Floyd County IN Archives Biographies.....Bir, Lewis  August 19, 1843 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Sharon Pike spike00@earthlink.net January 14, 2008, 12:29 am

Author: Unknown

Presidents, Soldiers, Statesmen   Vol. II
H.H. Hardesty, Publisher
N.Y., Toledo, Chicago
1893


Lewis Bir
Lewis Bir was born in Clark Co., Ind., Aug. 19, 1843, and settled in New 
Albany in 1866. He was married April 23, 1867, to Miss Sophia Cheap. Two 
children were born to this union, Mary E. Bir and Edard M. Bir. At the time of 
his enlistment Comrade Bir was 18 years of age and was engaged in farming; he 
entered the U.S. service, Aug. 1, 1862, at New Albany, Ind., as a private of 
Co. K., 93rd Regt., Ind. V.I., and was soon promoted to Corp. and Sergt., of 
his Co.  He served under Grant, and in the winter of 1862-63 marched from 
Memphis to Corinth and Moscow; his Brigade made a forced march back to Holly 
Springs, when Van Dora captured the place and got there just in time to see 
the last of our supplies burned up by Van Dora who then retreated. This 
Brigade then made a forced march to Grand Junction, the nearest point for 
supplies, and then back to Memphis. Soon the Vicksburg campaign opened where 
he helped to dig the canal at Duck Point, then marched to Grand Gulf, crossing 
the river and took part in the battles of Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, 
Black River and others. May 18, he helped to drive the pickets and army of 
Pemberton in Vicksburg and took part in the charge and assault on that place, 
May 19-22. Then with Sherman returned to Jackson and drove Jo. Johnson back 
again the second time; also Meridian and from Memphis was engaged in a number 
of raids and fights with Forrest’s Cavalry in the fall of 1863 and winter of 
1863-64; was in the Guntown fight, the Tupelo and Oldtown fights, and in the 
fall of 1864, was after Price from Little Rock, through Arkansas, Missouri and 
nearly to the Kansas line, thence back through Missouri to St. Louis; thence 
to Nashville, Tenn., where they took part under Gen. Thomas in his two days 
fight with Hood and pursued his routed army to East Port, where the remnant of 
his forces escaped across the Tennessee River. From Nashville, Comrade Bir 
with his Regt., went to New Orleans and Mobile, and through the campaign 
against the Spanish Fort. After the fall of Mobile, they marched to 
Montgomery, Ala., and they learned of the surrender of Lee. They then remained 
in Ala., until fall when they proceeded to Indianapolis and were mustered out 
on November 20, 1865, his Regt. Having traveled about 11, 000 miles during 
service; he was taken prisoner the day after the Guntown fight, where he and 
seven of his comrades made a stand and killed eleven of the rebels; he escaped 
from his captors the next day, and was hid away and concealed by a colored man 
right in Forrest’s camp for four days, and then made his way to the Union 
lines 56 miles away in about 10 hours, arriving there, bare-footed, bear-
headed, nearly naked and famished, with the flesh torn from his feet and 
ankels. 

Additional Comments:
I came across the photocopied pages in a file at the public
library in New Albany. I have never been able to locate an
original copy of the book.


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