The 8th 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

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 8th Kentucky Infantry Regiment was organized at Estill Springs and

Lebanon, Kentucky Lebanon is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Marion County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 5,539 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is located in central Kentucky, southeast of Louisville. A national cemetery is located ...

and mustered in for a three-year enlistment in October 1861. The regiment was attached to Thomas' Command to January 1862. 16th 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. Do ...

, to February 1862, 23rd Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 23rd Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, September 1862. 23rd Brigade, 5th Division,

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd 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. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXI Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to April 1864. 1st Separate Brigade, Post of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to November 1864. 2nd Brigade, District of the Etowah, Department of the Cumberland, to February 1865. The 8th Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service in February 1865; veterans and new recruits were transferred to the 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry.

Detailed service

Duty at Estill Springs, Kentucky, until November 28, 1861. Marched to Lebanon, Kentucky, November 28-December 3, and duty there until March 1862. Moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, March 10–23; then to

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 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 ...

, April 3–4, and to

Wartrace, Tennessee Wartrace is a town in Bedford County, Tennessee, Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 548 at the 2000 census and 651 at the 2010 census. It is located northeast of Shelbyville, Tennessee, Shelbyville. The downtown area is li ...

May 3. Duty there until June 11. Dumont's Expedition over

Cumberland Mountains The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in western Virginia, southwestern West Virginia, the eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the ...

June, 11-19. Moved to Elk River Bridge July 4; then to Tullahoma July 9, and joined

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. Marched to

Louisville 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. ...

, in pursuit of

Bragg Bragg may refer to: Places *Bragg City, Missouri, United States *Bragg, Texas, a ghost town, United States *Bragg, West Virginia, an unincorporated community, United States *Electoral district of Bragg, a state electoral district in South Australia ...

August 21-September 26. Russellville and Glasgow September 30. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–22. Battle of Perryville October 8. Nelson's Cross Roads October 18. Reconnaissance on Madison Road October 19. March to Nashville, Tennessee, October 22-November 12, and duty there until December 26. Murfreesboro Pike November 9. Dobbins' Ferry, near Lavergne, December 9. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. At Murfreesboro until June. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Liberty Gap June 25–26. At McMinnville until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22.

Ringgold, Georgia Ringgold is a city in and the county seat of Catoosa County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 3,414 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ringgold was founded in 184 ...

, September 11. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–20. Siege of

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

September 24-November 23. Reopening

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

October 26–29.

Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign The Chattanooga campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Major general (United States), Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army, Union Army of the C ...

November 23–27.

Lookout Mountain Lookout Mountain is a mountain ridge located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southeastern Tennessee state line in Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain was the scene of the 18th-centu ...

November 23–24.

Missionary Ridge Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, a ...

November 25. Taylor's Ridge, Ringgold Gap, November 27. At Shellmound, Tennessee, until March 1864. Demonstration on

Dalton, Georgia Dalton is a city and the county seat of Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is also the principal city of the Dalton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Murray and Whitfield counties. As of the 2010 census, the ci ...

, February 22–27. Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 23–25. Moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, March 1, and garrison duty there until September 26, 1864. Moved to Elk River Bridge September 26 and duty there until October 20. At Chattanooga until November 28 and at

Bridgeport, Alabama Bridgeport is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, Jackson County, Alabama, United States. At the time of 2010 census the population was 2,418, down from 2,728 in 2000. Bridgeport is included in the Chattanooga-Cleveland-Dalton, TN-GA-AL Combined S ...

, until January 1865.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 205 men during service; 4 officers and 56 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 144 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Sidney Barnes * Lieutenant Colonel

Reuben May Reuben May (June 23, 1815September 26, 1902) was an American farmer and populist politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the western half of Vernon County during the 1870 and 1872 sessions. He was also twice a ...

* Lieutenant Colonel James D. Mayhew * Major Green B. Broaddus * Major John S. Clark

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. ;Attribution *

External links