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Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the microfilming of this collection.
Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 100 items) |
Abstract | John J. Metzgar of Granville, Ohio, served in the 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment from 1861 through the end of the Civil War. That unit became part of the Army of the Tennessee, serving under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. The regiment fought at Fort Donelson, Tenn.; Shiloh, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; Jackson, Miss.; Corinth, Miss.; Lookout Mountain, Tenn.; Ringgold, Ga.; Resaca, Ga.; and Kennesaw Mountain, Ga.; among other places. It also participated in Sherman's March to the Sea and Sherman's March through the Carolinas. The collection includes letters John J. Metzgar wrote to his wife documenting his experiences during the Civil War; photocopies of letters relating to Metzgar's request for a leave of absence after he was injured in 1863; photocopies of muster rolls showing Metzgar's location and status during the war; a history of the 76th Ohio Infantry Regiment; an 1879 business letter; a picture postcard, circa 1918, of Sergeant William D. Metzgar with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I; and other items. |
Creator | Metzgar, John J. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English |
Processed by: Arturo S. Bagley, August 1998
Encoded by: Arturo S. Bagley, August 1998
Revisions: Finding aid updated in May 2005 by Nancy Kaiser
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the microfilming of this collection.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
John J. Metzgar, a resident of Granville, Ohio, a town in Licking County, served in the Union Army during the Civil War, enlisting as a private in Company B of the 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Newark, Ohio, on 15 October 1861. In November 1861, he was appointed Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, in which position he served as the regiment took part in the siege of Fort Donelson, the battle of Shiloh, and the siege of Corinth, Miss. The regiment then traveled to Memphis, Tenn.; Helena, Ark.; Pilot Brook, Mo.; and Camp Stub, Miss. At the end of the year, Metzgar received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant and was assigned to Company C, in which unit he served at the siege of Vicksburg in December 1862 and January 1863.
On 11 January 1863, Metzgar took command of Company C when its senior officer was wounded. Company C took part in the siege of Jackson, Miss., returned to Vicksburg, and then went back to Jackson in July. After completing a recruiting trip back to Ohio, Metzgar rejoined his regiment in Memphis in September and took part in the battle of Tuscumbia, Ala., in September. After arriving at Chattanooga with General Sherman in November, Metzgar and the 1st Division reported to General Joseph Hooker, taking part in the Battle of Lookout Mountain, the storming of Missionary Ridge, and the battle of Ringgold, in which Metzgar was wounded in the arm and afterward received a leave of absence.
Metzgar was back with the regiment when it gathered at Camp Chase, Ohio, and traveled to Nashville in March 1864. After stopping at Camp Paint Rock in Woodville, Ala., the division fought to take the road to Chattanooga and arrived in that city in May. That same month, it occupied Resaca and Adairsville, both in Georgia. It also reached Dallas, Ga., and, then in June, Acworth, Ga., and fought at Kennesaw Mountain. After passing through other parts of Georgia, Metzgar and his fellow soldiers reached Savannah in December 1864.
Early 1865 found Metzgar headed north. He was in Beaufort, S.C., in January; Goldsboro, N.C., in March; and Raleigh, N.C., in April.
Back to TopThe collection is divided into two series, the larger of which consists mostly of letters written by John J. Metzgar to his wife that document his experiences as a soldier with the 76th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. The regiment fought at, among other places, Fort Donelson, Tenn.; Shiloh, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; Jackson, Miss.; Corinth, Miss.; Lookout Mountain, Tenn.; Ringgold, Ga.; Resaca, Ga.; and Kennesaw Mountain, Ga.; and participated in Sherman's March to the Sea and Sherman's March through the Carolinas. Also included are an 1879 business letter and a picture postcard, ca. 1918, of Sergeant William D. Metzgar with the American Expeditionary Force in France during World War I.
The second series contains photocopies of letters relating to Metzgar's request for a leave of absence after he was injured in 1863, photocopies of muster rolls documenting Metzgar's location and status during the Civil War, and a typed copy of a history of the 76th Ohio Infantry Regiment written by one of its officers.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Letters, most of which were written by John J. Metzgar to his wife Carrie documenting Metzgar's experiences during the Civil War. Of interest for gaining an overview of Metzgar's military career is a letter dated 22 August 1864 outlining his service up to that point.
The only items not relating to the Civil War are an 1879 business letter and a picture postcard, circa 1918, of Sergeant William D. Metzgar with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I.
Folder 1 |
1862 |
Folder 2 |
1863 |
Folder 3 |
1864 |
Folder 4 |
1865 |
Folder 5 |
1879, circa 1918 |
Folder 6 |
Undated |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Photocopies of letters relating to Metzgar's request for a leave of absence after his injury at the Battle of Ringgold in 1863, photocopies of muster rolls documenting Metzgar's location and status during the war, and a typed copy of a history of the 76th Ohio Infantry Regiment written by one of its officers.
Folder 7 |
Leave of absence |
Folder 8 |
Muster rolls |
Folder 9 |
History |