SUVCW camp 1 Oregon

Cpl. Louis Renninger

Camp #1, Springfield, OR

Serving Lane County Oregon

The Camp patron is Louis Renninger who was a member of the 37^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, an all German unit. He was born in Liverpool, Ohio to immigrant parents. During the suicide mission of Forlorn Hope (a preamble to the Battle of Vicksburg), under the leadership of General Grant, Louis suffered a gunshot to his shoulder and an injury to his eye. He was transferred to the Veterans Reserve Corp during his recovery. He was discharged October 14, 1864. He married German-born Elizabeth Mann and they had 9 children over a period of 21 years. They homesteaded 80 acres in Ionia, Michigan in 1875 but later moved to Oceana. His family moved to 160 acres on Parsons Creek Road in the Mohawk Valley in October 1891 including 3 grown sons and 2 teenage daughters. For “gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party”, Renninger was awarded the Medal of Honor in August 1894. Louis died in 1908 and was laid to rest at Eugene Pioneer cemetery with members of the J.W. Geary post of the G.A.R. presiding. He had attended a convention of the G.A.R. Post just 2 months earlier.

Our Sons of Union Veterans members have spent countless hours locating and cataloging graves of Civil War soldiers throughout Oregon. We are honored to help acquire and dedicate headstones for Civil War soldiers whose graves are not marked. This is becoming more difficult because of the new requirements by the Veterans Administration. Our next goal is to restore headstones in an existing cemetery in Springfield and to replace the monument that was set there by the Ladies of the G.A.R. many years ago.

We traveled to Prairie City Cemetery

We traveled to Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery in Coos Bay

Activities for the Sons of Veterans Reserves unit in 2011 included:

Memorial Day ceremony at Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

A ceremony at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Eugene

Many of the existing headstones were cleaned and families of some of the Civil War veterans were present as the new monument was dedicated. A previous monument had been removed and there was nothing but a pedestal for many years. Our youngest member made this his Eagle Scout project and procured the help other scouts and local businesses and organizations to accomplish his plan.

A Veterans Day Presentation at Solvang Retirement Center in Eugene

The camp presented colors and then gave a presentation on matters of the Civil War for residents of Solvang Independent Living Center. Civil War era items of interest were displayed for residents to enjoy.

Living history presentations include:

Siuslaw Middle School annually in May

Recruiting at the Frontier Heritage Days event in Eugene annually in February

If you are interested in joining Cpl. Louis Renninger Camp 1 you can attend a meeting or contact Perry McGill at perrymcg@comcast.net. There are several levels of membership and even a place for your son, grandson or nephew.

SUVCW Meetings are held at 1 PM at 344 Eighth St. in Springfield on the second Saturday of February, April, June, August, and October. The December meeting is a couples event at a local restaurant and includes installation of new officers.

mail to:carolynhall@mail.com