The 166th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 166th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 166th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

The 166th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Taylor near

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, and mustered in May 13, 1864, for 100 days service under the command of Colonel Harrison Gray Otis Blake. The regiment left Ohio for Washington, D.C., May 15 and was attached to 2nd Brigade, DeRussy's Division, XXII Corps, to July 1864. 3rd Brigade, DeRussy's Division, XXII Corps, to August 1864. Assigned to garrison duty at Fort Richardson, Fort Barnard, Fort Reynolds, Fort Ward, and

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

(with regimental headquarters at Fort Richardson), defenses of Washington south of the Potomac River, until September. Participated in the repulse of Early's attack on Washington July 11–12. The 166th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service September 9, 1864.

Ohio National Guard

Over 35,000 Ohio National Guardsmen were federalized and organized into regiments for 100 days service in May 1864. Shipped to the Eastern Theater, they were designed to be placed in "safe" rear areas to protect railroads and supply points, thereby freeing regular troops for Lt. Gen.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

’s push on the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

capital of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. As events transpired, many units found themselves in combat, stationed in the path of Confederate Gen. Jubal Early’s veteran

Army of the Valley The Army of the Valley (officially the Army of the Valley District) was the name given to the army of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's independent command during the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns in the summer and autumn of 1864. The Army of the Valley was t ...

during its famed Valley Campaigns of 1864. Ohio Guard units met the battle-tested foe head on and helped blunt the Confederate offensive thereby saving Washington, D.C. from capture. Ohio National Guard units participated in the battles of Monacacy, Fort Stevens, Harpers Ferry, and in the siege of Petersburg.

Casualties

The regiment lost 29 enlisted men during service, all due to disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Harrison Gray Otis Blake

Notable members

* Colonel Harrison Gray Otis Blake -

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Ohio, 1859-1863

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Ohio Roster Commission. ''Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865, Compiled Under the Direction of the Roster Commission'' (Akron, OH: Werner Co.), 1886–1895. * Reid, Whitelaw. ''Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers'' (Cincinnati, OH: Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin), 1868. ;Attribution *

External links

Ohio in the Civil War: 166th Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens
{{Ohio in the Civil War Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864 1864 disestablishments in Ohio Units and formations of the Union Army from Ohio 1864 establishments in Ohio