| Warren County
Local History by Dallas Bogan |
| Contributor: |
Dallas Bogan on 4 September 2004 |
Source: |
original article by Dallas Bogan |
| Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan |
The Miami Valley is so rich in history that one can almost sense the degree
of importance within its confines. The capsule of time has been so well preserved
that, with a little digging, subject matters of all kinds seem to appear as
if by magic. One of these grand subjects is that of Daytonian Clement
L. Vallandigham, famed for his Copperhead and abolitionist role during the
Civil War period of 1861-1865.
The Vallandigham family can be traced back to the Huguenots, on the paternal
side, and to the Scotch-Irish on the maternal side. The ancestors of Clement
L. Vallandigham arrived in Stafford Co., Va., in 1690; spelling of
the family name was at this time "Van Lendeghem."
A son, who had become a landholder in Fairfax County, changed the family name
to the present.
Clement's father, Clement, Sr., was born in Allegheny Co.,
Pa., and was an old school Presbyterian clergyman. He emigrated in 1807 to Ohio,
making New Lisbon, Columbiana Co., his home.
The elder Clement became pastor of a struggling church of his faith, preaching
until a permanent house of worship could be provided. His salary lacked monetarily
to support his family, a wife and four sons, and so he established a classical
school in his own home.
Of his four sons, only Clement Jr. gained national fame. He
was a mere infant when his father settled in New Lisbon. Here he grew to school
age, and then as a young man he attended Jefferson College at Canonsburg, Pa.,
where he graduated.
He was admitted to the bar and embarked upon the vocation of law at New Lisbon.
In those days law and politics went hand-in- hand, and in just a short time
Vallandigham ran for and was elected to a seat in the Ohio
Legislature from Columbiana County.
He was the youngest member of the House and quickly became the leader of the
Democratic Party. His singular vote cast against the repeal of the "Black
Laws" tended to submit this question to popular vote.
This act was his first stand against the slavery controversy. His rebellious
attitude was indeed out of place and it brought forth a public outcry unheard
of in early Ohio.
Vallandigham escaped the violent controversy and moved to
Dayton, Ohio in 1847, and for years resided in a house on the west side of Ludlow
St., near Monument Ave.
He purchased a portion of the old newspaper the "Western Empire,"
assumed the editorship and, at the same time, continued the law profession.
In his address to the public concerning his newspaper enterprise he said: "We
will support the constitution of the United States in its whole integrity, protect
and defend the union, maintain the doctrine of strict construction and stand
fast to the doctrine of state rights."
He failed in his editorship of the newspaper. His own views of slavery stood
out like a sore thumb, and, in a location that was noticeably unfavorable to
abolition, his perspective became timeworn. His love of politics took precedence
over the newspaper business.
He sought the Democratic nomination for Ohio Lieutenant Governor in 1852,
but was soundly defeated by William Medill.
He was nominated four years later from this district of Congress. His competitor
was Col. Lewis D. Campbell, known as "The Butler County
Pony."
Campbell was proclaimed the winner, but Vallandigham
contested the outcome and was declared the victor. He continued in this capacity
until March 1863, having been defeated for reelection the previous year by Gen.
Robert C. Schenck, of Franklin.
Vallandigham's service in Congress was seen as most qualified,
however, notice was circulated that he was a bitter opponent of the War of the
Rebellion.
He returned to Dayton and continued his speechmaking, his rhetoric consisting
of strict abolitionist views.
He instantly became a blustery, flighty sort of person, with the eyes of the
nation focused upon him. The Union leaders were at a loss as how to end the
war, let alone win it, and Vallandigham certainly didn't help
the cause.
He was stirring up President Lincoln with his stand on suspension
of the war at any expense, and was considered a thorn in the side of the President.
President Lincoln appointed General Ambrose Burnside
commander of the military department of Ohio. The General had heard of Vallandigham
and his anti-war tactics, and on April 13, 1864, he issued General Order No.
