6th Indiana Infantry Reorganized Regiment in the American Civil War

Overview

The 6th Indiana Infantry (Reorganized) was an infantry regiment from Indiana that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. This unit was organized at Madison, Indiana, and mustered in for three years’ service on September 20, 1861. The regiment served primarily in the Western Theater and participated in several major campaigns and battles. It is distinct from the earlier three months’ service regiment of the same designation.

This unit is distinct from the 6th Indiana Infantry (Three Months’ Service).

Organization & Service

The 6th Indiana Infantry (Reorganized) was mustered in at Madison, Indiana, on September 20, 1861, under the command of Colonel Thomas T. Crittenden. At the time of mustering, the regiment numbered about 500 men, was un-uniformed, and had hastily acquired arms. Due to reports of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s potential invasion through Kentucky, Colonel Crittenden requested immediate deployment to Louisville, Kentucky. The regiment became the first northern troop to enter Kentucky during this period.

After arriving in Louisville, the regiment moved to Muldraugh’s Hill near Elizabethtown and was later transferred to Nolin Creek. On October 9, 1861, it was reinforced by 300 recruits from Madison, increasing its strength to approximately 800 men. The 6th Indiana was assigned to Rousseau’s Brigade of McCook’s Division. The regiment moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where it remained until March 1862 before being ordered to Nashville, Tennessee, and then to Savannah, Tennessee, where it embarked for Pittsburg Landing.

The regiment fought on the second day at the Battle of Shiloh, where it played a key role in saving a battery from capture and participated in a charge that contributed to the Union’s success. The 6th Indiana remained on the field until the start of the advance on and siege of Corinth, Mississippi, in which it participated. Shortly before the fall of Corinth, Colonel Crittenden was promoted to brigadier-general, and leadership changes followed with Captain Philemon P. Baldwin elected colonel and Captain Hagerman Tripp as lieutenant-colonel.

Following Corinth, the regiment moved with Buell’s Army to Nashville and then to Louisville, Kentucky, arriving on October 2, 1862. It took part in Rosecrans’ march on Murfreesboro, engaged in skirmishing on December 25, and fought at the Battle of Stones River, where it suffered significant casualties among its color-bearers and temporarily fell back before reforming and aiding in the Union counterattack.

Throughout the spring and summer of 1863, the regiment was active between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga, including a sharp engagement at Liberty Gap during the Tullahoma Campaign. At the Battle of Chickamauga, the 6th Indiana was heavily engaged, making several charges and holding its ground under severe fire. Colonel Baldwin was killed and Lieutenant-Colonel Tripp was wounded during this battle.

The regiment participated in the skirmish at Brown’s Ferry and the engagement at Missionary Ridge, then moved to support General Burnside in East Tennessee, remaining there until spring 1864. It joined Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, fighting at Tunnel Hill, Buzzard Roost, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Allatoona Ridge, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, and in front of Atlanta. The regiment’s term of service expired in August 1864, and veterans and recruits with unexpired terms were transferred to the 68th Indiana Infantry. The 6th Indiana Infantry (Reorganized) was mustered out on September 22, 1864. Nineteen remaining men were later transferred to the 44th Indiana and mustered out with that regiment on September 14, 1865.

Engagements & Campaigns

• Occupation of Louisville, Kentucky (September 1861)
• Operations at Muldraugh’s Hill and Nolin Creek (Fall 1861)
• Bowling Green, Kentucky (Winter 1861–62)
• Battle of Shiloh (April 7, 1862)
• Siege of Corinth (April–May 1862)
• Advance to Nashville and Louisville (1862)
• Battle of Stones River (December 31, 1862 – January 2, 1863)
• Liberty Gap (June 1863)
• Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20, 1863)
• Brown’s Ferry (October 1863)
• Missionary Ridge (November 1863)
• Relief of Knoxville (Late 1863 – Early 1864)
• Atlanta Campaign (May–August 1864): Tunnel Hill, Buzzard Roost, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Allatoona Ridge, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, Atlanta

Casualties

• Original strength: 996
• Gained by recruits: 113
• Gained by unassigned recruits: 9
• Total served: 1,118
• Loss by death: 253
• Loss by desertion: 48
• Unaccounted for: 10

Casualty figures are based on regimental and state reports. At the Battle of Shiloh, the regiment lost 43 killed and wounded. At Stones River and Chickamauga, the regiment suffered significant losses, including the death of Colonel Baldwin at Chickamauga.

Field Officers & Commanders

• Colonel Thomas T. Crittenden
• Colonel Philemon P. Baldwin (killed at Chickamauga)
• Colonel Hagerman Tripp
• Lieutenant Colonel Hiram Prather
• Lieutenant Colonel Hagerman Tripp
• Lieutenant Colonel Calvin D. Campbell
• Major Augustus H. Abbett
• Major Calvin D. Campbell
• Major Samuel F. McKeehan
• Major Delaney Kavanaugh

Regimental Roster

The full roster of the 6th Indiana Infantry (Reorganized), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and service details as recorded in official state and regimental records.

To view the complete roster, visit the 6th Indiana Infantry (Reorganized) Roster page.

Sources & References

• Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volumes 10, 16, 23, 30, 38
• 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)