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A History of the 31st Indiana Volunteer Infantry
by Dennis Hutchinson
| Fort Donelson | Shiloh | Chasing Bragg | Stones River | Chickamauga | Atlanta | Franklin  |Nashville | Casualty List | References |
 

1
A New Regiment is Formed

April 12, 1861... Fort Sumter has been fired upon! The Telegraph carried the news. No excitement before or since, has ever equaled that which swept over the State of Indiana. That Saturday night and into Sunday people crowded around the telegraph offices to hear the dispatches concerning Fort Sumter. The sermons on Sunday were a call to arms, some instructing their parishioners that they had one single duty to perform which was to support the Flag. The states of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri were hanging in the balance. But, that sister state to the south for which Indiana was so closely tied concerned them the most, the state of Kentucky.

2
Camp Vigo

Because it became clear that the war was not going to be over quickly, the need for 3 year enlistments became evident. In July and August, several companies were forming in Vigo County, Indiana at the 7th congressional district camp, known as Camp Vigo. Camp Vigo was located in Terre Haute at the old Fairgrounds, across from the present day Collett Park, off Maple Avenue. The first regiment to be raised at Camp Vigo was the 14th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The new companies now forming would become the 31st and 43rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The 31st Indiana Volunteers was organized under the leadership of Colonel Charles Cruft of Terre Haute.
 
The locations that men signed up for the 31st were varied. Some early recruits went to Indianapolis for enlistment at Camps Sullivan and Camp Morton. Others either signed up at the Vigo county Court House or in their local village or town. My Great, Great Grandfather, Andrew Gosnell enlisted in the small village of New Goshen Indiana.

When companies formed they called themselves by Company Names or Guard Names and not by letters. Only once the regiment was formed were they assigned a Company Letter.

The regions that the companies of the 31st Indiana were formed from are shown Below.

3
On to Evansville, then Camp Calhoun

4
Calhoun Kentucky

5
The Battle of Fort Donelson:
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6
Battle of Shiloh:
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Colonel Cruft states, "During the action my regiment fired an average of about 100 rounds per man. The piles of the enemy's dead which were lying along our front when he retreated attested the accuracy and steadiness of the fire."  Seeing that the Union left was about to be swept, Gen. Hurlbut ordered the brigade to move to the left about 2 p.m. For some minutes the brigade was halted near the Hamburg road, to protect Willard's battery, that was then playing upon the enemy. Cruft continues, "The various regiments were then moved farther to the left, and our regiment ordered to the extreme left, and placed in position to await the expected attack.

An Illinois regiment subsequently formed to our left and rear. The action soon commenced to the right. It was apparent, from the reports of skirmishers sent to the front and from observations, that the enemy were preparing to flank our line to the left in great force. This was shortly accomplished. Regiment after regiment marched up from a large ravine to the left, moving in echelon, in compact lines, with Confederate flags flying, in perfect order, as if on parade, and came steadily down upon our small front.

During the battle of Shiloh, Andrew Gosnell was slightly wounded in the right hand by a musket ball. Col. Cruft was badly wounded more than once during the battle and refused to leave the field until after the regiment had retreated to Grant's Last Line

STATS for Shiloh: 21 killed, 114 wounded, 10 of these Mortally, and 3 missing

On May 2nd 1862, the Thirty-first was transferred to the Army of the Ohio, and became a part of the Twenty-second Brigade, Fourth Division. Andrew was listed as being absent from the regiment due to an illness part of May. This was the only time he was listed absent due to sickness.

7
Chasing Braxton Bragg:
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After leaving Louisville the 31st was involved in the skirmishing at Perryville, Kentucky, but really did not get involved in the main battle.

Marching in late October the regiment experienced the first snow storm of the season. They had left their tents behind. On the 26th of October the regiment began moving at 6 am toward Mt. Vernon, with snow six inches deep. Several of the men were barefooted and had no blankets. They halted an hour for dinner, then took the road to Somerset, KY, marched 5 miles and halted for the night in a meadow. They had no tents but were able to get plenty of straw and hay to bed down in. On the 31st, they marched 21 miles and encamped at Columbia, KY, stayed one day and while there, drew some shoes and a few shirts, which was much appreciated by the men.

