70th Ohio Infantry Regiment

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The 70th Ohio Infantry Regiment was a Union infantry unit in the American Civil War. It was organized in West Union, Ohio, and mustered in for three years of service on October 14, 1861, under Colonel Joseph R. Cockerill.

Service and campaigns
- The regiment fought in the Western Theater, serving with the Army of the Tennessee and in several corps (XIII, XVI, XV, and XVII).
- Major battles and campaigns included:
- Battle of Shiloh (April 1862)
- Siege of Corinth (1862)
- Siege of Vicksburg (June–July 1863)
- Siege of Jackson, Mississippi (July 1863)
- Chattanooga Campaign (November 1863), including Missionary Ridge
- Atlanta Campaign (May–September 1864), including battles at Resaca, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain, and Atlanta
- March to the Sea (Savannah, December 1864)
- Carolinas Campaign (early 1865), including Bentonville
- Occupation of Raleigh and the surrender of Johnston’s army in 1865
- The regiment took part in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington, D.C., before moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, for duty.

Civil War Memorial Grave
- On August 21, 1865, the steamboat USS Argosy No. 3, carrying soldiers of the 70th Ohio home, ran aground in a storm near Magnet, Indiana. Its boilers exploded, causing ten deaths. The men were buried in a mass grave near Magnet.

Casualties
- The 70th Ohio Infantry lost a total of 265 men during its service: 5 officers and 70 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, and 2 officers and 188 enlisted men died of disease.

Reenlistment and mustering out
- The regiment reenlisted on January 1, 1864.
- It mustered out on August 14, 1865, at Little Rock, Arkansas.

Commanders
- Colonel Joseph R. Cockerill (resigned April 13, 1864)
- Lieutenant Colonel DeWitt C. Louden (resigned August 9, 1864)
- Lieutenant Colonel Henry L. Phillips (mustered out with the regiment August 14, 1865)
- Major William B. Brown (commanded during the siege of Vicksburg)

The 70th Ohio Infantry Regiment served for nearly four years, participating in many of the war’s major campaigns and suffering significant casualties, all while contributing to the Union’s victory in the western theaters.