The 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry

Organized at Indianapolis in December 1861, the 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry’s Civil War service spanned the Mississippi Valley and the Gulf South. From Louisville to New Orleans and on to Mobile, General James R. Slack and the 47th Indiana took the war to the inland waterways and southern bayous, fighting in many of the Civil War’s most famous campaigns, including Vicksburg, Red River and Mobile. This chronicle of the 47th Indiana follows the regiment’s odyssey through the words of its officers and men. Sources include Chaplain Samuel Sawyer’s account of their exploits in the Indianapolis Daily Journal, soldiers’ accounts in Indiana newspapers, stories of war and intrigue from newspapermen of the “Bohemian Brigade,” and General Slack’s own story in letters to his wife, Ann, including his postwar command on the Rio Grande. Numerous photographs, previously unpublished battle and area maps, and a full regimental roster complete this detailed account.

David Williamson (Ph.D., Tulane) has written numerous books on the history of the American Civil War.

David Williamson
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 448
Bibliographic Info: 17 photos, 13 maps, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6595-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8887-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface and Acknowledgments      1

I. Constitutional Crisis (August–December 1861)      3
II. New Madrid and Island No. 10 ( January–April 1862)      16
III. Memphis (April–July 1862)      45
IV. Helena, Arkansas (August–December 1862)      63
V. White River, Arkansas ( January 1863)      78
VI. Yazoo Pass, Mississippi (February–April 1863)      82
VII. Port Gibson, Mississippi (April–May 1863)      97
VIII. Champion Hill, Mississippi (May 1863)      124
IX. Vicksburg (May- July 1863)      146
X. Jackson, Mississippi ( July 1863)      172
XI. Natchez, New Orleans and Bayou Teche ( July 1863–January 1864)      190
XII. New Orleans and the Red River Campaign ( January–June 1864)      207
XIII. Morganza, the Atchafalaya and New Orleans (May–September 1864)      233
XIV. St. Charles, Arkansas (September–December 1864)      245
XV. New Orleans and Mobile ( January–June 1865)      261
XVI. Shreveport and the Rio Grande ( June–November 1865)      285

Epilogue      299
Appendix A. The McLaughlin Story      311
Appendix B. Zent’s Regimental Song      316
Appendix C. The Flags of the 47th Indiana      318
Appendix D. Roster of the 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry      321
Notes      357
Bibliography      418
Index      431

“very well-done regimental history…not only describes some of the most pivotal battles of the Civil War but also transports the reader into the unheralded and overlooked backwaters…one of the most comprehensive histories of the war in the West that I have seen. This book goes beyond the narrow perspective of the average regimental history. I enjoyed reading the extensive, unedited excerpts from letters to local newspapers. They went beyond descriptions of skirmishes and killing. I recommend it as a primer for [the Civil War in the West]”—Civil War News.