Baptism of Fire

At Perryville, the 500 soldiers of the 42nd Indiana, suffering intense thirst after a recent drought had left their canteens dry, were allowed to seek water in Doctor's Creek. The men stacked their rifles and filled their canteens with muddy water, while many moved farther down the creek near rock bluffs rising 20-40 feet above it. Suddenly Confederate forces attacked and caught the regiment by surprise. The high bluffs trapped many men in the creek bed and destroyed any hope of escape. Casualties mounted as survivors dashed out of the banks and up the hill, then regrouped and joined the main Union battle line. Like many Northern soldiers there, these men were in their first fight. At Perryville, the 42nd Indiana lost 20 killed, 133 wounded, and 21 missing in a brutal baptism of fire, and when the regiment was forced out of the creek bed, Captain Charles Olmstead of Company A rallied his men on the hill before being shot in the forehead and killed moments later.

Kentucky · United States