| Warren County Local
History by Dallas Bogan |
| Contributor: |
Dallas Bogan on 27 August 2004 |
Source: |
original article by Dallas Bogan |
| Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan | |
| See Warren County Soldiers Serving in the 1st OVI & Warren County Soldiers Serving in the 2nd OVI |
The First Ohio (three months service) was called upon to serve the country
in April 1861. The First was made up of old militia companies from the Southwestern
portion of the State. This organization was, through its previous militia status,
able to gather and within sixty hours be on its way to Washington.
The first action was at Vienna in which the First was attached to General Robert
C. Schenck's Brigade. The Regiment, moving by rail, found the enemy much
sooner than had been anticipated. The Rebels set fire to the train and without
any hesitation the Brigade quickly jumped to the side of the track and completely
resisted the enemy in such a fashion that the Union Brigade suffered little
loss.
In the battle of First Bull Run, fought on July 21, 1861, the First was not
actively engaged in the fighting, but was instrumental in the excellent order
of the retreat of the Union troops. From August through October 1861, the organization
of the three years, service was completed. Camp Corwin in Dayton was the rendezvous
point. On October 31st it left Dayton and arrived in Cincinnati. Receiving its
arms on November 4th, it left Cincinnati on the 5th, bound for Louisville.
After many skirmishes and battles, perhaps the description of Reid's (Ohio in
the War), Battle of Mission Ridge in Tennessee, depicts the true bravery of
the First:
"On November 23, 1863, the battle of Orchard Knob was fought, really the
opening of the battle of Mission Ridge. About noon of that day the First Ohio,
consolidated with the Twenty-Third Kentucky, the whole under command of Lieutenant-
Colonel Bassett Langdon was formed in column doubled on the
center, to the right of Hazen's brigade. It immediately advanced on the enemy,
driving in his pickets and attacking his rifle-pits on the knob. The pits and
one hundred fifty prisoners were captured, and the rebels driven into their
entrenchments at the foot of Mission Ridge.
That night was spent in reversing the captured rifle pits and constructing other
defensive works. This position was held until the afternoon of the 25th.
At half past three on the 25th of November the First Ohio was placed in the
front line on the right of the brigade and division. At the signal of three
guns the forces moved off and were saluted by the enemy's batteries on the crest
of the ridge, some thirty of forty in number. The space to be traversed was
about one mile, mostly open ground. The movement was performed in quick time
to within three hundred yards, when the troops charged on the double-quick,
and the Rebels were fairly lifted out of their works almost without firing a
shot.
The National forces, in obedience to orders, took possession of the abandoned
works and sought to protect themselves within them. While occupying this position
the First Ohio suffered severely, and it became apparent that the only safe
course left was to make a dash at the top of the ridge. Lieutenant-Colonel
Langdon was the first to see the necessity. Getting his regiment in
line, and rising to the height of the occasion, he pointed with his sword to
the summit of the ridge and moved on. The whole command caught the inspiration
and mounted the almost perpendicular sides of the hill with an angry superhuman.
The enemy was amazed at the audacity of the movement, but contested the fight
with stubbornness.
The intensity of the Rebel fire was such that five color- bearers of the First
Ohio were either killed or wounded. The last one, Captain Trapp,
of Company G, was wounded twice within twenty paces of the crest of the hill,
while gallantly heading the regiment. At this time the regiment had assumed
the shape of the letter A. The nature of the ground being such as to protect
the head of the regiment from the Rebel fire in its front, it was halted to
gather strength for the final charge. A few minutes sufficed to effect this,
and the first and second lines moved up in mass, breaking over and carrying
the enemy's works and the crest of the hill. While directing the movement, at
the head of the column and within about twenty paces of the crest, Lieutenant
Colonel Langdon was shot in the face, the ball coming out at the back
of the neck. The shock of the ball disabled him for a few minutes, but he recovered
his feet and charged with his men to within ten paces of the works, when loss
of blood compelled him to retire, not however, without witnessing the capture
of the rebel works. Major Stafford, of the First, was wounded
at the foot of the hill, but accompanied his regiment to the top, and carried
the flag into the works on the crest. Lieutenant Christopher Wollenhaupt
and Sergeant-Major Wheeler were killed near the crest of the
ridge. The entire loss of the regiment was five officers and seventy-eight men
killed and wounded."
