68th Ohio Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 68th OVI) was an infantry
regiment
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
October through December 1861 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel
Samuel H. Steedman.
The regiment was attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Military District of Cairo, February 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee
, to May 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee, to July 1863. Unattached, District of Jackson, Tennessee, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Right Wing, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, to December 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XVII Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to July 1865.
The 68th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
on July 10, 1865.
May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 1, and duty there until July.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 68th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Latta in Napoleon, OhioNapoleon, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,318 people, 3,813 households, and 2,470 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,668.1 people per square mile . There were 4,066 housing units at an average density of 727.9 per square mile...
October through December 1861 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Samuel H. Steedman.
The regiment was attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Military District of Cairo, February 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
, to May 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee, to July 1863. Unattached, District of Jackson, Tennessee, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Right Wing, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, to December 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XVII Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to July 1865.
The 68th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
on July 10, 1865.
Detailed service
Moved to Camp Chase, Ohio, January 21, 1862, then ordered to Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 7. Investment and capture of Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 12–16, 1862. Expedition toward Purdy and operations about Crump's Landing March 9–14. Battle of Shiloh April 6–7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. March to Purdy, thence to Bolivar, and duty there until September. March to Iuka, Miss., September 1–19. Battle of the Hatchie October 5. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign, operations on the Mississippi Central Railroad, November 2, 1862 to January 10, 1863. Reconnaissance from LaGrange November 8–9, 1862. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., January 20, 1863, then to Lake Providence, La., February 22. Moved to Milliken's Bend April 10. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25–30. Battle of Port Gibson May 1. Forty Hills and Hankinson's Ferry May 3–4. Battle of Raymond May 12. Jackson May 14. Battle of Champion Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg May 18-July 4. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4, and duty there until February 1864. Expedition to Monroe, La., August 20-September 2, 1863. Expedition to Canton October 14–20. Bogue Chitto Creek October 17. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2, 1864. Morton February 10. Veterans absent on furlough February 20-May 8. Moved to Cairo, Ill., May 7–8, then to Clifton, Tenn., and march via Pulaski, Huntsville and Decatur, Ala., to Rome and Ackworth, Ga., May 12-June 9. Atlanta Campaign June-9-September 8. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Nickajack Creak July 2–5. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. Howell's Ferry July 5. Leggett's or Bald Hill July 20–21. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25–30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy's Station September 2–6. Jonesboro September 5. Operations in northern Georgia and northern Alabama against Hood September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10–21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April 1865. Pocotaligo, S.C., January 14. Salkehatchie Swamps February 2–5. Barker's Mills, Whippy Swamp, February 2. Binnaker's Bridge, South Edisto River, February 9. Orangeburg, North Edisto River, February 12–13. Columbia February 16–17. Battle of Bentonville, N.C., March 20–21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10–14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review of the ArmiesGrand Review of the Armies
The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in Washington, D.C., on May 23 and May 24, 1865, following the close of the American Civil War...
May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 1, and duty there until July.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 300 men during service; 2 officers and 48 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 249 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel Samuel H. Steedman
- Colonel Robert Kingston ScottRobert Kingston ScottRobert Kingston Scott was an American Republican politician, the 74th Governor of South Carolina, and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
John S. Snook - commanded at the battle of Champion Hill
See also
- List of Ohio Civil War units
- Ohio in the Civil WarOhio in the Civil WarDuring the American Civil War, the State of Ohio played a key role in providing troops, military officers, and supplies to the Union army. Due to its central location in the Northern United States and burgeoning population, Ohio was both politically and logistically important to the war effort...