11th Ohio Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 11th Ohio Cavalry was a volunteer cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. The regiment was stationed in the Dakota
and Idaho
territories to protect travelers and settlers from Native American
raids.
posted at Camp Dennison
. In early 1862 it was detached from the 6th and reorganized as the 1st Independent Battalion Ohio Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William O. Collins. In March the battalion was ordered to Fort Laramie in the Dakota Territory
, a prominent post along the Oregon Trail
and assigned to protect travelers and interests on the emigrant trails. In June 1863 a second battalion was mustered at Camp Dennison and attached to the 1st Independent forming the 11th Ohio Cavalry. The second battalion was saw action against Morgan's Raid
in July and was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in August. Following the burning of Lawrence, Kansas
the battalion was sent after William Quantrill
for a short time. The second battalion arrived at Fort Laramie on October 13. Three more companies were formed from surplus troops in June 1864 at Fort Laramie.
The first four companies mustered out April 1, 1865 at the conclusion of their service. Members of the cavalry went with Brigadier General Patrick Edward Connor
on the 1865 Powder River Expedition and saw action in the Battle of the Tongue River
. The remaining companies mustered out July 14, 1866. They were the last volunteer troops from Ohio in service.
that went from Julesburg, Colorado
to the Front Range
and through the Laramie Plains
to meet the other emigrant trails at Fort Bridger
. U.S mail service also moved to the southern line after the contract was assigned to Ben Holladay
's Overland Stage Line in 1861.
Upon arrival at Fort Laramie the troops were assigned to various posts along the Sweetwater
and North Platte
rivers between Nebraska and South Pass
. A company was sent immediately to construct Fort Halleck
near Elk Mountain
on the Overland Trail. Troops from the 11th Ohio Cavalry manned Fort Halleck and several outlying satellite posts until it was abandoned in 1866. In 1864 two companies were sent to Camp Collins
(named for Lt. Colonel Collins) and later Fort Collins until it too was decommissioned in 1866.
On December 31, 1864 the 11th was posted as follows:
In July 1865, a company of the 11th Ohio Cavalry posted at Platte Bridge Station
near present day Casper
engaged a large band of Cheyenne and Sioux that intended to attack the bridge and the soldiers posted there. Lt. Colonel Collin's son Caspar volunteered to lead an attack. Collins and his men were lead into an ambush and most were killed, including Collins. In August, companies from Fort Laramie accompanied Brigadier General Connor on an expedition to stop Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho attacks on the Bozeman Trail
. On August 29 the troops attacked an Indian village along the Tongue River
. 5 soldiers were killed, and 7 were wounded compared to 63 killed or wounded Arapaho.
was founded in Casper, Wyoming. Paying homage to Casper's history, director Jim Jones based the Troopers uniforms on the field uniforms of the 11th Ohio Cavalry. To this day, the corps' symbol is a pair of crossed sabers with the number 11 emblazoned above them, the same symbol the 11th Ohio would have used.
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 stationed in the Dakota
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
and Idaho
Idaho Territory
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 4, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho.-1860s:...
territories to protect travelers and settlers from Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
raids.
Service
The first four companies of the regiment were originally raised as the 7th Ohio Cavalry but were later reorganized as a battalion within the 6th Ohio Cavalry6th Ohio Cavalry
The 6th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry was a regiment of Union cavalry raised in ten counties in northeastern and north-central Ohio for service during the American Civil War...
posted at 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...
. In early 1862 it was detached from the 6th and reorganized as the 1st Independent Battalion Ohio Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William O. Collins. In March the battalion was ordered to Fort Laramie in the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
, a prominent post along the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
and assigned to protect travelers and interests on the emigrant trails. In June 1863 a second battalion was mustered at Camp Dennison and attached to the 1st Independent forming the 11th Ohio Cavalry. The second battalion was saw action against Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
in July and was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in August. Following the burning of Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
the battalion was sent after William Quantrill
William Quantrill
William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. After leading a Confederate bushwhacker unit along the Missouri-Kansas border in the early 1860s, which included the infamous raid and sacking of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, Quantrill eventually ended up in...
for a short time. The second battalion arrived at Fort Laramie on October 13. Three more companies were formed from surplus troops in June 1864 at Fort Laramie.
The first four companies mustered out April 1, 1865 at the conclusion of their service. Members of the cavalry went with Brigadier General Patrick Edward Connor
Patrick Edward Connor
Patrick Edward Connor was a Union General during the American Civil War. He was most famous for his campaigns against Native Americans in the American Old West.-Early life and career:...
on the 1865 Powder River Expedition and saw action in the Battle of the Tongue River
Battle of the Tongue River
The Battle of the Tongue River, sometimes referred to as the Connor Battle, was the major engagement of the Powder River Expedition of 1865, directed against the Southern Cheyenne, Arapaho and Lakota Sioux. It destroyed for a time the Arapaho capability to raid the Bozeman Trail and overland mail...
. The remaining companies mustered out July 14, 1866. They were the last volunteer troops from Ohio in service.
