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: Portrait of Civil War officer Americus V. Rice (1835-1904). After serving in 1861 as a captain in the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry following the start of the Civil War, Rice received a commission as captain of the newly-organized 57th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in September 1861. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in February 1862 and then colonel in April 1863. He led his regiment in action at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the Atlanta Campaign, during which he was wounded and would lose his right leg. He was appointed brigadier general of volunteers following the end of the war. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC3920_AmerRice
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Portrait photography; Generals--United States
Places: Ottawa (Ohio); Putnam County (Ohio);
 

Description: Carte de visite portrait of Major Frank Y. Commagere , 6th U.S. Cavalry. The photograph was taken by Carpenter and Mullen in Lexington, Kentucky, early in the Civil War and collected as part of the Howard Rossen Collection. Born in Maumee, Ohio, Commagere (1844-1892) served as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1861, then joined the 67th New York Volunteers as a second lieutenant from 1862-1863 before being dismissed. He later served as a major in the 6th U.S. Colored Cavalry from January 1865 until he mustered out in April 1866. Following the end of the Civil War, he was appointed first lieutenant in the 7th U.S. Cavalry in 1866, serving under Lieutenant Colonel Custer, until his resignation in 1868. He died in 1892 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV13_B01_20
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Military uniforms; Portrait photography
Places: Maumee (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Carte de visite portrait of Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman, collected as part of the Howard Rossen Collection. Sherman (1813-1879) was born in Rhode Island and served in United States Army during the Second Seminole War, Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He held commands in the 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment; the 1st Division, Army of the Ohio; and the 2nd Division, XIX Corps. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV13_B01_33
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Portrait photography; Generals--United States
 

Description: Carte de visite photograph of General Manning Force from the William T. Sherman Photograph Album, ca. 1861-1865. Force served in the Union Army during the Civil War, joining as a major in the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was eventually made a brevet major general after his bravery during the Battle of Atlanta, during which he was severely wounded in the face, and disfigured for life. For the same actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P42_70_Force
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Generals--United States; Portrait photography
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Portrait of Civil War officer Benjamin D. Fearing in uniform. Fearing, born in 1837, was a descendent of Ohio's earliest European settlers. He graduated from Marietta College and was living in Cincinnati at the beginning of the Civil War. He immediately joined the Army and left for Washington, D.C., with a unit that became the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. When he returned to Ohio, Fearing assisted in organizing the 36th Ohio, 63rd Ohio, and 77th Ohio. He was promoted several times, achieving the rank of major. Distinguished service in the battle at Shiloh Church earned him a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, and then Colonel, of the 92nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After recovering from a severe wound at the Battle of Chickamauga, he was able to return to service. In December 1864, President Lincoln appointed him Brigadier-General for his conduct in the Atlanta Campaign. Fearing commanded the Third Brigade, Fourteenth Corps until he received a disabling wound to his right hand. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC2665_Fearing
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Generals--United States; Portrait photography
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Protestors on both sides of the abortion debate gather with signs at the corner of North High Street and North Broadway in Columbus, Ohio. This photograph was taken by a photographer for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F11_08
Subjects: Protests and protestors; Social issues; Medical care; Human rights;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Carte de visite portrait of Civil War officer Colonel Charles G. Harker. A notation on the back of the card states that he was "Killed at Kennesaw Mt June 27 / 64." Harker was born in New Jersey in 1825. He graduated with distinction from the United States Military Academy in 1858, and served on the western frontier until the beginning of the Civil War when he was ordered to Ohio. He accepted the position of Colonel of the 65th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was promoted to Captain in the regular Army. He distinguished himself at the battles of Pittsburgh Landing, the Siege of Corinth, Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge and Resaca. After the Battle of Chickamauga he was promoted to Brigadier-General. Harker was mortally wounded at the battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC2948_Harker
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Generals--United States; Portrait photography
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Carte de visite portrait of Colonel Henry S. Commager of the 184th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and a captain in Company A of the 67th O.V.I. The photograph was taken during his military service. Commager (ca. 1817-1867) enlisted as a private at age 44 in Company A of the 14th Ohio Infantry Regiment on April 22, 1861. He steadily rose through the ranks, re-enlisting in Company A, Ohio 67th Infantry Regiment, on October 8, 1861, and continuing his advancement. He was promoted to full colonel on February 22, 1865, mustering out and enlisting in Company S, Ohio 184th Infantry Regiment, then was promoted to brigadier general on February 27. He mustered out of service on September 20, 1865, at Nashville, Tennessee. He died on August 14, 1867, and is buried in Galveston, Texas. Commager is the grandfather of his namesake Henry Steele Commager, born in 1902, a noted American historian. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV13_B01_22
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Military officers; Generals--United States; Portrait photography
Places: Ohio
 

Description: This cartoon shows the Democratic presidential candidate in 1880, General Winfield Scott Hancock, inspecting a selection of exhibits demonstrating the association of the Democrats with the Southern cause in the recent Civil War. Looking at a donkey, the traditional symbol of the Democratic party, made up of two hindquarters sewn together, Hancock exclaims: "Great Scott! Am I to be head of that?" The donkey symbolizes the difficulty the Democrats had in re-defining themselves as a national party after the Civil War. Other shameful "curiosities" in the "shop" include an Andersonville skeleton, the Ku Klux Klan, a slave-tracking bloodhound, a whipping post, John Wilkes Booth's pistol and more. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA11_P143
Subjects: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Reconstruction Era; Presidential campaigns; Democratic Party; Confederate States of America; Political cartoons;
 

Description: Members of NARAL (the National Abortion Rights Action League) carry a large banner reading "NARAL Columbus supports your right to choose" in Columbus, Ohio. This photograph was taken by a photographer for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F11_09
Subjects: Protests and protestors; Social issues; Medical care; Human rights;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This cartoon shows President Rutherford B. Hayes, in office 1877-1881, leaving a baby on the doorstep of his successor, James Garfield, who has answered the door in his pajamas. The baby is identified as Civil Service Reform. Hayes sneaks away, looking over his shoulder and carrying a suitcase labeled "Savings" which he is taking back to his hometown of Fremont, Ohio. Prior to the Hayes administration, civil service posts within federal, state, and local governments were commonly awarded on the basis of party affiliation rather than merit. The reform of this practice was a key issue of concern for the Progressives. As president, Hayes had attempted to institute civil service reforms that would have required appointments to be based on merit. As a result, he angered many in his own Republican party. Hayes's efforts to reform the civil service were unfinished when his one term as president expired, leaving the problem for President Garfield, as referred to by the cartoon. Later in 1881, President Garfield was assassinated by a disappointed office-seeker. This encouraged Congress to finally pass a civil service reform bill, the Pendelton Act, in 1883. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA6_F01_01
Subjects: Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881; Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893; Civil service reform; Political culture--Ohio--History; Presidents--United States;