7th Ohio Infantry The 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry ( or 7th OVI ) was an infantry regiment formed in northeastern Ohio for service in the Union Army during the American Civil War . It served in the Eastern Theater in a number of campaigns and battles with the Army of Virginia and the Army of the Potomac , and was then transferred to the Western Theater , where it joined the Army of the Cumberland besieged at Chattanooga . It is of the 7th regiment that a war historian wrote , " All in all , considering the number of its battles , its marches , its losses , its conduct in action , it may be safely said that not a single regiment in the United States gained more lasting honor or deserved better of its country than the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry . ” Three - months regiment . On 27 April 1861 , orders were given to form the 7th Ohio from independent companies gathered at Camp Taylor in Cleveland . The regiment elected its own officers , and Erastus B . Tyler of Ravenna became colonel , William R . Creighton of Cleveland as lieutenant colonel , and John S . Casement of Painesville as major . Among the original officers was Captain John W . Sprague of Sandusky ; he would later be a brigadier general and Medal of Honor winner while serving in the 63rd Ohio Infantry . On 6 May 1861 , the Seventh left Camp Taylor and traveled to Cincinnati , where the new soldiers trained at Camp Dennison . In mid - June , the term of enlistment expired , and the men were asked to re - enlist for three - years ' service . The vast majority did so , with their ranks augmented by fresh recruits . Three - years regiment . Western Virginia . On 26 June 1861 , the reconstituted 7th OVI departed Camp Dennison for western Virginia , where the men would see their first action of the war . On 26 August , Brig . Gen . John B . Floyd , commanding Confederate forces in the Kanawha Valley , crossed the Gauley River to attack the 7th Ohio encamped at Kessler ' s Cross Lanes . The Seventh was surprised and routed . Floyd then withdrew to the river and took up a defensive position at Carnifex Ferry . During the month , General Robert E . Lee arrived in western Virginia and attempted to coordinate his forces . On 13 November , the Seventh was involved in fighting at Cotton Hill . Virginia . On 5 January 1862 , the 7th OVI was engaged at the Blue ' s Gap Affair . On 23 March , it was at Kernstown , the opening battle of Confederate Maj . Gen . Thomas J . " Stonewall " Jackson ' s campaign through the Shenandoah Valley . The battle was a Union victory , later proving to be Jackson ' s only defeat in the war . The last battle of Jackson ' s Valley Campaign was the Battle of Port Republic , which took place on 9 June . Here , the Seventh fought very effectively . With less than three thousand muskets , Jackson ' s force of fourteen thousand was held at bay for five hours . The Union forces however , were finally forced to retreat . On 9 August , at the Battle of Cedar Mountain , the regiment was again at the front and engaged in a fierce hand - to - hand conflict . Of the three hundred men engaged , only one hundred escaped unhurt . The Seventh suffered more than any other Union regiment in this battle . On 21 August , the men experienced a brief engagement at Snicker ' s Gap . During the subsequent campaign , which lasted until 2 September and culminated in the Second Battle of Manassas , the Seventh was held in reserve guarding the railroads . Antietam . On 17 September 1862 , the 7th Ohio made the farthest advance of any Union regiment . With Tyndale ' s brigade of Greene ' s division , they first formed in the East Woods and came upon a line of Confederates . After the rebels were driven back , Tyndale ' s brigade began their movement at the edge of the Cornfield and proceeded through the fields along Smoketown Road until they were in front of the Dunker Church . They then moved forward into the West Woods , contesting the enemy . After the altercation , the division and brigade were forced to withdraw , leaving all of the ground they had gained . But , this was reflective of most Union units at Antietam . After the battle , the Confederate army retreated back across the Potomac River and into Virginia . During the hesitant march south against Lee and his army , the Seventh camped at Loudoun Heights and then Bolivar Heights near Harpers Ferry . Chancellorsville . The Seventh crossed the Rapidan River at Germanna Ford on 30 April 1863 , and advanced to Chancellorsville by way of the Germanna Plank Road and Orange Plank Road . It took position just south of the Chancellor house , in support of a Union artillery battery that had unlimbered just across the intersection from the house . On 1 May , along with the