Part 1: The Civil War and the First Baseball Game in the Gem City

In the 1840s and 1850s the modern incarnation of baseball spread across the country, with the rules from the northern states of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts governing most contests. By the time the Civil War broke out in April 1861, the game of baseball had become a nationally known sport, and it was common to see soldiers arrayed in an open field playing the game in army camps throughout the conflict. It was more common to see the game played by the Union soldiers. They in turn introduced the game to southern and western troops. Veterans played the sport after the war ended in 1865, helping to heal the divisions in the country.

One element that led to the expansion of the sport was the fact that military commanders urged their soldiers to engage in physical activity while in camp. Competitive sports provided not only conditioning and fitness but also fostered aggressiveness and a sense of intense competition. Of the several different sports that were common in the garrison environment, baseball was by far the most popular in the camps of both armies.

During the Civil War, the competition took place most often in the early spring and even in the winter due to the reduced military activities during those times of year. The active military campaign season normally ran from May to November. Interestingly, the tradition of playing baseball in the early spring and throughout the month of November continued when teams and leagues developed across the country after the war ended.

It is very likely that leisure games of baseball or other contests involving a ball and bat had been played in yards and fields around Quincy before the Civil War, but the first documented organized baseball game played in the Gem City occurred on Saturday, June 23,1866.  

Nationally, baseball organizations were seen as a sign of progress for cultured communities in the post war era. 1866 was the same year Cincinnati organized a club. That club became the first professional team, the Red Stockings, with paid players starting in 1869. The team is also credited with creating uniforms and team names, many of which continue today. A small article in the December 4, 1869 Quincy Weekly Whig said, “The Red Stockings go to England next summer to demonstrate the superiority of baseball over cricket.”

  In the middle of June in 1866, The Quincy Daily Herald announced that the men of the Quincy were “falling in with the spirit of progress that is manifesting itself all over the country and that they are about to organize a baseball club.” Men who knew the game came to Quincy from the East like Patrick Redmond, William Bushnell, Eugene Thurston, H.A. Farwell, and Egbert Halsey (E.H.) Osborn. Osborn had experience playing the game and spearheaded the effort to form the first baseball club in town. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Osborn joined the 87th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment when President Lincoln called for volunteers to put down the rebellion that had started in South Carolina. The 87th New York Infantry was formed at that time but was later reorganized under the command of the 40th New York Infantry Regiment. E.H. Osborn became a sergeant in Company H of the regiment. He served bravely with the 40th New York, which was part of the Army of the Potomac, and he took part in every major engagement in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. There is little doubt that Osborn’s childhood, growing up in New York and his service in the Civil War brought him into contact with the national pastime. It was that experience that helped kindle the spirit that led to the formation of the first baseball club in Quincy. He is credited with putting into place the home plate for the first baseball field in Quincy.

Several young men, many from the most influential families in the county, attended a meeting at Konantz Gymnasium Hall on June 19,1866, and formally created the first baseball club in Quincy. Charles H. Bull Esq. was made chairman of the meeting, and F. Bradley secretary. Eugene Thurston, F. Bradley, and E.H. Osborn formed a special committee to develop the by-laws and to procure equipment. The club agreed to organize into first nine and second nine teams and to meet at Alstyne’s Prairie on Saturday, June 23, 1866, at 4 p.m. for a practice game. E.H. Osborn was named captain of the first nine team and Patrick Redmond was captain of the second nine. E.J. Parker was appointed the umpire and John Taylor was listed as the official scorekeeper.

The balls, bats, and other equipment ordered from Chicago arrived in Quincy on June 22, 1866. Once the equipment arrived and the sides had been formed, everything was in place for the Saturday showdown at the site that soon became the location for nearly all baseball activities in Quincy–Alstyne’s Prairie. In addition to baseball, the prairie, which was east and north of the 12th and Broadway corner had housed a Civil War camp and later a hospital for the wounded. For years it was also the home of traveling circuses.

Sources

“Base Ball.” Daily Quincy Herald, June 21, 1866, 4.

“Base Ball.” Daily Quincy Herald, July 7, 1866, 4.

“Local News.” Daily Quincy Herald, June 23, 1866, 4.

“Local News.” Daily Quincy Herald, September 25, 1866, 4.

“Miscellaneous.” Quincy Weekly Whig, December 4, 1869, 1.

“The Old Reporter Lights His Pipe.” Quincy Daily Herald, April 26, 1923, 6.