21st Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 21st Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
and Camp Ward, Kentucky and mustered in for a three year enlistment on December 31, 1861 and January 2, 1862 at Green River Bridge, Kentucky under the command of Colonel
Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley
. Before the war, most of the regiment's men were members of "The Old Infantry" a state guard unit under the command of Captain Samuel Woodson Price
, who would later command the regiment.
The regiment was attached to 11th Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Ohio
, to March 1862. 11th Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, to June 1862. 7th Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to July 1862. 23rd Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to August 1862. 23rd Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 23rd Brigade, 5th Division, II Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Left Wing, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
, to January 1863. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXI Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. Unattached, Army of the Cumberland, to January 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to June 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to August 1865. Department of Texas to December 1865.
The 21st Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service on December 9, 1865.
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 21st Kentucky Infantry was organized at Camp Hobson, near Greensburg, KentuckyGreensburg, Kentucky
Greensburg is a city in Green County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,396 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Green County...
and Camp Ward, Kentucky and mustered in for a three year enlistment on December 31, 1861 and January 2, 1862 at Green River Bridge, Kentucky under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley
Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley
Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley was a prominent Kentucky physician and a member of the faculty of Transylvania Medical School.-Early life:Dudley, the son of Ambrose Dudley, was born near Lexington, Kentucky...
. Before the war, most of the regiment's men were members of "The Old Infantry" a state guard unit under the command of Captain Samuel Woodson Price
Samuel Woodson Price
Samuel Woodson Price was a portrait artist, Union general in the American Civil War, and author.-Early life:...
, who would later command the regiment.
The regiment was attached to 11th Brigade, 1st Division, 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 March 1862. 11th Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, to June 1862. 7th Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to July 1862. 23rd Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to August 1862. 23rd Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 23rd Brigade, 5th Division, II Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd 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. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXI Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863. Unattached, Army of the Cumberland, to January 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to June 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, to August 1865. Department of Texas to December 1865.
The 21st Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service on December 9, 1865.
Detailed service
Duty at Green River Bridge, Ky., until March 1862. Moved to Creelsboro; thence to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there until April 1. Moved to Columbia, Tenn., April 1–2; thence march to Shelbyville April 24, and duty there until June 11. Dumont's Expedition to Cumberland Mountain June 11–14. Expedition to Wartrace June 17–19. Moved to Tullahoma July 2, thence to Duck Bridge July 4. March to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 20-September 19. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–22, Battle of Perryville October 8 (reserve). Nelson's Cross Roads October 18. Pittman's Cross Roads October 19. Reconnaissance on Madison Road October 20. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 22-November 12, and duty there until December 26. Dobbins' Ferry, near Lavergne, December 9. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. At Murfreesboro until June. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Liberty Gap June 25–26. Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountain and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Ringgold, Ga., September 11. Catlett's Gap September 15. At Whitesides during battle of Chickamauga September 19–20. At Chattanooga, until October 1. Action at Anderson's (or Mountain Gap), near Smith's Cross Roads, October 1. Anderson's Cross Roads October 2. Duty in Sequatchie Valley until November 19. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Tunnel Hill, Missionary Ridge, November 24–25. Pursuit to Graysville November 26–27. Chickamauga Station November 26. March to relief of Knoxville November 28-December 18. At Chattanooga and Shellmound, Tenn., until January 1864. Regiment veteranized January 11, 1864, and veterans on furlough until March 30. Moved to Cleveland, thence to Blue Springs, Tenn., April 26. Atlanta Campaign May to September. Tunnel Hill May 6–7. Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge and Dalton May 8–13. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8–9. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Near Kingston May 18–19. Near Cassville May 19. Advance on Dallas May 22–25. Operations on Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Burnt Hickory May 25. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11–14. Lost Mountain June 15–17. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. Peachtree Creek July 19–20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25–30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy's Station September 2–6. Jonesboro September 5 and 12. Operations in northern Georgia and northern Alabama against Hood October 1–26. Moved to Nashville, Tenn.; thence to Pulaski, Tenn. Nashville Campaign November–December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24–27. Spring Hill November 29. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15–16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17–28. Moved to Huntsville, Ala., and duty there until March 1865. Expedition to Bull's Gap and operations in eastern Tennessee March 15-April 22. At Nashville, Tenn., until June. Ordered to New Orleans, La., June 19; thence moved to Texas. Duty at Indianola and Victoria until December.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 218 men during service; 3 officers and 57 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 6 officers and 152 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley
- Colonel Samuel Woodson Price
- Lieutenant Colonel James C. Evans - commanded at the battle of Nashville
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...