View source for 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment

{{More footnotes needed|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
|image=
|image_size=
|caption=
|country= {{flag|United States|1863}}
|allegiance= [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]
|type=[[Infantry]]
|branch=[[Union Army]]
|dates=April 18, 1861 – July 31, 1861 (3 months)<br />July 17, 1861 – October 10, 1864 (3 years)
|specialization=
|command_structure=
|size=950 soldiers at outset of the war
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=
|nickname=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles={{plainlist|
* [[First Battle of Bull Run]]
* [[Battle of Ivy Mountain]]
* [[Battle of Perryville]]
* [[Battle of Stones River]]
* [[Tullahoma Campaign]]
* [[Battle of Hoover's Gap]]
* [[Battle of Chickamauga]]
* [[Third Battle of Chattanooga|Battle of Chattanooga]]
* [[Battle of Lookout Mountain]]
* [[Battle of Missionary Ridge]]
* [[Atlanta Campaign]]
* [[Battle of Resaca]]
* [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain]]
* [[Battle of Peachtree Creek]]}}
|notable_commanders= Col. [[Anson G. McCook]]
|anniversaries=
}}{{Military unit sidebar
 |title=Ohio  U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861-1865
 |previous=[[1st Ohio Infantry Regiment]]
 |next=[[3rd Ohio Infantry Regiment]]
}}

The '''2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment''' was an [[infantry]] [[regiment]] in the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]].

==Three-months regiment==
With the outbreak of the Civil War in the spring of 1861, President [[Abraham Lincoln]] called for volunteers from each [[Northern United States|Northern]] state. In April, recruiters quickly filled the quota for a number of regiments in the state of [[Ohio]], with two regiments enlisting for 3-months, including the [[1st Ohio Infantry Regiment]] and the 2nd Ohio Infantry Regiment. Mustering in at [[Columbus, Ohio]], on April 18, 1861, the 1,000-man regiment was under the command of [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Lewis Wilson. It soon embarked on trains for [[Washington, D.C.]], where it served in the fortifications surrounding the capital until July. It was then attached to [[Robert C. Schenck|Schenck]]'s Brigade, Tyler's Division, [[Irvin McDowell|McDowell]]'s [[Army of Northeastern Virginia]]. On July 16, the regiment marched to [[Manassas, Virginia]], then the next day occupied Fairfax Courthouse. It participated in the fighting at the [[First Battle of Bull Run]] on July 21. It retreated to Washington following General McDowell's stunning defeat. When the 3-month term of enlistment expired, the regiment mustered out July 31, 1861.

==Three-years regiment==
After the term of service was over in August, a number of the men re-enlisted for 3-years in the reconstituted 2nd Ohio Infantry, under the command of Colonel Leonard A. Harris in the brigade of [[William "Bull" Nelson]]. The new 2nd Ohio was organized at [[Camp Dennison]] in Cincinnati from July 17 to September 20, 1861.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=2nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Battle Unit Details |url=https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UOH0002RI01 |access-date=27 August 2024 |website=National Park Service |language=en-US}}</ref> The regiment left Ohio for service in [[Kentucky]] on September 4, operating near Olympian Springs, Kentucky, until November. It first "saw the elephant" (initial combat experience) in a skirmish at [[West Liberty, Kentucky]], on October 23.<ref name=":0" /> The regiment was attached to 9th Brigade, [[Army of the Ohio]] from October until December. It served in a number of posts in Kentucky, including [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], through February 1862, when it was part of the army's advance on Confederate-held [[Bowling Green, Kentucky|Bowling Green]] and [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]. After briefly occupying Nashville, the regiment advanced to [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]], in March under [[Ormsby Mitchel]]. Five men from the regiment participated in the [[Great Locomotive Chase]], with three being executed as spies. The regiment played a role in assaulting Confederates near [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]] and [[Bridgeport, Alabama|Bridgeport]] in [[Alabama]] in April.

After guarding the [[Memphis and Charleston Railroad]] much of the summer, the 2nd Ohio marched back to Louisville in August and September in pursuit of the Confederate army of [[Braxton Bragg]], eventually fighting at the [[Battle of Perryville]] on October 8 before returning to Nashville for most of the rest of the year. The regiment, reassigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, [[XIV Corps (Union Army)|XIV Corps]], [[Army of the Cumberland]], saw more hard action at the [[Battle of Stones River]] in late December and early January. There, the regiment captured the flag of the 30th Arkansas Infantry, but lost Colonel John Kell and nine other men. [[Anson G. McCook]] (of the famed "[[Fighting McCooks]]") replaced Kell and led the regiment for the remainder of the war.<ref>[http://members.aol.com/afs2ovi/2nd/mccook.htm McCook photo and bio]</ref>

The regiment remained in Murfreesboro until June when it participated in the [[Tullahoma Campaign]], fighting at the [[Battle of Hoover's Gap]]. In the early autumn, it participated in the [[Battle of Chickamauga|Chickamauga Campaign]] and the subsequent [[Third Battle of Chattanooga|Battle of Chattanooga]]. Chickamauga in particular was hard on the regiment, with 183 soldiers killed, wounded, or captured, and 36 men who were taken as [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] later died in the infamous [[Andersonville National Historic Site|Andersonville]] prison camp.<ref>[http://members.aol.com/afs2ovi/2nd/honor.htm State of Ohio Roll of Honor, 1886]</ref>

As [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s army pursued the retiring Confederates into [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] in late November through May 1864, the regiment saw action at a number of small battles, including Ringgold, Dalton, Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge. It served in the successful [[Atlanta Campaign]] in May, including more hard fighting at the [[Battle of Resaca]] and the fighting at [[Battle of Pickett's Mill|Pickett's Mills]], [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain|Kennesaw Mountain]], and [[Battle of Peachtree Creek|Peachtree Creek]]. It remained in the siege lines around [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] until August 1, when the much depleted regiment was ordered to the rear at Chattanooga as the term of enlistment neared expiration.

