Remembering the life of a Civil War veteran, part 1

Editor's note: Julian Smith portrays his great-great-grandfather Aaron Stearns Davis, from Hope, in Civil War reenactments. This is the first part of the story of Davis' life and war-time experiences.

Aaron Stearns Davis was born June 10, 1839 in Newbern, Indiana. He was the seventh of twelve children born to Rev. Aaron and Sally Henderson Davis. All but one of the 12 children were boys.

He and five brothers wore blue and fought to preserve the Union. Aaron's only sister Sarah, married Samuel Jasper Beck. He too chose to enlist in Lincoln's Army when the call for 75,000 volunteers went out.

In August 1861, Aaron mustered into the 6th Indiana Volunteer regiment Co. C as a private, alongside his eventual father-in-law Alfred Vickery, and his brother in law Samuel Beck, as a private.

It was originally thought the affair would be shortly settled, and when that quickly was seen not to be so, they promptly re-enlisted for a three year term. The 6th, was the first Indiana Regiment enlisted in the Civil War, (1-5 mustered during the War with Mexico). At Madison, Indiana, after being treated to a hearty banquet and being presented a Regimental flag hand stitched by the local Ladies Auxiliary, (which was carried throughout the war), the 6th boarded a steamboat and sailed downriver to Louisville,Kentucky.

Sometime after arriving at Louisville and marching south toward Munfordville, Aaron, as was quite common, contracted pneumonia. It was feared for several days that he would perish, as several did.

Soldiers had not been issued winter clothing and had very little protection from the elements. The novelty and patriotic fervor soon subsided even though Aaron and the 6th had not yet "seen the Elephant."

Though several boys from the 6th never made it out of Kentucky, Aaron did fully recover, except for one lingering handicap. He could not speak a word above a whisper, and was never able to speak again until after the war and returning home to Indiana.

From central Kentucky, the 6th made its way to the Tennessee River where they once again, and perhaps for the last time in the war, were carried by some propulsion other than their own feet to disembark at Pittsburg Landing at the close of the first day of action at the Battle of Shiloh Church.

The Union Army, being pushed as far as possible during the first day and with their backs against the river, and after General Beaureagard prematurely notified President Davis of a glorious victory, the 6th along with other sorely needed reinforcements, lately arrived, stormed up over the bank from the landing and drove the Confederates from the field and all the way to Corinth, Mississippi.

Aaron and the 6th then marched to north eastern Alabama where they spent several weeks on light duty and were quite astonished at the bounty of the land to forage and the support and spirit of fraternity exhibited by the local population.

After becoming battle veterans, and losing their Colonel Baldwin to a Shiloh battlefield wound, the 6th then marched east through northern Alabama, north back to Kentucky (and skirmished with Confederates east of the Battle of Perryville near Danville). They then marched south to the area just south and west of Murphreesboro, Tennessee.

Here, they met with a surprise as the Confederates struck hard and fast on the Union right flank nearly rolling up the entire union Army on first day of the Battle of Stones River.

Resulting indirectly from the battle was the loss of Aaron's Brother in Law Samuel Jasper Beck from disease. As a direct result was the loss of his 55 year old Uncle serving with the 39th Indiana, Pvt. Benjamin Davis who lies buried in the National Cemetery at Stones River.

Other than the loss of his brother in law, Samuel, and Uncle Benjamin at Stones River, Aaron also lost a cousin with the 120th Indiana, Lorenzo Dow Davis (son of Benjamin noted above) at Knoxville, Tennessee and a cousin Haley D. Davis (son of Jesse Davis 10th Indiana Cav) who was serving with the 33rd Indiana Infantry at the Battle of New Hope Church, near Atlanta, Georgia.