Paris Washington Lexington Marlborough Nimishillen Osnaburg Sandy Pike Canton Total

59 45 103 65 47 31 45 43 29 467

City of Canton Plain Lake Jackson Perry Bethlehem Sugar Creek Tuscarawas Lawrence Total

155 22 35 28 121 59 63 35 71 689

Grand total - 1,156 The list embraces only those enlisted for three years or during the war. Two or more camps were established in the county—Camp Massillon at that town and Camp Ford at Alliance. The fair grounds at Canton HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 261 were used as a military camp. The first calls for sanitary aids came from Western Virginia during the fall of 1861. LADIES' AID SOCIETIES On the 15th of October the ladies of Canton met at the residence of J. F. Raynolds to organize a Ladies' Aid Society. The following officers were elected : Mrs. J. G. Lester, president ; Mrs. E. Buckingham, secretary, and Mrs. J. A. Saxton, treasurer. The following committees were appointed : To draft a constitution—Mrs. Isaac Harter, Mrs. Dr. Wallace, Mrs. J. G. Lester and Mrs. E. Buckingham. General soliciting—First Ward, Mrs. Pierong, Mrs. Lewis Miller, Mrs. E. C. Patterson, Mrs. George Raynolds; Second Ward, Mrs. C. Aultman, Mrs. T. W. Saxton, Mrs. W. K. Miller, Miss Henrietta Buckius ; Third Ward, Mrs. Dr. Whiting, Mrs. S. Meyer, Mrs. Thomas Patton, Mrs. M. Wilidal ; Fourth Ward, Mrs G. Prince, Mrs. Dr. Slusser, Mrs. Shock, Mrs. 0. P. Stidger ; in the vicinity, Miss M. Harry, Mrs. William Raynolds, Mrs. H. Raynolds, Mrs. William Williams, Mrs. Simon Miller, Mrs. Cassilly, Miss Medill. Almost every township in the county organized a similar society, and in truth, it may be said that the entire county resolved itself into a committee of the whole to see that the families of volunteers did not suffer, and to solicit money, provisions and supplies of clothing to be sent into the field. Thousands of dollars' worth of hospital and camp supplies were sent from the county during the war. REGIMENTS TO THE FRONT The citizens of the county subscribed over $30,000 to the Government loan of treasury notes prior to November, 1861. Two regiments were organized at Camp Massillon during the early autumn of 1862. On the 30th of August, when one of these was mustered into service, Governor Tod was present and spoke to a vast assemblage that had gathered to witness the military review of the two newly formed regiments. The county sent a company of men on the bloodless squirrel campaign to Cincinnati. The company was commanded by Captain Dougherty, of Greentown, and about forty of the men belonged to the "Lake Rifles." COLORED VOLUNTEERS Massillon furnished eighteen colored volunteers for the Fifth United States Infantry, while, so far as known, no other portion of the county furnished a colored man, at least at that time. 262 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY SERVICE OF STARK COUNTY SOLDIERS Although the Stark County troops were scattered through various regiments credited to Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and other states, the bulk of the soldiers were attached to Ohio regiments. Those in which the home boys were most largely represented are noted in the following sketches. THE FOURTH OHIO INFANTRY The Fourth Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Jackson, Columbus, April 25, 1861, and contained one company from Stark County, under the following officers: James Wallace, captain ; Percy S. Sowers, first lieutenant ; George F. Laird, second lieutenant. The basis of the company was the old Canton Zouaves. The regiment was first mustered into the three months' service, but the majority of the command afterward was incorporated into the three years' service. It was in the Virginia campaigns ; was at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and one of the heroes at Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg. It marched through the terrible Wilderness and finally was placed on duty to guard Washington, where it remained until the final muster out. WILLIAM F. RAYNOLDS AND JONATHAN G. LESTER William F. Raynolds, who made so many friends both as a soldier and a business man, made his home in Canton (of which he was a native) during most of the forty-three years of his life. He was born on the site of the present City National Bank in March, 1840, and was educated in the public schools of Canton and at Prof. Ira M. Allen's academy. At the age of sixteen he sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on a whaling voyage which stretched out into a four years' cruise and covered all the zones from the Arctic regions to the Sandwich Islands. He was frozen in ice packs and baked in the tropics, but his adventures and perils hardened him into a man of the world. Returning to Ohio in 1860, he established himself in the oil business at Darlington, Richland County, but in 1861 responded to the first call for volunteers by enlisting in Company F, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Andrews and Captain Wallace. After the expiration of his ninety days' service he re-enlisted in the same regiment for three years, or the war. In December, 1861, he assisted in the organization of the Sixth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, of which he was chosen adjutant. When the cavalry was consolidated with the Eighth Ohio Artillery Adjutant Raynolds be- HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 263 came lieutenant on the gunboat Port Royal, and was soon afterward actively engaged with the Union squadron in blockade duty along the Gulf of Mexico. He continued in the naval service until the close of the war, when the revenue cutter department was established. In that service he was appointed to a regular lieutenancy, which he held until 1870, when he accepted a position as inspector of hulls, with headquarters at Louisville, Kentucky. Lieutenant Raynolds lived in that city, thus employed, until 1876, when he invested in a local plow factory and visited the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia as its representative. Not long after he returned to Canton on account of impaired health and continued in business until his death, March 17, 1883. William F. Raynolds married a daughter of Jonathan G. Lester, one of the successful pioneer business men of Canton who died in 1874. His wife was born in Canton, and her elder brother, George S. Lester, who was a naval cadet when the war broke out, before its conclusion made a most creditable record as an officer on the staff of Gen. John S. Mason. THE THIRTEENTH REGIMENT The Thirteenth Regiment had about two companies from Stark County. Company A was enlisted at Massillon, with A. F. Beach, captain ; Dwight Jarvis, first lieutenant ; Phillip Wendling, second lieutenant. The captain of Company B was Joseph T. Snider. The regiment was organized at Camp Jackson, Columbus, April 20, 1861, and in June started for West Virginia to re-enforce McClellan's army. Its campaigns were those conducted in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kenesaw Mountain, Franklin and Nashville were some of the centers of the bloody fighting in which the regiment and the companies from Stark County participated. It was not mustered out of the service until January, 1866. THE NINETEENTH The Nineteenth Regiment had one company from Stark County during the three months' enlistment. It was known in the old state militia as the Canton Light Guards. Samuel Beatty, its captain, who had served in the Mexican war, was elected captain of Company A, and when the regiment was organized was chosen its colonel. Charles F. Manderson succeeded Mr. Beatty as captain. The Nineteenth, which became a part of the Rosecrans Brigade, first came under fire at Rich Mountain, where it distinguished itself. 