3rd Indiana Battery Light Artillery was an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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 ...

Service

The battery was organized at

Connersville Connersville is a city in Fayette County, east central Indiana, United States, east by southeast of Indianapolis. The population was 13,481 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated town in Fa ...

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 ...

and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on August 24, 1861, in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana. The battery was attached to Fremont's Army of the West and

Department of the Missouri The Department of the Missouri was a command echelon of the United States Army in the 19th century and a sub division of the Military Division of the Missouri that functioned through the Indian Wars. History Background Following the successful ...

to February 1862. Jefferson City, Missouri, Department of the Missouri, to March 1862. Central District of Missouri, Department of the Missouri, to February 1863. District of Southwest Missouri, Department of the Missouri, to June 1863. District of Rolla, Missouri, Department of the Missouri, to July 1863. District of St. Louis, Missouri, Department of the Missouri, to January 1864. Artillery, 3rd Division, XVI Corps,

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, to December 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Detachment Army of the Tennessee,

Department 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 February 1865. Artillery, 1st Division, XVI Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to August 1865. The 3rd Indiana Battery Light Artillery mustered out of service on August 21, 1865, in Indianapolis.

Detailed service

Moved to St. Louis, Missouri, September. Fremont's advance on Springfield, Missouri, September 23-November 2, 1861. Duty at Tipton and LaMine, Missouri, until February 1862. Duty at Jefferson City, Missouri, until November 1862. Expedition in Moniteau County and skirmish March 25–28. Campaign against Porter's and Poindexter's guerrillas July 20-September 10. Actions at Moore's Mills July 28; Kirksville August 6; near Stockton August 9; Lone Jack August 16. Duty at Springfield, Rolla, and St. Louis, Missouri, November 1862 to December 1863. Reenlisted November 30, 1863. Moved to Columbus, Kentucky. Smith's Campaign in western Tennessee against Forrest December 20–26. Moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, January 23, 1864. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2. Red River Campaign March 10-May 22. Fort DeRussy March 14. Occupation of Alexandria April 16. Battle of Pleasant Hill April 9. About Cloutiersville April 22–24. Cotile Landing April 25. Red River May 3–7. Retreat to Morganza May 13–20. Mansura May 16. Yellow Bayou May 18. Moved to Vicksburg May 19–24, then to Memphis, Tennessee, May 25-June 10. Old River Lake or Lake Chicot June 6. Smith's Expedition to Tupelo, Mississippi, July 5–21. Harrisburg, near Tupelo, July 14–15. Old Town (or Tishamingo Creek) July 15. Smith's Expedition to Oxford, Mississippi, August 1–30. Moved to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, September 8–19. Expedition to Do Soto September 20-October 1. March through Missouri in pursuit of Price October 2-November 19. Moved to Nashville, Tennessee, November 25-December 1. Battle of Nashville December 15–16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17–28. Moved to Eastport, Mississippi, and duty there until February 1865. Expedition from Eastport to Iuka January 9, 1865. Moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, February 7–22. Campaign against Mobile and its defenses March 17-April 12. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Fort Blakely April 9. Capture of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 13–25. Duty at Montgomery and Selma till July 30 when the battery was ordered to Indianapolis, Indiana.

Armament

According to a report by Lieutenant Thomas J. Ginn, at the

Battle of Yellow Bayou The Battle of Yellow Bayou, also known as the Battle of Norwood's Plantation, (May 18, 1864) saw Union Army forces led by Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower clash with Confederate States Army troops commanded by Brigadier General John A. Wharton i ...

on May 18, 1864, the battery's guns consisted of two

M1857 12-pounder Napoleon The M1857 12-pounder Napoleon or Light 12-pounder gun or 12-pounder gun-howitzer was a bronze smoothbore muzzleloading artillery piece that was adopted by the United States Army in 1857 and extensively employed in the American Civil War. The gun ...

s, two 14-pounder James rifles, and two

M1841 6-pounder field gun The M1841 6-pounder field gun was a bronze smoothbore muzzle-loading cannon that was adopted by the United States Army in 1841 and used from the Mexican–American War to the American Civil War. It fired a round shot up to a distance of at 5° e ...

Casualties

The battery lost a total of 29 men during service; 1 officer and 10 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 18 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

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 ...

Thomas J. Ginn - commanded at the battle of Nashville as 1st lieutenant * Lieutenant Adolphus G. Armington - commanded one section at the battle of Moore's Mill * 2nd Lieutenant James S. Devlin - commanded one section at the battle of Lone Jack; mortally wounded in action

Notes

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * * Talbert, Harrison B. ''Civil War Letters'' (Minden, NE: Jack C. Hultquist), 1999. ;Attribution * {{Indiana in the Civil War Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Indiana

1861 establishments in Indiana