USA > Illinois > The story of the Fifty-fifth regiment Illinois volunteer infantry in the civil war, 1861-1865 > Part 40
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The number who died of wounds during the war, owing to imperfect records cannot be ascertained with accuracy. Fifty-five were duly reported, but doubtless several others found premature graves after discharge, and before the down- fall of the rebellion. The number of those who lost their lives by disease before the close of the rebellion is likewise uncertain, because most of these died in hospitals far distant from their companies, and their history often failed to reach the company commanders. They are reported as one hun- dred and twelve, not equalling the aggregate of the killed and mortally wounded. This is a somewhat unusual record in the history of protracted warfare, the mortality by disease often being largely in excess of the slain in action.
The Fifty-fifth participated in thirty-one engagements,
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
besides the prolonged siege operations at Vicksburg and Atlanta, and was under fire one hundred and twenty-eight days. It marched three thousand two hundred and forty miles, travelled by railway two thousand eight hundred and seventy-five miles, and by boat five thousand eight hundred and fifty miles; or in all, eleven thousand nine hundred and sixty-five miles. It entered every state classed as Southern save Delaware, Florida and Texas.
The valiant service of the Fifty-fifth and the heroic deeds of its bravest were never glorified in battle reports, and in the various histories of campaigns and memoirs of generals it has received no laudation. The regiment had no subsidized correspondents to publish far and wide its special achieve- ments in glowing phrase. It has not received even from its members the recognition justly its due. It is hoped that this truthful story, though given to the public at a late day, and narrated with inadequate talent, may give it proper rank in the regards of a grateful people. If so, the historians will feel largely repaid for their perplexing labors.
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES
BY
CHAPLAIN MILTON L. HANEY.
IN writing this chapter for the history of our regiment, I have yielded to the urgent request of my old comrades, but with much hesitancy; for my memory concerning facts of twenty-five years ago is none too vivid, and the press of ministerial work at present gives scant opportunity for liter- ary labor. I cheerfully contribute my mite, however, for the book is a necessity to do justice to as noble a body of men as were ever mustered into ranks or stood in battle line for home and native land. The men and officers of the line have never had their due, and nowhere is this fact more con- spicuous than in the meagreness of the place which the reports of the commanding officers have given them in the battle of Pittsburg Landing. As an cye witness of their deeds in that battle, I cannot die without testifying to the fact that their unsurpassed bravery preserved the left flank of the Union army from utter destruction. This was not due to the skill of their commanders, but to the dogged, deter- mined, death-defying gallantry of brave men, in whose hearts there coursed not one drop of disloyal blood. Surely, if for no other reason, this book was demanded, to place this gallant regiment in its truc relation to the battle of Pittsburg Landing.
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
In entering upon the duties incident to the chaplaincy of our regiment, I was not a little aided by the fact that I had already served five months as a captain. This experience had given me a knowledge of the tricks to which officers at times condescended, and opportunity to observe the causes of the failure or success of chaplains. Beyond this, and conducing more to what little success I may have attained, I had as a captain by some means gained the love of my company and a place in the hearts of the line. The sympa- thy which, as a Christian, I tried to manifest by ministering to the necessities of those under my command, was returned in kind. It may not seem important that a captain should see that his men were cared for in their lodgings, and pro- tected from cold on the deck of a steamer, but twenty-five years ago, as today, there was a chord in human hearts which vibrated to such little offices of love.
During my entire army life I tried not to forget that I was a Christian and a minister of the Word, and did not know- ingly compromise the truth of the gospel or yield to the solicitations of wrong; and this is not only a source of highest joy to me now, but was the secret of all that was successful in my career as a chaplain in the army. I remember that after the election of our field officers a banquet was given at Camp Douglas, to which the commissioned officers were all invited. Another captain and myself, being public speakers, were to propose and respond to the toasts. Of this I was ignorant until the hour of invitation, and so went as "a lamb to the slaughter." Arriving at the feast, I was conducted to the foot of the table where a glass and various wines were standing, and the captain to whom I have just referred, pour- ing out some wine, motioned me to imitate him. Upon my refusing, with the statement that I did not drink. he and the Swede lieutenant-colonel insisted that I should take a little Madeira wine, which, they explained, was "only the juice of the grape." As I declined to assent to this, it was proposed that I drink water; but I was not thirsty and could not drink even water there. The face of the colonel reddened with anger, but my stand won respect and saved me much trouble throughout the war. As a chaplain I must have failed unless
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APPOINTED CHAPLAIN.
