USA > Iowa > Delaware County > The history of Delaware county, Iowa, containing a history of its county, its cities, towns &c., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers > Part 46
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Barryville (Prairie Township) .- Established July 10, 1857, John S. Barry.
Bay (Delhi Township) .- Established Feb. 10, 1862, Ralph P. Andrews ; discontinued Dec. 4, 1863.
429
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Campton (Richland Township) .- Established Sept. 1, 1857, Ethan S. Cowles.
Cold Water (Honey Creek Township) .- Established Oct. 20, 1851, James Martin ; discontinued Jan. 20, 1852; re-established April 7, 1854, Wm. Roe ; April 5, 1855, Wm. Kirkpatrick ; Feb. 19, 1856, Joseph Mansfield : April 16, 1856, Israel Green ; May 7, 1859, Clark Bliss ; June 25, 1861, Israel Green ; discontinued May 9, 1863.
Colony (Colony Township.)-Established Aug. 15, 1846, David Moreland ; changed to Colesburg, April 3, 1849, Perry Perkins ; Jan. 20, 1852, Thomas. Cole ; Aug. 22, 1853, Jacob B. Moreland.
Colesburg (changed to Colony)-Aug. 22, 1853; April 20, 1860, Hanson T. Wright.
Colony (changed to Colesburg)-Oct. 3, 1846. Hanson T. Wright ; Dec. 5, 1866, James M. Potts ; March 23, 1869, Samuel G. Knee.
Coffin's Grove (Coffin's Grove Township) .- Established July 24, 1849; Clement Coffin ; March 23, 1860, Henry Baker; discontinued July 17, 1861.
Delaware ( Oneida Township) .- Established Dec. 19, 1859, James P. Ball ; May 8, 1861, Wm. M. Hefner ; Oct. 21, 1865, David Greaves ; Oct. 19, 1870, B. M. Gardner.
Delhi (Delhi Township) .- Established March 14, 1844, Mary E. A. Hobbs ; Jan. 22, 1847, Robt. A. Fagg; May 14, 1847, Chas. W. Hobbs : Dec. 20, 1849, James E. Anderson ; April 19, 1850, Zina A. Wellman ; April 14, 1853, Wm. Price; Nov. 9, 1857, Alexander G. Hobbs; Nov. 19, 1857, Wm. H. Gilles; March 30, 1861, Elisha Brady ; Feb. 5, 1866, Chas. H. Gross : Oct. 12, 1870, Alexander Gleason.
Delaware Center (Delaware Township) .- Established Oct. 1, 1853, Robt. F. Korkright ; Sept. 28, 1854, Allen R. Loomis ; April 2, 1855, Henry L. Ryan ; April 8, 1856, changed to Manchester.
Eads' Grove (Honey Township) .- Established June 15, 1849, Wm. Eads ; discontinued Nov. 11, 1850.
Earlville (Oneida Township) .- Established Feb. 12, 1858, Simeon D. Moody ; Nov. 9, 1858, Chas. B. Stowe; Dec. 5, 1860, Jonathan S. Harris ; March 29, 1861, James G. Verplank ; Jan. 28, 1864, Cummings Sanborn ; Sept. 17. 1867, Rinaldo L. Jones.
Forestville (Richland Township) .- Established April 24, 1851, Wm. Tur- ner ; Oct. 28, 1854, Thos. Hickox; June 23, 1856, Enos M. Littlefield : May 21, 1857, Nathaniel G. Luken ; Jan. 12, 1859, Franklin Emerson ; Oct. 17, 1860, Hiram D. Wood; Jan. 7, 1861, Chas. F. Vincent; July 17, 1862, Wm. H. Church ; Feb. 5, 1864, Henrietta Van Kuren ; May 1, 1868, Walter Moon ; May 9, 1870, Mrs. * Henrietta Van Kuren ; Nov. 24, 1875, David M. Noland ; June 28, 1776, Volney Wheeler.
Golden Prairie (Hazel Green Township) .- Established March 7, 1870, Eugene W. Hawley ; June 10, 1872, Charles Tinkham.
Green Hill (Delhi Township) .- Established August 8, 1854, Nathan B. Talmadge. Discontinued August 10, 1857.
Grove Creek ( Union Township) .- Established September 28, 1854, Robt. Hogg; March 17, 1855, Nathaniel Ingram. Now in Jones County.
