16th Indiana Light Battery
in the American Civil War
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Online Books:
16th Indiana Light Battery Officer Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 3, by W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1866 16th Indiana Light Battery Soldier Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 7, by W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1867 Regimental History Sixteenth Indiana Light Battery. — Capts., Charles Naylor, Charles R. Deming, Benjamin W. Livermore. This battery was organized at Lafayette in the winter of 1861, and was mustered in at Indianapolis on March 24, 1862. It left the state June 1 for Washington, D. C, and went into camp at Capitol hill. It was assigned to the 2nd division, Banks' corps, Army of Virginia, and participated with it at Cedar mountain. The advance of Lee's army brought on a series of skirmishes and engagements terminating in the battle of Chantilly. The battery opened fire on Aug. 22 at the Rappahannock, where 2 guns of the battery were dismounted and 11 horses killed. At midnight the battery advanced, took position within 600 yards of the enemy, and early the next morning opened fire. With but 4 effective guns it withstood for nine hours the concentric fire of 16 guns, a little clump of trees in which it was stationed being stripped of foliage by the enemy's determined fire. At 4 p. m., the enemy's batteries withdrew, leaving 2 disabled guns, 3 caissons and a number of their dead. In falling back from the Rappahannock the army encountered the enemy at Sulphur springs and a sharp skirmish followed, the battery firing so effectively as to cause him to abandon 2 guns of which the battery quickly took possession. At the battle of Groveton, a 12-gun battery, known as the "Washington Light Artillery," attacked the Union army upon the right, capturing 2 batteries. The 16th Ind. was thrown forward and by its effective work saved the troops from annihilation. After falling back to the defenses of Washington, the battery moved with McClellan and took part at South mountain and Antietam. Returning to Washington it was stationed for a time at Fort Corcoran. In October Lieut. Deming drew two sections of guns and started for Warrenton, Va., via Harper's Ferry, Leesburg and Snicker's gap. Near the last named place his command was attacked by 300 of Mosby's and White's cavalry. Having no gunners, the lieutenant was compelled to manage the guns himself, and kept up a running fight for 28 miles, crossing the Potomac at Berlin and saving his guns, though he lost 4 men killed and 3 wounded. Capt. Naylor resigned in May, 1863, and Lieut. Deming was appointed captain. The battery remained stationed in the defenses of Washington until June, 1865. Capt. Deming's term of service expiring, he was mustered out April 21, 1865, and Lieut. Livermore was appointed to the command. Moving to Indianapolis in June with 5 officers and 180 men, the battery was mustered out, July 5, 1865.Footnotes: Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 3 |
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