The Confederate army attacked Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Five days later, forty-nine of Cleveland’s Hibernian Guards--an "all-Irish" local militia company--volunteered for the Union war effort as a group. They were absorbed into Company B of the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and many other battles, playing a pivotal role during the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, returning veterans filled Cleveland's newly organized police and fire departments. An Irish-born veteran championed the cause of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Cleveland's Public Square.