A Historic Sketch, Lest We Forget Company "E," 26th Ohio Infantry in the War for the Union, 1861-65

In the spring of 1861 a group of volunteers from Mt. Gilead, Ohio, answered the President’s call for three‑year troops, forming a tight‑knit company that marched through town amid cheering families. Under the guidance of West Point‑trained Colonel E. P. Fyffe they learned drill and discipline at Camp Chase, while the community supplied woolen underwear and hopeful support. Their first uniforms—gray pants and round‑about caps—caused confusion on the battlefield, prompting a brief stint in inside duty until proper blue cloth arrived. By August they were on the front at Gawley Bridge, ready to prove the resolve of their Ohio home.

The company’s early service carried them through a series of Virginia skirmishes, including encounters at Boon Court House, Sewal Mountain and Horseshoe Bend, where a shell wound Corporal John McCausland. After wintering in the state, they moved to Kentucky and then joined General Buell’s army, marching toward Nashville and the Tennessee River. Along this route they faced logistical hardships, carrying their own rations and enduring a brief separation from their wagons, yet they emerged with only a handful of casualties, setting the tone for a regiment noted for its cohesion and steadfastness.