The 53rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment was a
mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were infantry who rode horses instead of marching. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. According to the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', "Mounted rifles are half cavalry, mounted infantry merely specially m ...
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
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 53rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment was organized at
Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...
and mustered in September 1864 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 of ...
Clinton J. True.
The regiment was attached to Military District of Kentucky and Department of Kentucky, to September 1865.
The 53rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry mustered out of service September 17, 1865, in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
.
Detailed service
Guard duty along the Kentucky Central Railroad between Lexington and Cincinnati. Scouting in central Kentucky and operating against guerrillas until November 1864. Moved to Crab Orchard, Kentucky, November 24, and joined General Stoneman. Stoneman's Raid into southwest Virginia December 10–29. Near Marion, Virginia, December 17–18. Saltville, Virginia, December 20–21. Capture and destruction of salt works. Operating against guerrillas at various points in Kentucky by detachments until September 1865.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 49 men during service; 1 officer and 8 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 40 enlisted men died of disease.
Commanders
* Colonel John H. Grider
Fifty-third Infantry (Mounted).—Colonel, Clinton J. True; Lieut.-Colonel, W. C. Johnson; Major, James G. Francis.
See also
*
List of Kentucky Civil War Units
*
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
* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
;Attribution
*
{{Kentucky in the Civil War
Military units and formations established in 1864
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
Units and formations of the Union Army from Kentucky
1864 establishments in Kentucky