The 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 123rd OVI) was an infantry

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 123rd Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Monroeville in Huron County, Ohio

Huron County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 59,487 people, 22,307 households, and 16,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile . There were 23,594 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile...

 and mustered in for three years service on September 24, 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...

 William T. Wilson.

The regiment was attached to Railroad Division, West Virginia, to January 1863. Defenses of the Upper Potomac, VIII Corps, Middle Department

Middle Department

The Middle Department was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Middle Atlantic states....

, to March 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VIII Corps, to July 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Department of the Susquehanna

Department of the Susquehanna

The Department of the Susquehanna was a military department created by the United States War Department during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War...

, to July 1863. McReynolds' Command, Martinsburg, West Virginia, to December 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Department of West Virginia, to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, West Virginia, to December 1864. 1st Brigade, Independent Division, XXIV Corps, Army of the James

Army of the James

The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia.-History:...

, to June 1865

The 123rd Ohio Infantry mustered out of service on June 12, 1865.

Detailed service

Left Ohio for Parkersburg, Va., October 16, 1862; then moved to Clarksburg October 20. March from Clarksburg to Buckhannon, Va., October 27–30, 1862, and to Beverly November 3. Moved to Huttonville November 8; to Webster November 16, and to New Creek November 18. Duty at New Creek until December 12. Moved to Petersburg December 12. March to relief of Moorefield January 3, 1863. Duty at Romney January 10 to March 4, and at Winchester, Va., until June. Reconnaissance toward Wardensville and Strasburg April 20. Operations in Shenandoah Valley April 22–29. Scout to Strasburg April 25–30. Battle of Winchester June 13–15. Regiment surrendered by Colonel Ely, Commanding Brigade, June 15, 1863. Exchanged August 1863. Provost duty at Martinsburg, W. Va., October 1863 to March 1864. Duty along Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from Harper's Ferry to Monocacy Junction until April. Sigel's Expedition from Martinsburg to New Market April 30-May 16. Battle of New Market May 16. Advance to Staunton May 24-June 5. Action at Piedmont June 5. Occupation of Staunton June 6. Hunter's Raid on Lynchburg June 10-July 1. Lynchburg June 17–18. Moved to Shenandoah Valley July 12–15. Snicker's Ferry July 15. Battle of Winchester, Kernstown, July 24. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Berryville September 3. Battle of Opequon, September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Cedar Creek October 13. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty at Kernstown until December. Moved to Washington, D.C., December 19; then to Aikens' Landing, Va. Siege operations against Richmond and Petersburg December 1864 to April 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Hatcher's Run March 29–31. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Pursuit of Lee April 3–9. Rice's Station April 6. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Duty in the Dept. of Virginia until June.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 187 men during service; 1 officer and 90 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 92 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

• Colonel William T. Wilson
• Major
  Major (United States)
  In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
  
   Horace Kellogg - commanded at the battle of New Market
• Captain John W. Chamberlain - commanded at the battle of Opequon

See also

• List of Ohio Civil War units
• Ohio in the Civil War
  Ohio in the Civil War
  During 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...
  
  

External links

• Ohio in the Civil War: 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens
• Monument of the 123rd Ohio Infantry in Winchester National Cemetery