The Ohio Army National Guard is a part of the Ohio National Guard and the Army National Guard of the United States Army. It is also a component of the organized militia of the state of Ohio, which also includes the Ohio Naval Militia, the Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Air National Guard. The Ohio Army National Guard consists of a variety of combat, combat support, and combat service support units. As of September 2010, its end strength exceeded 11,400 soldiers. Its headquarters is the Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. Many units conduct Annual Training at Camp Grayling, Michigan.
On May 4, 1970, Guard units opened fire onto a crowd of both Vietnam War protestors and simple bystanders on the campus of Kent State University. Four people were killed and nine others injured, an event known as the Kent State shootings. The President's Commission on Campus Unrest concluded that the Guard's actions were "unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable."
History
Founding militia The Ohio National Guard can be traced back to the initial settlement at Marietta, Ohio, in July 1788. Rooted in the English and early colonial tradition of citizen-soldiers providing local protection and law enforcement. These American Revolutionary War veterans and their families quickly organized into local militia units. The federal government passed the Militia Act of 1792, which required all able bodied men ages 18 to 45 to serve in their local militia units, and provide their own weapons and equipment. It further authorized the governor of each state to appoint an Adjutant General to enact the orders of the governor, and to supervise unit training and organization. Reflecting the Founding Fathers' distrust of a large standing army, it strictly limited the ability of the militia to serve outside of their state borders. And, it placed effective control with the governor rather than the federal government.
The occupation of the Ohio Territory by the United States was contested by the region's native inhabitants. A confederation of Indian tribes with British backing engaged in a campaign of raids and depredations upon the scattered settlements, resulting in full-scale war by the 1790s. The disastrous campaigns led by Generals Josiah Harmar and Arthur St. Clair only intensified Indian resistance to white migration, and threatened the existence of white Ohio settlements. The decisive victory of General "Mad" Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794), outside of present-day Toledo and the subsequent Treaty of Greenville (1795). And so removed the combined British-Indian military threat to Ohio settlers for the time being. While only limited numbers of Ohio militia played a part in these campaigns, the local militia units formed an important bulwark defending their local communities against potential attack.
War of 1812 After achieving statehood in 1803 Ohio continued the law creating a body of "state troops" and each significant village or county providing its own local unit. The military readiness of these local militia units varied greatly as did their uniform and armament. The monthly militia muster was supposed to train the members in close order drill and marksmanship, but in many cases was more of a social and political event. Moreover, each unit was responsible for electing its own officers with the victors often being the most popular or the one best able to furnish a ready supply of sour mash.
With the advent of war with Great Britain in 1812, there was renewed interest in beefing up the size and effectiveness of the militia. Ohio governor Josiah Meigs formed three regiments of Ohio militia in response to the proposed invasion to drive the British, and their Indian allies, from Canada (With a view towards annexing it to the United States). The first attempt ended with the surrender of Fort Detroit to the British by General William Hull in late 1812. Although not present in large numbers, Ohio militia were present and paroled shortly thereafter with the promise not to engage in any further hostilities. Ohio militia also played a role in the efforts of Gen. William Henry Harrison to re-capture Fort Detroit and decisively defeat the British at the Battle of the Thames.
Mexican–American War
After the end of the inconclusive War of 1812, the militia system in Ohio abandoned its regimental formations and reverted to multiple small units representing the various municipalities throughout the rapidly growing state. With the last Indians expelled from the state's borders and peaceful relations along the Canada–US border, there seemed little need for a fully armed and trained militia. With the brief exception of a border dispute with Michigan that caused the governor to issue a militia call up, meaningful local militia musters and drills again became more the exception than the rule. The Mexican–American War in 1848 saw a renewed interest in vitalizing the militia throughout the entire country. With the regular U.S. Army at a strength of just over 13,000, it became evident that any successful military campaign against Mexico was going to require extensive militia involvement. Ohio played a significant role, raising several regiments of infantry and artillery batteries from existing militia units and volunteers. The 1st Ohio Volunteers were part of the army under Gen. Zachary Taylor and took part in the battlefield victories of Monterrey and Buena Vista.