Greeley, late Plum Spring (Elk Township) .- Established April 28, 1863, Silas N. Talcott; December 7, 1863, Jerome Baker; April 7, 1871, Job Gildersleeve; September 1, 1876, M. Blodgett.
* Dr. - Dix was Postmaster a short time-probably appointed in 1869. Omitted in official list.
430
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Hazel Green ( Hazel Green Township) .- Established June 18, 1856, Chris- tophier L. Flint : December 13. 1865, John P. Dickey, Jr .; January 14, 1869, Wm. P. Diekey.
Hopkinton ( South Fork Township) .- Established June 28, 1852, Archibald Tate : December 10, 1853, George R. Browder; December 19, 1854, Henry A. Saunders : June 27, 1856, Peter H. Warner; March 29, 1861, R. S. Tay- lor ; August 16, 1864, Merit Harmon ; August 20, 1866, Wm. E. Brown ; December 18, 1867, Peter HI. Warner ; August 11, 1869, Chas. E. Merrian.
Hartwick (Delhi Township) .- Established January 20, 1853, John W. Clark ; June 1, 1861, James Melindy. Discontinued September 24, 1861.
Manchester (Delaware Township) .- Established April 8, 1856, Ozias P. Reeves ; May 26, 1857, Samuel R. Young ; August 24, 1857, Harvey J. Brown ; October 17, 1861, Horace N. Cornish ; May 6, 1865, Edward Burn- side : August 14, 1866, James L. Noble; April 5, 1869, Wm. C. Cawley ; reappointed March 12. 1873, Wm. C. Cawley.
Masonville (Coffin's Grove Township) .- Established February 18, 1860, Henry HI. Tubbs; June 1, 1861, Wm. A. Crowther ; May 17, 1864, Andrew J. Pease ; March 4, 1870, Lucius Kinsman : August 1, 1872, Reuben Norton.
Mangoldville (Hazel Green Township) .- Established Dee. 19, 1864, Car- oline M. Mangold ; discontinued April 10, 1866.
Milo ( Milo Township) .- Established July 12, 1868, O. E. Taylor ; discon- tinued March 18, 1872.
Mount Hope (Richland Township) .- Established June 20, 1851, James A. Ginger : Dec. 14, 1853, Stephen R. Reynolds : June 8, 1861, Elliott D. Stone ; discontinued Oct. 20, 1671.
Orrin Glen (Honey Creek Township) .- Established Oct. 23. 1851, Orrin S. Boggs ; changed April 7, 1854, to Cold Water.
Plum Creek (North Fork Township) .- Established Dec. 12, 1855; Elias Parker ; discontinued Nov. 27. 1857.
Plum Spring (Elk Township) .- Established Oct. 30, 1854, Elias Hutton ; Nov. 21. 1855, William Cattron ; Feb. 29, 1860, Jonas L. Coolidge ; Sept. 23, 1861, Silas N. Talcott ; changed April 28, 1863, to Greeley.
Poultney (Elk Township) .- Established Sept. 23, 1851, Hiram Cooper; discontinued July 9, 1860.
Rockville (North Fork Township) .- Established June 15, 1846, Oliver A. Olmstead: July 7, 1847, Philip B Hogan ; Feb. 9, 1849. I. M. Custer ; dis- continued June 19, 1862; re-established March 28, 1873, George Ruddlesden ; April 9, 1874, Frederick Mueller; March 15, 1878, Charles P. Georgen.
Sand Creek (Prairie Township) .- Established June 11, 1862, John Miller ; discontinued Jan. 19. 1864.
Sund Spring (South Fork Township) .- Established June 19, 1858, Truman HI. Bowen ; April 16, 1860, William Cline; Jan. 30, 1861, Edward II. Sel- lers : April 25, 1863, Robert Elliott ; Dec. 17, 1863, Orson Henry ; May 18, 1870, Stephen R. Tuttle ; Oct. 20, 1864. Gilbert H. Brown.
Spring Branch ( Milo Township) .- Established April 4, 1854, Herman Annis ; discontinued April 8, 1856.
Tower Hill ( Adams Township.)-Established Jan. 29, 1856, James Crom- well : Sept. 1, 1858, Michael Beacom, Jr. ; Aug. 13, 1863, James Cromwell ; May 26, 1871, Bradford W. Kenyon.