The Battle of Mission Ridge (now called Missionary Ridge) was a battle of the
Union foot soldier against a Rebel enemy that had just defeated him in the Battle
of Chicamaugua, Georgia. With a mood of revenge in their hearts and a cry of
"Remember Chicamaugua" in their soul the Union Army swarmed Mission
Ridge completely without orders from their Generals. The Generals and their
staff stood in complete amazement as they watched the many regiments defy the
cannon shot and the rifle barrages.
This battle only verifies that Warren County had among its troops some of the
bravest men in the Union Army.
The original strength of the First Ohio (3 years enlistment) was 1001 men at
enlistment and a total of 474 at muster out. During its term of enlistment the
First Ohio was engaged in twenty-four battles and skirmishes and had five hundred
and twenty-seven officers and men killed and wounded. It marched about two thousand
five hundred miles, and was transported by car and steamboat nine hundred and
fifty miles.
With the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, The Second Ohio was
quickly organized and was ushered off to the defense of Washington City. The
three month organization was, in September, 1861, organized into a three year
regiment. The Second consisted of 913 men.
This regiment was, under the direction of General
O.M. Mitchel, moved from Cincinnati to sections of Eastern Kentucky, via
Paris, Mt. Sterling to Olympian Springs. A good name was made by the Second
through this countryside. A good look by the Kentuckians at the Yankees instilled
much trust in the Southerner's that were not sure of its destiny in the war.
Reid's "Ohio in the War" gives this account of the battle of
Stone River: "On the 31st of December, 1862, in the Battle of Stone River,
the Second Ohio was closely engaged, and suffered serious loss. It's Colonel,
John Kell, was killed at the head
of the regiment; Major Maxwell was
slightly wounded; Captain Hazlett, Lieutenants Chambers
and Van Horn, and seven enlisted men, were also killed, and
a large number of men wounded. In this action the regiment, with the assistance
of Guenther's Battery H, Fourth artillery, captured the colors of the Thirty-
Second regiment Arkansas volunteers."
"Murfreesboro' was occupied until the spring of 1863, when a forward movement
was made by the Army of the Cumberland. The month of June found General
Rosecrans on the `war-path' toward Tullahoma and Shelbyville, where
the Rebel General Bragg had strongly fortified his lines. The
advance of the National forces was not very vigorously contested; but several
quite spirited affairs occurred, in one of which, at Hoover's Gap, the Second
suffered the loss of one man killed and two wounded."
"Chicamaugua was the next battleground. In this hotly- contested engagement
the regiment lost Lieutenant George Landrum (detached on General
Thomas' staff) killed, Lieutenant Colonel
Maxwell (then in command) wounded, Major Beatty, Adjutant
John Thomas, Captains Randall and Gallagher,
and Lieutenants Tetor and Purlier captured.
Aggregate loss in this engagement, one hundred and eighty-three officers and
men, killed, wounded and missing."
After many battles and skirmishes the Ohio Second was mustered out October 10,
1864 with an enrollment of 383 men.
(Company B was from Warren County - See Beers History
of Warren County page 617.)
The list of battles and dates are:
WEST LIBERTY, KY...October 23, 1861.
PIKETOWN, KY..November 9, 1861.
BRIDGEPORT, ALA..April 29, 1862.
PERRYVILLE, KY...October 8, 1862.
STONE RIVER, TENN..december 31, 1862.
ROSECRANS, CAMPAIGN (From Murfreesboro to Tullohama, Tenn.)...June 23-30, 1863.
CHICAMAUGUA, GA...September 19-20, 1863. MISSION RIDGE, TENN..November 25, 1863.
RINGGOLD, GA...November 27, 1863.
BUZZARD ROOST AND TUNNEL HILL,
ROCKY FACE RIDGE, GA..February 25-27, 1864.
RESACA, GA..May 13-16, 1864.
PEACH TREE CREEK, GA..July 20, 1864.
Regiment lost during service, 9 officers and 96 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 138 enlisted men by disease. Total 243.
This page created 27 August 2004 and last updated
7 March, 2012
© 2004-2006 Arne H Trelvik
All rights reserved