Published by The Evansville Courier

The Daily Journal gave this report on the big April 17, 1861, Union town meeting: "Everything passed off satisfactorily to the friends of the Union, except that during the meeting two Secession sympathizers attempted to breed discord, and to show themselves off. In doing so, they simply made themselves odious and killed themselves in this community. . . . One of them was personal toward one of the speakers, and got a severe combing down, which will serve as a wholesome lesson to him in the future."

Other newspapers operating during the Civil War included The Dispatch and German-language papers Daily Union and The Welt Bote.

The papers reported during the ensuing years most available facts and hearsay regarding war activities. The community read with interest of Evansville's agreement to work in concert with Kentucky - particularly Henderson and Owensboro - "in all lawful acts upholding the laws and dignity of either state."

There also was particular concern about the comings and goings on the Ohio River, which served as an important means for the transport of men, artillery and war supplies.

During the early war years several military companies took shape in Evansville "for home protection against dangers which might happen in these troubled times." The homespun companies donned names such as the Crescent City Guards, Rough and Ready Rifles, and Evansville Invincibles. It is written that the city's immunity to enemy attack was due to these trained forces of about 1,000.

In June 1917, The Evansville Courier printed excerpts from the diary of a young Evansville cavalry officer written while a prisoner in Southern Civil War camps. The young man described the poor conditions of the camps, prison escapes, severe attacks of dysentery and progress on the war.

He wrote of digging an escape tunnel - through which no one escaped - and of having all tents taken away as punishment.

While in Asylum Prison in Columbia, S.C., the soldier wrote that he and fellow prisoners received "poor rations of two crackers, cornmeal, sorghum molasses and salt." He bought a chicken for $15 and described the misery of enduring the January rain with no shelter.

The final entry, dated March 1, 1865, says: "Last night was a very rough one - crowded and jolted on the wood trucks and rain dripping on us incessantly. Yet who cares for this. We are going home."