The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-18

factory character"
Sixteen regiments were soon raised and
mustered into the Legion. and these main
tanned their organization more or less COM
pletely throughout the entire period Of the
war. While the membership of the or
ganization was not so stable as that of
the volunteers in the field, yet it furnished
to the regiments at the front much Of their
best material both in men and officers.
In fact, it was the portal. the primary
school. through which and from which
thousands OF those who proved themselves
the best of soldiers entered the army. 1t
was the vent through which the incipient
| flame in the breasts of our young men first
found escape. and when they were once
in the Legion it proved a nursery to the
natural martial feeling of our people who
descended from fighting ancestors, and
they soon became dissatisfied with home
| service and stepped forward into the ranks
of the regiments in the field and in the
| thickest of the fray. Thus was Indiana
enabled always to fill promptly every call
made upon her by the general government
for troops, and thus were they enabled to
| make such a glorious record for the State
| that sent them forth. Neither must it be
retained their places in the Legion were
inconsiderable or unimportant to the State
and country. On the contrary, they were
continually useful, and on several occa-
sions valiant and even brilliant. The
| events of most interest and Importance
| occurring at the front kept the eye of the
| general public turned in that direction, and
the services Of the Legion were over
mitted to be our duty as well as pleasure
| to describe such laurels as it earned.
While constantly kept on the alert to
| maintain the efforts Of the officers of the
| government and the patriotic mass of our
citizens at home against the plotting and
| reasonable conspiraces of the aiders and
abettors of the rebel lion, it did not fail
to meet and repel the enemy at every one
of the several times he attempted TO in
wade our State. The entire river line south
of the State constantly guarded by
its forces during most of the troublesome
| times of war, and thus disastrous raids
upon life and property by the enemy were
averted. On several occasions the troops
of the Legion crossed the line and inflicted
punishment on the rebels their own
ground in Kentucky, the most notable
| being the engagement of the Fourth Regi-
ment, under Colonel Crooks at Panther
creek, near greensboro, on Sept. 20, 1862,
| which resulted in victory for the troops
| of the Legion after a spirited fight, end
| ing with bayonet charge by Them which
| put the rebels to rout. The companies
| of the Legion lost three killed and thirty
| five wounded in this engagement while
| the loss of the rebels was thirty-six killed.
seventy wounded, and sixteen prisoners
and 40 small arms, twelve horses and the
| camp and garrison equipment.
Every attempt of the enemy to raid the
| State, and there were several was
| promptly met and repulsed by the
| forces Of the Legion, which were al
| ways ready for such emergencies.
| The Hennis raid was the first and the
| Morgan raid the last of these attempts
| to invade State. and each resulted in
| the ignominious defeat and capture Of
| most of the invaders by the companies of
| the Legion. The time of the latter raid
| July, 1S63-was when the organization
| numbered its greatest membership, for in
| three days after the Governor issued this
| call 10000 men, fully armed and equipped
| had reported for duty, and before the
| fourth day had passed over 1000 men had
| rendered their services. There would be
| but one result to such a conflict when the
! patriotism of the people was so entirely
aroused. Governor Morton in his address,
| says: 'At their first landing on our soil
| the rebel advance was met and fought by
| the neighboring companies of the Legion,
| and, although our forces were few in num-
Der and were driven back, they gave the
| rebels a clear foretaste of what they might
| expect when they penetrated the interior of
| the State. Within ten hours after they
| entered borders their invasion was
converted in rapid and desperate flight"
| In closing his message he commends the
men of the Legion in the highest terms
| and testifies to their patriotism, bravery
and great usefulness. All this was supple
mented by the brave officer and thorough
soldier, Gen. o. b. Wilcox now colonel in
the regular army, who alludes to the SOL
| diers of the Indiana Legion who took part
| in this campaign in these words: 1T is no
poor compliment TO my brave comrades
the troops from Indiana, that throughout
| such a campaign they proved themselves
a credit to their State
1t has been my purpose in what have
said to show that the idea which has pre-
| vailed pretty generally in the past-that
the Indiana Legion was but name for
something that never existed except for
parades and occasional musters of an in
| nocent social nature-was a most erro-
neous and unjust one, and that, on the
| contrary, 1t timely and serviceable
| organization in all that period which tried
| mems souls, the most critical in the his
| tory of the State or country. What has
| been referred to is historical and certainly
proves, beyond question cavil, the last
| proposition. While the organization was
not continued. during the first decade after
the war of the rebellion closed, having dis
| solved into the ranks OF private citizens
| with the comrades of the volunteers as
| soon as the conflict ceased and "Ameri-
| cans became brothers once more yet it's
| service was not forgotten, and the ap-
parent probabilities that the State might
| again need such service, coupled with the
military spirit with which our young men
are naturally imbued led to a revival of
| its organization in 1877, and to the COM
| rades of the Terre Haute Light Guard be-
| longs the credit of having set the example
| by being first in the entire State to organ
| ize their company. The date borne on
| their badges, April TO- 1877. indicates the
| data xyb ized