rest of the 12th Corps , it moved eastward along the Plank Road . In the vicinity of the Catharpin Road , it encountered Stonewall Jackson ' s Confederates . In the evening , it beat off a probing attack by Confederate troops up the Plank Road . During Jackson ' s famous flank march on 2 May , the Seventh held its position near the Chancellor house and did not take part in this action . The Confederates renewed their attacks the following morning , and the 7th Ohio found itself in a crossfire from Major General Lafayette McLaws ' Confederates , who were attacking it from the east , and from Jackson ' s men attacking from the west . The converging fire from Confederate artillery batteries contributed to the Buckeye regiment ' s casualties . By 10 a . m . , Hooker decided to retreat . Candy ' s brigade fell back through the 7th Ohio , which , along with several other regiments , helped cover the withdrawal . Once the rest of the army had fallen back , the Seventh joined the retreat , passing through the Chancellorsville clearing and retreating to a point on the United States Ford Road about two miles north of the battlefield . It moved back to the front later that afternoon , occupying a point near the apex of Hooker ' s final line . That evening , Hooker reshuffled his line , placing the Twelfth Corps on his left flank , next to the Rappahannock River . The 7th Ohio was among the last regiments to retreat , crossing the river just before daylight on 6 May . Gettysburg . The 7th Ohio arrived on the fields near Gettysburg in the late afternoon of 1 July 1863 . They camped in the area of Little Round Top for the night . On 2 July , they were sent to Culp ' s Hill and helped build breastworks with the rest of the division . Later in the day , the division was sent to the southern end of the battlefield to support the Union left . They ended up getting lost along Baltimore Pike and never reached the area they intended . That night , they returned to Culp ' s Hill . On 3 July , at about 6 a . m . , the Seventh chosen to relieve the 60th New York at the left of Greene ' s line . It would be the first time the regiment had ever fought behind breastworks . Sherman R . Norris of Company D found that the Rebel formation in the 7th Ohio ' s front " melted away before our volleys , and after they had been broken , numbers of the enemy took refuge behind trees and rocks . " At 8 a . m . , the 60th New York again exchanged places with the 7th Ohio . Creighton ' s Ohioans were back in the breastworks by 9 : 45 a . m . , relieving an unspecified regiment to the left of the 29th Ohio . This is when Confederate Maj . Gen . Edward Johnson flung his last assault at Culp ' s Hill . Among the attacking Confederates were the five regiments of the vaunted Stonewall Brigade . After an attempt to storm the right center of Greene ' s line , some Rebels became stranded on the hillside . About 11 : 00 a . m . , Creighton noticed a makeshift white flag thrown out from behind rocks in front of the 7th Ohio ' s entrenchments . He shouted for his men to stop shooting . The Buckeyes then observed a mounted officer in gray at the foot of the hill . He spurred his horse forward hoping to stop any attempt of surrender . Partway up the slope , he was met by a fusillade of bullets . Rider and horse both tumbled to the ground , dead . The officer proved to be Major Benjamin W . Leigh , Johnson ' s chief of staff . Afterwards , 78 Rebel soldiers surrendered to the 7th Ohio , many of them members of the 4th Virginia Infantry . The next morning , Company H Corporal John Pollock climbed over the works and picked up the 4th Virginia ' s rumpled colors , one of three battle flags captured by Geary ' s division at Culp ' s Hill . Gettysburg was the last battle for the 7th Ohio in the Army of the Potomac . After pursuing the Army of Northern Virginia back into Virginia , the 11th and 12th corps were transferred west as reinforcements in order to support the besieged Union Army of the Cumberland in Chattanooga , Tennessee . They were placed under the command of Joseph Hooker . Chattanooga . On 24 November 1863 , the 7th Ohio marched with Geary ' s Division from Wauhatchie early in the morning , crossed Lookout Creek about 9 : 30 a . m . and formed the left of Geary ' s line when the latter was formed for advance toward the northern slope of Lookout Mountain . Ireland ' s brigade was on their right about 50 paces in front , a march of a mile and a quarter uncovered the fords by which Grose ' s Brigade of Cruft ' s Division joined the left of the line . In the general attack , they pushed on to Cravens ' house , and continued in action on the front line throughout the afternoon , and then participated in the heavy skirmishing of the night . The next day , they were in the