Abel D. Streight

Born in Steuben County, New York, in 1828, Abel Delos Streight later moved west, spending time in Cincinnati before settling in Indianapolis. Before the Civil War, he worked as a building contractor and became a publisher of books and maps, showing the mix of practical business sense and public ambition that marked much of his career.

When the war began, he entered Union service and became colonel of the 51st Indiana Infantry. He is most closely associated with the 1863 raid that now bears his name, an attempt to strike Confederate rail lines in Alabama and Georgia. The expedition ended in capture after a hard campaign against Confederate forces under Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Streight spent months as a prisoner of war before returning to service.

After the war, he remained active in public life in Indiana, serving in the state senate as a Republican. He died in Indianapolis in 1892. Though not among the most famous Union officers, his story continues to stand out because it combines publishing, politics, and one of the war's most dramatic failed raids.