48th Indiana Infantry in the American Civil War

Overview

The 48th Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment from Indiana that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized at Goshen in the fall of 1861, the regiment was mustered into Federal service on January 28, 1862. The 48th Indiana participated in major campaigns across the Western and Southern theaters, including actions in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The regiment is noted for its involvement in the sieges of Corinth and Vicksburg, as well as the Atlanta Campaign and the March to the Sea.

The 48th Indiana Infantry was mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky, on July 15, 1865, after more than three years of active duty. The regiment reenlisted as a veteran organization in January 1864 and received additional recruits from other Indiana regiments in 1865.

Organization & Service

The 48th Indiana Infantry was organized at Goshen, Indiana, during the fall of 1861 and mustered into service on January 28, 1862. The regiment departed for Fort Donelson on February 1, arriving the day after the Confederate surrender. It then moved to Paducah, Kentucky, and subsequently to the Tennessee River, where it participated in the siege of Corinth, Mississippi.

Following the evacuation of Corinth, the regiment was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Mississippi, and took part in the pursuit of Confederate General Sterling Price’s forces. The 48th Indiana fought at the Battle of Iuka, suffering significant casualties, and was engaged under General Rosecrans at the second Battle of Corinth in October 1862. The regiment then moved to Oxford, Mississippi, and returned to Memphis, Tennessee. In January 1863, it was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 17th Army Corps.

In March 1863, the regiment moved to the rear of Vicksburg and participated in engagements at Forty Hills, Raymond, Jackson, and Champion’s Hill. It was present in the trenches before Vicksburg and took part in the assault of May 22, 1863. After the fall of Vicksburg, the regiment moved to Memphis in August and then to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it was engaged at Tunnel Hill. At Huntsville, Alabama, the regiment reenlisted as a veteran organization in January 1864. After a furlough, it returned to Huntsville in March and moved to Cartersville, Georgia, in June, where it was involved in anti-guerrilla operations and railroad protection before joining the army at Atlanta.

The 48th Indiana participated in the March to the Sea with the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, and continued through the Carolinas Campaign to Raleigh, North Carolina. After the surrender of Confederate General Johnston, the regiment marched to Washington, D.C., and was then transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out on July 15, 1865. While at Washington, the regiment received 250 recruits from the 12th, 83rd, 97th, and 99th Indiana regiments, who were discharged with the 48th.

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

  • Siege of Corinth (April–May 1862)
  • Pursuit of Price’s forces (1862)
  • Battle of Iuka (September 19, 1862)
  • Second Battle of Corinth (October 3–4, 1862)
  • Operations near Oxford, Mississippi (late 1862)
  • Engagements at Forty Hills, Raymond, Jackson, and Champion’s Hill (May 1863)
  • Siege of Vicksburg (May–July 1863), including assault of May 22
  • Battle of Tunnel Hill (November 1863)
  • Atlanta Campaign (1864)
  • March to the Sea (November–December 1864)
  • Campaign of the Carolinas (early 1865)

Casualties

  • Original strength: 991
  • Gained by recruits: 603
  • Reenlistments: 284
  • Total served: 1,878
  • Loss by death: 213
  • Desertions: 96
  • Unaccounted for: 199

Some details are incomplete in surviving primary sources regarding the breakdown of deaths by cause.

Field Officers & Commanders

  • Colonel Norman Eddy
  • Colonel Edward J. Wood
  • Colonel Newton Bingham
  • Lieutenant Colonel Melvin B. Hascall
  • Lieutenant Colonel De Witt C. Rugg
  • Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Wood
  • Lieutenant Colonel Barnet Byrkit
  • Lieutenant Colonel Newton Bingham
  • Lieutenant Colonel John W. Leitch
  • Major De Witt C. Rugg
  • Major Benjamin D. Townsend
  • Major Edward J. Wood
  • Major Barnet Byrkit
  • Major Welcome Rice
  • Major Newton Bingham
  • Major John W. Leitch
  • Major William H. Miller

Regimental Roster

The full roster of the 48th Indiana Infantry, including officers and enlisted men who served during its term, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and additional service details where recorded.

To view the complete roster, visit the 48th Indiana Infantry Regimental Roster page.

Sources & References

  • Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volumes 10, 17, 24, 32, 39, 47
  • 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, Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Volume 3
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