Overview
The 1st Ohio Light Artillery (Three Years’ Service) was a Union regiment composed of twelve batteries, organized at various locations in Ohio between August 6, 1861, and June 4, 1862. Serving in the Western and Eastern Theaters, the regiment played a significant role in numerous campaigns and battles throughout the Civil War. Each battery operated semi-independently, often attached to different divisions and corps, and participated in major engagements from Kentucky and Tennessee to Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.
The regiment’s batteries were mustered out at different times between June 15 and July 31, 1865. The 1st Ohio Light Artillery is notable for its extensive service, heavy engagement in key battles, and the distinguished actions of its batteries across multiple campaigns.
Organization & Service
The 1st Ohio Light Artillery (Three Years’ Service) was organized at Ravenna, Cincinnati, Camp Dennison, Cleveland, Columbus, and Camp Chase, Ohio, with batteries mustered in from August 6, 1861, through June 4, 1862. Each battery was assigned to various commands and operated largely independently:
- Battery A left for Louisville, Kentucky, in September 1861, and first saw action at Dog Walk, Kentucky, in the fall of 1862. It fought at Stone’s River, Tullahoma, Hoover’s and Liberty Gaps, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, the Atlanta campaign, and Columbia, Tennessee.
- Battery B mustered in October 8, 1861, and served under Gen. George H. Thomas. It was engaged at Camp Wild Cat, Mill Springs, Stone’s River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, among others.
- Battery C mustered in October 8, 1861, and participated in Mill Springs, the advance on Corinth, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign, the Savannah campaign, and the Carolinas campaign.
- Battery D mustered in October 17, 1861, and was captured at Munfordville in September 1862. After exchange, it served at Knoxville, the Atlanta campaign, Franklin, Nashville, and Wilmington, North Carolina.
- Battery E mustered in October 7, 1861, and served in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, with notable actions at La Vergne, Stone’s River, Missionary Ridge, and Nashville.
- Battery F mustered in December 2, 1861, and participated in the siege of Corinth, Perryville, Stone’s River, Chickamauga, and other actions.
- Battery G mustered in December 17, 1861, and was the only volunteer battery of Buell’s army at Shiloh. It served at Corinth, Stone’s River, Chickamauga, Franklin, and Nashville.
- Battery H mustered in November 7, 1861, and served in West Virginia and the Eastern Theater, fighting at Winchester, Port Republic, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and in the Army of the Potomac’s artillery reserve.
- Battery I mustered in December 3, 1861, and served in West Virginia, Virginia, and later the Western Theater, participating in Dinwiddie’s Gap, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chattanooga, and the Atlanta campaign.
- Battery K mustered in from September 1 to December 28, 1861, and served in Maryland and Virginia, fighting at McDowell, Cross Keys, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Lookout Mountain.
- Battery L mustered in from October 8, 1861, to January 20, 1862, and served in West Virginia and Virginia, engaged at Winchester, Front Royal, Port Republic, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Cedar Creek.
- Battery M mustered in December 3, 1861, and served with the Army of the Ohio, participating in Shiloh, Corinth, Stone’s River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign, and was consolidated with Battery I on March 13, 1865.
The regiment’s batteries were mustered out at various dates from June 15 to July 31, 1865, in accordance with War Department orders.
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
- Dog Walk, Kentucky
- Stone’s River
- Tullahoma Campaign
- Hoover’s Gap
- Liberty Gap
- Chickamauga
- Chattanooga
- Atlanta Campaign
- Columbia, Tennessee
- Camp Wild Cat
- Mill Springs
- Perryville
- La Vergne
- Missionary Ridge
- Savannah Campaign
- Carolinas Campaign (Averasboro, Bentonville)
- Munfordville
- Siege of Knoxville
- Franklin
- Nashville
- Wilmington, North Carolina
- Shiloh
- Corinth
- Fredericksburg
- Chancellorsville
- Gettysburg
- Lookout Mountain
- Cedar Creek
Casualties
Casualty figures for the 1st Ohio Light Artillery (Three Years’ Service) are reported by battery. Notable losses include:
- Battery A: 17 men killed and wounded at Chickamauga.
- Battery B: 17 men killed, wounded, and missing at Stone’s River.
- Battery C: 13 men killed at Chickamauga; 20 killed and wounded in the Atlanta campaign.
- Battery E: 3 killed, 20 wounded, 25 captured at Stone’s River.
- Battery F: 2 killed, 12 wounded at Stone’s River; 1 killed, 10 wounded at Chickamauga.
- Battery G: 23 killed and wounded at Franklin.
- Battery I: 4 killed, 15 wounded at Gettysburg; 40 killed and wounded in the Atlanta campaign.
- Battery K: 5 killed, 27 wounded at Gettysburg.
- Battery L: 7 killed, 50 wounded, 15 taken prisoner during service.
Some details are incomplete in surviving primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel James Barnett
- Colonel Charles S. Cotter
- Lieutenant Colonel William H. Hayward
- Lieutenant Colonel Walter E. Lawrence
- Major Seymour Race
- Major William P. Israel
- Major Andrew J. Konkle
- Major Warren P. Edgarton
- Major Daniel T. Cockerill
- Major Frederick Schultz
- Major Wilbur F. Goodspeed
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery (Three Years’ Service), including officers and enlisted men for each battery, is available on the regiment’s roster page. This resource provides names, ranks, and additional service details valuable for genealogical and historical research.
To view the complete roster, visit the 1st Ohio Light Artillery (Three Years’ Service) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (Army of the Ohio, Army of the Cumberland, Army of the Potomac, etc.)
- Ohio Adjutant General’s Report
- 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, Volume 2