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1864 – 1866
The 128th was recruited across the Ninth Congressional District in the fall and winter of 1863, with St. Joseph County's men in its ranks and its reunion papers kept at Notre Dame: The regiment rendezvoused at Michigan City and was mustered into service on 18 March 1864, leaving on the 23rd by rail for Nashville and Hovey's division of the Twenty-third Corps. It entered the Atlanta campaign on 4 May and fought the campaign through — Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Lost Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta and Jonesboro — with some portion of the regiment on the skirmish line nearly every day for four months, in Chapman's telling. Colonel De Harb was disabled by wounds in June 1864 and Lieutenant Colonel Packard took command. After Atlanta the regiment joined the pursuit of Hood across northern Alabama — three hundred miles of marching — then fell back with Schofield: six days of skirmishing at Columbia, a twenty-six-mile night march to Franklin, and the battle there on 30 November 1864, where "the regiment lost several officers and men in this battle, which was fought with great fury and obstinacy." It fought at Nashville on 15–16 December, pursued Hood to Columbia, and was carried by river and rail to North Carolina, fighting at Wise's Fork below Kinston in March 1865 "losing severely in killed and wounded." Packard became colonel on 29 April 1865, with a brevet of brigadier general dated 13 March 1865; the regiment was mustered out in 1866. The promotions of the county's own men are printed by Chapman with the regiment's record: John M. Pierce, from captain to major; Erastus A. Harris, from sergeant to second and then first lieutenant; George O. Finch, from sergeant to second lieutenant.
Sources:
- Chapman, History of St. Joseph County (1880), ch. VII, pp. 433–437 — the 128th's organization, campaign narrative, Franklin and Wise's Fork, Packard's promotions, and the county men's promotions.
- University of Notre Dame Archives, Saint Joseph County (Ind.) Civil War Records — the 128th Indiana reunion papers among the county's records.