Overview
The 8th Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) was an infantry regiment organized in Ohio for short-term service at the outset of the Civil War. The regiment was enrolled between April 18 and April 27, 1861, and mustered into United States service from April 24 to April 30, 1861. It served on the Union side and was primarily stationed in Ohio during its brief period of service. The unit was among the first to respond to President Lincoln’s initial call for volunteers.
Organization & Service
The companies of the 8th Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) assembled at Camp Taylor, arriving on April 29, 1861. The regiment was mustered into federal service between April 24 and April 30, 1861, for a term of three months. On May 2, the regiment was ordered to Camp Dennison, arriving the following day. The organization was completed with the appointment of field and staff officers, and the regiment began training and drill to prepare for active service.
Following President Lincoln’s proclamation for 300,000 men for three years’ service, efforts were made to re-enlist the regiment for the longer term. All companies except Company I agreed to re-enlist, and a new regiment of nine companies was enrolled for three years’ service from June 5 to June 25, 1861. Company I was mustered out at the expiration of its term on August 21, except for eight men who joined the new three-years’ regiment. Those who did not re-enlist were mustered out between August 18 and August 22, 1861, at Columbus, Ohio.
Research This Regiment Further
If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.
Engagements & Campaigns
The 8th Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) primarily performed organizational and training duties within Ohio and did not participate in major campaigns or battles during its term of service.
Casualties
Specific casualty figures for the 8th Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) are not detailed in available primary sources. The regiment did not see combat during its three months of service.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel Herman G. Depuy
- Lieutenant Colonel Freeman E. Franklin
- Major Henry F. Willson
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 8th Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. For a complete listing of soldiers who served in this regiment, please visit the regimental roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I
- Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion
- Dyer, Frederick H., A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
- Federal Publishing Company, The Union Army, Vol. 2 (1908)