3rd Ohio Battery at Shiloh?

[SeanMichaelChick]

I ran into two references to the 3rd Ohio Battery being at Shiloh on April 7. I have seen no references anywhere else. Was the battery at Savannah waiting to go to Pittsburg Landing or being part of the town's garrison? If the former it could be the battery that was supposed to go to Peabody (it was after all assigned to the 6th Division) and represents a considerable error.

3rd Ohio Independent Battery

Ohio In The War: Her Statesmen, General, and Soldiers, Volume 2 : Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

From the Brittle Books digitization program at the Ohio State University Libraries.

archive.org

 

[Ole Miss]

As far as the Official Records of the Rebellion, the 3rd Ohio Battery did not offer an Official Report, nor is there a listing for this unit. The state of Ohio placed monuments for all of their units---artillery, cavalry and infantry---which fought at Shiloh. I have listed this site below for your perusal

It might have arrived late on April 7 at Pittsburg Landing and not been given credit for participating in the battle. One of our members, @TomP, is a Shiloh ranger and may be able to better assist you than I have.

Good luck in your search!
Regards
David

 

[SeanMichaelChick]

There are other references that state they landed on April 6 and went into action on April 7. A few researching are aiding me and the battery reported three causalities on April 7.

One big problem is there is very little information out there on this unit in general. We are looking over newspapers and contacting county history societies and archives to see what turns up. Perhaps something can be found. After all, after some digging I confirmed the Watson Artillery was at Shiloh and some thought they were not there at all.

 

[drezac]

The "Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, Volume 10" does list the 3rd Independent Battery as being at Shiloh. It is possible that they were in a situation like 1st Ohio Battery A. They were at Savannah and were ordered into the battle, but due to delays in transporting the battery across the river, by the time they arrived at Pittsburgh landing, the battle was nearly over. they were not able to catch up engage. But they do have a nice monument there, and on the back side it states " arrived too late to participate in the battle".

 

[ErnieMac]

Order of Battle listed on wiki has the 3rd Ohio as part of Prentiss' Division, Army of the Tennessee. Neither Cunningham nor Smith list them.

 

[Belfoured]

Order of Battle listed on wiki has the 3rd Ohio as part of Prentiss' Division, Army of the Tennessee. Neither Cunningham nor Smith list them.

What's interesting is that in the primary accounts I've read from the other two batteries assigned to Prentiss - 1st Minn. Light (Munch) and 5th Ohio Light (Hickenlooper) - I recall literally no mention of them. (The 1st Minn. Light, IIRC, was reassigned from Sherman to Prentiss only on April 4.) IIRC, neither of those two batteries was involved on April 7, so if the 3rd reported to the successor to Prentiss (whoever that was) on the 7th, it makes sense that there would be no record of their involvement.

EDIT

After checking my notes, I was correct that the material from the 5th Ohio makes no mention of the 3rd but Hickenlooper in his chapters on Shiloh in Sketches states that the 5th (unlike the 1st Minn.) was engaged on April 7 as part of the "reserves" commanded by Sherman "in support of Buell".

 

[drezac]

here is another link

Ohio in the War: The history of her regiments, and other military organizations

 

[rpkennedy]

Order of Battle listed on wiki has the 3rd Ohio as part of Prentiss' Division, Army of the Tennessee. Neither Cunningham nor Smith list them.

I think that the 3rd Ohio Battery was in the group of unassigned units at Pittsburg Landing and on the other side of the river that were intended to fill out the forming Sixth Division under Prentiss but the battle got in the way.

Ryan

 

[Belfoured]

I think that the 3rd Ohio Battery was in the group of unassigned units at Pittsburg Landing and on the other side of the river that were intended to fill out the forming Sixth Division under Prentiss but the battle got in the way.

Ryan

I think that's a point that often gets lost. That division was still being formed (and unfortunately the process pretty much ended on the afternoon of April 6). As I noted, the 1st Minn. Light was transferred from Sherman to Prentiss literally on the eve of the battle.

