Samuel J. Mitchell - Indiana Infantry
Samuel J. Mitchell.Samuel J. Mitchell was a step son to George Halsey Gore. Samuel was in the 9th Indiana Infantry and 12th Indiana Cavalry; served four years; was wounded in the battle of Stone River, and was honorably discharged.
The Ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry was a Regiment composed of men from Lake, Porter and La Porte Counties in Northwest Indiana which fought in the western theater of the American Civil War from 1861-1865.
The Ninth Indiana was formed on April 15, 1861, two days after the firing on Ft. Sumter, S.C. in Valparsio, Indiana as a Three month regiment. Col. Robert H. Milroy of LaPorte in command. After training for 30 days the regiment was sent to West Virginia. Here the Regiment saw its first actions and after 6 months returned to Indiana to reenlist. Samuel did not reenlist in the Infantry, but did eventually enlist again in the 12th Indiana Cavalry [also re-designated to the 126th Cavalry].
12th Regiment Cavalry (126th Regiment Volunteers)
Organized at Kendallville, Ind., and Michigan City, Ind., December 10, 1863, to April 28, 1864. Left State for Nashville, Tenn., May 6, 1864. Attached to District of Northern Alabama, Dept. of the Cumberland, to September, 1864, Tullahoma, Tenn.
May, 1864 began with the Red River campaign coming to a close and the Federal troops commencing their move across the Rapidan in Virginia. The first great battle of 1864, the Wilderness, began on May 5, and about this time the 12th Ind. Cavalry left Camp Mitchell at Kendallville and proceeded to Camp Shanks in Indianapolis. According to the diary of John Henderson, Company E, hundreds of citizens gathered to see them start for the front on May 4th. On May 6 the regiment left Indianapolis for the field, under orders to go to Nashville. Of the 12 companies in the regiment the Companies C, D & H were three of the 6 mounted but all were armed as infantry for lack of cavalry arms. Henderson's diary has slightly different dates as he writes: "May 7th Arrived at Indianapolis here drew our long guns and arms for Cavalry. May 8th Arrived at Jeffersonville Ind." At about this time, May 7, 1864 General Sherman was beginning his move toward Atlanta.
Upon arrival at Shepardsville, Kentucky, which was just south of Louisville, the mounted companies turned in their infantry arms for cavalry arms. It is not certain what the arms consisted of but we do know that in early 1864 General Wilson attempted to have all mounted units using the new seven shot Spencer carbine. This is the rifle that the rebels claimed the Feds loaded on Sunday and fired all week. Per one of C. A. Harper's letters home the mounted companies were armed with saber's or Enfield rifles. The sabers were probably the U.S. model 1860 light saber and in addition they could have carried the 1860 model colt revolver. After receiving the new arms, the mounted companies then marched to Nashville under Col. Anderson while the others proceeded by rail under Lt. Col. Reed. Henderson says he reached Nashville May 11 th and went into camp.
The regiment was part of the defenses of Nashville & Chattanooga R. R., Dept. of the Cumberland, to November, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 7th Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Military Division West Mississippi, to April, 1865. 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, Dept. of the Gulf, to May, 1865. Dept. of Mississippi to November, 1865.
The regimental history shows the Siege of Murfreesboro as Dec. 5 - 12th and other actions near there on the 14th and 15th, 1864. John Henderson writes that while out foraging on the 14th, they were attacked by the Rebs in larger numbers. They fought on the defensive until reinforced from the fort when they put the Rebs on the run. According to Chapman's History of St. Joseph County, Emerson Woodbury of Company H, was killed in action at Murfreesboro on December 20.
According to a newspaper obituary of Samuels’s step father, Samuel was wounded at Murphreesboro. It may have been during the above mentioned incident, since it is the only hostility they were involved in there that I can find.
Regiment lost during service 16 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 154 Enlisted men by disease. Total 171.
Source:
THE GORE FAMILY IN AMERICA -- Pages 40 and 41 -- HISTORICAL ATLAS OF ELKHART COUNTY, INDIANA - 1874. In the Public Library, Goshen Indiana
Compiled by L. Kimmel [1st cousin 5X removed to George Halsey Gore, who was Samuel Mitchell’s step father]