23rd Ohio  "Known For Its Leaders"

The 950 original members of the Union 23rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment were organized in Columbus, Ohio, and mustered into service at Camp Chase on June 11, 1861. The 23rd primarily served as occupation and security troops in West Virginia, where its members skirmished with Confederate guerillas and protected Union railroads. They also fought at South Mountain and Sharpsburg in 1862, and at Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek in 1864.

While the unit served admirably in these major battles of the Civil War, the 23rd Ohio is primarily known for the number of its members that eventually rose to high-level military or political positions.

The 23rd's first colonel was West Pointer William S. Rosecrans. Eliakim P. Scammon was its lieutenant colonel, and one of its majors was Rutherford B. Hayes. A private in Company E was a young man named William McKinley. Shortly after the regiment entered Union service, Rosecrans was promoted to brigadier general, while Scammon became the unit's colonel and Hayes the lieutenant colonel. Rosecrans would eventually be promoted to major general and be given the command of the Army of the Cumberland. Scammon, too, would be promoted to brigadier general, serving through much of the was as a division commander.

Hayes took command of the regiment in October 1861 but was not promoted to colonel until a year later. He led the regiment until he was given command of a brigade in March 1863. Hayes eventually rose to the rank of brevet major general commanding a division, and after the war he served two terms as governor of Ohio before being elected president of the United States.

Private McKinley progressed in rank and ended the war as a captain. He, too, would one day be president. The 23rd's fourth colonel, James M. Comley, also had a distinguished political after the war, serving as minister to Hawaii.

Fascinating Fact:  Of the 2,230 men who served in the 23rd Ohio, 290 (13 percent) died during the war as a result of battle wounds or disease.


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