Cleveland in the American Civil War

Cleveland, Ohio, was an important Northern city during the American Civil War. It provided thousands of troops to the Union Army, as well as millions of dollars in supplies, equipment, food, and support to the soldiers.

A photograph taken on Public Square of hundreds of Cleveland veterans from the American Civil War in 1865

Public sentiments on the war

Prior to the Civil War, residents of Cleveland viewed the slaveholding South based on political affiliation. While a majority of Clevelanders tended to side with the abolitionist North, not all of them loathed slavery, nor were all convinced that a civil war would resolve ideological differences between North and South. As the 1860 election year approached and impending clouds of war loomed, Cleveland's newspapers reflected divisions in the city. For example, The Cleveland Herald and Gazette and The Cleveland Leader, both largely Republican papers, argued that Southern injustices had driven John Brown to raid Harpers Ferry in October 1859. The Plain Dealer, a largely Democratic publication, blamed Brown and abolitionist Republicans for the raid.

Republican leader Abraham Lincoln spoke in the city during the 1859 gubernatorial election, and won 58% of the vote in 9 of 11 wards for the Presidency in 1860. As the secession crisis loomed closer, the partisan rhetoric of Cleveland newspapers became more and more heated. The Herald celebrated Lincoln's victory as one of right over wrong, of Unionists over secession-minded southern Democrats, while the Leader dismissed threats of the South's secession. The Plain Dealer, meanwhile, warned that secession was imminent. Lincoln came through Cleveland on his way to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration. When war finally did break out with the Confederate firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, Cleveland's Democrats and Republicans decided to end their dispute and united to form the National Union party to support Lincoln's war effort. However, this coalition did not go untested.

Economic impact of the war

The Civil War years brought an economic boom to Cleveland. The city made the transition from a small town to an industrial giant. Railroad iron and gun-carriage axles were manufactured for military use. Due to the cutoff of Southern trade, Cleveland opened its first tobacco factory, T. Maxfield & Co., in 1862. The city's garment industry also began to prosper. The German Woolen Factory (also in 1862) became the first company to manufacture wool cloth in Cleveland. By 1865, its banks held $2.25 million in capital and $3.7 million in deposits. In 1863, 22% of all U.S. warships built for use on the Great Lakes were built in Cleveland. That figure increased by 1865 to 44%.

Civilian aid to the military centered on establishment and maintenance of the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio (1861), the U.S. General Hospital (1862), Camp Taylor (1861), and Camp Cleveland (1862). Food, blankets, and reading material were provided by citizens to recruits at both military camps until government stores and equipment could be distributed.

Memorialization and lingering issues
The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was built to commemorate the more than 9,000 individuals from the county who served in the Civil War.

When the war ended, Cleveland welcomed home troops after service in the field, treating them to a meal and a short welcoming ceremony on Public Square before they marched to Camp Cleveland for payment and discharge from the army. Those Clevelanders who died in the war were honored at Woodland Cemetery with the memorials commemorating the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Another famous regiment with Cleveland ties was the 8th Ohio Infantry, which helped repel Pickett's Charge. In April 1865, the Lincoln funeral train was brought to Cleveland. A large public funeral was held and his coffin was displayed on Public Square.[1]

The issue of full emancipation still lingered. The Herald and the Leader had supported the proposed Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, commending Lincoln "for the stalwart blow he struck for freedom and for the peace and future tranquility of the Union." The Plain Dealer, on the other hand, argued that the only purpose of the war was to preserve the Union and that making "citizens of the entire black population" would ultimately tarnish the white race.

The Cuyahoga County Soldier's and Sailors' Monument was erected in Public Square in 1984 as a memorial to the over 9,000 individuals from the county who served the Union during the American Civil War. The interior of the structure features 38 marble tablets inscribed with the names of veterans who served honorably from the region. Of the four life-size bronze relief panels, one is designed to commemorate the efforts of local women during the war, notably the women of the Northern Ohio Sanitary Commission.[2] Local members of the United States Colored Troops are also honored. The names of 107 members of the USCT discovered through research were added in 2019.[3] The monument remains open to the public to this day.

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See also

References
  1. "ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S FUNERAL". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University. 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  2. Gleason, William J. (William John) (1894). History of Cuyahoga County soldiers' and sailors' monument. Scenes and incidents from its inception to its completion.--Description of the memorial structure, and roll of honor. New York Public Library. Cleveland, O., The Monument commissioners.
  3. DeJong, Lisa; Dealer, The Plain (2019-06-19). "Civil War Colored Troops veterans are added to Roll of Honor at Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument". cleveland. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  • Condon, George E., Yesterday's Cleveland ISBN 0-912458-73-9.
  • Miller, Carol Poh and Wheeler, Robert Anthony, Cleveland: A Concise History, 1796-1996 ISBN 0-253-21147-6.
  • Van Tassel, David D. and Grabowski, John J. (editors), The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History Cleveland: Cleveland Bicentennial Commission, ISBN 0-253-33056-4.
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