38, which read:
"All persons within our lines who commit acts for the benefit of the enemies
of our country will be tried as spies or traitors, and if convicted will suffer
death. The habit of declaring sympathy for the enemy will not be allowed in
this department. Persons committing such offenses will be at once arrested,
with a view to being tried as above stated or sent beyond our lines into the
lines of their friends. It must be distinctly stated that treason expressed
or implied will not be tolerated in this department."
Vallandigham was highly provoked and publicly denounced the
order. He felt he had the constitutional right to discuss the policy of the
administration in the treatment of the war.
In retaliation, he announced that he would speak at Mt. Vernon on Friday, May
10. His delivery was opened with an illusion to the American flag flying above
his head. He declared that "that was the flag of the constitution; it has
been rendered sacred by Democratic presidents."
In his speech he stated that the Union could have been saved if his proposals
had been adopted. His claim was that he was "a freeman" and did not
ask Governor Tod, Abraham Lincoln or Ambrose
E. Burnside for his right to speak. His statement was: "My right
to speak and my authority for so doing is higher than General Order No. 38 -
my authority is General Order No. 1 - the Constitution."
On the following Monday morning Gen. Burnside got wind of
the Mt. Vernon calamity and immediately dispatched a company of the 115th Ohio,
under the command of Captain Hutton, by special train to Dayton.
Orders were issued to arrest Vallandigham and take him to Cincinnati,
the mandate being carried out that night.
News traveled quickly and Dayton was turned upside down. Threats and counter-threats,
street brawls, and other acts of violence, all determined to charge the atmosphere
with tenseness as no other occasion had ever done in the quiet town.
On Main Street small groups gathered, each expressing their opinion. Hatred
reigned among neighbors, especially from Vallandigham's followers.
Darkness fell and the cries of Fire! Fire! Fire! Rang out. Both friend and foe
quickly scurried down town to see "The Journal," a Republican newspaper,
in flames. This paper had fostered the cause of abolition and it had made a
statement in Vallandigham's favor.
Questions arose as to how or who had set the fire. State guards stepped in and
promptly scattered the unruly mob in front of the burning newspaper plant. (To
be continued.)
Vallandigham was arraigned
before a court presided over by Gen. R.B. Potter. He was found
guilty and was sentenced to close confinement during the remainder of the war,
place of imprisonment, Fort Warren in Boston Harbor.
President Lincoln intervened and altered the plans. His decision
was to transfer the prisoner through the Union lines into Confederate territory.
Vallandigham was not to return to the northern states or the
original sentence of imprisonment was to be imposed.
About 10 o'clock, on Sunday night of May 24, a special train transporting a
detachment of the 13th Regular Infantry slipped into Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
delivering a prisoner from the North.
Col. McKibben was placed in charge of the prisoner and quickly
detailed a special guard to surround the transportation vehicle, a light spring
wagon. The prisoner was placed beside the General and all started for the Confederate
lines. Reaching the outposts, McKibben displayed a flag of
truce. Within an hour the flag was returned, with Col. Webb
of the 51st Alabama expressing his desire to receive the prisoner. Here Vallandigham
was kept overnight, and later was conducted across the line and into the Confederate
camp.
Gen. Rosecrans was the only one who knew of the prisoner's
release to the Confederacy. Secrecy was maintained to a level that the thousands
of Union soldiers knew nothing of the plot, and, if so, vengeance would have
been theirs.
Vallandigham was to report to Gen. Bragg,
whose army was stationed at Shelbyville, Tennessee. Our subject spent a week
in seclusion, and was afterward directed to report on parole to Gen.
Whiting at Wilmington, N.C. It seemed that the Confederate brass wanted
no part of the Ohioan.
From this post, on June 17th, Vallandigham
took a blockade-runner for Nassau. He was now under the British flag and lost
no time in boarding a steamer for Canada.
In the same month the Ohio Democratic convention met in Columbus and nominated
Vallandigham for Governor. His banishment from his home country
was strongly condemned, and an appeal was forwarded to President Lincoln
asking that his release from exile be given.
The President refused this request. And so, Vallandigham remained
in exile in Canada, which resulted in the most unusual race for Governor in
the history of Ohio.
