We got away before they could catch us... we crossed the line into Ohio.
When you're on the run, the only pictures one can get is through dirty windows... it does say Ohio. We made it to the hide out. The KOA campground was pretty wooded with trees.
For those that have never seen one... this is a buckeye. The buckeye is similar to the chestnut, the big difference between the two, the chestnut can be roasted (over an open fire) and eaten, the buckeye is poisonous to humanoids.
Carol and I normally prefer Journey KOAs, this one was a Holiday. There are three classes of KOA campgrounds: Journey, Holiday, and Resort, of course there is price differences between the classes, Journey is the least expensive.
Journeys are usually located close to freeways and highways for easy access, and designed for short stays. The Holidays have a few amenities like a pool and miniature golf. This campground had a couple of other amenities we have not seen recently.
This campground also has the miniature golf, pedal carts, and pool. For an expense visitors can go mining.
Depending on the bag of dirt one buys in the camp store, they will pan for arrowheads, or pretty rocks.
Our primary reasons for visiting Ohio were to visit friends, and stop at Doghouse Brewing. Sometimes it's amusing how plans come together... we met with our friend at Doghouse for dinner.
Brewing company.
Friend.
Lego Brewery
What is fascinating about this brewery, is their hotel.
https://www.reservations.com/hotel/doghouse-hotel-and-brewery-canal-winchester-oh
The hotel is not a big one, but has some fun amenities for the price. There are four rooms that overlook the staging floor.
Those eight windows at the far end of the bottom photo, are the four rooms that look onto the floor. Those rooms are special rooms that have beer tapped to the room, and a beer fridge next to the shower. The dinner and company were great.
The next day we took a drive into Lancaster Ohio, home of several museum homes, one being the Sherman House. I am going to just highlight the museum, there is huge amounts of information. (https://www.shermanhouse.org).
In 1795 the Native American tribes relinquished their lands in the Ohio Territory as the result of the Treaty of Greenville. The following year a gentleman (Ebenezer Zane) petitioned Congress to create a trail, or trace, as it was called, between Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) and Maysville, Kentucky. As payment he claimed three sites along the trace, one of which was Lancaster. Completed in 1797, the trace, called Zane's Trace, opened up the territory and Lancaster to settlement and trade.
Lancaster grew rapidly and became the county seat. The Sherman family arrived in 1811. In nine years the town had two churches, two newspapers, over 200 homes, 12 stores, two tin smiths, a spinning wheel repairman, and approximately 1,000 residents.
The town drew a prominent close-knit group of lawyers. Three of these people: Philemon Beecher, Charles Sherman, and Thomas Ewing. Beecher was the center of the circle.
Now we step into the 1816 addition.
Part of the bedrooms, over the old portion of the house, were left intact, the others turned into display areas, packed with valuable information about the Sherman family.
You may have noticed that there were no closets in either bedroom, the few clothes they had were hung on pegs. How many of you folks reading this could survive with maybe two shirts and a pair of pants, or three dresses?
That completes the tour of the living spaces, now we move to the museum portion. Small room, lots of information. Where do I begin?
From the 11 children that Judge and Mrs. Sherman had, three stories stand out strong, those sons were Thomas, John, and William.
Thomas Sherman didn't take the road that his father had desired, he became an ordained minister, instead of a military officer. However, he was a chaplain during the Spanish American War, and in a New York National Guard field artillery unit.
John Sherman was an influential politician, representing Ohio during the Civil War, and through the 1890s. John filled the Ohio Senate seat vacated when Lincoln appointed Salmon P. Chase as Secretary of Treasury. He sat both houses in Congress, served as Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of State. On the Republican ticket he was a presidential nominee, but never chosen, and author of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Act was designed to prevent monopolies, and is still in affect.
William Tecumseh Sherman. Let's start with the name. The name "Tecumseh" comes from a great Shawnee Indian chief, who was an excellent field commander. Tecumseh united American Indian tribes.
A little known fact learned: William T. did not get to West Point on his own families merits, it was actually because of Thomas Ewing. Here is how it happened. Charles Sherman, William's father, unexpectedly died leaving Mary with the children. Thomas Ewing and his wife volunteered to take William in, and care for him. Because both families were friends, the move was not that emotional. Both families lived on the same block, and the children played in the vacant lot between the houses.
William went on to West Point, and did well in his classes, finishing six of forty-two. Apparently he could have finished higher, except for demerits he received for illegally cooking hash in his dorm room. He did develop a reputation for cooking hash, and was given the title of "the best hash maker at West Point". After graduating in 1840, he decided to stay in the Army due to an appreciation for the sense of order and belonging. The next thirteen years found him stationed in Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, California, Missouri, Kansas, and Louisiana.
