Local Civil War events, exhibits
Dayton Metro Library
Currently featuring an exhibit, Dayton in the Civil War, in the Local History Room featuring rare and historic items from the collection.
June 13, 2 to 4 p.m., a lecture, Dayton in the Civil War, will be presented at the East Branch Library, 2008 Wyoming St., presented by Leon Bey and the Lincoln Society of Dayton, describing how many men from the Miami Valley were involved in the war, strife in Dayton over the war, local support for the war effort and the tragedy of the many deaths in the Dayton area from the war plus the Dayton Civil War Band. This program is repeated on July 28, 2011, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm at the New Lebanon Branch Library, 333 W. National Rd., New Lebanon
Bus tour of Civil War sites
Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, June 20, local historical societies will lead a tour of selected sites in Auglaize, Shelby, and Miami County will be held on Monday, June 20th, beginning at 9 a.m. For information or reservations, contact Tilda Philpot at 937-498-1653.
Wright State University blogs
Follow the stories of local Civil War soldiers at www.libraries.wright.edu/community/outofthebox
View other Civil War collections at www.libraries.wright.edu/special/collection_guides
Randolph Township Historical Society
In addition to an ongoing exhibit, the Historical Society will present a series of educational programs beginning at 7:30 p.m. May 11. For more information, visit www.rths.org.
Why does the Civil War continue to hold such a fascination, 150 years after the first shots were fired at Ft. Sumter?
Why do so many local families take such pride in the sacrifices made by their ancestors?
“It was the pivotal event for our country, when we went from individual states to unified country,” explained Alex Heckman, director of education and museum operations for Dayton History. “This is when we went from saying ‘The United States are’ to ‘The United States is.’”
Concurred John Armstrong, archivist with the Special Collections and Archives at Wright State University Libraries, “Of course, there was major social upheaval, the emancipation of the slaves, the splitting of families, the deaths of more than 600,000 Americans, and the movement of armies, but the major reason for the fascination is the way the war changed us into a nation.”
Added Heckman, “Many would argue the debates from the Civil War are still being fought in political dialogue — for instance, states’ rights versus the power of national government.”
Ohio’s artillery, cavalry, and infantry units lost more than 10 percent of their men — nearly 7,000 killed in battle and another 28,000 dead from wounds or disease. Ohioans fought in all of the major battles and campaigns of the Civil War including Antietam, Atlanta, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Harper’s Ferry, Lookout Mountain, First and Second Manassas (Bull Run) and Vicksburg.
‘I would never take part in such wickedness’
Historical societies, museums and universities will be taking a look at the ordinary men and women from the Miami Valley who took part in major historic events. George Eby of Union took part in General William Tecumseh Sherman’s infamous March to the Sea, but deplored the burning and ransacking of Atlanta. “I would never take part in such wickedness,” he wrote. A few weeks later, he captured the boredom of war with his diary entry, “Same old camp, every day the same as before.” Eby’s diaries will be featured at the May 11 program at the Randolph County Historical Society, one of many educational programs about the Civil War.
The Special Collections and Archives division of Wright State University Libraries currently has a small exhibit of Abraham Lincoln materials. Their major initiative is a new blog called Out of the Box, featuring letters to Julia Johnston Patterson from four of her sons who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. The Archives will be publishing information about their experiences as well as digital images and transcripts of those letters on the corresponding dates throughout the next four years as the four boys make their way through the Civil War.
One of the “boys” — John H. Patterson — not only survived the war but went on to found the NCR Corp. “What makes the Patterson boys so interesting is the number that served from one family and where they were during the war,” Armstrong said. “William and Robert served almost the entire war and were present at many major battles ranging from the 1st Battle of Bull Run, to Shiloh, Chancellorsville, Look Out Mountain, the taking of Atlanta, and Sherman’s March to the Sea. The letters they wrote, particularly those of Robert, show what military life was like during the war.”
‘He went away a young man and came back an old man’
Phil Marshall of Laura can claim four ancestors who served in the Civil War. His great-great-grandfather Jeremiah Shafer of Clifton, Ohio, was assigned to guard bridges in Tennessee with the 194th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. “Family history has it that he went away a young man and came back an old man,” Marshall said.
Growing up, Jim Bollinger of Beavercreek never knew that his great-great-grandfather had a very colorful Civil War history including a stint as a guard at a Confederate prison camp at Johnson Island Camp in Sandusky Bay, one of Ohio’s most significant Civil War sites. Conrad Bollinger’s regiment was present when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House April 9, 1865.
Conrad was mustered into the Army at Meadville, Penn., Sept. 12, 1863, not long after the Battle of Gettysburg. “He already was 33, married and the father of five kids under the age of 10 and he had to go off to war,” Bollinger said.
He survived the war and went on to father nine more children. “He was pretty prolific,” Bollinger said. His cousin, Blair Bollinger, wrote a history of Conrad’s life with this introduction: “A virtually identical story could be applied to many men. Thousands of men left their families on the farm and went to serve in the Civil War. Afterwards, they came home, rolled up their sleeves, raised their families, braved their physical trials and did their part in building the United States of America.”
Bollinger approves his cousin’s words about the universality of his ancestor’s Civil War experience. He describes it more simply: “It’s the story of America.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2209 or mmccarty@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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