A minor Civil War skirmish in Ohio where local draft resisters were dispersed, resulting in few convictions and a presidential pardon.
Key Facts
- Date
- June 17, 1863
- Resisters assembled
- 900–1,000 locals
- Artillery pieces at fort
- 4
- Union troops dispatched
- ~420, including 3rd Ohio Infantry
- Men indicted total
- 80
- Convicted
- 1 (pardoned by President Lincoln)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Conscription Act of March 13, 1863 authorized President Lincoln to draft men into Union service in states not meeting volunteer quotas. When Federal officials attempted to enforce the act in Holmes County, Ohio, residents—many opposed to the war—organized resistance, with 900 to 1,000 locals constructing a makeshift fort equipped with four artillery pieces to block enforcement.
On June 17, 1863, Union and local draft-resister forces clashed briefly at Glenmont (then called Napoleon), Ohio. Two resisters were wounded in the encounter. Ohio Governor David Tod then deployed nearly 420 Union troops, including the 3rd Ohio Infantry, to disperse the fortified resisters. The rebellion collapsed quickly, earning the site the mocking name 'Fort Fizzle' because the uprising had fizzled out.
Eighty men were indicted on charges ranging from assaulting a Federal officer to treason. Only two cases went to trial; one man, Laurant Blanchat, was convicted and sentenced to six months' hard labor, but was pardoned by President Lincoln before completing his sentence. All remaining prosecutions were eventually dropped, making the episode a largely inconsequential episode of wartime civil unrest.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
David Tod (Ohio Governor, ordered deployment).
Side B
1 belligerent