USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2 > Part 53
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The news of the firing on the "Star of the West," which took place January 9th, caused great excitement in the city. This was regarded by the people of Northern sentiments as a declar- ation of war and the papers of January 11th warned their readers that the opening of the conflict might be expected at any moment.
LINCOLN'S VISIT.
Mr. Lincoln passed through the city on Feb- ruary 12, 1861, on his way to the national capital. As he boarded the cars at Indianapolis he was met by a Cincinnati reception committee, who,
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represented by Judge Este and Maj. T. J. Too- hey, welcomed him to the city. The crowd about the Indianapolis & Cincinnati depot was very large and for a time it was thought that some accident would occur. As the train came in, it was welcomed by the booming of cannon and cheering of the assembled multitude. As Mr. Lincoln stepped from the car accompanied by Mayor Bishop, a procession was formed in front of the depot. The grand marshal, Miles Green- wood, Major-General Lytle and Brigadier-Gen- eral Bates were each surrounded by a gorgeous staff ; after them came the Steuben Artillery, in charge of Captain Annis, and the Cincinnati Bat- talion under Major Kennet. This included the Lafayette Guards, German Yagers, Rover Guards and the Cincinnati Zouaves. A company of the Second Battalion was in charge of Captain Pendery. The Continental Battalion was in charge of Colonel Jones and the Guthrie Greys under Major Bosley. A special guard for the carriage of the President-elect was from the Washington Dragoons under Captain Pfau. Mr. Lincoln rode in an open carriage drawn by a team of six white horses. Mayor Bishop sat beside him and opposite were the mayors of Cov- ington and Newport. The line of march was along Front and Freeman to Sixth, up Sixth to Mound, thence to Eighth, thence to Ehn, thence to 15th, thence to Vine and ended at the Burnet House. Many of the houses which were passed were covered with decorations and mottoes. R. M. Corwine's house on Sixth street proclaimed "Welcome to the President of Thirty-four States." The Gibson House was most elabo- rately decorated. A large transparency 60 by 20 feet contained at one end a portrait of Lincoln and at the other one of Hamlin and in the center one of Washington. Intervening were many mottoes of a patriotic character and below the names of all the 34 States. At the Orphan Asy- lum the children sang "Hail Columbia," and at the Banner Ward House on Vine street 30 white- clad girls sang "The Star Spangled Banner." One little girl handed Mr. Lincoln a flower, in return for which he gave the child a kiss. At the Burnet House Mr. Lincoln appeared from a balcony, where he was welcomed by the mayor. Mr. Lincoln in his speech referred to his re- marks delivered at Cincinnati two years before. in which he had specially addressed the people of Kentucky. He reiterated what he had said at that time. In the evening two thousand German workingmen marched to the Burnet House. where an address was delivered to the President-
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elect. A supper was given by the young men of Cincinnati in honor of Master Robert Lincoln. Fred Hassaurek presided and fifty people, par- ticipated. Mr. Lincoln himself, by reason of fatigue, was unable to be present, but many toasts were drank in his honor and many speeches made full of patriotic determination to support him.
The spring election held on April 1, 1861, re- sulted disastrously to the Republican party and George Hatch, the Democratic candidate, was . successful in defeating Charles F. Wilstach for the mayoralty. Rutherford B. Hayes was one of those on the defeated ticket. The cause of the defeat, according to the Gasette, a Republican organ, was the dissatisfaction of the Republicans with what was regarded as the hesitating policy of the new national administration. The Gasette served notice that the Republicans "dissatisfied and discouraged had no heart to work and had surrendered without seriously contesting the field." The special cause of complaint was the failure to reinforce Fort Sumter.
The newly elected mayor of the city, George Hatch, probably represented "the extreme senti- ment of deference and concession to the Southern people," but neither he nor any of the citizens was conscious of the critical condition of af- fairs. As late as April 5, 1861, some cannon consigned from Baltimore to Jackson, Missis- sippi, directed to "The Southern Confederacy," were allowed to pass through the city, and on the very day before this a slave had been remanded to the custody of his master by the United States commissioner.
FORT SUMTER.