264 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY PROMOTIONS OF BEATTY AND MANDERSON Stark County was represented by nearly three companies in the three years' enrollment of the Nineteenth. Company A was under Capt. C. F. Manderson ; Company F under Capt. W. H. Allen ; about two-thirds of Company I under Capt. William Rakestraw; and about twenty men of Company D were from the county. The regiment was commanded by Col. Samuel Beatty. The famous campaigns in the South and the Southwest-especially in Tennessee-brought special honors and promotions to Colonel Beatty and Maj. C. F. Manderson. During the Nashville campaign the former was appointed brigadier general. Captain Manderson had been acting major for some time and after Colonel Beatty's promotion commanded the regiment. Soon after crossing Stone River with his regiment in January, 1863, Major Manderson was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel. It participated in the siege of Chattanooga, the assault at Missionary Ridge and in the first steps of Sherman's Atlanta campaign. In September, 1864, Colonel Manderson was severely wounded in the spine at Lovejoy Station, and in the following March, after the pursuit of Hood, he resigned on account of physical disability. The Nineteenth was mustered out of service at San Antonio, Texas, in October, 1865. THE SEVENTY-SIXTH REGIMENT The Seventy-sixth Regiment contained about two companies from Stark County. The officers were: Company K, James M. Jay, captain; David R. Kelley, first lieutenant ; Mark Sperry, second lieutenant. Company I, Edward Briggs, captain; James M. Blackman, first lieutenant; John H. Hardgrove, second lieutenant. The regiment was recruited for three years' service at Newark, Ohio, where it was organized on the 9th of February, 1862. Its engagements were Fort Donelson, Pittsburgh Landing, the operations against Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Resaca and during Sherman's march to the sea and through the Carolinas. The Seventy-sixth shared in the grand review at Washington and was afterward mustered out at Louisville. A company of Stark County men commanded by Andrew Day formed a unit of the Eighty-sixth Regiment and completed the 100-day service in West Virginia. In the One Hundred and Fourth Regiment, Companies B and E and a part of A, were from the county ; they were commanded by Captains Jesse A. Coates, Andrew J. Bahney and Oscar W. Stearl. It participated in various engagements in connection with the cavalry raids of Kirby HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 265 Smith, Morgan and other Confederate leaders, and afterward joined Burnside and Sherman. It was with the latter in his march to the sea and was mustered out of the service at Greensboro, near Atlanta, in June, 1865. SERAPHIM MEYER'S REGIMENT The One Hundred and Seventh Regiment, which was largely composed of Germans, had more than two companies from Stark County. It was organized at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, in August, 1862, with Seraphim Meyer (afterward judge of the Common Pleas Court), of Canton, as colonel. Companies A and D, with about fifty men of Company H, were drawn from this county. Their respective captains were Peter Sisterhen, Barnet T. Steiner and Augustus Vignos. The first important battle in which the regiment engaged was Chancellorsville, where all the Stark County companies lest heavily, in common with the general slaughter. It also fought at Gettysburg, where it lost, in killed, wounded and missing, more than two-thirds of its men. Captain Steiner received a mortal body wound and Captain Vignos came out with a shattered right arm, which had to be amputated. The regiment, with the home companies, afterward saw hard service in Virginia, Florida and South Carolina, being mustered out at Charleston in July, 1865. ABOARD THE ILL-FATED SULTANA Companies B, E and F, of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment, were mostly made up of Stark County men, with smaller contingents in Companies I and K. Lewis F. Hake was captain of Company B ; Joseph S. Harter, of E ; and Albert J. Ware, of F. The regiment was greatly scattered during its term of service, various portions of it doing guard duty in Columbus and Cincinnati, mounted and sent after Confederate guerrillas in Tennessee, and parts of Companies B, C, F and G captured by Forrest's men. The latter were paroled and placed on board the ill-fated steamer Sultana, and while bound for the North were killed or wounded in its terrible explosion. It was mustered out of the service at Cleveland in July, 1865. COMMANDS OF A LATER PERIOD The One Hundred and Sixty-second Regiment, with the exception of one company from Brown County, was wholly from Stark. The regimental officers were : Ephraim Ball, colonel ; James E. Daugherty, 266 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY lieutenant-colonel; Benjamin A. Whiteleather, major. Many of the men were wealthy, or in good circumstances. The regiment was mustered into the 100-day service at Camp Chase, Columbus, in May, 1864. It was ready to repel Morgan or any other Confederate guerrilla who threatened Ohio, but its services were not required. The One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Regiment included one Stark County company (I) under Capt. W. A. Miller, and recruited for the one year's service in the fall of 1864. The regiment was organized by Lieut.-Col. A. C. Johnson at Camp Chase, who became its commander, but was afterward promoted chief of artillery on General Rousseau's staff while Murfreesboro was being besieged by Hood. After Hood was defeated at Nashville the regiment was ordered to North Carolina, and was mustered out of the service in June, 1865. The One Hundred and Eighty-fourth was also a one-year regiment, organized in February, 1865. Company B, from Stark County, was commanded by Capt. Joseph Allen. The regiment was wholly engaged in guard and garrison duty in Tennessee and Alabama. WILLIAMS' FAMOUS BATTERY The Third Independent Battery, known as the Williams' Battery, and consisting of about thirty men with one gun, was organized under the old militia law before the commencement of the war. At the outbreak of hostilities William S. Williams, of Canton, who had gone to Michigan, returned to his old home with authority to enlist volunteers for the artillery service. His old men reported to him in a body, and he was elected captain, with Daniel Lanker as first lieutenant of the new organization. Its services were accepted by the governor and the thirty men and their old gun reported at Columbus in June, 1861. The Canton squad was consolidated with another under Captain Cotter of that place, and the two old cannons were exchanged for new six-pound rifled guns. The battery served its allotted three months with Cox's division in West Virginia, but experienced nothing more than skirmishes. Captain Williams returned to Canton to recruit for the three years' artillery service. He secured about eighty men, and F. J. Myers, of Canton, and W. J. Mong, of Minerva, about as many more—in all 161— and, in February, 1862, the company was ordered to Camp Denison, where the following officers were elected : William S. Williams, captain; W. J. Mong, senior first lieutenant ; F. J. Myers, junior second lieutenant ; W. G. Watson, senior second lieutenant ; Thomas J. Blackman, junior second lieutenant. Here the battery was provided with four six-pound rifled bronze guns and two six-pound smooth-bore bronze guns, together HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 267 with all necessary accouterments, horses, etc. In March the battery was ordered to Benton Barricks, St. Louis, Missouri, where it remained until about the 1st of April, when it was conveyed to Pittsburgh Landing, arriving there Sunday night at the close of the first day's battle. As the boats approached the place thousands of wounded, frightened and desperate men lined the river bank. Some had concealed themselves at the extreme edge of the bank, clinging to roots or anything that would support them. Here it is said originated the army expression "grab a root." The sight was sickening. Scores of surgeons were busily engaged amputating limbs that were piled in heaps on the bank. Strong. men grew white as death at the dreadful scene. UNDER FIRE AT PITTSBURGH LANDING Captain Williams inquired for the commanding general, but no one seemed to know where he was. The captain pressed one of the superior officers for orders, and the latter at last impatiently