\ 
 
 
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I 
 THE STORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FIFTY-FIFTH REGIMENT 
 
 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 
 
 IN THE 
 
 CIVIL WAR 
 
 1861-186? 
 
 BY A COMMITTEE OF THE REGIMENT 
 
 l88 7 
 
E5os 
 
 -5 
 
 ^ 
 
 Printed by W. J. Coulter, 
 Clinton, Mass. 
 
 
TO 
 THE MEMORY 
 
 OF 
 
 OUR DEAD COMRADES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FIFTY-FIFTH 
 
 THESE RECORDS OF PATRIOTIC SERVICE 
 
 IN CAMP, BATTLE, MARCH AND SIEGE, 
 
 ARE 
 
 REVERENTLY DEDICATED. 
 
 M196305 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE following unambitious pages have been written at 
 the solicitation and for the gratification of a little brother 
 hood of war-scorched and time-harried survivors of one of 
 the regiments constituting General William Tecumseh Sher 
 man s first Western brigade; a regiment that followed him 
 from the drill-ground of 1861 at St. Louis, to the triumphal 
 review at Washington in 1865; that earned by sacrifice rarely 
 equalled the right to inscribe upon its banner the names of 
 nearly all the famous battle-fields whereon Sherman had any 
 command, from Shiloh to Bentonville; that left graves of its 
 battle-martyrs in the soil of eight rebellious commonwealths; 
 that during the four years of its service travelled nearly 
 twelve thousand miles, campaigning in every state south of 
 Mason and Dixon s line, save three at the extreme corners of 
 the Confederacy Delaware, Florida and Texas. 
 
 The three comrades detailed to share the composition of 
 this volume are severally responsible for the opinions ad 
 vanced in, and the fashion of, their own portions only of the 
 narrative, and to each individually belongs the praise or 
 blame due to his special contribution. Their labors have 
 been entirely gratuitous. Their facts have been gleaned 
 from every available source, but chiefly from careful collation 
 of numerous army letters and diaries of soldiers. An ex 
 haustive research among the war documents in the office of 
 the Adjutant-General of Illinois has been made by Captain 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 L. B. Crooker, and literal copies of those most material to 
 the regimental story have been obtained. A complete file of 
 the Chicago Tribune has also been examined. Both earliest 
 dispatches and latest official reports have been diligently 
 studied, but not blindly followed, for those who have helped 
 make the history of which they write, rarely acknowledge 
 newspaper correspondents, or even generals, to be infallible. 
 
 The authors have penned these records conscientiously, 
 with an enthusiastic pride in the achievements and fame of 
 their regiment; but they have not, like most regimental his 
 torians, entirely ignored the fact that in army life antago 
 nisms rankled and human passions raged, even when not 
 aroused by the frantic charge or in the fume of desperate 
 strife. Some will doubtless deprecate this unreserve per 
 haps censure the frank characterization of certain officials. 
 But, standing off at the cool distance of a quarter of a cen 
 tury from the heat of conflict, it should be safe to abate 
 somewhat of the usual indiscriminate and turgid eulogy of 
 those in high position for the sake of faithful verity, as well 
 as to pay simple justice to the patriotic rank and file. At 
 least, it seems axiomatic to the writers of this volume that 
 the revealing of truth and not its suppression is the proper 
 purpose of history; and that no one, yielding to a timorous 
 sentimentality, should dare, by glossing the short-comings of 
 those who were by chance clothed in a little brief authority, 
 to dim however slightly the bright meed of the unstarred 
 majority. If at certain epochs the men of the Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois Infantry were discontent under grave maladministra 
 tion of their affairs, or dispirited by a sense of wrong done 
 them, and yet did well their whole duty under all trials, they 
 might justly and sternly blame the records that should fail to 
 give them full credit for so rare merit. 
 
 The first four chapters, including the period from regi 
 mental organization in October, 1861, to the victory at 
 Arkansas Post in January, 1863, were written by Captain 
 Lucien B. Crooker of Mendota, Illinois. Chapters five to 
 nine inclusive, beginning with the Vicksburg campaign and 
 closing with the return to Atlanta of Sherman s army after 
 the pursuit of Hood in November, 1864, were contributed 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 by Captain Henry S. Nourse of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 
 Chapters ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen, telling the story of 
 the march to Savannah and through the Carolinas, and of the 
 subsequent service of the regiment until its muster out in 
 August, 1865, are by Sergeant-Major John G. Brown of Mar- 
 shalltown, Iowa. The closing chapter, by Chaplain Milton 
 L. Haney, was written at the unanimous request of the vet 
 erans assembled in reunion at Moline, Illinois, November n, 
 1886. The roster has been prepared by various hands under 
 the advice of Adjutant Francis P. Fisher. 
 
 The Committee of Publication, appointed at the first re 
 union of the survivors of the regiment, held at Canton, 111., 
 October 31, 1884, were Captains Lucien B. Crooker and John 
 T. McAuley, and Adjutant Francis P. Fisher. Captain Henry 
 Augustine has been treasurer of the History Fund, and Lieu 
 tenant Joseph Hartsook, secretary of the regimental Associa 
 tion. Both have rendered faithful service. The generous 
 contributions of certain comrades toward the cost of publi 
 cation would seem to deserve especial mention, but the diffi 
 culty of justly apportioning such credit is happily obviated 
 by their modesty, which shrinks from any publicity. 
 
 To J. W. Vance, Adjutant-General of Illinois, thanks are 
 due for uniform courtesy and valuable assistance. 
 
 OCTOBER, 1887. 
 
NOTE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 
 
 Several comrades have, by their diaries, war correspondence or rem 
 iniscences, furnished valuable material for the following pages; while 
 many others have by letter supplied items of interest from their recollec 
 tions. To the following, the Committee of Publication, desire to make due 
 acknowledgment for aid thus rendered: Joseph Hartsook, John B. 
 Ridenour, Curtis P. Lacey, John Averill, Peter Roberts, A. B. Wetzel, 
 Francis H. Shaw, Henry Augustine, Jacob Fink, Milton L. Haney, Robert 
 M. Cox, Robert Oliver, John W. Edwards, Horace T. Healey, James W. 
 Gay, Robert Dixon, John H. Fisher, A. A. Williams, Timothy Slattery, 
 Thomas P. Latimer, Calvin A. Songster, John Sheneman, John Warden, 
 Orion P. Howe, J. H. Myers, C. R. Fluke, W. H. Lowe, C. C. Davis, H. 
 H. Kendrick, Peter Leibundguth, Ezra Witter, Richard Taylor, E. J. 
 Porter, C. M. Browne, Fred Ebersold, N. S. Aagesen, J. C. Garner, Charles 
 B. Wood, H. H. Joslin, H. M. Haney, G. W. Curfman, Robert A. Lower, 
 Albert F. Paden, Charles L. West, J. H. Mills, William H. Barkley, James 
 H. Brazleton, G. M. Burnside, Albert B. Maxwell, Stephen R. Bell, F. H. 
 Sanders, A. Mead, Joseph Hebb, Washington A. Biggs. 
 
 The very extensive correspondence, and the wide separation of the 
 authors may, perhaps, have caused others, equally deserving, to be over 
 looked. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 OCTOBER, 1861, TO JANUARY, 1863. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CAMP DOUGLAS. BENTON BARRACKS. PADUCAH. TENNESSEE RIVER. 
 
 Old Camp Douglas and the Douglas Brigade. David Stuart. The Forty- 
 second Illinois Infantry departs. Oscar Malmborg appears. A vigilant 
 Sentinel. Colonel Stuart s Energy under Difficulties. Removal to New 
 Camp Douglas. Methodist Ministers as Recruiting Officers. Revolv 
 ing Rifles and Sharp-shooting. Discipline and Drill. Organization of 
 the Fifty-fifth. Drummed out of Camp. Arbitrary Promotions and 
 Transfers. Running the Guard. The Original Roster of Officers. 
 Farewell to Chicago. Grand Military Ovation. Peculiar Organization 
 of the Fifty-fifth. At Benton Barracks, St. Louis. William Tecumseh 
 Sherman Appears upon the Scene. The Regiment Receives Worthless 
 Arms. Sergeant Kendrick s Protest. Down the Mississippi on the D. 
 A. January. Stuck on a Sand-bar. Arrival at Paducah. The Camp in 
 the Snow. The Orderly-Sergeants and Colonel Stuart s Oration to them. 
 Building a Fort. Fun at the Sutlers . The Dresden Rifle issued. The 
 Fifty-fifth Delegate at Donelson. The Brass Band Departs. Numer 
 ous Changes in the Line Officers. Expedition to Columbus, Ky. The 
 Regimental Baggage Train. On the Steamboat Hannibal, up the Ten 
 nessee. Colonel Stuart Airs his Eloquence. Sundry Promotions. Ex 
 pedition to Tyler s Landing. Return to Pittsburgh Landing.. . 17-65. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH. 
 
 Pittsburgh Landing Described. The Little Peach Orchard at Locust 
 Creek. Camps of Stuart s Brigade. Shiloh Church. Reconnoissance 
 to Monterey. Captain Clay s only Capture. The Grand Left Wheel of 
 
10 CONTENTS. 
 
 the Confederate Army. The Friday Night Alarm. The Day before 
 the Struggle. The Union General s Delusion. Opening of the Great 
 Battle of Sunday. The Condition of the Federal Lines. Stuart s Re 
 port. Comments upon the Report. Vindication of the Fifty-fourth Ohio. 
 Disgrace of the Seventy-first Ohio. General Sherman s Report. "A 
 Section of a Battle." Absurd Tactics. Colonel Stuart s Gallantry. 
 Captain Lockett s Mistake. Chalmers and Jackson s Brigades De 
 tached from the Confederate Right to Meet Stuart. A Fearful Retreat. 
 Rally at the Landing. The Confederates Opportunity Lost. The 
 Massed Artillery Opens. The Last Rebel Charge Repulsed. The 
 Chaplain s Work of Mercy. Monday Morning. The Fifty-fifth in 
 Battle on the Right Flank. The Thicket of Water-Oaks. The Con 
 flict about Shiloh Church. The Battle Won. General Bragg s Lamen 
 tation. Personal Incidents. The Postmaster s Return to Camp. Death 
 of Sergeant Bagley. Goodwin s Heroism. Little Joe Awakens in 
 Strange Company. Garner not Killed. The Dead Bugler. The Skir 
 mishers. Burial of the Slain Heroes. Shiloh Revisited. The National 
 Cemetery. Condition of the Battle-field. The Old Graves. The Cas 
 ualties on the Left of Grant s Army. The Sanguinary Character of the 
 Battle. Extraordinary Losses ot the Fifty-fifth 66-134. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 AFTER SHILOH. CORINTH TO MEMPHIS. 
 
 The Camp at Shiloh Church. Patriotic Letter of Captain Thurston, etc. 
 The Seventy-first Ohio Sent to the Rear. Brigadier-General Morgan 
 L. Smith Supersedes Stuart. "The Prettiest Little Fight of the War." 
 "Hurrah for the Fifty-fifth!" Ebersold s Conclusive Evidence. Building 
 Earth-works. Lieutenant Von Johnson s Arrest. A Forward Move 
 ment. The Stag Hunt. Corinth Evacuated. Halleck s Barren Vic 
 tory. Stuart s Cheaply-Won Honor. Marching and Countermarching. 
 Captain Thurston Goes Home. A Burial by Night. The Brigade runs 
 a Bank. The Sixth Missouri s New Hats Disgraced. Company I Steals 
 a Ham. Only the Top Rail. Memphis Entered. Fogarty s Best. A 
 Summer Camp. Novel Guard Duty. Review and Exhibition Drills. 
 Harvesting Sweet Potatoes. Expedition to Hernando. Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Malmborg Heroically Shares in the Privations of the Men. 
 Shelby Depot and the Cotton-burners Visited. Fisher Falls out of the 
 Window. Captain Black and Sergeant Lomax Assaulted in the Rear. 
 Blahs Astonishes the Ladies. Camp Architecture. Oliver Blows up 
 the Cooks. Contrabands. Augustine s Narrow Escape. Promotions 
 but no Commissions. Stuart again in Command of a Brigade. Corres 
 pondence with Governor Yates. Stuart s Scurrilous Letter. The Offi 
 cers Vindicated 1-1 ^ 
 
CONTENTS. II 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TALLAHATCHIE. CHICKASAW BAYOU. ARKANSAS POST. 
 
 Leaving Memphis. Shelter Tents. Rations and Baggage. Pigeon-Roost 
 Creek. Inspiring Exhortation of the Chaplain. Across the Tallahatchie. 
 Jim Watkins shifts a Responsibility. Return to Memphis. Loss of 
 Division Train. Down the Mississippi. Vicksburg and the Yazoo. 
 March to the Field. The Battle Cry of Freedom. Skirmishing Begins. 
 "Column py File." The Bayou. Dick Needham s Advance. Bom 
 bardment of the Southern Confederacy. General M. L. Smith Wound 
 ed. Heavy Cannonading. Sharp-shooting across the Bayou. Captain 
 Schleich Killed. The Brigade Relieved. Colonel Blood and the Sixth 
 Missouri. The Attack a Failure. Up the River. Copperheads of the 
 North. Arkansas Post. Surrounding the Intrenched Camp. The Ten- 
 inch Gun Speaks. The Gun-boat s Answer. The Battle. Nagleschmidt 
 Disgusted. Capture of the Fort. The Remnant of the Fifty-eighth 
 Ohio. Down the Arkansas. Foraging upon a Rebel General. Deser 
 tions 179-206. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 JANUARY, 1863, TO NOVEMBER, 1864. 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 Down the Mississippi. The Young s-Point Canal. A Gloomy Period in 
 the History of the Regiment. Numerous Changes in Commissioned 
 Officers. The Sham Iron-clad. Copperhead Newspaper Correspond 
 ents. Drowned-out. The Expedition to Great American Bend. "Ez 
 many Lords ez Debils." A Leak in the Commissary s Whiskey Barrel. 
 Farragut s Visit. Colonel Stuart s Farewell. The Fleet Passes the Bat 
 teries. Arming the Negro. Feint on Haines s Bluff. General Morgan 
 L. Smith Comes to See the Boys. The Flank Movement Begins. 
 Along Lake St. Joseph. Grand Gulf. Testimonial to Surgeon Roler. 
 Battle of Champion s Hill. Across the Big Black. Assault of May 19. 
 List of Casualties in Assault. The Drummer Boy and Calibre 54. As 
 sault of May 22. The Storming Party. List of Killed and Wounded. 
 A Truce. Expedition into the Yazoo Valley. Siege Operations. A 
 Leap for Liberty. The Naval Bombardment. Blowing-up a Fort. The 
 Surrender. Casualties of the Regiment during Siege 209-256. 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE JACKSON CAMPAIGN. CAMP SHERMAN. 
 
 A Hot March in a Thirsty Land. Mississippi s Capital Invested. A Truce 
 and a Rebel Colonel s Close Call. The Orderly-Sergeant s Revolving 
 Rifle. Johnston s Discreet Retreat. The Casualties. Return Towards 
 Vicksburg. Summer Camp upon the Big Black. Dispersion of the 
 Grand Army. Suppressed Charges and Specifications. Sad Incident 
 at Amsterdam Ford. William Tecumseh Sherman has a Namesake. 
 Malaria and its Victims. Quartermaster Janes Promoted. Good-bye 
 to Mississippi. Twenty-five Years after 257-271. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CHATTANOOGA AND KNOXVILLE CAMPAIGNS. 
 
 Memphis Revisited. Chasing Chalmer s Cavalry. Sherman and the Sut 
 ler. Battle at Cherokee Station. Tuscumbia. Forced March through 
 Tennessee and Alabama. Nickajack Cave. Meeting the Paper-col 
 lared, Brass-mounted Troops from the East. The Fifteenth Corps at 
 last discovers that it Wears a Badge. On North Chickamauga Creek. 
 The Night Excursion in Pontoons. Attack upon Tunnel Hill. Battle 
 of Missionary Ridge. The Pursuit. To the Rescue of Burnside. East 
 
 Tennessee Loyalty. "From every stormy wind that blows." Tellico 
 
 Plains. The Return. Cold and Starvation. The Barefoot Brigade. 
 At Bridgeport. The Detail for Recruiting Service led North by the 
 Colonel 272-294. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WINTER QUARTERS. RE-ENLISTMENT. 
 
 Through Mud and Frost to Bellefonte. Congratulations from General M. 
 L. Smith. Escorting Ladies across the Tennessee. At Larkinsville on 
 Provost Guard. Sand Mountain Expeditions. Guarding the Pontoon 
 Bridge. The Officers Extraordinary Pledge to the Enlisted Men. 
 The Alabama Flat Rock Dances. The Loyal Refugees. Testimonial 
 to the Chaplain. Voting for Presidential Candidates. Return of the 
 Colonel. The Regiment Re-enlists. Election of Officers. The Colonel s 
 Letter to the Adjutant-General of Illinois. Homeward Bound on 
 Veteran Furlough. General Sherman s Address at Nashville. At 
 Chicago 295-315. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN. 
 
 The Non-veterans on the Road to Atlanta. Doctor Roler s dangerous 
 Effervescing Draught. The Veterans again Under Fire. Fatalism. 
 The Assault upon Little Kenesaw. The Patriot Dead. By the Right 
 
CONTENTS. 13 
 
 Flank. Captain Shaw elected Lieutenant-Colonel. Across the Chatta- 
 hoochee. The Battle of Atlanta. A Brigadier s costly Blunders. Bat 
 tle Casualties. A Wearisome March to the Extreme Right. The Battle 
 of Ezra Chapel. General Howard introduces himself to the Fifteenth 
 Corps. The Regiment s Loss. General Lightburn sends the Regiment 
 into a Hornets Nest. Captain Shaw s unjust Dismissal and Tardy Vin 
 dication. General William B. Hazen supersedes Lightburn. Major 
 Heffernan asks for Promotion. Correspondence with Governor Yates. 
 Siege Casualties. Again by the Right Flank. The Battle of Jonesboro . 
 The Regimental Loss. In Camp at East Point. Promotions in the 
 Line. Return of Prisoners from Andersonville. Escorting Hood to the 
 Tennessee. Muster-out of the Non-veterans. Lieutenant Oliver s Raid 
 upon Chattanooga. At Vinings, preparing to cut loose from a Base. 
 316-382. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 NOVEMBER, 1864, TO AUGUST, 1865. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 FROM ATLANTA TO THE SEA. 
 
 Preparing for the Grand March. Voting for President. The State of 
 Illinois Misrepresented by its Legislature. Destruction of Atlanta. 
 The Order of March. The Mule versus Mess-chests. Building Cordu 
 roy Roads. The Bivouac. The First Foraging Party. A Sharp Skir 
 mish. Strict Obedience to Orders. The Second Division Storms Fort 
 McAllister. Lieutenant Ebersold wins a Race. Letters and Hard-tack 
 once more. Savannah Evacuated. Too much Rice. Camp in the City. 
 The ever-faithful Negroes 385-402. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 FROM SAVANNAH TO GOLDSBOROUGH. 
 
 South Carolina Invaded. At Beaufort. The March Northward Begins. 
 The Smoke of Retribution. The Bummers Capture the Railway. 
 Night Adventure on the South Edisto. Wading the Swamps of the 
 North Edisto. A Turkey Supper Missing. The Saluda Peninsula 
 Gained. Occupation of Columbia. A Night of Horrors. Jubilation of 
 the Colored Race. Destroying the Railroads. Vintage of 1832. Che- 
 raw and Fayetteville Occupied. Clearing the Trains of Surplus 
 Animals and Goods. Battles of Averysborough and Bentonville. At 
 Goldsborough. Capture of Foragers. A Brief Pause 403-416. 
 
14 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE FORAGERS. 
 
 The Permanent Detail from the Fifty-fifth. A Balky Mule in Action. 
 Treated to Confederate Cake. Union Prisoners Retaken. A Novel 
 Method of Transporting Whiskey. Thirty Miles ahead of the Main 
 Column. Running a Grist-mill. Nothing Buried, but much Treasure 
 Trove. Southern Hospitality. A Desperate Encounter with Hampton s 
 Cavalry. The Sins and Services of the Bummers 417-427. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FROM GOLDSBOROUGH TO CHICAGO. 
 
 A Fruitless Regimental Election. All Fools Day. On the Road again. 
 News of the Fall of Richmond and Lee s Surrender. Marching through 
 Raleigh. The Assassination of President Lincoln, and Johnston s 
 Capitulation. The Regiment receives a New Stand of Colors. The 
 Last Foraging Party. On to Richmond at Double-quick. Humble 
 Expectations of the Paroled Confederates. Viewing the Virginia Bat 
 tle-grounds. At Washington for the Grand Review. A Batch of Pro 
 motions. To Louisville for Muster-out. Ordered to Arkansas. Memphis 
 once more. In Barracks at Little Rock. Mustered out. The Journey 
 Home. The Last Army Rations at Camp Douglas 428-440. 
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF CHAPLAIN HANEY. 
 
 As Captain at Camp Douglas. Appointed Chaplain. The Battle-field of 
 Shiloh. At the Landing. A Cheap Dinner at La Grange. Exciting Ad 
 venture Outside the Lines. Escaped Slaves in the Memphis Camp. 
 The Dream of Captain Schleich and his Death. General M. L. Smith 
 Wounded. Incidents at Arkansas Post. The Wounded Neglected. 
 Appealing to Sherman. Gloomy Times at Young s Point. The Blinded 
 Boy at Raymond. An Affecting Incident in Hospital before Vicksburg. 
 The Sceptic and the Negro at Camp Sherman. Incidents in the Assault 
 of Missionary Ridge. Foraging during the March to Knoxville. An 
 ecdotes of the Unionists. The Arrest of Captain Shaw denounced. In 
 Illinois for Recruits. Disappointed Hopes. Conclusion 441-462. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Roster of Field, Staff and Band 464 
 
 Roster of Regiment by Companies 468 
 
 Summary of Losses by Companies 518 
 
 Casualties of Battle during War 519 
 
PART I. 
 
 FROM CHICAGO TO ARKANSAS POST. 
 
 OCTOBER, 1861, TO JANUARY, 1863, 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN LUCIEN B. CROCKER. 
 
IXC 
 
 THE STORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CAMP DOUGLAS. BENTON BARRACKS. PADUCAH. UP THE 
 
 TENNESSEE. 
 
 THE national agony of 1861 called from peaceful homes 
 a glorious procession of patriots. As they went march 
 ing to the front, the Fifty-fifth Illinois swung into line. How 
 it got there and what it did afterward has never, in any con 
 nected way, been told. It struck great blows in battle, but 
 its dead were buried without ostentation, and it passed on to 
 other duties. Its strong tread traversed many states, but no 
 one wrote its annals. It did knightly service, but no one 
 penned lyrics in its honor. Its commanding officers seldom 
 wrote reports, as was proper, to give it a literature of its own. 
 It went uncomplainingly through the whole Southern Con 
 federacy from Shiloh to Vicksburg, to Chattanooga and 
 Knoxville, to Atlanta, and from thence to the sea. It then 
 faced north, and finding no further work around the capital of 
 the Confederacy, passed by, and its short platoons helped 
 swell the sublime cadence of the Grand Review. Even then 
 it could not be spared, for some months of irksome duty re 
 mained to be done about the work of reconstruction. Finally 
 it was disbanded, and its members, all that remained, returned 
 to the walks of civil life, never thinking of the record of their 
 deeds. They had grown so familiar with brave acts that it 
 did not seem worth while to mention them. 
 2 
 
l8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Now a quarter of a century has passed. Their traditions 
 have grown precious to the old soldiers. They desire to 
 leave some record for their children. They begin to wish 
 that the incidents of their career in the armies of the Union 
 may be gathered from the wrecks of fading memories and 
 the waifs of fleeting literature, and a humble history be made 
 of them. These yearnings took form at the first reunion held 
 by the Fifty-fifth Illinois -in October, A. D. 1884. To the 
 writer is assigned that portion of the regimental history 
 which terminates with the battle of Arkansas Post. With a 
 love born of sacred associations the task is approached. With 
 a fear born of its responsibilities the duty is undertaken. That 
 which follows is an attempt to preserve such of the adven 
 tures of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the 
 great War of the Rebellion as can be authenticated. 
 
 Early in the summer of 1861, David Stuart, a lawyer of 
 Chicago, obtained authority directly from the War Depart 
 ment to raise a body of troops to participate in the conflict 
 just then assuming formidable proportions. It is not known 
 how large an organization he at first contemplated, but it is 
 probable a single regiment only was proposed, of which he 
 might be the colonel. Following such authority came the 
 announcement through every medium by which the public 
 could be reached, that recruits would be welcomed at Camp 
 Douglas, named as the place of rendezvous. Many were 
 tendered from different portions of the state. For the most 
 part they came in the form of embryo companies, headed by 
 men who were ambitious of becoming captains; for in those 
 days the world was full of heroes, who, like Artemas Ward s 
 famous warriors, were willing to serve as brigadiers, and who 
 sometimes condescended to serve in lower stations until their 
 exalted talents became known. As a rule these so-called 
 companies embraced fewer men than were required by law to 
 make a regimental unit, but they invariably had a full com 
 plement of prospective officers, who patriotically and vocif 
 erously proposed to recruit their respective organizations to 
 the maximum in the near future. 
 
 It soon became apparent that if these companies were all 
 filled to the required standard, much more than the limited 
 
THE DOUGLAS BRIGADE. 19 
 
 * 
 
 scope of a regimental line would be needed to give them a 
 fair chance to distinguish themselves. Some companies were 
 soon filled, or nearly so, and all were composed of the best 
 material. A moderate faith in the patriotism of Illinois jus 
 tified the belief that all, or nearly all, could be recruited to 
 the full standard. A more expansive christening was there 
 fore proper, and the standard of the "Douglas Brigade" was 
 erected within the confines of old Camp Douglas. 
 
 A more appropriate name could not have been selected. 
 Douglas, the great statesman of Illinois, had broken away 
 from the bonds of party affiliation, and in words which "go 
 thundering down the ages," placed himself squarely among 
 the friends of the Union. The camp was in plain view of 
 the University endowed by and named for him; close by and 
 beside the waves of the unsalted seas was the spot that had 
 just opened its bosom to receive his mortal remains. There 
 now stands a beautiful monument to commemorate his fame; 
 and as the morning sun kisses it, the shadows fall upon the 
 first camping-ground of the men who so gloriously perpetu 
 ated his name. David Stuart was a follower of this "plumed 
 knight," and an ardent war-democrat; and he doubtless gave 
 form to his own sentiments when he advertised the name of 
 Douglas Brigade. 
 
 At the time the fragments began to arrive which afterward 
 became the Fifty-fifth Illinois, one regiment was fairly organ 
 ized, though its ranks were by no means full. The War De 
 partment became clamorous for the fulfillment of Stuart s 
 sanguine promises, and his every energy was devoted to the 
 completion of the first regiment of the brigade. Finally, to 
 bring about that result, the opportunity was given for recruits 
 from the proposed second regiment to be transferred to its 
 ranks. Some, anxious to reach the actual scene of conflict, 
 availed themselves of the opportunity, much to the disgust of 
 various putative officers, who saw in the disappearance of their 
 men the prospect of commissions grow more distant. Its 
 complement obtained, the first regiment took its departure 
 and made a glorious record as the Forty-second Illinois In 
 fantry. It was very fortunate in its field officers. Its first 
 commander, Captain Webb of the regular army, was an 
 
20 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 officer of great promise and fine personal appearance, but died 
 early and before an opportunity was given him to distinguish 
 himself. Its next commander, Colonel Roberts, a perfect 
 soldier, died at the head of one of Sheridan s brigades in the 
 pine thickets of Stone River. Such commanders as Swain 
 and Walworth subsequently graced the roster of its field and 
 staff. 
 
 Stuart for a short time acted as lieutenant-colonel of this 
 regiment, having gone through the form of an election to 
 that position, but ultimately concluded to assume the chief 
 command of the second regiment, then taking form. What 
 measure of success attended the flight of his ambition will 
 hereafter more fully appear. At the time the Forty-second 
 left for the field, there remained in old Camp Douglas numer 
 ous quasi companies, all striving to recruit to the necessary 
 standard of full organizations, and all in an awkward way 
 practicing the rudimentary forms of drill under officers gen 
 erally as awkward as the boys they commanded. If all were 
 equally uncouth, they were equally in earnest, and the pro 
 cess by which they passed from shambling, rustic recruits to 
 calm, brave and self-reliant soldiers did not differ greatly 
 from the experience of the average American volunteer. 
 
 The camp was upon a succession of sandy knolls sparsely 
 covered with scrubby black-oak timber. The barracks were a 
 series of detached, rough buildings, which served well enough 
 the purpose of shelter at that season of the year. Nearly 
 every man was a robust countryman blessed with good health 
 and abundant animal spirits. No fence or wall surrounded 
 the grounds, but the exuberant recruit was kept within rea 
 sonable bounds by a line of guards stretched entirely around 
 the camp. No arms or uniforms had yet been issued, rough 
 cudgels cut from the adjoining thicket being the weapons 
 relied upon to represent authority and repel danger. The 
 responsibility resting upon the vigorous but uncouth recruit, 
 when he was called upon to walk the guard line, dressed in 
 homespun and griping a hickory club, was fearful to behold; 
 and appearances did not always do full justice to the ardent 
 but undisciplined patriot attempting it. Rations were good 
 and plentiful, but suffered occasionally at the hands of inex- 
 
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL AND COLONEL. 21 
 
 perienced cooks, whose efforts were not always economical 
 or palatable. 
 
 The ranks of Companies A, F, and D, were nearer full 
 than any others of the regiment, having been vigorously re 
 cruited by the Pressons and Haneys, eloquent and patriotic 
 ministers of the Methodist denomination, who belonged as 
 well to the church militant, and were earnest believers in the 
 "sword of the Lord of Gideon." 
 
 As the second regiment was filling its ranks there appeared 
 upon the scene one Oscar Malmborg, around whose name 
 hung a vague mystery of noble lineage and military glory 
 the former never to be verified and the latter scarcely con 
 firmed. From that time the country round about resounded 
 with such orders as: "Column py file," "Charge pea-nuts," 
 with an occasional exasperated inquiry like: "What for you 
 face mit your pack?" all uttered in ferocious tones and for 
 eign accent. He sprang from a race which gave to the world 
 Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII, and for a time was sup 
 posed to embody in his own proper person the combined 
 military genius of those two great characters. He certainly 
 possessed more than all their infirmities of temper. He had 
 for some time previous been employed in the emigrant de 
 partment of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. It was 
 soon apparent that he had some tactical knowledge, then a 
 rare acquirement, and considerable, though often misdirected, 
 energy. His manners were not popular, and his temper was 
 tyrannical and unreasonable, all of which was far better un 
 derstood during his subsequent intimate connection with the 
 regiment. Among his early methods of imparting military 
 knowledge was a habit of approaching sentinels unawares at 
 all times of day and night for the purpose of testing their 
 vigilance. During one of these nocturnal visitations he 
 silently approached a stalwart recruit of Company B, who 
 was armed with a stout club and serenely walking to and fro 
 upon his beat. In the darkness of the oak thicket the chal 
 lenge and a tremendous blow came instantaneously, and the 
 stars looked down upon a collapsed and badly injured pros 
 pective colonel. A very black eye for several weeks gave 
 token of the strength of the club and the arm behind it, and 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 if any doubts remained as to the watchfulness and vigor of 
 that sentinel, they were never expressed within the hearing 
 of mortal man. All this of course gave intense enjoyment 
 to the "high privates," to whom nothing has such exquisite 
 humor as getting the advantage of an officer while on guard 
 duty. 
 
 In the first volume of Dr. Eddy s " Patriotism of Illinois" 
 is a statement as follows, relating to Colonel Stuart : 
 
 Circumstances of an unfortunate character had occurred at Chicago 
 which for a time cast a cloud over his career, and acting under prejudices 
 very natural the press, the bar and even the public, with few exceptions, 
 interposed every obstacle and barrier to his success in raising the Doug 
 las Brigade. 
 
 This is an allusion, charitably veiled, to the part played 
 by David Stuart in the celebrated Birch divorce case, the 
 most notorious affair of its kind in the annals of Western 
 jurisprudence. It is also a proper and delicate statement of 
 the influence of that scandal upon the formation of the 
 organization under consideration. A reference to it is here 
 necessary because it did have such influence, and for the 
 further reason that it greatly affected the career of its first 
 colonel, and played an important part both in his entering 
 the service and in his finally quitting it altogether. To a 
 man of Stuart s temperament and ambition the social results 
 were terrible. Without desire or purpose to enter upon a 
 statement of fact or a discussion of the merits of this cele 
 brated case, it is proper to state that it was accountable 
 for many things which occurred ; notably the absence of 
 newspaper praise and the lack of high-toned patronage usually 
 accorded to regiments organized in Chicago. The author 
 above quoted fully and fairly estimates the matter, and adds 
 to the extract already given as follows : 
 
 David Stuart, by his own energies, with his own purse and talents, 
 persistence and power, raised and put into the field the Douglas Brigade, 
 consisting of two regiments of one thousand men each, and finer regi 
 ments never joined the armies of the Union. 
 
 This is not too much to say of the efforts of Stuart while 
 perfecting these organizations, nor is it over-praise of the 
 Forty-second and Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
 
CAMP DOUGLAS. 23 
 
 While old Camp Douglas was resounding with sonorous 
 military commands and echoing with the boisterous shouts of 
 lusty volunteers, a new camp, just north and in the immedi 
 ate vicinity, was being constructed, which was to be of a 
 more permanent character. This was the Camp Douglas of 
 history, and it became one of the most important of the war, 
 celebrated alike as the rendezvous of Federal troops, the 
 camp of Confederate prisoners, and the seat of Democratic 
 conspiracy. The barracks when completed were more in ac 
 cordance with military usages than the temporary sheds of the 
 old camp, being arranged in long rows surrounding a spacious 
 parade and drill ground, all of suitable dimensions and equal 
 to the needs of a camp of instruction. The entire grounds 
 were enclosed by a high board fence with due arrangements 
 for sentinels, and thereafter "running the guard" became a 
 matter of greater difficulty. At what precise date the re 
 moval from the old to the new camp took place, is not now 
 ascertainable, nor is it important. The new quarters and 
 regulations, while they interfered somewhat with the picnic 
 aspect of affairs, were much more commodious and practical 
 in a military sense. The long lines of barracks were divided 
 into sections, each large enough to contain an entire com 
 pany, with separate rooms for its officers adjoining. Neither 
 paint nor superfluous style was used about their construction, 
 but for the purposes of warmth, convenience and shelter, 
 these buildings were the best ever occupied by the Fifty- 
 fifth. 
 
 Recruiting for the regiment was pushed vigorously. The 
 most efficient agents in such work were the Methodist minis 
 ters before spoken of, who, when their own organizations 
 were filled, went to other localities in behalf of the remain 
 ing companies; and their aggressive, eloquent appeals always 
 brought forth fruits. This was especially true of the Rev. 
 Wm. A. Presson, captain of Company A, to whom the regi 
 ment was greatly indebted for filling its ranks. In face of 
 the lack of public sympathy and actual opposition, it is 
 doubtful if Stuart would have succeeded in filling the Fifty- 
 fifth without the aid of these able and earnest clergymen. 
 Among other adventures, J. T. McAuley, E. C. Lawrence and 
 
24 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 H. A. Smith, ambitious young men who ultimately became 
 officers, went to Wisconsin in search of recruits. Just as their 
 success was assured, the authorities of that state swooped 
 down upon them and took their men away, and they them 
 selves were barely allowed to depart, recruitless and disgusted. 
 These were the first men captured from the Fifty-fifth, unless 
 it may be here and there one by the Chicago police. 
 
 This was the romantic and formative period of the war. 
 While patriotism was gloriously universal, little practical 
 knowledge existed regarding the magnitude of the conflict 
 or its bloody necessities. The average infantry volunteer had 
 a vague notion that "sharpshooters," to be used for the pur 
 pose of crawling up behind trees and killing the rebel generals 
 were principally needed. Nearly every man who enlisted at 
 this juncture intended to connect himself with that branch of 
 the service; and to use in that connection some fantastic 
 combination of telescopic sights and breech-loading rifles. 
 Every company, as soon as it had a single platoon recruited, 
 was presented with a flag, generally by the ladies at home, 
 and upon it was emblazoned some gorgeous legend about 
 "sharpshooters," "guards," "rifles," and the like. The army 
 musket was never thought of or talked about, except in a 
 contemptuous way that indicated pity for those who were 
 compelled to depend upon that clumsy, ancient weapon. 
 This sentiment was encouraged by the glib promises of pro 
 spective officers, who, in their anxiety to hasten enlistments, 
 spoke eloquently of improved rifles and sabre bayonets as 
 adapted to the extermination of rebels at long range. The 
 reverend gentlemen before named carried with them to the 
 rural districts and displayed upon the rostrum splendid speci 
 mens of the Colt revolving rifle, having an attachment in 
 form of a ferocious sabre bayonet, which last became better 
 known afterwards by the scornful appellation of "cheese- 
 knife." Thus many who enlisted in the regiment expected 
 to be armed with this ingenious and complicated instrument 
 of death. In this respect all regiments had to some extent 
 the same experience, though others may have lacked the 
 ordained orators and specimen rifles used to fill the ranks of 
 the future Fifty-fifth. 
 
COLT S REVOLVING RIFLE. 25 
 
 During this portion of the regimental career the utmost 
 industry was used to master the intricacies of " Hardee," and 
 to learn all that was possible in a camp of instruction without 
 arms. At least seven hours each day were devoted to drill 
 ing, aside from regulation parades. " Left, left, left," was 
 heard at all hours of the day and in all directions, bellowed 
 with every degree of fierceness embryo warriors could infuse 
 into their tones. Lieutenant-colonel Malmborg was untiring 
 in his efforts at drill and discipline, and although his zeal was 
 often impracticable, there is no reason for denying to him the 
 credit of industrious effort; and at this stage, when continu 
 ance of position and power were not certain, the unreasoning 
 tyranny which afterwards characterized him was not so mani 
 fest. The guard duty and mounting was attended to with a 
 minute and wearisome detail never approached afterwards in 
 actual field service. 
 
 From time to time statements appeared in the Chicago 
 papers which serve to note the progress of affairs in Camp 
 Douglas. Tedious search through many hundreds of such 
 journals occasionally reveals an item which, like wine, may 
 have grown more valuable with age. On November I5th the 
 following appeared in the Chicago Tribune, a paper then, as 
 always, true to the Union : 
 
 The Second Regiment of the Douglas Brigade, now mustered as the 
 Fifty-fifth and stationed at Camp Douglas, was yesterday paid off for the 
 time it has been in service up to November ist, the gross amount required 
 being about twenty-five thousand dollars. This is the first Illinois regi 
 ment that has been paid off prior to going into the field. 
 
 On the 3 ist day of October, 1861, the regiment had been 
 technically organized that is to say, mustered into the 
 United States service and thereafter assumed the title of 
 the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry a name now glori 
 ous in the annals of patriotism. The gallant regiments which 
 went before, and the many which followed after, have no rea 
 son to feel ashamed of association with it. 
 
 At the time of the muster there was an aggregate of 969 
 names upon the rolls. This number was slightly increased by 
 individual accessions before taking the field. Among these 
 may be mentioned Dr. Charles Winne, who joined as assist- 
 
26 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ant-surgeon on Nov. 25th, and continued to perform his duties 
 acceptably until transferred for promotion. Dr. E. O. F. 
 Roler, who had been for some time acting as assistant-surgeon 
 and who was at first connected with the Forty-second, was at 
 the organization made surgeon, and subsequently earned in 
 that position the love and esteem of all who came in contact 
 with him. 
 
 On Nov. 25th, an incident somewhat unique in its charac 
 ter occurred. It was the drumming-out of camp of one Ben 
 Pounds of Company I, who had almost reached the infinite 
 in utter worthlessness. A description of the ceremony is 
 worth attempting, because it happened but once in the his 
 tory of the regiment. The particular method by which the 
 humiliating sentence was enforced in that instance, was this : 
 While the men were formed for dress parade, the culprit was 
 escorted back and forth in front of the line, followed by the 
 band playing the "Rogue s March." Upon the return, the 
 procession was halted in front of the colors, and Sergeant- 
 major McAuley cut from the clothes of the victim every in 
 signia of a soldier, including the buttons upon the cap. The 
 escort then wended its way, keeping time to the same dolor 
 ous strains, to the gate of the camp, whence the prisoner was 
 incontinently "fired out" into the world, and the places which 
 once knew him, knew him no more. By the body of the 
 regiment the punishment was considered dreadful, but in view 
 of the contemptuous gestures made by Pounds as he was dis 
 appearing down the road from camp, a reasonable doubt 
 exists whether in his case it brought forth fruit meet for 
 repentance. 
 
 No history of this body of men would be complete did it 
 not preserve some facts regarding the different elements 
 which entered into its composition and gave it character. 
 As before stated, some companies were largely recruited by 
 Methodist ministers, and naturally such companies were 
 strongly imbued with that pioneer faith. They fully trusted 
 in Providence, but always kept their powder dry, and sang 
 psalms, and prayed and fought with a consistency and per 
 sistency worthy of Cromwell s Roundheads. While in no 
 sense a regiment of foreigners, many Germans were scattered 
 
CHARACTER OF RECRUITS. 27 
 
 through the ranks and, as they always do, made superb sol 
 diers, and often valuable officers. Here and there along the 
 line a space was amply filled by an Irishman, who honorably 
 maintained the pugnacity of his race. There were a few 
 Swedes, mainly in Company C, admirable representatives of 
 that blond and warlike race. Other nationalities were occa 
 sionally represented, but were so blended in the mass as not 
 to present distinct characteristics. 
 
 Colonel Stuart took little part in actually drilling the regi 
 ment, and it may be justly remarked in passing that herein 
 was his first mistake, inasmuch as he failed to keep abreast 
 or ahead of the rank and file in the acquirement of a knowl 
 edge of tactics; and when on occasion he sought publicly to 
 exercise the functions of his high office, his lack of technical 
 training generated a species of contempt always fatal to the 
 respect due a field officer. No like body of men ever learned 
 quicker to distinguish a proper from an improper command, 
 or to appreciate justly the capacity of its officers, than 
 this same Fifty-fifth Illinois. Another characteristic of Col 
 onel Stuart early began to manifest itself one which is ap 
 parent throughout his whole military career. This was his 
 unbounded faith in the military skill and inspiration of the 
 lieutenant-colonel and distrust of his own ability in that 
 direction. As to the former, most of the regiment and its 
 officers, for good reasons, differed with him; and as to the 
 latter, a little self-reliance, coupled with moderate industry, 
 would soon have brought all to his feet in respectful admira 
 tion for his unquestioned ability. He justly took great pride 
 in the splendid organization forming under his command 
 the more so as it opened anew the portals of fame to what 
 seemed to be a defeated ambition, and gave promise of tri 
 umph over the enemies who had been at his throat. All this 
 was commendable, inasmuch as the strides of his new-born 
 aspirations led toward the front to meet the enemies of his 
 country. A little more industry and sincerity, added to a 
 reasonable conception of the rights and worth of the officers 
 and men under him, would have placed upon his brow an un 
 fading wreath. 
 
 When the clamors of the War Department made speedy 
 
28 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 organizations necessary, it became certain that no more time 
 would be allowed to recruit the multitude of nominal com 
 panies. Consolidation of the various fragments into ten 
 complete companies appeared to be, and probably was, the 
 only feasible expedient if the men were to be saved for an 
 other regiment of the Douglas Brigade. To that end numer 
 ous combinations and transfers took place. Thus Company 
 I was made up from two sections of recruits, one from La 
 Salle and one from Grundy county, both having originally 
 been intended to be independent organizations. Both had 
 brought to camp abundant aspirants for commissions. This 
 consolidation having resulted in a surplus of men, a number 
 were transferred to Company D, and with them Lieutenant 
 Shaw. As a proper adjustment of honors in Company I, the 
 captaincy was awarded to La Salle and the two lieutenants 
 to Grundy county. Similar procedure, of which the above 
 will serve as an illustration, was followed in many instances, 
 but as the men were mainly of excellent disposition and look 
 ing anxiously for a chance to go to the front, such shaking-up 
 was followed by no unhappy results. New chums and new 
 associations soon replaced the old, and the men settled into 
 the new order of things with scarce a ripple of discontent. 
 
 A full company had of course positions for but three line 
 officers, and up to the period referred to each fragment had 
 as many so acting. Their ambition had generally been con 
 firmed by the men through the forms of an election. It fol 
 lowed, therefore, that the number of commissioned officers 
 must be reduced to the actual needs of the ten full compan 
 ies. In some instances the men, under the experience of a 
 short term of camp life, had real or supposed reason for being 
 dissatisfied with their officers elect. Both the colonel and 
 the lieutenant-colonel, who themselves had been elected to 
 their respective positions, had conceived prejudices, justly or 
 unjustly, against some, and besides had favorites who must 
 be provided for. All this caused a fearful withering of lau 
 rels, and many who expected to have their aspirations con 
 firmed by commissions were left without a titled place in the 
 race for glory. Some went home dissatisfied; others died 
 like heroes, fighting in the ranks. Here and there one who 
 
DISAPPOINTED ASPIRANTS. 2 9 
 
 had been acting as captain became a lieutenant under the 
 new order of things. Doubtless in some instances such 
 changes worked for the good of the service; in other cases 
 great injustice was done. 
 
 At this time began an arbitrary system of transfer and 
 promotion regardless of the rules of the service or the rights 
 of individuals, which was persistently pursued by the colonel 
 during his entire career, as best suited his personal views and 
 ends. This was unutterably unjust and subversive of subordi 
 nation, for it deprived the non-commissioned officers and 
 privates alike of the just right to promotion within their own 
 companies, and according to rank and worth. Such course 
 being often actuated by prejudice or favoritism, brought upon 
 the perpetrator of the injustice its righteous penalty of oppo 
 sition and unpopularity, and in the end contributed to defeat 
 terribly humiliating. Stuart in this regard, as in others, 
 "Sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind." The roster 
 affords no light as to the numbers or names of the disap 
 pointed. The following letter to the governor of Illinois, 
 and taken from the files of his office, is introduced as the 
 cotemporaneous protest of an intelligent citizen against one 
 of the many similar transactions : 
 
 POLO, OGLE Co., ILL., Nov. 27, 1861. 
 HON. RICHARD YATES, Governor of Illinois. 
 
 SIR: Permit me to call your attention to a few facts and grievances 
 connected with the raising and manner of treatment of Co. H, 55th Reg 
 iment, under the command of Col. David Stuart of Chicago. 
 
 The company was recruited by the efforts of Capt. Presson of Com 
 pany A of said regiment, with the assistance of the persons who were 
 elected for the commissioned officers of the company. These men were 
 repeatedly told that they were to choose their own officers. 
 
 After recruiting as they thought 85 men, they had their election of 
 officers which resulted very satisfactorily to the men. The same evening 
 they, or a part of the company, went to Chicago and went into Camp 
 Douglas. After arriving there and regularly enrolling the men, they dis 
 covered that they had counted some five or six names twice over that 
 is, they had some of the names down twice. No exception was however 
 made to this, nor were the officers elected ordered out at any time after 
 to get more recruits for the company. 
 
 During the time they were in camp making good proficiency in drill, 
 the officers were requested to procure their uniforms, swords, etc. 
 
30 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 But last week the captain and first and second lieutenants were in 
 formed by Col. Stuart that he was about to send for commissions for the 
 officers, but that he could not ask for commissions for any of them for 
 the offices to which they had been elected, and this after he had allowed 
 my son, the second-lieutenant, only the day before to go to the expense of 
 purchasing his sword, belt, sash, etc., without the least intimation but that 
 he would need it. He and the others were told they could resign or not, 
 just as they chose. Not wishing to make difficulty, they all did so. 
 
 My son can get certificates from the drill-master and other officers in 
 camp that he was learning his duty very rapidly, that he gave good sat 
 isfaction to the men, and that they regretted very much that he and the 
 captain should be thus summarily removed from the offices which they 
 had been elected to fill, and strangers of whom they knew nothing thrust 
 upon them. The men were very much dissatisfied and discouraged by 
 such conduct on the part of the colonel. 
 
 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? 
 
RUNNING THE GUARD. 31 
 
 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 
 
32 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 early 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. gth, 
 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 111. 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 P. 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 3ist of 
 October, and numbers 961 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 
 
ROSTER OF OFFICERS. 33 
 
 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, Mclntosh, 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 move 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 
 
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 loth, 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. Bracken 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- 
 
DEPARTURE FROM CHICAGO. 35 
 
 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 3d 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 exhorters, 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. 
 
36 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 clay. 
 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 
 
SELECTION OF OFFICERS. 37 
 
 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 LaSalle 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 
 
38 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 Bcnton," 
 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 I ith, 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 unpaintcd, 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- 
 
GENERAL SHERMAN APPEARS. 39 
 
 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 
 Bcnton 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 
 
4 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 2ist, new 
 clothing was issued, and the regiment was as well equipped 
 and clothed as any body of men in the service. 
 
 Up to this time no arms had been drawn, and the officers 
 and men had devoted their entire attention to squad, 
 company and battalion drill. No time had in consequence 
 been expended in the more romantic motions of killing 
 
THE REGIMENT ARMED. 4! 
 
 people. It is now apparent that this long interval of military 
 training without manual exercises was of incalculable benefit 
 to the men as a whole. It was this unremitting practice 
 which resulted in steadiness, and forever after made the 
 regiment practically panic proof. At the time spoken of, 
 however, the philosophy of this was not well enough 
 appreciated to reconcile the men to the monotony of weary 
 marching to and fro, and they had long clamored for the 
 weapons of death. At last the day so long impatiently 
 waited for came. The regiment in a high state of expectancy 
 marched to the U. S. Arsenal in the lower part of the city, 
 and each soldier took a gwn from the immense quantity there 
 stored, when the march was resumed to camp. For months 
 these fiery patriots had longed for guns which would make 
 them soldiers indeed. They had coaxed, grumbled, swore 
 and howled after the manner of Western volunteers for 
 deadly rifles and glittering bayonets, and now the wish was 
 gratified, but only in theory. 
 
 Language fails when attempting to describe the grotesque 
 worthlessness of these so-called arms. They were of foreign 
 make having scarcely the similitude of guns, and had been 
 purchased at great cost during the reckless administration of 
 Fremont. No excuse could exist for such a purchase, for 
 they were too crude in construction to be deceptive. A bare 
 glance ought to have convinced any one of their sham 
 character. It would have been a wild freak of imagination 
 to have called these things deadly weapons, for they could 
 not by any possibility injure any one but the user and 
 his immediate neighbors. Many of the tubes were of solid 
 metal, while in other cases tube, cylinder and all would 
 disappear at the first fire. Often times they could not be 
 discharged at all, and again would persist in exploding, 
 regardless of time or place. The first trial volley fired into 
 the woods back of Benton Barracks disabled dozens of guns 
 and some men. The records of the War Department show 
 that the reign of Fremont was a carnival of corruption, and 
 that fact was never better exemplified than in the pot-metal 
 effigies carried back to camp by this tired and disgusted 
 regiment in place of the long anticipated "revolvers." The 
 
42 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 air was fairly sulphurous with gorgeous profanity uttered in 
 the effort to do justice to the occasion. It is said that the 
 "Armies swore terribly in Flanders," but if the blasphemy 
 used on that occasion exceeded in quantity or quality that 
 used by the Fifty-fifth, it was because language was more 
 flexible in those days than in the early days of the rebellion. 
 All the glorious dreams of romantic sharpshooting disap 
 peared instantly, and a feeling of intense disgust, expressed 
 in howls of uproarious protest, swept through the regiment. 
 The whole length of the barracks was continually echoing 
 with cries of " Here s your d d sanctified Methodist 
 revolver !" having scornful reference to the promises of the 
 reverend recruiting officers before referred to. Whenever it 
 became necessary to carry the guns upon parade or guard, 
 the indignant volunteer was heard to casually remark, "Here 
 goes another sanctified Methodist sharpshooter." It was 
 likewise insisted with many rhetorical embellishments that 
 the man who shot the gun was the " revolver," which was 
 often true, for the recoil when the doubtful explosion did 
 take place was terrific. One exasperated soldier, afterward 
 a valuable officer in the regiment, proposed to seek relief at 
 high quarters and appealed directly to Governor Yates. His 
 letter is so vigorous and so thoroughly good that its discovery 
 is considered fortunate, and it is given in full: 
 
 CAMP BENTON, January 5, 1862. 
 GOVERNOR YATES. 
 
 HON. SIR : I saw in today s paper that you had procured eighteen 
 thousand stand of arms, six thousand of which were to be distributed 
 among Illinois troops which have inferior arms. Thinking our arms as 
 inferior as any to be found, I thought it might avail us something by writ 
 ing you. The men would have as much faith in killing secesh with alder 
 pop-guns as they would with the guns they have. If you wish your best 
 Illinois men killed off by not having guns to defend themselves with, let 
 us go as we are. If not, please provide us with good guns that is, if 
 we are not out of your jurisdiction. For God s sake remember us in 
 mercy, for the men cannot and will not fight with such guns. It is impos 
 sible; they have no faith in them. They would surrender before they 
 would fight. We were enlisted under the pretence that we would have 
 revolving rifles. Since we cannot get them, all we ask is good single bar 
 reled guns, and we promise you (if occasion permits) as good fighting as 
 can be done. I am respectfully yours, 
 
 H. H. KENDRICK, Scrgt. Co. K t jjM ///. Voh. 
 
MARCHING ORDERS. 43 
 
 This trustful and beseeching epistle does not appear to 
 have had any effect, although boldly signed by a sergeant. 
 It was of course impossible to compel or induce the men to 
 take any care of such unspeakably worthless arms, and they 
 were thrown about and thrown away until replaced by others 
 which, although not "revolvers," were satisfactory. 
 
 While here Colonels Stuart and Malmborg, and some 
 other officers, had their sabres ground so as to be prepared 
 for future emergencies. The report for the closing month 
 of the year shows an aggregate of 988 upon the muster 
 rolls, of whom 53 present and 26 absent were sick. W. H. 
 Howe, commonly called " Waukegan," joined the regiment as 
 principal musician at Benton Barracks, and while it is not 
 probable that his mellifluous fife did as much towards sup 
 pressing the rebellion as he sometimes thought, the good 
 which he did lived after him, for his little son, Orion, became 
 the pet hero of the war. 
 
 During all this time events were shaping towards impor 
 tant results. Whatever may be said of General Halleck s 
 timid and inefficient conduct in the actual presence of the 
 enemy, there cannot fairly be denied him certain powers of 
 organization and efforts at grand strategy which resulted in 
 the concentration of magnificent armies and the delivery of 
 well aimed blows. As the symptoms of approaching cam 
 paigns began to appear, no regiment was more anxious to get 
 at its bloody harvest than this same Fifty-fifth. It was im 
 bued with genuine patriotism and entirely weary of the 
 monotony of endless drill and camp life. Orders were anx 
 iously hoped for and daily expected which would point to 
 the desired end. They came on the afternoon of Sunday, 
 January I2th, and were to the effect that the Fifty-fifth would 
 embark on board a transport on the next morning with all 
 baggage and three days rations. When the morning of the 
 1 3th came the weather was extremely cold for that latitude, 
 the thermometer standing at about zero, and the wind was 
 penetrating. Bright and early all equipage was loaded, and 
 the regiment, with all the "pomp and circumstance of war," 
 marched from the barracks through the city to the point of 
 embarkation. There were about eight hundred men, includ- 
 
44 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ing all officers, actually present, and about seventy men were 
 left sick in hospital. The entire day was spent in loading the 
 endless piles of baggage. This was perfectly characteristic 
 of the way of doing things at that time. Such duty was of 
 course very harassing to the overworked commissary and 
 quartermaster-sergeants, who in this travail were hoarding up 
 experience for after usefulness. 
 
