The History of the Company K, 42nd Indiana Volunteers

The History of Company K, 42nd Indiana Volunteers

Source: History of Warrick County, by Edwin Adams, 1868.  Pages 61-65.

Special thanks to Marsha Bryant for her permission to use the following history of  Company K.  This history was taken from Marsha's web site at: http://marshaswarrickweb.com/index.htm.  The History of Warrick County was donated to Marsha's site by John Key and was transcribed by Samantha Miley.  Many thanks to both John and Samantha for their work on this project.


Company K, 42d Indiana Volunteers

Was organized on the 20th of Sept. 1861, and mustered into service on the 11th of October 1861, with the following officers:

OFFICERS:

Captain; Daniel G. Thompson; 1st Lieutenant, James ll. Masters;

2nd Lieutenant, Thomas L. Denny. Sergeants,- 1st, Edward M. Knowles; 2nd ? White; 3rd, Lemuel W. French; 4th, Emory Johnson; 5th, John E. Carnahan.

Whole company, ninety eight men.

Routes first year- Camp Vanderburgh to Henderson KY. hence to Calhoun, hence to Owensboro, and from there to Nashville Tennessee, on transport, where Lieut. Denny resigned and Edmund M. Knowles was promoted 2nd Lieutenant.

Hence the regiment followed in the wake of Gen. Mitchell's Division, to Huntsville Ala.

On this route, at Wartrace Tennessee, a part of the company were in a fight when sergeants White and Carnahan, and Christopher Broshears, George W. Floyd and others were wounded, so as to be discharged or disabled for the balance of the war.

After lying at Huntsville until the 23rd of August, 1862, came the long notorious retreat of Buell to Louisville Kentucky, arriving there on the 20th September, 1862. Then they commenced the pursuit of the rebel army under Bragg, and on the 8th day of October 1862, the battle of Perryville was fought, and there was killed of Company K., on the field, Oliver Buzzingham- some died of wounds. Three of the wounded, James Humphrey, George L. Masters, and Young Reed, are yet living.

Seconds year routes and changes- On the 8th of November 1862, James H. Masters was promoted Captain, vice, Daniel G. Thompson, resigned; Edward M. Knowles was promoted 1st Lieutenant, vice Masters, promoted; Emory Johnson was promoted 2nd Lieutenant, vice Knowles promoted, and Tiloson M. Neves was made 1st Sergeant.

Then came the march via Nashville to Stone River, where on the 31st of December 1862, commenced that sanguinary conflict known as the battle of Stone River. Company K, lost -killed- on that day, almost at the same instant, Rinaldo Edwards and Warrick Clifford. Among the seventy wounded on that day were Alvis Ashley, John Coleman, John Ross, and ---- Martin. After this battle we remained with the main army until we moved forward under Gen. Rosencrans through Northern Alabama and Georgia to the great battle of Chicamanga, where Miles Matthews and 1st Lieutenant Edmund M. Knowles were made prisoners of war. Miles Matthews one of the best soldiers died in Andersonville Prison, and Lieut. Edmund M. Knowles was killed outright while a prisoner of war.

Third year changes,- Next came the sweeping victories of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, of which our Company as a part of the first Brigade, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, took part. Among the wounded were Thomas H. Lacer, Dangerously, and Ephraim Y. Perigo, slightly.

On the last of January 1864, our Company re-enlisted, and there were still able for service 27 men out of the 98 who were first enrolled- all of whom veteranized, when we had a short furlough home, and then went back to the front at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In April 1864, our Company and Regiment commenced advancing with Gen. Sherman, on that almost unceasing battle from Goldsboro to Atlanta Georgia. Among the veterans of Company K, on the 11th of April 1864 Ephraim Broshears was wounded in the leg and made a cripple for life. On the 14th of April, George B. Masters was seriously wounded in the right lung and through the right shoulder, and made cripple for life. On the 22nd of July 1864, Capt. James H. Masters, was crippled for life by a gun shot wound in his right shoulder, and Lieut.; Emory Johnson was killed almost instantly by a ball passing through his lungs. In a few days afterwards, perhaps on the 7th of August, Sergeant William Stuckey and Pleasant Shepherd were also killed.

So rapidly fell the veterans of our Company that the late history of the Company is not so exactly known. The Company, however, was recruited and started in on it's fourth year, when Piletson M. Neves was promoted Captain, vice Masters discharged; Ephraim Y. Perigo was promoted 1st Lieut., vice Knowles, killed; John D. Linxwiller, promoted 2nd Lieut., vice Johnson killed. The Company was discharged at an early period by the disbandment of the army after the surrender of the rebel army. Among those that died of disease, contracted in the army, were Wesley Spillman, Reason Barrett; ----- Lewis, C.M. Williams, Absalom B. Hendson, and Joseph D. Lemasters.

 

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