exclaimed : "Oh just go out here anywhere ; it's no trouble to find good shooting." Accordingly the guns were taken ashore, and everything got in readiness for the conflict of the morrow. The day dawned, and the battery assisted in driving the rebels back in full retreat. Soon afterward the battery assisted in the siege and capture of Corinth and at the battle of Iuka. It moved with General Grant in the first advance toward Vicksburg, but fell back when the base of supplies were cut by Forrest. At Memphis the boys received new clothing, etc. About the 1st of February, 1863, the Third Battery moved with General Grant to Grand Gulf, below Vicksburg. CAPTAIN WILLIAMS PROMOTED Some time before this Captain Williams, for gallant and meritorious service, was made acting chief of artillery of General Logan's Division, the appointment being confirmed in August. This gave him rank equivalent to brigadier generalship. After this he was the intimate friend and associate of corps, division and brigade commanders, and was considered by these officers as Bonaparte considered Marshal Murat of Ney. He was held in reserve until the crisis of the battle, and then his powerful brigade of artillery was thrown to the most difficult position, and never failed to command the admiration and congratulations of superior officers by the consternation it cast in the ranks of the enemy. Captain Williams received the highest commission possible in the artillery service. The battery participated in the artillery fight at Ray- 268 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY mond, Jackson and Champion Hills. At the latter place it went into an advance position on the gallop, within about 700 yards of heavy rebel battery, which did not perceive his approach. Captain Williams noticed that his men were nervously impatient, and to cool down their temperature quietly issued his orders between the puffs of his pipe, which he slowly lighted with a sun-glass. When this was accomplished the men had been told to throw their shells into the rebel battery-every shot to be cast under an apple tree in the center of the enemy's battery. At the word every gun belched forth its missiles of death, repeating the volley again and again with dreadful results. Nothing of the rebel battery escaped, save a limber and two horses. all else, except a few prisoners, being torn to pieces by the shells. The six guns captured here were turned over to Company F of the Thirty-second Regiment, which afterward became the Twenty-sixth Ohio Battery, and which contained about fifteen men from Stark County. At this battle Captain Williams, with four batteries, formed a V to check the rapid advance of seven regiments of rebels. Canister from the twenty-four guns were thrown into the advancing ranks, which retreated in disorder. A fence which was standing directly in the way of this destructive volley went down as though stricken by a tornado. AT VICKSBURG The battery entered Vicksburg on the 4th of July, and soon afterward moved with Sherman against Meridian, losing several men killed and wounded. It returned to Vicksburg, where it remained until the spring of 1864, when it was ordered out to participate in the Atlanta campaign. DURING THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN It was supplied with new twenty-pound Parrott guns at Vicksburg. It moved first to Cairo, thence up the Ohio and Cumberland rivers, and finally marched across the country to Huntsville, Alabama, thence to Rome, Georgia, joining General Sherman's army at Big Shanty. At this time it was in the Seventeenth Corps, then commanded by Gen. Frank Blair, and operated with it at Kenesaw Mountain and Micojack Creek. On the 22d of July, at Leggett's Bald Knob, it was engaged from 11 o'clock A. M. until sundown. This was one of the hottest engagements it was in during the war. The battery was attacked from all sides, and often the men fought hand to hand. Captain Williams lost one of his guns, and here it was that, as stated by one of the generals at a late re-union : "Capt. Williams cried like a child." In fifteen HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 269 minutes the gun was retaken. Those were the kind of men belonging to the Third Battery, and those were the kind that quelled the rebellion. MUSTERED OUT The battery was supplied with new guns at Atlanta, and moved back to Nashville with General Thomas, but before this it took part in the fights at Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station. After the battle of Nashville it was transferred to Fort Donelson, where it remained some three months, and was then ordered to Camp Taylor, Cleveland, and mustered out of the service August 1, 1865, and the brave boys remaining returned to their homes. The battery lost some fifty men during its service. Captain Williams was presented with a fine gold-mounted saber, belt and sash by the members of his company ; and, while at Vicksburg was presented with a miniature Parrott gun cast from rebel projectiles by the members of his battery in one of the foundries at Vicksburg. LOOKING BACKWARD FIFTY YEARS A general picture of "war times" from the standpoint of Stark County was drawn in the Repository nearly half a century after the "firing on Sumter" in the following words: "The early fall of Captain Wallace at the battle of Rich Mountain and of many other men in disaster following disaster in the war of the Rebellion, did not deter the SOPS of Canton and Stark county from giving proof that they knew the duties of American citizens. It is taking time, but the march of sentiment will arouse our people to show gratitude for the deeds of our heroes by the erection of a monument, in whose walls will be placed tablets bearing appropriate inscriptions, thus writing in imperishable stone such a history of the war as should live. "The dark and most miserable days, with defeat following defeat, added strength to the resolve of our patriots to conquer or die, the enthusiasm of the young being aroused by the excitement and commotion, by patriotic meetings, speech-making, songs and continuous music of the fife and drum heading the squads of marching and counter-marching recruits through the streets. The quota of the companies of Samuel Beatty and Charles F. Manderson was made complete and with its regimental officers, including James A. Rider, father o: Paul Rider, as quartermaster of the regiment, the companies were escorted to the depot by the citizens. The enrollment of squad after squad, filling company after company with the best men of Canton and every town and township of Stark County, formed a number of regiments of infantry, while Captain Williams headed a battery of artillery. 270 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY "The recruiting of the 104th regiment took many of our boys, and when the 115th was complete the fighting blood of Canton and Stark county was nearly exhausted. We, of this generation, cannot realize the conditions until assured that many families underwent the heartbreaking trial of sending to what promised to be death, one, two, three and more sons—in some cases, father and three sons. With the 115th were enrolled, mentioning but a few of our boys, George D. Harter, J. J. Clark, Edward Bockius, William Wikidal, Edward Rex and Walter McClymonds. With that regiment went our star drummer boy, Johnny Yost. Our fifer, Dan Sayler, became Captain Sayler. Mention the names of Canton's old families and with few exceptions you will find them on the rolls of defense for the Union. "In recalling the names and events fifty years after occurrence, the omission to mention many of the names will not be considered a slight. The honor roll includes the names of Percy Souers, Louis Reynolds, Marschal Lahm, Lenox Lahm, Preston Barber, George Rex, Charles Leiter, Marcus Leiter, Milton Ball, William Laird, Hamleton Starkweather, Augustus Burke, William Raynolds, Joseph Stibbs Harter, George Bockius, Augustus Bockius, Rodman Lemon, Turien Meyer, Edward S. Meyer, Tulius Meyer, Frank Patton, George Hershey, Marshal Haas, Alfred Huntington, Nelson Bierce, Benjamin Buckingham, Samuel Gitchel, Edward