USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-fifth regiment of Indiana infantry voluteers. its organization, campaigns, and battles (1862-65.) > Part 2
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The Regiment arrived in Indianapolis on the evening of the same day. We encamped for the night in the great Union depot at the foot of Meridian street. In the morning, we marched to Camp Carrington, where on the same day- August 19th, 1862-the Regiment, with a total strength of 1,000 officers and men, was mustered into the service of the United States for a period of three years.
The Honorable John U. Pettit, of Wabash, was mustered as the Colonel of the Regiment on the 19th of August, and resigned October 24th-two months later. Colonel Pettit did not go to the front with the Regiment. He was a cultured gentleman, a good lawyer, and a brilliant orator; but he had no taste for the military life. He came to the Regiment be- fore we took our final departure from Louisville, but not to assume command. The command of the Regiment devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel William O'Brien.
On the same evening of the muster, the Regiment was formed into line and marched to the State Arsenal. As each enlisted man presented himself at a small window of the Arsenal, there were delivered to him a Springfield rifle and a cartridge box. The Regiment was armed with this excellent
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
gun throughout its term of service. Three years afterwards, the writer returned, through the little window, the same gun delivered to him on that August evening in 1862.
During the few days of our encampment in Camp Carring- ton, the photographers of the city were driving a good trade by taking the pictures of the new-fledged soldiers of the Regi- ment dressed in their military accoutrements and arms.
0
SERGEANT DAVID B. FLOYD, Author of this History, in his 17th year; born March 15th, 1846.
These relics-the pictures-of a long ago period, wherever they have been preserved, are curiosities, as well as heir- looms.
During the summer of 1862, Major General D. C. Buell concentrated his army in and around Huntsville, Alabama, with a view of making an aggressive movement against Chattanooga, Tenn. He repaired the railroads in his rear. He built stockades and inanned them with small detachments
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
of troops. By these, in conjunction with his small cavalry force, he undertook to defend the lines of four hundred miles of railroads and numerous river bridges in his rear.
But he had to grapple with innumerable difficulties. Those two bold and daring Confederate raiders, John H. Morgan and Nathan B. Forrest, with their superior cavalry, repeat- edly rode around his rear, and cut his line of communication.
At this time Kentucky was in a deplorable condition. Bands of guerrillas and recruiting parties were overrunning the State and thereby rendering helpless the civil and mili- tary authorities. General Braxton Bragg was concentrating a Confederate armny at Chattanooga and at Knoxville, in Tennessee. General E. Kirby Smith was threatening the Cumberland Gap with a large Confederate force. Early in July the latter was on the inove towards Central Kentucky. Fears were entertained of a Confederate invasion, not only into Kentucky, but also into the Northern States bordering on the Ohio river. The cities of Covington, Louisville and Cincinnati were threatened.
It was owing to these emergencies, over which he had no control, that General Buell's designs of a movement against Chattanooga and into East Tennessee proved abortive. He was compelled to make a retrograde movement. Matters in- deed looked alarming for the interests of the Government in these quarters.
The Governors of the Northwestern States were urged to send their quotas of new troops as fast as possible to Louis- ville for the purpose of checking this threatened invasion. Hence all the new Regiments raised in the Northwest were sent to Kentucky. During the few days of camp life at Indianapolis, by reason of the aforesaid facts, the eagerness of the men of the Seventy-fifth Regiment to leave their State for the place where the fire of war was burning, was increased to almost impatience before the Regiment could be gotten ready to start. The desire, however, was soon gratified. Orders were received to take the field. On Thursday even-
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
ing, August 21st, about 5.30, o'clock the Regiment boarded the cars at Indianapolis for Louisville. The journey was un- eventful, except the ovations received from the citizens of the towns and villages through which we passed during the early part of the night. As we journeyed, women and children, through gratitude for the services expected of us, fed us upon pies and cakes. We reached Louisville on the 23d, crossing the Ohio river at Jeffersonville about six o'clock in the morn- ing, and marched to Camp Oakland, just outside the southern limits of the city. After our knapsacks and haversacks were issued to us, the Regiment appeared, on the evening of the day of arrival, upon dress-parade for the first time.
Louisville is situated at the falls of the Ohio river, 130 miles below Cincinnati. Its streets are wide, well-paved and straight. The Seventy-fifth, which was among the first new troops to arrive on the Southern soil of Louisville, made a fine appearance, as it marched upon the thoroughfares of this commercial and manufacturing city.
