USA > Illinois > The story of the Fifty-fifth regiment Illinois volunteer infantry in the civil war, 1861-1865 > Part 3
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These statements can be fully sustained. I respectfully refer you to Maj. Z. Aplington of the 7th Cavalry regiment in regard to my state- ments.
Respectfully submitted,
HAMILTON NORTON, P. M. at Polo.
The company referred to in the foregoing letter is an ex- ample, though by no means the only one, of the injustice complained of. While the officers placed over it were good ones, and demonstrated that fact to the extent of death and wounds upon the battle-field, it was nevertheless true that others equally deserving and without doubt as competent, and who were in the line of promotion, were deprived of what was fairly due to them. The history of that superb company, F, affords another instance of the wrong practiced again and again. After the resignation of its first captain to become chaplain, the next three captains were success- ively translated from other companies, and its first orderly sergeant, an excellent soldier, died in 1863 still wearing the stripes of his lowly rank. It is to the great glory of the men that while largely deprived of the just meed of good soldiers-the right of promotion in the line of duty-they did not become demoralized, although keenly appreciating the insult. Is it any wonder that when they were called upon to re-enlist, the few war-worn veterans remaining exacted the right to elect their own officers?
31
RUNNING THE GUARD.
In the early days of the war railroads were not so all-pre- vailing and travel so common as in these days of universal pilgrimage. It is not likely that one in ten of the denizens of Camp Douglas had, previous to their arrival there, ever seen Chicago. Of course this great city was then far inferior to its present imperial proportions, but it was full of strange sights to these country recruits, and its mysteries were dili- gently explored with an appetite born of healthy curiosity. "Running the guard" was practiced to the extent possible, and he who was vigilant and faithful when on duty was likely to be soon doing his best to circumvent the comrade who had superseded him as sentinel. This caused a world of trouble to the officers in charge, and materially increased the ranks at "sick call," but sooner or later the wayward recruit returned to duty, albeit he sometimes suffered for tasting forbidden fruit.
As the cold winter began to be felt, ample clothing and blankets of the regulation sort were issued. These articles, as well as all camp and garrison equipage, were of good quality and sufficient in quantity. Colonel Stuart was justly given credit for providing well for his regiment, and above all took good care that no imposition was practiced upon his men in those days of shoddy. The beneficial effects of con- stant drill began to be visible and the ranks to assume the steady appearance always characteristic of the regiment. The uncouth, militia awkwardness, so ridiculous when recruits first attempt combined movements, began to disap- pear. The boisterous, country greenhorn began to lose his aggressive individuality ; and in his place stood erect and soldierly, the elastic and self-reliant American volunteer, never better personified than in the ranks of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry. During the occupancy of this camp, the colleagues of the lieutenant-colonel in the employ of the Illinois Central railroad presented him with an elegant sword. Speeches of the most complimentary kind were made, and the whole ceremony tended to show that he was held in high esteem by his former associates. Many other officers of the regiment had a similar emblem of respect which had been presented to them with grandiloquent
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
expressions of good will, and which had been received blushingly with the stereotyped promise "not to surrender it to a perfidious foe." These, together with the flags before mentioned, were about the most useless trumpery which encumbered the carly days of the war.
So much as precedes, it has seemed necessary to say about the Fifty-fifth in its formative period. The details are not tragic, but such as they are they have been gathered with infinite labor because no record existed. Although this pro- saic period was soon forgotten in the battle-born events which followed, the epoch of organization gave tone to both. fortunate and unfortunate circumstances thereafter. Doubt- less as these pages are read by the dimmed eyes of the veterans for whom they are written, many other incidents will be recalled and regrets expressed that they too are not related ; but a moment's reflection will convince all that twenty-five years of the hurly-burly of life must have be- numbed the memory of the writer as well as that of others. The characterizations expressed have not been made thought- lessly, and are fully justified by the facts. Any objection to such opinions from an honest difference can be readily under- stood. Any captious complaint emanating from sickly senti- mentality need not be deferred to.