 With the exception of the details employed by the quar 
 termaster, the troops had nothing to do but to stand idle in 
 the ranks, subject to as much control as practicable. This 
 was intensely disagreeable in the severe cold, and many an 
 unfortunate ear paid painful tribute to enforced exposure. 
 From time to time through the day men escaped and secured 
 in various ways quantities of that soul-searching liquid called 
 thereabouts "Mississippi tanglefoot," of which tradition said 
 a small portion would "kill forty rods and around a corner." 
 About dark such of the regiment as were able filed on board 
 the D. A. January, and those who had fallen were carried, 
 dragged or led along, in any way that seemed easiest. The 
 surface of the river was a mass of floating ice. Everything 
 about the boat was enveloped in a cloud of steam damp, 
 cold and disagreeable. The rank and file were assigned to 
 various places upon the different decks. The officers fled 
 beyond the howls of the drunken and disgusted privates, into 
 the warmth of the cabin, to which shoulder-straps alone had 
 access. 
 
 Under any circumstances the crowding of eight hundred 
 men, with unlimited baggage, upon a boat of moderate size, 
 would have been disagreeable. In the present instance, with 
 the intense cold and gathering darkness, it resulted in actual 
 suffering and privation, all aggravated by the shrieks and howls 
 of hundreds of drunken and pugnacious men. Upon the 
 bow of the boat there was a barrel of "commissary," guarded 
 by that excellent but bibulous old soldier, Carl Dhelo, of 
 Company I. Although ordinarily trustworthy, the tempta 
 tions of the day had overcome poor Carl, and while he was 
 calmly sleeping upon one end of the barrel, other soldiers 
 drew off all its contents into canteens, which were quickly 
 distributed through the regiment, to the great confusion of 
 
THE D. A. JANUARY. 45 
 
 the quartermaster s accounts. The bar of the boat had been 
 closed by official order, but the fat old chambermaid estab 
 lished an agency at the rear, where vile whisky was vended 
 from a tin wash-boiler at the rate of a dollar for a tin cupful. 
 The bad men of Company G, E and I in particular were 
 especially uproarious and bent on settling old scores, and in 
 the darkness hit a head, whether they could see it or not. 
 Some turned to vent their rage upon the despised guns which 
 were piled promiscuously upon the bow of the boat. Pratt, 
 a highly educated but drunken character, of Company I, de 
 liberately put in his time in dropping them overboard one by 
 one, until interrupted by official intervention. That excel 
 lent and reliable soldier (afterwards captain), Kays, threw 
 overboard at least twenty-five of them, in a fit of wrath. 
 
 Just after dark the D. A. January called later, "Whoa 
 January" swung loose from tne levee into the sea of ice, and 
 with it floated down the stream. A paymaster was on board 
 and proceeded to utilize the time by paying off the regiment 
 that night. The companies, one by one, were assembled as 
 far as possible, and taken to the cabin for that purpose. The 
 line looked as battered as though it had been through a riot, 
 and many a weary patriot had to leave his financial concerns 
 to his captain. One end of the cabin was devoted to hospi 
 tal purposes, and Dr. Roler was kept busy in patching up the 
 injured from the scrimmages below. The scattering recollec 
 tions remaining after an eventful quarter of a century cannot 
 so fairly present the unpleasant events of this voyage as a 
 well written cotemporaneous account. From the quite volu 
 minous literature of that character kindly furnished by the 
 comrades, the following letter, written at the time by a well- 
 known member of the regiment, is selected: 
 
 ****** Monday night and Tuesday we crept down the stream at 
 snail s pace passing over in thirty hours seventy miles or about half the 
 journey we expected to finish in twenty hours, supposing Cairo to be our 
 destination. The men, all this time exposed more or less to cold and 
 damp, began to fall ill and the floor of the ladies cabin was speedily 
 covered with the sick stretched on mattresses and blankets. 
 
 The country we passed through was chiefly a wilderness, rocky on the 
 Missouri and flat on the Illinois side. The way grew wofully tiresome 
 after the novelty of getting aground and swinging or sparring off had 
 
4 6 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 worn away. On Tuesday evening the officers relieved the tedium of the 
 voyage by the mock trial by court-martial of a captain of the regiment, 
 who was charged with " riding a borrowed horse, sitting backwards upon 
 him and using -the tail as a rudder" with " swallowing the surgeon s 
 probang while having his throat operated upon," etc., etc. About nine p. 
 M. when the mad fun was at its height, the boat struck heavily upon a bar 
 and thenceforth the history of the expedition may be concisely set forth 
 in two lines of that poetical arctic romance in the reading-book of our 
 school days: 
 
 " Six days and nights, the record stood, 
 
 Had they been in the ice and wanted food." 
 
 Wednesday we awoke to find ourselves "cabined, cribbed, confined" in 
 the wilderness twenty miles from anywhere, the weather severely cold 
 and one day s provision aboard for over eight hundred men, women and 
 children the river falling to still "lower depths," and a hostile shore 
 twenty rods away. The spars were worked incessantly, the engines 
 roared, and the mate swore enough to melt the ice within hearing distance 
 of his resonant voice, but the boat clung to the sand. Two men were 
 sent ashore in a skiff and dispatched across the country to Cape Girar- 
 deau, the nearest town, for assistance. Thursday one strong man died in 
 the cabin. Our last rations were dealt out and the quartermaster landed 
 to search the neighborhood for cattle. Towards evening our messengers 
 returned with a wagon load of provisions and the promise that a boat 
 would come, if possible, to our relief. Friday the quartermaster pressed 
 into service the steamer Belle Memphis, lying in winter quarters not very 
 far from the scene of our disaster. She got up steam and tugged at us 
 forwards, backwards and sideways, all to no purpose. Consultations of 
 the officers were frequent, but no plan of extrication from our difficulty 
 could be agreed upon as feasible. We could disembark and make a 
 forced march to Cape Girardeau or to Jonesboro , 111., but we must aban 
 don baggage and boat to the mercy of the river and the secessionists who 
 knew of our mishap; and moreover the roads were reported hardly pass 
 able. The Memphis could take us on board but, being a heavy-draft 
 boat, could not go over the next bar a mile ahead. It was finally decided 
 to unload and march for Jonesboro , first sending to Cape Girardeau for 
 mules and provisions. The messengers were dispatched, and the U. A. 
 January disgorged her wealth of military stores and men upon her sister 
 boat. 
 
 The Surgeon and his assistants knew no rest night nor day. The 
 officers were in constant anxiety lest the secessionists, hearing of our 
 situation, should come upon us in force. The men were becoming rapidly 
 demoralized by hunger, fatigue and exposure. The clouds never broke 
 and the wind blew bitterly chill from the north-west, while the muddy 
 river forcibly reminded me of that stream in Dante s Purgatorio angrily 
 rushing ****< on w jth the brown, brown current under the shade 
 perpetual, that never ray of the sun lets in nor of the moon," Satur 
 day we landed and set the mess fires blazing on the Missouri rocks. 
 
ON A SAND-BAR. 47 
 
 Cattle and hogs were slaughtered, and the band, stationed on the hurri 
 cane deck, struck up merry tunes. Towards evening a ferry-boat from 
 Cape Girardeau crept up to us through the fog. The rain poured in 
 torrents during the night, but only made the river muddier, not more 
 navigable. Sunday we began the transferring of men and indispensable 
 baggage to the Illinois shore with the purpose of marching to the nearest 
 point on the .Illinois Central R. R. One load had .reached the opposite 
 bank, -when a ringing cheer from the deck of the Memphis awoke the 
 echoes. The D. A. January had by sparring vigorously been loosened 
 from the grip of the sand-bar and visibly swung as on a pivot in the 
 current. At one P. M. she was free, steamed up the river for wood and 
 coal, returned, and before dark regiment and freight were .again on board. 
 Monday morning the men were landed to march a mile or more while 
 the boat, lightened of their weight, safely passed a formidable sand-bar 
 near some singularly castellated cliffs that overhung the river s edge. 
 Another troublesome shallow, overlooked by the " Devil s tea-table," com 
 pelled a second disembarkation a few miles further on. The boat dragged 
 with difficulty over, received her living freight again and the pilot cheer 
 fully announced that our troubles were at last ended. But not so! In less 
 than an hour we were fast upon another bar and only got off after four 
 hours diligent work, when, it being dark, we tied up for the night with 
 our consort, the ferry-boat. Tuesday morning at eight o clock we started 
 again, and struck a snag at nine, but slid off from it; the ferry-boat, less, 
 lucky, was sunk in our wake. Arriving at Cape Girardeau, we were 
 ordered to disembark and encamp. Having become by this time expert 
 in transferring freight, before ten o clock the regiment had everything 
 piled upon the levee and was just taking up the line of march for camp, 
 when orders arrived for us to embark at once and proceed to Fort Holt 
 via Cairo. At half-past four p. M. we were away to the tune of Dixie. 
 Commerce, Mo., was reported occupied by Jeff. Thompson and a small 
 Confederate force, but we floated by undisturbed in the darkness and 
 tied up for the night a little below that place. Wednesday the back 
 water, caused by the swollen Ohio, ended our troubles in navigation. At 
 half-past one P. M. we reached Cairo, ten days from St. Louis. Having 
 nearly depleted that city of its supplies of apples, gingerbread and news 
 papers, about four p. M. we steamed up the Ohio under orders for Padu- 
 cah. Thursday morning we deserted the D. A. January, and marched 
 with the pleasant sunshine of a May-like day to the music of bluebirds 
 and our band playing Yankee Doodle, and pitched our tents in an oak 
 grove near where the Tennessee pours its waters into the Ohio. 
 
 The journey so well described in the foregoing letter ter 
 minated on January 23d. It was an adventure of real hard 
 ships, the more so as the men were yet unaccustomed to 
 exposure, and lacked the experience and skill which ulti 
 mately made them equal to anything. The soldier whose 
 
48 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 death is mentioned was Albert Washburn of Company G, 
 who thus early died of diphtheria. Dr. Roler, by his unre 
 mitting kindness during this expedition, earned the love and 
 esteem of the rank and file, which ever after remained un 
 wavering fully deserved and freely given. 
 
 On the day of arrival at Paducah the regiment disem 
 barked, and marched about two miles to a place of encamp 
 ment upon high ground and among innumerable stumps. 
 Here for the first time tents drawn at St. Louis were erected, 
 being of the Sibley pattern, just then in vogue. Sheet-iron 
 stoves were also issued by the quartermaster. They were 
 cylindrical affairs, which stood upon the ground like a barrel 
 upon end, and attached to them was a pipe, making its 
 exit at the top of the tent. These contrivances answered 
 moderately well for the purpose of heating, but were useless 
 for cooking. There were fourteen women with the regiment, 
 wives of officers and men, nearly all striving vaguely, and in 
 the main uselessly, to do something as hospital nurses, laun 
 dresses, or cooks. 
 
 For a time after landing the weather remained warm and 
 pleasant. On January 2yth camp was removed to a point 
 nearer town, and contiguous to the brigade of General Lew 
 Wallace, in which were the fantastically dressed and fanci 
 fully drilled Eleventh Indiana and Eighth Missouri. The 
 removal took place in a driving rain and snow storm, and was 
 followed by freezing cold weather. There was no material 
 for bedding other than the single blanket and overcoat be 
 longing to each soldier, and no means of flooring the tents, 
 which were pitched upon a coating of several inches of snow, 
 underlaid by slush. Much suffering and consequent sickness 
 followed. On the approach of evening a few men entered a 
 barn near the camp-ground and confiscated certain small 
 bundles of corn fodder to eke out their scanty bedding. The 
 owner at once appealed to the colonel who, furiously enraged, 
 rushed to the front of his tent, and at the top of his strong 
 voice proclaimed that he would "turn grape and canister" 
 upon the men that he "would slaughter them" before it 
 should be said that he "commanded a regiment of thieves 
 and vagabonds." All this and much more was repeated over 
 
THE ORDERLIES. 49 
 
 and over again, in the loudest possible tones, and garnished 
 with -an infinite variety of oaths. This exhibition of ungov 
 ernable rage to the men, who were suffering fearfully from 
 the inclemency of the weather, was wholly unwarranted by 
 the occasion, and was a foretaste of the abuse and tyranny 
 which increased from day to day as the distance from the 
 restraints of civil life enlarged. 
 
 During the early part of the service the orderly sergeants 
 were held accountable for nearly everything. It was much 
 safer to curse and lecture them than it was the commissioned 
 officers, who sometimes resented insults, and were supposed 
 to have certain rights. Not so with the hard-worked order 
 lies, who suffered daily and hourly vicariously for everybody s 
 faults, and if nothing specific could be discovered, were 
 cursed on general principles by the field-officers, and grum 
 bled at by the company officers and men. It may be that 
 the names of these lowly personages who toiled and suffered 
 so much are worth preserving in these pages. They were: 
 
 Company A, William F. Cootes. Company F, James F. Shreves. 
 
 B, Parker B. Bagley. " G, Peter Roberts. 
 
 C, Ambrose E. Partch. " H, James McCreedy. 
 
 " D, Charles E. Burnap. I, Lucien B. Crocker. 
 
 E, Jonas L. Buck. K, Charles K. Ensell. 
 
 Subsequently three of these men became captains, after 
 filling lower grades. One became second-lieutenant, and was 
 cashiered for cowardice. One was discharged for wounds re 
 ceived at Shiloh. Two died, one in battle and one of disease, 
 after both had justly earned promotion and been unjustly de 
 nied it. One was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps 
 for disability, and nearly all received wounds. 
 
 One pronounced trait in Colonel Stuart s character was a 
 penchant for making speeches on every possible occasion. 
 He was an orator of fine action and much dramatic force, 
 and however uncalled for, his florid declamations at the time 
 excited admiration. It should be remembered also that this 
 was the epoch of speech-making, and that the most popular 
 stump orator was apt to be considered the most deserving 
 officer. In the light of later experience Stuart s orations 
 now seem extravagent, if not ludicrous. Somehow they did 
 4 
 
50 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 not appear so then, probably because the inexperienced lis 
 teners had not yet learned to distinguish between a rhetorical 
 fusilade and practical warfare. Just after dark, on the cold 
 night of the before-mentioned "grape and canister" epi 
 sode, the orderlies call sounded, whereupon those humble 
 but useful non-commissioned officers trotted off to the quar 
 ters of Adjutant Thurston, and were there told by Clerk 
 Nourse that the colonel wished to see them. They ranged 
 themselves in the tent occupied by that dignitary, looking 
 deeply impressed and as soldierly as possible. Stuart sat 
 behind a small pine table, upon which was a candle "dimly 
 burning," and at once launched out into an oration. The 
 first words uttered were literally as follows : " I am a man 
 of somewhat damaged reputation, as you all well know, 
 and I came into the army solely to retrieve that reputation; 
 and I depend upon this regiment to do it." Following 
 these remarkable words he assumed an upright position, 
 and with the graces of diction and gesture he knew so well 
 how to use, proceeded to lecture the orderlies for the space 
 of an hour upon the extent of their duties, when they were 
 allowed to retire and wonder how so many responsibilities 
 happened to rest upon men having so little honor and such 
 small pay. The qualifications named by the speaker as 
 necessary for an orderly-sergeant would have been cheaply 
 purchased by the government at the expense of a major- 
 general s salary for each of them. In the peculiar language 
 above quoted is undoubtedly found the chief incentive to 
 Stuart s action, and this is confirmed by much that he said 
 and did afterwards. 
 
 It was apparent from the massing of troops about the 
 mouth of the Cumberland and Tennessee that important 
 operations were about to take place. Of course the details 
 were beyond the scope of the vision of the rank and file. 
 In connection with these movements the troops encamped 
 adjacent to the Fifty-fifth took their departure, and on the 
 sixth day of February camp was moved a few hundred yards 
 to the ground just abandoned by the Eleventh Indiana. It 
 was regularly laid out in graded streets, with comfortable 
 log-cabins for guard and cook-rooms, and after the removal 
 
FUN AT THE SUTLER S. 5 1 
 
 the Fifty-fifth found its condition much improved. All sorts 
 of rumors were rife relating to attacks and counter attacks, 
 and details for guard and picket duty were quite heavy. 
 Squads were daily taken from the regiment to work upon the 
 fort being constructed around the Marine Hospital, which 
 afterwards served a purpose in the memorable defence of 
 Paducah by Colonel Hicks of the Fortieth Illinois. Some of 
 the men took lessons in artillery practice at this fort; and the 
 knowledge so acquired was put to valuable use during the 
 closing incidents of the first day s battle of Shiloh. 
 
 The large round tent used by the sutler had been set up 
 adjacent to the camp, where "sutler s chips," the representa 
 tive of value in all the poker games thereabouts, were sold 
 to all desiring them, who had money or credit. Phillip Seel- 
 bach, first-lieutenant of Company I, was a German of some 
 capacity, plenty of good nature, and bibulous proclivities. 
 It was a rare day indeed when this easy-going officer was not 
 symmetrically drunk by night-fall. Just after dark, one rainy 
 night, he wandered into the sutler s tent in search of con 
 genial companionship and the other luxuries likely to be 
 found there. The fire was comfortable and the company all 
 that could be expected, and with the overwhelming dignity 
 of a drunken man who is bound to conceal his condition, the 
 lieutenant seated himself upon a camp-stool within the 
 charmed circle. Further refreshments of the liquid sort, 
 combined with the warmth, soon overcame him, and he slid 
 off the camp-stool into the saw-dust beneath, "whereupon 
 the proceedings interested him no more." Captain Tazewell, 
 Quartermaster Janes and others waggishly inclined, at once 
 proposed that Seelbach should be buried with the honors of 
 war, since he had fallen upon the field. They proceeded to 
 completely bury him in the saw-dust, and fire loose cartridges 
 all over and around him, and when the entertainment closed, 
 trundled him home in a wheelbarrow, and left him, like Pick 
 wick, to be gazed upon and scoffed at by the rabble. When 
 the orderly of Company I reported to him the next morning, 
 he lay in a heap, covered with mud and saw-dust, with eye 
 brows and hair singed off, without doubt the hardest looking 
 warrior in the Western department. 
 
52 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Owing to the frequent rumors of attack the sutler, a 
 nervous individual, was in a state of constant alarm lest he 
 and his stock should be captured. Knowing this, certain 
 officers pursued him with blood-curdling stories of danger. 
 On a certain warm, foggy evening, one officer after another, 
 according to a pre-arranged plan, dropped in upon him, and 
 each in turn showed a lot of cartridges filled with saw-dust, 
 cursing loudly the villainous fraud, especially as an attack 
 was bound to come that very night. When the sutler s fears 
 had been wrought up to the proper pitch, the quartermaster 
 dropped in and told in a highly excited way that he was 
 ordered at once to send to the river for a supply of good 
 ammunition, to replace the worthless stock on hand. He 
 furthermore complained that all his teams were a mile away, 
 and asked the sutler if he would not take his sleek span of 
 mules near by and go upon the errand. Of course that indi 
 vidual was only too glad to go for ammunition which was to 
 be expended in the protection of his person and property, 
 and armed with a fictitious requisition upon a fictitious officer, 
 located upon a boat equally mythical, set forth at once. As 
 soon as the sutler disappeared, the whole regiment was taken 
 into the secret, and turned loose to fortify the tent. Hun 
 dreds of willing hands were instantly busy in digging a ditch 
 and throwing up breastworks to that end, and when done, all 
 the old stovepipes and barrels around camp were mounted 
 thereon to represent artillery. A circle of brush was dragged 
 around outside the whole, and all retired to await results. 
 When the sutler returned, his rage and fury in storming the 
 works around his own tent more than satisfied all that the 
 labor was well expended. 
 
 February 2d several thousand troops passed up the Ten 
 nessee, leaving the Fifty-fifth behind, much to the disgust of 
 its members, who were kept busy about guard duty, unload 
 ing steamboats, and other such irksome labors. As is now 
 well known, this movement of the Union forces opened the 
 heart of the Confederacy through the conquest of Forts 
 Henry and Donelson. It was understood at the time that 
 the Fifty-fifth was left in the rear on account of the utter 
 worthlessness of its arms. That they were useless was finally 
 
FORTS HENRY AND DONELSON. 53 
 
 judicially settled by a board of inspection, who sagely deter 
 mined what everybody had long known, and to that fact is 
 due what was then conceived by the members of the regi 
 ment to be a great misfortune. After Shiloh the luck of 
 being left in the rear in case of battle was always submitted 
 to with resignation, though it must in truth be confessed that 
 chances for such self-denial did not often occur in the subse 
 quent history of the regiment. 
 
 On February 6th, much to the joy of the men, new arms 
 were issued to them. They were heavy guns of 58 calibre, 
 called the "Dresden rifle," were long range and accurate, and 
 adapted to the conical ball. In all battles in which the Fifty- 
 fifth took part, up to the close of the Vicksburg campaign, 
 they were efficient weapons in the hands of brave men, and 
 did their full share of bloody work on numerous battle-fields. 
 
 The almost bloodless capture of Fort Henry was followed 
 by the sanguinary conflicts around Donelson, and on Febru 
 ary i6th and i;th large numbers of Federal and Confederate 
 wounded arrived at Paducah. Churches and other buildings 
 were taken as hospitals, and large details of the Fifty-fifth 
 were kept busy in moving and caring for the unfortunates. 
 The streets were filled with the slightly wounded, each one 
 surrounded by a group of admiring listeners, and not one of 
 the gaping crowd but would have gladly taken the wound if 
 a share of the glory could have been transmitted with it. 
 
 As the expedition passed up the river by Paducah, John 
 Armstrong of Company I went on board a transport to visit 
 friends in the Fifty-seventh Illinois. The boat left suddenly 
 and John became a part of the campaign. He passed through 
 the outskirts of the conflict at Donelson, and so accidentally 
 earned the distinction of being the first man of the Fifty-fifth 
 ever under fire, and upon hi^s return was looked at as a hero, 
 to whom the god of war had granted a great favor. It is 
 needless to add that shortly such honors became more com 
 mon and less conspicuous. 
 
 Some writer has used the far-fetched expression that at 
 this period the army was clothed with music. If so, the 
 Fifty-fifth had its full share of harmonious apparel. In ad 
 dition to the irrepressible drum corps, a splendid brass band 
 
54 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 had so far been connected with the regiment. Although the 
 men liked well enough to listen to their music and march to 
 its rhythm, the members of the band had always erected 
 their tent in the field-officers row, and held themselves some 
 what aloof from the common soldiers. As their duties were 
 somewhat of the dress-parade order, they were the victims 
 of many rough jokes. If the term had then been invented, 
 they would have been called military dudes. In accordance 
 with a general order this band was mustered out on February 
 ist, and forever after the regiment had to rely on such rattling 
 strains as "Waukegan" could coax or scold out of Joe 
 Edwards, "Betsey" Sherman, Orion P. and Liston D. Howe, 
 and their youthful but insubordinate fellows. 
 
 In the latter part of the sojourn at Paducah many changes 
 occurred among the line officers. Some were unfitted for the 
 positions they occupied, either in fact or in the opinion of 
 the colonel, who assumed the most arbitrary control over 
 their official existence. Although nothing but garrison duty 
 had been encountered, some had endured enough of the 
 hardships of war to exalt the family altar above the much 
 eulogized altar of the suffering country. Still others, and by 
 far the greater number, were chafing under the unstable policy 
 of the colonel, and the ill temper and abuse of the lieutenant- 
 colonel, and as the most practicable means of escape tendered 
 their resignations. The major was well liked, but when two 
 superiors are present, the major of a regiment is a good deal 
 like the proverbial fifth wheel to a coach. Few if any com 
 missions had yet been issued to the officers of the Fifty-fifth, 
 which was entirely the fault of the colonel, as will be seen 
 later when it becomes necessary to allude to it at greater 
 length, as a potent cause of dissension. Since the records of 
 officers in the Adjutant-General s pffice of the state of Illinois 
 are kept in what is known as a Commission Book, and the 
 reports from that office are made up from such book, many 
 of the names of the first officers of the regiment appear no 
 where in the archives of the state. No commissions having 
 been called for by the commander of the regiment, none 
 were issued, and therefore the records of the Adjutant-General 
 are, and for no fault of his own in that particular, incomplete. 
 
RESIGNATIONS. 5S 
 
 To illustrate this point, the case of T. B. Burrows may be 
 cited. He had served as second-lieutenant of Company H 
 since the muster-in of the regiment, and died at Paducah; 
 but hrs name nowhere appears in the Adjutant-General s re 
 port. At this distance, and principally for the reasons above 
 given, strict accuracy as to the names of the officers leaving 
 about this period is impossible. The following is offered as 
 perhaps an imperfect statement, in that connection: William 
 Presson, captain of Company A, resigned March 13, 1862; 
 Asahel C. Smith, second-lieutenant of Company B, resigned 
 March 5th, 1862; Thomas B. Mackey, captain of Company 
 B, resigned December 28, 1861; William S. Johnson, second- 
 lieutenant of Company D, resigned March 5, 1862; William 
 H. Dixon, first-lieutenant of Company E, resigned March 13, 
 1862; William R. Halligan, second-lieutenant of Company E, 
 resigned March 5, 1862; Milton L. Haney, captain of Com 
 pany F, resigned March 5, 1862; Jabez C. Crooker, captain of 
 Company I, resigned February, 1862; Phillip Seelbach, first- 
 lieutenant of Company I, resigned March 5, 1862. One L. 
 P. Crouch, whose name does not appear at all in the Adjutant- 
 General s office, and who had been striving in a feeble way to 
 fulfill the duties of chaplain, also tendered his resignation. 
 As previously mentioned, Lieutenant T. B. Burrows of Com 
 pany H died in hospital at this post. From the above it 
 appears that more than one-third of the officers originally 
 mustered with the regiment disappeared from its rolls before 
 the danger of actual battle was reached. 
 
 On February 2/th, 1862, Colonel Stuart assumed command 
 of the Second brigade of Sherman s division. Here began 
 the association of the Fifty-fifth with the excellent and 
 brave Fifty-fourth Ohio Zouaves, so long companions in the 
 rebellion struggle, and neither regiment were ever ashamed 
 of the association. The Seventy-first Ohio, so utterly dis 
 graced at Shiloh, was the remaining member of the brigade. 
 
 It was well understood in military circles that the recent 
 conquest of Forts Henry and Donelson had pierced the rebel 
 line of defence, and the abandonment of Columbus, the "Gib 
 raltar of the West," was anticipated as likely to follow. For 
 the purpose, possibly of hurrying that result, an expedition 
 
56 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 was organized, consisting of a battalion from each of the 
 three regiments above named. At Cairo the gunboat fleet, 
 with the Twenty-seventh and Forty-second Illinois, joined, 
 and the whole proceeded down the Mississippi to the imme 
 diate vicinity of the rebel stronghold. It was found that 
 Columbus was evacuated, a fact not however at once appar 
 ent from the river. Finally thirty men of Company I em 
 barked with General Sherman upon a tug-boat, which steamed 
 direct to the water batteries at the foot of the bluff. Captain 
 Slattery was the first Federal soldier who stepped on shore, 
 followed quickly by the general and others present. Every 
 thing capable of destruction was a smoking ruin. The 
 strongest fortifications ever erected in the West were wholly 
 dismantled. The innumerable "shebangs" and "dug-outs" 
 for may thousands of men were wholly or partially destroyed; 
 and the ruins were objects of untiring exploration during the 
 short Federal occupation. For the only time during the war 
 the Fifty-fifth acted in conjunction with its former colleague 
 of the Douglas Brigade. As was nearly always the case 
 during its history, no reports were made for the regiment, and 
 it is difficult to state precisely what portion participated in 
 this expedition. Most comrades when asked say that the 
 whole regiment was included. Lieutenant Hartsook, than 
 whom there is no better authority, is certain Company F was 
 not present. In the opinion of the writer, Companies A, F and 
 G did not go. Besides, large details from other companies 
 were left at Paducah. General Cullum, Halleck s chief-of- 
 staff, who was present, reports that a battalion of the Fifty- 
 fifth, under Major Sanger, accompanied the expedition. 
 
 One of the very few regimental monthly reports which 
 have been found is that of February, 1862. It is valuable as 
 showing the exact condition of the Fifty-fifth just before it 
 went to the extreme front, and only five weeks before it par 
 ticipated in its first and greatest battle. By such report it 
 appears that on the last day of February there were 6 field 
 and staff, 19 line officers, and 764 enlisted men present for 
 duty, being an aggregate of 789 in all grades. This is what 
 would have appeared in the Confederate reports as the 
 effective total. There were 73 men present, but sick in 
 
LEAVING PADUCAH. 57 
 
 other words, in regimental hospital or excused by the surgeon 
 from duty; 32 enlisted men were absent sick that is to say, 
 away from the care of regimental surgeon. There were in 
 arrest two enlisted men, both from Company G, and one man 
 had died during the month. Pursuing the examination fur 
 ther, it appears that there were 954 names upon the roll of 
 the regiment. There was a loss from all causes during the 
 month of 32. These were mainly by resignation and the 
 muster out of the band; one, however, was a deserter from 
 Company E. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth returned from Columbus to Paducah on 
 March 6th, where all was "hurrying to and fro," and every 
 thing in a state of unrest, foreboding a speedy departure. 
 The city, the river bank, and the numerous steamboats in 
 sight were crowded with blue-coats, betokening extensive 
 concentration and an eventful future. On this day Hugh 
 Muckle, a soldier of Company B, was accidentally killed by 
 a musket shot. Scarcely had the Fifty-fifth reached camp 
 when orders were received to strike tents and join the pro 
 cession. The regiment had by this time acquired a gorgeous 
 array of baggage, mules and wagons. One authority places 
 the number at twenty-six six-mule teams. This would make 
 a melodious aggregate of one hundred and fifty-six of those 
 humble but useful animals, all of which had had their tails 
 twisted and been lashed into an uncertain state of subordi 
 nation by the intellectual soldiers detailed for that purpose. 
 The soul-searching strains of disapproval arising from the 
 corral about these times did much to console the men for the 
 recent loss of the brass band. For the purpose of destroy 
 ing sleep and jarring upon the nerves of a sick man they 
 almost equaled the drum corps which made life a burden to 
 " Waukegan." All baggage and equipage was upon the same 
 magnificent scale, and it may well be supposed that moving 
 was a laborious proceeding. March /th was devoted to that 
 duty, and after dark the Fifty-fifth filed on board the steamer 
 Hannibal, which was to be its home during the journey up 
 the Tennessee. During that night the boat remained at the 
 levee, but early on the morning of the 8th dropped down the 
 river for coal; and when the fuel was on board, tied up at an 
 
S FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 adjacent island, surrounded by a large number of steamers, 
 each bearing a like burden of boisterous patriots. 
 
 The day was warm and genial. The buds of the willow 
 and water maple were fast opening to the kiss of the south 
 ern sun. The bluebirds and other feathered harbingers of 
 spring were flitting about, undisturbed by the warlike pageant 
 spre ad out before them. Steamboats covered with swarms 
 of blue-coated soldiers were moving from place to place, 
 while here and there black gunboats were anchored in sullen 
 silence. The air was burdened with strains of martial music. 
 Altogether the scene was a gorgeous panorama, as inspiring 
 as was ever pictured on this continent. Evidently a historic 
 climax was approaching. 
 
 Since the resignations which had recently occurred, much 
 speculation had ensued as to who should succeed to the 
 vacancies caused thereby. Ordinarily, and in a regiment 
 where the accepted rules of the service governed, this would 
 not have been a matter of either difficulty or speculation. 
 If the parties who had been found reasonably well qualified 
 had been promoted according to rank, the whole problem 
 would have been solved according to well established rules 
 of justice. But this was not for a moment intended, and for 
 weeks the "caucus plan" had been in operation, wherein all 
 sorts of influence, prejudice and favoritism had a full hearing. 
 Just before departure from Paducah some had been quietly 
 notified of their intended promotion, and had ad interim been 
 so acting; but no uniforms or insignia of rank had as yet been 
 authorized to designate such elevation, and no order had been 
 issued definitely recognizing it. Thus it was that when the 
 Fifty-fifth marched on board the Hannibal many vacancies 
 in fact existed in its roster of officers, and the hopes and 
 fears of a dozen or more ambitious soldiers were dependant 
 upon the colonel s future and final action. An order in 
 precise terms of military brevity would have fulfilled all 
 legal requirements, and have been in accordance with army 
 usage. More ostentation, however, ushered in the glitter of 
 these new shoulder-straps. In the presence of the adjacent 
 thousands it was determined to promulgate the various pro 
 motions in the most public manner, and the colonel proceeded 
 
STUART S ORATORY. 59 
 
 to that task early in the day lest the sun should go down 
 before it was completed. The spirit of oratory was again 
 upon him. The waters of his great intellectual deep were 
 troubled, and the wind must spend its force before they would 
 again be calm. The hurricane deck of the peaceful steamer 
 Hannibal was cleared for action. Then Company A was 
 formed on the lower deck, "armed and equipped as the law 
 directs," and marched to the upper deck, where each promo 
 tion, whether commissioned or non-commissioned, was an 
 nounced by the colonel, and each new officer, blushing with 
 his new honors, then and there assumed his proper place, to 
 "be respected and obeyed accordingly." These proceedings 
 were interrupted and garnished with bursts of eloquent 
 admonition about the duties of each grade, with hints upon 
 deportment, military ethics, and the war generally. Thus in 
 alphabetical order each company was in turn marched to the 
 same place, and a like libation of euphony poured upon it. 
 On this auspicious occasion, and in like grand manner the 
 writer was lifted from the humble position of orderly-sergeant 
 of Company I to the exalted (as it then seemed) office of 
 first-lieutenant of the same company, and some of the rhe 
 torical gems scattered for the delectation of that company, 
 still linger in the chambers of memory. Colonel Stuart was 
 magnificently dressed, and walked the deck like a king. His 
 fine form and bearing was the cynosure of thousands near 
 by. If the reason for his declamatory flux was somewhat 
 far-fetched, his manner was in the highest degree attractive 
 and dramatic. The inexperienced and wondering listeners 
 were not wont to grow weary under it, besides who could 
 then tell but what the walls of the Confederacy might not be 
 vulnerable to huge blasts of noise, like unto those of Jericho 
 of old. 
 
 After Company I had "right dressed," Lieutenant Slattery 
 was first addressed and his promotion to the captaincy an 
 nounced, with congratulations and good advice. The orderly 
 was next taken in hand and a section of an oration delivered 
 " suitable to his condition in life," when his gun was taken 
 away and he marched just the regulation number of paces in 
 rear of the left flank. This course was pursued in the regular 
 
60 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 order, and finally ended with the rescuing of a "high private" 
 from the obscurity of the ranks and elevating him upon the 
 exalted pedestal of an eighth corporal, when the company 
 marched away in a blaze of glory. 
 
 A large share of the lecture was devoted to denouncing 
 the evils of intemperance, and as an inducement to forego 
 the seductive fluids, it was promised that when we got to New 
 Orleans at the end of the war we would all get drunk to 
 gether. All through the day there stood upon the bottom of 
 an upturned yawl on the upper deck a woe-begone soldier 
 holding an old cavalry sabre over his shoulder. This was 
 one Welch of Company B, who was suffering in the flesh for 
 having been drunk the night before. Not being one of the 
 fortunate ones selected for promotion, and his place of 
 immolation being close at hand, he had an admirable oppor 
 tunity for listening to the entire series of speeches, and he 
 occasionally served the purposes of illustration. While the 
 colonel was delivering a torrent of invective against the evils 
 of intemperance, he suddenly turned to the culprit and vehe 
 mently remarked: "There s Welch; he got drunk last night, 
 fell into the river and lost his gun. He is a perfect walking 
 moral philosopher of the evils of intemperance; he is his 
 own horrid example." Addressing Welch directly he said, 
 "Welch, you were drunk last night, weren t you? Speak up 
 like a man, and own up." Welch lugubriously replied, "Yeas, 
 about half-drunk." Whereat the colonel yelled out, " Half- 
 drunk, d n you, why didn t you get whole drunk like a 
 
 man?" In this formidable and ponderous way about one- 
 half of the officers of the regiment were created, or in some 
 way changed their positions. It is not likely that any other 
 similar organization ever underwent such an official revolu 
 tion at one time, before experiencing a necessity for it by the 
 casualties of battle. Certainly such a large number of 
 changes in the roster of officers had an important bearing 
 upon its history, and the manner in which it was done throws 
 certain side lights upon the character of those responsible 
 for the method used. 
 
 The list of promotions following is tentative and given as 
 the nearest correct attainable. Henry S. Nourse was pro- 
 
PROMOTIONS. 6l 
 
 moted to adjutant. He was from Lancaster, Massachusetts, 
 and had come West at the request of Stuart to enter the 
 service as engineer, in which direction he was especially 
 educated. This promise, like many from the same source, 
 was broken, and so far he had acted as clerk to his friend 
 the adjutant, drawing neither pay nor rations and not 
 enlisted. He brought to his new office the first fruits of his 
 youthful talents and splendid education. Fortunately he 
 survives so that we can gather riper fruits from the same 
 source to be stored within the covers of this volume. The 
 members of the regiment never knew how he wrought and 
 suffered for it in an unassuming way while under the rasping 
 domination of superior officers. Captain Milton L. Haney 
 was promoted, if it may be called promotion, to be chaplain. 
 That he was the best officer of that grade in the service 
 every survivor of the Fifty-fifth is yet willing to maintain. 
 In Company A, Jacob M. Augustine was promoted from 
 first-lieutenant to captain and Second-Lieutenant Casper 
 Schleich to first-lieutenant. Taking into account the splen 
 did ability and character of these two officers, together with 
 the tragic death of both of them in battle, it is fair to place 
 them highest upon the lengthy roll of honor belonging to 
 the Fifty-fifth. William F. Cootes, orderly-sergeant, was pro 
 moted to the second lieutenancy of the same company. 
 Adjutant George L. Thurston was made captain of Company 
 B. He was a man of high attainments and soldierly quali 
 ties, and his early death from disease and privation was as 
 true a sacrifice as though he had gone down in the flame of 
 battle. Elijah C. Lawrence, who nominally belonged to 
 Company K, was made second-lieutenant of Company B. 
 Sergeant Theodore W. Hodges, killed in one month s time, 
 was promoted to be second-lieutenant of Company C, while 
 Sergeant Josiah E. Keys of the same company, was 
 transferred and made first-lieutenant of Company E. Order 
 ly-Sergeant Jonas L. Buck of that company was raised to its 
 second-lieutenancy. Second-Lieutenant Squire A. Wright 
 of Company C, whose life was also soon to go out in fierce 
 conflict, was elevated to be captain of Company F, and 
 Second-Lieutenant Joseph W. Parks made its first-lieutenant, 
 
62 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 and Sergeant John B. Johnson of Company A made its 
 second-lieutenant. To Company H, Corporal Nicholas 
 Aagesen of Company C was transferred for its second- 
 lieutenant. In Company I Orderly-Sergeant Lucien B. 
 Crooker and First-duty Sergeant Charles A. Andress were 
 made first and second-lieutenants respectively. The best 
 information at hand would indicate that Second-Lieutenant 
 A. J. Gillett of Company K, was promoted to be its 
 first-lieutenant, and Sergeant John H. Fillmore to be its 
 second-lieutenant. As before intimated the Adjutant-Gene 
 ral s report for the state of Illinois is utterly unreliable in 
 this connection. 
 
 By an order dated March loth, Major W. D. Sanger was 
 placed upon the staff of General Sherman and the regiment 
 thereby forever deprived of his services. He was a bright, 
 genial and efficient officer, who in his somewhat uninfluential 
 position had been subjected to frequent humiliation at the 
 hands of the lieutenant-colonel. He had studied three years 
 at West Point, and had added to that experience by serving 
 both upon government surveys and upon the ocean. During 
 the period of his staff duty, the reports of his commanding 
 general abound with accounts of his good conduct. 
 
 All will remember Charles A. Andress, who subsequently 
 commanded the regiment, and who at this time was made 
 second-lieutenant. No one will for a moment question but 
 that he was entitled to his promotion according to grade; 
 yet the tenure by which men there held their rights was so 
 slight that he came near missing it. Just as Company I was 
 marching to the upper deck to receive its baptism of decla 
 mation before described, the colonel suggested to Captain 
 Slattery that his brother, Edward Slattery, second sergeant, 
 be promoted to second-lieutenant over the head of Andress. 
 To the eternal credit of that stalwart soldier and good citi 
 zen, Captain Tim Slattery, be it said that he utterly refused 
 to permit his brother to profit by such methods. The writer 
 is indebted to the sense of justice and firmness of the same 
 person for his own promotion according to rank, and what 
 ever of egotism appears from the statement herein may be 
 
UP THE TENNESSEE. 63 
 
 credited to the grateful recognition of an obligation long 
 existing. 
 
 Toward evening the grand movement began to assume 
 practical shape. From the levee, from the river banks, above 
 and below, from out behind islands, here and there, one 
 steamer followed another more than three score in all 
 and like a gigantic blue serpent the long line glided into the 
 Tennessee. At five o clock in the afternoon the Fifty-fifth 
 was moving towards the heart of the Confederacy. Behind 
 were happy homes and the hopes and fears of the loyal 
 North. Before was the unconquered and defiant rebellion. 
 In God s own time these same heroes met the hosts of this 
 rebellion upon their chosen ground and struggled mightily 
 and prevailed. 
 
 As morning dawned the beautiful Kentucky scenery on 
 cither hand was visible. The progress of the fleet up the 
 swollen river was a sight not to be seen twice in a lifetime, 
 and never to be forgotten. The river itself was beautiful, 
 barely six hundred yards in width, with high, well-wooded 
 banks, but adorned with few marks of advanced civilization. 
 The black smoke from more than a hundred tall pipes rolled 
 away in clouds over the forest, verily a "cloud by day and a 
 pillar of fire by night," to mark the progress of liberty. The 
 journey up the river was fraught with no great interest aside 
 from its novelty and the magnificent spectacle of the expedi 
 tion itself. Fort Henry was soon passed, and its water-soaked 
 ruins viewed with some curiosity. Stopping occasionally for 
 wood, or in the language of the commissary sergeant, to 
 "cramp stave bolts for fuel," the Hannibal arrived at Savan 
 nah about five o clock in the afternoon of March nth. This 
 was the shire town of the county in which the then obscure 
 Pittsburgh Landing was embraced. It was a pleasant country 
 village, the prominent feature from the river front being then 
 as now the fine residence subsequently used by General Grant 
 as headquarters, where he sat at breakfast when the vibra 
 tions from the first shots at Shiloh fell upon his ear. This 
 mansion belonged to a Mr. Cherry, a name worthy of preser 
 vation because he was the leading Union man of that vicinity. 
 As night approached patrols were sent out through the town 
 
64 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 from the Fifty-fifth, consisting of parts of Companies A and 
 I, and perhaps others. The next day battalion drill with 
 knapsacks took place, while the steamboats were purified, 
 Captain Bird of Company C acting as major. Wagons were 
 dispatched into the country a short distance, in charge of 
 Commissary Sergeant Fisher, for forage. Considerable Union 
 sentiment was discovered, and numerous persons who had 
 been in hiding from oppression came in and enlisted in some 
 of the Ohio regiments. It is gratifying to know that this 
 county is now a Republican stronghold with officers of that 
 ilk, and that a prosperous Grand Army post exists at Syan- 
 nah. 
 
 At the hour of noon on March I4th a fleet, consisting of 
 nineteen steamboats and one gunboat, carrying twelve regi 
 ments of infantry, six companies of cavalry and one battery, 
 started up the Tennessee River from Savannah. It was Sher 
 man s division of the army of invasion, and with it of course 
 was the Fifty-fifth. The expedition had for its immediate 
 object the destruction of the Memphis and Charleston Rail 
 road at any attainable point within reach of the river, between 
 Corinth and luka. A few miles, and Pittsburgh Landing was 
 passed, but two days carnage had not yet happened in its 
 vicinity to make it an object of notoriety. The head of the 
 floating column reached Tyler s Landing at seven in the after 
 noon, and at eleven o clock at night the cavalry, and with it 
 Major Sanger of the general s staff, started to reach Burns- 
 ville, nineteen miles inland. During the night it began to 
 rain as though the windows of heaven had opened. At four 
 o clock in the morning Stuart s brigade disembarked in the 
 driving rainstorm. The river was rising rapidly, and a bayou, 
 the head of which was immediately above the landing, was 
 already flowing with the inrushing water. Just as daylight 
 appeared the troops went plunging through this midleg deep, 
 but in no wise deficient in enthusiasm. After wallowing and 
 wading across the muddy bottom, the bluffs were reached 
 about a half mile away. Three miles out messengers were 
 met, who reported that the creeks in the interior were impas 
 sable and rapidly rising. Upon such news being confirmed 
 by Major Sanger in person, obedience was grudgingly yielded 
 
A FRUITLESS EXPEDITION. 65 
 
 to the elements, and the column countermarched. Arriving 
 at the point overlooking the river bottom a lake intervened 
 between the bluff and the boats. The battery first essayed 
 to cross, but was obliged to cut the traces to save the horses, 
 and the guns were left in the water, from which they were 
 finally recovered by the use of long ropes. It was utterly 
 impossible for infantry to march through the intervening 
 mass of raging waters. During the day yawl-boats were 
 brought from the steamers, and with the aid of gang-planks 
 a precarious bridge was constructed, over which the troops 
 passed to the landing. Had not the unexampled flood inter 
 fered with the expedition it is almost certain that the rebel 
 troops from Burnsville and luka would have been met. In 
 that case Chalmers and his Mississippians would have grap 
 pled with the stout men of the Fifty-fifth, as they did a. few 
 weeks later at Shiloh. The river rose fifteen feet in twenty- 
 three hours, and the whole country from the mouth of 
 Yellow Creek to Pittsburgh Landing was under water. Gen 
 eral Hurlbut., although exercising no authority, was upon 
 the boat occupied by the Fifty-fifth. "Where two or three 
 are gathered together," like Stuart and Hurlbut-, the spirit 
 always descended, thus fulfilling a promise evidently not 
 intended for their benefit. 
 
 General Sherman having personally ascended the river as 
 high as Eastport, and finding the railway unapproachable, the 
 whole fleet dropped down, on the night of March I5th, to a 
 point nineteen miles below Tyler s Landing. The place of 
 halting was the now historical Pittsburgh Landing. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF SHILOH. 
 
 AT Pittsburgh Landing the high bluffs came to the river 
 bank, affording a good foot-hold for debarkation. This 
 natural conformation of worthless ridges of land is accounta 
 ble for the pregnant fact that it became a point of occupation, 
 and that the Federal army was placed within the reach of 
 the dashing strategy of Johnston and Beauregard. From the 
 river at this place various roads ran into the country, and as 
 poor as they were they made such places as Corinth, Purdy, 
 Bethel, Hamburgh and Crump s Landing accessible, and all 
 had an important bearing upon thrilling events close at hand. 
 The roads, ridges and ravines which marked and furrowed 
 the interior became land-marks in a great battle, a description 
 of which, so far as they affected the Fifty-fifth, is postponed 
 until we meet that regiment in the sulphurous flames of 
 Shiloh. 
 
 Pittsburgh Landing, now so famous, then excited nothing 
 but disgust and ridicule, and indeed it deserved no better 
 tribute. A small, dilapidated storehouse was the only build 
 ing there, having reference to business. Up the bluff through 
 a ravine ran the miserable road from the river, its course 
 marked by the unfathomable yellow mud of that region. 
 Just at the right, where the road ascended the hill, a small 
 field was located, sloping toward the water, and in it was a 
 double log house of uncouth construction. There had been 
 a slight skirmish here a few weeks before between a Federal 
 gunboat with a small force, and a rebel regiment. In the 
 
AT LOCUST CREEK. 67 
 
 field before mentioned, exposed by the action of the recent 
 rains, could be seen the ghastly remains of two or three Con 
 federate victims of that conflict. This same field has now 
 resting in its bosom the remains of 3590 brave, loyal soldiers. 
 They are sleeping in a state over which rules a governor who 
 lost a limb in the same battle where they lost their lives. He 
 is living and is honored among men because he was a rebel. 
 They lie dead, and mostly in unnamed graves, because they 
 were patriots. 
 
 About the landing many boats were grouped containing 
 the elements of Hurlbut s and other divisions, but no en 
 campments had as yet been established. It appears from 
 some of the orders issued that it was at first intended to keep 
 Sherman s division on board steamboats to act as a movable 
 column in seeking a place along the river where the railroads 
 might be vulnerable, but the unprecedented high water de 
 feated any farther attempt, as it had already one, to that 
 end. Sunday evening of March i6th the Fifty-fifth, with the 
 rest of the brigade to which it belonged, filed up the hill into 
 the woods west of the landing. The weather had become 
 clear and frosty, and in the thick woods about three-quarters 
 of a mile away, the regiment passed its first night without 
 shelter. On the following morning, with three days rations 
 and forty rounds of cartridges, the march was slowly resumed 
 over what afterwards became the battle-field. It was found 
 to be an uninteresting tract of country, cut up by rough 
 ravines and ridges, and for the most part covered with oak 
 timber. Here and there an irregular field and rude cabin 
 indicated a puny effort at agriculture. The course taken by 
 Stuart s brigade carried it along what was then as now known 
 as the Hamburgh road, which turned to the left from the 
 main Corinth road about one mile from the river. From the 
 point of divergence this road circles around the heads of the 
 rugged gullies, and so far as possible following the high 
 ground, makes its way to Hamburgh, an insignificant landing 
 place four miles above Pittsburgh. About three miles out a 
 small branch of Lick Creek crosses the road. Upon this 
 branch, called thereabouts Locust Creek, the Fifty-fifth slept 
 the night of March I7th, and at a point about eighty rods 
 
68 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 east of the little peach orchard, which was its encampment at 
 the opening of the battle. 
 
 On the next day the brigade went to the boats, and with 
 its teams and complete outfit returned to the former bivouac, 
 and without shelter endured a heavy rainstorm all night. 
 The Tennessee woods were fast putting on the garb of spring, 
 and the peach trees thus early showing their pink flowers. 
 This was a sort of tropical revelation to these lusty Northern 
 soldiers, who were stretching their thews and sinews in the 
 bracing air of the next morning. It was a striking contrast 
 to those who had been accustomed to the blustering, cold 
 winds of March, as they rush to and fro over the prairies of 
 Illinois. 
 
 In selecting and preparing camping-grounds, a beautiful 
 little peach orchard fell to the lot of the Fifty-fifth. Next 
 to the right and in the oak thickets, was the Fifty-fourth 
 Ohio, and beyond it and just at the junction of the Ham 
 burgh and Purdy roads, encamped the swift-footed Seventy- 
 first Ohio. All were south of the Hamburgh road, there 
 trending a little southeast on its course to the river. Imme 
 diately south of all the camps of the brigade, and within 
 easy distance say a hundred yards from the color line 
 rippled Locust Creek, running due east, and soon absorbed in 
 the greater volume of Lick Creek. Upon the opposite side 
 of Locust Creek, and near the camps, uprose a rugged line 
 of bluffs, dominating all the country in the vicinity. At the 
 left of the Fifty-fifth there was a group of three or four log 
 cabins, aforetime squalid domiciles of certain human beings 
 held as chattels by a tenure fully recognized in the morals, 
 religion and statutes of the South. Across the road, at a 
 point about midway between the camps of the Fifty-fifth and 
 Fifty-fourth, Colonel Stuart located the brigade headquarters 
 in a white, frame dwelling-house of some pretension for that 
 region. Pittsburgh Landing was about one mile and three- 
 quarters away, in a direct line north. The road to that place, 
 however, formed a semi-circle for the purpose of finding an 
 easier route around the terrific ravines running to the river, 
 so that about three miles travel was necessary when going to 
 the steamboats. All the ground which the brigade occupied 
 
SHILOH CHURCH. 69 
 
 belonged at that time to one Noah Cantrill, and has now de 
 scended to his heirs, who live upon it. To the right of the 
 Fifty-fifth was a pretty little ravine* running into Locust Creek 
 at right angles with it, along which were located the cooking 
 devices and ovens of the soldiers. Due east was about one- 
 quarter of a mile of field, bluff and ravine, and beyond it 
 another quarter of muddy bottom, which reached to the river, 
 All the camps were beautiful, convenient and healthy, with 
 wood, water and parade ground close at hand. The scenery 
 abounded in deep ravines, sparkling waters, rugged bluffs and 
 beautiful foliage. In short, as a soldier s abiding place it was 
 admirable. In a military sense, as to its defensibility when 
 attacked, and in its relation to other troops, the location was 
 simply atrocious. 
 
 The remaining three brigades of the Fifth division, in their 
 route from the landing followed the Corinth road, and stopped 
 contiguous to "Shiloh church," a little log building in the 
 woods, where the people of the vicinage were wont to meet 
 on the Sabbath and listen to sermons about the beauties of 
 African slavery, and to pray for the success of the Southern 
 Confederacy. Stuart s brigade was just about two miles away 
 from the nearest troops of its own division. The purpose of 
 this distribution of Sherman s forces was to guard the whole 
 front between Owl and Lick Creeks, leaving space enough in 
 the rear for the cantonments of subsequent arrivals. The 
 location of the forces at Pittsburgh Landing was ordered by 
 General Charles F. Smith. The establishment of the line 
 and its tactical arrangement was the work of General Sher 
 man, and that the subsequent battle was fought under its 
 accompanying disadvantages, and with so little notice of 
 the approach of the enemy, is equally due to the same great 
 general. 
 
 Near Stuart s headquarters, and assigned to the brigade, 
 was Stone s battery, which was removed, however, before its 
 services were needed. General Sherman s order of March 
 1 9th stated, in regard to Stuart s troops, as follows: "The 
 Second brigade will camp on the Hamburgh road where the 
 Purdy road comes in near Colonel Stuart s headquarters." 
 At the close of the order above referred to, the following is 
 
7 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 directed to the whole division: "Each brigade must encamp 
 looking west, so that when the regiments are on their regi 
 mental parades the brigade will be in line of battle. The 
 intervals between regiments must not exceed twenty-two 
 paces." In point of fact, Stuart s brigade camped so as to 
 face exactly south, and an interval of one hundred paces ex 
 isted between its different regiments, and the encampments 
 of its three battalions occupied, from one extreme to the 
 other, over one-half mile of sacred soil. If on the morning 
 of Shiloh these troops had been attacked as suddenly and 
 with as little opportunity for preparation as was Prentiss, 
 neither of Stuart s regiments would have been in its proper 
 place in the brigade, nor its flanks connected with any other 
 organized body. A curious and thoroughly characteristic 
 illustration of the unsoldierly carelessness of the time may 
 be found in the statement that, by General Sherman s order 
 of March gth, the Fifty-fifth was assigned to the right of the 
 brigade, while its camp was on the extreme left of it, and in 
 the battle which soon followed, the regiment was in the 
 centre. 
 
