41st Ohio Infantry Regiment

The regiment served in the Western Theatre for the entire war, under such well-known generals as Grant and Sherman.

The Medal of Honor was newly established at the start of the Civil War, and over 1,500 Federal troops were awarded it during the conflict.

Much of the success of the 41st Ohio Infantry Regiment was due to the abilities of its initial commander, William Babcock Hazen.

Hazen had grown up in northeastern Ohio near Hiram, and returned to that area in fall of 1861 to raise a volunteer regiment.

He chose to attack Grant's formations on the western bank, near Pittsburg Landing and a small chapel called Shiloh Church.

Of these three regiments, the 41st Ohio Infantry was the smallest, having been reduced to 371 active duty men through sickness and incapacitation during their months of training and marching.

Above Hazen in the chain of command was Brigadier General William "Bull" Nelson, in charge of the 4th Division, in the vanguard of the advance toward the action at Pittsburg Landing.

For most of April 6, the division was stopped eight miles away from the river crossing to Pittsburg Landing, waiting for promised local guides who could help them find their way through the swampy ground in front of them.

In the afternoon of April 6, a local pro-Union resident was found to guide the division forward, and the advance finally started.

Across the river chaos ensued, with roughly 10,000 to 15,000 disorganized Union troops milling about seeking a way to escape the Confederate attack that was in the process of smashing the Federal lines on the west bank.

Despite his best efforts, however, by the time Johnson and his Confederates launched their final attacks around 6 p.m., only about 500 men of the division had made it across.

They advanced cautiously through the underbrush to the edge of Cloud Field, near a set of ancient Indian mounds.

Upon reaching the enemy guns, the Confederate forces counterattacked with infantry and drove the 19th Brigade back across the fields.

The Fifth Artillery placed their guns in a favorable, though exposed position, and began an accurate fire into the enemy's flanks.

Several men, who had crawled through the enemy's outer defenses, found themselves trapped in a no-man's land between the abatis and the trenches.

Citation: With several companions dashed forward, the first to enter the enemy's works, taking possession of 4 pieces of artillery and captured the flag of the 13th Mississippi Infantry (C.S.A.).