On Friday, July 19, 1861, a seven-man patrol from Captain Henry W. Burdsall’s Independent Company of Ohio Cavalry was ambushed along the West Fork of the Greenbrier River, near present-day Durbin, West Virginia, in Pocahontas County. Confederate reports claimed that all but one of the men were killed, but the reality was different. One man was killed instantly, another mortally wounded, and two others were injured. The remaining three managed to escape.
Henry W. Burdsall (1822-1872), a veteran of the Mexican-American War, organized his Independent Company of Ohio Cavalry (commonly known as Burdsall’s Dragoons) in Cincinnati. The company mustered in at Carthage, Ohio, on June 15, 1861. Like many Confederate cavalry units, but rare for a Union outfit, most of the men in Burdsall’s company provided their own horses and equipment. In return, the U.S. government compensated them at a rate of 50 cents per day. If their horse was killed or injured, they were eligible for additional compensation. The company joined General McClellan’s army in Northwestern Virginia, serving as scouts. After three months of service, the unit was mustered out on August 23, 1861.
Who were these men? Where did they come from, and what happened to them during the rest of the war? While facts are scarce, here is what I have been able to uncover.
Sgt. William D. Gault
29 years old, B. November 28, 1831 in Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky. Was living in Cincinnati when he enlisted in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 5, 1861. At Greenbrier River, he was shot shortly after Pvt. Seeley Mensch, his last words reportedly being “Poor Mensch.” Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Pvt. Seeley E. Mensch (Seeley C. Minsch on roster)
24 years old, B. June 5, 1837. Was living in Marshall, Calhoun County, Michigan with his father when he traveled to Hamilton, Ohio to enlist in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 5, 1861. Married Rebecca Jane Tolbert in 1860. The couple had one child, but she died shortly after childbirth at the age of 19 on April 17, 1861. At Greenbrier River, Seeley Mensch was shot in the small of his back. The 14th Indiana Infantry’s surgeon, Joseph G. McPheeters, escorted him to a house where he tried to make him comfortable. Despite the efforts, Seeley died at around 3:30 a.m. in the company of a chaplain. Newspapers confirmed that he was a widower with one child. “He asked to be sent home and buried near his wife; but his friends are too poor to fulfill his dying wish, unless his follow-citizens come to their assistance.” He is buried in Grafton National Cemetery in Grafton, West Virginia, unfortunately not alongside his wife, who is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Ohio.
Pvt. William A. Kennedy
23 years old, B. 1838 in Oxford, Butler County, Ohio. Enlisted in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 5, 1861. At Greenbrier River, he was wounded in the hand or wrist, reportedly while raising his carbine to return fire. He later joined Company I, 5th Ohio Cavalry Regiment on April 30, 1862, although his name doesn’t appear on the published roster. After the war, he lived in a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Died on September 24, 1870 and is buried in Oxford Cemetery in Oxford, Ohio.
Pvt. Wellington Bernard “Birney” Straight
18 years old, B. October 15, 1842 in Orwell Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Enlisted in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 22, 1861. Son of Seymour S. Straight, co-founder of Straight, Deming & Co., a cheese distributor. Seymour was a staunch Republican and abolitionist. He helped found what eventually became Dillard University in New Orleans after the war. At Greenbrier River, Bernard was shot in the back but survived, and his father traveled to Cheat Mountain to visit him. Bernard died on December 6, 1928 and is buried in Lake View Cemetery in Ithaca, New York.
Pvt. John W. Woodard
28 years old, B. October 27, 1833 in Vermont. Enlisted in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 5, 1861. Later enlisted in Company F, 6th Ohio Cavalry Regiment on March 14, 1865. Married Isadora M. “Dora” Shepard in 1858, and the couple had a son in 1860. John died on October 24, 1884 and is buried in Edgewood Cemetery in Edgewood, Ashtabula County, Ohio.
Pvt. Charles H. Townsend
21 years old, B. July 2, 1840 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. Enlisted in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 22, 1861. Died of tuberculosis on April 19, 1879 and is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Pvt. Charles Postell (Possibly Charles D. Pastel or Pastell)
27 years old, B. 1833 in Hanover, Germany. Enlisted in Burdsall’s Dragoons on June 5, 1861. After mustering out, he evidently went to Indianapolis and joined Company K, 3rd Indiana Cavalry Regiment. He lived in a home for disabled soldiers after the war, and I was unable to find any death record.
Sources
Cincinnati Daily Commercial (Cincinnati, OH) 24 June 1861.
Cincinnati Daily Commercial (Cincinnati, OH) 28 July 1861.
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) 23 July 1861.
Marshall Statesman (Marshall, MI) 7 August 1861.
Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 1. Akron: The Werner Company, 1893.
Wulsin, Lucian. The Story of The Fourth Regiment Ohio Veteran Volunteer Cavalry. Cincinnati: Privately printed, 1912.
Spirit of '61 