History Of Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry

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Warren County Local History by Dallas Bogan

History Of Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Contributor:	Dallas Bogan on 6 September 2004
Source:	original article by Dallas Bogan
Links:	See PARTIAL ROSTER of Warren Countians at the end of this article The 12th Ohio Infantry, at "Ohio in the Civil War" by Larry Stevens The 12th Ohio Infantry and Roster at Civil War Soldier and Sailor System by the National Park Service The 12th Ohio Infantry at Ancestry.com paid site Twelfth O.V.I. Reunion, The Western Star, Lebanon, Ohio, Thursday September 21, 1911 Beers History of Warren County page 350 Elijah Beeman Civil War Letters and genealogy at Wikipedia compiled and transcribed by Beryll (Wright) Clegg. Scanned and webbified by Jan Steinman
	Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan

The Twelfth Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Jackson, Ohio, on the 3rd of May, 1861. On May 6th, it moved to Camp Dennison and there it went under the reenlistment process and were mustered in for a three year period on June 28, 1861.

The Regiment fought the Battle of Scary Creek, Western Virginia on July 17, 1861. It was up against an enemy that has already settled in for a fight beyond a ravine. The Twelfth fought for three hours and completely running out of ammunition, fell back to its camp at the mouth of the Pocotaligo. A loss of five killed, thirty wounded and four were missing. One of the ones killed was Jabez Turner, the first mortality in Warren County in the War of the Rebellion.

After many battles and skirmishes in the Western Virginia area, the Twelfth was engaged in a furious battle at Bull Run Bridge on August 27, 1862. Fighting against great odds, the Twelfth was forced to fall back to Fairfax Station. The six hour battle cost the Twelfth a loss of nine killed and sixty- eight wounded, (six mortally) and twelve missing. (The actual battle of Second Bull Run took place on Aug. 29th and 30th, 1862)
Taken from Reid's Ohio in the War:

"On the 3rd of May, 1864, the regiment left Fayette C.H., and marched to Cloyd's Mountain and there engaged the enemy on the 9th. The fight lasted over an hour, and the regiment lost eleven killed and sixty-eight wounded, in addition to these Surgeon Graham and nineteen men, left on the field in charge of the wounded, fell into enemy's hands. The Twelfth pursued the fleeing Rebels to New River Bridge, where a heavy artillery fight ensued, in which the enemy was driven back. The regiment crossed New River at Pepper's Ferry, destroyed a number of bridges and a large amount of property belonging to the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. The Twelfth marched northward, and on the 19th reached Blue Sulphur Springs where it remained until the 31st, when it moved on to Staunton. Arriving at Staunton June 8th, it joined the forces under Hunter, marched southward, flanked Lexington, and on the 12th assisted in destroying large quantities of ammunition and in burning the Virginia Military Institute. On the 16th it destroyed the railroad between Liberty and Lynchburg and burned several large bridges. The next day it moved on Lynchburg, and met the enemy in force at Quaker Church, three miles from the city. The Twelfth and Ninety-First Ohio Regiments charged the enemy in fine style and drove them back in disorder. The regiment captured a number of prisoners, and lost eight killed and eleven wounded. The next day the regiment was engaged before the enemy's works but withdrew after dark, and on the 19th marched to Liberty. It moved along the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad to Salem, and from there proceeded northward, via Catawba Valley, New Castle, Sweet Springs, White Sulphur, Lewisburg and Gauley to Camp Piatt, on the Kanawha, where it arrived June 29th. On this march both men and horses suffered considerably from hunger and thirst."

During its term of service the regiment moved on foot, by rail and by water, a distance of four thousand and forty- nine miles, and sustained a loss in killed, wounded and missing, of four hundred and fifty-five men. (Companies A and F were from Warren County.)