the regiment had faith in the sincerity of my trust in God, but with their confidence in my integrity I could not fail. ] may say in passing, that the other captain, who was applaud- ed for his pliable conscience, and doubtless expected honors for yielding to the wishes of these men, was afterwards treated with contempt and retired under a cloud.
In the spring of 1862, when we were encamped at Padu- cah, our chaplain retired, and with the exception of my company the whole regiment besought me to accept his place. To this request I yielded, although for months } doubted the wisdom of the step. I had learned to love my men so well that it was painful beyond expression to sepa- rate from them, and they in turn could scarce forgive me for relinquishing my command. Captain Schleich, the just and able officer who succeeded me, advanced the company much more rapidly than I could have donc, however, and the thought of leaving it in such capable hands did much to soften the pain of separation.
The authority of a commander is of course subject to abuse, and to see the men of the regiment wronged by the perverted use of official power always pained me. Indeed 1 was often compelled to violate military rule by identifying myself with the men as against certain officers, and thus sometimes came into sharp collision with those who ranked me. In a few instances it became necessary for me to follow in the steps of Peter Cartwright far enough to manifest a willingness to resort to physical force; but happily hostilities always ceased before violence ensued; and now in the calm evening of my life, no memory gives me keener pleasure than that once I was willing to take curses upon my own head which otherwise might have descended in blows upon my more defenceless comrades.
On the field of Shiloh we fought our first great battle. I remember that on Saturday, April 5th, I received a polite note from a Michigan colonel, requesting me to preach that night to his regiment, which formed a part of Prentiss' divis- ion. I accepted, and had the pleasure of offering them Christ as an almighty Savior, on the very ground which was reddened by the blood of many of them before nine o'clock
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
the next morning. In crossing a little stream on my return, I got my boots badly soiled with clay. As we were about to appear for inspection on Sabbath morning, I was compelled to black the boots, and had just completed the polish on one of them when the ominous music of the long roll and the still more terrible crash of musketry fell on my ear. There was so sharp a contrast in the appearance of my pedal cx- tremities that I concluded to polish the other boot, and hav- ing done so placed my effects in an army wagon just in time to escape capture.
On joining the command, I said to the lieutenant-colonel, "The rebels are coming upon you two lines deep in the woods yonder." "O, no, chaplain," he replied, "I guess 'tis only de skirmish line;" to which remark I answered, "You will soon see the skirmishers" --- and he did. Our commander had ex- hausted military skill in locating the regiment where it had the least possible defence, and where the enemy would have the best opportunity to destroy it. Observing the disadvan- tages of our position, I suggested to the colonel the advisa- bility of retiring behind the ridge, where we would be less exposed to the enemy; but the only reply was a scornful look. Shortly after, the terrible fire opened in earnest, our brave boys standing firmly against fearful odds.
Surgeon E. O. F. Roler, whose name is to this day as "oint- ment poured forth," said to me: "Chaplain, I want you to take charge of our ambulances." Here was a task that re- quired the exercise of the best judgment that I possessed. After locating the ambulances behind a ridge as near the line as was compatible with safety, I hastened down the creek and found a way out over the hills. Returning thence, I or- dered the litter bearers to follow me, and led the way towards the front. We had gone but a little distance when we came upon the first of our dead that we had seen-a man whose head had been torn off by a shell. Lest this spectacle should terrify the litter-bearers, I seemed not to notice it, but with a "forward, men," stepped over the body and on to our work. Then down the creek came rushing one of our cap- tains, as though the fiends were after him. He was a re- doubtable warrior -- in camp-and before the battle, the only
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THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
brave man in the regiment. In a voice of profoundest sym- pathy, I hailed him with, "O, captain, are you wounded?" He threw his hands wildly into the air, exclaiming, "Oh! oh !! oh !!! The regiment is all broken to pieces! Oh-h-h!" and on like a race-horse he sped for the landing. The dead man in the path, the shells crashing through the timber, and last of all the racing captain's report, were too much for the nerves of my command, and when I turned about four of the six were not.