Cassily, Thomas Shorb and J. Houser. "The 107th regiment, headed by Colonel Seraphim Meyers, included our German-American boys in numbers sufficient to cause the regiment to be dubbed 'The 107th Dutch.' It went to the front, its officers including the gallant Major Vignos. "With its continued devastation, the war fairly drained the community of able-bodied men. The government kept calling for more men and finally was compelled to make a draft. The government officials arrived. In a room on the second floor of the old county building, there was collected the names of all the men, married and single, that remained in our community. Placing each name on a slip of paper, all being mixed in a hat together, a lad was called in, blindfolded, and instructed to draw a single slip at a time. The names on the slips drawn were the names of the men who were to render a compulsory service in the army. The purchase of a substitute was permissible, the cost being from one to three thousand dollars. The hardships incurred by this drastic necessity will never be known. The occasion will never be forgotten, to say the least, by the lad who was called in to draw the slips from the hat which possibly meant death to the men who bore the names thereon inscribed. "Each battle resulted in a quota of our boys dead, wounded and ill. being brought home. Colonel Manderson was severely wounded. A 271 - THE FOUR CAPTAINS WHO FELL IN WAR. 272 HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY bullet shattered the lower jaw from the center of the face, extending to near the ear of General Ed S. Meyer, who can justly lay claim to be `the man with the silver jaw,' as a result of his battle wound. "With the organization of a Soldiers' Aid Society by our mothers, wives and sisters, headed by Mrs. Wikidal, Mrs. Lester and Mrs. Patton, great relief was given to the wounded and ill. Entertainments to raise funds were given at the old Commercial hall. The music rendered by the Misses Huntington, 'Coming Through The Rye,' by Mrs. John Shilling, and the harmony of that male quartet, will never be forgotten by old Cantonians. Neither will we forget the great performances of that 'All Star Minstrel Aggregation' composed of M. C. Barber, Nubben (George) Lemon, and Adison Renner, with James W. Rowan as middle man. "Victory and defeat alternated in rapid succession until our community was shocked by a report that our homes, our very hearthstones, were about to be invaded by the enemy. General Morgan with his army, had crossed the Ohio river, laying waste to everything before him, in his march across the state to reach and liberate the Confederate prisoners at a point on Lake Erie." FOUR CAPTAINS WHO FELL Captain James Wallace of Company F, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, and died January 4, 1863. Captain William Rakestraw, Company I, Nineteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry ; died December 17, 1861, at Columbia, Kentucky. Captain Joseph S. Harter, Company E, One Hundred Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was killed August 26, 1863, at Cincinnati, Ohio, by the accidental discharge of a revolver. Captain B. T. Steiner, Company D, One Hundred Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He died August 13, 1863, at his home near Canton, Ohio, of wounds received at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863. NATIONAL GUARD, THE CONNECTING LINK The Ohio National Guard is the connecting link between the volunteer soldiery of the Civil war and the old state militia. The basis of all laws which have been passed organizing and regulating the citizen soldiery of the United States was the act passed by the Congress of 1792, providing for the enrollment in the militia of all able bodied white male citizens of the age of eighteen and under forty-five. The only material HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 273 change made in the basic law is the excision of the word "white," and we all know that the colored people have furnished some fine material for the armies of the states and the nation. In some of the older eastern states the organizations of militia which came into being even before the passage of that act have unbroken histories up to the Civil war period, when they were absorbed by the volunteer regiments, some of them resuming the thread of their former existence. Many of the Ohio companies that were accepted by the governor during the early part of the war had already received a training as state militia. Although several acts were passed by the State Legislature to organize and discipline the militia, especially during and after the Morgan raids, the real birth of the Ohio National Guard occurred in March, 1864, for that is the date of the act conferring upon the Ohio military forces its present name, and from which dates the era of improvement and increased efficiency of the state's reserved forces. LEGISLATION AFTER THE WAR After the close of the war the General Assembly repealed the National Guard law and for some time thereafter any companies seeking organization had to do so under the provisions of the old militia law, to which an act was added early in 1866 by which a few national guardsmen whose terms of enlistment had not expired were retained in the volunteer militia. The first measure adopted to revive the disorganized state forces along new lines was known as the Ohio Independent Militia law of 1870. The forces organized under its provisions were designated Ohio Independent Militia, while those which remained in the service under the act of 1866 were called Ohio Volunteer Militia. Battalion formations were permitted to consist of two or more companies located in the same county. ORGANIZED UNDER THE 1870 NATIONAL GUARD LAW The First (Zouave) Battalion and the Second (Colored) Battalion, both of Cincinnati, were formed in 1870; the Third (German) Battalion, also of Cincinnati, was organized in 1871, and two Steubenville companies, comprising the Fourth Battalion, were organized in 1874. Numerous unassigned companies were admitted to the service during that period (1870-74), including the Fulton Guards and the Amos Independent Battery, of Canal Fulton. Vol. I - 8 274 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY SUBSTANTIAL MEASURES OF 1876-77 The General Assembly of 1876, in deference to enthusiastic demands from all parts of the state, passed an act designed to repeal the most objectionable features of former statutes and to place the scattered commands upon a well organized basis. As stated in the official history of the Ohio National Guard, issued in 1901, and indorsed by President McKinley, Governor Nash and all the leading officers of the guard : "The maximum strength (by the act of 1876) was placed at 170 companies of infantry, 12 batteries of artillery and 12 companies of cavalry. Provision was made for the formation of infantry into battalions and regiments, and for arming, equipping and drilling all the forces as nearly in accordance with the system then in vogue in the United States army as was practicable under the circumstances. Fatigue uniforms were prescribed for enlisted men and suitable compensation granted in case of calls to duty and instruction in annual encampments. Each company of infantry or cavalry (the latter could scarcely be called troops, for no provision was made for their mounts) was entitled to receive $100 annually as a company fund, and each two-gun battery $50 for the same purpose. The total amount was to be paid from the general revenue fund of the state, with a proviso that the total outlay must not exceed $10,000 annually, in which case the apportionment was to be made to the different companies and batteries pro rata from a sum total to that amount. "Fifty-three companies of infantry, three 2-gun batteries of artillery, and two companies of cavalry were organized in 1876, and nine companies of infantry and two 2-gun batteries were disbanded. The work of organizing this force commenced on May 19, 1876, and before November 15th of that year nine regiments and three battalions were formed. The total strength of the guard in officers and enlisted