Ghost Stories: Casualties of the Civil War

“My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride, from ev’ry mountainside, let freedom ring!” 

– Samuel Francis Smith (1808-1895)

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been said that war does not determine who is right – only who is left.

In his lifetime, George Washington Barrere saw action in numerous battles – he was presumed to be dead following St. Clair’s Defeat, plus fought in the War of 1812 when he was in his 40s.

He survived numerous brushes with death during his years on this earth, became a pioneer of Highland County and lived to be 68, passing away in 1838.

In the years to come, more Barreres would fight in battles and wars, but not all of them would be as fortunate as the family patriarch. George Washington Barrere’s son, John Mills Barrere, was born July 11, 1800 in Fleming County, Ky., and was just an infant when his father and mother arrived in New Market. He became a prominent citizen of Highland County in his own right.

Like his father, John Mills Barrere was a county postmaster for many years, plus was very active at Highland Lodge No. 38 of Free and Accepted Masons, where he served as the lodge’s master for more than a dozen years, plus was a Grand Royal Mason, as well as a Knights Templar.

According to the pamphlet, “The Barrere Family,” John was also a farmer when he was a young man and lived south of Hillsboro off of the New Market road, and later moved to Hillsboro and became connected with a newspaper.

And like his pioneer father, John Mills Barrere was a statesman and served as a state senator for two terms, beginning in 1844.

John Mills Barrere married Margaret Morrow on Jan. 21, 1821, and they had 14 children, including James Mills Barrere (born 1825), Granville Barrere (1829), George Washington Barrere (1831), Thomas Jefferson Barrere (1834), William Barrere (1836), Margaret Barrere (1838) and Bebee Barrere (1841).

John Mills Barrere was 62 years old when the Civil War broke out, and according to historic accounts, he helped to organize the 60th Ohio Volunteer Regiment, and went to war with the regiment as adjutant.

The regiment went to fight in the Shenandoah Valley, and was forced to surrender at Harpers Ferry, when it was surrounded by Stonewall Jackson in September 1862. During this battle, John Mills Barrere was gathering horses during an artillery barrage, when a piece of shell went through a tree and tore into his arm.

He had to have his left arm amputated, and he and his regiment were taken prisoner by the Confederate forces. He was subsequently released on parole by the Confederates, and returned home to Highland County.

John Mills Barrere had five sons who served in the Civil War – three of whom didn’t return.

The first was Thomas Jefferson Barrere, who joined the 89th O.V.I. and went off to join General John C. Fremont, and fought in several engagements.

His entire regiment was captured during the Battle of Chickamauga, which was fought Sept. 19-20, 1863, and he subsequently was taken to the notorious Andersonville Prison in Georgia, where the U.S. sergeant died nearly a year later on Aug. 24, 1864 of scurvy at around the age of 30.

He is interred in the cemetery at Andersonville National Park.

Thomas’ brother, William Barrere, was a second lieutenant of Company G of the 175th O.V.I. and was also held prisoner for several months but he survived – only to be placed on the ill-fated steamship Sultana, which exploded on the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865.

He perished in that tragedy, the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history. He was also about 30 years old when he died.

The last and youngest brother, Bebee Barrere, joined the 1st Ohio Cavalry at age 19, and he died in a hospital in Kentucky on Oct. 23, 1862 of disease.

John Mills Barrere’s gravesite monument still stands in the Hillsboro Cemetery, with tribute paid to Thomas, William and Bebee.

However, the three Barrere brothers weren’t the only family members who died as a result of the war.

Hazard Perry Barrere, a brother of John Mills Barrere, was born in 1814. According to accounts, Hazard was a merchant in New Market and a general businessman in Highland County for many years, but was attacked with typhoid fever.

Though his life was spared, it left him a confirmed cripple for the balance of his days and forced him to retire from all active business. He married Eliza Morrow, and was the father of six children; three were still alive when he passed away in 1885 – Marietta, Magnolia and D. Morrow.

Of the deceased, Hazard Perry Barrere enlisted late in the Civil War, served in Company H of the 1st Ohio Cavalry, and was killed in battle at Cleveland, Tenn., on Nov. 27, 1864.

Hazard Perry Barrere was just 19 years old. He is buried in the New Market Presbyterian Cemetery. The Civil War, America’s bloodiest conflict, cost nearly 1,100,000 casualties and claimed more than 620,000 lives. Let’s pause for now and we’ll continue next week.

Steve Roush is a vice president of an international media company and a columnist and contributing writer for The Highland County Press. He can be reached by email at roush_steve@msn.com.