 

[SeanMichaelChick]

It appears as per the OR, the battery was ordered up on March 31 by order of Halleck.

"The Fifteenth Regiment Michigan Infantry and the Third Ohio Battery, Captain Williams, now at Benton Barracks, will immediately proceed up the Tennessee River and report to Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, commanding District of West Tennessee."

Found it in Volume 52, Part 1, page 230.

The 15th Michigan did fight at Shiloh on April 6, notoriously without ammunition at first.

 

[SeanMichaelChick]

The Stark County Historical Society had nothing. Nor did the newspapers I could find (the one with the best chance of having a letter is missing a lot of issues). Local libraries have nothing. The 3rd Ohio Battery exists for now in a vacuum of sorts for its activity in 1862.

 

[James Brenner]

Whitlaw Reid's, Ohio in the War (1868), states that the 3rd OIB participated in the second day's battle. However, the Monuments Commission book, Ohio at Shiloh (1903) makes no mention of the 3rd OIB.

 

[CSuniforms]

Welcome to Shiloh research. Many units never made an After-Action Report for Shiloh. What was made was confusing and for the researcher a labor of love to go through it all. The 3rd Ohio Battery from these responses, was somewhere but where? Says they were on the Field on the 7th but not engaged? We are going to have to go really deep with ancestors to find this one out. There has to be some letters or memoirs somewhere. Will look myself.

 

[Belfoured]

Welcome to Shiloh research. Many units never made an After-Action Report for Shiloh. What was made was confusing and for the researcher a labor of love to go through it all. The 3rd Ohio Battery from these responses, was somewhere but where? Says they were on the Field on the 7th but not engaged? We are going to have to go really deep with ancestors to find this one out. There has to be some letters or memoirs somewhere. Will look myself.

Is it possible they did what the 5th Ohio did on April 7 - act as a "reserve" (according to Hickenlooper)? Granted, nobody seems to mention the 3rd.The First Minnesota stood down, IIRC.

 

[SeanMichaelChick]

Welcome to Shiloh research. Many units never made an After-Action Report for Shiloh. What was made was confusing and for the researcher a labor of love to go through it all. The 3rd Ohio Battery from these responses, was somewhere but where? Says they were on the Field on the 7th but not engaged? We are going to have to go really deep with ancestors to find this one out. There has to be some letters or memoirs somewhere. Will look myself.

My main hope is if there are any letters or diaries by William S. Williams. Or if a newspaper published an account by him after the war. That happened a lot in the 1880s and 1890s, and Williams was a man of influence in his area and proud of his service. The Stark County Historical Society just told me if anything turns up, they will let me know.

 

[Belfoured]

My main hope is if there are any letters or diaries by William S. Williams. Or if a newspaper published an account by him after the war. That happened a lot in the 1880s and 1890s, and Williams was a man of influence in his area and proud of his service. The Stark County Historical Society just told me if anything turns up, they will let me know.

As to the First Minnesota I should have clarified that their interim CO Pfaender in his post-war account stated that Grant personally directed him on April 7 to "remain at the position pointed out until he would send orders" but no orders came and they "remained in reserve". It's unclear whether the "position" was their existing location in the artillery line at PL or somewhere else. Hickenlooper's account implied that for the 5th being in "reserve" meant something more by tying it to a new division attachment (Sherman's) but that may be just my reading of it. As noted, neither said anything about the 3rd even being in "reserve", let alone where. You've gotten me interested ...

 

[Samwisep86]

My main hope is if there are any letters or diaries by William S. Williams. Or if a newspaper published an account by him after the war. That happened a lot in the 1880s and 1890s, and Williams was a man of influence in his area and proud of his service. The Stark County Historical Society just told me if anything turns up, they will let me know.

I work in Vicksburg, and I regularly see the 3rd Ohio Battery monument when I'm out on the battlefield. I am also interested in learning about about this battery and Capt. William Williams.