"History of the 41st Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry" by Robert Kimberly & Ephraim Holloway. Enhanced reprint of 1897 edition. hc, dj. 330 pages. 30 photos. Full roster. New index.

41st Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry

by Kimberly & Holloway

From Shiloh in April 1862 to the decisive victory at Nashville in December 1864, few Union regiments in the Civil Warís western theater forged better service records than the 41st Ohio.

Often utilized in battle as shock troops, the fighting men of the 41st were imbued with discipline and spirit the emanated from unusually high standards expected of the regimentís officers. It's first colonel, William B. Hazen, was a West Pointer who uncompromisingly used his pre-war experience as a Texas Indian fighter to transform raw recruits into competent, reliable soldiers. Along with strict personal hygiene maintenance, everyone was thoroughly drilled in squad, company and battalion evolutions, while officers and non-commissioned officers alike were required to attend daily recitations. His successor, Aquila Wiley, embraced such no-nonsense methods and became, as Hazen believed, "the most efficient regimental commander, regular or volunteer, I ever knew." After Wiley lost a leg in the successful November 1863 assault of Missionary Ridge, the 41st was ably led in turn by lieutenant colonels Robert L. Kimberly and Ephraim S. Holloway - both of whom were brevetted brigadier generals and later collaborated to write its history. Recruited from nine northeast Ohio counties, the 41st saw action in most of the major western battles and campaigns, acquiring a place among William F. Foxís "fighting 300 regiments" of the Union Army. Of 1,423 officers and men who belonged to the regiment throughout the war, 667 became casualties, including 176 killed or mortally wounded. The heaviest losses occurred at Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Pickettís Mill in Georgia, where an ill-advised attack over rough terrain on May 27, 1864 cost the 41st 102 men out of 271 engaged. At Nashville, two enlisted men earned Medals of Honor in the regimentís last battle. Kimberlyís and Hollowayís history of the 41st Ohio, described by Ohio Civil War bibliographer Daniel J. Ryan as "an intelligent and accurate narrative," was first published in 1897. This enhanced Blue Acorn Press reprint features a new index and 30 wartime portraits not part of the original edition.