Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/379

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

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��1865, in March, a draft was ordered in Frank- lin, Blooming Grove, Mifflin, Butler, Worth- ington, Jefferson and Cass Townships, to fill out their quotas. Seventy-eight men were drafted in these townships, but were not needed, as, April 9, Lee surrendered, and the war practically closed.

The surrender of Lee's armj^ caused great rejoicing in all parts of the Union. Drafting and recruiting at once stopped. Friday, April 14, an immense jollification meeting was held in Miller's Hall, and at night, huge bonfires and the display of rockets and fireworks illumi- nated the city. The rejoicing was, however, soon turned to mourning by the assassination of the great and good man who had been at the helm of the nation through all its strug- gles for existence. The nation was cast into deep mourning by this dastardly deed, emanating from the old slaveholding spirit, which had seen its own downfall.

May 6, Hon. John Sherman delivered a mas- terly oration on Mr. Lincoln's life and services to the citizens of Mansfield.

This same summer, the steamer Sultana blew up, carrying to a watery grave, in the depths of the Mississippi, 172 of Richland

��County's soldiers, members of the One Hun- dred and Second, Sixty-fourth, Eighty-second, Sixty-fifth and the Fifteenth. This cast a gloom over the count}^, as the lost soldiers were all residents and were soon expected home.

Returned soldiers began coming home by July 4, and oh that day a great concourse of people assembled at Mansfield, where a dinner was served to all veterans, and a gi-eat celebra- tion of the day held.

Jul}' 9, the One Hundred and Second re- turned, and received a welcome similar to its predecessors. Along through the summer and fall, others returned, and early in the year 1866, the Sixty-fourth, the regiment that had seen so much service, came home, and the war was beginning to be one of the things of the past.

Richland Count}', through the whole conflict, had done nobly. She had furnished in all about three thousand men, who had been an ornament to her and the State. Many of them lay in Southern burial fields ; others, on South- ern battle-fields ; others, in the waters of the rivers ; while many were l^rought home and buried in the cemeteries in the county.

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