The 2nd Kentucky 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 marine i ...
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 conscripted ...
that served in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
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 th ...
. It was part of the
First Kentucky Brigade.
Service
The 2nd Kentucky Infantry was organized in August 1861, at Camp Boone in
Montgomery County, Tennessee
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 220,069. The county seat (and only incorporated municipality) is Clarksville. The county was created in 1796. Montgomery Count ...
, and became part of the
Orphan Brigade
The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The brigade was the largest Confederate unit to be ...
. The men were recruited from
Hickman
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* Hickman Ewing, American attorney
* Hickman Price (1911–1989), assistant secretary in the United States Department of Commerce
* ...
,
Fayette,
Bullitt
''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner ...
,
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
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* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
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,
Graves
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,
Franklin
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,
Harrison
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* Harrison (name)
* Harrison family of Virginia, United States
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In Australia:
* Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin
In Canada:
* Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...
,
Scott,
Owen
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,
Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
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, and
Anderson
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counties. In October of that same year, the regiment contained 832 men and, at the
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...
, its force of 618 was captured. After being exchanged, the reconstituted regiment saw action at the
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...
. It later was assigned to Hanson's, Helm's, and J.H. Lewis' Brigade. The 2nd Kentucky Infantry was involved in the battles of
Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
and
Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to:
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* "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce
* "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe
* "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...
. It reported 13 killed, 70 wounded, and 21 missing at Murfreesboro, lost fifty-two percent of the 302 engaged at Chickamauga, and totaled 293 men and 214 arms in December 1863.
The following summer, the regiment participated in the
Atlanta Campaign. During fall 1864, the unit served as mounted infantry and took part in the defense of
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
and the subsequent
Carolinas Campaign
The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January 1 ...
in early 1865. On April 26, 1865, it surrendered with the
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...
at
Washington, Georgia
Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name Heard's Fort, it was briefly designated as the state capital during the American Revolutionary War. It is noted as the place where the Confederacy ...
.
Commanders
*
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 of ...
Roger Weightman Hanson
* Colonel
James Morrison Hawes
* Colonel Robert A. Johnston
* Colonel James W. Moss
*
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
James W. Hewitt - commanded at the battle of Shiloh; commanded at the battle of Chickamauga as
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
*
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
James W. Moss - commanded at the battle of Shiloh
See also
*
List of Kentucky Civil War Confederate units
This is a list of Kentucky Confederate Civil War Confederate units. The list of Kentucky Union Civil War units is shown separately.
Infantry
* 1st Kentucky Infantry, 1st Infantry Regiment
* 2nd Kentucky Infantry, 2nd Infantry Regiment
* 3rd K ...
*
Kentucky in the Civil War
Kentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General Leonidas Polk to take the state of Kentucky f ...
References
* Thompson, Edwin Porter. ''History of the First Kentucky Brigade'' (Cincinnati, OH: Caxton Pub. House), 1868.
* Thompson, Edwin Porter. ''History of the Orphan Brigade'' (Louisville, KY: L. N. Thompson), 1898.
External links
2nd Kentucky Infantry living history organization
{{Kentucky in the Civil War
Military units and formations established in 1861
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Kentucky
Orphan Brigade
1861 establishments in Tennessee