71st Indiana Regiment / 6th Indiana Cavalry
in the American Civil War
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Online Books:
71st Indiana Regiment / 6th Indiana Cavalry Officer Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 2, by W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1865 71st Indiana Regiment / 6th Indiana Cavalry Soldier Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 6, by W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1866 Regimental History Seventy-first Indiana Regiment (6th Indiana Cavalry). — Cols., James Biddle, Courtland C. Matson; Lieut. -Cols., Melville D. Topping, Courtland C. Matson; Majs., William Conklin, William W. Carter, Daniel A. Conover, Orlando J. Smith, Jacob S. Stephens, Chauncey H. Thompson, Edward H. Thompson, Russell P. Finney. This regiment, the 71st of the line, was organized as infantry, mustered in Aug. 18, 1862, and sent immediately to Kentucky to assist in repelling Kirby Smith's invasion. It was engaged in the battle of Richmond, where it lost 215 in killed and wounded and 347 prisoners, Lieut. -Col. Topping and Maj. Conkling being among the killed, and only 225 escaped capture. The captured were paroled, returned to Terre Haute, and were exchanged late in the fall. It returned to the field on Dec. 27, when 400 of the regiment were sent to Muldraugh's hill to guard trestle work and the following day they were surrounded by 4,000 of Morgan's cavalry and captured. The regiment returned to Indianapolis, where it remained until Aug. 26, 1863. It was changed into a cavalry organization, Feb. 23, 1863, and two additional companies were organized and added during the year. It was engaged in the siege of Knoxville ; in the operations against Longstreet on the Holston and Clinch rivers, losing heavily, in killed and wounded; was ordered to Mt. Sterling, Ky., in the spring of 1864, to be remounted; and was stationed at Nicholasville, Ky., until April, when it moved to join Sherman's army at Dalton. It arrived there May 11, was assigned to the 2nd cavalry brigade, Army of the Ohio, and participated in the battles of Resaca, Cassville, Kennesaw mountain, and other engagements of the movement upon Atlanta. It aided in the capture of Allatoona pass and was the first to raise a flag upon Lost mountain. It took part in Stoneman's raid to Macon, Ga., losing 166 in killed, wounded and captured, and returned to Nashville on Aug. 28, where it was remounted and sent in pursuit of Wheeler's cavalry. It took part in repelling Forrest's invasion of Middle Tennessee, being engaged with his forces at Pulaski, and pursuing him to Waterloo, Ala. On Nov. 1 it moved to Dalton, Ga., and on the 26th returned to Nashville. The regiment was engaged in the battle of Nashville and joined in the pursuit of Hood after the battle. It remained at Nashville until Apr. 1865, when it moved to Pulaski with the 2nd brigade, 6th division, cavalry corps, Military Division of the Mississippi. The original members of the regiment to the number of 425 were mustered out at Pulaski, Tenn., June 17, 1865, and the recruits whose terms did not expire before Oct. 1, were consolidated with the recruits of the 5th cavalry, the new organization being designated as the 6th Ind. cavalry. It remained in Middle Tennessee until Sept. 15, 1865, when it was mustered out at Murfreesboro. The original strength of the regiment was 1,200; gain by recruits, 548; total, 1,748. Loss by death, 260; desertion, 105; unaccounted for, 72.Footnotes: Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 3 |
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