Happy Halloween

The Halloween as we know it today has evolved over centuries into a autumn holiday full of costumes and candy.  But was it celebrated in the 1860's ?   Halloween in the United States is a combination of All Saints Day, Guy Fawkes Day and the celebration of the fall harvest.
 In 1836 references to the holiday are found in a copy of Godeys.  The Peoria Morning Mail, on November 2, 1862 reported, "All-Hallow E'en [sic] This old time anniversary which took place on Friday evening was made the excuse by some of our wild boys for throwing unsavory missiles, putrid vegetables; taking gates off of the hinges, and sundry other pranks. This was probably ‘good fun' to the boys, but for those thus attacked it was not so desirable. This is the way a ‘very quiet' night was spen.  The end of season harvest of crops was the reason for a fall celebration.
The holiday become more popular and as the 19th century progressed more references in print are found.  Dressing up in costumes did not become popular unitil the late 19th century and Halloween wasn't an officiL holiday until 1921.
I'm sure the boys in blue and gray did not throw Halloween parties but may have indulged in a little fun with pranks and maybe sharing their cultures with story and song.

NE Ohio and the Civil War

I live in northeast Ohio up along the southern shore of Lake Erie far removed you would think, from the conflict of civil war.  But in the 1860's, Ohio was a free state, having been designated that by the legislation known as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and the Ohio constitution of 1803.  Located across the Ohio River form the slave states of Kentucky and Virginia, Ohio drew runaway slaves seeking their escape to freedom.   Northern Ohio had been settled largely by New Englanders of Puritan roots who were not unprejudiced but strong followers of the freedoms set down by the Declaration of Independence.  Many secretly and many overtly helped the cause of runaway slaves hiding them, feeding them and even at times sending them across the lake to escape to Canada.
So it was natural that when President Lincoln's call for volunteers to protect the capital city went out, Ohioans responded.  Edwin Cowles called out " men of Ohio, the flag of our country has been torn down from it's standard and left to trail in the dust beneath the banner of a rebellious host...Ohio must be in the vanguard of the battle ."   Military training camps were set up to house and train the troops. They arrived from Painesville, Mansfield, Ashtabula and Sandusky.  230 regiments and more than 300,000 troops served the Union from the state of Ohio