History of Grant County, Wisconsin, Part 93

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1044

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On July 26, the regiment left Snyder's Bluff and moved up the Mississippi River to Helena, where it was detached from the brigade and assigned to provost guard duty. Col. Montgomery was placed in command of the post. Here almost the entire regiment was placed in the hospital. The excessive sickness which the Twenty-fifth suffered was charged to

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former rapid marching and excessive heat. At one time, only fifteen men were reported fit for duty in the whole regiment, and only two Captains-Farquharson and Gordon-the former being in command of the regiment, and the latter acting as Provost Marshal. Lieut. Col. Nasmith and Maj. Rusk were absent, sick. The former afterward succumbed to the disease which had fastened itself upon him, and died at his home in Platteville in the August following, Maj. Rusk being advanced to the Lieutenant Colonelcy.

The regiment left Helena in February and moved down to Vicksburg, where they joined Gen. Sherman's Meridian expedition, and did good service in inflicting serious damage on rebel property. March 13 the Twenty-fifth-the division to which it was attached-proceeded up the Mississippi to Cairo, and thence up the Tennessee to Waterloo, Ala., from which place they marched via Florence, Athens and Mooresville, to Decatur, Ala., where they joined the other division of the Sixteenth Corps under Gen. Dodge. In May, the Twenty-fifth proceeded to Chattanooga to join the forces of Gen. Sherman. Here they, as a portion of the Sixteenth Army Corps, formed part of the Army of the Tennessee under Gen. McPherson. The Twenty- fifth took part in both advances on Resaca. In the engagement of the 13th, the regiment was in the front line as a support to a battery ; on the succeeding day, they, late in the afternoon, joined the Fifteenth Army Corps for an attack upon the enemy's. works on the extreme left. The Twenty-fifth signalized itself that day by charging across an open plain to relieve the Thir- tieth Iowa, which had run out of ammunition. Here, despite the fact that the enemy charged fiercely three successive times, they held the crest of the hill and repulsed each attack with heavy loss to their assailants. During this encounter, Company C was absent on picket duty, but their adventures in endeavoring to find their regiment were fully as exciting to the partici- pants as adventures that have found their way into chronicles of the time. During the night the regiment threw up a slight breastwork, from behind which they engaged in skirmishes the next day. The gallant action of the Twenty-fifth on the 14th, received most flattering notice from Brig. Gen. Wood, who was in command of the Fifteenth Corps. The loss during these engagements was reported as follows: Company C-Killed or died of wounds, Private B. Seitz; wounded, Private, J. W. Tuckwood. Company E-Wounded, Privates M. Cornell, E. H. Moore, Charles Richey and Patrick Henry. Company H-Killed or died of wounds, Sergt. Thomas H. Clark ; wounded, Privates Joseph School and Bartholomew Stoll.

The regiment joined in the pursuit of the enemy, and from May 27 to May 31, the casual- ties were Company I-killed, Private S. Taylor ; Company E -- Wounded, Private Emory Blan- chard ; Company H, Private Dewald Garner. Still onward went the Twenty-fifth, taking part in Gen. Sherman's flank movement to drive the enemy from Allatoona. The regiment moved to the left, and took position near the Big Sandy, where it remained until June 10, when it again moved southward against the enemy's lines, between Pine and Kenesaw Mountains. Here they were occupied in throwing up defenses and skirmishing. On the 15th, five companies of the Twenty-fifth, with companies from New York and Ohio regiments, deployed as skirmishers and attacked the enemy's rifle-pits at Peach Orchard, carrying them and taking a number of prisoners. The loss was : Company I-killed, Corporal Joseph Nelson ; wounded, Corporal William Longbotham ; Privates, Wilkins, William Swansey, Henry Drink and John Loffelholtz. On the enemy retiring his lines, the Twenty-fifth, with the remainder of the division, advanced nearer Kenesaw Mountain. On the 3d of July, the army, or that portion in front of Kenesaw, began to move to the right and left. At Nickajack Creek, the Sixteenth Corps had a heavy skirmish with the enemy. On the 9th, this corps moved to the rear, and, after marching and countermarching, the brigade appeared within three miles of Atlanta, but was on the succeeding day ordered back to guard the flanks covering the trains. On the day following, July 22, they were attacked by two divisions of Wheeler's dismounted cavalry. Col. Montgomery, with Com- panies B, E, F and I, and four companies of the Sixty-second Ohio, were ordered out to ascer- tain the position of the enemy. The road up which the skirmishers advanced was bordered on the one side by a swamp, narrow but impassable, while on the other, a deep, miry ditch presented itself. Some distance from the swamp, Company F and an Ohio company, under command of

