15th Indiana Independent Battery Light Artillery

Organized at Indianapolis, Ind., March 11, 1862, and mustered in July 5, 1862. Left State for Harper's Ferry, W. Va., July 5. Attached to D'Utassy's Brigade, White's Division, Army of Virginia, to September, 1862. Miles' Command, Harper's Ferry, September, 1862. Camp Douglas, Ill., and Indianapolis, Ind., to April, 1863. District of Central Kentucky, Dept. of the Ohio, to June, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps, Army of Ohio, to July, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 23rd Army Corps, to August 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps, to October, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 23rd Army Corps, to November, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Dept. of Ohio, to December, 1863. Artillery, 2nd Division, 9th Army Corps, Dept. of Ohio, to April 1864. Artillery, 3rd Division, 23rd Army Corps, to December, 1864. Artillery, 2nd Division, 23rd Army Corps, Army of Ohio, to February, 1865, and Dept. of North Carolina to June, 1865.

SERVICE. — Duty at Martinsburg and Harper's Ferry, W. Va., till September, 1862. Defence of Harper's Ferry September 13-15. Bolivar Heights September 14. Surrendered September 15. Paroled September 16 and sent to Annapolis, Md., thence to Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. Duty at Camp Douglas and Indianapolis, Ind., till March, 1863. Ordered to Louisville, Ky. Pursuit of Morgan in Kentucky April, 1863. Action at Paris, Ky., April 16. Pursuit of Morgan through Indiana and Ohio July 1-26. New Lisbon, Ohio, July 26. Paris, Ky., July 29. Burnside's Campaign in East Tennessee August 16-October 17. Winter's Gap August 31. Actions at Athens, Calhoun and Charleston September 25. Philadelphia September 27 and October 24. Knoxville Campaign November 4-December 23. Loudon November 14. Lenoir November 14-15. Campbell's Station November 16. Siege of Knoxville November 17-December 5. Kingston November 24. Bean's Station December 10. Blain's Cross Roads December 16-19. Duty at Knoxville till January 19, 1864. March to Red Clay, Ga. Atlanta Campaign May 1-September 8. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Cartersville May 20. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Muddy Creek June 17. Noyes Creek June 19. Cheyney's Farm June 22. Olley's Farm June 26-27. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Utoy Creek August 5-7. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 1-26. Nashville Campaign November-December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Columbia Ford November 28-29. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood, to the Tennessee River, December 17-28. At Clifton, Tenn., till January 16, 1865. Movement to Washington, D.C., thence to Fort Fisher, N. C., January 16-February 9. 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. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. Duty at Greensboro, N. C., till June. Ordered to Indianapolis, Ind., and there mustered out June 30, 1865.

Battery lost during service 1 Enlisted man killed and 1 Officer and 12 Enlisted men by disease. Total 14.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1116

Official Reports of the Campaign in North Alabama and Middle Tennessee, November 14, 1864 — January 23, 1865: No. 142. Report of Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, First Ohio Light Artillery, of operations November 22-December 1, 1864.

No. 142.

Report of Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, First Ohio Light Artillery,

of operations November 22-December 1, 1864.

HDQRS. BATTERY D,.FIRST OHIO LIGHT ARTILLERY,      

Near Columbia, Tenn., December 30, 1864.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of operations of the batteries of Third Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, from the 22d day of November, 1864, on which day they moved from Pulaski, Tenn., to the 1st day of December, 1864, at which time they arrived at Nashville, Tenn.:

Late in the day, November 21, 1864, I received orders to have the batteries of the division in readiness to move early the following day, 22d instant. In compliance, I notified the commanding officers of the batteries — Fifteenth and Twenty-third Indiana and Battery D, First Ohio Light Artillery — of the division of the import of the order. Agreeably to your order, the batteries marched on the 22d instant, taking the road leading to Lynnville, Tenn.; reached Lynnville about 1 p.m.; went into camp short distance out from the town. Remained here until 2 p.m. of the day following, when I received orders to prepare to move at once. This order was immediately transmitted to Captain Harvey and Lieutenant Wilber, commanding, respectively, the Fifteenth and Twenty-third Indiana Batteries, and shortly thereafter the batteries were in line of march in direction of Columbia, Tenn., marching until 7 p.m., and when distant about six miles from Columbia, where they halted for the night. 3 a.m. the day following, 23d instant, I received orders to have the batteries in readiness to move immediately. This order I at once transmitted to the battery commanders of the division, and soon thereafter they were on the road marching in direction of Columbia, Tenn. When near Columbia I left the Lynnville and Columbia pike and crossed to the Mount Pleasant pike, which I reached about 8 a.m., and just as the advance of the enemy's cavalry was nearing town (Columbia), driving before them our own cavalry. I at once placed one section of Battery D, under Lieutenant Vincent, on the left of and near the pike, near the residence of Mrs. Wilson, and 600 or 700 yards in advance of the main line, and in rear of this section, on the main line, I stationed the Twenty-third Indiana Battery. Just to the right of the pike, and on the same line with the Twenty-third Indiana Battery, I stationed the other section of Battery D, First Ohio Volunteer Artillery, under Lieutenant Reed, and still farther to the right I placed the Fifteenth Indiana Battery, on the main line. These positions they maintained until the night of the 25th instant, when, in obedience to orders, I withdrew them to the opposite side of the river (Duck) and placed them in park. While in position on south side of the river there were expended on the 25th instant a total of 198 rounds shell — 84 by Fifteenth Indiana Battery and 114 rounds by Battery D, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery. During the 26th and 27th of November the batteries remained in park. On the morning of the 28th instant the batteries were again placed in positions which were, in my opinion, well calculated to dispute the crossing of the river by the enemy — the Twenty-third and one section of the Fifteenth Indiana Batteries in such positions as to command the ferry or ford; the other section of Fifteenth Indiana Battery farther to the right and near the residence of Mrs. Brown; Battery D, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, to their left, on the line with Colonel Casement's brigade, commanding other crossing of the river. During the engagements of the 29th instant one section of Battery D, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, under Lieutenant Reed, was moved to different parts of the line and used with good effect at different times, silencing the guns on the enemy's extreme left. In these positions there were expended on the 28th and 29th instant a total of 834 rounds shell, 40 rounds canister, and 5 rounds case-shot — by Fifteenth Indiana Battery, 333 rounds shell and 40 rounds canister; by Twenty-third Indiana Battery, 297 rounds shell; and by Battery D, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, 204 rounds shell and 5 rounds case-shot. In obedience to orders the batteries were withdrawn early in the night of 29th instant, and immediately took up line of march on Columbia and Franklin pike, reaching Franklin 7 a.m. 30th instant. Crossed the river Big Harpeth, and one battery (Battery D, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery) was placed in Fort Granger, from which position it expended 160 rounds shell and 3 rounds case-shot. The Fifteenth and Twenty-third Indiana Batteries were placed in park after crossing the river, where they remained during the day. About 2 a.m. December 1 moved out, in obedience to orders, in direction of Nashville, where I arrived 12 m. December 1, 1864.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. J. COCKERILL,  

Capt. and Chief of Arty., Third Div., Twenty-third Army Corps.

 Capt. THEO. Cox,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Third Div., 23d Army Corps.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 45, Part 1 (Serial No. 93), p. 431-2

Official Reports of the Campaign in North Alabama and Middle Tennessee, November 14, 1864 — January 23, 1865: No. 124. Report of Capt. Alonzo D. Harvey, Fifteenth Battery Indiana Light Artillery, of operations December 15-16, 1864.

No. 124.

Report of Capt. Alonzo D. Harvey, Fifteenth Battery Indiana Light Artillery,

of operations December 15-16, 1864.

HDQRS. BATTERY NO. 15, INDIANA VOL. ARTILLERY,

In the Field, Tenn., December 22, 1864.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report to you that Battery No. 15, Indiana Volunteer Artillery, Capt. Alonzo D. Harvey commanding, marched from position on heights near Fort Negley, Nashville, Tenn., at 8 a.m. December 15, 1864, and moved with Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, to the right of our line and marched about six miles, when we took position on heights at 4 p.m. and expended eighty rounds of shell. We then advanced a distance of half a mile and took a position near a small house, where we fired thirty-five rounds of shell, when it became dark and we ceased firing. Then we went to a hill one-quarter of a mile farther to the front and erected temporary breast-works and placed the guns in position within range of the enemy's guns, getting all ready for action before daylight, and at daylight on the 16th we opened on the enemy and fired 200 rounds of shell. We then ceased firing and moved the left section to a position on the left of the First Brigade, Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, and again opened with sections at 1 p.m., and kept up fire during the afternoon, assisting in shelling the enemy's works while the charge was being made at 4 p.m., expending 560 rounds of shell, making a total expenditure of ammunition of 875 rounds during the two days' fight. After the charge was ended we were ordered to the left of the Granny White pike, where we went into camp for the night.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

ALONZO D. HARVEY,      

Captain, Commanding Battery.

 Major-General COUCH,

Commanding Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 45, Part 1 (Serial No. 93), p. 398-9