The 2nd Ohio mustered out of the [[Union army]] in Columbus on October 10, 1864. Only 350 men were still on the active roster, although less than 150 were actually in the ranks when the regiment left Georgia. A number of the healthy men re-enlisted and were transferred to [[18th Ohio Infantry]].<ref name=":0" /> Colonel McCook stayed in the army as a brigade commander, ending the war with the rank of [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]].

==Casualties==
The regiment lost a total of 243 men during service; 9 officers and 96 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 138 enlisted men died of disease.<ref name=":0" />

==Notable members==
Four men from the regiment received the [[Medal of Honor]] (moH) for their actions during the Civil War:
* Corporal [[William Pittenger (soldier)|William Pittenger]], Company G - ([[Great Locomotive Chase|Andrews Raid]])
* Sergeant Major [[Marion A. Ross]] - (Andrews Raid) Hanged by the Confederates, June 18, 1862. Received MoH posthumously.
* Private James (Ovid Wellford) Smith, Company I - (Andrews Raid)
* Private William Surles, Company G - ([[Battle of Perryville]]: "In the hottest part of the fire he stepped in front of his colonel to shield him from the enemy's fire."<ref>{{cite web |title=Private Surles, William H. |url=http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/1325/surles-william-h.php |publisher=Congressional Medal of Honor Society |access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref>)

Two other raiders earned MoH:
* [[Philip G. Shadrach|Charles Perry Shadrach]] - (Andrews Raid). Hanged by the Confederates, June 18, 1862. Real name was Phillip Gephart Shadrach. MOH authorized under Public Law January 28, 2008 (H.R. 4986; sec 564), however, by omission, this was not awarded.
* George Davenport Wilson - (Andrews Raid). Hanged by the Confederates, June 18, 1862. MOH authorized under Public Law January 28, 2008 (H.R. 4986; sec 565) however, by omission, this was not awarded.

== Lineage ==

=== Stations ===
* [[Camp Dennison]], Ohio, 17 July 1861 – 20 September 1861<ref name=":0" />

=== Service ===
* Advance on [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]] and [[Nashville, Tennessee]], February 10 – 25 1862<ref name=":0" />
* Occupation of Nashville, Tennessee, 25 February – 17 March 1862<ref name=":0" />
* Advance on [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]], March 17 – 19<ref name=":0" />
* Advance on [[Huntsville, Alabama]], April 4 – 11<ref name=":0" />
* Pittenger's Raid (detachment),  April 7 – 12<ref name=":0" />
* Capture of Huntsville, Alamba,

==See also==
* [[List of Ohio Civil War units]]
* [[Ohio in the Civil War]]

==References==
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===Citations===
{{Reflist|60em}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|60em}}
* {{cite book| last = Dyer| first = Frederick H| title = A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion| publisher = Dyer Pub. Co.| place = Des Moines, IA| year = 1908| asin = B01BUFJ76Q| url = https://archive.org/details/08697590.3359.emory.edu}}
* {{cite book | author =Ohio Roster Commission | title =1861 Three-Month Organizations — 1st–22nd Regiments, Etc.| publisher =The Werner Company| series =Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865| volume =I| year =1893| location =Akron, OH| pages = 810 | hdl=2027/mdp.39015004198746 |oclc =633556}}
* {{cite book | author =Ohio Roster Commission  | title =1st–20th Regiments-Infantry | publisher =Wilstach Baldwin & Co| series =Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865| volume =II| year =1886| location =Cincinnati, OH| pages = 840 | hdl=2027/mdp.39015004198787 |oclc =633556}}
* {{cite book | last =Reid| first =Whitelaw| author-link =Whitelaw Reid| title =The History of Her Regiments, and Other Military Organizations| publisher =Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin| series =Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers| volume =II| year =1868| location =Cincinnati, OH| pages =1002| url =https://archive.org/details/00444862.3383.emory.edu/page/n9/mode/2up| isbn =9781154801965| oclc =11632330 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/cw2.html Ohio in the Civil War: 2nd OVI by Larry Stevens]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229054157/http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/exhibits/fftc/relicroom/details.aspx?war=2&flagid=340&unitid=88&warname=Civil%20War National flag of the 2nd Ohio Infantry, probably early war]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229054131/http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/exhibits/fftc/relicroom/details.aspx?war=2&flagid=7&unitid=88&warname=Civil%20War National flag of the 2nd Ohio Infantry, probably later issue]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229054200/http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/exhibits/fftc/relicroom/details.aspx?war=2&flagid=341&unitid=88&warname=Civil%20War Regimental flag of the 2nd Ohio Infantry]
* [https://civilwarindex.com/2nd-ohio-infantry-3-months.html Civil War Index: 2nd Ohio Infantry - 3 Months Service in the American Civil War]
* [https://civilwarindex.com/2nd-ohio-infantry-3-years.html Civil War Index: 2nd Ohio Infantry - 3 Years Service in the American Civil War]

{{portal bar|American Civil War|Ohio}}
{{American Civil War |expanded=CTCBS}}
{{Ohio in the Civil War}}
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[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1861]]
[[Category:Units and formations of the Union army from Ohio]]
[[Category:1861 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1864]]
[[Category:1864 disestablishments in Ohio]]