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Lieut. Col. Rusk, met the enemy, and were driven down the road to the reserve. The enemy now advanced in strong force, and Col. Montgomery moved the reserve by the left flank, and, in attempting to pass the ditch, his horse sank in the mire and the Colonel was wounded and captured. Lieut. Col. Rusk, after holding the enemy in check for some time, was forced back, and in the retreat barely escaped capture. The force was obliged, however, to fall back through the town, but finally the enemy was checked and the trains saved. The loss to Grant County companies was as follows : Company C-Wounded, Sergt. Z. Thomas ; Privates, C. C. Coates, Charles Croft, Newton Doty, Isaac O. Murray, Charles O. Jones, Henry Julus and Warren D. Wordon. Company E-Killed, Second Lieut. William H. Quibble ; Corporal William H. Bailey ; Privates, Marion High, Ransom J. Bartle, Thomas C. Dougherty, John Grover, George Lafollet and Charles Rickey; wounded, Sergt. B. F. Bailey ; . Corporal George Douglass; Privates, George M. Thomas, Fred Stanover, Benjamin C. Durley, J. N. Clifton, W. T. Long, J. M. Rosey, Jacob Eiserman and Elias Worley. Company H-Killed, Private Howard Finley ; wounded, Privates B. Stell and Robert Crouch. Company I-Wounded, Privates S. P. Muffley, Sylvester Woody and Patrick Kees. Twenty-five men from the Twenty-fifth were also reported missing. The regiment soon after moved to the works before Atlanta, and'remained engaged in camp duty and siege work until October, participating in a few skirmishes, and losing in wounded: Company C-Corporal J. T. Wilkinson and Private D. Scribner. Company E- Corporal Edward Bentley ; Privates Jacob Eiserman, James R. Hudson and Jacob Shafer. Com- pany H-Sergt. Edward McTael. Company I-Corporal Levi Pretts and Private John Loffel- holtz. In October, the Twenty-fifth took part in the pursuit of Hood, and then returned to Atlanta, where preparations were in progress for that march which was to remain ever among the movements of the war the most prominent-" the march to the sea." Upon leaving Atlanta, on the 15th of November, the Twenty-fifth acted as train guard as far as Monticello. On the 20th, they were relieved from that duty and joined the brigade. From this point the regiment was engaged in destroying railroad, and foraging. Upon arriving at Toomsboro, they were detailed as ponton guard, the Engineer Corps being placed under command of Lieut. Col. Rusk. The enemy was again encountered December 9, but retired without offering battle. On the suc- ceeding day, the regiment came upon the enemy's breastworks, but found, after advancing within several hundred yards of them, that a dirty bit of swamp lay between. They, however, held their position until relieved by the Fourteenth Army Corps the following day ; the loss was one killed, Louis Buchacher, of Company H. On they went, resting for short spells, and again taking up their line of march, skirmishing, marching, defending important positions, but always pressing forward. In this manner, they passed down through the remainder of Georgia through Savannah, which was presented as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln by Gen. Sherman, and proceeded to Beaufort, where they encamped early in January, 1865.

On January 13, the march through the Carolinas commenced, and the regiment crossed the Pocotaligo on pontons and bivouacked within one mile of the fort, which the enemy evacu- ated during the night.

On the Salkahatchie River the Twenty-fifth met the enemy and routed him from a tem- porary breastwork. This was on January 20. February 2, four companies, C, E, I and K, were advanced under command of Lieut. Col. Rusk, as skirmishers. The swamp through which they were obliged to advance, though not touched by rebel hands, was amply fortified by nature. Cypress limbs projected in the most unexpected places, while the treacherous miry bottom would admit the unwary skirmisher anywhere from ankle to hip. To add to the delights of soldiering in this particular instance, the way was impeded with a species of brush which seemingly grew thorns and nothing else. One officer remarked in proof of the insinuating proclivities of these brush, that he went in with a handsome dress-coat, and came out in a roundabout; the re- mainder was retained to remember him by. The objective point was a rebel battery'on the opposite side of the main channel of the river. The covering of the bridge having been torn up by the rebels, and timbers carefully set corner-ways, the chance of crossing seemed reduced to the minimum, especially as the river was too deep to ford, and the enemy had trained a battery