The list of battles and dates are:

SCARY CREEK, W. VA....................July 17, 1861.
GAULEY BRIDGE, W. VA..................August 25, 1861.
CARNIFAX FERRY, W. VA.................September 10, 1861.
BULL RUN BRIDGE, VA...................August 27, 1862.
FREDERICK MOUNTAIN, MD................September 12, 1862.
SOUTH MOUNTAIN, MD....................September 14, 1862.
ANTIETAM, MD..........................September 17, 1862.
FAYETTEVILLE, W. VA...................May 17-20, 1863.
MEADOW BLUFF, VA......................December 12, 1863.
CLOYD'S MOUNTAIN, VA..................May 9-10, 1864.
LYNCHBURG, VA.........................June 17-18, 1864.

Regiment lost during service, 3 officers and 93 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 officers and 77 enlisted men by disease. Total 175.

12th Ohio Voluneer Infantry - Partial Roster of Warren Countians (email your additions to Arne H Trelvik)

Field and Staff

Company	Rank		Name	Remarks
Field & Staff

Company A, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank		Name	Remarks
A	Private		Ross Ackley	also served in Co E, 79th OVI and Co. A, 8th VRC
A	Private		John Allison
A	Private		Elijah Beeman	Wounded on 14 September 1862 at South Mountain, MD & died on 23 September 1862 at Middletown hospital, 4 miles West of Frederick, Md.
A	Private		John Carter
A	Sergeant		Michael Dwyer	Died of pneumonia at Fayetteville, West Virginia on 3 Mar 1863
A	Private		David B. Fairchild	wounded in W. Va.; died 18 Sep 1864 in Deerfield, Ohio
A	2nd Lieutenant		Edwin R. Grim
A	Private		John Hackett	at Antietam he was wounded in the left hand, and received scratches on his right hand and leg
A	Private		Jacob Hester	Transferred into Company C, 23rd OVI on 01 July 1864
A	Private		Josiah Holbrook
A	Private		Seth Hollingsworth	3 months service - also served in Co. C, 4th OVC
A	Private		John A. Homan	Supposed to be dead. No record of muster-out found.
A	Private		Jonathan V. Homan
A	Corporal	POW	James Ireland	wounded and captured at South Mountain Maryland.; retaken; 9 weeks in hospital
A	Private		James Benton Ireland	Killed on 14 December 1863 in Meadow Bluff, WV
A	Private		Benjamin F. Ludlum	also Asst Surgeon, 66th OVI
A	Corporal		Joseph H. Ludlum
A	Private		John Miranda
A	Sergeant		Owen McGinnis	Killed on 19 May 1863 in Fayetteville, WV
A	Private		John McQuaid	Died of pneumonia at Fayetteville, West Virginia on 23 Mar 1863
A	Corporal		Henry C. Parker
A	Private		James Phillips	Wounded in picket action at Meadow Bluffs, W. Va. Dec. 14, 1863; transferred to Co. C, 23rd OVVI on 1 Jul 1864; wounded at Kernstown, W. Va. July 24, 1864
A	Private		Ameal Ruther
A	Private		James Sheward	(3 months service) also Co. G, 34th OVI
A	Private		John Simonton
A & I	Private		John J. Skinner	Wounded on 14 December 1863 at Meadow Bluff, VA and died of wounds on 26 December 1863 in Fayetteville, WV
A	Private		Jacob Smith	Wounded 19 Oct 1864 at Cedar Creek, Virginia; transferred to Co C, 23rd O.V.I.
A	Private		Andrew Thompson
A	Private		John Charles Trovillo
A	Corporal		Joseph S. Wager
A	Major		James Dudley Wallace	promoted to Major for gallantry at Battle of Carnifex Ferry
A	Private		Elias Whitacre	buckshot wound in right hand at South Mt. Md

Company B, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank	Name	Remark
B	Private	William Lewis Dunn
B	Private	William N. Wilkerson	3 months service; later served in Co A 79th OVI; wounded at Resaca, Georgia on 15 May 1864

