Load and Fire

This is the story of a young man of seventeen and his friends who lie about their age and join the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. They fight in several battles such as Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain and others. They survive several months of near starvation in prison and parole camps, and finally rejoin their regiment. Although written as fiction it does follow the real actions of the men of the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and is full of actual facts of what soldiers endured during this conflict. Anyone who is a knowledgeable of the Civil War, or who is just a lover of good stories about our history will find this an excellent read.

This is the story of a young man of seventeen and his friends who lie about their age and join the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. They run away from home, are accepted into the army and go through the rigorous training. They survive a bitter winter in the mountains of Virginia, sleeping in below freezing weather in tents and sometimes in the open to awaken covered in snow. Their first battle is uphill after marching through a driving snowstorm. They fight a few more battles and are captured in a battle at Port Republic, Virginia. They survive months of near starvation in prison and parole camps before being reunited with their regiment. They go on to fight at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and on Lookout Mountain. After several more short battles above Atlanta, they reach the end of their three year enlistment. During that time, they marched almost 1,400 miles, traveled about 1,600 miles by train and several hundred miles by ship. Although written as fiction, it does follow the real actions of the men of the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, known as the Cincinnati Regiment, and is full of actual facts of what soldiers endured during this conflict. Anyone who is a knowledgeable of the Civil War, or who is just a lover of good stories about our history will find this an excellent read.

About the author: David Ekardt is the great great grandson of John Knosp. Several years ago in researching family history he obtained the military records of John from the Archives. Over the years he gathered the regiment history, regiment roster and other materials and firsthand accounts of members of the regiment. The two things that John told of his experience that came down through family lore was that he made the attack on Lookout Mountain and having a Confederate soldier come out of the dark while he was on picket duty and made a trade of goods with him, which was a common routine. Dave grew up in Cincinnati, and after graduating from high school enlisted in the Marine Corps, served in Vietnam and moved to Tampa, Florida where he spent forty-two years in management positions. He raised his family, served several years as a Scoutmaster, and church leader. Over the years he has participated in Civil War and Second Seminole War reenactments as a Marine. He regularly gives history talks at the Tampa Bay History Center as well as civic groups and other events. His other books are, "Taggert of the Marines", "Brady's Rangers", "The U.S. Marines in the Second Creek and Second Seminole Wars", "A Marine's Letters from Nicaragua" and "Full Disclosure".