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Daniel Arthur Rudd was born into slavery on August 7, 1854, in Bardstown, Kentucky. He became a newspaperman, lecturer, publicist, and tireless advocate for the Roman Catholic Church. After the Civil War Rudd moved to Springfield. Baptized and raised in Catholicism, he joined St. Raphael Parish, where the philosophy of racial equality offered by the church solidified his vision of justice. By 1885 he had established his own weekly newspaper, The Ohio State Tribune. He rebranded it The American Catholic Tribune (ACT) after moving to Cincinnati. Rudd claimed ACT was the only Catholic newspaper owned by an African American. At the height of its popularity in 1892, the publication had a circulation of 10,000. In 1893 Rudd was asked to chair the Afro-American Press Association, representing more than 200 black-owned newspapers.
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The American Civil War was in its second year, and Confederate forces were advancing in the east and in the west. Confederates led by General Edward Kirby Smith had defeated a Union Force at Richmond, Kentucky on August 30, 1862. Word was received that they were advancing on Cincinnati. Ohio Governor David Tod issued a proclamation to all Ohioans: “Our Southern border is threatened with invasion. I therefore recommend that all the loyal men of your Counties at once form themselves into military companies. Gather up all the arms in the county and furnish yourselves with ammunition for the same. The service will be but for a few days. The soil of Ohio must not be invaded by the enemies of our glorious government.” (continued on other side)
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Adna R. Chaffee was born in Orwell on April 14, 1842, and grew up on the family farm. He left home in 1861 to pursue a career in the military, enlisting first in the 6th U.S. Cavalry for service in the Civil War. Distinguishing himself in many battles, including Gettysburg, Chaffee rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He then fought in the Indian Wars of the West from 1867-1888, assisting in the capture of Geronimo and being promoted to the rank of Major. He also saw action in the Spanish American War, the Boxer Rebellion in China, and the Philippine Insurrection. On January 9, 1904, Chaffee was promoted to Lt. General and became Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, the first to achieve this office without attending West Point. He retired in 1906. He died in 1914 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with the highest military honors.
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William J. Knight (1837-1916) was born in Wayne County, Ohio and raised by his grandparents, Jacob and Martha Knight, near Farmer, Ohio. After the outbreak of the Civil War, William enlisted in Company E, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On April 12, 1862, the twenty-five year-old Knight participated in “Andrews Raid” as an engineer. Led by James J. Andrews, the raiders stole the locomotive “General” at Big Shanty, Georgia, planning to cut telegraph lines and destroy railroad bridges and tracks as they headed north between Atlanta and Chattanooga. Above Ringgold, Georgia, the raiders were captured. Eight were executed. Knight and seven others escaped from an Atlanta jail on October 16, 1862 and made it to Federal lines. Six raiders were exchanged in 1863 (Continued on other side)
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In 1926, Ohio Governor Alvin Donahey approved setting aside 55 acres of the Roosevelt Game Refuge for a Boy Scout camp. Since that time Camp Oyo has served Boy Scouts and other groups from Ohio and Kentucky. The name ‘Oyo’ is from an Iroquois word meaning “great water or principal river.” During the peak of the Great Depression in 1933, local Scout executive Harry Wagner approached the Civil Works Administration for assistance in building eight log structures. These improvements encouraged year around camping, earning Camp Oyo the distinction as one of the nation’s foremost Boy Scout camps. (Continued on other side)
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General John Hunt Morgan led a force of 2,000 Confederate cavalrymen into Meigs County during a raid north of the Ohio River. More than 50,000 Union troops and mlitia had been in pursuit of Morgan across Ohio. Near this site on July 18, 1863, Holliday Hysell and Dr. William N. Hudson were shot and killed by Confederate soldiers. These were the only civilians killed in Meigs County during Morgan’s Raid. After suffering losses at Buffington Island, Morgan surrendered eight days later near West Point in Columbiana County. The surrender field was the northernmost point reached by Confederate forces during the Civil War.
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Located 100 yards southeast of this marker is the boyhood home of Major General Charles Griffin. Born in 1825, he graduated from West Point in 1847 and rose to prominence during the Civil War. Griffin fought in most of the major engagements of the war’s eastern theater, including the first battle of Bull Run, the Seven Days battles, and the Wilderness campaign. While under his command, units from the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac blocked the Confederate retreat at Appomattox, compelling surrender. In recognition of Griffin’s service, General U.S. Grant designated him a “Surrender Commissioner” in charge of the capitulation of the rebel army. During Reconstruction, Griffin became the military governor of Texas and Louisiana, and was a vigorous advocate of the civil rights of newly freed slaves. He died during a yellow fever epidemic in Galveston, Texas in 1867.
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The following notice appeared in the Marysville Tribune newspaper, February 5, 1873: To Arms! To Arms! The Monument Association of Union Township propose holding a Fair and Festival in Milford Centre on Feb 20 and 21…the proceeds to be applied to the fund already raised to erect a Monument in memory of the fallen heroes of Union Tp. Said Monument to be unveiled on the 30th of May, 1873. It is desired that every citizen have an opportunity to contribute something in aid of such a worthy object. It is therefore hoped that every person, male and female, will send in their donations of such articles as they may have to lay upon the alter of our departed Heroes. Bring Wheat, Corn, fancy work, mitts, Hoods, articles for children, anything, to the value of a horse…. On May 30, 2003—130 years later—the Monument Association of Union Township rededicated the refurbished monument.
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