USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of Dayton, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of some of its pioneer and prominent citizens Vol. 1 > Part 34
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The consequence of the feeling, intensified by the arrest of Mr. Val- landigham, which is portrayed in the above extract from the Empire, was the assembling in the evening of the same day the arrest was made and.
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the above extract appeared, of a mob which made an attack on the office of the Dayton Journal and completely destroyed it. The proprietors lost about ten thousand dollars, including fifteen hundred copies of the " Life and Speeches of Thomas Corwin," a complete set of Niles' Register, and a rare and valuable library. One of the most aggravating features connected with the riot was that there was apparently no effort made by the city authorities to prevent the organization, or to dissuade it from the perpetration of the crime. The result was, however, that on the 6th, by special order No. 146 from General Burnside's headquarters, Montgomery County was placed under martial law, Major Keith, of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with an adequate force of sol- diers, being appointed provost marshal of the county.
While Mr. Vallandigham was held, a prisoner, awaiting trial before the military commission, application was made in the United States cir- cuit court for a writ of habeas corpus, directed to General Burnside, requiring him to produce the body of Mr. Vallandigham in court. Judge Leavitt, of this court, refused the writ, and said in the concluding portion of his decision so refusing:
"There is too much pestilential leaven of disloyalty in the com- munity. There is a class of men in the loyal States who seem to have no just appreciation of the deep criminality of those who are in arms avowedly for the overthrow of the government and the establishment of a Southern Confederacy, and they will not, I fear, listen to any right . estimate of their duties and obligations as American citizens, to a gov- ernment which has strewn its blessings with a profuse hand. . ... For the reason that I have set forth, I am led clearly to the conclusion that I cannot judicially pronounce the order of General Burnside for the arrest of Mr. Vallandigham, a nullity, and must therefore hold that no sufficient ground has been exhibited for granting the writ applied for. And I may properly add here, that I am fortified in my conclusion by the fact that the legislature of Ohio, at its last session, passed two statutes in which the validity and legality of arrests in this State under military authority are distinctly sanctioned."
This decision was rendered May 16, 1863. The commission, before which Mr. Vallandigham was tried, found him guilty of the charge of uttering disloyal sentiments, and sentenced him to be placed in close confinement in some fortress of the United States, to be designated by the commanding officer of the department, and there to be kept during the continuance of the war. The finding was confirmed by General Burn- side, and Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, selected as the fortress in which Mr. Vallandigham should be confined.
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The sentence of close confinement was, however, changed to that of sending Mr. Vallandigham into the Southern Confederacy, and on the 24th of May, 1863, he arrived at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in charge of Captain Murray, of the Thirteenth Regular Infantry, and was taken to the office of the provost marshal, where General Wiles and General Rosecrans called upon him. Next morning he was turned over to a private soldier of the Fifty-first Alabama Regiment, and some time afterward came to Windsor, Canada, where he remained until after the result of the election for governor of Obio was announced, he being the candidate for governor on the Democratic ticket. The vote cast for Brough in the various wards in Dayton at that election was as follows: First Ward, 244; Second Ward, 283; Third Ward, 346; Fourth Ward, 304; Fifth Ward, 408; Sixth Ward, 331; total, 1,916. The vote cast for Vallandigham was as follows: First Ward, 216; Second Ward, 138; Third Ward, 170; Fourth Ward, 403; Fifth Ward, 387; Sixth Ward, 355; total, 1,639.
The total vote in the county for Brough was 5,092, and for Vallan- dingham, 5,025.
June 1, 1863, General Burnside issued Order Number 84, forbidding the circulation of the New York World in his department, and suppress- ing the Chicago Times. In accordance with the order of the commanding general, Major F. M. Keith, provost marshal of Montgomery County, issued his General Order Number 4, prohibiting all postmasters, news agents, and other persons from delivering, selling, or circulating in any way, either of the two papers.
