Robert Reily
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2014) |
Robert Reily | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1820 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Allegiance |  United States of America
|
| Service/ |  United States Army
|
| Rank | 75th Ohio Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Robert Reily (c. 1820 – May 2, 1863) was a
75th Ohio Infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action at the Battle of Chancellorsville.[1]
Biography
The son of Revolutionary War veteran and Ohio civil servant John Reily and his wife Nancy (née Hunter), Robert was born in Hamilton County, Ohio.
Reily was the founder of the village of
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his corps
on a 12-mile march around the Union lines with the hope of catching XI Corps by surprise.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, Colonel Reily had heard reports of a Confederate movement in his direction. Unlike many top commanders, such as the XI Corps commander Major General
Oliver O. Howard, Reily did not dismiss them. He prepared the 75th Ohio for an attack he knew was coming. He had his men lie down, rest by their weapons and wait for the attack. Within a half hour, Jackson's 12,000 Confederate soldiers rushed out of the thick underbrush. Most of the XI Corp was taken by surprise and broke for the rear without firing a shot. As other men of the XI Corp ran by in a panic, the 75th Ohio stood and fired back at the Confederates. They kept up the fire for ten minutes until the Confederates had overwhelmed their lines, forcing them to retreat. In those ten minutes, Colonel Reily was killed and 150 other men of the 75th Ohio were killed or wounded.[1]
Reily was buried in
Cincinnati, Ohio
, in Section 46, Lot 39.
References
- ^ a b Woodhead 1985, p. 131.
- ISBN 978-0-7385-4003-0.
Sources
- Woodhead, Henry (1985). The Civil War. Time-Life Books Inc. ISBN 0-8094-4748-7.