Local History: Durbin Ward

These are Brigadier General Durbin Ward's pistols which he carried during the Civil War. Durbin Ward was a law partner of Thomas Corwin. He was also a Democrat and a state's rights advocate. Everybody thought he would sit out the Civil War; Democrats were all for letting the south go. But when Lincoln called for volunteers in April of 1865, Ward, who was trying a case in court in Lebanon, left the Court House and went to Washington Hall (now the site of the LCNB drive thru in downtown Lebanon), and was the first to volunteer for the Union. He was in his early 40's and jointed the 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. These pistols are Colt Navy revolvers. They are not a matched set as one was made in the Colt works in Connecticut and the other at Colt in London.
Ward began his army career as a private and advanced up the ranks quickly to Colonel Durbin Ward.  He and the 17th OVI fought at the ill-fated battle of Chickamauga in September of 1863 (Gettysburg was July 1863) and was so badly wounded he was left for dead by the side of the road.  A General, who knew him, came upon him and offered him whiskey to ease his passing.  The whiskey revived him and he survived but was breveted out of service as a Brigadier General and sent home. 
He spent two years in Washington after the War working for Andrew Johnson, trying to enact Lincoln’s plans for the reconstruction of the South, but the Republicans in Congress would have nothing to do with those plans, so Ward came home and married Elizabeth Probasco.  Her father and brother bought them Glendower, which he renamed Edmonton.  He lost the use of his left arm from his wounds, but was known for his garden and orchard.  He died at Glendower and is buried in Lebanon Cemetery.

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