United States Regiments & Batteries > Ohio


The 1st Ohio Independent Battery lost 1 officer and 6 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 15 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Antietam.

1861
Organized at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio
August 6 Mustered in. Ordered to the Kanawha Valley. Va. Attached to Cox’s Brigade, District of the Kanawha, W. Va.
August Retreat to Williamsport, Md.; then ordered to Martinsburg, W. Va., and duty there guarding stores attached to Artillery Brigade, West Virginia
September 10 Action at Carnifex Ferry, Va. attached to Benham’s Brigade, District of the Kanawha, W. Va.
September 15-23 Moved to Camp Anderson and Big Sewell Mountain
October 6-9 Moved to Camp Anderson and attached to 1st Brigade, District of the Kanawha, W. Va.
October 19 Operations in the Kanawha Valley and New River Region
November 16 Moved to Gauley and duty there
1862
March Attached to 1st Brigade, Kanawha Division, Department of the Mountains
April 22-May 1 Advance on Virginia & Tennessee Railroad
May 11, 16 and 17 Princeton
June-August At Flat Top Mountain
August 15-24 Movement to Washington, D.C. and attached to 1st Brigade, Kanawha Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
September 6-22 Maryland Campaign
September 14
Battle of South Mountain
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam

The battery was commanded by Captain James R. McMullin. It was armed with six 14-pounder James Rifles. Lieutenant Crome was mortally wounded and three enlisted men were wounded.

From Captain McMullin’s Official Report for the 1st Ohio Battery at Antietam:

In obedient to orders from you, my battery took position about half way up South Mountain and to the National road, when I immediately engaged a six-gun battery of the enemy for some thirty-fire or forty minutes, when he opened another battery to the left of the first, the range being nearly or quite 1,700 yards. In about an hour the enemy’s first battery was silenced. My guns then continued to play upon the enemy’s second battery until late in the afternoon, when it was moved out of range.

About 11 o’clock, in obedience to an order from yourself, I sent one section, under command of First Lieutenant George L. Crome, to take position on the top of South Mountain, which Lieutenant Crome reached with difficulty, being compelled to move his pieces by manual force, and opened on the enemy, in position behind a stone wall, with canister at a distance of 40 yards. After expending four double rounds, Lieutenant Crome was struck in the breast with a musket-ball while engaged in loading one of this pieces, three of his cannoneers being wounded. The enemy was driven from his position, and the section remained on the field. Lieutenant Crome lived about two hours, when he expired. His loss is to be deeply regretted, for he was a brave and noble man, who at the first call of this country left the endearments of home for its defense. Yet it is a consolation to his friends and companions in arms to know that he died at his post in the discharge of more than his duty.

Lieutenants McClung, Fair, and Channel (the latter on detached duty from the Twelfth Ohio Volunteers Infantry), and the men of my battery, all did their duty. Not a single exception came under my observation or to my hearing.

late September The battery was reequipped with six 10-pounder Parrott Rifles.
October 8 Moved to Clear Springs.
October 9-November 17 To Hancock and march to the Kanawha Valley, W. Va. via Clarksburg, Summerville, Gauley Bridge and Kanawha Falls. Duty at Kanawha Falls (Falls of the Great Kanawha) attached to 3rd Brigade, Kanawha Division, W. Va., Dept. of Ohio
1863
March At Charleston attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 8th Army Corps, Middle Department
May 17-20 Fayetteville (Section)
June Attached to 2nd Brigade, Scammon’s Division, Army of West Virginia
July 2-26 Operations against Morgan’s Raid in Ohio
December Attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, West Virginia
December 8-25 Scammon’s Demonstration from Kanawha Valley
December 12 Lewisburg and Greenbrier River
1864
April Attached to Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division, West Virginia
May 3-19 Crook’s Raid on Virginia & Tennessee Railroad
May 9
Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain
May 10 New River Bridge
May 13 Salt Pond Gap, Pond Mountain Gap
May 26-July 1 Hunter’s Expedition to Lynchburg
June 11 Lexington
June 17 Diamond Hill
June 17-18 Lynchburg
June 20 Buford’s Gap
June 21 Salem
July 12-15 Moved to Shenandoah Valley
July 19 Action at Bunker Hill
July 20 Stephenson’s Depot, Carter’s Farm
1865
March Moved to Harper’s Ferry attached to Artillery Reserve Division, then to Washington, D.C., and duty in the Defenses of that city
April Attached to 3rd Brigade, Hardins’ Division, 22nd Army Corps, Defenses of Washington
June 26 Mustered out