The 15th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Service

The 15th Indiana Infantry was organized at

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

for a one-year enlistment in May 1861. It was subsequently reorganized and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on June 14, 1861, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

George Day Wagner. The regiment was attached to 1st Brigade, Army of Occupation, Western Virginia, July to September 1861. Reynolds' Cheat Mountain District, Western Virginia, to November 1861. 15th Brigade,

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. ...

, to December 1861. 15th Brigade, 4th Division, Army of the Ohio, to March 1862. 15th Brigade, 6th Division, Army of the Ohio, March 1862. 21st Brigade, 6th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 21st Brigade, 6th Division, IV Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Left Wing,

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

, to January 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XXI Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, IV Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to February 1864. Garrison, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to June 1864. The 15th Indiana Infantry mustered out of service at Chattanooga,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

on June 16, 1864. Veterans and recruits were transferred to the 17th Indiana Infantry.

Detailed service

Moved to Indianapolis, Indiana then to Clarksburg, Virginia, July 1–6. Western Virginia Campaign July 6–17, including the

Battle of Rich Mountain The Battle of Rich Mountain took place on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War. Background Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan assumed c ...

on July 11. Duty in Elkwater Valley, Virginia, July to November 1861. Operations on Cheat Mountain September 11–17. Elkwater September 11.

Battle of Cheat Mountain The Battle of Cheat Mountain, also known as the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, took place from September 12 to 15, 1861, in Pocahontas County and Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign during the ...

September 12.

Battle of Greenbrier River The Battle of Greenbrier River, also known as the Battle of Camp Bartow, took place on October 3, 1861 in Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War. B ...

October 3–4. Ordered to Louisville November 19. Duty at Bardstown and Lebanon, Kentucky, until February 1862. Marched to Nashville, Tennessee, February 17-March 13, and to Savannah, Tennessee, March 21-April 6. Battle of Shiloh April 6–7. Advance on and

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth (also known as the first Battle of Corinth) was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry ...

, April 29-May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 30-June 12. Buell's Campaign in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee June to August. March to Louisville, Kentucky, in pursuit of Bragg August 21-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–22.

Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the ...

, October 8 (reserve). March to Nashville, Tennessee, October 22-November 7, and duty there until December 26. Lavergne December 11. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30.

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Am ...

December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro until June. Reconnaissance to Nolensville and Versailles January 13–15. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Camp at Pelham until August 17. Passage of the Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 17-September 22. Occupation of Chattanooga September 9, and assigned to duty there as garrison. Siege of Chattanooga, September 24-November 23. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Orchard Knob November 23–24. Battle of Missionary Ridge November 25. Pursuit to Graysville November 26–27. March to relief of Knoxville, November 28-December 8. Duty at Knoxville and vicinity until February 1864. Ordered to Chattanooga, and garrison duty there until June.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 183 men during service; 4 officers and 103 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 76 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel George Day Wagner * Colonel Gustavus A. Wood - commanded at the battles of Perryville and Stones River as lieutenant colonel

Notable members

* Sergeant George L. Banks, Company C -

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient for action at Missionary Ridge * Private Charles Gerard Conn, Company B - founder of C.G. Conn Ltd. instrument company * 2nd Lieutenant Thomas N. Graham, Company G - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Missionary Ridge * Chaplain John Whitehead - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Stones River

References

* Burns, Edward M. ''Historical Sketch of the Organization and Service of the Fifteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteers and Third Annual Reunion'' (Valparaiso, IN: s.n.), 1889. * Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Passo, Sam & Bill Crane. ''First Flag on the Summit: History of the 15th Indiana Civil War Regiment'' (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse), 2008. * Smith, Samuel Thomas. ''Life and Letters of Pvt. Samuel Thomas Smith, Fifteenth Indiana Regiment, Volunteers, Civil War'' (Bloomington, IN: Monroe County Historical Society), 1976. ;Attribution * {{Indiana in the Civil War

External links

Story of the 15th Indiana's charge at Missionary Ridge and how Sergeant Banks won the Medal of Honor
Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864 1864 disestablishments in Indiana Units and formations of the Union Army from Indiana 1861 establishments in Indiana