Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-09-06
Col. John Rhlnelander.

Col. Rhinelander recruited Co. b Of
the 25th Indiana regiment, which was
organized here at Evansville and mus
tered into service Aug. 10Th, 1861. The
regiment was at once ordered % Mis-
souri,, and entered upon the arduoas
campaign under Fremont, a. the close
Of which Il assisted in the capture Of
200 rebel@as Blackwater. 1t was de-
tailed to guard these prisoners to st
Lot Is, from whence It was ordered to
Fort Henry, bat arriving after ita fall,
proceeded TO Fort DoneIsou, which it
reached on the night of Feb. l3lh, and
went into action on the morning of the
l4th.
This was almost its maiden battle
But how gallanily It bore itself. how
glofiously il responded when Grao'
ordered II to move upon the enemy.
entrenebmsnts, We all wall remember
Who can ever forget the thrill Of pride
and JOY with which We here at home
heard that our noble lth. on the righs
and 25lh, on the left, were the FRS, to
drive the enemy on that desperate and
glorious 6eld2 Who can ever forge,
how every drop Of blood leaped IN his
veins when be read that Capt Rhine
lander, with 6fty-6ve Of his brave hoys,
on the 10th stormed foar riAe-pits, one
after another, and held them till rein.
forced by the "a Iowa, who got the
craAff oF 6r.t If. nftu. -. sAx
enemy's works. only because our own
little handful Of boys bad no flag with
them to place there2 As an alfauffi-
c snt proof of the prominent part taken
BY the 25th in the capture u Fort Dor
elsou, ! need merely add that il lost
there one hundred aud fourteen men in
killed and woRndsd.
The 25th then proceeded with the
army to FSttsburg Landing, and was in
the two days battle Of Shiloh from be-
ginning to end, losing there one hundred
and forty tight men
1t next participated in the seige Of
Corin,h, whore Capt X was on the lst
day Of May, 1862, promoted to the grade
of Major for gallant conduct From
Corinlh the regim mt was ordered TO
Memphis, and thence to Bolivar, and in
October took part in the ably conducted,
and admirably fought battle of Hatchie,
or hetRmorss, where Il lost 81 men
killed and wounded, Major X. being
among the latter, shot through the thigh,
for which he was invaded and sent
home on furlough. But though off duty
on sick furlough, be still endeAEored to
perform the part ofa true Union soldier,
By attempting on the day Of election to
get to the polls on the sturdy shoulders
of his ueighbors for the purpose Of vot-
ing the Union ticket. From faintness
and exhaustion be was compelled to
abandon the attempt and be carried
back to his home, but the will vas there,
and he is entitled to as much credit for
The effort as il it had been successful
Il was while thas Major was confined
at home By bis vi ind. that Grant N noved
on VieksburE, sSug the Ohio L Mobile
Railroad, leavSg the 18th to guard the
road At Davis Mills. On December 18th,
Van Dorm captured Holly Springs and q
garrison OF 2,200 men. and attacked the
18th with $50 men at Davis Mills, and
captured neither Mills nor men, but
were repuIsed with loss greater than
the number OF the men attacked. As
before remarked, Col r. was not in that
gallant affair. he was prevented By b.:
~ound from participating in its glories
and am informed by bis fellow-soldier,
that it was the only battle or skirmish
bis regiment was engaged in during biz
whole three years service, the perils o
which be did not share with it | az
proud TO say that our fellow-tovnsmA at
i entitled to the credit of that gallanr
defense.
Major K. was promoted to the Lieut.
ColoneIey October lsih, 1862, and a.
such took and remained IN command 0
his regiment, doing provost duty at Mem
phis, from January TO October, 1868, ant
from that time to January, 1854. be va
on the line of the Memphis L Charles
ton Railroad, projecting it from the raid
: of Forrest aud others.
The regiment was then transferred Il
; the Fourth Division Sixteenth Arm,
! Corps, under Gen. Veatch, and accom-
panied Gsa Sherman upon his memoirs
Bile raid to Meridian and Selma At De
catur, Mississippi, on the line of thei
outward march, sn incident oeegrre,
which most happily illustrates the promp
and energetic character which both ~
regiment and its commander maintaine
throughout their whole service
The Twenty fifth, forming the rear c
The Sixteenth Corps, hsd marched som
. hall q mile on the further side Of Decs
: tur, when hearing firing in its rear, an
!. knowing that Gen. Sherman and Stat
: with a body-guArd of Only sixty mel
!. were advancing on that part OF the lin
!. of march, Col. Rhinelander upon th
= instant faced his regiment about, forme
8. 1t in line of battle, and with line ,
skirmishers well advanced. doubI
= quicked his men back, reached the poir
Of danger, and engaged the enemy
= considerable force just as courier VI
starting with orders for the return of 4
9, rear regiments of the Corps
- The promptness of this movement,
- oe Sk- -