On Nov. 1, 1862, the regiment pitched their tents for the first time since leaving McMinnvile, Tennessee in August. Their knapsacks had finally caught up with them and many changed their clothes for the first time since leaving Bowling Green, Kentucky.

8
The Battle of Stones River:
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In consequence of the terrible slaughter of Chalmer's Brigade, which were all Mississippians, that part of the battle-field is known a "Mississippi Half Acre."

Smith continues, "When we went into position here in the morning, we connected with Negley's command on our right, and with Hazen's Brigade on our left. We held our position here after the repulse of Chalmers and Donelson's Brigade until Negley's right had been so far turned that the line of battle stood at right angles with our line. In the meantime the ammunition of the Thirty-first and Second Kentucky having been almost exhausted, an attempt was made to relieve them by sending in the First Kentucky to take the place of the Thirty-first, and the Ninetieth Ohio to relieve the Second Kentucky. When the First Kentucky had nearly reached our Position, the Colonel gave the command to charge. The Thirty-first was ordered to lie down, and the First Kentucky charged immediately over us,....... The First Kentucky soon encountered such an unequal force, and being exposed to a crossfire of both musketry and artillery, that it rapidly fell back, and again charged over the Thirty-first, closely followed by double lines of the enemy. As soon at the First Kentucky had all passed to the rear, the Thirty-first gave the enemy such a deadly volley that they fell back as rapidly as they had come."

The brigades to the left and right began falling back and essentially the Brigade was about to be completely surrounded with no support. Their ammunition running low, a command to fall back was given, but several in the 31st did not hear the command and continued to fight until overrun. Andrew Gosnell was captured at this point, along with several of his comrades.

On Jan. 2nd 1863 the battle resumed. The 31st took part in the attack on General John C. Breckenridge's left.

STATS for Stones River: 5 killed, 45 wounded, 6 of these Mortally, and 37 missing.

Andrew Gosnell was sent to Libby prison in Richmond, Virginia. He arrived there on January 15, 1863. Andrew was lucky, because after being confined at the prison for only 5 days, he was exchanged on January 20th and Paroled at City Point, Virginia. He reported in at Camp Parole near Annapolis, Maryland on the 21st and his long journey back home had now begun.

A few days after the battle, the Thirty-first Regiment, together with the brigade, moved out to Cripple Creek, some eight miles east of Murfreesboro, and went into camp, where it remained until the 24th of June, 1863.

Col. John Smith wrote, "From May 4, 1862, the time we left Corinth, Mississippi, to January 3, 1863, the close of the battle of Stone River, was about eight months, or two hundred and forty days. During all this time the regiment was considered in camp ninety-nine days. It actually had its tents up but fifty-six days, leaving one hundred and eighty-four days that the men were exposed to the inclemency of the weather, just as it came, without shelter of any kind, and the worst weather that came found us without our tents, and on short rations. During this time the regiment was under fire, in actual battle, twelve days, beside various skirmishes that sometimes amounted to quite a respectable little battle."

"The most laborious marching we had to do was what was called "flanking." The troops followed the road, and each regiment would detail a company, one-half of which were thrown out on each side of the road, two or three hundred yards, and march in Indian file, keeping as near the same distance as possible from the troops in the road. Of course fences, hills, and ravines had to be crossed, streams had to be waded, thickets and brier patches had to be penetrated, and, at the same time, you had to keep up with the troops in the road."

"Another laborious duty, one that got to be quite burdensome, was "train guarding." The trains, of course, would be given the road, and the guards would have to march as best they could, and, in the event a team got stuck in the mud, the guards had to lay down their guns, and put their shoulders to the wheels. This train guarding was almost an every-day business, and the Thirty-first Regiment, somehow, was lucky in getting jobs of this kind to do. It was astonishing to see how quick a wagon could be repaired. If an axle should break, with scarcely no tools, and with no material except such as could be picked on a farm where the rails had all disappeared, a man or two would go to work, and the next morning the wagon would be up and ready for use. The method of repairing a wheel was different. If a wheel gave way, the teamster would drive to one side of the road, and wait till night, and then look out for a teamster who was off his guard, or a wagon that was not under the immediate eye of a sentinel, when it was only the work of a moment to take a good wheel off and put the broken one on. I have heard it said that sometimes a wheel would be carried five miles before the exchange could be made. It was insisted that there was no stealing in this, for the wagons all belonged to Uncle Sam, and that they were working for him. Be this as it may, it had all the symptoms of stealing."

