163rd Ohio Infantry

The 163rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 163rd OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

The 163rd Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, and mustered in May 12, 1864, for 100 days service under the command of Colonel Hiram Miller.

The regiment left Ohio for Washington, D.C., May 13 and was assigned to 1st Brigade, Haskins' Division, XXII Corps, to June 1864. Served duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., with headquarters at Fort Reno, until June 8. Moved to Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, June 8–12 and attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, X Corps, Army of the James. Reconnaissance on the Petersburg & Richmond Railroad June 14–15. Skirmish on Petersburg and Richmond Turnpike June 15–16. Moved to Wilson's Landing June 16. Fatigue duty building Fort Pocahontas and scouting on west side of the James River until August. Ordered to Columbus, Ohio, August 29.

The 163rd Ohio Infantry mustered out of service September 10, 1864, at Camp Chase.

Ohio National Guard

Over 35,000 Ohio National Guardsmen were federalized and organized into regiments for 100 days service in May 1864. Shipped to the Eastern Theater, they were designed to be placed in "safe" rear areas to protect railroads and supply points, thereby freeing regular troops for Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s push on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. As events transpired, many units found themselves in combat, stationed in the path of Confederate Gen. Jubal Early’s veteran Army of the Valley during its famed Valley Campaigns of 1864. Ohio Guard units met the battle-tested foe head on and helped blunt the Confederate offensive thereby saving Washington, D.C. from capture. Ohio National Guard units participated in the battles of Monacacy, Fort Stevens, Harpers Ferry, and in the siege of Petersburg.

Casualties

The regiment lost 29 enlisted men during service, all due to disease.

Commanders

• Colonel Hiram Miller

See also

• List of Ohio Civil War units
• Ohio in the Civil War

References

• Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
• Ohio Roster Commission. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of 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

• Ohio in the Civil War: 163rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens
• National flag of the 163rd Ohio Infantry
• Regimental flag of the 163rd Ohio Infantry

Ohio in the American Civil War 1861 Early military recruiting Camp Chase Camp Dennison Camp Harrison Camp Thomas Department of the Ohio McClellan's Buckeyes seize western Virginia Fighting McCooks 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 Ohio's generals and admirals Ohio's regiments Cincinnati in the War Cleveland in the War Buckeye POWs and the Sultana Post-war Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument