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Ohio in Wars – Ohio Military History – Ohio Forts

Ohio in Wars - Ohio Military History - Ohio Forts

Free books and articles about Ohio in wars. Ohio military history. Battlefields in Ohio. Ohio forts. The state’s military history.

General Military History

The Military History of Ohio

its border annals, its part in the indian wars, in the War of 1812, in the Mexican War, and in the War of the Rebellion, illustrated

New York : Hardesty 1889

The title page also says the book contains a “Special Local Department, in editions by counties, giving a roster of Ohio’s rank and file from the county in the war of the rebellion, regimental histories, with histories of its G.A.R. and Ladies’ Auxiliary posts, and Camps of Sons of Veterans”. This copy covers Mahoning County; no versions for other counties were found online. Battles in Ohio, Ohio wars.

The Battlefields of the Maumee Valley…

A Collection of Historical Addresses delivered before The Sons of the American Revolution, District of Columbia Society, March 18, 1896

Washington: 1896

These papers by various authors were about the acquisition of the Northwest and the struggle with the Indians and Great Britain, up to and including the War of 1812; and about preserving and commemorating historic sites. Titles of the addresses are:

-Methods of Indian Warfare
-Settlement of the Northwest Territory, with the struggles against the Indians and British in the Maumee Valley, 1788-1813
-Efforts made by the Maumee Valley Monumental Association towards preserving Historic Sites in Northwestern Ohio
-The Present Condition of the Historic Sites in the Maumee Valley and on the Island of Put-in-Bay
-The Influence of the Wayne and Harrison Campaigns on the Settlement of the Northwest
-The Northwest as affected by the Treaty of Ghent
Battlefields in Ohio, battles in Ohio, Ohio Indian wars.

“Fort Miamis, Outpost of Empire”

Northwest Ohio Quarterly Vol. 16, Issue 2 (Apr 1944) 75-111

Bald, F. Clever
Maumee, OH: Lucas County/Maumee Valley Historical Society

A very detailed paper that includes, in addition to the history, a number of maps, drawings and photos of the site. An article in the same journal, immediately following this one, is “Construction and Physical Appearance of Fort Miami” by Carl B. Spitzer, and is referenced on this web page. Ohio forts, Fort Miamis, Ohio battlefields, Ohio Indian wars.

“The Military Posts, Forts and Battlefields within the State of Ohio”

Ohio History III, Annual 1891, 300-311

Graham, A. A.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This brief article contains capsule histories of the following historical sites, and a map indicating the location of all.

Fort Miami, Fort Sandusky, Loramie’s Fort, Fort Junandat, Fort Gower, Fort Laurens, Fort Harmar, Fort Steuben, Fort Washington, Fort Hamilton, Fort Jefferson, Fort St. Clair, Fort Greenville, Fort Recovery, Fort Piqua, Fort St. Marys, Fort Defiance, Fort Deposit, the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Fort Wayne, Fort Industry, Fort Findlay, Fort Amanda, Fort McArthur, Fort Ball, Fort Seneca, Fort Stevenson, Fort Meigs, Perry’s Victory. Ohio forts, Ohio wars, Ohio battlefields.

Fort Washington at Cincinnati, Ohio

Jones, Robert Ralston
Cincinnati: Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Ohio 1902. Ohio wars, forts in Ohio.

Ohio in Four Wars; A Military History

Ryan, Daniel J.
Columbus: Heer 1917

Covers Ohio’s contribution in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the War with Spain. Ohio at war.

“Construction and Physical Appearance of Fort Miami”

Northwest Ohio Quarterly Vol. 16, Issue 2 (Apr 1944) 112-116

Spitzer, Carl B.
Maumee, OH: Lucas County/Maumee Valley Historical Society

NOTE: The link takes you to the previous article in this issue. Scroll down to page 112.

Another paper on Fort Miami in the same journal issue is referenced on this page: “Fort Miamis, Outpost of Empire” by F. Clever Bald. Ohio forts, battlefields in Ohio.


Ohio Indian Wars

An Historical Account of the Expedition against Sandusky under Col. William Crawford in 1782

Butterfield, Consul Willshire
Cincinnati, 1873

“This work comprises a complete narrative of the Expedition, drawn largely from original manuscripts, describing in detail the causes which led to the organization of the Campaign in Western Pennsylvania; the assembling of the army at the Ohio river, and its march to Sandusky; the marshalling of the savages upon the Sandusky Plains to repel the Americans; the Battles of the Wilderness; the retreat of the army and its return to the border;—followed by an account of the capturing of stragglers by the Indians; the barbarities inflicted on them; the escape of Knight and Slover from captivity; and the terrible death of Crawford, by prolonged and most cruel torture.” Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio. Ohio Indian wars, battles in Ohio. (1880)

See our post on Pontiac’s Rebellion

“General Anthony Wayne and the Battle of Fallen Timbers”

Ohio History IX, October 1900/Number 2, 214-37

Hunt, Samuel F.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This centennial oration was delivered on the battlefield in 1894. About half of it concerned the battle itself, preceded by a substantial history of the background events that led to the battle. The address also follows General Wayne for the two years of life that remained to him after the battle. Battle of Fallen Timbers, battlefields in Ohio, Ohio Indian wars.


Ohio and the Revolutionary War

“First Battle of the American Revolution”

Ohio History XI, July 1902/Number 1, 93-102

Hunter, W. H.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This paper is about the Battle of Point Pleasant at the mouth of the Kanawha River on October 10, 1774. It contains few details about the battle itself; it is mainly concerned with an interpretative explanation of the events and decisions that led to it. Ohio battlefields, Ohio Indian wars.

For books on the Revolution see: History of the American Revolution

See our post on Commander’s Correspondence in the Revolution

Fort Laurens, 1778-1779: The Revolutionary War in Ohio

Pieper, Thomas I and Gidney, James B.
Kent State University 1976

See our giant collection of free American history free textbooks pdf

“Ohio’s Part in the American Revolution”

Ohio History XI, July 1902/Number 1, 102-7

Randall, Emilius O.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

Emilius Randall (1850-1919) of Columbus, OH was a Law Professor at Ohio State University and the official reporter of the Ohio Supreme Court. Appointed by the Governor as a Trustee of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, he also served as Secretary and Editor. This 6-page paper was produced from a speech made by the author at a banquet of the Ohio Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution in 1902. Ohio in the Revolutionary War

For books on the Revolution see: History of the American Revolution


Ohio in the War of 1812

“Ohio in the War of 1812: Articles from a Contemporary Newspaper”

Ohio History XXVIII, July 1919/Number 3, 286-368

Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This 80-page article consists of extracts from Ohio newspaper articles reporting on Ohio campaigns and activities in the War of 1812, beginning almost immediately after the Declaration of War in early 1812. In addition to the news reports, the articles sometimes included the text of letters or documents. Addresses by military leaders to their troops were sometimes quoted verbatim. Ohio in the War of 1812, battles in Ohio, battlefields in Ohio.

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

For history of the War of 1812, see: America in the Early 19th Century – 1809-1861

Today in History: Siege of Fort Meigs

U.S. Library of Congress

Set of online primary sources, collected by the Library of Congress primarily for use by teachers. The set includes:

-Plan of Fort Meigs and its environs
-Books and articles
-Letter describing battle
-William Henry Harrison primary source set and image set
-Tecumseh image set
-Books about Tecumseh
-Shawnee Indians primary source set. Ohio forts, Ohio battlefields.

The British Invasions of Ohio, 1813

Hallaman, Emanuel
Columbus: Ohio State Museum 1958

A typewritten 50-page paper. Ohio in the War of 1812.

See our Jane’s Military Books PDF

“The Battle of Lake Erie. September 10, 1813”

Ohio History Vol. 10, July 1901/Number 1, 38-45

Mack, Mrs. John T.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This 7-page paper is a description of the famous naval battle won by Oliver Hazard Perry. Ohio in the War of 1812.

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

Men of Patriotism, Courage & Enterprise: Fort Meigs in the War of 1812

Nelson, Larry L.
Canton: Daring 1985

“A rich, evocative story of warfare, sacrifice, and daring chronicling not only the sequence of events but also the emotional effects of the war. Historical data has been compiled from many unpublished and previously unknown sources including diaries, journals, and personal letters written by builders of the fort and participants in the bloody conflicts. Built in 1813, this garrison twice shielded Ohio from British invasion! Thirty drawings, etchings, photos and maps.” – Book cover

Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812

Ohio Adjutant General, comp.
Columbus: State of Ohio 1916

The records indicate that the Adjutant General’s Department in Ohio furnished for the War of 1812 1,759 officers and 24,521 enlisted men. This 150-page book lists all known participants, organized by military unit. The county of origin of each unit is shown, where known. Ohio in the War of 1812, wars in Ohio.

