131st Indiana Regiment / 13th Indiana Cavalry in the American Civil War

Overview

The 13th Indiana Cavalry (also known as the 131st Indiana Regiment) was a Union cavalry regiment organized in Indiana during the American Civil War. Mustered into service on April 29, 1864, it was the last cavalry regiment formed in the state and was designated as the 131st regiment of the Indiana line. The unit primarily served in the Western Theater, participating in operations across Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

Initially dismounted and equipped as infantry, the regiment performed garrison and combat duties, later remounting and serving as cavalry in major campaigns through the end of the war. The 13th Indiana Cavalry mustered out of service at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on November 18, 1865.

Organization & Service

The 13th Indiana Cavalry was organized during the fall and winter of 1863–64 and mustered in on April 29, 1864. The regiment departed Indiana for Nashville, Tennessee, on April 30, 1864, where it was dismounted and issued infantry arms. On May 31, the regiment was ordered to Huntsville, Alabama, for garrison duty and engaged in several skirmishes with Confederate cavalry. On October 1, 1864, the regiment held Huntsville against an attack by Buford’s command.

Companies A, C, D, F, H, and I, under Colonel Gilbert M. L. Johnson, were sent to Louisville, Kentucky, to secure mounts and equipment. These companies were then ordered to Paducah, Kentucky, to assist in repelling an attack by Forrest, after which they returned to Louisville, then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and marched to Lavergne to monitor Hood’s movements. Cut off from the main force, they retired to Murfreesboro and participated in the battles of Overall’s Creek, Wilkinson’s Pike, and several skirmishes, suffering casualties.

Meanwhile, Companies B, E, G, K, L, and M, under Lieutenant Colonel William T. Pepper, moved from Huntsville to Nashville and fought dismounted in the Battle of Nashville. After reuniting, the regiment received new mounts and arms and was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division of the Mississippi. The regiment moved down the river to Vicksburg in February 1865, then to Mobile, Alabama, where it participated in the operations against Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely and maintained a courier line to Florida.

Following the fall of Mobile, the regiment joined Grierson’s raid through Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, reaching Columbus, Mississippi, on May 22, 1865. It then proceeded to Macon, Mississippi, for garrison and patrol duty along the railroad, securing captured stores and ordnance. The regiment returned to Columbus in June and remained there until November, when it was ordered to Vicksburg and mustered out on November 18, 1865. Colonel Johnson was assigned to command the sub-district of northeast Mississippi in June 1865 and was brevetted brigadier general; command of the regiment later passed to Lieutenant Colonel Ranna S. Moore.

Engagements & Campaigns

• Garrison duty and skirmishes near Huntsville, Alabama (May–October 1864)
• Defense of Huntsville against Buford (October 1, 1864)
• Paducah, Kentucky (against Forrest)
• Battles of Overall’s Creek and Wilkinson’s Pike, Tennessee
• Battle of Nashville (December 1864)
• Operations against Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, Alabama (March–April 1865)
• Grierson’s Raid through Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi (Spring 1865)
• Garrison and patrol duty at Macon and Columbus, Mississippi (May–November 1865)

Casualties

The original strength of the regiment was 1,157. Gains by recruits totaled 236, for a total enrollment of 1,395. Losses by death were 136. Desertions numbered 87, with 9 unaccounted for. The regiment lost 65 men killed and wounded and 2 missing in the actions near Murfreesboro. Detailed breakdowns of killed, wounded, and deaths by disease are not fully specified in available primary sources.

Field Officers & Commanders

• Colonel Gilbert M. L. Johnson (brevet Brigadier General; commanded regiment and later sub-district of northeast Mississippi)
• Lieutenant Colonel William T. Pepper
• Lieutenant Colonel Ranna S. Moore (later commanded regiment)
• Major Leonidas Stout
• Major Ranna S. Moore
• Major Hugh A. Stephens
• Major Isaac DeLong
• Major John T. Wheeler
• Major Joseph M. Stricker
• Major David H. Wall

Regimental Roster

The complete roster of officers and enlisted men who served in the 13th Indiana Cavalry is available for genealogical and historical research. This roster includes details on company assignments, enlistment dates, and service records.

To view the full roster, visit the 13th Indiana Cavalry Regimental Roster page.

Sources & References

• The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (O.R.), Series I, Volumes XXXIX, XLV, XLIX
• 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)