Statewide County IN Archives History - Books .....Preface And Introduction 1893
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Book Title: History Of The 82nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry

PREFACE.

  During the thirteenth annual reunion of the Eighty-second Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, held at Madison, Indiana, September 17 and 18,1891, it was decided by
the members of the regiment then present to have a full and complete history of
the regiment prepared in book form, so as to enable every member to procure one.
I, being selected as the historian, undertake the work with many misgivings of
being able to do ample justice to the cause. Yet having felt for years that such
a history should be prepared, but knowing full well the time and labor necessary
to accomplish it would prove quite a burden upon whoever undertook it, I forbore
mentioning it at our yearly reunions. At this meeting, as by one accord, the
members insisted that it must be done, and chose me for the duty. I have
undertaken it and will do my utmost to produce a work that I hope will meet with
the approval of those who selected me for the task. I feel the responsibility of
the undertaking more keenly at this date of commencing it, twenty-seven years
now having elapsed since the muster out of the regiment. Many touching and
thrilling incidents that at an earlier date were fresh in the memory have now
become almost obsolete from the lapse of time. But knowing the men that formed
the grand old regiment, and feeling assured that their criticisms will be full
of charity for me, with all my forebodings I undertake the task with some
assurance that it will meet the approval of the men of whom I write.


INTRODUCTION.