Major General William Nelson had been sent in advance to Louisville from General Buell's army to organize and take command of the new troops, as they arrived in the city. The Seventy-fifth Regiment had been in Camp Oakland only two days, when a new Department was formed (under the title of the "The Department of the . Ohio,") embracing a geographical area of the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky, east of the Tennessee river. Major General Horatio G. Wright was placed in com- inand of this Department, with headquarters at Cincinnati, Ohio.
After the arrival of Major General Don Carlos Buell's army at Louisville, the Seventy-fifth Regiment, with its Division, was assigned to the Army of the Ohio, under the general supervision of General Buell.
While at Louisville, a little blue-eyed, brown-haired and beardless boy came to our Regiment. He was dressed in the uniform of a soldier. He gave a vivid account of two unsuc-
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
cessful attempts to become a drummer boy of a Regiment. At the importunity of his mother, and on account of his age and size, he was refused admission into the Nineteenth Indi- . ana at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, in 1861, when the mem -. bers of that Regiment were being inustered into the service; but when the Nineteenth left Camp Morton for the front, the little fellow was so eager to try the fortunes of war, that he ran away from his mother, and followed the Regiment for three months in Virginia, when he was taken sick with typhoid fever and sent to a hospital in Washington city, D. C. Recovering from the fever, he returned to Indianapolis. The Sixtieth Indiana was then guarding prisoners at the Capital of the State. In that Regiment the boy tried to enlist ; but the reasons assigned for his rejection by the Nineteenthı Regiment, disqualified him for admission into the Sixtieth. However, when the Sixtieth left the State for Louisville, the boy, without being mustered, followed it, as a cymbal player in the Regimental band. Shortly after its arrival in Kentucky, nearly all the members of that Regi- ment were captured at Munfordsville, and those who escaped capture-this boy with them-were returned to Louisville for further orders. It was under these circumstances and at this time, that the boy applied for admission into our Regiment as a drummer. Captain Bryant's Company at that time had 110 musician. The Captain ordered a drum to be brought, and the boy was ordered to take it and try his skill with it. He demonstrated very satisfactorily to the Captain, that he knew how to beat a drum; and Albert B. Beneway-for that was his real name-was mustered into the service on Sep- tember Ist, 1862, under the name of Albert Walton, as the musician of C Company of the Seventy-fifth Regiment. He assumed the name of "Al. Walton" to escape detection by his friends. At the time of muster his age was 15 years, 7 months and 7 days, and by actual measurement his height was four feet and seven inches. He was certainly the small- est member of the Regiment.
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
The youngest member was Andrew H. Burke, the drum- mer of D Company. He was born May 15th, 1850, and, at the time of his enrollment, was a lad of 12 years old, with wavy auburn hair and grayish-blue eyes. On account of his age, he too had difficulty in obtaining muster into the service; but throughi Major McCole's assistance, the muster- ing officer, General Carrington, admitted him into the Regi- ment. "Andy" was the musician, who, on an eventful Sun- day morning, before daylight, at Lebanon, Kentucky, beat the long roll upon his drum, which called the Regiment into its first line of battle. He was with us, carrying his drumn at the head of the Regiment, through all the marches and raids in Kentucky and Tennessee, until we reached the town of Castalian Springs. Here, in December, he was taken sick with a scrofulous affection, on account of which, on January 5tl1, 1863, he was discharged. The whirligig of time brings great changes. This drummer-boy in 1862, is the Governor of North Dakota in 1892.
CHAPTER II.
WITH THE FORTIETH BRIGADE, TWELFTH DIVISION, IN PUR- SUIT OF CONFEDERATE GENERAL JOHN H. MORGAN AT LEBANON-LEBANON JUNCTION-SHEPHERDSVILLE-SEV- ENTEENTH AND SEVENTY-SECOND INDIANA, AND NINETY- EIGHTH ILLINOIS REGIMENTS, AND EIGHTEENTH INDIANA BATTERY - RETURN TO LOUISVILLE - ELIZABETHTOWN MARCH-PURSUIT OF CONFEDERATE GENERAL E. KIRBY SMITH-BOWLING GREEN-SCOTTSVILLE-COLONEL ROBIN- SON-CASTALIAN SPRINGS-BATTLE OF HARTSVILLE.
(SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 1862.)
Confederate cavalry, under Brigadier General John H. Morgan, was operating south of Louisville, threatening Bards- town, Elizabethtown, Shepherdsville, Lebanon and Lebanon Junction. Morgan had burned our commissary stores at Lebanon, and had committed other depredations in the vicinity of all the above-named towns.