men was 7,111. "The act of 1876 was deficient in many respects, but the next session of the Legislature made many important amendments, and the statutes of 1876-77 are regarded as the measures which placed the National Guard upon a footing from which it has developed into an important and indispensable part of the system of economics adopted for the welfare of the people and the betterment of their condition." THE EIGHTH REGIMENT It was under the provisions of the National Guard Law of 1876-77 that thirteen Ohio regiments were formed. The Eighth Regiment of Infantry was organized by Special Orders, No. 68, dated July 6, 1876. HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 275 Its early history embraces that of two other regiments, the Ninth and the Tenth ; for, during the year 1878, the Eighth and Ninth regiments were consolidated under the name of the Eighth, and in 1881, a second consolidation of forces was effected through the disbandment of the Tenth and the assignment of a number of its companies to the Eighth. All three regiments had found their origin in the wave of military enthusiasm which resulted in the passage of the National Guard law of 1876-77 and the organization of eighteen regimental formations in the State of Ohio at that time. The merging of the regiments into one was the natural result of the assimilation of National Guard forces during a period of years when the excess in numbers of military organizations threatened the efficiency of the guard, and finally resulted in the reduction of forces to a number which would insure the maximum of efficiency with the minimum of expense. The order which originally constituted the Eighth Regiment in 1876, designated the following companies as comprising the regiment : A, Massillon Veteran Guards; B, Alliance Greys ; C, Waynesburg Guards ; D, Wilmot Blues ; E, Beach City Blues ; F, Canton Guards, and H, Malvern Blues. A few weeks later, August 16, 1876, the Homeworth Rifles, 0. I. M., was transferred to the Eighth, making a total strength of eight companies. The first election of regimental officers was held August 4, 1876, resulting as follows: Colonel, Dwight Jarvis, Massillon ; lieutenant colonel, -William W. King, Alliance; major, Hiram Reed, Beach City. These officers were commissioned for a period of one year, but Colonel Jarvis resigned in January, 1877, and was succeeded by Edward S. Meyer, of Canton, a former captain of the One Hundred and Seventh 0. V. I., a graduate of West Point and a retired officer of the regular army. Colonel Meyer resigned in June, 1877, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Col. William W. King, of Alliance. Shortly after, Maj. Hiram Reed was elected lieutenant colonel and Capt. George R. Gyger of the Homeworth Rifles became major. The Ninth Regiment was organized in 1877 and comprised coin companies from Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Wardsworth, Medina, Orrville and West Salem. It was consolidated with the Eighth in the following year. The Tenth Regiment had been organized in 1876, on the same day as the original. Eighth, and consisted of companies from Youngstown, Niles. Mineral Ridge and East Palestine, and in 1877-78 several other companies were assigned to it, the Geneva Rifles being the last. In 1881 the Tenth was also consolidated with the Eighth, making the third regiment to be incorporated under that name. 276 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY ACTIVE HOME SERVICE OF THE EIGHTH The Eighth Regiment has seen much active service in the state, being on guard during the railroad riots of 1876-77, at Massillon and Akron ; at the mining troubles in Silver Creek, Wayne County, 1880 ; in aid of the civil authorities of Canton, 1881; Cincinnati riots of 1884; aid of civil authorities, at Alliance and Akron, 1893 and 1894; Wheeling Creek riots, 1894 ; aid of civil authorities at Akron, 1896 ; Akron riot, 1900 ; Bradley mine strike, 1905; Aetna mills, Bridgeport, 1912 ; and flood of 1913. The regiment was also on duty at Garfield's funeral in 1880 ; at the George Washington Centennial in New York, 1889 ; the World 's Fair dedicatory exercises in Chicago, 1892, as well as at numerous inaugurals at both state and national capitals. Although as a complete organization, the Eighth Regiment did not participate in the reception of the remains of President McKinley to Canton, in 1901, or the dedication of the magnificent mausoleum in 1907, several of its leading officers participated and portions of the regiment itself. Lieut.-Col. Harry Frease was the active organizer of both parades in honor of the beloved President and citizen of Canton. IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR "Upon the President's call for volunteer troops in 1898," says the official history, "the Eighth Regiment of Infantry had better cause to respond than any other organized body of troops in the country, for to them the proclamation of the Chief Executive appeared in the light of a personal appeal. They were the President's own regiment, and popularly known as such throughout the country. In consequence, they were justly entitled to the feeling that their services would be indispensable in the coming strife, and to this feeling was added the fact that their responsibility was deepened as the eye of the nation was upon them. The regiment had attained an unusual degree of proficiency during a long period of years preceding the outbreak of hostilities ill the spring of 1898, and was considered one of the most compact and united bodies of citizen troops in the service of the state. "In the spring of 1898 the Eighth regiment possessed a complete twelve-company formation as follows : A, Bucyrus; B, Akron ; C, Polk ; D, Wooster ; E, East Liverpool ; F, Canton ; G, Wadsworth ; H, Shreve; I, Canton ; K, Alliance ; L, Canton, and M, Mansfield. The city of Canton, President McKinley's home, was thus represented by three companies and, in addition, the hospital and signal corps was located in Canton, and as the majority of their members were later enlisted in HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 277 the volunteer service, that city practically furnished four companies for the war." These, with the one from Alliance, brought Stark County patriotism up to its old standard. Among the staff officers of the Eighth Regiment was Dr. A. V. Smith, of Canton, who served as assistant surgeon of the regiment with the rank of captain. His service extended through the Santiago campaign of the Spanish-American war and by reason of deaths in the medical and surgical ranks he was left virtually alone in the treatment of the diseases which swept through the regiment. While in this arduous line of duty he contracted malaria which undoubtedly caused his death several years afterward. CAPTAIN WEIDMAN'S ACCOUNT Ten years after the Stark County troops started for the front Capt. August T. Weidman, adjutant of Canton Camp, United Spanish War Veterans, was writing as follows : "There were enlisted in Canton for the Spanish-American war 667 men, the largest enlistment of any city of Canton 's size in the United States. The patriotism of President McKinley 's home town burned bright when the nation needed a sacrifice. "The Stark County Centennial celebration will cause many Spanish war veterans to recall their home-coming from New York city after so many of the men had fallen victims of fever on Cuba's shore, for about the time of our arrival here, the Elks' carnival was thrown open, and the soldier boys were guests. "While the Eighth regiment saw no actual service in Cuba, it contributed scores of its men to the cause through sickness. Canton, with its three companies, lost two captains, John A. Leininger and Henry Willis, besides a number of privates. "Canton's militiamen were summoned to their armories by the ringing of the fire bell. An unofficial call to arms was received from Columbus, whereupon the troops were mobilized, and when the federal orders were announced, the three companies, the hospital corps, and signal corps were ready to move. Co. F was commanded by John A. Leininger; Co. L, by M. A. Fisher, and Co. I, by