Soldiers Monument – New London, Ohio

During my recent drive down State Route 60 to view the fall foliage, I stopped in New London for the first time and walked around the Downtown area. I found it to be a perfectly charming little town, with a wonderful Civil War monument on Route 60, just south of the business district.

The inscription at the base of it reads: "OUR HEROES 1861-1865 • ERECTED BY RUNYAN W.R.C 1897"

"W.R.C." stands for Women's Relief Corps, the official women's auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Its purpose was to assist the GAR and provide relief to the Union veterans.

The January 1921 edition of The Firelands Pioneer provides some information about how the Runyan Women's Relief Corps, as well as the local GAR post, got its name.

It notes, “As the Grand Army Post and the Women’s Relief Corps at New London were named respectively Runyan Post and Runyan Relief Post, some facts about the Runyan family may be presented.

“Nathaniel Runyan was born in Penn Yan, N. Y. in 1808. He came to Ohio in 1834 or 1835, settling at Fiddler’s Green, the name given to the four corners one mile south of the present village of New London. There he worked his trade of shoemaking. When the railroad from Cleveland to Columbus was built, in 1850 and 1851, the nucleus of a town was formed and the present town of New London began its growth. About 1850, Nathaniel Runyan transferred his interests from Fiddler’s Green to the village of New London where he carried on the business of shoemaking.

“In 1856 Mrs. Runyan died. In 1857 Nathaniel married a widow by the name of West who had one son, William A. West, about 18 years of age.

“At the time of the breaking out of the Civil War, 1861, Nathaniel Runyan had five sons, including George W. Runyan, then ten years of age. The oldest, Edwin D. Runyan, was the only married son in the family.

“The names of the sons of military age were Edwin D., William H., James M., Myron B., and the step-son, William A. West.

“The first to answer their country’s call and enlist were William A. West and William H. Runyan. They were enrolled as members of the 23rd Ohio Regiment. The Colonel of this regiment was Rutherford B. Hayes, who also became President of the United States.

“William A. West served three years in this regiment and retired from the service unscathed.

“William H. Runyan was badly wounded in the left thigh and also in the right leg above the knee in an engagement with Foley’s guerrillas at Clark’s Hollow, West Virginia, necessitating his discharge from service at that time.

“The third member of the family to enlist was Myron B., who joined the 55th Ohio Regiment which was organized at Norwalk, 1861. He served three years and then veteranized by re-enlisting for three years more, or “during the war.” He saw exceedingly hard service participating in something like 37 regular battles.

“He died in 1881 of disease brought on by his strenuous service in the army. He was 17 years of age at the time of his enlistment.

“The fourth to enlist was James M., who became a member of the 59th New York Regiment. His right leg was shot away by a shell at the battle of Antietam, in 1862. He is the only survivor of the five that served in the Civil War.”

****

As interest in the Civil War by the general public fades with each passing year, it is important to remember that it was the sacrifices made by individuals such as the Runyan boys that helped eliminate slavery in this country.