The Eleventh Ohio Archive

Recruited in the summer of 1861 for three years of service, the soldiers of the 11^th Ohio Infantry spent much of the first two years of the Civil War marching through, occupying, or fighting over western (now West) Virginia. Throughout the winter of 1861-1862, the regiment quartered in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. By all accounts, the 11^th Ohio enjoyed their stay in the prosperous little town. With the monotony of camp life offering little in the way of entertainment, several enterprising soldiers availed themselves of an abandoned local printing press and established a regimental newspaper: the Eleventh Ohio.

The Eleventh's editors and printers were a trio of soldiers: Corporal Charles Wright and Privates Hiram Howard and Henry Lambright. Their paper reflected the experiences of Union soldiers wintering in an occupied, but friendly, town. Articles shared the news of soldiers' deaths and marriages, local political sentiments, and the regimental church. Access to a telegraph and correspondents beyond Point Pleasant allowed readers to stay abreast of military affairs beyond their immediate vicinity, and news poured in from across West Virginia and Tennessee. Poetry provided a degree of entertainment. Though the paper published several issues, only one remains extant.

As spring arrived, the regiment split up and the newspaper changed hands. In mid-April, the majority of the 11^th Ohio departed Point Pleasant, leaving behind only Company F to guard government supplies. The 11^th Ohio Infantry boasted an illustrious, if bloody, tenure during the remainder of the war. A testament to its service was the bravery of Private Hiram Howard, former editor the Eleventh Ohio, who captured the flag of the 18^th Alabama Infantry in hand-to-hand combat atop Missionary Ridge in November, 1863. His act of bravery earned him the Medal of Honor.

Although the Eleventh Ohio ceased publication when the bulk of the regiment left town, Private Elijah H. Ever of Company F resumed publication of the newspaper, devoting it specifically to the interests of his company and apparently renaming the paper the Piqua Invincible, a reference to the company's nickname and hometown. No known copies of the Invincible exist.