27th Indiana Infantry at Gettysburg and Beyond

Tom Elmore

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Edmund R. Brown's, Twenty-Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Rebellion, is an extraordinary regimental history, comprehensive yet entertaining. It can be accessed at:

https://www.myheritage.com/research...er-of?trp=&trn=organic_google&trl=#fullscreen

The book combines multiple diaries and letters contributed by members, which makes it the best single source of the regiment's participation at Gettysburg, including the controversial order to charge across the swale near Spangler's Spring on the morning of July 3, which resulted in frightful loss, and also the continual deadly skirmishing with soldiers of the 2nd Virginia posted across Rock Creek, particularly those in the stone house of Zepheniah Tawney. In charging across the swale, the regiment was partially a victim of bad timing, since just at that moment, two regiments of "Extra Billy" Smith's Virginia brigade were moving into position at a stone fence opposite (which still exists along the north border of the open swale) as a reinforcement of the Confederate line.

A full roster of the 27th is included in Brown's history. Hand-drawn maps and detailed descriptions of battles such as Antietam, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg allow the reader to visualize these actions with clarity, and precisely reconstruct the 27th's movements and actions, along with adjacent units. Various commanders who interacted with the regiment during the war are highlighted with balanced assessments and insightful criticisms. George S. "Pap" Greene is noted as having some unorthodox theories that did not translate well in practice. An early brigade commander purposely skewed official reports for the purpose of self-promotion, which suggests they should never be accepted at face value. My favorite quotes: "The only officers, who, as a class, were worthless at the start and never improved afterward, were those who imagined that they already knew enough and did not try to learn any more." "No command in an army can rise much above its officers in anything. Therefore, an officer who does not thoroughly understand the duties of his position should study day and night ... or leave the service. A large proportion [of officers] never became anything more than clever blunderers."

Tall men comprised a large proportion of the regiment; these western men were rough around the edges, but were made of sterling fighting material. It is little wonder that they formed a bond with the 1st Minnesota, which once camped near them in the early part of the war, as well as with the 3rd Wisconsin in their brigade; however, they clashed with the 2nd Massachusetts.

Incidentally, it was the 27th found the "lost orders" that led to the battle of Antietam. See also these related threads:
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/lost-order-27th-indiana-regiment-in-the-miller-cornfield.81150/
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/27th-indiana-infantry.129047/

Here are some highlights of Brown's history, with corresponding page numbers from the above reference:
- towns and counties where the companies were recruited (p. 13).
- at least 90 percent of the men were American born (p. 21), although Company K had a lot of German speakers, and all of the companies had some Irish representation (p. 22).
- 80 men of one company were over six feet tall, including David Buskirk, who stood 6' 11 1/2 '' (p. 22).
- in Brown's company C, six soldiers were only 16 years old when mustered in (by law they should have been at least 18), and this was typical of the regiment as a whole (p. 23).
- they initially trained at Camp Morton, where the Indiana State Fair was held; some men bedded down in stalls and pens built for horses, cattle and swine (p. 26).
- no medical exam was given; the mustering officer made a judgment call (pp. 27-28).
- a silk flag presented by the citizens of Edinburg to company C served as the regiment's flag until badly damaged at Cedar Mountain. (p. 31) Two new flags (national and state) were received in time for the March 18, 1863 review of the corps, and were carried during the remainder of the war. (p. 299).
- uniforms arrived on September 10, 1861 (p. 34) and hardly fit the larger men, whose pants sagged from the weight of the bayonet and cartridge belt, exposing their undergarments; the QM had to barter with other regiments to get the required number of oversized shoes (pp 22, 35).
- "a company had no use for an orderly who could not call the roll a fast as chain lightning" (p. 40).
- the first fatality was due to a train derailment enroute to Washington, caused by a calf on the tracks (p.43).
- the writer with others visited the unfinished Capitol building and were given a tour; Confederate tents were visible in the distance (p. 46).
- the regiment camped on Kohlerama heights overlooking the Potomac; it inspired a line in the Battle Hymn of the Republic - "We have seen Him in the watch-fires of a thousand circling camps." (p. 46).
- at Camp Morton the men used inferior muskets and clubs (p. 30); they drew Belgian rifles from the Washington Arsenal (p. 49) initially, and received Springfield rifles after Antietam that they carried until the end of the war. (p. 271).
- each company initially had two wagons with teams, one being just for the use of the three company officers; the colonel also had his own four-horse wagon. Two years later, during the Atlanta campaign, the entire regiment was allotted one single wagon and team. (pp. 49-50).
- Billy Harris had a big Newfoundland dog that one night was kicked by a mule and landed 20 feet away on the supper table of the quartermaster's mess. (p. 279).
- corps badges were first received on April 20, 1863 and generated much pride and enthusiasm. (p. 303).
 
Thanks for sharing. The Iron Brigade gets most of the glory as the Westerners in the AoP, but there were others like the 27th Indiana that were also in the thick of things and seemed to have held their own just as well. I'm also reminded of the 5th Wisconsin Infantry, another hard fighting Western regiment in the AoP that served seperately from the Iron Brigade.

I see Brown's history is also available online at Archive.org:
https://archive.org/stream/twentyseventhind00inbrow#page/n0/mode/2up
 
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