USA > Wisconsin > An illustrated history of the state of Wisconsin : being a complete civil, political, and military history of the state, from its first exploration down to 1875 > Part 30
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From this time, they were engaged in guarding, and keeping in repair, the Memphis and Charleston Railway, until they were called upon to join in the general movement of our troops to the northward, rendered necessary by the advance of Gen .. Bragg towards Cincinnati, - a movement which resulted, on
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the 8th of October, in the battle of Perryville. In this action, the Tenth greatly distinguished themselves; for two hours holding their position without relief, and long after their am- munition was expended. During this engagement, Major H. O. Johnson was killed; and, of the three hundred and seventy- two men whom they took into battle, thirty-six were killed, a hundred and eight were wounded, and three were missing, - brave men all, who nobly won honor to themselves, their State, and their country. They subsequently moved to the vicinity of Nashville, where they were at the close of 1862.
The Eleventh Regiment (Col. Charles L. Harris) was stationed during the greater part of the winter, at Camp Curtis, near Sulphur Springs, in Missouri, guarding, and keeping in repair, a line of railroad, extending over sixty miles ; thence to Pilot Knob, which they left on the 23d of March, arriving at Reeves Station, on the Black River, on the 27th. From Reeves Sta- tion, they marched one hundred and eighty-five miles, to Jack- sonport, in Lawrence County. On the 19th of May they were at Batesville, in Arkansas, which place they left on the 22d of June, crossing the Black River at Jacksonport, where they left their sick, and pushed forward to Augusta. In this vicinity they remained until the 6th of July, when they marched fifteen miles, to " a place where the rebels had made another blockade," followed, the next day, by the battle of Bayou Cache, in which the Eleventh lost four killed and fifteen wounded, the latter number including the colonel, one captain, and one lieutenant. From Bayou Cache, they marched to Helena, in Arkansas, arriving there on the 13th of July.
A glance at their route through Missouri and Arkansas will convey some idea of the privations they must have been called upon to undergo in a march through a comparative wilderness.
Their conduct at Bayou Cache was a sufficient indication as to what their conduct would be when called upon to assert Wisconsin valor on the battle-field.
From Helena, they marched to Patterson, in Missouri, where they were at the close of 1862, in the first division of the Army of South-east Missouri, under command of Brig .- Gen. J. W. Davidson.
The Twelfth Regiment was organized under the direction
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of Col. George E. Bryant, formerly a captain in the three- months' volunteers, where he distinguished himself for gal- lantry, and thorough acquaintance with the duties of a soldier. They left Madison on the 11th of January, arriving at Weston, Mo., on the 17th. On the 15th of February, they marched from thence to Leavenworth City, in Kansas, which place they left on the 1st of March for Fort Scott, accom- plishing the distance, one hundred and fifty miles, in six days ; from Fort Scott to Lawrence, and from Lawrence back to Fort Leavenworth, on the Missouri, arriving on the 27th of May. Here they embarked on the 29th for St. Louis. On arriving at that place, they took a steamer for Columbus, Ky., arriv- ing at the latter place on the 4th of June. During the months of June, July, August, and September, the Twelfth was en- gaged in repairing and guarding the railway in South-west Kentucky and North-west Tennessee. In the beginning of October, they were moved to Bolivar, in Tennessee.
The Twelfth was a marching regiment, and was not engaged in any of the great battles which occupied a prominent place in the eyes of the country. On the 1st of December, 1862, they were in camp, near Waterford, Miss., in the fourth division of the Army of the Tennessee, under command of Major-Gen. U. S. Grant.
The Thirteenth Regiment (Col. William P. Lyon) left Camp Medway, at Janesville, under orders for Kansas. From Wes- ton, Mo., they marched to Leavenworth City, where they staid three weeks, thence to Fort Scott, and afterwards to Lawrence.
They were subsequently ordered to Columbus in Kentucky, at which place they arrived in the beginning of June; and about the middle of August were transferred to Fort Henry, in Tennessee, where they remained in garrison during the year.
On the 1st of September, Col. Maloney was recalled by the war department to his former command in the regular service ; and Capt. William P. Lyon of the Eighth was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment. The regiment was, at the close of 1862, in the district of Columbia, department of West Tennessee, commanded by Gen. U. S. Grant.
The Fourteenth Regiment (Col. John Hancock) made up principally of companies from the northern line of frontier
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counties, left Fond du Lac on the 8th of March, arriving at St. Louis on the 11th. They remained in Benton Barracks two weeks, and moved thence up the Tennessee River, with orders to report to Gen. Grant at Savannah.
