55th Ohio Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 55th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 55th OVI) was an infantry
regiment
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
September through December 1861 and mustered in for three years service on January 25, 1862 under the command of Colonel
John C. Lee
.
The regiment was attached to Schenck's Brigade, Railroad District, West Virginia, to March 1862. Railroad District, Department of the Mountains, to April 1862. Schenck's Brigade, Department of the Mountains, to June 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps, Pope's Army of Virginia
, to September 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XI Corps, Army of the Potomac
, to May 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XI Corps, Army of the Potomac, to October 1863, and Army of the Cumberland
, to April 1864. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland and Army of Georgia
, to July 1865.
The 55th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
on July 11, 1865.
May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 10, 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 55th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp McClellan in Norwalk, OhioNorwalk, Ohio
At the 2000 census, there were 16,238 people, 6,377 households and 4,234 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,950.3 per square mile . There were 6,687 housing units at an average density of 803.1 per square mile...
September through December 1861 and mustered in for three years service on January 25, 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...
John C. Lee
John C. Lee
John C. Lee was an American Republican politician who served as the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Ohio from 1868 to 1872.-Early life:Lee was born January 7, 1828 at Brown Township, Delaware County, Ohio...
.
The regiment was attached to Schenck's Brigade, Railroad District, West Virginia, to March 1862. Railroad District, Department of the Mountains, to April 1862. Schenck's Brigade, Department of the Mountains, to June 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps, Pope's Army of Virginia
Army of Virginia
The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E...
, to September 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XI Corps, Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, to May 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XI Corps, Army of the Potomac, to October 1863, and Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
, to April 1864. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland and Army of Georgia
Army of Georgia
The Army of Georgia was a Union army that constituted the Left Wing of Major General William T. Sherman's Army Group during the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign.-History:...
, to July 1865.
The 55th 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
Ordered to Grafton, Va., January 25. Moved from Grafton to New Creek, Va., February 3, 1862. Expedition to Romney February 6. Expedition to Moorefield February 12–16. Action at Moorefield February 12. Moved to Grafton February 19, and duty there until March 31. Moved to Green Spring River March 31, then to Romney April 10. Ordered to Join Milroy at Monterey. Battle of McDowell May 8. March to the Shenandoah Valley May 26–29. Near Franklin May 26. Harrisonburg June 6. Battle of Cross Keys June 8. At Middletown until July 7, and at Sperryville until August 8. Reconnaissance to Madison Court House July 16–19. Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9 (in reserve). Slaughter Mountain August 10. Pope's Campaign in northern Virginia August 16-September 2. Catlett's Station August 22. Battles of Bull Run August 28–30. Duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., until December. Reconnaissance to Bristoe Station and Warrenton Junction September 25–28. Moved to Fredericksburg December 12–16. "Mud March" January 20–24, 1863. At Falmouth until April. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1–5. Gettysburg Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 1–3. Pursuit of Lee July 5–24. At Catlett's Station, Va., July 25 to September 24. Movement to Bridgeport, Ala., September 24-October 3. Reopening Tennessee River October 26–29. Battle of Wauhatchie, Tenn., October 28–29. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Orchard Knob November 23. Tunnel Hill November 24–25. Missionary Ridge November 25. March to relief of Knoxville, Tenn., November 28-December 17. Duty in Lookout Valley until May 1864. Atlanta Campaign May 1 to September 8. Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8–11. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8–9. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Cassville May 19. Advance on Dallas May 22–25. Action at New Hope Church May 25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church, and Allatoona Hills May 26-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11–14. Lost Mountain June 15–17. Gilgal or Golgotha Church June 15. Muddy Creek June 17. Noyes Creek June 19. Cassville June 20. Kolb's Farm June 22. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Ruffs Station July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. Peachtree Creek July 19–20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Operations at Chattahoochie River Bridge August 26-September 2. Farmer's Ferry August 27. Occupation of Atlanta September 2 to November 15. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10–21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Lawtonville, S.C., February 2. North Edisto River February 12–13. Reconnaissance on Goldsboro Road, near Fayetteville, N.C., March 14. Taylor's Hole Creek, Aversyboro, March 16. Battle of Bentonville March 19–21. 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 19. 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 10, and duty there until July.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 262 men during service; 7 officers and 136 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 119 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel John C. Lee
- Colonel Charles B. Gambee - killed in action at the Battle of Resaca
Notable members
- Private Charles Stacey, Company D - Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient for action at the battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863
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...