On the 21st of June, Special Order Number 240 was issued, relieving the county from the operation of martial law.
About the 15th of June, 1863, there was great alarm felt throughout the country on account of General Lee's threatened invasion of the North. In order to meet this emergency, President Lincoln called on the various loyal States for three hundred thousand militia for six months, of which number Ohio was expected to furnish thirty thousand. The governor, therefore, called for this number on the 15th of the month, and designated Camp Dennison as the rendezvous for all that might respond from Montgomery County, and fifteen other counties in the southwest portion of the State. The military companies of the several counties were specially requested to exert themselves to secure a prompt response to the call. The press urged young men to drop their plows and seize their muskets, for the old men and the women would take care of the harvests. Workingmen were urged to drop their implements of labor and flock to the defense of the country, in which they had a deeper interest than even their employers.
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Business men, professional men, and all were called upon in that hour of emergency to rally round the flag and rescue the country from the danger that threatened.
In the evening after Governor Tod's call was issued, both militia companies then in Dayton, met and tendered their services to the governor to go anywhere, for any length of time. The reply came back immedi- ately, that the call was only for volunteers in the regular service for six months, and that militia companies could not be received. Matters continued in about this shape until after the great defeat of Lee's invading army at Gettysburg, which caused the greatest rejoicing in Dayton. Quiet was then for a time restored, but not for a long time, for on the 13th of July the call "To arms! to arms!" rang through the southern half of the State on account of the commencement of General John II. Morgan's raid. The call was issued by the military committee, of which D. A. Haynes was chairman, and E. S. Young sceretary. Mayor Gillespie proclaimed martial law in Dayton. It was stated upon apparently good authority that Morgan's forees were within a day's march of the city, and the excitement was of course intense. All the original militia companies of the State were called ont by the governor, to report forthwith at Camp Dennison. Companies A and B left Dayton, July 13th, for the rendezvous. As it was thought General Morgan's line of march would be through, Hamilton, Major Keith, with two companies of infantry, one of them mounted, started for Hamilton, July 13th, at midnight. General Morgan camped on the hills five miles from Loveland on that day, and on the 14th reached Georgetown, Brown County. He did not, however, come very near this city, and, besides the excitement and the rather rough experience of the militia com- panies that went in search of him and did not find him, the residents of the city suffered no harm. 'Morgan's raid finally came to an end July 26, 1863. IIe was 'intercepted one and a half miles from Salineville, Ohio, by Major W. B. Way, of the First Michigan Cavalry, who succeeded in enticing him into an engagement which lasted about an hour, with the result to Morgan's forces of a loss of twenty-five killed, fifty wounded, and two hundred prisoners, the rest escaping. Afterward, on the same day, Brigadier-General J. H. Shackelford came up with the balance of Morgan's forces, and succeeded in capturing the command, about four hundred strong, about three miles south of New Lisbon, Ohio. Six car loads of Morgan's men as prisoners passed through Dayton for Johnson's Island on the 27th of the same month.
In the meantime, such of the citizens as had horses and could secure guns, were organized into a company of scouts, and went out into the country to look for Morgan, and to patrol the roads. They reached
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Middletown at night, and scoured the country as far west as Winchester, . being mistaken for Morgan's raiders. They returned to Dayton in the evening of the 14th. The six months' cavalry recruits were organized inito a company and were sent in pursuit of the raiders. They captured fifteen of them and turned them over to General Burnside and returned to Dayton. While the recruits and the militia companies were absent, all the able-bodied men remaining at home were organized into companies and squads for defense. Pickets were thrown out on all the roads, and the entire surrounding country thoroughly patroled. The "outpost" down the river road became alarmed at something, was reinforced and held in line of battle until daylight behind the fence, only to find at last that the cause of alarm was three cows feeding along the road.
