With the American Civil War's outbreak, neither the North nor the South had sufficient military forces to conduct a war. Both the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, at first, relied upon volunteers either to form or to bolster their respective militaries.
With the American Civil War's outbreak, neither the North nor the South had sufficient military forces to conduct a war. Both the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, at first, relied upon volunteers either to form or to bolster their respective militaries. Typically, individual states would recruit and send volunteers to their respective federal governments. Initially, many states relied on militia forces. Historically, every British colony in North America had established a militia. The militia usually consisted of adult, able-bodied men, who would rally to defend the colonies and, following the American Revolution, states during military crises. By the start of the American Civil War, unfortunately for both the Confederate States of America and the United States of America, most state militias were in a decline and unprepared for a major war.
In Ohio, Governor William Dennison hoped to supply the United States government with men and supplies from the Ohio militia. Ohio's militia system was virtually nonexistent by 1861. While militia forces played a vital role in Ohio's history from the American Revolution to the War of 1812, most major military threats to Ohio's security ended with the War of 1812. Following this conflict, the federal government quickly removed most Native Americans further west, and in the decades immediately following the war, no European or other major power attacked the United States. Facing no serious internal or external threats, most states, including Ohio, allowed their militia organizations to weaken. Most militia groups became mere social organizations and did not actively practice or study military maneuvers or tactics.
Dennison quickly discovered that Ohio's militia system could not play an active role in the American Civil War. Following the Battle of Fort Sumter and President Abraham Lincoln’s call for seventy-five thousand volunteers to return the seceded states to the Union in April 1861, Ohio's governor sent Jacob Cox, a state politician, and George McClellan, a former United States Army officer and current businessman, to Ohio's arsenal to assess the availability of weapons and supplies. Cox and McClellan found three or four crates of smoothbore muskets, a number of inoperable six-pound cannons, and some mildewed horse harnesses. Upon learning of the dire condition of the state's military supplies, Dennison still encouraged Ohioans to reestablish militia units to defend the state from Southern attack and to assist the federal government in reuniting the nation.
Ohioans quickly responded to the governor's and the federal government's call for troops. Among Ohio's earliest regiments was the 12th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This organization enrolled between April 19, 1861 and April 25, 1861.Most members of the12th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry came from Brown County, Clinton County, Butler County, Clermont County, Greene County, Highland County, and Warren County, all of which are counties in Ohio. The regiment was formally mustered into the United States military at Camp Jackson in Columbus, Ohio from April 22, 1861 to May 4, 1861. On May 6, 1861, the 12th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry reported to Camp Dennison near Cincinnati, Ohio. Officials soon requested that the soldiers reenlist for three years of service. Most soldiers agreed to extend their service, and those men who did not reenlist were mustered out of service upon the end of their three-months term between July 30, 1861 and August 23, 1861.
12th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry (Three Months Service):
Roster of Officers:
|
Name |
Age |
Rank |
Date of Entering Service |
Term of Service |
|
John W. Lowe |
51 |
Colonel |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Jacob Ammen |
53 |
Lieutenant Colonel |
Three months |
|
|
Carr B. White |
38 |
Major |
Three months |
|
|
William W. Holmes |
28 |
Surgeon |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Charles H. Swain |
37 |
Assistant Surgeon |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Jonathan D. Hines |
33 |
Adjutant |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Andrew J. Roosa |
24 |
Quartermaster |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
John Reed |
22 |
Sergeant Major |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Frank M. Baker |
24 |
Quartermaster- Sargeant |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Nathan H. Sidwell |
21 |
Hospital Steward |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Andrew J. Avery |
31 |
Drum Major |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James D. Wallace |
35 |
Captain |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Robert B. Harlan |
49 |
Captain |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Watts McMurchy |
29 |
Captain |
April 23, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Robert Lytle |
30 |
Captain |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Albert Galloway |
49 |
Captain |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Rigdon Williams |
24 |
Captain |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Joseph L. Hilt |
40 |
Captain |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Edward M. Carey |
33 |
Captain |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William Hays |
28 |
Captain |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James Sloan |
40 |
Captain |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Elhanan C. Devore |
26 |
First Lieutenant |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Daniel W. Pauly |
26 |
First Lieutenant |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Andrew J. Raosa |
24 |
First Lieutenant |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Thomas G. Wood |
34 |
First Lieutenant |
April 23, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Leigh W. McClung |
26 |
First Lieutenant |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Andrew J. Thorp |
34 |
First Lieutenant |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Joel K. Deardoff |
25 |
First Lieutenant |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Richard C. Rankin |
40 |
First Lieutenant |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Thomas T. Taylor |
24 |
First Lieutenant |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Benjamin R.A. Jones |
39 |
First Lieutenant |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Henry S. Clement |
20 |
First Lieutenant |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Azariah W. Doan |
34 |
First Lieutenant |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Charles F. King |
22 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
|
A. McClam Ridgway |
25 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Robert Wilson |
27 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 24, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James W. Ross |
23 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William H. Hivling |
19 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Moses W. Trader |
49 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Firman C. Warren |
30 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 23, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Isaac B. Allen |
35 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Jonathan D. Hines |
33 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 22, 1861 |
Three months |
|
John W. Bowser |
25 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William P. Cowan |
34 |
Second Lieutenant |
April 25, 1861 |
Three months |
;
