26th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 26th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
July - November 1861 and mustered in at Nashville, Tennessee
for a three year enlistment on March 5, 1862.
The regiment was attached to 14th Brigade, Army of the Ohio
, November 1861 to December 1861. 14th Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 14th Brigade, 5th Division, II Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Left Wing, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
, November 1862. District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio
, to June 1863. Unattached, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio, to August 1863. Unattached, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to October 1863. District of Southwest Kentucky, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to April 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, District of Kentucky, 5th Division, XXIII Corps, to December 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio, to February 1865, and Department of North Carolina to July 1865.
The 26th Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
on July 10, 1865.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 26th Kentucky Infantry was organized at Owensboro, KentuckyOwensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
July - November 1861 and mustered in at Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
for a three year enlistment on March 5, 1862.
The regiment was attached to 14th Brigade, Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
, November 1861 to December 1861. 14th Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862. 14th Brigade, 5th Division, II Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Left Wing, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
, November 1862. District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...
, to June 1863. Unattached, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio, to August 1863. Unattached, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to October 1863. District of Southwest Kentucky, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to April 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, District of Kentucky, 5th Division, XXIII Corps, to December 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio, to February 1865, and Department of North Carolina to July 1865.
The 26th Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
on July 10, 1865.
Detailed service
Action at Woodbury, Ky., October 29, 1861. Morgantown, Ky., October 31, 1861. Moved from Owensboro to Calhoun, Ky., November 1861, and duty there until February 1862. Action at Whippoorwill Creek, Ky., December 1, 1861. Moved to South Carrollton, thence to Calhoun, Owensboro and Nashville, Tenn., February 1862. March to Savannah, Tenn., March 17-April 6. Battle of Shiloh, April 7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Buell's Campaign in northern Alabama and middle Tennessee June to August. March to Nashville, Tenn., thence to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 21-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–22. Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8. Nelson's Cross Roads October 18. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 22-November 7. Ordered to Bowling Green, Ky., November 22, and duty there until January 1863. Action at Woodbury, Ky., July 5, 1863. Regiment veteranized at Camp Nelson, Ky., January 1864, and on furlough until March. Duty at Bowling Green, Ky. Mounted and engaged in post duty and scouting from Bowling Green to the Ohio River, and from western part of Kentucky to Lexington until December 1864. Burbridge's Expedition into southwest Virginia September 20-October 17. Saltsville, Va., October 2. At Bowling Green until December. Ordered to Nashville, Tenn., December 7. Battle of Nashville, December 15–16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17–28. At Clifton, Tenn., until January 15, 1865. Moved to Washington, D.C., thence to Fort Fisher, N.C., January 15-February 12. Fort Anderson February 18–19. Town Creek February 20. Capture of Wilmington February 22. Campaign of the Carolinas March 1-April 26. Advance on Goldsboro March 6–21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 21, Advance on Raleigh April 10–14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. Duty at Saulsbury, N.C., until July. Ordered to Louisville, Ky.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 173 men during service; 2 officers and 27 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 142 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel Cicero Maxwell - died February 17, 1865 from wounds received at the battle of Nashville
- Lieutenant T. B. Fairleigh
See also
- List of Kentucky Civil War Units
- Kentucky in the Civil WarKentucky in the Civil WarKentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the Commonwealth when he declared "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." In a September 1861 letter to Orville Browning, Lincoln wrote "I think to lose...