Under a new militia law, then recently passed, each ward in Dayton was, on the 9th of July, divided into military districts. Each district was required to organize a company of militia, which was completed on the 15th of the month by the election of officers, as follows:
FIRST WARD-First District: Captain, R. M. Marshall; first lieu- tenant, J. Bishiwilder; second lieutenant, W. J. Comstock. Second District: Captain, MeCormick; first lieutenant, J. M. McCarthy; second lieutenant, Charles Jones. Third District: Captain, W. S. Tiffany; first lieutenant, George Simmons; second lieutenant, J. E. Ross. Fourth District: Captain, A. M. Miserner; first lieutenant, George Matthews; second lieutenant, Thomas Randall.
SECOND WARD-First District: Captain, J. W. Hall; first lieutenant, W. C. Howard; second lieutenant, S. C. Dickson.
THIRD WARD-First District, Captain J. P. Dietz; first lieutenant, W. Woodbridge; second lieutenant, Daniel Heinz. Second District: Captain C. Bradley; first lieutenant, E. D. Kiefer; second lieutenant, John Achey. Third District: Captain, John McIntire; first lieutenant, James Wam- wope, second lieutenant, Thomas D. Hall.
FOURTH WARD-First District: Captain Edward Daley ; first lieutenant, L. Seebohm; second lieutenant, A. K. Rouzer. Second District: Captain, Z. Zine; first lieutenant, J. E. Boyer; second lieutenant, A. Freundhoff. Third District: Captain, Ezra Clark; first lieutenant, R. Baker; second lieutenant, M. Wolf. Fourth District: Captain, J. C. Turner; first lieutenant, G. W. Boyer; second lieutenant, George Bish.
FIFTH WARD-First District; Captain, J. W. Butt; first lieutenant, Elias Heathman; second lieutenant, II. K. Greble. Second District: Captain, J. C. Baird; first lieutenant, B. F. Hoar; second lieutenant, J. M. Wolf. Third District: Captain, Amos Clark; first lieutenant, D. C.
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Taft; second lieutenant, Henry Sellaman. Fourth District: Captain, J. M. Clayton; first lieutenant, D. Bartell; second lieutenant, L. Butz, Jr.
SIXTH WARD-First District: Captain, Daniel J. Rouzer; first lieu- tenant, J. Washington; second lieutenant, Joseph Raymond. Second District: Captain, W. N. Love; first lieutenant, P. Eicher; second lieutenant, J. Martin. Third District: Captain, Henry Berry; first lieutenant, Joseph Glaser; second lieutenant, William Zeigler. Fourth District: Captain, W. R. Bennett; first lieutenant, H. Timmerman ; second lieutenant, William Menke.
On the 20th of July, 1868, the military committee ordered that the company of volunteers, which had been recruited by J. H. Thomas, Charles D. Herrman, and William Barnett, meet at the Independent Engine House on the 22d, at one p. M., for the purpose of clecting, by ballot, one captain, one first lieutenant, and one second lieutenant. The ·result of the election was that C. D. Herrman was elected captain; J. H. Thomas, first lieutenant, and C. R. Hickler, second lieutenant.
In August, 1863, there were organized in Montgomery County seven regiments of militia, two of which, the Sixth and Seventh, were organ- ized in Dayton. The officers of the Sixth Regiment were as follows: Colonel, J. K. MeIntire; lieutenant-colonel, Oscar Bonnett; major, R. M. Marshall. Of the Seventh Regiment the officers were: Colonel, D. A. Houk; lieutenant-colonel, J. II. Stoppelman; major, W. N. Love.
