Brigadier General James Monroe Williams

The 71st Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 71st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 71st OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

The 71st Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Tod in Troy, Ohio September 1861 through January 1862 and mustered in for three years service on February 1, 1862, under the command of Colonel Rodney Mason.

The regiment was attached to District of Paducah, Kentucky, to March 1862. 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Tennessee, to April 1862. Garrison at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, to June 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Reserve Corps, Department of the Cumberland, to September 1863. Post of Gallatin, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to April 1864. Unassigned, 4th Division, XX Corps, Department of the Cumberland, to August 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, IV Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to June 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, IV Corps, to August 1865. Department of Texas to November 1865.

The 71st Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at San Antonio, Texas, on November 30, 1865.

Detailed service

Ordered to Paducah, Ky., February 10. Reconnaissance toward Columbus, Ky., February 25-March 3, 1862. Action at and occupation of Columbus March 3. Moved from Paducah, Ky., to Savannah, Tenn., March 6–10. Expedition to Yellow Creek, Miss., and occupation of Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 14–17. Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7.

At Shiloh, Colonel Rodney Mason, the regimental commander, fled from field on horseback. ُThe rest of the regiment soon joined in “a wild, disorganized stampede.”^[1]

Ordered to Fort Donelson, Tenn., April 16. Garrison duty at Fort Donelson and Clarksville, Tenn., and operations in northern and middle Tennessee until August. Action at Clarksville August 18. Post surrendered by Col. Mason who along with his officers was cashiered by the President.^[2] Fort Donelson August 25 (Companies A, B, G, and H). Cumberland Iron Works August 26 (Companies A, B, G, and H). Expedition to Clarksville September 5–10. Pickett's Hill, Clarksville, September 7. Garrison duty at Forts Donelson and Henry, Tenn., until August 1863. Guard duty along Louisville & Nashville Railroad (headquarters at Gallatin, Tenn.) until July 1864. Expedition from Gallatin to Carthage October 10–14, 1863 (detachment). Near Hartsville October 10 (detachment). Expedition from Gallatin to Cumberland Mountains January 28-February 8. Winchester May 10 (detachment). Relieved from garrison duty July 1864, and ordered to join Sherman's Army before Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta Campaign July 31-September 8. Siege of Atlanta July 31-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25–30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Operations against Hood in northern Georgia and northern Alabama September 29-November 3. At Athens, Ga., October 31-November 23. March to Columbia, Tenn., November 23–24. Nashville Campaign November–December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24–27. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15–16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17–28. Moved to Huntsville, Ala., and duty there until March 1865. Operations in eastern Tennessee March 15-April 22. Duty at Strawberry Plains and Nashville until June. Ordered to New Orleans, La., June 16, thence moved to Texas. Duty at San Antonio until November.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 206 men during service; 3 officers and 66 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 5 officers and 132 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

Colonel Rodney Mason - resigned August 22, 1862
Colonel Henry Kumler McConnell- promoted to Brevet Brigadier General, March 13, 1865; mustered out with regiment November 30, 1865
Lieutenant Colonel James H. Hart - commanded at Battle of Nashville (not to be confused with Major James H. Hart of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry)
Captain William H. McClure - commanded at Battle of Nashville

Notable members

Corporal Charles Marley Anderson, Company B - U.S. Representative from Ohio, 1885–1887
Captain Elihu S. Williams, Company H - U.S. Representative from Ohio, 1887–1891

Notes

^ Catton, Bruce. Grant Moves South (Kindle ed.). Open Road Media. p. 3898.
^ Catton, Bruce. Grant Moves South (Kindle ed.). Open Road Media. p. 5220.

References

Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
McConnell, Robert. The McConnell Letters (S.l.: Ronald E. Toops), 1975.
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 9781154801965

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

[1] Catton, Bruce. Grant Moves South (Kindle ed.). Open Road Media. p. 3898.

[2] Catton, Bruce. Grant Moves South (Kindle ed.). Open Road Media. p. 5220.

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Ohio in the American Civil War
1861	Early military recruiting Camp Chase Camp Dennison Camp Harrison Camp Thomas Department of the Ohio 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 Cincinnati in the War Cleveland in the War Buckeye POWs and the Sultana
Post-war	Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Personnel	Units Generals and Admirals Fighting McCooks