26th Ohio Independent Light Artillery Battery

The 26th Ohio Battery was originally organized as Company F, 32nd Ohio Infantry at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati, Ohio, in August 1861. The battery was detached on July 20, 1862, under the command of Captain Theobold D. Yost. However, due to being captured at Harpers Ferry, paroled, exchanged, and then reassigned as infantry, then assigned again as artillery to other units, the battery was not permanently detached from the 32nd Ohio Infantry until December 22, 1864. During the Vicksburg Campaign, the battery was known as Yost's Independent Ohio Battery.

The 26th Ohio Battery mustered out of service on September 2, 1865, at Tod Barracks in Columbus, Ohio.

Stationed at Winchester until September 11. Retreat to Harpers Ferry September 11–12. Defense of Harpers Ferry September 12–15. Battery surrendered September 15. Paroled and sent to Annapolis, Md., then to Chicago, Ill., and to Camp Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio. Exchanged January 12, 1863. Again attached to 32nd Ohio Infantry and moved to Memphis, Tenn., January 20–25, 1863. Moved to Lake Providence, La., February 20, and to Milliken's Bend, La., April 17. Movement on Bruinsburg, Mississippi and turning Grand Gulf April 25–30. Battle of Port Gibson, Miss., May 1. Raymond May 12. Jackson May 14. Champion Hill May 16. Capture a battery of six guns and assigned to duty as artillery until August 3, 1863. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Attached to Battery D, 1st Illinois Light Artillery and to 3rd Ohio Battery August 3 to December 22, 1863, and garrison duty at Vicksburg, Miss. Served with Artillery, 3rd Division, XVII Corps. Expedition to Monroe, La., August 20-September 2, 1863. Expedition to Canton and Brownsville October 14–20. Permanently detached from 32nd Ohio Infantry as 26th Ohio Battery December 22, 1863. On veteran furlough January 1 to February 3, 1864. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2. Duty at Vicksburg until November 1864, attached to Maltby's Brigade, District of Vicksburg. Expedition to Rodney and Fayette September 29-October 3. Expedition to Woodville October 4–11. Woodville October 5–6. Moved to Natchez, Miss., and garrison duty there until April 1865. Ordered to Texas April 1865, and duty on the Rio Grande, Texas, until August. Ordered home for muster out.

The battery lost a total of 22 enlisted men during service, all due to disease.

• Captain Theobold D. Yost

• List of Ohio Civil War units
• Ohio in the Civil War

• Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
• Ohio Roster Commission. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865, Compiled Under the Direction of the Roster Commission (Akron, OH: Werner Co.), 1886–1895.
• Reid, Whitelaw. Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers (Cincinnati, OH: Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin), 1868. ISBN 9781154801965

Attribution

• This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co.

• Ohio in the Civil War: 26th Ohio Battery by Larry Stevens