On the 2d of September, 1863, great excitement was caused by the shooting of Second Lieutenant George L. Waterman, of Company C, One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, by Thomas Spiel- man. First Lieutenant John Eadie, of the same company, was provost marshal at the time, and about midnight started out after some men who were creating a disturbance in the vicinity of his head quarters, followed by Lieutenant Waterman. The men whom these two officers were pur- suing, fired upon them and hit the latter, wounding him so that he died on the 19th of the month. Immediately after the shooting, Spielman was arrested by Lieutenant Eadie, who held him as a prisoner, notwith- standing a writ of habeas corpus was granted for Spielman by Judge Haynes, of the superior court. The provost marshal preferred to wait until he could hear from General J. D. Cox as to the course to be pur- sucd. Deputy Sheriff Kelly, considering it his duty to execute the writ, made a requisition upon Lieutenant-Colonel Culbert, commanding the Second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Militia, to assist him in its execution. But upon a statement of the facts connected with the shooting being made by Lieutenant Eadie to General Cox, the general ordered that Spielman be turned over to the civil authorities for trial. Spielmau was
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then lodged in jail to await the action of Judge Haynes, the charge against him being "shooting with intent to kill Lieutenant Waterman." Spielman was admitted to bail in the sum of two hundred dollars, and, upon preliminary examination, discharged.
Samuel D. Edgar has been mentioned earlier in these pages, in connection with the large wood procession of April 12, 1863. Again, ou the 21st of October, in the same year, General Edgar proposed that on the first Saturday in November, every man who had a load of wood to spare for the families of the soldiers, should meet at the head of Main Street and repeat the performance of the previous AApril. Committees were appointed to solicit subscriptions, one for each road leading out of Dayton, to the number of seventeen. The wood and relief committee held a meeting November 5th, to make final arrangements for the demon- stration and the distribution of the donations, which were to occur ou the 7th. Samuel D. Edgar was the general commanding, and J. W. Dietrich, secretary. For the day of the procession, J. W. Dietrich was chief marshal, and his assistants were Thomas Schaeffer, B. F. Eaker, and HI. W. R. Brunner. "The order of the procession was the same as that of the previous one. It was headed by Hawkins' Springfield cornet band, which outdid itself in the quality of its music. Then came Prof. Keifer and the Glee Club, in Gillis' large omnibus, singing a song called the " Wood Song," composed for the occasion by Prof. Keifer. General Edgar then followed in a two-horse carriage, bearing aloft the beautiful flag of Company B. Next in order were several dray loads of flour. Next was the main part of the procession, consisting of three hundred and twenty-five loads of wood, and then fifty-six other wagons loaded with various kinds of farm produce. It was certainly one of the largest affairs of the kind that occurred in the State, and the Dayton Journal felt justified . in clrallenging the world to produce such another patriotic demonstration.
Another manner in which patriotism manifested itself at this time, in connection with, or rather as a result of this wood demonstration, was in the organization among the boys of wood sawing and splitting companies. The first company was organized November 9th, and it called itself the "Oregon Bucks." Its captain was Alexander Tueker; first lieutenant, Charley Baird, and Orderly Sergeant, Jacob Bowman. There were thirty-seven members in the company. The "West Enders" were organized November 10th, and consisted of forty boys. John Waymire was the captain; Joseph McKee, first lieutenant; Will Darrow, second lieutenant, and William MeCane, orderly sergeant. Other companies organized were the "Frenchtown Rangers," " Water Street Bucks," " Bueklot Rangers," "Buckeye Rangers," "Central Club," " Oregon
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Champions," "Independent Rangers," and "Red Rovers." : These com- panies were organized into a regiment on the 16th of November, and named the First Regiment of Woodsawyers. The officers were as follows: Colonel, Charley Pearson; lieutenant-colonel, Charlie MeReynolds; major, Frank Pease; adjutant, John Waymire. These boys thus organized, performed a great and very acceptable labor in sawing, splitting, and piling the wood distributed among the soldiers' families.
