Wednesday, May 21, 2008

9th Indiana Battery

9th Indiana Battery (Thompson's)
Commanded by 1st Lieutenant George R. Brown

back of monument:
April 6, 1862, this battery left Stony Lonesome at 12 m., by Shunpike road; countermarching at a point near Clear Creek, it reached the battlefield, via Savannah road, at 7.30 p.m. From this position, April 7th, 5.30 a.m., it opened battle with first shot of the day. In Jones' field, near Oglesby headquarters, after 1,100 rounds fired by the battery, ammunition being exhausted, it retired, by General Lewis Wallace's orders. Casualties--killed, 1 man; wounded, 5 men; total, 6.

Since this battery was in Lew Wallace's Division it missed the first day of combat. On the second day though it had a pretty active role, firing over 1100 rounds, including the first one on this flank of the army.
This monument is located near the position the battery started from on the morning of April 7th. Historically that is the Hamburg-Savannah Road, but right now its position is more easily referenced by Highway 22.
After the war this battery was involved in an incident similar to the famous Sultana. It was on a steamer on the Tennessee River heading home when its boilers exploded near Johnsonville on January 27, 1865. 38 men were killed and 58 others were scalded. The battery's guns were lost in the river. The official cause given is that an unsafe boat was pressed into service.

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