| Captain J.W. Haynie | 10th Ohio Voluntary Cavalry |
| by Adam Kuhn |
Captain John W. Haynie was born on December 9, 1845 in Wilmington, Ohio to parents William and Sophia. William was born in 1794 in Virginia and died in 1880 in Wilmington, Ohio . Sophia Haynie, John’s mother was also born in Virginia she was born in 1806 and died in 1891. John’s father became a prominent businessman when the family moved to Ohio in 1831 and they started a general store near Wilmington, Ohio. Captain Haynie worked at his father’s general store during his childhood where his father taught his the trade. When Haynie turned 15 years old he took a four-year apprenticeship to learn how to become a blacksmith . After his four years of learning the blacksmith trade J.W took a job driving a nation wagon in Burtonville, Ohio for a year while trying to figure out what to do in his life.
On October of 1861 John W. Haynie joined the 46th Regiment that was raised and organized in Worthington, Ohio and under the command of Corneal Thomas Worthington. From October of 1861 to January 28th of 1862 the regiment drilled, trained and grew into a cohesive fighting unit. The 46th Regiment mustered out January 30th 1862 from Worthington, Ohio to complete a three-year tour of duty . The 46th was involved in numerous engagements with the confederate army during its tour.
John W Haynie was 25 when he enlisted to fight in the civil war. After his enlistment he was given the rank of 1st sergeant in the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry C Company. Later on in the war sergeant Haynie was promoted again to Adjutant after showing valor on the battlefield. Haynie would be promoted two more times before the end of the war. He would later be promoted from Adjutant to 1st lieutenant and then once more from 1st lieutenant to captain of Company C in the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. After Sherman was informed of a unit of 200 confederate soldiers and 300 Indians that were attacking union positions. Captain Haynie in 1864 was ordered to take a group menfrom the OVC and join up with the 15th Pennsylvania cavalry to pursue and destroy all people that threaten the union army . Within a few months the 10th and 15th destroyed the leader of the confederate group, Governor Vance of North Carolina. The 10th also covered the rear of Sherman’s march on his way to the coast. Under the careful guard of the 10th the army didn’t lose a single wagon or battle to the enemy.
After the war Captain Haynie came back to Ohio to return to his life before the war. It was then that he met Sarah Babbit whom quickly became his wife in 1866 . They continued to live in Clinton County close to his parents until their deaths. There after he and his wife moved to Greene County Ohio in 1880 where they hoped to prosper with their newly started family. John became a farmer in Greene County and raised Poland-China hogs, which he made a prosperous living from. He and his wife had 7 children during their lives. Four of the seven were alive at his death, Alice born in 1867, Whitfield born in 1871, Emma in 1877 and Villie 1880. They had three children die from disease, Naomi, Hattie, and Thomas all died of diseases which medical science at the time did not have the ability to save them from. JW and his wife were both active Christians in their community and were very moral people. Although Captain Haynie fought in the civil war, he remained neutral in his political affiliation and beliefs.
It is unclear what or how Captain Haynie was affiliated with Otterbein college at this point in time. All the research that I did I couldn’t find anything to tell me what he did here at Otterbein. However he was a volunteer in the union army and believed in the case of the war. He was a good soldier who was promoted 3 times finally to the rank of Captain. He was a husband and father of four. He worked the land and raise livestock, and was a devoted Christian.
Bibliography
"10th Ohio Cavalry." http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/cwc10.html (accessed February 17th, 2001).
Brown, Albert J. History of Clinton County, Ohio: Its people, industries, and institutions, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families. Cincinnati: F. Bowen & Company, 1915.
Ohio 1870 Census Index Volume III. Edited by Raeone Christensen, Utah 1999.
Whitelaw Reid, Ohio In the War: Her statesmen, her generals, and her soldiers, 2 vols. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin, 1868.
Roster and List of Engagements, 10th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry: Organized October 1st, 1862 at Camp Cleveland, Ohio. Ohio Historical Society, 1916 or 1919.