Near Killbuck in Holmes County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Holmes County Draft Riots
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 25, 2009
1. Holmes County Draft Riots Marker
On French Ridge in Richland Township, on June 5, 1863, local citizens in defiance of conscription attacked Elias Robinson, an enrolling officer of the Union Army. When Captain James Drake, the provost marshal, imprisoned the ringleaders, armed locals released them. Colonel William Wallace of the 15th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was sent to the scene with a force of 420 soldiers from Camp Chase in Columbus. On June 17, the soldiers approached the fortified camp of nearly one thousand malcontents. After firing upon the soldiers, the "rebels" scattered with only a few captured or wounded. The next morning, local Peace Democrats, led by politician Daniel P. Leadbetter, negotiated a surrender of the ringleaders. More than forty people were indicted for involvement in the rebellion, but only Lorenzo Blanchard, owner of the farm where the camp was located, was found guilty. Once this riot at "Fort Fizzle" ended, resistance to the draft in Holmes County subsided.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Scotts Company-Founded by a Civil War Veteran, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 3-38.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Forts and Castles
this page online
Location. 40° 29.53′ N, 82° 5.605′ W. Marker is near Killbuck, Ohio, in Holmes County. Marker is on County Road 6, on the right when traveling west. Marker is about six miles west of Killbuck. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12944 County Rd 6, Killbuck OH 44637, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. VFW Post 7079 POW/MIA Memorial (approx. 5.7 miles away); Greenville Treaty Line (approx. 7.4 miles away); Millersburg Historical Information (approx. 10 miles away); Hotel Millersburg (approx. 10.2 miles away); Brenner Building (approx. 10.2 miles away); Holmes County Watering Trough (approx. 10.2 miles away); Holmes County Veterans Memorial (approx. 10.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 10.2 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Battle of Fort Fizzle. Ohio History Central website entry (Submitted on March 11, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Conscription Act. Ohio History Central website entry (Submitted on March 11, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 25, 2009
2. Holmes County Draft Riots Marker
Looking east along County Road 6.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 25, 2009
3. Holmes County Draft Riots Marker
Looking north toward Fort Fizzle.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,387 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on January 22, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 11, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