On the 6th of April, they marched from Savannah to Shiloh, arriving about midnight, where they were compelled to stand in the storm, without shelter, until daylight, and took part in the memorable battle of the 7th of April. In this engagement, the regiment charged three successive times upon a rebel battery, and, after a terrible contest, captured it. One of the pieces was spiked by Lieut. Staley of Company D, and pre- sented to the regiment by Major-Gen. Halleck ; and is now kept by the State as a trophy of the gallant action of her sons. In this battle, Capt George E. Waldo of Manitowoc was killed; Col. Wood, Lieut .- Col. Messmore, and Lieuts. M. M. Hurlbut and J. D. Post, were wounded, from the effects of which the latter died, on the 27th of May. The total loss of the regi- ment was fourteen killed, seventy-two wounded, and seven missing. Lieut. M. K. Barnes died of disease, at Hamburg, Tenn., Aug. 3.
The hardships and exposure incident to this battle, and Col. Wood's position afterwards as provost-marshal at Pittsburg Landing, induced disease, by which he was prostrated, He was taken home to Fond du Lac to die, and add another noble victim to this war brought on by an unholy rebellion.
At the second battle of Corinth, on the 3d and 4th of Octo- ber, the regiment, under the command of Col. Hancock, dis- played signal bravery, and by its unflinching courage sustained the reputation they had acquired at Shiloh, where they had earned the name of the " Wisconsin Regulars." Their brigade was commanded by Col. John M. Oliver of the Fifteenth Michigan, from whose official account of the battle the follow- ing extract is taken : -
"This regiment was the one to rely upon in any emergency. Though suffering more loss than any other regiment in the command, they main- tained their lines, and delivered their fire, with all the precision and coolness which could have been maintained upon drill.
" I would call your attention to the death of Capt. Vaughan of the Fourteenth Wisconsin, who fell at the end of the old line of the enemy's breastworks, nobly supported by Capt. Harrison of the same regiment.
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They steadily held the party of skirmishers on our right and front, at the foot of the hill, where we had so long and fierce a fight. On Friday, Capt. Harrison lost a leg (since died). Capt. Vaughan gave his life for his country. First Lieut. S. A. Tinkham, promoted for meritorious conduct at Shiloh, who was killed about the same time on Friday, deserves honorable mention for his services. Capt. Asa Worden and First Lieut. E. F. Ferris, particularly distinguished for their bravery and coolness, were wounded while in the active discharge of their duties."
In this action, they lost in killed, wounded, and missing, ninety-eight men. Col. Hancock, then commanding officer, had been actively engaged in four of the great battles of this war ; viz., Blackburn's Ford, Bull Run, Shiloh, and Corinth, in each of which he had proved himself a worthy inheritor of the honored name he bears. The regiment was then (Dec. 8) near Abbyville, Miss., in the left wing of Army of the Ten- nessee; under command of Major-Gen. U. S. Grant.
The Fifteenth Regiment (Col. Hans. C. Heg) was raised principally from the Scandinavian population of the State, and on the 2d of March left Camp Randall. They proceeded to Chicago and to the Mississippi River, moved down that stream, and were incorporated with the force operating against Island No. 10. On the 8th of April, the Union forces took possession ; and the Fifteenth was put in garrison there. On the 11th of June, Col. Heg was ordered to proceed in the direction of Corinth with eight companies, leaving two com- panies at the island as garrison; where, according to last reports (in 1862), they still remained. Subsequently, the eight companies were removed from place to place, through Ten- nessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, taking part in several skirmishes and scouting-parties. In one expedition, two infantry regiments, under Lieut .- Col. McKee of the Fif- teenth, returned with forty-six prisoners, a hundred small-arms, eighteen horses, and twenty mules, taken from guerillas.
The Fifteenth was also engaged in the Battle of Perryville. The regiment, Dec. 20, was near Murfreesborough, Tenn., in the ninth division of the Army of the Cumberland, under command of Major-Gen. W. S. Rosecrans.
The Sixteenth Regiment (Col. Benjamin Allen), one of the largest which left the State, had completed its organization about the middle of February, and left Camp Randall, Madi-
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son, on the thirteenth day of March, under orders for St. Louis. Here they remained but one day, embarking on the 15th for Fort Henry, Tenn., to join Gen. Grant's command. Previous to their arrival, Gen. Grant had moved his command to Savan- nah, at which place the regiment joined him, on the 20th of March.
