| Homer J. Budd | 46th Ohio Voluntary Infantry |
| by Tyler Shaw |
Homer J. Budd was born in 1843 in Ohio. His father was born in New York and his mother in Ohio. He was enrolled at Otterbein University as a student until 1861 when he left Otterbein to enlist into the Union Army. His first tour of duty came with the 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He entered the 46th on October 16, 1861 in Worthington, Ohio. The 46th was first assembled under a local notable figure named Thomas Worthington. The 46th was involved in many key battles for the Union Army including Shiloh, Tennessee in April 1862, Vicksburg, Mississippi in the summer of 1863, the siege of Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 1864, and the siege of Savannah, Georgia in winter of 1864. Budd was a member of the regimental band, and performed concerts, parades, visited army hospitals, and performed medical duties as a member of the band. Homer Budd was involved only in the first two major battles of the regiment in Shiloh and then Corinth, Mississippi on April 30, 1862. His three year term of service was cut short on July 17, 1862 by congressional action regarding regimental bands. Public Law 165 was passed by Congress and called for an end to regimental bands in volunteer regiments. The regimental bands were instead replaced with brigade bands, with one brigade band for every four regiments. Congress felt the large number of regimental bands was becoming a financial burden to the country, and they could be dissolved without injury to the war effort. Public Law 165 reduced the number of bands in the Union Army to 60 and the number of musicians to 2,500. Due to this piece of legislation, Homer J. Budd mustered out of the 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on August 27, 1862. Budd faced a predicament many former band members faced following Public Law 165. He was no longer a part of the Union Army and the decision to reenlist was a difficult one. Budd did decide to reenlist and on July 9, 1863 he joined the 5th Independent Battalion of the Ohio Volunteer Calvary. The battalion was enlisted for six months of service and main duties involved checking the advance of Confederate General Morgan in Southern Ohio and protecting citizens of Eastern Kentucky from attacks by guerilla forces. The regiment was successful in each of these areas and suffered only three causalities due to the fact there was no real organized force in opposition to the 5th Ohio Independent Volunteer Calvary. While in the 5th Independent OVC, Budd served as the regiment’s bugler. Being a bugler meant signaling out calls for soldiers throughout the day, and performing on the battlefield to call for advances and retreats. After the six months were up for the 5th Independent OVC, Budd left the army for good. He mustered out along with the rest of the regiment on February 15, 1864 in Cincinnati, Ohio. After the war, Budd made a home for himself in Iowa. He marries his wife Lusan, had at least one child, a boy named Homer, and worked as a farmer. He died sometime early in the 1900’s indicated by his wife filing for pension from the federal government. Budd’s life as a musician in the Union Army serves as a good indicator of life for a musician in the Civil War. The war experience he had is more then likely similar to many other soldiers who played in regimental bands during the Civil War.
Bibliography
Harper, Robert. Ohio Handbook of the Civil War. Columbus, OH: Ohio Historical Society, 1961.
McGranhan, Robert. “Bands and Musicians in the Civil War,” 12 February 2005. http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/civwar/bands.html (accessed March 8, 2005).
National Archives and Records Administration. “Civil War Pension Index,” 5 April 2004. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed March 8, 2005).
Roster of Ohio Soldiers 1861-1866 War of Rebellion Calvary Regiments. Vol. 11. Werner Printing and Manufacturing Company, 1887.
Roster of Ohio Soldiers 1861-1866 War of Rebellion Infantry Regiments, 37-53. Werner Printing and Manufacturing Company, 1887.
Roster of Students at Otterbein University who served in Union Army during the War of Rebellion. 1861-1865. Otterbein College Archives, Courtright Memorial Library, 1908.
US Census Records from 1880. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family Search, February 1999. http://www.familysearch.org/Search/frameset_search.asp (accessed March 7, 2005).