The following appears in the Chicago Tribune of Dec. 9th, and is well worth preserving here, because a complete roster of the officers and the strength of the companies are given. A pride in the compliments therein expressed is excusable, because they were deserved, and praise, if fairly earned, is both palatable and proper :
The Second Regiment Douglas Brigade, 55th Ill. Vols., Col. Stuart commanding, will leave Camp Douglas this afternoon for St. Louis, in pursuance of orders received last week. The general marching order was issued by Col. Stuart on Friday, as it was expected that the regiment would leave Saturday r. M. Unavoidable delays, however, rendered the execution of the order impossible, and the departure was deferred till today.
The second regiment of the brigade was organized on the 31st of October, and numbers vor men. The men are mainly from the rural por- tions of the state, and splendid samples of the soldier, mentally and phys- ically : they are thoroughly drilled except in the manual of arms. Short
33
ROSTER OF OFFICERS.
time, however, will elapse, once having obtained arms, before they will prove efficient.
The regiment is thoroughly equipped, handsomely and durably uni- formed, and takes with it a full and excellent regimental band. In the elements which make up a perfect regiment, both physically, intellectually and morally, they are excelled by no regiment in service, and will prove an honor to the state. The following is a complete roster of the regi- ment :
Colonel-David Stuart.
Lieutenant-colonel-Oscar Malmborg.
Major-W. Dennison Sanger.
Adjutant-George L. Thurston.
Quartermaster-Henry W. Janes.
Surgeon-E. O. F. Roler.
Chaplain-L. P. Crouch.
Company A .- Capt. Wm. A. Presson, Ist Lieut. Jacob Augustine, 2d Lieut. Casper Schleich ; 100 men.
Company B .- Capt. Thomas B. Mackey, Ist Lieut. Albert F. Merrill, 2d Lieut. Asahel C. Smith ; 95 men,
Company C .- Capt. R. A. Bird, Ist Lieut. D, McIntosh, 2d Lieut. S. A. Wright ; 95 men.
Company D .-- Capt. T. C. Chandler, Ist Lieut F. H. Shaw, 2d Lieut. W. S. Johnson ; 99 men.
Company E .-- Capt. Charles E. Tazewell, Ist Lieut. Wm. H. Dixon, 2d Lieut. Wm. B. Halligan ; 87 men.
Company F .- Capt. Milton L. Haney, Ist Lieut. Harrison Presson, 2d Lieut. Jos. W. Parks ; 105 men.
Company G .- Capt. Joseph Clay, Ist Lieut. C. M. Brown, 2d Lieut. A. A. Whipple ; 89 men.
Company H .- Capt. Jas. J. Heffernan, Ist Lieut. James Weldon, 2d Lieut. T. B. Burrows ; 86 men.
Company I .- Capt. Jabez C. Crooker, Ist Lieut. Philip Seelbach, 2d Lieut, Timothy Slattery ; 103 men.
Company K .- Capt. Joseph Black, Ist Lieut. Benj. C. Swartz, 2d Lieut. Andrew J. Gillett ; 98 men,
The receipt of the order to inove caused great rejoicing among the "boys," who have long been in readiness and anxious to leave the tedious routine of camp life for the more active duties of the field. Uniforms were cleaned, belts pipe-clayed, and knapsacks were filled. Every man was on the qui vive to say good-bye to Camp Douglas and start for the wars.
In the forenoon of December 9th, 1861, a goodly array of men marching in perfect cadence emerged from the gateway of Camp Douglas. They numbered somewhat more than nine hundred, and were splendid food for powder. This was 3
34
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
a Western volunteer regiment passing from the romance of war into its realities. It was the Fifty-fifth Illinois on its way to the front. They were the same men who in a few months were to stand upon the disgarnished left at Shiloh and give back war-cry for war-cry and bullet for bullet until half their number were killed and wounded. At the head of the column rode their colonel decked in the honorable trap- pings of his rank, proud of his success, proud of his regiment- as he had a right to be. It was a triumphal march for him, in which each man in the ranks performed an honorable part and had a humble share. The route was down Michigan Avenue, then a fashionable quarter, and through the main business streets of Chicago. From time to time the order of march was changed from the flank to platoon or company front, as was proper to give rest to the soldiers or display their evolutions. The day was bright and lovely. The bearing of the men and officers was superb, and the uniforms neat and new and rounded to the outlines of manly symmetry by the muscular forms which wore them. The sight was impressive, and upon every pavement and street corner throngs of patri- otic citizens joined in hearty applause. A large escort from the various organizations recruiting in Camp Douglas added to the splendid proportions of the procession. The Chicago Tribune of December 10th, gave the following account, which includes many details of which no other record exists :--
GRAND MILITARY OVATION.