News of the bombardment of Fort Sumter reached Cincinnati on Friday evening, April 12th, and was posted on the bulletin boards of the city. Despite the progress of events through- out the country there can be no question that in Cincinnati as elsewhere this news was a most violent shock to the people. The game of brag had been for some years played with such dex- terity by the politicians of the country that very few had any real belief in the sincerity of the threats that had been made. Of course there were many exceptions to this general confidence in the improbability of war. It is said that the German population, especially those who had en- gaged in the Revolution of 1848, scented the strife from afar. Of course many of the officers of the army who were more familiar with the conditions and who had consulted with many of their fellow officers as to their future conduct in
case of war realized the possibilities. Notable among these was Capt. John Pope, who, in the previous fall, had read before the Literary Club, a gathering inchiding many of the most distin- guished men of the city, a paper on the subject of "Fortifications." This paper, which had crit- icised the policy of President Buchanan, had subjected its author to a court-martial, which, owing to the intervention of Postmaster General Holt, had resulted in nothing. The story is tokl that upon the reception of the news of the fall of Sumter, he predicted that it was the begin- ning of a long and bloody struggle.
"The first note of war from the East threw Cincinnati into a spasm of alarm. Her great warehouses, her foundries and machine shops, her rich moneyed institutions, were all a tempt- ing prize to the Confederates, to whom Kentucky was believed to be drifting. Should Kentucky go, only the Ohio River would remain between the great city and the needy enemy, and there were absolutely no provisions for defense." ( Ohio in the War.)
In spite of the alarm, however, the city was literally covered with flags and in every direction threats loud and deep against the enemies of the country were coupled with protestations of loy- alty. Mr. Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops, issued on Monday, April 15th, met with an immediate response.
The first Union meeting was held on April 15th at the Catholic Institute Hall, at which ad- dresses were delivered by T. J. Gallagher, Judge Storer, Judge Stallo, E. F. Noyes, Judge Dick- son, Dr. M. B. Wright and Judge Pruden, and resolutions drawn by Rutherford B. Hayes, an- nouncing to the people of Cincinnati assembled, without distinction of party, in favor of asserting the rights of the United States against the re- bellious South, were carried unanimously.
HOME GUARDS.
As early as April 17th a meeting was held at the office of John D. Caldwell, at No. 141 Main street, to organize Home Guards. A central committee was chosen of one from each ward. In its membership were such well known citizens as Mr. Caldwell, who was chosen president ; Ed- ward Crapsey, secretary; S. M. Barr, M. B. Hagans, A. E. Jones, Josiah Kirby, J. J. Hooker, Charles F. Wilstach, S. Snodgrass, Joseph (. Butler, W. Sibley, Christopher Von Seggern, S. W. Bard, Joseph Torrence, Miles Greenwood, Crafts J. Wright, W. S. Scarborough, Sammel B. Hirst, George Keck, Thomas Sherlock, J. W.
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Caldwell, N. W. Thomas and Thomas H. Yeat- man. A resolution was discussed concerning the shipment of army subsistence to Southern ports. Col. J. W. Dudley, chief of police, reported that powder would not be permitted to be shipped to the South. At the meeting on the following day, it was determined that the organization should consist of 10 companies of not more than 80 men each, to be properly drilled for the purpose of protecting the homes and firesides of the city. A report received by the committee on the pow- der disclosed the fact that there were in the hands of the dealers in the city at that time 4,450 kegs of rifle powder, 2.300 kegs of blasting pow- der and 160 cases of canister. The larger part of the discussions of the meetings of the Home Guards was taken up with the matter of the ship- ment of powder and supplies to the neutral States and the principle that those who were not for us were against us was repeatedly announced in resolutions. While the shipment of manufac- tures that could not in any way be used for pur- poses of war was regarded as proper so far as neutral States were concerned, of course all ship- ments to seceded States were regarded as im- proper. The committee held daily sessions dur- ing the ensuing few weeks, but as the protection of the city was soon placed in the hands of the proper authorities, its usefulness ceased after a life of little over a month.
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THE UPRISING.
