116th Ohio Infantry

The 116th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 116th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

The 116th Ohio Infantry was organized Marietta and Gallipolis, Ohio, and mustered in September 18, 1862, for three years service under the command of Colonel James Washburn. Companies F and K mustered in October 28, 1862, and joined regiment at Buckhannon, Virginia.

The regiment was attached to Railroad Division, West Virginia, to January 1863. Romney, West Virginia, Defenses of the Upper Potomac, VIII Corps, Middle Department, to March 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VIII Corps, Middle Department, to June 1863. 1st Brigade, Elliott's Command, VIII Corps, to July 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Department of the Susquehanna, July 1863. McReynolds' Command, Martinsburg, West Virginia, Department of West Virginia, to December 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, West Virginia, to April 1864. 1st Brigade. 1st Infantry Division, West Virginia, to December 1864. 1st Brigade, Independent Division, XXIV Corps, Army of the James, to June 1865.

The 116th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service June 14, 1865, at Richmond, Virginia. Companies F and K were consolidated with the 62nd Ohio Infantry.

Detailed service

Left Ohio for Parkersburg, Va., October 16; then moved to Clarksburg and Buckhannon. Moved to New Creek November 9, and to Moorefield December 12. Duty at Moorefield, Va., December 15, 1862, to January 10, 1863. Moorefield January 3. At Romney until March 17. Near Romney February 16. At Winchester, Va., until June. Operations in Shenandoah Valley April 20–29. Scout toward Wardensville and Strasburg April 20. Scout to Strasburg April 25–29. Bunker Hill June 13 (Companies A and I). Battle of Winchester June 13–15. Retreat to Harper's Ferry, W. Va., June 15–16; then to Washington, D.C., July 1–4, and joined Army of the Potomac at Frederick, Md., July 5. Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va., July 5–24. Wapping Heights, Va., July 23. At Martinsburg, W. Va., August 4, 1863, to April 29, 1864. Skirmish at Hedgesville October 16, 1863 (detachment). Sigel's Expedition from Martinsburg to New Market April 29-May 16, 1864. Battle of New Market May 15. Advance on Staunton May 24-June 6. Piedmont June 5. Occupation of Staunton June 6. Hunter's raid on Lynchburg June 10-July 1. Lynchburg June 17–18. Ordered to the Shenandoah Valley July. Battle of Kernstown-Winchester, July 24. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Charlestown August 21, 22, and 29. Berryville September 3, Battle of Winchester, Opaquan Creek September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Cedar Creek October 13, Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty at Opequan Crossing November 18 to December 19. Moved to Washington, D.C., December 19; then to Aiken's Landing, Va. Siege of Petersburg and Richmond December 27, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9, Hatcher's Run March 29-April 1. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Pursuit of Lee April 3–9. Rice's Station April 6. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Duty at Richmond, Va., until June.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 185 men during service; 4 officers and 90 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 88 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

• Colonel James Washburn
• Lieutenant Colonel Thomas F. Wildes - commanded at the battle of Opequon

Notable members

• Corporal Freeman C. Thompson, Company F - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Petersburg, Virginia, April 2, 1865
• Private Joseph Van Matre, Company G - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Petersburg, Virginia, April 2, 1865

See also

• List of Ohio Civil War units
• Ohio in the Civil War

References

• Dyer, Frederick Henry. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
• Earley, Gerald L. I Belonged to the 116th: A Narrative of the 116th Ohio Volunteer Infantry During the Civil War (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books), 2004. ISBN 0-7884-2529-3
• 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. ISBN 978-1-154-80196-5
• Wildes, Thomas F. Record of the One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment Ohio Infantry Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion (Sandusky, OH: I. F. Mack & Bro., Printers), 1884.

Attribution

• This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co.

External links

• Ohio in the Civil War: 116th Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens
• Dalzell, James McCormick. "His Autobiography, poems and comic war papers; Sketch of John Gray, Washington's Last Soldier 1888
• Regimental flag of the 116th Ohio Infantry

Ohio in the American Civil War
1861	Early military recruiting Camp Chase Camp Dennison Camp Harrison Camp Thomas Department of the Ohio McClellan's Buckeyes seize western Virginia Fighting McCooks Johnson's Island POW camp
1862	Anti-war movement Knights of the Golden Circle First Confederate incursion into Ohio Defense of Cincinnati Black Brigade of Cincinnati
1863	"Fort Fizzle" Morgan's Raid Battle of Buffington Island Battle of Salineville
1864-65	Hundred Days Men Ohio's generals and admirals Ohio's regiments Cincinnati in the War Cleveland in the War Buckeye POWs and the Sultana
Post-war	Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument