The 39th Regiment Indiana 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...

. In April 1863 the unit was given horses and changed to mounted infantry

Mounted infantry

Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...

.

Service

The 39th Indiana Infantry was organized at Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 and mustered in for a three year enlistment on August 29, 1861.

The regiment was attached to Wood's Brigade, McCook's 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:...

, October-November 1861. 6th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to December 1861. 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, I Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Right 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, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to April 1863. Unassigned Cavalry Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October 1863.

The 39th Indiana Infantry ceased to exist on October 15, 1863 when its designation was changed to 8th Indiana Cavalry.

Detailed service

Ordered to Kentucky and duty at Muldraugh's Hill, Camp Nevin, Nolin Creek and Green River until February 1862. Action at Upton's Hill, Ky., October 12, 1861. March to Bowling Green, Ky., thence to Nashville, Tenn., February 14-March 2, 1862. March to Savannah, Tenn., March 16-April 6. Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 6. Buell's Campaign in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee June to August. March to Nashville, Tenn., thence to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 20-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–15. Dog Walk October 8–9. March to Bowling Green, Ky., thence to Nashville, Tenn., October 16-November 7, and duty there until December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro until April. Reconnaissance to Middleton March 6–7. Christiana and Middleton March 6. Expedition to Middleton May 21–22. Middleton May 22. Shelbyville Pike June 4. Operations on Eaglesville Pike June 4. Near Murfreesboro June 6. Tullahoma Campaign June 22-July 7. Christiana June 24. Liberty Gap June 24–27. Tullahoma June 29–30. Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Davis Ford, Chickamauga Creek, September 17. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–20. Missionary Ridge September 22. Shallow Ford Road September 22. Companies L and M joined the regiment in September 1863. Expedition to eastern Tennessee after Champ Ferguson

Champ Ferguson

Samuel "Champ" Ferguson was a notorious Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War. He claimed to have killed over 100 Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians.-Early life and origins of Confederate stance:...

 September-October.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 398 men during service; 9 officers and 138 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 250 enlisted men died of disease. (Note: These numbers also include men who died in the service after the unit was changed to cavalry.)

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...
  
   Thomas J. Harrison
• 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...
  
   Fielder A. Jones - commanded at the battle of Stones River

See also

• List of Indiana Civil War regiments
• Indiana in the Civil War