18th Indiana Light Battery
in the American Civil War
|
Online Books:
18th 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 18th 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 Eighteenth Indiana Light Battery.— Capts., Joseph A. Scott, Eli Lilly, Moses M. Beck. This battery was organized at Indianapolis in the summer of 1862 and was mustered in Aug. 24. It left the state soon after for Louisville, where it was assigned to the 4th division of the 14th army corps. The battery marched to Bowling Green via Frankfort, thence to Gallatin, Tenn., and upon the occupation of Murfreesboro by Gen. Rosecrans' army it moved there. The army moved towards Tullahoma in June, 1863, the battery with its brigade (Wilder's) in the advance. The enemy was encountered at Hoover's gap, the brigade charging and driving him through the gap upon his reserves, where he formed line of battle, but the battery opened so warm a fire that he was driven from the field. Chattanooga was reached soon after the enemy abandoned it. The battery was engaged at Chickamauga, aiding in repelling a charge of Longstreet's columns, its execution being terrible and more than flesh and blood could withstand. After the battle the battery moved up the Tennessee river for the purpose of guarding the fords, and in October it was with Crook's command in pursuit of Wheeler in the Sequatchie valley. The enemy was found and routed at Thompson's cove, and three days later he was again overtaken and a sharp fight ensued in which the battery vigorously shelled the Confederates' position, driving them through McMinnville in confusion. It moved to Huntsville, Ala., but retraced its steps, and after the battle of Missionary ridge it was sent with its division to the relief of Gen. Burnside at Knoxville, being engaged at Mossy creek, Fair Garden, and Dandridge. Capt. Lilly was promoted major of the 9th Ind. cavalry in April, 1864, and Lieut. Beck succeeded to the command. In May the battery marched with Sherman's army in the Atlanta campaign being engaged at Resaca, Stilesboro, Cassville, Lost mountain, Vining's bridge, Newnan, Hopkinsville and West Point, and after the evacuation of Atlanta joined in the pursuit of Hood, proceeding to Nashville. Moving to Hopkinsville, Ky., it was in an engagement with the enemy. From there it marched to Eastport, Miss., and from there with Wilson's command to Selma, Ala., engaging the enemy there, and then took part in the raid through Alabama and Georgia to West Point and Macon, where the enemy was defeated and a large quantity of military stores destroyed. It then returned to Chattanooga, thence to Nashville, from which city it moved for Indianapolis June 23, 1865, with 3 officers and 180 men. It was mustered out June 30, 1865. The battery left for the field with 151 men and officers and received 45 recruits. In Nov., 1864, 65 men of the 11th Ind. battery were transferred to the 18th. Thirty-two were killed or died of disease and 26 were discharged for disability.Footnotes: Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 3 |
Search this website...
If this website has been helpful to you, please consider making a donation.
Your support will help keep this website free for everyone, and will allow us to do more research. Thank you for your support!
|