Henry Willis. Each company averaged about seventy men. All Canton remembers the leave taking. "We started April 26, 1898, for Akron, and from there went to Columbus, where on May 13 we were mustered into the U. S. service. On May 18 we were moved to Camp Alger, Virginia, near Washington, D. C., located on old Confederate grounds. We broke camp July 5, went to New York city, boarded the auxiliary cruiser St. Paul, commanded by Admiral Sigsbee, and on July 11 landed at Siboney, Cuba. 278 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY "The Eighth had been ordered to Cuba as re-enforcement to the troops engaged about Santiago hill. Upon our arrival, we went into camp on Seville hill, and later moved to San Juan hill. The Spanish surrender took place on July 17. While in camp the Canton soldiers made excursions into Santiago. "Captain Leininger died near Santiago and was buried there. Later his body was brought to Canton. Hundreds of the Eighth men became deadly sick from fever, typhoid-malaria and dysentery, because of bad food and the radical change in climate. Some of the ex-soldiers still have recurring attacks of their Cuban maladies. Many have never regained the strength they had before that service. "Returning to the states aboard the Mohawk, the Eighth landed at Montauk Point, August 24. The way the people of New York treated us will never be forgotten. Helen Gould's generosity gladdened the hearts of many soldiers. Freezers of ice cream were set about for the men to enjoy themselves; incidentally, to drive the fever from their bodies. Fully half of the Eighth regiment landed sick. Those seriously ill were ordered to the hospital, and as soon as they recuperated sufficiently were sent home. They strung into Canton one by one, looking almost like dead men. It was in New York that Captain Willis succumbed. "The three companies reached Canton September 8, coming by way of Cleveland. "The remaining vestige of the Spanish-American war troops of this city is Canton camp, United Spanish War Veterans, which now has a membership of 100." GLEANED FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES To the foregoing should be added the information conveyed in the official history of the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Volunteers. From this it is gleaned that Company I was organized at Canton and mustered in as a unit of the Eighth Infantry, May 1, 1892, under command of Capt. Henry Frease, and was originally known as the Columbian Rifles. It was mustered into the volunteer service of the United States, as part of the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in May, 1898. After seeing service in Cuba it was mustered out at Wooster, in November of that year. Capt. Henry L. Willis, who had first joined the service as a private in Company F and had been connected with Company I, through all its grades to the captaincy, and was in command from June, 1897. through the war, until his death at Camp Wikoff, Long Island, August 29, 1898. He was succeeded by First Lieut. Philip Yost, who afterward HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 279 joined the regular army and saw service in the Philippines. Four privates of Company I were victims of disease contracted in Cuba ; Edward J. Wingerter and Frank Gibler died in Cuba and David F. Hoshone and G. G. Kosht, at Camp Wikoff. Company K was organized at Alliance and mustered in as a unit of the Eighth Infantry, May 2, 1892; local designation, Alliance Guard. Organized for the volunteer service at Alliance, April 16, 1898; mustered in at Columbus as Company K, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, May 13, 1898 ; with United States forces in Cuba, July 10 to August 17, 1898; detached with Third Battalion, July 13 to August 14, 1898 ; mustered out at Wooster, November 21, 1898 ; assigned to reorganized Eighth Regiment, July 21, 1899. Its first captain was Charles C. Weybrecht, who served from May, 1892, to July, 1897. Elliott L. Gyger, who was in command from November, 1897, to February, 1900, served in the Spanish-American war. The experience of Company K was similar to the Canton companies, for, although it did not see active service, its members performed their duties like good soldiers and the tropical fevers took their usual heavy tolls of northern lives. The deceased include Serg. Clyde B. Crubaugh, who died on the United States hospital ship while en route from Santiago ; Corp. William R. Knowles, who died of typhoid fever at Santiago ; and privates John 0. Patterson, John G. Treuthardt, David B. Carnahan, Ora N. Royer, James B. Heacock, Louis J. Davis and Charles E. Glenn. All of these died of fevers except Mr. Glenn, who was killed during the Santiago campaign while engaged in guarding a railroad. In the war with Spain old Company C, of Canton, was known as Company L. Under the former name it was organized at Canton in the summer of 1891, being popularly known as the Canton Zouaves. It was mustered into the state service in January, 1893, with Herbert C. Smart as captain. Marcus A. Fisher, who was in command during and after the Spanish-American war, was commissioned in January, 1897. Capt. Herbert. C. Smart, who served as second lieutenant during the war, died at Canton in December, 1899, of malarial poisoning contracted at Santiago. Corp. Charles E. Tarner also died near Santiago and Private C. C. Mitchell, at the Siboney Hospital. Company F was originally organized as the Beach City Blues (Company G), and afterward as F, with headquarters successively changed from Beach City to Massillon, and thence to Canton under command of Capt. Charles R. Miller, who was later appointed by President McKinley as major and assistant adjustant-general of N. 0. Volunteers. It was mustered in at Columbus as Company F, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in May, 1898, and mustered out at Wooster, in November of that year. Capt. John A. Leininger, who had joined the company in 280 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY 1893 and risen to its command through all the ranks, commanded the company in the war with Spain until his death from yellow fever, at Santiago, in August, 1898. First Lieut. August Weidman succeeded him as captain. Captain Leininger was a native of Stark County. Four privates of Company F died of disease at Camp Wikoff, Long Island, while the company was en route to their Ohio homes. DURING AND SINCE THE WAR WITH SPAIN To epitomize : During the Spanish-American war, Stark County was represented in the Eighth Regiment as follows: Field officer, Maj. Charles C. Weybrecht, Alliance ; Hospital Corps, Capt. A. V. Smith, Canton ; Company F, Capt. John Leininger, and Company I, Capt. Henry Willis, both of whom died in the service ; Company K, Capt. E. L. Gyger, Alliance, and Company L, Capt. M. A. Fisher, Canton. Company F, credited to Canton, had a large number of Massillon men enrolled. Altogether Stark County furnished 462 officers and men for the Eighth Regiment, besides 182, who enlisted in regular engineering and cavalry organizations. Forty-eight officers and men died in Cuba, or before the muster-out of the Eighth, who were enrolled in that organization from Stark County. It is estimated that at least seventy Stark County men gave up their lives during that short war, which record is not excelled by any other county in proportion to population. Since the war with Spain the Eighth has been represented in the county by Lieut.