As I recounted in my last column, at the outset of the Civil War, the people of Indiana – and particularly of Hamilton County – were quick to volunteer to enter the war.
Company I of the Indiana 6th Volunteer Regiment was known as the Hamilton Continentals. The Indiana 6th was the first regiment assigned for service in Indiana. They saw action in Philippi, W.V., and had returned home by the end of the summer.
The fighting in West Virginia was relatively light. On June 3, 1861, 3,000 Union troopers ousted about 800 Confederates. By the sheer force of the numbers opposing them, the rebels retreated out of the area. That was the way the Federals had envisioned the rest of the war unfolding as well.
However, on July 21, 1861, the First Battle of Bull Run (or First Manassas) was a taste of what was to come. A mere 30 miles from the capital, the gentry of Washington, D.C., had come out to watch the battle like it was a sporting event. As the battle began, casualties began to quickly mount. Men were literally cut to pieces before their eyes: 4,600 became casualties. It did not take long for the volunteer armies to break ranks and run for their lives. Picnic baskets were left behind as Union volunteers and the elite of Washington made a scramble for the city.
Back in Indiana, it was evident that three months of service would not be sufficient to end this war. The volunteer army was now being asked to sign up for three years of service. The men of the Indiana 6th, Company I were back in Noblesville with Captain John Evans. Some would muster out, but there was a new infantry regiment being formed – the Indiana 39th. John Evans was being commissioned as a Major in the new regiment and many of the men of the old 6th were eager to re-enlist.
Again, men from Hamilton County rose to take up arms. Men like Allen Fisher, Gilbert Hall, James Nicholson, Daniel Weaver, and Francis Bartholomew (Weaver and Bartholomew were only 16 years old) joined the Indiana 39th. Their new regiment would be engaged in some of the most significant battles in the western theater of the war: Shiloh, Corinth, Stone’s River, and Chickamauga.
In April 1863, a rather unique experience happened to the Indiana 39th Volunteer Infantry. They went from being foot soldiers to riding horses as a cavalry regiment. Civil War Armies were made up mainly of infantry (foot soldiers) that were supported by artillery and cavalry regiments.
Civil War Veteran Sergeant Allen Fisher’s gravestone can be found in Crownland Cemetery in Noblesville. (Photo provided)
The job of the cavalry was reconnaissance work, delivering messages and to overwhelm the enemy. A soldier on a horse could strike quickly. One thousand cavaliers galloping in battle formation was a fearful sight.
In October 1863, the Indiana 39th Infantry officially became the Indiana 8th Cavalry. They would go on to fight in places like Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain at Chattanooga, Tenn.; take part in the Atlanta campaign; ride in Sherman’s famous March to the Sea; then up through the Carolinas to defeat Joe Johnston’s crumbling Confederates and see that army surrender on April 26, 1865.
If you took some time to walk through the old part of Crownland Cemetery in Noblesville, you would see the aging markers of these heroes of the past. There are 292 Civil War veterans buried in this graveyard – more than any other cemetery in Hamilton County. One thing that is unique about the headstones of Civil War veterans: they list their state regiment and local company unit. These men literally fought side-by-side with their neighbors and relatives. Other war veterans’ markers are designated by a higher military unit, not by this state and local designation.
Civil War vets’ tombstones are also unique in their design. They are short, marble stones with a shield carved into the face and the names of the soldiers in raised letters.
One more item you will notice about the markers of the heroes of Hamilton County: there are a lot of Indiana 8th Cavalry markers, but no Indiana 39th Infantry markers. It seems the boys from Hamilton County liked riding those horses!
If you would like to know more about the Civil War Veterans from Noblesville, join us for a walking tour at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at Crownland Cemetery. For more information, go to CivilWarVeteransWalkingTour.com.