They took part in the battle of Shiloh, on the 6th and 7th of April. They were posted as the advance-guard of the army, in which position they exchanged the first shot with the enemy, and afterwards nobly did their duty during that terrible first day's battle. Capt. Saxe was killed at the first fire ; and Capt. Pease received a mortal wound, from the effects of which he died on the 22d of April. Col. Allen, Lieut .- Col. Fairchild, and Capts. Train and Wheeler were wounded. The total loss in killed and wounded at this battle was two hundred and forty-five. In no action of Wisconsin regiments had more bravery and determined resistance been shown than in the action of this regiment in that memorable contest. The cool- ness and intrepidity of the field-officers-in connection with whom should be mentioned Adjutant Sabin, and in which they were nobly supported by the whole regiment -has already become a prominent item in the history of this war. The many attempts of the enemy to entrap the regiment on the morning of the 6th instant were most gallantly repulsed, and, by the coolness of the colonel, most ingeniously thwarted.
They participated in the siege of Corinth, under command of Gen. Halleck, and, after its occupation by our troops, were stationed in the vicinity during the summer, and took part in the battle of Corinth, on the 3d and 4th of October, where their loss was thirty-five in killed and wounded.
After their return from the pursuit of the enemy which fol- lowed this battle, they were stationed for a short time at Grand Junction, from which place they marched, on the 28th of November, in the direction of Holly Springs. On the 30th, they were engaged in the battle in front of the rebel strong- hold on the Tallahatchie, which resulted in the surrender of the enemy's fortifications at that place, which were entered by our troops on the 1st of December. The regiment at this date numbered four hundred and ninety-nine. Having become
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so reduced, it was deemed advisable by the commanding gen- eral to consolidate the ten companies into five, which was done. Col. Allen returned to Wisconsin, where, assisted by his surplus line officers, he recruited five additional companies from among the drafted men in camps of rendezvous. At the close of 1862, this regiment was near Grand Junction, Tenn.
The Seventeenth Regiment (Col. Adam G. Malloy), composed mainly of Irishmen, was recruited at large throughout the State, and, having completed its organization, left Camp Randall in two divisions ; the first on the 20th of March, and the second on the 23d, for St. Louis. Here they were placed in Benton Barracks, and were soon ordered to Corinth, in the vicinity of which place they were stationed during the summer.
They took part in the second battle of Corinthi, on the 3d and 4th of October. Up to this date, the regiment had not been called upon to participate in any general engagement. They fought gloriously. To defeat an attempt of the enemy to out- flank our forces, the Seventeenth was ordered to "charge bay- onets." With a deafening cheer of their national " Faugh a ballah!" heard so often on the battle-fields of old Europe, they rushed upon the rebels, routing and dispersing them in wild disorder. Their behavior merited .the encomiums of Gen. McArthur, who said, "Boys of the Seventeenth, you have made the most glorious charge of the campaign." In this action, the regiment lost in killed, wounded, and missing, forty-one men. Among the wounded were Capt. H. McDermott of Company B, who was shot through the shoulder while lead- ing his company.
On the resignation of Col. John L. Doran, Lieut .- Col. A. G. Malloy was promoted to the command of the regiment; Major McMahon was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, and Adjutant William H. Plunkett major, - promotions worthily bestowed, and which materially increased the efficiency of the regiment.
At the close of 1862, they were near Waterford, Miss., in the left wing, Army of the Tennessee, under command of Major- Gen. Grant.
The Eighteenth Regiment (Col. Gabriel Bouck), about the 1st of February, was in camp, although, as yet, scarcely full to the minimum. The weather was inclement, and prevented their
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attaining much proficiency in drill during the short time which intervened between their organization as a regiment and their departure from Milwaukee, on the 30th of March. They merely touched at St. Louis, being hurried forward to join the main army at Pittsburg Landing. On the morning after their arrival (the memorable 6th of April), just one week from their departure from Milwaukee, they were called upon to take part in the battle of Shiloh. Their loss in this and the succeeding day's conflict, was in killed, twenty-four, among whom were Col. Alban, Major Crain, and Capt. Compton ; wounded, eighty-two, including Lieuts. Coleman and Potter; and in prisoners, a hun- dred and seventy-four, among whom were four captains and four lieutenants.
