Many thanks and much appreciation to Dana Gagnon for her enlightening and informative portayal of Harriet Beecher Stowe at the Hunt House on July 15, 2023. We appreciate her presence for over three hours, which gave us time to interact and ask questions. It was as if we were transported to the 1800s.
Following is an adaptation of the PowerPoint shown on July 15.
The early pioneers were mostly from the East Coast and of British descent. Cincinnati was a destination for German and Irish immigrants beginning in the 1830s and 1840s. Cincinnati was on the road to freedom for runaway and freed slaves and home to abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe.
In the 1850s, Cincinnati was nearly four times the size of Chicago and the Midwest leader in manufacturing and commerce.
Known as Porkopolis, Cincinnati was responsible for a quarter of the hogs slaughtered in the United States and about the same number of cattle.
Industries spun off the pork packaging industry—
Barrel making
Boots and shoes
Harnesses
Tanneries
Mattresses
Soap and candles
And second to the pork industry was the Eagle Iron Works, the company of Miles Greenwood which became the second largest in the West.
Made by Eagle Works—
Sash weights
Shutter lifts and catches
Pulleys
Teakettles
Tailor sheers
Machine castings
Munitions for war
Cincinnati was a hub for Southern goods and produce. The Miami and Erie Canal ran through downtown Cincinnati and connected Cincinnati to the Great Lakes.
John Craig Hunt was a gentleman farmer who transported his produce by flatboat downriver to markets along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. He was also an agent for other farmers. Produce demanded higher prices in southern markets.
“Cincinnati was home to six major publishers, 43 book stores, and nearly 4000 print publications.” The Good Country by Jon K. Lauck
Inspired by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the loss of a child, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This book became a best seller. However, there was worry from laborers about the competition for jobs with former slaves. Race riots in Cincinnati broke out in 1829, 1836, and 1841.
Cincinnatians also worried about a loss of southern markets in the event of war. And then Confederates opened fire on Ft. Sumter on April 12, 1861, and Cincinnati mobilized for war.
The Ohio Second Regiment, the Ohio Ninth Regiment, and the Ohio Tenth Regiment were formed. Those not in a regiment formed home guards to protect Cincinnati. Camp Dennison was a training camp, a hospital, a protector from an attack on Cincinnati, and a mustering out camp after the war.
In the first 18 months of the Civil War, river trade collapsed, banks failed, farm produce gutted the markets, and there was poverty among the working class.
Confederate troops threatened Cincinnati in 1862, and Cincinnati was unprepared for a direct attack.
In the first 18 months of the Civil War, river trade collapsed, banks failed, farm produce gutted the markets, and there was poverty among the working class.Confederate troops threatened Cincinnati in 1862.
Confederate troops could not have occupied Cincinnati indefinitely, but they would have gained access to the 12 warehouses of boots and shoes. And the psychological victory would have been huge.
General Lewis Wallace commanded a force of 72,000 men from the city and rural “squirrel hunters.”
Earthwork defenses were constructed in Ft. Mitchell. Troops crossed the Ohio River on a pontoon bridge to Kentucky followed by a three mile march to Ft. Mitchell.
Meanwhile, officers were training “citizen defenders.” So many volunteers arrived in Cincinnati that Governor Todd requested that no more show up. The Confederate troops that numbered 10,000 were no match for the 72,000 Union soldiers and volunteers prepared to defend Cincinnati. The Confederates under General Heth retreated.
Squirrel hunters were treated so well in Cincinnati that they did not want to leave, so they were issued discharges and told to go home.
Vicksburg, May 18 to July 4, 1863
The siege of Vicksburg ended and gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union. Victory was won by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
What it meant for Cincinnati—
Renewed river traffic
War contracts
Return to good economic times
Gettysburg, July 1-July 3, 1863
What it meant for the war—
The Union victory dashed Confederate hopes for independence.
Morgan’s Raid began in Tennessee and covered 1000 miles from June 11 to July 26, 1863.
Its purpose was the draw Union troops back to Ohio. The Confederate cavalry led by General Morgan entered Ohio at Harrison on July 13 and moved so quickly that Union General Hobson was unable to get ahead of the Confederates.
July 14, 1863
Morgan’s hungry men visited every house within 1 ½ miles of the Hunt House. Gen. Morgan had breakfast at the Schenck house in Deer Park.
Both sides stole fresh horses, sometimes exchanging Kentucky thoroughbreds for work horses.
What it meant for the country—
This raid prolonged the war and suffering on both sides.
April 9, 1865—General Robert E. Lee, on the right, surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
News reached Cincinnati at 9:30 pm. A downpour of rain could not stop Cincinnatians from celebrating with bonfires and fireworks.
The war ended, the president assassinated— President Lincoln’s funeral on April 19, 1865.
Sources:
Only in Your State
National Museum of American History
Photos offered free from various Internet sites
Cincinnati the Queen City
Morgan’s Raid by David Mowery
The Good Country by Jon K. Lauck
Rising Tide by Davis Dyer, Frederick Dalzell, and Rowena Olegario