56th Regiment, Ohio Infantry

Brief History
The 56th Regiment, Ohio Infantry mustered in December 12, 1861 at Camp Morrow, Portsmouth, Ohio. They were mustered out April 25, 1866.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 56th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 30 August 2012).
 * Larry Stevens' Ohio in the Civil War, 56th Ohio Infantry

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,961 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Company A - Recruited from Gallia County and Jackson County

Company B - Recruited in Scioto County

Company C - Recruited in Scioto County and Jackson County

Company D - Recruited in Scioto County

Company E - Many men from Gallia County and Jackson County

Company F - Recruited in Scioto County

Company G - Raised in Scioto County

Company H - Recruited in Scioto County

Company I - Recruited in Pike County

Company K - Many men from Jackson County and Scioto County

The above county information is from the book by Thomas J. Williams, An Historical Sketch of the 56th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

Other Sources

 * 56th Ohio Regiment Infantry, Civil War Index, which includes history, battles, and roster with name, rank, age, date entered service, period of service and remarks.


 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Ohio in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Ohio in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Ohio, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Williams, Thomas John Chew. Historical sketch of the 56th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the great Civil War, from 1861 to 1866. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993) and (Columbus, Ohio : Ohio Historical Society, 1988),