Statewide County IN Archives History - Books .....Chapter I Formation 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 13, 2007, 8:57 pm Book Title: History Of The 82nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry CHAPTER I. FORMATION. The war had been progressing sixteen months, and had assumed such magnitude that more troops were needed to carry it to a success. The President issued a call for 600,000 more volunteers. About the time the Eighty-second Indiana had commenced organization, General Bragg, with his Confederate army was marching on Louisville, Ky., and General Kirby Smith was marching on Cincinnati, Ohio. In five days' time the companies forming the Eighty-second Indiana were ready for muster into the United States Service. We had to await mustering officers for some time. The regiment was mustered into the service to date August 22, 1862, with Morton C. Hunter as Colonel, Henry Davis, Lieut.-Colonel, and Paul E. Slocum as Major. We embarked on steamboat for Louisville, Ky., on the 1st day of September, 1862, arriving there at night, and quartered in an old pork house. On the next day we were brigaded as follows, viz.: Eighty-first, Eighty-second, Eighty-seventh Indiana, and One-hundred-and-fourth Illinois, commanded by General Burbage, and known as the "Burbage Brigade." We were encamped south of Louisville in an open field, which was given the name "Camp Grasshopper," on account of the great numbers of these insects. Here we put in our time scouting, drilling, picket duty, and preparing for active service. Each regiment was entitled to twelve or thirteen teams. The Quartermaster called on the Captains of each company for men to go after their teams. The mules furnished for service were in a stockade, never having a bridle or harness on. After the outfit had arrived in camp then the harnessing, hitching and breaking to work commenced. As there were four regiments training at the same time it was very amusing to see the performances. You couldn't look in any direction without seeing a team running off or giving a company of men some extreme exercise. After a short drill of this kind, then the Colonels had the men harnessed up and gave them a good sweating out at either company or regimental drill. Most of the men had never seen army drilling, and of course thought it extremely funny to hear the drillmaster going along hallooing "left, left, left, halt, front," etc. But of course it wasn't half as funny to them as to those who had passed through a year's training. After a few days of drill the men began to put on airs of old soldiers, and soon proved able to make a very good appearance, i. e., where the officers and non-commissioned officers took any pains to post themselves in the tactics. A good Captain applied himself to the study of military art, and had regular meetings of his non-commissioned officers, and instructed them in the art of drilling. Then they were competent to take the men through squad drill, giving them a thorough schooling in all the movements necessary for a fine show on company drill. In this way our time was employed until an order came for our removal to Cincinnati, Ohio, to assist in repelling the invasion of Kirby Smith, then threatening that place. We crossed the Ohio River to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where the order was countermanded, and went into camp back of the city, where we underwent drilling and other preparations for an advance movement on the enemy. During our stay about Louisville the weather was extremely hot and dry. The marches we underwent, whether necessary for the safety of the place or intended to "season" the men for the coming campaign, or both, it had a very disastrous effect on the new troops. Extreme heat, clouds of dust, scarcity of water, and the load the men were required to carry, being unaccustomed to such severe strains on the body, the germs of disease were laid, which eventually ripened into disease of some kind, and was the cause of thousands of men (who under proper treatment would have become good and lasting soldiers) being lost to the service by death or discharge. The Eighty-second Indiana sustained a heavy loss on this account from day to day for several months. Generals Buell and Bragg were having quite an interesting time marching for Louisville, each one trying to prevent a battle. Bragg swung his army between Buell and Louisville and captured four thousand men guarding a bridge at Mumfordsville. Buell apparently made no effort to prevent. After the surrender of Mumfordsville Bragg swung his army off to the right to give Buell a chance to get to Louisville. Buell now became very active, and pushed his front division into Louisville on the 25th day of September, the rear division not getting in until the 29th. We had generals without a fault, but Buell was a general with nothing but faults. Had he been in full control of the United States forces and they had obeyed his orders, one regiment of old women would have won the independence of the Southern Confederacy. Buell was relieved from command, but unfortunately reinstated. Most unfortunately Pap Thomas was not first in command; had he been, the war would have come to an end much sooner. He was a general without a fault, the brightest ornament among them all; the only one who fought from the beginning to the end without a single defeat. His soldiers, to a man, were ready to stay until death or victory relieved them from further duty. His old corps, the fourteenth, has as bright a record as any corps in the United States service, and one the rebels were always anxious to avoid. Upon the arrival of Buell the army underwent a general reorganization, the new regiments which had so lately been thrown to the front were scattered among the old troops. The formation consisted of three corps, designated first, second and third, each containing three divisions of three brigades each; the first corps, commanded by Major-General A. McD. McCook, the second by Major General T. L. Crittenden, and the third by Brigadier-General C. C. Gilbert (a captain wearing Major-General's rank). The Burbage Brigade, of which the Eighty-second formed a part, was disbanded, and we became a part of the First Brigade, First Division of the Third Corps. Our division was commanded by General A. Schoepf. Our brigade was composed of the Seventeenth, Thirty-first and Thirty-eighth Ohio; Twelfth Kentucky, Eighty-second Indiana, and Fourth Michigan Battery, commanded by Colonel Moses B. Walker, of the Thirty-first Ohio. Bragg soon found that the army concentrated at Louisville was too many in numbers for his combined army, and he lay back awaiting developments before proceeding further. He was much disappointed after entering Kentucky at lack of interest by the people to join the rebel cause. He was making every effort to bring the people to his assistance. He had inaugurated a Confederate Governor, procured some recruits, gathered many good horses for his cavalry, and much stores needed by his dirty, ragged command. At the organization of the regiment there were mustered in- Field and staff officers 8 Line officers 30 Enlisted men 892 Total 930 Officers recruited by commission 3 Enlisted men recruited 151 Grand total 1,084 Field Line and Staff. Officers. Total. Mustered out 4 7 11 Resigned 6 17 23 Died 1 4 5 Killed 2 2 Totals 11 30 41 ENLISTED MEN. Died 180 Killed 36 Discharged 223 Transferred to V. R. Corps 54 Transferred to Eng. Corps 18 Transferred to Sig. Corps 1 Transferred to Twenty-second Ind 112 Promoted 20 Missing in action 14 Not accounted for 9 Deserted 30 Killed accidentally 3 Hung 1 Mustered out 342 Total enlisted 1,043 Total officers 41 Grand total 1,084 Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND Indiana Volunteer Infantry, ITS ORGANIZATION, CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES. WRITTEN AT THE REQUEST OF THE MEMBERS BY ALF. G. HUNTER, Late Adjutant. INDIANAPOLIS: WH. B. BURFORD, PRINTER AND BINDER. 1893. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/statewide/history/1893/historyo/chapteri451gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/infiles/ File size: 9.3 Kb