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HISTORY OF THE 74TH REGIMENT INDIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
A THREE YEARS' ORGANIZATION
PEDDYCORD
PUBLIC LIBRARY WAYNE & ALL ~~ CO., IND.
M. L.
REFERENCE
HDIANA CO
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02309 4250
Gc 973.74 IN2FED PEDDYCORD, WILL F. HISTORY OF THE SEVENTY- FOURTH REGIMENT INDIANA
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012
http://archive.org/details/historyofseventy00pedd
INDIANA COLLECTION
Erected by the State of Indiana in honor of the 74th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry on Chickamauga Battlefield.
COL. CHAS. W. CHAPMAN Resigned Nov. 26, 1863. Cause, disability. Died at Warsaw, Ind.
Battenti
COL. MYRON BAKER
Killed in action Aug. 5, 1864, as Lieutenant Colonel, at Utoy Creek.
COL. THOMAS MORGAN In His 93rd Year. Dixon, Ill.
Allen County P: bnc Library 900 Wobbler Street PO Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270
CAPT. ORVILLE T. CHAMBERLAIN Company G. Elkhart, Ind.
(From "WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA", Volume 13, Page 684-1924-25 edition.)
CHAMBERLAIN, Orville Tryon, soldier, lawyer; b. Leesburg, Kosciusko Co., Ind., Sept. 1, 1841; s. Joseph Wright (M. D.) and Caroline (Tryon) C .; U. of Notre Dame, Ind., 1860-2 (hon. A. B., 1868); m. Helen M. Mead, of Elkhart, Ind., Sept. 1, 1869 (died May 31, 1911). Enlisted as pvt. Co. G, 74th Ind. Vol. Inf., Aug. 6, 1862; hon. discharged as capt., June 9, 1865; awarded Congressional Medal of Honor "for most distinguished gallantry" in Battle of Chicamauga, Sept. 20, 1863. Admitted to Ind. bar, 1866, and practiced at Elkhart until 1901; was town atty. Elkhart, and its first city atty .; served as dist. atty., 34th Jud. Dist. Elected comdr. Army and Navy Medal of Honor Legion of U. S. A., 1916, reelected 1917; div. comdr. 10th Dist. of Ind., G. A. R., under original orgn .; comdr. Elmer Post No. 37, Elkhart, 3 Terms; was judge advocate, G. A. R., Dept. of Ind .; mem. Loyal Legion. Republican. Author of act of Congress, approved Apr. 27, 1916, granting spl. pensions to soldiers and sailors of the Union Army and Navy who were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor "for conspicuous gallantry, at risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty." Home: 417 W. Franklin St., Elkhart, Ind.
CAPT. S. J. NORTH Company F. Milford, Ind.
CAPT. LAWRENCE GATES Company H. Angola, Ind.
CAPT. JOHN N. RUNYAN At Age of 16. Company A. Warsaw, Ind.
CAPT. W. B. JACOBS Company F. Promoted to Major.
Met a tragic death in Chicago, Ill., July 16, 1913, being crushed between two street cars on Madison street. Aged 74 years.
LIEUT. E. L. BARLOW Company I. Goshen, Ind.
LIEUT. CHAS. E. THOMPSON Company I. Died December 14, 1912.
WM. KINERK Company C. Fort Wayne, Ind. Pres. 74th Regimental Association, 1913.
WILL F. PEDDYCORD Company A. South Haven, Mich. Secretary 74th Regimental Association, 1913
HENRY G. POTTER Company A. Washington, D. C.
SYLVESTER C. LINDLEY Company A. Reed City, Mich.
DR. HENRY R. RICE Company B. Los Angeles, Cal.
G. L. WALKER Company B. Kansas City, Kansas
JOHN H. BROWN Company C. Died October 18, 1911. Monroeville, Ind.
JAMES STONEBRAKE Company D. Corunna, Ind.
ROBERT HARVEY
Company D. Lincoln, Neb.
