9th Ohio Infantry Regiment
The 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that was a part of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The members of the regiment were primarily of German descent and the unit was the first almost all-German unit to enter the Union Army.
Organization
Between 1836 and 1860, four German militia units had been formed in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1861, in response to a call to arms by President Abraham Lincoln and subsequently by Ohio Governor William Dennison, these units swelled with hundreds of volunteers. Gustav Bergmann, a Cincinnati public school teacher, was the first volunteer to join the unit. The city of Cincinnati gave $250,000.00 for the organization of this unit. Nearly 1,500 men, mostly of German descent, volunteered for the 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment in the first three days. Col. Robert L. McCook, a local lawyer, trained and drilled the new soldiers at Camp Harrison and Camp Dennison, both near the city.The initial field officers on April 23, 1861, were:
- Colonel Robert L. McCook
- Lieutenant Colonel Karl Sonderson
- Major Frank Mattice
- Surgeon Karl Krause
- Asst. Surgeon Rudolph Wirth
- Adjutant August Willich