Ohio played an intricate role during the Civil War. The contributions toward the conflict were very impressive. Ohio had many eligible men serving in the military forces who participated in nearly every battle of the war. Military leadership proved substantial in numbers and often excellent in quality. Over two hundred Ohioans reached the rank of general; among them were Ulysses S. Grant, Philip H. Sheridan, and William T. Sherman.#.
Although these men were very prominent in Ohio during the Civil War, the book For the Union: Ohio leaders in the Civil War focuses on individuals that were known beyond the Ohio borders. Individuals discussed within the book provided leadership and were associated with the state of Ohio throughout their lives.
Clement L. Vallandigham was the most notorious domestic foe of President Lincoln's war policies during the Civil War. He urged that the war be ended by negotiation. Clement Vallandigham was born in Lisbon, Ohio and attended Jefferson College and the Union Academy. He ran for Congress in 1856 and contended that Negro votes had deprived him of his just desserts.# He believed that the Negro votes which were cast in violation of the Ohio constitution prohibited him from Congress. As a member of the Democratic party, Vallandigham was elected to Congress in 1858. .
Clement L. Vallandigham's anti-abolition and anti- New England views received the applause of three elements of Ohio's diverse population: Irish-Americans and German-Americans who feared emancipation would release a flood of cheap and competitive labor upon their communities and southern "uplanders" that brought their anti-Negro prejudices with them.# .
As a supporter of state's rights and slavery, he helped form the Peace Democrats. In 1863, Vallandigham made speeches attacking the administration of President Lincoln. Vallandigham voted against a long list of Republican-sponsored measures. He spoke against proposals to raise the tariff rate; he opposed measures that encouraged army officers to give aid and protection to fugitive slaves; he spoke against the bills to abolish slavery.