123rd Ohio Infantry
in the American Civil War
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Online Books
123rd Ohio Infantry Soldier Roster - Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Volume 8, by Ohio Roster Commission (Joseph B. Foraker, Governor, James S. Robinson, Sec'y of State and H. A. Axline, Adjutant-General), 1886 View Entire Book Regimental History One Hundred and Twenty-third Infantry. — Col., William T. Wilson; Lieut.-Cols., Henry B. Hunter, Horace Kellogg; Maj., A. Baldwin Norton. This regiment was organized at Monroeville from Aug. to Oct., 1862, to serve for three years. It was assigned to western Virginia and spent the winter in that section, nothing of interest occurring in the way of actual conflict until the spring of 1863. It then participated in the engagement with Gen. Early at Winchester, in which it lost in killed and wounded nearly 100 men, and the following day the entire regiment, with the exception of Co. D, became prisoners of war as a result of the surrender of the whole brigade. The following September the men were exchanged, but it did nothing but provost and picket duty until the spring of 1864. In May it participated in the sharp fight at New Market, with a loss of 79, and in the affair at Piedmont in June. The regiment lost a number of men, killed, wounded and missing, in the fight at Lynchburg, and then shared in the disastrous retreat to the Kanawha valley. It started on this expedition of Gen. Hunter's with 700 men, and returned to the leaving point with 250. In July, Early's Confederate corps was met at Snicker's gap and in the brisk fight which ensued the regiment lost a number of men. It was also engaged in another affair with Early at Winchester. At Berryville in September the regiment had a sharp fight with the enemy and lost 25 men, killed, wounded and captured, and at the Opequan it formed part of the grand flanking column which changed the fortunes of the day. The loss of the regiment in this battle was 5 officers and about 50 men. The infantry extended the pursuit of the enemy to Fisher's hill, at which place the devoted Confederates were charged and scattered like chaff. In this action the regiment lost 6 men. It was again engaged at Cedar creek and soon thereafter joined Gen. Butler near Bermuda Hundred and remained there during the winter. In the long skirmish which ended in the fall of Petersburg the regiment captured 2 battleflags and a number of prisoners, but its loss was quite severe. Then began the pursuit of Lee's army, the regiment being included in a force sent out on an expedition to burn High bridge near Farmville, but just as the regiment was opening a fight with a brigade of home-guards the Confederate cavalry in advance of Lee's army came in the rear, and after a desperate fight with heavy loss on both sides the Federal forces, including the regiment, were captured. The members of the regiment remained prisoners of war until Appomattox Court House was reached, at which place the Confederate army surrendered, and the prisoners were of course released. The regiment left immediately for home, and was mustered out on June 12, 1865.Footnotes: Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 2 |
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