The 2nd Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry was an infantry

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 2nd Tennessee Infantry was organized at Camp Dick Robinson

Camp Dick Robinson

Camp Dick Robinson was a large Union Army organizational and training center located near Lancaster in rural Garrard County, Kentucky, during the American Civil War...

 in Garrard County, Kentucky

Garrard County, Kentucky

Garrard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is pronounced 'Gair-ad' with the third "r" silent. It was formed in 1797 and was named for James Garrard, Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. Its county seat is Lancaster. The population was 16,912 in the 2010 Census...

 and at Somerset, Kentucky

Somerset, Kentucky

The major demographic differences between the city and the micropolitan area relate to income, housing composition and age. The micropolitan area, as compared to the incorporated city, is more suburban in flavor and has a significantly younger housing stock, a higher income, and contains most of...

 and mustered in for a three year enlistment on September 28, 1861.

The regiment was attached to George H. Thomas' Command, 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 November 1861. 12th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to December 1861. 12th Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Ohio, to February 1862. 24th Brigade, 7th Division, Army of the Ohio, to October 1862. 3rd Brigade, District of West Virginia, Department of the Ohio, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Center, 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, XIV Corps, to April 1863. 2nd Brigade, District of Central Kentucky, Department of the Ohio

Department of the Ohio

The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...

, to June 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, Department of the Ohio, to August 1863. 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, XXIII Corps, to November 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Department of the Ohio, to April 1864. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, XXIII Corps, to February 1865. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, District of East Tennessee, to August 1865.

The 2nd Tennessee Infantry mustered out of service on August 3, 1865.

Detailed service

Duty at Camp Dick Robinson, Ky., until January 1862. Battle of Logan's Cross Roads January 19. At London and covering Cumberland Gap until March. Skirmishes at Big Creek Gap and Jacksborough March 14 (Company B). Reconnaissance to Cumberland Gap and skirmish March 21–23. Cumberland Gap Campaign March 28-June 18. Occupation of Cumberland Gap June 18-September 17. Tazewell July 22. Skirmish near Cumberland Gap August 27. Operations at Rogers and Big Creek Gaps September 10. Evacuation of Cumberland Gap and retreat to Greenupsburg, Ky., September 17-October 3. Operations in Kanawha Valley, W. Va., until November. Ordered to Louisville, Ky., Cincinnati, Ohio, and thence to Nashville, Tenn. Duty there until January 1863. Guard trains from Nashville to Murfreesboro, Tenn., January 2–3. Cox's or Blood's Hill January 3. Ordered to Lexington, Ky., March 11. Duty in District of Central Kentucky until August. At Somerset, Ky., May. Liberty May 25. Pursuit of Morgan July. Operations in eastern Kentucky against Scott July 25-August 6. Burnside's Campaign in eastern Tennessee August 1863 to February 1864. Winter's Gap August 31, 1863. Expedition to Cumberland Gap September 4–9. Tazewell September 5. Capture of Cumberland Gap September 9. Carter's Station September 20, 21 and 22. Zollicoffer September 20–21 and September 24. Jonesboro September 21 and 28. Blue Springs October 5–10. Sweetwater October 10–11. Pursuit to Bristol October 11–17. Blountsville October 13–14. Bristol October 15. Knoxville Campaign November 4-December 23. Near London and Stock Creek November 15. Marysville November 15. Lenoir Station November 15. Campbell's Station November 16. Defense of Cumberland Gap during siege of Knoxville November 17-December 5. Walker's Ford, Clinch River, December 5. Rutledge December 7. Clinch Mountain December 9. Moresburg December 10. Morristown December 10. Cheex's Cross Roads December 12. Russellville December 12–13. Bean's Station December 14. Rutledge December 16. Blain's Cross Roads December 16–19. New Market December 25. Operations about Dandridge and Mossy Creek December 24–28. Mossy Creek December 26. Talbot's Station December 29. Shoal Creek, Ala., January 14, 1864. Operations about Dandridge January 16–17. Kimbrough's Cross Roads January 16. Dandridge January 17. Operations about Dandridge January 26. Fair Garden January 27. Duty at Knoxville and London until August 1864. Operations against Wheeler in eastern Tennessee August 15–31. Duty at Knoxville and in eastern Tennessee until March 1865. Ordered to Cumberland Gap March 16, and duty there until August.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 640 men during service; 3 officers and 24 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 609 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

• 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...
  
   J. P. T. Carter
• Lieutenant Colonel
  Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
  In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
  
   James M. Melton - commanded during the battle of Stones River

See also

• List of Tennessee Civil War units
• Tennessee in the Civil War
  Tennessee in the Civil War
  To a large extent, the American Civil War was fought in cities and farms of Tennessee; only Virginia saw more battles. Tennessee was the last of the Southern states to declare secession from the Union, but saw more than its share of the devastation resulting from years of warring armies...