The Democratic Party was not exactly endorsing the abolitionist candidate; nevertheless,
a date was set for the convention.
Immense processions, including men and women on horseback and in wagons, crowded
the streets. Many walked to the proceedings. Bands were playing and flags were
flying. Democratic delegations arrived in Dayton from every portion of the State.
Transportation and housing facilities were especially scarce at the time.
Introductions went swiftly and the Radicals soon turned the meeting into a quandary.
Hugh Jewett, from Muskingum, was placed in nomination before
that of Vallandigham. But a delegate from that county rose
and declared that his friends from that county were for the Daytonian.
Jewett controlled only a hand full of delegates, and so within
a few moments, Vallandigham, "The Man in Exile,"
or "The Man Without a Country," had been unanimously acclaimed the
Democratic Party's candidate for governor.
Through all these happenings Vallandigham still resided in
Canada. An agreement was reached with his political accomplices, not the U.S.
Government, that he would enter the country and make a speech at Lima.
However, with much discussion from the party, the Democratic candidate was disallowed
access because of possible repercussions. Such a move would predictably bring
riots and bloodshed throughout the State.
(Vallandigham had previously disguised himself and illegally
crossed the border to Detroit in 1864, where he boarded a sleeping car, traveled
to Hamilton, Oh., and appeared at a Democratic convention. Here he was chosen
as a delegate to the national convention in Chicago.)
Vallandigham's opponent for governor was John Brough.
And so, the hottest and most unusual political race in Ohio up to that time
had begun.
The torchlight processions, the glee clubs, and many other organizations, all
marched up and down the State saluting "The Man in Exile." As they
marched they sang: "We'll rally 'round the flag, boys," shouting "Vallandigham
and Freedom."
Most particularly in northwestern Ohio, the Democratic meetings were stimulating.
It is estimated that 1000 men and women on horseback were all using their visibility
to increase sentiment for their candidate. Excitement ran so high in many small
towns that most businesses and social relations ceased between Democrats and
Republicans. Fights and knockdowns were a continuous event.
During the heated governor's debate, the long, hard fought war between the North
and South was coming to an end. The surviving soldiers from both sides were
worn and weary, and nothing interested them more than traveling to their homes.
The states would become united again. The political Radicals saw these happenings
and the Conservatives embraced their advantage.
Union soldier's absentee votes poured into the State of Ohio by the thousands.
John Brough was elected governor, and the following year the
war came to an end.
Vallandigham returned to
Dayton and resumed the practice of law. He never fully recovered his old strength
and drive in his work following his days of exile. He adjusted somewhat and
went about his law business as though nothing had ever happened.
A man named McGehan to defend him in a murder trial at Lebanon
engaged him, in 1871. McGehan, a well-to-do man, was accused
of having slain a man named Myers.
The trial began at Lebanon June 6, 1871, Judge
Leroy Pope presiding. Never before was seen in the Lebanon
courthouse so great an array of legal talent.
The case had been in progress for several days. Following an afternoon court
session, Vallandigham was in conversation with Gov.
McBurney in the Governor's room at the old Lebanon House, now the Golden
Lamb.
Vallandigham was demonstrating with a pistol how it might have
been possible for Myers to have shot himself. As he proceeded
to perform the theory that he proposed to use in his defense of McGehan,
Vallandigham, not knowing the gun was loaded, placed the pistol
against his side. Instantly there was a loud report. The onetime abolitionist
instantly sank to the floor at Gov. McBurney's feet. The ball
had entered the right side of the abdomen, passing between the ribs and lodging
in a critical spot.
The wounded man retained his cheerfulness and seemed determined not to die.
After three o'clock in the afternoon he suffered much, but not a groan or complaint
escaped him. At 9:45 the next morning he was dead, at age 53. Three days later
he was buried, and never before had so vast a multitude assembled at a funeral
in Dayton. On the coffin plate was the inscription:
Clement Laird Vallandigham
Born July 29th, 1820
Died June 17, 1871.
[24 Apr 2007: year of death corrected from 1874]
And so passed the life of Ohio's most controversial resident and spectacular politician.
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This page created 4 September 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik
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