Military unit

The 69th Regiment Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

The 69th Indiana Infantry was organized at Richmond, Indiana, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on August 19, 1862 under the command of Colonel Thomas Warren Bennett.

The regiment was attached to Manson's Brigade, Army of Kentucky, Department of the Ohio. Attached to 1st Brigade, 9th Division, Right Wing, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, to December 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 9th Division, XIII Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to July 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XIII Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to August 1863, and Department of the Gulf to March 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIII Corps, to June 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to December 1864. District of Southern Alabama, Department of the Gulf, December 1864. 3rd Brigade, Reserve Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to February 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Reserve Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIII Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to July 1865.

The 69th Indiana Infantry mustered out of service July 5, 1865.

Detailed service

Drownings at Matagorda Bay

A tragedy of mass drownings involving the 69th Indiana occurred at Matagorda Bay, Texas, during preparations for the invasion of Texas. The regiment was ordered to assemble at Matagorda Island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in preparation for a march north to Tyler. To move from their inland camp at Indianola on Matagorda Bay to Matagorda Island, it was necessary to cross a 300-yard stretch of the bay using a ferry made up of pontoon boats tied together in a raft. The raft could carry about three companies at a time.

On Sunday afternoon, March 13, 1864, the regiment began to cross. On the raft's third trip, while carrying companies B, G, and K together with their camp followers, the raft was swamped by a swift incoming tide. Two officers and 21 enlisted men drowned, with many others carried over a mile away before they could be rescued.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 331 men during service; 3 officers and 77 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 248 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

Notable members