Detail of the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment Monument at Chickamauga
14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War
My name is Art Block and this is my BLOG. I retired in 2011 from McGraw-Hill Education where I was the publisher of mathematics and science instructional materials (textbooks) for grades K-12. Prior to my 36-year career at McGraw-Hill, I was a math and physics teacher for a few years. I am very interested in the Civil War, primarily the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (3 years service). My great grandfather served in the 14th Ohio from September 1, 1861 until he was mustered out with the entire Regiment on July 11, 1865.
Note that I am not a professional historian.
The goal of this blog is to write about some of the exploits of the 14th Ohio and some of the men who served in this Regiment. I have read, studied, and searched the many books written about the Civil War. My impression is that almost all such histories of the Western-theater campaigns and battles seem to give the 14th Ohio very little credit for their service (Cozzens is an exception). I believe that the reason for this is that, based on my research, none of the officers or men of the 14th Ohio wrote extensively about their experiences. Also, none of the commanders of the brigades or divisions to which the 14th Ohio belonged wrote about their service in the Civil War. (Examples officers who did not write memoirs after the war include George Thomas, James B. Steedman, John Croxton, George Este, Henry Kingsbury, and so on) There is a regimental history authored by Captain Chase of the 14th Ohio, but it provides few useful detail for historians; and so, is infrequently cited.
In 1889, William F. Fox, a Civil War veteran, published the book Regimental Losses in the American Civil War. Fox had this to say about the common Civil War soldier. “His identity is merged in that of his regiment. To him the regiment and its name is everything. He does not expect to see his own name on the page of history, and is content with a proper recognition of the old command in which he fought. But he is jealous of the record of his regiment, and demands credit for every shot it faced and every grave it filled. The bloody laurels for which a regiment contends will always be awarded to the one with the longest Roll of Honor. Scars are the true evidence of wounds, and the regimental scars can be seen only in the record of its casualties. In our last war many a noble regiment lost the place in history to which it was entitled through a failure to file the proper records of its gallant deeds. Will it always be so?”
The purpose of the BLOG is to put on the record some of the incredible exploits of the men of the 14th Ohio Volunteer Regiment as well as some of the mundane, day-to-day aspects of the life of the Civil War soldier. The BLOG is written by me in the first person with my great grandfather as the narrator. So, it is not a history in the usual sense, but is based upon the books about the Civil War, newspaper articles, diaries, the Official Records, letters from soldiers, and even a few stories passed down in my family.
I hope that you enjoy this BLOG.