USA > Illinois > The story of the Fifty-fifth regiment Illinois volunteer infantry in the civil war, 1861-1865 > Part 28
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48
During March the river suddenly rose threatening to over-pass its banks, and picking up here and there a log or fallen tree above, hurled them down against our bridge. Like a willow wand it swayed to and fro under these blows, but did not break; yet it required all our energies night and day to keep it from dragging loose from its anchorage. At this period there could be no passing and the constant stream of refugees being therefore dammed up, formed just outside our intrenchments a little lake of women, children, male "white trash," ox wagons, superannuated horses and mules, bedding, spinning-wheels and other "plunder." Mountain maidens in homespun dress of linsey, black stock- ings, and huge sun-bonnets, were abundant, and the boys did not neglect the opportunity to bask in the gracious light of female presence. Their own conspicuous manliness was sufficient to win favor in the eyes of the fair ones, but when to this was added the possession of unlimited stores of coffee and tobacco, what Sand-Mountain lass could be relentlessly coy?
The tales of suffering and wrong, of shootings, burnings, hangings, thievery, and chivalric knavery of every descrip- tion, that these visitors of ours told us, often stirred our Northern blood to boiling. The outrages upon the colored race in the western part of the Confederacy found a parallel in the cruel treatment of the Unionists of North Alabama and East Tennessee. The First Alabama Cavalry attached to our division had little difficulty in obtaining recruits from the refugees that came in from Sand Mountain. The infantry service presented far less attractions to these men. To belong to "a critter company" suited their taste and sat-
---
304
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
isfied their peculiar pride. "We'uns air yoused ter critters," was their way of explaining their preference.
During March our neighbors, the Fifty-fourth and Fifty- seventh Ohio, going home upon veteran furlough, seventy- one non-veterans of these regiments were temporarily assigned for duty with the Fifty-fifth. Sunday, March 27th, Generals Sherman, McPherson, Logan, and a few lesser stars, visited our camp unexpectedly. A salute of thirteen guns was fired from the twenty-pounder Parrott rifles on the hill in their honor .. General Sherman after a brief inspection trotted away, leaving a message in which he expressed the hope that the regiment would re-enlist. After his departure General M. L. Smith got the men together across the river to deliver the message. He perched himself in a lounging attitude on the earth-works and opened an informal talks after his casy fashion, in which he gave the men to understand that Gener- als Logan and Sherman consented that they should, if they would continue in the service, have their choice of field offi- cers, even if they selected some one from outside the regiment to command them. Finally, in finishing what he had to say, he gave the order for all to fall back to the rear who would not re-enlist. Promptly at the word the whole crowd moved back. The patriots were biding their time.
.
Discouragements manifold had driven a majority of the chaplains from the armies in the field. The peculiar combi- nation of physical energy, moral courage, intellectual force, broad sympathy, and tenderness of heart, which are requisite to qualify the regimental chaplain for any great usefulness in actual campaign life, is more rarely met with than the gal- lantry and magnetic power which mark a military leader of men. The Fifty-fifth was fortunate in possessing a chaplain who never dreamt that his office could be made a sinecure, or that he had fully earned his stipend by a weekly discourse to the living and prayers over the dead. Attendance upon religious exercises in the field was very frequently classed by the irreverent boys with "fatigue duty." It was not so where he presided. He was not invisible on the day of battle. On the hard march the footsore private was often seen upon his horse; or when he himself rode, his saddle was hung before
.
305
VOTING FOR PRESIDENT.
and behind with knapsacks of the weak or weary. In the hospital, save the kindly and tireless surgeon, no one was oftener beside the cots of the pale sufferers; no hand grasp was warmer, more welcome, more full of comfort than his. Recording their recognition of and respect for such rare service, the men and officers of the regiment at this time joined in contributing to a fund for the purchase of a library of choice literature, to be given Chaplain Milton L. Haney. The books were selected and presented by a special commit- tee, after the arrival of the veterans in Chicago.
March 30th the regiment was informally canvassed to ascertain the soldiers' choice among the presidential candi- dates. The following letter tells the result :
LARKIN'S LANDING, ALA., April 6, 1864.
