisslead Semonis, the following excerpt was taken:

John md 2nd to Mrs. Sophia Johnson WOODFORD, she had two small boys, one was George, which married Dorothea Indiana Richey (which was the daughter of John Richey and first wife Katherine Ruch.) Sophia died in 1860.

Volkstelling 1870 in Astoria (Fulton County), Illinois.Bron 7

George (written as Geo. Woodford in the census) was 29 years old and born in Ohio. He worked as a farmer with no real estate holdings and personal property valued at $150. His wife, Dorothy (written as Andiana), was 26 years old and born in Indiana. The children were listed with their respective ages: Laura F. (8), John (4) and Scott (born within the census year). Laura and John were born in Indiana. Scott was born in Illinois.

Kind(eren):

1. Laura Frances Woodford  1862-1900
2. John Henry Woodford  1865-1947 
3. Scott Winnifield Woodford  1869-1966 
4. Charles Edward Woodford  1874-1970 
5. Estella V. Woodford  1876-1941
6. Cora Belle Woodford  1879-1924 

Notities over George J. Woodford

George's family traveled from Indiana to Illinois by covered wagon.

Heeft u aanvullingen, correcties of vragen met betrekking tot George J. Woodford?
De auteur van deze publicatie hoort het graag van u!

Tijdbalk George J. Woodford

Klik op de namen voor meer informatie. Gebruikte symbolen:  grootouders    ouders    broers/zussen    kinderen