Born to Lewis and Dianah Webb Partee, Obadiah entered the world on September 2, 1837 in Tiffin Township, Defiance County, Ohio.
He was the 6th child of ten living children named in the 1850 Federal Census of Tiffin Township: Mary Ann (Polly), George, Joseph, Rebecca, Jemima, Obadiah, John, Lewis, Sarah and Anna (twins).
He married Catherine R. Zeller on August 25, 1861. Not long after, on November 9, 1861, he enlisted into the 48th Ohio Infantry, Company F, for three years service. Joseph and John Partee also were in Company F, and may have been his brothers.
The Defiance boys in Company F gathered first at Camp Dennison in the winter of 1861, and left for camp in Tennessee in February. They fought valiantly at Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg, Mississippi, and went on to New Orleans and Texas. At Sabine Cross Roads, Louisiana, the regiment, (including company F) was captured. When detained, the color bearer at the time threw down the regimental flag, but it was picked up by another soldier and stuffed into his haversack for safekeeping.
Eventually the second soldier was able to hand over the flag to Captain Gunsaullus, the company captain at the time. Gunsaullus sewed it into the lining of his shirt at Camp Ford, Texas, where they were imprisoned. The soldiers were kept there until October 23, 1864, when an exchange was negotiated after their captivity of six months and fifteen days.
The troops boarded a ship and left on the Mississippi River. When they had reached a distance from the Confederacy, Captain Gunsaullus ripped the flag out, tied it to a staff and signaled for the band to play as the soldiers sang "The Star Spangled Banner." It must have been quite a sight with handkerchiefs waving and shouts of joy rising.
A Confederate agent who was accompanying the group, commented,
"...it was one of the most exciting scenes he ever witnessed and that the regiment deserved a great deal of credit for preserving their colors during their imprisonment."
This must have been a very satisfying memory for Obadiah.
(This story is from the History of Defiance, 1883)
Obadiah did not reenlist, but was discharged after his three years of service on December 2, 1864. He and Catherine gave farming a try in McLean County, Illinois. By the 1870 census, he owned no land and had only $100 to his name. So, at some point, they moved back to Defiance where he obtained a job at the box factory. Obadiah, 42, and Catherine, 42, lived on Warren Street in Ward 2.
In the 1890 Veterans Census, it was learned that Obadiah had been promoted to corporal sometime before or at his discharge. He also reported that he had no disability as a result of his service. He had filed for his pension on September 9, 1891, and after he died, Catherine filed for a widow's pension in May, 1922.
Obadiah and Catherine continued to live in at 922 Warren Street in Defiance until their deaths. They had no children, but in 1900, a nephew, Francis C. Manchester, lived with them. Obadiah claimed that he had his own business as a day laborer and Francis, also a day laborer, might have been working for him.
Obadiah died on May 22, 1922, after a bout with bronchitis at the age of 84 years, 8 months and 20 days. The informant on his death certificate was probably another nephew, Clyde Manchester, who lived in Defiance. Obadiah was buried in Riverside Cemetery on May 24, 1922.
"O. W. PARTEE
O. W. Partee, a veteran of the Civil War, late member of Company F, 48th Regiment Ohio Infantry, and member of Bishop Post, G.A.R., died yesterday at 5 p.m. at his home, 922 Warren Street, aged 84 years. All members of Bishop Post, G.A.R. and others desiring to attend the funeral will assemble at the residence Wednesday at 2 p.m. with Bishop Post in charge of the services. The pallbearers will meet at Mansfield's Undertaking rooms at 1:30 o'clock. Rev C. J. Yeisley will officiate."
(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city. Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle. The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived. If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)
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