9
The Battle of Chickamauga:
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The 31st Indiana at the battle of Chickamauga was part of the Army of the Cumberland under Gen. Roscrans, in the 21st Corps, under Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden, 2nd Division under Gen. John M. Palmer, in the 1st Brigade commanded by Gen. Charles Cruft and the Regiment was led by Col. John T. Smith. The 1st Brigade again consisted of the 31st Indiana, 1st Kentucky, 2nd Kentucky and the 90th Ohio.

On the 18th of September, 1863, the regiment with its brigade, was bivouacked up McLemore's Cove on the left of the road leading south from Lee and Gordon's Mill. At 6:30 p.m. of that day the brigade was formed in column Gordon's Mill. At 6:30 p.m. of that day the brigade was formed in column along the road ready to move northward across Chickamauga Creek. Moving northward it crossed the Chickamauga at Lee and Gordon's Mill at about 1 a.m. of September 19th. Upon reaching this point the brigade Gordon's Mill at about 1 a.m. of September 19th. Upon reaching this point the brigade was immediately put in line of battle by its Division Commander, Maj.-Gen. John M. Palmer, and in this position lay on its arms the remainder of the night. Upon the opening of the battle on the 19th the other brigades of the division were ordered northward to join the line of Major-General Thomas, and at 11 a.m. The 1st Brigade under Cruft, was ordered to follow the others. The 31st Indiana then with the brigade moved north on the Lafayette and Chattanooga road until it reached the Brotherton house, when it rejoined its (Palmer's) Division north of the Brotherton and Reed's Bridge road. The general orders were to move in line of battle eastward to join on the right of the troops then engaged, the formation being in echelon with Cruft's Brigade in advance. The brigade had moved from its line of formation only about 400 yards eastward, when the skirmishers engaged those of the enemy and drove them back upon their main lines. Cruft's Brigade then pressed forward and engaged the enemy, the time being then about 12:30 p.m., and the position being the west line of the Brock field, and about 150 yards west of the Brock house, on the south side of the creek, south of the Brotherton and Reed's Bridge road. The brigade went into the engagement with the 1st Kentucky Infantry in support of the artillery of the division, the other three regiments forming a single line with the 2nd Kentucky on the right of the brigade, the 31st Indiana in the center, and the 90th Ohio on the left. General Cruft indicated that "The fighting was severe from the time of joining battle, and lasted until 2:20 p.m., an hour and forty minutes, with but little intermission in the musketry on both sides." General Cruft reports that in this engagement, "The enemy made three very obstinate attempts to break my line by charges, and at each time were reinforced from the woods in the rear. They were on each occasion repulsed with apparently very heavy losses. My command behaved bravely, and steadily held the line. Not a straggler was observed going to the rear. The file closers did their duty, and every officer and man stood to his work." From 2:30 p.m. until about 3:50 p.m. there was a general cessation of firing along the front of this brigade, during which time ammunition arrived from the rear and the men replenished their cartridge boxes and their pockets. About 3:50 p.m. the battle again began to rage to the right of Cruft's Brigade, and extended rapidly towards the left, growing stronger and more severe until it reached and extended along the front of Grose's (Third) Brigade, of Palmer's Division. The battle became more and more critical on the right, and orders were received by General Cruft from General Palmer to send such reinforcements to General Grose's Brigade as he could spare. In obedience to this order the Second Kentucky and the Thirty-first Indiana were ordered to the relief of Colonel Grose. These two regiments reached Colonel Grose's line only to find it overpowered and giving way, stubbornly, under a most impetuous attack by overwhelming numbers, with its supporting lines on the right wholly gone. The situation now became critical in the extreme. The two regiments, the Second Kentucky and Thirty-first Indiana, moved off to the right a short distance in order to avoid the retreating troops and engaged the enemy hotly, thus checking him and holding its position for a time and preventing a disastrous retreat, but was finally forced to the rear about a hundred yards, when they were reinforced by the Ninetieth Ohio and a regiment from Turchin's Brigade, when an impetuous charge was made upon the advancing enemy by four regiments, including the Thirty-first Indiana. The charge was successful, and the lines of the enemy were broken and fled to the rear, and the Union line was restored and the ground previously lost being regained and firmly held until after nightfall."

