From an article that was in the 1863 Nevada Paper--
“According to notice, the citizens of Milford Township...... met at the Milford School (Edit: this would have been at the school located two miles west of the current Milford Twp School) at the appointed hour for the purpose of raising a Township Bounty to induce men to volunteer. On motion Fred Diffenbacher was elected President and Phillip Buchtel, Secretary.
On motion, the citizens present agreed to make up a bounty of $50 for each of the three volunteers Milford Township has to furnish, and to sign a subscription list to that effect.
On motion Wm McLain was elected Treasurer.
On motion, the President appointed a committee of three, one from each Road District, to collect the average amount ($6.53) of men liable to the draft, and of others willing to contribute.
President appointed John Rich, Andrew Scott and George Gillmore.
Moved to pay said bounty of fifty dollars provided only the whole number of volunteers required of Milford Township come forth.”
At the time (1863) Milford Twp had a population of 171 and was required to supply a quota of three men and they met this quota. According to the following papers (in Jan. 1864) the names of the “volunteers” were listed; one of whom was the son(? perhaps nephew?) of the president of the meeting. The three “volunteers” were N.P. Elsbree, John E. Diffenbacher, and George Louks Jr.
John Diffenbacher did survive the war after serving in the Second Iowa Cavalry.
Records of the other two fellows can not be found, either on the census in 1860 of Milford Twp or Civil War registers. This does not mean a “sham” though as the record of the census is for 1860 and the time of service is for 1863. They might have immigrated to Milford Twp in the intervening years and, also, the records of the volunteers during the Civil War are not exactly complete. Or, perhaps, they failed the physical. As a case in point, Fred and John Diffenbacher do not exist in the 1860 Census of Milford Twp. Diffenbachers were reported to live in the SW of Sec 25 by Oct of 1860.The Diffenbacher family in Milford Twp, at that time, is headed by Joseph Diffenbacher.
This group of three photos, taken at a reenactment, depicts the congregation of Union troops that occurred at the time of the War Between the States. So many youth, so full of life, hope and expectations, did not return to their families. Such was the case of Pleasant Grove's Grove Brothers who both died in the South from their wounds.
No record of any Milford Lad serving in the Confederacy has surfaced.
On 25 May 1861, about 5 weeks after the start of the War, the citizens of Milford and Franklin townships met at the Milford School House and organized the "Milford and Franklin Home Guard" . No further information with regards to enrollment and actually what these fellows did can be found. Did the entusiasim wane quickly and the organization die a early death or were they incorporated into a unit that saw active duty? Was this an all male organization or were ladies expected to participate? Seven names are mentioned and all are men. Amon Hipsher was the Chairman and Philipp Bechtel, Sec. This is one of the earliest "concrete" records of any school in Milford Twp that has surfaced. This School would have stood in the very NW corner of Sec 20 and was later moved to the SE of Sec 18.