During the American Civil War, originally known as the Hoffman Battalion, the 128th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry was formed between January 8 and January 15, 1864 at Johnson’s Island, near Sandusky, Ohio, and Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, Ohio.
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. Beginning in late December 1861, officials formed the Hoffman Battalion for three years of service. This organization consisted of four companies of men, and authorities ordered the troopers to Johnson’s Island, a Union prison camp on an island in Sandusky Bay in Lake Erie, to serve as guards. The battalion’s members also helped construct the camp, and some of the men also participated in a military campaign in western Virginia (modern-day West Virginia) during 1862.
On January 5, 1864, officials incorporated the Hoffman Battalion into the newly established 128th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The battalion’s members became Companies A, B, C, and D of the new regiment. Authorities officially mustered the 128th into duty on February 29, 1864 at Johnson’s Island, while some members of the regiment also enlisted at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, Ohio. The 128th Regiment spent the remainder of its time of service at Johnson’s Island, principally as prison guards. In late 1864 and early 1865, following Confederate Charles H. Cole’s failed attempt to free the Southern prisoners on Johnson’s Island, the 128th also constructed three fortifications, two on the island and one at the mouth of the Sandusky River, to protect the prison camp from Confederate assault.
While serving as prison guards at Johnson’s Island, the Hoffman Battalion and then the 128th Regiment commonly was outnumbered by the camp’s inmates. The battalion routinely had four hundred men ready for duty, while the regiment numbered closer to one thousand men. The following table details the number of Confederate prisoners at Johnson’s Island over the camp’s existence.
|
Date |
Number of Prisoners |
|
Average for April 1862 |
444 |
|
Average for May 1862 |
1,074 |
|
Average for June 1862 |
1,105 |
|
July 31, 1862 |
1,149 |
|
August 31, 1862 |
1,452 |
|
Average for September 1862 |
595 |
|
October 31, 1862 |
893 |
|
November 30, 1862 |
295 |
|
December 31, 1862 |
209 |
|
January 31, 1863 |
308 |
|
February 28, 1863 |
347 |
|
March 31, 1863 |
105 |
|
April 30, 1863 |
59 |
|
May 31, 1863 |
40 |
|
June 30, 1863 |
806 |
|
July 31, 1863 |
1,668 |
|
August 31, 1863 |
1,817 |
|
September 30, 1863 |
2,155 |
|
October 31, 1863 |
2,156 |
|
November 30, 1863 |
2,381 |
|
December 31, 1863 |
2,623 |
|
January 31, 1864 |
2,603 |
|
February 28, 1864 |
2,206 |
|
March 31, 1864 |
2,192 |
|
April 30, 1864 |
2,088 |
|
May 31, 1864 |
2,134 |
|
June 30, 1864 |
2,309 |
|
July 31, 1864 |
2,441 |
|
August 31, 1864 |
2,556 |
|
September 30, 1864 |
2,663 |
|
October 31, 1864 |
2,621 |
|
November 30, 1864 |
2,747 |
|
December 31, 1864 |
3,209 |
;
On January 20, 1865, officials discharged Company A, with its members having completed their terms of service. Authorities mustered out Company B on February 28, 1865. The remainder of the 128th continued in the service until July 17, 1865, when officials mustered the regiment out of duty at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio.
During the American Civil War, the 128th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry saw no combat. The regiment did lose sixty-four men, including one officer, due to disease or accidents.