The departure of the second regiment of the Douglas Brigade, Col. Stuart commanding, from this city to St. Louis, yesterday afternoon, was made the occasion of a brilliant military spectacle witnessed by thou- sands of spectators and creating a degree of enthusiasm unparalleled in the military history of the city.
The regiment left Camp Douglas at ten o'clock in the forenoon, escorted by a detachment of Col. Brackett's cavalry ; the Mechanic Fusi- leers, Col. Wilson ; the Princeton regiment, Maj. N. B. Page ; the Lead Mine regiment, Col. Smith ; the Chicago Legion, Col. Cummings ; the National Guard, Col. Baldwin ; Hartman Dragoons, Maj. Hartman ; Lyon Color Guard, Capt. Kurth. Headed by this escort, numbering nearly four thousand men, the regiment marched through the principal streets of the city, receiving warm applause from the spectators who thronged the side- walks, and swarmed in windows, and crowded housetops. As the escort passed the Tribune office the spectacle was unusually brilliant. Hand-
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35
DEPARTURE FROM CHICAGO.
kerchiefs fluttered from the windows of the Sherman House like doves. The air was fairly resonant with the manual applause of the eager and enthusiastic crowds. The appearance of each new regiment, with its regimental band, drum corps and banners, was the signal for cheers which culminated in a hearty and unanimous burst of applause, typical of admiration.
Good wishes and good-byes followed, as the gallant regiment, with drums beating, colors flying, knapsacks on back, marched by with a steady, firm step and closed up ranks. Every one noted the genuine martial bearing and elastic, dashing air which marked every company in the corps. We have previously in these columns given full details of the equipment, growth and organization of this regiment. It is now sufficient merely to add that the uniforms and other equipments are of the very best quality, and finished in a serviceable and durable manner ; that the ranks are most proficient in drill and camp duties, and that the men are stout, able-bodied and hardy, recruited as they are from the ranks of the farmers and working men of the state.
It is but justice to say of Col. Stuart that in the successful organiza- tion of the two regiments of the Douglas Brigade, which is mainly due to his personal exertions, involving much labor and expense, he has per- formed a highly patriotic service for which he is entitled to the thanks of his fellow-citizens.
In the lieutenant-colonel of the regiment,"Mr. Oscar Malmborg, who, during the absence of Col. Stuart in Missouri with the Ist regiment of the brigade, had charge of the organization of the 2d regiment, we are quite sure our citizens will be glad to know we have an officer with a thorough military training. Lieut .- Col. Malmborg is a native of Sweden, graduated at the Swedish Military Academy at Stockholm after six years' study, and served eight years in the Swedish army. On the breaking out of the Mexican war he came to this country to tender his services to our gov- ernment, when finding himself embarrassed from not readily speaking our language, he volunteered as a private in the artillery corps, and served twenty-one months at Fort Brown on the Rio Grande -- a position which, much to his chagrin, withheld him from more active service in the field. He is a cultivated gentleman of high honor and integrity, and a more thoroughly loyal man has not drawn his sword in defence of our cause.
Among the company officers and in the ranks are two or three minis- ters and several exhiorters, and one captain has personally recruited and brought into the regiment 350 men. During their sojourn in Camp Doug- las they have held their prayer-meetings and other religious services regularly, and have exercised a marked influence upon the morals and discipline of the corps. The men have been recruited mainly from our rural population, and have entered the contest from a high sense of duty, not only to maintain the laws and to defend and perpetuate the Union, but from a deep conviction that under Providence they are to be instru- mental in washing out a great national sin ; and with their prayers upon their lips they are ready to do and die.
.
.. 4
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
The foregoing, written with the free hand of a newspaper reporter, is especially valuable as giving the only account attainable of the previous history of the lieutenant-colonel. That it is so elaborate, is sufficient evidence that the victim gracefully submitted to the process of being interviewed. In his former lack of knowledge of the English language, and his unfortunate suppression in garrison upon the Rio Grande, it is possible that we have found the reason why the Mexican war lasted so long.
