Civil War Letters of Manius Buchanan, Indiana 29th and 118th Infantry / Sold
Impressive Content!
1st Letter describes a soldier killed in battle. “The soldier that walked just in front of me in the rear rank, received a ball and fell. I stepped over him and never saw him again.” On patriotic stationary.
2nd Letter describes a cannonball knocks off his hat and then hits a tree during battle. “When I look back and see or feel again the passing of the cannon ball that took off my cap in its passage struck a tree just beyond, tearing right through it, then I think of how near we were to being separated forever.”
Manius Buchanan:
Enlisted on 8/27/1861 as a Private.
On 8/27/1861 he mustered into "B" Co. IN 29th Infantry
He was discharged for disability on 9/6/1862
Residence Corunna IN;
Enlisted on 9/5/1863 as a Captain.
On 9/5/1863 he was commissioned into "F" Co. IN 118th Infantry
He was Mustered Out on 3/1/1864 at Indianapolis, IN
Twenty-ninth Infantry INDIANA (3 years)
Twenty-ninth Infantry.
Cols., John F. Miller, David M. Dunn, Samuel O. Gregory, Lieut.-Cols.,
David M. Dunn, Joseph P. Collins, Samuel O. Gregory, Charles Ream, Majs., Henry
J. Blowney Joseph P. Collins, James H. M. Jenkins, Henry G. Davis, C. Perry
Butler.
This regiment was organized at Laporte and was mustered in
on Aug. 27, 1861. It left the state on
Oct. 9, and joined Gen. Rousseau's command at Camp Nevin, Ky. from which place
it moved with the army to the vicinity of Munfordville.
It took part in a movement upon Bowling Green in Feb. 1862,
and moved with McCook's division to the Tennessee, participating in the second
day's battle of Shiloh, where it was under fire for 5 hours and lost heavily.
It took an active part in the siege of Corinth and then
moved with Buell's army through northern Alabama and Tennessee, following Bragg
through Kentucky. It accompanied
Rosecrans' army in the movement towards Murfreesboro and participated in the
battle of Stone's River with severe losses.
It remained at Murfreesboro until May, then moved to
Tullahoma, and afterwards to Chattanooga, being engaged at Triune and Liberty
Gap in June. It was in the battle of
Chickamauga, where it sustained a loss of 170 in killed and wounded -- one-half
the number engaged.
It was then stationed at Bridgeport, Ala., where it
reenlisted as a veteran organization, Jan. 1, 1864, and visited home on
furlough. On its return it was stationed
at Chattanooga until December and was then moved to Decatur, Ala., being engaged
in a skirmish Dec. 27.
It then returned to Chattanooga and remained there until May
1865, when it moved to Dalton, GA, and was in a skirmish with the enemy
there. Subsequently it was stationed at
Marietta. Col. Miller was commissioned brigadier-general Jan. 5, 1864, being
succeeded as colonel by Lieut.-Col. Dunn.
The regiment was mustered out Dec. 2, 1865. Its original strength was 936; gain by recruits, 990; reenlistments, 204; total, 2,130. Loss by death, 293; desertion, 63; unaccounted for, 49.
One Hundred and Eighteenth Infantry INDIANA (6 MONTHS):
One Hundred and Eighteenth Infantry. -- Col., George W.
Jackson; Lieut.- Col., Henry C. Elliott, Maj., Henry B. Sayler.
This regiment was organized during July and Aug., 1863, principally at Wabash, but moved to Indianapolis on Aug. 31, where its organization was completed. It was mustered in Sept. 16 for six months. Leaving the state the same day, it joined the other six months regiments at Nicholasville, Ky., and moved with them to east Tennessee.
From Cumberland Gap it proceeded via Morristown, to Greeneville, and in November accompanied the command to Clinch River, participating in the battle of Walker's ford. Col. Jackson was placed in command of a brigade sent to the relief of the 5th Ind. cavalry, which had been engaged with a heavy force of the enemy 2 miles south of the river and was in desperate straits because of the exhaustion of its ammunition.
The 118th, in command of Lieut.-Col. Elliott, waded the river, formed in line of battle on both sides of the road, and advanced, thus enabling the cavalry to fall back and cross the river. The regiment fell back slowly under the assaults of a brigade, repelling a charge on its right and recrossing the river.
It was engaged during the winter in the arduous duties of that campaign and suffered greatly. It moved to Maynardville in Jan., 1864, thence to Cumberland Gap, Camp Nelson, then home, and was mustered out at Indianapolis about the middle of February.
Its original strength was 987; gain by recruits, 30; total, 1,017. Loss by death, 81; desertion, 26; unaccounted for, 17.
Inventory Number: DOC 225 / Sold