Processed by
Emily Castle
12 July 2005
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
1 folder |
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COLLECTION |
1861–1863 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Historical Collectible Auctions, Graham, NC, 4 February 2004 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
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ACCESSION |
2004.0141 |
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NOTES: |
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Thomas H. B. Sibel was a resident of Fountain City, Indiana. He enlisted in the army as a private on 22 July 1861 and was mustered into D Company, Indiana 20th Infantry. It left the state on 2 August, being ordered to Cockeysville, Maryland for railroad guard duty.
At the end of September it sailed for Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina and was attacked on 4 October by the enemy’s fleet. It was compelled to retreat and embarked for Fortress Monroe where it remained until March 1862. It was at Newport News during the engagement between the Merrimac, Cumberland, and Congress, and prevented the enemy from taking possession of the Congress after she had struck her colors.
It participated in the capture of Norfolk, fought at Fair Oaks, was in the battle of Oak Grove, and covered the rear in the Seven Days' battles, participating in all of them and being heavily engaged at Frazier's farm. In August 1862 it moved to Yorktown, Alexandria, and onto Manassas, where it was engaged. It participated in the battle of Chantilly, after which its division was ordered to rest, having lost heavily in its campaigns.
In October it was engaged at Fredericksburg, and in May 1863 was in the battle of Chancellorsville. It captured the entire 23rd Georgia, which outnumbered it, and when the 11th corps broke and the enemy turned the right of the Union forces, the regiment made a bayonet charge and reestablished communication.
It pursued Lee through Maryland and Pennsylvania, reaching Gettysburg in time to participate on the second, third, and fourth days. Overtaking Lee's rear-guard at Manassas Gap, it aided in an attack and defeat of the enemy, and was then sent to New York during the draft riots. It was engaged at Locust Grove and Mine Run in November.
A portion of the regiment reenlisted as veterans on 1 January 1864, Sible included, and received a furlough. The 20th participated in the battles of the Wilderness, Todd's Tavern, Po River, Spotsylvania, Totopotomy, and Cold Harbor. It was engaged at Deep Bottom and Strawberry Plains, and was then in the trenches at Petersburg under fire daily.
The regiment was engaged in the various movements around Petersburg, participating at Peebles' Farm, and Hatcher's Run. It was in the advance division of the 2nd corps in the pursuit of Lee and participated in the various battles up to his surrender.
It then moved to Louisville and was mustered out 12 July 1865.
Sources:
American Civil War Research Database. Duxbury, MA: Historical Data Systems, Inc., 2005 [cited 8 July 2005]. Available from World Wide Web: (http://civilwardata.com/)
This collection consists of twenty-one letters written by Thomas H. B. Sibel, mostly to his father. There is one letter Thomas wrote to his brother who was also serving in the Union army. Most of the letters include descriptions of camp life, which give information on new tents and that they do not have any mittens to wear, and Thomas telling his father to remember him to people back home. He also writes of the regiment’s movements, the health of his fellow soldiers, and the weather.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Letters from Thomas H.B. Sibel to his father, |
Folder 1 |
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, SC 2747).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.