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Thread: 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Co. D - “Fighting Fools” of the Gibraltar Brigade

  1. #1

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    8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Co. D - “Fighting Fools” of the Gibraltar Brigade

    8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry "Fighting Fools" Co. D


    At Antietam, Carroll's Brigade of which the 8th Ohio was part was dubbed the "Gibraltar Brigade" for their unwavering fighting style in their fight at "Bloody Lane" where they stood tall for many hours before the Confederates were forced to retreat. At Gettysburg, the 8th Ohio was the first regiment in the Union Army to get a Confederate regiment under General Robert E. Lee to break and run. In repelling Pickett's Charge they captured three stands of Confederate colors, captured 300 enemy soldiers and they would forever be known as the "Fighting Fools" for their unrivaled tenacity on the battlefield.



    The 8th Ohio Co. D - War of Rights Unit


    Since the historical 8th Ohio Co. D fought both as a line unit and as skirmishers, we will take a versatile approach to fighting in-game depending on the situation. This will appeal to those who like a varied experience, creative tactics and an overall aggressive fighting style that is perfectly in-line with the historical unit and the way they fought in their many engagements.

    We want you to feel proud to fight for the 8th Ohio and the Union Army and that fighting spirit is what we are looking for. If you are a spirited fighter, can respect others and follow orders, then you're welcome in our ranks.

    Respect for the Civil War, the game, each other and officers will be at the heart of everything we do. Then there is the business of having fun. We’re all here to meet some friends and make playing this game a fun experience and that will be something we'll always strive for.

    Drill will occur once per week and at this moment in time we will best serve as an NA regiment due to timezone differences. This is not to say that we won’t welcome members from around the world but rather drill and events that we will attend as a unit will occur during convenient hours for soldiers in the NA time zones. We will generally have 1-2 events weekly depending on schedules and other variables.


    Forming the 8th Ohio - 1861

    When Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 militia on April 15, 1861, Northeastern Ohio and Cleveland were not slow to respond. The Hibernian Guards, an Irish Social club, enlisted as a group for three months and was sworn in On Apr. 29, 1861 as Co. B 8th Ohio Volunteers. While in Cleveland, Co. B drilled at Camp Taylor. In June of 1861 the entire regiment was assembled at Camp Dennison, Cincinnati. On the 24th of July 1861 the 3 month men were reorganized and sworn in for 3 years service. Co. 's B and D were assigned to the right and left of the regiment respectively. These two companies were trained as the skirmishers for the regiment and were issued Enfield rifles. The other companies were originally issued smoothbore Austrian muskets but these were replaced as quickly as the ingenuity of the men would allow.



    Battle of Antietam - 1862

    In early September 1862, what had been Kimball's Brigade became the First Brigade, Third Division, Second Corps. Made up of the old comrades-in-arms of the 4th and 8th Ohio, 14th Ind. and 7th (West) Va., this brigade would remain basically unchanged for the next 18 months. The only time these 4 regiments would not serve as a unit was in the upcoming Sharpsburg Campaign. The 4th Ohio was on detached duty and was replaced by the 132nd Pa. Until now, other than the Valley battles in May and June, the regiment had seen little serious fighting. They were about to make up for lost time.

    When Gen. Lee invaded the North in September the Union army moved out to stop him, if possible. Due to the losing of an important order by one of Lee's sides, the Southern army was forced to cease its northward movement and consolidate around the small town of Sharpsburg on the banks of Antietem Creek.

    At the Battle of Antietem the 8th fought in Gen. French's division near the center of the Union line, around the Roulette farm and into the Sunken Road. After a standoff fight of several hours the divisions of French and Richardson made another effort to drive the Rebels out of their entrenchments in the sunken road, now known as the "Bloody Lane." As the attack developed a gap opened between the two divisions. The Confederate commander on this part of the field, D. H. Hill, not a man to let such an opportunity go by, pushed a force of infantry into the gap. The danger to the Union line was immediately apparent; a Confederate force on the right flank and the prospect of being "scooped up in five minutes."

    The 14th Ind. and 8th Ohio, the two right flank companies of the brigade, executed a change of front, left wing forward, to meet this threat. Now facing the attacking Confederates, the two companies laid down a heavy fire, and after a brief but vicious fight, drove them back to their original lines. Gen. Kimball in his official report says of this episode, "The Fourteenth Indiana and Eighth Ohio, in the change of front which saved our right, executed it as veterans and only as brave men could."

    After a fierce struggle, during which the 8th was forced to replenish its ammunition from the cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded, Hill's troops were driven from the "Bloody Lane" and pushed back onto the rise behind it. This ended the serious fighting on this part of the field; the Rebel line was too weak to mount an offensive, the Union line too weak to maintain theirs.

    Even though the 8th had nearly 50% casualties it fought bravely through 4 hours of heavy action. The entire brigade was given the sobriquet "Gibraltar Brigade" by the Corps commander Maj. Gen. E. V. Sumner in recognition of its unwavering fighting at Antietem.



