The Civil War would be a life changing event for many that lived in Southeast Ohio. The state of Michigan was one of the larger states when it came to organizing and supplying the war effort. The first call for soldiers signing up would be in 1861.
The soldiers in the beginning would sign up on a regional basis. A prominent citizen with no other qualifications than being prominent in that area would lead the organization. The call would come from the governor and then down to a local level. Having a person with any military training to lead a troop was very rare. Political clout tended to be a major qualification for leadership. In the early years of the war the sign ups were brisk. Many people of the period believed that the war was going to last for a very short period of time. Thus the ninety day troop sign up was the first version. The experience level of the leadership would add to the awful cost of war.
The typical regiment was organized at the county seat. The individual units within the regiments would be organized from the various geographic areas within the county. In counties where population was sparse it was not uncommon for units to organize in the regiment in the next county. Once the regiment was organized they were then sent to Ft. Wayne in Detroit. I have seen exceptions though to the in county and adjacent county rule, but this typically happened later in the war.
The majority of the soldiers in Southeast Michigan would end up serving in the eastern and western portion of the south. Many units from Southeast Michigan served with distinction and many generals would come from our area.
More on the Regimental records later.
