78th Ohio Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 78th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 78th OVI) was an infantry
regiment
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
October 1861 through January 1862 and mustered in for three years service on January 11, 1862 under the command of Colonel
Mortimer Dormer Leggett
.
The regiment was attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, District of West Tennessee, to March 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee
, to July 1862. 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 78th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
on July 11, 1865.
May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June.
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 78th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Gilbert in Zanesville, OhioZanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
October 1861 through January 1862 and mustered in for three years service on January 11, 1862 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...
Mortimer Dormer Leggett
Mortimer Dormer Leggett
Mortimer Dormer Leggett was a lawyer, school administrator, professor, and major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
.
The regiment was attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, District of West Tennessee, to March 1862. 3rd 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 July 1862. 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 78th 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 11, 1865.
Detailed service
Moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, then to Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 11–16. Capture of Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 16, 1862. Expedition toward Purdy and operations about Crump's Landing, Tenn., March 9–14. Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Capture of Jackson June 7. Duty at Bethel and Grand Junction until August. Bolivar August 30. March to Iuka, Miss., September 1–19. Battle of Iuka September 19 (reserve). Duty at Bolivar until November. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign, operations on the Mississippi Central Railroad. November 2, 1862 to January 20, 1863. Reconnaissance's from LaGrange toward Colliersville November 5 and November 8–9. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., January 20, then to Lake Providence, La., February 22, and to Milliken's Bend, La., April 17. 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. Battles of Raymond May 12; Jackson May 14; Champion Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4, and duty there until February 1864. Clinton July 16. Expedition to Monroe, La., August 20-September 2, 1863. Expedition to Canton October 14–20. Bogue Chitto Creek October 17. Regiment reenlisted January 5, 1864. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2, 1864. Baker's Creek February 5. Wyatt's February 13. Meridian February 14–15. Canton February 26. Veterans on furlough March and April. Moved to Clifton, Tenn., then marched to Ackworth, Ga., May 5-June 8. Atlanta Campaign June 8-September 8. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2–5. Howell's Ferry July 5. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. 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. Duty near Atlanta until October 15. Moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., and duty guarding railroad near Chattanooga until November 13. Little River, Ala., October 27. 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. Barker's Mills, Whippy Swamp, February 3. Orangeburg 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.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 355 men during service; 2 officers and 71 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 280 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel Mortimer Dormer Leggett
- 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...
Greenbury F. Wiles - commanded at the battle of Champion Hill and at the siege of Vicksburg
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...