Overview
The 14th Indiana Light Battery served as an artillery unit for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized primarily from recruits in Wabash, Huntington, Miami, and Fayette counties, Indiana, the battery was mustered into service on March 24, 1862. It participated in operations across the Western Theater, including significant campaigns in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. The battery is noted for its involvement in several major actions and for enduring both combat and the hardships of extended campaigns.
Organization & Service
The 14th Indiana Light Battery was organized and mustered in at Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 24, 1862. Shortly after, on April 11, the battery departed for St. Louis and soon embarked for Pittsburg Landing, arriving there on April 21, 1862. The unit participated in the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, and subsequently moved to Jackson, Tennessee, arriving July 21. During its time at Jackson, a section under Lieutenant John W. H. McGuire joined a cavalry expedition toward Lexington, where it encountered Confederate cavalry under Forrest. In this engagement, the section lost its guns and 27 men were captured, with 2 killed and only 1 escaping.
On June 3, 1863, the battery marched to LaGrange, Tennessee, remaining there until October 11, then moved to Pocahontas until November 23, and returned to Corinth for garrison duty until the evacuation of that post in January 1864. The battery then moved to Memphis and took steamer to Vicksburg, joining Sherman’s forces for the Meridian campaign. After returning to Vicksburg on March 4, 1864, 68 members reenlisted as veterans. The battery then returned to Memphis, where it remained on duty until November. During this period, Captain Meredith H. Kidd was promoted, and Lieutenant Francis W. Morse became captain in March 1864.
In May 1864, the veterans went home on furlough, while the non-veterans and recruits, numbering 32 men with 2 guns, joined Sturgis’s expedition into northern Mississippi. At the battle of Guntown, the battery suffered significant losses, with all guns lost, 15 men killed or wounded, and 2 captured. The battery later moved with General A. J. Smith’s command to Nashville, participating in the battle there on December 15–16, 1864, and in the pursuit of Hood’s army to Clifton. From there, it traveled by steamer to Eastport, Mississippi, arriving January 13, 1865. The battery then moved to New Orleans and Mobile, taking part in the siege of Spanish Fort with the 16th Army Corps. After the capture of Mobile, the unit marched to Montgomery, Alabama, where it remained until ordered home. The 14th Indiana Light Battery was mustered out of service on August 29, 1865, with 3 officers and 107 men present.
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)
- Jackson, Tennessee operations (July 1862)
- Expedition toward Lexington, Tennessee (July 1862)
- LaGrange and Pocahontas, Tennessee (June–November 1863)
- Garrison duty at Corinth (to January 1864)
- Meridian Campaign (February–March 1864)
- Sturgis’s Expedition and Battle of Guntown, Mississippi (June 1864)
- Battle of Nashville (December 15–16, 1864)
- Pursuit of Hood’s army to Clifton (December 1864)
- Siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama (March–April 1865)
- Occupation of Mobile and march to Montgomery (April–May 1865)
Casualties
During the expedition toward Lexington, 2 men were killed and 27 captured. At the battle of Guntown, the battery lost 15 men killed and wounded, and 2 captured. Total losses for the battery at muster out were not fully detailed in primary sources, but it mustered out with 3 officers and 107 men.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Captain Meredith H. Kidd
- Captain Francis W. Morse
- Captain John W. H. McGuire
Regimental Roster
The complete roster of the 14th Indiana Light Battery, including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and service details for those who served in the unit throughout its term.
To view the full roster, visit the 14th Indiana Light Battery Regimental Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (see Western Theater operations, 1862–1865)
- 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