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 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This organization was formed between April 18, 1861 and April 25, 1861, at Camp Jackson in Columbus, Ohio. Most of the enlistees belonged to militia companies, including two companies from Mount Vernon, two from Delaware, two from Kenton, two from Marion, one from Canton, and one from Wooster. The 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry's members enlisted for three months of military duty. On May 2, 1861, officials sent the entire regiment to Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, Ohio, where the soldiers were formally mustered into the United States military on May 4, 1861. Military officials soon requested that the soldiers reenlist for three years of service. Most men agreed, but those who did not were mustered out of service upon the end of their three-months term between August 18, 1861 and August 24, 1861.
4th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry (Three Months Service):
Roster of Officers:
|
Name |
Rank |
Age |
Date of Entering Service |
Term of Service |
|
Lorin Andrews |
Colonel |
42 |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James Cantwell |
Lieutenant Colonel |
49 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James H. Godman |
Major |
52 |
April 23, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Harry M. McAbee |
Surgeon |
33 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
J.Y. Cantwell |
Assistant Surgeon |
36 |
April 16, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Bradford R. Durfee |
Adjutant |
45 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Addison S. McClure |
Sergeant Major |
22 |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
George H. Purdy |
Quartermaster Sergeant |
28 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James C. Irvine |
Captain |
24 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Henry B. Banning |
Captain |
24 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James M. Crawford |
Captain |
27 |
April 21, 1861 |
Three months |
|
George Weaver |
Captain |
54 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James McMillen |
Captain |
38 |
April 16, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James Wallace |
Captain |
23 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
James S. Robinson |
Captain |
33 |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Edwin B. Olmstead |
Captain |
34 |
April 27, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Eugene Powell |
Captain |
26 |
April 21, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Albert H. Brown |
Captain |
36 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Leonard W. Carpenter |
First Lieutenant |
27 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William C. Cooper |
First Lieutenant |
28 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
John S. Jones |
First Lieutenant |
25 |
April 21, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Gordon A. Stewart |
First Lieutenant |
28 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Jacob Shultz |
First Lieutenant |
34 |
April 16, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Perry S. Sowers |
First Lieutenant |
23 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
George F. Laird |
First Lieutenant |
23 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Peter Grubb |
First Lieutenant |
27 |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William S. Stroub |
First Lieutenant |
21 |
April 27, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Anthony W. Scott |
First Lieutenant |
21 |
April 21, 1861 |
Three months |
|
M.J. Lafevre |
First Lieutenant |
30 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William H. Garrett |
Second Lieutenant |
25 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William S. Constant |
Second Lieutenant |
23 |
April 21, 1861 |
Three months |
|
John K. Pritchard |
Second Lieutenant |
24 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
William S. Sergeson |
Second Lieutenant |
19 |
April 19, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Richard B. Treat |
Second Lieutenant |
20 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Reason B. Spink |
Second Lieutenant |
26 |
April 16, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Daniel R. Timmins |
Second Lieutenant |
30 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Byron Dolbear |
Second Lieutenant |
22 |
April 21, 1861 |
Three months |
|
George Rogers |
Second Lieutenant |
24 |
April 20, 1861 |
Three months |
|
Foster A. Coats |
Second Lieutenant |
29 |
April 18, 1861 |
Three months |
