18th Indiana Light Artillery
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The 18th Receives Some Horrible Casualties

11/8/2014

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 During their service in the American Civil War the 18th Indiana not only dished out plenty of severe firepower, they held their ground and took a few lumps themselves. The following, described by Cpl John Rippetoe as "The hottest work we ever had as a battery", is taken from Yankee Artillerymen and describes actions at the Battle of Mossy Creek:
     
     When the Confederates continued to threaten to come around the flank, the First East Tennessee, mounted and the Second Michigan, on foot, charged and broke the Rebel line, temporarily drawing the artillery fire away from Lilly's battery. The charge, which captured twenty-five prisoners, ended the Confederate plans to encircle the left.   
       After the return of the cavalrymen to the line, the Rebel batteries resumed their duel with Lilly, and "their shells burst all around us in a perfect shower    we had no time to dodge. The boys stood up in that terrible storm of death without a falter. Hits were made by both sides." Henry Campbell related that Corporal John Corbinwas leaning over sighting his gun, and Private Ezra Lloyd was bent over managing the trail when an enemy shell hit the left trunnion of the gun. The shell glanced up into Corbin's face and exploded, "scattering his face and brains in every direction, taking all his head and neck away down to his shoulders. After exploding, a piece struck Lloyd in the top of the head and carried his brains and the entire back part of his head and neck away."
      The gun crew was stunned by the tragedy; but Lieutenant Joseph A. Scott, directing the fire of this and Sergeant Crouse's gun, ordered Private Albert Allen to take over Corbin's duties. The crew quickly put the gun back into action and continued to work it over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
     Confederate shells continued to land among Lilly's artillerymen, with one exploding near James Dodd and a piece of it taking off the calf of one leg. John Runey had his left arm shattered by a shell; and Huey Sprague, a detail from the cavalry, was wounded in the ankle by a piece of a shell. James Wilcoxen, another detail, was stunned by a shell exploding over him and hurt when a horse fell on him. Henry Campbell had a narrow escape when a shell cut off a sapling to which he was tying his horse and the captain's.


      It should be noted that of the 156 men who joined Lilly's Battery, 32 of them would die from wounds received or disease and 26 were discharged for disability.

     These were truly heroic men worthy of being remembered!


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Lilly Gets a BIG Surprise.

7/2/2014

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As I mentioned before, there were a lot of characters in Captain Lilly's battery. There were also several God-fearing temperance men as well. This story, taken from Henry Campbell's journal, is not about those men. The story takes place September 3rd, 1862, just two days after they received their 3" ordnance rifles.

Sept. 3, 1862

"
Drew our horse from Louisville. - Bragg expected across the river. - Great consternation in Louisville. - Battery ordered to the south side of the river. - Horses had to be hitched up in harness that had never been put together before, - by inexperienced hands. - Everything in confusion - guns sent down to the ferry one at the time. - All across by 12 o'clock. - Camped east of the city at the Fairgrounds. - Completely dusted out by the cavalry passing us, - retreating from Lexington. 19th & 20th Indiana Batteries are camped near us. - Water scarce - dust 6 inches deep, - troops passing us constantly for the city. - Drill every day. - General Boyle gave us orders to be ready for battle at a
moment's notice. - stood harnessed and hitched all night. - Mess No. 1 broken up. Now mess with the Captain - have a tent to myself behind his. - Bragg’s Cavalry in the neighborhood. - Citizens all gone into the city, and a great many across the river. - Boys made a raid on a fine house - just across the road from our camp - last night. - This morning on opening my eyes, I found the Captain’s tent full of long dark looking bottles, jugs, demijohns, &c. Each man that was on the raid last night, thinking he ought to make the Captain a present had left him a mark of their esteem in the shape of sundry bottles of wine, brandies &c, until his tent was literally full. - Some not content with this display of their regard had filled buckets with whiskey and placed them inside along with the remainder of the plunder. - Captain Lilly knew nothing of this until his eyes discovered it the next morning. Camp full of wine, brandies, & whiskies of the very finest quality. - Everybody drunk. - A wagon load of it was collected and returned the next day, - but still every hollow log and stump was full of it. - Lasted for weeks afterward."


The original owner of the whiskey and wine told Captain Lilly that it was valued at around $



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The Great Potato Heist of the 18th Indiana

6/8/2014

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The 18th Indiana was not only known for it's heroic deeds, but also had it's fair share of characters. This story, from Henry Campbell's journal, took place on September 17th, 1863.  Enjoy!
  "The creek is a narrow deep stream with a miry bottom and steep, high banks. Went into camp. - 1st Section in position near a log house, guns bearing across the creek, and commanding the road approaching the bridge. 2nd and 3rd Section camped in the woods near the road. A large potato patch was discovered near camp. I took a coffee sack and in company with some of the mess boys started over to gather in a harvest of potatoes. While we were busily digging - the Provost Marshall came along, and arrested all that were in the field. Several men were making off with their hats and arms full when the Officer directed them to empty them into our sack, which was fully capable of holding a good many such additions. After all the men had added their mite, a big Corporal of the 72nd was ordered to "tote" the sack and all to follow him to Headquarters. As we marched along, every one watched his opportunity and dropped off so that by the time the reserve picket post was reached, but two or three were left in the procession. Mr. Provost Marshall ordered the man with the sack to halt there, while he went after a guard. As soon as he disappeared, I told Orderly Sergeant Miller, the fate our sack of potatoes had met. - He seeing the situation of affairs, and the probability of our scanty dinners, - marched boldly up to the sack - just as if he had been ordered, shouldered and marched off with it. Picket post, seeing the joke, never said a word and when the Provost returned, he was so completely sold out that he made tracks with his guard as soon as possible. We had plenty of potatoes all through the three days fighting that followed. "



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Heroic Deed at Chickamauga

3/1/2014

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The following action took place September 18th, 1863 at Chickamauga:
 The brigade had been posted to hold Alexander’s Bridge and prevent the crossing of Confederate troops there. Around 10:00 a.m. a Confederate Brigade and Battery attacked Wilder’s position. Four of Lilly’s rifled guns went into battery near the Alexander cabin. Feverishly working one of these guns was Sidney Speed. The battery quickly began loading and firing long range canister and shell at the oncoming Rebels. A half mile opposite of Lilly’s guns, Fowler’s Alabama Battery went into action aginst the guns posted near the Alexander cabin. Lilly’s gunners could hear the first round from Fowler’s guns coming toward them. Bugler Henry Campbell of Crawfordsville wrote in his diary, ” I don’t think I will ever forget the awful, unearthly screeching that shell made as it approached us. It seemed as if it would never strike, it was so long coming.” Campbell along with four or five comrads attempted to take cover behind a small sapling near by. Campbell reported, “We all knew, from the sound of it, that it would strike some place close by.” It did strike close by, the shell bounced in front of the number two gun, then hit the corner of the Alexander cabin, where it ricocheted back toward the guns, landing near some of Lilly’s huddled gunners. Sidney could see the danger to his comrads, calmly he picked up the shell, while the fuse was still burning and “heaved it over” the Alexander cabin where the shell would explode. Captain Lilly witnessed Sidney’s heroic act that had saved the lifes of some of his artillerymen. In his after-action report, Captain Lilly would praise Sidney for this courageous act.


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    Joe Snell

    I have been in the American Civil War reenacting hobby for several years now. I do Union Artillery (the 18th of course!). I am always busy researching the 18th Indiana Lt. Artillery and it's men.

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