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OSCAR HINKLEY At age 13, 14 and 15. Company D. Kendallville, Ind.
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REUBEN LUTES Company G. Goshen, Ind.
DR. J. S. SMITH Company K. Warsaw, Ind.
History 1
OF THE
Seventy-Fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry
A Three Years' Organization
By
WILL F. PEDDYCORD
Secretary of the Regimental Association
IC
977.2 P 34 1913
Published By THE SMITH PRINTERY Warsaw, Indiana
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COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION
The following comrades, one from each company were ap- pointed by the regiment to assist in collecting data for pub- lication of the history :
A-B. W. Carr B-W. W. Allen C-William Kinerk D-Serg. F. G. Freid E-Isaiah Hess F-Capt. S. J. North G-Corp. Josiah Replogle H-Capt. Lawrence Gates I-Lieut. Chas. E. Thompson K-J. S. Smith
DEDICATION
To the officers and members of the Seventy-Fourth Regi- ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, surviving or dead, whose patriotism was unexcelled and whose bravery on the field of battle, and endurance without complaint of the hardships of a soldier's life was unsurpassed, this volume is affectionately dedicated.
150494
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HISTORY OF THE 74TH
PREFACE
Herewith I present to you a history of our regiment. No pains or expense I was able to assume has been spared in its preparation. No claim whatever is made to its perfection, for fifty years is a long way back and very few of us kept any account of the movement of the regiment or incidents or anec- dotes which would be very interesting now, and those that have been kept are not obtainable or are so faded that they cannot be read; so this very interesting feature of the history will be a complete failure owing to the aforesaid reasons and the failure of comrades to respond thereto.
The muster roll is as correct as to the muster and dis- charge as is possible with the information obtainable at this time.
Of the 1172 men all are accounted for but 127 whose where- abouts or fate is unknown.
The record of the wounded is as near correct as we could make it.
I am indebted to Captain Orville T. Chamberlain of Com- pany G for a copy of the name, rank and history as given by the reports of each member of the regiment. I am indebted to Captain Lawrence Gates of Company H for an interesting ac- count of the capture of two rebel officers by his Company and also the peculiar meeting of two brothers.
I am also indebted to Nelson J. Letts of Company H for a thrilling account of the battle of Missionary Ridge.
I am also indebted to Mrs. Carrie Childs Deardorff for two poems written for the regiment.
I am also indebted to Robert Harvey of Company D for the memoirs of the late Colonel Myron Baker which he was able to secure through the kindness of the Colonel's sister.
I am also indebted to Captain J. A. Brown of Chicago for a poem. "To the Flag."
I am also indebted to Lieut. John N. Runyan for some sketches of army life that will be interesting to the comrades and their friends.
I am also indebted to B. W. Carr of Company A for an interesting account of Sherman's March to the Sea.
I am also indebted to Captain Orville T. Chamberlain for
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REGIMENT INDIANA VOL. INF.
his report to the Chairman, Chickamauga Park Commission ; on the part of the 74th Indiana took in the battle of Chicka- mauga, not given in history.
I am also indebted to the Committee for the assistance they rendered in locating some of the lost ones.
With these explanations, I am,
Your Comrade,
WILL F. PEDDYCORD.
