39th Indiana Infantry Regiment
| 39th Regiment Indiana Infantry | |
|---|---|
| Active | August 29, 1861 – October 15, 1863 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry and Mounted Infantry |
| Engagements | |
| Indiana U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861–1865 | ||||
|
The 39th Regiment Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Shiloh, Corinth, and Stones River. In April 1863, the unit acquired horses and Spencer rifles and became mounted infantry,[1] serving in the Tullahoma Campaign and at Chickamauga. On October 15, 1863, the unit was renamed the 8th Indiana Cavalry Regiment.
Organization
The 39th Indiana Infantry was organized at Indianapolis, Indiana, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on August 29, 1861.
The regiment was successively attached to the following commands:
- Wood's Brigade, McCook's Command, Army of the Ohio, October–November 1861
- 6th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to December 1861
- 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862
- 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, I Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862
- 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Right Wing, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January 1863[2]
- 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland
The regiment served in the Horn Brigade, also known as the Dutch Brigade or the "Iron Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland." The 39th fought within this brigade—even after its conversion to mounted infantry—at Shiloh, Stones River, Liberty Gap, and Chickamauga, until October 1863.
The 39th Indiana Infantry ceased to exist on October 15, 1863, when its designation was changed to the 8th Indiana Cavalry.
Service record
Ordered to Kentucky, the regiment performed duty at Muldraugh's Hill, Camp Nevin, Nolin Creek, and Green River until February 1862. It saw action at Upton's Hill, Kentucky, on October 12, 1861. The regiment then marched to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and on to Nashville, Tennessee, February 14 – March 2, 1862, followed by a march to Savannah, Tennessee, March 16 – April 6.
1862
The regiment fought at the Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7, 1862, and participated in the advance on and Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, April 29 – May 30. It joined the pursuit to Booneville, May 31 – June 6, and took part in Buell's Campaign in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee from June to August. The regiment marched to Nashville, Tennessee, then to Louisville, Kentucky, in pursuit of Bragg, August 20 – September 26, followed by the pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky, October 1–15, including action at Dog Walk, October 8–9. It marched to Bowling Green, Kentucky, then to Nashville, Tennessee, October 16 – November 7, remaining on duty there until December 26. The regiment then advanced on Murfreesboro, December 26–30, and fought at the Battle of Stones River, December 30–31, 1862, and January 1–3, 1863.
1863
The regiment performed duty at Murfreesboro until April, including a reconnaissance to Middleton, March 6–7, with actions at Christiana and Middleton on March 6. Additional operations included an expedition to Middleton, May 21–22, with action at Middleton on May 22; operations along the Shelbyville Pike, June 4; operations on the Eaglesville Pike, June 4; and action near Murfreesboro, June 6.
The regiment participated in the Tullahoma Campaign, June 22 – July 7, with action at Christiana, June 24, and the Battle of Liberty Gap, June 24–27, followed by action at Tullahoma, June 29–30. After the occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16, the regiment crossed the Cumberland Mountains and the Tennessee River during the Chickamauga Campaign, August 16 – September 22. It saw action at Davis Ford, Chickamauga Creek, September 17, fought at the Battle of Chickamauga, September 19–20, and at Missionary Ridge, September 22, and Shallow Ford Road, September 22. Companies L and M joined the regiment in September 1863. The regiment concluded its service with an expedition to eastern Tennessee in pursuit of Champ Ferguson, September–October 1863.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 398 men during service: 9 officers and 138 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, and 1 officer and 250 enlisted men died of disease.[3]
Commanders
- Colonel Thomas J. Harrison
- Lieutenant Colonel Fielder A. Jones – commanded the regiment at the Battle of Stones River
See also
Notes
- ↑ U.S. War Dept., Official Records, Vol. 30/1, p. 456.
- ↑ Union Forces, Department of the Cumberland. Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library. 1863-08-31.
- ↑ These numbers also include men who died in the service after the unit was redesignated as cavalry.
References
- Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co., 1908.
- U.S. War Department (1899). Operations in Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Alabama, and North Georgia. August 11–October 19, 1863. – Part I Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXX-XLII-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, Iowa: Dyer Publishing Co.