There were a number of militia companies in Cincinanti at this time, mostly skeleton organiza- tions, however, of whom six made their mark during the war, the Rover Guards, the Zonave Gnards, the Highland Guards (a company com- posed of citizens of Scottish birth and their. de- scendants), the Continentals, the Lafayette (inards and the Guthrie Greys. These organiza- tions furnished companies to the Second, Fifth, Sixth and 137th regiments of Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
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The Rover Guards were named in honor of James Fenimore Cooper's hero of the sea and wore a uniform modeled after that of the Eng- lish Grenadier Guard,-a bearskin shako, scarlet coat and pants faced and trimmed with buff, blue and gold. Before daybreak on the morning of April 17th, but little more than forty hours after the President's call for volunteers, issued on April 15th, "they bade friends and homes goodbye, perchance forever, and with fife and drum playing The Girl I Left Behind Me,' marched briskly to where duty called them." In
the ranks of this company there served at dif- ferent times Generals Lytle, Bates, Parry, Ken- nett and Sargent; Colonels Neff, Jolm Kennett, Cross, Bosley, Burdsal, Littler, Bown and Finch ; Majors Symmes, Burton, Wallace, Parry and Gaul; Captains Saunders, De Bus, Startzman, Paver, Lydick, Swift, Bown, Lord, Young, Cal- vert and Chamberlain; Lientenants Athearn, Young, Irwin, Burton, Whelpley, Moonert, Hub- bell, Powell and Flenner.
The Rover Guards, in company with the Zouave Guards and Lafayette Guards of Cincin- nati, left this city for Columbus on the 17th. They were accompanied to the depot by the Guthrie Greys and the Continentals and their de- parture was the scene of great enthusiasm on the part of the large crowd that cheered them on their way. On the following day they were mus- tered into service as companies A, D and E of the Second Regiment, commanded by Col. Louis Wilson, until then chief of police. This regi- ment helped cover the retreat at the first battle of Bull Run. (Lieut .- Col. George M. Finch, in Sketches of War History, Ohio Commandery, Loyal Legion, Vol. 1., p. 225.)
William Haines Lytle, major-general of the militia, was in Columbus at the time the Presi- dent's call was received and came immediately to Cincinnati, where he met his staff at the Bur- net House at nine o'clock in the evening. The military organization known as the Guthrie Greys was recruited to its full military strength that night and made the nucleus for the Sixth Ohio Infantry. This was a well drilled and well appearing body of men, made up of some of the most prominent youths of the city. The regi- ment was marched to Camp Harrison and on the 18th was mustered into service at the full army strength.
Two other companies were known as the Montgomery Gnards and the Sarsfield Guards. These companies included many of the same in- dividuals in their organization, and Gen. Joshua 11. Bates tells us that on the day before parade a lientenant of the Sarsfield Guards inquired whether it would be better to turn out as the Sarsfield Guards or as the Montgomery Guards. Ile said that he was lieutenant of the Sarsfield Gnards and orderly sergeant of the Montgomery Guards and that the captain of the Montgomery Guards was the orderly sergeant of the Sarsfield Gnards .. And so, says General Bates, "the two companies in the most friendly manner were made up of each other, and when paraded at dif- ferent times were beautiful to behold, one clad
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in Hibernian green and the other in our National blue; but when paraded together one of them was not there." ( Sketches of War History, Ohio Commandery, Loyal Legion, Vol. II, p. 130.)
These companies became a part of the Tenth Ohio. Maj. Henry G. Kennett raised and or- ganized two companies of zouaves from the young men of the city and Col. A. E. Jones nearly a regiment. Another citizen most active at the time was Col. Leonard A. Harris, who headed a company despatched for the defense of Washington.
A particularly fine body of men was the regi- ment of over a thousand Germans raised by Col. R. 1 .. McCook which, called the Turner Regi- ment, paraded the streets in the white garb of the Turner Society. This regiment was taken by General Lytle to the Trotting Park, and there formed Camp Harrison. Afterwards, as the Ninth Ohio at Mill Springs it made the first bayonet charge of the war. Much to General Lytle's disappointment, Gen. Joshua H. Bates was placed in command of Camp Harrison, where were already four regiments. Lytle im- mediately threw his heart into the organization of an Irish regiment and at once the Tenth Ohio with him as colonel sprang into being. This he led in many battles and finally gave his life on the field of Chickamauga.
The Fifth Ohio was made up, largely of the Continentals, with fragments of the Rover, Zouave and Highland guards. (For a more complete account see the contributions of Gen. Joslma H. Bates, Lieut .- Col. George M. Finch and Capt. A. C. Kemper in the first volume of the "Sketches of War History," published by the Ohio Commandery of the Loyal Legion. )
The City Council, not to be behind the sol- diery, voted $200,000 to aid in equipping the troops, and large enthusiastic meetings, in which Democrats were particularly active, were held throughout the city.
