Michael W.
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2015
- Location
- The Hoosier State
I'm traveling to Florida right now for a conference I must attend next week. In between visiting family and friends along the way, I have 3 solid days to get some sightseeing in. Stop #1 was Chickamauga on Wednesday. Any chance to get to the visitor's center and view the Fuller gun collection is always a real treat.
Col. John T. Wilder's Spencer Rifle. I'm a Wilder's Brigade fan, and collector of items associated with the Indiana units of that brigade.
This is the Alexandria Bridge sight crossing West Chickamauga Creek. On the morning of 18 September 1863, Wilder positioned portions of his brigade on the west bank of the creek straddling the bridge. The 17th Indiana was on the south side of the bridge, and the 72nd Indiana was on the north side of the bridge.
Company "A" of the 72nd was positioned just immediately to the North side of the bridge in the area pictured. A good friend of mine, his great great great grandfather was 1st Sgt. Samuel Stewart of Company A, and was positioned in this area. He recorded that as the brigade was being pushed back by superior forces, he discovered that he and one lone private was left on the field, everyone else had already pulled back. They had lost their horses, and the bullets were coming fast and thick. He grabbed the private and told him it was time to get the hell out of there.
This is the monument of the 39th Indiana Mounted Infantry. Like Wilder's command, they also carried Spencer repeating rifles. They would wind up being posted to the immediate left of Wilder's brigade on 20 September 1863, along the ridge where the Widow Glenns house was located. I have a Spencer Rifle ID'd to a private in the 39th.
Day #2 Columbus, Georgia
Today I made it to Columbus. On this first day here I went to the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.
It took all day to get through this museum. The Civil War section did not have many original artifacts on display. The did have this original officer's sash that belonged to a lieutenant in the 52nd Indiana Infantry.
Tomorrow I'll be heading over to the National Civil War Naval museum, and if time permits, Andersonville.
This is the Alexandria Bridge sight crossing West Chickamauga Creek. On the morning of 18 September 1863, Wilder positioned portions of his brigade on the west bank of the creek straddling the bridge. The 17th Indiana was on the south side of the bridge, and the 72nd Indiana was on the north side of the bridge.
Company "A" of the 72nd was positioned just immediately to the North side of the bridge in the area pictured. A good friend of mine, his great great great grandfather was 1st Sgt. Samuel Stewart of Company A, and was positioned in this area. He recorded that as the brigade was being pushed back by superior forces, he discovered that he and one lone private was left on the field, everyone else had already pulled back. They had lost their horses, and the bullets were coming fast and thick. He grabbed the private and told him it was time to get the hell out of there.
This is the monument of the 39th Indiana Mounted Infantry. Like Wilder's command, they also carried Spencer repeating rifles. They would wind up being posted to the immediate left of Wilder's brigade on 20 September 1863, along the ridge where the Widow Glenns house was located. I have a Spencer Rifle ID'd to a private in the 39th.
Day #2 Columbus, Georgia
Today I made it to Columbus. On this first day here I went to the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.
It took all day to get through this museum. The Civil War section did not have many original artifacts on display. The did have this original officer's sash that belonged to a lieutenant in the 52nd Indiana Infantry.
Tomorrow I'll be heading over to the National Civil War Naval museum, and if time permits, Andersonville.
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