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The next event in the history of the city which had for its object the benefiting of the soldiers' families, was the great Soldiers' Fair and Bazaar. Preparations for this bazaar were begun at least as early as November 21st, for on that day a meeting of several ladies' aid societies was held in the Council Chamber. D. A. Haynes was made chairman of the meeting, and Mrs. Carnell, secretary. A resolution was passed to the effect that all the members of the several aid societies pledge themselves to use every exertion in town and country to enlist all fathers, husbands, brothers, and sweethearts, and also, all mothers, wives, sisters, and daugh- ters in the noble enterprise then in contemplation, and to give their time and labor with the view of making it a brilliant success. An organization was effected by the election of Judge D. A. Haynes, president; and Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Wyatt, and Mrs. Sowers, presidents respectively, of the three ladies' aid societies, and Mrs. Carnell and J. W. Dietrich, secretaries. On the 23d of the month an executive committee of sixty members was appointed, as follows: Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Wyatt, Mrs. Sowers, Mrs. Judge Brown, Mrs. Dr. Smith, Mrs. Dr. Carnell, Mrs. A. C. Van Doren, Mrs. James Perrine, Mrs. E. Thresher, Mrs. S. Craighead, Mrs. Robert Diekey, Mrs. N. B. Darst, Mrs. Simon Gebhart, Mrs. David Carroll, Mrs. Hawkins, Mrs. E. HeatInnan, Mrs. Wilbur Conover, Mrs. Raymond, Mrs. William Diekey, Mrs. M. Burrous, Mrs. Jacob Decker, Mrs. Adams Jewett, Mrs. William Bomberger, J. W. Dietrich, R. W. Steele, James MeDaniel, William Dixon, R. G. Corwin, Samuel Craighead, Valentine Winters, J. D. Phillips, T. A. Phillips, Harvey Conover, Caleb Parker, H. L. Brown, Frank Eaker, Henry Stoddard, G. W. Rogers, R. A. Kerfoot, T. S. Babbitt, D. E. Mead, B. F. Wait, Judge Boltin, James Darrow, M. Burrous, W. D. Biekham, Frank Heckler, Joel Holden, Isaac Kiersted, Samuel D. Edgar, C. II. Kielmeier, Josiah Gebhart, C. Herchelrode, R. M. Marshall, George Lehman, John L. Martin, W. R. Brunner, E. C. Swalem, John Dodds, and J. B. Pitts.
The executive committee met the next day and appointed a list of sub-committees, and a committee of five was appointed to give names to these various sub-committees. On the 25th, the executive committee met again and appointed the following permanent officers, and named the
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committees: President, D. A. Haynes; vice-presidents, Mrs. Wyatt and Mrs. Sowers; treasurer, John L. Martin; secretaries, Mrs. H. D. Carnell and J. W. Dietrich; corresponding secretary, Henry Stoddard, Jr. The committees were named as follows: On Appeal and Circulars; on Finance; on Pictures and Arts; Flags and Trophies; Jewelry and Fancy Articles; Machinery; Tables, Dining Hall, etc .; Wood and Produce; Booths and Stands; Tableaux and Charades; Buildings, Halls, etc .; Donations; Dining-room Table, etc .; Decorations. A number of these committees were afterward divided into smaller sub-committees.
An address was made to the people of the county by the committee, . in which they made a glowing appeal, and in which they praised in the highest terms the patriotism of the soldiers in the field, and set forth the great debt the country owed to them for protection against the rebel army. On the 30th of November, a meeting was held, at which the policy of the committee was given shape in the following resolution: "That the proceeds of the fair and bazaar be devoted to the support of the soldiers' families in this county, and for sanitary purposes, the amounts to be hereafter decided, and to be disbursed through the agency of the ladies' soldiers' aid societies of this city." It was then decided to open the bazaar on the evening before Christmas and continue it until Saturday night after New Year's.
