| 11th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 31, 1863 – July 14, 1866 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Union Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Part of | Department of Kansas, District of Nebraska, West sub-district |
| Engagements | American Indian Wars
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
William O. Collins |
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.
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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 Cavalry 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.
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 Trail 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:[1]
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.
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 Corps 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.[2] 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.
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