The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-14
col. JOHN II. TAYLOR IN TOWN.
lie Il Writing n History OF the Six
teenth Indiana Regiment.

Col. John 3. Taylor, OF Anderson, who is
writing a history of the Sixteenth Indiana
Regiment, is here to act as one of the
guards for the flags Of the Sixteenth in the
parade tomorrow. Colonel Taylor has
practically completed the history Of the
regiment. which will be printed in book
form He relates an interesting story OF
the reorganization Of the Sixteenth. IN
r~eor$anizing this regiment" he said, there
were only enough men at hand with the
recruits received to ill up nine companies.
These were mustered in and were awaiting
orders to go TO the front. About this time
capt. Charles I. DoXey, who had been re-
crulfing a company at Anderson and Attlca
for the Seventy-secOnd Indiana Regiment,
reported 10 Governor Morton to know
where he should take his men. On arriving
at indianapolis he was solicited by the ON
GERS TO attach his company to the sixteenth
lndl:ina so as to make the organization
OF that complete, the military au-
thorities ~cOnsenting. In the meantime
Lieut. James r.. Macklin was recruiting d
company at Richmond, Ind, for the SIX
teenth Indiana Regiment. With the con-
solidatiOn Of their respective companies the
Organization became Company Is, but was
not mustered at the time. The sixteenth
Indiana Regiment was ordered hastily into
Kentucky TO join the Union forces IN re-
peling the advance of Gen. kirby smith
toward the Ohio river.
The battle of Ky, occurred
Aug. 30, 1852. in which less than 1900 Union
troops, mostly raw, undisciplined men, were
overwhelmed by a greatly superior force OF
disciplined and Well-driled rebel veterans
The battle was one Of the fiercest or the
war and Very disastrous to the Northern
soldiers. company X went into the hght
with siXty-twO men led by Lieutenant
MaCklfn and Captain DoXey, OF whom
twenty-six were killed and wounded. The
drummer boy. a lad Of twelve years, lost
his life, a fragment of a shell cutting MS
head smooth from his shoulders and carry
ing il away. The survivors were nearly all
taken prisoners and paroled the next day.
Captain Doxey and Lieutenant Macklin re-
turned with their men and joined the regl-
ment at Camp Morton, at indianapolis,
where six weeks later they were exchanged:
Captain DoXey, Lieutenant Macklin and
Lieut.. Ed a. DOxey then recruited Company
X up to the number required and 1t was
then taken into the service. Then hap
pensd an incident which has probably no
parallel IN the history or the war on tne
Union side. The members of Company X
who had been killed or wounded at the
battle of Richmond, Ky, two months be
fore were not properly in the service of the
United States. They had been enlisted, 1T
is true, but had not gone through the for
mahty of muster in. They and their com
ANY comrades We're simply nOmlnal SOL
diers. But when the muster took place
at Indianapolis the names of those who had
fallen in battle or were absent because
of wounds were placed on the rolls and
lley were regularly mustered into the
United States service as though present,
although several of the poor fellows were
sleeping in graves under Kentucky soil
vi < sis 'AAAA IL
tory is given here because il is unique and
had never before appeared in print.
THE rummer boy who lost his life was
named William RamsbottOn. His father
was also a member of company X and was
terribly wounded, being shot five times.
He recovered, however. Michael ORourk,
for many years Il ~well-known tailor of An
dersOn, lost a foot in the battle. Collins
Jones, a son of Enoch Jones, was killed.
John Troy gave up his lifeSin this battle.
Corporal James Watkins, another brave
and gallant soldier. sacrificed his life with
the others for his country. Montgomery
Downs. received a musket ball through his
head, the ball, entering above his left eye,
passing out at the back of his head. He
was left on the battlefield for dead, but,
reviving, was taken to the hospital and re-
NAMED there several months. He was
finally discharged from the hospital, sent to
his company and served to the end of the
war. He should have been discharged from
the service, as his wound never healed. He
is living in indianapolis, a well-knOwn char
acter. a local politician and one of the boys
in the ring