After resigning his commission in 1853, he became a banker for a St. Louis banking firm, and was sent to San Francisco to open a branch. He worked out of temporary quarters while the new three-story building was being constructed, and in the summer of 1854 move into the new establishment. Unfortunately in 1855 there was a financial crisis that took its toll on banks. Because his management prowess, his branch remained open until 1857, when the firm closed the branch.
By 1861 William T. was in Louisiana employed as the first superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, now known as Louisiana State University (LSU). With the election of Lincoln, William saw the writing on the wall, and resigned from the institution. He sent a letter to the governor, and I'm paraphrasing, if Louisiana chooses to align with the south, I will align with the north as long as there is a shred of the constitution existing.
He and his brother Senator John meet with President Lincoln to express their concerns, apparently Lincoln did not appear troubled about the states secessionists, and because of that, William could not secure a position in the War Department. Not able procure a position, he moved his family to St. Louis Missouri, where he took a job as the president of the Fifth Street Railroad.
It didn't take long for things to change. Later in 1861 the Confederates fired on Ft. Sumter... Civil War had begun. With that William was appointed Colonel of the Thirteenth Regular Infantry. After his appointment he sent his family back home to Lancaster Ohio.
General Sherman was the type of leader that chose to be close to his men, and this replica of his living space in the field is an indicator.
Everything in his tent could be folded up and easily loaded onto a wagon. The artist he was, he designed the flag that was used at his headquarters.
This flag was designed in 1864, when he was put in command of all Union military operations in the Western Theatre. It represents the four corps, and a contingent of cavalry that marched to the sea with him: The Arrow, XVII Corps, The Star, XX Corps, the cartridge box bearing the motto "40 ROUNDS", XV Corps, The Acorn. XIV Corps, The Shield Cavalry.
As the map shows, Sherman's men were busy, a fair share of them fought the entire 2,000 miles with General Sherman.
As with most things, someone says there has to be a "winner" and a "loser"... not much different with this war.
Pressures from politicians, the press, and the public wanted a battle to decide the war. Bull Run 1861, was to be that battle. Neither side was prepared for battle, and there was much confusion, but the Confederates did a better job initially, driving the Union back. Thanks to General Sherman, the Union embarrassment was reduced, Sherman's undisciplined volunteer troops covered the Union retreat by fighting a delaying action. Because of his leadership, Sherman was promoted to Brigadier General.
1862 brought about the first major battle of the war, this would happen at Shiloh, also known as Pittsburg Landing, taking place in Hardin County TN. Despite being caught off-guard the Union Army defeated the Confederate Army... at the cost of 23,000 men. As Division Commander, Sherman's decisions during the second day of the battle bought the victory for the Union, and a promotion to Major General for him. There was an investigation on the Union side as to why their forces were caught by surprise. One would wonder if General Grant's leadership was questioned... we all know that he becomes one of the greatest Generals in the war.
Looking at this uniform, General Sherman didn't look to be a big man in stature, but very large in leadership. The soldiers under him respectfully and lovingly called him "Uncle Billy".
Ok, back to the war. Let's talk the Meridian, Mississippi campaign, where Sherman destroyed EVERYTHING that could be used to support the Southern cause. 25,000 of his soldiers tore up 50 miles of railroad tracks, as well taking anything that wasn't nailed down.
As Sherman left this town decimated, he saw the look of helplessness and despair in the eyes of the townspeople, and this made an impression. His plans for the march to the sea were altered because of what he saw in Meridian.
His next battle would be the defeat of Atlanta. This campaign would take four months. Part of the success was due to a rail line coming into Atlanta. What makes this track special? the bridge that was built in 4 1/2 days.
Once completed it provided 100,000 soldiers and 35,000 animals access to Atlanta during the Atlanta campaign. Sherman was able pound the city with artillery, again destroying facilities that could support the South's efforts. More importantly, it created a lack of confidence in Jefferson Davis.
General Sherman wasn't done yet, now we march to the sea. Remember I told you that his plans were changed because of Meridian, this is where it starts. Looting was technically illegal on both sides, unfortunately it occurred. Sherman's direction to his soldiers was "take what we can use, destroy the rest; but always leave enough for the families to subsist". You see the difference? he knew that the innocent shouldn't suffer the pains of war. General Sherman had a different thought process for ending this bloody war. He believed, "if you do not feed and water a plant, it will die. If you cannot feed and arm your army, it will die also". He believed that destroying the support network, and causing a feeling of helplessness in the civilians, would bring a quick end to the war. He had a message for the South, "as long as you resist, I will be your worst nightmare, but lay down your arms and return to the Union and I will share with you my last cracker". This message spread through the south farther than the 60 miles of devastation he cut through Georgia. On Christmas day 1864, he presented Savannah as a present to President Lincoln. At this point his march to the sea ended.
