42nd Ohio Infantry

compiled by Larry Stevens

References for this Unit

• see also Bibliography of State-Wide References
• Ohio In The War-Volume II. Whitelaw Reid. Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin. Cincinnati 1868
• Memories of Company F, 42nd O.V.I. by Joseph Bowker. 70 pgs. Hard and softcover versions. Glenn & Heide Publishers. Columbus. Ohio. 1864. Call# E525.5 42d M Vault. Western Reserve Historical Society Archives Library. Cleveland. Ohio
• Company A, 42nd Ohio Volunteers Morning Report Book. Recorded by Charles E. Henry. Henry Family Papers. Hiram College Archives. Hiram. Ohio
• The Forty-Second Ohio Infantry: A History of the Organization and Services of that Regiment in the War of the Rebellion; with Biographical Sketches of its Field Officers and a Full Roster of the Regiment. Compiled and Written for the Veterans' Association of the Forty-Second Ohio, By Private of Company "A", F.H. Mason. Frank H. Mason. 306 pgs. Cobb, Andrews and Co. Publishers. Cleveland. 1876
• The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield, Twentieth President of the United States, a Biographical Sketch. by Captain F.H. Mason. Late of the Forty-second Ohio Regiment USA. With a preface by Bret Harte. Chapter "General Garfield as a Soldier" pgs 46-72. Trubner & Co. London. v1. 1881. Library of Congress. Washington DC
• National Tribune. A Soldier's Paper Edited by the Boys Themselves. John W. Fry. May 29, 1884
• National Tribune. Chickasaw Bluffs. John W. Fry and Frank H. Mason. August 7, 1884
• National Tribune. Vicksburg Campaign . Frank H. Mason. Edited and Revised by John W. Fry. September 4, 1884, September 25, October 2, October 9, 1884
• National Tribune. On the Teche. Soldiering Amid the Bayous of Louisiana. John W. Fry and Frank H. Mason. January 8, 1885
• National Tribune. Try to the Front. He Replies Pleasantly to His Comrades Who have Criticized Him. John W. Fry. March 26, 1885. Chickasaw Bayou
• National Tribune. Capture of Mobile. John W. Fry. October 29, 1885
• My Campaign in East Kentucky. James Abraham Garfield. pgs. 525-535. North American Review. CXLIII. 1886
• National Tribune. Cumberland Gap. John W. Fry 42nd O.V.I. December 23, 1886, January 6, 1887, January 13, 1887
• Capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post. A Desperate Artillery Duel. A Brilliant Success for the Federal Army. January 11, 1863. John W. Fry. Company H, 42d Ohio. pgs. 150-152. In: Camp and Field. Sketches of Army Life. Written by those who followed the Flag. '61-'65. Compiled by W.F. Hinman, Author of "Corporal Si Klegg and His Pard," etc. 704 pgs. The N.G. Hamilton Publishing Co. Cleveland, O. 1892. Thanks to L.M. Strayer for this reference
• National Tribune. Battle in the Bayous. DeCourcy's Brigade at the Great Chickasaw Bluffs Conflict. William H. Monroe. October 5, 1899, October 12, October 19, October 26, 1899
• National Tribune. Besieging a Stronghold. Capture of New Carthage and Battle at Thompson's Hill. W.E. Jones. February 8, February 15, February 22, 1900
• National Tribune. Garfield as a Soldier. Charles E. Henry. August 8, 1901
• National Tribune. The Red River Expedition. Miscarriage of a Gigantic Raid to Furnish English Manufacturers with Cotton. John W. Fry. August 6, 1903
• National Tribune. Twas Another Drover of Cattle. John A. McGregor. May 12, 1904
• National Tribune. Chickasaw Bayou. John A. McGregor. July 21, 1904
• National Tribune. Through Hunger and Hard Times. Recollections of the Retreat from Cumberland Gap to the Ohio River Under Gen. Morgan. Alexander C. Ray. August 3, 1905
• Report of the Reunion of the 42nd Regiment O.V.I. Held at Epworth Park, Bethesda, Ohio, August 28-29, 1906. Compliments of E.T. Petty. Barnesville. Ohio. 54 pgs. NP. 1907
• A Collection of Original Poems Embracing Sacred, Pathetic, Sentimental, Patriotic, Miscellaneous and Humorous Poems. William Henry Clay Dodson. 206 pgs. Gem Print Co. 74 East Main Street. Springfield. Ohio. 1908. Call# MAIN Stacks PS3507.O445 A17 1908. Ohio State University. Columbus. Ohio
• National Tribune. The Fight at Paducah J.M. Beckley 42nd O.V.I. February 24, 1910