The lines were formed to the front as best could be done in the darkness, without fires and without supper, except as could be had from the haversack, the men settled down for the night. This proved to be the line that was to be occupied by the Thirty-first Indiana in the battle of Sunday, September 20th, the east Kelly field line. During the night and by daylight of the morning of the 20th, the various regiments of the brigade constructed rough log breastworks along the front.

The attack commenced on their front at 7:40 a.m. It was very sharp and determined, and consisted of a series of assaults by the musketry and occasional artillery, continuing until about 12 p.m. Musketry and artillery were required almost constantly along the brigade line, during these four hours, to repel the enemy. The Confederate troops engaged in the assaults on the Kelly field line, were those of Polk's and Hill's Corps.
 
The punishment and loss inflicted on the Confederates by the Union east Kelly field line seems to have been sufficient to prevent any further serious attacks upon that portion of Thomas' line. At about 3 p.m. the troops of General Hazen's Brigade were withdrawn from this portion of the Union left, and again the 31st Indiana and the 2nd Kentucky were ordered out, as in Saturday's battle, to fill the gap and hold the line, and it was done. At about 5 p.m. General Cruft received orders to withdraw his troops and take position in the woods to the west of the Kelly house and the Lafayette and Chattanooga road. At the time that this order was given there was no indication that the movement was to be the beginning of a withdrawal from the battlefield. It was supposed by General Cruft and the officers and men that the brigade was being sent to the relief and support of their lines to the right. This movement took place while General Thomas was making the hard battle at Harker's Hill and Sondgrass Hill, and the movement of this brigade was in that direction. On reaching the Lafayette road the regiment was ordered to move toward Chattanooga. The brigade moved to the rear until it reached the summit of Missionary Ridge, were it was halted and a line of battle was formed facing to the front. Later the brigade was ordered to Rossville.

On the morning of September 21st it was marched east again from Rossville to the top of Missionary Ridge. Breastworks were constructed and all preparations made to meet the advance of Bragg's Army. The Thirty-first remained on this line during the day and when the brigade was withdrawn, at 9 o'clock on the night of September 21st, three companies of this regiment were ordered to remain with the pickets until daylight of the 22d, when they fell back and rejoined their brigade at Chattanooga.

STATS for Chickamauga: 5 killed, 61 wounded, 7 of these mortally, and 17 missing.

While at Chattanooga a confederate artillery shell came in close to Andrew Gosnell and exploded. The exploding shell knocked Andrew to the ground. From that time on Andrew was hard of hearing.

The 31st was ordered to Bridgeport Alabama in November and therefore missed the battle of Missionary Ridge. While in camp here at Bridgeport, two hundred and eighty-five men of the regiment re-enlisted, or veteranized. Those who re-enlisted were mustered as veterans on the 7th day of January, 1864. Andrew Gosnell did not re-enlist. I imagine that he had had enough. The veterans left Bridgeport on January 26th, and arrived at Indianapolis, where they were given a magnificent reception and later returned to Terre Haute. Back home, some men recruited new recruits for the regiment. They returned to the regiment April 1, 1864.

10
The Atlanta Campaign:
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Take That Hill:
The regiment was known for it's orneriness, and one example happened in and around Kennesaw Mountain in June of 1864. General Stanley came to the regiment, and said he was directed to take "that hill" with one regiment, and, as it was directly in their front, and he guessed they would have to take it. The regiment told him, if they could have their own time and way, they would willingly make the attempt. "When is your time?" was his inquiry, and the reply was, "Tomorrow morning, at daylight." "All right," he said, "take it tomorrow morning."

