Leet, Rodney D.

Civil War Veteran

Birth: August 23, 1838, Trumbull County, Ohio
Death: July 23, 1888, Conneautville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Burial: Conneautville Cemetery, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
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Military Service: Private, promoted to Corporal, 2nd Regiment, Company D, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry

Rodney D. Leet, born in Connecticut, entered the Civil War (1861-1865) as a 22-year-old Private on August 17, 1861, and was mustered out as a full Corporal on September 16, 1864. His cousin James Warren Leet of Vienna served as a musician in the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

The 2nd Ohio Volunteer Cavalry was recruited by Vienna-born John Hutchins, then United States Representative, and Senator Benjamin F. Wade of Cleveland. The 2nd fought at the bloody Battle of the Wilderness (in which Leet participated) and at the last battle of the war at Appomattox Court House.

Leet returned to Vienna, where he served as the enumerator in the Federal Census of 1880. He moved to Conneautville, Pennsylvania, sometime after 1880.

Regimental History, 2nd Ohio Volunteer Cavalry

Overview: Organized at Cleveland and Camp Dennison, Ohio, August to October, 1861. Duty at Camp Dennison, Ohio, November 1, 1861, to January 27, 1862. Scout duty on the Missouri Border January 27-February 18, 1862. Attached to Doubleday's Brigade, Dept. of Missouri, February to June, 1862. Fort Scott, Kan., to August, 1862. Solomon's Brigade, Dept. of Kansas, to October, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Frontier, to December, 1862. Columbus, Ohio, to April, 1863. Kautz's 1st Cavalry Brigade, District of Central Kentucky, Dept. Ohio, to June, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 23rd Army Corps, Army Ohio, to August, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps, to November, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division Cavalry, 23rd Army Corps, to February, 1864. Columbus, Ohio, to April, 1864. Cavalry, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May 24, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, and Middle Military Division, to May, 1865. Dept. of Missouri to October,  1865.

Service: Expedition to Fort Scott, Kan.,February 18-March 2, 1862. Action at Independence, Mo., February 22. Expedition to Diamond Grove, Kan., April 15-May 7. Action at Horse Creek May 7. Expedition into Indian Territory May 25-July 8. Action at Grand River June 6. Capture of Fort Gibson July 18. Bayou Bernard July 27. Montevallo August 5. Lone Jack, Mo., August 11. Blount's Campaign in Missouri and Arkansas September 17-December 3. Expedition to Sarcoxie September 28-30. Newtonia September 30. Occupation of Newtonia October 4. Skirmishes at Carthage, Cow Hill, Cow Skin Prairie, Wolf Creek, Maysville and White River. Ordered to Columbus, Ohio, December, 1862, and duty there till March, 1863. Moved to Somerset, Ky., and duty there till June 27. Mt. Sterling, Ky., March 19 (3rd Battallon). Owensville March 31. Expedition to Monticello and operations in Southeastern Kentucky April 26-May 12. Action at Monticello May 1. Near Mill Springs May 29. Monticello, Rocky Gap and Steubenville June 9. Sanders' Raid in East Tennessee June 14-24 (3rd Battalion). Knoxville June 19-20. Strawberry Plains and Rogers' Gap June 20. Powder Springs Gap June 21. Pursuit of Morgan July 1-25. Columbia, Ky., July 3. Buffington Island, Ohio, July 18-19. Operations in Eastern Kentucky against Scott July 25-August 6. Near Rogersville July 27. Richmond July 28. Lancaster and Paint Lick Bridge July 31. Lancaster August 1. Burnside's Campaign in East Tennessee August 16-October 17. Winter's Gap August 31. Expedition to Cumberland Gap September 4-7. Operations about Cumberland Gap September 7-10. Capture of Cumberland Gap September 9. Greenville September 11. Carter's Depot September 22. Zollicoffer September 24. Jonesboro September 28. Greenville October 2. Blue Springs October 5 and 10. Sweetwater October 10-11. Knoxville Campaign November 4-December 23. Lenoir Station November 14-15. Stock Creek November 15. Siege of Knoxville November 17-December 5. Morristown and Long's Ford December 10. Cheek's Cross Roads December 12. Russellville December 12-13. Bean's Station December 14. Blair's Cross Roads December 16-19. Rutledge December 16. Stone's Mill December 19. Dandridge December 24. Mossy Creek Station December 26. Regiment re-enlisted January 1, 1864. On Veteran furlough till March. Ordered to Annapolis, Md., March 20. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James May 4-June 15. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Piney Branch Ford May 8; Spottsylvania May 8-21; Piney Branch Ford May 15; U. S. Ford May 21 (Detachment); North Anna River May 23-26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Mechump's Creek and Hanover Court House May 31. Ashland June 1. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Gaines' Mill, Salem Church, Haw's Shop and Totopotomoy June 2. Haw's Shop June 3-5. Long Bridge and White House Landing June 12. Smith's Store, near Samaria Church, June 15. Wilson's Raid on Southside & Danville Railroad June 22-30. Black and White Station June 23. Staunton River Bridge, or Roanoke Station, June 25. Sappony Church, or Stony Creek, June 28-29. Ream's Station June 29. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Winchester August 17. Summit Point August 21. Charlestown August 21-22. Smithfield and Kearneysville August 25. White Post September 3. Abram's Creek, near Winchester, September 13. Battle of Opequan, Winchester, September 19. Near Cedarville September 20. Front Royal Pike September 21. Milford and Fisher's Hill September 22. Waynesboro September 29. Bridgewater October 4. Near Columbia Furnace October 7. Tom's Brook October 8-9. Cedar Creek October 13. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. New Market November 6. Kearneysville November 10. Newtown and Cedar Creek November 12. Raid to Rude's Hill, near Mt. Jackson, November 22. Raid to Lacey's Springs December 19-22. Lacey's Springs December 21. Expedition from Winchester to Moorefield, Va., February 4-6, 1865. Sheridan's Raid from Winchester to Petersburg February 27 March 25. Occupation of Staunton March 2. Waynesboro March 2. Occupation of Charlottesville March 3. Ashland March 15. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Dinwiddie Court House March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Namozine Church April 3. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Station April 8. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Expedition to Danville April 23-29. March to Washington, D. C., May. Grand Review May 23. Ordered to St. Louis, Mo., May 27. Duty in Dept. of Missouri till October. Mustered out October 12, 1865. 

Regiment lost during service 7 Officers and 76 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 5 Officers and 179 Enlisted men by disease. Total 267.