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- National Park Service
Civil War Soldiers And Sailors System
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.htm
William H. Douglas (First_Last) Regiment Name 54 Indiana Infantry (3Mos. 1862) Side Union Company A Soldier's Rank_In Pvt. Soldier'sRank_Out Pvt. Alternate Name William H./Duglas Notes Film Number M540roll 20
UNION INDIANA VOLUNTEERS
54th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (3 months, 1862)
Organized at Indianapolis, Ind., May 3~ to June 10, 1862. Duty at CampMorton, Ind., guarding prisoners till August 17. Ordered to KentuckyAugust 17 to repel threatened invasion by Kirby Smith, and duty inCentral Kentucky till September. Skirmish at Shepherdsville, Ky.,September 7 (Co. "C"). Mustered out October 4, 1862.
Regiment lost 2 by disease during service.
Information obtained: 06 Apr 2005, sljuhl--The film number and rollnumber is helpful when ordering records from the National Archives.Brother to Henry L. Douglass and James L. Douglas.
54th REGIMENT
of INDIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
http://www.hoosiersoldiers.com/3%20Month/MMenu.htm
Three Month Regiment
30 May 1862 ~ 4 October 1862
IN THE BEGINNING. . .
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The autumn of 1860 was a time of ominous rumors and expectations. Thepresidential election was held on November 6th in an atmosphere ofcrisis. In Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln was sipping coffeeand eating sandwiches that were made by the "ladies of Springfield."He waited patiently as the telegraph brought in the returns. By 1o'clock in the morning on November 7th, victory was certain. Writingin his diary, "I went home, but not to get much sleep, for I thenfelt, as I never had before, the responsibility that was upon me."
Lincoln's feelings were with good cause, for he and the rest of thecountry were about to face the most serious crisis since the foundingof the Republic. Winning an unusual four-party election with only 40%of the vote, he received 180 of the 301 electoral votes. FellowIllinois politician, Steven A. Douglas, received 29% of the vote, butonly 12 electoral votes, placing him last of the four candidates.(More information on 1850 and 1860 politics can be found on the oneyear regiment's pages under MUSTER IN)
One Year Regiment
27 September 1862 ~ 8 December 1863
For new Soldiers, the typical day began with reveille at dawn. Thesleepy eyed recruits filed into company 'streets' for the FirstSergeant's roll call, and then marched off to breakfast. Afterbreakfast, the regiment's duty medical officer would perform sick callon all those stating illness. Those medically cleared or in otherwisegood health went to drill for two to three hours, which preceded thenoon meal.
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Afternoons usually meant another three hour period of drill, followedby a brief period of rest. This time was usually spent cleaning andpolishing uniform and issued items before the regiment reassembled forinspection. If time permitted, dress parades were performed and thenit was time for the evening meal. Soon afterward, "lights out" wassounded and most of the men were asleep by 9:30 pm.
The challenge of converting the independent-minded citizen into a welldrilled Soldier was occasionally the undoing of many commanders.During periods of drill, an awkward officer was usually deemedlaughable by subordinates, seniors and peers alike; the officer wouldusually substitute the proper commands for chaotic or franticinstructions, which would confuse even the most intelligent citizenSoldier. It did not help that several of the new officers were eitherpolitical appointees with limited qualifications, those who were luckyenough that they were elected first, or others were just less willingto take the responsibility.
There were those like 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin F. Davis, Company F,54th Indiana (1 year regiment); the scathing endorsement he receivedon his resignation letter says a lot for his ability as an officer:"2nd Lt Benjamin F. Davis is, and has been in every way, disqualifiedto have charge of a company of men. He is exceedingly ignorant ofmilitary tactics. I would therefore respectfully recommend that hisresignation be accepted. Signed Col F. Mansfield, 54th Ind." TheBrigade Commander, Brigadier General John Osterhaus added, "Stronglyrecommended. There is vast room for improvement in the offering ofthis Regiment."
Appealing almost exclusively to the northern states in a blatantlysectional campaign, Lincoln defeated his three opponents by carryingevery free state except New Jersey. Of the candidates, only Douglasactively campaigned in every section of the union.
Stephen Douglas's appeal, especially in the closing days of thecampaign, was on behalf of the Union. He feared - correctly - that thecountry was in imminent danger of splitting apart. While mostAmericans sensed the mood of crisis that fall, another Douglass,Frederick Douglass, greeted the election of Abraham Lincoln with hischaracteristic optimism. He saw it as an opportunity to educateAmericans on their moral and political duties and responsibilities.
Most northerners resented all the furor over slavery, while thesouthern economy heavily depended on it. In his drive to the WhiteHouse, Lincoln had expressed a desire to keep southern states fromseceding, even to the point of not changing slavery in states where italready existed, including the District of Columbia. Other candidatespromised to enforce the hated Fugitive Slave Act, and put down slaverebellions if they were elected president. In the end, it would all bein vain.
The news of the attack on Fort Sumter galvanized the north. RobertStiles, a young southerner at Columbia University later recalled theuproar in New York City: "A wild enthusiasm for 'the flag' seized andswept the entire population, which surged through the streets hungwith banners and bunting, their own persons bedecked with small UnitedStates flags and other patriotic devices." Until early 1862, thestates were responsible for recruiting regiments and providing alltheir supplies. This included the national and regimental flags thatwere carried into battle.
Most of the volunteers who amassed for the Union cause joined militaryunits that were sponsored by their home states. While the federalgovernment in Washington increased the size of the Regular Army, theyattempted raise a number of units that transcended state borders. Butin the end, it relied upon the loyal states to provide troops withnumbers set by a quota system. This was largely due to states payingbounties for volunteers; the states reasoned that men would enlist forpay instead of being drafted.
Compiled by, SLJuhl, 08 Apr 2005
Reported Deaths, http://www.rootsweb.com/~inmontgo/
Index to Reported Deaths of Montgomery County, Indiana
"DOUGLAS William H. M 74 July 29 1910 Union Twp. H 35 82"
[Transcribed 29 July 2007, SLJuhl, compiler]
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