The American Civil War
It was during the great Civil War however, that the Ohio National Guard can directly trace its start. Ohio played a critical part in the Union war effort and was one of the leading contributors of manpower (including a crop of gifted generals to include Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, McPherson, Griffin,). As most of the existing militia units were incorporated into federalized volunteer regiments, local defense and order fell to units of those exempted from federal service. Youths, middle aged men and a sprinkling of veterans who had completed their active duty enlistments stayed behind in Ohio. Numerous battalions were organized statewide that were for the first time titled "National Guard.". During the war the Ohio National Guard served in a variety of roles, providing not only guards at the Camp Chase and Johnson Island POW camps, but serving in a number of combat situations. During the September 1862 Confederate incursion into southeast Ohio and Morgan's Raid in July 1863, Ohio guardsmen were actively involved. While subjected to ridicule as a result of the lackluster performance of some poorly trained and armed local units, the Ohio National Guard in actuality played a key role in the ultimate defeat of Gen. Morgan (and his vaunted force of Confederate cavalry). Instrumental in defending the approaches to Pomeroy and its river fords, Ohio Guardsmen were also responsible for blocking Morgan's escape route at Buffington Island.Pursuing Union forces eventually caught up and administered a stinging defeat to Morgan on July 19, 1863 – the last battle fought on Ohio soil.
Over 35,000 Ohio Guardsmen were federalized and organized into regiments for 100 days service in May 1864. Shipped to the Eastern Theater, they were designed to be placed into "safe" rear area duty to protect the railroads and supply points. As events transpired, many units found themselves in the thick of combat, stationed in the path of Confederate Gen. Jubal Early's veteran Army of the Valley during its Raid on Washington. These Guard units participated in the battles of Monacacy, Fort Stevens, Maryland Heights, and in the siege of Petersburg. Ohio Guard units helped to blunt the Confederate offensive, thereby saving The District of Columbia from confederate capture. Significant casualties were incurred on all sides, but the Ohio Guardsmen were defiantly a significant part of the battle.
Mexican Border Crisis
With the end of the Civil War, the Ohio National Guard was rapidly demobilized and its extensive inventory placed into mothballs maintained by a few non-commissioned officers. From a war-time strength in excess of 50,000, by 1870 the Ohio National Guard had been allowed to dwindle to fewer than 500 officers and enlisted men. Yet Ohio officials soon rediscovered that the Ohio Guard was an essential asset in situations other than war. Like the rest of the nation, labor unrest started to spread in the latter part of the century resulting in violent strikes and crippling shutdowns, especially in the railroad industry. Ohio governors repeatedly called upon Ohio Guardsmen to keep the peace. In numerous situations the Guard's intervention resulted in the immediate restoration of peace and order and succeeded in keeping violence and property damage to a minimum. Having demonstrated its value beyond the battlefield, the Ohio Guard was boosted in numbers and funding to a meaningful level.
The breakout of hostilities with Spain over Cuba in 1898 also led to an increase in the size and improved equipment and training for the Ohio National Guard. Several regiments of infantry and artillery were formed and shipped to Tampa, Florida for training and eventual transport to the front lines in Cuba. Due to the rapid American success, the war ended prior to any of these units actually being deployed in a combat situation. The Spanish–American War thrust the United States into the role of a world power and both military and civilian leaders recognized that it was necessary to maintain a uniformly trained and armed military force. This reflected the slow evolution of the Ohio militia into a National Guard which in addition to being a state force for quelling civil disturbances, was assuming a key role in the national defense.
Leading the effort to accomplish this was Major General Charles Dick of the Ohio National Guard. After serving in the Spanish–American War, he was later elected to the U.S. Senate, where he was instrumental in passing the Dick Act of 1903. This benchmark legislation repealed the antiquated militia laws and effectively converted the various volunteer militias into the National Guard as we know it today. Under the Dick Act Guard units received increased federal funding and equipment. In return each state National Guard was required to conform to federal standards for training and organization. Rather than the periodic muster, each unit was expected to muster for a set number of monthly drills and an extended summer camp. Also, for the first time state Adjutant Generals had a formal relationship with the War Department. These common sense reforms were to pay their first dividends in 1916 when Ohio National Guard units were mobilized to serve as part of Gen. John Pershing's punitive expedition against Pancho Villa along the Mexican Border. Although the expedition failed to capture or dispatch the notorious Villa and his army of bandits, valuable lessons were learned in combined operations and mobile warfare. The relatively speedy and seamless mobilization and deployment to the desert regions of the southwest also served as a confidence builder for the units and their active duty counterparts. The errors and problems of the 1916 mobilization also proved to be excellent teaching tools that were to pay dividends when the entire Ohio Guard was to be mobilized by President Woodrow Wilson a scant 10 months later in April 1917
World War I