    Battle of Gettysburg - 1863

    Reveille sounded at 4 am July 2 and the regiment moved up to an orchard west of Taneytown Road near Ziegler’s Grove. “For several hours everything seemed unusually quiet,” Sawyer recollected. This ended with clangor and commotion in the direction of Sickles’ notorious salient. At 4 o’clock, as the
    battle raged back and forth to the south, Sawyer was ordered to take the Eighth’s 209 men and clear out Rebel skirmishers lodged on the Emmitsburg Road. They charged across the road, drove out the skirmishers, and established their own skirmish line about 250 yards west of the Emmitsburg Road having “awoken the Johnnies.”54 As darkness draped the battlefield, guns slowly grew silent and the unit was ordered to maintain their position along the Emmitsburg Road “to the last,” though no assistance could be provided.55 For twenty-six precarious hours, the Eighth gave new birth to its brigade epithet. Skirmish fire continued sporadically, but between 7 o’clock and 8 o’clock July 3, it became “murderous.” Galwey recalled that the fire the Eighth directed at the enemy skirmishers became “scientific”; as soon as a puff of smoke rose in their front, they would immediately aim and fire.

    The enemy’s intensity grew along the extent of the line, climaxing in the symphony of the “terrific cannonade” about 1 o’clock. Artillery shells of both armies whizzed over their heads; “for more than an hour,” the Eighth was literally detained in a forlorn position in the “horrid storm” of Pickett’s Charge. Despite its advanced position, unsupported but for Woodruff’s Battery in Ziegler’s Grove, the Eighth “sprang” to its feet and deployed into column as the cannonade waned and the Rebel infantry advance commenced. Pettigrew and Trimble’s men “advanced splendidly,” appearing as if they would overrun the Eighth’s position. But they received a lashing: the Eighth charged the Rebels, many prisoners either falling back or throwing down their arms.

    Furthermore, in a consummately executed maneuver, the Eighth changed its front and executed a left wheel while firing, pouring lead into the left flank of Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis’ brigade from behind a weathered fencerow. On the Confederate left that afternoon, there would be three other left flanking movements. The 136th New York, to the right of the Eighth, and the 125th and 126th New York to its left would anchor the envelopment of Davis’ brigade, metamorphosing the “distinct, graceful” Rebel lines into an amorphous mass. The Eighth collected the colors of three regiments and captured some 300 prisoners, suffering nearly 50 percent casualties. Yet the victory was complete, Lee whipped, and the invasion repelled. The Eighth had played “a most conspicuous part” in the late, great battle, and the men were not only “greeted with rousing cheers” by their comrades, but extensive press coverage citing Sgt. John Miller, who would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

    Credit: 2007 "The Regiment Bore a Conspicuous Part": A Brief History of the Eight Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Gibraltar Brigade, Army of the Potomac
    Brian Matthew Jordan, Gettysburg College Class of 2009




    Losses Over 3-Years and 3-Months of Service:
    Officers Killed or Mortally Wounded: 8
    Officers Died of Disease, Accidents, etc.: 1
    Enlisted Men Killed or Mortally Wounded: 124
    Enlisted Men Died of Disease, Accidents, etc.: 72
    ___________________
    ___________________


    Company D Signature Examples


    Any Co. D enlisted soldier can proudly support the 8th Ohio with a custom signature bearing your rank and name for the War of Rights forums. All requests will come straight to Capt. Sawyer through a DM in these forums and will be created as soon as is possible.







    ___________________

    Initial Drill/Event Schedule

    Monday - 7 EST (Drill/Battles)
    Tuesday -
    Wednesday -
    Thursday-
    Friday - 8 EST (Battles)
    Saturday - 3 EST, 8 EST (Battles)
    Sunday - 4 EST (Battles)

    ___________________

    Communications

    Our main communication channel in-game will be Discord so please be sure you have headphones and a working mic. We will also use the Discord as the main means of communication although a Steam group has been created and that will be utilized as well.

    ___________________

    All 8th Ohio Co. D members send me a friend request and I'll invite you to join the 8th Ohio Steam group.

    Last edited by Shiloh; 06-24-2018 at 05:11 AM.

  2. #2

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    Commissioned Officers
    Capt. Franklin Sawyer

    Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO's)

    Enlisted
    Pvt. Billbert Conling
    Pvt. William Harper
    Pvt. Brooke McDonough
    Pvt. Lane Meyer
    Pvt. Alexander Miller
    Pvt. Benjamin Ogle
    Pvt. Benjamin Walker
    Pvt. Timothy Wilder
    Last edited by Shiloh; 07-04-2018 at 11:48 PM.

  3. #3

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    *Reserved.

  4. #4
    RhettVito
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    Good luck from the 72nd PA !


    8th Ohio Infantry Statistics for Antietam

    Initial Strength: 341; Killed in Action (KIA): 32; Wounded (WIA): 129; Missing in Action (MIA): 5;
    Losses, % of Initial Strength: 48.7%
    Last edited by RhettVito; 06-06-2018 at 02:52 AM.

  5. #5

    USA Major

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    Thank you RhettVito! They stood tall at "Bloody Lane" for hours and had some pretty steep losses for sure... thanks for those stats.

  6. #6

    CSA Captain

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    The very best of luck, mate.
    Your Captain calls me Onii-chan.

  7. #7
    good luck

  8. #8

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    best of luck with your new venture, dude looking forward to fight shoulder to shoulder with your boys, soon.

  9. #9

    USA General of the Army

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    Best of luck Capt. Sawyer!

  10. #10

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    Best of luck from the 9th NY!

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