On the 19th of August, 1862, this regiment was mustered into the service of the United States at Camp Chase. The following day, it proceeded to Lexington, Ky., where it was brigaded, and soon transferred to Richmond, Ky. The brigade made a forced march to this place and drove off the rebels, after they had sent in a flag of truce, asking the surrender of the town.
August 29, the regiment, with its brigade, had an encounter with Kirby Smith's advance, capturing one gun. They remained all night on the field, confident of their ability to defend the approaches to Richmond, and underestimating, in their ignorance, the enemy's strength. The almost impassable barrier afforded by the precipitous approaches to the Kentucky River had been left fifteen miles in the rear, while they advanced to encounter an army of veterans double their numerical strength. Kirby Smith was then on his march to the Ohio River, making his famous Northern raid, that will long live in story, and in the memory of the squirrelhunters who were summoned to the defense of Cincinnati. Across his way, and barring it, lay an army of ten thousand raw recruits, with only nine pieces of artillery. Veterans would have fallen back to the river, where it was possible to delay the advance of the enemy until the arrival of re-enforcements; but it was not so ordered in the book of fate. Blind to the danger, and bold to rashness, our troops not only stood their ground, but advanced to meet certain defeat and almost annihilation. As no other Ohio regiment participated in the battles around Richmond, a brief description will be interesting.
The rebel army made an attack the next morning, and at 9 o'clock made a determined charge, which drove our men from the field. One hundred and twenty men of the Ninety-fifth, and a majority of the line officers, commanded by the Lieutenant Colonel, deeming themselves the only representatives of the State on the field, scorned to fly, and fought desperately until completely surrounded and forced to surrender. The scattered and demoralized forces made another stand, a mile or two in the rear, but were scattered like chaff, and still farther on a third stand, which resulted, after a stubborn though brief resistance, in a tumultuous retreat for the river. The loss to the Ninety-fifth was eight men killed, forty-seven wounded and 600 captured. The loss of the other regiments engaged was about two hundred and fifty killed, eight hundred wounded and nearly two thousand captured. The rebel loss in killed and wounded was heavier than ours.
November 20, 1862, the regiment was exchanged, re-organized and sent to Memphis, where it arrived May 25, 1863, 600 strong. It was attached to a division and moved to Vicksburg. Here it did effective service until a few days previous to the capture of the city. It also aided in the capture of Jackson, Miss., and in the operations around the Big Black River. The regiment participated in Sherman's attempt to storm the works of Vicksburg, on May 22, where, besides sustaining a repulse, many brave men were sacrificed. After the fall of Vicksburg, another attack was made on Jackson, where the rebels were whipped, after which our troops went into winter quarters near Memphis. During the winter, the Ninety-fifth was assigned to the Sixteenth Corps, with which it served until the end of the war.
Early in June, 1864, an attempt was made to strike the Mobile & Ohio road, in the vicinity of Tupelo. This ended in defeat. The Ninety-fifth went into the affair with nineteen commissioned officers and 300 muskets, and got back to Memphis with nine officers and about one hundred and fifty men. In July, the regiment marched with Gen. Smith's expedition to Memphis, and, after skirmishing along the way, formed near Tupelo. The Confederates made a furious attack and were handsomely whipped. On returning to Memphis, Forrest made a night attack and got badly whipped again. Smith's forces were moved to Nashville, arriving the evening after the battle of Franklin. On the morning of December 15, Gen. Smith's force, now an army corps, stationed on Thomas' right, pushed boldly out from their works, and were soon on Hood's left flank. Here an assaulting column, including the Ninety-fifth, was formed. In a few minutes, the first rebel work, mounting three guns, was captured. From a hill farther on, crowned with a redoubt, the rebels poured a galling fire on the victors. Without halting, on went our forces, like wild buffaloes, over the intrenchments and into the works, capturing more guns and holding the position.
The next day, Hood's second line was attacked. The Ninety-fifth and other regiments piled knapsacks, and with orders neither to fire a shot nor to yell, they "went" for the works and carried them by storm, capturing battle-flags, guns and prisoners. The cloud that for more than two years had rested above the regiment sailed away, and the boys triumphed in the sunshine of victory, though the feeling was mixed with sadness when their rolls were called, bearing the names of one-half their comrades, whose bones were whitening on many a Southern battle-field. After these successes, the regiment performed its part in the pursuit of Hood, and joined Gen. Canby's forces at New Orleans in the reduction of Mobile, where it arrived in March, 1865. From this time until the bursting of the Confederate bubble, the regiment did guard duty. At the close of the war, it was ordered to Camp Chase, and mustered out August 19, 1865. The rolls showed that of 1,085 officers and men, composing the regiment, 528 officers and men were killed in battle, or died of wounds or disease in the service.
In the summer of 1862, this company was organized at London, and mustered into the Ninety-fifth Regiment, at Camp Chase, on the 19th of August.
This company was organized in Madison County, and mustered into the Ninety-fifth Ohio August 19, 1862, at Camp Chase. Its roll is us follows :