75th Ohio Infantry

Organized at Camp McLain, Cincinnati, Ohio, November 7, 1861, to January 8, 1862. Left State for Grafton, W. Va., January 28, 1862. Attached to Milroy's Command, Cheat Mountain, District West Virginia, to March, 1862. Milroy's Brigade, Dept. of the Mountains, to April, 1862. Schenck's Brigade, Dept. of the Mountains, to June, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, Army of Virginia, to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 11th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to July, 1863. 2nd Brigade, Gordon's Division, Folly Island, S.C., 10th Army Corps, Dept. of the South, to February, 1864. 1st Brigade, Ames' Division, District of Florida, to April, 1864. District of Florida, Dept. of the South, to October, 1864. 4th Separate Brigade, Dept. of the South, to December. 1864. 1st Brigade, Coast Division, Dept. of the South, to January, 1865. 4th Separate Brigade, Dept. of the South, to July, 1865.

SERVICE. – March to Huttonville February 17-March 1, 1862. Expedition to Lost River Region April 1-12. Action at Monterey April 12. Battle of McDowell May 8. Retreat to Franklin May 10-12. Franklin May 29. Pursuit of Jackson to Shenandoah Valley. Strasburg and Staunton Road June 1-2. Mt. Jackson June 3. New Market June 4. Harrisonburg June 6. Battle of Cross Keys June 8. At Middletown till July 7, and at Sperryville till August 8. Reconnoissance to Madison Court House July 16-19. Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9. Pope's Campaign in Northern Virginia August 16-September 2. Freeman's Ford August 22. Battle of Bull Run August 29-30. Duty in the Defences of Washington, D.C., till December. Expedition from Centreville to Bristoe Station and Warrenton Junction September 25-28. March to Fredericksburg, Va., December 10-15. "Mud March" January 20-24, 1863. At Falmouth till April 27. Woodstock and Cedar Run February 26. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1-5. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3. Pursuit of Lee July 5-24. Moved to Morris Island, S.C., August 6-12. Siege operations against Fort Wagner, Morris Island, S.C., and against Fort Sumpter and Charleston August 18-September 7. Capture of Fort Wagner and Gregg, Morris Island, September 7. Moved to Folly Island, S.C., and duty there till February 22, 1864. Expedition to John's and James' islands February 6-14. Ordered to Jacksonville, Fla., February 22, 1864. Regiment mounted and duty in the District of Florida till December 8. Expedition from Jacksonville to Cedar Creek April 2. Cedar Run April 2. Expedition to Headwaters of the St. Johns and Kissinee Rivers April 25-May 10, destroying and capturing a large amount of stores and property. Action near Jacksonville April 28. Near Camp Finnegan May 25. Expedition from Jacksonville to Camp Milton May 31-June 3. King's Creek, S.C., July 3 (Detachment). Raid from Jacksonville to Baldwin July 23-28. Near Trail Ridge July 25. Action at St. Mary's Trestle July 26. Camp Baldwin August 12. Raid on Florida Railroad August 15-19. Gainesville August 17. Expedition to Enterprise September 28. Companies "A," "B," "C," "D," "F" and "G" mustered out October and November, 1864. Balance moved to Hilton Head, S.C., December 8-10. Pocotaligo Bridge, S.C., December 29. Returned to Florida January, 1865, and duty at District Headquarters, Jacksonville, and at Tallahatchie, Fla., till July. Mustered out July 15, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 110 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 101 Enlisted men by disease. Total 217.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1531-2

From Gen. Fremont’s Department – Skirmish with the Rebels

WHEELING, April 13, 1862

To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Sec’y of War:

A dispatch just received from General Milroy at Monterey, under date of yesterday, states as follows: "The rebels, about 1,000 strong, with two cavalry companies and two pieces of artillery, attacked my pickets this morning about 10 o'clock, and drove them in some 2 miles. I sent out re-enforcements, consisting of two companies 75th Ohio, two companies 2d Virginia, two 25th Ohio, and two of 32d Ohio, one gun of Captain Hyman's battery, and one company of cavalry, all under Major Webster. The skirmishing was brisk for a short time, but the rebels were put to flight with considerable loss. The casualties on our side were 3 men of the 75th badly wounded. The men behaved nobly."

J. C. FREMONT,
Major-General, Commanding

– Published in The Athens Messenger, Athens, Ohio, Thursday, April 24, 1862, p. 2

Extract Of A Letter From The 75th Regiment

On the 12th inst. a messenger from Gen. Millroy, at Montery [sic], came to the 75th, encamped at Crab bottom, 6 miles out, ordering them up immediately. We received the order a little after 5 o’clock A. M., arrived at Monterey a little before 9 A. M., and about 10 our pickets began to fire rapidly. Two companies of the 75th, viz: D, Capt. Metcalf, and G, Capt. Swope, were ordered forward. They went up the mountain on [Staunton] pike in double quick time, met the enemy coming deployed as skirmishers and opened upon them. They had driven in our pickets some distance. Capt. Metcalf and his men behaved nobly, and actually drove back the rebels before other companies which were also sent forward could get there. One of our pickets who was so closely chased as to be compelled to hide behind some logs says the rebels had a regiment of infantry, two squadrons of cavalry, and two cannon, and that it took them ½ an hour to pan him. Two of Capt. Metcalf’s men were wounded, viz: Amos Dowler, in the shoulder, (no bone broken) doing well; Samuel McDonald, in the leg, amputated above the knee; doubt his recovery. No one else hurt in our regiment. On of the Virginia Cavalry was wounded in the leg, but not badly. A negro just in from McDowell (where the rebels were encamped) says they came back through that place in a hurry, and have gone to the top of the mountain beyond that place, that they had 5 cannon with them, and when they came down they said they intended to drive the d----d Yankees back to Ohio. We hope they may always drive them just that way. We have force sufficient to hold this place and will soon have enough to go on to [Staunton].

– Published in The Athens Messenger, Athens, Ohio, Thursday, April 24, 1862, p. 2

Aid Society

Since the organization of the Society the following number of boxes have been forwarded: Two, one containing fruit, wine, jelly, &c., the other bedding, pillows, shirts, drawers and towels, to the Eighteenth regiment.

March 27, a large box was sent to the Cincinnati Sanitary Commission.

A supply of jelly, fruit and wine was collected for the 75th regiment, but learning their need was supplied, or would be, and the difficulty of sending to Huttonville determined the Society in sending all stores to the Sanitary Commission; accordingly last Friday two boxes containing the following articles were sent: 6 cans fruit, 6 jars jelly, 9 bottles wine, 2 papers farina, 4 corn starch, 5 lbs blackberries, 1 bottle catsup, 1 package oat meal, 1 package crackers, 1 sack dired apples, 72 bandages, 3 comforts, 15 pillows, 32 towels, 15 pairs socks, 1 pair woolen drawers, 6 half-worn shirts, 32 pin balls, 8 straw ticks, 8 shirts, 14 sheets, 3 double gowns, 3 blankets 1 quilt, 6 pillow slips, 6 boxes lint.

– Published in The Athens Messenger, Athens, Ohio, Thursday, April 24, 1862