Overview
The 10th Indiana Light Battery was an artillery unit organized at Lafayette, Indiana, in the fall of 1861 for Union service during the American Civil War. Mustered in on January 25, 1862, the battery served in the Western Theater, participating in several major campaigns and engagements across Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The unit is notable for its service at the siege of Corinth, the battle of Stones River, and its later involvement in the Chattanooga and Atlanta campaigns.
Organization & Service
The 10th Indiana Light Battery was recruited at Lafayette and mustered into Federal service on January 25, 1862. Immediately after mustering, the battery moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and remained at Camp Gilbert until February 1862. It was then attached to Nelson’s division of Buell’s Army of the Ohio and marched to Nashville, Tennessee, assisting in the capture of the city.
During the battle of Shiloh in April 1862, the battery was stationed at Savannah, Tennessee, and did not participate directly due to lack of transportation. The unit joined the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, and after the Confederate evacuation, moved to Athens, Alabama, serving in the reserve artillery until late July. The battery then relocated to Decherd, Tennessee, joined Wood’s division, and participated in operations through northern Alabama and Tennessee. It subsequently fell back to Nashville and marched to Louisville, Kentucky, as part of the campaign that forced Bragg’s Confederate army out of the state.
Returning to Nashville, the battery took part in the advance on Murfreesboro and was engaged in the battle of Stones River, where it repelled enemy skirmishers and engaged Confederate artillery. The battery remained near Murfreesboro until June 1863. Captain Jerome B. Cox resigned on June 2, 1863, and Lieutenant William A. Naylor was promoted to captain.
From Tullahoma, the battery moved to the Sequatchie Valley and, with Wagner’s brigade, advanced to the Tennessee River opposite Chattanooga, shelling the town on several occasions. In October 1863, the unit moved to Moccasin Point and provided artillery support during the shelling of Lookout Mountain. The battery participated in the storming of Missionary Ridge and spent the winter at Chattanooga, with 45 men reenlisting as veterans.
In the spring of 1864, the battery was temporarily broken up: 88 men were transferred to the 5th and 8th Indiana Batteries and took part in the Atlanta campaign, while 40 men served as gunboatmen aboard the “Stone River” at Decatur, Alabama. The battery was reunited on June 19, 1865, and ordered to Huntsville, Alabama, before returning to Indianapolis, where it was mustered out on July 10, 1865.
Research This Regiment Further
If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.
Engagements & Campaigns
- Capture of Nashville (February 1862)
- Siege of Corinth (April–May 1862)
- Operations in northern Alabama and Tennessee (Summer–Fall 1862)
- Campaign against Bragg in Kentucky (September–October 1862)
- Battle of Stones River (December 31, 1862 – January 2, 1863)
- Tullahoma Campaign (June 1863)
- Shelling of Chattanooga (September–October 1863)
- Shelling of Lookout Mountain (October–November 1863)
- Battle of Missionary Ridge (November 1863)
- Atlanta Campaign (detachments, 1864)
Casualties
Specific casualty figures for the 10th Indiana Light Battery are not fully detailed in available primary sources. Losses occurred in action and by disease during the unit’s service, but exact numbers are not consistently reported in official records.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Captain Jerome B. Cox
- Captain William A. Naylor
- Captain Ferdinand Mayer
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 10th Indiana Light Battery, including officers and enlisted men who served during its term, is available for genealogical and historical research. This roster provides names, ranks, and service details as recorded in official state and federal records.
To view the complete roster, visit the 10th Indiana Light Battery Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (Army of the Ohio, Army of the Cumberland, Western Theater operations)
- Indiana Adjutant General’s Report
- Dyer, Frederick H. “A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion”
- Fox, William F. “Regimental Losses in the American Civil War”
- “The Union Army,” Vol. 3, Federal Publishing Company, 1908