17th Ohio Infantry - 3 Years Service
​in the American Civil War

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17th Ohio Infantry Soldier Roster - Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Volume 2, 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
Seventeenth Infantry. — (Three Years' Service.) Cols., John M. Connell, Durbin Ward; Lieut.-Cols., Marshall F. Moore, Benjamin Showers; Majs., Benjamin F. Butterfield, James W. Stinchcomb, Willis G. Clark. This regiment was organized at Camp Dennison, in Sept., 1861, to serve three years. It first participated in the Wild Cat fight in Kentucky and lost 7 men wounded. It participated in the siege of Corinth and was engaged in several severe skirmishes, in one of which Co. B, with 70 men, penetrated the Confederate lines, drove the pickets back on their reserves, and held the position for 2 hours, losing 2 men severely and 4 slightly wounded. The regiment went into the battle line on the Stone's river field and with its brigade charged the Confederate Gen. Hanson's brigade, driving it in confusion, killing its general and some 150 of the rank and file. The loss of the 17th was 20 wounded. It moved with its brigade in the Tullahoma campaign, and at Hoover's gap charged the 17th Tenn. Confederate regiment, strongly posted in a belt of woods, driving it back and occupying the position. At the battle of Chickamauga the regiment was on the extreme right of the center and when Gen. Wood's division was double-quicked out of the line, the gap left exposed the right flank of the regiment, the Confederates opened fire both on the right flank and in front, causing it to lose heavily and scattering the men in confusion. Co. B, the only one of the regiment that retreated in a body, gave three cheers, sounded the rally for the regiment, gathered some 200 men together and charged on the enemy, but to little purpose, as the Confederates greatly outnumbered them. Falling back again, they held a given point and fought throughout that memorable day, leaving the field with but 52 men. The loss of the 17th in this battle in killed and wounded was over 200, not counting those with slight flesh wounds. Lieut.-Col. Ward fell about the middle of the afternoon, on the front line, badly wounded. At Missionary ridge, though in the rear line at the start, the regiment was in the front when the top of the hill was gained. It took only a subordinate part in the heavy skirmishing at Rocky Face ridge, but bore its full share in the battle of Resaca. At Kennesaw mountain the regiment suffered less than it had in previous actions of less importance, but the heat was so intense that many men were carried off prostrated by suntroke. At the battle of Peachtree creek the regiment was actively engaged, and it advanced under a galling fire of musketry and artillery to the assault on Jonesboro. The regiment followed Sherman through the Carolinas, took part in the battle of Bentonville, passed in review before the president at Washington, and was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 16, 1865.Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 2