5th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery 5th Indiana Battery Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War . It was often referred to as Simonson ' s Battery . Service . The battery was organized at Indianapolis , Indiana and mustered in for a three year enlistment on November 22 , 1861 . It was mustered in under the command of Captain Peter Simonson . The battery was attached to 3rd Division , Army of the Ohio , to September 1862 . 9th Brigade , 3rd Division , I Corps , Army of the Ohio , to November 1862 . 3rd Brigade , 2nd Division , Right Wing , XIV Corps , Army of the Cumberland , to January 1863 . Artillery , 2nd Division , XX Corps , Army of the Cumberland , to October 1863 . Artillery , 1st Division , IV Corps , Army of the Cumberland , to July 1864 . Artillery Brigade , IV Corps , to September 1864 . Garrison Artillery , Chattanooga , Tennessee , Department of the Cumberland , to November 1864 . The 5th Indiana Battery Light Artillery mustered out of service on November 26 , 1864 . Detailed service . Left Indiana for Louisville , Ky . , November 27 . Duty at Camp Gilbert , Louisville , Ky . , until December 20 , 1861 , and at Bacon Creek , Ky . , until February 1862 . Advance on Bowling Green , Ky . , and Nashville , Tenn . , February 10 – 25 . Occupation of Bowling Green , Ky . , February 15 , and of Nashville February 25 . Moved to Murfreesboro , Tenn . , March 18 . Reconnaissance to Shelbyville , Tullahoma and McMinnville March 25 – 28 . Advance on Fayetteville and Huntsville , Ala . , April 7 – 11 . Capture of Huntsville April 11 . Advance on and capture of Decatur April 11 – 14 . Duty at Bridgeport , Ala . ( detachment ) , and along Nashville & Chattanooga R . R . until August . Moved to Stevenson , Ala . , August 24 . Moved to Nashville , Tenn . ; thence to Louisville , Ky . , in pursuit of Bragg , August 31 - September 26 . Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1 – 15 . Battle of Perryville , Ky . , October 8 . March to Nashville , Tenn . , October 20 - November 9 , and duty there until December 26 . Advance on Murfreesboro , Tenn . , December 26 – 30 . Battle of Stones River December 30 – 31 , 1862 , and January 1 – 3 , 1863 . Duty at Murfreesboro until June . Tullahoma Campaign June 22 - July 7 . Liberty Gap June 22 – 24 . Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16 . Passage of the Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16 - September 22 . Battle of Chickamauga September 19 – 20 . Siege of Chattanooga , Tenn . , September 24 - October 26 . Reopening Tennessee River October 26 – 29 . Outpost duty at Shellmound until February 1864 . Demonstrations on Dalton February 22 – 27 . Tunnel Hill , Buzzard ' s Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 23 – 25 . Stone Church , near Catoosa Platform , February 27 . Atlanta Campaign May 1 to September 8 . Tunnel Hill May 6 – 7 . Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge and Dalton May 8 – 13 . Buzzard ' s Roost Gap May 8 – 9 . Near Dalton May 13 . Battle of Resaca May 14 – 15 . Near Kingston May 18 – 19 . Near Cassville May 19 . Advance on Dallas May 22 – 25 , Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas , New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25 - June 5 . Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10 - July 2 . Pine Hill June 11 – 14 . Lost Mountain June 15 – 17 . Assault on Kennesaw June 27 . Ruff ' s Station July 4 . Chattahoochie River July 5 – 17 . Peachtree Creek July 19 – 20 . Siege of Atlanta July 22 - August 25 . Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25 – 30 . Battle of Jonesboro August 31 - September 1 . Lovejoy ' s Station September 2 – 6 . Ordered to Chattanooga , Tenn . , September 20 . Veterans and recruits transferred to 7th Indiana Battery Light Artillery . Death of Polk . At Pine Mountain , Georgia the battery was ordered to fire on a cluster of Confederate officers in an exposed area spotted by Major General William T . Sherman . The officers were Generals Leonidas Polk , William J . Hardee , Joseph E . Johnston and their staffs . Sherman pointed them out to Maj . Gen . Oliver O . Howard , commander of the IV Corps , and ordered him to fire on them . Captain Simonson obeyed the order within minutes . The first round came close and a second even closer , causing the men to disperse . A third shell struck Polk ' s left arm , went through the chest , and exited hitting his right arm then exploded against a tree ; nearly cutting Polk in two . Casualties . The battery lost a total of 36 men during service ; 1 officer and 11 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded , 24 enlisted men died of disease .