23rd Ohio Infantry
​in the American Civil War

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Online Books
23rd Ohio Infantry Soldier Roster - Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Volume 3, 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
Twenty-third Infantry. — Cols., William S. Rosecrans, E. Parker Scammon, Rutherford B. Hayes, James M. Comly; Lieut.-Cols., Stanley Matthews, Russell Hastings; Majs., James P. McIlrath, Edward M. Carey, Harry Thompson. This regiment was organized at Columbus, from June 1, 1861, to March 23, 1862, to serve for three years. It left the state in July, 1861, for western Virginia and was at once launched into the arena of war. It was in line of battle at Carnifix ferry in September and engaged in sharp skirmishing with the enemy. The winter of 1861 was devoted to recruiting, drill and discipline. At Princeton, the following May, the regiment was attacked by four regiments of the enemy's infantry and 6 pieces of artillery, but made a determined stand, and when overwhelmed and forced to retire did so in good order, fighting as it went. It proceeded to the city of Washington in September and a few days after its arrival was ordered to Maryland, where it took part in the battles of South mountain and Antietam. At South mountain it lost nearly 200, of whom almost one-fourth was killed on the field or afterward died of their wounds. In Nov., 1862, the regiment went into winter quarters in the Great Kanawha valley and remained there until March, when it was ordered to Charleston, W. Va., and remained at that place until July, performing little or no duty with the exception of a few scouts, an advance as far as Raleigh, W. Va., and its participation in the movements against the Morgan raid in July. In the last-named affair the regiment performed good service in heading off Morgan's band on the line of the Ohio river at Buffington island and near Hockingport, picking up a number of the guerrillas as they attempted to cross the river. The regiment then returned to Charleston and lay there in camp until the spring of 1864, when the battle of Cloyd's mountain was fought. In May there was an affair at New River bridge, in which the regiment participated. It then started on the long march to Lynchburg and the subsequent retreat from that place. It then engaged in the battle of Winchester in July, in which the Federal forces were defeated after a well-contested fight that continued from early in the morning until 9 o'clock at night. The 23d lost in this engagement 153 men, 10 of whom were commissioned officers. Nothing of importance transpired until in September at Berryville, where the regiment was sent out on picket. A general engagement was brought on, in which there was desperate fighting. After the usual amount of marching and countermarching the battle of Opequan was fought, in which the regiment captured about 200 men. On Oct. 19, occurred the battle of Cedar creek, in which a defeat was turned into victory by the timely arrival of Gen. Sheridan. The following winter was spent in West Virginia, and the collapse of the Southern Confederacy in the spring made the regiment's services no longer required. It was therefore mustered out on July 26, 1865.Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 2