The 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 40th 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 40th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase

Camp Chase

Camp Chase was a military staging, training and prison camp in Columbus, Ohio, during the American Civil War. All that remains of the camp today is a Confederate cemetery containing 2,260 graves. The cemetery is located in what is now the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.- History :Camp Chase...

 in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 September through November 1861 and mustered in for three years service on December 7, 1861 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...

 Jonathan Cranor.

The regiment was attached to 18th Brigade, Army of the Ohio

Army of the Ohio

The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...

, to March 1862. Unattached, Army of the Ohio to August 1862. District of Eastern Kentucky, Department of the Ohio

Department of the Ohio

The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...

, to October 1862. District of the Kanawha, West Virginia, Department of the Ohio, to February 1863. 2nd Brigade, Baird's Division, Army of Kentucky, Department of the Cumberland, to June 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Reserve Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, IV Corps, Army of the Cumberland, October 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to December 1864.

Companies A, B, C, and D mustered out of service at Pilot Knob, Georgia on October 7, 1864. The remainder of the regiment mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 on December 10, 1864, with veterans and recruits being transferred to the 51st Ohio Infantry

51st Ohio Infantry

The 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 51st Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Meigs in Dover, Ohio beginning September 17, 1861 and mustered in for three years service on October 26, 1861 under the command of Colonel...

.

Detailed service

Ordered to eastern Kentucky December 11, 1861. Garfield's Campaign against Humphrey Marshall December 23, 1861 to January 30, 1862. Advance on Paintsville, Ky., December 31, 1861 to January 7, 1862. Occupation of Paintsville January 8 to February 1. Middle Creek, near Prestonburg January 10. Expedition to Pound Gap, Cumberland Mountains, March 14–17. Pound Gap March 16. Moved to Piketon, Ky., and duty there until June 13. Moved to Prestonburg June 13, then to Louisa July 16, and duty there until September 13. Moved to Gallipolis, Ohio, September 13, then to Guyandotte, Va., October 4. Moved to eastern Kentucky November 14, and duty there until February 20, 1863. Ordered to Nashville, Tenn., February 20, thence to Franklin, Tenn. Repulse of Van Dorn's attack on Franklin April 10. Harpeth River, near Franklin, April 10. Duty at Franklin until June 2. Moved to Triune June 2. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. At Wartrace and Tullahoma until September 7. Chickamauga Campaign September 7–22. Reconnaissance from Rossville September 17. Ringgold, Ga., September 17. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–21. Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn., September 24-November 23. Reopening Tennessee River October 26–29. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Lookout Mountain November 23–24. Missionary Ridge November 25. Ringgold Gap, Taylor's Ridge, November 27. Duty at Whiteside, Ala., until February 1864. Demonstration on Dalton, Ga., February 22–27. Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 23–25. Atlanta Campaign May 1 to September 8. Tunnel Hill May 6–7. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge and Dalton May 8–13. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8–9. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Adairsville May 17. Near Kingston May 18–19. Near Cassville May 19. Advance on Dallas May 22–25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church, and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Allatoona Pass June 1–2. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11–14. Lost Mountain June 15–17. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. Peachtree Creek July 19–20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25–30. Red Oak Station August 29. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy's Station September 2–6. Operations against Hood in northern Georgia and northern Alabama September 29-November 3. Moved to Pulaski, Tenn., and duty there until November 22. Battle of Franklin November 30.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 237 men during service; 6 officers and 96 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 134 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

• Colonel Jonathan Cranor
• Colonel Jacob E. Taylor
• Lieutenant Colonel
  Lieutenant 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...
  
   William Jones - commanded at the Battle of Chickamauga

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: 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens
• National flag of the 40th Ohio Infantry
• Regimental guidon of the 40th Ohio Infantry
• Another regimental guidon of the 40th Ohio Infantry