Processed
By:
Paul Brockman
14 February 1997
Updated 2 November 2004
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
VOLUME OF COLLECTION:1 small manuscript box (96 items)
COLLECTION DATES: January, 1862-November, 1865
PROVENANCE: Charles Apfelbaum, Rare Manuscript & Archives, 551 Ridge Road, Watchung, NJ 07060, 26 July 1995
RESTRICTIONS: None
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society.
ALTERNATE FORMATS: None
RELATED HOLDINGS: Captain John S. McGraw (SC 1024)
ACCESSION NUMBER: 1996.0636
NOTES: Cataloged as: United States. Army. Indiana Infantry Regiment, 57th (1861-1865) Records, 1862-1865.
The 57th Indiana Regiment was mustered in November, 1861, in Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana. The regiment was comprised of men from the 5th and 11th Congressional Districts and was formed through the efforts of Revs. F. A. Hardin and J. W. T. McMullen. It was organized in Indianapolis and sent to Louisville where it was placed under General Buell's command and assigned to the 6th Division of the Army of the Ohio. The 57th was stationed in Bardstown, Lebanon, and Munfordsville, Kentucky, before marching to Nashville, Tennessee in March, 1862. Although the regiment was not engaged in any battles at this time, it suffered a number of casualties from the severe winter of 1861-1862. In April, 1862, the 57th was ordered to Shiloh and saw action near the end of the battle. The regiment also was active in the siege of Corinth and was ordered to northern Alabama in July, 1862. From July, 1862-November, 1862, the 57th marched through middle Tennessee and Kentucky and was engaged in the battle of Chaplin Hills (Perryville) before returning to Nashville where it guarded foraging trains. The regiment next distinguished itself at the battle of Stone River while suffering heavy losses. From June to August, 1863, the 57th served in middle Tennessee, and on 5 September it occupied Chattanooga and was placed on duty as the Provost Guard. After it was relieved from duty at Chattanooga, the 57th took part in the battle of Mission Ridge.
With the reorganization of the Army of Cumberland following Chicamauga, the 57th was assigned to Sheridan's Second Division of the Fourth Corps and was sent to relieve General Burnside at Knoxville. After fighting in eastern Tennessee in the winter of 1863-1864, the regiment returned to Indiana in March, 1863, on veteran furlough. It rejoined the Fourth Corps in May, 1863, and engaged the enemy at Rocky Face Ridge near Dalton, Georgia. The regiment also fought in several costly skirmishes in Georgia, including those at Resacca where it lost its commander, Colonel Lennard, Kenesaw Mountain, and Peach Tree Creek. Soon after the occupation of Atlanta, the 57th was ordered back to Chattanooga to drive General Hood's force into Alabama. It was then placed under command of General Thomas to repel the Confederate invasion of Tennessee and suffered heavy losses at Franklin on 30 November 1864.
After helping drive Hood from Tennessee, the 57th was camped at Huntsville, Alabama, before returning to east Tennessee in April, 1865. In July, 1865, it was transferred to Port Lavacca, Texas, before mustering out. Commanders of the 57th included colonels McMullen, Hines, Lennard, Blanch, and McGraw. Throughout the war, the regiment had crossed the length of Kentucky three times and Tennessee six times.
Source:
Terrell, W. H. H. Report of the Adjutant General, Indiana, vol. 2, pp.
556-558.
The collection consists of 96 letters and documents recording the activities of the 57th Indiana Regiment, January, 1862-November, 1865. Records include special orders, general orders, lists of detailed men attached for duty, and circulars. Special orders include leaves, discharges, promotions and duty assignments such as the transferring of troops for medical duty. General orders and circulars include instructions to commanders and troops regarding tactics and drilling, conduct of troops and officers, accountability for ordnance and supplies, and responses to questions regarding terms of enlistment and service. The documents were written in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. The items probably were from the papers of Captain John S. McGraw (fl. 1830s-1860s) of Richmond who served as the unit's commander from 2 May 1865 until it disbanded.
BOX 1: Documents &
Papers, 1862-1865
FOLDER CONTENTS
|
1 |
Documents & Letters, January, 1862-March, 1862 |
|
2 |
Documents & Letters, April, 1862-August, 1862 |
|
3 |
Documents & Letters, September, 1862-December, 1862 |
|
4 |
Documents & Letters, January, 1863-November, 1863 |
|
5 |
Documents & Letters, February, 1864-November, 1865 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0037).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.