1st Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 1st Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
in Cincinnati, Ohio
, March - April 1861 as a three-month regiment. Because the regiment was organized while Kentucky tried to remain neutral, it was not recognized until June 1861 when it was reorganized for a three year enlistment.
The regiment was ordered to the Kanawha Valley, Virginia, July 10, 1861 and attached to Kanawha Brigade, Western Virginia, to October 1861. District of the Kanawha, Western Virginia, to January 1862. 22nd Brigade, Army of the Ohio
, to February 1862. 22nd Brigade, 4th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 22nd Brigade, 4th Division, II Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Left Wing, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXI Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to June 1864.
The 1st Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service on June 18, 1864.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 1st Kentucky Infantry was organized at PendletonPendleton, Cincinnati, Ohio
Pendleton is a small neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, located on the east side of Over-the-Rhine, north of the Central Business District, and south of Mount Auburn. It is home of the Pendleton Art Center...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, March - April 1861 as a three-month regiment. Because the regiment was organized while Kentucky tried to remain neutral, it was not recognized until June 1861 when it was reorganized for a three year enlistment.
The regiment was ordered to the Kanawha Valley, Virginia, July 10, 1861 and attached to Kanawha Brigade, Western Virginia, to October 1861. District of the Kanawha, Western Virginia, to January 1862. 22nd Brigade, Army of the Ohio
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:...
, to February 1862. 22nd Brigade, 4th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 22nd Brigade, 4th Division, II Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Left Wing, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
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:...
, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXI Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to June 1864.
The 1st Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service on June 18, 1864.
Detailed service
Campaign in western Virginia July to October 1861. March to Sissonville in rear of Wise, returning via Ravenswood and Charleston July 14–26. Moved to Gauley, arriving August 1. Moved to Camp Piatt, arriving August 25. Gauley Bridge August 28. Boone Court House September 1. Peytonia September 12. Moved to Raleigh September 20–27. Chapmansville September 25. Return to Gauley, arriving October 10. Operations in the Kanawha Valley October 19-November 16. Skirmish at Gauley Bridge October 28. Attack on Gauley by Floyd's Batteries November 1–9. Pursuit of Floyd November 10. Duty at Charleston December 4 to January 5, 1862. Ordered to Kentucky January 5, 1862. Camp near Bardstown January 24-February 13. March to Nashville, Tenn., February 14-March 12, and to Savannah, Tenn., March 13-April 5. Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Phillips Creek, Widow Serratt's, May 21. Bridge Creek, before Corinth, May 28. Occupation of Corinth May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 6. Buell's Campaign in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee June to August. March to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg, August 21-September 25. Pursuit of Bragg to London, Ky., October 1–22. Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8. Camp Wild Cat October 17. Nelson's Cross Roads October 18. Destruction of Salt Works at Goose Creek October 23–24. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 24-November 9, and duty there until December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30. Lavergne December 26–27. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. Duty at Cripple Creek until June. Expedition to Woodbury April 2. Snow Hill, Woodbury, April 3. Tullahoma Campaign June 24-July 7. At Manchester July 9 to August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River, and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Pea Vine Creek September 10. Lee and Gordon's Mills September 11–13. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–20. Siege of Chattanooga September 24-October 27. Reopening Tennessee River October 26–29. Duty at Bridgeport, Ala., until January 26, 1864. At Ooltewah, Ga., until May 17, and at Resaca until May 29. Ordered to Kentucky May 29. Operations against Morgan's invasion of Kentucky May 31-June 18. Mt. Sterling June 9.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 143 men during service; 60 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 82 enlisted men died of disease.Notable members
- Musician William H. HorsfallWilliam H. HorsfallWilliam H. Horsfall was one of the youngest men to receive the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War. He was born in 1847, in Newport, Kentucky. Horsfall was a 15 year old drummer in Co. G, 1st Kentucky Infantry...
, Company G - Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient for action during the siege of Corinth, May 21, 1862
See also
- List of Kentucky Civil War Units
- Kentucky in the Civil WarKentucky in the Civil WarKentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the Commonwealth when he declared "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." In a September 1861 letter to Orville Browning, Lincoln wrote "I think to lose...