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in position to sweep the road. In this dilemma, two trees, from whose roots the dirt had been washed away by the current, causing them to lean across the stream, were discovered by Capt. Farquharson, in command of the advance skirmish line. Obtaining an ax, a few blows on the landward side parted the retaining roots and, presto ! and an excellent bridge was provided. Over this improvised structure the whole brigade passed that night, and, flanking the rebel battery, compelled it to "pull up " to avoid capture, and the brigade passed on, driving the enemy from the high ground and opening a road for the advancing army. Among the minor incidents of the Salkahatchie troubles might be mentioned two that would bring to Grant County veterans a vivid remembrance of the scene. The rebel battery, trained as it was on the road over which the troops were passing, was doing much damage. When it occurred to an enterprising Bad- ger, named Clough, a member of Company C-who, as the skirmish line advanced, had found himself close by the dismantled bridge-that a cypress on the opposite bank afforded a pecul- iarly enviable position from which to pick of the gunners of the battery. Whether he swam the river or crawled over on the sharp-edged stringers of the bridge, was not known, but suddenly the attention of his comrades was called to the fact that Clough was across, and from cover of the cypress coolly blazing away at the "rebs." Here he remained until he had expended on the enemy 300 rounds of ammunition. As his position was only secure so long as he kept under cover of his cypress defenses, Badger's stock of ammunition was kept up by supplies from his friends " across the water," who continued to toss cartridges over until darkness prevented the marksman from doing further service, and allowed of his safe retreat.

Still another serves to illustrate the fund of dry humor and promptness to act in any and all emergencies, which characterized not only these, but all members of "Sherman's boys." The General in command of the brigade, Mower, had advanced to the front of the skirmish line, anxious to ascertain if the main channel of the Salkahatchie had been reached. Its depth, as has been seen, presented an obstacle to the further advance of the army. The General, de- ceived by the appearance of the stream, held the opinion that it was fordable, a point which was disputed in an emphatic manner by the Captain in command of the skirmish line. "I think, Captain, the stream can be forded," finally replied Gen. Mower, closing the conversation. Dur- ing the discussion, Private Lowry, of Company C, Twenty-fifth Wisconsin, had been standing near. As the words passed the mouth of his General, equipped as he was, and musket in hand, Lowry sprang into the river and swam to the center of the channel. Reaching this point, he ex- tended his gun at arm's length above his head, and with the cry, "Oh, yes, General, this can be forded ! " sank, gun and all, out of sight. It is needless to say that the General reversed his de- cision. At this point Company I lost Sergt. William Tomlinson, killed.

On the 9th of the same month the enemy were again encountered, at South Edisto. Here the Twenty-fifth led the advance, and swinging around through a swamp threw a ponton bridge across the stream, and, advancing through mud and water, charged the enemy's works and dislodged him. At this point the men suffered severely from cold, their clothes freezing on them until, in the language of a participant, " they rattled like sheet iron," as they walked. Reaching Columbia, they served for a short time as provost guard, but were soon after ordered to Wilkes' Mills, on Juniper Creek, where they were employed in grinding corn for the division until March, when they proceeded forward. On the 15th, at South River, the regiment again was in the advance, and with other forces again charged the rebels, routed them, and secured a safe passage for the army over the river. In the attack on Goldsboro, the Twenty-fifth acted as & support to the forces charging the enemy's works, and, on March 23, they crossed the Neuse River and entered the city. Arriving at Raleigh on the 14th of April, upon the surrender of Johnston's army, the regiment joined the line moving northward, reaching Richmond May 13, and Washington on the 24th of the same month, where they participated in the grand review of Sherman's army. They then went into camp at Crystal Springs, where the regiment was mus- tered out June 7, and started for Wisconsin, arriving at Madison on the 11th of the month. They were then paid off and disbanded.

Thirty-third .- This regiment was organized at Camp Utley, Racine, in the fall of 1862. Col. Jonathan B. Moore, formerly Sheriff of Grant County, had been appointed to the com-

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mand of the regiment and Horatio A. Virgin received a commission as Major in the same. This action of the Governor was viewed with the greatest approbation, being considered as a recogni- tion of Grant County's services which had previous to this time been entirely ignored, but two field officers having been allowed to this county-Lieut. Col. McKee and Lieut. Col. Nasmith- which had sent out over two full regiments. In the Thirty-third went three companies from Grant. Frank's, Earnhart's and Burdick's. Besides these full companies, Company A, Capt. Moore, was made up in a great measure of Grant County men that had been enlisted by George B. Carter, who went out with the company as First Lieutenant.