It may be interesting for a moment to refer to the differ- ent organizations acting as an escort on this occasion. Colonel Brackett's cavalry alluded to became the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, while the Princeton regiment and the Na- tional Guards were consolidated to make the Fifty-seventh Illinois Infantry. Major Page died gallantly at its head about three-quarters of a mile to the right rear of the Fifty-fifth at Shiloh. Colonel Baldwin became commander of the regi- ment, and after commanding a brigade at Corinth was cashiered for various offences. The Lead Mine Regiment became the famous Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry, and its colonel the reliable Major-General John E. Smith, now upon the retired list of the regular army.
While the Ffty-fifth marches along the streets of Chicago toward the railroad station, it may be proper to review some of the peculiarities of its make-up. It had, perhaps, less local sentiment clinging to it than any like organization which left the state in those warlike times. It represented no one county or district as was usual ; but its elements had been gathered from almost all northern Illinois. At the same time the feeling in Chicago against its colonel pre- vented any great display of pride in it as representing that city. It was never, therefore, the especial object of neigh- borhood sympathy, and had no local historians to embalm its deeds in the florid newspaper literature of that day. When a great battle came and the Fifty-fifth contributed its best blood, as it often did, there were scarce any two sorrow- ing mothers at home near enough together to mingle their tears. In this may be found the principal reasons why the traditions of this regiment are so widely scattered and
37
SELECTION OF OFFICERS.
so poorly preserved. Company A was mainly from Fulton County ; B from Ogle and De Kalb ; C from Winnebago ; D from Fulton ; E from Kane and Du Page; F from McDonough ; G from La Salle and McDonough ; H from Ogle; I from LaSalle and Grundy ; and K from Knox. Thus it will be seen that the regiment had within its line considerable bodies of recruits from nine different counties, and each company had also men from contiguous territory, some having been drawn even from neighboring states. Upon the original rolls of Company B are found twelve names set down as enlisting at Marysville, Ky. Some recruits, and not generally of the best quality, had been acquired around Chicago. The transfers before alluded to had contributed much to the mixed character of the different companies.
Fully one-third of the officers had been selected from strangers outside the regiment, or had been summarily trans- ferred from one company to another, to suit the peculiar views of the commanding officer. The men were cheerfully granted the right to express their wishes through the usual election; but such election never had any particular force in deciding who should ultimately occupy the place. The regi- mental commissioned and non-commissioned staff, as well as the headquarters clerical force, had been selected by Stuart, as he had a right to do, and were mainly from Chicago. They embraced such names as Roler, Janes, Thurston, Mc- Auley, Fisher and Nourse, and were all young men and effi- cient officers of good business attainments, who earned fre- `quent promotion. Of the forty field and line officers and non-commissioned staff but two were natives of Illinois, a fact then not singular, considering the newness of the state. As near as it can be ascertained from the roster, five were Irishmen, two were Germans, one an Englishman and one a Swede. The colors were borne aloft by a huge sergeant six and one-half feet in height, who soon succumbed to the toil of actual service, and demonstrated that usefulness in the field was not measured by either length or breadth.
The line of march terminated at the Chicago and Alton Railroad station. Ample provisions had been furnished by the
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
good citizens, and were distributed under the management of the over-worked commissary sergeant. A feast was given to the officers at a hotel, while the rank and file, happy in start- ing towards the front, were contented with sandwiches and coffee. The march from Camp Douglas to the station was orderly and creditable, though here and there a wayward re- cruit fell by the wayside. Such were not lost, however, though they had fallen, for wagons had been kindly provided for just such an emergency, and a lenient police assisted the weary, who arrived in due time. During the day the baggage had been loaded, and towards evening two trains of cars de- parted for St. Louis, bearing with them the Fifty-fifth to take its part in the thrilling events which soon followed. About fifty, mainly sick with the measles, were left in Chicago.
