21st Ohio Volunteers

“Their hearts beat with quickened pulse as they did in the days of forty years ago.  The boys of the Twenty-first are boys again.  For the twenty-sixth time since they left the war, they are again reunited.  Half of the gallant fighting regiment are but fond memories that linger ever in loving hearts.  Half are old men.  But until time shall sweep away the last one of them, they are still and forever, the survivors of one of the finest fighting regiments that ever an American flag waved over.”

-  The Morning Republican (Findlay, OH), September 20, 1902

The survivors of the original regiment formed the 21^st Ohio Reunion Association after the war and met annually around the anniversary of Chickamauga – September 19 and 20.  The reunon association was disbanded shortly before the last veteran passed away.

The reenactors of the 21^st Ohio have had the great pleasure of meeting many descendants of the original regiment while researching the history of the 21^st.  The idea was conceived in 2006 to organize a gathering of these descendants so that they could meet each other and reignite that reunion spirit that invigorated so many of the veterans for years after the way.

The first descendants’ reunion was held in June 2007 at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Kennesaw, Georgia.  Nearly 30 descendants and 100 people total gathered to spend the weekend honoring the regiment.  Whispers of a second reunion began to circulate even before the first one ended. The second descendants’ reunion occurred in July 2009 in the regiment’s hometown of Findlay, Ohio. This time 60 descendants and 150 people total gathered for another exciting weekend of activities.

Plans are now under way for the third descendants’ reunion.  It is scheduled for October 2011 and will be hosted by Stones River National Battlefield Park.  Information will be posted on this website as it becomes available.

Are you a descendant of the 21^st Ohio Volunteer Infantry?  E-mail Joshua Haugh or Brad Quinlin – we’d enjoy having you join us in Tennessee in 2011.