Description: Engraving of Squirrel Hunters crossing the Ohio River to protect the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Large crowds of armed men, several on horseback, can be seen crossing the Ohio River on pontoons. Squirrel Hunters were civilian men who assisted the federal government in defending Cincinnati from Confederate attack in 1862. Their name was derived from the type of weapons they armed themselves with, which were normally used to hunt squirrels. Despite their lack of military training, they helped to defend Ohio from Confederate invasion. This illustration originally appeared in Henry Howe's 1907 edition of "Historical Collections of Ohio." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04294
Subjects: Ohio River; Cincinnati (Ohio); Ohio--Militia; Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio);
 

Description: This image is a photographic postcard with a panoramic view of Camp William McKinley (formerly the State Encampment Ground), Newark, Ohio, taken ca. 1903. It was renamed in honor of President William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901. The encampment was located on the Octagon Earthworks, a section of the Newark Earthworks. Built by the Hopewell culture between 250 AD and 500 AD, the earthworks were used as places of ceremony, social gathering, trade, and worship. From 1892 to 1908 the state of Ohio used the Octagon Earthworks as a militia encampment. In the upper left corner is the following caption: "P.A. 4505b. Camp Wm. McKinley, Newark, Ohio." Rows of white tents are visible in the distance. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05891
Subjects: Ohio--Militia; Ohio History--Military Ohio; National Guard
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: Illustration of the Cleveland Grays encampment in the Cuyahoga Valley in 1855. From "A Brief Sketch of the Cleveland Grays" by George W. Tibbitts, 1902. The Cleveland Grays are the longest-operating volunteer militia unit in Ohio's history. Founded in 1837, they initially helped Cleveland officials in deterring crime. For the first twenty-four years of the organization's existence, its members saw no formal military duty. This changed with the American Civil War's outbreak in 1861. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04228
Subjects: Ohio--Militia; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Cleveland (Ohio)
Places: Cuyahoga Valley
 

Description: Photograph showing a man posing in uniform for a portrait. The caption beneath the photograph reads: "Capt. William J. Patterson Ohio Vol." By the 1820s and 1830s, the militias of most states were in decline. The U.S. Army increasingly relied upon volunteers or draftees to create a sufficient fighting force to serve with the soldiers in the regular army. The infantry units from Ohio came to be known as Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Typically, volunteers formed their own units and initially elected their own commanders. Often, the officers and men had no formal military training. Quite commonly the men in a company or even an entire regiment came from a single town or county. The Ohio Volunteer Infantry first fought in the U.S.-Mexican War. They also participated in the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. Following the Spanish-American War, men could still volunteer for military duty. However, they were incorporated into the regular army and no longer served in the state volunteer infantry. Under this new system, volunteers served under well-trained officers and alongside veteran soldiers. This method helped create confidence in the less experienced or untrained volunteers. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08015
Subjects: Portraits; Portrait photography--United States--History; Soldiers--Ohio--Photographs; Ohio--Militia; Ohio. Militia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
 