The Twelfthi Division, just or- ganized out of some of the new Regiments of which the Seventy- fifth Indiana was one, was to occupy and defend these towns until the arrival of Buell's army. The Divi- sion was placed under the command of Brigadier General Ebenezer Du- mont, who had already gone to Leb- anon with a part of the Division.
BRIG .- GEN. EBENEZER DUMONT, Commander of the 12th Division.
At 3 o'clock p. in. of August 25th, General Wright sent our Regiment with several others to the town of Lebanon1. We arrived about 9 o'clock the
(25)
3
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
same day, and lay down upon the ground with our armis in our hands until morning. Our camp was on the south side of the town, which is sixty-five miles south of Louisville, located on Hardin creek. We remained here until the 6th of September. Immediately on our arrival, General Dumont delivered an address to the Regiment, in which he notified us of the apprehensions of an attack from Morgan's Cavalry. Here, in conjunction with the Seventy-second Indiana and Ninety-eighth Illinois Regiments, and the Eighteenth In- diana Battery, we formed the Fortieth Brigade of the Twelfth Division. Colonel Abram O. Miller of the former Regiment assumed the command of the Brigade.
The Seventy-second Regiment of Indiana Volunteers was raised in the Eighth Congressional District of Indiana, and organized at Lafayette. It was mustered into the service on the 16th of August, 1862, and left on the following day for Kentucky, arriving at Lebanon with our Regiment. It remained here until Bragg's invasion, when it moved with Buell's army, and was continually engaged in marching and skirmishing with the enemy. In November, it moved into Tennessee, stopping for a while at Castalian Springs, and other places in that portion of the State. On the 8th of January, 1863, it arrived at Murfreesborough, and upon the reorganization of the Army of the Cumberland, the Regi- ment was ordered to be mounted and to serve as mounted Infantry. It made several scouts from Murfreesborough, and captured horses enough to mount the entire Regiment. The men were armed with Spencer rifles, and were a part of what was known as the "Wilder Lightning Brigade."
In the campaign against Tullahoma and Chattanooga, it was in the advance of the command under Thomas, and moved from Murfreesborough through Hoover's Gap on the 24th of June, where it aided in defeating the enemy and driving him from his position, the Regiment sustaining considerable loss, including the fighting Chaplain, John R. Eddy. In all the movements of this campaign, the Brigade
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
to which the Seventy-second Regiment was attached, bore a conspicuous part. On the 12th of September, the Regiment met a Brigade of the Confederate General Pegram's command at Rock Spring, Georgia, and routed it, losing one officer and ten men killed and a number wounded. It was engaged at the battle of Chickamauga, fighting the enemy for three days, and sustaining a severe loss. After this engagement, it was sent in pursuit of the Confederate General Wheeler, and aided in driving lıim out of Middle Tennessee. At Moores- ville, Alabama, on the 31st of November, it engaged tlie enemy, losing a number in killed and wounded.
On December 31st, this Regiment was sent to Memphis, where it was attached to the cavalry command of General Sherman's army, and moved with that army through Mis- sissippi on the Meridian campaign. During this expedition it covered the retreat of General Smith from Okolona. It then returned to Memphis, and from thence moved to Nash- ville.
On March 26th, 1864, it joined the Third Brigade of the Second Cavalry Division. It next moved to Columbia, from whence it started on the Atlanta campaign on April 30th. From that time until the last of August, the Regiment was continually engaged with the Confederates, and after the cap- ture of Atlanta, it was engaged in a great many skirmishes. When Sherman began his march to the sea, the horses of the Seventy-second Indiana were turned over to Kilpatrick's Cavalry Division, and the Regiment was ordered to Louis- ville to be remounted.
On December 28th, this Regiment moved to Gravelly Spring, Alabama, from whence it miarched with Wilson's cavalry expedition, which resulted in the capture of Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, and Columbus and Macon, Ga., with over 8000 prisoners, a number of pieces of artillery, and an immense quantity of supplies. At the battle of Selma, 011 April 2d, 1865, Colonel Abram O. Miller, of the Seventy- second, and the gallant commander of the Brigade in which
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
tl:e Regiment was then serving, was severely wounded. After the capture of Richmond and the surrender of the Con- federates, Lee and Johnston, the Seventy-second Indiana was sent out by detachments to intercept the flight of Jefferson Davis, one detachment being in close pursuit of him when he was captured.
