Tom Oran During The Civil War

A match game of Base Ball was played yesterday afternoon, on Gamble's Lawn, between the Commercial, Jr., and Cyclone clubs...

-Missouri Republican, June 2, 1863


This is pretty neat.  I think that the earliest we had traced Oran's baseball career was to 1867, when he was playing with the Olympics.  But now we know that Oran, who around 16 years old in 1863, was not only in St. Louis during the Civil War but he was also playing baseball.

Oran, of course, was the first Native American to play in the major leagues.

Also, it should be noted that this Cyclone Club was not the same club that was founded by Merritt Griswold in 1859.  That club broke up sometime in 1861.