Stealing Johnnies:
Colonel John T. Smith, writes, "On June 28th, I being officer of the day, I and the rebel officer of the day arranged a truce, under which it was agreed that there should be no firing in our division front until further notice. This arrangement was continued for about. three days, and was hugely enjoyed, as it virtually released us from prison. The same afternoon, the regiment had an opportunity to exchange its surplus coffee with the rebels for tobacco. The next day there were hundreds of the troops met the rebels in the hollow between the lines, and exchanged papers, and traded coffee for tobacco. The arrangement would doubtless have continued a day or two longer, but our boys got to stealing the Johnnies. The second day of the truce, the men of the regiment brought off fifteen rebel soldiers. Their plan of operation was, to take a suit of our uniform --pants, blouse, and cap--in their haversack, and when they could find a fellow who wanted to get out, a lot of them would get around him and have him put on these clothes over his, after which he could walk off with perfect impunity. After getting him up into our works, they would have him divest himself of these clothes, and return to repeat the operation. The terms of the truce at first provided that there should be no work done, of any kind whatever, on the fortifications on either side, but it was afterwards agreed that each army might do anything it desired or wanted done on their works. A while after this, the Colonel was called out by the rebel officer of the day, and told that he must look out for artillery that the enemy was putting in two guns in our immediate front, and that he could not control them, and that they were liable to open on us, as soon as they got them planted. This intelligence was immediately conveyed to General Stanley, and in a few minutes he and his chief of artillery were at our front line. We were ordered to get out on our front, and to pile up an immense heap of brush to conceal our operations. It did not require fifteen or twenty men long to pile up the brush, and then a couple of guns were brought up, and a few men were sufficient to pull the brush-pile down the hill, out of the way; and the guns opened. On the top of the rebel works were some timbers, leaving a space under the timbers, through which they could fire, while the timber protected their heads while firing. The top of the rebel works was lined with men, more numerous than one ever saw chickens on a fence after a shower. At the first shot from our guns, these timbers, and the men that were on them, were knocked several feet up into the air. After a few shots the firing ceased, and the guns moved back. In a little while the rebel officer of the day called again for the Colonel, and told him he need have no further fears in regard to artillery, for their guns would hardly make good kindling-wood. He said they intended to play a trick on us, and they had got beat at their own game, and if we had not got so many killed and hurt I would be glad of it. Nearly every man on those timbers was killed."

11
The Battle of Franklin:
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An amusing incident at Franklin:
Col. Smith writes, "We had one drafted man who said he intended to stay with us and faithfully do all the duties of a soldier, except to shoot, that he would not shoot, that he never intended to fire, a gun. He was told that he would get along all right then, for no one would ever tell him to shoot. About the time that it was seen that the rebels intended charging us, the Colonel went to where this man lay behind temporary works, and found that his gun was empty-neither loaded or, capped. He called to the Sergeant-Major to make a detail of a Corporal and two men who would rather shoot a man than not. The Sergeant--Major soon reported with the detail, and said, "If such men as you want are in the regiment, I believe I have got them." The Colonel said he believed so, too. The Colonel then directed the Corporal to lay down there near that man, and not tell him to shoot, nor allow any one else to tell him to; but, when the regiment fired, if his gun did not go off, to put three bullet-holes through him. The Colonel walked away, and the, drafted man said to a comrade at his elbow, "I believe they will do it." "Of course, they will," was the reply. The drafted man then got up and carefully loaded his gun, and, capping it, again lay down, and, turning to the Corporal, said, "'Now, if this darned thing explodes, and the gun don't go off, you must give a fellow a little chance." But his gun went off, and it was thought that he was the first man in the regiment to fire, and he kept it up manfully; and after the engagement was over he seemed to be the proudest man in the command, and apparently, seemed to think he had done it about all."

12
The Battle of Nashville:
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13
Casualty List:
(Killed and Mortally Wounded)

 References:

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This site was written by:
Dennis Hutchinson

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