66th Ohio Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 66th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 66th OVI) was an infantry
regiment
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
and mustered in for three years service on December 17, 1861 under the command of Colonel
Charles Candy
.
The regiment was attached to 3rd Brigade, Landers' Division, Army of the Potomac
, to March 1862. 2nd Brigade, Shields' 2nd Division, Banks' V Corps and Department of the Shenandoah, to May 1862. 2nd Brigade, Shields' Division, Department of the Rappahannock, to June 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps, Army of Virginia
, to August 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, II Corps, Army of Virginia, to September 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XII Corps, Army of the Potomac, to October 1863, and Army of the Cumberland
to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to July 1865.
The 66th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
on July 15, 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 66th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp McArthur in Urbana, OhioUrbana, Ohio
Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army. Urbana was named after the town of Urbanna, Virginia. It is the burial-place of the Indian fighter...
and mustered in for three years service on December 17, 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...
Charles Candy
Charles Candy
Charles Candy was a career soldier in the United States Army who served as an officer in the volunteer Union Army during the American Civil War...
.
The regiment was attached to 3rd Brigade, Landers' Division, 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 March 1862. 2nd Brigade, Shields' 2nd Division, Banks' V Corps and Department of the Shenandoah, to May 1862. 2nd Brigade, Shields' Division, Department of the Rappahannock, to June 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps, 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 August 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, II Corps, Army of Virginia, to September 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XII 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. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to July 1865.
The 66th 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 15, 1865.
Detailed service
Ordered to New Creek, Va., January 17, 1862. Advance toward Winchester, Va., March 7–15, 1862. Provost duty at Martinsburg, Winchester, and Strasburg until May. March to Fredericksburg, Va., May 12–21, and to Port Republic May 25-June 7. Battle of Port Republic June 9. Ordered to Alexandria and duty there until August. Operations near Cedar Mountain August 10–18. Pope's Campaign in northern Virginia August 18-September 2. Guarding trains of the army during the battles of Bull Run August 28–30. Maryland Campaign September 6–22. Battle of Antietam September 16–17. Duty at Bolivar Heights until December. Reconnaissance to Rippon, Va., November 9. Reconnaissance to Winchester December 2–6. Berryville December 1. Dumfries December 27. "Mud March" January 20–24, 1863. At Stafford Court House until April 27. 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 to Manassas Gap, Va., July 5–24. Duty at New York during draft disturbances August 15-September 8. Movement to Bridgeport, Ala., September 24-October 3. Skirmish at Garrison's Creek near Fosterville October 6 (detachment). 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. Regiment reenlisted December 15, 1863. Duty at Bridgeport and in Alabama until May 1864. Scout to Caperton's Ferry March 29-April 2. Expedition from Bridgeport down Tennessee River to Triana April 12–16. Atlanta Campaign May 1-September 8. Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8–11. Dug Gap or Mill Creek May 8. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Cassville May 19. New Hope Church May 25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church, and Allatoona Hills May 25-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. Kolb's Farm June 22. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Ruff's 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. Occupation of Atlanta September 2-November 15. Near Atlanta November 9. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10–21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April 1865. Little Cohora Creek, N.C., 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 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 245 men during service; 5 officers and 96 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 143 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel Charles Candy
- 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...
Eugene Powell - commanded at the battles of Antietam (where he was wounded), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, et al.
Notable members
- Private William Wallace Cranston, Company A - 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 Chancellorsville; later promoted to captain - Sergeant Henry HellerHenry HellerHenry Heller was a Union Army sergeant during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863....
, Company A - Medal of Honor recipient for action at the battle of Chancellorsville - Private Elisha B. Seaman, Company A - Medal of Honor recipient for action at the battle of Chancellorsville
- Sergeant Thomas Thompson, Company A - Medal of Honor recipient for action at the battle of Chancellorsville
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...