7th OVI
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2009
- Messages
- 656
The 7th Ohio would return to Cleveland to muster out on Sunday, June 26th, 1864, via a special train that traveled direct from Cincinnati. Ohio to Cleveland. Governor Brough had addressed the regiment upon arrival, the governor called them “Ohio’s Spartans” and closed the speech with this “no regiment has returned to the bosom of the state, and none remains to come after it that will bring back a more glorious record than the gallant old Seventh”. After returning at the railroad depot, the regiment was formed and then most of the regiment was allowed to go home while documents were prepared for their mustering out of Federal service. The regiment would reassemble over 2 days at the depot and those who were allowed to go home until the final mustering out. The 7th Ohio was mustered out from July 6th to July 8th of 1864 completing their term of volunteer service. This diorama depicts a group of 7th Ohio veterans at home after arriving in Cleveland for the mustering out process. Among the figures in the diorama are both mustering out soldiers and at least 1 veteran missing the lower portion of his right leg as well as friends and family of current and past members of the regiment. The woman in the house standing in the blue dress with bonnet is supposed to represent the former Eleaner L. Quirk. Eleanor married William R. Crieghton (image attached) on May 2nd, 1861. William was a printer and editor at the Cleveland Herald newspaper and would eventually become colonel of the 7th Ohio on March 23rd, 1862. During the winter of 1862, Eleanor fell seriously ill. Col. Crieghton requested a furlough to tend to his wife which was denied. He then tendered his resignation to go home and tend to his wife which was denied as a part of the “stop gap” process so he had to remain in the field. Eleanor would recover but Col. Creighton was later killed in action at the battle of Ringgold on November 27th, 1863. Eleanor continued to support members of the 7th Ohio including participating in veteran activities until the end of the war and beyond. Over the 3 years of service of the 7th Ohio, 1,315 men would be listed as members of the regiment. Of those 1,315 men, only 295 remained to be mustered out from July 6th to July 8th. Out of the 295 who mustered out 79 reentered the volunteer service to fight in other Ohio regiments. As a side note, 863 members of the 7th Ohio were either killed, wounded or captured over their 3 years of volunteer service. Thx Chris
