Active 1861–1865 Type Infantry | Allegiance Union | |
Country United States of America Branch Volunteer Army, American Civil War Size ~950 soldiers at outset of the war | ||
The 9th Ohio Infantry (Die Neuner) was an infantry regiment that was a part of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The members of the regiment were primarily of German descent and the unit was the first almost all-German unit to enter the Union Army.
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Organization
Between 1836 and 1860, four German militia units were formed in Cincinnati, Ohio. The units (the beginning of the 9th Ohio Volunteer Infantry-OVI) was organized from hundreds of men who had volunteered for duty in response to a call to arms by President Abraham Lincoln and subsequently by Ohio Governor William Dennison. Nearly 1,500 men, mostly of German descent, volunteered for this unit in the first three days. Col. Robert L. McCook, a local lawyer, trained and drilled the new soldiers at Camp Harrison and Camp Dennison, both near Cincinnati.
The initial field officers on April 23, 1861 were:
Gustav Bergmann, a Cincinnati public school teacher, was the first person to join the unit. The city gave $250,000.00 for the organization of this unit.
The regiment lost six officers and 85 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded during its three-year term of service. It also lost two officers and 60 enlisted men to disease, for a total of 153.
Battle of Carnifex Ferry
The Ninth Ohio participated in the Battle of Carnifex Ferry, which took place on September 10, 1861. Casualties were eight men killed and two wounded while attacking the Confederate left flank, defended by the 36th Virginia Infantry.