The history of Company C, Seventh Regiment, O.V.I

In Short

This regimental history records the three-year service of Company C, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a unit formed primarily by students and alumni of Oberlin College. Written by a member of the company at the request of his surviving comrades, the narrative details their mobilization, combat engagements, captivity in Southern prisons, severe winter marches, and final discharge. It persists as an unadorned, primary account of war, documenting both the grand tactical movements across several states and the quiet, everyday fortitude of young men bound by deeply held religious and moral convictions.

The Story

The account begins in May 1861 with the organization of Company C at Oberlin College, where its members embody the Christian and abolitionist principles of their institution. Departing Cleveland, the men travel to Camp Dennison to erect wooden barracks, maintain religious devotions through daily prayer meetings, and learn the art of soldiering. In June, the regiment moves into the field, embarking on arduous campaigns through Western Virginia. At the battle of Cross Lanes, the company experiences a disastrous split, resulting in heavy casualties and the capture of twenty-nine men.

The captured soldiers are tied together at the elbows and marched one hundred miles before being transported in open dirt cars to Richmond's Atkinson Tobacco Factory. Later transferred to the Parish Prison in New Orleans, the prisoners endure cramped, unsanitary cells and meager rations. To survive, they manufacture bone ornaments to sell to locals, organize the "Union Lyceum," publish a prison newspaper titled The Stars and Stripes, and maintain regular Bible classes.

Meanwhile, the remnant of Company C continuing in the field endures grueling winter marches through West Virginia and Maryland. They freeze through nights on bare ground, wade icy creeks, and pursue Confederate forces under General Floyd. Under Generals Lander and Shields, the division engages in rapid maneuvering along the Shenandoah Valley, fighting at Winchester and Port Republic. The combat is relentless, taking a heavy toll on officers and enlistees alike through gunshot wounds, amputations, and disease.

Following hard-fought actions at Cedar Mountain, Antietam, and Chancellorsville, the unit moves north to Gettysburg in July 1863, enduring extreme summer heat that claims the lives of soldiers by the roadside before they ever reach the battleline. Transferred west to Tennessee, Company C participates in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, and the bloody assault at Ringgold, where several veteran members are killed or mortally wounded.

As their three-year term nears its end, the surviving men decline opportunities to re-enlist, exasperated by harsh treatment and broken official promises, preferring to return home to their civilian pursuits. Despite their pending discharge, they are ordered forward into the opening stages of the Atlanta Campaign, serving as a body guard at Rocky-Faced Ridge. The book concludes with a comprehensive individual roster documenting the fate—whether death in battle, succumbence to disease, accidental drowning, or honorable discharge—of every man who served in the company.

How It Unfolds

The mobilization begins Company C departs Oberlin and Cleveland in May 1861, taking up quarters at Camp Dennison to learn military drill. The soldiers build wooden barracks, set up sixteen-man messes, and institute daily street prayer meetings that establish the Christian character of the unit.

Disaster at Cross Lanes The unit marches into Western Virginia, where an engagement at Cross Lanes breaks up the company and results in the capture of nearly thirty men. The prisoners are marched one hundred miles with their arms bound before being shipped in open rail cars to Southern prisons.

Imprisonment in New Orleans Confined in the Parish Prison, the captured soldiers contend with filthy cells and insufficient rations. They maintain morale by holding regular prayer meetings, publishing a semi-monthly newspaper, and carving bone trinkets to sell to local citizens for extra funds.

Campaigning in the Valley The uncaptured remnant of the regiment marches through wet, freezing terrain, pursuing Confederate forces and fighting across Virginia under General Shields. They endure punishing, rapid marches over sharp stones and battle the enemy at Winchester and Port Republic.

Climax in the West After participating in major Eastern battles like Gettysburg, the unit transfers to the Western Theater to fight around Chattanooga. At Ringgold, they suffer severe casualties in a desperate charge before taking part in the early movements of the Atlanta Campaign.

The final discharge Refusing re-enlistment due to broken governmental promises and grueling abuse, the remaining men complete their required service. They return home to Ohio in the summer of 1864, leaving behind thirty-nine comrades lost to war, sickness, and accident.

The People

• Theodore Wilder

The author and company member who writes this history to fulfill the request of his surviving comrades. Wounded in battle, he receives his discharge and turns to gathering diaries, journals, and official records to compile an accurate record of his unit's service.

• Captain G. W. Shurtleff

The original commander of Company C who leads the unit through its initial mobilization. He is captured during the disaster at Cross Lanes and marched into Southern captivity alongside twenty-eight of his men.

• Lieutenant Isaac C. Jones

A committed leader who serves through multiple engagements and survives false allegations of hospital desertion to maintain command of the company. He fights at Antietam and Gettysburg before receiving a fatal abdominal wound at the battle of Ringgold.

• Lieutenant Ephraim H. Baker

An Oberlin alumnus and theology student who takes command of Company C following the battle of Cross Lanes. He leads the men through the battle of Winchester before resigning due to physical disability and entering the ministry.

• John Snider Cooper

A resourceful soldier who rises from Sergeant to Captain and Lieutenant Colonel. After fighting in the early battles of Company C, he transfers to the U.S. Engineers and later commands the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the final actions of the war.

In Its Own Voice

"He who could neither furnish merriment nor enjoy it, and had no affection but the chronic for any member, supplied the only lacking element to give the company all the varieties between the extremes of humor."

Describing the daily life, social dynamic, and coping mechanisms of the soldiers during their initial training camp at Camp Dennison.

"In breathless suspense did Gen. Shield's men listen to these receding sounds, for, almost by instinct, they knew their turn was soon to come."

Reflecting on the psychological tension felt by the troops as they listen to distant artillery before the Battle of Port Republic.

"With his characteristic coolness and bluntness, he exclaimed: 'Gosh--there is enough for my breakfast.'"

Capturing private Edwin B. Atwater's stoic reaction upon having a large piece of flesh torn from his thigh by a shell at Port Republic.

What It's Really About

At its core, the text examines how moral idealists preserve their convictions when confronted with the brutal, unglamorous reality of war. Founded by Oberlin students pledged to Christian benevolence and abolitionism, Company C attempts to maintain its spiritual identity through street prayer meetings, Bible study, and prison literary societies. However, the narrative relentlessly contrasts these noble intentions with the demoralizing friction of military life: administrative neglect, disease, freezing marches, and horrifying combat injuries. The central question the book poses is whether personal integrity and faith can survive intact through years of military service. Ultimately, the text argues that true patriotism is found not in romanticized glory, but in quiet endurance, mutual support, and an unyielding commitment to return home with a clear conscience.

Why Read It Today

Readers drawn to Civil War history, military memoirs, or social histories of the 19th century will value this concise work. Rather than offering sweeping strategic overviews or grandiose patriotic grandiloquence, the text provides a matter-of-fact, unpretentious view of soldiering from the ground level. It shines in its matter-of-fact descriptions of prison survival, extreme weather, and the dark humor men used to endure catastrophic wounds.

The reading experience is fast-paced yet sobering, balancing short narrative campaign overviews with an extensive, candid roster that tracks the post-war fate or death of every single soldier. While modern readers must navigate archaic military terms, repetitive listings of minor skirmishes, and the period's plain, straightforward prose, these features serve to highlight the book's authenticity. What remains with the reader long after finishing is the stark contrast between the idealist university students who marched away in 1861 and the battle-hardened survivors who quietly refused re-enlistment in 1864, having fully rendered their duty to the nation.