On May 23d, the Regiment left Macon, Ga., for Nashville, Tenn., where, on June 26th, 1865, it was mustered out of the service. On June 29th, it reached Indianapolis, with 510 men and 36 officers, and on the next day, after partaking of a good dinner at the Soldiers' Home, it marched to the Taber- nacle, where welcoming speeches were made by Lieut. Gov. Baker, General Hovey and others. The Seventy-second left the State with an aggregate of 978 men, and lost, during its term of service, 431. It was one of our most reliable Regi- ments.
The Ninety-eighth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers was organized and mustered into the United States service at the town of Centralia, Marion county, Illinois, for a period of three years, on September 3d, 1862, with John J. Funk- houser as Colonel. In five days thereafter, the Regiment left on the O. and M. R. R. for Louisville, Kentucky. The first casualties of the Regiment occurred at Bridgeport, in Law- rence county, where the train, en route to Louisville, was thrown from the track by the misplacement of a switch. In this unfortunate accident, 83 members of the Regiment were killed and wounded; among the killed was Captain Kelly. On reaching the Ohio River, the Regiment did not immedi- ately cross into Louisville, but encamped at Jeffersonville, Indiana, until the 19th, when it removed to Shepherdsville, Kentucky. On the 30th, it moved to Elizabethtown, and thence to Frankfort, where it arrived on October 9th. On the IIth, it went in pursuit of the Confederates to Versailles, returning on the 13th. With its Brigade and Division, the Regiment marched to Bowling Green on the 26th. On the Ioth of November it marclied to Scottsville, on the 25thi to
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
Gallatin, on the 28th to Castalian Springs, and on the 14til of December to Bledsoe Creek.
When the Seventeenth Indiana joined the Brigade, Colonel John T. Wilder of that Regiment superseded Colonel Miller in the command of the Brigade, and, on December 26th, the Ninety-eighth Illinois began a northward march in pursuit of the Confederates under General John H. Morgan.
On January 2d, 1863, the Regiment marched to Cave City, and on the 4th, mnoved to Nashville, Tennessee, and thence, on the 6th, to Murfreesborough. Here the Brigade, in which the Regiment served, was changed to the First, and the Div- ision to the Fifth. Here the Regiment did arduous scouting duty for several months.
On March 8th, the Ninety-eighth Regiment was ordered to be mounted, and during the winter and spring, about half of the Regiment had obtained horses. Shortly after- wards the whole Brigade was mounted. The One hundred and twenty-third Illinois took the place of the Seventy.fifth Indiana in the Brigade.
On April Ist, the Regiment went upon a scouting expedi- tion of eight days' duration, passing through Rome, Lebanon and Snow Hill. On the 13th, it moved to Lavergne and Franklin, and on the 20th, it moved to McMinnville, where it helped to destroy a cotton factory, and capture a railroad train. On the 27th, it moved to Lebanon, and captured a large number of horses and mules.
On May 25th, the Ninety-eighth made a reconnaissance from Murfreesborough, and drove the enemy's pickets to a considerable distance, killing two and wounding four of them. On June 4th, armed with Spencer repeating rifles, the Regiment attacked the First Kentucky and Eleventh Texas Confederate Cavalry on the Liberty road, and cap- tured twenty prisoners ard five wagons. On the Ioth, it attacked the enemy at Liberty, and drove his rear-guard to Snow Hill.
The Regiment was in the battle of Hoover's Gap, on June
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
24th, and fought on the right flank of its Brigade, losing one 111an killed and five men wounded. It helped to cut the rail- road at Decherd's Station on the 28th, driving the enemy from the stockades. From July Ist to August 16th, the Reg- iment was in the vicinity of Wartrace and Decherd's Station, when it captured more than one thousand horses and mules. Front this place it moved over the Cumberland Mountains and Waldron's Ridge to Poe's tavern.
On September 9th, the Regiment forded the Tennessee River and moved in advance of Crittenden's Corps toward Ringgold. On the IIth, it moved to Tunnel Hill, skir- mishing with the enemy, and, on the 14th, it moved to Ste- veni's Gap, on the 17th to Alexander's Bridge, across the Chickamauga, and on the 18th entered the battle of Chicka- mauga. The Ninety-eighth did excellent service in this battle, losing five killed and thirty-six wounded, among whom was its Colonel. The Regiment then joined General Crook's command in pursuit of the Confederates under Wheeler, and was in the battle of Farmington. On the 28th of December, it had a skirmish with Wheeler, and on Febru- ary 23d, 1864, it was engaged at Buzzard's Roost, losing twelve men wounded. The Regiment moved with Sher- man's Army against Atlanta, acting with the Cavalry, under General Kenner Gerrard. On July 5th, Colonel Funkhouser resigned and Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Kitchell assumed command of the Regiment.