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HISTORY OF THE 74TH
GENERAL HISTORY
The Seventy-fourth Regiment Indiana Infantry was raised in the Tenth District and was partially organized at Fort Wayne. Eight companies having joined for the organization, they were mustered into service at Indianapolis on August 21, 1862, and were at once sent to Louisville, Ky., under the com- mand of Col. Charles W. Chapman. The regiment was then sent to Bowling Green, where it remained a few days, and then returned to Louisville. On October 1, 1862, it marched out of Louisville with the Second Brigade, First Division of the Army of the Ohio in pursuit of Bragg, and participated in all of the campaign of Buell against Bragg through Kentucky. It reached Gallatin, Tenn., with Rosecrans' Army on November 10th, and afterwards moved to Castilian Springs, Tenn., where, on Dec- ember 4, 1862, they were joined by Companies C and K, left at Indianapolis, on August 27, went to Louisville, and from thence started for Bowling Green to join the regiment, but were stop- ped at Mumfordsville, to assist in the defense of the place, and after a gallant defense were captured by Bragg. They were paroled and afterward exchanged, joined the regiment at Cas- talian Springs December 4, 1862, making the regimental or- ganization complete. On December 7, 1862, the regiment aided in driving Morgan's Raiders across the Cumberland river at Hartsville, and on December 25th marched northward from Gallatin with its brigade in pursuit of Morgan's command, which was overtaken on December 30, 1862, and was driven across Rolling Fork of Salt river. Upon the organization of the Army of the Cumberland the regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, and on January 13, 1863, it moved from Gallatin to Nashville, and from thence to Lavergne, thence to Triune, where it re- mained until ordered to join Rosecrans' army in the campaign through Middle Tennessee. It took part in the attack on Tul- lahoma, and entered that place on July 6th, after having been engaged with the enemy at Hoover's Gap on June 26th. On August 11th, the regiment moved from Tullahoma, entering upon the Chattanooga-Chickamauga campaign, and on the 1st of September it crossed the Tennessee river and on the 12th of that month was engaged with the enemy at Dug Gap, Ga. The Seventy-fourth and Tenth Indiana were the two first regi- ments engaged in the battle of Chickamauga near Jay's Mill on the morning of September 19, 1863, and took an active part in the battle of that day and the day following.
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REGIMENT INDIANA VOL. INF.
On the 22nd of September the Seventy-fourth Indiana reached Chattanooga and was engaged in skirmishing with the enemy in front of that city until Rosecrans had established his lines about the city. It was in the charge at Missionary Ridge on November 25th, and joined in the pursuit of Bragg's army so far as Ringgold, Ga., returning to Chattanooga on the 27th of November. Upon the re-organization of the Army of the Cumberland under General Thomas the regiment was attached to the Third Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. It participated in the battles of Buzzard Roost, Ringgold, Dal- las, Kenesaw, Lost Mountain, Chattahoochie River, Peach Tree Creek, and in the engagements around Atlanta. It aided in carrying the enemy's works at Jonesboro, Ga., capturing four pieces of artillery and 700 men. The regiment was with its corps in pursuit of Hood northward from Atlanta from the 3rd to the 24th of November. 1864. It marched with the Fourteenth Army Corps in Sherman's campaign through Georgia, from At- lanta to Millidgeville, from Millidgeville to Savannah, reaching that place on December 22, 1864. On the march to Savannah it was engaged in a fight with Wheeler's Cavalry at Rocky Creek Church, on December 2, 1864.
It marched through the Carolinas, taking part in the bat- tles of Goldsboro and Raleigh. After the surrender of John- ston it marched with its command to Washington, where it took part in the final review, after which, on June 9, 1865, it was mustered out of the United States service in that city.
