70th Regiment Indiana Volunteers
Battle History
12 Aug 1862 ~ June 8, 1865
The Seventieth Regiment rendezvoused at Indianapolis and was fully
organized between the 14th of July and 12th of August, 18, 1862 -- in
less than one month -- and was mustered into service at the last named
date, with Benjamin Harrison as Colonel. It left Indianapolis on the
morning of the 13th of August and reached Louisville in the evening
of the same day. On the following night it left for Bowling Green and
on the 15th reported to Col. Bruce commanding the Post, thus being
the first regiment in the field under the call of July, 1862. From
Bowling Green the regiment made several expeditions to Franklin,
Morgantown, Munfordsville and Russellville. At the latter place, on
the 30th of July, it encountered several hundred rebel cavalry,
killing and wounding many and capturing forty horses and a large lot
of small arms, saddles, and other property.
On the 10th of November (1862), the regiment moved with Ward's
Brigade, Dumont's division, Fourteenth Army Corps, to Scottsville,
Kentucky, and thence to Gallatin, Tennessee on the 24th of November.
On the 10th of December as part of the 8th brigade, 8th division
(Gen'l Payne's) 14th Army Corps, it was posted along the Louisville
and Nashville Railroad from Gallatin to Nashville to defend the road
and bridges, on which duty it was engaged until the 9th of February,
1863. It then went into camp at Gallatin, doing provost and picket
duty at that place until June 1st, 1863, when it was moved to
Lavergne, Tennessee. Remaining at that point until the 30th of June,
it then marched to Murfreesboro, camping in Fortress Rosecrans. At
that place it was assigned to the 2nd brigade, 3rd division of Gen'l
Granger's Reserve Corps.
Nashville, 1863
On the 19th of August it moved with it's brigade to Nashville and and
while there it was engaged in guarding trains to Stevenson,
Chattanooga and other points, and picket and fatigue duty within the
city. On the 2nd of January, 1864, the regiment was transferred to
the 1st brigade, 1st division, 11th Army Corps, and Col. Harrison
assigned to the command of the brigade. On the 24th of February, the
seventieth left Nashville and marched with it's division to
Wauhatchie, Tennessee, in Lookout Valley. On the organization of the
20th Army Corps it was assigned to the 1st brigade, 3rd division,
with which it continued to serve during it's term of service.
Atlanta Campaign, 1864
From Wauhatchie it marched on the 2nd of May and entered upon the
Atlanta campaign, during which the regiment took an active part,
being engaged in the following actions: Resacca, Cassville, New Hope
Church, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek
and the Siege of Atlanta.
At Resacca the regiment led the assault made on the enemy's right,
capturing a fort and four Napoleon guns, the only pieces of artillery
lost by the enemy between Chattanooga and Atlanta. It's casualties in
this campaign were forty-one killed in action, forty-three died of
wounds and one hundred and ninety-one wounded; total two hundred and
seventy five.
March to Savannah, 1864
On the 5th of November, 1864, the Veterans and remaining recruits
of the Twenty-Seventh Indiana were consoli-dated with the Seventieth,
by special order of the War Department, dated October 12th, 1864. The
regiment participated in Sherman's march through Georgia to Savannah,
and on the 31st of December it crossed the Savannah river with the
first brigade of western troops that entered South Carolina. Marching
through the Carolinas with Sherman's army it rested at Raleigh, North
Carolina, where it was on the announcement of Lee's surrender.
Mustered Out, 8 June 1865
It afterwards marched with the Army of Georgia to Richmond and then
to Washington City, where it was mustered out of service on the 8th
of June, 1865. The remaining recruits whose terms had not expired
under the then existing regulations of the War Department were
transferred to the Thirty-Third regiment, in which organization they
continued to serve until its muster out at Louisville on the 21st of
July, 1865. On returning to Indianapolis the Seventieth was publicly
welcomed home by the citizens, and at the reception given in the
Capitol grounds on the 10th of June, addresses were made by Governor
Morton and Gen's Hovey and Harrison.
The causalities of the regiment have been, in all, as follows:
Killed in action, forty-three; died of wounds received in action,
forty-three; wounded in action, one hundred and ninety-four; wounded
accidentally, five; died of disease, one hundred and two -- total,*
three hundred and eighty-seven.* The regiment entered service with
one thousand and twenty-one men and officers; and received one
hundred and thirty-eight recruits from Indiana; and veterans and
recruits from the Twenty-Seventh to the number of one hundred and
eighty-nine -- making the whole number that have served with the
organization thirteen hundred and forty-eight.
Transcribed from: Report Adj. General Ind. War of the Rebellion
1861-1865 Officers and Enlisted Men.
(Report located in the Indiana State Library) Emphasis added.
JHR May 2000.
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