I observed that the regiment had been ordered back to the ridge of which I have spoken, and turning to the two brave men who followed me, I said: "Some of our wounded are probably lying yonder on the hill between the two armies. It is a dangerous undertaking, but will you follow me to the rescue?" Like the true men that they were, they consented. As we neared the summit of the hill, however, I noticed that the distance between the litter and myself widened very per- ceptibly, and it was soon manifest that my command were wiser than their commander. A musket ball hissed past my left ear; another grazed my left breast; a third and a fourth whistled by. I looked before me, and lo! I was face to face with a rebel regiment! I presume it is needless to say that I ordered a vigorous retreat and requested my feet to convey me to the bottom of the hill in short order. My litter-bear- ers, having promised to follow me, could not conscientiously advance further upon the rebel army, and throwing the litter into the air bore down upon their fleet-footed leader with a speed that lightning might have envied.
On reaching a point opposite the left flank of the regi- ment, I discovered that by standing near the edge of the ravine, I could direct the wounded, who were running the gauntlet of rebel bullets as they came down to the ravine, how to leap into it and find shelter behind its banks until they reached the ambulances, or made their way to the land- ing. In the performance of this task, I was sheltered by a tree that was inconveniently small; but, drawing my body into the smallest possible compass, I stood while the rebel sharp-shooters planted perhaps forty bullets in the tree.
At length the ambulances were filled with the wounded,
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
and it became my duty to conduct them to the landing. I had found a horse without a rider, and mounting led the way. I told the drivers that we should be badly exposed to shells when we mounted the hill, but that they must follow me. Two of them obeyed, but upon reaching the river I learned to my astonishment that when the third had come to the trying point, he had cut his team loose and escaped through the ravines, leaving the wounded to the mercy of the enemy. Fortunately they were able to make their way down to the gunboats, and were found at a later time.
At the landing a most appalling scene was presented. Five thousand soldiers, I presume, were on the bluffs, and more were coming. Every moment the line at the front was growing thinner, and it seemed that the fate of the country depended upon our having immediate aid. I rode to the crest of the bluff and saw the head of Buell's army emerging from the woods across the river, but time that seemed ages must elapse before they could be made available. Of Gen- eral Grant's medical director, who by chance rode by, I ob- tained a drink of brandy, and being totally unaccustomed to stimulants, it immediately gave me temporary strength. This was all put forth in speeches to inspire the return to the front of the discouraged and stampeded soldiers. Never, perhaps, have I spoken with such power, for the tremendous issues at stake gave an inspiration such as seldom comes to man. I rode under an overhanging bluff where hundreds of these frightened men were sitting, and as I spoke a soldier, whose arm was dangling by his side, burst into tears as he exclaimed, "My God! boys, how can you stand it?" Thus going from group to group, at last a movement was effected which re- sulted in adding large numbers to the line which on Sunday evening saved the battle.
The whole line having been pressed towards the river, became so contracted that our entire artillery remaining was brought into action. This with the gunboats on our left made fearful havoc in the Confederate ranks, and speedily silenced the rebel yell. So numerous were the wounded that hundreds were strewn upon the ground without a covering. Upon appealing in vain for tents at an adjacent camp, I gath-
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THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.
cred a little company of soldiers and, sword in hand, forcibly took them, and with them nine camp-kettles. This proceed- ing may not have harmonized with the letter of the gospel, but I praised God while the tents were erected over the sufferers and nourishing food was prepared for them in the kettles.