EDITORS CHICAGO TRIBUNE :--
Thinking you may take some interest in knowing that the soldiers in this section who read the Tribune in preference to all other newspapers when they can obtain it, coincide with you in their estimate of the importance at this juncture of retaining the present executive during another term of service, I send you the result of a balloting held in the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, March 30th, to express preferences for President :
For Richard Yates
I
For Salmon P'. Chase
I
For Maj .- Gen. B. F. Butler. 7
For Licut .- Gen. U. S. Grant 9
For Maj .- Gen. Geo. B. McClellan
For Abraham Lincoln 276
Total number of votes cast
308
*
*
*
*
I remain, yours truly,
C. M. BROWNE, Capt. 55th Ill. Vol. Inft.
March 31st Colonel Malmborg with his ten associates re- turned from the North, having been for three months absent on recruiting service. Their combined efforts had won but meagre results. One of the party when rallied upon his success in adding a single recruit to his company, rejoined: "I told the fellow he was a fool to enlist, but he wouldn't take my word for it." Two days later the colonel called the regiment together, and read to them a letter from Adjutant- 20
306
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
General Fuller, urging re-enlistment. This reading he fol- lowed by a speech, in which he disclaimed all personal ambition, and gave his official guaranty that the veterans should have a fair election. He added that he would not serve unless two-thirds of the veterans desired him for their commander. This promise awakened some enthusiasm, but all verbal persuasions, while respectfully listened to, availed nothing towards accomplishing the hoped for result until supplemented by record of the following regimental order:
HEADQUARTERS 55TH REGT. ILLS. INFTY., LARKIN'S LANDING, ALA., April 4, 1864. 5 Regimental Order No. 22.
I. Inasmuch as doubt still exists in the minds of some of this com- mand as to whether they will be allowed an clection of officers in case the Regt. re-enlists as a veteran organization, notwithstanding the verbal assurance already given to that effect; and in order to remove any remaining doubt on the part of those who either have already re-en- listed or may hereafter re-enlist, the commanding officer of the Regiment hereby pledges himself officially that a fair and impartial clection of officers for the veteran organization shall be held.
II. As soon as the required number of veterans are sworn in, the commanding officer will at once issue an order for the election of all commissioned officers in the regiment, from the lowest to the highest; and he would call the attention of all commissioned officers in the regi- ment to the fact that the non-commissioned officers and privates are the only legal voters in the coming election, and that we all as commissioned officers are in duty bound not to interfere either directly or indirectly with the full and free exercise of their privilege.
By order of O. MALMBORG, Col. Com'd' Regt. F. P. FISHER, Adjutant.
After the proper publicity had been given to this extraor- dinary and unmilitary concession, for which alone they had been waiting, the men began at once to signify their readiness to re-enlist, and more than the number requisite by the order of the War Department to entitle the regiment to receive thirty days' furlough in Illinois as a veteran-volunteer organ- ization, were speedily enrolled and sworn into the United States service. Two hundred and twenty-two of the two hundred and seventy-two eligible were thus accepted for three years or during the war, distributed among the com- panies as follows :
---
307
VETERAN RE-ORGANIZATION.
Company A, 19.
Company E, 24.
Company I, 33. K, 21.
B, 19. C, 23. D, 16,
F, 16. G, 36. Non-commissioned Staff, 3.
H, 12.
A second order was issued by the colonel, prescribing rules for the conduct of the promised election and appoint- ing three officers of his own selection to serve as a board of judges to preside over it. To this order the veterans sturdily objected. Sergeant Charles T. Beers especially incurred the colonel's displeasure by his outspoken assertion of the pop- ular feeling, that the veteran volunteers were competent -to manage their own affairs, and that this second order was in contempt of the last clause of the previous order. The matter ended by the surrender of the whole business to the enlisted men. There seemed to be a very decided unanimity of feeling among them about the chief question to be voted upon; while among the commissioned officers there was a majority party nicknamed the Church and State, and a minority party styled the Council of Kent. The result of the election, which was held April 6th, the anniversary of the battle of Shiloh, when the first blood of the regiment was shed by rebels, is given in the following election certificate :
CAMP OF THE 55TH REGT. ILL. VOL. INFTY., { LARKIN'S LANDING, ALA., April 6, 1864. S Hon. ALLEN C. FULLER, Adjt .- Gen.