 The elaboration of these details may seem tedious to 
 some, but they were then important and are now historical. 
 On this very ground and within a few days time the Fifty- 
 fifth Illinois and Fifty-fourth Ohio stood, a stalwart obstruc 
 tion across the pathway of the grand left wheel by which 
 Albert Sidney Johnston sought to sweep away the army of 
 the Union. Exactly upon this part of the field the issue of 
 a great battle impinged upon these two regiments; and there 
 alone, without experience, without generals and without 
 artillery, they fought mightily for the saving of a nation.* 
 Then the ground which was under the feet of these men, the 
 trees which waved over them, and the rills which rippled by 
 them are worthy of an abler pen than will be likely to touch 
 the theme. 
 
 In the agreeable labor of preparing quarters in this sylvan 
 retreat, and at moderate drill, the next four days were spent. 
 The details for guard duty were light. The most distant 
 pickets on the front were located not over one hundred yards 
 away, and were under the bluff on the opposite side of Locust 
 
RECONNOISSANCE TO MONTEREY. 7 1 
 
 Creek. They could have seen no approaching foe until di 
 rectly over their heads and within gunshot of the camps. 
 
 On March 24th, in pursuance of orders from the division 
 commander, the brigade, under Colonel Stuart, marched 
 directly toward Corinth to Monterey, an interior hamlet a 
 sort of half-way point to the rebel stronghold. It was a 
 reconnoissance, and a tramp of ten miles over the rough 
 ridges and across the muddy creeks which intervene between 
 the starting place and Pea Ridge. The weather was delight 
 ful, but the twenty miles of travel was sufficiently tiresome 
 to the troops, unaccustomed as they were to marching. The 
 rank and file of course had no knowledge of the object of 
 the expedition, and clamored lustily to be led to Corinth. 
 General Sherman, upon hearing these pugnacious expressions 
 as he passed by, remarked that there were sixty-thousand 
 rebels there. In this he was greatly mistaken, but there were 
 enough to have overwhelmed Stuart s brigade, notwithstand 
 ing its conceit. 
 
 From the notes of C. C. Davis of Company G, who was 
 postmaster of the regiment, it is learned that Chicago daily 
 papers cost at the landing fifteen cents each. From the 
 same source it is ascertained that Orderly Roberts, who had 
 been left at Paducah sick, returned to the regiment on April 
 2d, and so by a narrow margin of time his company gained 
 the presence of that fine soldier for the approaching battle. 
 On Tuesday, March 25th, Captain Clay was officer of the 
 day, and succeeded in making his only capture for the war in 
 the person of Sergeant Henry Augustine of Company A, 
 who incurred his suspicion of being noisy after taps. The 
 matter was laboriously adjudicated by a court-martial, com 
 posed of Captains Chandler, Wright, Thurston, and Lieuten 
 ant Lawrence, and Captain Clay censured by the verdict, 
 while the sergeant went scot free. Company and battalion 
 drill were practiced with considerable industry, Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Malmborg being in command of the regiment. 
 Captain Bird acted as major, and had more than the average 
 knowledge of drill found among line officers at that time. 
 Few combined movements occurred to afford any test of the 
 
72 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 capacity of the brigade commander, although he looked 
 right gallant when mounted and surrounded by his staff. 
 
 General Prentiss was given command of an embryo divis 
 ion on March 26th, and, as new regiments arrived, he began 
 the organization of it to the right and front of Stuart s loca 
 tion, and nearly one mile away. The remaining divisions 
 occupied, irregularly and without much system, the ground 
 to the right and rear. Directly to the rear of Stuart s brigade 
 was a space of rough country stretching inland from the 
 Tennessee somewhat more than half a mile, and entirely un 
 occupied by troops all the way to Pittsburgh Landing. In 
 other words, had this brigade been removed, or had it run 
 away upon the approach of danger, a broad way was opened 
 to flank the entire army and capture the base of supplies. 
 If this had happened, the battle order of the Confederate 
 commander would literally have been complied with. It is 
 deliberately recorded, and with a full knowledge of its his 
 torical significance, that the Fifty-fifth Illinois and the Fifty- 
 fourth Ohio were the only armed obstruction in the way of 
 the execution of that order, so far as it related to the extreme 
 left flank of the Union army, during the first of the two days 
 battle of Shiloh. The order spoken of, or rather the portion 
 of it referred to, is as follows: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, > 
 CORINTH, April 3, 1862. ) 
 
 ***** i n the approaching battle every effort should be made to 
 turn the left flank of the enemy so as to cut off his line of retreat to the 
 Tennessee River, and throw him back on Owl Creek, where he will be 
 obliged to surrender. * * * * 
 
 By command of Gen. A. S. Johnston. 
 
 THOMAS JORDAN, Adjutant- General. 
 
 Had it not been for the manful resistance of two of Stuart s 
 regiments, Chalmers and Jackson s brigades of the rebel army 
 could have been at Pittsburgh Landing before noon of April 
 6th, if they had pursued the direct route. The details of the 
 struggle which prevented this dire calamity belong to the 
 events of a battle soon to be related. 
 
 A grand review and inspection of the army occurred on 
 Wednesday, April 2d, in which Stuart s brigade filled a space 
 
THE FIRST ALARM. 73 
 
 along the Hamburgh Purely road about two miles west of its 
 camps. On Friday, April 4th, forty men, partly from the 
 Fifty-fifth and all under the direction of the first-lieutenant 
 of Company I of that regiment, worked through the day 
 repairing a road across Locust Creek. The talk then was 
 that Buell s troops were going to land at Hamburgh, and that 
 the road was for their benefit. The first use it was put to 
 was to smooth the way for Clanton s cavalry to reconnoitre 
 the Federal left on the morning of April 6th. On the 
 evening of April 4th, just after the dress-parade, firing was 
 heard to the right and in the direction of Shiloh church. 
 The customary drum signal of danger " rolled " along the 
 front of the army and the men quickly got under arms. It 
 was a slight affair of one of Buckland s regiments accident 
 ally colliding with the advance of the Rebel army, and 
 should have been accepted as notice of peril by the generals 
 at the front. It served no such purpose, however, though 
 Stuart s brigade, too far away to be lulled into security by 
 the soothing assurances of superiors, sent out strong re- 
 enforcements to its pickets. A terrific rain followed during 
 the greater portion of that night and demonstrated to the 
 officers on duty the wonderful adaptability of the little 
 Zouave caps then worn, for pouring an uninterrupted stream 
 of rain-water down the spinal column. It was this storm 
 more than anything else which delayed the concentration 
 and deployment of the Confederate army in time to bring on 
 the battle Saturday, as was intended. 
 
 On the next day, Stone s battery, hitherto located upon 
 the extreme left, took its departure in accordance with 
 orders emanating from the Army Commander. No other 
 was sent to replace it and that flank was therefore left to 
 such protection as the infantry could afford. All through 
 the pleasant Saturday the routine of drill and camp was 
 pursued without alarm or suspicion. The sound of the 
 drums which called the Federal troops to the parade 
 ground fell with almost equal distinctness upon the ears of 
 a mighty opposing host crouching in the woods beyond. 
 Along the disintegrated Union line, from McDowell s brigade 
 on the right to Stuart s brigade on the left, not one act took 
 
74 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 place indicating preparation to meet an attack. All the 
 numerous and usual means at hand for testing the approach 
 of a hostile army seem to have been in a state of "innocuous 
 desuetude." So this day which preceded one of the greatest 
 battles of modern times, passed in contentment. As its 
 hours slipped into eternity they were fully utilized by the 
 Confederates in deploying two lines of battle between Owl 
 and Lick Creeks, with reserves close at hand, almost within 
 cannon shot of the Federal camps. After having methodi 
 cally completed these fateful preparations, the day being too 
 far spent to proceed with the assault, all the Major-Generals 
 of the rebel army met in council under the trees within 
 less than two miles of General Sherman s headquarters. 
 Indeed, when looking at the serene dispatches of Saturday, 
 one is led to the conclusion that the Federal army was there 
 for sanitary purposes, and the country roundabout Pittsburgh 
 Landing was a health resort. 
 
 Lest these statements seem extravagant, a few quotations 
 are made from such dispatches, all of which may be found 
 in Volume X, parts i and n, of the Official Records of the 
 Rebellion, and were written less than twenty-four hours 
 before the death-grapple commenced. General Grant, in 
 writing to General Halleck, says: "I have scarcely the 
 faintest idea that an attack (general one) will be made upon 
 us;" and again: "General Nelson s division has arrived. 
 The other two of General Buell s column will arrive tomorrow 
 or next day. It is my present intention to send them to 
 Hamburgh, some four miles above Pittsburgh, when they get 
 here. From that point to Corinth the road is good and a 
 junction can be formed at almost any point. Colonel Mc- 
 Phcrson has gone with an escort today to examine the ground 
 about Hamburgh, and lay out the position of the camps, if 
 advisable to occupy the place." In another dispatch he says: 
 "The main force of the enemy is at Corinth, with troops at 
 different points east." This reassuring statement is followed 
 by the further assertion in the same dispatch, that "the 
 number of the enemy at Corinth and within supporting dis 
 tance of it cannot be far from 80,000." On the same day and 
 at a time when every man of the rebel army was within six 
 
THE GENERAL S DELUSION. 75 
 
 miles of Shiloh church, and most of them nearer, General 
 Grant dispatched from Savannah to General Buell as follows: 
 "I will be here to meet you tomorrow. The enemy at and 
 near Corinth are probably from 6o,OOO to 8o,OOO." General 
 Ammen, who commanded the first of Buell s brigades to arrive 
 at Savannah, states in his diary of events filed with his official 
 report, the following as occurring on Saturday: " About 
 three p. M. General Grant and General Nelson came to my 
 tent. General Grant declined to dismount, as he had an 
 engagement. In answer to my remark that our troops were 
 not fatigued and could march to Pittsburgh Landing if nec 
 essary, General Grant said: "You cannot march through 
 the swamps. Make the troops comfortable. I will send 
 boats for you Monday. There will be no fight at Pittsburgh 
 Landing; we wifl have to go to Corinth, where the rebels are 
 fortified." 
 
 It should be stated in extenuation of the delusion of 
 General Grant, however, that he received from the ex 
 treme front, and from his trusted subordinate, General Sher 
 man, on the same day the following words: "All is quiet 
 along our line now. We are in the act of exchanging cavalry, 
 according to your order. The enemy has cavalry in our 
 front, and I think there are two regiments of infantry and 
 one battery about two miles out." This latter statement is 
 now known to be an under estimate of the enemy "about two 
 miles out " of more than forty thousand. That the cavalry 
 was being exchanged "according to order," is a sufficient 
 statement that the "eyes of the army" were closed by official 
 action. In another dispatch of same date General Sherman 
 said: "I have no doubt that nothing will occur today more 
 than picket firing." 
 
 While these placid remarks were passing to and fro, and 
 almost at the precise hour, Generals Johnston, Beauregard, 
 Bragg, Hardee, Polk and Breckenridge were discussing the 
 plans of the impending battle within one and one-half miles 
 of General Sherman s own tent. To their right and left, 
 eight hundred yards apart, stretched two compact lines of 
 battle, with reserves close in rear. At that conference, as is 
 now well known, General Beauregard suggested a retreat to 
 
76 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Corinth, because in his opinion the Confederate movement of 
 three days had been too slow to render a surprise possible. 
 His reasoning was based upon sound military principles, and 
 was in accordance with all human probabilities. He did not 
 know the sublime indifference the inspiration of genius some 
 times has for practical facts. Can any inference be drawn 
 from the above consistent with vigilance on the part of the 
 Union commanders? Was not the terrible onslaught, born of 
 the desperation of Albert Sidney Johnston, a "surprise" in 
 the broadest military sense? Can there be any doubt but 
 that when General Sherman came to write his report of the 
 battle of Shiloh, and said, "about eight o clock A. M. I saw 
 the glistening bayonets of heavy masses of infantry to our 
 left and front in the woods beyond the small stream alluded 
 to, and became satisfied for the first time tht the enemy de 
 signed a determined attack on our whole camp," he desig 
 nated the precise moment when first he appreciated the 
 magnitude of the occasion? Is it not clear from his own 
 words, that as he sat upon his horse on the point of bluff in 
 front of the Fifty-third Ohio, where his orderly was shot be 
 side him, and looked over across "Shiloh branch," that he 
 then came down from the clouds of speculation and his great 
 genius condescended to notice the practical fact that a great 
 battle had commenced? But it was too late to make com 
 bined and well-ordered movements. It was too late to use 
 generalship. It was too late to send any words of advice or 
 encouragement to Stuart s detached brigade two miles away, 
 and General Sherman turned to his men close at hand to do 
 such duty as the lack of forethought left possible. 
 
 Through the endless discussion since the war certain his 
 torical conclusions have been definitely arrived at. Chief 
 among them are these: that the great surprise of the war in 
 a military sense occurred then and there; that a Confederate 
 army of over forty thousand men, moving in three days time 
 less than twenty miles, compelled the opposing army to ac 
 cept battle upon terms, dictated by them and strictly upon 
 the defensive; that the shock of battle was so unexpected by 
 the Federals that every separate and separated organization 
 of it was compelled to fight according to circumstances and 
 
POSITION OF UNION TROOPS. 77 
 
 not according to design; that the battle of the first day was 
 without combination or head, so far as the Union army was 
 concerned, and soon degenerated into a melee wherein almost 
 every regiment of it was flanked at some time during the 
 conflict. On these points the verdict of history is as well 
 settled as it is that Generals Grant and Sherman atoned for 
 it by living and learning, and subsequently becoming trusted 
 and successful leaders, and, under Providence, saviors of 
 human liberty. 
 
 The exact condition of the Union front when attacked on 
 Sunday morning involves the entire question of due diligence 
 to meet it, and an explicit statement of facts is herein in 
 serted, because of its great value historically. Moreover, 
 these facts nowhere appear in the reports, and the leading 
 participants in the battle, who have since become its chief 
 historians, either mislead or fail to answer inquiry in that 
 direction. Without claiming credit for or describing the 
 minute personal work necessary for the ascertainment of the 
 details, such details are given with the assurance that they 
 are correct. Upon the extreme right was McDowell s bri 
 gade. Next to the left, but a quarter of a mile distant, and 
 across a heavy ravine, was Buckland s brigade with its left 
 resting at Shiloh church. Hildebrand s brigade then came, 
 with its right at the church, but its left regiment, the Fifty- 
 *third Ohio, detached across a ravine, two hundred yards 
 away. The troops so far mentioned belonged to Sherman s 
 division, and his headquarters were close in the rear. To the 
 left and front, about one-half mile away, were located the 
 seven raw regiments of Prentiss embryo division, all having 
 recently received their arms one having got its ammunition 
 only the night before, and one having none at all when the 
 battle commenced. The interval to the right of Prentiss was 
 in point of fact enlarged at the opening of the engagement 
 by the advance of Prentiss about one quarter of a mile to 
 meet the Confederate assault, and the space almost immedi 
 ately assumed still more dangerous proportions through the 
 cowardly conduct of the commanding officer of the Fifty- 
 third Ohio, who ordered a retreat. To the left rear and 
 forming the extreme flank in that quarter, were encamped 
 
78 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Stuart s three regiments, at a distance of more than three 
 quarters of a mile from Prentiss. By Stuart s movement to 
 the left and the departure of the Seventy-first Ohio from his 
 right, the interval last described was increased to one full 
 mile. 
 
 A route touching these various positions would be circui 
 tous and much longer than a direct line from Owl to Lick 
 Creek. Less than one-half of it was occupied. It was an 
 imaginary line, like the equator. It was not a formation of 
 troops separated by occasional spaces. It was a space with 
 bodies of troops located at uncertain and distant intervals 
 upon it. It is unnecessary to describe the exact location of 
 the troops in the rear, which embraced all the experienced 
 men in the army, for not one organization reached the front 
 line, but picked up the fight in a desultory manner as the 
 Confederates pursued Sherman and Prentiss to the rear of 
 their camps. The flanks of the army, as a whole, could not 
 have been better protected than they were by the waters and 
 marshes of creeks. The flanks of its different sections could 
 not have been more exposed than they were by the nature of 
 the ground and lack of continuity. Every unoccupied space 
 became an immediate point of danger, through which the rebel 
 hosts poured, and flanked each separate body of Federal 
 troops. The attack came so suddenly and unexpectedly that 
 the gaps could not be filled from the rear. A compact, con* 
 nected line of Confederates, followed by a second eight hun 
 dred yards in the rear, met a disintegrated Federal line, and 
 the natural consequences followed. Herein is found the 
 substance and shadow of the "surprise" at Shiloh. 
 
 Why the Fifty-fifth Illinois and the Fifty-fourth Ohio bore 
 such a heavy burden on that occasion grows out of the facts 
 above stated. A recital of them, therefore, becomes neces 
 sary, in order that this work may be historically correct and 
 fairly just. Enough has been written to indicate the conclu 
 sions of the author, and assuredly enough has been quoted 
 to justify such conclusions. 
 
 Saturday night of April 5th came, and brought with it no 
 sense of danger. Stuart s brigade, sharing in the delusion 
 common to all, retired to rest unmindful of the harvest of 
 
STUART S REPORT. 79 
 
 death to be reaped on the morrow. The few hours of une 
 ventful sleep which followed bring us face to face with the 
 actual details of the great battle of Shiloh. A description 
 of the part performed therein by the Fifty-fifth Illinois may 
 properly be introduced by the report of Colonel Stuart, its 
 brigade commander: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE, FIFTH DIVISION, 
 
 CAMP SHILOH, April 10, 1862. 
 
 SIR: 
 
 I have the honor to submit a report of the part taken by Second 
 Brigade of General Sherman s division in the engagement of the 6th and 
 7th instant: 
 
 The brigade, composed of the Fifty-fifth Illinois, commanded by 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg ; the Fifty-fourth Ohio, Col. T. Kilby 
 Smith, and the Seventy-first Ohio, Col. R. Mason, occupied the extreme 
 left of the advance, General Prentiss division on my right and front. In 
 obedience to General Sherman s orders I kept a company at and in the 
 vicinity of the Ford of Lick Creek, on the Hamburgh road, and another on 
 and in the vicinity of the Back road (coming in on the hills opposite and 
 southeast of the encampment), as picket guards, and on his order on 
 Saturday, sent six companies out on the Hamburgh road, with a squadron 
 of cavalry sent forward by General McClernand, to reconnoitre beyond 
 Hamburgh. The disposition of my pickets was reported to and approved 
 by General Sherman. 
 
 At 7.30 o clock on Sunday morning I received a verbal message from 
 General Prentiss that the enemy were in his front in force. Soon after 
 my pickets sent in word that a force, with artillery, were advancing on 
 the Back road. In a very short time I discovered the Pelican flag ad 
 vancing in the rear of General Prentiss headquarters. I dispatched my 
 adjutant (Loomis, of the Fifty-fourth Ohio,) to General Hurlbut, who occu 
 pied with his division the rear in the center, to inform him that General 
 Prentiss left was turned, and to ask him to advance his forces. The 
 reply was that he would advance immediately. Within fifteen minutes 
 General Hurlbut sent forward a battery, which took position on the road 
 immediately by Colonel Mason s (Seventy-first) headquarters. A regi 
 ment (the Forty-first Illinois, as I remember,) formed in line on the right 
 of this battery. 
 
 Observing these dispositions, and expecting that the remainder of 
 General Hurlbut s division would be up quickly, I established my line of 
 battle accordingly, with the right of the Seventy-first Ohio resting oppo 
 site the eastern extremity of the camp of the Fifty-fifth Illinois, the Fifty- 
 fifth regiment next, on the left, and the Fifty-fourth beyond, facing the 
 south. I had two companies of the Fifty-fifth Illinois and two companies 
 of the Fifty-fourth Ohio detached as skirmishers on the hills opposite and 
 
80 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 across the creek or ravine where the enemy was endeavoring to plant a 
 battery, covered by a much larger force of skirmishers. 
 
 From a convenient position on the brow of the bank north of the 
 creek, with my glass I could observe all their movements. Having suc 
 ceeded in planting their battery in a commanding position they opened a 
 fire of shell upon us, under cover of which the infantry advanced upon 
 us diagonally from the left of Prentiss division, and also from the right 
 of their battery. I hastened in person to the battery I had left half an 
 hour before in front of Colonel Mason s tent, to order them farther east, 
 in front of my headquarters, where they would have had a splendid fire 
 as well upon the enemy s battery as upon the advancing infantry. The 
 battery had left without firing a gun, and the battalion on its right had 
 disappeared. 
 
 For above a quarter of a mile to my right no soldier could be seen, 
 unless fugitives, making their way to the rear. A large body of the 
 enemy s troops were advancing due north toward Mason s camp, and I 
 saw that the position of my brigade was inevitably flanked by an over 
 whelming and unopposed force. 
 
 Hastening back to my brigade, I found the enemy rapidly advancing 
 on its front. The Seventy-first Ohio had fallen back, under the shelling 
 of the enemy s guns, to some position (as I am informed by Colonel 
 Mason) about 150 yards in the rear, and re-formed on a ridge of ground 
 very defensible for infantry, but I could not find them, and had no 
 intimation as to where they had gone. Before I could change position 
 the Fifty-fifth Illinois and the Fifty-fourth Ohio were engaged, but as 
 soon as possible I withdrew them to a position on the brow of a hill, and 
 formed a line which, extended, would intersect my first line diagonally 
 from northwest to southeast. 
 
 At this point I had not to exceed 800 men of the Fifty-fifth Illinois 
 and the Fifty-fourth Ohio. I saw nothing more of the Seventy-first 
 Regiment through the fight. The enemy s force of five regiments of 
 infantry and a battery of four guns, which had been moving on our right 
 flank, were here brought to a stand, and formed a line of battle. A body 
 of cavalry was sent off on our then right toward our rear, to harass or 
 cut off our retreat. A part of the force which had attacked our first 
 front was disposed with a view of flanking us on our present left. 
 Against this latter force (moving through a ravine, which had its mouth 
 just below and in the rear of our extreme left) I sent a detachment of 
 four companies of Zouaves, Fifty-fourth Ohio, under Major Fisher, by 
 whom they were held in check during the fight. This engagement 
 opened, the enemy s line and ours being established at a distance of 
 about fifteen yards apart. At this point we fought, and held them for 
 upwards of two hours. The enemy s lines were within the edge of a 
 grove, pretty well defended by trees; the space between us was an open, 
 level and smooth field. The disposition of their forces was made delib 
 erately, and occupied fully fifteen minutes after we came upon the 
 ground. 
 
STUART S REPORT. 8l 
 
 Inadequate as I knew my force to be, I was encouraged to fight it and 
 hold my position, first with the object of detaining the enemy s forces 
 from advancing toward the river, and secondly because I received a 
 message from General McArthur, who appeared in person somewhere in 
 my vicinity, to hold my position, and that he would support me on my 
 right. 
 
 I could not find the Seventy-first Ohio Regiment, and had less than 
 800 men under my command. During the action we observed a battery 
 planted southeast of us, in a commanding position, to enfilade our line. 
 It was, however, employed with little beyond threatening effect, the 
 firing being too high. We had received no support on our right, as 
 promised by General McArthur, We had emptied the cartridge-boxes 
 of the killed and wounded, and our ammunition was exhausted. Our 
 fire was so slackened from this cause and our losses that I was appre 
 hensive of a forward movement by the enemy, who could easily have 
 overwhelmed us and thrown us into ruinous confusion. With the advice 
 of Colonel Smith, of the Fifty-fourth Ohio, and Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Malmborg, commanding the Fifty-fifth Illinois, I gave the order to fall 
 back through the ravine and re-form on a hill to our right. I led the 
 remnant of my brigade in good order to the point selected. When we 
 reached it the enemy had advanced on our left with their battery and 
 were on a commanding position within 600 yards. They opened a fire of 
 shell upon us, which compelled me to move on still farther, sheltering 
 the command as well as possible by ravines and circuitous paths, till we 
 reached a cavalry camp, where the brigade was re-formed. On our way 
 we were joined by a small remnant of the Seventy-first, under command 
 of Adjutant Hart, of that regiment (some 17 or 18 men). Finding I was 
 beyond the line of the enemy, after consultation I ordered the brigade to 
 march to the rear, toward the landing, in preference to sending for 
 ammunition, which I apprehended would not reach us. Within a quarter 
 of a mile of the batteries the brigade was halted by an officer of General 
 Grant s staff, who stated that ammunition was being sent back, and 
 ordered that every fragment of regiments moving toward the landing 
 should be stopped. 
 
 Suffering from a wound I had received in my shoulder before the 
 termination of our fight, I turned the command over to Col. T. Kilby 
 Smith, of the Fifty-fourth Ohio, the next in rank, and proceeded to the 
 landing to learn the extent of my injury. Colonel Smith left the com 
 mand to Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg temporarily, while he returned to 
 find and unite with the brigade the left wing of his regiment, which had 
 become detached from us in their defense of our left flank, under Major 
 Fisher. 
 
 Meanwhile General Grant, passing, ordered Colonel Malmborg to 
 form a line near the batteries. Major Fisher soon came in with his men 
 and joined the line. Through Colonel Malmborg s efforts a line of over 
 3,000 men was formed, composed of remnants of regiments moving 
 towards the landing. Major Andrews, of the Seventy-first, here came 
 6 
 
82 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 up with a portion of the left wing of his regiment, about 150 men, whom 
 he had led to the bank of the Tennessee, where he hailed the gun-boats, 
 informing them of the approach of the enemy. So much of the brigade 
 were in the last engagement near the batteries. 
 
 On Monday morning the brigade took the field, under the command 
 of Colonel Smith. Its conduct was under the observation of the general 
 himself. I was not able to do more than to make an effort to excite the 
 enthusiasm of the men and lead them to the field when they were ordered 
 forward into action. I turned the command over to Colonel Smith soon 
 after. The experience of Sunday left me under no apprehension as to 
 the fate of the brigade, if coolness, deliberation, and personal bravery 
 could save it from loss or disgrace. Colonel Smith, from the beginning 
 to the end of the engagement on Sunday, was constantly at his post, 
 rallying, encouraging, and fighting his men under incessant fire, regard 
 less of personal safety. 
 
 I was under great obligations to Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg, whose 
 military education and experience were of every importance to me. 
 Comprehending at a glance the purpose and object of every movement 
 of the enemy, he was able to advise me promptly and intelligently as to 
 the disposition of my men. He was cool, observant, discreet, and brave, 
 and of infinite service to me. Adjt. Charles Loomis, of the Fifty-fourth, 
 who was my only aid, discharged his duties with the utmost promptness 
 and gallantry. He was intelligent, brave, and is a very meritorious 
 officer. 
 
 It is my duty to make special mention of Adjutant Hart, of the 
 Seventy-first Regiment, who, having lost his own regiment, sought a 
 place in the ranks of the Fifty-fifth, and with 17 men of that regiment 
 fought there bravely from first to last. Every captain in the Fifty-fifth 
 did his duty, with one disgraceful exception, and he is under arrest. 
 The same is true of the lieutenants, with one exception, and he also is 
 arrested. 
 
 The following named officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates 
 are reported to me by Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg as meriting notice 
 especially: Captain Wright, Co. F, who was wounded; Captain 
 Heffernan, Co. H; Captain Chandler, Co. D; Captain Slattery, Co. I; 
 Second-Lieutenant E. C. Lawrence, Co. B, who was wounded; Second- 
 Lieutenant Hodges, Co. C, killed; Second-Lieutenant J. R. Roberts, Co. 
 D; First-Lieutenant Weldon, Co. H, badly wounded; Second-Lieutenant 
 Aagesen, Co. H, badly wounded; First-Lieutenant Crocker, Co. I, badly 
 wounded; Sergeant Glass. Co. A; Corporal Williamson, Co. A, wounded; 
 Corporal Simpson, Co. A, wounded; Corporal Erickson, Co. A; Private 
 Hebb, Co. A; Sergeant Elliot, Co. B, badly wounded; Sergeant Hunting- 
 ton, Co. B, badly wounded; Corporal Payne, Co. B; Private Sullivan, Co. 
 B; Private Bradford, Co. B; First-Sergeant Partch, Co. C, badly wounded; 
 Sergeant Curtiss, Co. C; Corporal Shultz, Co. C, badly wounded; Corporal 
 Oliver, Co. C; Private Mahan, Co. C, badly wounded; Private Kettleson, 
 Co. C, badly wounded; Sergeant Smith, Co. D, badly wounded; Corporal 
 
STUART S REPORT CRITICISED. 83 
 
 Harrell, Co. D, badly wounded; Private Burk, Co. D, badly wounded; 
 Private Rodenbaugh, Co. D, badly wounded; Sergeant Porter, Co. E, 
 badly wounded; Sergeant Short, Co. E; Corporal Campbell, Co. E; 
 Corporal Merrill, Co. E; Private Arndt, Co. E; Private Boltinghouse, 
 Co. E; Sergeant George Sanford, Co. F, wounded dead; First-Sergeant 
 Shreves, Co. F, wounded; Corporal Haney, Co. F, wounded; Corporal 
 Ferguson, Co. F, wounded; Private Bone, Co. F, wounded; Private 
 Keffer, Co. F, wounded; Corporal Davis, Co. G, wounded; Corporal 
 Newell, Co. G, wounded; Private Hawk, Co, G, wounded; Private Mix, 
 Co. G, wounded; Sergeant McCready, Co. H; Sergeant De Wolf, Co. H, 
 killed; Sergeant Crouch, Co. H, killed; Corporal Richardson, Co. H, 
 wounded; Corporal Healey, Co. H, wounded; Private Adams, Co. H; 
 Private Beers, Co. H, wounded; Sergeant E. T. Slattery, Co. I, badly 
 wounded; Sergeant Armstrong, Co. I, wounded; Corporal Lynn, Co. I, 
 wounded; Corporal Lull, Co. I, wounded; Private Peters, Co. I, wounded; 
 Private Kimberk, Co. I, wounded; Sergeant Kendrick, Co. K, wounded; 
 Corporal Hanthorn, Co. K, wounded; Corporal Rouse, Co. K, wounded. 
 Respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 D. STUART, 
 
 Colonel, Commanding Second Brigade. 
 Capt. J. H. Hammond, 
 
 Assistant Adjutant-General. 
 
 The above report, as was every thing said or written by 
 Colonel Stuart, is brilliant and forcible. No fault can be 
 found with its diction. Like a large share of the literature 
 which purports to be official, belonging to that conflict, it 
 fails to state or explain a great deal which took place. No 
 relation could have been full and explicit without amounting 
 to a serious arraignment of superiors. The report of Colonel 
 Stuart does not pretend to detail minutely the movements of 
 the Fifty-fifth, and, being a brigade report, perhaps should 
 not do so. An official document emanating from the regi 
 mental commander should have attended to that. It is need 
 less to add that no such narrative exists. At the outset the 
 foregoing takes the form of an argument to show due dili 
 gence in guard, picket and patrol duty in watching the front. 
 This would not have been at all necessary had there not been 
 doubts on the subject. That Colonel Stuart or any of his 
 subordinates were derelict in this particular, and that such 
 short-coming had any influence on the battle, has never been 
 alleged. The first attack did not come from toward Ham 
 burgh, nor upon the front of the second brigade. Any recon- 
 
84 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 noissance in that direction would have failed in developing 
 the designs of the emeny, from the fact that they were not 
 on that portion of the field. The first aggressive movements 
 of the rebels were all to the right and in front of Generals 
 Prentiss and Sherman, where, as has been already shown, 
 they had been manceuvreing with their whole army for two 
 days. To the front of Stuart would be directly south. 
 Corinth was southwest, and the high range of country, with 
 all roads leading to the rebel stronghold, were in the same 
 direction, and from that quarter marched the assailants. 
 When the attack did finally come upon Stuart, it was not 
 because he was in the track of its first design, but because 
 upon the discovery of this extension of the Union left, two 
 brigades were disjointed from the rebel right, and sent east 
 full three-quarters of a mile for the purpose of meeting and 
 defeating, what was then supposed by the Confederate com 
 mander, to be an attempt to flank him on his right. 
 
 The determination of Colonel Stuart to hold the extreme 
 left at all hazards reflects the highest credit upon him, and 
 places him in the front rank of the subordinate commanders 
 who fought on that field. It may be that in the light of sub 
 sequent events the tactics used to accomplish his noble 
 purpose were somewhat faulty, but they were necessarily 
 tentative, and the efforts of an inexperienced officer who had 
 not one word of advice from his superiors, who were edu 
 cated in the art of war. From any stand-point his methods 
 do not suffer when compared with most of the movements 
 of other commanders upon that tumultuous field. The chief 
 merit was in fighting, and fighting desperately; that, Colonel 
 Stuart determined to do, and out of his resolution grew an 
 isolated conflict which probably saved the battle, and pos 
 sibly the unity of the nation. Nothing in this statement is 
 intended to belittle the importance of other points or the 
 valor shown in maintaining them, but all would have been 
 unavailing had Stuart faltered in his purpose, or the Fifty- 
 fifth Illinois and the Fifty-fourth Ohio failed in the execution 
 of that purpose. 
 
 In the cotemporaneous letters and diaries gathered for the 
 purposes of this work, statements are sometimes found 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH OHIO VINDICATED. 85 
 
 reflecting upon the conduct of some portion of the Fifty- 
 fourth Ohio. They are generally to the effect that compar 
 atively few of them remained until the time of the final 
 retreat of the Fifty-fifth from the main position, where the 
 terrific conflict occurred on Sunday. It is certain that every 
 survivor of the latter regiment will rejoice in the statement 
 that upon the fullest examination these insinuations are found 
 to be entirely unjust. It should be remembered that the 
 Fifty-fourth was the smallest regiment in the brigade, and 
 that before the supreme hour came it lost some inevitably by 
 straggling, as did the Fifty-fifth. Turning again to the report 
 under consideration, it is found clearly stated that four com 
 panies, or two-fifths of the Fifty-fourth, were removed from 
 the line of battle by an order, and were performing special 
 duty farther to the left at the time of the retreat, and did not 
 rejoin the line until the final rally at the landing. Under 
 existing circumstances the Fifty-fourth must have had less 
 than three hundred men remaining in line of battle after 
 such detachment, and a "butcher s bill" of one hundred and 
 fifty-four killed and wounded, largely from the men remain 
 ing at the ravine, clearly entitles that regiment to an honor 
 able place in the annals of that fearful Sunday s conflict. 
 The removal of four companies from the short line of twenty 
 was injudicious and unnecessary, and grew out of the inordi 
 nate fear of cavalry on the part of the lieutenant-colonel of 
 the Fifty-fifth, whose impracticable adherence to European 
 tradition reached the climax of absurdity in forming a hollow 
 square to repel the same imaginary foe. The major spoken 
 of in Colonel Stuart s report, who commanded this excursion 
 to the left, will readily be recalled as Major Fisher, the active, 
 efficient and good-looking young officer who seemed to be 
 the chief executive of the Fifty-fourth. He yet survives, a 
 leading and respected citizen of Denver, Colorado, and his 
 hospitality to his former comrades of the Fifty-fifth has been 
 generously tested during a visit in search of material for this 
 volume. 
 
 In treating of the disgraceful conduct of the Seventh-first 
 Ohio, Colonel Stuart, like General Sherman, is diplomatic, 
 saying that he "could not find them, and had no intimation 
 
66 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 where they had gone," and the like. They "had gone," as 
 Colonel Stuart well knew, pell-mell to the landing, without 
 having received or delivered one well sustained volley, and 
 in that wild race to a place of safety, it is doubtful if any 
 agile youth in the ranks out-footed their middle-aged and 
 plethoric colonel. Several Ohio regiments of Sherman s 
 division misbehaved, and it was probably good policy that 
 led to a tender treatment of their short-comings, and left to 
 future opportunity and discipline the chances of vindication. 
 Time brought about that result in regard to the Fifty-third 
 and Fifty-seventh Ohio, and later to the Seventy-first all 
 under different commanders. Colonel Rodney Mason of the 
 Seventy-first belonged to one of the first families of Ohio, 
 and had been Adjutant-General of that state. General Sher 
 man is, "even unto this day," zealous to apologize for him, 
 though General Grant, in his memoirs, names him as a "con 
 stitutional coward." In any event, the men were not so 
 much to blame as was the generalship which placed them, 
 raw recruits as they were, within the reach of a sudden 
 attack, without notice and without even a connected line to 
 give the sense of security, so essential to new troops. All 
 strictures upon the conduct of the Seventy-first Ohio should 
 make reverent exception of Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle, who 
 was shot while attempting to stem the wild wave of fugitives; 
 and its Company K should also be honored for its conduct 
 on the skirmish line, where it lost near one-half its men, 
 around the groups of log buildings at the left of the quarters 
 of the Fifty-fifth. It is further a duty, as well as a pleasure, 
 to give full credit to its adjutant, Hart, who with seventeen 
 men of his regiment, remained through all, and to the rosy- 
 cheeked, bright-eyed boy, named B. F. Inyartt, who sought 
 a place in the ranks of Company I, and passed through the 
 battle unscathed. 
 
 In his description of the movements of the first day, 
 Colonel Stuart refers to certain events which took place near 
 the landing, and gives to the lieutenant-colonel of the Fifty- 
 fifthsole credit for rallying from the debris of the field a line 
 of three thousand men. Such a statement is so extravagant 
 as to be beyond the domain of absurdity, and the source of 
 
SHERMAN S REPORT. 87 
 
 it is easily traced. No student of Shiloh will assert that 
 General Grant had over fifteen thousand organized troops in 
 line at the landing, and the statement that Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Malmborg controlled one-fifth of that number requires con 
 tradiction only because such a statement was made officially. 
 The lieutenant-colonel of the Fifty-fifth was simply entitled 
 to the credit of being one of the brave men who staid by his 
 colors, but evidences of his skill and his power over other 
 men are entirely lacking. 
 
 No regimental reports were made for either the Fifty-fifth 
 or the Fifty-fourth, though it would seem the brigade report, 
 toward its close, was intended to apply especially to the for 
 mer. It is proper to state also that the names mentioned as 
 "meriting notice especially," while deserving of all the credit 
 given them, were only a small portion of a number equally 
 meritorious. It is not often that the adjutant of a regiment 
 fights in the ranks with a musket, as did the adjutant of the 
 Fifty-fifth, and it is still more rare that creditable action on 
 his part escapes notice in the reports. The superb conduct 
 and the terrible wound of the sergeant-major, too, causes a 
 regret that a small portion of the report was not devoted to 
 the good conduct of the "field and staff." But this yearning 
 for the praise of deserving comrades must be suppressed, lest 
 it include nearly the whole regiment. From the general 
 credit given to the officers, two are excluded as disgraceful 
 exceptions. These were Captain Joseph Clay of Company 
 G, and Second-Lieutenant Jonas L. Buck of Compay E. 
 Both were given subsequent opportunities, and both again 
 failed, and were accordingly cashiered. 
 
 In the very elaborate report of General Sherman, who 
 commanded the Fifth division, to which Stuart s Second 
 brigade nominally belonged, is found the following meagre 
 allusion to the latter: 
 
 My Second brigade, Colonel Stuart, was detached near two miles from 
 my headquarters. He had to fight his own battle on Sunday, as the enemy 
 interposed between him and Prentiss early in the day. Colonel Stuart 
 was severely wounded, and yet reported for duty on Monday morning, 
 but was compelled to leave during the day, when the command devolved 
 upon Colonel T. Kilby Smith, Fifty-fourth Ohio, who was always in the 
 thickest of the fight, and led the brigade handsomely. 
 
8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 The above is all the official recognition at the hands of the 
 division commander received by the Fifty-fifth, except here 
 and there an allusion to its existence. A few general phrases 
 only, which lead up to a compliment for Colonels Stuart and 
 Smith. Not one word of commendation for the two regi 
 ments which fought on the ground where they fired their first 
 volley until after two o clock in the afternoon, and for hours 
 after the two brigades in his presence had gone to pieces. 
 No inference can be drawn as to whether the Fifty-fifth 
 fought well or ill, or why it lost more men than either of the 
 brigades which he put into action and commanded in person. 
 
 A natural result of this sin of omission is that the general 
 histories of the war are nearly silent as to the desperate strug 
 gle on the extreme left flank at Shiloh. In point of fact, 
 that bloody episode was one of the most notable and heroic 
 of the war, and entitles all concerned to a conspicuous place 
 in the line of patriots who have faced death in the various 
 exigencies of national tribulation. 
 
 Early impressed by this hiatus in the reports and histories 
 resulting from official disregard, and actuated by a natural 
 desire that justice should be done, much time and study has 
 been devoted to unravelling the details of the disorderly 
 tumult at Shiloh. In pursuit of such purpose, nearly every 
 thing written, both official and unofficial, has been examined. 
 Two visits have been made to the field for the purpose of 
 acquiring information by personal examination. Some 
 humorist has remarked that Shiloh is the best contested bat 
 tle since the war. In this wordy discussion the writer has not 
 been altogether silent, but has taken part wherever and when 
 ever the vindication of the Fifty-fifth Illinois and the Fifty- 
 fourth Ohio seemed to make it necessary. One of the results 
 of effort in that direction was an essay, called at the time, "A 
 Section of a Battle," and read at the first reunion of the Fifty- 
 fifth, on October 3ist, 1884. It was designed to be a history 
 of the operations of Stuart s brigade during its defence of 
 the extreme left flank in the first day s battle. It bears the 
 impress of some feeling, and is in form somewhat controver 
 sial; but all writings that get beyond glittering generalities 
 on this subject are, and must be, controversial. The more 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 89 
 
 recent study devoted to the topic, and many days since spent 
 upon the field, confirm every position taken in that essay. 
 Although it has now no claim to be called new, after much 
 hesitation it has seemed best to make it a part of this narra 
 tion. Its use in this connection materially lightens the sum 
 of gratuitous labor necessary to the work in hand, of itself 
 no small matter. There is pith also in the suggestion of a 
 literary friend, "that an attempt to re-write it might hammer 
 some of the temper out of it." It should be remembered 
 that out of the confusion and surprise of Shiloh comes the 
 chief glory of the Fifty-fifth. It fought so well and suffered 
 so much, without the aid of generalship and the rules of mil 
 itary science, that to do it anything like justice full reference 
 must be had to the lack of those needful and useful elements 
 of a battle. It is not proper that this opportunity pass without 
 making the vindication of Stuart s brigade full, so that his 
 torians in the future need not, as they have in the past, lack 
 material to do simple justice. "A Section of a Battle" is 
 therefore again presented, to be followed by such further 
 observations as seem needful for elaboration : 
 
 A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 
 
 It is perfectly well settled how the battle of Shiloh came to be fought. 
 The grand strategy of that campaign is no historical secret. The maps 
 of the country macte it plain that the proper place to attack the rebel 
 line in the west was in the centre, obviously by the navigable channels of 
 the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. To General Halleck belongs the 
 credit of first grasping this idea at least, of first announcing it. It is 
 hardly to be imagined that so simple a problem escaped the thoughts of 
 the great embryo captains, Grant and Sherman, of the same department. 
 The first effort in pursuance of this line of attack had been extremely 
 rich in results, embracing the occupation and capture of Forts Henry, 
 Donelson, Nashville, Columbus, Bowling Green, with intervening and 
 contiguous territory. 
 
 The next step in this sweep of grand strategy culminated in the battle 
 of Shiloh. In the new line assumed, after the fall of Donelson, Corinth 
 became a point of the first moment. The rebel centre being broken, and 
 its wings without connection, concentration at that point followed. The 
 natural way to reach this was by continuing up the Tennessee river, so 
 that all the advantages of water navigation, safe communication and 
 naval protection could be secured. Pittsburgh Landing was selected, 
 apparently without much consideration, because it was convenient; 
 because the ground was high; and again, because its ridges led into the 
 
90 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 interior and furnished good camping grounds. Its selection, fortunate or 
 unfortunate, was the act of General C. F. Smith, then in command. 
 
 While General Grant s army was lying scattered over these ridges, 
 waiting for the arrival of General Buell, preparatory to an advance on 
 Corinth, the rebel leaders concluded to attack that portion of the army 
 already at Pittsburgh Landing. Thus simple were the steps which led 
 to this great battle. 
 
 A word here may not be out of place as to the character of the 
 combat. It was, beyond controversy, among the bloodiest in history. 
 In all the sanguinary battles of our late war, it was for those who staid 
 at the front, one of the most terrific. The Count of Paris in his very 
 able history of the rebellion quotes General Sherman as saying that it 
 was " the most terrible that he had witnessed during his career." Badeau, 
 in his "Life of General Grant," speaks of certain portions of this battle 
 by referring to them as embracing several hours of as desperate fighting 
 as ever was seen on this continent. He again remarks that "it was the 
 severest fight of the war west of the Alleghanies, and in proportion to 
 the numbers engaged equalled any contest during the rebellion." He 
 quotes Sherman as saying that he never saw such terrible fighting 
 afterwards, and Grant compared Shiloh only to the " Wilderness." All 
 Confederate writers, and there are some able ones, agree in giving to this 
 contest a desperate character seldom equalled. An examination of the 
 losses, placing them to the proper credit, fully bears out this statement. 
 The weight of authority shows that, exclusive of General Lew Wallace s 
 division, General Grant had at the landing and upon the field from 
 thirty-two thousand to thirty-three thousand men on the first day. 
 Eliminate over three thousand cavalry, who lost in killed and wounded 
 only twenty-four men, and who for various reasons not discreditable to 
 them were of little if any use; count out also nmaway regiments, 
 stragglers, musicians, camp details, camp sick, wagoners, etc., who 
 contributed nothing to the loss of this conflict; and it will be found that 
 not over twenty-four thousand men did the fighting and suffered the loss 
 on the first day. This number lost, in killed and wounded alone, nearly 
 eight thousand. Allowing one thousand for the loss in the second day s 
 fight, it will be found that the killed and wounded in the first day s battle 
 almost doubles the ratio of the "butcher s bill "-at Gettysburg. These 
 same men, with little thought that they were making history at such a 
 rate, suffered in one day s battle a per cent, of loss in killed and wounded 
 almost or quite equal to that of our army during the entire Atlanta 
 campaign. 
 
 It is not the purpose of this article to give any general history of the 
 battle of Shiloh. That has been a fruitful subject for many able pens. 
 For obvious reasons it has been, and bids fair to be, a theme of acri 
 monious discussion. Aside from the controversy growing out of the 
 manner of the commencement, the ending, and the results of this battle, 
 it was a series of detached conflicts, involving many changes and great 
 confusion, all difficult to describe. 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. pi 
 
 It is the distinct purpose of this paper to give an account of the 
 operations of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry, as connected with the first 
 day s contest. I have always felt, in common with my fellow soldiers, 
 that justice has never been done to this regiment for what it did and 
 suffered on that occasion. No effort will be used to make this a chronicle 
 of personal anecdote or adventure. It might in that case be more 
 graphic, but it would be of less value as history. 
 
 There will be no cavil against the statement that the Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois was one of the best regiments among the many good ones that 
 went from Illinois to participate in our great struggle. It gathered from 
 our farms, shops, offices and school-houses as fine fibre of blood, muscle 
 and brain as ever was laid upon the altar of any country. It is also 
 true, beyond controversy, that its career is among the bloodiest. In all 
 that in warlike parlance goes to make "glory," it reaped a rich harvest. 
 Its blood watered the soil of many states. This much is claimed for and 
 will be readily conceded to the Fifty-fifth Illinois. Yet its literature was 
 all through the war, and is now, of the slightest, both in quantity and 
 quality. Its fame was never properly recorded. It had no one to blow 
 its trumpet. Somehow it never got its name inscribed upon monuments. 
 No newspaper correspondent wrote up its events with common justice, 
 let alone the rhetorical exaggerations so often used. 
 
 In looking back through the years that have intervened, I can assign 
 some, at least, of the reasons for this great injustice. It was a regiment 
 organized in Chicago from many fragments, from different localities. It 
 did not represent any particular location or nationality. It was not the 
 pride or pet of contiguous territory. Its mourners were not concentrated. 
 It was the silent tear in many hamlets that paid tribute to its dead. 
 Another, and perhaps main reason, was the character of its first field 
 officers. These officers were for many reasons, not wise selections; 
 especially so with reference to perpetuating the fame of, and creating a 
 literature for the regiment. Social causes before the war, and personal 
 habits, temper and temperament during the war, sufficiently account for 
 this to all who are acquainted with the facts. Since the parties referred 
 to are now dead and the fame of the regiment to its survivors is above 
 all things sacred, elaboration of details on this topic is not desirable. 
 So, from these causes, and others I do not choose to mention, the history 
 of the Fifty-fifth Illinois remains practically unwritten. Its record is 
 preserved for the most part, if at all, within the now aging memories of 
 its survivors. The highest duty of this and other reunions should be to 
 rescue from oblivion the glorious deeds of this grand old regiment. I 
 hope I may be able to state and to prove the important part it performed 
 in withstanding the tremendous sweep of the Confederate army at 
 Pittsburgh Landing. This is especially appropriate since its division 
 commander, General Sherman, first left it off two miles, detached from 
 his division left it during the battle, without artillery, without his 
 orders, and apparently without a thought, and left it in his report, with a 
 mere allusion never after corrected or elaborated. 
 
92 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 To properly characterize the relation of the Fifty-fifth Illinois to the 
 battle of Shiloh, an allusion to the physical features of the field becomes 
 necessary. It is embraced within the borders of Lick creek on the 
 south, and Snake creek on the north, which enter the Tennessee river on 
 nearly parallel lines about four miles apart, and from the general direc 
 tion of southwest. Inland or up stream, a short distance from the mouth 
 of Snake creek, enters into it from the side of the battle-field Owl creek, 
 which from that point becomes the limit of the field upon the right flank. 
 The general scope of the battle-field is the high plateau between these 
 creeks. This plateau, or ridge, is cut up by innumerable ravines and 
 small creeks, at times dry, tributary to the larger creeks. or the river. 
 Those emptying into Lick creek and the river below the mouth of that 
 creek are terribly deep and rugged, but quickly terminate toward their 
 upper end and blend into the general level of the centre of the battle 
 field. 
 
 The general sweep of the rebel line of attack was down this plateau, 
 with a line of battle reaching from Owl creek on their left to Lick creek 
 on their right. The Confederate tactics seem to have been to first attack 
 and break the centre at and to the left of Shiloh church, then make a 
 general left wheel, somewhat en echelon, turn the Federal left, drive the 
 army away from the river, and capture the landing and as much of the 
 army as possible. It was in pursuance of this plan, so successfully 
 begun by early breaking through Prentiss and Sherman, and fully set forth 
 in the reports of Chalmers, Jackson and Withers, that the rebel right 
 encountered the stubborn resistance of the Fifty-fifth Illinois and the 
 Fifty-fourth Ohio. 
 
 It may be worth mentioning that the first Confederate scheme was to 
 attack and turn the Federal left by crossing Lick creek from Hamburgh. 
 This plan was abandoned upon General Chalmers report of April 2d 
 that the crossings of Lick creek were not practicable, except by cavalry. 
 This prevented Stuart s brigade from being the main and first point of 
 attack. What in that case the result would have been, belongs to the 
 domain of speculation. Taking into account what the Fifty-fifth Illinois 
 and the Fifty-fourth Ohio did when attacked, no law of probabilities is 
 violated by stating that they would have done much better work than did 
 Hildebrand s or Buckland s brigades. In the light of experience it is a 
 curious commentary upon the generalship of this battle to state that 
 more than one good road was left without pickets, and unguarded all the 
 way from Corinth to Hamburgh. 
 
 The rebel formation for attack was in three lines. The front was 
 commanded by General Hardee, the next by General Bragg, and the 
 third by General Polk, with reserves under General Breckenridge. It 
 was generally reported and believed among us after the battle that our 
 brigade was opposed to General Hardee s men. This was not so. At 
 the time of the rebel advance for attack it was found that Hardee s line 
 was not long enough to fill in the space between Lick and Owl creeks, 
 and as this space began to widen Withers division of Bragg s corps was 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 93 
 
 used to extend the rebel right, which ultimately came in contact with the 
 Federal extreme left. 
 
 The Second brigade of the Fifth (Sherman s) division was composed 
 of the Seventy-first and Fifty-fourth Ohio and Fifty-fifth Illinois. It 
 was commanded by Col. David Stuart of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. It 
 formed the extreme left flank of the Federal army, being to the left and 
 somewhat in the rear of General Prentiss line especially so with 
 reference to the direction of the attack, which was oblique to the Federal 
 line, 
 
 The arrangement of the whole Federal army has been properly 
 characterized by able writers as " loose." This was particularly true of 
 Stuart s brigade, which was some two miles to the left of the balance of 
 the Fifth division and its commander the Sixth, or Prentiss division, 
 intervening. There was a wide interval between Prentiss and Stuart, 
 and no troops between the latter and the river, somewhat more than half 
 a mile away. As expressed by General Sherman, " It was the extreme 
 left guarding the ford over Lick creek." It seems to have been so placed 
 before the arrival of other troops, and when General Sherman was 
 covering the whole front. Why, after the arrival of other divisions, they 
 were not extended to cover this point, and Stuart s brigade changed to 
 connect with its division, belongs to the grand aggregation of official 
 stupidity going to make the strategy and tactics of this campaign. As 
 one writer forcibly expresses it, "this brigade was doubly let alone, both 
 by the commander of the army and its division commander." Referring 
 to the general location of the army, the Count of Paris, after comment 
 ing upon the natural strength of the position, says that " the Federals 
 had not yet learned to avail themselves of the natural advantages of the 
 position." Also, that they were posted at hazard, and not disposed so as 
 to enable them to support each other, etc. Speaking of Stuart s brigade, 
 he says it was entirely isolated upon the borders of Lick creek. 
 
 Notwithstanding General Sherman speaks explicitly of the purpose 
 of Stuart s brigade being so located, it was not in point of fact situated 
 to defend the crossing of Lick creek at all, but was encamped upon a 
 tributary to that stream and more than half a mile away from the 
 crossing. Between lay the highest ridge upon the Shiloh battle-field, 
 with a frowning bluff overlooking Stuart s color line, and rendering all 
 parts of such camp untenable. Then, to defend Lick creek crossing, 
 this brigade must move more than half a mile to the left and front, 
 crossing terrible ridges and ravines, and thereby leave a full mile of 
 space between its right and the left of Prentiss. It is a matter of 
 supererogation to add that no troops at the front had sufficient previous 
 notice to go anywhere in advance, to defend anything. Ordinary human 
 means of knowledge were not used, and inspiration does not appear to 
 have supervened. 
 
 To defend the left flank of the army and the ground in its vicinity, it 
 was absolutely necessary to get out. from under the great bluffs over 
 looking its camps, as was done eventually. The camp of the Fifty-fifth 
 
94 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Illinois was just north of a tributary which enters Lick creek about 
 one-half mile away. It was bordering upon the road running to Ham 
 burgh, and about one-fourth of a mile from where such road crosses the 
 small creek referred to. These facts have been verified by a recent 
 personal examination of the ground. 
 
 Here, if at all, would be the proper place to discuss whether the 
 Federal army was surprised at Shiloh. I do not purpose to add greatly 
 to the voluminous literature on that topic. I have, however, a decided 
 opinion. In this opinion I am sustained by an overwhelming weight of 
 authority. I am sustained by the definite conclusion and capable thought 
 of thousands who were present and now survive. In recently visiting 
 the field, with near two hundred of those survivors, I did not hear one 
 dissenting voice. That opinion, briefly stated, is that all preliminaries 
 necessary to prepare a great army to repel the attack of another were 
 wanting; that there was an entire lack of preparation, of concerted and 
 necessary action, which betokened absolute ignorance of the presence of 
 a hostile army; that the commanding officers are entitled to no credit 
 beyond good conduct on the field after the battle commenced; that in all 
 the essentials of a surprise it was a success for the Confederates. I 
 deliberately state, that since war became a science, one great army never 
 approached another with its presence so entirely unknown. It was em 
 phatically a soldiers fight, well put in the expression that the rebels out 
 generaled us, but that we out-coloneled them. On these points the 
 authorities are too numerous to quote, and a general reference is made 
 to the reports and histories covering that period. 
 