The whole of Sunday night was occupied in assisting Dr. Roler, supplying the wounded with nourishment, praying with the dying and carrying out the dead. After two o'clock in the morning, I heard that some of the wounded of the Fifty-fifth were lying near the river. I begged Dr. Roler to let me go to them alone; but although he was ready to faint from the terrible toil of the day and night, he insisted on accompanying me. On reaching them, we found the group that had been deserted by the ambulance driver. One of them was young Ennis from near Elmwood, Illinois, who had been converted in a meeting held before the war. Wounded painfully in the ankle joint by a fragment of shell, his suffer- ing was extreme; but the triumph of his soul was so great that he kept his fellow sufferers in good cheer through the darkness and rain of that night of agony on the Tennessee. Dear boy! He was not again seen in the ranks nor at the home of his mother; but he had "chosen that good part which shall not be taken away."
Among the wounded on the ridge, were numerous rebels, some of whom were recently from New Orleans. One mor- tally wounded besought me to commit him to God in prayer, confessing his sins with bitter tears. He found peace in believing and welcomed death with a smile. Others less seriously injured, but whose lives depended on the care which we gave them, were insolent beyond expression. One of their number who had only lost a finger while we were pre- paring his food remarked: "There is no use, gentlemen, the last Confederate will die in the ditch, but we will have our rights." The veins in the neck of the little German sergeant helping me began to swell, until at length he laid his hand on a sword with the remark: "Well, captain, if this is so we might as well begin right here." It is, perhaps, unnecessary
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FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
to say that the valiant Southerner instantly begged pardon, and became as meek as a lamb.
On Monday morning, fearing that the regiment had been unsupplied with food, I went on board a supply-boat, and by the vehemence of my demands obtained a sack full of hams with which I hastened to the line where the brave boys had lain all night in the rain. They were already in motion, but I distributed the meat to them. I could not hold back my tears when I learned that they had received no food since breakfast on Sunday morning. Not a complaint escaped their lips, however, but they looked haggard and very weary. I returned to my post with emotions which, perhaps, would not bear a strict religious justification; but God did not rebuke me for He knew their condition and remembered that I was dust.
The victory of Monday was easy, for we were re-enforced by Buell's army and the enemy had been repulsed on Sunday night. The want of care for the wounded gave me the keen- est agony that I have ever endured. Many perished for want of nourishment who might have lived if food had been brought in time. There were faithful surgeons who did what they could, but many loyal men perished as the result of the reckless cutting and carving by adventurers, and the wanton neglect of others who, instead of caring for the sufferers, spent their time in riding for amusement or seeking relics on the field.
The arrival of Governor Yates with his boat-load of sani- tary goods, brought joy and comfort to thousands of suffer- ers and, in time, the sick and wounded were taken by trans- ports to various hospitals or their homes. Great suffering resulted from the unnecessary delay of the army in the woods of Tennessee. Camped amid half-buried dead, and sur- rounded by the decaying bodies of animals, the entire army became weakened by disease. In the outrageously slow and timid advance upon Corinthi, many soldiers contracted dis- cases from which they never recovered. As a chaplain I found a wide field of labor among the sick, and was a witness of the blessed results of the religion of Christ both in living and dying. Throughout the war, I never found one real
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AT LA GRANGE.
Christian Union soldier who did not have triumph in death, and on the other hand, I never knew a Confederate Christian who did not find it necessary to confess and make some settlements that he might have peace in the dying hour. To my mind, this is one of the many indications that God was on the side of the Union army.
After the fall of Corinth we emerged into a beautiful and healthful country near La Grange, Tennessee. At that place I accompanied a squad of men outside the lines in search of food, and on reaching the house of a rebel soldier requested the lady to provide us with a dinner. She reluctantly set forth some corn-bread and buttermilk, which was a royal ban- quet to us. As we rose from the table, I presented her with fifty cents in Federal currency, and one by one the soldiers followed my example, until the last, who handed her a five- dollar bill on the bank of La Grange. I warned her that the paper was worthless, but might have spared my pains as my kindness only evoked the remark: "I think I know my own business, sir." She returned four dollars and a half in green- backs as change to the boy, who by this clever business stroke had cleared just that much money in addition to his dinner. To my rebuke for his dishonesty, he replied that "he liked to gratify these secesh by supplying them with their own money."