SEVENTY-FOURTH INDIANA AT CHICKAMAUGA
The Fourteenth Army Corps, commanded by Gen. George H. Thomas, on Friday night, September 18th, 1863, marched from the vicinity of Pond Spring to Crawfish Springs. On arriving at Crawfish Springs, General Thomas received orders from General Rosecrans to march to the cross-roads leading by the Widow Glenn's to the Chattanooga and Lafayette road, and take position near Kelly's farm, and connect his right with Crittenden's Corps. General Thomas, with the head of his column, reached the Kelly field about daylight on Saturday morning, September 19th. Soon after this General Thomas was informed that a brigade of Confederates had crossed Chicka- amauga Creek ; that the bridge over which they had crossed had been destroyed, and so it was separated from the main body of the Confederate army, and that it could be cut off and captured. General Thomas at once ordered General Brannan to post a brigade within supporting distance of General Baird's Division that had gone into position on the road leading to Alexander's
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HISTORY OF THE 74TH
Bridge, and that he, with the other two brigades, should recon- noiter the road leading to Reed's Bridge, to see if he could lo- cate the Confederate brigade reported as being so separated from the Confederate army, and, "if a favorable opportunity occurred, to capture it." Immediately on receipt of this order the troops of General Brannan were placed in position, and the movement began, while the brigade of General Croxton took the advance in the search for the lost Confederate brigade. The enemy was soon found, but his capture was not an easy task. Instead of one brigade of Confederates, they met, as will be seen, the advance of Bragg's entire army. Up to this time there had been no firing that morning on either side, but when Croxton's Brigade of Brannan's division came onto the "lost Confederate brigade" at Jay's Mill, the battle of Saturday, September 19th, at Chickamauga was opened in deadly earnest, and with this brigade was the Seventy-fourth and Tenth In- diana Regiments. Lieut .- Col. Myron Baker was in command of the Seventy-fourth after Colonel Chapman took command of the brigade, and reports the opening of the battle of Chicka- mauga and the part borne by his regiment. He says :
"The line of battle formed in the woods, facing nearly east. The Seventy-fourth held the right of the first line, the Tenth Indiana being on its immediate left. At about 10 a. m. the line was advanced, changing direction slightly to the right. When the line had advanced about half a mile in the direction indicated, the skirmishers thrown forward in our front became engaged, and in a short time were driven in by the Confederate Cavalry, which in return was repulsed by a volley from the Fourth Kentucky. Tenth Indiana and Seventy-fourth Indiana. The skirmishers again being thrown forward, the men were or- dered to lie down to screen themselves from shells which were being thrown into the line by a rebel battery. In a few min- utes after the attack by the rebel cavalry in front, it was dis- covered that the enemy was attempting to turn our right, and the lines were immediately changed, fronting in that direction and almost at right angles with the original line of battle The Seventy-fourth Indiana executed the movement under a sharp fire from the rebels, the skirmishers in front having changed direction parallel with the line, were soon driven back, and the whole line became engaged with the line of the enemy. In a short time it became apparent that the right wing of the Sev- enty-fourth Indiana was thrown too far forward, being exposed in its new position to a terrible fire on the right flank, and in consequence of which Colonel Chapman ordered that the flank be thrown further back. Up to this time, although exposed to
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REGIMENT INDIANA VOL. INF.
a severe fire, under which the loss in killed and wounded had been considerable, the regiment held its position unwaveringly and returned the enemy's fire with commendable coolness and alacrity. When the order to retire the right flank was given, it was misunderstood for a command to retire the whole line, and the regiment was momentarily thrown into confusion, but immediately rallied and took position on the right of the Tenth Kentucky, where it fought unflinchingly until sixty rounds of cartridges had been expended, when it was relieved and went to the rear for ammunition. Being replenished with sixty additional rounds of cartridges, the regiment was moved along the Ringgold road about 500 yards, where it was formed in line of battle, the Fourteenth Ohio on the right, the Fourth Ken- tucky in the center and the Seventy-fourth Indiana on the left, the command of the three regiments being assigned to Colonel Chapman, devolving the command of this regiment on me. This line was advanced about 2 p. m., steadily driving the enemy before it for over half a mile, when our advance was checked by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, who concentrated a destructive artillery and infantry fire upon our single line, which was at the time wholly unsupported. Up to this time no artillery had been employed to assist us, owing to the nature of the ground and the density of the woods through which the battle raged. It was in this contest that Lieut. Thomas Bodley fell mortally wounded as Lieut. Richard H. Hall had fallen in the first encounter. Both of these officers died the same day, having discharged their duties faithfully and well. It was here that eight others of the line of officers of the regiment were wounded, and the loss of enlisted men was very heavy. It was at this time that Colonel Chapman was seriously injured and disabled for command by the fall of his horse, which had been killed under him. It was here that we charged the rebel lines, but being overpowered after a desperate struggle for the mastery of the ground, I ordered the regiment to fall back, and took a position on a ridge about 300 yards in rear of where our advance was checked. This was the last struggle in which the Seventy-fourth Indiana was engaged that day."