The other companies in regimental organization became Companies B, D and G, with offi- cers as follows : Company B, Captain, George R. Frank; First Lieutenant, George Haw ; Second Lieutenant, Andrew Burchard. Company D, Captain, William S. Earnhart; First Lieutenant, Uriah F. Briggs ; Second Lieutenant, Noble L. Warner. Company G, Captain, Frank B. Burdiek ; First Lieutenant, George E. Harrington ; Second Lieutenant, Elliot N. Liscom.

The regiment was mustered into the United States service October 18, 1862. Leaving the State the succeeding month, they proceeded down the Mississippi to Memphis, where they were assigned to a brigade in Gen. Lawman's division, Gen. Sherman's wing of the "Army of the Tennessee." Col. Moore was here placed in command of the brigade, the command of the reg- iment falling upon Lieut. Col. Lovell. After participating in the movement toward Jackson, Miss., the regiment returned to Memphis, where it was transferred to the Fourth Division, at the request of Gen. Lawman, who had been ordered to take command of that branch of the army. This division was afterward transferred to Gen. Hurlburt's Sixteenth Army Corps. In April, 1863, the regiment formed part of the force that marched on Coldwater. Company B had one wounded on this expedition, Sergt. Bliss, other companies escaping unscathed. On the 25th of May they took position in the lines investing Vicksburg. On the 30th of June. Company D, forty men under Capt. Warner, supported by Company F and two companies from an Illinois regiment, moved forward under a heavy fire from the enemy's main works, and took possession of the rebel rifle-pits under one of their strong forts. Capt. Warner soon after stormed the top of the hill, drove the enemy back and took possession of the pits. They after- ward were obliged to fall back, being exposed to enfilading fire at short range, but the position was again re-taken the next evening. Capts. Warner and Carter with eighty men from the Thirty-third, and assisted by an Illinois regiment, obtained a position so near the enemy, that making a sudden charge they took the rebels by surprise and the hill-top was soon secured in such shape as to resist all attempts of the enemy to dislodge the gallant Thirty-third. This point was afterward relinquished by other troops, but again re-taken by Companies C and H supported by companies A. D, E.

The casualities during the siege were: Company B-Killed or died of wounds, Private Absalom Barger; wounded, Privates Samuel Armstrong and Peter Fillmore. Company D- wounded, Private George H. Farman.

The Thirty-third, after the surrender of Vicksburg, took part in the second attack upon Jackson and the " Meridian expedition " of Gen. Sherman. On the 9th of March, 1864, they joined the "Red River Expedition " and took part in the numerous encounters of that march. After the battle of Pleasant Hill, special mention was made of Sergt. Ewbank, of Company D, who, with his platoon, rendered effective service at this fight. At the battle of Simmsport Eugene M. Clayman, of Company B, was killed. Soon after they reached the mouth of the river and proceeded up the Mississippi to Vicksburg. During this campaign, Maj. Virgin was in command of the regiment. Col. Moore being in command of the division. The 22d of June the regiment accompanied Gen. Smith on his march into Mississippi. At the bloody battle of Tupelo, the Thirty-third held the extreme right of the front line and especially distinguished itself for conspicuous gallantry. The losses during this expedition were as follows: Company G- Killed or died of wounds, Private James Coleman. Wounded, Privates W. W. Bruce and August Jacob. Company D-Wounded, Corporals Lewis Billings and Ira W. Tracy ; Privates Horatio

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G. Atwood, Rufus J. Allen and George H. Farman. During the fall the regiment was en- gaged in a wearisome campaign in Arkansas and on the 30th of November, having been ordered to Nashville to re-enforce Gen. Thomas, they arrived at that city. The record of the regiment from this time is comprised principally of uninteresting movements and a few minor skirmishes, until in March, 1865, they joined in the attack upon Spanish Fort. The fort was evacuated by the enemy on the night of April 8, and on the morning of the 9th the Thirty-third entered the fort, being the first regiment to do so. There they captured two Napoleon guns and a num- ber of prisoners. Following is given a list of casualities around Mobile: Company D-Killed or died of wounds, Corporal M. C. Pember. Wounded, Sergts. John Leighton and James Delevan ; Privates D. S. Barlow, John Martin and Richard Lander. Company B-wounded, Private John Andrews. After the surrender of the city of Mobile, the Thirty-third moved to Montgomery, Ala., and did guard and picket duty until they were ordered to Vicksburg to be mustered out, at which place they arrived on July 31. Here the regiment was mustered out and started for Madison, where in August it was formally disbanded. At this time the State Journal speaking of this regiment said: " Few of our regiments have seen more or severer service than the Thirty-third, and its record is untarnished by any cowardly or dishonorable action."

