39th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 39th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
on November 18, 1862. It mustered in for a three-year enlistment on February 16, 1863 under the command of Colonel
John Dils, Jr. Although the regiment was mounted, it was never designated as mounted infantry.
The regiment was attached to District of Eastern Kentucky, Department of the Ohio
, to June 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, XXIII Corps, Department of the Ohio, to August 1863. District of Eastern Kentucky, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Kentucky, 5th Division, XXIII Corps, to July 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, District of Kentucky, to December 1864. Louisa, Kentucky, District and Department of Kentucky, to September 1865.
The 39th Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service on September 15, 1865.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 39th Kentucky Infantry was organized at Peach Orchard in Lawrence County, KentuckyLawrence County, Kentucky
Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 15,569. Its county seat is Louisa. The county is named for James Lawrence, and co-founded by Isaac Bolt, who served as a Lawrence County Commissioner and Justice of the Peace. It is the home of...
on November 18, 1862. It mustered in for a three-year enlistment on February 16, 1863 under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
John Dils, Jr. Although the regiment was mounted, it was never designated as mounted infantry.
The regiment was attached to District of Eastern Kentucky, Department of the Ohio
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...
, to June 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, XXIII Corps, Department of the Ohio, to August 1863. District of Eastern Kentucky, 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Kentucky, 5th Division, XXIII Corps, to July 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, District of Kentucky, to December 1864. Louisa, Kentucky, District and Department of Kentucky, to September 1865.
The 39th Kentucky Infantry mustered out of service on September 15, 1865.
Detailed service
Action near Piketon, Ky., November 5, 1862. Wireman's Shoals, Big Sandy River, December 4. Skirmishes in Floyd County December 4 and near Prestonburg December 4–5. Near Prestonburg December 31. Near Louisa, Ky., March 25–26, 1863. Piketon April 13 and 15. Beaver Creek, Floyd County, June 27. Mouth of Coal Run, Pike County, July 2. Expedition from Beaver Creek into southwest Virginia July 3–11. Pond Creek July 6. Clark's Neck and Carter County August 27. Marrowbone Creek September 22. Terman's Ferry January 9, 1864. Laurel Creek, W. Va., February 12. Operations in eastern Kentucky March 28-April 16. Forks of Beaver March 31. Brushy Creek April 7. Paintsville April 13. Half Mountain, Magoffin County, April 14. Saylersville April 16. Expedition from Louisa to Rockhouse Creek May 9–13 (Company B). Pond Creek, Pike County, May 16. Pike County May 18. Operations against Morgan May 31-June 20. Mt. Sterling June 9. Cynthiana June 12. Burbridge's Expedition into southwest Virginia September 20-October 17. Saltville October 2. Stoneman's Expedition into southwest Virginia December 10–29. Bristol, Tenn., December 13. Arlington, Va., December 15. Near Marlon, Va., December 17–18. Saltville, Va., December 20–21. Capture and destruction of salt works. Duty in the Sandy Valley and in eastern Kentucky guarding and protecting the country until September 1865.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 234 men during service; 3 officers and 24 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 194 enlisted men died of disease.See also
- List of Kentucky Civil War Units
- Kentucky in the Civil WarKentucky in the Civil WarKentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the Commonwealth when he declared "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." In a September 1861 letter to Orville Browning, Lincoln wrote "I think to lose...