The Union Army

Civil War History

The men of the 13th Kentucky, along with the rest of the Federal Army of the Ohio, joined General Ulysses S. Grant's forces near Savannah, Tennessee. After capturing Forts Henry and Donelson — which placed much of the Tennessee heartland in Federal control — Grant had massed his forces near Savannah and hoped to deliver a fatal blow to Confederate forces concentrated around nearby Corinth, Mississippi. The Confederates, however, struck first. Commanded by General Albert Sidney Johnston, Southern forces launched a surprise attack against Grant's army on April 6,1862 at the Battle of Shiloh.
Taken by surprise, Grant's troops were forced back, but before they could be overwhelmed, Grant poured reinforcements into the battle — including the 13th Kentucky Infantry. They arrived on the Shiloh battlefield on the night of April 6 and lay in a battle line all night in a drenching downpour awaiting their first engagement. On April 7, as the Confederates advanced under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard, they were met by a fierce Federal counterattack.

"Marching my regiment, left in front, through a thick chaparral, we found the enemy in considerable force, behind logs and trees," reported Colonel Edward H. Hobson, who commanded the 13th Kentucky. "I ordered my men to open fire, which was done in gallant style." Led by Colonel Hobson, the regiment made a bold assault on a section of the Confederate line and inflicted severe losses on the Southerners, who were then forced to withdraw. The 13th Kentucky's assault was praised by Brigadier General Jeremiah T. Boyle: "The Thirteenth Kentucky, led on by Colonel Hobson in a gallant charge upon the enemy, drove them back with great slaughter, forcing them to desert their guns...."
Despite more than 12,000 casualties at Shiloh, the Federal army avoided a disastrous defeat, delivered a damaging blow to the Confederacy, and secured control of the Tennessee heartland. The 13th Kentucky came through its first battle with praise for courage under fire.

The War Between the States was also called "The Brothers' War" and was a name that seemed especially appropriate in Kentucky. There the war divided lilies, pitting father against son and brother against brother. Kentucky was a border state and, while Southern in culture and climate, much of its commerce was conducted with Northern states like Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Consequently, when the Civil War began, Kentucky became a divided state. Kentuckians fielded both Confederate and Federal regiments with about 100,000 Federal troops and as many as 40,000 Confederate troops. Although North and South each sought to enlist the state on its side, Kentucky quickly fell under Federal control.
The 13th Kentucky Infantry was organized near Greensburg, Kentucky and entered Federal service on December 10,1861. regiment served in Kentucky for several months as part of the llth Brigade, 5th Division, of the Army of the Ohio. February of 1862, the regiment was sent to Nashville, Tennessee, then on to Savannah, Tennessee. On April 6-7, 2, the regiment first saw action at the Battle of Shiloh, where it distinguished itself in battle.
After Shiloh, the 13th Kentucky participated in the Federal :e of Corinth, Mississippi, then served in General Don Carlos Buell's campaign in Northern Alabama and Middle Tennessee in the summer of 1862. The regiment was involved in the pursuit of General Braxton Bragg's Confederate invasion of Kentucky in the fall of 1862, then in November of that year was transferred to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, of the Army of the Cumberland. In August of 1863, back in the Army of the Ohio, the regiment participated in General Ambrose E. Burnside's East Tennessee Campaign. In November and December of 1863, the 13th was involved in the Siege of Knoxville.

During General William T. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, the regiment was engaged at the battles of Resaca, New Hope Church, Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain, Decatur, the Siege of Atlanta, Jonesborough and Lovejoy's Station. At the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain — as part of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Army Corps — the regiment again made a bold charge. The assault was successful, but the Kentuckians suffered severe losses. General Julius White, commander of the 2nd Division, afterward described the regiment in action: "With a hearty cheer the men crossed the field at double-quick step in the face of a galling fire, dislodged the enemy, and drove him in disorder from the field. The Thirteenth Kentucky was most exposed, and consequently suffered heavily in this gallant charge, the enemy's fire being chiefly directed upon that regiment."
Battered but proud, the 13th Kentucky Infantry was ordered home to Kentucky after the fall of Atlanta. The regiment served in Bowling Green and Louisville until its enlistment expired. On January 12,1865, the surviving members of the 13th Kentucky Infantry were mustered out of Federal service.