Page:Lest We Forget The Sisters of Providence in Civil War Service.djvu/15

 early days of the conflict Indiana was a pivotal State. When Secession however became the issue, the State gallantly rallied to the Union. Volunteers came forth before they were called for by the Federal Government, and ten thousand were immediately offered to the President by the Governor, when only five thousand had been asked for. Quickly they came, and quickly they went. New ranks were formed and soon, too, they were gone to the conflict, till the number all signed was two hundred and twenty-eight thousand. The records show that an Indiana soldier was the first to yield his life on the battlefield; and that the last battle of the war was fought by Indiana troops.

Wonderful enthusiasm inspirited not only the soldiers themselves but the