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| Robert Wilson Ratliff was born June 22, 1822, in Howland Township, one of seven children of John and Elizabeth Wilson Ratliff. His parents were Ohio pioneers, having come to Howland from Pennsylvania in 1811. Ohio was still very much a �western frontier� at that time. In his early years, Robert worked on the family farm and attended the district school in the winter, until he was 18. After that, he taught school himself, while continuing his own studies at the �select school.� He read law first with H. Canfield in Warren, then finished his studies in the office of Wade & Ranney, ending with his admission to the bar in 1846. During his law studies he again taught school, this time �two terms in a school-house located upon a part of the lot now [1882] occupied by his residence.� The following six years, however, he spent as a teller and bookkeeper with the Western Reserve Bank in Warren. He then practiced law with B.F. Hoffman until Hoffman was elected judge. A partnership with John Hutchins and Jacob D. Cox continued after Hutchins was elected to Congress, and W. T. Spear joined the firm. When the Civil War broke out, Ratliff enlisted. In fact, he wasted no time volunteering, as he went to Columbus the day after Ft. Sumter was fired on. His service lasted until the end of the war and he saw action from Kansas to Alabama. |
| Robert Wilson Ratliff |
| As I mentioned on my home page, I thought RW Ratliff was my 4th-great uncle, until I discovered that his sister wasn't my great-great-grandmother's mother, but her step-mother. But since he was still almost part of the family (he kindly served as his step-niece's divorce attorney), and it's still an interesting story, I decided to include him. For one thing, it's not often you find so much detailed information about a family member, especially when you've got a bunch of farmers on the family tree. The house below is his former home, on High Street in Warren, Ohio. For many years it was the Catholic convent and has a stone addition on the front. The other photos are of the memorial in Oakwood Cemetery, Warren. |
| To begin with, he was commissioned Lt. Colonel of the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. After training at Camp Dennison, Ohio, �the regiment moved to Missouri, scouting on the borders of Kansas, and in February, 1862, drove the infamous Quantrill from Independence. In the summer it served in the Indian Territory, and in the fall joined General Blunt�s campaign in Arkansas and Missouri, fighting at Pea Ridge, Carthage and other points.� They also participated in the 1200-mile pursuit of John Morgan and his raiders through Kentucky and Ohio. A soldier under Ratliff�s command - Robert T. McMahan - from the 2nd OVC mentioned the Colonel in his diary several times, once saying that they left late for a march because Ratliff slept in that morning, after �having been spying late last night.� McMahan seemed admiring of his commanding officer�s style, saying of him: �Col. Bob puts a great deal of style and respect to guarding. No com. [commissioned] officers even dare not cross the line but must go to the gate.� Later he seemingly affectionately refers to the colonel as �Old Bob.� Luman Tenney, another member of the regiment, however, didn�t think so highly of the colonel: �Miner, Burnett and Ratliff rascals - selfish,� he writes. In June 1863 Ratliff resigned from the 2nd OVC to take command of a new unit, the 12th OVC. New regiments were needed in the field as soon as possible, so experienced leaders were wanted, and Ratliff�s commission as colonel �was a guarantee of the proficiency to be expected of the regiment.� The regiment�s first duty was split: six companies guarded the prison on Johnson�s Island in Sandusky Bay, while the other six drilled for field service. At the end of March they were sent to camp near Louisville, Kentucky. Through the summer they chased and helped capture John Morgan�s raiders. Later in 1864 the regiment took part in the defeat of rebel general Breckenridge and received praise for a particular charge on the enemy. Ratliff was severely wounded at Duck Creek, TN. In February 1865 the group was re-equipped and ready for action again. Ratliff was promoted to Brigadier General on March 13, 1865, for "gallant and meritorious services under Generals Burbridge and Stoneman in South-west Virginia.� That spring and summer they made raids and destroyed railroad communications through the upper south and were present at the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. They also helped overtake and capture Generals Bragg and Wheeler in Alabama. In November the regiment was mustered out of the service. After the war, Ratliff returned to Warren and continued to practice law until he was selected cashier of the Second National Bank (of which he was a founder) in 1883. He held that post until his death Sept. 14, 1887. He was married twice, his first wife being Olive L. Freeman Morley, the widow of Albert S. Morley, daughter of Francis and Syndia Leavitt Freeman. She died in 1866. His second wife was Jane Tod, daughter of Dr. Jonathan I. Tod. Ratliff had two daughters, Olive and Jennie. Sources: Clegg, Michael Barren, ed., Trumbull County Ohio Newspaper Obituary Abstracts 1812-1870, 1981. Colucci, Anne, [email protected], 7 Mar 2002 Family Group Sheet Robert Wilson Ratliff from the Civil War Soldiers Collection Local History & Genealogy Department Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Grand Army of the Republic Bell-Harmon Post #36, Warren, Ohio, Personal War Sketch of Robert W. Ratliff dated 1 August 1882 McMahan, Robert T., Reluctant Cannoneer: The Diary of Robert T. McMahan of the Twenty-fifth Independent Ohio Light Artillery. Edited by Michael E. Banasik. Camp Pop Bookshop, 2000. Iowa City, Iowa. Reid, Whitelaw, Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Generals and Soldiers , Eclectic Publishing Company, Columbus, Ohio, 1893. Stevens, Larry, comp.; 2nd Ohio Cavalry, http://my.ohio.voyager.net/~lstevens/a/cwc2.html. Tenney, Luman H., War Diary of Luman Harris Tenney, Evangelical Publishing House, Cleveland, O., 1914. Warren Tribune Chronicle 2 February 1963 "Mrs. Lonergan Is Dead; Daughter of Gen. Ratliff" Western Reserve Democrat 16 September 1887 p. 5, col. 3 "Gen. R.W. Ratliff's Death" Williams, History of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, 1882. |
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| Flag of the 12th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry |
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