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.]
The peculiar views held by Oberlin people with regard to their relations
and duties to the government, which are commonly known as the doctrine
of the Higher Law, were but the natural outgrowth of Christian
benevolence. They saw slavery to be a great crime, and they were bold to
take a stand against it, as one of their Christian duties. From the day
that the question of the evil of slavery was brought before the country,
they hesitated not to engage in the irrepressible conflict.
Multitudes of young men from the most virtuous families of the various
States of the Union gathered into the College to educate
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