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The Gugle Family History |
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The 73rd Indiana Infantry History |
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The flag about is the national colors that were presented to the 73rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment apon their completion of training by Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler Colfax in South Bend, Indiana. After receiving the flag and listening to speeches, the 73rd was sent down to Kentucky with orders to join the Army of the Ohio. |
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The American Civil War was without a doubt this countries worst ordeal to date. Nothing surpasses civil war in any sense. It is often the most savagely and the most horrific of war as well as the devistation to the country that inhabited the turmol. Cities as well as small communities in both the north and the south started raising not only companies of soldiers for their sides effort, but also manufacturing goods, arms, and equipment. During the first year of the war, it was looked apon as a beautiful, scene of distruction suited for poetry. It became soon evident that the war and any war was far from what beauty is. States also rushed troops into the war effort to fill their quotas and regiments were being mustered rapidly. |
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By August of 1862, President Lincoln realize that he needed an additional 300,000 troops for the War effort and made this proclamation on July 1, 1862. The governor of Indiana asked for soldiers from all of the congressional districts for help. The 73rd Indiana Infantry was recruited from the 9th congressional district which included: Lake, LaPorte, Porter, St. Joe, Marshall, and Cass counties. Soon this regiments ranks were filled and the soldiers were to South Bend, which was their designated muster location and send off point for the war. |
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Of the 1,010 soldiers that enlisted in the 73rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, three specific soldiers are the sole basis for this article. They were Christian Gugle, William Gugle, and John Keis and they all enlisted in Company G, which was recruited in Logansport. The two brothers and brother-in-law went to Logansport from Royal Center, Indiana and offered their services. The three brothers were equiped with the rest of the regiment in South Bend, where they excepted their regiment colors (flag) from Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler Colfax, who was the county Congressional District representitive. Then the regiment moved out of South Bend and joined the union army that was opposing Braxton Bragg's confederate forces during their invasion of Kentucky. |
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When the regiment reached Kentucky, they were organized into the Army of the Ohio, commanded by General Don Carlos Buell. While under his command, the 73rd would chase Braxton Bragg, resulting in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, on October 8, 1862. The union army would win the battle of Perryville, but failed to pursue Bragg for a final blow. The Gugles and Keis all participated in this battle, as states on their records that they were not absent on this day, so, by assumption, they had to have gone. After the Battle of Perryville, the U.S. War Department felt, as did many of the troops, that Buell failed to seize the opportunity. He was replace by William Rosecrans as commander and the army was re-organized as the Army of the Cumberland. Soon after, Rosecrans challanged Bragg at the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee. The Gugles and Keis also attended this battle for the same reason they attended Perryville. |
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During the battle, Rosecrans right flank was crushed by the confederates and he used the Hoosier regiment (Indiana) for support. If not for the 73rd and other regiments, Rosecrans army might have been destroyed. It is a this battle, Stones River, that John Keis received is severe wounds,which would result in his discharge from the regiment. After Stones River, the Gugle brothers said farewell to their brother-in-law and continued their service. The 73rd and 51st Indiana regiments along with the 3rd Ohio and 80th Illinois regiments formed a new, 'provisional brigade', under the command of a Colonel Abel Streight for a special mission down south. The new brigade was ordered to destroyed or rather 'raid' a confederate depot in Rome, Georgia. Col. Streight wanted this brigade to be moble for quick transportation and a quick getaway just incase. His plan failed however when he raided the country said for horse and came up quite short. To add to his shortage of horses, most of his mules were old, diseased, or untaimed. |
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The brigade was just shy of their goal, Rome, Georgia, when a large force of confederate cavalry surrounded the brigade, and they were forced to surrender. I know the Gugle's were with this brigade because I have Christian Gugle's Prisoner Of War documents stating he was captured and where. During the battle, the 73rd's commander, Gilbert Hathaway was killed. When the regiment was exchanged, they were reformed in Indianapolis under the command of the Lieut. Col. Alfred Wade, who was given the rank of full Colonel. The regiment spent the rest of the war doing various garrison (fort) duties until their muster out of serivce on July 1, 1865. The two Gugle brothers were both mustered out with the regiment and made the long trip back home surviving the war with storys and adventures to tell. |
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Gugle Relative's Service Records: |
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Christian Gugal
Residence: Logansport, Indiana Occupation:
Service Record:
Enlisted as a Private on August 16, 1862.
Enlisted in Company G, 73rd Infantry Regiment Indiana on August 16, 1862.
Mustered out Company G, 73rd Infantry Regiment Indiana on July 1, 1865 in Nashville, Tn. |
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William Gugal
Residence: Logansport, Indiana Occupation:
Service Record:
Enlisted as a Private on August 16, 1862.
Enlisted in Company G, 73rd Infantry Regiment Indiana on August 16, 1862.
Mustered out Company G, 73rd Infantry Regiment Indiana on July 1, 1865 in Nashville, Tn. |
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John Keis
Residence: Logansport, Indiana Occupation:
Service Record:
Enlisted as a Private on August 16, 1862.
Enlisted in Company G, 73rd Infantry Regiment Indiana on August 16, 1862.
Discharged because of wounds Company G, 73rd Infantry Regiment Indiana on March 3, 1863. |
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These records just state the service records of the three veterans throughout the war. Christian and William's records are exactly alike because their services were basically the same. Both weren't wounded, atleast not stated, and both weren't transfered to different regiments. The only thing that these records are missing are the accounts of Christian and William being captured and exchanged. John Keis had a fairly short military career. He joined with his brothers-in-law and served with them until he was wounded. He would later be discharged because of inability to perform his duties as a soldier as a result of his wounds and would die because of the aches of these wounds in 1903. |
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