Company C, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank		Name	Remark
F or C	Private		James Brown	killed on 14 Sep 1862 at South Mountain, Maryland - Gravestone is inscribed Co. C
C	Corporal	POW	Thomas M. Gwynn	15 Jun 2005 email from Fred Lynch; "A family member of my wife was in the 12th OVI - Company C - Corporal -Thomas M. Gwynn; Captured at Battle of Cloyd's Mountain, Va. May 9, 1864. Taken prisoner and sent to Camp Sumpter (Andersonville, Ga.); transferred to Millen Prison, Florence, Ga Nov. 11, 1864. Survived the war and returned to Ohio. Spent later years in Old Soldiers Home, Dayton, Ohio."

Company E, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank	Name	Remark
E	Private	Samuel A. Eyler	also served in Co. I, 31st OVI; Co. I, 89th OVI; 43 & 126 Co's. 2 Battn Veteran Reserve Corps
E [of K]	Sergeant	William H. Harry [aka? Henry Harry]	3 months service - also served in Co B, Co D & Adjutant, 110th Ohio Infantry

Company F, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank		Name	Remark
F	Private		Sylvester Bailey
F	Private		Albert Booth	also Company A, 35th OVI
F or C	Private		James Brown	killed on 14 Sep 1862 at South Mountain, Maryland - Gravestone is inscribed Co. C
I & F	Private		William L. Cochran	transferred to Co F on 25 Jul 1861; disability discharge on 31 Mar 1863
F	Private		John M. Crane	He was Killed on 5/9/1864 at Cloyd's Mountain, VA
F	Private	POW	William J. Crane/Crain	Transferred to Co H, 23rd OVI; wounded and captured at Cloyd's Mountain, VA on 9 May 1864 & died 11 May 1864
F	Private		John M. Fox
F	Private	POW	Americus B. Gooch	Severe wound in left leg (amputated) and captured at Cloyd's Mountain, Virginia on 9 May 1864
F	Private		Hartson W. Iorns
F	Private		Abraham D. Lowe	also Company D 4th U.S. Veteran Volunter Infantry
F	Private	POW	Robert Merchant	3 months service - also Co A, 69th OVI - flesh wound in left leg at Stone River; cap. there; held at Libby 4 months in rebel hosp.; 1 week in hosp. at Annapolis, after parole; vet. at Chattanooga, Tenn. Feb. 1864; cap. at Rome, Ga.; paroled; exchanged at City Point
F	Private	POW	James M. Newport	captured, escaped
F	Private		Richard J. Roderick
F	Private		James H. St. John.
F	Private		Jesse Simpson
F	Private		James R. Sweny [Sweeney]	hospitalized Gallipolis, Ohio
F	Private		Jabez H. Turner	Killed on 17 July 1861 in Scary Creek, WV - 1st Warren County soldier killed in the Civil War
F	Private		James M. Turner
F	Private		Durbin Ward	also Colonel, field & Staff 17th OVI; Wounded on 20 September 1863 at Chickamauga, Georgia; brevet Brigadier General
F	Corporal		Jasper N. Wilkerson	transferred into Company H, 23rd O.V.I. on 1 Jul 1864
F	Captain		Robert Bruce Wilson
F	Captain	*POW*	Rigdon Williams	promoted to full major (not mustered); POW on 09 May 1864 at Cloyd's Mountain, VA

Company G, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank	Name	Remark
G	Sergeant	Lloyd Stockman

Company H, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank	Name	Remark
H	Captain	James Whitcomb Ross

Company I, 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Company	Rank	Name	Remark
I & F	Private	William L. Cochran	transferred to Co F on 25 Jul 1861; disability discharge on 31 Mar 1863
A & I	Private	John J. Skinner	Wounded on 14 December 1863 at Meadow Bluff, VA and died of wounds on 26 December 1863 in Fayetteville, WV

FOOTNOTES: a place to add additional information that you might want to submit

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