Joseph Grimm Musician 100 th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company B Researched by Wickman Historical Consultants www.wickmanhistorical.com
Background and Rank Born in October 1842, Joseph Grimm enlisted as a private in the 100 th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on August 4, 1862 at the age of twenty. He was appointed as a musician nearly a week later on August 12, 1862. He signed a three-year enlistment and was formally mustered-in on September 1, 1862 as a bugler in Company B at Camp Toledo, Ohio. He was paid an enlistment bounty of $25. Musicians often played a critical role during combat in the Civil War. Bugles, along with drums and fifes, were used to give commands to the rest of the regiment. A strong drummer s cadence would help to keep the companies of soldiers marching in sync, but could be difficult to hear over cannon and musket fire. Towards the middle of the war, the military began to recognize the importance of the bugle given that it could be heard over great distances. As such, the bugle became an integral component of the regiment. Army regulations of 1863 allowed recruiters to enlist those such as the recruits as are found to possess a natural talent for music, to be instructed on the fife, bugle, and drum, and other military instruments care should be taken to enlist those only who have a natural talent for music. Many manuals were available for these musicians in order to familiarize themselves with the various commands and corresponding bugle calls. Joseph Grimm served as the bugler for Company B and would have served under a Chief Bugler for the regiment. Chief Buglers were responsible for the training of the company buglers and held a similar rank to a Drum Major of a band. As a bugler in the infantry, Joseph would have been required to memorize 25 in camp bugle calls and 24 skirmish calls. As a musician, he would have found himself doing other duties besides just playing music. Buglers often found themselves relaying messages, surgical assistants on ambulance crews, picket duty and guard duty. Tour of Duty The regiment was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, until October 1862. During this time they marched to Cincinnati (September 8) and on to Covington, Kentucky where they remained through October 8, 1862. All of this occurs in reaction to the Defense of Cincinnati wherein Cincinnati was threatened by Confederate forces from Kentucky between September 1, 1862 and September 13, 1862. Confederate Brigadier General Henry Heth was ordered north to make a demonstration and threaten the sixth largest city in the United States. He was instructed by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith not to attack the city, but merely threaten it. He arrived in Covington on September 6 th, and
vastly outnumbered, Heth and the Confederates decided an attack would be pointless and returned to Lexington, Kentucky September 12 th. The 100 th OVI was then attached to the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of Kentucky, until January 1863 and remained in Kentucky during that time. While involved in General Ambrose Burnside s campaign in eastern Tennessee between August 16 and October 17, 1863 the regiment encountered its first major battle on September 8. Battle of Limestone Station The Battle of Limestone Station occurred over a single day in the vicinity of Telford, Tennessee. The Federal army was retreating to Jonesboro from an unsuccessful attack on Brigadier General Alfred E. Jackson s Confederate army. On September 7, while retreating back to the railroad tracks after the failed attack on a group of Confederate cavalry, they realized that the way was blocked by a burning railroad trestle. The 100 th Ohio chose to dig in at the old Embree Stone House and wait for reinforcements. While there they came under attack by a much larger Confederate force consisting of the 4 th Kentucky Cavalry and Lt. Col. Love s North Carolina Infantry. The attack pushed the 100 th Ohio back six miles to Limestone Bridge. Confederate officer, Major Stringfield, later wrote in his diary that "after a stubborn fight of two hours we captured 290 prisoners, 30 wounded and 20 killed of them. Our losses six killed and 15 wounded. I took a splendid sword from the commander...also a good gum cloth. The enemy fought well (and) were evidently commanded by a veteran." Like nearly all of the 100 th Ohio, Joseph Grimm was captured that day and sent to Bell Isle prison in Richmond, Virginia. Belle Isle was a small (54 acre) island in the middle of the James River and held approximately 30,000 POWs between 1862 and 1865. Joseph Grimm remained there until March 13, 1864, serving approximately six months until paroled.
View of Richmond from Belle Isle Prisoner of War Camp Once paroled, Joseph was sent to rejoin the 100th Ohio on the steamer New York, but was admitted to the hospital March 16, 1864 for unknown reasons. He was returned to duty April 19, 1864 after spending over a month in the hospital. Although the exact reason for the hospital visit is unknown, it was likely due to malnutrition or other effects of being held in a POW camp for six months. The 100 th Ohio Roll Call lists Joseph Grimm as present in May of 1864. At this time the 100 th Ohio is part of the Army of the Ohio under the command of Major General John M. Schofield. The Army of the Ohio, along with the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Tennessee were all under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign.
The Atlanta Campaign The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought over the summer of 1864 in the western theater of the Civil War focused in northwest Georgia and culminating in the Federal capture of Atlanta September 2, 1864 following the retreat of Confederate General John Bell Hood. Still under the command of Maj. Gen. Schofield the 100 th Ohio returns to Tennessee fending off attacks on their supplies by Gen. Hood. Eventually, this culminates in the two day Battle of Nashville December 15-16, 1864. Hood had previously tried to destroy Schofield s army at the Battle of Spring Hill in November, but a series of miscommunications and errors had led to Schofield escaping relatively unharmed. Hood continued to pursue Schofield and the 100 th
Ohio until they fought again at the Battle of Franklin November 30, 1864. Hood ordered nearly 20,000 men to assault Schofield, but the attacks were repulsed and the Union inflicted approximately 6,000 casualties upon the Confederates, including high ranking officers. Battle of Nashville During this time General Sherman began his infamous March to the Sea leaving his three armies under the command of Major General George H. Thomas. Wanting to put an end to Hood s army, Thomas attacked with a force of 55,000 men against a Confederate force of about 33,000. The result of the two day battle (December 15-16, 1864) was a rout of Hood s army
marking the effective end of the Army of the Tennessee. General John Bell Hood retreated to Mississippi, resigned a few weeks later and would never be given another military command. Battle of Nashville Federal Outer Line, December 16, 1864 Following the Battle of Nashville, Joseph Grimm is reported as AWOL on the roll call for January and February 1865. On February 9, 1865 he reported himself a Straggler to the Provost Marshal of the 10 th District of Ohio. He was briefly held at Atheneum Prison in Wheeling, Virginia until he was sent to Cumberland, Maryland to rejoin his regiment three days later. No reason is given for why he may have been straggling.
The 100 th Ohio went on to fight in General Sherman s Carolinas Campaign and the Battle of Wilmington; however, those particular battles are not listed on Joseph Grimm s military files. It is likely that he was present during those altercations following his return to his regiment. The great Civil War ended April 9, 1865, but the 100 th Ohio and Joseph Grimm remained in Greensboro, North Carolina until June of that year. When he was finally discharged June 20, 1865 the Federal government billed him $19.04 for transportation costs. It is unknown if those relate to the transportation incurred upon his release as a POW, or if it relates to the costs involved with sending him to rejoin his regiment after he was straggling. Out of the $75 he was due he had been given $30.74 as either an advance or a clothing allotment the records do not differentiate. After the War After returning home to Ohio, Joseph Grimm became very involved with the Grand Army of the Republic and attended many reunions. He was a charter member of GAR post No. 66 William A. Choate and served as the Officer of the Day in 1885. The post had a membership of roughly 160 in 1885 and nearly $700 to fund projects. Although complete attendance records of the yearly GAR reunions are not available, he is known to have attended the 1888 and 1889 reunions.