The resolution read: “Resolved that all slave holding is a sin against God and should be properly classed with drunkenness, murder, theft and adultery, and that God’s people are at all times justified in refusing fellowship with a slave holder.”

Bold words. Helping a slave escape was illegal. Those convicted were subject to a $3,000 fine and two years of penal servitude. Nevertheless, the men and women of the First Congregational Church of Oregon Township passed that resolution on November 12, 1860. While it falls short of urging illegal action, the congregation, under the leadership of Rev. Ezra Howland, became a spur on the Underground Railroad for runaways who missed the boat moored at Sandusky, the main rendezvous point on the way to Canada.

Jeff and Debbie Eversman will conduct the Civil War Walk. (Press photo by Ken Grosjean)

 
The men so believed in their mission that when war broke out, all male members with the exception of the elderly pastor, enlisted in the Union Army, said Jeff Eversman, president of the Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society.
 
Eversman rediscovered the little-known resolution while researching letters Horace and Orange Howland wrote to their father, Ezra. The letters are housed at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. The research was in preparation for upcoming event—A Civil War Tribute Walk to be held Saturday, September 10 from 1 to 5 p.m. at North Oregon Cemetery on Otter Creek Road. The event is the historical society’s first major event to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
 
The walk will feature costumed re-enactors who will speak about the lives of 13 important local figures of that time. There will also be a special service to commemorate the Underground Railroad, a sharpshooter demonstration and the firing of a cannon on the half hour by the re-enactors of Battery H 1st Ohio Light Artillery.
 
Battery H, a unit comprised mostly of men from Toledo, was the subject of the famous Gilbert Gaul painting honoring the unit’s stand at Cold Harbor. The painting is housed at Brandville School, the site of the historical society’s museum.
 
Oregon pioneers who will be portrayed include Josephine Fassett, long-time teacher and author; Jeremiah Clay, namesake of Clay High School; William “Skeleton” Nixon, Captain of Company D of the 67th Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Jane (Miller) Denman, daughter of Major Luke Miller, a confidant of General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and Isaac Keller, a veteran of Company B, 21st Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
 
The re-enactors will provide a glimpse into the challenges these men and women faced both in the war and in settling this area of the Great Black Swamp.
 
To give you an idea of what some of these soldiers and pioneers endured, here’s a first-hand account by Isaac Keller, which was most recently published in the book The Civil War and East Toledo written by Eversman and Larry Michaels:
 
“I was first wounded in the ankle at the battle of Chickamauga, Ga. and left eight days on the battlefield without care, and nearly starved to death, our only subsistence (sic) being green corn from a nearby field. There were 14 of us quartered in the old Snodgrass log house on the battlefield where 6 of those wounded died. The rest of us were taken prisoner and finally paroled and sent through by ambulance to our lines where we were taken care of as human beings.”
 
Keller recovered, fought in the battle of Jonesboro, was hit by shell fragments and had his leg amputated.
 
Eversman also uncovered a poster created by Horace Howland who was recruiting volunteers for the Lincoln Regiment which was to join General George McClellan’s Army in Washington. Howland sought 50 men who could furnish their own horses. They were promised 40 cents a day for use of each horse, and if the horse was killed in combat, they would receive the appraised value from the government.
 
If you’ve seen documentaries about the Civil War, you were probably amazed by the courage of these young men who marched shoulder to shoulder in formation straight into enemy fire. Eversman said there were a couple of reasons for that other than their courage. Most units were comprised of men who were related or who grew up together. The familiarity acted as a deterrent for those whose first inclination was to flee. Then, there was the practice of placing a rifleman behind the lines to shoot those who refused to go forward. That’s the reality of war.
 
The tribute walk will also feature a Civil War encampment, food, bake sale and gift tent. Admission is $2.

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