The following extract from a letter from Gov. Harvey, written at Cairo, while on his errand of mercy to the sick and wounded Wisconsin soldiers, should form a portion of the record of the Eighteenth : -
" My heart bleeds at the sad fortune of this regiment, the most recently- gathered of all our regiments. Encamped at Milwaukee in an inclement season, affording no opportunity for either company or regimental drill, without a single regimental officer, and, I believe, no company officer of military experience, they were ordered from Milwaukee to St. Louis, with the expectation of passing some time at Benton Barracks in becoming familiar with their duties. But they were hurried from the cars to a boat, disembarked at Pittsburg Landing Saturday night, and sent from the river directly to the front of Sherman's division, and plunged into the hottest of the fight on Sunday morning. Many of the men heard the order to load and fire, for the first time in their lives, in the presence of an enemy. They did all that men could do. Many regiments of that fight may well covet the impressions which the Eighteenth Wisconsin left of personal bravery, heroic daring, and determined endurance."
Capt. Gabriel Bouck of Company E, Second Regiment, was promoted to command of this regiment on the 22d of April. During the summer, they were stationed at Corinth. On the 3d and 4th of October, they participated in the battle of Corinth. Here "Col. Bouck, cool and sagacious, with his gallant Eighteenth Wisconsin, did most effectual service; was detached to guard Smith's Bridge, which he afterwards, by order, destroyed ; and brought his command into the division in excellent order."
PCS. Catalanesen
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Capts. Millard, Layne, Fisk, Bremmer, and Saxton, and Lieuts. Wilson, Ford, Woodruff, Stokes, and Southmayd, taken prisoners at Shiloh, were exchanged, and again returned to their regiment.
At the close of 1862, the regiment was (Dec. 8) near Abby- ville, in the left wing, Army of the Tennessee, under command of Major-Gen. Grant.
CHAPTER XLIII.
WISCONSIN'S WAR RECORD.
Events of 1862 continued - Regimental History - The War Record to the Close of the Year 1862 - Memories of the Battle-Field.
AND now as to the Nineteenth Regiment, Col. H. T. San- ders. By special authority from the war department, the or- ganization of the Nineteenth as an independent regiment was commenced in the month of December, 1861, and completed in the beginning of April, 1862.
On the 20th of April, they were ordered to Camp Randall, at Madison, to take charge of the rebel prisoners sent to Wis- consin after the fall of Fort Donelson. Upon the transfer of the prisoners to Chicago, they were ordered to the Potomac, and left Madison on the 2d of June, arriving in Washington on the 5th. From Washington, they were ordered to Norfolk, in Virginia, where they still remained in 1862. The following extract from "The Norfolk Union " will show in what estimation they were held there : -
"We do not wish to detract from, or in any respect call in question, the claim to the brave, moral, and high-toned qualities of the people of the good old State of Connecticut, so renowned in all that gives dignity to a Chris- tianized civilization of the highest order ; but we think a part of the great 'North-west will be entitled to be known as the Connecticut of the West in this respect ; and we are led to these remarks by the exemplary conduct and quiet bearing of the Wisconsin regiment now stationed here, under com- mand of its gallant leader, Col. Sanders. Our people had become favorably impressed with the Delaware First, and sincerely regretted its removal ; but we believe that they are fully compensated by the substitution of the Nine- teenth Wisconsin, which has won the entire confidence of the people."
Col. Sanders at that time occupied a triplicate position, - as president of the military commission, commander of the provost-marshal's guard, and colonel of the Nineteenth.
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The Twentieth Regiment (Col. Henry Bertram) was organ- ized under the call for seventy-five thousand. The men were recruited during the months of June and July. The organiza- tion was completed, and the regiment mustered into the United States service, in the beginning of August.
The field officers of this regiment were all promoted from the old regiments in the field, - Col. Bertine Pinkney, for- merly lieutenant-colonel of the Third, Lieut .- Col. Bertram, captain of Company A in the same regiment, and Major H. A. Starr, captain in the First, all of whom were capable men, and officers of experience.
On the 30th of August, they left Camp Randall under orders for St. Louis, where they arrived on the 31st. On the 6th of September, they were ordered to Rolla, at which place they remained for ten days, when they marched to Springfield, on the 22d.
Quartermaster J. A. Douglas, whose health had been declin- ing for some time previous, died on the 14th of October. He was universally esteemed by the regiment.
