Sandusky area's impact on the Civil War

Editor's note: This story appeared in a June special section to commemorate local history for America 250. SANDUSKY — At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, forces of the Confederate States of America began bombarding Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, thereby initiating the great calamity known as the American Civil War. Lasting more than four years, the war between the states eventually consumed more than 600,000 lives between soldiers and civilians. The story of the Civil War cannot be told merely through the lives of great generals and the overarching storylines of great battles from Vicksburg and Bull Run to Cold Harbor and Appomattox. Ohio, and specifically Erie County, sent numerous of its young men to support the Union's cause. One hundred and twenty-five men died in the war. Additionally, the area also contributed nurses, financiers and politicians whose efforts connected the community to one of the most important events in American history. It's not possible to give a full recounting of the area's many contributions to the nation during the 1860s — including becoming a key hub on the Underground Railroad where many escaped slaves passed through en route to Canada — but here is an overview of some of the most notable people and moments. A call for volunteers On April 18, 1861, Sandusky leaders proclaimed a gathering in the evening at the Erie County courthouse so that the nation's impending danger could be discussed, according to the Erie County Historical Society. A large crowd, attracted by a band and swollen with a sense of patriotism, forced the gathering outdoors. Rousing speeches from Oran Follett and Joseph Root elicited cheers from the gathered masses. Many men volunteered and an April 24 departure was planned. By the war's end, about 1,800 soldiers and sailors served in the Union forces from Erie County, according to John Hildebrandt. That number represents about 7.5% of the county's population at that time. Men from Erie County served in 30 regiments. Locals served the nation The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was perhaps the most decisive one of the war. It marked the northernmost push of the South's armies. On July 3, 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered Maj. Gen. George Pickett to thrust at the center of the Union Army's position on Cemetery Ridge. Soldiers from the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, made up mostly of men from Erie and Huron counties, were responsible for turning the flank of what became known as Pickett's Charge. The attack ended in disastrous failure. More than half of the men involved were either killed, wounded or captured. It marked the climax of the battle and is called the high-water mark of the Confederacy. Sandusky produced one Union general, Brig. Gen. John Beatty. He served in the western theater, including fighting at the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Chickamauga proved a Union defeat under the command of Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans. His men retreated to Chattanooga, where they were then besieged by Confederate forces who took up key high-elevation areas surrounding the city. Clyde, in Sandusky County, also produced a general officer for the Union forces. James Birdseye McPherson was born in 1828 in Clyde. On July 22, 1864, outside of Atlanta, he became the second-highest-ranking Union officer killed in action in the war. McPherson's commanding general, William T. Sherman, reportedly wept when he heard of McPherson's demise. He wrote a letter to McPherson's fiancée, Emily Hoffman, which read in part, "Why should death's darts reach the young and brilliant instead of older men who could better have been spared?" McPherson is interred in the Clyde cemetery that bears his name. Remnants of war remain here Perhaps one of the most important impacts the Sandusky area made on the war was the prisoner of war camp on Johnson's Island in Sandusky Bay. In 1861, U.S. officials selected the 300-acre island as the site for a prison camp to hold up to 2,500 captured Confederate officers. In February 1865 — just a few months before the war's end — more than 100 of those officers wrote and signed a letter expressing thanks for how they were treated as prisoners. Via the Sandusky Library's History Blog, here is the text of their message addressed to Lt. Foster V. Follett of the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry: United States Military PrisonJohnson's Island, OhioBlock 12. Company 25.February 27th, 1865 Lieutenant: We the undersigned Confederate States officers, prisoners of war, Block 12, Company 25, Johnson's Island, Ohio, take pleasure in expressing our high appreciation of the efficiency, gentlemanly bearing and kindness of your self, in all your official and social relations towards us. We desire to express the hope that should the fortunes of war place you in a similar situation you may receive the same kindness and generosity at the hands of your captors. Sandusky also served as the site for the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home, established to serve as a domicile for veterans of the Civil War. It opened in 1888, and made its home in Erie County in large part through the efforts of Civil War veteran and Sandusky Register co-owner Isaac Foster Mack, according to the Sandusky Library History Blog. Today, the facility is known as the Ohio Veterans Home, which maintains an additional facility further south in Georgetown, Ohio.