The histories of our county, as well as newspapers from the time, all indicate that Oceana dedicated more than her fair share of men to the war effort during the Civil War days. To quote from Page’s History of Oceana, “This county was exceedingly liberal in men and means, considering it was but new and thinly settled with a class of hardy pioneers, who had all to make in the struggle for life, very few coming in with any means. They furnished more than their quota.” Page’s history also offers us a unique look into the time period by highlighting specific military companies and mentioning the roles some of our early pioneers played in the war efforts. Company A, 26th Michigan Infantry, for instance, was “almost wholly formed of Oceana men.” James Gibbs of Benona served as a sergeant and clerk of Company F, Fifth Michigan Cavalry. Company I, Sixth Michigan Company was raised in Pentwater, with the lawyer C. W. Deane serving as captain. Dr. Weare, namesake of Weare Township, served as a surgeon from the Sixth Cavalry, and one of the founders of Pentwater, E. R. Cobb, worked as a hospital steward in that same company. It is even mentioned that about thirty Native Americans joined the Michigan Sharpshooters. By the time Page’s History was published in 1882, there were around 400 veterans in Oceana.
A summary of the Fifth Michigan Calvary can be found in Page’s History, provided by James Gibbs himself, the ex-sergeant of said company. It includes a list of names, where they were from, what roles they played and a list of the battles that the company participated in. Gibbs even named the one man to desert the company, Alfred C. Pope, who deserted in Detroit on Nov. 16, 1862. To give a brief summary, I will borrow from Gibb’s words, “It will be seen that out of an enlistment of 31 strong, healthy men, that 10 were lost, one transferred, one deserted, and 19 returned home in poor health, who are all alive at this date, Aug. 13 1882, just 20 years since our enlistment (except Peter Bentson, who was killed about 1879, in a sawmill, by having an arm torn off).”
While Gibbs’ summation of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry is very informative, I would like to turn our attention to a more personal account concerning someone who served in that company. Richard E. Cater was born in 1832 and came to Oceana in 1849. By the time he was 23 years old, he had acquired 110 acres in Claybanks. He enlisted in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry under Capt. Noah H. Ferry on August 13, 1862. While he survived the war, he seemed to have had a particularly rough go. Mr. Cater was taken prisoner for the first time in June of 1963 by “Mosby’s gang” at Chantilly, Va., and remained a prisoner for 10 days. He was then paroled and sent to a parole camp in Camp Chase, Ohio. He returned to his regiment in the fall and later went with Colonel Dalgreen’s command to help General Kilpatrick’s raid on Richmond.
Cater, along with five other soldiers, offered to carry a dispatch from Dalgreen’s command to Kilpatrick, but they were attacked by a rebel battalion along the way. As Page puts it, “One man was wounded and two horses shot, and all were taken prisoners. They were then deprived of their overcoats, hats and boots, given some worn out hats and shoes instead and left out in a heavy rain-storm until 9 o’clock at night.” After this, they were delivered to a prison, where they laid on the floor through the night, “with heavy cold winds blowing through the open doors.” The next morning, they were “searched and robbed of all moneys and valuables and put on Belle Island.” For the next six weeks, Mr. Cater remained on Belle Island with no fire, no shelter, plagued by rheumatism and with only his worn-out secondhand shoes to use as a pillow. Page’s history says, “He had now become perfectly helpless…” He was taken to a hospital in Richmond, and was eventually sent to Jarvis hospital in Baltimore as a part of a special exchange agreement organized by General Butler. When he was well enough to travel, Cater was sent home on furlough. He continued to be under medical treatment during his time at home, until July at which time he was ordered to report to Camp Chase in Ohio once again. It was here that he was examined and pronounced unfit for field service. He spent the remainder of his time in the service doing garrison duty at Camp Douglas, Ill.