The Seventy-fourth Indiana went into battle on September 19, 1863, with 24 officers, and of this number lost that day in killed and wounded 11, and of enlisted men in killed and wounded a loss of 136. In the severe fighting on Saturday, September 19th, Colonel Chapman, of the Seventy-fourth In- diana, was ordered by the brigade commander, Colonel Crox- ton, to take command of the right wing of the brigade, com- posed of the Fourteenth Ohio, the Tenth Kentucky and the
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HISTORY OF THE 74TH
Seventy-fourth Indiana, while he, Colonel Croxton, took com- mand of the left wing of the brigade, composed of the Tenth Indiana and the Thirty-first Ohio, the entire brigade being on the front line. Colonel Chapman, in his report of the last charge made by his line on that afternoon says: "The enemy was now approaching en masse of not less than three columns, and was giving us a heavy fire of grape and cannister. The order was given the brigade to charge, which was done in fine style. and with the determination to drive the enemy, which they did some 300 yards, capturing their battery of five guns and bringing them off the field. In this charge the brigade retook seven pieces of artillery, five guns belonging to the Indiana Cavalry and two Parrotts of the First Michigan, and brought them off the field." It was in the last charge that Colonel Chapman's horse was killed and fell heavily on the Colonel, breaking the Colonel's arm and otherwise injuring him severe- ly, but notwithstanding all of these injuries he remained with his command until the close of the day. The regiment retired from the field about 4 p. m., having been relieved, and moved in the vicinity of the Dyer field and bivouacked for the night. On Sunday morning, September 20th, this regiment and the Tenth Indiana were in the front line of the brigade on the right of Reynold's Division, on the west side of the Lafayette and Chattanooga road, south of the Kelly field, and in this position spent the forenoon of that day, taking part in all of the severe fighting on that portion of the line. The regiment held its position here until the break in the lines on the right, when it was forced to retire-this about 11 a. m. At this point the Seventy-fourth Indiana and the Tenth Indiana were sep- arated by some means from the balance of the brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor, of the Tenth Indiana, being the senior officer, took command of the two regiments. These two regiments, without any orders from any superior officer, found their way under the guidance of Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor to the line of the southeast of the Kelly field, where was the hard fighting of Sunday afternoon, and occupied the breastworks from which Hazen's Brigade had been withdrawn. When the retreat began on Sunday evening the Seventy-fourth Indiana and the Tenth Indiana were the last regiments to leave that portion of the field, taking with them two pieces of artillery. Moving westward. the Seventy-fourth and Tenth Indiana found their way to Snodgrass Hill, where Brannan and Steed- man had been making such a gallant fight and defense, and at this position they again joined issue with the enemy in the last fighting of the battle of Chickamauga, finally withdrawing from
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REGIMENT INDIANA VOL. INF.
the field about eight o'clock that night. The State of Indiana has erected a fine monument to the Seventy-fourth Indiana near Jay's Mill. where the battle was opened on Saturday morn- ing. September 19. 1863. On the bronze tablet of the monu- ment is recorded the part taken by this regiment at Chicka- mauga. as follows:
INDIANA'S TRIBUTE TO HER
SEVENTY-FOURTH REGIMENT INFANTRY
Col. Charles W. Chapman, Lieut .- Col. Myron Baker, Com- manding.
Second Brigade (Croxton). Third Division (Brannan). Fourteenth Corps (Thomas).
Here on the morning of September 19, 1863, this regiment, with it; brigade, opened the battle of Chickamauga. After five hours' fighting the enemy was repulsed from this part of the field.
