55th Ohio Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Ohio > 55th Ohio Infantry Regiment

The 55th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 7 officers and 136 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 119 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
September – December Organized at Norwalk, Ohio by Colonel John C. Lee.
1862
January 25 Mustered in and ordered to Grafton, Va. Attached to Schenck’s Brigade, Railroad District, West Virginia
February 3 Moved from Grafton to New Creek, Va.
February 6 Expedition to Romney
February 12-16
Expedition to Moorefield
February 12 Action at Moorefield
February 19 Returned to Grafton
February-March While in camp at Grafton the Regiment suffered from disease, particularly measles, which killed 20 men and at one point left 400 unfit for duty.
March 31 Moved by rail to Green Spring River attached to Railroad District, Dept. of the Mountains
April 10 Marched to Romney and attached to Schenck’s Brigade, Dept. of the Mountains
April Moved to Moorfield, then seven companies were ordered to join Milroy at Monterey, with Companies D, E and G left behind at Moorfield.
May 8

Battle of McDowell

In reserve
May Fell back to Franklin, suffering severly from lack of food.
May 26 Near Franklin
May 26-29 March to to Strasburg in the the Shenandoah Valley via Petersburg, Moorefield, and Wardensville
June 6

Battle of Harrisonburg
June 8

Battle of Cross Keys

Present but not engaged.
June At Middletown
June 26 Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, Pope’s Army of Virginia
July 7 At Sperryville
July 17-19 Reconnaissance from Middletown by way of Front Royal and Luray, through the gap in the Blue Ridge to Madison Court House
August 8 Moved to Culpepper C.H.
August 9

Battle of Cedar Mountain

in reserve
August 10 To Slaughter Mountain
August 14 Marched to Robertson’s River near the Rapidan, where the regimental band was mustered out.
August 16-September 2

Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia
August 22 Catlett’s Station
August 25 Moved to Warrenton, and then north in pursuit of Jackson.
August 28-30

Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas)

On the 29th the Regiment was not engaged, but was under severe artillery fire, losing 14 killed, 60 wounded, and 21 missing. On the following day it engaged flanking Confederate troops until dark, when it was withdrawn to Centerville.
September 1 Marched to Arlington Hill and attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac for duty in the Defenses of Washington, D.C.
September 22 Returned to Centerville
September 25-28 Reconnaissance to Bristoe Station and Warrenton Junction
Early October Reconnaissance to Catlett’s Station and skirmish there before returning to Centerville.
October 2 Captain Charles Gambee of Company A was promoted to major
November Marched to Manassas Junction, then through Hopewell Gap to Hopewell, returning after a short stay to Chantilly via Groveton and Centerville.
December 10-16 Marched to Fredericksburg via Stafford C.H.
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March.” The Regiment started to march to Belle Plain Landing, but the movement was abandoned due to terrible weather, and it went into winter quarters at Brook’s Station.
February-April At Falmouth
March 5 Major Gamberee was promoted to lieutenant colonel
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign

The Regiment marched via Hartwood Church to Kelley’s Ford, crossed the Rappahannock at Germania Ford, and continued to Chancellorsville via the Plank Road.
May 1-5

Battle of Chancellorsville

On the 2nd the Regiment was flanked in Jackson’s attack and lost lost 9 killed, 87 wounded, and 57 missing out of 491 men engaged. It reformed and remained in line from the 3rd until the 5th, when the army retreated and the Regiment returned to camp at Brook’s Station.
May Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac
May 8 Colonel Lee resigned. Liuetenant Colonel Gambee was promoted to colonel.
June 11-July 24

Gettysburg Campaign
July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded at Gettysburg by Colonel Charles B. Gambee. It brought 375 men to the field, losing 6 killed, 31 wounded and 12 missing.

From the monument next to the National Cemetery at Gettysburg:

Arrived at 2:20 p.m., July 1, in this position throughout the battle with severe loss. Its skirmishers drove back those of the enemy and seized a barn between the lines, where twelve of its men were surrounded and captured by the enemy’s main line.

Private Charles Stacey of Company D was awarded the Medal of Honor “for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with Company D, 55th Ohio Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Private Stacey voluntarily took an advanced position on the skirmish line for the purpose of ascertaining the location of Confederate sharpshooters, and under heavy fire held the position thus taken until the company of which he was a member went back to the main line.”
July 5-24 Pursuit of Lee
July 25 At Catlett’s Station, Va.
September 24-October 3 Movement to Bridgeport, Ala. and attached to Army of the Cumberland
October 26-29 Reopening Tennessee River
October 28-29

Battle of Wauhatchie, Tenn.
November The Regiment received reinforcements of about 200 drafted men; non-Veterans were mustered out at around the same time
November 23-27

Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign
November 23 Orchard Knob
November 24-25 Tunnel Hill
November 25 Mission Ridge
November 28-December 17 March to relief of Knoxville, Tenn.
December-May Duty in Lookout Valley
1864
April Attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 20th Corps, Army of the Cumberland
May 1 – September 8

Atlanta Campaign
May 8-11 Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge
May 8-9 Buzzard’s Roost Gap
May 14-15

Battle of Resaca

The regiment lost 18 killed, including Colonel Gambee and Major Rodolphus Robbins, 72 men wounded, and one man missing
May 19 Cassville
May 22-25 Advance on Dallas
May 25

Action at New Hope Church
May 26-June 5 Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills
June 10-July 2 Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain
June 11-14 Pine Hill
June 15-17 Lost Mountain
June 15 Gilgal or Golgotha Church
June 17 Muddy Creek
June 19 Noyes Creek
June 20 Cassville
June 22 Kolb’s Farm
June 27

Assault on Kenesaw
July 4 Ruffs Station. Captain Edwin Powers of Company K promoted to lieutenant colonel.
July 5-17 Chattahoochie River
July 19-20

Peach Tree Creek
July 22-August 25

Siege of Atlanta
August 26-September 2 Operations at Chattahoochie River Bridge
August 27 Farmer’s Ferry
September 2 – November 15

Occupation of Atlanta
November 15-December 10

March to the sea
December 10-21

Siege of Savannah
1865
January to April

Campaign of the Carolinas
February 2 Lawtonville, S.C.
February 12-13 North Edisto River
March 14 Reconnaissance on Goldsboro Road, near Fayetteville, N. C.
March 16 Taylor’s Hole Creek, Aversyboro
March 19-21

Battle of Bentonville
March 24 Occupation of Goldsboro
April 10-14 Advance on Raleigh
April 14 Occupation of Raleigh
April 26

Bennett’s House

Surrender of Johnston and his army.
April 29-May 19 March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va.
May 24 Grand Review
June 6 Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Powers was promoted to colonel.
June 10 Moved to Louisville, Ky.
July 11 Mustered out under the command of Colonel Edwin Powers
July 19 Transported by train to Cleveland, paid and discharged