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Note: Federal Soldier in Civil War 1861-65.
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"GalionLive"
Galion, Crawford Co., Ohio
Civil War Soldiers Write Home to Galion
by GalionLive - August 19, 2011 - Life in Galion - 0 Comments
As we shared recently, in preparation for the upcoming annual Galion Historical Society Banquet centering on the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, GalionLive will be sharing a quick look at a few artifacts which will be on display that evening.
Earlier this week, members of the Society gathered around a table at the Koppe-Skinner House to closely examine items in the collection. Executive Director Amber Wertman, Board Member Mary Court, and Society volunteer Trudy Kempf took each item in turn, scanned it for condition and content, and placed it in a protective folder.
One of the highlights of the local Civil War collection which will be on display is a number of letters from Galion soldiers written home to family and friends. The letters are full of remarkable stories of bravery, details of the life of Union soldiers, views on slavery, and numerous inquiries about life back home in Ohio.
In one, a soldier relates the account of coming into a southern town yet being welcomed by waving American flags in support of the Union. In another, a tale is shared about an older southern woman who mistakenly believed that the Galion soldier is actually a member of the Confederate army, and who, when she realized her mistake, looked �seven ways to Sunday� and quickly apologized.
One of the most poignant sets of letters was written by Galionite Godfrey Frederick Pfeifer, a volunteer in the First Ohio Light Infantry. �Light� infantry units were those on horseback. Born in Germany in 1839, Pfeifer settled in Galion where he met and married Emeline Snyder.
In one letter dated December 6, 1862, Pfeifer writes to relatives in Galion from his encampment near Louisville, Kentucky. It stars out in a pleasant manner, sharing, �Dear brother-in-law and family. Hope you are well. I have been taking care of myself. The health of the battery in general is good.�
He then, however, talks about a recent visit to the soldiers� hospital located in the Louisville Blind Asylum, and relays the following:
�The hospital is full of new men that have only been in service two months. They are from Ohio, belonging to the 121st Regiment, and they are dying like the leaves of the trees in autumn.�
Pfeifer and family left Galion shortly after the war, homesteaded in Kansas, and ended up settling in the Scottsbluff, Nebraska area where he died in 1916. The Pfeifer family has a relationship with the Laughbaum family of Galion.
The Annual Banquet takes place on Tuesday, September 13, and has the theme of �Dining and Debate.� In addition to displays of Galion Civil War memorabilia, much of which will be seen in public for the very first time, members of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable will be present to share a play featuring Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis in debate. Reservations are required; to reserve your spot today � for the dinner and/or the program � call (419) 468-9338.
http://galionlive.com/2011/08/19/civil-war-soldiers-write-home-to-galion/
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