At another time Doctor Smith and I went beyond the lines in search of food --- for the regiment suffered much from hunger at this place. On reaching the pickets we were warned of the presence of rebel scouts in the country, and gladly accepted an escort of three Eighth Missouri men, who rode in the ambulance with the doctor. Being mounted I led the way, and on reaching a plantation observed a man in . citizen's clothes ride from the house so as to avoid contact with me. The owner of the place averred most solemnly that he had been stripped of all that he had, but thought that we might find provisions by going to the southeast -- the route taken by the man who had just left. I rode on, the ambu- lance following. Reaching the borders of a woodland I was suddenly confronted by a horseman armed with a carbine. I had left my revolver in camp, and had no protection be-
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yond a trifling little six-shooter, loaned me by one of the pickets. I presume that this will account for the fact that I suddenly found it necessary to adjust my saddle, and when I dismounted it was so as to have the horse between me and the man with the carbine. "Why don't you come on?" asked my friend in the road; but my saddle needed so much atten- tion that I could not reply. In the meanwhile the rebel glanced occasionally into the timber as if there were others in concealment, and I became exceedingly uneasy. Doctor Smith had paused at a cooper-shop a little distance off, with the ambulance, and the guards were so absorbed in the doc- tor's fun that their attention was not attracted to my peril.
Hitherto I had kept my eye upon the adversary in front, but becoming restless at the delay, I turned my head and re- quested the guards to come on. Scarce had my eyes left the rebel when a bullet from the carbine went whistling past my head and the rebel's horse was doing his best to carry his rider beyond danger. I sprang out into the road trying to pull my revolver from its leather case, but a minie ball from my body-guard reminded me that two others were to follow, and that I was in range, so I stepped aside to give the brave Missourians a chance at their mark. The doctor being star- tled forbade their firing, and much to my disgust the rebel escaped unhurt. An immediate retreat was ordered and am- bulance, body-guard and all went dashing towards the camp at fearful speed. It seemed altogether likely that a force sufficiently strong for our capture was secreted in the woods, and that we were well on our way towards a Confederate prison. It was afterwards learned that the man who faced me in the road was a prominent rebel scout.
After varied experiences we found ourselves in a pleasant camp in Memphis, Tennessee, where the regiment had time for rest and recreation. Despite the immoral influences of the city, a band of true Christian men from the different companies was never wanting at the hour of prayer. Many slaves made free by the war came to us for refuge, and their religious services were often glorious. They seemed to feel that President Lincoln's life was in danger, and rarely omit- ted the mention of his name in their petitions. Colonel
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DEATH OF CAPTAIN SCHLEICH.
Stuart listened with me on the outside of a cabin, one moon- lit night, to a prayer from an old Mississippi bondsman that can never be forgotten. After a recital of his wrongs that would have melted a heart of stone, he thanked God for the army of deliverance and poured out his soul in a plea that Mr. Lincoln might be spared until the people were frec. Colonel Stuart's frame trembled, and tears rolled down his cheeks as he turned to me with the words: "Lord! chaplain, did you ever hear the like of that?"
On Saturday, December 20, 1862, we boarded the steamer Westmoreland bound for Vicksburg, and landed on the twen- ty-sixth of the same month. Captain Schleich, who suc- cceded me in command of Company F, took breakfast with my mess the next morning. I remember well that on rising from the meal he remarked: "Boys, J am glad I ate with you this morning, for I am going out here to be killed by these rebels, and I want you to bear witness that I desire to be buried here on this sand ridge." At Memphis I had lodged in a house, as our tents were poor and it rained frequently; and on the last night of our stay the captain slept with me. He was restless in his sleep and in the morning apologized for the fact, saying: "I dreamed that I stood facing a rebel about fifty yards away when he shot me through the heart, and as he shot I sprang up in the bed, and I fear, greatly dis- turbed you." So profoundly did the dream impress him that he seemed like a different man until we reached the Yazoo.
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