33rd Ohio Infantry ​in the American Civil War

Overview

The 33rd Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service) was an infantry regiment from Ohio that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized at Portsmouth, Ohio, between August 27 and October 11, 1861, the regiment mustered in for three years of service. It entered Federal service with an aggregate strength of 839 men. The 33rd Ohio served primarily in the Western Theater and participated in several major campaigns and battles throughout the war.

This regiment is distinct from any other Ohio infantry units with similar designations or different service terms.

Organization & Service

The 33rd Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service) was organized at Portsmouth, Ohio, and mustered into service between August 27 and October 11, 1861. The regiment joined General Nelson’s forces at Maysville, Kentucky, soon after organization. During its first year, the regiment was engaged in various movements but did not participate in any major battles until October 1862.

The regiment’s first significant engagement was at the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, where it entered the fight with 400 muskets and suffered heavy casualties. Subsequently, the 33rd Ohio took part in the Battle of Chickamauga, entering with 343 men and experiencing substantial losses. After Chickamauga, the regiment retreated with the Union Army to Rossville and Chattanooga, where it endured the siege until November 1863. The regiment fought at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, suffering further losses.

After veteranizing, the regiment was furloughed home and later rejoined the army for the Atlanta Campaign under General Sherman. The 33rd Ohio participated in the battles of Resaca, Cassville, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, and Jonesboro, with an aggregate loss of about 170 officers and men during this campaign. The regiment pursued Confederate forces under Hood as far as Villanow, Georgia, and then joined Sherman’s March to the Sea and the subsequent campaign through the Carolinas. At the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, the regiment again suffered significant casualties. The 33rd Ohio marched through Richmond to Washington, D.C., participated in the Grand Review, and was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, on July 12, 1865.

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

  • Perryville (October 1862)
  • Chickamauga (September 1863)
  • Siege of Chattanooga (September–November 1863)
  • Lookout Mountain (November 1863)
  • Missionary Ridge (November 1863)
  • Atlanta Campaign (May–September 1864): including Resaca, Cassville, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Jonesboro
  • Pursuit of Hood to Villanow, Georgia (late 1864)
  • Sherman’s March to the Sea (November–December 1864)
  • Campaign of the Carolinas (early 1865), including Bentonville
  • March to Washington, D.C., and participation in the Grand Review (May 1865)

Casualties

  • Perryville: 129 killed and wounded (25 buried on the field)
  • Chickamauga: 168 killed, wounded, and missing
  • Missionary Ridge: 31 killed and wounded out of 200 engaged
  • Atlanta Campaign: approximately 170 killed and wounded
  • Bentonville: suffered severe losses (exact figures not specified)

Some details are incomplete in surviving primary sources.

Field Officers & Commanders

  • Colonel Joshua W. Sill
  • Colonel Oscar F. Moore
  • Lieutenant Colonel Frederick J. Lock
  • Lieutenant Colonel James H. M. Montgomery
  • Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Hinson
  • Major Joshua V. Robinson
  • Major Ephraim J. Ellis
  • Major Benjamin F. Barger
  • Major Thomas Sikes

Regimental Roster

The full roster of the 33rd Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and service details for those who served in the regiment.

To view the complete roster, visit the 33rd Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service) Roster page.

Sources & References

  • Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (Army of the Cumberland, Army of the Ohio, Army of the Tennessee)
  • 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”
  • Fox, William F., “Regimental Losses in the American Civil War”
  • “The Union Army,” Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Volume 2
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