pursuit of the Confederates towards the Rossville Gap on Missionary Ridge . They captured many men and guns without losing a single man in the regiment . On 27 November , with General Hooker , the Seventh charged up a series of hills in which the Confederates were holding called Taylor ' s Ridge in the battle of Ringgold . In this battle , the Seventh lost their colonel , William R . Creighton , as well as many officers and many of their men . This would be the Seventh ' s harshest experience throughout the war . Once the campaign concluded and the siege had been lifted , the Seventh encamped at Chattanooga for the winter . Atlanta Campaign . The 7th Ohio joined the campaign against Atlanta on 1 May 1864 . First , it had an engagement at Rocky Face Ridge from 8 – 11 May . Then they took part in the Battle of Resaca on the 14th and 15th . Next , it had an engagement at Cassville on the 19th and then participated in reconnaissance at Pumpkin Vine Creek on the 25th . Later that day , they were in the Battle of Dallas and in the engagement at New Hope Church . Finally on 5 June , they fought at Allatoona Hills . Before Sherman ' s forces entered Atlanta , the Seventh was removed from the front because their three - year term of service had reached its expiration . Withdrawal . On 11 July 1864 , with the regiment ' s term of enlistment having expired , men who wished to continue serving in the army were transferred to the 5th Ohio , while the others left the front for their withdrawal from active service . The 7th OVI was mustered out in Cleveland on 6 – 7 July . Commemoration . On 4 May 1885 , the Ohio General Assembly passed an Act “ To appropriate money to purchase land upon which to erect a monument to the memory of the soldiers of Ohio who died upon the battlefield of Gettysburg . ” The Act appropriated $ 5 , 000 to be spent for the purpose under the direction of the Battlefield Memorial Commission . To see that this Act would be carried out in the best means , a meeting of the surviving Ohio soldiers was held at the State Capitol on 4 July 1885 . At that same meeting , it was agreed upon that a committee would accompany the Adjutant - General to Gettysburg , and assist him in locating the positions in which Ohio troops fought . After inspecting the field , the committee declared that $ 2 , 000 would be appropriated for each Ohio regiment , battery , or other organization which took part in the battle . This sum would be for the proper placement of monuments and tablets , and for keeping the grounds and memorials in good condition . On 15 and 16 July 1886 , after careful inspection and examination of the positions occupied by Ohio organizations during the battle , it was decided that each organization should have its own special monument . No two would be alike in pattern and design , and each would be $ 1 , 500 . On 14 September 1887 , they were formally dedicated and turned over to the Gettysburg Battlefield Commission for future care and protection . The 7th Ohio ’ s monument is located near Gettysburg , Pennsylvania in Adams County . It is a simple stone structure located at the intersection of Slocum Avenue and Williams Avenue , on the right when traveling north on Slocum Avenue . It lies on the “ saddle ” between the lower and upper crest of Culp ’ s Hill in Gettysburg National Military Park . Dedicated on 14 September 1887 , it marks the position held by the regiment on 2 and 3 July 1863 . It is vertical with mostly rough - hewn surfaces and an apexed top . There is a polished inscription stone on each one of its sides . On two faces , towards the top , are State Seal and unit reliefs . A relief of crossed muskets with a wreath in the center is on the lower front sloped surface . A Corps star insignia appears on the top of the front inscription tablet . It was constructed by Smith Granite Company . ( Front ) - 7th Ohio Infantry - 1st Brigade 2d Division - 12th Corps - 1 , 2 July 3 , 1863 ( Left ) - Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori - 7th Ohio Infantry - Arrived near Little Round Top evening of 1 July on 2 July , held positions on Culp ' s Hill from morning until 6 p . m . then moved with Brigade to support the left . Returned at midnight to Culp ' s Hill and remained there until the close of the battle . - 7th Ohio Infantry - Mustered in for - 3 months 30 April 1861 - Mustered in for - 3 years 21 June 1861 - Mustered out in June 1864 - Ohio honors her brave sons - 7th Ohio Infantry - Served with the national armies in Virginia and the Antietam and Gettysburg Campaigns . Was transferred in September 1863 to the Army of the Cumberland and served with that Army until June 1864 . Today , the lineage and honors of the 7th Ohio are carried on by the 145th Armored Regiment , Ohio National Guard .