Pen & ink drawing by H. Mosler of 80th Indiana at Battle of Perryville (Chaplin Hills) Kentucky on October 8, 1862.  Shows 80th in foreground, supporting the 19th Indiana Light Artillery on right in middle ground and the attack of Confederate forces commanded by Major General Bejamin Cheatham in center middle ground.  Illustration first published in Harper's Weekly on November 1, 1862.

80th Indiana Volunteer Infantry
An American Civil War Regiment

"In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party; and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect his purpose. I am almost ready to say that this is probably true; that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet. By his mere great power on the minds of the now contestants, he could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And, having begun, he could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds."

--U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
personal note, September, 1862

As the American Civil War entered its second year, it was apparent to most that the conflict would last longer, and require many more soldiers, than first believed.  In July 1862 President Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 additional volunteers to join the Federal Army.  This website is dedicated to the 1,036 men who answered Lincoln's call by serving in the 80th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.  Their deeds and sacrifices helped to preserve the United States of America as one, undivided nation, and to destroy the institution of human slavery within it.  

Descendants of 80th soldiers and other interested persons are encouraged to explore this website and to contribute information and images related to the regiment and the men who served in it.  If you have or know of relevant information or images, please contact the webmaster using the email link at the bottom of any page on this site.  

NOTICE:  This website is currently undergoing improvements to its appearance and navigation links.  As a result some pages will look different than others, and some links may not work correctly.  My apologies for any difficulties you may encounter as a result of this work. 

-- Scott Cantwell Meeker
80th Webmaster


Links


Synopsis of 80th Service


Quotes


Changes

Latest additions to the 80th Indiana website.

"The hour was sad I left the maid, A lingering farewell taking, Her sight and tears my steps delay'd, I thought her heart was breaking; In hurried words her name I blessed, I breathed the vows that bind me, And to my heart in anguish press'd, The girl I left behind me."
--from the song The Girl I left Behind Me

Did You Know?

This section contains interesting facts about the 80th Indiana, some of the soldiers who served in it, and their experiences during the war.

"We don't know as much about the war here as you do at home...We here so many things that we never know when to believe anything that we hear."
--Pvt. Daniel McDonald, Co. E, 80th Ind., letter to his father

Rosters  

Alphabetical rosters of the soldiers who served in the 80th Indiana, with some military service information about each of them. Start here if you are searching for a specific soldier.

"No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."
--President Abraham Lincoln, Annual Message to Congress, Dec. 1, '62

Profiles

This section contains links to profiles of 80th soldiers; many have a photo, some have genealogical data.  Come meet some of the 80th's gallant "Boys in Blue."

"In the stillness of night, when the stars mildly shine, My heart fondly holds, a communion with Thine; For I feel thou art near, and where'er I may be, That the Spirit of Love keeps watch over me."
--From the 1852 song Thou Art Gone From My Gaze by George Linley

History

A detailed record of the regiment's 3 year service during the Civil War, by year, month, and day.

"...I have decided to call into the service an additional force of 300,000 men.  I suggest and recommend that the troops should be chiefly of infantry...I trust that they may be enrolled without delay, so as to bring this unnecessary and injurious civil war to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion."
--President Abraham Lincoln, Call for 300,000 Volunteers, issued July 1, '62

Images

Master lists of photos, paintings, and drawings of 80th-related people, places, things, and events, with links to the images.

"We have march'd along together in the sun and the rain; We've fac'd the fight together, and together borne the pain!  And each one tells his story of the wound or the scar -- We were comrades together in the days of the war."
--From the song We Were Comrades in the Days of the War by Col. Joe Whitfield and Colin Coe

Modern Activities

80th-related activities, you can do, including researching the regiment and its members, relatives reunions, 80th-related reenactments, and visiting places the 80th went. 

"When the comrades have departed, when the veterans are no more, When the bugle call is sounded on that everlasting shore. When life's weary march is ended, when campfires slumber long; Who will tell the world the story, when the boys in Blue are gone?"
--From the poem When the Boys in Blue are Gone by John Hendricks

Sources

List of the modern '80th Volunteers' who have helped to make this website possible by their generous gifts of time and information.

"We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom, And we'll fill the vacant ranks with a million Free men more, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom."
--From the song Battle Cry of Freedom by George F. Root


This page has been visited times since January 1, 2000.


This website Copyright by Scott Cantwell Meeker of Deep Vee Productions.
All Rights Reserved. Created January 1, 2000. Last updated March 6, 2005.