Ohio History Journal

edited by

ARNOLD SHANKMAN

Vallandigham's Arrest and the

1863 Dayton Riot--Two Letters

A noteworthy political event of 1863 was the arrest and subsequent exile of

Clement Laird Vallandigham. A former Democratic United States Representative

from Dayton and one of the most eloquent speakers in the North, Vallandigham

was Ohio's leading Peace Democrat. He sincerely believed that the Confederacy

could not be subdued by force, and, although he never advocated permanent sep-

aration of the North and South, his speeches were so critical of Lincoln and the

President's conduct of the Civil War that he became a traitor in Unionist eyes.

Early 1863 was a time of mounting peace sentiment in Ohio. In the spring

there were several instances of draft resistance, and both Copperhead and Unionist

newspaper editors often found their offices ransacked by opponents. Vallandigham

capitalized on the growing tensions and spoke frequently denouncing military rule

and the curtailment of civil liberties.1

To Vallandigham, the loss of civil liberties was one of the worst aspects of the

war. In the spring of 1863 he selected as his special target of attack General Am-

brose E. Burnside who had challenged his point of view. Not long after the Gen-

eral had established his headquarters in Cincinnati on March 16, he learned of

apparent dangerous Copperhead activities in his district. In an effort to counteract

what he considered to be treason, the military commander issued General Order

No. 38, which stated that spies and traitors would be arrested, brought to trial,

and if convicted, sentenced to death. The order further announced that the "habit

of declaring sympathies for the enemy" would not be permitted; individuals con-

victed of this offence would be imprisoned or exiled to the South. Treason, added

the General, "expressed or implied, will not be tolerated."²

Carl Sandburg has suggested that the harshness of the language of the order

was due to Burnside's "chronic diarrhea," and Ophia Smith has speculated that

Burnside issued the order not only to trap Vallandigham but also to facilitate the

arrest; of Lottie Moon Clark, a Confederate spy operating in Ohio, who had jilted

the General at the altar several years before. Perhaps more plausible than either

1. Eugene H. Roseboom, The Civil War Era, 1850-1873 (Carl Wittke, ed., The History of the State

of Ohio, Columbus, 1944), IV, 402, 404-408, 411-413.

2. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate

Armies (Washington, 1899), Series 2, V, 480.

Mr. Shankman is a doctoral candidate at Emory University.

Vallandigham's Arrest                                                       121

Throughout the day throngs of Democrats roamed the streets of Dayton. Ten-

sion grew and feelings were exacerbated by an editorial in the Dayton Daily

Empire in which William Logan, a Peace Democrat, denounced the "kidnapping"

of Vallandigham. Gradually the angry crowd began engaging in acts of violence,

and a full-scale riot developed by. nightfall. The offices of the Unionist paper, the

Republican Dayton Journal, were sacked and the military was moved in from Cin-

cinnati to quell the disturbance.

The following letter was sent by an Ohio soldier in Company C of the 115th

Ohio Volunteer Regiment stationed in Cincinnati to his hometown paper the

Summit County Beacon. In it he vividly describes the arrest of Vallandigham and

the Dayton riot. Since historians interested in the leader of the Peace Democrats

tend to neglect Union journals of the Western Reserve, this letter may have

escaped their attention; it was published in the May 28, 1863 edition.

Kemper Barracks, Cincinnati

Friend Lane:-                                                      May 15, 1863

Some two weeks ago Capts. [Harrison] Hill4 and [John] Means left this town

rather quietly. Capt. Means met his company5 in their quarters in the evening of

April 30th, handed over the command to Lieut. [John] Eadie [Jr.], bid his boys good

bye, and left in citizens dress. Many of the boys thought he had resigned and left

for old Summit. However, the third day afterward he was back among them, but

was very uncommunicative as to his whereabouts or business.⁶ Monday evening

about 10 o'clock, a company was put in motion very quietly and were landed in

Dayton, Ohio, about one o'clock A.M. Tuesday, May 5th, and proceeded to the

house of Mr. Vallandigham, tried to have him open the door and give himself up,

but their logic did not convince him-an ax was used and three doors were bat-

tered down before the gentleman could be reached, and although up and dressed,

he had to be taken from his wife's bedroom amidst a perfect torrent of tears and

heart-rendering sobs. When the boys are sent out on an errand they generally do

up their business in a hurry; so in this case, Vallandigham was in Kemper Bar-

racks the next morning for breakfast.7

During Tuesday afternoon a telegram was sent to Gen. Burnside that there

was trouble in Dayton; an order came to these quarters, and Company C was

seen at the cars again and on their way to that famous City. The Captain [John

Means] being required at Headquarters early the next morning, could only accom-

pany them as far as the cars. They were got aboard at 10 1/2 P.M. were tumbling

out of the cars and falling into line and soon marched up near the jail, when a

squad was sent under Sergt. [Charles] Way to protect the fire engines then trying

4. Hill was captain of Company A of the 115th O.V.I. Interestingly enough, one of the men serving

under him was a Clement H. Vallandigham, who was twenty-one years old. Since some of the men

in the 115th were from Columbiana County, Clement L. Vallandigham's birthplace, it is quite possible

that the two were related. Private Vallandigham may have been named for the older man's father,

the Reverend Clement Vallandigham.

5. Company C of the 115th O.V.I.

6. Hill and Means were Burnside's agents at the Mount Vernon rally.

7. On the night of May 5 Vallandigham was temporarily transferred to Newport Barracks in Ken-

tucky. He was brought back to Cincinnati the next day for his military trial. See James Vallandigham,

A Life of Clement Vallandigham (Baltimore, 1872), 259.

