Presented by Mike Stretch, The Branding Ground,LLC

This richly illustrated presentation explores the history of Camp Dennison, from Cincinnati’s tense prewar climate and the public reaction to the firing on Fort Sumter, to Ohio’s rapid mobilization under Governor William Dennison and the founding of one of the state’s most important Civil War training camps. Using many images, maps, and illustrations, the talk covers the camp’s early struggles to house, feed, equip, train, and organize thousands of volunteer soldiers; the departure of early Ohio regiments for the Western Virginia campaigns; the expansion of the camp and construction of barracks; the creation of Dennison U.S.A. General Hospital after Shiloh; Morgan’s Raid and the later war years; the 100 Days Men of 1864; and the emotional return and mustering out of surviving volunteers in 1865. The presentation concludes with a look at Camp Dennison today and the historic landscape that still preserves the memory of this vital Civil War site.