MS-119

MS-119

 

Eleventh Regiment, O.V.I. Collection

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The 11th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.) Collection was accessioned into the Flesh Public Library Archives and Special Collections in two parts.  The first part was accessioned on 9 February 1987 from the Piqua Historical Museum.  The second part was accessioned on 17 January 1989 also from the Piqua Historical Museum.  The 11th O.V.I. material most likely was part of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Lodge donations.  The collection consists of four books in four files with two other supporting files and are housed in a 17”x11”x3” Gaylord archival box. 

 

The 11th Regiment, O.V.I. was organized at Camp Dennison, Ohio, from June 20, 1861, to September 8, 1862, to serve three years.  It was formed out of the 11th Regiment, O.V.I., which had been formed in April 1861 to serve for three months.  Not all of the three-month regiment members chose to sign up for three years.  Those who did not were mustered out at the end of their term of service.  Many of those who mustered out later joined other regiments.  This collection deals exclusively with the 11th Regiment whose enlistment term was three years.

 

The original members (except veterans) were mustered out in June, 1864, by reason of expiration of term of service, and the veterans and recruits consolidated into a Battalion, and remained in service until June 11, 1865, when it was mustered out in accordance with orders from the War Department.  The following list is representative of some of the battles in which the 11th Regiment, O.V.I. participated.

 

Hawk’s Nest, W. VA.

August 20, 1861

Gauley Bridge, W.VA.

November 10, 1861

Princeton, W.VA.

May 15-18, 1862

Bull Run Bridge, VA.

August 27, 1862

Frederick, MD

September 12, 1862

South Mountain, MD

September 14, 1862

Antietam, MD.

September 17, 1862

Hoover’s Gap, Tenn

June 25, 1863

Tullahoma, Tenn.

July 1, 1863

Chickamauga, GA.

September 19-20, 1863

Lookout Mountain, Tenn.

November 24, 1863

Missionary Ridge, Tenn.

November 25, 1863

Ringgold, GA,

November 27, 1863

Buzzard Roost, GA.

February 25, 1864

Resaca, GA.

May 14, 1864

 

Included in the file description is a list of soldiers in Company F who were from Piqua.  This may be of assistance to genealogists who are researching the Civil War.

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

The collection consists of four books or partial books of the official records of the 11th Regiment and Companies B and F in particular.  The first book (File 1) contains the general and special orders issued by the regimental commander.  Found in this book would be orders for promotion and demotion of individuals and other matters.

 

The second book is the Company B Captain’s Morning Report.  It is a book of statistics on the readiness of Company B.

 

The third book lists every enlisted man in Company F and the dollar value of the clothing and equipment he was issued during his time in the Army.

 

The fourth book is a descriptive list of every individual who served in Company F.  It is of interest to note that names appear on this roster which do not appear in the published multi-volume Roster of Ohio Soldiers 1861-66.  A photocopy of the roster of the 11th Regiment and of Company F found in file 4 is included in the box for research and preservation purposes.

 

CONTAINER LISTING

 

File

  1     11th Regiment, O.V.I. – General and Special Orders Book – 1 January 1862 – 23 May 1864.  General Orders are orders, which apply to and affect the entire regiment.  Special Orders are orders, which apply to specific individuals.  The orders are the record of promotions and demotions in the regiment.  Some orders are of a housekeeping nature such as General Order No. 1, which states that Col. DeVillers will have office hours from 8 to 12 each morning and will not conduct business at any other time except in extreme emergency.  The last recorded order was 23 March 1864 at Resaca, Georgia.  The regiment mustered out in June 1864.

 

  2     Company B, 11th Regiment, O.V.I. – Duty Roster – 7 May 1861 to the end of 1861.  This book is the company commander’s Morning Report.  The muster is taken by the 1st sergeant and then verified by the captain.  This is a book of statistics.  The names of individual officers and men do not appear except the captain and the 1st sergeant.  The book began at Camp Dennison, Ohio and ended at Camp Gauley, West Virginia.  Inside the front cover of the book is a list of clothing and equipment supplied to the soldiers and the prices charged for the equipment (this is probable replacement costs). 

 

  3     Company F, 11th Regiment, O.V.I. – This book contains a record of the money value of clothing issued to each soldier during his time of enlistment in the company.  There is one page for each enlisted man and non-commissioned officer.  Officers were then (as today) expected to provide their own uniforms.  On the front of the book is a list of every man in the company and the page number where his account is located.

 

  4     Company F, 11th Regiment, O.V.I. – This book is the descriptive roster of the company.  It was from books such as this that the multi-volume Roster of Ohio Soldiers, 1861-66 was created.  This book contains the following information:

(A) List of Commissioned Officers [rank, date of appointment, remarks (generally promotions, demotions, and date of resignation or death)].

(B) List of non-commissioned officers [rank, dates of appointment, remarks (same as above)].

(C) Register of men discharged [rank, date, where, why].

(D) Register of deaths (rank, date, where, cause].

(E) Register of Deserters [rank, date, from where deserted].

(F) Descriptive Roll of the Company [age, physical description, place of birth, occupation, enlistment (when, where, for how long), remarks (same as in A and B)]. The following men came from Piqua:

 

Bolsen, Oliver S.

Cole, Samuel L

French, Asa T.

Garvey, John T.

Gordon, George E.

Hency, William

Hilliard, William

Johnston, William C.

Jordan, Everard C.

Lines, William J.

Marietta, William H.

Morehead, Wallace W.

Morrin, John D.

Morrow, Thomas E.

Schuff, Charles P.

Schuff, James G.

A number of the names in this book do not appear on the company list in the Roster of Ohio Soldiers 1861-66, Vol. II. 

 

 

NOTE:  Files 5, 6, and 7 are for research and preservation purposes and are not part of the original collection.

 

  5     Roster of the 11th Regiment, O.V.I. from the Roster of Ohio Soldiers 1861-1866, Vol. II.  This file is not a part of the original collection.  It was copied and placed here for reference purposes.

 

  6     Photocopy of File 4 – placed here for preservation purposes.  This is not part of the original collection.

 

  7     Selection copied from The First Century of Piqua by J. A. Rayner.  These five pages are Rayner’s account of the Civil War as it affected Piqua and the surrounding community.  This file is not a part of the original collection.  It was copied and placed here for reference purposes.