Uniontown ( Union Township) .- Established Sept. 27, 1853, Aaron P. Blanchard : Dee. 2. 1856, Simon Hussey : July 20. 1860, Moses Mallory ; May 12, 1862. John Mallory : Nov. 10, 1871. Hiram F. Cotton ; Aug. 13.
431
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
1873, Edward F. Barnes ; June 28, 1876, Miss Alice F. Barnes ; Nov. 23, 1876, Benjamin P. Miller.
Viola (Colony Township) .- Established Feb. 16, 1852, Joseph D. Walker ; March 20, 1854, John Platt; Feb. 8, 1855, Joseph D. Walker; Dec. 24, 1858, Jacob Platt ; discontinued Nov. 9, 1859.
Yankee Settlement ( Honey Creek Township) .- Established Jan 12, 1848, Bohan Noble; March 23, 1855, F. B. Peet ; now in Clayton County.
York (Honey Creek Township) .- Established Dec. 12, 1855, George W. Stewart ; Ang. 5, 1856, Samuel Weeks; Oct. 10, 1856, George L. Zabriskie ; Nov. 9, 1857, Wm. R. Stewart; Sept. 9, 1861, George W. Stewart ; Jan. 24, 1863, Clara M. Stewart ; Nov. 3, 1865, Selden F. Bush ; Nov. 25, 1867, Abiel N. Arcott : discontinued Nov. 17, 1875.
Petersburg (Bremen Township) .- Established March 7, 1874, Barney Sasson ; March 16, 1875, Frederick Rubley.
Grove Creek ( Union Township) .- Established October 26, 1874, James H. Hogg.
THE DELAWARE COUNTY MUTUAL FIRE AND LIGHTNING INSURANCE COMPANY.
This company was first organized as the North Fork Township Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, March 16, 1872, with the following officers : President, C. M. Austin ; Secretary, Wm. C. Clark; Treasurer, Samuel Evans : Directors, C. Page, H. Arnold, R. Gardner, S. Evans, W. C. Clark, R. Nich- olson, H. M. Bailey, C. M. Austin, N. Haas.
Sixty policies were issued June 1, 1872, covering insurance for over fifty thousand dollars, the amount required by law to make the company holden for losses, etc.
June 17, 1873, the County Council of the Patrons of Husbandry organized the Delaware County Farmers' Mutual Fire and Lightning Insurance Com- pany. The first officers were : President, C. M. Austin ; Secretary, Wm. C. Clark ; Treasurer, L. E. Beebe; Executive Committee, William Ball, L. O. Stevens, C. B. Lont; Directors, L. E. Beebe, C. B. Lont, William Ball, C. M. Austin, Wm. C. Clark, L. D. Cross, A. F. Coon, L. O. Stevens, R. Boon, John Livingston, H. D. Wood, Frank K. Smith, T. N. Williamson, D. W. Jones, P. D. Trowbridge, W. W. Mathews.
The North Fork Company was merged in the County Company December 3, 1873. The annual meeting is on the last Tuesday of September in each year, at Delaware. The officers for 1878 are as follows: President, C. M. Austin ; Secretary, L. O. Stevens ; Treasurer, C. B. Lont ; Executive Com- mittee, E. O. Clemens, John Cruise, Jr., Henry Miller. Directors-Joseph Grimes, Colony Township ; James Le Gassick, Bremen ; A. B. Wheeless, North Fork ; C. H. Recketts, South Fork ; Henry Miller, Elk ; John Cruise, Jr., Oneida; D. M. Smith, Delhi; Amos G. Smith, Union ; J. E. Eldridge, Honey Creek ; E. O. Clemens, Delaware; M. Eldredge, Milo; S. S. Squires, Hazel Green ; A. E. Lawrence, Richland; T. E. Smith, Coffin's Grove; T. J. Annis, Prairie ; Henry Ehlers, Adams.
The company has had a constant and steady growth, till now it is approxi- mating one million dollars in insurance, and embraces among its members the most wealthy, cautious and intelligent farmers of the county. Its membership is over seven hundred members. It probably will report some eight hundred members at the next annual meeting, and above one million dollars in insurance.
432
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
The capital stock of the company is the real estate of its members, and the members have the use of its funds till needed to pay losses.
THE DELAWARE DAIRY SYSTEM.