After the capitulation of Atlanta, the Ninety-eighth Regi- ment was engaged in watching the movements of Hood's Army on its invasion into Tennessee. On the Ist of Novell1- ber, it turned over its horses and equipments to Kilpatrick's Cavalry, and moved to Chattanooga, Nashville and Louis- ville, where it lay in camp until the close of the year, waiting for horses and equipments.
On January 12th, 1865, the Ninety-eighth Regiment marched south again, and joined the Cavalry Division under General Wilson, participating in the battle of Selma, Ala-
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
bama, on April 2d, in which action the Regiment lost eleven killed and twenty-seven wounded.
The Ninety-eighth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers as- sisted in the capture of Macon, Ga., where four brass cannon had been buried and marked with head and foot boards, as deceased soldiers, who died with sinall-pox. One of these guns was given to the Ninety-eighth, who presented it to the State of Illinois.
The recruits of the Ninety-eighth were transferred to the Sixty-first Illinois Regiment on June 28tl1, 1865.
O11 June 27th, 1865, the Regiment was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, and sent to Springfield, Illinois, where it received final payment and was discharged, July 7th.
This Regiment did good service during its connection with the Cavalry. It had some very fine and brave officers and 11e11.
The Eighteenth Indiana Battery of Light Artillery was organized at Indianapolis and mustered into the U. S. service, August 24tl1, 1862, with Eli Lilly as Captain. Shortly after its muster, the Battery, witli a strength of one hundred and fifty-one officers and inen, moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and was assigned to the Fortieth Brigade (ours) and Twelfth Division. It was in the movement with us against E. Kirby Smith at Frankfort, Kentucky, and from thence to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Gallatin and Murfreesborough, Ten- nessee. In the forward movement on June 24th, 1863, from Murfreesborough, this Battery, belonging then to Wilder's Brigade, did excellent service in helping to drive the Con- federate forces out of Hoover's Gap. It marched with its Brigade to Manchester, and Decherd's Station in Tennessee, and on August 16th, moved with the army across the Cum- berland Mountains, and reached Chattanooga soon after its abandonment by the Confederates. It was in the battle of Chickamauga, where it mowed the enemy down with terrible effect.
On October Ist, the Battery mnoved witlı General Crook's
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
command in pursuit of the Confederate General Wheeler down the Sequatchie Valley, whom it helped to rout at Thompson's Cove. On October 4th, the Battery had a sharp fight with the enemy at McMinnville, where it killed one man and four horses of the enemy with one shot. It was also in the expedition for the relief of Burnside at Knoxville, and was with Sherman on the Atlanta campaign, and was engaged at Resaca, Cassville, Lost Mountain and West Point. Upon Hood's invasion of Tennessee, the Battery marched in pursuit to Nashville, from thence to Hopkins- ville, Kentucky, where it had an engagement with the en- emy. It was in the expedition of General Wilson through Alabama and Georgia, participating in the battle of Selina, Alabama, where Lieutenant Miller of the Battery was killed, April 2d, 1865. After this engagement, it marched to Cliat- tanooga and Nashville. It left Nashville on June 23d for Indianapolis, where it was mustered out on the 30th.
In April, 1864, Captain Lilly was promoted Major of the Ninth Indiana Cavalry, and Lieutenant Moses M. Beck was promoted to the Captaincy of the Battery.
During its term of service, the Eighteenth Indiana Battery marched over 5000 miles, and was transported by railroad over 1000 miles. In addition to its original number, the Battery received 40 recruits and 65 members of the Eleventh Indiana Battery, whose terin of service had not expired. It lost 32 officers and mnen in killed and by death of disease. 26 men were discharged on account of disability. It re- turned to Indiana with 3 officers and 180 inen. The Eight- eenth was one of Indiana's best Batteries.
The following are the troops of the Twelfth Division and their commanders:
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
TWELFTH DIVISION.
Brig. Gen. EBENEZER DUMONT.
Thirty-eighth Brigade.
Col. MARSHALL W. CHAPIN.
129th Illinois, Col. George P. Smith. 23d Michigan, Maj. Benjamin F. Fisher. 102d Ohio, Col. William Given. IIIth Ohio, Col. John R. Bond.
Thirty-ninth Brigade.
Col. GEORGE T. LIMBERG. 78th Illinois, Col. William H. Ben- neson. 104tlı Illinois, Col Absalom B. Mcore, 106th Ohio, Lieut. Col. Gustavus Tafel. 108th Ohio, L'eut. Col. Fred'k W. Elbreg.
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