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. Almost 330,000 Ohio men, including 5,092 African Americans, served in the Union military during the conflict.
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. They served for varying lengths of time, averaging one hundred days to three years. Among the three-year units was the 4th Battalion Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which mustered into service at Stevensburg, Virginia on June 26, 1864. Many of the soldiers of the 4th Battalion had previously served a three-year term as members of the 4th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. When the regiment’s term of service expired, some members reenlisted, becoming the basis for the 4th Battalion.
In mid-August 1864, the 4th Battalion departed Stevensburg and briefly served on the frontlines during the Petersburg Campaign. The organization fought in the Battles of Deep Bottom II (August 13-20, 1864) and Ream’s Station II (August 25, 1864), but officials soon dispatched the organization to Washington, DC, where the command remained in the capital’s defenses for the war’s duration. The 4th Battalion departed Washington in late June or early July 1865 for Jeffersonville, Indiana, where the organization’s members mustered out of service on July 12, 1865 and returned to Ohio. There is no evidence that the battalion lost any men killed, wounded, or captured during the organization’s existence.
