Ezekiel Ayres Goble (1844-1909) enlisted in Union
army when he was 20 years old.
GOBLE, Ayres - 08 October 1864 - Served as a Private
for Illinois.
Claimed Residence in Wyoming.
Enlisted in D Co. 34th Inf Reg. IL. Mustered Out at Louisville, KY
on 12 July 1865. - Illinois:
Roster of Officers and Enlisted Men, 1900.
34th Illinois
Infantry-“Rock River Rifles”
The volunteers of this Regiment came from northwestern Illinois,
the valley of the Rock River; thus they mainly
came from Whiteside, Lee, Ogle, and Carroll counties, but some came further
south from Christian, Morgan, Randolph and Edgar counties. Edward N.
Kirk, an attorney from Sterling in Whiteside County raised the regiment and became
its first Colonel when the regiment mustered in for three years service on
September 7, 1861. On October 2 the Regiment was sent by rail through
Illinois, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio and down through Lexington and Louisville,
Kentucky to Camp Nevin which was situated south of Elizabethtown near the Nolin
River. In December they marched further south to Munfordsville,
Kentucky and remained there until February
1862 when they marched north through Nashville
to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.
The regiment arrived on April 7 in time to engage the enemy at the Battle of
Shiloh. From Shiloh they moved south, fought at Corinth,
Mississippi and at the end of May, moved to
Iuka, crossed the Tennessee River at Florence, Alabama and were in operations along the line of the Memphis and Tennessee R.
R. in June, July and August. In August they marched to Nashville
then pursued Bragg into Kentucky in September
and October resulting in actions at Floyd’s Fork near Clay
Village and at Perryville, Kentucky.
They returned to the Nashville area and remained
there until December 26, 1862 when they advanced to Murfreesboro, Tennessee
and fought in the Battle of Stone’s River in December and January. It was at
this battle that the colors of the Regiment were captured.[1] They remained at
Murfreesboro until June 1863 then moved south toward Liberty Gap, fighting
there June 24-27. On July 1 the Thirty-fourth marched to Tullahoma,
Tennessee, in August to Bellefonte,
Alabama and in October to Anderson’s Cross Roads. In November they were
at Chattanooga and fought in the Battle of
Chattanooga, at Tunnel Hill, Missionary Ridge
and Chickamauga Station. December 22, 1863 the
Thirty-fourth was mustered as a veteran regiment and in January 1864 started
home on veteran furlough. Upon return in March they went into camp at Rossville, Georgia
and subsequently fought at Rocky Face Ridge, Buzzard’s Roost Gap, Resaca, Rome, Dallas, New Hope Church,
Allatoona Hills, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Pine Hill, Lost
Mountain, Chattahoochie
River, Peach Tree Creek, and the siege
of Atlanta.
In September they led a charge on the rebel works at Jonesboro,
Georgia then pursued Forrest
across Tennessee to Florence, Alabama.
The Thirty-fourth returned with the army to Atlanta
and joined Sherman’s
“March to the Sea.” This campaign included the siege of Savannah,
actions at Averysboro, Bushy Swamp, and Bentonville,
North Carolina and occupation of Raleigh. Following Johnston’s surrender the regiment marched to Washington, DC via Richmond for the Grand
Review on May 24. They moved to Louisville,
Kentucky and were mustered out
July 12, 1865 [2]
Illinois
34th Infantry National Flag
The Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois,(Springfield,
1886) documents this flag as having been the first flag flown over Richmond.