Ironton Register 7 June 1888 – At Middleport the other day we met Thomas Baker, formerly of the 2nd Ohio Cavalry. He carries an armless sleeve and we asked him where this calamity came upon him and he replied, “Down near Hanover Courthouse in 1864.”
“Was there anything particularly romantic about the affair in which you lost your arm?” we asked.
“Oh no,” replied Mr. Thomas Baker, “it was in a pretty hot fight. Our regiment was dismounted, and we were advancing slowly upon the enemy who was disputing every foot of the ground. Thus, we had been going all day and at night when the darkness fell upon us, we were still fighting our way slowly along.
We had gone into the woods and nothing could be seen but the flashes of our guns and these were constant and frightful. The experience of fighting in the woods on a dark night is a very solemn business. Well, while engaged in shooting and loading and very much frightened as you may suppose my time at last came.
I had just fired and had brought down my carbine for another load when there was a sting at my left elbow and then the thought came upon me that I was shot – how bad I didn’t immediately know, for it didn’t pain me, but the force of the ball sort of whirled me around and then I found my arm dangling at my side. The ball had cut it nearly in two, and the forearm was hanging by a slight muscle or tenure.
“This situated in the woods and in the night with no surgeon within call and not knowing where to find one or really where to go you may imagine the feeling that came over me. I had to do something and that pretty quick so I started over the route we came as near as I could discern it but discovered, very soon I was off the track for it was not many minutes when I found myself in a swamp and amid pools of water. Now imagine how a fellow might feel prowling about, and he stuck in an old swamp!
“I tell you it was a wretched moment, still there was one favorable circumstance – I was where I could dip my wounded arm in the water and beat back the gathering inflammation. I remember how grateful the cool of the water was to my arm and I lingered in the swamp bathing the horrid wound till I felt I had to make an effort to extricate myself. This I did and got away from there soon to find a surgeon who cut off the dangling forearm and then I was sent to Acquia Creek and that was almost the last of the war for me.
“I say almost the last because I did have another little touch when Early made his dash down the Shenandoah Valley and menaced Washington. At that time, I was in the hospital in the capital and my wound was healing over nicely. All the soldiers who could handle a musket were ordered into the trenches to oppose the attack of Early on the capital. I didn’t have to go but I went to see the fun, the excitement of that event almost caused the death of me. My wound brought out again with renewed ferocity and it took some pretty skillful surgery to save my life.”
Mr. Thomas Baker then referred to a ‘Narrow Escape’ given by John L. Rogers some time ago describing Morgan’s Attack on Mt. Sterling and [the] capture of prisoners.
“I was there, “said Mr. Baker. “I had charge of our ambulance train that day. Our regiment had left and started after them with the train. I had not gone far out of town when I ran into the rebs I returned and started out another way and encountered them again. I tried it again and the third time I found I was cornered then I fell back on the town and was soon taken with the rest of the boys by John Morgan. After some delays, the rebs left Mt. Sterling and took us along with them.
“We marched a few miles when the rebs for some reason, supposed our forces were on their heels or were about to cut them off when they drew all their prisoners in a line paroled us, and let us go or rather left themselves. This I always considered a little closer ‘Narrow Escape’ than I had at Hanover courthouse for being taken a prisoner and going to Libby Prison or Andersonville was a fate next to losing an arm with chances being worse,” Thomas Baker said.
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