 Nothing herein is intended to detract from the great fame of Generals 
 Grant and Sherman, who did enough afterward to merit the gratitude of 
 humanity. Their reputation is too well established to need any fantastic 
 distortion of facts about this battle. 
 
 The latter calls it a necessary test of manhood. Granted, but yet it 
 is a great pity that the Northern troops did not enter upon this " test of 
 manhood " with sufficient preparation to destroy the rebel army and gain 
 an overwhelming victory. It is a pity that, as this great historical page 
 was unfolding, the first glimmer of its bloody import should thrust itself 
 upon General Sherman only at eight o clock on the morning of the battle. 
 Then, as he says in his report, he became convinced for the first time 
 that the enemy designed a determined attack. If not admitted to be 
 true, it would seem like a romance when we state that fully twenty thou 
 sand Confederates rested for thirty-six hours within less than four miles 
 of General Sherman s headquarters. The simple truth is, that at this 
 stage of the war generals were in process of education as well as privates. 
 
 Gladden s brigade of Withers division had first been taken from 
 Bragg s line and used to extend Hardee s right, as the widening space 
 toward Lick creek made it necessary. Jackson s and Chalmers brigades, 
 of the same division, had been placed en echelon to the right and rear of 
 Gladden. In this formation, the attack was pushed upon Prentiss, and 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 95 
 
 finally both Chalmers and Jackson participated, though not seriously, in 
 the breaking of that general s line. 
 
 Meanwhile, the regiments of Stuart s brigade had at the first alarm, 
 formed upon their respective color lines. Colonel Stuart states, in his 
 report, that at half-past seven in the forenoon, he received word from 
 General Prentiss that the enemy were in his front in force, and that in a 
 short time he discovered the Pelican flag advancing in rear of Prentiss 
 headquarters. Then he despatched his adjutant to inform General 
 Hurlbut that Prentiss left was turned. Stuart also states that, within 
 fifteen minutes, Hurlbut sent one regiment (the Forty-first Illinois, as he 
 remembers,) and a battery, which took position immediately by the 
 Seventy-first Ohio headquarters. He expected Hurlbut s division would 
 be up quickly. He further states that subsequently, and before any 
 attack was made upon his brigade, such regiment and battery had 
 departed without firing a gun. I do not find in the report of General 
 Hurlbut, or that of any of his subordinates, or of the Forty-first Illinois, 
 anything confirming this. 
 
 It is true that General Hurlbut at once promptly advanced his whole 
 division, until met by the fugitives of Prentiss division. He was at least 
 three-quarters of a mile to the right and rear of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. 
 While his division was well fought and handled, as the very able report 
 of its commander shows, it in no sense supported Stuart s brigade, or 
 protected its flank from any direct attack. It appears also that the Ninth 
 and Twelfth Illinois, of Wallace s division, were sent to the left and front f 
 with a view to supporting Stuart. Before reaching any such position, 
 they were met by the debris of Prentiss broken line, and the Confed 
 erates following them, and were involved in a bloody conflict, in which 
 they did their whole duty. While it is not clear just where they fought, 
 it is certain they never got within half a mile of Stuart. The first line of 
 battle formed by this brigade was with its right resting opposite the left 
 of the camp of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. The Seventy-first Ohio was upon 
 the right, with the Fifty-fifth Illinois the centre and the Fifty-fourth Ohio 
 upon the left. From this point two companies each of the Fifty-fifth and 
 Fifty-fourth were sent as skirmishers across the creek in their front. 
 
 Several changes in position occurred, not all of which are remem 
 bered, and which had no significance. Great uncertainty prevailed as to 
 the precise direction the attack would come from, and these changes of 
 position were doubtless intended to establish a line parallel to that of the 
 expected attack, or with a view to defensibility. As an incident of this 
 portion of the battle, it may be mentioned that the skirmishers of the 
 Fifty-fifth Illinois fired into one of Chalmers regiments as it was form 
 ing. It was the Fifty-second Tennessee, and was so stampeded that, 
 with the exception of two companies, it took no further part in the battle. 
 It is a strange coincidence that the Seventy-first Ohio, commanded by 
 that globule of adipose pomposity, Col. Rodney Mason, was upon the 
 same portion of the field stampeded in the same way, not even one com 
 pany remaining to participate further in the battle. 
 
96 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 The skirmishers were unable to prevent the planting of a hostile 
 battery upon the high bluff across the small creek. This was Gage s 
 .battery, highly complimented by its brigade commander. At this time 
 the position of the Fifty-fifth Illinois, with the Fifty-fourth Ohio upon its 
 left, was from eighty to one hundred and sixty rods to the left, and 
 slightly to the rear of the camp of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. The regiment had 
 not as yet been engaged seriously. The fire it was subjected to came from 
 the battery before mentioned. It would seem that Colonel Stuart, for some 
 reason, here expected the attack to come from the south-east, or up the 
 road from the crossing of the creek. A change of front thereupon was 
 attempted, during which the Fifty-fifth Illinois broke and ran in the most 
 inextricable confusion. 
 
 In looking over the ground since, I am astonished at the direction 
 this " skedaddle " took. It was nearly to the right, and comparatively 
 little toward the rear. Its course crossed a considerable ravine, and 
 passed over about one hundred rods of ground, when the regiment halted, 
 as if by impulse, a promiscuous, disorganized mass of men. It was then 
 deliberately formed into line by its officers. From that day till "Johnnie 
 came marching home," anything like a panic never affected this regi 
 ment, and this one in no sense impaired its efficiency in the conflict which 
 followed. 
 
 According to my recollection, it was about this time that the Seventy- 
 first Ohio broke for the rear and disappeared, as an organization, from 
 the battle. Strange to say, a recent denial of this appears in print. I 
 propose to state the simple fact, known to every survivor of the Fifty- 
 fifth Illinois, that that regiment disgracefully ran away, led by many of 
 its officers. Although this is tenderly glossed over by General Sherman, 
 and excuse attempted by its colonel, time has not dimmed my recollec 
 tion as to it. I do not propose that the laurels shall be taken from the 
 graves of our comrades and placed at the feet of a regiment that ran 
 away and left them to their fate. It will be hard to convince the surviv 
 ors of the glorious old Fifty-fifth, who felt and heard the whistle of 
 innumerable rebel bullets down the ravine from the right, where the 
 Seventy-first ought to have been, that that regiment was doing its duty. 
 Months after, six companies of the same regiment were disgracefully 
 surrendered by the same colonel, at Clarksville, Tennessee, for which he 
 and eleven or twelve line officers were dismissed, with proper contumely. 
 It is needless to add that these remarks do not apply to the brave Lieu 
 tenant-Colonel Kyle, who lost his life in trying to rally his regiment, nor 
 to its adjutant and the seventeen men who staid and fought with the 
 Fifty-fifth. A word of praise may be also well bestowed upon a beard 
 less, rosy-cheeked boy, named B. F. Innyartt, who fought in the ranks of 
 Company I after his regiment had fled to the landing. 
 
 It was at this point that word was sent in by the skirmishers that 
 cavalry were approaching from the direction of the creek crossing. 
 Here for probably the first as well as the last time during the rebellion, a 
 hollow square was formed in actual battle. It was shortly reduced, and 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 97 
 
 line of battle deliberately formed. An examination of the reports, 
 recently made accessible through the publications of congress, shows 
 this to have been caused by a detachment of cavalry commanded by, 
 Captain Clanton, and sent in that direction to discover the extent of the 
 Union line on that flank. During the contest which followed, they went 
 far to our left and rear, but took no great part in the combat, though they 
 watered their horses in the Tennessee river. 
 
 As the regiment was formed in line of battle, after reducing the 
 square, just to its rear was a deep, rugged ravine not less than fifty 
 feet deep the southern edge of which became the line of battle during 
 the terrible conflict which followed, and to reach which only a few steps 
 were necessary. Referring again to a recent visit, I find this position 
 to be from fifty to sixty rods to the rear, and a little east of north from 
 the camping ground of our regiment. It was here that the Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois and Fifty-fourth Ohio made such a glorious stand. It was here 
 that the two regiments fought and struggled with a tenacity never 
 excelled on that battle-field. It was here that for more than two hours 
 the rebel right was held in bloody conflict, and the whole Union left flank 
 protected. 
 
 I assert positively that not a foot of ground was yielded from the south 
 edge of this ravine until after two o clock on Sunday. All movements of 
 our brigade, up to this point, had been tactical, either in anticipation of 
 an attack from an uncertain direction, or in search of a proper position. 
 All other stands or conflicts, sometimes spoken of, were of little conse 
 quence. At this time the regiment, outside of its skirmishers, had not 
 lost ten men. Nothing but its camps were yielded, and that was neces 
 sary, from the nature of the ground. No defensible position farther to 
 the front existed then or now. The bluffs upon the opposite side of the 
 creek made all parts of our camp, or any extension of that line, abso 
 lutely indefensible. By accident or design, the position we assumed was 
 emphatically the best at hand, and had our flanks been protected, we 
 could have held it for two whole days. 
 
 It now becomes important to inquire how many men the regiment had 
 in line at this, the supreme moment of its existence. William Preston 
 Johnston, in his able work, showing far more research upon this topic 
 than any Northern one, gives to the Fifty-fifth Illinois six hundred and 
 fifty-seven men for duty. Adjutant Nourse says six hundred and fifty. 
 Both are substantially correct, according to the rolls of the regiment. 
 This, however, is not the correct number of fighting men gathered upon 
 the edge of this rugged ravine. From this must be eliminated all 
 stragglers and runaways unfortunately quite numerous; all musicians; 
 all heretofore killed or wounded; camp details; wagoners, etc. Captain 
 J. T. McAuley, then sergeant-major, and who made a morning report 
 that day, says the regiment had in line just five hundred arid twelve men. 
 That number was at the time somehow impressed upon my mind, and 
 has not been effaced by the events of more than twenty years. While I 
 cannot trace the source of my knowledge the fact remains clear. It is 
 7 
 
98 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 therefore safe to assert, that at this juncture but few more than five 
 hundred of the Fifty-fifth Illinois stood ready with flashing eyes and 
 beating hearts to engage in the impending contest with overwhelming 
 numbers. 
 
 Colonel Stuart iterates and reiterates in his report that he had here 
 but eight hundred men of his brigade present. These were the men, 
 barring the few already injured, who shed the blood and are entitled to 
 the glory of this isolated conflict. These were the few men gathered from 
 happy homes in Illinois who, without experience or experienced officers, 
 without the guiding star of a brigadier or major-general, without a single 
 piece of artillery, with only stern patriotism and forty rounds, met 
 the great wave of secession, and for hours withstood it upon this historic 
 ravine. When they left it, one-half their number were dead or bleeding 
 upon its rugged border. 
 
 It here becomes necessary to a proper appreciation of this section of 
 the battle, that we ascertain what portion of the Confederate army was 
 opposed to the eight hundred of Stuart s brigade gathered at this point. 
 Every history concedes that all of Chalmers brigade grappled with us. 
 It consisted of the Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Mississippi, the 
 Fifty-second Tennessee, and Gage s batterv in all, two thousand thirty- 
 nine men. It now appears that Jackson s brigade was also engaged 
 against Stuart s two regiments. This brigade embraced the Seventeenth, 
 Eighteenth and Nineteenth Alabama, Second Texas, and Girady s 
 battery in all two thousand two hundred and eight men. If this be 
 true, then these two regiments of Stuart s, without support or artillery, 
 withstood for more than two hours, upon the borders of this ravine, the 
 assaults of four thousand two hundred and forty-seven men and two 
 batteries, less the trifling loss they had already incurred in the assault 
 upon Prentiss. 
 
 Up to a recent date all writers on the battle of Shiloh, following the 
 hiatus in Sherman s report, made but little mention of Stuart s brigade, 
 speaking of it in general terms as opposed to Chalmers brigade. The 
 isolated character of the contest on this portion of the field a part of a 
 great battle made up of detached contests affords some excuse for this 
 cursory but unjust method of treatment. In view of recent congressional 
 and other publications, it now becomes plain that in addition to Chal 
 mers brigade, Jackson s brigade was engaged in the attack upon Stuart. 
 
 Probably the most elaborate and complete history of the battle of 
 Shiloh yet written is found in Colonel Roman s " Life of General Beaure- 
 gard," upon whose staff he served, and from his pages I quote in 
 proof of the above. On page 289, Vol. I., he says that " General Johnston 
 on the right led Chalmers and Jackson s brigades back across the 
 ravine, three-quarters of a mile to the right, until the right of Chalmers 
 rested on Lick Creek bottom, Jackson forming on his left, where they 
 were halted about half an hour until the position of Stuart s brigade 
 could be ascertained." Upon page 292, same volume, it was stated that 
 it was scarcely ten o clock when Stuart s skirmish line was reached, 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 99 
 
 Jackson opening the conflict under General Johnston s personal order. 
 Speaking of the principal conflict along the ravine, he describes the 
 ground very accurately, and says Stuart had at that time but eight 
 hundred men, and that he maintained a creditable resistance against 
 greatly superior numbers. He adds in a note that Stuart was without 
 artillery, and as to infantry was greatly outnumbered. On the following 
 page, in speaking of the position of Confederate troops at that time, the 
 author says that on the extreme right, three-quarters of a mile from other 
 troops, Chalmers and Jackson s brigades of Withers division were 
 carrying on the attack against Stuart. Upon page 295, in speaking of a 
 later phase of the battle, he says that these two brigades had been 
 gradually forcing back Stuart s two regiments, sweeping with their right 
 the Tennessee bottom, until about three o clock Chalmers brigade was 
 struck by the shells of the gunboat Tyler. This not only sustains the 
 assertion that Stuart s two regiments fought two whole brigades, but 
 shows that such contest was kept up till shortly before three o clock, as 
 will be further commented upon hereafter. 
 
 An examination of the reports of Withers, Chalmers, Jackson, and 
 their subordinates, shows conclusively that these two brigades acted 
 together and were engaged against Stuart s two regiments. All of these 
 reports agree that, after Prentiss left was driven back, the two brigades 
 in question were together taken from three-fourths of a mile to one mile 
 to their right and our left. The slightest knowledge of the incidents of 
 the battle shows that no troops were there for them to attack, other than 
 Stuart s brigade. If Jackson was not so engaged, his action is totally 
 unaccounted for. Neither of these brigade commanders or their subor 
 dinates speak of artillery being opposed to them in this portion of the 
 battle. This is the strongest of negative testimony, because Stuart had 
 no artillery from first to last a fact hardly existing as to any other 
 brigade. General Jackson, commanding one brigade, says that after 
 the contest with Prentiss, and after the removal of perhaps half a mile 
 to the right, he took position on the left of General Chalmers, a camp of 
 the enemy, just opposite his centre. Prentiss camps had before that 
 time been captured, and this camp opposite his centre was to the 
 rebel right half a mile. No camps other than Stuart s were ever there. 
 Colonel Wheeler, commanding the Nineteenth Alabama, of Jackson s 
 brigade, says that after losing a few men in the attack upon the left of 
 Prentiss, they were marched about a mile to the right, where they were 
 engaged the remainder of the day; that General Johnston ordered the 
 regiment with his own lips to charge the camp of the Fifty-ninth Illinois. 
 Now, the Fifty-ninth Illinois was not engaged in the battle of Shiloh at 
 all. The camp of no Illinois regiment, other than the Fifty-fifth, was 
 within a mile of that place. This was a mile or so to the left of Prentiss, 
 and where there were no camps of any regiments other than Stuart s 
 brigade. Hence the conclusion is irresistible that the camp he calls the 
 Fifty-ninth Illinois was that of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. He might easily 
 mistake the number of the regiment, or any misprint might account for 
 
100 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 it, but that the name of the State from which it came is misstated, is not 
 reasonable. The camp of no regiment, other than those of Stuart, or 
 those already captured, could have been reached nearer than one mile to 
 their left and front. As a further proof that these two brigades were 
 acting in unison, I cite Colonel Moore, of the Second Texas, Jackson s 
 brigade, who states that they were moved to the right and took position 
 in the front line of battle on the left of Chalmers brigade. Further on 
 he speaks of the space between Jackson s right and Chalmers left as 
 being only sufficient for three companies, which he filled, and of advanc 
 ing to the aid of the Mississippians. Every report will show that these 
 two brigades co-operated, and were connected together in this portion of 
 the conflict. In further support of my assertion, I appeal to the knowl 
 edge of every man of the Fifty-fifth Illinois who was present, and who 
 escaped, for proof of the fact that more than one battery was engaged 
 against us. Their own observation will show that the Confederate line 
 was too extensive to be composed of only one brigade. Chalmers had 
 but one battery, the other must have belonged to Jackson s command. 
 
 I now restate the proposition that Stuart s two remaining regiments, 
 without artillery, engaged the whole of Chalmers and Jackson s brigades, 
 consisting of nine full regiments and two batteries, or four thousand two 
 hundred and forty-seven men, exclusive of Clanton s cavalry, and assert 
 that such proposition is proved. Most Northern accounts either fail to 
 state how long this overwhelming force was held in check upon this 
 ravine, or intimate that Stuart s brigade fell back about noon. Even 
 William Preston Johnston, in most particulars so accurate, by his text 
 infers, and by his map shows, Stuart s brigade much further to the rear 
 at noon. The position shown in the map was never occupied by this 
 brigade. On the contrary, not one foot of ground was yielded from this 
 position, just in rear of the Hamburgh road and close by their camps, 
 until between two and three o clock in the afternoon. This was more 
 than six hours after Prentiss division and the three brigades with 
 General Sherman were repeatedly driven from their positions, and were 
 far to the rear of their first line. 
 
 Using every means of knowledge within my power my own recol 
 lection, aided by that of every one present with whom I have come in 
 contact, and inferences drawn from various reports, I conclude that the 
 real and supreme conflict upon the edge of the ravine, so frequently 
 alluded to, commenced about or a little before noon. Its deadly char 
 acter was seldom equalled during the late war, and never again 
 experienced by the Fifty-fifth Illinois. No one will deny but that this 
 regiment did its duty everywhere that its aggregate losses during the 
 war, in proportion to its numbers, were among the largest. Yet upon this 
 one spot, inside of three hours time, it lost about one-half its total 
 casualties for the war. 
 
 When we take into account that this conflict was in direct opposition 
 to the Confederate plan of turning the Union left; when we consider that 
 no other body of troops, great or small, was between this point and the 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. IOI 
 
 most direct route to the landing; when defeat of Stuart turned the whole 
 Federal left; when the evident fact is stated that no other portion of the 
 Federal left was nearer than three-fourths of a mile, or what is more 
 probable, a full mile, of the river, the great importance of Stuart s stout 
 resistance becomes apparent. 
 
 In proof of the assertion that the Fifty-fifth Illinois did not yield the 
 point in question until between two and three o clock, I cite the report of 
 Colonel Stuart, which received no criticism or modification at the hands 
 of General Sherman. Such report states explicitly that the conflict lasted 
 at this position upward "of two hours. General Hurlbut states in his 
 report that, at about three o clock, Colonel Stuart sent him word that he 
 was driven in. A half hour would be ample, and almost an unreasonable 
 time to use in sending such word to Hurlbut, especially when his retreat 
 was in the same direction. Various Confederate reports state that at the 
 close of this conflict they were greatly exhausted and out of ammunition. 
 It is known to every survivor of the Fifty-fifth that our ammunition was 
 all expended at the time of leaving the ravine, and the cartridges of the 
 dead and wounded were used. This fact is also stated in Colonel Stuart s 
 report. Certainly, two hours or more were needed to expend this much 
 "villainous saltpetre." General Chalmers, speaking of this portion of 
 the conflict, and alluding to the retreat of our men, says: "About this 
 time the gunboats from the river began to throw their shells among us." 
 
 By the report of Lieutenant Gwin, commanding the gunboat Tyler, it 
 appears that the first shot was fired at ten minutes before three o clock. 
 Colonel Wheeler, of the Nineteenth Alabama, already cited, in speaking 
 of the dislodgement of Stuart s men, says it was about three o clock in 
 the afternoon. After Hurlbut received word from Stuart at three in the 
 afternoon, he began to draw back, which movement exposed Prentiss 
 and Wallace, and was followed by the surrender of about twenty-two 
 hundred men, including Prentiss. The latter says in his report, his 
 surrender occurred at half-past five in the afternoon. That grand old 
 fighter, Col. W. T. Shaw, of the Fourteenth Iowa, who was captured on 
 this portion of the field, says that he surrendered at a quarter before six 
 o clock. Notwithstanding that the flamboyant assertions of General 
 McClernand gave color to the idea that General Prentiss surrendered 
 much earlier in the day, it is now settled beyond controversy that such 
 event occurred about the time mentioned. All Confederate reports agree 
 with this. 
 
 The troops engaged against Stuart participated and partly brought 
 about this surrender which, as before stated, occurred between five and 
 six o clock in the afternoon. The distance from where they fought the 
 Fifty-fifth Illinois to the point of surrender, was just about one mile to the 
 right and rear. Certainly not more than two and a half hours were con 
 sumed in making that distance, when practically unopposed. The 
 reports of Withers and subordinates all concur in the general idea that 
 the next operation they engaged in was the capture of Prentiss, and that 
 no great time elapsed after Stuart was driven from his position. 
 
102 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Without designing to make this a sketch of personal adventure, I will 
 state my own judgment on this point, and my reasons therefor. I was 
 the first time wounded upon the opposite or north side of the ravine, just 
 as the retreat of the Fifty-fifth had commenced. The line of their retreat 
 obliqued considerably to what had been our right or inland from the 
 river, while I, more from accident than design, pursued a course through 
 the ravine toward the landing, and struck the river at the place where 
 the gunboats first commenced firing. 
 
 Somewhat contrary to the generally received opinion, this was fully 
 three-quarters of a mile up stream from the landing, and not at the 
 mouth of the large ravine about one-fourth of a mile in that direction. 
 To reach this point the distance traveled was just about three-quarters of 
 a mile. This agrees with Colonel Thorns map, and has been verified by 
 recent inspection. I had not been lying on the bank of the river five 
 minutes when the first shot was fired from the gunboat, and I heard the 
 order given for that purpose. Making all allowance for my disabled 
 condition and subsequent wounds, and also considering the help I 
 obtained, I could not have been more than half an hour in reaching that 
 point. I took considerable interest in getting away. 
 
 The time when the first shot was fired from the gunboats, as before 
 stated, is definitely settled as occurring ten minutes before three o clock. 
 In fact, it was the falling back of Stuart that made it safe for the gun 
 boats to open, and placed Chalmers command within reach of its shells. 
 All this furnishes conclusive proof of what is known personally to every 
 one of Stuart s brigade present and now living, viz: that the line just at 
 the rear of their camp, and along this ravine, was not abandoned until 
 after two o clock. 
 
 I have thus tried, in the light of reports lately made public, and in 
 unison with the knowledge of all survivors, confirmed by recent personal 
 examination, to do justice to the Fifty-fifth Illinois as to facts not gener 
 ally appearing in the literature of this great battle. To do all this, that 
 regiment suffered a terrible baptism of fire. Its loss exceeded that of 
 any other regiment engaged in the battle of Shiloh, except the Ninth 
 Illinois. The best authority on this point is undoubtedly the table given 
 in the tenth volume of the Rebellion Records, as published by congress. 
 It is made up from a full examination of all available documents. It 
 differs in giving a very few more killed and wounded than the report of 
 General Sherman, dated April gth. The latter, within forty-eight hours 
 after the battle, and half that time having been occupied by an advance 
 towards Monterey, could not have gathered material for a report of 
 absolute correctness. The table referred to gives the loss of the Fifty- 
 fifth Illinois as fifty-one killed and one hundred ninety-seven wounded, 
 being a total of two hundred forty-eight, exclusive of missing. 
 
 For performing the deeds and suffering the loss herein described, this 
 brigade gets this, and only this, beggarly mention in the report of its 
 division commander: " My second brigade, Colonel Stuart, was detached 
 near two miles from my headquarters. He had to fight his own battle on 
 
A SECTION OF A BATTLE. 103 
 
 Sunday, as the enemy interposed between him and General Prentiss 
 early in the day." Then follows a mention of Colonels Stuart and Smith, 
 and the statement that he has not yet received the report of Colonel 
 Stuart, and therefore forbears to mention names. All his elaborate 
 remarks are devoted to the other brigades and regiments of his division^ 
 and he does not even name the glorious old Fifty-fifth. So far as he is 
 concerned, it had no existence, except that it is named in the table of 
 killed and wounded. Had it not in fact existed, I opine the history of the 
 battle of Shiloh would have been different, and the galaxy of stars 
 possibly less. 
 
 In order to estimate the full measure of glory due to this regiment, it 
 becomes necessary to compare the price of blood which it paid, with 
 that of others who paid less but gathered more. 
 
 Sherman s division consisted of twelve regiments of infantry, four 
 batteries and two battalions of cavalry, yet the Fifty-fifth Illinois lost 
 about one-sixth of the killed and wounded of that division. The Fifty- 
 fifth Illinois lost more than five-eighths of the killed, and more than one- 
 half the wounded of its own brigade. The Fifty-fifth Illinois lost five- 
 sixths as many killed and nearly as many wounded as the whole of 
 Hildebrand s brigade. If we eliminate from the loss of that brigade the 
 loss of the Seventy-seventh Ohio on April 8th, which is included in 
 Sherman s report as losses at Shiloh, then the Fifty-fifth Illinois lost more 
 than the whole brigade. Such loss, on the 8th of April referred to, was 
 in a reconnoissance, wherein the Seventy-seventh Ohio inadvertently got 
 in the way of and was run over by Forrest s cavalry an awful warning 
 to infantry regiments to keep out of the way of cavalry. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth Illinois lost two-fifths more killed and about as many 
 wounded as Buckland s brigade of the same division. These last two 
 brigades formed to the right and left of Shiloh church, at the very key 
 point of the position, and were under the personal observation and com 
 mand of General Sherman, and at his hands gets pages of praise, apology 
 or mild censure. Most of these regiments lost fewer killed than some 
 companies of the Fifty-fifth, and few of them many more, except the 
 Seventy-seventh Ohio. The Fifty-fifth Illinois lost about one-thirtieth of 
 the total killed and wounded of Grant s entire army, engaged both days, 
 which army consisted of over seventy regiments of infantry, more than 
 twenty batteries, and several thousand cavalry. Prentiss division com 
 prised ten large regiments of infantry, two batteries and eight companies 
 of cavalry; yet the Fifty-fifth Illinois lost about one-fourth as many 
 killed and wounded as this whole division, which occupied a position of 
 especial importance. 
 
 Lew Wallace brought upon the field, the second day of the battle, 
 about sixty-five hundred men, who go "thundering down the ages "in 
 gorgeous rhetoric; yet the Fifty-fifth Illinois lost twenty-five per cent, 
 more killed and only twenty per cent, less wounded than that whole 
 division. 
 
104 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 General Buell brought to battle on the second day, according to dif 
 ferent authorities, from twenty to twenty-five thousand men. It has been 
 strenuously claimed, in certain quarters, that they saved the battle from 
 utter defeat, and waded through seas of blood. Their literature is lurid 
 with flaming diction. The smallest private in the rear rank on the 
 extreme left often gets, at the hands of his superior, more praise than 
 the entire Fifty-fifth Illinois; yet the latter regiment lost more than one- 
 fifth as many killed, and one-ninth as many wounded, as this great body, 
 nearly fifty times larger than itself. It is not insinuated but that they 
 did their duty; but their fighting was child s play compared with that of 
 the first day, and very few of its large regiments lost as many as the 
 average company of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. 
 
 It is only common justice to claim for the Fifty-fifth Illinois and 
 Fifty-fourth Ohio that, hid away in the deep woods and among the rugged 
 ravines on the extreme left flank at Shiloh, they performed deeds of 
 magnificent valor that entitled them to conspicuous mention. 
 
 In view of these facts, is it any wonder that we are disposed to mur 
 mur at the parsimony of General Sherman s praise? Is it unreasonable 
 that we claim a place in the history we helped make? May we not, even 
 at this late date, place garlands upon the graves of our comrades? If 
 those whose spurs we helped win, and whose stars we helped fix, fail to 
 write for us, may we not pen our own eulogy? Our dead comrades lie in 
 unnamed graves; others go halting and crippled through life; others 
 still are bowed and suffering from disease. Thank God, it was given us 
 to do. Few could have done as well, none better. Men must bleed and 
 die, widows and orphans weep, and mothers mourn, to save nations. 
 
 In all herein written, I accord to the Fifty-fourth Ohio its share of 
 praise. Their living stood with ours, shoulder to shoulder, in battle. 
 The rich warm blood ran out from their ranks and mingled with ours, 
 and the same earth drank it up. The same stars at the same hour shone 
 upon the faces of our dead and their dead. The same breeze that wafted 
 the white soul of an Illinois boy to its Maker, down the line a little way 
 kissed the pallid lips of the Ohio hero. We shall be glad to meet them 
 on earth. We hope to meet them in heaven. 
 
 The foregoing covers the most important as well as the 
 most sanguinary part performed by the Fifty-fifth in the bat 
 tle of Shiloh. During the retreat across the ravine, the south 
 side of which had been occupied up to that time, the loss 
 was beyond expression frightful. Among others, the writer 
 fell grievously wounded, upon the brow of the opposite hill, 
 a fact not important to the issues then pending, but of some 
 importance at this juncture, inasmuch as the events which 
 for some months followed must be related without the aid of 
 personal recollection; and since the work in hand requires a 
 
MOVEMENTS FOR POSITION. 105 
 
 minuteness of detail not at all necessary in general histories, 
 this is felt to be a serious disadvantage. 
 
 The contest on the south side of the ravine, as has been 
 stated and since fully verified, lasted until some minutes 
 after two o clock in the afternoon. At that time every regi 
 ment which formed the front line in the morning had been 
 for some hours from one to three miles in rear of their camps, 
 where they first essayed a stand. In estimating the impor 
 tance of this, too much weight cannot be given to the fact 
 heretofore mentioned, that upon this ground the rebel right 
 wing was vigorously striving to perform its part in the grand 
 left wheel contemplated in their order of battle. That they 
 were delayed in the execution of that design until after two 
 o clock, is an episode of national importance, and there is no 
 danger of overpraise of the two regiments accountable for it. 
 Among the myths clinging to the literature of Shiloh is an 
 occasional mention of the different positions occupied by 
 Stuart before the real battle along the ravine to the left rear 
 of his camps. These are some times spoken of as though he 
 had been driven repeatedly. Such, however, was not the 
 case. It is true that the brigade was kept moving vaguely 
 from place to place, as suited the bewildered notions of its 
 commander, but such movements were not the result of pres 
 sure from the enemy, and not one volley was fired during 
 their progress. No attempt was made to defend the camps, 
 and not one position was assumed which covered or protected 
 them. The idea seemed to be that there was great danger of 
 being flanked on the left, and the first movement of the bri 
 gade placed it entirely east of the line of its encampments. 
 This is exactly in contrast to the course pursued by Generals 
 Prentiss and Sherman, who at first established their lines in 
 front of their respective camps, and retreated through them, 
 and lost them very early because they were driven by force 
 of circumstances. 
 
 After Stuart s brigade formed in the ridiculous position 
 along the border of Locust Creek, and directly under the 
 bluff an the opposite side, several changes took place, all 
 according to order and not under fire. Such changes of loca 
 tion all tended toward the rear and slightly to the left of the 
 
106 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 first one assumed, but covered only a small space of ground, 
 and were fully commanded by the high bluffs close at hand. 
 Finally the line of battle stretched along in the edge of the 
 timber just in rear of the open field to the left of the camp 
 of the Fifty-fifth, that regiment being then about five hun 
 dred yards due east of its quarters. Up to this point all 
 formations had faced due south, but here an attempt was 
 made to change front so that the line of battle would face 
 southeast, or directly down the Hamburgh road, toward the 
 crossing of Locust Creek. This, fortunately, failed, owing 
 to the absurd tactics used. A left half-wheel by company 
 was ordered, which of course broke each regiment into ten 
 fragments, and utterly destroyed the continuity of the line. 
 Meanwhile the skirmishers had become warmly engaged, and 
 the bullets of the rebels began to whistle over the heads of the 
 men forming in their rear. As soon as the change of front 
 referred to had fairly commenced, the companies began to 
 crowd and overlap each other. The men, though courageous, 
 were wrought into a state of nervous intensity, and in a 
 moment all were taken off their feet and a wild stampede 
 followed. At this crisis, the conduct of Colonel Stuart was 
 magnificent. He spurred his horse beyond the vortex of the 
 disorder which surrounded him, and, like a chief of ten thou 
 sand, faced the throng of excited and disorganized men, and 
 with eyes flashing, and voice ringing through the woods like 
 a trumpet, commanded them to halt. The incubus of Euro 
 pean tradition was forgotten in the emergency at hand, and 
 his superb magnetism impressed itself upon the multitude 
 instantly. If Stuart had then died, he would have been can 
 onized in the hearts of his men. Suddenly the men stopped, 
 and seemed to realize the impending disgrace. The officers 
 proceeded at once to reform their companies on any ground 
 and place them afterwards in line of battle. Fortunately no 
 aggressive movement of the enemy interfered with this, and 
 the men regained their poise, ready and anxious to do their 
 duty. More than this, they felt and vigorously expressed an 
 intense spirit of determination to atone for what had just 
 happened. The distance of this flight was not over two hun 
 dred yards, to the right and rear, and brought the regiment 
 
FANTASTIC TACTICS. IO7 
 
 almost to the exact spot where it fought so bravely a short 
 time after. During this unpremeditated movement a few 
 scattering bullets took effect, and among others, Captain 
 Wright received his first wound. As yet the regiment had 
 not fired a volley, though it appears that some of the men 
 fired individual shots. Word was shortly sent in from the 
 skirmish line that cavalry was crossing at the ford of Locust 
 Creek, and European ideas came to the front again, and hol 
 low squares were formed, probably for the only time on the 
 field of battle during the rebellion. It seems providential 
 that no advance on the part of the enemy occurred until 
 these tactical monstrosities were reduced, otherwise the lau 
 rels of the Fifty-fifth Illinois and Fifty-fourth Ohio would 
 have withered in the infamy of a wild race to the rear, with 
 the Seventy-first Ohio. That the two regiments did endure 
 without disintegration and fatal panic these fantastic and 
 erratic evolutions, perhaps entitles them, from a military 
 point of view, to the highest credit ever earned by them. A 
 few steps to the rear was the rugged ravine, the best position 
 on that portion of the field, where shortly afterward a con 
 flict took place, vital to the safety of the whole army. 
 
 Allusion has been made to the fact that Chalmers and 
 Jackson s brigades were entirely detached from the Confed 
 erate army, and moved east for the sole purpose of meeting 
 Stuart s brigade. As this is somewhat peculiar, and closely 
 involved in the events germain to the purpose of this narra 
 tive, a more detailed account of why and how such singular 
 movement happened, may not be uninteresting. Knowledge 
 of this has been obtained after long effort, and is here for 
 the first time given to the public. As has been repeatedly 
 stated, Stuart s brigade formed the extreme left of the Fed 
 eral army, being about three-quarters of a mile to the left 
 and rear of Prentiss. The rebel attack faced northeast, and 
 first struck the last mentioned general s command, and then 
 turned north; and had the Confederates followed General 
 Prentiss line of retreat, they would have passed to the right 
 of Stuart and more than half a mile away. In other words, 
 had the battle proceeded as the first assault indicated, this 
 brigade would have been outside its scope. Early Sunday 
 
108 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 morning General Bragg, while directing movements near 
 Shiloh church, dispatched Captain Lockett, with three or 
 four cavalrymen, toward the Union left, to find the extreme 
 flank in that quarter. This officer, subsequently an engineer 
 of note in the rebel army, and still living, passed from point 
 to point along the bluffs south of Locust Creek, and being 
 careful to attract no attention, and there being no outposts 
 to discover him, overlooked the camps along his route at 
 leisure. He reached the high point of bluff near at hand, 
 just in time to see Stuart s brigade falling into line, in conse 
 quence of the long roll then sounding the alarm. He watched 
 the formation of these troops until they marched down the 
 road eastward, toward the crossing of Locust Creek, and 
 knowing this movement to be far beyond the Confederate 
 right flank, came to the reasonable conclusion that it was 
 intended as a flank attack upon their army. He hastily dis 
 patched a courier to the Confederate commander, but becom 
 ing impatient, and deeming the danger serious, followed 
 himself immediately. Upon receiving such report from Cap 
 tain Lockett, Albert Sidney Johnston instantly withdrew 
 Chalmers and Jackson s brigades from the pursuit of Prentiss 
 and filed them to the rear, across the head-waters of Locust 
 Creek, to the high ground beyond. From thence he led 
 them in person due east, to operate against Stuart s brigade, 
 which he believed was attempting to flank his army. After 
 placing them in position overlooking the camps, and ordering 
 the attack to proceed, he returned toward the right, to meet 
 his death a few hours later, at the hands of Hurlbut s men, 
 about one-half mile away from the Fifty-fifth. It is needless 
 to add that the aimless movements of Stuart s brigade were 
 never intended for any such aggression. 
 
 To some it may seem singular that the main line of Stuart s 
 brigade was not engaged until near noon. The operations 
 just described principally account for it, and the Confederate 
 reports fully explain the details. Captain Lockett returned 
 to the Confederate commander with his information about 
 eight o clock. Chalmers and Jackson had just been brought 
 from the rear, and were involved in a pell-mell pursuit of 
 Prentiss. They were halted and withdrawn, as before stated, 
 
THE RETREAT. 109 
 
 and took a course which led them over two miles of very 
 rough ground, and with their artillery they moved cautiously, 
 as was prudent under the circumstances. They reached the 
 high ground opposite Stuart s camps at about ten or half-past 
 ten o clock. Here a long halt ensued, to await the result of 
 Captain Clanton s cavalry reconnoissance. Upon the first 
 advance the Federal skirmishers were found, who made such 
 stout resistance that all the rebel reports refer to it as a 
 serious conflict, during which one of their regiments stam 
 peded from the field. After the falling back of the skirm 
 ishers, Chalmers and Jackson s brigades were transferred to 
 the north side of Locust Creek, and deployed in battle order. 
 All the ground taken was first explored by skirmishers a 
 discreet but slow process. It was talked of at the time, and 
 perhaps it was true, that the hollow square exhibition induced 
 extra caution, it being so ridiculous that it was looked upon 
 as a ruse to induce an attack. It was certainly calculated to 
 deceive any one who was inclined to apply the rules of com 
 mon sense to practical warfare. All this, taken in connection 
 with the raw condition of the attacking force, sufficiently 
 accounts for the passing time. 
 
 Shortly before the final departure from the place of con_ 
 flict, and after hundreds of men had been killed and wounded, 
 an order was conveyed along the Fifty-fifth to cease firing, 
 about face, and retreat. The command was obeyed, and the 
 whole line turned to the rear. After taking a few steps a 
 countermanding order was given, and every man turned back 
 up the hill and resumed his deadly employment, with perfect 
 deliberation. This short episode amounted to scarcely an 
 interruption, and is alluded to because it reflects the highest 
 credit upon these young soldiers, who were now for the first 
 time under fire. 
 
 Finally a positive command was given to fall back, and 
 the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-fourth, at almost precisely a quarter 
 past two o clock in the afternoon, turned away from the foe. 
 McArthur s brigade, which had attempted to reach Stuart 
 early in the day, but had become engaged a half mile away, 
 had been driven from its position more than two hours before. 
 The Forty-first and Forty-second Illinois, two of Hurlbut s 
 
110 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 regiments, which had taken almost the exact ground aban 
 doned by McArthur, had just given way under the fierce 
 assaults of two of Breckenridge s brigades, which had to be 
 encouraged to their work by the dashing Kentuckian himself, 
 the governor of Tennessee, and the Confederate commander- 
 in-chief the last of whom was killed. Farther to the right 
 the regiments of Prentiss and Sherman had long been far to 
 the rear, and thus, when the order came at the time named, 
 Stuart s few men were the last ones to leave the ground as 
 sumed for defence at the opening of the battle. 
 
 There were no precautions used to cover such retreat, and 
 the alleged skill acquired in European schools and in the 
 Mexican war did not assert itself in this the hour of need. 
 Stuart s fragments, consisting of less than five hundred men, 
 turned to the rear and made a rush for the opposite side of 
 the ravine. This was a gorge about one hundred feet deep, 
 and as many yards across. The ravine on the right, and the 
 woods and gullies in front, were swarming with Confederates 
 ready to make a dash as soon as the deadly fire of the Fed 
 erals ceased. Almost instantly the ground left was occupied 
 by swarms of exultant and yelling rebels, who now, without 
 danger to themselves, poured a shower of bullets down upon 
 and among the fugitives. Major Whitfield of the Ninth 
 Mississippi, who commanded the rebel skirmishers in that 
 quarter, said in a recent conversation with the writer, "We 
 were right on top of you." "It was like shooting into a flock 
 of sheep." "I never saw such cruel work during the war." 
 To the torment of Chalmers and Jackson s infantry was 
 added the grape and canister of two rebel batteries close at 
 hand. So through this valley of death went the less than 
 "six hundred," leaving bleeding victims at every step, and up 
 the opposite side the merciless fire was a veritable cyclone. 
 
 The course of retreat inclined inland toward the centre of 
 the battle-field, and a few hundred yards placed the men in 
 comparative safety, for the rebels did not at once advance 
 beyond the position they had just attained. Their reports 
 are replete with tales of complete exhaustion, fearful losses, 
 and want of ammunition at this juncture, and indeed they 
 had paid a fearful tribute to the ferocious fighting of Stuart s 
 
AMMUNITION EXHAUSTED. Ill 
 
 few men. They remained at the place they had just captured 
 for two hours, when they were found by General Bragg and 
 hurried toward the centre of the field, to the place of the so- 
 called Prentiss surrender. 
 
 After going about four hundred yards the remainder of 
 the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-fourth halted readily at the first 
 command. Up to that moment the two regiments could not 
 have lost less than three hundred and seventy-five men, killed 
 and wounded, and were further reduced by the loss of some 
 prisoners and stragglers. Four companies of the Fifty-fourth 
 were still absent upon duty, as before mentioned. No amount 
 of figuring can make more than four hundred and fifty men 
 present to form the new line; yet it was done, and prepara 
 tions were made to meet the further advance of the enemy. 
 At this juncture Captain Slattery suggested the examination 
 of the cartridge boxes, and it was quickly disclosed that less 
 than two rounds of ammunition per man remained. Nothing 
 was left but to follow the route to the rear, and finally the line 
 came into the Hamburgh road near Hurlbut s headquarters, 
 about one mile from the landing. Following the course of 
 the road, the high ground near the river was reached about 
 four o clock, with every company yet organized, compact and 
 in fighting trim, where the remaining four companies of the 
 Fifty-fourth Ohio, under Major Fisher, soon joined the line. 
 
 All along the course of this retreat of over two miles, not 
 one orderly body of Federal troops was met, showing the 
 defenceless condition of the entire left flank. Indeed, the 
 retirement of Stuart s two regiments left a broad way open 
 and unobstructed to the landing. Why then did not Chal 
 mers and Jackson, and their division commander, Withers, 
 who was present, avail themselves of this unusual chance of 
 war? Clearly because the intensity, the energy and cohesion 
 had been crushed out of their men by the splendid resistance 
 of eight hundred infantry. Confederate reports, known to 
 far understate the truth, place the losses of Chalmers and 
 Jackson s brigades in killed and wounded, during the battle, 
 at eight hundred and seventy-six. More than two-thirds of 
 this loss must have been at the hands of the Fifty-fifth Illi 
 nois and Fifty-fourth Ohio. Is it any wonder, therefore, that 
 
112 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 these undisciplined Confederates remained inert for some 
 time after they had suffered such an unmerciful pounding? 
 
 Stuart, while on the retreat, was directed by a staff officer 
 of General Grant s to where ammunition could be obtained, 
 and pursuing the course directed soon reached the point near 
 the landing, before mentioned. At that time Hurlbut was 
 directing the two splendid brigades with him, which he had 
 handled with a skill not exceeded on that field, to a position 
 on the same front. The crisis of the battle then converged 
 around the centre and in the vicinity of the vague location 
 called the "hornets nest." Along that line the well ordered 
 battalions of W. H. L. Wallace, aided by the fragments Pren- 
 tiss had saved from the drift of the field, and a few regiments 
 beside, maintained a stout contest, without which the battle 
 of Shiloh would have been lost. Yet further to the right, 
 and along Tillman s Creek, McClernand was pugnaciously 
 keeping up a desultory resistance, creditable to himself and 
 the cause. Of the nine regiments of General Sherman s 
 immediate command, which were in his vicinity when he 
 "became satisfied for the first time that the enemy designed 
 a determined attack," it is doubtful if one was in line with 
 its organization complete, and certain that no two of them 
 were together. 
 
 Returning again toward the river, we find the Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois and Fifty-fourth Ohio, as they had been in the morn 
 ing, forming the extreme left flank of the whole Union army. 
 Their line was stout-hearted, but fearfully short-handed, the 
 living being not much more numerous than the dead and 
 wounded left behind; but they were worth more to the cause 
 than the thousands of shivering wretches cowering under the 
 river bank, just in their rear. ^ Presently Hurlbut, with his 
 compact regiments, formed on the right, and Stuart s brigade, 
 for the first time since the battle commenced, was connected 
 with other troops. 
 
 About three o clock in the afternoon the drift of almost 
 the whole rebel army was toward the centre before described, 
 where one of the most defensible positions on the field was 
 being held. This had been the course pursued by the assail 
 ants during the whole day, namely, to converge and rush upon 
 
THE CONFEDERATES OPPORTUNITY. 1 13 
 
 points of resistance with but little reference to flanking tac 
 tics. That Stuart s brigade was enabled to hold its first 
 ground so long was due to the same brave but ill-regulated 
 plan. Chalmers and Jackson could have passed the Union 
 left and gone to the landing as easily as did the Fifty-fifth, 
 but when they did move it was under the personal direction 
 of General Bragg, who led them toward the then scene of 
 conflict. Events in that quarter culminated in considerable 
 captures from the Federals, and the death of the lamented 
 General Wallace of Illinois. At this time the Confederate 
 rank and file seem to have been much elated, and to have 
 dispersed somewhat in search of plunder, as though the bat 
 tle was won. Thus some moments of precious respite were 
 given the panting Union army, and time was gained to plant 
 batteries and form troops at the rear, on the line of the even 
 ing. The rebel generals, having a better understanding than 
 their men of what remained to be done, made strenuous 
 efforts toward re-forming and deployment, for the purpose of 
 pushing the conquest to complete victory, then almost in 
 sight. Chalmers and Jackson were untangled from the mass 
 and again took position upon the extreme rebel right. 
 
 About five hundred yards south of where the Fifty-fifth 
 and Fifty-fourth were placed was an enormous ravine, run 
 ning parallel with their front, called Dill s Branch. Into this 
 these two brigades filed, and again the mutations of the con 
 fused battle brought the combatants of the morning front to 
 front. The right of the Fifty-fifth rested near the forks of 
 the Corinth and Purdy road. Upon its left, as usual, were the 
 gallant Zouaves, which regiment extended the line a little 
 beyond the log building used as a hospital, and to within 
 about two hundred yards of the top of the bluffs overlooking 
 the Tennessee. General Hurlbut, in a calm review written 
 some time after the battle, clearly defines the position of the 
 Fifty-fifth, designating it by name, and in that connection 
 mentions another unnamed regiment, beyond doubt the Fifty- 
 fourth Ohio. He also fixes the time of the last rebel attack 
 of the evening as at six o clock. To meet this onslaught he 
 personally attended to the changing of the front of Stuart s 
 men, so that they would face nearly to the southwest. While 
 
114 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the two rebel brigades, as before described, filed into the 
 gorge of Dill s Branch, a battery went into position in the 
 vicinity of the Corinth road. It was Gage s the same which 
 fired the first shell at Stuart s brigade in the morning; and 
 now, as the day s tragedy was closing, it prepared to throw 
 its missiles among the same men. Finally these preparations 
 were completed, the advance was ordered, and the shades of 
 evening were lighted up by the fires of the new assault. To 
 repel this the whole Union line opened, and here upon the 
 ground of the last rally, the flame of battle merged into the 
 gloom of the approaching night. 
 
 The Union artillery had been so placed by Colonel Web 
 ster as to be of the greatest use in repelling this attack. It 
 at once joined in the tumult, and performed a more impor 
 tant part than usually falls to the lot of that arm of the 
 service. These guns, consisting of a few of large calibre 
 fortuitously there, and the fag ends of batteries saved from 
 the wreck of the day, were short-handed, and volunteers 
 were asked for from the infantry nearest. To this call the 
 Fifty-fifth responded promptly, and the names of the men so 
 engaged are reported. They were Aaron Lingenfelter and 
 Samuel J. Simpson of Company A; Luther J. Keyes, Rienzi 
 L. Cleveland and Roswell J. Riley of Company C; Daniel 
 S. Burke and Joseph H. Knott of Company D; Dedrick 
 Baiger and Henry Rhodemeyer of Company E; Ebenezer 
 Sanford and LeGrand Dunlap of Company F; Charles L. 
 West and James W. Gay of Company G; John Berlin, George 
 W. Bookhalt, James W. Larrabee and Francis A. Scott of 
 Company I; and James W. Kays of Company K. Perhaps 
 others were equally ready in the meritorious task, but their 
 names have not been preserved. 
 
 This contest was extremely noisy, but does not appear to 
 have been particularly destructive to the Union side. The 
 only losses known to have occurred in the Fifty-fifth while in 
 this position were Charles R. Fiske and John P. Gantzert, 
 both corporals of Company I, who were instantly killed by 
 the same unexploded shell, fired doubtless by Gage s battery, 
 which had followed Stuart s footsteps so persistently through 
 the day, and which was soon demolished by the heavy fire 
 
NIGHT AFTER BATTLE. H5 
 
 turned upon it. During this fusilade General Grant person 
 ally gave directions to some of the officers of the Fifty-fifth, 
 with reference to the safety of their men. It was only a few 
 feet in the rear that his scout, Carson, while conversing with 
 him, was instantly killed by a shell. Just before the rebels 
 finally withdrew from their desultory attempt, two regiments 
 of Buell s troops filed up the road from the river, took posi 
 tion upon the left, and opened a vigorous fire into the woods 
 beyond, and had one man hit while so engaged. 
 
 No ground was gained by the assailants during this portion 
 of the engagement, and they must have suffered far more 
 loss than they inflicted during its continuance. Indeed, their 
 attempt of the evening was spasmodic, and not at all effec 
 tive as against organized resistance, and presently they with 
 drew into the darkness to bivouac upon the ground in their 
 rear already captured. Night threw its mantle over the 
 blood-stained field. The living and unhurt sought rest as 
 best they could, to await the call for battle on the morrow. 
 The wounded lay scattered everywhere, writhing in anguish. 
 The dead were quietly at rest, suffering neither fear nor pain. 
 Nature, as usual, seemed urgent to wash out the blood-stains 
 of the fratricidal strife, and shortly a heavy rain-storm set in, 
 which lasted until near morning. It was a mercy to the 
 wounded on all parts of the battle-field, and saved many 
 lives. To those who remained in line of battle trying to 
 gain some fitful rest after the exhaustion of the day, it was a 
 source of the greatest discomfort. 
 
 Since the first alarm the good chaplain had been untiring 
 in his work of mercy. At the outset his greatest difficulty 
 had been in collecting and organizing the musicians into an 
 ambulance corps. The belligerent little drummers nearly all 
 preferred to fight, and were found along the line, gun in hand, 
 as fierce as fighting-cocks, with no notion of shirking either 
 the dangers or the responsibilities of the front rank. All 
 through the gloomy night the chaplain toiled, searching for 
 and assisting the wounded of the Fifty-fifth. Such scant 
 refreshments as he could obtain were distributed to the 
 exhausted and hungry men, whose letters and journals are 
 teeming with gratitude for the blessing of his presence. 
 
Il6 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Morning at length dawned, but upon no cheerful outlook. 
 It was gloomy, damp and disagreeable. Daylight brought 
 into view the terrible results of war, scattered everywhere 
 around. The little log house in the rear was filled with suffer 
 ing wounded, and by it lay ghastly piles of human limbs, 
 thrown carelessly aside after amputation. Long rows of dead 
 rested stark and pulseless upon the wet ground, their pale 
 faces upturned to the pelting storm. Altogether the environ 
 ment was as depressing as only the chaos of an unsuccessful 
 battle-field could make it. 
 
 To the eternal glory of the poor remnant of the Fifty- 
 fifth, it responded bravely to the demands of the new day. 
 Its young men, born amid the quiet beauty of rural scenes, 
 who had seen friends go down in the smoke of their first 
 battle, undismayed sprang to their feet when the word came, 
 ready to face again the rebel host before them. 
 
 Here is reiterated the former apology, before attempting 
 to describe the battle of Monday in its relation to the Fifty- 
 fifth. The effect of three wounds had placed the writer 
 beyond the privilege of personal observation. The official 
 reports are almost silent as to Stuart s brigade, and, at most, 
 barely refer to its existence. Those who were present, and 
 to whom an appeal has been made for information, seem to 
 have been too busy doing their duty to observe the exciting 
 scene around them with sufficient accuracy to repeat details 
 after twenty-five years. The battle of the Fifty-fifth on the 
 first day was isolated, and its incidents, when once under 
 stood, are somewhat aloof from the general confusion of this 
 the most confused of battles. In its experience of the sec 
 ond day it was merged into the great mass of struggling 
 men, and was merely a small factor in combined movements. 
 One intelligent comrade, who was accustomed to note and 
 preserve the details of army life, replies in this connection: 
 "My chief memories are of the battle-field horrors mangled 
 humanity, dead horses, deep mud, horrible stenches, and 
 insufficient food." It is easy enough to describe in a general 
 way on which flank the Fifty-fifth acted, and the troops with 
 which it cooperated, but how to give details and incidents 
 with sufficient minuteness to answer the reasonable expec- 
 
MONDAY S BATTLE. 117 
 
 tations of those who are interested in a work like this, is 
 difficult and almost impossible. 
 