THE CASE OF KENTUCKY.
One of the first meetings of consequence was that with relation to the people of Kentucky and the city of Louisville. The first alarm had re- sulted in the purchase of some huge cannon, which were supposed to be for the fortification of Walnut Hills. The doubt as to the attitude of Kentucky made the city fear an immediate attack and the anxiety to protect it from capture arose to feverish intensity. As a result of this, it was insisted that shipments of produce and particularly of arms and articles contraband of
war sent down the river to the State of Ken- tucky should cease. This demand was received with consternation by the sister State. Ken- tucky had no desire to take any part in the con- fict which had started. Her Governor, Ma- goffin, had refused to respond to the call for troops, an action that brought forth the patriotic telegram of Governor Dennison of Ohio: "If Kentucky will not fill her quota, Ohio will fill it for her," a promise which was kept. Cincinnati from this had reason to fear that Kentucky might prove hostile and Governor Dennison sent Thomas M. Key of Cincinnati to confer with Governor Magoffin. The latter assured the Ohio envoy that nothing would be done to injure Cin- cinnati. This did not satisfy the people of this city and they were determined that shipments to Kentucky of anything in aid of the rebellion should cease. As a result, a large delegation of citizens from Louisville came to Cincinnati and were received in the council chamber of the City Hall on April 23, 1861. The mayor, Mr. Hatch, who presided, announced the purpose of their coming and Rutus King thereupon proceeded to state the position of Ohio and of Cincinnati. Ilis address was full of friendly advice and closed with a letter written from Governor Dennison to the mayor. In this letter the Governor in- sisted that so long as any State remained in the Union with professions of attachment to it Ohio could not discriminate against it. Any act, such as the seizing of arms, going to a State which had not actually seceded, might furnish a pretext for the claim that Ohio had inaugurated hostile conduct and might be nsed to create a feeling in favor of secession which would end in border warfare. For this reason the Governor stated that he would not be willing to order the seizure of arms nor to interfere with the transportation of provisions. Mr. King stated that this was a text to which every citizen of Ohio must sub- scribe and that he believed that it expressed the feeling of the people of Ohio. This statement. however, was not satisfactory to others at the meeting. One of the speakers, Judge Bellamy Storer, went so far as to say: "This is no time for soft words. We feel, as you have a. right to feel, that you have a governor who cannot be depended upon in this crisis, But it is not on the men of Kentucky that we rely. All we want to know is whether you are for the Union, with- out reservation. Brethren of Kentucky! The men of the North have been your friends, and they still desire to be. But I will speak plainly. There have been idle taunts thrown out that they
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are cowardly and timid. The North submits; the North obeys; but beware! There is a point which cannot be passed. While we rejoice in your friendship, while we glory in your bravery, we would have you understand that we are your equals as well as your friends."
Judge Bullock, for the Kentuckians, responded that "Kentucky wished to take no part in the unhappy struggle ; that she wished to be a medi- ator, and meant to retain friendly relations with all her sister States." He expressed great grat- ification at Governor Dennison's letter. This meeting served more to arouse feeling than to quiet it. Four days later an indignation meeting was held. This was largely attended and many enthusiastic speeches were made. Resolutions were passed calling upon the Governor to retract his letter, as it was too late to draw nice distinc- tions between open rebellion and armed neutral- ity, which, in fact, was rebellion against union. The resolution, evidently written on the spur of the moment, was adopted with a storm of cheers, as follows: "Resolved, That any men, or set of men, in Cincinnati or elsewhere, who knowingly sell or ship one ounce of four or pound of pro- visions, or any arms or articles which are con- traband of war, to any person or any State which has not declared its firm determination to sus- tain the Government in the present crisis, is a traitor, and deserves the doom of a traitor."
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The historian of Ohio's share in the war says of this :
"So clear and unshrinking was the first voice from the great conservative city of the Southern border, whose prosperity was supposed to depend on the Southern trade. They had reckoned idly, it seemed, who had counted on hesitation here. From the first day that the war was opened, the people of Cincinnati were as vehement in their determination that it should be relentlessly prose- cuted to victory, as the people of Boston.