The journey was devoid of incident, at least so far as can now be recalled. At Alton the regiment embarked upon the steamer David Tatum, for St. Louis, and towards night-fall landed at the levee. A march of four or five miles after dark . brought the tired column within the limits of "Camp Benton," or "Benton Barracks," the place of rendezvous and instruc- tion for a month to come. The barracks were reached about eight o'clock in the evening of December 11th, and during the night the baggage arrived in charge of the quartermaster and the customary details. In the morning the camp was aroused by the notes of the wonderful Indian bugler who attended to that sonorous duty, and the newly arrived Illinoisans stepped into line for roll-call and gazed for the first time upon this notable camp-ground. The quarters consisted of numerous barn-like structures, surrounding a square of huge propor- tions used as a drill and parade ground. Each company had a room built of unpainted, rough boards, unbattened, and there was nothing about these apartments to interfere with the biblical assertion that "the wind bloweth where it listeth." The dimensions were ample, and a huge stove in each room supplied a reasonable degree of warmth. Tiers of rough bunks and scanty blankets, with straw, furnished sleeping accommodations, and feather beds and white sheets are not remembered as entering into the comforts of this epoch.
The Fifty-fifth immediately began a severe course of com-
39
GENERAL SHERMAN APPEARS.
pany and battalion drill, under the chief direction of the industrious but mercurial lieutenant-colonel, while the colonel, although seeming anxious that the regiment should succeed, did not appear to take much part in either teaching or learn- ing. Schools and classes for officers were established in order that they might acquire knowledge in advance, to be transmitted in due time to the common soldiers, who some- times thought that the second-hand knowledge thus acquired had suffered serious dilution in course of transmission. The weather was clear and cold, alternating with rains, which with the ceaseless marching to and fro, reduced the parade ground to a sea of mud. Considerable sickness prevailed of the usual camp character, but taken all in all the experience at Benton Barracks was neither unprofitable nor altogether un- pleasant. The privations which soon followed made its little hardships seem like luxuries. There were about eighteen thousand men in the camp and vicinity, all pursuing the methodical routine of camp, and trying to acquire the tech- nical rules laid down in "Hardee," by which sign it was then expected to conquer. The department was under the com- mand of General Halleck, who was just beginning to bring order out of the chaos of corruption and confusion left by General Fremont.
Soon after the arrival of the Fifty-fifth at Benton Barracks, there appeared an unassuming individual dressed in plain clothes and wearing a black slouch hat, and neither clothes nor hat were new. He wore no insignia of rank other than a row of gilt buttons upon the coat, and his quiet, alert movements at first excited no attention beyond an occasional inquiry as to what chaplain that was. It soon appeared that this was one Brigadier-General Sherman, recently placed in command of the camp. Of course he was then gazed at with a wild eyed wonder, for at that time few in the regiment had seen a real general, and this one with his lack of fuss and feathers, who bestrode no war horse and bellowed no commands, scarce came up to the ideal standard of romantic volunteers. He did not even swear within the hearing of the soldiers, and altogether there was a lack of pomposity and ferocity at variance with tradition. It was rumored that
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
he was crazy, and it was only known that he was a regular- army officer who had been relieved from a command in Ken- tucky and had been placed over this camp of instruction. There was a vigilance, a nervous decisiveness about his move- ments and speech that was at once felt to the uttermost parts of the enclosure. Good order and correct discipline followed, and all troops there or thereabouts soon learned to appre- ciate the master mind. To the acute and observing young soldiers no mental obliquities were apparent, and the madness, if there at all, had a beautiful method in it. This same lunatic, William Tecumseh Sherman, the Fifty-fifth followed to the end of the war. From Benton Barracks to the Grand Review was a long and arduous journey. Along the bloody route, campaigns were episodes and great battles mile-stones. It was a lurid pathway through many rebellious states, but the Fifty-fifth followed the plume of "Uncle Billy " until the end came. No other organization staid with him and near him so long. From the time he was "Crazy Sherman " until the greenest laurels of the nineteenth century were placed upon his brow, this regiment followed his foot- steps in each particular organization commanded by him in every instance, except the Meridian raid.
During the interval spent at this post the Fifty-fifth took part in its first brigade drill, under command of Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut of Illinois, who had recently been relieved from a command in Missouri. Rumors were flying about of his previous bad conduct, drunkenness and the like, but nothing to his discredit appeared at this time. As we shall see later, he commanded the celebrated Fourth division at Shiloh, and brought it through in better shape and better organized than any division engaged in the terrible first day's battle, and thereafter made a report which stands at the head of the literature of the engagement. On December 21st, new clothing was issued, and the regiment was as well equipped and clothed as any body of men in the service.
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