PORTLAND, Ohio - A missing historical marker recognizing Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins' 1862 raid into Ohio has been re-erected at Buffington Island State Memorial in Meigs County.
The marker is near the new exhibit kiosk on Ohio 124 in Portland and is available for viewing during daylight hours year-round.
"It is wonderful that this important marker could be restored to the Buffington Island site and the surrounding community," said Karen Hassel, regional site coordinator for the Ohio Historical Society. "This historical marker commemorates an event vital to the nation's and Ohio's Civil War history."
Article Photos
Photo Provided
The marker denoting the Confederacy’s first raid into Ohio during the Civil War was reinstalled at Buffington Island State Memorial in Meigs County.
The society and the Ohio Civil War Centennial Commission erected the original historical marker in 1965. Titled "Ohio's First Invasion," the marker recognizes the first invasion into Ohio by Confederate forces led by Jenkins, a former Virginian congressman, on Sept. 3, 1862.
A force of 350 Confederate cavalrymen crossed the Ohio River near Portland and continued onto Racine where the troops occupied Racine for a few hours, seized a dozen horses and then recrossed the Ohio River at Wolf's Bar.
For reasons unknown, the marker was removed years ago, stored and forgotten. Rediscovered, it has been re-erected in time to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the raid.
Jenkins' raid is often overlooked since Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan's raid across Ohio the next year lasted days rather than hours, crossed numerous counties, and included the Battle of Buffington Island. For more information about Ohio historical markers, visit www.remarkableohio.org.
The 150th anniversary of Jenkins' Raid will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Racine American Legion Post military monument on Ohio 124 on the upriver side of Racine. Jenkins' descendants are planning to attend the anniversary.
The event is sponsored by the Ohio Commandery Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S., the state's oldest Civil War group. Individuals or groups wanting to place a memorial wreath should contact Keith Ashley at (740) 992-7874 prior to the event.
