Ohio's War: The Civil War in Documents

Preface

Preface In late December , the editor of the Portsmouth Union and the Times wrote, “We are at a crisis in the history of our government long to be remembered.” He predicted that “millions yet unborn will become as familiar with its history as children of the present day are with the glorious th of July or the character of our illustrious Washington.” In one sense, the southern Ohio editor, writing at the beginning of the secession crisis, was prophetic. The Civil War continues to fire Americans’ passion for the past. Thousands of works are written on the war every year. Yet, in many ways, we are not familiar with how Americans—in all their diversity —experienced the war in their own communities.1 Ohio’s War focuses on some of those people, using their words to consider the war’s origins, how individuals and communities responded to military conflict, and the war’s impact on their understanding of honor, liberty, loyalty, equality, and federalism. Approximately , Ohioans fought in the Civil War, or about  percent of the state’s total population in .2 This collection illuminates the relationships between these soldiers in the field and their communities at home, recognizing that military success and failure had a direct impact on battles over emancipation, conscription , civil liberties, and political economy. Finally, this volume considers the war’s legacy for race relations, labor activism, and federalism in Ohio, pointing toward the war’s lasting imprint for the Middle West, the North, and the reconstructed Union. The documents included in this book are representative of the Civil War’s impact on Ohioans, both in the field and at home. The diversity of nineteenth-century Ohio is revealed in the selection of sources from different areas in the state, different occupational groups and classes, and different political persuasions. Ohio’s African Americans and women are represented in this collection, reflecting the crucial role that race and gender played in the history of the era. The chapters in this book generally follow the narrative of the war, but are organized around significant issues that faced Ohioans at the time, such as early mobilization for war, debates over civil liberties, and the meaning of victory. Each chapter, especially the chapter dealing with soldiers and their communities, brings together battlefield and home front, because that approach best reflects how Ohioans themselves experienced the war. This volume cannot, of course, consider all aspects of Ohio’s history during the era. For those interested in further research, I have included a selected bibliography for each chapter. The documents in this collection have been edited as little as possible. Omissions within documents are indicated by ellipses, and contextual information is included xv in headnotes. I have preserved the original spelling in the documents and have used sic sparingly. In some cases, clarification of words or individuals is provided in brackets. The original language of the writers is preserved, including words that are offensive today. In no way has the intent of the writer been altered. xvi Preface ...