Description: Photostatic copy of an engraving which appeared in the September 27, 1862, issue of Leslie's Weekly. The illustration shows volunteers known as Squirrel Hunters boarding the train for Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Xenia Railroad Depot in Greene County on September 5, 1862, in response for a call for civilians to defend the town from Confederate forces. In the second year of the Civil War, Confederate troops were ordered to capture Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. Major General Horatio Wright, commander of Union forces in Kentucky, ordered General Lewis (Lew) Wallace to prepare Covington's and Cincinnati's defenses. Upon arriving in Cincinnati, Wallace immediately declared martial law. He issued a call in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan for a volunteer militia. Men in the regular army would fight on the battlefield, while the civilians would prepare trenches and other defensive features to prepare the two communities for attack. Cincinnati residents reportedly "cheerfully obeyed" the order. Ohio Governor David Tod left Columbus, the state capital, and came to Cincinnati to assist Wallace. Tod immediately ordered Ohio's adjutant-general to send any available troops other than those guarding Ohio's southern border to Cincinnati. A number of Ohio counties offered to dispatch men to Cincinnati as well, and civilians from 65 counties numbering 15,766 men reported for duty at Cincinnati. These volunteer men became known as the "Squirrel Hunters." Many had no military training and carried antiquated weapons, but despite these shortcomings, they still rallied together to help defend Ohio from Confederate invasion. A Confederate scout reported that, "They call them Squirrel Hunters; farm boys that never had to shoot at the same squirrel twice." Thanks to the actions of Wallace and Tod, Covington and Cincinnati had adequate defenses to repel the Confederate advance within two days. By September 13, 1862, news reached Cincinnati that the Confederate forces were withdrawing from Kentucky and that Cincinnati was no longer in danger. Wallace earned the nickname "Savior of Cincinnati" for his actions in September 1862. The Squirrel Hunters returned to their homes. To thank the Squirrel Hunters, the Ohio legislature, in 1863, authorized funds for Governor Tod to print discharges for these men from military duty. The discharges thanked the men for their patriotism and their willingness to sacrifice their lives in the defense of Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS2653
Subjects: Civil War 1861-1865; Squirrel Hunters; Ohio--Militia; Cincinnati (Ohio)--History
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: Illustration by Henri Lovie titled "The Squirrel Rifles Entertained by the People of Cincinnati in the Fifth Street Market House, Cincinnati, Sept. 6." This print appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on September 27, 1862. In the second year of the Civil War, Confederate troops were ordered to capture Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. Major General Horatio Wright, commander of Union forces in Kentucky, ordered General Lewis (Lew) Wallace to prepare Covington's and Cincinnati's defenses. Upon arriving in Cincinnati, Wallace immediately declared martial law. He issued a call in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan for a volunteer militia. Men in the regular army would fight on the battlefield, while the civilians would prepare trenches and other defensive features to prepare the two communities for attack. Cincinnati residents reportedly "cheerfully obeyed" the order. Ohio Governor David Tod left Columbus, the state capital, and came to Cincinnati to assist Wallace. Tod immediately ordered Ohio's adjutant-general to send any available troops other than those guarding Ohio's southern border to Cincinnati. A number of Ohio counties offered to dispatch men to Cincinnati as well, and civilians from 65 counties numbering 15,766 men reported for duty at Cincinnati. These volunteer men became known as the "Squirrel Hunters." Many had no military training and carried antiquated weapons, but despite these shortcomings, they still rallied together to help defend Ohio from Confederate invasion. A Confederate scout reported that, "They call them Squirrel Hunters; farm boys that never had to shoot at the same squirrel twice." Thanks to the actions of Wallace and Tod, Covington and Cincinnati had adequate defenses to repel the Confederate advance within two days. By September 13, 1862, news reached Cincinnati that the Confederate forces were withdrawing from Kentucky and that Cincinnati was no longer in danger. Wallace earned the nickname "Savior of Cincinnati" for his actions in September 1862. The Squirrel Hunters returned to their homes. To thank the Squirrel Hunters, the Ohio legislature, in 1863, authorized funds for Governor Tod to print discharges for these men from military duty. The discharges thanked the men for their patriotism and their willingness to sacrifice their lives in the defense of Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS4109
Subjects: Civil War 1861-1865; Squirrel Hunters; Ohio--Militia; Cincinnati (Ohio)--History
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Pictured is an engraving of Squirrel Hunters crossing the Ohio River in Brown County. Squirrel Hunters were civilian men who assisted the federal government in defending Cincinnati, Ohio from Confederate attack in 1862. Their name was derived from the type of weapons they armed themselves with, which were normally used to hunt squirrels. Despite their lack of military training, they helped to defend Ohio from Confederate invasion. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06215
Subjects: Civil War 1861-1865; Squirrel Hunters; Ohio--Militia; Cincinnati (Ohio)--History
Places: Brown County (Ohio)
 

