Marching Off to War

Following President Lincoln's call for troops in April of 1861, a mass meeting was held in Greencastle to arouse military sentiment and enlist soldiers. On April 22nd, 1861, the first Putnam County company, the Union Guards, left for Indianapolis to fight for the Union. These soldiers served for ninety days as Company H of the 10th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. James H. McGill was the first casualty from Putnam County, perishing on June 27th, 1861 at the Battle of Rich Mountain, Virginia.

Indiana Asbury University provided soldiers for the Union war effort. Classes were dismissed on April 16th, 1861 and the Asbury Guards drilled in preparation. The Asbury Guards departed for Indianapolis on April 24th, 1861 under the leadership of Capt. John R. Mahan. Most returned on May 7th after declining to sign up for three-year enlistment. Some stayed in Indianapolis and became part of the 10th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers; others joined the 16th Indiana Regiment or joined Company D of the 14th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment in Terre Haute. Capt. Alfred J. Hawn, a member of the Asbury Guards, enlisted in the 16th Indiana Regiment. Most Indiana Asbury students supported the Union, although at least five graduates and eleven students fought for the Confederacy. More than seventy of the original Asbury Guards became officers in the war, including Col. Eli Lilly.

Carl. A. Zenor's Masters Thesis, "Putnam County in the Civil War: Local History of a Critical Period," contains a roster of the Putnam County men who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. According to Zenor, "The roster is not presented as a complete list of men from Putnam County, but it approaches completeness."

Click here to access Zenor's roster of Putnam County soldiers.

For profiles of notable Putnam County soldiers from the Civil War, click here.

For profiles of Putnam County's Civil War chaplains, click here.

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