On Sunday. September 20th, this regiment, with another, the Tenth Indiana, was separated from its command and fought independent'y throughout the afternoon.
Casualties: Officers killed and wounded, 13; enlisted men killed, 20; wounded, 114; missing, 10. Total, 157.
Northwest of the monument on the second line of Satur- day, near to where Colonel Carroll, of the Tenth Indiana, was killed, stands the marker to indicate the second position in the battle. Th's marker bears the inscription :
INDIANA. Seventy-fourth Regiment Infantry (Chapman). Second Brigade (Croxton) Third Division (Brannan) Fourteenth Corps (Thomas) Saturday, September 19, 1863, 10 a. m.
A marker on the Poe field line, west of the Lafayette road, same design,
Time :
"Saturday, September 19, 3:30 p. m."
Another marker on Snodgrass Hill, same design. Time: "Sunday, September 20, 1863, 6 p. m. to 7:30 p. m."
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HISTORY OF THE 74TH
COMPANIES C AND K
Former histories quoting the Seventy-fourth Regiment speak of Companies C and K being left back at Indianapolis on account of not having a full quota of men, when the balance of the regiment (eight companies) was sent forward. Companies C and K were to follow as soon as they were recruited to the full number of men. Being a member of Company K I deem it my duty to make special mention of the careers of Companies C and K from the time we were left behind at Indianapolis about September 1st, to the time we joined our regiment at Castilian Springs, Tennessee, Dec. 6th, 1862. After being de- tained at Indianapolis a few weeks, our two companies being recruited to full number of men (and good men too) we were ordered to the front to join our regiment which was located in southern Kentucky near Bowling Green.
Col. Wilder being in Indianapolis at that time and on his way to the front with several hundred recruits to join his regi- ment, the Seventeenth Indiana Infantry, our two companies C and K were ordered to accompany Col. Wilder and his men by the way of Louisville.
Upon our arrival in Louisville Col. Wilder received orders to hasten south with all the men under his charge and to stop off at Mumfordsville, Ky., to reinforce a detachment of troops stationed at that point to guard the railroad bridge over the Green River. Gen. Bragg's Confederate army was moving north through Kentucky at that time and his advance was ex- pected to reach Mumfordsville soon and would of course destroy the long railroad bridge at that place. Consequently our line of communication and our chances to ship supplies south would be destroyed. Gen. Buell's army was at that time south of Bragg's army and was moving north in pursuit of Bragg's army.
As soon as was possible Col. Wilder got transportation out of Louisville over the Louisville and Nashville railroad in keep- ing with orders received. We took the train soon after mid- night and arrived at Mumfordsville sixty-five miles distant just as the sun was rising on the following morning. We were un- loaded and went into camp, there being some 500 to 600 men in the detachment under Col. Wilder and he becoming the senior officer took command of all the troops there.
There were many reports afloat in camp, and we looked for
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REGIMENT INDIANA VOL. INF.
an attack by the enemy to be made at this point at any time. Companies C and K had yet to learn what real war and being under fire meant, however we all were anxious to come up against it.
After lying at this point two or three weeks and being called into line almost every night to go out and swap shots with our southern foe, our scouts that were sent out from day to day on the roads leading to the south reported that there was a heavy force of the enemy's army in the vicinity of Cave City, twelve miles south, headed our way. Our commander had learned that there were some fifty barrels of salt at Horse Cave five miles south of Mumfordsville on the L. and N. railroad !. This same evening Company K was ordered to equip for emer- gencies, and there being at this time an old engine and a few flat cars lying on the siding at Mumfordsville, we were ordered to board those cars (the engine being put into running order in the meantime) so with guns in hand down the road we went. This run was made as quietly as possible and we pulled into Horse Cave station, we found the 50 barrels of salt piled up close to the track. Seemingly without a word spoken and with- out noise Co. K was off rolling the salt onto the cars, placing a row of barrels along each side of all the cars as a protection against bullets should we be attacked.
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