Overview
The 2nd Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) was an infantry regiment organized at Columbus, Ohio, in April 1861, in response to President Lincoln’s initial call for volunteers at the outbreak of the Civil War. Serving on the Union side, the regiment was composed primarily of prewar militia companies from various parts of Ohio. The unit was among the earliest Ohio regiments mobilized for federal service and participated in the defense of Washington, D.C., during the war’s opening months.
This unit is distinct from the 2nd Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service).
Organization & Service
The 2nd Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) was organized at Columbus, Ohio, on April 18, 1861. The regiment’s companies were drawn from multiple Ohio communities: Company A (Rover Guards), D (Zouave Guards), and E (Lafayette Guards) from Cincinnati; Company B (Columbus Videttes) and C (Columbus Fencibles) from Columbus; Company F (Springfield Zouaves) from Springfield; Companies G and K from Pickaway County; Company H from Steubenville; and Company I (Covington Blues) from Miami County. Many of these companies had previously served as state militia units.
The regiment departed Columbus for Washington, D.C., on April 19, 1861, but encountered delays en route. It was mustered into United States service at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on April 29, 1861. Upon arrival in Washington in early May, the 2nd Ohio was assigned to General Schenck’s brigade, part of General Tyler’s division, which was responsible for the defense of the capital. The regiment participated in the First Battle of Bull Run, Virginia, on July 21, 1861, where it sustained casualties. The 2nd Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) was mustered out at the expiration of its term on July 31, 1861.
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
- Defense of Washington, D.C. (May–July 1861)
- First Battle of Bull Run, Virginia (July 21, 1861)
Casualties
At the First Battle of Bull Run, the regiment lost 2 men killed, 4 wounded, 8 captured, and 1 missing. Total losses for the regiment during its three months’ service are not fully detailed in surviving primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel Lewis Wilson
- Lieutenant Colonel Rodney Mason
- Major Augustus C. Parry
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 2nd Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and company assignments for those who served during the regiment’s three months’ term.
To view the complete roster, visit the 2nd Ohio Infantry (Three Months’ Service) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. 2
- Ohio Roster Commission, “Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion,” Vol. 1
- Dyer, Frederick H., “A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion”
- Fox, William F., “Regimental Losses in the American Civil War”
- “The Union Army,” Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Vol. 2