Sidney’s Civil War general led storied life

John Evans Cummins was a famous resident of Sydney, Ohio, as a lawyer, soldier and politician. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Cummins was commissioned a lieutenant colonel. He took part in many hard-fought battles throughout the war. He was later brevetted to the rank of brigadier general as a reward for gallantry and meritorious conduct. Following the war, he returned to practicing law and became involved in Ohio politics. After a defeat for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and an estrangement from his family, he died soon after of a apparent suicide.

Key Takeaways:

• John Evans Cummins was a member of a prominent family in Sidney.
• John Cummins became a lawyer who later enlisted to serve in the Civil War.
• John Cummins rose in life to become a state senator, but later began to drink heavily and eventually committed suicide.

“If an early Sidney resident could be said to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, it might well have been John Evans Cummins.”

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