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174th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry

1864–1865

In the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments from other states, most notably from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Massachusetts, as well as in federal units.

In the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments from other states, most notably from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Massachusetts, as well as in federal units. Almost 330,000 Ohio men, including 5,092 African Americans, served in the Union military during the conflict.

Infantry regiments formed in Ohio became known as regiments of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On September 21, 1864, the 174th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry mustered into service at Camp Chase at Columbus, Ohio. The men in the regiment were to serve a one-year term of enlistment.

On September 23, 1864, authorities dispatched the 174th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry to Nashville, Tennessee, where the regiment arrived on September 26. Officials immediately ordered the 174th's men to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which was facing attack by Confederate forces under Nathan Bedford Forrest. Seeing limited combat, the regiment remained at Murfreesboro until October 27, 1864, when officials dispatched the men to Decatur, Alabama, which was under assault by Confederate forces under the command of John Bell Hood. The 174th arrived on October 28. The Union soldiers drove off the Confederates, and the 174th then moved to the mouth of the Elk River, while leaving four companies on garrison duty at Athens, Alabama.

Officials quickly returned the 174th Regiment to Decatur, where the regiment stayed until November 26, 1864, when Union forces evacuated the town. The 174th immediately traveled to Murfreesboro, where the regiment helped to defend the town during Confederate General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee’s siege of the community. The 174th participated in numerous skirmishes during the siege, including the Battle of Overall’s Creek (December 4, 1864), where the regiment had six men killed and forty, including two officers, wounded. On December 7, the 174th also fought in the Battle of the Cedars, where the regiment captured two cannon and approximately two hundred prisoners, while losing five men killed, including one officer, and twenty-nine men wounded, including seven officers. The 174th remained at Murfreesboro during the Battle of Nashville.

Following the Union victory at the Battle of Nashville, officials ordered the 174th Regiment to join the 23rd Army Corps. The regiment advanced to Columbia, Tennessee and then Clifton, Tennessee, where it remained until mid January 1865. At this time, officials dispatched the 23rd Army Corps, including the 174th regiment to North Carolina. The regiment left Tennessee on January 17, 1865 and traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio via riverboats and then by train to Washington, DC, reaching here on January 29, 1865. The 174th remained at Washington until February 21, 1865, when it boarded ships, arriving at Fort Fisher in North Carolina on February 23, 1865.

Upon arriving in North Carolina, the 174th advanced to Moorehead City on February 24, 1865 and to New Bern on February 25, 1865. On March 10, 1865, the regiment participated in the Battle of Five Forks at Kingston, North Carolina, losing four men killed and twenty-five men, including two officers, wounded. This was the final engagement in which the 174th fought during the American Civil War.

The 174th Regiment advanced to Goldsboro, North Carolina on March 21, 1865. Following the surrender of Confederate General Joseph Johnston’s army, officials assigned the 174th Ohio to garrison duty at Wadesboro, North Carolina. The regiment mustered out of service on June 28, 1865, at Charlotte, North Carolina. Officials sent the regiment to Columbus for discharge from military service. The 174th formally left the service on July 7, 1865.

During its time of service, the 174th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry had twenty-two men, including one officer, killed on the battlefield. The regiment lost ninety-five soldiers, including one officer, to disease or accidents.

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