Forty-first .- The Forty-first Infantry was organized at Madison, and mustered into the Uni- ted States service at Camp Randall, under the call for one hundred day troops. In this regi- ment Grant County was represented by one field officer, Maj. D. Gray Purman, and Company A., Capt. Schlosser. The officers of this company were: Captain, Peter J. Schlosser ; First Lieutenant, John Grindell; Second Lieutenant, George L. Hyde. The Forty-first left the State June 15, 1864, and proceeded to Memphis, where, in conjunction with the Thirty-ninth, also one hundred day men, it was assigned to the Third Brigade, and was placed on picket and guard duty, relieving the veteran regiments, who were then sent to the front. Here the Forty- first remained until their time of service expired, meeting the enemy in force but once, when, in August, Forrest's cavalry made a dash into Memphis. On this occasion, though taken by sur- prise, the regiment behaved with great coolness and bravery.

Their term of service having expired, they returned home, and were m ustered out of serv- ice in September. Their services, with that of the other hundred day troops, was handsomely acknowledged by President Lincoln, who, in addition, directed the War Department to cause a certificate of their services to be delivered to officers and men. These certificates were gotten up in handsome shape on parchment, and afterward distributed through the State Adjutant Gen- eral's office.

Forty-Third .- This regiment was recruited under the call of July, 1864, and left the State for Nashville, Tenn., in October of the same year. Company H, of this regiment was from Grant County, being officered as follows : Captain, William W. Likens, First Lieutenant, Elijah Lyon ; Second Lieutenant, Thomas O. Russell. Arriving at Nashville, the regiment, under orders, proceeded by rail to Johnsonville, on the Tennessee River, where it encamped, on October 15. This place was an important depot for supplies, and was the terminus of the mil- itary railroad from Nashville. At the time, this important point was menaced by the approach of the forces under Gen. Hood. The enemy, on the 4th of November, posted themselves on the opposite bank of the Tennessee and opened fire, but came no nearer. The Forty-third re- mained at Johnsonville until November 30, and then marched by way of Waverly, through an almost unbroken wilderness, to Clarksville, on the Cumberland River, where it arrived on the 4th of December. Remaining until the 28th, they moved up the Cumberland River to Nash- ville. On the 1st of January they left Nashville, and moved to Dechard, Tenn., by rail, where six companies went into camp, and four companies, under command of Maj. Brightman, were detached to guard Elk River bridge. Here they remained engaged in provost and guard duty on the line of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. In the beginning of June they re- turned to Nashville, and were mustered out of the service, soon after returning to Milwaukee, where they were disbanded.

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Forty-Fourth .- The Forty-fourth Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers was organized under the call of July, 1864, and a portion of the companies belonging to the regiment were sent for- ward during early fall to reenforce Gen. Thomas at Nashville. The remaining companies joined their comrades at that point, in February, 1865, where the regiment was first formally organ- ized. Grant County was represented in this regiment by Company K, officered as follows : Captain, William H. Beebe ; First Lieutenant, Arch. W. Bell; Second Lieutenant, William H. Peckham. This company was organized in the vicinity of Platteville. The regiment, after its organization, was employed in post and guard duty at Nashville. They remained here until March, when they proceeded to Eastport, Miss., and after remaining a short time, returned to Nashville, and on the 3d of April proceeded to Paducah, Ky., where they were employed in picket duty until the 28th of August. They were then mustered out of the service. The regi- ment left Paducah on the 30th of the month, and on the 2d of September, arrived at Madison, where they were paid off and disbanded.

Forty-seventh .- In this regiment was Capt. Baxter's company, organized in Grant County, its officers being as follows: Captain, Charles H. Baxter; First Lieutenant, John Grindell ; Second Lieutenant, Edwin Bliss. The company made Company K of the regimental organiza- tion. The regiment left the State in February, 1865, and proceeded to Louisville. Soon after they were ordered to Nashville, and thence to Tullahoma, at the junction of the McMinnville & Manchester Railroad with the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad. Here they were employed in guard duty until the latter part of August, when they returned to Nashville, where they were mustered out, and returned to Wisconsin, arriving at Madison on the 8th of September, where they were paid off and disbanded.

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History of Grant County, Wisconsin, Part 93

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1044

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1044