The history of Company C, Seventh Regiment, O.V.I   By: Theodore Wilder

In general, geographical references, spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization have been retained as in the original publication.

Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.

Significant typographical errors have been corrected. A full list of these corrections is available in the Transcriber's Corrections section at the end of the book.

THE HISTORY

OF

COMPANY C,

SEVENTH REGIMENT, O. V. I.,

BY

THEODORE WILDER.

OBERLIN: J. B. T. MARSH, PRINTER, "News Office." 1866.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866,

By THEODORE WILDER,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Northern District of Ohio.

TO ALL WHOSE NAMES APPEAR ON THE COMPANY ROLL THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.

PREFACE.

This sketch and record were written at the suggestion and by the request of the surviving members of the Company. It was their desire to have a brief story of their marches, battles and sieges, and, especially, an accurate record of each member, to preserve for reference in future years. If this little publication will serve that purpose, the object of the author is fully accomplished. There has been no design on his part to entertain the public with a detailed and verbose account of patriotic deeds and severe hardships, above what many others may have endured who have taken part in the War of the Rebellion. Therefore, those who may chance to meet with a copy of this work, expecting to be entertained, will probably be disappointed.

As the value of such a work as this, depends entirely upon its accuracy, great pains have been taken to avoid all mistakes. The author has had access to diaries and journals kept by the members, and official returns of the commanding officer, and is thus able to give the numerous dates and facts with a good degree of correctness: and though there may be errors, yet it is believed that very few occur.

T. W.

Oberlin, Ohio, Feb. 14, 1866.

HISTORY OF COMPANY C.

The History of Company C is properly connected with the history of Oberlin College, the Alma Mater of its organization. The majority of its members were proud to be known as the exponents of the generous, Christian principles, there so fearlessly uttered and so zealously inculcated. The founders of Oberlin were pledged to the general law of benevolence. All known forms of virtue were cheerfully adopted. Every system of wrong was deprecated.

Patriotism and the doctrine of Anti Slavery very naturally found a place in the category of their principles. They seemed to be men, "clothed and in their right mind," possessing at least the ordinary balance of moral character, without any design to establish an institution for the purpose of waging war against any particular system of iniquity to the exclusion of all the others. Missionary associations, temperance and anti slavery societies, in short, all organizations designed to aid in improving and saving their fellow men, found fearless advocates in them. Under the stimulus of such principles they left their pleasant homes in New England for residences in an unfavorable place in a forest of Northern Ohio, to found a college that might prove a blessing to the broad West.

[Sidenote: Oberlin College.]