 Shortly after sunrise on Monday morning, and just as the 
 survivors of Company I were placing in a shallow grave, side 
 by side, poor Fiske and Gantzert, Major Sanger dashed up 
 and ordered the brigade to move to the right. The Fifty- 
 fifth had not over two hundred and fifty men in line, and the 
 Fifty-fourth not so many. Of the Seventy-first, no organiza 
 tion was present. It was hopelessly blended into the mass 
 of fugitives in the rear, from which their weak colonel had 
 neither the power nor inclination to rescue them. This skel 
 eton of the brigade, under command of the brave colonel of 
 the Fifty-fourth, and guided by Major Sanger, proceeded 
 west along the Purdy road, and as the rugged valley of Till- 
 man s Creek was approached, such troops of Sherman s 
 division as remained in line were found. Then and there for 
 the first time the regiment formed in connection with its own 
 division, and under the eye of General Sherman, who, with 
 his wounded arm in a sling, was dashing about as became his 
 restless genius. From the west side of Tillman s Creek the 
 march proceeded for about one mile in a south-westerly 
 direction, until near the right of General McClernand s 
 camps. Here, fresh from the seclusion of Crump s Landing, 
 General Lew Wallace s division, which was on the right and 
 front, encountered the enemy, and shot and shell again began 
 to crash through the trees over and around the Fifty-fifth. 
 Sherman s division was in the rear of Wallace s left and of 
 McCook s right, with the evident purpose of operating in 
 support of those fresh troops. About ten o clock in the 
 forenoon the battle opened in that quarter, carried on by the 
 Federals at first largely with skirmish lines and artillery, all 
 beautiful and elaborate, but displaying none of the sangui 
 nary aspect of the day before. Had the Union army been 
 pushed into the fight and led with anything like the boldness 
 which characterized the rebel attack of Sunday, the Confed 
 erate army would have crumbled away in an hour. Had the 
 Confederate assaults of Sunday been attempted with any 
 thing like the scientific attenuation and care for human life 
 used by the Federals on Monday, the latter would have lost 
 
Il8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 no ground. The enemy gradually gave way, and the Union 
 line was advanced accordingly. Stuart s brigade, under com 
 mand of Colonel T. Kilby Smith, kept well up in rear of the 
 front line, and under fire, but losing only here and there a 
 man, by a cannon shot. 
 
 The right of the assailants had now swept around so as to 
 face southeast, toward Shiloh church. About one hundred 
 yards from that point was a dense thicket of water oaks, hard 
 to penetrate and tenaciously held by the foe. About two 
 o clock the Fifty-fifth came in sight of the locality, and wit 
 nessed the preparation of McCook for attack. The Thirty- 
 fourth Illinois, the only regiment from its state in Buell s 
 army, was close at hand. The brigade, commanded by the 
 gallant Colonel Kirk of Sterling, Illinois, and now in its first 
 battle, was somewhat warmly engaged. The Thirty-second 
 Indiana, under Colonel Willich, was brought up to lead the 
 advance, and as it came under fire began to show signs of 
 wavering. It was deliberately halted by its commander, who, 
 in sight of the Fifty-fifth, proceeded for a time to drill his 
 regiment in the manual of arms. When a sufficient degree 
 of steadiness had been attained to suit the views of the 
 colonel, it was ordered through the pond and into the thicket, 
 and a fierce conflict of musketry at once followed. This 
 lasted for about twenty minutes, when Willich s regiment 
 came rushing to the rear, unable to face the fire any longer. 
 Just then the brigade of the Kentuckian, Rosseau, was 
 brought up, and Sherman formed Stuart s brigade on the 
 right, and on the then front line. When these preparations 
 were completed, the whole line swept forward, the Fifty-fifth 
 and Fifty-fourth abreast of all others of the attacking force, 
 and finally the whole rebel line gave way. It was followed 
 with a rush. The disloyal host was fairly on the run, or as 
 Colonel Malmborg would say, "faced mit their backs." 
 Stuart s brigade was close after them, yelling like wild men, 
 and had abundant opportunity and disposition to requite the 
 rebel sociability of the day before. As the Confederates 
 scampered through the open timber and fields the good Dres 
 den rifles of the exasperated and elated Illinoisans sent many 
 of them beyond the reach of the beneficent legislation of 
 
BRAGG S LAMENTATION. 1 19 
 
 modern times. This was the last stand by the enemy, and 
 their flight was followed until at four o clock in the afternoon 
 Stuart s brigade, each man exhausted fry the bloody chase, 
 stood round about Shiloh church, and upon the ground cap 
 tured from Sherman early Sunday morning. 
 
 The battle of Shiloh was won, and no single organization 
 had contributed more to that end than the Fifty-fifth Illinois 
 Infantry. But one other regiment had spilled more blood 
 upo*n that battle-field. The fragments of the once proud 
 rebel army were stumbling toward Corinth, a mass of disor 
 ganized and discouraged fugitives. Northern patriotism and 
 courage had driven them finally from a field almost given 
 them by official misadventure. The ripe fruits of victory 
 were within easy reach, but no hand was put forth to pluck 
 them. General Grant, in his "Memoirs," has given such 
 poor reasons as then existed for not following. General 
 Buell, practically independent and with ten thousand troops 
 at his back who had not fired a shot, was no more aggressive. 
 It was the close of the only battle in which he personally 
 took part during the rebellion. 
 
 The rebel General Bragg, in addition to his duties as chief- 
 of-staff, had commanded a corps through the entire battle. 
 He was everywhere during the two days contest, sharing in 
 an unusual degree for a subordinate, its responsibilities and 
 dangers. As the Confederate army fled, pursuit was expected 
 as a matter of course, and he remained in its rear to cover 
 the retreat as far as possible. From a position not more 
 than three miles in front of Shiloh church, and at half-past 
 seven o clock, Tuesday morning, he sent the following 
 lamentation to General Beauregard: 
 
 Our condition is horrible. Troops utterly disorganized and demoral 
 ized. Road almost impassible. No provisions and no forage, 
 consequently everything feeble. * * * * It is most lamentable to see 
 the state of affairs, but I am powerless and almost exhausted. Our 
 artillery is being left all along the road by its officers. Indeed, I find but 
 few officers with their men. * * * * 
 
 General Bragg received a note from General Breckenridge 
 at two in the afternoon of that day, and forwarded it to his 
 superior with the following indorsement: 
 
120 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Respectfully referred to General Beauregard. If we are pursued by 
 a vigorous force we will lose all in the rear. The whole road presents 
 the scene of a rout, and no mortal power could restrain it. 
 
 The above quotations, and from such a source, illustrate 
 better than could a whole volume of argument the fearful 
 straits of the defeated Confederates, and is equally conclusive 
 of the possibilities within easy reach of the Federals. Could 
 General Grant have been vouchsafed the inspiration which 
 afterward seemed to guide him, the atonement would have 
 been ample, and Shiloh would have left no regrets. So 
 ended the great holocaust around the little Shiloh chapel. 
 George W. Cable has said the South never smiled again after 
 it. Thousands in the North West still mourn because of it." 
 
 It is impossible to give with exactness the casualties in 
 the Fifty-fifth on the second day, but the loss bore no 
 proportion to that of Sunday, although equal to that of 
 many of Buell s and Lew Wallace s regiments. It probably 
 did not exceed twenty, and was mostly from artillery. The 
 splendid young orderly-sergeant of Company I was killed 
 by a cannon shot, the first one struck on that day. Fred. 
 Ebersold and James W. Larrabee of the same company, were 
 wounded, and George A. Raup of Company C was killed. 
 
 So great a battle, and the first in the experience of nearly 
 all who took part, was naturally rich in thrilling personal 
 incidents. They are characteristic of such a battle, and of 
 such a regiment, and a few are given to illustrate the one 
 and to do justice to the other. It is sufficiently apparent 
 that only such as are remembered or have been kindly 
 furnished by others are available, a statement which should 
 excuse any seeming egotism or discrimination. 
 
 Of the officers losing their lives, Captain Squire A. Wright 
 was the highest in rank. He came from Michigan, a stranger, 
 and was made second-lieutenant of Company C by Colonel 
 Stuart, with whom he was a great favorite. He had been 
 promoted to captain of Company F, and commanded it in 
 the battle. He was one of the first struck in the main line, 
 but refused to go to the rear, and finally received another 
 and a mortal wound. He died at Quincy, Illinois, on May 
 1 2th. In his short career with the regiment he manifested 
 
PERSONAL INCIDENTS. 121 
 
 high capacity. The manner of his death sufficiently estab 
 lishes his claim to sublime bravery. 
 
 Lieutenant James Weldon had been transferred from 
 Company I, and given his rank in Company H, with which 
 he received his death wound. He was a young man of 
 superb appearance and unblemished character, and had all 
 the attributes of a fine volunteer soldier. His burial was 
 the occasion of a fitting tribute on the part of his friends and 
 neighbors, and Judge Harris of Morris, Illinois, delivered an 
 eloquent eulogy, which this young soldier had fairly earned 
 by his blameless life and heroic death. 
 
 Theodore W. Hodges, the gallant young second-lieutenant 
 of Company C, also lost his life. The incidents of his death 
 are so graphically stated by his good friend and comrade, 
 Robert Oliver, -that they are given in his language, which is 
 as follows: 
 
 Hodges came to me and knelt down on one knee with the point of his 
 sword on the ground, and said, "Oliver, as soon as you get your gun 
 loaded take Ainsbury to the rear ; he is " then he was hit by a canister 
 shot in the head. He hung to the hilt of his sword until his hand came 
 to the ground, bending the sword double, and when he let go it bounded 
 six feet into the air. I was therefore left to accomplish the unfinished 
 command of a good officer. That was the last command he ever gave. 
 
 First-Lieutenant Shaw, who that day commanded Com 
 pany C, also speaks in the highest terms of the gallantry 
 of Lieutenant Hodges. He lay on the field in an uncon 
 scious condition, and finally died on Thursday following. 
 The only word that was Jieard to escape his lips was when, 
 once or twice, he muttered "father." 
 
 Jesse A. Carpenter and Eli L. Cook of Company I, and 
 James W. Gillespie of Company G, were all detailed in the 
 regimental quartermaster s department. After the baggage 
 was loaded and the trains started for the landing, all joined 
 their companies just as the battle commenced. Their con 
 duct was really an evasion of the duty for which they were 
 selected, and their return to the line of battle was entirely 
 voluntary. All three lost their lives before the day ended. 
 
 Upon the first alarm Quartermaster Janes and his assist 
 ants, Fisher and Capron, with the detailed men under them, 
 
122 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 proceeded with great diligence to load the stores and bag 
 gage of the regiment upon the numerous wagons at hand. 
 The train, after being made up, followed the brigade toward 
 the crossing of Locust Creek, but fortunately, just before 
 battle was joined in that quarter, countermarched and reached 
 the landing in safety, though at some peril. A few minutes 
 delay would have involved them between the lines in a very 
 severe conflict near the camp of the Seventy-first Ohio. It 
 is to the wise forethought and industry of the above named 
 that the officers of the Fifty-fifth are mainly indebted for the 
 safety of their baggage. 
 
 C. C. Davis of Company G, who was acting as postmaster, 
 thus describes his somewhat peculiar adventures: 
 
 I had franked about two hundred and fifty letters, and asked the 
 officer of the day whether I should destroy my mail if there was any 
 danger of my being captured. He declined to give any advice, and 
 taking matches to burn the letters if necessary, I started for the landing 
 and succeeded in reaching it in safety. I then assisted a wounded man 
 on board, and started to go to my regiment. I met several demoralized 
 soldiers running away, one of whom said to me, " No use, the day is lost!" 
 He seated himself on a log and offered me a gun, which I accepted, with 
 his cartridge box which he buckled around me, saying that he " had 
 fired ten rounds and had thirty left." Looking at his cap I found he was 
 a sergeant of Company G, Sixteenth Wisconsin. Walking rapidly I 
 arrived at the peach orchard, where none of our regiment were to be 
 found; waiting a few moments I saw a rebel regiment march on to our 
 camp-ground from the woods, who, when they found it deserted, gave 
 three lusty cheers, the color-sergeant raising his rebel flag high in air at 
 each one. I aimed at him and fired, when immediately numerous rebels 
 who were scattered among the scrub oaks near commenced firing at me. 
 I retreated to get out of their range, until I came upon what proved to be 
 the Ninth Illinois Infantry, where I remained firing until wounded by a 
 sharp-shooter off to my left. I was shot a trifle below the knee by a 
 musket ball which passed through, was carried off by two of the Ninth 
 Illinois musicians and placed in the camp of the Fifth Ohio Cavalry, 
 where I remained till near sunset, when I was placed in a wagon and 
 carried to the landing. 
 
 The above affords a glimpse of the Fifty-fifth camp 
 ground after that regiment left it, and furnishes also an 
 instance of personal heroism. The matters described indub 
 itably prove not only the truthfulness, but the accuracy of 
 Davis. The wound left him a hopeless cripple for life. 
 
SERGEANT BAGLEY S DEATH. 123 
 
 The following has before been printed, and is here quoted 
 for the purpose of paying a tribute to a gallant soldier who 
 lost his life in helping another: 
 
 All at once in front of me, by a big elm tree, stood Parker B. Bagley, 
 orderly-sergeant of Company B, of our regiment. He exclaimed, 
 "Crooker, are you hurt, too?" and I fell down by the tree, and faintly 
 asked for water. He had a full canteen, and placed it to my lips. It 
 seemed as though new life was given. He then told me he had been to 
 the rear to help his nephew, and was on his way back to the regiment. I 
 told him it was gone, and to go further that way meant capture. Mean 
 while the bullets from distant firing were singing through the air high 
 overhead, and the steady crackling of musketry, deepened by the boom 
 of innumerable cannon, made the diapason of battle complete. Presently 
 a bullet hit the tree just overhead, indicating the necessity of moving. 
 Getting upon hands and knees, I tried to stand up, but could not. With 
 wounds stiffened and limbs swollen, I subsided with a groan at the foot 
 of the tree. Bagley came to my side and put his arms around me, and I 
 clambered up at his right side, clinging to his strong manly form for sup 
 port. Thus slowly and painfully we dragged our way for a few rods. 
 He reached his left hand in front of his body to take me by the arm, and 
 the movement pulled up his blouse sleeve and disclosed a bandage around 
 that arm. I exclaimed, " Good God ! Bagley, are you hit? Then leave 
 me." His reply is remembered well; they were the last words of a hero; 
 they were uttered with the last breath of a man who lost his life helping 
 me save mine; they are burned into my memory by the one great tragedy 
 of a life-time. These words were : "That does not amount to anything; 
 lean on me just as heavily as you have a mind to; I feel just as well as I 
 ever did." Instantly rang out clear and distinct from the edge of the 
 ravine, a rifle shot. A burning sensation passed along my back, and we 
 fell together two quivering, bleeding human beings. The bullet of the 
 assassin fired at me, a wounded man, hit me crosswise under the shoulder, 
 and passed on, killing poor Bagley. He fell, and, lying beneath him, I 
 could feel his hot blood run down my side, and hearing his dying groan 
 knew that the life of a hero was ended. A brave, stalwart human being 
 as was ever made in the image of his Maker, lay dead beside me. 
 
 That excellent soldier, Robert Oliver, is again quoted. 
 After describing the death of Lieutenant Hodges, as before 
 given, he continues as follows: 
 
 Ainsbury was badly wounded through the thigh. I had got him some 
 ways when Sergeant O. H. Partch caught up to me, with a terrible wound 
 in the right arm. He said, " Oliver, I will take Ainsbury; I have one sound 
 arm, but I can t shoot, and you can." As I was going back, and reached 
 the spur of the ridge in the rear of our position, I met one of either Com 
 pany C or Company I, but cannot remember who. He was badly wounded ; 
 
124 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 and I took him a short distance, and left him with some one. I wanted to 
 get back to the front, but when I got to the ridge in rear of where we 
 fought, I could see nothing but rebels over there. My first impression 
 was that the Fifty-fifth had all been taken prisoners. I then started to 
 run, when some one called out, " For God s sake ! Robert, don t leave 
 me." I looked back and saw James D. Goodwin of my company. He 
 had every thing off but his pants and shirt, and was as red as if he had 
 been dipped in a barrel of blood. I said, "Never! put your arm around 
 my neck, and I will do the best I can for you." The rebels were very 
 close all around us, but I felt strong enough to pull up all the young sap 
 lings that grew on the battle-field. While I was taking him back he was 
 hit either once or twice. When I got him to the river, a short distance 
 from where the gunboats were firing, I found a surgeon, and upon cutting 
 the shirt off Goodwin, to my horror there were seven bullet-holes in that 
 boy, not yet seventeen years old. I never could tell this experience un 
 less there would something come up in my throat to cut off my speech 
 for a time. From the minute I took hold of him until I got to the river, 
 he never murmured nor broke down. Whenever he was hit he gave a 
 sudden start, and then braced up again; I never saw such nerve. He 
 died on May 8th, the noblest boy I ever saw. 
 
 Sergeant C. P. Lacey of Company B, whose careful work 
 has been of the greatest assistance to all the authors, and 
 who helped bury the dead after Shiloh, is quoted in the fol 
 lowing incident : 
 
 Down in the ravine sat our Company B bugler, George G. Farwell, 
 leaning against a tree and holding in his extended hand an open letter, 
 which he was apparently reading. His form was rigid in death, and his 
 last moment came while reading the last letter received from his wife. 
 He had been mortally wounded, and had sought that position before 
 dying. His bugle had been cut from his person, leaving the cord around 
 his neck. 
 
 It will require no great effort of memory for all to recall 
 Joe Edwards, the pugnacious little drummer of Company I. 
 Like most of the musicians, he had fled from the command 
 of "Waukegan" to the ranks, bound to take an active part in 
 the conflict. From that dire intent he was compelled to 
 desist by the chaplain, who took charge of the musicians 
 and organized them into a hospital corps. In that band 
 "little Joe" worked like a hero all day, and among other 
 adventures had the good fortune to assist his uncle, Colonel 
 Hicks of the Fortieth Illinois, who was grievously wounded. 
 
THE SKIRMISHERS. 125 
 
 Darkness came and found the boy doing his best at the hos 
 pital near the landing. Exhausted by the excitement and 
 severe labor of the day, he finally lay down upon the ground 
 outside the little log building, and went to sleep. As wounded 
 soldiers died one by one, during the night, they were taken 
 out and laid upon the ground in rows, to make more room 
 for the living. Some hospital attendants, bearing their 
 bloody burden, saw Joe asleep, and supposing him dead, lay 
 the corpse down beside him. This was followed by others, 
 and when morning dawned and the tired drummer awakened, 
 he found himself at the head of a ghastly array, of which he 
 alone was living, and from which he quickly fled. 
 
 During the conflict on Sunday a musket ball ploughed 
 through the scalp of James Garner of Company C, which 
 stunned and prostrated him. About half an hour afterward 
 he recovered sufficiently to rise to his feet, but consciousness 
 of the situation dawned slowly. Just as the regiment com 
 menced to retreat, one of his comrades called out to him, 
 "Come, Jim, we are going back;" to which Jim replied, "Ain t 
 I killed?" His commanding officer, Lieutenant Shaw, adds 
 that Garner, "on being assured that he was not killed, joined 
 in the retreat, and ever after, as before, proved himself a live 
 soldier in every respect." 
 
 Every effort has been made to trace the course of the 
 skirmishers of the Fifty-fifth, who operated for some time in 
 front of the line, and before the main part of the regiment 
 became engaged. Very little that is authentic can be gath 
 ered at this late day. Companies A and B were early 
 deployed under the command respectively of Captains 
 Augustine and Thurston two very excellent companies, 
 under good though inexperienced officers. They suffered 
 severe loss while so engaged, the extent of which cannot be 
 stated with certainty. It was here that the excellent soldier, 
 and afterwards valuable officer, J. B. Ridenour of Company 
 A, was severely wounded. The skirmishers of the Fifty- 
 fourth Ohio were on the left of those of the Fifty-fifth, 
 reaching entirely to the river bottom; but Captain Yeomans, 
 who commanded them, says that acting under express orders 
 they did not fire a shot. To the right Company K of the 
 
126 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Seventy-first Ohio was engaged, and in and around the log 
 buildings at the left of the Fifty-fifth camp did splendid 
 fighting. It is certain that the main skirmish line never went 
 beyond the banks of Locust Creek, though individuals were 
 sent much farther in advance. This. occurred while the enemy 
 were engaged with Prentiss, and before Chalmers and Jackson 
 were detached to meet the imaginary flank movement of 
 Stuart, and at a time when there were no Confederates 
 directly toward the south. Why there were no skirmishers 
 directed southwest, toward the firing and in the only direc 
 tion from which an attack could come, is as much a mystery 
 as the other numerous eccentricities of that day. William 
 H. Lowe of Company A was one of the videttes referred to, 
 and has told his experience with such evident truthfulness 
 and point, that his words are followed as the best relation 
 attainable of a phase of the conflict occurring out of sight of 
 the regiment: 
 
 After the regiment had taken its first position Company A was thrown 
 forward to the creek, which was the outpost for the pickets. Then a part 
 of the company was moved forward on the Hamburgh road, leaving a 
 man about every thirty rods as a connecting link with those in the rear. 
 I was selected by Lieutenant Schleich for the outpost. I think I was a 
 considerable distance from the reserve, was to fire on the approach of 
 the enemy, and was stationed within fifty yards of a house. I desired to 
 go forward to it but Lieutenant S. said not, as all I had to do was to give 
 the alarm. I felt at the time that this was a grave mistake, for if I was 
 in the house with orders to hold it, I would do so against the combined 
 rebel army. By this time the battle was terrific on the right and rear. 
 I could tell plainly that our men were drawing them on. I thought at 
 first that the rebels were being drawn into a trap, and that the troops on 
 the right would take them all prisoners and we would be left out of the 
 fight again, as we were at Fort Donelson. I wondered why our officers 
 could not see it, and thought they wanted us for fatigue duty. We 
 enlisted to fight; why not let us at them. My meditations were broken 
 by a man emerging from the brush on the right of the road and going 
 into the house. His hat was down over his eyes and he did not see rne, 
 but I was pointed out to him by a woman at the door. He came over to 
 where I was. The tears were coursing down his cheeks. He had been 
 over in the rear of the Confederate army and said they were killing men 
 by thousands. He had been over to get their general to move his family 
 back out of the reach of the battle. I told him that he and his wife had 
 better carry their children back to the rear of our regiment; they would 
 be perfectly safe there. He thanked me and said he had no preference 
 
BATTLE INCIDENTS. 127 
 
 for either side, and did not know what the war was about. He wanted 
 me to go to his house and get any thing I desired. He insisted on bring 
 ing me a chunk of pone and some milk, which I declined. I questioned 
 him closely as to how many troops Johnston had, but could get nothing 
 out of him except that there were a "powerful sight." The battle had 
 worked far to the rear, and I began to feel by this time that if our army 
 could draw them into a trap and take them prisoners without me, I would 
 not care much. I had just begun to reconcile myself to this thought, 
 when I was signaled by the man in my rear to rally on the reserve; when 
 about half way back I saw a company of cavalry on the west side of the 
 field to our right. I reached the reserve in safety. We lay down behind 
 a knoll on the north side of the creek. We had not long to wait. The 
 cavalry soon appeared, riding by fours. They came down and formed in 
 line within a short distance of us. At last our bugler could stand it no 
 longer and fired one shot from a revolving rifle, when they broke back and 
 soon were out of sight. Very soon we saw infantry approaching in line 
 of battle. When they were close to the creek they halted, and a second 
 line also appeared in their rear. Captain Augustine gave orders to fire 
 by platoon, which we did, and the battle commenced. 
 
 This curiously confirms other information to the effect 
 that the first shot ever fired in battle by the Fifty-fifth was 
 from the celebrated "Methodist-five-shooter" in Company 
 A, in the hands of Vaughan, their bugler. William Reiman, 
 Company B, killed on the skirmish line, was beyond doubt 
 the first man of the Fifty-fifth who lost his life in battle. 
 
 Certain incidents then occurring come bubbling up through 
 memory after a lapse of a quarter of a century. The writer 
 had known Lieutenant Shaw in civil life, and regarded him 
 as an excellent citizen, but one not at all demonstrative. 
 There was no reason to doubt his bravery, but he had none 
 of the high-stepping qualities then regarded as evidences of 
 soldierly gifts. He commanded in this battle the color- 
 company and his duties frequently brought him in view. 
 The transformation was wonderful. He was raging like a 
 lion, swinging his sabre and leading men by the collar, on 
 occasion, up to the line. Under his quiet exterior there were 
 hidden qualities of the most inspiring character, as was often 
 afterward tested. 
 
 The adjutant was equipped in a dingy, ill-fitting uniform, 
 and had buckled tight around him the full equipments of a 
 slain soldier. Upon his bushy, curly head was one of those 
 absurd little zouave caps, and in his hand a rifle. During the 
 
128 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 various formations he performed his official functions on 
 foot, and when done subsided into a rather common-looking 
 private soldier, loading and firing with great deliberation. 
 He was heard vainly beseeching the colonel for the privilege 
 of shooting at the rebel color-bearer before the firing was 
 allowed to commence, and offered to stake his reputation 
 that he could hit him the first time. The emergency of 
 battle had brought certain murderous qualities to the surface 
 that he did not ordinarily seem to possess. 
 
 Captain Tim Slattery is remembered as perfectly cool, 
 collected and clear-headed. At one time, exasperated by the 
 conduct of a member of Company G, who persisted in firing 
 from the rear of the line, he rushed down hill, caught him by 
 the collar and thrashed the life half out of him with the flat 
 of his sword. 
 
 The dead of the Fifty-fifth were buried on Tuesday and 
 Wednesday by details, mostly voluntary, who went from the 
 bivouacs near Shiloh church for that purpose. The tents in 
 the little peach orchard were found occupied by the Fifty- 
 third Illinois, who had come from Savannah on Monday 
 night. They had by the aid of lanterns gathered up most of 
 the wounded of Stuart s brigade, on the night of arrival, and 
 had done all possible for the sufferers. The headquarters 
 and the log buildings at the left of the camp were crowded 
 with Federal and Confederate wounded, and were for a long 
 time used as hospitals. Most of the dead were found upon 
 the south edge of, or in the ravine so often spoken of, and 
 which without doubt marks the scene of as severe a conflict 
 as ever took place on this continent. The mode of burial 
 was by digging trenches wide enough to lay a man in cross 
 wise, which was done a few feet south of the line of battle, 
 and in these the dead were carefully placed, side by side, in 
 company groups, and uncoffined and unshrouded these young 
 heroes were covered. Here and there some poor wounded 
 sufferer had wandered until life gave out. Such were buried 
 in isolated graves where they were found. Frail headboards 
 of the best material at hand were erected, and upon these 
 and upon trees the names were marked, most of which sub 
 sequently disappeared under the mutations of time. 
 
SHILOH VISITED. 
 
 It is fair to presume that many will be interested in the 
 present appearance of the battle-field of Shiloh. Actuated 
 by a passion common to all soldiers to visit scenes of former 
 conflict, and influenced by a consuming desire to rescue the 
 deeds of the Fifty-fifth from the obscurity surrounding the 
 left flank in that battle, the writer has twice visited the 
 locality. The first occasion was with an excursion, and the 
 course of the Tennessee was followed, using two steamboats 
 as means of transportation. The sixth and seventh of April, 
 1884. were spent upon the ground. Of the Fifty-fifth, John 
 G. Brown and Dorsey C. Andress were also present. Five 
 of the Fifty-fourth Ohio were with the excursion, of whom 
 T. J. Lindsay of Washington Court House, Ohio, a very 
 intelligent gentleman, is best remembered. The entire expe 
 dition embraced about two hundred people, nearly all of 
 whom had been engaged in the battle, and many of them 
 had been wounded in it. Sunday morning, the twenty- 
 second anniversary, dawned as bright and sunny as had 
 the day this expedition was intended to commemorate. 
 The two fine steamers, each having upon it a band play 
 ing the Star Spangled Banner, and each thronged with 
 expectant passengers, rounded the bend of the river below 
 Pittsburgh Landing, and came suddenly in sight of the fine 
 national cemetery fronting the river at that point. Immedi 
 ately upon landing ranks were formed, and the deeply im 
 pressed procession marched up the road to the cemetery. 
 The people and the Sunday school scholars of the neighbor 
 hood, under good father Cotton, an evangelist, were assembled 
 in considerable numbers to welcome the veterans. Short and 
 very affecting ceremonies were then held in the cemetery, 
 when the impatient throng dispersed to seek out the portion 
 of the battle-field most interesting. The two succeeding 
 days were spent in explorations, and the excursion returned 
 down the river. 
 
 The second visit was made alone, in December, 1885, 
 when ten days were spent upon the ground, and was more 
 satisfactory, inasmuch as sufficient uninterrupted time was 
 taken to examine the records of the cemetery and explore 
 minutely the battle-field. All distances mentioned in this 
 9 
 
130 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 work in relation to the conflict were carefully measured, and 
 much useful information obtained. 
 
 The cemetery at Pittsburgh Landing occupies the hill 
 sloping toward the river, at the right of the road running 
 from the water s edge. It embraces the ground formerly 
 cnltivated, upon which was the log house used as a hospital 
 at the time of the battle. A neat brick residence furnished 
 by the government is located near the southwest corner, and 
 all is in charge of L. S. Doolittle, a wounded soldier of the 
 Ninety-third Illinois. The arrangement and ornamentation 
 of the grounds are beautiful and appropriate, and are kept in 
 the best of order by the gentlemanly superintendent above 
 named. Upon this hallowed spot three thousand five hun 
 dred and ninety soldiers are buried, the graves of about two- 
 thirds of them being marked "Unknown." They lie there 
 sleeping, dead; no, not dead 
 
 There is no Death ! what seems so is transition; 
 
 This life of mortal breath 
 Is but a suburb of the life elysian, 
 Whose portal we call Death. 
 
 Of the noble array of youth the Fifty-fifth laid in this 
 hecatomb, the names of five only are found upon headstones. 
 The others the first of our precious sacrifice to the war-god 
 of the rebellion are gathered with the great harvest of the 
 "unknown;" nor could they wish 
 
 " Couch more magnificent. * * * 
 * * * * The hills, 
 Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun; the vales 
 Stretching in pensive quietness between; 
 The venerable woods; rivers that move 
 In majesty, and the complaining brooks 
 That make the meadows green; * * 
 Are but the solemn decorations all 
 Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun, 
 The planets, all the infinite host of heaven, 
 Are shining on the sad abodes of death, 
 Through the still lapse of ages. * * * 
 
 Those whose names are preserved are as follows: John 
 M. Banks, Company A; John Ashmore, Company B; Oliver 
 Lindsay, Company B; Daniel Greathouse, Company D; 
 William Bayless, Company D. 
 
THE OLD GRAVES. I3 1 
 
 Passing along the Corinth road toward the front, the ap 
 pearance of the battle-ground has not greatly changed. Some 
 fields have been abandoned under the thriftless culture of the 
 region, and have grown up to underbrush. Some new ones, 
 small and irregular, have been cleared more recently. The 
 inhabitants are hospitable and kind, and the leading citizen is 
 W. C. Meeks, a former soldier of the rebellion, and now the 
 proprietor of a large store at the landing. The old camp 
 ground of the Fifty-fifth the little peach orchard which 
 bloomed at the time of the battle was abandoned a few 
 years ago, and dogwood, sassafras and hazel begin to obstruct 
 it. The house occupied by Colonel Stuart as his headquarters 
 was burned during the war. The group of log cabins which 
 stood at the left of the camp has disappeared, though the 
 foundation logs are still visible. About one-half mile west, 
 and upon the former camping-ground of the Seventy-first 
 Ohio, resides Noah Cantrill, who owns that portion of the 
 battle-field a kindly and intelligent man, whose hospitality 
 was cheerfully rendered. 
 
 The ravine upon which the Fifty-fifth fought so long and 
 so well, passes close in rear of the field across the road. 
 Tracing along its precipitous edge eastward toward its mouth 
 for about five hundred yards, hid away in the dense thickets 
 upon its southerly edge, are numerous yawning cellar-like 
 pits. These were the first burial places of the first dead of 
 the Fifty-fifth. They lay there in the sylvan beauty of the 
 woods, quietly sleeping, until 1866 and 1867, when the remains 
 were taken to the cemetery. The field notes of those 
 who performed that duty describe the location as: "Five 
 hundred yards east of Larkin Bell s place, on a point of 
 ridge. Large 55 cut on tree in line. Buried in two lines 
 and one trench running east and west." Larkin Bell s field 
 was the enclosure across the road from the Fifty-fifth camp 
 ing-ground, at the west end of which was the building used 
 by Colonel Stuart. At the time the dead were removed, but 
 little of the head-boards remained. Beside the names already 
 given, there was found one head-board in the same location 
 marked "Shulenberger." This was unquestionably William 
 Shulenberger of Company D. Three bodies were found in 
 
132 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 one trench, at which was a head-board marked with the 
 initials "D. K., G. W. P., and L. P. D M 55th 111." Beyond 
 doubt this was the grave of David Kreider, George W. Pen- 
 nell and Lloyd P. Davis of Company F. 
 
 Much of the large timber has disappeared, and a dense 
 growth of underbrush covers everything in the vicinity, and 
 men in line of battle, located where the Fifty-fifth had such 
 splendid range on the 6th of April, 1862, could now see but 
 a few rods. On no other part of the field are the evidences 
 of severe conflict more apparent. All the trees of reason 
 able size are scarred and blotched by bullets. Relics can be 
 obtained in any quantity. Among others, the writer cut 
 from a tree two of the large bullets of the Fifty-fourth Ohio, 
 which had come together in their flight and formed one solid 
 mass of lead. A citizen engaged in splitting rails in the 
 ravine, in rear of the position of the Fifty-fifth, found near 
 the forks of two large limbs, six bullets condensed in one 
 mass. The beech trees in the gorges of the vicinity still 
 plainly bear the names of hundreds of soldiers cut upon 
 them, but they are all those of Buell s and Pope s men, who 
 wandered over the field after the battle. The rebel dead who 
 fell before the sweep of Stuart s fire are buried here and 
 there, the spots being easily identified by the little mounds 
 of gravelly soil over them, and human bones are too plenti 
 ful to excite remark. Old canteens, pieces of leather, bullets, 
 grape-shot, gun-barrels, fragments of shell, bayonets in 
 short, anything calculated to resist the ravages of time, can 
 be found in proportion to the industry of the relic hunter. 
 
 The distance from the graves on Stuart s right to those on 
 the left of McArthur has been found by actual measurement 
 to be a little over eight hundred yards, or about one-half 
 mile. This fixes conclusively the interval unoccupied by 
 troops upon the right of the Fifty-fifth. It is equally con 
 clusive on the point that Chalmers and Jackson were both 
 engaged, and occupied for some hours solely with two regi 
 ments of infantry, because being actually connected together 
 in their movements, as already shown, they would not have 
 reached far enough west to have engaged McArthur. If the 
 rebel line in that quarter had been long enough to cover this 
 
A FICTION EXPOSED. 133 
 
 interval, it is not reasonable to suppose that eight hundred 
 yards of its centre would have stood idle while the two flanks 
 were for some hours engaged in a desperate struggle. Sev 
 eral Confederate officers of high rank conversed with the 
 Federal wounded on the field, and to Sergeant- Major 
 McAuley and others expressed their disbelief that so small 
 a force had resisted them so long. 
 
 There runs a fiction through many narratives of this epoch 
 that the best fighting and the greatest losses at Shiloh were 
 toward the Union right. Such is explicitly stated to be the 
 case by General Grant. It is almost a pity to disturb such 
 well settled myths, yet it is easy of demonstration that in that 
 direction was the poorest fighting, the greatest confusion and 
 the least blood shed. Commencing at the right of the two 
 brigades which fought under Hurlbut, it is found that in 
 addition to them, the Ninth, Twelfth, Fiftieth and Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois, and Fifty-fourth Ohio, though greatly disconnected, 
 fought at different times through the day on substantially 
 the same front, and were the only troops engaged on the left 
 flank. These troops embraced thirteen regiments, and lost 
 in killed and wounded about one-third of the casualties of 
 the entire Federal army, on the first day. The remainder of 
 Grant s forces were about fifty regiments of infantry, twenty 
 batteries, and considerable cavalry. It appears then that on 
 less than one mile of front on the left, one-fifth of the army 
 suffered one-third of the total loss in killed and wounded. 
 The very slight loss in prisoners on that flank is another 
 evidence of how closely they held together. In the opinion 
 of the writer the Confederates suffered severest at the peach 
 orchard of the Sarah Bell place, while engaged with Hurlbut, 
 a little more than one-half mile to the right of the Fifty-fifth. 
 The figures here used are found in Volume X, Official Records 
 of the Rebellion. 
 
 If any apology be necessary for the space used in the 
 treatment of the foregoing events, it is found in the facts 
 themselves. The importance and sanguinary character of 
 the battle of Shiloh, even now when we have the history of 
 the whole war before us, is conspicuous. The per cent, of 
 killed and wounded in Grant s army alone was equal to that 
 
134 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 of the entire Atlanta or Vicksburg campaign, and twice that of 
 the battle of Gettysburg. The small Federal army on the first 
 day at Shiloh lost as many men from gunshot wounds as did 
 the great army of one hundred thousand men under McClellan 
 during the seven days battles, or at Fair Oaks and Seven 
 Pines. All this, together with the controversial and false 
 character of the accounts relating to the conflict, renders 
 brief treatment, if truth is desired, improper and impossible. 
 It should be remembered also that the merits of the contest 
 which Stuart s two regiments carried on at the extreme left, 
 have hitherto been almost concealed from the public. If 
 this work, having for its object the history of the Fifty-fifth, 
 does not do justice to its services on that occasion, it fails in 
 one of its chief purposes. This cannot be done without 
 elaboration of detail. 
 
 The casualties of the Fifty-fifth during the battle were 
 among the severest found in the annals of warfare. In some 
 respects it would be desirable to mention each person who 
 died or was injured in this their first great test of valor. The 
 length of the list, with some uncertainty as to strict accuracy, 
 however, points to a different course as the most judicious, 
 all things considered. In this connection, regimental losses 
 have been examined in detail of McClellan s and Pope s 
 Virginia campaigns, and the battles of Bull Run, Wilson s 
 Creek, Pea Ridge, Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, luka, Perryville, 
 Chickasaw Bayou, and Arkansas Post, and among the hun 
 dreds of Union regiments therein engaged, but three have 
 been found which lost more in killed and wounded than did 
 the Fifty-fifth at Shiloh, and those but few more. These 
 casualties are given in the official records of the War Depart 
 ment as fifty-one killed and one hundred and ninety-seven 
 wounded, or almost exactly one-half of the effective total 
 engaged. Thirty-five of the wounded are known to have 
 died within the year, and nine died while prisoners. The 
 actual loss of life to the regiment from the battle cannot be 
 put much less than one hundred, while the loss to the service 
 was not greatly below two hundred. Several are known to 
 have been slightly wounded, and would have been so classed 
 later, that did not appear in the reports at all. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 AFTER SHILOH. CORINTH TO MEMPHIS. 
 
 MONDAY night, after the close of the battle of Shiloh, 
 was passed by the Fifty-fifth without shelter among the 
 dead, near Sherman s headquarters. It again rained inces 
 santly and but little rest was secured. Two days fierce 
 fighting and two* nights drenching rain, with very meagre 
 rations, produced a degree of exhaustion appreciable only by 
 those who have endured like privations. Now that the battle 
 was over, the necessity for Stuart s co-operation with his divis 
 ion seemed pressing. Before and during the battle, such a 
 rudimentary principle in tactics does not appear to have 
 been thought of. It would have been a great favor if those 
 remaining could have marched to their own camp, two miles 
 away, and there rested in their own tents, and taken care of 
 their own wounded. It now seems reasonable that Buell s 
 great army, at least ten thousand of whom had not fired a 
 shot, should have taken care of the front, and such worn out 
 and depleted organizations as the Fifty-fifth have been given 
 a season of rest and a chance to succor their own suffering 
 comrades. More than one-half of Buckland s and Hilde- 
 brand s brigades, which formed under Sherman s personal 
 command just before he "became satisfied for the first time 
 that the enemy designed a determined attack," had, after 
 the first wild burst of speed to the landing, enjoyed two 
 days physical and mental repose under its protecting bluffs. 
 Neither brigade had lost as many men as had the Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois. Nevertheless, Stuart s brigade remained at Shiloh 
 
136 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 church among its horrid scenes and stenches, without shelter 
 and with little to eat. On Tuesday, the eighth of April, 
 there was a condition of nervous excitement in expectation 
 of another attack, and the Seventy-first Ohio started another 
 senseless stampede. On the ninth, a reconnoissance was 
 undertaken by Sherman s division. The route of four miles 
 followed by Stuart was entirely free from resistance, but the 
 whole country was found strewn with Confederate dead and 
 wounded and great quantities of war material which had 
 been abandoned in headlong flight. 
 
 From this time to the twenty-ninth day of April, the 
 dreary preparations for the advance upon Corinth followed. 
 Meanwhile the men were left among the shallow graves of 
 the battle-field. Daily drill was performed, and occasionally 
 a review was held. A mile or so to the front good camping 
 ground offered, with plenty of shade, wood and water, and, 
 what was far more important, freedom from the mephitic 
 odors which pervaded and poisoned the immediate vicinity. 
 Under General Halleck s personal management, a scientific 
 system was soon adopted, so unwieldly that all freedom of 
 movement and convenience were lost sight of. Now that 
 the rebels were well whipped and engaged in reorganizing at 
 Corinth, it was apparently considered a necessity that each 
 brigade should touch elbows with its neighbor, while before 
 and during the battle a mile of unguarded space excited no 
 attention. As a natural and inevitable result of the sur 
 roundings much sickness ensued, and the Fifty-fifth was 
 reduced to a lower standard of effective strength than at any 
 other time before re-enlistment, having at a review held on 
 April 1 5th or i6th, but two hundred men in line. In some 
 instances the sick were hauled in wagons to the drill ground 
 for the purpose of looking on. The object of this was prob 
 ably sanitary rather than the teaching of military science. 
 
 Notwithstanding the discouraging circumstances of the 
 period, evidences are not wanting to show that those mem 
 bers of the Fifty-fifth able for duty were still imbued with 
 the same high sense of patriotism which brought them into 
 the service. The accomplished Captain Thurston, who was 
 soon to succumb to the hardships of army life, wrote about 
 
PURE PATRIOTISM. 137 
 
 this time to his wife, in relation to his sword which had been 
 injured by a bullet in the previous battle, as follows: 
 
 If you ever get it, give it to Willie; and tell him his father fought at 
 Shiloh, and that he would rather lie with his face to the moon than that a 
 son of his should ever fear to give his life for his country s honor. 
 
 The brave and soldierly Sergeant Brink, subsequently an 
 officer who lost his life, wrote to his comrade, Calvin Fluke, 
 who had been badly wounded and was then on furlough : 
 
 I was truly happy to know that one brave wounded hero of the mem 
 orable Shiloh battle was still in the land of the living. I am very glad to 
 learn you are able to move, and I hope to live to return to see you all 
 right. I think you deserve to get well, if a soldier ever did. You have 
 shown yourself to be a true patriot and worthy to live and enjoy a free 
 government. Be cheerful, Cal.; if you never get able to come back, you 
 have discharged your duty to your country. 
 
 Sergeant Henry Augustine wrote home to his brother 
 Michael, who had apparently expressed some disappointment 
 that his brother had not been promoted : 
 
 You speak of the disappointment you feel in my behalf in regard to 
 the appointment of officers in the Fifty-fifth. Do not let that worry you 
 in the least, for I assure you I did at the time, and do now, care but pre 
 cious little about it. This was not my purpose in enlisting, and the position 
 of a private is as honorable as that of an officer. 
 
 The above extracts are copied from the yellow and time- 
 stained originals, and it is not perceived but they are exhibi 
 tions of patriotism as pure and as deep as existed in the days 
 of Valley Forge. 
 
 The correspondent of the Chicago Tribune, under date of 
 April iSth, chronicles that the Seventy-first Ohio, a regiment 
 which had disgraced itself at Shiloh, and whose colors had 
 been taken away, had on that day arrived at Paducah, on the 
 way to the rear to do garrison duty at Fort Donelson. That 
 regiment may be finally disposed of by stating that in August 
 of that year its colonel, Rodney Mason, disgracefully sur 
 rendered six companies to an inferior force, at Clarksville, 
 without firing a shot, and that he and about a dozen line 
 officers were dismissed for it. The remaining four companies 
 under Major (late Adjutant) Hart, repulsed the same force 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 from Donelson with a trifling loss. Later in the war the 
 regiment did good service under good officers. 
 
 The month was passed among the half-buried remains of 
 horses and men, which everywhere obtruded their ghastly 
 presence to the senses of sight and smell, and the sick-list of 
 the Fifty-fifth averaged at least one hundred and fifty men. 
 On April 2gth the ponderous preparations of General Halleck 
 were deemed sufficiently perfect for an advance toward 
 Corinth, and the unfruitful campaign in that direction was 
 undertaken, and the one hundred thousand men assembled 
 there put in motion. Stuart s brigade, then consisting of 
 only two small regiments, started at ten o clock in the fore 
 noon, and halted near Monterey, where the actual work of 
 the siege commenced. On May 2d, two months pay was 
 received from Major Gatzmer. 
 
 Sherman s division formed the right of the army, and the 
 work until the i/th of May consisted in building ponderous 
 lines of breast-works, and in performing guard and picket 
 duty. Some long range skirmishing was indulged in, but 
 without loss to Stuart. By an order dated May I3th, it would 
 seem that the Fourteenth Wisconsin was assigned to the 
 brigade, but the order was never consummated, probably 
 because Morgan L. Smith preferred to bring his own regi 
 ment, the Eighth Missouri, with him. On May I5th that 
 officer, then a full brigadier, was assigned to duty, and the 
 Fifty-fifth Illinois, Eighth Missouri, Fifty-fourth and Fifty- 
 seventh Ohio, were together constituted the First brigade of 
 Sherman s Fifth division. This brought into close conjunc 
 tion four excellent regiments, which maintained relations 
 more or less intimate during the war, and each made a name 
 for itself. At this time also began the acquaintance of the 
 Fifty-fifth with General Morgan L. Smith, the most expert 
 drill-master and tactician under whom it ever served. He 
 was the first colonel of the Eighth Missouri, which had 
 been recruited principally from Illinois. That regiment was 
 for a long time dressed in a showy Zouave uniform, and was 
 very expert in skirmish drill and bayonet exercise. The 
 great newspaper reputation which it gained in spite of its 
 trifling losses, illustrates both the effect of being well handled 
 
RUSSELL S HOUSE. 139 
 
 in action, and of a discreet cultivation of the good-will of 
 correspondents. As to the former, it was never allowed to 
 present a line of battle to the enemy if a skirmish line would 
 answer the purpose. Having excellent officers, who acquired 
 their knowledge under such a teacher, the regiment was 
 always used with as much reference to the safety of its mem 
 bers as circumstances would permit; all of which was in 
 striking contrast to the management of the first field-officers 
 of the Fifty-fifth. Under the free-and-easy and somewhat 
 rough exterior of Morgan L. Smith, was a kind heart and a 
 deep interest in the welfare of his men. He bandied jokes 
 freely with the troops in the ranks, and was not averse to 
 receiving as well as giving rough language. His great gifts 
 as drill-master soon put him in charge of one of the best 
 drilled brigades in the United States army. 
 
 His own capacity, as well as the mettle of a portion of 
 his men, was soon destined to be subjected to trial. This 
 occurred on May i/th, in a brilliant little affair called "Rus 
 sell s House." The position was a strong salient of the enemy, 
 and about one and a quarter miles in advance of their main 
 intrenchments. It was located along a ridge, and on one 
 portion of the line was situated in a field the house, named 
 after its owner. The point was guarded by a rebel brigade, 
 which was there with the evident intention of holding it. 
 The object of the aggressive action was to capture the posi 
 tion for the purpose of advancing the Federal right wing 
 close to the main works of the enemy. 
 
 The movement commenced at three o clock in the after 
 noon of May I /th, and Morgan L. Smith s brigade advanced, 
 led by the Eighth Missouri and Fifty-fifth Illinois, directly 
 upon the main Corinth road and against the brigade. The 
 route was along the causeway over a branch of Bridge Creek, 
 after crossing which the Confederate skirmishers were met, 
 and the fight was opened by the deployment of two com 
 panies of the Eighth Missouri. The rebel advance line being 
 obstinate, four additional companies of that regiment were 
 deployed on the left. Finding his line still overlapped, Gen 
 eral Smith called upon Colonel Stuart for two companies of 
 the Fifty-fifth, to be extended in the same direction. As 
 
140 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 usual, Companies A and B were selected for the duty, and 
 Colonel Stuart directed Captain Slattery of Company I to 
 take charge of both. This, while an evidence of deserved 
 confidence in Captain Slattery, was entirely unnecessary, 
 because the commanders of the flank companies were as 
 competent as officers need be for that duty. Upon being so 
 ordered, Captain Slattery requested to be permitted to take 
 his own company, and accordingly it was substituted for 
 Company A. The former was deployed immediately to the 
 left of the Eighth skirmishers, and Company B, under the 
 command of Captain Thurston, who, though weak and stag 
 gering from disease, remained with his men, was placed next 
 beyond. The Russell House, with its out-buildings, was 
 directly in front of the skirmishers of the Fifty-fifth, and 
 was the prominent feature of the landscape. The whole 
 Federal skirmish line gallantly advanced, and as soon as 
 Bolton s battery could get into position it opened upon the 
 buildings, around and in which the rebels were thronging. 
 Finally, when the line was within fifty yards of the house, 
 the Confederates gave way and the position was captured. 
 For a short time Company B was subjected to the fire of one 
 of Hurlbut s batteries on the left, which had been misled by 
 their rapid advance, and mistook them for the enemy. The 
 whole affair was short, sharp and decisive, and was under the 
 direct supervision of General Morgan L. Smith, whose 
 bravery, in connection with his incisive, clear-headed way of 
 managing things, at once earned him the confidence of the 
 men. The Fifty-fifth for the first time saw the utility of a 
 well-handled and rapid-moving skirmish line, and felt its 
 comparative economy of bloodshed. General Sherman after 
 wards spoke of this as "the prettiest little fight of the war;" 
 and his reports insist on giving the credit of it to General 
 Morgan L. Smith and the men under him. 
 
 Thirteen dead rebels were found upon the ground, among 
 whom were one captain and two lieutenants. One of these 
 officers was shot just as he was emerging from the door of 
 the house, and he fell dead upon the door-step, with his 
 brains scattered over it. One Confederate was shot through 
 the widow of the chamber, where he was found dead. It 
 
RUSSELL S HOUSE. 141 
 
 was claimed at the time that Tony Hughes aimed the- rifle 
 that was to be accredited with that particular job of recon 
 struction. In his report General Smith mentions one prisoner 
 as captured by the Eighth Missouri. That prisoner was, in 
 point of fact, taken out of a corn-crib by S. P. Whitmore of 
 Company I of the Fifty-fifth, where he had been held by the 
 fire of Fred Ebersold and Alec Littlefield of the same com 
 pany, and was turned over to one of the Eighth Missouri. 
 As usual no report was made for the regiment, and no per 
 sonal credit bestowed. As was also usual, every meritorious 
 act, general or personal, on the part of the Eighth Missouri, 
 was reported by its officers with suitable rhetorical embellish 
 ment, and the regular newspaper blast followed. 
 
 There were about seventy men of the Fifty-fifth actually 
 deployed and engaged, of which eight were hit with rifle 
 bullets. The only one killed outright was Andrew J. Jones 
 of Company B. He was a small, active man, and a general 
 favorite with his company. He had enlisted as a musician, 
 but at his own urgent request had been placed in the ranks. 
 He had before been wounded by a buck-shot at Shiloh, which 
 hit him in the forehead, and came out at the back of the 
 head without breaking the skull. At Russell s House he 
 advanced with the rush of his company, and when about one 
 hundred yards from the house he was seen to drop his gun 
 and throw up his hands, and heard to exclaim with a loud 
 voice, "Hurrah for the Fifty-fifth!" and immediately fell to 
 the ground. After the contest was ended he was found dead, 
 having been shot through the breast in the region of the 
 heart. Robert Clark, an excellent soldier of the same com 
 pany, was mortally wounded, and Robert Rule badly wounded. 
 In Company I, George Ullman, John T. Clark, Edward Bogart, 
 Norton H. Dowling and George W. Bookhalt were all very 
 severely wounded, and three of them had to be discharged 
 in consequence. 
 
 Sergeant Fred Ebersold and Alec Littlefield of Company 
 I were for a time behind a tree within fifty yards of the 
 house, and many rebel shots were directed that way. The 
 bullet-marks in this tree were afterward counted, and found 
 to number more than thirty. The whole regiment was under 
 
142 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 a scattering fire of both artillery and musketry, but suffered 
 no loss other than the above. After the retreat of the rebels, 
 Morgan L. Smith was chaffing with the men about the inci 
 dents of the fight, when a member of the Eighth Missouri 
 loudly claimed for that regiment the credit of capturing 
 the house. Sergeant Fred Ebersold of Company I of the 
 Fifty-fifth was close by, and vehemently denied this, and 
 presented a canteen of whisky which he had got in the house 
 as an evidence that his own regiment was entitled to the 
 honor. Morgan L. quietly sampled the contents of the can 
 teen, and turning to the Eighth Missourian, told him to Dry 
 up, for if that regiment had got into the house first, nobody 
 else would ever have found a canteen of whisky there. At 
 the close of the contest, Companies B and I, reinforced by 
 Company A, were sent to the woods beyond the house, and 
 remained on picket during the night. The ground was held, 
 and for a time became a salient of the Union line, though the 
 reports show the usual timid hesitation and fear of a general 
 engagement, on the part of Grandmother Halleck, who had 
 so soon been appropriately named by the discriminating 
 soldiers. 
 
 Aside from this very creditable affair the campaign known 
 as the Approach on Corinth, was devoid of dramatic interest 
 on the right flank. During the month used up by the slow 
 operations, the Confederate commander, with scarce half the 
 force of his opponents, at least twice offered battle outside 
 his intrenchments. The great opportunity was each time 
 evaded by the Federal chief. The process by which the 
 Union army worked its way to Corinth has passed into his 
 tory as one of the most inefficient operations of the war. 
 Like the Siege of Yorktown, in the East, it involved an 
 elaboration of strategy that now looks a good deal like 
 imbecility. In both cases the commanders were paralyzed 
 by the belief that their opponents had in hand an army as 
 large or larger than their own, an overestimate of enormous 
 proportions. 
 
 Seven different and complete lines of intrenchments, 
 reaching for miles across the whole front of the army, were 
 erected. They were not rifle-pits or field-works, but solid 
 
ADVANCE ON CORINTH. 143 
 
 massive earth-works with log backing and all scientific 
 attachments, and were far superior to the rebel works around 
 Corinth. They are yet to be seen, with their outlines almost 
 perfect. The Fifty-fifth did its full share of digging, and 
 the fortifications built by the regiment were the pride of 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg s heart. He was never so 
 happy as when displaying his alleged engineering skill. 
 
 Among other fantasies of the commander-in-chief was the 
 fear of an early morning attack, and with a view to properly 
 meet this the men were at times compelled to get up at three 
 o clock in the morning and resort to the works just in front 
 of their camps, fully armed and equipped, and there lie down 
 so as to be able to arise in battle array. On one of these 
 occasions, Colonel Stuart was endeavoring to arouse the 
 sleepy men when he stumbled over some soldier. He at 
 once fell to kicking and cursing, when the recumbent form 
 arose, clinched him, took him down, rolled him in the mud, 
 hit him once or twice, and escaped unidentified into the 
 surrounding darkness. 
 
