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Home , Millard Fillmore

• • Civil War Soldiers who became President of the United States The tore the county Americans dead. Many emerged from apart, and transformed young men from the battlefields as hardened veterans, “The Great Anniversary students, farmers, congressmen, etc. to ready to continue serving their country soldiers. Men took up arms and fought any way they could. Seven men served Festival” for the rights of their land, and the rights their country and President Lincoln in United States Independence of other human beings. Women took the battlefields, or in other positions From Philadelphia, on July 3, care of the home, and served as nurses. during the war. They used the hard 1776, wrote to his Some would go to the battlefields and earned knowledge from the battlefield to wife Abigail about the approval of care for the dying. This tumultuous time lead the once-again whole United States a resolution of independence the in our nation’s history lasted for four of America out of the 19th century and previous day. The following is an long years, and left over 700,000 into the 20th century. excerpt from that letter:

The 16th President held James Garfield, 20 “The Second Day of July 1776, the position Commander-In-Chief organized 42nd Ohio will be the most memorable throughout the Civil War. The war began Infantry as Lieutenant Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be in 1861 at the beginning of his first term, Colonel; Chief of Staff John and and ended in 1865, after his assassination under Major General celebrated, by succeeding Abigail Rosecrans; retired as generations, as the great Adams, 1766 (Mass. , 17 Major General anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Historical Military Governor of Society) Tenn., rank Brigadier Deliverance by solemn Acts of Chester Arthur, 21 Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be General, appointed by Engineer-in-Chief, rank Lincoln solemnized with Pomp and Parade, of Quartermaster General with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, in the Bonfires and Illuminations from one End Ulysses Grant, 18 Volunteers; promoted to of this Continent to the other from this West Point graduate; Brigadier General Time forward forever more. st 21 Illinois Infantry; You will think me transported with rank Colonel; rose , 23 Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well through the war to 70th Indiana Infantry aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, Lieutenant General; Regiment; rank Second that it will cost Us to maintain this General-in-Chief of the Lieutenant; retired as Declaration, and support and defend these Armies of the U.S. Brigadier General States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. Rutherford Hayes, 19 I can see that the End is more than worth Ohio 23rd Volunteers, William McKinley, 25 all the Means.” rd fought as a Colonel; Ohio 23 Volunteers; Today, we celebrate our Independence Brigadier General after rank Second Lieutenant; on the 4th of July— the day that the Cedar Creek injuries, served on staff of Colonel Continental Congress publicly announced Breveted Major General Hayes; retired as a Brevet the Declaration of Independence, not on for distinguished services Major the 2nd, when it was approved. Presidential pictures from Whitehouse.gov

Frederick Douglass’ Three of Five Founding Father The Story of “Little Trot” Garfield Presidents died on July 4th (and one 1852 Fourth of July Speech Eliza Arabella Garfield, born July 3, modern President was born) “This, for the 1860, was James and Lucretia Garfield’s purpose of this John Adams, 2nd President, and Thomas rd first child. Named after her celebration, is Jefferson, 3 President, both died on grandmothers, little Eliza was nicknamed the 4th of July. July 4,1826, the 50th anniversary of the “Little Trot” after Betsey Trotwood, a It is the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, character in Charles Dickens’ David birthday of which they had signed. Copperfield. your National Five years later, , 5th Eliza’s father, James A. Garfield, had Independence, been elected to the Ohio state senate a and of your President, passed away in New York City. Newspapers remarked that it was an year before she was born, and enlisted in political the Union Army a month after her first interesting coincidence to have three former freedom… it birthday. While her father was away she caries your presidents die on the same day. lived with her mother in Hiram, Ohio. th minds back to The 30 President, , was Her father would always make sure to the day, and the born on July 4, 1872, the only president (so add little notes to her in his letters to her act of your Frederick Douglass (1818- far) to be born on Independence Day. mother. He made sure to keep up with great 1895) was born a slave in everything in her life, while he was away. deliverance.” , and escaped to Millard Fillmore and his One letter, written to her mother from

freedom in New York Union Continentals Winchester, Frederick while in his twenties. He When the Civil War broke out in Tennessee, dated Douglass was a great orator, and 1861, former President Millard Fillmore August 1, 1863 delivered a fought for the end of (1800-1874) was supportive of the slavery and for equal included: fiery speech on Union and helped his hometown of citizenship. (nps.gov) July 5, 1852, Buffalo, New York to organize “Dear little Trot, how commemorating the signing of the enlistments and financing drives to much I long to see the Declaration of Independence 76 years support the soldiers. little cog[g]er! Kiss earlier. The speech was given to an Fillmore also became the new Captain her for me and tell her audience of New York abolitionists in of the Buffalo City the ‘webbels haven’t Rochester. In his speech, Douglass hurt papa yet.’ ” Guards, when the lauded the founding fathers and those A portrait of Little young men in the Sadly. little Eliza fell Trot hangs next to who fought for freedom from tyranny first guard enlisted. ill with diphtheria and her parents bed in and oppression. Still, he reminded the Fillmore’s guard passed away in the the Winter Bedroom audience that there were millions in was comprised of evening of December at James A. bondage who had not yet achieved the retired military 1, 1863, her father and Garfield NHS. freedoms that were being celebrated on officers who called mother by her side. that day. themselves the She was buried in Hiram, Ohio, with her “Union gravestone reading “Our Little Girl.” “...Fellow-citizens; above your national, Continentals.” They tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful performed drills in wail of millions! whose chains, heavy the city and trained and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, to defend Buffalo rendered more intolerable by the jubilee from a Confederate shouts that reach them...” attack. In 1865, the

Douglass’ speech was an exposition of Union Continentals how far the country had come in its also guarded Former President, Captain Millard relatively short life, and how far it had to Lincoln’s funeral train while it went Fillmore, taken 1862. go to be a truly ‘free’ county. (Buffalo Historical through Buffalo. Society) “Allow me to say, in conclusion, not- Millard Fillmore withstanding the dark picture I have this supported the Union, but many people day presented of the state of the nation, were angry with his positions in regard to I do not despair of this country. … I, President Johnson’s Reconstruction therefore, leave off where I began, with policies, and the hope.” (which included the Fugitive Slave Act).