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"They immediately began the organization of home guards, armed and drilled vigorously, took oaths to serve the Government when they were called upon, and devoted themselves to the sup- pression of any contraband trade with the South- ern States. The steamboats were watched; the railroad depots were searched; and, wherever a suspicions box or bale was discovered, it was ordered back to the warehouses.
"After a time the general government under- took to prevent any shipments into Kentucky, save such as should be required by the normal demands of her own population: A system of shipment-permits was established under the su-
pervision of the collector of the port, and pas- sengers on the ferry-boats into Covington were even searched to see if they were carrying over pistols or other articles contraband of war; but, in spite of all efforts, Kentucky long continued to be the convenient source and medium for sup- phes to the Southwestern Seceded States.
"The day after the Cincinnati meeting de- nouncing his course relative to Kentucky, Gov- ernor Dennison, stimulated perhaps by this cen- sure. but in accordance with a policy already formed, issued orders to the presidents of all railroads in Ohio to have everything passing over their roads in the direction of Virginia or any other seceded State, whether as ordinary freight or express matter, examined, and if con- traband of war, immediately stopped and re- ported to him. The order may not have had legal sanction ; but in the excited state of the public mind it was accepted by all concerned as ample authority. The next day similar instruc- tions were sent to all express companies." ( Ohio in the War.)
The scenes throughout the city were very striking and left but little doubt as to the atti- tude of the population generally. In front of the Gazette office a man who was expressing South- ern sentiments was driven from the streets by a cheering crowd after an egg dexterously thrown had been broken in his very teeth.
GEORGE B. M'CLELLAN.
An interesting conference was that of Sunday, April 21st. In the morning about church time a gentleman came to the house of Rutherford B. Hayes who then held the office of city attorney and was active and influential both in the polit- ical and social circles of the community, and in- vited him to attend a meeting of the leading citi- zens at the Burnet House. Mr. Hayes at once responded to the invitation and found a small assembly, which included not more than a dozen altogether. These represented, however, the most prominent portion of the comnnmity. Those present were mostly Democrats, although there were one or two Bell and Everett men, including Hayes and three Republicans. Par- tisanship was forgotten in the threatening dan- ger of the time and the question of the defense of the city was talked over at length. The neces- sity for the employment of a trained military man for the organization of the troops was dis- cussed and attention was called to the fact that such a man was then residing in the city in the
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person of Capt. George B. McClellan, at that time president of the Ohio & Mississippi Rail- road Company. McClellan, a young man about 35, was known to have received a thorough mil- itary education and to have won high regard in the Mexican War and afterwards in various de- partments of the service. He had prepared a manual of bayonet exercises, had accompanied Marcy in his Red River exploration, had made surveys for harbor improvements on the Texan coast, had conducted one of the Pacific railroad surveys, had prepared a memoir on railroad con- struction, had served on a secret mission to select a coaling station in the West Indies and was afterwards a member of a commission sent to gather military information in Europe, and as such witnessed the operations in the Crimea. In 1857 he resigned his commission as captain of artillery and became the chief engineer of the Illinois Central Railroad and later, in 1858, was chosen vice-president of the road. In 1860 he was elected president of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad Company, with headquarters at Cin- cinnati.
Ilis experience in war and in these various missions, combined with the possession of a for- tune and a commanding social position, seemed to make him the man most needed at this junc- ture. At the meeting at the Burnet House a despatch was read showing that the State of Pennsylvania had already discussed his appoint- ment to the command of the troops there, and it was thought that a man of such abilities should be pressed into the service of the State of his residence. A historic telegram was thereupon sent to the authorities at Washington recom- mending his appointment to the local command, as follows: . "People of Cincinnati wish Captain McClellan to be appointed to organize forces and take command at Cincinnati." The names signed to this telegram-William J. Flagg, S. F. Vinton, W. S. Groesbeck, L. Anderson, Ruth- erford B. Hayes and George E. Pugh-indicated the standing of the gentlemen engaged in the meeting and also its non-partisan character.
Before action was taken by the national gov- ernment, Governor Dennison commissioned Mc- Clellan as major-general and placed him in com- mand of Ohio's troops, consisting of 13 regi- ments of three-months militia, a jump from the command of 100 men to that of 10,000. This extraordinary advancement, however, as is well known, was but the beginning of honors heaped upon McClellan. General Scott, the commander- in-chief of the army, in a letter of April 30th,
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