 On May 22d, Sherman s entire force made a careful 
 advance along the Corinth-Purdy road and occupied the 
 ground about one and one-half miles in front of the point 
 from which they started. Another substantial line of works 
 was erected as a matter of course. This brought the Federal 
 front near to the main works of the Confederates, and skir 
 mishing was close and constant, though fortunately no loss 
 was suffered by the Fifty-fifth. All supplies were trans 
 ported from Pittsburgh Landing, now nearly twenty miles in 
 the rear, and over roads of the worst character, utterly 
 impassible but for the sturdy Northern labor laid out upon 
 them. As might be supposed, rations were not over plen 
 tiful. The quartermaster and commissary department of the 
 regiment was as efficiently managed as possible by Quarter 
 master Janes and his subordinates, Capron and Fisher. 
 Indeed, all through the service this department was remark 
 ably well administered. The persons who controlled it and 
 who were therefore in a measure non-combatants, were 
 always considered fair game for chaffing, but under this 
 rough and hilarious badinage there was a genuine respect for 
 
144 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the men who so well attended to their very important duties. 
 Greenbacks were plenty and the surroundings afforded a 
 poor opportunity for disbursement; and although the exigen 
 cies of poker and chuck-a-luck from time to time changed 
 the "money centres," there was a good deal in circulation. 
 John Esson, the new sutler, arrived about this time, and with 
 him a full stock of goods, and thereafter the gorgeous salary 
 drawn by a private soldier had a place of deposit near at 
 hand. Every day the men learned more and more to appre 
 ciate the zeal and humanity of Surgeon Roler and Chaplain 
 Haney. The respect and gratitude which survives for them 
 is a better evidence of their good work than any compliments 
 which can be recorded here. While labor upon the intrench- 
 rnents was incessant, and picket duty constant, drill and 
 parade were unremittingly exacted; so that the work of the 
 campaign amounted to downright slavery; and while it may 
 have hardened the survivors into veteran soldiers, many 
 weakened and died under its hardships. Lieutenant J. B. 
 Johnson, the bright, active officer in command of Company 
 F at this time, relates an incident which will recall the field- 
 officer referred to in all the glory of his zeal and power. 
 It is as follows: 
 
 On one occasion I was selected to take charge of a detail of men, 
 fifty in number, one-half of whom were armed with axes and the other 
 half with guns. Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg rode up and ordered me 
 to form my men in line, which I did. Thereupon he was duly saluted. 
 Said he, "Lieutenant Von Johnson, vill you shtep dis vay?" I ap 
 proached him with a salute. Pointing in the direction of a clump of 
 large trees, he said, " Lieutenant Von Johnson, you vill dake your men 
 down de rafine, keeping veil sekreded, ondil you ged close by de glump 
 of dimber, den you vill" and suddenly looking down at me, and seeing 
 that I was looking in the direction which he was pointing, he exclaimed, 
 " Lieutenant Von Johnson, by Gott, ven I dalk to you, I vant you to look 
 to me ! " I recovered myself as soon as possible, saluted him, and 
 assured him that I was paying strict attention to his directions and was 
 looking where he pointed. " Veil," he repeated, " ven I dalk mit you, I 
 vant you to look to me." I was considerably incensed at his unreasonable 
 assault and resolved that I would strictly and literally obey his orders, 
 and while he talked to me, look straight at him. He began again by 
 pointing in the direction of the clump of trees and said, "Lieutenant 
 Von Johnson, you vill dake your men and file down de rafine, keeping de 
 men veil sekreded, ondil you come down opposid de glump of dimber 
 
LIEUTENANT JOHNSON S ARREST. 145 
 
 vat you see on de poind of land; un den, you vill durn to de leff, klimb 
 de shteep ascent to de glump of dimber" and, suddenly looking down 
 at me, he noticed that I was looking straight at him, just as he told me 
 to a moment before, when he broke out, " Lieutenant Von Johnson, by 
 Gott, ven I dalk to you I vant you to look ver I poind." I rephed, with a 
 salute, "Colonel, you ordered me just now to look at you, and I was 
 obeying your order literally." "Veil," said he, "by Gott, ven I dalk mit 
 you, I vant you to look ver I poind." I told him I was ready to obey his 
 orders. He proceeded again, " Lieutenant Von Johnson, you vill dake 
 your men and file down de rafine, keeping dem veil sekreded from de 
 fire of de enemy, ondil you reach a poind opposid the glump of dimber, 
 den you vill turn to de leff." Suddenly looking at me and discovering 
 that I was looking where he pointed, he broke out again : " Lieutenant Von 
 Johnson, vat for you shtand like a kettle ? By Gott, ven I talk to you, I 
 vant you to look to me." This was too much for frail humanity, and I 
 retorted on the old tyrant by saying to him, that while I was an American 
 soldier, I was an American born citizen, and drawing my sword, an 
 nounced to him that I did not propose to be insulted by a man who had 
 neither decency nor good-breeding. Thereupon he ordered a file of men 
 to take me to the guard-house. I turned and ordered the men to keep 
 their places in the ranks, and so matters went on for some time Malm- 
 borg ordering the men to take me to the guard-house and I ordering 
 them to keep their places in the ranks. Although Malmborg ranked me> 
 his unpopularity rendered his order impotent and gave mine force, so 
 that the men obeyed me and kept their places in the ranks. He then or 
 dered me to consider myself under arrest and surrender my sword to 
 him and return to my quarters, which I did promptly and thereby escaped 
 the perilous adventure down the ravine to assist in cutting the timber that 
 seemed to be in the way. The next day, Colonel Stuart sent for Colonel 
 Malmborg and myself, to report to his headquarters, whereupon he pro 
 ceeded to giv^ us a few lessons in soldierly etiquette, ordered my sword 
 returned to me, and directed me to take command of my company again, 
 which I did. 
 
 On May 27th orders were received by General Sherman, 
 from the commander-in-chief, "to send a force the next day 
 to drive the rebels from the house in our front on the Corinth 
 road, to drive in their pickets as far as possible, and to make 
 a strong demonstration on Corinth itself." Accordingly, at 
 eight o clock in the forenoon, Morgan L. Smith, with skirm 
 ishers well to the front, took the lead. The dominating 
 feature of the landscape was a double log house standing on 
 a ridge at the south end of a field, from which the roof and 
 chinks had been removed by the rebels for the purpose of 
 transforming it into a block-house. Two of the celebrated 
 10 
 
146 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Silversparre twenty-pound Parrott guns were along, and being 
 masked behind timber were loaded with shell, and then 
 moved by the help of the Fifty-fifth into easy range. A fire 
 wonderful for its accuracy was opened upon the house, and 
 in a few moments the rebels in consternation fled from it. 
 The whole infantry line at a given signal pressed forward, 
 and by ten o clock the position sought for was in our posses 
 sion, not a shot having been fired except by the artillery and 
 skirmishers. After a short interval, during which several 
 batteries had been brought up, the Confederates came swarm 
 ing out of their works, and with boisterous yells charged 
 toward the Union line, with what seemed to be an intention 
 of recapturing the lost ground. The artillery at once opened 
 with shell, and the charge was repulsed without the aid of 
 the infantry. Generals Grant and Thomas were present, and 
 viewed the whole movement, which was beautifully executed 
 and elicited the highest praise. 
 
 At one period during the day, and after the picket firing 
 had in a measure ceased, it re-commenced on the right with 
 renewed vigor, and extended rapidly toward the left. Every 
 infantry-man grasped his gun and the artillery-men jumped 
 to their places. Just as these preparations were completed, 
 a magnificent buck came bounding along between the picket 
 lines, and in full view of both armies. The skirmishers on 
 opposite sides all took a shot at him as he flew along, and he 
 passed the entire front of the division unscathed only to fall 
 in front of the Fifty-third Illinois. The position gained was 
 within thirteen hundred yards of the main rebel breastworks, 
 and the 28th and 29th, including the night-time, were spent 
 in erecting the same elaborate protection that had marked 
 every halt. 
 
 During the night of the 2Qth strange noises and explosions 
 within the Confederate lines were heard. Many subordi 
 nate officers in the Federal army believed an evacuation was 
 impending, and were anxious to test the matter by an assault. 
 General Halleck could see nothing, however, but danger, and 
 since the whistling of engines and noise of the cars and 
 teams drifted toward the left, which was the line of retreat, 
 he filled the air with notes of warning to Pope on that flank, 
 
CORINTH EVACUATED. 147 
 
 and extensive preparations were entered into to reinforce the 
 supposed point of 1 danger. It was, however, as most of those 
 on the ground anticipated, an abandonment of the position, 
 skillfully planned and ably conducted by General Beauregard, 
 not in the least interfered with by the timid Federal com 
 mander. The campaign was ended, and the result was the 
 capture of a railroad crossing nothing else. The largest 
 army ever assembled in the West had spent just pne month 
 in moving, by slow approaches, about seventeen miles. No 
 conflict arising to the dignity of a battle took place, and 
 whenever a chance offered it was declined by the general in 
 command of the Union army, notwithstanding he had great 
 odds in his favor, and his men were ready and more than 
 willing. History has properly characterized the campaign as 
 a ludicrous failure, in view of what might have been accom 
 plished. It was a bare victory in theory, without any tangible 
 results, and all the literary skill of the Federal commander 
 was needed to satisfy the public that it was a success. It 
 was fully demonstrated in the West, as it was soon in the 
 East, that an able organizer, and one capable in strategy and 
 logistics, could be a timid, inefficient character in the pres 
 ence of a hostile army. 
 
 Early on the morning of May 30th, General Sherman, who 
 was alert and expectant, began to feel forward, and Morgan 
 L. Smith s brigade, with which of course was the Fifty-fifth, 
 took possession of the first Confederate redoubt at half-past 
 six in the morning. Some unseemly discussion followed 
 between the other division commanders as to which troops 
 first entered the rebel works at Corinth. Although it was no 
 test of bravery and discipline, and was only a question of 
 distance, it may as well be stated that the gauzy honor was 
 claimed by the brigade above mentioned. The correspond 
 ent of the Chicago Tribune at least so assigned the wilted 
 laurel, and thus wrote to his paper : 
 
 The honor is disputed by Hon. David Stuart of your city, the gallant 
 colonel of the fighting Fifty-fifth; and my opinion is that Colonel Dave s 
 claim on that score admits of no dispute, for doubtless he was " thar " 
 when the deed was consummated. 
 
 So faithful in love, so gallant in war, 
 The honor is doubtless to our Lochinvar. 
 
148 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth marched through the squalid remains of 
 Corinth to the locality called College Hill, and planted a flag 
 upon the " Ladies Seminary." Since no ladies were in attend 
 ance at the time, and orders were received to return to the 
 camps of the night before, the position was abandoned with 
 out reluctance. The impression was general that a period of 
 rest was to follow, and the men proceeded with their usual 
 industry te dig wells and beautify their camp-grounds. 
 Joseph Hartsook of Company F had been a short time before 
 this detailed as brigade postmaster, from which he was soon 
 reclaimed by his company commander and translated to the 
 honors and emoluments of a corporal s rank, and thus placed 
 in the line of deserved promotion, which duly followed. 
 
 About noon of June 2d, the felicitous dreams of rest were 
 rudely dispelled by orders to March in one hour, and within 
 that time the brigade was returning through Corinth. The 
 intense sun-fire of the afternoon was followed by a rainfall of 
 extraordinary severity, and the regiment, every man of it 
 dripping wet and bedraggled with mud, bivouacked about 
 four miles outside of the town. The interval of nearly two 
 months which elapsed before arriving at Memphis, was a 
 period of well-nigh constant marching to and fro. The pur 
 pose of this was not at the time apparent, and is now equally 
 obscure. Indeed, the wearisome and ceaseless travel had no 
 purpose and accomplished no results worth considering. It 
 was simply blind obedience to the ever-changing impulses of 
 the army commander, who magnified all stories and camp 
 rumors into impossible movements of the enemy, and kept 
 his troops in commotion to repel attacks which existed only 
 in his own brain. It is not within the scope of this work to 
 describe or criticise campaigns any further than may be 
 necessary to do justice to the Fifty-fifth. Since, however, 
 that regiment suffered from intense heat, thirst and wild 
 storms, and toiled and marched night and day in obedience 
 to useless orders, some allusion to the source and effect of 
 them becomes imperative. 
 
 It may be a relief to the monotony of the description and 
 give a clearer idea of actual field service, to follow the events 
 of the next few weeks in the form of a journal, the material 
 
ITINERARY. 149 
 
 therefor being gathered from the diaries written at the time 
 by Henry Augustine of Company A, and Joseph Hartsook 
 of Company F: 
 
 June 3. Resumed march at daylight, and at n o clock A. M. 
 halted one-half mile east of Chewalla, and remained till next morning. 
 
 June 4. Went along the line of the railroad, three miles west of 
 Chewalla, and worked repairing road until evening of the 5th, when the 
 regiment returned to camp east of the town. 
 
 June 6. Removed in afternoon to camp on high table-land further 
 south, and the balance of that day and the following spent in getting 
 baggage and preparing camp ground. 
 
 June 8. Sunday. Divine service at 10 A. M., in which the chaplain 
 officiated and preached from the text: "Come unto me, all ye that labor, 
 and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." 
 
 June ii. Marched westward at 8 o clock, and took dinner on the 
 banks of the Little Tuscumbia; resumed march at 4 P. M. 
 
 June 12. Started early in morning, and halted from 10 until 2 o clock, 
 when route was resumed for four or five miles. 
 
 June 13. Lay quiet until 5 o clock p. M., when march was resumed 
 westward at quick time until 10 o clock at night, and regiment bivou 
 acked at Grand Junction; weather very hot, roads dusty, and much 
 suffering for want of water. 
 
 June 14. Fell in at sunrise, and during day marched through the 
 quiet little town of La Grange, and went into camp south of it on banks 
 of Wolf River. 
 
 June 16. At 4 p. M. started toward Holly Springs, twenty-three 
 miles south of La Grange. Marched through clouds of dust and 
 excessive heat for twelve miles, and encamped upon a beautiful spot at 
 ii o clock at night; water scarce and much suffering therefrom. 
 
 June 17. Route was continued at daylight; halted for breakfast upon 
 the banks of the Cold Water, and after eight miles march reached Holly 
 Springs the most beautiful town yet seen in Dixie. 
 
 June 18. Return journey commenced at 4 p. M.; camped for the 
 night on the Cold Water. 
 
 June 22. Broke camp on this Sunday morning at 5 o clock, and 
 passed over a rich, level county, through the village of Moscow, and 
 bivouacked one mile east of La Fayette. 
 
 June 24. Camp and garrison equipage came up, and the tents which 
 had not been seen for some time were pitched in a beautiful, heavily- 
 wooded locality. 
 
 June 26. Aroused at 3 A. M. by the report that enemy was coming. 
 Took down tents and loaded everything; were not allowed to build fires, 
 and ate raw meat and hard-tack for breakfast. Started at 5 A. M. on the 
 back track for Moscow, and reached that place at noon. This march 
 was the hottest and dustiest so far experienced, and much suffering 
 
15 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 resulted. Not less than fifty men of the brigade gave out, and many 
 were prostrated by sunstroke. 
 
 June 30. Mustered for pay at 9 o clock A. M., and commenced 
 another tramp toward Holly Springs at 2 o clock P. M., and traversed 
 eight miles in that direction during the warm afternoon. 
 
 July i. Resumed the journey early, halted on the Cold Water at 
 8 A. M. for breakfast, and proceeded to Holly Springs. 
 
 July 5. Remained in this camp four days. Blackberries were very 
 plenty, and the whole army feasting on them an important addition to 
 the scanty rations and highly beneficial to the health of the men. Some 
 false alarms as to attacks from the rebels. 
 
 July 6. Inspection this Sunday morning. Started at 4 P. M. in direc 
 tion of Moscow; marched until n o clock at night, and made half the 
 distance. 
 
 July 7. Started very early and reached old camp at 1 1 A. M. 
 
 July 18. Have remained in this camp since 7th instant, occupied 
 with company, regimental and brigade drill, during which time various 
 styles of residences were erected by the men, which for the first time 
 began to be called " shebangs." At half-past two o clock in the morn 
 ing, struck tents and loaded baggage, but march was not commenced 
 until " sun up." Day very warm. Passed through La Fayette and took 
 dinner on the banks of Wolf River; then resumed journey and made 
 twenty miles altogether during the day. 
 
 July IQ. Reached Germantown, a place of strong secession proclivi 
 ties, and in bad repute on account of guerilla operations much 
 plundering indulged in. That day was very warm, and many gave out 
 from fatigue and heat. After passing four miles beyond Germantown, 
 halted for the night near large water tank. 
 
 July 21. Having rested over Snnday proceeded to Memphis, and 
 during forenoon marched through the main streets to the southern part 
 of the city. Large mail received, the first for many weeks. 
 
 This traces the summer campaign to the important city 
 of Memphis, where a season of comparative rest was at 
 hand. On July 5th, George L. Thurston, captain of Company 
 B, left the regiment on sick leave. He had been ailing since 
 Shiloh and should have gone to the rear long before. His 
 men never saw him again for he died at his home in Lancas 
 ter, Massachusetts, of consumption, on December I5th 
 following. He came to the regiment a stranger to all, and 
 left among its line officers and men none but friends. 
 
 Captain Shaw thus relates an incident, alas! common 
 enough in the army and therefore characteristic : 
 
 Corporal George Byrns, a very modest though efficient soldier about 
 twenty-one years old, was taken sick shortly after leaving Corinth, and 
 
LA GRANGE BANK. I5 1 
 
 died in an ambulance near Grand Junction. The column halted about 
 midnight, and his comrades prepared a grave in the corner of a field, 
 lining it with evergreen boughs, and, having wrapped the body in a 
 blanket, laid it away to rest with feelings of sadness too deep for 
 expression. The chaplain made a few impressive remarks. This was a 
 very affecting occasion, and is one spot where my memory lingers as I 
 glance in retrospect over our army experience. 
 
 At La Grange a bank was captured and a large quantity 
 of unsigned bills of railroad currency were scattered around. 
 Of course nearly every Union soldier could sign a name in a 
 fair hand, and as the inhabitants could not generally read 
 and withal had a violent prejudice against greenbacks, these 
 bills became the standard circulating medium. Under the 
 circumstances the men were royally generous in paying for 
 supplies, and not particular about prices or in exacting 
 change. This manner of dealing brought chickens, berries 
 and such delicacies of the neighborhood to the front, and 
 the men lived luxuriously, while at the same time acquiring 
 an exalted reputation for wealth and liberality. How long 
 that reputation remained untarnished after departure there 
 is no means of knowing. 
 
 On July 1st, General Smith issued an order from brigade 
 headquarters, which is such a compound of good sense and 
 badinage as to be thoroughly characteristic of its author. 
 It was as follows: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, ( 
 July i, 1862. J 
 
 It has come to the knowledge of the commanding officer of the 
 brigade that a straggler of General Hurlbut s division, on the occasion 
 of our first visit to Holly Springs, was captured, and after being shot to 
 make him tell things that he did not know, he was turned loose in the 
 woods and bloodhounds put on his track. Anything further of his fate 
 is not known. I tell you this to put you on your guard against straggling 
 over one hundred yards from your stacks of arms. I hear also a report 
 concerning some members of the Eighth Missouri, which is too terrible 
 for belief. It is nothing less than an attempt to tarnish the good reputa 
 tion of their brothers of the Sixth Missouri by borrowing their elegant 
 hats to steal sweet potatoes in. 
 
 By order of Brigadier-General M. L. Smith. 
 
 I. C. HILL, A.A.D. C. 
 
 During the marches to and fro, any plantation house 
 occupied by a moderately comely female was sure to find 
 
I5 2 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 protection, and its occupant courtly and kindly treatment at 
 the hands of the colonel of the Fifty-fifth. If possible, his 
 headquarters were established at such a house, and his per 
 sonal presence was interposed as a guarantee of good faith 
 and tender solicitude. On one such occasion, after Stuart 
 had posted guards at all vulnerable points save one, and 
 while he himself was enjoying the society of the alleged 
 widow, some of the members of that depraved Company I, 
 outwitted the guard and robbed the smoke-house of some 
 hams. The colonel s vials of wrath were opened, and a 
 vigorous and profane speech followed. Nevertheless, the 
 hams were assimilated and no punishment inflicted because 
 the particular offenders could not be identified. This inci 
 dent was made the occasion of a most atrocious piece of 
 doggerel composition by Dorsey Andress, which was always 
 after one of the war-songs of the regiment. It commenced 
 with the following mellifluous strain: 
 
 Company I stole a ham, whoop-de-dooden-do. 
 
 All through the rebellion the Union soldiers manifested a 
 consistent partiality for burning fence rails. Nothing was 
 so perfectly adapted to a well developed camp fire as these 
 results of colored industry. The Fifty-fifth, under the kind 
 teaching of the Eighth Missouri, showed a reasonable 
 aptitude in all such depravity. The "kid-glove policy" then 
 in vogue in high quarters, was not appreciated nor practically 
 applied by the rank and file of the First brigade. In his 
 desire to mitigate the lawless propensities of his men, and 
 being unable to protect all the fence rails, Colonel Stuart 
 issued an order that only the top one should be cremated. 
 The regiment, ignorant of higher mathematics, at once 
 assumed that when one rail was gone the next one was on 
 top, and so it turned out that all rails were top rails, and it 
 took just seven men to demonstrate that fact on a seven-rail 
 fence. All this was done by the simple rule of subtraction 
 and left the colonel struggling with another profane oration. 
 
 The summer marches through Tennessee and Mississippi 
 discovered but little Union sentiment. An occasional inci 
 dent like the one of an aged loyal couple near Grand 
 Junction was as rare as it was grateful. Generally the fields 
 
ENTERING MEMPHIS. 153 
 
 waved with corn planted in accordance with the so-called 
 patriotism of the Southern Confederacy. On every planta 
 tion great black patches near the cotton gins showed where 
 Beauregard s scouts had enforced his orders of destruction. 
 Houses were silent and blinds closed. The only female 
 faces seen were tearful or contemptuous. The black faces 
 alone smiled a welcome, and with many genuflections the 
 colored people gladly hailed the approach of the Union 
 flag. On the march to Memphis the soldiers were for the 
 first time allowed to treat these unfortunates kindly, and 
 numbers followed the regiment who afterward became useful 
 employes for a greater or less period. No instance is 
 recalled in which they proved unfaithful or betrayed any 
 trust. The Fifty-fifth, like most of the army, solved for 
 itself the true relation of slavery to the rebellion, while 
 statesmen and generals were groping and gasping in the 
 mazes of impracticable speculation. 
 
 As the Fifty-fifth went marching along the streets of 
 Memphis on that warm July morning, they were indeed 
 ideal Western soldiers; not conspicuous for handsome uni 
 forms or waving plumes, but the very embodiment of 
 disciplined, self-reliant force. They were dirty, sunburned 
 and ragged; but their manly bearing made them marked 
 men even in an army so notable in history. They bore the 
 impress of their splendid brigade commander, and were 
 manifestly journeymen in the art of war. They stepped out 
 with the easy motion and swinging stride peculiar to the 
 army of the West. Every movement about them was bright 
 with intelligent, energetic life, and indicated that they were 
 capable of doing what they had done and what yet remained 
 to be done. So these men of the Fifty-fifth looked to 
 Sergeant Larrabee and his comrade, who had just returned 
 from wounded furlough and stood upon the side of the street 
 and saw them go sweeping by. 
 
 After marching through the main streets the brigade 
 bivouacked in the vicinity of what afterward became Fort 
 Pickering. To this point also followed the writer, having in 
 his charge various letters and small parcels which had been 
 brought for different members of Company I. Among these 
 
154 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 was a black bottle for Tom. Clark a present sent by his 
 brother Jim, and stated to be full of " Fogarty s best." In 
 the mutations of its journey the contents had entirely 
 evaporated. To conceal what might seem to be a breach of 
 trust the bottle had been refilled with most villainous 
 whiskey procured at one of the clandestine dens under the 
 levee at Memphis. After arriving at the camp the bottle 
 was delivered with a suitable reference to the kind brother 
 who had sent it, and to the quality of "Fogarty s best." In 
 a moment Tom, Dorsey Andress and a few chums were aside 
 in the brush and all took a pull at the bottle, followed by a 
 contented sigh and smack of the lips, and each pronounced 
 it to have the true Illinois flavor. It was the most diabolical 
 "Mississippi tanglefoot," but such was the glamour of home 
 tradition surrounding it that it seemed nectar fit for the gods. 
 For obvious reasons this pleasant hallucination was not 
 disturbed. 
 
 After enduring a terrific rainstorm, the regiment was 
 moved on the afternoon of July 23d to the northeast end of 
 the city, and placed in camp near the fair grounds. The 
 brigade was separated for the purpose of guarding the differ 
 ent roads leading into town. To the Fifty-fifth was assigned 
 the new and old Raleigh roads, running to the northeast. 
 The camp here formed became the home of the regiment for 
 four succeeding months, and, all things considered, was the 
 most pleasant ever occupied. Its recollections embody the 
 very romance of soldiering. It was upon the west side of 
 the street, which near by crossed the Memphis and Charles 
 ton railroad. Close around were suburban residences with 
 their wide verandas, fruitful orchards and beautiful grounds. 
 The site selected was divided by a small ravine running east 
 and west, upon the south side of which were the Sibley tents 
 of the men, and upon the opposite side the quarters of the 
 officers. Both were upon gentle slopes, and among scatter 
 ing and large oak trees, while just below a copious spring 
 afforded a supply of good water. The fair grounds and open 
 woods just beyond offered ample facilities for drill and parade. 
 In short, the location lacked only the skillful industry plenti 
 fully at hand to make an ideal camp-ground. The tents were 
 
A SUMMER CAMP. 155 
 
 erected in rows, with wide streets between them, and along 
 the edge of the ravine cooking rooms, eating sheds and tables 
 were soon placed. The fence around the fair grounds and 
 the contents of two abandoned brick kilns were gradually 
 absorbed and utilized, and every variety of "shebang" soon 
 extended and elaborated the quarters. 
 
 It would probably be impossible, and certainly unneces 
 sary if it were possible, to describe in detail each day s events. 
 Indeed, there was no great variety of incident. Dolce far 
 nicnte, a phrase borrowed from a sunny clime, would apply 
 admirably to this period. A very intelligent officer, in writ 
 ing home about it, correctly gave the outline of the summer s 
 work when he said : 
 
 We have latterly been chiefly employed as an army in confiscating 
 contrabands, cotton and watermelons, getting joyously inebriated, and 
 holding court martials. Occasionally a regiment or two suddenly goes 
 quick-step out into the country in pursuit of evanescent guerillas, and 
 returns with each haversack bulging with peaches and sweet potatoes, 
 followed by an army of grinning blackamoors. 
 
 If the above statement was reduced to literal exactness, 
 it would probably contain a little less irony and more sweet 
 potatoes. 
 
 The guard duty consisted principally in detailing one or 
 two companies daily for occupying the roads a couple of 
 miles out, and the twenty-four hours allotted for that duty 
 were regarded as so much time devoted to sylvan loafing in 
 close relation to the sweet potato patches around. Only a few 
 men were needed on post at one time, and the large reserve, 
 after stacking arms, proceeded to kill the time in sleeping, 
 eating and smoking, with an occasional mild game of draw 
 poker, and thus the turn on picket embraced within its limited 
 time a complete variety of about all the pleasures vouchsafed 
 to soldiers. 
 
 For some time it fell to the lot of the pickets to search 
 all out-going citizens in order to see that the trade regulations 
 of General Sherman were not violated. This duty oftentimes 
 had its ludicrous features, not always being submitted to with 
 equanimity by the victims. The stony stare and frigid 
 deportment of the Tennessee dames was far more likely to 
 
156 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 produce laughter than the paralysis intended. Shortly after 
 this system was established, Company F, commanded by 
 Lieutenant Parks, captured a covered spring wagon contain 
 ing seventy-five thousand percussion caps, which of course 
 were confiscated as contraband of war. Some other small 
 captures were made, but as a rule travel upon the main roads 
 adjusted itself to the code in force, and smuggling sought a 
 more secret channel. This matter of search was soon taken 
 from the pickets, and given to an officer detailed for the 
 especial purpose. Henry Augustine, just promoted to be 
 lieutenant, served for a long time on that duty. His suave 
 manners admirably fitted him for the purpose, and he soon 
 became a favorite with all the females in that region, who 
 were enraptured with his beatific smile. 
 
 The whole brigade entered upon a course of systematic 
 drill, under the personal supervision of its commander. 
 With such an expert, this exercise lost much of the long- 
 drawn dreariness often inflicted by the regimental officers, 
 and became quick, alert and interesting. The rudimentary 
 period of "left, left, left," "eyes right," "right dress," had 
 passed, and the time was devoted to battalion and brigade 
 evolutions, skirmish drill, bayonet and manual exercises. 
 The Fifty-fifth was in the best possible condition to profit by 
 the opportunity. The men were in some sense the survival 
 of the fittest, the companies being reduced to about forty 
 men each, the most convenient size for easy handling. All 
 through the summer, review, followed by exhibition, regi 
 mental drills, was held Sunday, upon the fair grounds. 
 General Sherman and other high officers were often present. 
 If the weather happened to be pleasant, a large concourse of 
 citizens was on hand, and the "beauty and chivalry," if not 
 the elite, of the adjacent city, seemed to enjoy the military 
 pageant. 
 
 Beyond question the Fifty-fifth Illinois and the Eighth 
 Missouri were the star regiments. The Eighth excelled in 
 bayonet exercise and skirmish drill, being probably more 
 skilled in that way that any body of men in the Western 
 army. In battalion movements, especially at double-quick, 
 and in the manual of arms, the Fifty-fifth equalled any 
 
GUARDING REBELS PROPERTY. 157 
 
 organization ever in the Department. During many weeks 
 the commander had his brigade assembled each evening upon 
 the fair grounds, to hold dress parade. Each regiment in 
 turn was put upon that duty under the eye of the brigadier, 
 who carefully watched all details. He paid as much atten 
 tion to the mode of giving the commands, as he did to the 
 execution of them, and his eccentric and epigrammatic criti 
 cisms, as each officer came under his notice, were entertaining 
 in the extreme. In such a presence, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Malmborg was in a state of repression, of itself a source of 
 relief to the officers and men. The health of the soldiers 
 was generally good, though many, like Captain Slattery, were 
 suffering from malaria and other like results of exposure. 
 The injured of Shiloh not discharged had mostly returned, 
 and a halting limb here and there might be noticed as the 
 result of honorable wounds. During the summer and fall 
 the three senior captains, Chandler, Heffernan and Black, 
 alternately performed the duties of major. The river travel 
 from Cairo was unobstructed, and the wives of officers and 
 men frequently arrived from the North, so that the presence 
 of ladies and the prattle of children sometimes enlivened 
 the monotony of camp. 
 
 During the first days of the occupancy of Memphis, Gen 
 eral Halleck s distasteful order about guarding rebel property 
 was in vogue. In its enforcement guards were placed in all 
 the contiguous fields and orchards. Its unpopularity ren 
 dered the execution of it difficult, and punishment for 
 violations generally nugatory. It never had any particular 
 effect upon the fealty of the people, because they were hope 
 lessly hostile, and all favors to them seemed to generate 
 contempt rather than gratitude. In deference to the outcry 
 of the whole army and the loyal North, the obnoxious order 
 was rescinded. Notice of that fact reached the camps of the 
 Fifty-fifth about two o clock one afternoon, and was instantly 
 promulgated. It was at the climax of the peach season, and 
 within an hour every guard was withdrawn from the orchards 
 of the vicinage. Supper that night consisted largely of 
 peaches, cooked in every way the combined skill of soldiers 
 and contrabands could devise. A full knowledge of the 
 
15 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 practical process of converting by assimilation rebel garden 
 truck into active bone and muscle penetrated the brain of 
 the average Northern soldier without the aid of a surgical 
 operation. 
 
 While no especial pains were afterwards taken to guard 
 rebel property, orders were plain and positive against forag 
 ing. Of course such rules were principally noticed by their 
 evasion, a pleasant custom connived at frequently by the 
 subordinate officers. Watermelons, peaches and green corn 
 were plenty and good in season, but they were after all rather 
 effeminate luxuries. It took something more to produce a 
 continuous sense of fullness about the waistband, and the 
 placid state of contentment so comfortable to Western sol 
 diers. Sweet potatoes, by experiment, were discovered to 
 exactly fill the bill. The supply of that respected esculent 
 was regular, and usually obtained by the following plan, 
 modified to suit circumstances: After taps a dozen men, 
 more or less, would quietly saunter from the camp and meet 
 at a designated place with guns and equipments. Some one 
 would be selected for the purpose, and perhaps disguised 
 under shoulder-straps borrowed for the occasion, would form 
 the men into ranks, and the procession would move in elegant 
 military order into the country after the manner of a regular 
 detail. Arriving at the field in contemplation, pickets were 
 placed at proper intervals, while the reserve entered the patch 
 and filled their blankets with bushels of the vegetable sought 
 after. If any one approached the field he would be halted 
 and told not to interfere with the guard there on duty, and 
 the planter, if he knew of their presence at all, retired to rest 
 thankful to the kind general who was thoughtful enough to 
 send a guard for his property. Such a raid would result in 
 at least a week s supply for those interested in the plunder. 
 It was upon such nefarious duty that the generally exemplary 
 Hartsook first operated in the glory of his new-born corpor 
 al s stripes. Rations were plenty and good throughout the 
 stay at Memphis, and when supplemented by shrewd forag 
 ing often reached a state of Epicurean luxury. All such 
 drudgery as cooking and washing was delegated to happy 
 and unctuous contrabands who, for reasonable wages and 
 
HERNANDO EXPEDITION. 159 
 
 good diet, and above all a taste of personal liberty, served 
 willingly and faithfully in every menial capacity. 
 
 As usual the musicians of the regiment were much sought 
 after. Under musician John G. Brown of Company A, a 
 string band was formed, which furnished music for all the 
 regimental dances of the brigade. Whenever the pay was 
 not forthcoming from the outside regiments, Brown and his 
 fiddle always ordered a strike in the midst of the festivities, 
 which brought out the requisite amount of postal currency 
 and "sutler s chips," and the capers proceeded. 
 
 Occasional expeditions toward the interior took place 
 during the summer and fall. The first of these had for its 
 object the destruction of a new railroad bridge south of 
 Hernando, between that point and Senatobia. Select 
 detachments from all the regiments in the brigade, accom 
 panied by three hundred and fifty cavalry under the 
 command of the celebrated Colonel Grierson, participated. 
 The march began under command of General Morgan L. 
 Smith, September 8th, and at first proceeded toward Holly 
 Springs by way of Olive Branch, Mississippi. After a day s 
 progress in that direction the column suddenly turned west 
 and swung around towards Hernando, for the purpose of 
 striking the railroad bridge aimed at. About noon the sec 
 ond day out, a half dozen or so of the men, among whom 
 was little Jack Berlin of Company I, pushed ahead for water, 
 and while engaged around a well were suddenly pounced 
 upon by a squad of guerillas and captured. The regiment, 
 then a short distance in the rear, was just stacking arms 
 preparatory to taking dinner, and upon the alarm being 
 given wheeled beautifully into line, and Company A deployed 
 instanter. Just then Grierson s cavalry came upon the scene 
 by another route, and the rebel cavalry found themselves in 
 close quarters and took to the fields, leaving their captives 
 who had been prisoners for ten minutes. Some bloody 
 minded member of Company A shot the horse of the rebel 
 lieutenant commanding, and he was almost immediately 
 thereafter taken. Grierson got a few prisoners, and the 
 butchering of the sheep captured by Lieutenant Whipple 
 was resumed. The skirmishing on the trip was considerable, 
 
160 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 but attended to by the cavalry, and the railroad bridge and 
 its extensive approaches were entirely destroyed. The trip 
 averaged twenty miles of travel each day, and the last day s 
 march was twenty-eight miles. As usual, full reports appear 
 for all troops engaged, except the Fifty-fifth. 
 
 It was known that the rebel army was concentrated about 
 Tupelo with strong detachments in Holly Springs and its 
 neighborhood, from whence various raids were projected. 
 Occasionally rumors of an attack upon Memphis caused a 
 temporary excitement among the troops there. One such 
 alarm was promulgated in the camp of the Fifty-fifth, about 
 ten o clock at night. Colonel Stuart was in the city, as he 
 generally was, and the lieutenant-colonel got the regiment 
 under arms, and according to his usual confused belligerency 
 dispatched four of the eight companies present to reinforce 
 the pickets. The remaining companies he put on the color 
 line, and required them to remain there all night, a few feet 
 from their tents. As for himself, he was willing to share the 
 privations of the rank and file, and to that end had his cot 
 and blankets taken outside his tent and placed full six feet 
 away from it under a tree, and booted and spurred like a 
 knight of old, 
 
 " Lay like a warrior taking his rest, 
 With his martial cloak around him." 
 
 Shortly after these heroic preparations were completed, 
 Colonel Stuart came raging from the city, and no enemy 
 materializing, he fired into the night air a hot volley of curses 
 aimed mainly in the direction of the lieutenant-colonel, and 
 the camp subsided into quiet. On September loth the brave 
 but peculiar Sixth Missouri was attached to Morgan L. 
 Smith s brigade. 
 
 General Sherman, by some means at present unknown, 
 obtained a muster-roll of a company of cotton-burning gue 
 rillas, operating northeast of Memphis, and commanded by 
 one Burrows, a whilom preacher of Raleigh. The principal 
 occupation of these bogus soldiers was to destroy cotton and 
 maltreat citizens suspected of Union sentiments. Their 
 favorite rendezvous was at the crossings of Wolf River, 
 whither travel seeking the city was obliged to converge for 
 
SHELBY DEPOT. l6l 
 
 the purpose of passing that stream. They wore no uniforms, 
 and if danger approached, time enough to hide a shot-gun 
 transformed them into ostensibly peaceful citizens of alleged 
 loyal proclivities. On Wednesday, October 22d, the effective 
 force of the Fifty-fifth, aided by a squadron of cavalry, all 
 under command of Colonel Stuart, started into the country 
 to wreak vengeance upon the persons and property of these 
 outlaws. 
 
 The trip was peculiar, inasmuch as many buildings were 
 burned and much property was destroyed by express order 
 or permission of the officer in command. The cavalry, as 
 usual, did the scouting and desultory skirmishing, while the 
 infantry attended to the conflagrations and stood ready to do 
 the heavy fighting. The journey extended to Shelby Depot, 
 which was destroyed. While at that point, some of the men 
 engaged in the hilarious task of plundering a store a few 
 hundred yards away from where the main body of the troops 
 were lounging. The colonel, upon being informed of this 
 proceeding, immediately mounted his war-horse, and rode 
 fuming and storming to the front of the building. Commis 
 sary-Sergeant Fisher was with the motley throng inside, and 
 upon hearing the stentorian protest of the wrathful colonel, 
 sought to retire by the rear. The complicated and disastrous 
 evolution undertaken to that end was a blind jump through a 
 high window at the back of the store. The fall was severe, 
 and the sergeant was immediately followed in his flight by 
 the irrepressible Dick Needham, who landed squarely on top 
 of him, and apparently expelled what little breath remained. 
 The injury was temporary, but the joke remained a familiar 
 " g a g" f r months after. Whenever Fisher appeared in sight 
 some loud-voiced warrior would sing out, "Who fell out of 
 the window?" whereat hundreds would reply in concert, 
 "Fisher." This was generally followed by a like interesting 
 catechism as to who fell on top of him, etc. It is difficult 
 now to appreciate the humor in such inane jokes, but the fact 
 remains that at the time they answered the purpose of 
 amusement. 
 
 While on the return trip the regiment bivouacked at Union 
 Depot. The stalwart and handsome Captain Black, with his 
 11 
 
162 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 company, was detailed to picket the road in the rear. After 
 having placed what was deemed a sufficient number of men 
 on post, he with the remainder gathered around a large camp- 
 fire, to act as reserve. The time passed joyously with the aid 
 of fiddles, contraband dancing, and the like. Late in the 
 evening, when most of the men had curled down around the 
 fire, an enterprising bushwhacker, who had crept through the 
 brush, turned lose a couple of charges of buckshot upon the 
 group. Captain Black and Sergeant Lomax each received a 
 buckshot where they could much better feel than see the 
 effects, and two or three others were shot through the cloth 
 ing, but no great harm was done. Of course the whole 
 reserve opened a promiscuous fusilade into the woods, and 
 of course hit no one. The next day the adjutant s contra 
 band, Nat, who had pushed ahead to obtain water for his 
 "guide, philosopher and friend," was fired upon from an 
 adjacent cornfield and shot in the shoulder. 
 
 The fine residence of Captain Burrows, chief of the gue 
 rillas before mentioned, was located about one mile from 
 Raleigh, and Companies I and E were detailed to burn it. 
 Finding the wife and two grown daughters on the premises, 
 the officer in charge directed the removal of the furniture to 
 a safe distance. There was in Company I an uncouth but 
 excellent German soldier named George Blahs. He had been 
 shot across the face at Shiloh, so that his beauties included 
 a ghastly scar from mouth to ear. As the conflagration pro 
 gressed, the ladies stood by, alternately railing and weeping, 
 calling the "Yankees" ignorant savages. Blahs finally seated 
 himself at the piano, then in the yard, and proceeded to play 
 with perfect ease various cultivated airs. That a dirty, long 
 haired private soldier could perform better upon the fash 
 ionable instrument than they themselves, seemed to impress 
 the ladies with a new view of the "ignorant Yankees." The 
 regiment regained camp in due time, loaded down with bed 
 ding, books and household gear, and all such plunder as taste 
 dictated or means of transportation allowed. 
 
 General Sherman, in a letter to General Grant about this 
 time, referred to General Morgan L. Smith s brigade in the 
 following terms : 
 
f CAMP ARCHITECTURE. 163 
 
 I review these troops every Sunday afternoon, and think them as well 
 drilled and instructed as any troops in service. They are full of confi 
 dence, and only need filling up with recruits to make a No. i brigade. 
 
 The routine of drill and duty left sufficient time to exer 
 cise a great amount of personal industry. Camp was 
 improved in every way the inexhaustible ingenuity of the 
 men suggested. A neat log guard-house was constructed, 
 and picturesque bridges were laid across the ravine dividing 
 camp. The skill as well as the eccentricity of the different 
 soldiers was most strikingly displayed in the multitude and 
 variety of quarters erected. There became nearly as many 
 curious adaptations of odd material for domestic purposes 
 as there were individuals. From the Sibley tents, at first 
 occupied by a dozen or more, one soldier after another 
 seceded, and set up a house of his own. Occasionally the 
 tent itself would be elevated upon a circular brick wall, while 
 a neatly paved or boarded floor covered the interior. One 
 man would be contented with a rudimentary shanty, just big 
 enough to lie down in, made of stolen boards, while close by 
 an ambitious group were ever striving to improve an impos 
 ing brick or log homestead, with symmetrical brick chimney, 
 glass windows and painted door. The neat cooking and 
 eating rooms and sheds along the ravin^were of course in 
 charge of the fat and contented contrabands, who were after 
 a manner brevetted to membership in their respective com 
 panies. 
 
 The physical and mental oddities of these latter were a 
 never-failing source of amusement. Their peculiar dialect, 
 their quaint stories and songs, and their vigorous prayers 
 excited constant interest. Their undying and sometimes, 
 alas, misplaced confidence in the nobility and perfection of 
 the Yankee soldiers, was curious and even touching in its 
 simplicity. In the cook-room of Company C each evening 
 a number of these sable menials were accustomed to meet 
 and engage in the pastime of "seven up," when each staked 
 his few cents or other trifling valuables in humble emulation 
 of the superior race. Bob Oliver, always in search of victims, 
 procured some damaged cartridges and stealthily ascended 
 to the roof, and dropped them down the chimney upon the 
 
164 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 fire beneath. There was at once a black upheaval inside. 
 To the superstitious darkies the devil was in the flying coals 
 and ashes, and all made a wild rush for the door. In the 
 stampede a blockade ensued, and the order of exit was 
 reversed by the rear turning heels up over the front rank. 
 One excited gentleman of color ran his head into a mess 
 kettle, which could only be removed from the shining pate 
 inside by the total disruption of the utensil. 
 
 Many pleasant associations were formed by the different 
 members of the regiment with the surrounding inhabitants, 
 who, though mostly secessionists in sentiment, were fre 
 quently socially inclined. Such intimacy of course secured 
 a certain amount of protection, but there is no reason to 
 doubt the genuine hospitality and kindness of most of them. 
 It is a pleasure to record that these fair offers were requited 
 by the uniform gentlemanly conduct of the members of the 
 Fifty-fifth. Among the citizens in the vicinity, a Mr. Jeffer 
 son and a Mr. Temple are gratefully alluded to by the 
 members of the regiment. 
 
 Lieutenant Augustine, who had for some time been in 
 charge of the details to search baggage on the new Raleigh 
 road, of course got acquainted with all the citizens accus 
 tomed to pass thal^vay. Living just outside the lines was a 
 worthy minister named Knott, who with his accomplished 
 wife frequently importuned Augustine to call and stay with 
 them over night. After some hesitation the invitation was 
 accepted, and one evening that officer, without leave and 
 against standing orders, went outside the pickets to the 
 pleasant domicile of the parson. After an elegant supper, 
 while the evening was passing, a loud rap called the head of 
 the household to the door. Presently he returned, and close 
 behind him stalked Captain Payne, a noted guerilla of that 
 region. Visions of Libby prison, cashiering, suffering and 
 unutterable punishment rioted through the startled brain of 
 the newly-fledged lieutenant. The host, however, was acting 
 in good faith, and the presence of the guerilla captain was 
 only an accidental call for hospitality. A truce was easy of 
 arrangement, and the "blue and the gray" slept peacefully 
 
PROMOTIONS. 165 
 
 under the same roof, and in the morning each departed his 
 own way. 
 
 It cannot be asserted truthfully that every member of the 
 Fifty-fifth, during this halcyon period, behaved with saint 
 like propriety. It was a regiment of soldiers, and good 
 ones, but its members were in no wise deficient in animal 
 spirits. Their exuberant vigor manifested itself frequently, 
 as in other regiments, by freaks of temper, riotous behavior, 
 and boisterous conduct, in which, as likely as not, whiskey 
 and beer performed a part. Under the healthy, robust 
 teaching of Chaplain Haney, there was always a restraining 
 element, but the men were not all good, and made no 
 pretensions of being so. They were healthy, sturdy young 
 soldiers engaged in a patriotic duty, aloof from the restraints 
 of civil life, and acted as men always have and always will 
 under such circumstances. An allusion to Jim Watkins steal 
 ing the sutler s mule, Bugler Vaughan s appropriation of the 
 quarter of beef, Peter Ebersold s returning to camp without 
 his nether garments, and "Betsey" Sherman s juvenile 
 battery, will recall the character of these escapades. 
 
 On September i6th, the long delayed punishment of 
 Captain Clay and Lieutenant Buck, for cowardly conduct at 
 Shiloh, was enforced. They were both Cashiered with the 
 approval of the whole regiment. Immediately Lieutenants 
 Brown and Whipple were raised a grade, and Orderly- 
 Sergeant Roberts properly promoted to second-lieutenant. 
 Many changes were made during the season among the 
 officers, exact details of which are hard to obtain, for reasons 
 before stated, and absolute accuracy is perhaps unattainable. 
 In Company A, Lieutenant Schleich was transferred to Com 
 pany F and made its captain. Lieutenant Cootes was made 
 captain of Company E, vice Tazewell, resigned. Sergeant 
 Henry Augustine was made second-lieutenant of Company 
 A, and signalized his promotion by treating the men to a 
 keg of ale. Later he was elevated to first-lieutenant, and 
 Orderly-Sergeant Levi Hill to second-lieutenant. In Com 
 pany C, Lieutenant Shaw, who had for a long time 
 commanded it, was promoted its captain, in place of R. A. 
 Bird, who had resigned in June. Sergeant-Major McAuley 
 
166 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 received his reward as second-lieutenant of the same 
 company. Joseph R. Roberts became first-lieutenant of Com 
 pany D, and its orderly, Henry A. Smith, second-lieutenant. 
 Sergeant William C. Porter was made second-lieutenant in his 
 own company, E. Sergeant Vincent E. Brink became 
 second-lieutenant of Company F, in place of John B. 
 Johnson, who resigned September 3, 1862. Company H was 
 provided for, its second-lieutenant, Nicholas Aagesen, being 
 raised to the rank of first-lieutenant, and Sergeant Francis 
 A. Scott being transferred from Company I to fill the 
 vacancy thus created. It is believed that John H. Fillmore 
 became first-lieutenant, and H. H. Kendrick second-lieuten 
 ant of Company K, during this period, but the confused 
 records do not clearly state it. It is hoped that the roster 
 at the end of this volume will correctly preserve all such 
 details. The names mentioned above are worthy of high 
 encomiums, either collectively or separately, but lack of 
 personal knowledge would certainly lead to vague and 
 perhaps unjust discrimination if attempted. It is proper to 
 state that they embrace many of the best officers of the 
 regiment. Schleich, Hill, Porter and Brink subsequently 
 lost their lives in the service. As in all former instances, no 
 particular attention was paid to promotion according to 
 rank, and many deserving officers and non-commissioned 
 officers were unjustly deprived of the places due to them. 
 
 In the field and staff, Assistant Surgeon Winne, a 
 thoroughly good officer, resigned to accept promotion as 
 surgeon of the Seventy-seventh Illinois. Hospital Steward 
 John T. Smith was promoted assistant surgeon of the Fifty- 
 fifth, and Corporal Joseph Hartsook translated from his 
 company to the position of sergeant-major. 
 
 The list of officers was kept fairly full, but strange as it 
 may appear, few if any had ever held commissions. They 
 were merely announced to the regiment, took their proper 
 places, went upon the regimental muster-rolls and were paid 
 and recognized as officers in the army. By a law of congress 
 the governors of the respective states were alone authorized 
 to commission regimental and company officers. Appoint 
 ments by a colonel were at best mere ad interim, and subject 
 
COMMISSIONS WITHHELD. 167 
 
 to confirmation by the state executive, who could have 
 superseded any of them by the issuance of commissions 
 to other persons. This anomalous state of affairs was the 
 fault, and designedly so, of the colonel of the Fifty-fifth, 
 who had never informed the governor of Illinois of the 
 appointments made in the regiment, nor asked for commis 
 sions. 
 
 This strange and unjust condition of things existed in a 
 good regiment which had passed through severe battles and 
 hard campaigns during more than a year had had some of 
 its best officers killed in battle, two dismissed, many resigned, 
 and many others promoted. The governor of its own state, 
 the source of authority, had received no official notice of 
 these facts and had not issued commissions as evidence of 
 legal recognition. This, though wholly unprecedented, was 
 not without motive on the part of the officers responsible for 
 it. The colonel s conduct in this connection was entirely 
 consistent with his whole career, and had its origin in the 
 fact that he had always assumed the most despotic control 
 over the destiny of each officer, and still wished to do so. 
 He desired to make and unmake them, and to supersede and 
 promote them as suited his own ends or whims, without 
 interference from or accountability to any superior. The 
 management of the internal affairs of the regiment always 
 had been as close and free from higher dictation as the affairs 
 of a private corporation, and he resolved to keep it so. 
 As has been already shown, all promotions had been made 
 without any reference to the precedence recognized by all 
 military authorities. Whenever the opposite course had 
 been followed it was an incidental concession to justice and 
 not a rule of action. 
 
 If such irregular and erratic acts had been brought to the 
 notice of the governor it would have led to inquiry why 
 so many officers and non-commissioned officers had been 
 superseded in the line of promotion by others, and why so 
 many transfers were made from one company to another, 
 without regard to the rights of the members. The records 
 in the office of the adjutant-general of Illinois, are very 
 full to the effect that a commendable zeal in preserving the 
 
1 68 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 rights of men to promotion according to rank obtained there. 
 Good reasons for prima facie injustice of each change would 
 have been required. 
 
 The lack of commissions was a frequent and just cause of 
 complaint, and many meetings took place on the part of the 
 officers to discuss a remedy. On one occasion when the 
 aggrieved parties had met and appointed the fearless Captain 
 Augustine as spokesman, they went to the colonel in a body, 
 and the captain stated their complaints in a dignified and 
 respectful way. They were treated very cavalierly, being told 
 by Colonel Stuart to return to their quarters at once, that he 
 did not "want any such d d militia demonstrations." 
 
 About all the officers of the regiment, with the exception 
 of Captains Chandler and Heffernan, wrote at one time or 
 another to the governor on the subject, and the record shows 
 an agreeable solicitude on the part of that officer to do 
 justice. It further appears that many commissions were 
 actually made out and forwarded to the colonel, who failed 
 to deliver them to the proper owners, and made various paltry 
 and false excuses for not doing so when importuned by the 
 governor on the subject. From the several letters on file, 
 the following is selected as showing the state of feeling and 
 the mode of expression : 
 
 MEMPHIS, TENN., Oct. i, 1862. 
 HON. RICHARD YATES, Governor State of Illinois. 
 
 SIR : Not wishing to trouble you with a long letter, I will state 
 very briefly the reasons that prompt this communication. The officers of 
 the 55th Regt. 111. Vols., of whom I am one, have served, some of us, 
 since the organization of the regiment, while others have been promoted 
 from the ranks, and we have not received commissions yet. 
 
 We waited upon our colonel (David Stuart) six months ago, and 
 inquired of him why the delay; to which inquiry he replied that our com 
 missions were in his hands, but that he would not deliver them as they 
 were not rightly dated. Since then we have repeatedly waited upon him, 
 and requested him to have the mistake rectified, and send a new roster, 
 as there have been a great many changes made since the first roster was 
 sent quite a number having resigned, some died of disease, and some 
 killed in action. Upon urging him, he has invariably promised to attend 
 to it immediately, but owing to pressure of business, or something else, 
 he has failed to fulfill those promises; and I for one, believing that for 
 bearance has ceased to be a virtue, and feeling a deep solicitude in regard 
 
COMMISSIONS SECURED. 169 
 
 to the commissions of my lieutenants, as well as my own for it is the 
 only alternative left me will append a roster of my company, as we 
 were mustered on the 3ist day of August, 1862; hoping that if it is not 
 contrary to rules and regulations, you will forward the above named 
 documents : 
 
 Jacob M. Augustine, Captain, March I3th, 1862. 
 
 William F. Coptes, ist Lieutenant, July ist, 1862. 
 
 Henry Augustine, 2d Lieutenant, August ist, 1862. 
 
 Hoping that you will excuse this breach of military etiquette, 
 I remain your obedient servant, 
 
 JACOB M. AUGUSTINE, 
 Acting Capt. Co. A, 55 th Rcgt. III. Vols. 
 
 Commissions were finally obtained by a course of strategy, 
 as follows: It was well known that the colonel paid no atten 
 tion to the details of his duties, and invariably signed all 
 documents as they were presented, without inspection. After 
 the return from the Tallahatchie, in December, and when 
 muster rolls were prepared, an extra copy for each company 
 was included in the bundle placed before the colonel by the 
 adjutant. This extra copy had upon it a full statement of all 
 promotions, and all persons entitled to commissions, and 
 embraced all necessary facts to guide the Governor of Illinois 
 in the issuance of the proper documents. As was anticipated 
 the colonel affixed his gorgeous sign-manual, without thought 
 of the extra number of flourishes it took. These surplus 
 copies were sent to the capitol of Illinois, with the request 
 that all needful papers be sent to Captain Augustine. They 
 were received by him after the battle of Arkansas Post, and 
 distributed in the steamboat cabin, and in the presence of 
 Stuart, whose fury was violent, but harmless. Alas! poor 
 Schleich lay dead with a bullet through his heart, and was 
 not there to receive the three commissions due him. In these 
 schisms Major Sanger and Adjutant Nourse sympathized 
 with and aided the right side, as far as possible. 
 