• Campaigns 42nd O.V.I. Historical Sketches of the Campaigns of the 42nd Regiment O.V.I. From Vicksburg to the Close of the War. 55 pgs. Vol. II. NP. 1912. Contents: From Chickasaw Bluffs to Perkins' Plantation by Joel Seymour - From Perkins' Plantation to Champion Hill by H.P. Fossett - The Battle of Champion's Hill by J.S. Ross - Battle of Black River Bridge by J.S. Ross - From the Battle of Black River Bridge to the Charge of May 22nd by J.S. Ross - From the "Charge" May 22nd, to End of July Campaign Against Johnston, at Jackson, Miss. by O.D. Cotton - From July 26th, 1863, to October 1864. by G.W. Foote. Call# PA Box 726 35. Ohio Historical Society. Columbus. Ohio
• The Cumberland Gap Campaign. Edward T. Petty. National Tribune Scrapbook I. pp. 119-21. 2 photocopied pages. E655N27nol. USAMHI. Carlisle Barracks. PA.
• National Tribune. Col. Garfield's Expedition to Pound Gap. John T. Gathright. October 30, 1924
• Early Life and Civil War Reminiscences of Captain Joseph Rudolph. Joseph Rudolph. 36 pgs. Hiram Historical Society. Hiram College. Hiram. Ohio. 1941. IHi
• Captain Henry of Geauga, a Family Chronicle. by Frederick A. Henry. Concerns Charles Eugene Henry, 1835-1906. A member of the 42nd OVI. 735 pgs. The Gates Press. Cleveland. Ohio. 1942. Call# B H397h. Ohio Historical Society. Columbus. Ohio
• Garfield-Hinsdale Letters. Correspondence between James Abram Garfield and Burke Aaron Hinsdale. Edited by Mary L. Hinsdale. 556 pgs. University of Michigan Press. Ann Arbor. 1949. Call# B G18. Ohio Historical Society. Columbus. Ohio
• Under the Flag of the Nation, Diaries and Letters of a Yankee Volunteer. Owen Johnston Hopkins. Edited by Otto F. Bond. 308 pgs. Ohio State University Press. Columbus. Ohio. For the Ohio Historical Society. Columbus. Ohio. 1961
• Graphic Works by Owen Johnston Hopkins, 1864-1886. Owen Johnston Hopkins. 42nd OVI. 5 Photographs of sketches and paintings by Hopkins. Includes "The Corporal's Guard" and "Long May She Flutter." Call# SC 506. Ohio Historical Society. Columbus. Ohio
• Garfield's Kentucky Campaign of 1861-1863. by Allan Peskin. pgs 3-24. Ohio History. Vol. 72. No. 1. January. 1963
• Garfield's Kentucky Campaign of 1861-1863. Part II. by Allan Peskin. pgs 129-139. Ohio History. Vol. 72. No. 2. April. 1963
• The Wild Life of the Army: Civil War Letters of James A. Garfield. Edited by Frederick D. Williams. Michigan State University Press. 1964. President Garfield was the first Colonel of the 42nd Ohio.
• Down the Rivers: Civil War Diary of Thomas Benton White. 42nd O.V.I. Thomas B. White. Co. H. 42nd OVI. Edited by Charles G. Williams. The Register. LXVII. pgs. 134-174. Kentucky Historical Society. Frankfort. 1969
• A Letter from Vicksburg June 1863: Sergeant Thomas Benton White of the Forty-Second Ohio Infantry Union Army. Thomas Benton White. Edited by Charles G. Williams. Journal of Mississippi History 38. pp. 221-223. May 1976
• My Dear Carrie: The Civil War Letters of George K. Pardee and Family. George K. Pardee 42nd O.V.I. Edited by Robert H. Jones with Caroline Pardee. Summit County Historical Society. Akron, Ohio 1994. Located at University of Akron
• Crete and James: Personal Letters of Lucretia and James Garfield. Edited by John Shaw. 397 pgs. Michigan State University Press. 1994. Call# 973.84 G18c, 1994. Ohio Historical Society. Columbus. Ohio
• Autobiography of Service in Co. A., 42nd Regiment in the War of the Rebellion. William H. Monroe. Co A. 42nd OVI. W.H.H. Monroe Papers. Hiram College Archives. Hiram. Ohio
• William F. Jones Papers. William F. Jones. 1823-?? Papers 1819-1928. War time letters and post war accounts of battles from a member of the 42nd O.V.I. Call # C831. 10 Folders. Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. University of Missouri / State Historical Society of Missouri. 23 Ellis Library. University of Missouri. Columbia. Missouri. 65201.
• Unit Bibliography. U.S. Army Military History Institute. Carlisle Barracks. PA. 1995
• 42nd OVI Monument. Vicksburg National Military Park. 3201 Clay Street. Vicksburg. MS. 39180. 1998
• Poems by William H.C. Dodson. William Henry Clay Dodson. Fifer Co. I. 42nd OVI. Placed on the web by Dave Hodge. 1998