-Col. Charles C. Weybrecht, of Alliance, as field officer ; Company C, Canton, Capt. Harry Hazlett ; Company K, Alliance, Capt. U. S. Wetzel. OHIO NATIONAL GUARD OF TODAY The Ohio National Guard now embraces nine regiments of infantry, a medical corps, First Cavalry, First Field Artillery, First Battalion Signal Corps, First Corps Engineers, and U. S. S. Essex and U. S. S. Dorothea companies. After numerous changes in the laws governing the Ohio National Guard the statutes provide that the organization shall be maintained jointly by the State of Ohio and the United States Government. The military fund is raised by appropriating from the general revenues of the state a sum equal to 10 cents for each person who was a resident of the state as shown by the last preceding Federal census. The state appropriation is divided as follows : "Maintenance Fund" and "State Armory Fund." The former is used for expenses of annual HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 281 camp drill pay and incidental expenses of companies; the latter, for rent, purchase and building of armories. The Government support is derived from Ohio's apportionment from the $4,000,000 Federal appropriation under the Dick law. This amount is mainly expended for arms, uniforms, equipment and the promotion of rifle practice. Under the provisions of this law at least 25 per cent must be expended for rifle practice. The National Guard is subject to call of the governor and certain other designated civil authorities to aid in the suppression or prevention of riot or insurrection, and to repel or prevent invasion. It is likewise subject to the call of the President of the United States to repel or prevent invasion and to enforce the laws of the United States. A person doing military duty under the order of his commanding officer or while going to or returning from the place of duty or parade, is privileged from arrest, except in cases of treason, felony or breach of the peace. COL. GEORGE R. GYGER Col. George R. Gyger, of Alliance, is one of the most prominent military men in the state. He is a Pennsylvanian, horn over seventy years ago, and, as a youth received his higher education at Norristown. In 1861 he joined a half-brother in Columbiana County. On account of his youth he was several times rejected by Pennsylvania enlistment agents, but in 1864 recruited Company G of the One Hundred and Seventy-ninth Ohio Infantry at Alliance and went to the front as its second lieutenant under Capt. J. W. Glasner. He was with the Army of the Tennessee, participating in the battle of Nashville in the fall of 1864 and, during much of his service, served as first lieutenant. He was honorably discharged in June, 1865, took a business course in Philadelphia, and, returning to Columbiana County, engaged both in office work And surveying. For some six years he was deputy surveyor of the county. In 1886 he moved to Alliance and became city engineer, holding that office until 1895. His second term commenced in 1906 and continued four years, and the city is largely indebted to him for its sanitary system of sewers, its good pavements and many other public improvements. But his wider reputation has been made as a military man. In 1874 Colonel Gyger became captain of the Homeworth Rifles, Eighth Ohio Infantry, and in 1877 was elected major of his regiment ; was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel in 1885, and colonel on March 9, 1888. He was again commissioned March 8, 1893, and resigned in June, 1897, when he was placed on the retired list. His retirement, however, 282 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY was of short duration, for at the outbreak of hostilities with Spain he tendered his services to the General Government and was commissioned captain in the United States Volunteer Signal Corps. They were accepted in June, and he was assigned to the command of a signal battalion of the Seventh Army Corps, under Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. He returned to Savannah as ranking captain of the Volunteer Signal Corps, and was discharged after thirteen months of faithful and able service, in June, 1899. Then came General Gyger's appointment as adjutant-general, inspector-general and chief of staff of Governor George K. Nash. He entered upon the duties of his office on January 8, 1900, the position carrying with it the rank of major-general. One of his first recommendations was that which was designed to regulate the various ranks of general staff officers to conform to the regular army system ; that recommendation included the reduction of his own rank to that of brigadier-general, and was adopted by the Legislature. The year after the appointment of General Gyger to the active head of the state military system there was issued an official history of the Ohio National Guard of the difficulties which confronted him when he entered office and how completely he overcame them. The following is a pertinent quotation : "There has been no time in the entire period of the life and growth of the Ohio National Guard when the responsibilities of the office of adjutant general have been so great as since the muster out of Ohio troops from the volunteer service. In all former periods of organization or reorganization, there have been difficult situations to meet and conditions to be improved, but none to be compared to the rearing in a day of that grand old superstructure of the state's military institution which had attained such a high degree of effectiveness and efficiency through the evolution of time and the efforts of two generations of men. Disintegrating forces will show their influence after any protracted period of active service. and the reorganization of the Guard at the expiration of its leave of absence for service in the war with Spain was inevitable. The National Guard in every state in the Union has passed through that experience. But in addition, the administration of 1899 deemed it to the interests of the service to meet the situation by disbanding those regimental and battalion formations which had returned to the state service in order that the work might begin anew. This action has been both commended and seriously questioned, but the wrecking of the old organization was complete, and its reorganization had scarcely begun when Governor Nash was inducted into office and selected Colonel George R. Gyger, of Alliance, as his chief of staff, HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 283 "The condition in which General Gyger found the National Guard troops when he accepted the office of adjutant general of Ohio in January, 1900, was therefore one which demanded his closest attention and assured him of a most strenuous tenure of office. Five of the old regiments had been reformed, and one which had escaped the general orders for disbandment through protracted absence in the volunteer service retained its organization intact. The remnants of other regiments had been formed into separate battalions, or continued to serve as unattached. The unity and compactness of all were to be tested and their effectiveness tried anew. Of the old material whose worth and strength there could be no question, there was still a sufficiency in the Guard, but old officers working in new relations to each other may not produce the same harmonious results as formerly, until time has adjusted the various parts of the new machinery to the work which they are expected to perform. "The volunteer service was productive of one all important result. It brought to light whatever features of the National Guard system might lead to weakness in active campaigning, or protracted field service, and clearly demonstrated the line of work which must be closely followed to ensure future effectiveness. The new National Guard must be built up upon new lines and the foundation laid secure. "The difficult and delicate task of launching the Guard upon its new career could be entrusted only to the most experienced heads and the appointment of General Gyger to the position of the heaviest responsibility in this work has been regarded as an exceptionally wise and happy choice. He is a veteran of two wars and has brought to bear upon the duties of his office a long and honorable experience covering a period of thirty-six years. the greater portion of which time has been spent in the service. His efforts have been directed mainly toward the upbuilding of a practical working force capable of concerted action, thoroughly disciplined and trained to the service of the field. This could only be accomplished by the closest attention to the integral parts which make up the grand unit of the state's organized forces. The unity of the regimental and battalion formations was the first consideration. General Gyger has mustered in comparatively few new companies during the first year of his administration, preferring rather to strengthen and solidify those already in the field, and to be absolutely assured of favorable conditions before accepting new material, or rushing new organizations into hasty and ill-advised formations. The success of this work is a matter of current history, and while present conditions in the Guard have again begun to assume a most favorable aspect, the results accomplished must necessarily be better judged in the light of future events. 