42nd History, From the book Indiana at Chickamuaga

History of the 42nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865

Source: Indiana at Chickamauga 1863. Report of the Indiana Commissioners, Chickamauga National Military Park. Sentinel Printing Co., Indianapolis, 1900.  pp 183-184.


The Forty-second Indiana Infantry was organized at Evansville on October 9, 1861, with James G. Jones as Colonel. Soon afterward it crossed over into Kentucky to Henderson and from thence marched to Calhoun and Owensboro, and from thence to Nashville, Tenn., arriving there on February 5, 1862. It passed the remainder of the winter in the interior of Tennessee and Alabama, finally returning to Nashville. From Nashville it marched with Rousseau's Division of Buell's Army to Louisville, Ky., and then took part under Buell in the pursuit of Bragg through Kentucky, participating in the battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862, losing 166 officers and men in killed, wounded and missing. It was engaged in the pursuit of Bragg through Kentucky as far as the Wild Cat Mountains, then returning through Kentucky marched to Nashville. From Nashville it became a part of Rosecrans' Army in the Stone's River-Murfreesboro campaign, taking part in the battle of Stone's River on December 31, 1862, and January 1 and 2, 1863, losing in that engagement 104 officers and men in killed and wounded. After the battle of Stone's River this regiment camped with its division near Murfreesboro until June 24th, when it was assigned to the First Brigade, commanded by Brig.-Gen. John Beatty, Second Division (Negley), Fourteenth Corps (Thomas), and participated in the campaign through Middle Tennessee. It marched with the army on the Chattanooga-Chickamauga campaign, and on the 19th and 20th of September, 1863, was engaged in the battle of Chickamauga, losing in that engagement 109 killed, wounded and missing. It returned to Chattanooga with Rosecrans' Army, and on the reorganization of the army was attached to the First Brigade (Brig.-Gen. William P. Carlin), First Division (Brig.-Gen. Richard W. Johnson), Fourteenth Army Corps (Maj.-Gen. John M. Palmer). This regiment was with Carlin's Brigade when it took part in the assault on Lookout Mountain with Hooker's Army on the evening of November 24, 1863, and advanced on the 25th of November from Lookout Mountain towards Missionary Ridge, and took part in the storming of Missionary Ridge, being one of the regiments on the extreme right of the Army of the Cumberland in that assault, losing heavily in these two engagements. On January 1, 1864, the regiment re-enlisted as a veteran regiment at Chattanooga and soon afterwards returned to Indiana on veteran furlough. At the expiration of its veteran furlough this regiment returned to the field and joined Sherman's Army at Chattanooga in March, 1864. It marched with the Fourteenth Army Corps when Sherman started on his Atlanta campaign in May, 1864, participating in the engagements at Ringgold, Rocky Face Ridge, Resacca, Allatoona, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochie River, Peach Tree Creek, the siege of Atlanta and Jonesboro. From Jonesboro it returned to Atlanta with Sherman's Army, where it remained until it marched with Sherman's Army in the pursuit of Hood when he flanked Atlanta and started northward after the capture of Atlanta. In this pursuit of Hood it marched to Kingston, Rome, Resacca, through Snake Creek Gap to the Chatuga Valley, and from thence to Gaylesville, Ala. When Sherman divided his army at Gaylesville, this regiment returned with the Fourteenth Corps to Atlanta, and in November marched with Sherman's Army from Atlanta through Georgia to the sea, participating in the siege and capture of Savannah. From Savannah it marched with the army through the Carolinas to Goldsboro, N. C., taking part in the battle of Averysboro and Bentonville. After the surrender of Johnston's Confederate Army and the surrender of Lee, it marched by way of Richmond to Washington. It participated in the grand review in Washington, after which it was sent to Louisville, Ky., where it was mustered out of the United States service on July 21, 1865, and returned to Indiana. During its term of service, the Forty-second lost in killed, wounded and missing, 629 officers and men.

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