Overview
The 48th Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service) was an infantry regiment organized at large in Ohio between September and December 1861 for service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served primarily in the Western Theater and participated in several major campaigns and battles. It was known for its significant engagement at Shiloh, where it suffered heavy losses, and for being among the first Union troops to enter the Confederate works at Corinth.
This unit served for three years and, upon the expiration of its original term, was retained in service as a veteran organization until its consolidation with the 83rd Ohio Infantry in January 1865. The regiment’s service extended beyond the war’s end for some companies, with final mustering out occurring in May 1866.
Organization & Service
The 48th Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service) was organized from the state at large, mustering into service between September and December 1861. The regiment was initially attached to various brigades and divisions within the Army of the Tennessee and later the Department of the Gulf and the Military Division of West Mississippi.
The regiment participated in the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, where it lost about one-third of its members. It was present at the Siege of Corinth and played a prominent role in the assault, being among the first organized Union troops to enter the Confederate defenses. The 48th Ohio took part in the Chickasaw Bayou expedition, the assault on Arkansas Post, and the Vicksburg Campaign, including actions at Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion’s Hill, Big Black River, and the Siege of Vicksburg.
Following Vicksburg, the regiment was engaged at Carrion Crow Bayou and Sabine Cross Roads in Louisiana. At Sabine Cross Roads, the regiment, then much reduced in numbers, engaged the Confederate “Crescent regiment” but was ultimately overpowered and captured. After exchange, the regiment continued service, participating in the assault on Fort Blakely, Alabama, in April 1865.
When the original three-year term expired, non-veterans were mustered out, and the regiment continued as a veteran organization. On January 17, 1865, it was consolidated with the 83rd Ohio Infantry. Later, on July 24, 1865, a battalion of six companies was formed by consolidating the 83rd and 114th Ohio regiments. Companies E and F were mustered out on October 14, 1865, and the remaining companies (A, B, C, and D) were mustered out on May 9, 1866.
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
- Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee
- Siege of Corinth, Mississippi
- Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi
- Arkansas Post, Arkansas
- Port Gibson, Mississippi
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Champion’s Hill, Mississippi
- Big Black River, Mississippi
- Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi
- Carrion Crow Bayou, Louisiana
- Sabine Cross Roads, Louisiana
- Fort Blakely, Alabama
Casualties
The 48th Ohio Infantry lost about one-third of its members at the Battle of Shiloh. Detailed casualty figures for the entire service are not fully reported in all sources. Fox’s Regimental Losses and the Official Records do not provide a complete breakdown for this regiment.
Some details are incomplete in surviving primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel Peter J. Sullivan
- Colonel Job R. Parker
- Lieutenant Colonel Joseph W. Lindsay
- Lieutenant Colonel James R. Lynch
- Major James S. Wise
- Major Samuel G. W. Peterson
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 48th 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 during its term.
To view the complete roster, visit the 48th Ohio Infantry (Three Years’ Service) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (see especially Army Register, Part V, p. 126)
- Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 5
- Dyer, Frederick H., A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
- Fox, William F., Regimental Losses in the American Civil War
- The Union Army, Vol. 2 (Federal Publishing Company, 1908)