In 1861 the Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor signaling the outbreak of bitter civil strife. Drafting of men for military service was not practiced in the United States at that time; both sides relied upon volunteers to fill their fighting ranks. Sion Bass found himself in a dilemma; he was torn between his fond attachment for the South, where he had spent his childhood and early youth, and his loyalty to the North. Because of his southern background, many Northerners did not trust him. Besides, he was the sole breadwinner of his family; his wife and two children were wholly dependent upon him. He could have refused to face the issue; he could have continued his daily routine as a civilian in the North. But his firm conviction of the moral wrong of slavery and his desire to fight for the Union overcame all his reservations. In response to President Lincoln’s call for volunteers, he enlisted in the Union Army. On September 12, 1861, Sion Bass received his appointment as colonel of the Thirtieth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, which was then being recruited. By September 24, the quota for the regiment had been filled, and the Thirtieth was organized at Camp Allen in Fort Wayne. Although he was himself untrained for military service, Colonel Bass entered upon the task of disciplining and training his raw recruits with such energy and devotion to duty that he soon won the praise of his superior officers. [Illustration: _Georgia • Mrs. Eliza Bass • Beverly • Col. Sion S. Bass_] On October 2, the Thirtieth Indiana left Camp Allen and traveled to Indianapolis by special train on the Wabash Railroad. The train stopped en route at Peru, Indiana, where the ladies of the town met the regiment at the depot and provided an excellent dinner. This act of kindness, although not possible under the strict army regulations of our day, was typical of the spirit of the times and was much appreciated by the hungry soldiers. The Thirtieth remained in camp at Indianapolis only for a few days. During this time, the men underwent further training; arms, uniforms, and accouterments were issued to them. The unit was then ordered to proceed to Kentucky. On October 13, 1861, the regiment was assigned to the Fifth Brigade, Second Division in General Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio. For the next few months Colonel Bass and his Thirtieth Indiana Regiment marched with Buell’s army but saw little action. The anxiety which his family felt for him is shown in the following letter written by his mother to her younger son John: Salem, Lexington County, Kentucky November 29, 1861 Dear Son, It is with great pleasure I write you hoping to hear from you soon, as I have not heard from you for months. I know not where your brother is. I hope he is not in Columbus. We hear the firing of cannons every day at Cairo, Columbus, Belmont, and several other places.