 As autumn approached all signs pointed toward an aggres 
 sive campaign. It was well known that large levies of troops 
 were being raised in the North, and that the Department of 
 General Grant would without doubt receive its share of rein 
 forcements. Vicksburg was the obvious objective point in 
 that quarter, and the grand strategy of the approaching 
 movement was as frequently and intelligently discussed 
 
17 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 among the rank and file as elsewhere. Among those looking 
 for promotion was David Stuart, colonel of the Fifty-fifth, 
 who had commanded a brigade at Shiloh, and who was senior 
 to all the colonels of the new regiments. Sufficient has 
 appeared already to indicate that his aspirations would not 
 be self-repressed in the race for honor. He had lost by this 
 time the respect of his subordinate officers and men, and had 
 earned their contempt, among other things, for his failure to 
 acquire the rudiments of tactics. A very competent officer, 
 and one who had the best of opportunities for observation, 
 recorded at the time his convictions as follows: 
 
 Colonel Stuart grows more and more unpopular neglecting his com 
 mand * * * * He cannot drill the regiment, and makes mortifying 
 blunders on review. He pays more attention to Southern ladies than to 
 his officers and men. 
 
 He was, however, a favorite with General Sherman, and 
 the length of service and superb conduct of his regiment in 
 the field, gave a reasonable, if not a just hope of promotion. 
 The obtrusion of Morgan L. Smith, a full brigadier, upon the 
 scene, had relegated him to the command of a regiment after 
 Shiloh, but the arrival of the new regiments, and the conse 
 quent reorganization of the army, would make room for many 
 new brigade commanders. Stuart was placed in com 
 mand of a brigade while yet colonel, early in November. 
 This consisted of his own regiment, the One-hundred-and- 
 twenty-seventh and One-hundred-and-sixteenth Illinois, the 
 Fifty-seventh Ohio, and Eighty-third Indiana three of 
 them being new and full organizations, just from home. 
 This brigade became a part of Morgan L. Smith s division. 
 His promotion to brigadier-general was expected and not 
 seriously objected to by many of the Fifty-fifth. His re 
 moval to any sphere not immediately connected with the 
 regiment was desirable as a means of relief, and a sort 
 of regimental benison therefore followed his ambitious 
 flights. Naturally this would be followed by the promotion 
 of the lieutenant-colonel to the supreme command of the 
 regiment, which was a matter of serious concern, and greatly 
 feared for good reasons. That officer had done nothing to 
 increase the respect for him, and all belief in his unusual 
 
APPEAL TO THE GOVERNOR. I7 1 
 
 capacity had been dissipated in the course of practical cam 
 paigning. His habits, never good, had grown worse, and his 
 bullying, abusive and insane tyranny would have driven 
 almost any other regiment to open mutiny. It was certain 
 that placing more power in his hands would not render him 
 less exacting. What ineffectual means the officers took to 
 avert the calamity, as well as the atmosphere at the time, is 
 exactly shown by the following document, forwarded to 
 Governor Yates: 
 
 CAMP OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS VOLS., / 
 MEMPHIS, TENN., Nov. 21, 1862. ) 
 
 To his Excellency, RICHARD YATES, 
 
 Governor of Illinois. 
 
 SIR : Knowing your anxiety to promote the comfort of every Illinois 
 soldier, and feeling that you are interested almost equally with ourselves 
 in the general well-being and military success of this regiment, we the 
 undersigned, officers of the 55th Regt. 111. Vols., beg leave to call your 
 attention to a matter of vital importance to ourselves and the proved 
 brave men whom we have the honor to command. 
 
 It seems probable that Colonel David Stuart, now in command of the 
 Fourth brigade, General M. L. Smith s division, will be promoted, and 
 that within a short time. The officers of the regiment desire and claim 
 a voice in the selection of the person who shall fill the vacancy caused by 
 such promotion, if it shall take place as expected. Although we in gen 
 eral should advocate the regular succession of officers according to rank, 
 we feel impelled as honorable men, seeking the good of our country first, 
 but also anxious for the happiness of ourselves, and the men placed in 
 our care, and laboring for the prosperity and efficiency of the regiment 
 in camp and field, to demand that we be not subjected to the tyranny.and 
 personal abuse which would inevitably be our daily portion under the 
 command of the officer next in rank to our colonel. 
 
 Our commanding officers have generally disregarded the principle of 
 regular succession in the appointments made to fill vacancies in almost 
 every company in the regiment, as will be seen by the regimental records. 
 We wish to continue this disregard of custom in our choice of the man 
 who is to have power almost of life and death over us, and upon whom 
 depends in so great a measure our comfort in garrison and our safety in 
 campaign. We should weary you with the length of our story were we 
 to recount in adequate language the reasons we have for praying your 
 excellency not to commission any one to fill vacancies that may occur 
 among the field officers of this regiment, until the line officers are per 
 mitted to express their choice. 
 
 The lieutenant-colonel now in command was elected to the position 
 he holds, because expediency seemed to demand it, at the time of the 
 
172 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 organization of the regiment. He was recommended to us for his knowl 
 edge of military tactics by Colonel Stuart, and chosen more to gratify our 
 colonel s wishes than because of any liking or respect on our part. His 
 disposition and personal ways, even at first when comparatively a stranger, 
 made him peculiarly unpopular. This unpopularity has increased with 
 time, and we boldly assert that he has now no friends in the regiment, 
 among officers or men, save those who are dependent upon him for place 
 or privilege. We have seen little reason to pride ourselves upon any 
 result of his military experience, while the discomfort attending his mar 
 tinet discipline have been constant and almost unendurable, and his 
 abusive treatment of his subordinates more than man could bear and 
 preserve self-respect. 
 
 Hoping our request will meet with your approval, 
 
 We are, very respectfully, your obedient servants, 
 
 HENRY AUGUSTINE, 2d Lieut. Co. A. 
 
 E. C. LAWRENCE, 2d Lieut. Co. B. 
 JOHN T. MCAULEY, 2d Lieut. Co. C. 
 HENRY A. SMITH, 2d Lieut. Co. D. 
 ALBERT A. WHIPPLE, 2d Lieut. Co. G. 
 CHARLES A. ANDRESS, 2d Lieut. Co. I. 
 H. H. KENDRICK, 2d Lieut. Co. K. 
 
 A. F. MERRILL, ist Lieut. Co. B. 
 DANIEL MC!NTOSH, ist Lieut. Co. C. 
 J. R. ROBERTS, ist Lieut. Co. D. 
 J. E. KEYES, ist Lieut. Co. E. 
 JOSEPH W. PARKS, ist Lieut. Co. F. 
 C. M. BROWN, ist Lieut. Co. G. 
 L. B. CROOKER, ist Lieut. Co. I. 
 J. H. FILLMORE, ist Lieut. Co. K. 
 H. S. NOURSE, ist Lieut, and Adjutant. 
 J. M. AUGUSTINE, Capt. Co. A. 
 
 F. H. SHAW, Capt. Co. C. 
 C. SHLEICH, Capt. Co. F. 
 TIM SLATTERY, Capt. Co. I. 
 JOSEPH BLACK, Capt. Co. K. 
 
 After the return from the Tallahatchie, and while at 
 Memphis, the following was forwarded: 
 
 To his Excellency, RICHARD YATES, 
 
 Governor State of Illinois : 
 
 We the undersigned officers of the 55th Regt. 111. Vols. Infty. humbly 
 beg leave to recommend the name of Major W. D. Sanger for appoint 
 ment as colonel of this regiment, which position was made vacant by the 
 promotion of our late colonel, David Stuart. 
 
 We are unwilling to be, and protest against being subjected to the un 
 restrained tyranny of Lieutenant-Colonel Oscar Malmborg, whose hereto- 
 
THE OFFICERS PROTEST. I?3 
 
 fore unreasonable and undeserved abuse has been almost unbearable and 
 rendered our labors irksome in the extreme. This, taken in connection 
 with a lack of confidence in his ability as a commander produced by 
 actual observation, the details of which we can give if necessary we 
 consider a sufficient reason why his claim to the position of colonel by 
 seniority should be overlooked and the worthy major receive the appoint 
 ment. 
 
 We would also respectfullv recommend Captain Joseph Black to fill 
 the position of major, knowing him to be a good officer deserving of pro 
 motion, and believing him to be by far the most competent of the three 
 senior captains of the regiment, whose commissions date from the same 
 day, October 3ist, 1861. 
 
 J. M. AUGUSTINE, Capt. Co. A. 
 HENRY AUGUSTINE, 2d Lieut. Co. A. 
 
 E. C. LAWRENCE, 2d Lieut. Co. B. 
 A. F. MERRILL, ist Lieut. Co. B. 
 
 F. H. SHAW, Capt. Co. C. 
 DANIEL MC!NTOSH, ist Lieut. Co. C. 
 JOHN T. McAuLEY. 2d Lieut. Co. C. 
 J. R. ROBERTS, ist Lieut. Co. D. 
 
 H. A. SMITH, 2d Lieut. Co. D. 
 J. E. KEYES, ist Lieut. Co. E. 
 C. SCHLEICH, Capt. Co. F. 
 J. W. PARKS, ist Lieut. Co. F. 
 C. M. BROWN, ist Lieut. Co. G. 
 ALBERT A. WHIPPLE, 2d Lieut. Co. G. 
 TIM SLATTERY, Capt. Co. I. 
 L. B. CROOKER, ist Lieut. Co. I. 
 C. A. ANDRESS, 2d Lieut. Co. I. 
 J. H. FILLMORE, ist Lieut. Co. K. 
 H. H. KENDRICK, 2d Lieut. Co. K. 
 H. S. NOURSE, Adjutant. 
 
 The first action on the part of the officers was at once 
 reported to Colonel Stuart by Captains Chandler and Heffer- 
 nan, and he immediately sought to nullify its effect by for 
 warding the following letter to the governor. The original, 
 like all the documents herein quoted in that connection, are 
 a part of the state archives : 
 
 >ION, \ 
 
 )2. ) 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FOURTH BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION, 
 ARMY DISTRICT MEMPHIS. 
 
 MEMPHIS, TENN., 23d Nov., 1862 
 GOVERNOR : 
 
 I am informed by two of the senior captains of my regiment (the 
 55th 111.), that they, and others, were recently applied to by some of the 
 
174 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 officers of the regiment to sign some communication addressed to you, 
 in the nature of a protest against the promotion of Lieut.-Col. Oscar 
 Malmborg. 
 
 This movement proceeds upon the anticipation of my advancement, 
 which, they have heard, has been suggested by the general commanding, 
 in an official form. The new troops, since their advent here, have been 
 brigaded, and I have been assigned to the command of the Fourth bri 
 gade, composed of the 55th 111., the 54th Ohio (old regiments), the ii6th 
 111., the I27th 111., and the 83d Ind. (new regiments); this has removed me 
 from the immediate command of my regiment, leaving Lt.-Col. Malmborg 
 in command. Major Sanger (on Gen. Sherman s staff since we left 
 Paducah,) is still absent, which leaves Col. Malmborg the only field 
 officer serving with the regiment. While I remained with it we could get 
 along very well together with the battalion, reduced as it is to only 560 
 men; but now it became necessary for him to appoint some captain to 
 act as major, he designated Capt. Chandler, the senior captain in the 
 regiment, and one of the best officers, not alone in that regiment, but in 
 the service, out of this has sprung a feeling-of dissatisfaction. Lt.-Col. 
 Malmborg has been ill and off duty for a few weeks, and on battalion 
 drill I was accustomed to designate different captains to serve as major ; 
 one day one, and another the next, as it might happen, and changing 
 them with the view somewhat of practicing them in command ; during 
 all this time Chandler was sitting on a military commission and was not 
 with his regiment. Each of these captains seems now to consider him 
 self slighted and injured by Col. Malmborg, in this designation of Chand 
 ler to act as major, and they have been secretly plotting his injury, and 
 with one representation and another have succeeded in getting the names 
 of perhaps the larger part of the officers to the communication referred to. 
 
 Col. Malmborg is a strict disciplinarian, an exacting officer, who 
 demands from every officer the active and complete discharge of all his 
 duties. There are very few of them who do not feel pretty well contented 
 with themselves when they somewhere near half perform their duties ; 
 such men are not only not patted on the back by him, but they are 
 sternly and promptly reproved by him, and are driven up and compelled 
 to do their duty. They would like to get rid of him and have a slip-shod, 
 easy-going time of it. It is this vigilance, zeal and discipline, which has 
 made this regiment in every regard today the best one in this army. I 
 claim boldly for it (and it will be conceded by the commanding generals), 
 that it is the most efficient, the best drilled, best disciplined, best behaved, 
 cleanest, healthiest, and most soldierly regiment in this army. This per 
 fection has not been attained, nor these qualities acquired, without great 
 labor and care, constant and earnest vigilance. I have, of course, the 
 reputation of having accomplished this amongst those who know only, 
 generally, that I am at the head of the regiment ; they who know us more 
 intimately are well informed of the consequence Col. Malmborg has been 
 to me. It would be not alone ungenerous, but ungrateful in me, to 
 
STUART S SLANDEROUS LETTER. 175 
 
 appropriate any share of the credit and honor which so justly belongs to 
 him. to myself. 
 
 There was scarcely an officer in this regiment who, when he entered 
 it, knew his facings ; they have learned here all they know (and with 
 some of them the stock of knowledge on hand is not burdensome even 
 now), but by dint of hard work and doing their work for many of the 
 officers, we can get along and do. They ought to be grateful to Col. 
 M. for what he has done for them, but vanity, selfishness, and that "pru 
 rient ambition for fame not earned," which afflicts most men, makes 
 them insensible to the better, nobler, and more generous sentiments of 
 our nature. 
 
 I desire, frankly and truthfully, to bear witness to you, as our chief, 
 that this regiment, which has done and will do honor to your state, owes 
 its efficiency, its proficiency, and everything which gives it superiority or 
 a name, to Col. Malmborg I owe most that I know to him the officers 
 owe all to him without him the regiment will in sixty days go to obscu 
 rity, if it has no worse fate ; with him at its head, it will be a pride to you 
 and an honor to itself and its state ; there is no man else in the regiment 
 at all equal to or fit for the command of it ; there are but two or three of 
 the captains who are even fit for lieutenants, and few of the lieutenants 
 could make first-rate sergeants, but we get along with them, as I said 
 before, by dint of hard work and by doing their duty ourselves, or forcing 
 them to do it. The simple fact is that I know better than he does how to 
 get along with these men, make them do their duty, and still retain their 
 personal regard. I have been a politician, and he is a soldier, but he 
 exacts of them their duty, and only their duty, and that they must per 
 form. 
 
 You will believe me, I have no likes or dislikes to gratify in respect 
 of the regiment ; strict and impartial justice is the only rule which has 
 governed me, and the only safe one which can govern us in military 
 matters. My pride and hopes have been centered in the two regiments, 
 the 42d and 55th. My more intimate relations with the 55th gives me the 
 interest in it which a man feels for his family ; the men are of the better 
 classes, and have families of respectability at home, and are worth all 
 the care, attention and protection they can get. 
 
 As I said before, this whole movement proceeds on the supposition 
 that my promotion will follow the recommendation of the commanding 
 general. This, of course, I know is very problematical ; I have not 
 sought it, nor have I a friend living whom I have ever allowed to propose 
 it. I have no ambition or care for it. I objected to my assignment to 
 my present command, preferring greatly to stay immediately with my 
 regiment and men, and avoid the responsibility of so large a command. 
 If my promotion is not realized, of course the question of my successor 
 will not come up while I live or remain in the service. Pray pardon me 
 for troubling you with so long a letter ; I do not do it often, and I wished 
 to put the matter before you circumstantially as it is. 
 
176 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 We have this evening received marching orders for Wednesday 
 morning ; one regiment from each (three) division is to be designated by 
 the division commander, to remain as a garrison at Memphis. The rest 
 of the army moves with 200 rounds and five days rations. We have in 
 Memphis about 30,000 men ; Gen. Lauman commands one division, 
 Denver and Morgan L. Smith the others. Sherman returned this even 
 ing from an interview with Grant, at Columbus, but I have not seen him, 
 and am not advised of the precise direction of our march. We are to 
 take the field again, and I may not live or return ever to express to you, 
 governor, what is the universal sentiment of the great army of Illinois ; 
 the high respect we cherish for your administration of the military affairs 
 of the state, since we have been involved in this dreadful struggle. Your 
 self-sacrificing devotion to the cause, your zeal and interest in the comfort, 
 welfare and honor of your troops, have excited the admiration, and 
 assured to you the grateful affection of the army. We have no political 
 predilections no party attachments, which veil or qualify these senti 
 ments ; if the voice of the army in the field could be heard, it would be 
 such an expression of confidence and affection as would compensate you 
 for all your labors, responsibilities, and vexations. I meet no men so 
 proud of their state as the soldiers of Illinois. 
 
 With great respect, I remain very truly, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 DAVID STUART. 
 
 RICHARD YATES, Governor, etc. 
 
 Every instinct of justice would lead any one at all con 
 versant with the affairs of the Fifty-fifth to indignantly repel 
 the statements contained in the foregoing scurrilous letter; 
 yet it is unnecessary to do so at great length. Since the 
 colonel of that regiment did so report the officers to their 
 own Governor, and thereby make his report an official docu 
 ment in the archives of their own state, some attention must 
 be paid to it. It should be remembered that these officers, 
 so glibly vilified, were his own selections, and frequently so 
 designated to the injustice of others entitled by rank to the 
 place. The captains embraced in the tirade included such 
 men as Slattery, Augustine, Schleich, Black and Shaw. 
 Among the lieutenants shine out such names as Andress, 
 Augustine, Porter, Whipple, Aagesen, Brown, McAuley, 
 Lawrence and Kendrick. Several of these afterwards com 
 manded the regiment, and did it better than he who slandered 
 them. Some died on the field of battle and are remembered 
 by all who survive them with love and reverence. Besides 
 these, there were dozens of non-commissioned officers and 
 
THE OFFICERS VINDICATED. 177 
 
 men in the ranks who would not suffer by comparison with 
 the field officers of 1862. 
 
 When Stuart for his own ends compliments the rank and 
 file, he indulged in the luxury of telling the exact truth. It 
 is a pity, however, that his admiration for them exhausted 
 itself in a rhetorical essay to the Governor, while we are left 
 to look in vain for honorable mention in reports and sugges 
 tions for their reward in way of promotion, medals or brevets. 
 It is strange, too, that from among men so meritorious, he 
 who made and unmade officers at will should have such poor 
 luck in the selection of subordinates. It also " passeth 
 human understanding" how an organization could become so 
 preeminently well drilled with only such worthless officers to 
 do it. The regiment did not, as predicted, "in sixty days go 
 to obscurity," after the then lieutenant-colonel was displaced; 
 but, under officers of its own selection, including some pro 
 nounced so worthless, bravely faced the overhanging flames 
 of Kenesaw, did glorious work all around Atlanta, and finally 
 marched to the sea, then to Washington, and swept down 
 from Capitol Hill past the wise men of the nation, with its 
 own Army of the Tennessee. 
 
 If there be those who shrink from what is said above 
 because it seems to speak harshly of those who are dead, let 
 them recall that the history of the Fifty-fifth is largely the 
 history of the dead. If the author of these slanders is not 
 alive to modify them, neither are poor Augustine, Schleich 
 or Porter alive to defend themselves from the charges. This 
 letter was a voluntary contribution from its author to the 
 public records of his state. It was meant to have an effect, 
 and did have an effect. It deceived the great war governor 
 of Illinois, and did rank injustice to many men who lived 
 blamelessly and died heroically. There are other letters on 
 file from the same source, as bad or worse. All these are 
 proper material, and may at any time be assimilated by the 
 historian. There is something due, also, to the living as well 
 as to the dead. This should be a work to tell the truth, not to 
 suppress it. It appears to be a plain duty, as it certainly is 
 a pleasure, to vindicate both the living and the dead from the 
 slanders of either, where the good fame of the Fifty-fifth is 
 12 
 
I7 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 at stake, and strict truth justifies the effort. It is esteemed 
 a high privilege on this the first opportunity, to tell to the 
 public that the line officers of our regiment were not men 
 whose highest ambition was to "have a slip-shod, easy-going 
 time," and were not persons actuated by a "vanity and selfish 
 ness" that made them "insensible to the better and more 
 generous sentiments of our nature." 
 
 This brings the incidents of this narrative to the closing 
 days of the pleasant encampment in the suburbs of Memphis. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TALLAHATCHIE. CHICKASAW BAYOU. ARKANSAS POST. 
 
 ON the morning of November 26th, 1862, the beautiful 
 camp of the Fifty-fifth at Memphis was dismantled. 
 The cosy and even luxurious quarters had to be abandoned 
 for such cheer as could be found in a winter campaign in the 
 wilds of Mississippi. The Sibley tents, in use since first 
 taking the field, and now ragged, colored with smoke, and 
 weather-beaten, were replaced by the shelter tent. This 
 latter consisted of a strip of tow cloth about four feet wide 
 and six feet long, issued to each man, which, when folded up, 
 made a small roll of cloth weighing but a pound or two. By 
 joining two of these sheets together a strip was obtained 
 wide enough, when stretched over sticks, to form a low, 
 kennel-like structure, under which two men could crowd and 
 lie recumbent during a night or storm. They were univer 
 sally known in the expressive vocabulary of the army, as 
 " dog tents." As for cooking utensils, not much was expected 
 at that practical stage of the war. Every effort of very able 
 generals at the head of affairs in the department, and the 
 ready wit and ingenuity of the soldiers themselves, turned 
 toward " flying light." Each one on a march had slung 
 somewhere about his person an old oyster or fruit can, tin 
 cup or pail, which during the day s tramp dangled melodi 
 ously behind, but when a halt came was the sole dependence 
 for cooking purposes. Rations were generally issued for 
 three days supply to the men, and for field purposes con 
 sisted of smoked side-meat, hard-tack, coffee, sugar, salt and 
 
l8o FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 pepper. Of course these were supplemented by whatever 
 else could be obtained from the country, which was often 
 times nothing, if in the rear of the column. In quantity, as 
 well as variety, all rations were subjected to fluctuations, 
 according to the exigencies of the campaign. 
 
 The usual procedure adopted by the soldiers was to asso 
 ciate in groups of two or more, as suited their taste, and all 
 rations would be pooled. Of course little bags had been 
 provided long before, frequently consisting of an old stock 
 ing, for the purpose of holding salt, coffee, sugar, pepper and 
 the like, so that they would not become mixed before the 
 proper time. These parcels, w r ith other impedimenta, were 
 apportioned among chums as they saw fit, and put in the 
 haversacks to be carried. Occasionally a man noted for his 
 good nature and endurance, like Jack Berlin, would sling to 
 his kit a frying-pan, coffee-pot or Dutch oven, to be used in 
 common with his friends. Any halt would be followed by 
 the instant building of innumerable small fires, and the cup 
 or little pail would be filled with water from the canteen, or 
 an adjacent water-course, and in an incredibly short time 
 each would be supplied with strong coffee. The hard-tack 
 and smoked meat were always ready for engorgement, without 
 additional preparation. To the above method there was at 
 least one exception, in the person of Heme Harris, otherwise 
 "Tobunkus," of Company I, who upon receiving his three 
 days rations proceeded to eat them up, then and there, and 
 after performing this phenominal act of deglutition, would 
 pass the next three days in a state of semi-somnolence nearly 
 resembling that of a boa constrictor. In transporting blan 
 kets, wearing apparel, three days rations, camp equipage, 
 water, gun, sixty rounds of ammunition, and shelter, each 
 soldier was his own baggage-wagon. 
 
 For war purposes, the volunteer became on the march a 
 pack-mule, a fighting machine, and at intervals an intelligent 
 thinker and talker upon the strategy of campaigns, prospects 
 of foreign intervention, and the policy of the government. 
 When occasion demanded he built bridges, repaired railroads, 
 ran engines or steamboats, printed newspapers, cut cord- 
 wood, killed men, or stole chickens; and did all these things 
 
TALLAHATCHIE CAMPAIGN. l8l 
 
 well. Clearly the "kid-glove" era of the war was a thing of 
 the past, and each one in his own way had determined to 
 make life a burden to the people of the South who brought 
 it on. The first and most apparent result was, that the con 
 temptuous and defiant derision of "Yankees" instantly ceased, 
 and gave place to a tearful wish that the war would end upon 
 any terms. The contraband had no pecuniary value in the 
 camps, neither could he be eaten; but the rebels called him 
 live stock, and his stout arms could build breastworks and 
 raise corn, so there was ample satisfaction and justification 
 for seducing him away from the alleged patriarchal and legal 
 owner. 
 
 About noon of the pleasant November day referred to, 
 Morgan L. Smith s division of Sherman s army marched due 
 east from Memphis to Germantown, and stopped at the latter 
 place during the night. The whole movement was an ad 
 vance toward Vicksburg from the interior, and Sherman s 
 forces formed the extreme right. Morgan L. Smith s detour 
 to the east, before turning south, was simply intended to 
 relieve the roads toward the Tallahatchie of unnecessary 
 crowding. On the morning of the 27th the division turned 
 south, and after marching ten miles the Fifty-fifth bivouacked 
 in a cotton-field, where the "dog tents" were erected for the 
 first time. The next day fifteen miles were traversed, and a 
 corn-field afforded the stopping place for the night. Just 
 before dark a good-sized hog made an unfortunate break 
 from the brush, and was bayoneted instantly by the men. 
 It was expected that the march would soon end for the day, 
 but in point of fact it continued for about three miles further. 
 Nevertheless, the bleeding sacrifice, weighing at least two 
 hundred pounds, was carried along somehow in the ranks, 
 and arrived at camp with the men. It is believed that the 
 imagination of a moderately intelligent reader can supply all 
 additional details required to account for the final disposition 
 of the captured property. 
 
 After a march of five miles on the next day, the high 
 ridges skirting the valley of Pigeon Roost Creek were reached. 
 It was known that the main column of Grant s army was 
 keeping abreast some miles to the left, and that all parts of 
 
182 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the army were converging toward Holly Springs and the 
 Tallahatchie River, the line of rebel occupation. Occasion 
 ally the distant firing of cannon echoed through the great 
 valleys and reverberated over the high ridges of the country. 
 General Smith s column deployed on the high ground over 
 looking Pigeon Roost Creek, in line of battle, and there was 
 an air of approaching conflict in the various preparations in 
 sight. While the Fifty-fifth lay stretched through the woods 
 in battle order, on that warm autumn day, the chaplain made 
 his appearance. Indeed, he was never far in the rear if there 
 was a semblance of danger. Deeming the occasion a proper 
 one, and no movements for the time interfering, he inaugu 
 rated an impromptu meeting. His exhortation was a flaming 
 war speech, bristling with eloquent, patriotic and religious 
 sentiments. There was no cant about it; it breathed the 
 feeling and inspiration of a genuine Christian soldier. His 
 hymns were such soul-stirring lyrics as the " Battle Cry of 
 Freedom," and sung in fervid concert they swelled out over 
 the valley in noble pathos. The scene was worthy of the 
 Covenanters, and was incited by a broader purpose, if not 
 more conscientious zeal. The enemy drew back, however, 
 and the patriots pursued their way to Chulahoma and en 
 camped for the night, to be drenched by a heavy rainfall. 
 Sherman s column had gained a day s march on the right, 
 and the next day the Fifty-fifth and Eighth Missouri were 
 drawn out to make a reconnoissance to the Tallahatchie, and 
 the return to Chulahoma the same night completed a march 
 of twenty-two miles for the day. 
 
 On December 2d, Sherman s whole line proceeded to the 
 borders of the Tallahatchie, pelted the whole day by a driv 
 ing, cold rain-storm, and Stuart s brigade encamped at Wyatt, 
 a squalid village. The next three days were employed, wet 
 and disagreeable as they were, in erecting a bridge across the 
 river under the immediate direction of Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Malmborg. On the 5th the river was crossed, and after pass 
 ing some extensive, unfinished and abandoned earthworks, 
 the brigade bivouacked in a pleasant woodland, just at the 
 borders of the valley. The One-hundred-and-twenty-seventh 
 and One-hundred-and-sixteenth Illinois and Eighty-third 
 
SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITIES. 183 
 
 Indiana, all splendid new regiments of the brigade, kept well 
 up in this their first march. They came a year later into the 
 service than the rest of the brigade, had been paid an addi 
 tional bounty, and started overburdened with baggage, as all 
 new troops did. They had thrown away their burdens, lain 
 in the fence corners, and been unmercifully chaffed as is 
 usual, and perhaps salutary, in such cases. Of course the old 
 troops stole from them at will, marched them as hard as pos 
 sible, bedeviled them in every way, and then consoled them 
 with the cry that it "took a bounty before and a draft behind" 
 to force them into service at all. They soon became veterans 
 and famous regiments, and when the time came they put 
 other raw troops through the same rough process of initiation. 
 Actual battle soon gave the regiments of 1862 a chance to 
 offer the "blood atonement," and then they belonged to the 
 great brotherhood of veterans. 
 
 As soon as arms were stacked at the new camping place the 
 veterans scattered over the country in pursuit of plunder. 
 This was against orders, as it was desired to do the foraging 
 systematically by detail. While a patrol of the One-hundred- 
 and-twenty-seventh Illinois was ranging the region to arrest 
 the marauders, they came across Jim Watkins of the Fifty- 
 fifth, who had just made a capture suited to his grotesque 
 ambition. It was a basket-full of fine china-ware. He was 
 taken in charge, and as a matter of course gave a false name 
 and regiment, and, as all thieves did, claimed to belong to 
 the Eighth Missouri. A single guard was detailed to take 
 Jim to camp and deliver him to the provost-marshal. On 
 the way he got the gun of his captor, shifted the burden of 
 the plunder and the offence, and turned the guileless recruit 
 over to the headquarters guard as a villain of the deepest 
 dye, and escaped to his own comrades, leaving the patrol to 
 explain matters. 
 
 Any quantity of fresh meat and corn meal was obtained, 
 but salt was so scarce as to be finally unobtainable, and many 
 meals which would otherwise have been luxuries, were insipid 
 and almost uneatable for the want of it. Enormous log 
 camp-fires were built at night, and officers and soldiers gath 
 ered around to listen to some noted story-teller. Quarter- 
 
184 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 master Janes took occasion to perpetrate his favorite joke 
 about the man going to mill, upon Commissary-Sergeant 
 Fisher, and shouts of happy laughter rang through the 
 woods. These nights presented a pretty picture, when the 
 flames blazed out among the trees and fitfully lighted up the 
 gloom. Its red glare made plain the faces of the grim sol 
 diers who lay and lounged close around, and blending into 
 the darkness, flickered among the bright bayonets stacked in 
 long rows at the rear. 
 
 At noon of December 10th, Morgan L. Smith s division, 
 with General Sherman in person, turned again toward Mem 
 phis, which point was reached^y hard marching on December 
 1 3th. As shortly appeared, this movement was for the 
 purpose of adding Smith s division to the formidable 
 expedition intended to capture Vicksburg, by way of the 
 Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. On the march just described, 
 Colonel David Stuart received notice of his appointment by 
 the President as brigadier-general, to which position he had 
 been warmly recommended by General Sherman, Governor 
 Yates and others. So far as known, his promotion excited 
 no opposition in his own regiment, except at the hands of 
 the chaplain and Captain and Lieutenant Augustine, who 
 forwarded a protest, setting forth his unfitness and charging 
 him with disloyalty. As to the latter disqualification no 
 actual proof exists. It should be remembered, however, that 
 the army was righteously sensitive about its leaders hob 
 nobbing with the disloyal citizens. This, Stuart had been 
 injudicious enough to persist in, but his conduct in this 
 respect can be accounted for by ascribing it to motives quite 
 different, and though not especially commendable, less hurt 
 ful to the cause. The chaplain was satisfied with nothing 
 less than whole-souled single-minded patriotism, and Stuart s 
 conduct did not by any means reach that high standard. He 
 had, too, a certain recklessness of speech, and frequently 
 made foolish statements which, literally interpreted, justified 
 the charge, but it is not believed that the crime of actual 
 sympathy with rebellion can fairly be sustained by evidence. 
 As is now well known, this promotion resulted soon in 
 Stuart s complete discomfiture through the failure of the 
 
DIVISION TRAIN CAPTURED. 185 
 
 Senate to confirm his appointment. When that took place, 
 the contest in which he sought with his brilliant talents to 
 win success, seems to have been given up, and a defeated 
 and deeply disappointed man, he dropped into obscurity. 
 It is probable that social causes existing in Chicago, and 
 having powerful ramifications in the state of New York, 
 mainly caused his rejection by the United States Senate. 
 
 Upon the return to Memphis, learning of the petition for 
 the promotion of Sanger and Black, the late colonel, then 
 general and soon to be Mr. Stuart, forwarded another urgent 
 letter to Governor Yates, asking for the promotion of the 
 lieutenant-colonel, and making^ the point that he was first 
 in the line of promotion. This seems to have been a new 
 revelation, for he had never observed that rule himself, 
 except by accident. This anxiety for the immediate receipt 
 of commissions for the colonel and major, seems also to have 
 been a new-born zeal, for he had never asked for the com 
 mission of a line officer, and had persistently refused to 
 deliver those voluntarily sent him by the Governor. The 
 missive sent at this time pronounces Captains Chandler and 
 Heffernan to be "by far the best officers in the regiment," 
 and reiterates the sweeping abuse of the former letter as to 
 all of the others. 
 
 When the Fifty-fifth arrived at the beautiful camp aban 
 doned on NovenTber 26th, it was found occupied by other 
 troops, and the shelter tents were erected upon a bare slope 
 further toward the river. Everything betokened the con 
 centration of a large army and a speedy movement. The 
 regiment was mustered and received pay for July and 
 August. It was at this time that extra muster rolls were 
 obtained to send to the Governor for commissions, as before 
 stated. One day nearly all the mule teams of the division 
 were sent into the country toward Wolf River for wood. 
 They were without an escort, and had with them only a few 
 men detailed to load wood, and without arms. A company 
 of guerillas swooped down upon them, and without a single 
 casualty captured all the men and mules, and abandoning 
 the wagons mounted the prisoners upon the animals and 
 struck for the interior. At Germantown they paroled the 
 
l86 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 men, who returned the next day crest-fallen enough. A 
 sweeping impressment supplied the place of the missing 
 animals in a few hours. Such matters do not get into military 
 reports, because they are evidences of carelessness hence 
 the above loss of fifty or sixty thousand dollars worth of 
 property, when the detail of a single company from the fifteen 
 or twenty thousand men present would have prevented it- 
 is not related in the reports of the war. 
 
 On Sunday, December 2Oth, the Fifty-fifth went early in 
 the day to the steamboat landing, and on board the fine 
 transport Westmoreland, which was also headquarters for the 
 brigade commander and staff. The day was spent in loading 
 baggage and getting on board the men too drunk to exercise 
 locomotion. This last unpleasant duty was attended to by 
 Captain Shaw, who narrowly escaped serious stabbing at the 
 hands of a reckless character. The next morning Helena, 
 Arkansas, was passed, and the fleet pulled up at Friars Point 
 until the next day. The troops were taken on shore, and 
 some uncertain attempts made at battalion drill, which were 
 intended as exercise, and the transports were meantime 
 thoroughly policed. At this place the large division of Gen 
 eral Steele joined the command, and by an order soon issued 
 became the First division of the celebrated Fifteenth Army 
 Corps the division to which the Fifty-fifth was attached 
 retaining the title of Second division, a flame entitled to 
 imperishable honors. Indeed, the order creating corps 
 organizations had already been issued at Washington, but 
 did not reach this portion of the afflicted republic until after 
 the battle of Arkansas Post. About noon, December 22d, 
 the Planet, having on board the Eighth Missouri, closely 
 followed by the Westmoreland with the Fifty-fifth, swung 
 loose from the river bank and started down stream. 
 
 Here again there stretched out before the beholder one of 
 those grand military panoramas never seen except upon the 
 great inland waters. The swift flowing and majestic Missis 
 sippi was again troubled by the restless throbs of a great 
 fleet, bound upon a historic errand ; a mighty array of men 
 that kept restlessly pounding along its forest-covered shores, 
 until the river itself flowed "unvexed to the sea." To that 
 
DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI. 187 
 
 end these sturdy men of the Northwest, under leaders they 
 had helped teach in the art of war, waded swamps, climbed 
 rugged hills, dug trenches, stormed breastworks and fought 
 the battles of a campaign now gloriously conspicuous in the 
 history of the worloL They so wrought that the Confederacy, 
 like the vail of the temple, was rent in twain, and from thence 
 they turned toward other and distant fields of conquest. 
 They carried into use all the existing arts of war, discovered 
 new principles and invented new theories and applied them 
 to the practical purpose of saving a great republic ; and 
 when they had done, they left the Union safe and the science 
 of war enriched by a multitude of valuable discoveries. 
 
 On the night of the 23d of December the Fifty-fifth, with 
 the Fifty-seventh Ohio, landed and marched eight miles, but 
 the trip was barren of results, if any were expected. From 
 time to time the fleet turned inshore to obtain fuel captured 
 from wood-yards, cut from the forest, made from fence-rails 
 and old buildings, as the emergency demanded. These 
 occasions were enlivened by the exercise of the foraging 
 propensities of the men. There was little official interfer 
 ence with this, and when the zeal of the new-made brigadier 
 induced him to interpose on one occasion, an indelicate allu 
 sion by a member of the Eighth Missouri to one of Stuart s 
 notable conquests at the court of Venus, quickly suppressed 
 further effort in that quarter. 
 
 On Christmas day of 1862, Milliken s Bend was reached, 
 and from there the first view of the frowning heights of 
 Vicksburg was obtained. It presented nothing visible to the 
 naked eye at that distance but a compressed appearance of 
 high bluffs, upon which sat the dome of the court house in 
 silent watch. With the aid of field-glasses it could be seen 
 that the rugged hills were seamed and scarred with massive 
 earth-works and garnished with abundant artillery. 
 
 During the forenoon of the next day the perspicuous 
 orders of the commanding general were promulgated, and at 
 noon the entire expedition, preceded by a convoy of gun 
 boats, steamed up Old River into the Yazoo, and at the end 
 of thirteen miles Morgan L. Smith s division tied up at John 
 ston s Plantation, its assigned place of debarkation. On the 
 
l88 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 morning of the 27th, the army of thirty thousand men began 
 to untangle itself from the seeming confusion of the landing, 
 and each of its units sought the place designated for it in the 
 contemplated assault. The Second division, led by that of 
 Steele, unwound across the bottom and >ld fields, and after 
 tramping through a huge growth of cockle burs, reached the 
 forest further back, which was wild with the luxuriance of 
 semi-tropical vegetation, through which the column slowly 
 pushed its way. As is necessary and inevitable on all such 
 occasions, when the enemy are known to be concealed not 
 far away, halts were frequent. During one of these a musket 
 was discharged, and an unearthly howl went up from the 
 ranks of Company D. This volume of noise issued from 
 thedumpy form of "little Chris" of that company, who had 
 accidentally discharged his gun while sitting upon a log, 
 barked the end of his pug nose, blown the visor of his cap 
 to pieces, and was left firmly convinced that his whole head 
 was gone. He soon regained his wonted stolidity, and took 
 his place in the ranks under a fire of humorous remarks from 
 his comrades. 
 
 Shortly after noon firing was heard at the front, which 
 indicated that the head of the column had run against the 
 advance of the enemy. After waiting some time, Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Malmborg, who had gone ahead, came ambling 
 back on "Charley," as though he was the bearer of good 
 tidings, and announced that he had obtained for the Fifty- 
 fifth the privilege of going in advance to open the battle. 
 This unappreciated call to honor was obeyed by the regiment, 
 led on by the graceful equestrian who commanded it, and 
 passing through the woods and by the throngs of soldiers who 
 filled the road, until the head of the line was reached. Here 
 in the edge of the timber was a bayou, on the other side of 
 which the rebel skirmishers had been found posted. The 
 Fifty-eighth Ohio, a splendid German regiment of about four 
 hundred men, belonging to Steele s division, was already 
 engaged in crossing and deploying on the other side. At 
 the head of the line, halted and at order arms, stretched the 
 long ranks of the Thirteenth Illinois, which, although the 
 senior regiment from the Prairie State, had not yet lost a 
 
CHICKASAW BAYOU. 189 
 
 man in battle. Under a grove of trees near by, intently 
 watching the proceedings, sat upon horseback Generals 
 Sherman, Steele, Stuart, A. J. Smith, Blair, and other star- 
 bespangled soldiers of note. As the Fifty-fifth approached 
 the bayou, over which it was necessary to cross by travers 
 ing a log, the rich voices of Company I, led by its brave 
 Orderly-Sergeant Ebersold, rang out with the opening stanza 
 of the Battle Cry of Freedom. The whole regiment took up 
 the anthem, and a strain of soul-stirring music swelled out 
 into the vaults of the forest in a magnificent volume of mel 
 ody. The generals forgot their momentous councils and 
 turned curiously and admiringly to watch the little line as it 
 disappeared into the tangled thickets to open the battle of 
 Chickasaw Bayou. 
 
 When once across the stream through which poor "Char 
 ley" had to swim the Fifty-fifth and the Fifty-eighth were 
 in a measure separated from the army, and the command of 
 the advance fell to Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg, who was 
 the senior officer present. The Fifty-eighth was already de 
 ployed, and the Fifty-fifth was massed in reserve, close up. 
 From the latter, companies were taken from time to time to 
 strengthen or extend the skirmish line, and the slow process 
 of pushing back the rebel advance through the dense, swampy 
 woods, next ensued. During the afternoon this was accom 
 plished, and just before dark the Federal line reached the 
 main, or Chickasaw Bayou, along which the battle was fought. 
 The Fifty-fifth being mainly in support met with no loss, but 
 the Fifty-eighth had several struck, including one captain 
 killed. The rebels retired to the southern bank of the stream 
 and stopped behind the levee, a splendid protection, from 
 which they kept up an angry fire of musketry. 
 
 The body of the regiment had advanced during the after 
 noon, formed in "column by file," a movement originating 
 somewhere among the tactical reminiscences of the lieuten 
 ant-colonel, and unknown in the books in use. It consisted 
 in advancing the color-guard to the front, when the two 
 wings of the regiment doubled in behind, making a sort of 
 flank march in ranks of eight men deep. From this unique 
 formation some companies had been taken to strengthen the 
 
190 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 front, leaving the remainder of the regiment standing irregu 
 larly and disconnected, like the pieces on a checker-board. 
 About dark, while the men were halted in this awkward posi 
 tion, a sudden fusilade of the enemy very nearly caused a 
 stampede to the rear ; but this was quickly controlled by the 
 strenuous efforts of the line officers, who then marched their 
 men into line of battle, independent of any order from the 
 regimental commander. Just in front, perhaps fifty yards 
 away, the intervening space being greatly obstructed with 
 fallen timber, was Chickasaw Bayou. Behind it, and less 
 than one hundred yards distant, lay the enemy. To their 
 rear was three-quarters of a mile of swampy bottom, and 
 then the frowning Walnut Hills, terraced all over their 
 sides with innumerable rifle-pits and intrenchments. Still 
 beyond were the great billows of eroded ridges, stretching 
 to the main works of Vicksburg, five or six miles away. 
 
 When the regiment disembarked in the forenoon, Dick 
 Needham, an Irishman of Company I, was in a glorious state 
 of bibulous exaltation, and as became his race, was belliger 
 ent in the extreme. During the afternoon he had to be 
 placed under restraint to prevent him from instituting an 
 individual assault upon his own sole responsibility. He 
 called his comrades all cowards for moving so slowly, and 
 loudly proclaimed in rich brogue that he could "whip the 
 
 whole d d scrape of em" alone. After arriving at the 
 
 main bayou Dick had neither whiskey nor water left, and his 
 consuming thirst became unbearable. There was no place to 
 obtain water except at the bayou, not fifty yards in front of 
 the rebel line behind the levee, but Dick was bound to take 
 the risk. The patience of the lieutenant in command was 
 finally exhausted at his persistence, and remonstrance ceas 
 ing the reckless soldier loaded himself down with canteens 
 and started on his perilous adventure. He immediately 
 commenced stumbling over brush and logs in the dense 
 darkness, whereat his profanity waxed vigorous and voluble, 
 all of which drew the fire of the rebel line in his direction, 
 but unscathed he reached the water s edge and deliberately 
 filled the dozen or so canteens he had with him. When done 
 he sat down and opened the vials of his wrath upon the foe. 
 Above the noise of their volleys Dick s rich Irish voice could 
 
GENERAL SMITH WOUNDED. 
 
 be heard as he yelled, "Come out av yer holes, ye bloody 
 ribils, and I ll lick the whole d d scrape of yez!" Find 
 ing they would not accept his challenge, he returned unhurt, 
 and distributed the canteens of water to the owners, and 
 dropped down on the ground to sleep, muttering anathemas 
 at the enemy who would not come out of their holes while 
 he "licked the whole d d scrape of em." 
 
 At four o clock the next morning, and long before a single 
 ray of light had penetrated the foggy atmosphere, a battery 
 which had come up during the night was placed in a belliger 
 ent position by Malmborg. The occasion was one for inde 
 pendent action, and neither the intense darkness nor want of 
 an object to fire at was an obstacle to his vaulting ambition. 
 Notwithstanding the impassable bayou was between the 
 battery and the rebel skirmish line, it must be supported 
 according to rule, and the Fifty-fifth was dragged through 
 the brush and impenetrable gloom, and massed in two lines 
 close behind the artillery. This done, a fire of six pound 
 missiles was opened upon the Southern Confederacy on gen 
 eral principles. Malmborg in command, walked back and 
 forth among the guns, giving directions about the length of 
 fuse, which made but little difference since the location of a 
 single position of the enemy was not known. Of course the 
 Federal position was lighted up by the fires of the ridiculous 
 bombardment, and a few shells were returned. Some very 
 narrow escapes there were, but fortunately no casualties. 
 With daylight came other troops and superior officers, and 
 the useless noise ceased with the relegation of Malmborg to 
 his proper command. 
 
 The division commander, Morgan L. Smith, soon rode by 
 the right of the regiment toward the front, accompanied by 
 a single orderly. As he passed a group of officers by the 
 Fifty-fifth, they called his attention to the dangerous prox 
 imity of the Confederate sharp-shooters. To this he made 
 some facetious reply, and proceeded to the edge of the brush 
 that fringed the slashed timber, took out his glass and began 
 to look into the lifting fog to get a view across the bayou. 
 All this happened near by and in plain view of the group of 
 officers before alluded to. -Presently he put up his glass, 
 calmly reined his horse to the rear and returned as he came. 
 
 
192 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 As he went by where the troops were standing he gave some 
 pungent and profane directions, and disappeared in the 
 woods at the rear. He had, while looking through his glass, 
 been shot by a rebel sharp-shooter, the bullet striking him 
 near the top of the hip bone and ranging across the back to 
 the spine ; yet such was his splendid nerve that the wound, 
 almost mortal, did not cause a tremor of the voice. He fell 
 from his horse when out of sight of his men, and was carried 
 to the boats. He never recovered entirely from the injury. 
 This deprived the army of the services of a very valuable 
 officer, which fact is deeply deplored by the commanding 
 general in his report. General Stuart, by virtue of his rank, 
 assumed command of the division, but was soon placed under 
 control of General A. J. Smith, whose troops were on the 
 right. 
 
 Chickasaw Bayou followed in sinuous way from the Yazoo 
 above in a southwesterly direction several miles to the Mis 
 sissippi below. It was impassable, except at two points. One 
 of these was a narrow sand-bar in front of the Second division. 
 On the side of the Federals this crossing was protected by 
 an abatis of thickly fallen timber, the interlocked trunks and 
 limbs being covered with festoons of Spanish moss. On the 
 opposite side was an impracticable bank, surmounted by a 
 levee, which formed a perfect parapet for the foe. The prob 
 lem was to cross this bayou in the face of these obstacles, 
 overcome the resistance and gain a foothold upon the bluffs 
 beyond, from whence it was hoped that Vicksburg, a few 
 miles away, might be approached. 
 
 Companies A and B of the Illinois artillery were brought 
 up, and with them the celebrated twenty-pound Parrott guns 
 so well known to the Fifty-fifth. In order to make even the 
 poor route spoken of accessible, it was necessary to clear the 
 road and approaches to the bayou, and for such purpose 
 these guns were opened and the edge of the bayou lined with 
 riflemen, hoping in a measure to control the fire of the rebels 
 on the other side. The artillery fire was incessant for some 
 hours, but without doubt entirely harmless to the well- 
 protected Confederates. Meanwhile the Fifty-fifth, with the 
 exception of Companies A and B, which were engaged in 
 
DEATH OF SCHLEICH. 193 
 
 the sharp-shooting tournament, lay near the cannon, lazily 
 watching the explosion of the shells and the curious rings of 
 smoke going up from the muzzles of the guns. Malmborg 
 amused himself by occasionally aiming one of the Parrotts, 
 and forever after felicitated himself upon having dismounted 
 one of the enemy s guns, situated upon an Indian mound 
 some distance out upon the bottom. This dubious honor, 
 however, was disputed by an ambitious lieutenant, who 
 claimed to have fired a small revolver in the same direction. 
 Some rebel shell plunged about, and the narrow escapes 
 were numerous. General Stuart, while ranging around in the 
 rear in a state of exaltation, not at all induced by an over 
 dose of river water, valorously ordered one of Captain Bar 
 rett s battery forges into position, but countermanded his 
 desperate mandate upon being told by the Dutch sergeant 
 in charge that he had no other ammunition than horse-shoes. 
 Early in the afternoon the Fifty-fourth Ohio was ordered 
 to remove the obstacles from the road, clear the approaches 
 to the sand bar and prepare the way for assault. This was 
 a task of great danger and was attempted with the zeal and 
 gallantry which always characterized that excellent regiment 
 in battle, and which earned it well merited praise in the 
 subsequent reports. To aid and protect this effort, the 
 fallen timber along the shore of the bayou was crowded 
 with the sharp-shooters of the Fifty-fifth, who were sent to 
 the front from time to time. The companies were taken 
 from the right and left, alternately, until eight companies 
 were engaged. They were directed to scatter out among 
 the logs, and keep up an incessant fire at the top of the 
 levee beyond. When it became the turn of Company F to 
 go, it was led forward by its newly made captain, Casper 
 Schleich. A few rods brought him within the circle of 
 danger, but he walked fearlessly at the head of his men, the 
 very impersonation of soldierly valor. With his arm out 
 stretched for the purpose of directing one of his followers 
 to a place of safety, apparently not thinking of his own 
 peril, he was struck fair in the breast by a bullet, and with a 
 gush of blood from his great heart he fell dead into the 
 arms of his comrades. So fell one of the marked heroes of 
 13 
 
194 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the Fifty-fifth, and one who had every grace of mind and 
 person to qualify him for an ideal soldier and officer. He 
 had before going into battle felt one of those mysterious 
 presentiments which sometimes seem to beckon soldiers 
 across the silent river. He told of his premonitions and 
 appeared to believe them, but walked to his fate without 
 faltering, 
 
 " Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch 
 About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 
 
 All the companies had been taken from the right of the 
 regiment up to Company I, which stood in line expecting to 
 be sent to the front next. Just as Captain Schleich s bleeding 
 corpse was being carried by on the left, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Malmborg, who had not yet learned of the calamity, 
 approached from the opposite direction. The lieutenant in 
 command of Company I stepped out in anticipation of the 
 order to advance, but without waiting to receive it announced 
 that Captain Schleich was killed. The colonel s lip quiv 
 ered. In an instant a tear stole down his cheek which he 
 brushed away as though it might seem unsoldierly, and in a 
 tremulous tone gave his directions. As Company I moved 
 by him, he said, "There goes my singing company. God 
 bless you, boys, do your duty." It was one of those rare 
 moments when the noise of battle had humanized him, when 
 the every-day turbulent emotions of his being seemed 
 to be suppressed and he could see with a clearer vision. 
 It was an act of feeling on his part which made one inclined 
 to forget the past and hope for the future. 
 
 This sharp-shooting finally involved eight companies of 
 the regiment, and was very close work. The men were 
 exceedingly expert in seeking cover among the logs and 
 trees, and draped themselves with the moss hanging every 
 where from the limbs for further disguise. The slightest 
 exposure of the person brought an instant messenger from 
 some foe behind the levee across the bayou, and every bullet 
 was aimed at some one. Narrow escapes were frequent. 
 Happy Dan Negley of Company A, was hit full in the breast, 
 but the many folds of the blanket slung around him inter 
 posed and saved a valuable life. When unrolled, the 
 
THE CASUALTIES. 195 
 
 blanket had more than twenty perforations in it. At this 
 time the only casualties of the regiment in the battle 
 occurred. Besides the death of Captain Schleich, already 
 mentioned, Captain Cootes was badly wounded in the 
 shoulder; Charles Quinn of Company B was killed outright. 
 He had enlisted at Memphis and this was his first battle. 
 He was brave to rashness, exposed himself recklessly, and 
 was shot through the head. William Bond of Company E 
 was mortally wounded. Sergeant Phillip B. Ferguson of 
 Company F, and Sergeant James Harrell of Company D, 
 were badly wounded. 
 
 Under the cover of this fire the gallant Fifty-fourth Ohio 
 was employed in clearing the way to the sand-bar, and 
 suffered considerable loss. During the afternoon, Colonel 
 Wyman of the Thirteenth Illinois, was killed just to the left 
 and in sight. At dusk, all of the companies of the Fifty- 
 fifth were withdrawn from the edge of the bayou to the 
 place close in rear where the deployment commenced. 
 That night and the next day were spent on the same ground 
 near the batteries, constantly under arms, and shot and 
 shell were flying around. Some portion of the regiment 
 was generally on the skirmish line, but no further loss 
 followed. Just on the right, the Sixth Missouri, with its 
 brave Colonel Blood at its head, essayed to cross the sand 
 bar. It passed the narrow path entirely beyond the bayou 
 and remained for hours under the steep bank with the rebels 
 directly overhead, and suffered a greater loss than any 
 regiment in the division. This was one of the notable feats 
 of the war. The superb officer who commanded the Sixth 
 has since obtained some notoriety as one of the numerous 
 husbands, brevet or otherwise, of Victoria Woodhull. Colonel 
 Blood, in war times, was a gallant officer, though somewhat 
 a soldier of fortune, and as these lines are written word 
 comes that he has lost his life leading some sort of venture 
 into the wilds of Africa. It was on this day, too, that the 
 main assault was made by Morgan s and Steele s men, some 
 what more than a mile to the left. 
 
 Shortly after dark on the 2gth a violent, cold rain-storm 
 set in, and sleep was impossible during its continuance. On 
 
196 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the next day the Fourth brigade was withdrawn from the 
 immediate front, having been under fire without rest and 
 with but little nourishment since the first occupation of the 
 ground. The nervous strain and the sleepless exposure had 
 brought about a great degree of exhaustion. The regiments 
 were taken about four hundred yards in the woods at the 
 rear, and fires were allowed to be built. The tired, wet men 
 dropped in limp groups around these, and instantly fell 
 asleep. The indefatigable Fisher arrived during the day with 
 hard-bread and bacon, which, without the frivolity of division, 
 were set down in the woods where each could help himself. 
 The two following days and nights were spent by the brigade 
 in comparative rest, but without any pretence of shelter. 
 At times the bullets from the rebel front dropped thickly 
 among the trees, but their force was well spent and protec 
 tion plenty. The plans of the great general in command all 
 failed, but for causes which added new lustre to his fame. It 
 was not known, and there was no means of knowing, that the 
 entire movement of General Grant by way of Holly Springs 
 had miscarried, and that more of the rebel army than could 
 be used was in front of General Sherman. 
 
