Robert Reily (1820 – May 2, 1863) was a colonel of the

75th Ohio Infantry The 75th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 75th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from southwestern Ohio in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater, most notably in the battles of Chancellors ...

regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Biography

The son of Revolutionary War veteran and Ohio civil servant John Reily and his wife Nancy (née Hunter), Robert was born in Hamilton County, Ohio. Reily was the founder of the village of Wyoming, Ohio. When civil war broke out in 1861, Reily joined the 75th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered in as a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, but was promoted to

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 ...

and then to colonel. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, the 75th Ohio was part of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * XI ...

in the Army of the Potomac. On May 2, 1863,

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 ...

General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

sent

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

and his corps on a 12-mile march around the Union lines with the hope of catching XI Corps by surprise. At 4:30 in the afternoon, Colonel Reily had heard reports of a Confederate movement in his direction. Unlike many top commanders, such as the XI Corps commander Major General

Oliver O. Howard Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the Civil War. As a brigade commander in the Army of the Potomac, Howard lost his right arm while leading his men against ...

, Reily did not dismiss them. He prepared the 75th Ohio for an attack he knew was coming. He had his men lie down, rest by their weapons and wait for the attack. Within a half hour, Jackson's 12,000 Confederate soldiers rushed out of the thick underbrush. Most of the XI Corp was taken by surprise and broke for the rear without firing a shot. As other men of the XI Corp ran by in a panic, the 75th Ohio stood and fired back at the Confederates. They kept up the fire for ten minutes until the Confederates had overwhelmed their lines, forcing them to retreat. In those ten minutes, Colonel Reily was killed and 150 other men of the 75th Ohio were killed or wounded. Reily was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, in Section 46, Lot 39.

References

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External links

Ohio Historical Marker
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reily, Robert 1820 births 1863 deaths People of Ohio in the American Civil War Union Army colonels Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War People from Wyoming, Ohio Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery