I previously mentioned it but the Chicago Board of Trade once raised a military unit on behalf of the Union for the American Civil War known as the Chicago Board of Trade Battery. It's role was best described by the blog Crossed Sabers which noted:
"It was responsible for raising several units of Illinois volunteers during the course of the Civil War. President Lincoln sent out a call on July 6, 1862 for an additional 300,000 volunteers. On the evening of the 21st, the Board decided to raise a battery of artillery. By 4 pm on July 23rd, $15,000 had been raised and 180 men volunteered for the battery. 156 of these men were selected by the mustering officer, Captain J. Christopher, and mustered into federal service on August 1st as the Chicago Board of Trade battery, Illinois Volunteers."
The above picture is of an inventory and inspection report in 1864 before the Battery was disbanded. I didn't show an expanded view of the full report but it consisted of 56 shelter tents, 1 bugle, and 4 axes.
While on the topic of floor traders and the military, it was recently noted that one of the primary characters in the documentary Floored, Rob Prosniewski, is now an Army combat medic in Afghanistan. It's very cool to see that a guy from the trading pits went on to another fulfilling career as that is the exception rather than the norm.
