At Home
During the Civil War years, patriotism and support for the troops ran strong in Wooster. Local papers followed the movements of Ohio regiments and the Wooster Republican published letters sent home from Wayne County soldiers. At times, even the Wayne County Democrat, which was never shy in displaying its opposition to the war, chose to put patriotism first. When praising the deeds of two returning officers, the paper guessed that they “must have felt proud of men of both parties welcoming them home, and doing honor to them as soldiers of the Republic. More unity of this kind…would work miracles in the cause of the country…where the prosperity of all the people is contingent upon the unity of the country.”1 However, political strife did eventually strike Wooster when the sensitive subjects of Lincoln’s 1864 re-election and the draft created tension between the Democrats and Republicans of the city.
Civilians in Wooster did their part to contribute to the war effort. Many women of the city who had loved ones serving on the front lines banded together to form the Wooster Soldier Aid Society. The Society was led by Emeline Stibbs, whose home on East Bowman Street became a center of military relief efforts. The women of the group lined the inside of uniforms for winter use and sent supplies to soldiers from Wayne County. Emeline and her husband Reasin Beall Stibbs had four sons who fought in the war. The youngest, Joseph, died in 1866 from wounds he had received at the Battle of Shiloh. Another son, John, was made Brigadier General in the 12th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He later served on the Andersonville Commission, which tried and hanged Captain Henry Wirz, the commander of Andersonville Prison, for war crimes he committed while running the camp.2
“But my dear son, I would rather you both be where you are, yes, I would rather your lifeless bodies be left on the battlefield fallen in defense of your country than to have you at home talking treason, and sympathizing with these southern traitors. My blood boils when I think that there should even be one man, willing to see our country divided, and her flag, torn, and trampled in the dust.”
-Emeline Stibbs to her son John, off fighting in the war. February 23, 1863.
1 “Reception of Capts. McClure and Van Dorn,” Wayne County Democrat, April 30, 1863.
2 Paul Locher, “Re-enactors Relish in 'Living the Experience' of the Blue and Gray,” The Daily Record, May 8, 2011.
Articles like this one describing a festival held by the Soldiers Aid Society were a common sight in Wooster's Civil War era papers, as women in Wooster worked to support the war effort on the homefront.
The home of Emeline Stibbs on East Bowman Street (now part of the Wayne County Historical Society) acted as a meeting place for women of the Soldiers Aid Society during the war.