About twenty years ago, the farmers of Delaware began to turn their atten- tion to the dairy, and gradually the industries of the county have changed, until now (1878) it has become one of the leading dairy counties in the State, and the manufacture of butter, cheese and raising pork have been its leading agricul- tural interests. Delaware butter commands the highest prices in Eastern mar- kets. Manchester has become the great butter market of Iowa, rivaling that of any other State in the Northwest, and immense quantities of the dairy products of the county are shipped every week. In 1858 or 1859, George Acres and Wattson Childs of Delaware Township began the manufacture of cheese, and in 1862. Mr Acres was working up the milk of about thirty cows. In a public address, delivered last Winter before the Dairymen's Association, Mr. Childs stated that he was obliged to peddle out his cheese for two or three years when he first commenced, and used to realize eight or ten cents a pound, mainly in trade.
Asa C. Bowen, who began cheese making in 1858, just south of the county line, says that while in the mercantile business in Hopkinton in 1856, he brought butter to that town from Albany, selling it at 33} cents a pound, and A. R. Loomis brought butter to Manchester from Marengo, Illinois about the same time. The introduction of the cheese vat, Mr. Bowen says, made the handling of large quantities of milk comparatively easy, and he was among the first to bring the improved plan into use in Iowa.
In June, 1866, the Delaware Cheese Company was organized at Delaware ; William M. Hefner, President, and K. W. Kingsley, Secretary. A building was erected there 24x40 feet, two and a half stories, and an experienced cheese maker from Madison County, New York, engaged to take charge of the factory, which commenced operations during the month of June. It continued in opera- tion until about 1872, when it suspended, and the building was converted into a stable.
A cheese factory was established at Almoral in 1870, which had a remu- nerative run until 1875, when cheese making was given up, and butter only manu- factured ; which was kept open two seasons, but with indifferent success. Soon after, R. L. and O. E. Taylor built a cheese factory in Milo Township, which was very skillfully managed, but in 1877, cheese making was given up, and butter made in stead. It was found that making butter was more profitable than cheese, and now comparatively little cheese is manufactured.
The first stimulus to the butter industry was given by L. A. Loomis, of Manchester, who made a contract in 1862 with the Northwestern Packet Com- ยท pany to supply its boats with butter. Buying for cash only, although at the low rate of eight or nine cents a pound, he became master of the situation, and would take only the best offered. Mr. Loomis bought butter without opposition until 1864, when W. G. Kenyon began to buy, followed in 1867 by Percival & Ayers, which made competition quite sharp.
The manufacture of butter increased steadily until 1872, when
THE CREAMERY SYSTEM
was introduced by Mr. John Stewart, and gave the dairy business of the county a powerful impetus. Mr. Stewart had been dealing in dairy products for sev- eral years, when, in 1872, he built the first creamery or butter factory in the
433
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
county, and, it is thought, the first in the State, on Spring Branch, near E. Packer's, three or four miles east of Manchester. Here he commenced buying milk of the surrounding farmers, and making the cream into butter, according to the most approved methods practiced by Eastern dairymen. His business increased, and the following year he established similar " creameries " at Yan- kee Settlement, Forestville, Ward's Corners and other places.
A. C. Clark & Company started a creamery at Manchester, in 1874, and at Masonville, in 1875.
Having obtained the first premium for butter for several years at St. Louis, in 1876 Mr. Stewart determined to compete for the golden prize offered at the International Centennial Exposition, at Philadelphia, and received the gold medal for the best butter in the world. His success at once removed the prejudice existing in New York and other Eastern markets against Western, and espe- cially Iowa, butter, and placed Delaware butter very high in the estimation of dealers and consumers, and the best grades soon commanded a higher price than the best New York creamery butter.
The award of this medal to Delaware and Iowa was of almost incalculable benefit to the county and State, and is worth to the farmers of the State many hundred thousand dollars annually. Mr. Stewart is of the opinion that this region possesses certain peculiarities of climate and soil that give it superiority over other dairy districts.
An association of the dairymen was formed at Manchester, in February, 1877, under the name of "Northwestern Iowa Dairymen's Association." The meeting continued two days, and much instruction was given and received. John Stewart was elected President, and Col. R. M. Littler, of Davenport, was chosen Secretary. The association met at Manchester, in February, 1878, with added unmbers and increased interest.