SIR: At an election held at Larkin's Landing, Ala., on the 6th day of April, 1864, by the Veteran Volunteers of the 55th Regt. Ill. Infty., in accordance with Regimental Order No. 22 (enclosed), for the purpose of electing the field officers of the 55th Regt. Ill. Veteran Volunteer Infty., the following votes were cast, viz :
For Colonel. Chaplain Milton L. Haney. 16.4
Colonel Oscar Malmborg 22
For Lieut .- Colonel. . Captain Jacob M. Augustine. 160
Captain Francis H. Shaw, 16
Captain William C. Porter. 13
Adjutant Francis P. Fisher 2
Lt .- Colonel Theodore C. Chandler .. I Captain Charles A. Andress I
For Major.
Captain Francis H. Shaw 122
Captain Charles A. Andress 27
Captain William C. Porter. 26
Captain H. H. Kendrick. 9
Captain John T. McAuley 5
308
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
Chaplain Milton L. Haney was declared duly elected Colonel.
Captain Jacob M. Augustine was declared duly elected Lieutenant- Colonel.
Captain Francis H. Shaw was declared duly elected Major.
We, the undersigned Board of Election, do hereby certify upon honor that the above statement is true and correct.
JOHN B. RIDENOUR, Sergt. Co. A. Judges. 3 JAMES W. KAYS, Sergt. Co. K. J. G. BROWN, Principal-Musician. J. AUGUST SMITH, Sergt .- Maj., Clerk of Election.
Upon arrival of the veterans in Chicago the following let- ter was drawn up and duly forwarded, but never honored with reply :
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, April 23, 1864.
To the Hon. RICHARD YATES,
Governor of the State of Illinois.
The undersigned, Board of Election for Field Officers of 55th Regt. Ill. Vet. Vol. Infty., respectfully beg leave to present to your Excellency a statement of facts combined with an earnest request, which we hope will be favorably considered and acted upon.
The reason our regiment delayed so long in responding to the call for veterans was a deep dissatisfaction with some of the field officers; and it was not re-enlisted until, from Major-General Sherman down to the com- pany officers, all had promised that we should have our own choice of officers, provided the required three-fourths should be re-enlisted. With this assurance we have cheerfully given ourselves to our country for three years more; and now we desire to fill our vacant ranks during our short stay at home. This we cannot do so long as doubt remains as to whether our action in electing officers (a report of which has been forwarded to Adjutant-General Fuller) will be recognized by you. Believing that a knowledge of your co-operation is absolutely necessary to the securing of recruits by the men, we therefore earnestly request that the officers elected be immediately commissioned, or that some assurance to that effect be given to the men of the regiment.
J. B. RIDENOUR, First-sergt. Co. A. Judges of Election. 3 JOHN G. BROWN, Principal-Musician. JAMES W. KAYS, Sergt. Co. K. Clerk of Election, J. AUGUST SMITH, Sergt .- Major.
It was known by many that our first major, W. D. Sanger, who came into the neighborhood and conferred with some of the officers, would have been more than willing to become a candidate for the command of the regiment. If his claims were openly urged by any one, no record of the fact is found.
309
VETERAN RE-ORGANIZATION.
The field officers elected were the three senior captains in regular order, Haney having been a captain when made chap- lain. The company elections were held during the afternoon of the same day. The existing company officers were in nearly every case re-elected, if actually in service with their companies; and of the very few not so chosen it was fully understood that some desired an early opportunity of leaving the service. The election of the commissioned and non- commissioned staff resulted in the choice of the following :
For Surgeon -- Dr. E. O. F. ROLER. re-elected by an unanimous vote.
" Assistant-Surgeon -Dr. JOHN T. SMITH, re-elected.
Adjutant - J. AUGUST SMITH, sergeant-major.
Quartermaster-CHARLES T. BEERS, ordnance-sergeant.
Chaplain -- C. SPRINGER, civilian.
Sergeant-major -JOHN G. BROWN, principal-musician.
. Quartermaster-sergeant -MILTON M. POTTER, musician.
" Commissary-sergeant- WILLIAM J. ECKLEY, sergeant.
" Hospital Steward -J. LEROY BURNSIDES, musician.
It is, perhaps, only just that Colonel Malmborg's criticisms of the action of the regiment, following close upon his regimental order and public promises to the volunteers, should be here incorporated with the record; especially as he made a somewhat lengthy official report, dated four days after the election, which is preserved in the public archives of Illinois.
HEADQUARTERS 55TH ILL. INFANTRY, LARKIN'S LANDING, ALA., April 10, 1864. $ Hon. ALLEN C. FULLER, Adjutant-General.