They remained in the vicinity of Springfield until the beginning of December, when they were called upon to take part in the movement of Gen Herron's forces for the purpose of effecting a junction with Gen. Blunt (who was holding the enemy in check near Cane Hill, Ark.), thereby preventing the rebels from entering Missouri. On Sunday, the 7th of December, they came in sight of the enemy at Prairie Grove, Ark., having marched one hundred miles in three days. Their conduct during the terrible fight which followed showed they did not need their general's reminder, as he placed them in position, that " Wisconsin had never been disgraced by her . sons in arms." They charged upon and took a rebel battery of six guns at the point of the bayonet, and, being unable to take the guns from the field, disabled them, and slowly retired, without confusion, under the fire of five rebel regiments. Capts. John McDermott and John Weber, and Lieut. Thomas Bintliff, were killed in this fearful charge, and Lieut .- Col. Henry Bertram, Capts. O. Gillett and H. C. Strong, with Lieuts. Jackson, Bird, Butler, Blake, Ferguson, Root, and Miller, wounded. The total loss was forty-nine killed, one hundred and forty-eight wounded, and eight missing.
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This sketch may be properly concluded by quoting the following brief order of the commanding general : -
"CAMP PRAIRIE GROVE, ARKANSAS, Dec. 10, 1862.
Gov. E. SALOMON, - I congratulate you and the State on the glorious conduct of the Twentieth Wisconsin Infantry in the great battle of Prairie Grove. Nobly have they sustained the reputation of the State. I earnestly recommend the immediate promotion of Lieut .- Col. Bertram to the colonelcy.
(Signed)
F. J. HERRON, Brigadier-General, Commanding 1st and 3d Divisions.
Col. Pinkney having resigned on account of ill health, Lieut .- Col. Bertram was promoted to the command of the regiment on the 10th of December, 1862.
The Twenty-first Regiment (Col. Benjamin J. Sweet) was recruited and organized during the months of July and August, under the President's last call for three hundred thousand men, and was formed of companies recruited from Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Waupacca, and Outagamie Counties.
The field officers were all promoted from service in old regi- ments, - Col. Sweet, formerly lieutenant-colonel of the Sixth, Lieut .- Col. Hobart from the Fourth, and Major Schumacher from the Sixth.
They left Camp Bragg, under orders for Cincinnati, on the 11th of September, and, immediately on their arrival in that city, were transferred to the Kentucky side of the river, and took their position in the defence of Cincinnati. They remained in this vicinity until the approach of the rebel army, under Gen. Bragg, when, on the 8th of October, they took part in the battle of Perryville, less than one month after they left the State. Placed in the front of the batteries of the right brigade, they met the approach of the enemy with a withering fire, which they sustained with the greatest coolness, until overpowered, and compelled to retire. In this battle, they lost in killed forty-one, including Major Schumacher, Capt. Gibbs, and Capt. George Bentley of Company H, Lieut. E. D. Kirkland of Company H, and Lieut. Mitchell of Company C; in wounded, one hundred and one, including Col. Sweet, one captain, and two lieutenants; in prisoners, one hundred and
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twenty-one, among.whom was Lieut. J. C. Crawford of Com- pany G, taken prisoner while looking after the dead and wounded on the field of battle, at night. There were also missing fifteen, who were supposed to have been killed, or taken prisoners.
At the close of 1862, this regiment was (Dec. 15) near Nashville, Tenn., in the third division of the Army of the Cumberland, under command of Major-Gen. Rosecrans.
The Twenty-second Regiment (Col. William L. Utley) was made up almost exclusively of men from the counties of Racine, Rock, Green, and Walworth. Col. Utley had been for many years prominent in military matters of the State, and twice occupied the position of adjutant-general. The task of organ- izing the first volunteer regiments of the State, in the year 1861, devolved upon him. In this work, new to Wisconsin, and without precedent or experience, his military knowledge and energy contributed largely to the efficiency and fame of Wisconsin soldiers.
The regiment was ordered to Cincinnati, and left Racine on the 16th of September, arriving at Cincinnati on the 18th. They were encamped in Kentucky, about five miles south-west of the city, until the last of November, when they removed to Nicholasville, below Lexington.
The Twenty-third Regiment (Col. Joshua J. Guppy) was composed principally of Dane and Columbia County men. Col. Guppy is a well-known resident of Portage City. He was lieutenant-colonel of the Tenth Regiment, and had the advantage of a military education, and of one year's service in the field. Lieut .- Col. Jussen was a member of the State legislature of 1861 and 1862.
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