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

Northern Ohio During the War of 1812

from manuscripts in the collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society

Western Reserve Historical Society
Cleveland: Western Reserve Historical Society 1913


Ohio in the Civil War

Ohio Civil War Regimental Histories Collection

This collection of about 90 books on Ohio units in the Civil War is in the Internet Archive. It includes histories of the 40th Ohio Infantry, 7th Ohio Infantry, 32nd Ohio Infantry, 73rd Ohio Infantry, 83rd Ohio Infantry, 86th Ohio Infantry, 123rd Ohio Infantry, 81st Ohio Infantry, 29th Ohio Infantry, 104th Ohio Infantry, 113th Ohio Infantry, 21st Ohio Infantry, Fuller’s Ohio Brigade, 14th Ohio Infantry, 1st Ohio Cavalry, 90th Ohio Infantry, 30th Ohio Infantry, 3rd Ohio Cavalry, 6th Ohio Infantry, 13th Ohio Cavalry, 48th Ohio Infantry, 105th Ohio Infantry, 53rd Ohio Infantry, 42nd Ohio Infantry, 11th Ohio Infantry, 74th Ohio Infantry, 55th Ohio Infantry, 94th Ohio Infantry, 41st Ohio Infantry, 96th Ohio Infantry, 9th Army Corps, 101st Ohio Infantry, 116th Ohio Infantry, 15th Ohio Infantry. Also a number of other histories of various military units, memoirs of individual soldiers, and histories of Ohio participation in campaigns or battles.

Buckeye Blood: Ohio at Gettysburg

Baumgartner, Richard A.
Huntington, W. Va.: Blue Acorn 2003

“Author Richard A. Baumgartner, utilizing an engrossing style reminiscent of his previous books ‘Blue Lightning’ and ‘Kennesaw Mountain June 1864’, focuses attention on all Buckeye military organizations caught up in the fighting of July 1-3, 1863, as well as its prelude and aftermath. Relying heavily on First-person accounts – many of them written in letter or diary form shortly after the gunfire faded – ‘Buckeye Blood’ deftly portrays the sense-numbing experience of the Gettysburg campaign through the voices of 160 different Ohioans. The insightful, frequently chilling narratives are complemented by a large collection of wartime photographs that brings unrivaled visual life to their meaningful words.” – Book cover

Our Acre and Its Harvest; Historical Sketch of the Soldiers’ Aid Society of Northern Ohio

Cleveland Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission
Cleveland: Fairbanks 1869

Within days of Washington issuing a call for volunteers to fight for the Union in April 1861, the ladies of Cleveland met to establish a Ladies’ Aid Society to support the families of the men who were enlisting. However, the Society’s role began transforming almost from its first day, as it became apparent that the Federal government was woefully unprepared to provide many basic needs for the new army. Society volunteers began collecting wagon-loads of blankets and second-hand clothes for recruits flocking into nearby Camp Taylor, and were soon sewing uniforms for Ohio soldiers and collecting supplies for the camp hospital. As the army expanded and fought its first major action at Bull Run in July 1861, the Society continued to broaden the scope of its efforts, setting up branches in every town in northern Ohio and working with the U.S. Sanitary Commission to staff and supply soldier’s hospitals throughout the north. This book tells the story of those efforts, and also provides the names of many of the women who led or participated. Ohio in the Civil war, Ohio Civil War rosters.

Ohio Forms an Army

Coles, Harry Lewis
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society 1962

30-page publication of the Ohio Civil War Centennial Commission, describing Ohio’s contribution of troops at the beginning of the Civil War.

Four Years in the Saddle; History of the First Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry

Curry, W. L., comp.
Columbus: Champlin 1898

Ohio in the Civil War.

Regimental Publications & Personal Narratives of the Civil War: A Checklist. Vol. 1, Part 5 – Indiana and Ohio

Dornbusch, Charles Emil
NY: New York Public Library 1961-1972

This is Part 5 of a 7-part work, which covers Civil War histories of 17 participating northern states. Part 5 covers Indiana and Ohio. According to the compiler’s Preface, every battery and regiment is listed, and arranged numerically by arm of service – Artillery, Cavalry and Infantry. Any publications that could be associated with a particular battery or regiment are listed under that unit, including regimental histories, personal narratives, reunion proceedings, unit rosters and even sermons preached at soldiers’ funerals. Personal narratives by individuals who served under more than one unit are found under the unit of their first service.