In May 1865, a two day parade was planned to celebrate the Union victory. The Army of the Potomac was the first to march the first day, dressed in fine new uniforms, which were in sharp contrast to the bullet riddled flags. The second day Sherman's troops marched down Pennsylvania, dressed in their bullet riddled uniforms. General Sherman was not sure how the crowd would see them. As they marched passed the crowd, they received cheers, there was sobbing, and flowers were thrown to them. A floral wreath was put around Sherman's horse's neck. The observers described them as "bone, muscle, and skin" and they "marched like lords of the world".
STRETCH YOUR LEGS AND GET SOMETHING TO DRINK.
After the war General Sherman found himself busy working in the government.
In 1867 the government passed a bill establishing the Peace Commission to gain peace with the Plains Indians, guaranteeing protection for the railroads and overland transportation. Lt. General Sherman served on this commission, he and other members recognized that the needs of Native Americans were not being met by previous treaties.
In 1868 two treaties were signed. The first was negotiated with the Sioux Nation, the second was with the Navajo Nation. Back in 1864 the Navajo were forced off their land in Arizona, and re-settled in eastern New Mexico. The Navajo called that journey "The Long Walk", over 300 miles, many died on the journey died. The treaty with Navajo is unique, it was the only treaty that actually gave some of their land back to them, and acknowledged their sovereignty.
General Sherman chaired a committee created to determine the final location for the Statue of Liberty. The committee couldn't make a decision, so General Sherman took the designers recommendation, which is the current location.
After the 1876 Centennial Exposition, many of the exhibits were donated to the Smithsonian, but there was no place to exhibit them. With proceeds from the Exposition, a new building was constructed. Gen. Sherman chaired the National Museum Building Commission, where he oversaw the construction. The new museum was open to the public in 1881; that building is still standing.
In their final years William and Ellen spent their time in New York, Ellen plagued with illness, died in 1888, William died in 1891 on Valentines Day.
Our last stop in Ohio was the Georgian Mansion. The home was built by Daniel Sifford in 1832, in Lancaster. Check out: https://www.thegeorgianmuseum.org.
This isn't you standard chamber pot, the lid flipped down to hide the sitting area, when not in use.
Walking through this house you can see the difference in status between the owners of this mansion, and the Sherman home, though they are about a block apart from each other.
I show you the bottom picture so you may understand the wealth of this family. The panels under the windows, open out. The windows themselves opened upward like most windows in todays homes. With the windows and panels open, people could walk onto to the porch, sit, and watch the happenings around them. Daniel was able to walk out and enjoy the view of the canal that ran new his home.
The rich had many opulent luxuries not afforded the working class.
The working class generally didn't have a lot of expensive items to worry about, such as silver utensils. The two standing boxes on the serving table held the silver, and would be closed and locked after meals were served.
Who knows what this is? it is on a stand, painted, and adjustable. Have you figured it out... it's a fireplace screen. One other luxury rich women had was the opportunity to wear makeup all day. At night while sitting by the fireplace, Daniel's wife would use this screen to protect her face from getting too hot, and melting her wax makeup... no one likes runny makeup.
While not specific to this mansion, it is era specific, and something us modern families could use. 
This is a Senility cradle. It was used to care for those that could no longer care for themselves, ranging from temporary illness to long care (something like dementia). Today we are so busy pushing our elderly into homes for other people to take care them. This cradle is made primarily of walnut, and was crafted around 1792, and the mattress support was similar to beds of that era, rope.
For those that could afford to "keep the lights on", there was the Wax Jack. 
The way it worked was simple, when the wax burned down, simply roll more up. This one is silver on copper, circa early 19th century.
This bed was a "military" bed, and could have been used out in the battlefield by a senior officer. The bottom photo shows that the bed could be folded down for transport in a wagon. Back down stairs, and to the basement where the cooking was done... keep moving on folks, no pictures available. There basement was also used for entry when the weather was nasty. The coaches would pull under an awning, people would climb out, down stairs, and enter the house.
To think, the city wanted to tear down this house to make room for a parking lot, and someone stood up and said NO, it is a part of our town history.
From here we begin our journey into the South.
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