In the late 1700s, the Ohio Country beckoned to thousands of immigrants who longed for a piece of land and the right to live by their beliefs. The trail of their migration into this promised land is the basis for the complete story of the Scotch-Irish and their contributions to Eastern Ohio.
The forging of Zane's Trace, the settlement of towns such as New Concord, Norwich, Otsego, Zanesfield, Cambridge, and Lancaster - to name a few, the building of the National Road, and the importance of the railroads play large parts in this story. Early settlers and the stamp they made on these areas are followed closely throughout the story, with special attention to pre- and post-war information. An additional historic side-trip involves the Underground Railroad stations in Eastern Ohio, as well as the people who participated in this endeavor. The author provides an excellent history of the Presbyterian Colleges in the area and their roles throughout the decades.
An unusually large number of Scotch-Irish men enlisted and fought in the Civil War. The 15th, 26th, 78th, 97th, 122nd, and 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantries were recruited largely from the Eastern Ohio enclaves of these people.
For these staunch Presbyterian Scotch-Irish soldiers, the Civil War was a war against Slavery and they set out to right the wrong, plunging into the bloodiest war in history.
Follow these deeply-committed men through the battles at Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville, The Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, seeing The War through their eyes. Poignant, and sometimes angry letters to loved ones, as well as diaries and journals kept as they sojourned far from home, will leave no doubt about their commitment to their cause.
This meticulously documented study of the Presbyterian Scotch-Irish in east central Ohio is an important and valuable resource for scholars and graduate students who are interested in the convergence of religious and ethnic currents in the Old Northwest during the middle and late antebellum years. By exploring the response of these communities to rising sectional tensions and their enthusiastic response to the Union's call to arms, Dr. Porter connects them directly to the northern "nation-building" project in a direct and exciting way.