From abroad came Messrs. Folsom, J. N. Reall and Francis D. Moulton, of New York; Mr. McGlincey, Secretary of the Dairy Board of Trade, Elgin, Ill., and A. Ondesleys, Baltimore. The subjects discussed covered the whole business of dairying, from raising grass to shipping butter and cheese to market.
Mr. L. O. Stevens furnishes a description of the creamery at Almoral, which will answer, in a general way, to describe the system pursued :
The Almoral Creamery was established in 1876, under the firm name of " The Almoral Dai- rymen's Company." It is an incorporated company, with a capital stock not exceeding $10,000. Farmers are the stockholders. Farmers, not stockholders, patronize the institution, receiving for their milk, or rather the butter product-for butter entirely is made at this creamery-their pro rata share of the net sale in market of the butter, deducting all expenses, viz .: rents, ice, marketing, commissions, brokerage, etc. The butter is shipped weekly, and in warm weather in a refrigerator car, from Manchester to New York. The company's works are equal to 500 cows. Our average hitherto has been 150 cows. Our building is thoroughly fitted, with flagstones, laid in cement, as the ground work, with all needful tanks, ventilation, etc., and with all requisites for sweetness and nearness. We require the manufacturer of the butter to be scrupulously tidy in all branches of the business ; and also, all packages of butter to be placed on track free from stains and carelessness ; the milk to be delivered in first-class condition, as respects neatness in milking, and proper care as to cleanliness of cans and cooling of the milk. We propose at this creamery never to make either skim butter or skim cheese; but to ever make the best article possible of cream butter, and to continue to fight it out, steadily and protractedly, " on that line."
We regard the sour milk returned to the patrons of the creamery worth a very large per cent. in the raising of calves to replenish the dairy and young stock hogs. Whey is compara- tively valueless, compared with sour milk, and there exists no substitute for sour milk for calves and pigs. As we run our creamery, we find it profitable, and are contented to run it in our (the farmers') best interest.
The creameries now in successful operation in the county are owned and located as follows : Wm. & John Hollister, H. D. Wood, H. D. Cowles, Rich-
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
land Township : E. H. & J. Durfey, Mr. Warwick, Calvin Fenner, Honey Creek : Almoral Dairy Company, L. E. Beebe, Oneida ; M. Breyton, A. S. Coon, Wattson Childs, L. A. Loomis, Delaware ; H. P. Chapman, Harris & Turner (two), Houseman & Loomis, Coffin's Grove; Taylor Brothers, Milo ; B. Thorpe, Sr., S. Allison, Sr., Delhi ; E. Healy, North Fork ; John D. Mc- Vay, Leroy Jackson, John Stewart (makes cheese also), South Fork ; Fred Dickey, Hazel Green, and one also in Union. The private dairies managed on the creamery plan are: Lemuel Parker, Oneida ; R. J. Jones, Daniel Chase, Elk ; John B. Frentress, Mr. White, J. H. Edmonds, Elk ; Peter Lux, Delhi ; S. J. Edmonds. Delaware.
The production for 1877 was largely in excess of any previous year, and the value of butter and cheese shipped was not far from half a million dollars. Over 1,200,000 pounds of butter was sent from Manchester. The product is shipped in refrigerator cars twice a week, and most of it goes to New York. Manufacturers estimate that the dairy product of the county for 1878 will be materially greater than in 1877. Mr. Stewart thinks the shipments of butter for Manchester alone this year will reach the enormous quantity of 1,500,000 pounds. Very large quantities are also shipped from Earlville and other rail- way stations in the county, and Delaware stands at the head of the list of dairy counties in Iowa.
NURSERIES.
. The nursery business in Delaware County was commenced by F. B. Doolittle, at Delhi, who planted three bushels of apple seeds, in the Spring of 1851, on a piece of ground adjoining the town plat on the east. In the Fall, he took up the seedling trees, stored them in his cellar, grafted them during the Winter and put them out the following Spring. He continued this process, planting three bushels of seed every Spring for four years, until he had put out a million trees. He also engaged in raising pear, plum and quince trees, small fruit. grape vines, etc., and ornamental trees pretty extensively. For some years all North- ern Iowa, for 100 to 150 miles, was supplied with fruit trees from Doolittle's nurseries at Delhi. In the Fall of 1854, he had 100,000 grafted apple trees ready for market, and several hundred thousand of younger trees ; but during the severe Winter of 1855-6, abont one-third of them were killed. about one hundred varieties of apples, and of these the old and favorite varie- ties considered most hardy in Michigan, such as the Baldwin and the
He had suffered the most. In 1865, he ceased planting and raising trees, etc., for market, and closed the business as soon as he disposed of his stock then on hand. Judge Doolittle has now (1878) a very fine orchard of twenty acres, but he does not consider Iowa a good fruit region. The trees do not bear as well as in Eastern States, and, owing to rapid growth, are more liable to be Winter-killed.
