Overview
The 197th Ohio Infantry (One Year Service) was an infantry regiment organized at Camp Chase, Ohio, for Union service during the final months of the American Civil War. Mustered in between January 8 and April 11, 1865, the regiment was formed for a one-year term. Its service was primarily in the Eastern Theater, with duties focused on garrison and guard assignments following the major Confederate surrenders.
Organization & Service
The 197th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase, Ohio, from January 8 to April 11, 1865. Upon completion of organization, the regiment departed for Washington, D.C., on April 25, 1865. Upon arrival, the regiment learned of the surrender of General Johnston’s Confederate army, signaling the effective end of major hostilities.
The regiment was temporarily attached to the 9th Army Corps and, on April 29, marched through Alexandria, Virginia, encamping two miles beyond the city. On May 9, it was incorporated into a provisional brigade of the 9th Corps. Two days later, the brigade broke camp, marched to Washington, and then traveled by rail to Dover, Delaware, arriving on May 15. The regiment encamped at Camp Harrington until May 31, after which it moved by rail to Havre de Grace, Maryland. There, the regiment was broken up into detachments and assigned to guard duty along the railroad southward to Baltimore.
Regimental headquarters were relocated to Fort Worthington near Baltimore on July 3, 1865. At that time, several companies were detailed as guards at various forts, camps, and hospitals in and around Baltimore. The regiment reassembled at Camp Bradford, near Baltimore, and was mustered out of service on July 31, 1865, in accordance with orders from the War Department.
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
- Guard and garrison duty in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, Dover, Delaware, Havre de Grace, Maryland, and Baltimore, Maryland (April–July 1865)
Casualties
Specific casualty figures for the 197th Ohio Infantry (One Year Service) are not detailed in primary sources. The regiment’s service was primarily garrison and guard duty after the cessation of major hostilities, and no significant combat losses are recorded.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel Benton Halstead
- Lieutenant Colonel Gershom M. Barber
- Major Robert Hill
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 197th Ohio Infantry (One Year Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. For a complete list of members and additional service details, please visit the regiment’s roster page.
View the 197th Ohio Infantry (One Year Service) roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, relevant volumes
- Ohio Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, Vol. IX
- Dyer, Frederick H., A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
- The Union Army, Vol. 2 (Federal Publishing Company, 1908)