April 11th - On This Day in History - Commencement of the Civil War

150 years ago today, mere hours loomed before what would be the “official” start of the Civil War.  On Friday, April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m., Confederate batteries opened fire, firing for 34 straight hours, on Fort Sumter.  Nearly 620,000 persons died as a result of our country’s civil war, with some experts putting the actual number at 700,000. 

When President Lincoln called for volunteers, Ohio was asked to provide 13 regiments to fulfill the state’s quota.  Ohio Governor William Dennison told the Secretary of War that the state couldn’t provide any less than twenty, because “the lion in us is thoroughly aroused.”  And he wasn’t kidding, as over 320,000 Ohio men fought for the Union.  Of the 15,600 eligible men in Cuyahoga County at the time, 10,000 served, and 3,700 of them were killed or injured.

Cleveland Grays Armory

Among the first locals to respond were members of the Cleveland Grays, a city militia that was already nearly 25 years in existence.  They are still in existence as an organization and their armory and museum can be found on Bolivar Road downtown, behind The Q.  Ohio eventually had 230 regiments raised, and more than 20 of those were recruited in Northeast Ohio.  One soldier wrote, when describing the throngs of locals who lined the streets as they marched off to war for the first time that, “we hear the loud huzzas and see myriads of tear-dimmed eyes.”

From these four years, over 100 Union generals would come from Ohio, with nearly 800 veterans and leaders buried at Lake View Cemetery, and another 300 in Woodland Cemetery – right here in Cuyahoga County.  I hope to write more about their stories as we make our way through this, the 150^th anniversary of the War Between the States.

This year as we commemorate those soldiers, and the women and families that supported them, I think of the tenderness of a note tucked by an Ohio woman into a knitted donation for the troops, as recorded in the book, "Our Acre and Its Harvest" -- Brave sentry, on your lonely beat, May these blue stockings warm your feet, And when from wars and camps you part, May some fair knitter warm your heart.

Ohio Historical Society

As you meander through your genealogical research this week, please pay special attention to your (most likely) numerous ancestors who fought to preserve their beliefs, either North or South, of what it meant to be an American.  Rest well, Samuel C. Keller….you are not forgotten.

Many thanks to Brian Albrecht from the Cleveland Plain Dealer for much of the content of this blog posting. – Cate.

(oops!  I almost forgot!  FREE this week, search your civil war ancestors at: http://www.ancestry.com/civilwar150)