  In presenting this history the author deems it important to give a brief
detail of the cause and effect which made it necessary for the writing of the
same. While the masses of the soldiers know full well the cause, this is
intended for the perusal of generations yet unborn, and to teach them the
patriotism, valor and heroism of their ancestors- what they endured in order
that this great country of ours might be one and indivisble. There was a growing
spirit of discontent and disloyalty among the slave owners of the South to
divide the slave from the free States and establish a government based on
aristocracy and slavery, to be known as the Confederate States of America, and
only awaited an opportunity to put their plan in operation. On the 6th day of
November, 1860, an election for President of the United States took place and
Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, was elected by the Republican party.
Notwithstanding he had no power until the 4th day of March, 1861, to interfere
with the institution of slavery (four months off), the Southern leaders made
pretext for a cause to begin war on their government, that the institution of
slavery would be tampered with. On the 10th day of November, 1860 (four days
after the election), South Carolina led off with a bill in her Legislature to
raise and equip 10,000 men, and James Chester, United States Senator from South
Carolina, resigned. On the 11th day of November, Senator Hammond, of South
Carolina, resigned. On the 15th of November Governor Litcher, of Virginia,
called an extra session of the Legislature. On November 18th the Georgia
Legislature appropriated $1,000,000 to arm and equip the State. On November 19th
Governor Moore, of Louisiana, called an extra session of the Legislature.
December 1 the Florida Legislature ordered the election of a convention.
December 10 Howell Cobb, Secretary of the Treasury, resigned. Senator Clay, of
Alabama, resigned, and the Louisiana Legislature ordered the election of a
convention and appropriated $500,000 to arm the State. December 24 members of
Congress from South Carolina resigned. December 28 South Carolina seized the
Government property in Charleston Harbor and took possession of Castle Pickney
and Fort Moultrie. December 29 John B. Floyd, Secretary of War, resigned.
January 2, 1861, Governor Ellis, of North Carolina, took possession of Fort
Macon. Georgia troops seized Forts Pulaski and Jackson and the United States
Arsenal at Savannah. January 4 Governor Moore, of Alabama, seized Fort Morgan
and the United States Arsenal at Mobile. January 8 Jacob Thompson, Secretary of
the Interior, resigned. Forts Johnson and Caswell seized by North Carolina.
January 9 steamer Star of the West fired on in Charleston Harbor; Mississippi
Convention passed secession ordinance. January 10 Florida Convention adopted an
ordinance of secession. Florida seized Fort McRea. January 11 Alabama seceded;
P. R. Thompson, Secretary of the Treasury, resigned; Governor of Louisiana
seized Forts Philip and Jackson on the Mississippi river, the United States
Arsenal at Baton Rouge, and Forts Pike and McComb on Lake Ponchartrain. January
13 Florida troops took possession of the Pensacola Navy Yard and Fort Barancas.
January 16 Arkansas Legislature called a convention; Colonel Hayne, of South
Carolina, demanded of the President the surrender of Fort Sumpter. January 18
Virginia Legislature appropriated $1,000,000 for the defense of the State.
January 19 Georgia adopted a secession ordinance. January 21 members of Congress
from Alabama resigned: Jefferson Davis resigned as United States Senator.
January 23 Georgia members of Congress resigned. January 24 the rebels seized
the United States Arsenal at Augusta, Ga. January 26 Louisiana Legislature
passed ordinance of secession. February 1, 1861, Texas Convention passed
ordinance of secession. February 4 delegates from seceded States met at
Montgomery, Ala., to organize a Confederate Government. February 8 the United
States Arsenal at Little Rock, Ark., surrendered. February 9 Jefferson Davis and
Alexander H. Stevens were elected provisional President and Vice-President of
the Southern Confederacy. February 13 the electoral vote was counted; Abraham
Lincoln received 180 votes; Stephen A. Douglas, 12; John C. Breckenridge, 72,
and John Bell, 39. February 19 Fort Kearney, Kas., was seized by the rebels.
February 23 General Twiggs surrendered Government property in Texas to the
rebels, valued at $1,200,000. March 4, 1861, Texas declared out of the Union.
While all of this was taking place, James Buchanan, President of the United
States, sat silently by, claiming a State had no right to secede, and that the
Government had no right to coerce a State that had seceded. Which one of two
things? He was either an imbecile, or in league with traitors. His Secretary of
War and Secretary of Treasury were particularly instrumental in crippling the
pecuniary and military resources of the Government, and of great benefit to the
South. While all this preparation for war was going on the President and members
of Congress from the South took no action against it, which goes to prove beyond
any reasonable doubt that this was all premeditated with malice aforethought. As
they had often boasted of their great superiority of one to five, they concluded
all they would have to do was to show fight and the "Northern mudsills" would
let them have their way. On the 12th day of April, 1861, Fort Sumpter was fired
on, and formally surrendered on the 13th. On the 14th the gallant commander,
Major Anderson, and patriotic little band of 111 men, with the stars and stripes
proudly floating over them, marched out and sailed for New York. On April 15
President Lincoln issued a proclamation commanding all persons in arms against
the Government to disperse within twenty days; also calling for 75,000
volunteers. When the news flashed over the country that the old flag had been
insulted and fired upon, the loyal men of the North, irrespective of party or
sect, rushed to arms with that valor and patriotism in such quantities as to
elicit the applause of every nation on the globe (except Jeff Davis and his
minions). The country became one vast field of camps where drilling and
preparations for war were going on. Every free State responded promptly to all
calls for troops. Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland and Missouri
furnished troops for the Government, with small squads from other slave States.
The negro, the innocent cause of the rebellion, took a part. Slavery, the
Nation's greatest curse, was wiped from existence after four years of hard
service, with the loss of many valuable lives and millions of treasure. During
the war the Union army entered every slave State, fought them on their chosen
grounds, where everything in their rear was loyal to their cause, their base of
supplies always at hand, and every hog path familiar to them, while we were
compelled to have thousands of soldiers to guard our line of transportation, the
depots of supplies and to garrison points of importance captured. During the war
Indiana soldiers were a very conspicuous part of the army, acknowledging no
superiors from any State. I see but one mistake made by the army, i. e., while
we were victorious and yet organized we should have demanded that the leaders of
the rebellion should have paid the penalty of treason. That would have put an
end to treason for all time. The first gun was fired January 9, 1861, on the
United States steamer Star of the West, and the war virtually ended with the
surrender of Joseph E. Johnson's army on the 26th of April, 1865, making the
duration of the war four years and near four months. Considering the vast amount
of territory we had to overcome, and the character of men with which we had to
contend (one of them being a match for five of us) is it not a wonder that we
finished the job so soon, as they were determined to "die in the last ditch."
But what of the brave men who fell by traitors' bullets, died of disease from
exposure, and starved to death by thousands in "hell holes" like Libby, Belle
Isle, Andersonville, etc., their very blood crying out from the ground for
revenge, revenge!


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.


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