Many thousands of books published before 1923 (and a smaller number of more recent books) are available online for free. Learn how to find them at: Finding Free Books Online

For histories of the Civil War, see also on this site: Civil War in America

Morgan’s Raid into Ohio

Gard, Ronald Max
Lisbon, OH: Gard 1963

Refers to an event of 1863, during the Civil War. Ohio and the Civil War.

Ohio’s Bounty System in the Civil War

Murdock, Eugene Converse
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

President Lincoln’s call for volunteers in early 1861 met with an overwhelming response in Ohio. However, by the middle of 1862 it was becoming apparent that the war would last longer than expected, and the Federal government needed far more soldiers. Unfortunately enthusiasm for volunteering had mostly disappeared. In this study for the Ohio Civil War Centennial Commission, the author traces the various strategies employed by the Federal government and Ohio to attract enlistees in 1862 and afterward.

A Summer Campaign in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864

One Hundred Days” (Four Months and Two Days) of Soldier Life with the 152d Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Nichols, Clifton M.
Springfield, OH: New Era 1899

Ohio and the Civil War.

The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1866

Ohio Adjutant General, comp.
Cincinnati: State of Ohio 1886-1895

All 12 volumes are at this link. Volume 12 includes a roster for the War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Each volume has at its end a “Roll of Honor” for soldiers who lost their lives.

The Weary Boys: Colonel J. Warren Keifer and the 110th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Pope, Thomas E.
Kent, OH: Kent State University 2002

“Under the command of Colonel J. Warren Keifer, a veteran of the Civil War’s western theater, the 110th proved their worth many times over. Only fifteen of the 175 volunteer regiments from Ohio that served in the Union Army suffered the loss of more than one hundred men. The 110th was one of these regiments.” – Book cover

History of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry

Rankin, R. C. (Capt.)
Ripley, OH: Newcomb 1881

Ohio in the War; Her Statesmen, Generals, and Soldiers, Vol 1

Volume 2

Reid, Whitelaw
Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin 1868

The Civil War Literature of Ohio. A Bibliography with Explanatory and Historical Notes

Ryan, Daniel J.
Cleveland: Burrows 1911

A very large bibliography that includes official reports, speeches, books, papers, and more. Many of these are likely available free online. For assistance in finding them, see our blog post Searching for eBooks.

For histories of the Civil War, see also on this site: Civil War in America

The History of Fuller’s Ohio Brigade, 1861-1865

its great march, with roster, portraits, battle maps and biographies

Smith, Charles H.
Cleveland: Watt 1909

Three Years with the Armies of the Ohio, and the Cumberland

Waddle, Anglus L.
Chillicothe, OH: Scioto Gazette 1889

Civil War memoir.

Ohio Negroes in the Civil War

Wesley, Charles H.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society 1962

Ohio in the Civil War.


Ohio in the Spanish-American War

Banners in the Air: The Eighth Ohio Volunteers and the Spanish-American War

Hard, Curtis V.
Kent, OH: Kent State University 1988

This was a first-person account by a veteran of both the Spanish-American War and the Civil War. Hard wrote the manuscript shortly after the Spanish-American War but did not publish it. Professor Robert H. Ferrell published it in 1988 with minor edits.

The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain 1898-1899

Ohio Adjutant General, comp.
Columbus: State of Ohio 1916

Ohio in the Spanish-American War.


Ohio in World War One

The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the World War, 1917-18

Ohio Adjutant General, comp.
Columbus: State of Ohio 1926

All 23 volumes are at this link, with entries for 263,000 men and women. Vols 1-19 include Soldiers, vols 20-21 Sailors, and vol 22 Marines. Vol 23 consists mostly of more such entries; possibly of people inadvertently omitted from the previous volumes. At the end of Vol 23 (page 904) begins a “List of Burial Places of Those Whose Bodies Remained in France”. This includes entries for those buried at American Cemeteries; six cemeteries in France, one in Belgium, and one in England. Ohio soldiers in World War I.

Wallace, William (Col.) and others

Ohio Doughboys in Italy

Pleasantville, NJ: Penhallow 1921

WWI history of the 332nd Infantry regiment.

“A Buckeye in the Great War: The Wartime Diary and Letters of John J. Miller”

Ohio History Journal, Vol 97, pp 29-49

Wingate, Helen and Smythe, Donald, eds.
Ohio History Connection

John J. Miller was a 29-year-old dentist in Elyria, OH when, as a newly-enlisted lieutenant in the Medical Corps, he sailed for Europe in April 1918. The diary that he kept is reproduced here almost in its entirety, supplemented by excerpts from his letters home.

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