From this time on until the opening of the fair, all the committees were kept busy in making their preparations. Donations of all kinds kept pouring in from all directions. The fair really began on the 21st of December, with the presentation of the noble cantata of "Esther," by local talent. It was again rendered on the evening of the 22d, and won many words of praise. On the regular opening night of the fair, December 23d, the receipts were $218.45, and up to and including the 26th, they had reached $1,354.40. Up to and including the 29th, the receipts aggregated about twelve thousand dollars. New Year's night at the bazaar was a memorable one. The story of "Genevra" was given in pantomine. Miss Turpin sang the "Mistletoe Bough;" two gentlemen sang "Johnny Smoker," besides which there were other songs, and some fine music by Professor Pierson's Juvenile Band. The next night there was a similar entertainment.
At a meeting of the executive committee, held January 6th, the following appropriations were made: For the purchase of wood, one thousand dollars -- committee, Mr. Kielmeier, Samuel D. Edgar, and M. Burrous; for the purchase of flour, twelve hundred dollars, the flour to be distributed by Samuel D. Edgar on orders from the relief committee; and nine hundred dollars was distributed among the three ladies' aid
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societies for the purchase of shoes and clothing to supply the immediate necessities of the soldiers' families in the city of Dayton. J. L. Martin was excused from serving longer as treasurer, and authorized to turn over all funds in his hands to the general treasurer, V. Winters.
A statement was published about this time, showing what had been received by the various booths. It was as follows: Quaker booth, $218.20; American, $428.15; German, $415; French, $263; Scotch, $262.79; gypsy, $257.15; Chinese, $421.05; Russian, $295.70; Turkish, $523.95; children's, $135.60; flowers and fruit, $292; jewelry, $315.65; ice cream, $1,093.80; dining-room, $1,173.80; candy and fancy goods, $178.35; tobacco, $369.72; books and pictures, $545.48; miscellaneous, $1,091; cantata, $238. Total, $8,518.39.
On the 11th of January, an association was formed, which was named the Ladies' Relief Association for the Families of the Soldiers, by the election of the following officers: President, Mrs. Dr. Adams Jewett; vice-president, Mrs. Dr. E. Smith; treasurer, Mrs. N. B. Darst; secretary, Mrs. E. Thresher. Committees for the separate wards were formed as follows: First Ward, Mrs. P. Smith and Mrs. Haas; Second Ward, Mrs. Jane Dickson; Third Ward, Mrs. Dr. Smith and Mrs. Craighead; Fourth Ward, Mrs. E. W. Davies, Mrs. Josiah Gebhart, Mrs. J. W. Dietrich, and Mrs. A. Zeller; Fifth Ward, Mrs. Wyatt, Mrs. G. Hoglen, Mrs. Turner, Mrs. Heathman, Mrs. Sowers, Mrs. Decker, Mrs. Carnell, and Mrs. Raymond; Sixth Ward, Mrs. Bomberger, Mrs. Foley, Mrs. Buvinger, Mrs. Condit, Mrs. Pogue, Mrs. Burrous, and Mrs. McReynolds; at McPher- sontown, Mrs. J. B. Thresher; Miami City, Mrs. Samuel King and Mrs. Vail. A purchasing committee was appointed, consisting of Mrs. N. B. Darst, Mrs. Carnell, Mrs. Sowers, and Mrs. Van Doren. Following is a statement of the total receipts and expenses of the fair and bazaar: Cash donations, $2,594.50; season tickets, $957; receipts at door, $2,185.92; promenade concert, $124.50; receipts from booths, $8,681.10; tableaux and charades, $726.05; cantata, $235.20; flour, wood, produce, etc., $3,055; C. Rex's concert, $61; sundry donations, $1,223.63. Total receipts, $19,843.90. The total expense attending the bazaar was $2,262.37, of which there was taken in $63.50 worthless money.
In this connection it may not be improper to record the steps taken by the legislature to prevent the families of the soldiers from suffering want while the soldiers were away in the army. This was the passage of a bill providing for the levy of a tax of three mills on the dollar, two mills on the general duplicate, and one to be optional with commissioners of cach county, the amount thus raised to be paid to the families of the soldiers. The taxable property in Montgomery County at that time was
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