James A. Garfield
Library of Congress

History

The organization of this Regiment was completed in November, 1861, and in December it took the field under James A. Garfield. The following fall it served for a time on the Kanawha, in Western Virginia. December found it part of Sherman's army in the unsuccessful attack on the Bluffs at Vicksburg, and immediately afterwards it participated in the capture of Arkansas Post. It fought gallantly in the various battles incident to the campaign resulting in the surrender of Vicksburg, and afterwards was ordered to New Orleans. This Regiment had lost 1 officer and 20 men killed, and, and 18 officers and 325 men wounded. It was mustered out in the winter of 1864, excepting about 100 men who were assigned to the 96th Ohio.

From Dyer's Compendium

42nd Regiment Infantry. Organized at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, September to November, 1861. Moved to Catlettsburg, Ky., December 14, 1861; thence to Louisa, Ky. Attached to 18th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to March, 1862. 26th Brigade, 7th Division, Army of the Ohio, to October, 1862. 4th Brigade, Cumberland Division, District of West Virginia, Dept. of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 9th Division, Right Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, to January, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 9th Division, 13th Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to February, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 9th Division, 13th Army Corps, to July, 1863. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Tennessee, to August, 1863, and Dept, of the Gulf to September, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf, to November, 1863. Plaquemine, District of Baton Rouge, La., Dept. of the Gulf, to March, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf, to June, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 19th Army Corps, to December, 1864.
SERVICE.--Garfield's Campaign against Humphrey Marshall December 23, 1861, to January 30, 1862. Advance on Paintsville, Ky., December 31, 1861, to January 7, 1862, Jennies Creek January 7. Occupation of Paintsville January 8. Middle Creek, near Prestonburg, January 10. Occupation of Prestonburg January 11. Expedition to Pound Gap, Cumberland Mountains, March 14-17, Pound Gap March 16. Cumberland Gap Campaign March 28-June 18. Cumberland Mountain April 28. Occupation of Cumberland Gap June 18 to September 16. Tazewell July 26. Operations about Cumberland Gap August 2-6. Big Springs August 3. Tazewell August 6. Evacuation of Cumberland Gap and retreat to the Ohio River September 17-October 3. Expedition to Charleston October 21-November 10. Ordered to Memphis, Tenn., November 10, and duty there till December 20. Sherman's Yazoo Expedition December 20, 1862, to January 3, 1863. Chickasaw Bayou December 26-28. Chickasaw Bluff December 29. Expedition to Arkansas Post, Ark., January 3-10, 1863. Assault and capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, January 10-11. Moved to Young's Point, La., January 17. Duty there and at Milliken's Bend, La., till April 25. Operations from Milliken's Bend to New Carthage March 31-April 17. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Port Gibson May 1. Skirmish near Edwards Station May 15. Battle of Champion's Hill May 16. Big Black River May 17. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 5-10. Near Clinton July 8. Siege of Jackson July 10-17, Moved to New Orleans, La., August 13. Duty at Carrollton, Berwick and Brashear City till October. Western Louisiana Campaign October 3-November 20. Duty at Plaquemine November 21, 1863, to March 24, 1864. Provost duty at Baton Rouge till May 1. Expedition to Clinton May 1-3. Comite River May 1. Moved to Simsport May 18, thence to Morganza and duty there till September 6. Expeditions up White River July 15 and September 6-15. Moved to Duvall's Bluff, Ark., September 15, and duty there till November. Companies "A," "B," "C" and "D" mustered out September 30, 1864. Companies "E" and "F" mustered out November 25, 1864, and Companies "G," "H," "I" and "K" mustered out December 2, 1864. Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 58 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 178 Enlisted men by disease. Total 240.

Thanks to Dr. Richard A. Sauers for the initial research and indexing of the National Tribune articles.

Thanks to David Anderson, English Department, Hiram College for a few of the sources on this page.

More about the Civil War in Ohio.

Copyright © 1995 Larry Stevens

Last updated June 27 2010