284 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY General Gyger has conscientiously adhered to established principles and there is no question but that his efforts, while eliminating all thought or purpose of the showy effect of former years, has accomplished all that could be done to establish the Guard upon a sound working basis. "General Gyger is one of the closest students of military affairs that the state military service has produced. He is thoroughly versed in field tactics and is possessed of a knowledge that covers the minutest detail of the service in the field. He is equally familiar with the work of the range, an excellent marksman, and fully competent as a drill master to instruct a company or deploy a regiment." LIEUT.-COL. HARRY FREASE Lieut.-Col. Harry Frease, of Canton, is a leading lawyer of that city, but has been so long identified with military affairs in Ohio that it is most appropriate to present his record in connection with the history of the National Guard. He received his early education in the public schools of Canton. He was born at Canton in 1865, being a son of the late Judge Joseph Frease, whose biography will be found elsewhere. Although he was a pupil in Canton High School he never attended college as a regular student, but pursued a special course in anatomy and dissection in the Western Reserve College, Cleveland, during the winters of 1889 and 1890. At the age of sixteen years, he started in business life as chainman in the engineering corps of the Cleveland, Canton, Coshocton and Straitsville Railroad, now the Cleveland-Zanesville division of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, and continued in that service until the 19th of February, 1884. From that time until June, of the same year, he served as chief draftsman for the Ohio Railway, now the Northern Ohio Railroad. He then entered the firm of Frease Brothers, and later of Frease & Reed, engineers, at Canton, Ohio, remaining there until 1890. From 1888 to 1892 he served as chief engineer of the Valley Railroad, now the C. T. & V. division of the B. & 0. Railroad, and in that position he developed the location of the Akron and Chicago Junction division of the B. & 0. Railroad in 1890, and also the route of the Canton & East Liverpool Railway, now the B. & 0. franchise, in 1895. For many years Colonel Frease has been identified with Ohio military affairs. He was an original member of the Canton Cadets as private in 1876, and from then to 1884 was promoted to non-commissioned officer and first lieutenant of the company. From 1884 to 1885 he was first lieutenant and adjutant of . the Canton Independent Battalion of Infantry, and from 1885 to 1890 captain, commanding Company C, of HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 235 the battalion. He was captain, commanding Company I, of the Eighth Regiment of Infantry, Ohio National Guard, for a term of five years, from the 10th of May, 1892, to the 10th of May, 1897. During the memorable campaign of 1896 which resulted in the election of Major McKinley to the presidency, Colonel Frease was "Major," commanding the "Canton Troop," a mounted citizen organization, which received and escorted visiting delegations, and organized and directed the various parades during that campaign. As chief of staff of the chief marshal, Colonel Frease organized and directed the street arrangements for the reception of the remains and the funeral and obsequies and procession, when the late President McKinley was buried at Canton on the 18th and 19th of September, 1901. In this connection President Roosevelt is quoted as saying that the arrangements were "perfect:" He was also actively in charge of the parade which was so notable a feature of the ceremonies attending the dedication of the McKinley Memorial in 1907. Colonel Frease was engaged in the practice of law with his father, Judge Frease, the firm name being Frease & Frease, from 1900 to 1909. Judge Frease died in the latter year, since which he has been alone. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Ohio on the 4th of May, 1886, and to practice in the United States Circuit Court, Northern District of Ohio, on the 23rd of April, 1902. He has been continuously engaged in the practice of law since 1900, and gives special attention to patent law, railroad law and corporation and commerce law. He is a solicitor of patents in the United States Patent Office and was right-of-way attorney for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company from about 1900 to 1908, and is now engaged in the practice of patent law in the Federal courts throughout the United States. He was formerly an associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Colonel Frease has been, and is, closely associated with many business enterprises of his locality. From 1892 to 1893 he was secretary and treasurer, from 1893 to 1895, superintendent, and from 1896 to 1899, treasurer of the Canton Stoneware Company, engaged in coal and clay mining and the manufacture of stoneware, brick and other clay products. He is a director of the Repository Printing Company, of Canton, Ohio, and was also of the Canton & East Liverpool Railway Company. On the 19th of July, 1900, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel and chief commissary of division, Ohio National Guard, by Maj.-Gen. Charles Dick, commanding. In January, 1906, Colonel Frease was transferred from the commissary department and appointed chief quartermaster of the division, Ohio National Guard, and in the following July was transferred from that department and appointed chief engineer officer of the division. He continued to hold that office actively, with the rank of 286 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY lieutenant-colonel, until March, 1912, when he was retired from active service. LIEUT.-COL. CHARLES C. WEYBRECHT Lieut.-Col. Charles C. Weybrecht, of Alliance, is the junior member of the well known lumber and contracting firm, J. T. Weybrecht's Sons. The father was of an old French family and was a contractor and builder of thirty-five when he came to this country and purely by accident located at Alliance. His destination was Chicago, but he was detained at that little side station, where he met some of his fellow countrymen who informed him that his chances for employment could not be better than to stop just where he was lingering. So he did, and so have several generations after him, to their decided benefit and great satisfaction. The colonel was born in Alliance in December, 1868; was educated in the city schools and at the Ohio State University, and after he left college was in the railway mail service until 1892. He then became associated with his father and his elder brother, Benjamin F. Weybrecht, in the business which has been conducted by the brothers since the death of its founder in 1895. In 1892 Colonel Weybrecht organized Company K, Eighth Infantry, Ohio National Guard, at Alliance, and served as captain of the same until 1897. He was then elected major of the regiment, in which capacity he served in the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American war, including participation in the Santiago campaign. His command, the Third Battalion of the Eighth Ohio, was detailed as headquarters guard to Major General Shafter, and was present at the formal surrender of General Toral to that commander. In November, 1899, Major Weybrecht was elected lieutenant-colonel of the Eighth Ohio National Guard, which position he still holds. Both he and his men were said to be very popular in the army at Santiago and were known as Weybrecht's Bulldogs.