8th Ohio Volunteer Artillery This granite memorial shows a cannon, in bas relief, draped by a flag. A ramrod is in the background. A palm frond and the Ohio State Seal appear above the cannon. The state name
OHIO appears below the main design of the monument.
In the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments from other states, most notably from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Massachusetts, as well as in federal units. Almost 330,000 Ohio men, including 5,092 African Americans, served in the Union military during the conflict.
Artillery batteries formed in Ohio became known as batteries of Ohio Volunteer Artillery. They served for varying lengths of time, averaging one hundred days to three years. On March 10, 1862, the 8th Ohio Independent Battery of Ohio Volunteer Artillery organized at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, Ohio. Officials recruited the battery in Darke, Miami, and Montgomery Counties, Ohio. The battery was also known as Markgraf’s Battery, named after the organization’s commanding officer, Louis Markgraf. The men in the battery were to serve three years.
In late April 1863, the 8th embarked upon General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign. The battery fought in the Battles of Grand Gulf (April 29, 1863), Raymond (May 12, 1863), Champion Hill (May 16, 1863) and Big Black River Bridge (May 17, 1863) and also engaged the enemy in the Siege of Vicksburg, which ended in the Union's capture of this city on July 4, 1863.
Immediately upon Vicksburg’s capture, officials dispatched the 8th and other Union forces to Jackson, Mississippi to engage a Confederate army under the command of Joseph E. Johnston. Upon reaching Jackson, Northern soldiers immediately laid siege to the city. On the night of July 16, 1863, Johnston’s force evacuated Jackson, and the Union soldiers entered the city unopposed the following day. The 8th departed Jackson on July 21, 1863, reaching Vicksburg three days later. The battery stayed at Vicksburg until December 1863.
Text on the front plaque of the monument in the upper right part of the frame:
Eighth Battery
Capt. James F. Putnam;
2d Div.; 15th Corps.
From the NRHP nomination form:
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Structure Number: |
HS-482 |
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LCS ID: |
010035 |
Historical Significance:
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National Register Status:
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Entered - Documented
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National Register Date:
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12/09/1977
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National Historic Landmark?: |
No
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Significance Level:
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Contributing
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Short Significance Description:
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The monument contributes to the national significance of the park under NR Criteria A because it represents the national movement among veterans and related groups to commemorate and mark major Civil War battlefields.
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Short Physical Description
The 12' high rock-faced monument has a rectangular base, OHIO in raised letters on the pedestal, and a bas relief of a draped cannon, state seal & palm branch on the smooth-faced front of the shaft.
Material(s)
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Structural Component(s)
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Material(s)
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1.
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Substructure
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Concrete
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2.
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Superstructure
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Granite
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Construction Period:
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Historic
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Chronology:
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Physical Event
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Begin Year
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Begin Year AD/BC
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End Year
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End Year AD/BC
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Designer
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Designer Occupation
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1.
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Built
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1904
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AD
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My Sources
1. Ohio Civil War Central -
8th Ohio Volunteer Artillery
2. Wikipedia -
Siege of Vicksburg
3. The Civil War Home -
The Vicksburg Campaign - Union Order of Battle
4. National Register Application -
NRHP