10th Ohio Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 10th OVI) was an infantry
regiment
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. The regiment was also known as the Montgomery Regiment and the Bloody Tenth. The 10th Ohio Infantry was predominantly made up of Irish American
recruits, but two companies were made up of German American
recruits.
near Cincinnati, Ohio
and mustered in for three months service on May 7, 1861 under Colonel
William Haines Lytle
in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. The regiment moved to Camp Dennison
on May 12 and performed duty there until June 3, 1861. The 10th Ohio Infantry mustered out on August 21, 1861.
The regiment was attached to 2nd Brigade, Army of Occupation, western Virginia, to September 1861. Benham's Brigade, Kanawha Division, Western Virginia, to October 1861. 1st Brigade, Kanawha Division, Western Virginia, to November 1861. 17th Brigade, Army of the Ohio
, to December 1861. 17th Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 17th Brigade, 3rd Division, I Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Center, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
, to January 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIV Corps, January 1863. Headquarters Provost Guard, Department of the Cumberland, to May 1864.
The 10th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service on June 3, 1864. Seventy-five enlisted men whose terms of enlistment had not expired were left unassigned within the Army of the Cumberland, until September, then assigned to the 18th Ohio Infantry
.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The regiment was also known as the Montgomery Regiment and the Bloody Tenth. The 10th Ohio Infantry was predominantly made up of Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
recruits, but two companies were made up of German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
recruits.
Three-months regiment
The 10th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp HarrisonCamp Harrison
Camp Harrison was one of several Union Army training posts in Hamilton County, Ohio, established during the American Civil War.In early 1861, Governor William Dennison ordered the creation of a new military camp six miles north of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad,...
near Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
and mustered in for three months service on May 7, 1861 under Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
William Haines Lytle
William Haines Lytle
William Haines Lytle was a politician in Ohio, renowned poet, and military officer in the United States Army during both the Mexican-American War and American Civil War, where he was killed in action as a brigadier general.-Biography:Lytle was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the scion of a leading area...
in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. The regiment moved to Camp Dennison
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 Dennison, Ohio's governor at the start of the war.With...
on May 12 and performed duty there until June 3, 1861. The 10th Ohio Infantry mustered out on August 21, 1861.
Three-years regiment
The 10th Ohio Infantry was reorganized at Camp Dennison on June 3, 1861 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel William Haines Lytle.The regiment was attached to 2nd Brigade, Army of Occupation, western Virginia, to September 1861. Benham's Brigade, Kanawha Division, Western Virginia, to October 1861. 1st Brigade, Kanawha Division, Western Virginia, to November 1861. 17th Brigade, Army of the Ohio
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:...
, to December 1861. 17th Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 17th Brigade, 3rd Division, I Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Center, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
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:...
, to January 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIV Corps, January 1863. Headquarters Provost Guard, Department of the Cumberland, to May 1864.
The 10th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service on June 3, 1864. Seventy-five enlisted men whose terms of enlistment had not expired were left unassigned within the Army of the Cumberland, until September, then assigned to the 18th Ohio Infantry
18th Ohio Infantry
The 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Three-months regiment:...
.
Detailed service
Left Ohio for western Virginia June 24, and duty at Grafton, Clarksburg and Buckhannon until August. Western Virginia Campaign July to September 1861. Battle of Carnifex Ferry September 10. Operations in the Kanawha Valley and New River Region October 19-November 24. Pursuit of Floyd November 10–15. Gauley Bridge November 10. Cotton Mountain November 10–11. Moved to Louisville, Ky., November 24-December 2, thence to Elizabethtown, and to Bacon Creek December 26. Duty there until February 1862. Movement to Bowling Green, Ky., February 10–15. Occupation of Bowling Green February 15–22. Advance on Nashville, Tenn., February 22-March 2. Advance on Murfreesboro March 17–19. Occupation of Shelbyville, Fayetteville, and advance on Huntsville Ala., March 28-April 11. Capture of Huntsville April 11. Advance on Decatur April 11–14. Action at West Bridge near Bridgeport April 29. Duty at Huntsville until August. March to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 27-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–15. Battle of Perryville October 8. March to Nashville, October 16-November 7. Provost duty at the headquarters of Gen. William S. Rosecrans, Commanding Army of the Cumberland, until December 1863, and at headquarters, Gen. George H. Thomas, Commanding Army and Department of the Cumberland, until May 1864. Advance on Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 26–30, 1862. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. Stewart's Creek January 1. Duty at Murfreesboro until June. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16. Passage of the Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–21. Siege of Chattanooga September 24-November 23. Battles of Chattanooga November 23–25. Missionary Ridge November 24–25. Reconnaissance of Dalton, Ga., February 22–27, 1864. Atlanta Campaign May 1–27. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8–11. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Ordered to rear for muster out May 27.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 168 men during service; 3 officers and 86 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 77 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel William Haines Lytle
- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Joseph W. Burke - commanded at the battles of Perryville and Stones River - Lieutenant Colonel William M. Ward - commanded at the battle of Chickamauga
Notable members
- 1st Sergeant Thomas J. KellyThomas J. Kelly (Irish nationalist)Thomas J. Kelly was an Irish revolutionary and leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood .frame|-Biography:...
, Company C - leader of the Irish Republican BrotherhoodIrish Republican BrotherhoodThe Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
See also
- List of Ohio Civil War units
- Ohio in the Civil WarOhio in the Civil WarDuring the American Civil War, the State of Ohio played a key role in providing troops, military officers, and supplies to the Union army. Due to its central location in the Northern United States and burgeoning population, Ohio was both politically and logistically important to the war effort...