Service on the emigrant trails
The 11th Ohio Cavalry was assigned to Fort Laramie to take the place of the regular troops that had been posted there until the start of the Civil War. As a result of the military withdrawal Native American attacks on emigrants intensified. By the time the volunteers arrived at Fort Laramie most traffic on the trail had dropped off in favor of the more southern Overland TrailOverland Trail
The Overland Trail was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail was most heavily used in the 1860s as an alternative route to the Oregon, California and Mormon...
that went from Julesburg, Colorado
Julesburg, Colorado
The historic town of Julesburg is a statutory town that is the county seat of Sedgwick County, Colorado, United States. The town is located on the north side of the South Platte River. The population was 1,467 at the U.S. Census 2000...
to the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
and through the Laramie Plains
Laramie Plains
The Laramie Plains is an arid highland in south central Wyoming in the United States. The plains extend along the upper basin of the Laramie River on the east side of the Medicine Bow Range. The city of Laramie is the largest community in the valley...
to meet the other emigrant trails at Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger was originally a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Mormon Trail. The Army established a military post here in 1858 during the Utah War until...
. U.S mail service also moved to the southern line after the contract was assigned to Ben Holladay
Ben Holladay
Benjamin "Ben" Holladay was an American transportation businessman known as the "Stagecoach King" until his routes were taken over by Wells Fargo in 1866...
's Overland Stage Line in 1861.
Upon arrival at Fort Laramie the troops were assigned to various posts along the Sweetwater
Sweetwater River
Sweetwater River may refer to:*Sweetwater River , a river in San Diego County, California, USA*Sweetwater River , a river in Natrona County, Wyoming, USA...
and North Platte
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
rivers between Nebraska and South Pass
South Pass
South Pass is two mountain passes on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. The passes are located in a broad low region, 35 miles broad, between the Wind River Range to the north and the Oregon Buttes and Great Divide Basin to the south, in southwestern Fremont...
. A company was sent immediately to construct Fort Halleck
Fort Halleck (Wyoming)
Fort Halleck was a military outpost that existed in the 1860s along the Overland Trail and stage route in what is now the U.S state of Wyoming. The fort was established in 1862 to protect emigrant travelers and stages transporting mail between Kansas and Salt Lake City, Utah and named for Major...
near Elk Mountain
Elk Mountain (Carbon County, Wyoming)
Elk Mountain is a northern most of the Medicine Bow Mountains. It is southwest of the town of Elk Mountain, Wyoming and roughly from Rawlins, Wyoming. The mountain is the area's most visible feature. It is located south of Interstate 80 in Carbon County. Elk Mountain is the 8th most prominent...
on the Overland Trail. Troops from the 11th Ohio Cavalry manned Fort Halleck and several outlying satellite posts until it was abandoned in 1866. In 1864 two companies were sent to Camp Collins
Camp Collins
Camp Collins was a 19th century outpost of the United States Army in the Colorado Territory. The fort was commissioned in the summer of 1862 to protect the Overland Trail from attacks by Native Americans in a conflict that later became known as the Colorado War...
(named for Lt. Colonel Collins) and later Fort Collins until it too was decommissioned in 1866.
On December 31, 1864 the 11th was posted as follows:
- Fort Laramie: 4 companies
- Camp Collins: 2 companies
- Fort Halleck: 1 company
- Fremont Orchard: 1 company
- Camp Marshall: 1 company
- Camp Mitchell: 1 company
- Platte Bridge: 1 company
In July 1865, a company of the 11th Ohio Cavalry posted at Platte Bridge Station
Fort Caspar
Fort Caspar was a military post of the United States Army in present-day Wyoming, named after 2nd Lieutenant Caspar Collins, a U.S. Army officer who was killed in the 1865 Battle of the Platte Bridge Station against the Lakota and Cheyenne...
near present day Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
engaged a large band of Cheyenne and Sioux that intended to attack the bridge and the soldiers posted there. Lt. Colonel Collin's son Caspar volunteered to lead an attack. Collins and his men were lead into an ambush and most were killed, including Collins. In August, companies from Fort Laramie accompanied Brigadier General Connor on an expedition to stop Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho attacks on the Bozeman Trail
Bozeman Trail
The Bozeman Trail was an overland route connecting the gold rush territory of Montana to the Oregon Trail. Its most important period was from 1863-1868. The flow of pioneers and settlers through territory of American Indians provoked their resentment and caused attacks. The U.S. Army undertook...
. On August 29 the troops attacked an Indian village along the Tongue River
Tongue River
The Tongue River may refer to:*The Tongue River , a tributary of the Red River of the North in North Dakota in the United States.*The Tongue River , a tributary of the Yellowstone in Wyoming and Montana in the United States....
. 5 soldiers were killed, and 7 were wounded compared to 63 killed or wounded Arapaho.
Present Day
While it is rumored that the 11th Ohio went on to became a drum and bugle corps, this is just legend. In 1957, the Troopers Drum and Bugle CorpsTroopers Drum and Bugle Corps
The Troopers are a World Class drum and bugle corps that competes in Drum Corps International. They are a founding member of Drum Corps International, and their operations are centered in Casper, Wyoming. They are the only active drum and bugle corps in Wyoming...
was founded in Casper, Wyoming. Paying homage to Casper's history, director Jim Jones based the Troopers uniforms on the field uniforms of the 11th Ohio Cavalry. To this day, the corps' symbol is a pair of crossed sabers with the number 11 emblazoned above them, the same symbol the 11th Ohio would have used.