Between 1836 and 1860, four German militia units had been formed in Cincinnati, Ohio.[3] In 1861, in response to a call to arms by President Abraham Lincoln and subsequently by Ohio GovernorWilliam Dennison, these units swelled with hundreds of volunteers. Gustav Bergmann, a Cincinnati public school teacher, was the first volunteer to join the unit. The city of Cincinnati gave $250,000.00 for the organization of this unit.[4] Nearly 1,500 men, mostly of German descent, volunteered for the 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment in the first three days.[5]Col.Robert L. McCook, a local lawyer, trained and drilled the new soldiers at Camp Harrison and Camp Dennison, both near the city.[6]
The initial field officers on April 23, 1861, were:
The regiment lost six officers and 85 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded during its three-year term of service. It also lost two officers and 60 enlisted men to disease, for a total of 153.[7]
Battle of Carnifex Ferry
The 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment participated in the Battle of Carnifex Ferry, which took place on September 10, 1861. Casualties were eight men killed and two wounded while attacking the Confederate left flank, defended by the 36th Virginia Infantry.
Ohio Roster Commission (1893). 1861 Three-Month Organizations — 1st–22nd Regiments, Etc. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. I. Akron, OH: The Werner Company. p. 810. hdl:2027/mdp.39015004198746. OCLC633556.
Ohio Roster Commission (1886). 1st–20th Regiments-Infantry. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. II. Cincinnati, OH: Wilstach Baldwin & Co. p. 840. hdl:2027/mdp.39015004198787. OCLC633556.