I think readers will find the news clipping below of interest. It's an
interview with Elisha "Lish" Shore Horton (1842 - 1932) who married Kate
Campbell (1853 - 1943), dau. of Helen Peasly/Peasley (1826 - 1876) and
Wm. Campbell (1822 - 1875), son of Ann Clinch (1804 - 1872) and Joseph
Campbell (1793 - 1864).
I was especially interested in the parts about him having been a POW in
Libby and Belle Isle prisons, because one of my ggf's, Mitchell Bulley
(nee Michel Boulé) was a POW in those same two prisons. I couldn't help
wondering if "Lish" and Mitchel ever encountered each other. Perhaps
not, because fortunately Lish was never wounded during the war whereas
Mitchell was wounded before both of his captures (and wounded again
later, which cost him a leg). But I think the first two woundings were
mild enough arm wounds that he probably was not segregated in an
infirmary long, if at all. It's a small world at times, so perhaps they
did meet.
* * *
Wellsboro Agitator of Sept 19, 1928 p3 has:
INTERESTING EXPERIENCES
Related to a Reporter by E. S. Horton, Civil War Veteran of Westfield.
Being with General Sherman on his march to the sea, was one of the
events in the life of Elisha S. Horton, of Westfield, civil war veteran,
who recently celebrated his 87th birthday. He is one of the "boys,"
wades trout streams every spring, and tramps the deer trails every fall.
Nor are his efforts fruitless; several finely mounted deer heads bespeak
his skill with the rifle. His biggest deer weighed 250 pounds and he
brought that down on the hills between Tioga and Lawrenceville. He
fishes for brook trout and bass in this part of Pennsylvania, and has
done the big game fishing of Oregon and Florida., and has caught rainbow
trout weighing nine pounds and a half.
Mr. Horton is the son of Elias and Almira Knox Horton and was born at
Spring Mills, N. Y., in 1841. He is the third Elisha Horton in the
lineage. The first one recorded was born in 1745, and the second one in
1778. He is the brother of Mrs. Myra Doan, of Mansfield, and Miss Mary
Horton, of Lawrenceville, and of eight brothers and sisters, deceased.
They were: Captain Alonzo Horton, of Wellsboro; Max Horton, of
Blossburg; Elias Horton of Westfield; Chauncey, Emma and William Horton,
of Lawrenceville; and Mrs. Prutsman, of Tioga.
In 1871, Mr. Horton married Miss Kate A. Campbell, of Nelson. They have
four children, Frank G. Horton, of Portland, Oregon; Helen C. Horton
Kimball, of Independence, Oregon; Arthur Elisha Hortan, of Indepencence;
and Harry J. Horton, ofo [sic] Baker, Oregon, and one great-grandchild,
Nancy Moran, of Chicago.
Elisha Horton enlisted on the first call for volunteers, July, 1861, and
was still with the Army of the Potomac until after the battle of
Gettysburg. After the battle of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge,
he enlisted for three years more.
Although Mr. Horton was in the service throughout the civil war, he was
never wounded. He was in prison twice, once in Libby prison and once in
Castle Thunder, Belle Island, on the James river, near Richmond. The
prison was old tobacco warehouses, taken for the purpose. Captain Alonzo
Horton, was in Libby prison six months and was mourned as dead by his
family.
When M r. Horton.was asked if he had ever seen Lincoln, he said that
when McCIellan had command of the Army of the Potomac, a great review
was held opposite Alexandria Heights, and Abraham Lincoln, with his
bodyguard, came to review the army. As he went around the line, he
stopped directly in front of the regiment Mr. Horton was with. Lincoln
wore the familiar stove pipe hat and long tailed coat. He was riding a
little black horse and Lincoln's long legs almost touched the ground.
Mr. Horton said General William Tecumseh Sherman was a fiery man, but
the best general in the service. Not another man could have led the army
n the famous march to the sea. The army had to walk through the
causeways in the rice fields, water on both sides, and the hardest
course was in the winter when the men waded through high water and build
corduroy roads out of fences and old houses. The story of that march has
been told again and again, but Mr. Horton had an interesting story of
his own to tell.
One night Mr. Horton was detailed to post the pickets; a man was
stationed along the line every three rods, until the picket line of the
next regiment was reached. This happened to be the Fifth Connecticut..
Mr. Horton had but one man left to post, and still the Fifth Connecticut
had not been reached. He had decided to go back and get more men, when
he heard the brush crack. He said he knew it was either rebels or
razorback hogs, and thought he would investigate. He crawled down behind
a pine tree, and in a clear space where the moon shown, he saw five
rebels. Gong off to where the next picket would have been he called
"Halt, who comes there?" We are sergeant and men on same picket. We are
Yankees and you are prisoners of war. Throw down your arms or we will
fire." All right, you have the advantage." Then Mr. Horton, keeping out
of sight so the rebels would not know he was alone,, ordered them to
advance one at a time, marched them down the picket line to the reserves
and put them under guard, and say weren't those Rebels sore when they
found out it was one man alone captured them."
A reminiscent gleam came to Mr. Horton's eyes as he recounted the
adventure. The next day word came that Mr. Horton was wanted by the
Colonel. The Colonel called him out before the regiment, complimented
him highly and said, "Sergeant, you have reversed the boast of the
Rebels that one of them is worth five Yanks, for one Yank has been equal
to five of them."
After General Sherman's grand review, Sergeant Horton was discharged.
When asked what he did then, Mr. Horton said that he bought a carload of
army horses, got them to Elmira, and then marched them over the hill to
Lawrenceville—"and made some money on them, too," was his boast. For
some time after the war Mr. Horton was in the furniture and undertaking
business, and in the hardware trade, in Blossburg, until he sold out
He opened the first depot at Blossburg, and was station agent there for
20 years. He has been chaplain of the Masonic Lodge in Westfield for 40
years. Mr. Horton owns property and a bungalow in Florida and he and
Mrs. Horton spent the winter there several years ago. When asked what
his favorite amusements were, Mr. Horton said he liked to play ball when
he was younger, used to be a great shark at pinochle, likes five
hundred, always attends thc Westfield Fair, but likes a gun best. There
is more excitement about that. He will not shoot doe this year, but a
nice big buck is different. Mr. Horton is a Republican and his vote will
be cast for Herbert Hoover. Mr Horton has the rank of captain in Co. C.,
Twelfth National Guards and was a member of Company H, 46th Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteers.
As one sees Mr. Horton's fine complexion, his keen, bright eyes, which
need no glasses except when he reads, one hears his shrewd comments on
topics of the moment, and knows that his steady hand on a rifle can
bring down big game, one is reminded of lines from Oliver Wendell
Holmes' poem, "The Boy," "Hang the almanac's cheat and the
catalogues
[sis] spite. Old Time is a liar, and we're twenty to-night."