122                                                            OHIO HISTORY

to extinguish a fire which the mob were determined to prevent them from extin-

guishing. As soon as the Sergt. arrived at the scene of trouble he deployed his

men along the hose with orders to stick their bayonets into any one who would

attempt to cut the hose; and the consequence was, several [men] went away with

a hole about the seat of their pants. After this you never saw such a scared set of

beings in this world; they madly trampled down and tumbled over one another

trying to get away. All were good Union men then, willing to have rebellion put

down, only they did not like to take up arms themselves, fearing they might get

shot. Two o'clock the next morning found the streets clear and the city quiet.

The night, however, was too short to sleep off the effects of bad whiskey; and by

adding to it the next morning they got their courage worked up to fighting and

began to collect near the market house where the Summit boys were standing at

rest, and soon began to be very boisterous. All of a sudden the boys came to a

shoulder arms and a half a dozen squads started in as many directions and before

those whiskey devils were aware of it, they were completely encircled with the

bayonets bustling at them on every side. Lieuts. Eadie and [George] Waterman

with a reserve squad then went into them and commenced arresting the ring lead-

ers and participators in the mob the previous evening, and marched off some thirty

to the jail. Additions were made during the day until the number reached forty-

five or fifty. Much credit is given Lieuts. Eadie and Waterman for their gentle-

manly as well as soldierly conduct, and they gave good assurance that they will

help put down the rebels any place where they show their heads. The Lieutenants

were handsomely complimented to the Captain by a member of Gen. [Jacob]

Cox's staff who was with them part of the time. Some fifteen of the rioters are

now in Kemper Barracks, when Gen. Burnside gave them an audience and to

understand that treason or out spoken sympathy with the rebels would not be

tolerated in this department. I had the pleasure of being present during the inter-

view, and were it not for trespassing on your space and patience would relate some

of the conversation. However it is enough to say, that not a single man would

admit he was in favor of Vallandigham's policy for ending the war; all were "good

Union men," loyal to the back bone and would swear an oath of allegiance as

hard as we were able to put it, if they could only get out of this scrape.

Four more men, three spies and one deserter, were sent from this city yesterday

morning to Johnston's [sic] Island8 to be executed, and one to be imprisoned at

hard labor. Over two hundred rebel, civil, and political prisoners are in Kemper

Barracks, awaiting a hearing. They have found out, at last, that we have a com-

mander that means just what he says, and will execute his orders and punish

violators wherever found.

The 115th are completely enraptured with our General, and would go through

fire and water for him. No one doubts the General's bravery, and his goodness of

heart is fully equal to it. I believe the salvation of his country, the welfare and

comfort of his soldiers are the absorbing themes of his life.

Vallandigham's case will be published before you receive this. Conjecture is

on tip toe and anxiety manifested by some, fearing that he would be released,

8. After August 1862 Johnson's Island Prison, built on an island in Lake Erie near Sandusky, was

used to supplement Camp Chase in Columbus as a prison for civilian Confederate sympathizers. See

Phillip R. Shriver and Donald J. Breen, Ohio's Military Prisons in the Civil War (Columbus, 1964), 33.

Vallandigham's Arrest                                                      123

either by the civil or military Courts; but never fear, our brave leader is at the

helm and the ship of State will out-ride the storm. Traitors are even now calling

on the rocks to fall on them and save them from the "wrath to come". . . .

The health of my company is very good. More anon

A. Z.9

The next letter from "M" dated May 8 supplements the first letter. It appeared in

the Summit County Beacon on May 14, 1863.

Kemper Barracks, Cincinnati

Dear Beacon:--                                                   May 8th, 1863

The 115th Regiment is still scattered about the country in separate battalions,

two of which are in the city [of Cincinnati]. Col[onel] [Jackson A.] Lucy, in com-

mand of Companies G. and K. went up the Ohio towards Pittsburg [sic] on a

gunboat, some days since, and I think have not yet returned to Covington, where

they have been stationed. Your readers are aware from a letter from Capt. Means,

that Companies C and E, spent some time--nearly four weeks--"away down south

in Dixie"; they returned two weeks ago and had just got comfortably situated in

the barracks again, when last Tuesday evening Co. C. was called upon to be pre-

pared to leave the barracks in ten minutes. All hands were ready at the appointed

time and were marched to the depot of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton

R. R. where they took the cars for the last named city, and have not yet returned.

The cause of their call to Dayton, was the riot raised by the Butternuts in conse-

quence of the arrest of their leader, Vallandigham. Yes! after having boldly talked

treason for months, this worst of traitors has been arrested and tried by court-

martial. What his sentence is has not yet been made public but I most sincerely

hope it will prove to be such as will effectually silence all treasonable sayings and

publications in the Department of Ohio for the future. Vallandigham was a prisoner

in our barracks for one day, during which, we had many visitors, some of them

offering as high as ten dollars for a peep at him. Unless their eyes, however, are

more acute than mine, they would have seen nothing at all remarkable in his

appearance, only that he looked decidedly crest-fellen [sic], and that he has a very

large mouth. . . .

Yours,

M.

9. No person with the initials "A. Z." is listed in the roster for Company C. Perhaps the author of

the letter was Jacob Zimmerman, and the Beacon incorrectly substituted an "A" for a "J." Official Roster

of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion (Cincinnati, 1888), VIII, 157.