The Invincible Buckeyes of the 4th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry

By Phil Spaugy 

This inaugural column is an excellent case of 19th century photography and arms technology dovetailing perfectly into one another. The subject is a compelling portrait of an unidentified 4th Ohio cavalryman with a postwar clipping describing the regiment’s soon-to-be-erected monument inside the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park.

Our young Buckeye horse soldier is well-armed, with two Colt Army Model 1860 .44 caliber percussion six-shot revolvers stuck in his belt. A Model 1859 Sharps percussion .52 caliber carbine rests on his lap and across his shoulder is the leather sling, from which the Sharps carbine would be suspended when the trooper was mounted. It is interesting that the Sharps carbine hammer is in the full cock position! Our subject also grasps his Model 1840 Heavy Cavalry Saber (nicknamed the “Old Wristbreaker”) complete with its leather saber knot.

The reference to the 4th Ohio Cavalry’s monument in the clipping pasted to the inside of the image case is a strong clue that our subject served in this unit. This connection is supported by what we see: the Colt revolvers, Sharps carbine and saber were all of the type issued to the 4th Ohio Cavalry. Another link to the 4th is the distinctive trim on the cavalry shell jacket. This unique jacket was issued to a small number of regiments, including the 1st and 4th Ohio Volunteer cavalries.

I believe this image was taken in Huntsville, Ala., between April and August 1862. During this time, the 4th occupied Huntsville. A similar image, of Albert Brandt of Company A, and his wartime “Narrative of Wartime Experiences” can be found in the 1912 book The Story of the Fourth Regiment Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry.

In it, Brandt related how he came to sit for a Huntsville photographer:

“Remember that from Bowling Green to Huntsville we were compelled to camp upon the same ground that the Johnnies had camped on, and when we got to Huntsville, the first half of April, it was getting warm. There began to be some whisperings among the men that they thought this or that fellow had lice. It scared me awful to think of having lice on me, but the next day, after getting to Huntsville, I, with Mike Bowker, was sent out with a wagon to get some corn. While it was being loaded Mike and I stood picket guard, and, fearing something might have gotten on me, I said to my partner, You watch while I go into the bushes for a bit. When I took off my clothing, sure enough there were plenty in them, besides me; so I threw all my underclothing, socks and everything away except my cavalry jacket and pants, thinking to get more from supplies when I got back to camp, but we were so far away that I could not get any more clothes for six weeks. Now, the reason for telling this is that I was requested to furnish a picture of myself as I was then, and one as I appeared fifty years after.”

Much like the unidentified subject, Brandt grasps his saber in one hand, and his other rests on the butt of his Sharps carbine, muzzle pointing down. Two Colt Model 1860 revolvers are stuck in his belt. Brandt also wears the same type of Ohio-issued shell jacket with its yellow trim as shown in our subject’s image, leaving little doubt that our subject was a member of the 4th.

The 4th spent its entire enlistment in the Western theater of the war, led by such notable commanders as generals David Stanley, Eli Long, George Crook and James Wilson. From September 1862 until the end of the war, the 4th brigaded with the 1st and 3rd Ohio cavalries, performing excellent service while campaigning more than 10,000 miles through the very heart of the Confederacy. During more than four years of service, they crossed sabers with enemy troopers led by the likes of generals John Hunt Morgan, Joe Wheeler and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Battle and disease claimed the lives of 225 Buckeyes in the regiment.

References: Wulshin, The Story of the Fourth Regiment Ohio Veteran Volunteer Cavalry; Curry, Four Years in the Saddle. The History of the First Ohio Cavalry; Crofts, History of the Third Ohio Cavalry; Strayer and Pruden. “Through The Camera’s Eye: Ohio Soldiers 1861-1865,” Military Images (July/August 2005).

Phil Spaugy is a longtime member of the North South Skirmish Association (N-SSA). He studies arms and accouterments of federal infantry soldiers with an emphasis on his home state of Ohio, firearms of the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, and the Iron Brigade. He is a partner with Jim Hessler, in Hessler Spaugy Action Travel. Phil is a retired aviation services company executive who lives in Vandalia, Ohio, with his wife, Amy. He is a MI Senior Editor. Contact Phil at pspaugy@aol.com.

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