Description: Pictured is a drawing of a squirrel hunter. Squirrel Hunters were civilian men who assisted the federal government in defending Cincinnati, Ohio from Confederate attack in 1862. Their name was derived from the type of weapons they armed themselves with, which were normally used to hunt squirrels. Despite their lack of military training, they helped to defend Ohio from Confederate invasion. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06216
Subjects: Brown County (Ohio); Civil War 1861-1865; Squirrel Hunters; Ohio--Militia; Cincinnati (Ohio)--History
Places: Brown County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph showing William G. Jones posing for a portrait. The caption beneath the photograph reads: "Col. W. G. Jones- Ohio Vol. Inf." Jones, a native of Cincinnati, served as Colonel of the 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was killed in action in the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19, 1863. During the American Civil War, the State of Ohio provided the United States government with three types of military units: artillery units, cavalry units, and infantry units. Ohio supplied the federal government with more than 260 regiments of men, not counting several companies that formed the basis of regiments in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Massachusetts. A total of 310,654 Ohioans served in the Northern army for varying lengths of time. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08014
Subjects: Portrait photography--United States--History; Soldiers--Ohio--Photographs; Ohio. Militia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Places: Ohio
 

Description: The Ohio National Guard Armory in Marietta. The early 19th Century saw the creation of what was then the Ohio Militia, this would be the predecessor to what is today the Ohio National Guard. Militias were quite common in this era, and served a purpose much like the National Guard does today, though militias were more localized and served only their own state rather than being a national organization able to be sent abroad. Militias were essential during this time period with the ever looming threat of being attacked by the native people of the region, and the possibility of a rebellion. In the aftermath of the War of 1812, in which Ohioans participated, the militia was not nearly as needed as it once was. The resistance of the native people had been broken in Ohio, and for a time things were quiet in the United States as a whole except for the war with Mexico during the 1840s. The militia had been in disuse for some time until the American Civil War plunged a now divided nation into chaos and war. Suddenly there was now a need for great numbers of men to serve as combatants and defend their country. Despite the waning effectiveness of the militia over the years, they were once again organized and fought against the southern rebellion. Once again, things became relatively quiet for Ohioans and there was little need to have a trained force of men ready at any given time to defend their state, as little threat existed to Ohio. Things changed when the 20th century came around, the National Guard was formed to replace the state militias, once again in a state of disrepair. With the creation of the National Guard, what was once simply meant to protect the state was now able to be sent throughout the country or even overseas if need be. Today many Ohioans proudly serve in the National Guard and continue the tradition of the Ohio militia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06737
Subjects: Ohio. National Guard--Facilities; Ohio. National Guard; Ohio. Militia; Ohio. Militia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio); Ohio
 

Description: Postcard with image of Ohio governor George K. Nash (1842-1904), Charles F.W. Dick (then a Congressman from Ohio and also a major general in the Ohio National Guard), and staff at Ohio National Guard encampment, Newark, Ohio. The picture shows a group of men, the majority in military uniform, standing in front of two tents in a wooded area. Dick (1858-1945), chair of the House Committee on Militia Affairs, co-sponsored the Militia Act of 1903 (also called the Dick Act), which created the National Guard from the organized state militias. The legislation gave state militias federal status and funding; in turn, the U.S. Army now had a pool of reserve units that could be mobilized for various emergencies and military needs. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05890
Subjects: National Guard; Ohio--Militia; Nash, George Kilbon, 1842-1904; Dick, Charles, 1858-1945; Ohio History--Military Ohio
Places: Newark (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: Portrait of Robert Lucas (1781-1853), who served as Ohio's 12th governor from 1832 to 1836. Prior to his governorship, he served in both the regular army and the state militia of Ohio, rising to the rank of major general after the War of 1812. As governor, he personally led the state militia to the Michigan border during the "Toledo War," in which Ohio and Michigan both claimed the community of Toledo. Eventually President Jackson stepped in, and Congress decided that the land belonged to Ohio and compensated Michigan by giving it additional land in the Upper Peninsula. In 1838, President Martin Van Buren named Lucas the governor of the new Iowa Territory, a position he held until 1841. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03992
Subjects: Governors--Ohio; Ohio History--State and Local Government; Ohio. Militia; Toledo (Ohio)
Places: Portsmouth (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)