6th Indiana Battery Light Artillery was an artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 battery

Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...

 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 battery was organized at Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...

 and mustered in September 7, 1861 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...

 for a three year enlistment under the command of Captain Frederick Behr.

The battery was attached to District of Paducah, Kentucky, to March 1862. Artillery, 5th Division, Army of the Tennessee

Army of the Tennessee

The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....

, to July 1862. Artillery, 5th Division, District of Memphis, Tennessee, to November 1862. Artillery, 1st Division, Right Wing, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, to December 1862. Artillery, 1st Division, XVII Corps, to January 1863. Artillery, 1st Division, XVI Corps, to July 1863. Artillery, 3rd Division, XV Corps, to December 1863. Artillery, 1st Division, XVI Corps, to June 1864. 1st Brigade, Sturgis' Expedition, June 1864. Artillery, 1st Division, XVI Corps, to November 1864. 1st Brigade, Post and Defenses of Memphis, Tennessee, District of West Tennessee, to December 1864. Artillery Reserve, District of West Tennessee, to July 1865.

The 6th Indiana Battery Light Artillery mustered out of service on July 22, 1865.

Detailed service

Left Indiana for Henderson, Ky., October 2. Duty at Henderson, Calhoun, South Carrollton, Owensboro, and Paducah, Ky. until March 1862. Moved from Paducah to Savannah, Tenn., March 6-10. Expedition to Yellow Creek, Miss., and occupation of Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 14-17. Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. March to Memphis, Tenn., Juno 1-July 21, via Lagrange, Grand Junction, and Holly Springs. Action near Holly Springs July 1. Duty at Memphis, Tenn., until November 26. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November 26, 1862 to January 10, 1863. Duty at Lagrange, Lafayette, and Colliersville, Tenn., until June 1863. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., June 9; then to Vicksburg, Miss. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. Siege of Vicksburg June 12-July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 4-10. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. Camp at Oak Ridge and Bear Creek until October 14. Expedition to Canton October 14-20. Bogue Chitto Creek October 17. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., November; then to Lagrange and Pocahontas, and duty there until January 1864. Veteranized January 1, 1864. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., January 31-February 3. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2. Return to Memphis and duty there until June. Sturgis' Expedition to Guntown, Miss., June 1-13. Brice's (or Tishamingo) Creek, near Guntown, June 10. Smith's Expedition to Tupelo, Miss., July 5-21. Camargo's Cross Roads, near Harrisburg, July 13. Harrisburg, near Tupelo, July 14-15. Smith's Expedition to Oxford, Miss., August 1-30. Tallahatchie River August 7-9. Assigned to duty at Memphis, Tenn., as garrison September 1864 to July 1865.

Casualties

The battery lost a total of 17 men during service; 1 officer and 1 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 15 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

• Captain Frederick Behr - killed in action at the battle of Shiloh
• Captain Michael Mueller

See also

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

External links

• 6th Indiana Battery monument at Vicksburg