RARE 1861 Civil War Ribbon - Ringgold Light Artillery First Defenders DC Capitol

Description

This is for a very rare ribbon issued April 16, 1861 for the Ringgold Light Artillery - First Defenders - from Reading.  Excerpts of this description are from an article by Nicholas Fognano, Jr.
The Ringgold Light Artillery is mostly associated with the title, “First Defend­ers,” the military unit who first answered Presi­dent Lincoln’s call to defend our nation’s capital. However, the Ringgold Artillery was a more versatile force in the part it played during the Civil War era and that even after its disbandment, members distinguished themselves through certain regiments of the U.S. army in many crucial battles of the Civil War.
Bred from the Reading area artillery units of the Mexican War, the Ringgold Artillery rose to be­come by the eve of the Civil War, one of the many state militias which were to become the backbone of the Union military forces assigned to protect the capital from Confederate attack until the gov­ernment could draft men into the U.S. army for military duty.
The Ringgold Light Artillery was formed unof­ficially in November of 1849 by the Company A volunteers, a group of veterans of the Mexican War, and called themselves, “The Ringgold Fly­ing Artillery,” named for Major Samuel Ringgold who commanded a battery of the Third Artillery and was mortally wounded on May 8, 1846 at the Battle of Paolo Alto, the first U.S. soldier to be killed in the Mexican War.
Major Ringgold was the first proponent of the “flying artillery,” a tactical concept which utilized the cannon in battle by having them accompany the infantry as it moved forward in battle instead of having the cannon remain behind to fire over the heads of the advancing infantry.
It was rumored that there would be the date of an attack on Washington, D.C. During the months of February and March, a Peace Conference was held near the capital, at which time Congress tried, but failed, to make a last ditch attempt to preserve the Union by submitting an amendment to the Constitution which would allow slavery to function where it already was being instituted.  On April 12th, Fort Sumpter was attacked and the Civil War began.
The commander of the 5th Divi­sion of the Pennsylvania Militia, General William H. Keim
viewed the potential for upcoming events and
ordered the first commander of the Ringgolds, Captain James McKnight to prepare his men for war service. McKnight immediately armed and equipped his unit with the aid of the citizens of Reading and Berks County, and the Ringgold Artillery held drills and military exercises from February to April of 1861.
On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln issued a call to arms, ordering out the militia of a number of states which amounted to 75,000 men. The state of Pennsylvania was requested to send six­teen regiments, two of which would be required for duty within three days. This call for arms was due to the threat of an immediate attack on Washington, as the capital was entirely unpro­tected and open to attack.  Although other militias responded, t
he Ringgold Light Artillery is credited with being the first unit to respond to the call for defense.
Washing­ton was in a state of panic as rumors spread quickly about possible invasions as Washington was lo­cated in a very vulnerable position right near the boundary of Confederate territory and sur­rounded by Southern sympathizers. The April 18th issue of the “Pennsylvania Telegraph” re­ported: “Washington at this time presents a de­cidedly military appearance.” Many new recruits were quickly enrolling and were still without un­iforms and equipment. The city was plagued with rumors that the Confederate troops, who were drilling across the Potomac, would be sent across to capture Washington after having gained con­trol of the Arsenal and Navy Yard.
Arriving the night of the 18th, the volun­teers were immediately placed under the com­mand of Major Irwin McDowell and ordered to quarters in the Capitol. The units were provided with arms, ammunition and equipment and work was immediately commenced to barricade the Capitol building, fronting the Potomac with bar­rels of cement and large sheets of boiler iron. The
Ringgold Light Artillery was ordered to report to Captain (later Admiral) Dahlgren at the Navy Yard. Here, three, twelve-pound howitzers were assigned to the company for the purpose of defending the area. The entire unit was needed to man these guns except for twelve men who were detached to guard the Short Bridge which was vital to the defense of Washington.
However, the battle was never to come. The condition of Washington had been improved within a month with the mustering of many troops placed into service and stationed around the Capitol building and by the middle of May General But­ler occupied Baltimore with 1,000 men and re­established communications between Washington and the North and the Ringgolds moved on to support the war as part of other regiments and operations.
The ribbon is 6" x 3" and in great condition and has been in my family over 50 years.