In 1856. Charles Harding started in the nursery business, about half a mile. northeast of Delhi ; but he was unfortunate in business in 1857, and his nur- sery passed into the hands of Mr. Brayton.
John Porter commenced an evergreen and grapevine nursery, of one acre, on the northeast quarter of Section 17, 88, 4, a short distance north of Delhi, in 1860. Successful from the start, his business has increased, until now (1878) he has five acres devoted to his specialties.
In 1864, John Platt, Esq., established what is called the "Hardy Variety Nursery," five miles southeast of Colesburg, intending it for local trade in Del- aware, Dubuque and Clayton Counties, raising chiefly hardy varieties of apple and crab trees and grapevines. Ilis sales average from 10,000 to 12,000 trees and vines per year.
1
435
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Charles Harger commenced an evergreen and grape nursery on Out-lot No. 2, in Delhi, in 1870, which he conducted with such skill and success that. at the time of his decease, June 5, 1875, he had added four more out-lots, viz., Nos. 11, 14, 23 and 26, all devoted to his flourishing business. The nursery is still owned by his widow, Mrs. H. C. Harger, and managed by her late hus- band's brother, Henry Harger, Esq., of Delhi.
WAR RECORD.
If there is any one thing more than another of which the people of the Northern States have reason to be proud, it is of the record they made dur- ing the dark and bloody days when red-handed rebellion raised its hideous head and threatened the life of the nation. When the war was forced upon the coun- try, the people were quietly pursuing the even tenor of their ways, doing what- ever their hands found to do-working the mines, making farms or cultivating those already made, erecting homes, founding cities and towns, building shops and manufactories-in short, the country was alive with industry and hopes for the future. The people were just recovering from the depression and losses inei- dent to the financial panie of 1857. The future looked bright and promising, and the industrious and patriotic sons and daughters of the Free States were buoyant with hope, looking forward to the perfecting of new plans for the en- surement of comfort and competence in their declining years; they little heeded the mutterings and threatenings of treason's children in the Slave States of the South. True sons and descendants of the heroes of the "times that tried men's souls "-the struggle for American independence-they never dreamed that there was even one so base as to dare attempt the destruction of the Union of their fathers-a government baptized with the best blood the world ever knew. While immediately surrounded with peace and tranquility, they paid but little attention to the rumored plots and plans of those who lived and grew rich from the sweat and toil, blood and flesh of others-aye, even trafficked in the offspring of their own loins. Nevertheless, the war came with all its attendant horrors.
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April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter, at Charleston, South Carolina, Maj. Ander- son, U. S. A., commandant, was fired upon by rebels in arms. Although basest treason, this first act in the bloody reality that followed was looked upon as the mere bravado of a few hot-heads-the act of a few fire-eaters whose sectional bias and freedom and hatred was crazed by the excessive indulgence in intoxicat- ing potations. When, a day later, the news was borne along the telegraph wires that Maj. Anderson had been forced to surrender to what had first been regarded as a drunken mob, the patriotic people of the North were startled from their dreams of the future, from undertakings half completed, and made to realize that behind that mob there was a dark, deep and well organized purpose to destroy the government, rend the Union in twain, and out of its ruins ereet a slave oli- garchy, wherein no one would dare question their right to hold in bondage the sons and daughters of men whose skins were black, or who, perchance, through practices of lustful natures, were half or quarter removed from the color that God, for his own purposes, had given them. But they "reckoned without their host." Their dreams of the future, their plans for the establishment of an independent confederacy, were doomed from their inception to sad and bitter disappointment.
Immediately upon the surrender of Fort Sumter, Abraham Lincoln- America's martyr President, who, but a few short weeks before, had taken the oath of office as the nation's chief executive, issued a proclamation calling for- 75,000 volunteers for three months. The last word had scarcely been taker.
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