Showing posts with label 140th IN INF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 140th IN INF. Show all posts

Saturday, October 6, 2018

140th Indiana Infantry

Organized at Indianapolis, Ind., and mustered in October 24, 1864. Left State for Nashville, Tenn., November 15; thence moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn. Attached to 1st Brigade, Defences Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, Dept. of the Cumberland, to January, 1865. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 23rd Army Corps, Army of the Ohio, to February, 1865, and Dept. of North Carolina to July, 1865.

SERVICE. — Siege of Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 5-12, 1864. Near Murfreesboro December 13-14. March to Columbia December 24-28, thence to Clifton, Tenn., January 2-6, 1865. Movement to Washington, D.C.; thence to Fort Fisher, N. C., January 16-February 7. Arrive at Fort Fisher, N. C., February 7. Operations against Hoke February 11-14. Fort Anderson February 18-19. Town Creek February 19-20. Capture of Wilmington February 22. Campaign of the Carolinas March 1-April 26. Advance on Goldsboro March 6-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 21. Gulley's March 31. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. Duty at Raleigh till May 6, and at Greensboro till July. Mustered out July 11, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 2 Enlisted men killed and 1 Officer and 111 Enlisted men by disease. Total 114.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the 3, p. Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1157

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Abraham Lincoln, Address to the 140th Indiana Infantry, March 17, 1865

Fellow Citizens. A few words only– I was born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, resided in Illinois, and now here, it is my duty to care equally for the good people of all the States. I am to-day see glad of seeing it in the power of an Indiana regiment to present this captured flag to the good governor of their State. And you yet I would not wish to compliment Indiana above other states, remembering that all have done so well. There are but few aspects of this great war on which I have not already expressed my views by speaking or writing– There is one – the recent effort of our erring brethren, sometimes so-called, to employ the slaves in their armies– The great question with them has been; “will the negro fight for them?” They ought to know better than we; and, doubtless, do know better than we– I may incidentally remark, however, that having, in my life, heard many arguments, – or strings of words meant to pass for arguments, – intended to show that this negro ought to be a slave, that if he shall now really fight to keep himself a slave, it will be a far better argument why should remain a slave than I have ever before heard– He, perhaps, ought to be a slave, if he desires it ardently enough to fight for it– Or, if one out of four will, for his own freedom, fight to keep the other three in slavery, he ought to be a slave for his selfish meanness– I have always thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves it should be first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly those who desire it for others– Whenever [I] hear any one, even a preacher, arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him peronally–

There is one thing about the negroes fighting for the rebels which we can know as well as they can; and that is that they can not, at same time fight in their armies, and stay at home and make bread for them– And this being known and remembered we can have but little concern whether they become soldiers or not– I am rather in favor of the measure; and would at any time if I could, have loaned them a vote to carry it– We have to reach the bottom of the insurgent resources; and that they employ, or seriously think of employing, the slaves as soldiers, gives us glimpses of the bottom. Therefore I am glad of what we learn on this subject—