This biographical dictionary documents the Union army colonels who commanded regiments from Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Entries are arranged first by state and then by regiment, and provide a biographical sketch of each colonel focusing on his Civil War service. Many of the colonels covered herein never rose above that rank, failing to win promotion to brigadier general or brevet brigadier general, and have therefore received very little scholarly attention prior to this work.

They settled into the Kentucky counties of Clay, Laurel, and Knox after following the Wilderness Road - shortly after Daniel Boone blazed a trail through the Cumberland Gap. Our Smith family history extends back over 600 years. Here are listed those Smith family ancestors who lived through the bubonic plague in England, the cholera, typhus, crossed the ocean in wooden ships, survived the American Revolutionary War, Native American attacks, the War of 1812, the War Between the States, World War I, and World War II. They are pioneers, patriots, and adventurers with a deep sense of self sufficiency and craftsmanship. They carved out the wilderness with their bare hands, simple tools, and raised children to have confidence, respect for others, and faith in God.