Springfield, Ill.
GENERAL : I have the honor and the pleasure to report to you that the 55th have re-enlisted -- some twenty men over and above the requisite three-fourths of the total present for duty. I telegraphed to you this morning from Larkinsville.
I reached the camp of my regiment on the 31st ult., and with but little hope of succeeding to veteranize the regiment after I had learned from General M. L. Smith at Larkinsville that he and other generals had given up all hopes, having failed in their combined efforts. I went to work, however, and the same morning of my first speech to the regiment, I en- listed 68 men. The next day others were added to this number, but I soon noticed that Companies A, H and F held back; they, especially the first and last named, being composed mainly of old and intolerant meth- odists, with our "rev'd" chaplain at their head-intimately acquainted
310
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
previous to their entering into military service, and since then always known as the "scheming hypocritic methodists."
But the tide was fast rising, so they had to go to save themselves. Thus the good work went on, but while I was busied, faithfully assisted by many officers and men, to secure the requisite number of veterans that our country might be saved and the history of this efficient regiment completed and perpetuated, our methodist brethren were also busied at work indeed, but for their own individual interest.
Thus under the cloak of religion and by promises of promotion did they succeed to induce, or I should say seduce, good and patriotic men to aid in ruining, if not the glorious reputation this regiment has earned, certainly its future prospects of efficiency, by securing for themselves positions which they are totally incapable of filling, as the subsequent result of the elections will abundantly show. By the election which took place on the 6th and 7th inst., on the anniversary of the battle of Shiloh, were not only the adjutant, quartermaster, four captains and two first- lieutenants thrown out, and the chaplain, entirely ignorant in military affairs, elected colonel, Capt. Augustine lieutenant-colonel, Capt. Shaw major, and worthless lieutenants and non-commissioned officers elected captains and lieutenants. A man hardly able to write his name has been elected quartermaster. Even to the non-commissioned officers has the ridiculous transaction extended. I shall now only name Sergt. Gay, color- bearer, one of the bravest and best men in the regiment, who when wounded at Vicksburg refused to give up that glorious flag he so nobly bore to victory. (Three of the captains ousted have been seriously wounded in battle, have earned their promotions from the ranks, and are among the most efficient officers the regiment ever had.) To the tools of these unprincipled schemers have as a matter of course the vacated posi- tions been tendered, Unscrupulous and deceitful indeed, for by honor- able means could these men never have been prevailed upon to act thus, yet fearing, on the eve of the election, that their secret plans might fail, the chaplain, it has been proven, was discovered openly begging votes among the men for himself. Thas either by open or secret means did he succeed to ingratiate himself among the men in eight companies, who did not only oust the field but their own company officers in order to give room for the tools of the religious and patriotic hypocrites. But all their efforts failed in Companies E and I, and as a matter of course these two companies retained their officers, and also voted to a man for me. I might say something, too, regarding the election itself, but I forbear at present. The whole thing is regarded by every man in this corps, from the drummer boy to the commanding general, as a ridiculous farce.
Said Gen. Logan, Corps commander, to me, "We have been accustomed to look upon the 55th as the best regiment in the army, and how shall I express my astonishment to find they are after all but a set of d- fools! Electing a chaplain, a civilian, a know-nothing for their colonel! Are they prepared to go into battle under such a man? Do you suppose that I, now on the eve of the most important campaign of the war, am going
3II
THE COLONEL'S SPITEFUL LETTER.
to send that regiment into battle under that man? Do you suppose the Governor and Adjutant-General of Illinois will commission him?" etc. I answered that the men of the 55th were not only brave, but good men; but that they had been trifled with and most shamefully misled; giving various details which time now prevents me from repeating, and that Governor Yates and General Fuller will do in this as in all previous cases, act with justice and in the true interest of the service; but that whatever may be the result, neither I myself nor any one of the officers present who have thus been ousted, neither will nor can serve in the regiment any longer than is absolutely necessary for the acceptance of our resig- nations, which as is intimated to me by Generals Smith and Logan, can- not take place until our return with the regiment from Illinois. As to myself, it is also intimated that they do not want me to leave the service, but intend to have me assigned to other duty in the field, to which I shall have no objection. We shall in all probability be ready to leave for Illi- nois as early as the 14th inst., and at Nashville take boat for Cairo. From Nashville I shall again telegraph to you.
