The 17th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Service

Three-months regiment

In response to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's call on April 15, 1861, for

75,000 volunteers On April 15, 1861, at the start of the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln called for a 75,000-man militia to serve for three months following the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter. Some southern states refused to send tro ...

, ten companies composing the 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment were enrolled in late April 1861. On June 5, 1861, at Camp Anderson,

Lancaster, Ohio Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,552. The city is near the Hocking River, about southeast of Columbus and southwest of Zanesville. It is ...

, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

John M. Connell, the 17th Ohio's companies were mustered into service for 3 months, to date from April 27, 1861. The regiment moved to Benwood, Virginia, then to

Parkersburg, Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metrop ...

. The regiment was attached to Rosecrans' Brigade, Western Virginia, to July 1861; 2nd Brigade, Army of Occupation, Western Virginia, to August 1861. The 17th Ohio Infantry Regiment performed railroad guard duty and operated against guerrillas in Jackson County, Virginia, until July. (Two companies were assigned garrison duty in Ravenswood, Virginia, until July 10.) The 17th Ohio skirmished with rebels at Glenville, Virginia July 7, and participated in the Western Virginia Campaign July 7–17. The regiment subsequently concentrated at Buckhannon, Virginia, and then participated in the expedition to Sutton, Virginia, July 15–20. The remainder of its duty was at Sutton until August 3, when it left Virginia for

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...

. The 17th Ohio mustered out of service on August 15, 1861, at Camp Goddard, Zanesville. During its service, the regiment lost three men: one to drowning; two to disease.

Three-years regiment

The 17th Ohio Infantry was reorganized at

Camp Dennison Camp Dennison was a military recruiting, training, and medical post for the United States Army during the American Civil War. It was located near Cincinnati, Ohio, not far from the Ohio River. The camp was named for Cincinnati native William De ...

near

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and mustered in for 3 years' service on August 30, 1861, under the command of Colonel John M. Connell. The regiment was attached to 1st Brigade,

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...

, November to December 1861. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division,

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Center,

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland and

Army of Georgia The Army of Georgia was a Union army that constituted the Left Wing of Major General William T. Sherman's Army Group during the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. History During Sherman's Atlanta Campaign in 1864, his Army Group wa ...

, to July 1865. The 13th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, on July 16, 1865.

Detailed service

Ordered to

Camp Dick Robinson In mid-May 1861, U. S. Navy lieutenant William "Bull" Nelson armed Kentuckians loyal to the Union and that soon became the foundation for his receiving authority to enlist 10,000 troops for a campaign into East Tennessee. On August 6, 1861, those r ...

, Ky., September 30, and duty there until October 19. March to Wild Cat October 19–21. Action at Camp Wild Cat, Rockcastle Hills, October 21. Operations about Mill Springs and Somerset, Ky., December 1–13, 1861. Advance on Camp Hamilton January 1–17, 1862. Battle of Mill Springs January 19–20. Moved from Mill Springs to Louisville, Ky., February 10–16, thence to Nashville, Tenn., February 18-March 2, and duty there until March 20. March to Savannah, Tenn., March 20-April 8. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 6. Buell's Campaign in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee June to August. Duty at Iuka, Miss., and Tuscumbia, Ala. March to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 20-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–15. Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 16-November 7, and duty there until December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro until June. Expedition toward Columbia March 4–14. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Hoover's Gap June 24–26. Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–21. Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn., September 24-November 23. Near Chattanooga October 8. Reopening Tennessee River October 25–29. Brown's Ferry October 27. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Orchard Knob November 23–24. Missionary Ridge November 25. Regiment reenlisted January 1, 1864. Veterans on furlough January 22 to March 7, 1864. Reconnaissance to Dalton, Ga., February 22–27, 1864. Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 23–25. Atlanta Campaign May 1 to September 8. Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8–11. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Advance on Dallas May 18–25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Mountain June 11–14. Lost Mountain June 15–17. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochee River July 5–17. Peachtree Creek July 19–20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Utoy Creek August 5–7. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25–30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Operations against Hood in northern Georgia and northern Alabama September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10–21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April 1865. Fayetteville, N. C., March 11. Battle of Bentonville March 19–21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10–14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C, via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20.

Grand Review of the Armies The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in the national capital city of Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, following the Union victory in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Elements of the Union Army in the ...

May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June, and duty there until July.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 232 men during service; 6 officers and 71 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 154 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel John M. Connell - resigned November 12, 1863 * Colonel Jesse Durbin Ward - commanded at the battle of Chickamauga as

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

; promoted to colonel November 13, 1863; resigned November 8, 1864, due to wounds received in battle at Chickamauga * Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Showers - promoted from captain to lieutenant colonel May 9, 1864; mustered out with regiment July 16, 1865 Due to wounds received at Chickamauga, Colonel Ward was absent from the regiment until April 13, 1864. Major James W. Stinchcomb commanded the regiment during this period, and resigned on May 2, 1864.

References

* De Velling, C. T. ''History of the Seventeenth Regiment, First Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Corps, Army of the Cumberland, War of the Rebellion'' (Zanesville, OH: E. R. Sullivan), 1889. * 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 of the Rebellion, 1861–1865'', vol. I (Akron, OH: The Werner Company, 1893), pp. 351–368. (3-month regiment) * Ohio Roster Commission. ''Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865'', vol. II (Cincinnati, OH: Wilstach, Baldwin & Co., 1886), pp. 535–573. (3-year regiment) * 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: 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens

National flag of the 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, probably the regiment's first national flag

National flag of the 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Regimental flag of the 17th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry
{{Authority control Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Ohio 1861 establishments in Ohio