Today in Wheeling History: August 30 — The 12th West Virginia Infantry Regiment is officially organized in Wheeling to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War (1862).
Organized in Wheeling on August 30, 1862, the 12th West Virginia Infantry Regiment was a Union Army unit composed largely of volunteers from the Northern Panhandle. Under the initial command of Colonel John B. Klunk, the regiment was assigned to the VIII Army Corps and served in the Shenandoah Valley. Early engagements included the ill-fated Second Battle of Winchester in June 1863, where the unit suffered significant losses. After regrouping, the regiment participated in the Valley Campaigns of 1864, including the pivotal Battle of Opequon.
In late 1864, the 12th joined the XXIV Army Corps under the Army of the James. On April 2, 1865, during the Siege of Petersburg, the regiment earned national distinction for its role in the assault on Fort Gregg. Corporal Andrew O. Apple of Company I received the Medal of Honor for saving the regimental flag, and Maj. Gen. John Gibbon awarded the unit a golden eagle for its flagstaff in recognition of its gallantry.
The regiment was mustered out on June 16, 1865. In total, it lost 3 officers and 56 enlisted men to combat, and 131 to disease. Many veterans were buried in cemeteries across the state of Ohio, as well as in Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia, including Mount Wood and Greenwood cemeteries in Wheeling.
To learn more: 12th West Virginia Infantry Regiment on Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/53e34ujz), West Virginia Civil War Regiments Overview (https://tinyurl.com/3f3jp6uf), Find a Grave: 12th West Virginia Infantry Veterans (https://tinyurl.com/dscrjbh2), WVU Archives: 12th WV Infantry Records (https://tinyurl.com/mr4b8xzj), Project Gutenberg: History of the 12th WV Infantry by William Hewitt (https://tinyurl.com/4w5wyuv9), First Fight, First Blood - minerd.com (https://www.minerd.com/12wv.htm)
Photo credits: West Virginia History OnView, minerd.com
Organized in Wheeling on August 30, 1862, the 12th West Virginia Infantry Regiment was a Union Army unit composed largely of volunteers from the Northern Panhandle. Under the initial command of Colonel John B. Klunk, the regiment was assigned to the VIII Army Corps and served in the Shenandoah Valley. Early engagements included the ill-fated Second Battle of Winchester in June 1863, where the unit suffered significant losses. After regrouping, the regiment participated in the Valley Campaigns of 1864, including the pivotal Battle of Opequon.
In late 1864, the 12th joined the XXIV Army Corps under the Army of the James. On April 2, 1865, during the Siege of Petersburg, the regiment earned national distinction for its role in the assault on Fort Gregg. Corporal Andrew O. Apple of Company I received the Medal of Honor for saving the regimental flag, and Maj. Gen. John Gibbon awarded the unit a golden eagle for its flagstaff in recognition of its gallantry.
The regiment was mustered out on June 16, 1865. In total, it lost 3 officers and 56 enlisted men to combat, and 131 to disease. Many veterans were buried in cemeteries across the state of Ohio, as well as in Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia, including Mount Wood and Greenwood cemeteries in Wheeling.
To learn more: 12th West Virginia Infantry Regiment on Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/53e34ujz), West Virginia Civil War Regiments Overview (https://tinyurl.com/3f3jp6uf), Find a Grave: 12th West Virginia Infantry Veterans (https://tinyurl.com/dscrjbh2), WVU Archives: 12th WV Infantry Records (https://tinyurl.com/mr4b8xzj), Project Gutenberg: History of the 12th WV Infantry by William Hewitt (https://tinyurl.com/4w5wyuv9), First Fight, First Blood - minerd.com (https://www.minerd.com/12wv.htm)
Photo credits: West Virginia History OnView, minerd.com
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