Sculpted by Gary Casteel
 
1863 Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Monument Replicas
 
The 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Taylor and was initially mustered into service for 3 months on May 2, 1861.  Its nine companies were composed of men from northern Ohio, with Co. B representing the Hibernian Guards.  During the Battle of Gettysburg, Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Sawyer commanded the 8th Ohio, bringing 209 men to the field.
 
At 4:00 p.m. on July 2nd, as the battle raged back and forth to the south, "I received an order... to move my regiment...to the front of our position...and to hold my line to the last man, " noted Lt. Col. Sawyer.  The 8th Ohio was to clear out Confederate skirmishers lodged on the Emmitsburg Road, which it did—charging across the road, driving out the skirmishers, and establishing their own skirmish line about 250 yards west of the Emmitsburg Road.  For approximately 24 hours, without support or relief, the regiment was constantly engaged in "murderous" skirmishing, losing 40 men.
 
During the great bombardment of July 3rd, the "missiles of both armies passed over" the regiment for nearly two hours.  One soldier wrote, "Nothing more terrific... can be imagined.... The roar of guns...the shriek of exploding shell...the groans of dying men...created a scene of absolute horror."  Shortly after the bombardment ended, Longstreet’s Assault, better known as Pickett's Charge, began as 12,000 to 13,000 Confederate soldiers stepped off from Seminary Ridge and "moved grandly ... forward." One Ohioan wrote, "Our little...regiment lay...in its track... Every man... was there, musket in hand...there was now no way of retreat - we must take our chances where we stood..."
 
Despite their "forlorn position," the 8th Ohio stood and delivered a "well-directed" volley at 100 yards.  The Confederates in front broke, allowing the regiment to wheel to the left and fire into the flank of the Confederate line.  The 8th Ohio struck the exposed flank of Col. John M. Brockenbrough’s Virginia Brigade as it went by, sending them to the rear in disorder.  The 8th Ohio then continued to disrupt the northern flank of Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew’s and Maj. Gen. Issac R. Trimble’ men until the charge collapsed. 
 
Lt. Col. Sawyer reported the capture of approximately 200 prisoners and 3 Confederate flags including the banners of the 34th North Carolina and the 38th Virginia. Two members of the regiment — Corporal John G. Miller and Private James Richmond — later received the Medal of Honor for capturing these flags. In his report written just two days after the battle, Sawyer recorded 101 men killed, wounded or missing from the 8th Ohio, nearly half of the regiment. The Ohioans buried their dead, marking the graves and surrounded them with a rail fence. 
 
The monument was dedicated on September 14, 1887 and is located south of Gettysburg at the intersection of Steinwehr Avenue (Business U.S. 15) and Long Lane.