74th Ohio Infantry

Organized at Xenia, Ohio, October 5, 1861, to March 27, 1862. Ordered to Camp Chase, Ohio, February 24, 1862, and duty there till April 20. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., April 20-24. Attached to Dumont's Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to June, 1862. Unattached, Army of the Ohio, to September, 1862. 7th Brigade, 8th Division, Army of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Center 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, to June, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, to July, 1865.

SERVICE. – Dumont's Expedition over the Cumberland Mountains, Tenn., June, 1862. Guard duty along railroad between Nashville and Columbia, Tenn., till September 3. Siege of Nashville September 12-November 7. Fort Riley near Nashville October 5. Gallatin Pike near Nashville October 20. Duty at Nashville till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro till June. Middle Tennessee or Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Occupation of Middle Tennessee till August 16. Passage of the Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign August 16-September 22. Davis Cross Roads or Dug Gap September 11. Battle of Chickamauga September 19-21. Rossville Gap September 21. Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn., September 24-November 23. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Orchard Knob November 23-24. Mission Ridge November 25. Regiment reenlisted January 1, 1864. Veterans on furlough January 25-April 12. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 1-September 8. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8-9. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Mill Springs Gap May 19. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Pickett's Mills May 27. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11-14. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Ruff's Station July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Peach Tree Creek July 19-20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Utoy Creek August 5-7. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Operations against Hood in North Georgia and North Alabama September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Taylor's Hole Creek, Averysboro, N. C., March 16. Battle of Bentonville March 19-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June, and duty there till July. Mustered out July 11, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 2 Officers and 51 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 105 Enlisted men by disease. Total 164.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1531

St. Louis, Feb. 28 [sic] [1862]

The following is the official report of Gen. Cullum:

COLUMBUS, Ky., March 4.

To Maj. Gen. Halleck, Commanding Western Department – Columbus, the Gibraltar of the West, is ours, and Kentucky is free.  At 4 o’clock this morning the flotilla under Com. Foot, consisting of 6 gunboats, 4 mortar boats and transports, conveyed the 37^th Illinois regiment, a battalion of the 54^th, the 74^th Ohio and the 55^th Ill. under command of Gen. Sherman, proceeded to this place.  On arriving here it was difficult to say whether the fortifications were occupied by our own cavalry, or scouts from Paducah, or by the enemy.

Every preparation was made for opening fire and landing infantry, when Gen. Sherman and Capt. Phelps, with 30 soldiers mad a reconnaissance with a tug, steering directly under the water batteries.  Satisfied that our troops had possession, they landed, ascended to the summit, and together planted the stars and stripes, amid the cheers of our brave tars and soldiers.  Though rising from a sick bed to go upon the expedition, I could not resist landing to examine the works, which are of immense strength, consisting of tiers upon tiers of batteries upon the river front, and a strong parapet and ditch.

On the land side the fortifications appear to have been erected hastily.  A considerable quantity of ordnance and ordnance stores, a number of anchors, the remains of the chain once stretched over the river here, and a large supply of torpedoes are in our hands.

The desolation of hasty evacuation was visible everywhere.  Huts, tents and barracks presented nothing but their blackened remains, though the town was spared.  A garrison was left in the works consisting of nearly 2,000 infantry and 400 cavalry.

(Signed,)  G. W. CULLUM, Brig. Gen.

Gen. Halleck has telegraphed the following to Maj. Gen. McClellan:

Our cavalry from Paducah, marched into Columbus yesterday, at 6 p.m., driving before them the enemy’s rear guard.

The flag of the Union is flying over the boasted Gibraltar of the West.  Finding himself completely surrounded on both sides of the Mississippi, the enemy was obliged to evacuate or surrender.  Large quantities of artillery and stores were captured.

Signed, H. W. HALLECK, Maj. Gen.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, March 6, 1862, p. 1

Some newspapers are publishing that . . .

. . . Col. Moody, of the 74th Ohio, was wounded in the fight near Murfreesboro. It is not fully substantiated as yet.

– Published in the Zanesville Daily Courier, Zanesville, Ohio, Monday, January 5, 1863

The 74th Ohio, Col. Moody . . .

. . . now in charge of the rebel prisoners at Camp Chase, Columbus, and the 69th Ohio, Col. Lewis D. Campbell, are ordered to Nashville to strengthen then hands of Gov. Andy Johnson.

– Published in the Burlington Daily Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Wednesday, April 16, 1862