U.S. Army (Regular) Units
Type: Infantry
Organization:
Third ("Regular") Brigade, First Division, XIV Corps
15th United States, 1st Battalion
Battle of Chickamauga
Siege of Chattanooga
Battle of Missionary Ridge
Atlanta Campaign
History:
In addition to the numerous volunteer units, four regular United States infantry regiments participated in the Battle of Chickamauga. The soldiers in these units, as opposed to their state volunteer counterparts, were professional, full-time soldiers in the United States Army. These units, the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th U.S. Infantry Regiments were created shortly after the beginning of the war to meet the immediate need for a professional military presence in the eastern United States. The pre-war U.S. Army had consisted of only nineteen regiments, ten of which were infantry. The bulk of the army had been stationed in the west or at various forts in the south, most of which were captured by the Confederacy early in the war. In May of 1861, when the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th along with other regiments were created, the only regular U.S. Army units ready for immediate mobilization against the Confederacy were a handful of artillery batteries along the eastern seaboard. These new regular infantry units formed a nucleus of professional soldiers around which the massive numbers of volunteers were formed into Union Armies during the first months of the war.
As a part of the Army of the Cumberland, which later became the Army of the Tennessee, the regular units participated in many engagements in Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia over the course of the war, including a significant role in the Battle of Chickamauga. On the morning of September 20th, the final day of the Battle of Chickamauga, George Henry Thomas’s corps, which included the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th U.S. Infantry Regiments was positioned at Kelly Field. Thomas’s corps came under heavy confederate attack, compelling the Union commander, William Starke Rosecrans to shift the Union forces to support Thomas’s line. Despite Thomas’s successful resistance to the Confederate attack at Kelly Field, a miscommunication between Rosecrans and his subordinates opened a gap in the line south of Thomas’s position. The Confederates then exploited the weakness and forced Rosecrans to abandon the field. Thomas’s corps continued to fight at Snodgrass Hill until the Union Army had retreated to Chattanooga, but the Confederates eventually won the battle. Thomas’s determination earned him the nickname the “Rock of Chickamauga.”
After the war, each of the regular infantry units would participate in reconstruction for a time before relocating to the western territories of the United States. The exception was the 18th, which was immediately transferred and was in the Dakota Territory early in 1866. The 16th was consolidated with the 2nd U.S. Infantry during Reconstruction and is no longer active. The other three units, on the other hand, are currently active and each unit’s modern incarnation pays respect to their ancestors’ defense of Thomas’s line during the Battle of Chickamauga with the use of acorns and rocks in their unit insignias.
Author: Sam Doss, March 20, 2015
Further Reading:
Frederick H. Dyer, “A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion,” Last updated January 17, 2009, http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unrginf2.htm#16thinf.
Mark W. Johnson, That Body of Brave Men: The U.S. Regular Infantry and the Civil War in the West. Da Capo, 2003.
16th United States, 1st Battalion
18th United States, 1st Battalion
18th United States, 2nd Battalion
19th United States, 1st Battalion
First Division Artillery, XIV Corps
5th United States, Battery H (3rd Brigade)
Third Division Artillery, XIV Corps
4th United States, Battery I (3rd Brigade)
Second Division Artillery, XXI Corps
4th United States, Battery H (3rd Brigade)
4th United States, Battery M (3rd Brigade)
Selected Engagements:
Battle of Stones RiverBattle of Chickamauga
Siege of Chattanooga
Battle of Missionary Ridge
Atlanta Campaign
History:
In addition to the numerous volunteer units, four regular United States infantry regiments participated in the Battle of Chickamauga. The soldiers in these units, as opposed to their state volunteer counterparts, were professional, full-time soldiers in the United States Army. These units, the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th U.S. Infantry Regiments were created shortly after the beginning of the war to meet the immediate need for a professional military presence in the eastern United States. The pre-war U.S. Army had consisted of only nineteen regiments, ten of which were infantry. The bulk of the army had been stationed in the west or at various forts in the south, most of which were captured by the Confederacy early in the war. In May of 1861, when the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th along with other regiments were created, the only regular U.S. Army units ready for immediate mobilization against the Confederacy were a handful of artillery batteries along the eastern seaboard. These new regular infantry units formed a nucleus of professional soldiers around which the massive numbers of volunteers were formed into Union Armies during the first months of the war.
As a part of the Army of the Cumberland, which later became the Army of the Tennessee, the regular units participated in many engagements in Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia over the course of the war, including a significant role in the Battle of Chickamauga. On the morning of September 20th, the final day of the Battle of Chickamauga, George Henry Thomas’s corps, which included the 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th U.S. Infantry Regiments was positioned at Kelly Field. Thomas’s corps came under heavy confederate attack, compelling the Union commander, William Starke Rosecrans to shift the Union forces to support Thomas’s line. Despite Thomas’s successful resistance to the Confederate attack at Kelly Field, a miscommunication between Rosecrans and his subordinates opened a gap in the line south of Thomas’s position. The Confederates then exploited the weakness and forced Rosecrans to abandon the field. Thomas’s corps continued to fight at Snodgrass Hill until the Union Army had retreated to Chattanooga, but the Confederates eventually won the battle. Thomas’s determination earned him the nickname the “Rock of Chickamauga.”
After the war, each of the regular infantry units would participate in reconstruction for a time before relocating to the western territories of the United States. The exception was the 18th, which was immediately transferred and was in the Dakota Territory early in 1866. The 16th was consolidated with the 2nd U.S. Infantry during Reconstruction and is no longer active. The other three units, on the other hand, are currently active and each unit’s modern incarnation pays respect to their ancestors’ defense of Thomas’s line during the Battle of Chickamauga with the use of acorns and rocks in their unit insignias.
Author: Sam Doss, March 20, 2015
Further Reading:
Frederick H. Dyer, “A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion,” Last updated January 17, 2009, http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unrginf2.htm#16thinf.
Mark W. Johnson, That Body of Brave Men: The U.S. Regular Infantry and the Civil War in the West. Da Capo, 2003.
No comments:
Post a Comment