It is our wish, if it should meet your approval, that we rendezvous at Chicago, when I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing and hearing you and the Governor. I hope also, for the sake of the regiment, you will be so good and do all you can for the reception of the old 55th. I am thankful to God that I have been able to succeed in securing its serv- ices to our country to the end of this accursed rebellion. I had the pleasure of being highly complimented on that account, both by Gens. Logan and Smith. Please also, General, to say little or rather nothing about the ridiculous result of the election, for the sake of the regiment, which I never can cease to love as long as I live.
I must now beg you, General, to excuse this hasty letter, for I am very busied with muster-rolls, etc., and constantly interrupted.
I have the honor to remain, General, Very respectfully, your obed't serv't, O. MALMBORG, Col. 55th Ill. Infty.
Now that all-healing time has righted many wrongs and covered in oblivion most of those that have not been re- dressed, little commentary need be offered to such a tissue of wild misstatements and assumptions, or to the charges so harshly made against the good sense of the veterans of the regiment and the character of its officers elect. The Fifty- fifth Illinois Veteran Volunteers, as will be shown in subse- quent pages, won abundant honors in the battles of Kenesaw, Atlanta, Ezra Church, Jonesborough and Bentonville.
The brave sergeant elected quartermaster, who is revenge- fully represented as "hardly able to write his name," was not
312
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
a clerk; but he had acted as regimental ordnance-sergeant, was an energetic man of business, and finally gave his life for his country with his face to the foe.
The statement that Companies E and I "voted to a man" for retaining the colonel is sufficiently answered by the rec- ord. While but twenty-two votes were in all cast for him, Company E had twenty-four and Company I thirty-three votes to cast-ten more than the combined vote of the slan- dered Companies A, F and H. The colonel's search for "hypocrites" was therefore, it is evident, too restricted in its field, and his implicit confidence in the subserviency to him of all our brave comrades of Teutonic race was but blind self-deception.
If General Logan was capable of using the language ascribed to him after having himself authorized this election by word of mouth at least, it must be taken as probably uttered with something of the same mental reservation the astute general certainly exercised when he "highly compli- . mented" the colonel "for securing the services" of his com- mand by giving it the long-wished-for opportunity to get rid of him forever. It may also be fairly said that General Logan had then personally little acquaintance with the regiment, its colonel, or its chaplain. We had been under his command but three or four months, while in winter quarters, and never in that time had he seen us under arms. In the campaign to come he knew us better. It was well enough known to offi- cers and enlisted men that the two brother generals, M. L. and Giles A. Smith, commanding division and brigade, who had intimately known the Fifty-fifth from the days of the siege of Corinth, sympathized entirely with the desire of the regiment to be relieved from the petty tyranny of a com- mander, all of whose instincts were un-American, and whose unfortunate manners and false judgments of men had no compensation of unusual military ability.
Certainly these war-worn soldiers were far better qualified in many respects to make wise choice of officers to command them, than when fresh from the farms and shops of Illinois they elected by ballot the men who should lead them against their country's foes. In the days of their entire inexperience
313
MALMBORG'S LETTER REVIEWED.
of military matters, companies were generally permitted to choose their leaders, taking most things save ardent patriot- ism on trust; and Oscar Malmborg was at first accepted by the line officers as their lieutenant-colonel largely upon his own statements respecting his own military genius and expc- rience. This method of designating leaders, though perilous, suited the exigency of the Republic, and the resultant evils proved by experience far less than those fairly chargeable to the bestowal of commissions because of local influence or as a political reward.
The promises made to the volunteers by generals and regimental officers perhaps never ought to have been offered. It was a decidedly unmilitary proceeding, one quite certain to work injustice to some worthy soldiers, and the object sought could doubtless have been obtained if those high in authority had chosen to request two or three resignations. But the failure to keep the promises made and accepted in good faith was worse than injustice. No man received the commission due to his election unless he chanced to stand already in the regular line for that promotion. The company officers, however, respected the vote of the men and honored their own promises in the appointment of the non- commissioned officers. The colonel, in a speech to the veterans after the election, declared that he would resign soon to make room for the commander elect, and the diary of a sergeant records that "for this the boys gave him three cheers, the best he ever got from us;" but he retained his commission -- although not present with the regiment -until the expiration of his three-years' term of service, Septem- ber 20th, 1864.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.