 The new year dawned upon the baffled army, but brought 
 no feast beyond the scant rations of hard-tack and raw pork, 
 and no more cheering beverage than slimy bayou water. 
 Just after dark the Fifty-fifth silently moved again to the 
 edge of the stream to build a redoubt for Captain Wood s 
 battery, A. While performing that duty, in silence and with 
 out interruption, word was whispered along the line to quietly 
 withdraw to the place of bivouac. The boxes of rations were 
 broken open and the contents distributed, and the regiment 
 started to march into the foggy night, it knew not whither. 
 In winding around over the rough corduroy roads through 
 the woods, all sense of direction was lost among the rank 
 and file, but late at night the Yazoo was reached, and the 
 long line of steamboats tied up at its bank loomed up through 
 the darkness. This made it sufficiently apparent to all that 
 a retreat was in operation. 
 
 On the morning of the second of January, 1863, the Fifty- 
 fifth embarked, when it was learned that General McClernand 
 
McCLERNAND TAKES COMMAND. 
 
 had arrived to succeed General Sherman in command. It 
 was not welcome news to the troops, for they had by no 
 means lost confidence in "Uncle Billy." During the day the 
 boats carrying Stuart s division passed down out of the Yazoo 
 into the Mississippi, and tied up at Milliken s Bend. With 
 the Fifty-fifth were the remains of the brave Captain Schleich, 
 which had been coffined and taken. in charge by Chaplain 
 Haney. They were deposited at Milliken s Bend, close beside 
 the majestic stream. Presently, in one of its angry moods, 
 the Father of Waters washed away the spot, and another 
 hero, as brave as De Soto of old, found an unknown resting 
 place in its turbid depths. 
 
 The report for the closing month of the year 1862 has 
 been found, and an abstract of it may be interesting as show 
 ing the exact condition and strength of the Fifty-fifth at that 
 period. There were present for duty, as follows : 
 
 Company A, 48. Company F, 44. 
 
 B, 36. " G, 50. 
 
 C,40. . " H, 35. 
 
 D, 37. I, 41. 
 
 E, 40. K, 38. 
 
 A total of 409 men. There were present with their com 
 panies 13 line officers, exclusive of the acting field officers. 
 An aggregate of 625 names still appeared upon the rolls of 
 the organization. 
 
 On January 4th the whole fleet turned up the river in the 
 direction from which it came, it being then known that the 
 movements on Vicksburg, both from the interior and by way 
 of the river, had failed. Newspapers began to arrive bring 
 ing accounts of the villainous copperhead spirit in the North. 
 This was especially vicious in Illinois, and since the army on 
 the Mississippi was largely made up of regiments from that 
 state, the response is worth noting. It came in the shape of 
 a universal cry of indignation and protest from the soldiers, 
 who abated not an iota of their fierce determination to sub 
 due the rebellion, and promised further to inflict suitable 
 punishment upon the malcontents at home. In this display 
 of righteous wrath the Fifty-fifth held its own. That these 
 troops, undergoing the suffering and exposure of an unsuc- 
 
198 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 cessful winter campaign, did thus manfully reply to the "fire 
 in the rear," is as creditable to them as anything in the his 
 tory of patriotism. 
 
 The expedition apparently recoiling, really had an aggres 
 sive purpose. The restless genius of General Sherman had 
 conceived the plan of capturing Arkansas Post, a fortified 
 point fifty miles up the Arkansas River, and General McCler- 
 nand, his successor, readily adopted the idea, and gave orders 
 to that end. Landing at intervals to supply the transports 
 with fuel from the forests, or that already cut and found upon 
 the banks, the army passed the mouth of the Arkansas and 
 arrived at the White River, January 8th. The fleet turned 
 into the latter river, and soon from thence, through a cut-off, 
 into the Arkansas. Fully thirty thousand Federal soldiers 
 covered and occupied every variety of transport known to 
 river navigation. These were the ripe fruits of Northern 
 patriotism, that had 
 
 Come as the winds come, when 
 
 Forests are fended ; 
 Come as the waves come, when 
 
 Navies are stranded ; 
 
 and were on their way to exact a tribute for the disappoint 
 ment at Vicksburg. 
 
 Notrib s Farm, three miles below the fort, was reached 
 on the evening of the Qth. Cavalry and infantry pickets, 
 with adequate supports, landed at once, but most of the 
 troops remained on the more comfortable transports during 
 the night. The fort itself was in plain view, and commanded 
 two miles of the stream. It was a staunch little work, with 
 three eight-inch guns pointing down stream, heavily case- 
 mated with timber and railroad iron. In the interior of the 
 fort, mounted in barbette, was a ten-inch gun. This loud- 
 voiced messenger of the rebellion could be turned in any 
 direction. From the fort, situated upon the river bank twenty 
 feet above the water s edge, there extended inland and 
 up-stream a long line of earth-works, which, after enclosing 
 sufficient territory, returned to the river above. Along these 
 were distributed the infantry troops of the garrison, and 
 
ARKANSAS POST. 199 
 
 considerable field artillery. Between the work above de 
 scribed and the landing-place of the Union army there were 
 various lines of rifle-pits, some of them only partially com 
 pleted, which were not strenuously defended by the Confed 
 erates. The main work and its dependencies were held by 
 about six thousand men, under the command of General 
 Churchill. The purpose of the work was to defend Little 
 Rock and the interior. The plan of the attack was to stretch 
 a cordon of troops from the river below entirely around the 
 rebels to the river above, and in conjunction with the gun 
 boat fleet, belabor them into surrender. 
 
 On Sunday, the next day, the fifty-fifth disembarked. 
 Many officers and men remained on board, sick and disabled 
 from the recent very severe exposure. This with the ac 
 companying ill success of the few weeks previous, and the 
 copperhead news from the North, somewhat depressed the 
 troops. The superseding of General Sherman by General 
 McClernand was not well received by the men. Captain 
 Slattery, who had just recovered from a serious fit of 
 illness, was serving upon the staff of the division com 
 mander. As the regiment was forming on the shore, pre 
 paratory to marching out to the attack, it was interrupted 
 by the clatter of a squadron of cavalry which came dashing 
 up. At their head rode a dark, bewhiskered man upon a 
 black stallion, who, arriving in front of the colors, reined 
 his war-horse back upon his haunches, raised his plumed 
 hat in the air and grandiloquently inquired the name of 
 the regiment. Upon being told, he gave the hat a flourish 
 and shouted, "May your gallantry on this occasion equal, 
 if not excel your gallant conduct at Shiloh." The colonel 
 called for three cheers for General McClernand, who this 
 turned out to be. Presently the Fifty-fifth, closely followed 
 by the Thirteenth Regulars, started toward the rebel 
 intrenchments. There were thirteen officers and three hun 
 dred and forty men in the regimental line, showing a loss to 
 the effective force of nearly one hundred since entering the 
 battle of Chickasaw Bayou. This was of course mainly from 
 sickness, and illustrates the terrible nature of the exposure. 
 
 After following the river bank a short distance to a line 
 
200 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 of unoccupied rifle-pits, the column turned inland and pro 
 ceeded in a northwesterly direction into the small but dense 
 timber covering the country. Two miles from the main works 
 the rebel skirmishers were found, commanded by Colonel 
 Garland of Texas. The Thirteenth were deployed as skir 
 mishers, and followed in close support by the Fifty-fifth, the 
 contest opening in the usual desultory way. Occasionally 
 an enormous shell whipped through the timber, seeking out 
 the blue line. The enemy were slowly pressed back toward 
 their works by the gallant Thirteenth, and occasionally a 
 squalid, dead Confederate was passed who had met a swift mes 
 senger of reconstruction. During the movement Companies 
 A, F and C were deployed, and as night approached, the 
 Confederates were forced back out of the timber into the 
 cleared space in front of their works. As the sun was set 
 ting, the Union line in close pursuit, came in sight of the in- 
 trenchments and the log buildings used as barracks. Dark 
 ness came early on that short winter day and found the Fed 
 eral line of environment incomplete. The heads of the 
 various columns like Stuart s had reached the vicinity of the 
 works, and a part of the Fifty-fifth was pushed out among 
 the brush and stumps of the open space, while the remainder 
 lay down in line a few rods in the rear. The rest of the 
 division was massed in column by regiments close at hand, 
 no opportunity existing for extending the lines over the 
 obstructed country. Blankets and overcoats had been left 
 on board the transports in the expectation of immediate 
 engagement, and the night set in freezing cold and threaten 
 ing snow. Of course no fires were allowed to be built under 
 the circumstances. The suffering in consequence during the 
 night was extreme. 
 
 Presently a flash like that of lightning illuminated the 
 west, and a great shell from the pivot gun in the fort came 
 shrieking toward us. It went just above the Fifty-fifth, but 
 passed to the rear before exploding. Every man dropped 
 prone upon the ground instantly, and as close to the bosom 
 of mother earth as the somewhat rigid limits of human anat 
 omy would allow. All eyes turned to the fort in expectation 
 of another ten inch shell from the same source. It soon 
 
SURROUNDING THE CAMP. 2OI 
 
 came screaming along leaving sparks of fire behind. This 
 time it passed not over six feet high and exploded with a 
 terrific splitting sound a few feet to the rear of the regiment 
 and among the troops massed behind. In the Fifty-fifth 
 Dedrick Garbs of Company E, a good soldier, was mortally 
 wounded. Tom Clark of Company I, another fine soldier 
 who had been wounded at Russell s House, had a leg broken. 
 Among the other regiments several were hit, the loss from 
 the single explosion being stated at the time as three killed 
 and fourteen wounded. The brave Captain Yeomans of the 
 Fifty-fourth Ohio lost his left arm. He was refused promo 
 tion to the majority of his regiment for this disability, but 
 subsequently raised a colored regiment and came out of the 
 last Richmond campaign a brigadier-general. A third shell 
 followed from the same gun which went further to the rear 
 before exploding. Just then it was struck by a shot from the 
 gunboats and its voice silenced forever. Daylight and the 
 appearance of large board targets placed at various distances 
 over the level country explained the accuracy of the shots 
 fired by this gun. The firing soon almost ceased except here 
 and there a shot rang sharply in the night air from some 
 alarmed picket. In trying to establish a connection with the 
 pickets on the right, Sergeant Reidenour who had been 
 sent on that duty, narrowly escaped with his life. Michael 
 T. Cox of Company A, heard some one near his post in the 
 direction of the enemy, and his quick rifle was aimed and 
 fired that way, with deadly effect. The shot was followed 
 by the most heart-rending moans and exclamations, until 
 after some hours they subsided in the silence of death. Who 
 this was or why he was approaching the line was never 
 known. 
 
 Finally the long, dreary night passed and daylight 
 dawned. The slow movement of investing the Confederate 
 works was resumed. Toward noon this was completed. All 
 the batteries with the army were brought up with the line 
 and opened upon the enemy. The entire front of the army 
 in plain view of the rebels behind the works, was curtained 
 with a cloud of skirmishers who, when ready, advanced 
 against their fellow citizens in like formation upon the other 
 
202 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 side. The ground gained from time to time under the hot 
 fire was occupied by the skirmishers, when the main line 
 advanced accordingly and lay down. This very well de 
 scribes the character of the whole battle from the land side, 
 which consisted of a series of rushes, as above stated. 
 
 In conjunction with these operations, Commodore Porter, 
 with his gunboats, moved up the river directly upon the main 
 fort. The narrow stream was crowded with vessels armed 
 with guns of the heaviest metal of that period. They 
 steamed up to and finally passed the rebel works to the rear 
 of their position, placing the enemy exactly between the 
 army and the navy. During the passage the massive fort 
 had been pounded into an irregular and useless heap of 
 earth, and every gun in it dismounted. Those of its defend 
 ers who had not been smashed by the enormous missiles 
 hurled at them, fled to a safer place. Meanwhile the long 
 lines of infantry had been spasmodically gaining ground in 
 the interior, and by this time were in the immediate vicinity 
 of the rifle-pits, all rebel skirmishers having been driven in. 
 The Federal line of battle could not fire because their whole 
 front was covered by their own skirmishers. The rebel bul 
 lets, however, flew thickly around, and had it not been for the 
 protection afforded by lying down, and an occasional depres 
 sion in the ground, the casualties would have been serious. 
 As it was, only one man was hit in the Fifty-fifth, and he not 
 seriously. The victim was little Billy Nagleschmidt of Com 
 pany I, who had been wounded at Shiloh, and died before 
 the war ended. A spent ball struck him in the arm, and, as 
 is frequently the case, hurt worse than it would if the wound 
 had been of a more bloody character. After going to the 
 rear a short distance he was met by the musicians and offered 
 a ride upon a stretcher. While he was being carried the men 
 stopped to rest, and undertook to examine the wound, when, 
 to Billy s surprise, not a drop of blood was drawn. The 
 wounded but disgusted soldier returned swearing to his com 
 pany, where he remained through the day, but too disabled 
 to carry his gun. 
 
 As the lines converged into the open country around the 
 works, their whole magnificent stretch came into view. At 
 
THE SURRENDER. 203 
 
 proper intervals the batteries, keeping abreast, moved by 
 hand, opened viciously, and as the rebel skirmishers clustered 
 around or behind some building for protection, every gun in 
 range would, apparently by instinct, open upon them, which 
 overt act would be followed by a stampede of the rebels to 
 the rear. This gradual advance finally brought everything 
 face to face with the Confederate works, which could be seen 
 crowded with men. Any further progress must be a genuine 
 assault upon the enemy s fortified position. That was deter 
 mined upon, and orders were repeated along the whole 
 front. At least twenty-five thousand men clad in blue arose 
 from their recumbent position and stood erect at the word of 
 command. When the order came to fix bayonets, a mighty 
 wave of burnished steel rose from one flank to the other. It 
 flashed in the eyes of the opposing host, and struck terror to 
 their hearts. Just as the bayonets were fixed and the line 
 came to a charge, awaiting breathlessly the final word to rush 
 forward, several white flags appeared above the breastworks. 
 Without any order, generals, staff officers, line officers and 
 enlisted men, with a wild cheer and without a shot being fired, 
 swept over the works and the capture was complete. 
 
 The surrender seems to have been the spontaneous act of 
 the men and the moral effect of the fierce preparation going 
 on just before them, and led to much recrimination among 
 the rebel authorities. The stupid, ragged and misguided 
 Arkansas and Texas men quailed before the on-coming loyal 
 wave, and terminated their first battle in a way their own 
 officers stigmatized as cowardly. As they fell back from 
 their works the rebels in front of Stuart s division gathered 
 in a promiscuous crowd around a small pond of water, and 
 commenced quietly tossing into it knives, revolvers and such 
 like personal gear. This was soon discovered, and the icy, 
 cold water explored by the victors, who splashed and dove 
 until the last relic was rescued. 
 
 To the right of where the Fifty-fifth entered the works a 
 Confederate brigade was commanded by a small, black-eyed, 
 handsome colonel, named Deshler. He refused to surrender 
 his men for a little time, claiming that he had received no 
 orders to that effect; but before a wholesale slaughter was 
 
204 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 inaugurated he succumbed to the inevitable. This hot-headed 
 colonel, afterward a brigadier in the Confederate service, 
 literally lost his head at Chickamauga, for it was taken off 
 by a cannon shot. The night after the capture the regiment 
 remained near the intrenchments around camp-fires, dividing 
 their rations with the captured "Johnnies." Some temperate 
 hilarity was indulged in, as was natural after such a victory, 
 and the poor, tired sergeant-major records that "Company I s 
 Dutch glee club kept the camp awake until after midnight 
 with their songs." It is more than likely that Fred Ebersold 
 and Dorsey Andress had something to do with this atrocity. 
 
 Work was immediately commenced for the complete de 
 struction of the rebel stronghold, it not being intended to 
 occupy the place. The Union dead and wounded, amounting 
 in all to ten hundred and thirty-two, were properly taken 
 care of. The Confederate dead were pitched unceremoni 
 ously into the ditches, and the earth-works shoveled down 
 upon them. The ragged, forlorn prisoners, shivering with 
 the cold, were placed upon transports and sent north under a 
 proper escort. Some preliminary steps were taken toward 
 going into camp while General McClernand was incubating 
 a fanciful plan of proceeding up the river to Little Rock, and 
 so on into the wilds of Arkansas. Happily the water in the 
 river was not sufficient for any such knight-erranty. 
 
 On the foggy evening of January I3th the Fifty-fifth dis 
 mantled its slight bivouac and proceeded along the muddy, 
 crowded road to the landing below. On the way a bedrag 
 gled squad of men, scarce more than a company, were passed 
 who were acting as guard to a wagon train. The rough jokes 
 of the Fifty-fifth were turned in that direction, but they were 
 instantly followed by a respectful silence when it was learned 
 that this was all that was left of the brave Germans of the 
 Fifty-eighth Ohio, since Chickasaw Bayou. The steamer 
 South-Wester was embarked upon at nine o clock at night, 
 and during the next day remained tied up to the shore. 
 This was the transport infected with the small-pox, which 
 gave to the regiment its first and only attack from that epi 
 demic, from the effects of which several men died. The 
 weather alternated between rain and snow, and Napoleon, 
 
THE COMMISSIONS ARRIVE. 205 
 
 the vile town at the mouth of the Arkansas, was reached .on 
 the morning of January i6th, where the first news of the 
 great battle of Stone River was received, as well as the de 
 tails of General Grant s failure in the Vicksburg campaign 
 by the way of Holly Springs. This last, of course, fully 
 explained why so overwhelming a force had confronted Sher 
 man at Chickasaw Bayou. By the same mail also came a 
 large package from the Governor of Illinois to Captain 
 Augustine. This contained the commissions belonging to 
 the various officers of the regiment, before alluded to, and 
 their delivery was announced in a loud tone of voice by the 
 captain, in the presence of General Stuart, who let loose cer 
 tain ineffectual profanity thereat. 
 
 On Sunday, January I7th, the Fifty-fifth was sent up the 
 river a short distance for the purpose of foraging at a large 
 plantation. This extensive domain was thoroughly cleaned 
 out with profitable results. It belonged to a rebel, General 
 Clark, who was wounded at Shiloh, and subsequently mor 
 tally hurt at Baton Rouge. From this point several men 
 deserted from the regiment, incited thereto by cowardice, 
 discouragement, and the copperhead demonstrations at home. 
 The place was convenient for an escape into the woods, and 
 was much more practicable than when the whole army was 
 present; besides guerillas were hovering near who would 
 readily put the deserters through the form of a parole, a 
 common method of proceeding under such circumstances. 
 Among these was one Andrew Mitchell of Company I, a 
 constitutional coward, who had commenced his warlike career 
 by aspiring to a commission, but who disgraced his corporal s 
 chevrons at Shiloh by running away. His escapade in way 
 of desertion at this place is worth noting, because he made 
 his way in the dead of winter through the sparsely settled 
 wilds of Arkansas and Missouri, afoot and alone, fully seven 
 hundred miles, to his home in Illinois. A small share of the 
 hardships and privations of such a journey, if they had been 
 endured in the line of duty, would have honestly earned the 
 promotion he once aspired to. 
 
 On Monday, January igth, the fleet turned down stream 
 toward Vicksburg, to reopen operations against that strong- 
 
206 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 hold. The Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry was in it, destined to 
 take an important and creditable part in that memorable 
 campaign. In its efforts to maintain national supremacy 
 that regiment had already lost two hundred and sixty-seven 
 men by the casualties of battle. Fifty-four of this roll of 
 honor had been shot dead, and thirty-eight so grievously 
 stricken that death soon followed. 
 
PART II. 
 
 FROM YOUNG S POINT TO ATLANTA. 
 
 JANUARY, 1863, TO NOVEMBER, 1864. 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN HENRY S. NOURSE. 
 

 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 BEFORE the comhig of the year 1863 nearly every one, 
 from president to private soldier, had been educated to 
 understand that henceforward all strategic operations in the 
 West ought to aim at one definite object the secure posses 
 sion of the great natural highway which binds the Northwest 
 to the gulf states. To the opening of the Mississippi all the 
 tireless energies of the Western armies and the military 
 genius of their generals were to be directed. The expedition 
 which as has been described in the previous chapter- 
 resulted in destruction of the intrenched camp at Arkansas 
 Post, was held excusable, only because it was seen to be in 
 some sense subsidiary to the grander work, and because ably 
 conducted to brilliant success. Further eccentric digression, 
 planned and fully resolved upon by Major-General McCler- 
 nand, would have been a serious military blunder. The 
 immediate return of the victorious forces to their proper 
 task was imperative. But about the processes by which the 
 solution of the great problem should be attempted, there 
 was much reason for question. Indeed many and unfortu 
 nate differences of judgment respecting these had previously 
 arisen among those highest in authority. The ambitious 
 schemes of self-confident political brigadiers, pushed by per 
 sonal pressure at Washington, had more than once marred a 
 skilfully directed campaign. But for such schemes, added 
 to ill-advised interference from the War Department and the 
 14 
 
210 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 untoward consequences resulting therefrom, General Grant 
 would doubtless have persisted in grand strategy accordant 
 with established military science; strategy which during the 
 preceding twelve-month had proved eminently productive, 
 compelling the successive abandonment by the Confederates 
 of one stronghold after another along the Mississippi until 
 the river was freed of hostile blockade from the mouth of 
 the Ohio to that of the Yazoo. The Northern people, more 
 over, always impatient of slow onward movement and mea 
 gre victories, became more and more clamorous for a positive 
 success; and a return to Memphis as the base for a campaign 
 along railroad lines southward, however wise upon military 
 grounds, would have been at once heralded as a retreat, and, 
 temporarily at least, would have added to the grave discour 
 agements already felt in the ranks of the army and in political 
 councils. Thus hampered by instructions of superiors and 
 the popular outcry for advance, there was but one course to 
 pursue, and General Grant promptly ordered the army back 
 to Vicksburg, taking command in person. 
 
 Three days were consumed in the journey down the river. 
 It being the third passage by the regiment through this lonely 
 region, the novelty of travel had largely worn off. The broad 
 stream, often picturesquely varied at the north, here rolled a 
 turbid, sullen torrent, between low shores densely covered 
 with woods of little value, and as we neared our destination 
 funereal with cypress and the sombre-hued moss that draped 
 the trees. Few indications of civilization appeared on either 
 bank. Sometimes houseless chimneys were seen standing 
 where little communities once had homes; for retribution by 
 fire had fallen wherever had been sheltered the guerilla par 
 ties that assailed supply boats and transports. The enlisted 
 men, having few duties to occupy their time, wandered list 
 lessly about the boat or whiled away the weary hours with 
 cards and sleep. The officers took lessons in river navigation 
 of the pilot at the wheel, and drew out the captain s stock 
 jokes and highly spiced stories of steamboat life, or wrote 
 homesick letters in the cabin. No startling event disturbed 
 the monotony of the trip. On the twenty-second of Janu 
 ary the regiment landed at Young s Point and set up its tents 
 
YOUNG S POINT CANAL. 211 
 
 in sight of Vicksburg, by the channel seven miles from the 
 city, but in a direct line little more than three miles from its 
 lower batteries. 
 
 The camp was near the northern end of a canal which had 
 been dug by negroes across the upper end of the peninsula 
 during July, 1862, under orders of Brigadier-General Thomas 
 Williams. This noted canal, from which wonderful results 
 were anticipated and confidently foretold by those who, hun 
 dreds of miles distant, managed the war upon maps, greatly 
 disappointed the soldiers encamped in the swamp beside it. 
 In appearance it was little more conspicuous than a farm 
 ditch, being generally not over ten feet broad and six feet 
 deep where completed. It was about one mile and an eighth 
 in length. The Fifteenth Army Corps was at once provided 
 with spades and set at work enlarging it to a width of fifty 
 or sixty feet. Those of little experience, having seen the 
 vagrant propensities of the Mississippi, and learning that it 
 often at flood-time within twenty-four hours cuts for itself in 
 the alluvium an entirely new channel across similar peninsu 
 las, had large hope of this cut-off. There were, however, 
 hundreds in the army better acquainted with the river, who, 
 in the free discussion of the situation by the camp-fires, talk 
 ing wisely about the eddy before the proposed entrance and 
 the clayey nature of the subsoil, prophesied that the way 
 ward current could not be coaxed to enter the channel being 
 laboriously prepared for it. There was for this reason after 
 a time not much heart put into the work; but for twelve 
 hours daily the men by details took turns at digging in the 
 tenacious mud, and the aid of two dredging machines was 
 finally called in. It was soon obvious to all that, even if the 
 canal became navigable, it would be of little utility for aiding 
 any flank movement, our vigilant opponents having located 
 new batteries so as completely to command its southern out 
 let. Besides, it became well known that Warrenton and 
 Grand Gulf upon the river below presented formidable bluffs, 
 frowning with batteries little less impregnable than Vicksburg 
 itself. Intelligent soldiers saw that we were only "marking 
 time," and impatiently awaited the next movement. The 
 fruitless labor went regularly on, however, and the little city 
 
212 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 looked scornfully down from its steep hillsides, and occasion 
 ally sent from the far-reaching rifled cannon, known to both 
 armies as "Whistling Dick," a shrieking shell to crash through 
 the tree tops above the dredges, giving warning of her watch 
 fulness and of the nature of the welcome ready for foes 
 daring a nearer approach. 
 
 The period of its stay at Young s Point was on many 
 accounts one of the gloomiest in the career of the regiment. 
 At the time of its arrival the river was rapidly rising, and the 
 turbid waters gradually crept up the slope of the high levee 
 several feet above the level of the encampments. It was a 
 winter of excessive rains and unusual floods. The swamps 
 became lakes, and camps and roads were sloughs of black 
 mire. If one put his foot squarely down anywhere, it was 
 questionable, when he raised it again, if the shoe would not 
 stay behind; and if it yielded reluctant allegiance where it 
 belonged, it brought with it a pound or two of unctuous 
 earth. The nights were so damp and chill that, when attain 
 able, log fires were kept before the tents, while the days were 
 sometimes oppressively sultry. The men, although now 
 hardened campaigners, working day after day midleg deep 
 in mud and water, in a malarious climate, under various dis 
 couragements and a lack of generous food, gradually lost 
 spirits, grumbled audibly, and began to fail in health. Sev 
 eral cases of small-pox appeared, causing great alarm; but 
 they proved sporadic and of mild type for the most part. 
 For five months the paymaster with his iron chest had not 
 been seen, and not only men and officers, but their families, 
 suffered many discomforts by consequence. 
 
 Sadly missed in tent and field were two captains recently 
 lost by death: Casper Schleich and George Lee Thurston. 
 The former, slain at Chickasaw Bayou, was a jovial com 
 panion and gallant soldier, whose nobleness of spirit was 
 graced with manly beauty of form and face. Buoyant with 
 enthusiasm and that self confidence which talents, health and 
 youth give, every one he met was his friend. His loss for a 
 time seemed to cast a shadow over the whole regiment. 
 About this date came notice of the death of Captain Thurs- 
 
CHANGES OF OFFICERS. 213 
 
 ton, who for several months had been on sick furlough at-his 
 father s home in Lancaster, Massachusetts, awaiting the 
 acceptance of his resignation. While on duty with the regi 
 ment, he had been one of the most universally popular men 
 in it. Connected from his earliest manhood with military 
 companies at the East and in Chicago, he was more accom 
 plished than most of his comrades in the elementary knowl 
 edge of the art of war and the routine details of an officer s 
 duty. Ambitious and valiant, equipped by nature with a 
 taste and aptitude for arms and inspired with patriotic fervor, 
 he seemed to deserve, and to be destined to win, high com 
 mand. But his health, always frail, utterly succumbed after 
 the exposure and toil of Shiloh and the campaign against 
 Corinth. Upon the stone over his grave these appropriate 
 lines of "L. E. L." are inscribed: 
 
 " That soldier had stood on the battle-plain, 
 Where every step was over the slain; 
 But the brand and the ball had pass d him by, 
 And he came to his early home to die. 
 
 A saddened group one evening in the camp, embracing all 
 with the command who had been their fellow officers, joined 
 in a feeling expression of esteem for, and grief at the loss of, 
 these valuable patriots and battle-tried comrades. 
 
 By the mail of January 2/th a commission from the Gov 
 ernor of Illinois came, promoting Lieutenant-Colonel Oscar 
 Malmborg to be colonel, in place of David Stuart, whose 
 resignation had been accepted while he awaited confirmation 
 of an appointment as brigadier-general. Major William D. 
 Sanger was at the same date commissioned lieutenant-colonel, 
 and Captain Theodore C. Chandler, major. Major Sanger, 
 who had enjoyed the advantage of three years military edu 
 cation at West Point, having entered as a cadet in 1848, was 
 a gallant and accomplished officer, much liked by the com 
 mand. Although detached from the regiment since the date 
 of its leaving Paducah, he was probably the unanimous 
 choice of the line officers for colonel. He, however, declined 
 a regimental commission at once, in a letter which is honor 
 able alike to him and the Fifty-fifth. 
 
214 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, IN CAMP > 
 BEFORE VICKSBURG, Qth February, 1863. ) 
 
 His Excellency RICHARD YATES, 
 
 Governor State of Illinois. 
 
 GOVERNOR : Upon my return to this corps from a convoy of pris 
 oners taken at Post Arkansas, I received an enclosure covering a 
 commission as lieutenant-colonel of the 55th Regiment Illinois Vol. Infty. 
 I am compelled to decline the acceptance of this commission. The rea 
 sons are these, viz: Soon after the regiment took the field at Paducah, I 
 was appointed an aid to General Sherman, and in that capacity I have 
 served since the loth of March last, until by an order of the War Depart 
 ment I was mustered out of service. .At the time notice of the act of the 
 War Department was received, the corps of General Sherman was taking 
 the field as part of the expedition to open the Mississippi; I had so long 
 been associated with the corps, that I felt reluctant to leave the field at 
 that time in consequence of an order of the War Department which orig 
 inated in error. I therefore remained with General Sherman as a member 
 of his staff. In that position I served through the campaign and its 
 battles. General Sherman has seen fit to recommend my promotion to a 
 lieutenant-colonelcy on his staff. I have therefore not been identified 
 with the 55th as a field officer, during any of the campaigns in which the 
 regiment has distinguished itself. It is but just that the line officers who 
 have served with the regiment during its arduous, eventful and brilliant 
 history should receive the promotion which changes have made neces 
 sary. I therefore most respectfully decline the commission as lieutenant- 
 colonel of the 55th 111. Vols. 
 
 With great respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 W. D. SANGER. 
 
 Major Sanger never entered the service again. He died 
 in St. Louis, November, 1873. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Malmborg s manners and temper had 
 so little commended him to the good-will or respect of those 
 subject to his humors that, as has been told in preceding 
 pages, an earnest remonstrance against his promotion, signed 
 by nearly every line officer, had been received by Governor 
 Yates. The news of the futility of this attempt to limit the 
 continuance of an unreasoning despotism, though not unex 
 pected, was far from inspiriting. Five officers, among them 
 some of the best manhood in the regiment, resigned, and were 
 shortly after lost to the service. They were Captains Joseph 
 Black, Timothy Slattery and William F. Cootes, and Lieuten 
 ants Elijah C. Lawrence and Henry A. Smith. Captains Black 
 
RUNNING THE BLOCKADE. 215 
 
 and Slattery, the two senior captains, were officers whose 
 sturdiness of character, military capacity, and wisdom in the 
 management of men, were a grievous loss. The three others 
 bore honorable scars received in the front of battle. Special 
 Order 105 of the War Department, dated March 5, 1863, 
 mustered out of the service six first-lieutenants who had been 
 left behind at Memphis, sick or on detached duty. This 
 order discharged them "for alleged disability, to date from 
 November 26, 1862, they having failed to file the necessary 
 certificates." They were: John H. Fillmore, Josiah E. Keyes, 
 Daniel Mclntosh, Albert F. Merrill, Joseph W. Parks, Joseph 
 R. Roberts. Without doubt they must be considered victims 
 to the unjust prejudice of an autocratic colonel, whose per 
 sonal reports to the War Department respecting them effected 
 a discharge which they had not sought. They had shown 
 themselves earnest patriots, and were intelligent, worthy 
 young men, who, under other auspices, would have won 
 larger honors. Brave and competent soldiers, meriting pro 
 motion for their battle records, succeeded to the numerous 
 vacancies as they occurred; but the departures were none 
 the less deplored, and the sundering of many friendly ties 
 that had been welded in the heat of such experience as the 
 Fifty-fifth had passed through together, left disheartening 
 wounds slow to heal among those constrained to remain. 
 
 The wearisome camp routine during February was stirred 
 with few excitements or alleviations more noteworthy than 
 the coming of a mail from the North, a learned (?) discus 
 sion in the officers debating society, the killing of a poison 
 ous snake among the tents, or rumors of a marvelous cut-off 
 at Lake Providence or the Yazoo Pass, which was expected 
 to drink up the Mississippi. At times some movement in 
 Admiral Porter s fleet awakened general curiosity; and 
 curiosity rose to admiration and rejoicing on the morning of 
 the second of the month, when the Queen of the West, a 
 side-wheel unarmored ram, commanded by Colonel Charles 
 R. Ellet, was seen, apparently loaded with bales of cotton, 
 steaming down past Vicksburg and audaciously running the 
 gauntlet of the batteries which, with much sulphurous smoke 
 and infernal din, objected uselessly during the hour she was 
 
2l6 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 within their jurisdiction. During the night of the thirteenth 
 all were awakened by the thunder of the same batteries, and 
 saw the hills appearing through the darkness like active vol 
 canoes in miniature, belching flames and iron missiles towards 
 some object in the river below. The news quickly spread 
 that the Indianola, a powerful ironclad, had successfully fol 
 lowed the ram. Both soon fell into the hands of the enemy. 
 Three or four days later eight thirteen-inch mortars, mounted 
 upon rafts, opened fire upon the town, and kept up the bom 
 bardment night and day almost continuously thereafter, until 
 the surrender. 
 
 Again on the eleventh of March the batteries of Vicks- 
 burg woke the Union camps by their vigorous and prolonged 
 bombardment of some object to us invisible. This proved 
 to be an enormous sham ironclad, which had been fabricated 
 in Admiral Porter s fleet and set afloat down the stream to 
 trick the rebel gunners. It was founded upon an old barge. 
 Its two stacks were made of hogsheads wrapped about with 
 blackened canvas, and poured out a thick black smoke from 
 kettles of burning tar hung within them. Big quaker guns 
 peered from the port-holes of an imitation casemate, and 
 huge mock wheel-houses bore a derisive legend for rebels. 
 Such feverish alarm did this burlesque naval monster produce 
 among the enemy that it may be set down as the best prac 
 tical joke of the war. Being at the mercy of every eddy, it 
 chanced after passing Vicksburg to be thrown over to our 
 side of the river, and came to land just below the mouth of 
 the canal. Company B of the Fifty-fifth happened to be on 
 picket duty at that point, and very early in the morning, 
 seeing this strange black object, looming large through the 
 dense fog, the men supposed it one of Porter s boats. A 
 sentinel, Charles S. Vandervert, making a closer inspection, 
 discovered the real nature of their voiceless visitor, and aided 
 by his comrades succeeded with poles in pushing it off the 
 bank and swinging it around until it was caught by the cur 
 rent from the canal and borne away into the main channel, 
 headed straight for Warrenton. Just then the sun rose, 
 slowly dissipating the heavy curtain of mist that enshrouded 
 the river. The rebel artillerists caught a glimpse of the 
 
THE SHAM IRONCLAD. 217 
 
 black bugaboo steadily approaching, silent and mysterious 
 as Fate, and opened fire upon it from every available gun. 
 The ram Queen of the West, a few weeks before captured 
 from us and refitted, which had come up to Warrenton to 
 procure some tools needed in the work of raising the sunken 
 Indianola a few miles below, at sight of this appalling appari 
 tion advancing unharmed by the tons of iron hurled upon it, 
 turned and fled at her utmost speed. Reaching the Indianola 
 that valuable gunboat was hurriedly blown up, and the Queen 
 of the West, with her consort, the Webb, under full head of 
 steam, hurried south before the dread unknown. This was 
 the first naval victory in which Fifty-fifth men were prime 
 factors, and by it they got neither salvage nor prize money, 
 nor even "bubble reputation." They may of right claim, 
 however, that they caused the destruction of the Indianola, 
 and thereby prevented a dangerous reenforcement of the 
 rebel navy on the Mississippi. 
 
 Newspapers were regularly received in camp, and often 
 were found to contain letters "from the front," giving darkly 
 colored description of hardships endured by the soldiers, 
 discouraging accounts of the sanitary condition of the army, 
 or complaints of its inaction, and even slanderous sugges 
 tions of inefficiency or worse in the commander. Sometimes 
 grand strategic movements warranted to give us Vicksburg 
 instanter, were urged upon the War Department move 
 ments all too evidently planned upon a copy of Mitchell s 
 school atlas. Such blind guides sadly misled the public, 
 gave comfort to the foe, and exerted a seriously demoraliz 
 ing effect upon the Union army in general. But the veterans 
 of the Fifty-fifth, like most who had long served with Sher 
 man, had learned to sympathize with "Uncle Billy s" con 
 tempt for the average newspaper reporter as an "eye witness" 
 depicter of battles, or an unbiased chronicler of anything. 
 The remembrance that their heroism and almost unparalleled 
 sacrifice at Shiloh was practically ignored by the press at the 
 time, and that their brigade or division rarely got more .than 
 bare honorable mention from any paper, seemed to them full 
 justification for scepticism respecting letters wherein sundry 
 exaggerations and the tenor of praise and blame pointed to 
 
2l8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the probability that the correspondent s news had been 
 inspired by generous hospitality at the headquarters of one 
 of our political generals. Experience in other ways also 
 warranted their suspicions of special communications dated 
 "under fire," but which bore internal evidence of having been 
 written far from the smell of powder, in the cabin of a corps 
 quartermaster s supply boat, or a hospital where sanitary 
 stores were handy, and the stories of the homesick or demor 
 alized made a convenient woof in the weaving of an article. 
 
 The great state of Illinois was that winter disgraced by a 
 copperhead majority in the legislature. A rugged speech 
 made by the patriotic Isaac Funk, in the senate, was printed 
 and circulated among the troops from that state, exciting 
 great enthusiasm. 
 
 The rank and file throughout the armies had by this time 
 become sharp critics of the political policy of relying exclu 
 sively upon a volunteer system for the suppression of the 
 rebellion. Most soldiers could point to neighbors unexempt 
 by any natural law, who had thus far evaded all share in the 
 public burden, and were reaping in domestic ease and safety 
 a golden harvest by shrewdly taking full advantage of the 
 public exigencies. With reason they pointedly asked why 
 the public-spirited and willing patriots should pay the whole 
 blood tax for the nation, permitting the faithless and selfish, 
 though bound by the same allegiance, to escape by the pay 
 ment at most of a money tithe out of the rich rewards offered 
 at the rear to the shrewd speculator and dishonest contractor, 
 as well as to the thrifty and energetic worker and tradesman. 
 The army was in the spirit to hail with enthusiasm the en 
 forcement of a draft fairly distributing the burden of toil 
 and peril, as taxation did the money cost of war, upon all 
 men alike. But the cowardly and traitorous cry for concilia 
 tion and compromise had few sympathizers, in the Fifty-fifth 
 at least. 
 
 A disloyal sheet published in Fulton county printed a 
 lugubrious letter from Daniel Hedges of Company D, which 
 was sent to the colonel by a lady, with a note asking if the 
 troops were really in the miserable plight and discontented 
 spirit set forth in that soldier s screed. The whole subject 
 
COPPERHEADS REBUKED. 219 
 
 was laid before the regiment, and the enlisted men were so 
 furious against their maligner that he narrowly escaped lynch 
 ing. The following patriotic resolutions the original draft 
 of which is found in the hand-writing of Captain L. B. 
 Crooker were passed, on the same day that President Lin 
 coln signed the Draft Act, and sent to the Illinois newspapers. 
 Hedges, contemptuously spurned by all his comrades, was 
 thereafter forced to tent and eat by himself: 
 
 CAMP OF THE 55TH REGT. ILL. VOLS., 
 YOUNG S POINT, LA., March 4th, 1863. 
 
 At a meeting of the 55th Regt. 111. Vols., of which Col. Oscar Malmborg 
 was elected chairman, and Chaplain M. L. Haney, secretary, held March 
 3d, 1863, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted without a 
 dissenting vote : 
 
 Whereas, the ordeal through which our nation is passing is a very 
 trying one, indicating the necessity of union upon the part of its friends 
 against all enemies whatsoever ; and whereas certain diabolical agencies 
 have been operating to divide and paralyze the defensive powers of the , 
 government, and in order to accomplish dastardly ends, would make the 
 impression upon the public mind that those who have been ready to 
 sacrifice their all upon their country s altar, and have stood midst the 
 desolating agencies of the bloody field for the rescue of her flag and the 
 perpetuity of her institutions, are now ready to bend the knee like craven 
 cowards to those who have menaced our liberties and murdered our 
 brothers ; and whereas, through the kind agency of some unknown 
 Christian patriot of the city of Canton, 111., a copy of the Fulton County 
 Ledger has been furnished the colonel of our regiment, accompanied 
 by a very appropriate patriotic note, containing an article headed 
 "Camp Correspondence" and signed: "D. H.," the author claiming to be 
 a member of the 55th Regiment, and to represent its views, which article, 
 on account of its falsehood and its cowardly truckling, is highly discred 
 itable to the character of our regiment ; and whereas, said paper circu 
 lates in communities largely represented by the 55th Regiment ; there 
 fore, 
 
 Resolved, That we have left our homes and separated from our 
 avocations for the defence of the best government upon the earth. 
 
 Resolved, That the present rebellion against the rightful authority of 
 the United States of America, is unparalleled for its atrocity in the annals 
 of the world. 
 
 Resolved, That all sympathizers with armed traitors are our enemies, 
 and, in proportion to the sympathy rendered, they are weakening our 
 hands, nerving the rebel arms and making our conflict prolonged and 
 terrible. 
 
 Resolved, That the same reasons which prompted us to stand unflinch- 
 
220 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ing at Shiloh, Russells House, Corinth, Chickasaw Bayou and Arkansas 
 Post, will nerve us for each succeeding conflict until we witness the death 
 agonies of this godless rebellion. 
 
 Resolved, That we will heartily sustain the administration in each 
 and every effort put forth consistent with the laws of civil warfare, for 
 the suppression of rebellion, and we hail with gladness the Conscript 
 Laws of Congress, hoping thereby all vacant ranks will be filled, treason 
 speedily annihilated and the majesty of the law vindicated. 
 
 Resolved, That, for reasons indicated in the preamble, we denounce 
 the execrable article of Daniel Hedges, and regret that its drunken, 
 vulgar author should mar the beauty of our ranks ; and that those of us 
 who have been personally acquainted with him, both at home and in the 
 army, know him to be better clothed, better fed and less drunk, as well 
 as less a vagrant here than elsewhere. 
 
 Resolved, That a vote of thanks is hereby tendered to our patriotic 
 friend of Canton, for the interest taken in our regimental honor ; to the 
 government for leaving none of our wants unsupplied ; and to all who 
 rejoice at our success and weep over our misfortunes, assuring such that 
 to the end we are one and inseparable. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of these proceedings be furnished for publica 
 tion in the Fulton County Ledger, Canton Register and Fulton Democrat. 
 O. MALMBORG, Colonel commanding 5$th III. Vols., 
 
 M. L. HANEY, Chaplain, Chairman. 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 The Confederates had early attempted by breaking the 
 levees to flood the low lying lands, and had loudly proclaimed 
 that they would drown us out of our camps like muskrats out 
 of their holes. Their attempts had availed little save to 
 widen the bayous into lakes, and to relieve us from need of 
 picketing our rear. We were slowly developing into semi- 
 amphibians; but suddenly, on the seventh of March, the 
 river burst through its artificial bounds at the junction of the 
 old with the new embankment at the head of the canal, and 
 chased the troops upon the levee. Along the inner slope of 
 this mound the Fifty-fifth formed a huddled, uncomfortable 
 camp. The tents were by necessity placed on the steep 
 incline, for the narrow crest had to be reserved as the only 
 possible thoroughfare for the troops. This necessitated the 
 removal of head-boards and the leveling of graves, many of 
 which there were upon the levee, the only dry ground in a 
 water-logged land. Here, on the twelfth, Major Hazeltine 
 distributed four months pay. 
 
AT GREAT AMERICAN BEND. 221 
 
 The next day the regiment was ordered on board the 
 steamboats, D. A. Tatum, Fanny Bullitt and Champion, 
 leaving convalescents in charge of the camp, and moved up 
 the river about one hundred and twenty-five miles to the 
 Great American, or as the boatmen generally preferred to 
 style it Shirt-tail Bend. There we disembarked at the 
 landing of the extensive Worthington plantations and took 
 possession of large amounts of corn and sugar, scores of 
 hogs, nine hundred head of cattle, and over five thousand 
 bales of cotton. The last was discovered in three huge piles 
 in the woods four or five miles from the river, the place of 
 its concealment having been revealed by slaves attached to 
 the plantation. Tfye bales were all marked C. S. A. On the 
 fifteenth the outposts had an unimportant skirmish with a 
 company of Confederate cavalry, and mounted scouts were 
 constantly hovering about during our stay. Colonel Malm- 
 borg finding himself the senior officer of an independent 
 expedition, proceeded at once to magnify his opportunity, 
 and began the development of an elaborate Halleckian 
 policy in his department. And first he set about planning 
 and constructing a fort in the swamp. About the time this 
 redoubt assumed shape, Captain E. D. Osband of General 
 Grant s staff who was present, found it advisable to send for 
 Colonel T. E. G. Ransom, then at Lake Providence. He 
 appeared on the eighteenth, bringing with him detachments 
 of the Eleventh Illinois and Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry, 
 and took command. While here his commission as brigadier- 
 general arrived. Additional boats were sent for from Milli- 
 ken s Bend, and during ten days all worked diligently hauling 
 the confiscated property to the landing and loading it upon 
 the transports. The soldiers lacked no creature comforts in 
 this land of abundance ; but some of them, reasoning from 
 the stand-point of hard work, thirteen dollars a month and 
 no prize money, made wry faces when, as they tumbled the 
 cotton from the army wagons at the landing, they saw a gold- 
 laced official from the "tin-clad" gunboat in the stream, 
 standing by with pot and brush to mark each bale in staring 
 capitals: "Captured by the U. S. Navy." 
 
 The extensive negro quarters of the plantations were 
 
222 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 occupied by motley battalions of slaves of all shades and 
 ages, whose excited manifestations of feeling at the coming 
 among them of the "Linkum army," were by turns intensely 
 ludicrous or pathetic. We had here a rare opportunity to 
 study the characteristics of the negro race, and especially 
 their religious fervor ; for abounding joy at the loosing of 
 their bonds broke out in rapturous song and prayers of thanks 
 giving. The chosen preacher of the community was a note 
 worthy character in his line, and probably selected, as usual, 
 because ready with a glib answer to every possible question 
 upon theology or biblical exegesis. One evening several of 
 the regiment attending the meeting at the quarters were 
 surprised to hear him, while wrestling Jn prayer, use the 
 expressions: O Lord ! come down and jine with us; come 
 down mongst us hyar. Come two Lords, come three Lords, 
 O come down!" The next day one seeing him asked if he 
 believed there was more than one Lord. "Sutny, massa," 
 said the old man, "sutny ; gret many Lords ; don know how 
 many, but jes ez many Lords ez debils; an doan de scripter 
 tell how seben debils wuz carse out o won pusson ?" 
 
 The Fifty-fifth, returning upon the Von Phul, landed at 
 Milliken s Bend on the twenty-fifth, and marched down the 
 levee to its old camp the next day. Upon the boat during 
 the journey unusually noisy hilarity among the men led to 
 the discovery that, although no rations of strong drink had 
 been issued for a long time except to field officers canteens 
 containing something exhilarating were passing from hand to 
 hand and mouth to mouth. A single barrel containing whis 
 key stood among the commissary stores on the deck in plain 
 sight, apparently undisturbed; but upon examination a con 
 siderable portion of its contents had disappeared. A picked 
 squad of the fittest, having slily made careful measurements 
 to fix the geographic position of the barrel relatively to the 
 hatchway, had gained access to the hold with a small auger, 
 and boring up through the floor into the cask, inserted a 
 piece of cane as a faucet and issued rations without formality 
 of surgeon s orders. An investigation failed to discover the 
 depredators. 
 
 During our absence the other regiments of Stuart s divis- 
 
FARRAGUT S VISIT. 223 
 
 ion had been sent out with a combined naval and land expe 
 dition up Steele s Bayou, in search of a navigable passage 
 through the labyrinth of creeks in the Yazoo wilderness, to 
 some point flanking the fortifications at Raines s Bluff. Com 
 ing back unsuccessful from their laborious and exciting trip 
 on the twenty-seventh, a novel and inspiriting sight met 
 them. A short distance below the southern end of the canal 
 which had been abandoned as a complete military and 
 engineering failure some days before were anchored two 
 war vessels from Farragut s fleet, the Hartford and Albatross. 
 The admiral s pennant waved over the former. With taper 
 masts overtopping the trees and their gracefully curved hulls 
 standing high above the water-line, they formed a marked 
 and pleasing contrast to the frail, light-draft stern and side- 
 wheel river steamers, the tin-clad mosquito boats, the rams 
 and iron-clad "turtles," which made up the fleet of. Admiral 
 D. D. Porter. The next day the two vessels steamed down 
 out of view again, and the booming of their guns in reply to 
 the hostile salute of the batteries at Grand Gulf was their 
 final good-bye to Vicksburg and Grant s army. 
 
 Work upon the Duck-Point canal to connect Walnut Bayou 
 with the Mississippi at a point four or five miles above the 
 Young s-Point canal, was begun early in April, and the regi 
 ment having moved its camp a mile or more north to dry 
 ground near the levee, was frequently called upon to aid in 
 its excavation. This water-way was to be two miles long, 
 sixty feet wide and nine feet deep, and would enable light 
 transports to pass by a circuitous route into the river at New 
 Carthage; but on account of a sudden fall of several feet in 
 the waters, it never was completed. It served, like the 
 former canals, only to give abundant exercise to the troops, 
 turn their eyes from too constantly gazing at the discourag 
 ing landscape presented by Vicksburg s impregnable front, 
 and satisfy the insatiable demands of the general public for 
 experimental schemes. 
 
 On the fourth of April, Major-General Frank P. Blair 
 assumed command of the division the Second of the Fif 
 teenth Army Corps relieving David Stuart, whose appoint 
 ment as brigadier-general, dated November 29th, 1862, had 
 
224 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 been refused confirmation by the Senate, March nth, 1863. 
 From this date General Stuart disappears from the history of 
 the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteers, and from army annals. 
 For fully six months he had performed the duties of a brigade 
 or division commander, and General Sherman in his "Mem 
 oirs" speaks of him in terms of high esteem. His autocratic 
 sway and unscrupulous self-seeking, however, inspired fear 
 rather than affection, and perhaps the majority of his regi 
 ment felt little sympathy for the proud-spirited man as he 
 left, bitterly disappointed of his chief ambition in life; but 
 they at least recognized the fact that his great natural abili 
 ties, energy in organization, and early services, had been ill 
 requited. He died of apoplexy, at Detroit, Michigan, Sep 
 tember nth, 1868. His farewell order follows: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 20 Div. 15 ARMY CORPS, ) 
 YOUNG S POINT, 3d April, 1863. > 
 
 General Order No. 6. 
 
 SOLDIERS OF THE SECOND DIVISION : The order is today pub 
 lished, which relieves me of command. In taking leave of you, I cannot 
 refrain from expressing, in orders, the strong sentiment of interest and 
 attachment which I cherish for you, and the sincere regret with which I 
 part from you. I do not desert, or abandon willingly, the defence of a 
 cause we have so long maintained together. I do not, of my own pleas 
 ure, leave you whom I brought into the field, nor you whom I have labored 
 to fit for its duties, to encounter its perils and hardships, unshared by 
 your leader. No exigency of private convenience or affairs could have 
 withdrawn me from my duty to you and our beloved country. We con 
 tend for the supremacy of our Government, for absolute and unqualified 
 submission to its law. That law retires me from your command and 
 from the service. It does not become you, or me, to debate or discuss its 
 wisdom or its justice. Our submission must be at once respectful and 
 cheerful but the same country which has dispensed with the services of 
 your commander, commands your continued and patriotic endeavor. 
 
 Veterans of so many well fought fields earnest, brave and disci 
 plined soldiers you will not fail to achieve the destiny which your 
 endurance, chivalry and pride assure me is yours. Sooner or later you 
 will be hailed by your countrymen with grateful acclaim, where you may 
 seem now to be deemed as the pensioners of their bounty. Abide fast 
 by your honor and your flag ! Confide in the justice of your holy mission, 
 and in the wise purposes of a Providence, who rules and governs the 
 nations of the earth, and who will so direct your arms that the haughty 
 and traitorous disturbers of your country s peace and happiness shall be 
 humbled and crushed at your feet, and you will soon be returned to the 
 
PASSING THE BATTERIES. 225 
 
 loving embrace of your families and friends, whose highest aspirations, 
 whose proudest hopes, you shall fulfill and realize. 
 
 I leave you, fellow soldiers, proud to have been your leader; proud in 
 the consciousness of having done my duty faithfully with you, and cher 
 ishing with lively gratitude the demonstrations of confidence, of personal 
 regard and affection with which you have sought to qualify with me the 
 pain of separation, or the supposed indignity of my official retirement. 
 I shall remain mindful of your perils, toils and hardships; my sympathy 
 and concernment for you my absence will not abate, and in some sphere 
 I may hope to serve you, if only in the humble, though not unimportant 
 character of " Rear Guard." Farewell ! 
 
 By order of Brig.-Gen. D. STUART, Com. 2d Division. 
 
 C. MCDONALD, Asst. Adjt-Gen. 
 
 On April nth the regiment was paid by Major Clark, and 
 on the 1 3th General Blair reviewed his division. The waters 
 were now slowly receding into their proper channels, daily 
 drills and parades were resumed, and spades and axes were 
 again called into action; not, however, to deepen canals or 
 open bayous, but to extend corduroy roads and build bridges. 
 From Milliken s Bend came news of the movement of the 
 Thirteenth Corps past our rear, southward. Unusual activity 
 in the fleet betokened preparations for running the blockade 
 in force, and that this was proposed was made certain by a 
 call for volunteer boatmen from among the soldiers, the 
 crews of the transports generally declining the dangerous 
 service. At midnight of the sixteenth we witnessed, from a 
 safe distance but as intensely interested spectators, the most 
 terrific yet grand scene of the war in the West the passing 
 the batteries at Vicksburg by Admiral Porter with eight 
 gunboats and three transports. Each of the latter was pro 
 tected with bales of cotton and hay, and had in tow large 
 barges loaded with provisions and forage. For two hours and 
 a half the heights were all ablaze; bonfires were kindled along 
 the shore as soon as the leading gunboat was discovered, and 
 brightly illumined the river and town. The rebel cannoniers 
 fired their guns with the utmost, rapidity, and the ironclads 
 briskly replied. Soon the transport Henry Clay burst into 
 flames; but all the other vessels could be seen finally passing 
 down, apparently safe. The next morning we learned that 
 with all the thunderous uproar and lavish burning of villain- 
 15 
 
226 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ous saltpetre, not a man had been killed in the fleet and only 
 eight had been wounded, although every boat and barge had 
 been hit, and more than once. It seemed little short of 
 miraculous. On the twenty-second the same scene, but upon 
 a smaller scale, was repeated, six transports with double that 
 number of barges daring the perilous trip. Five of the 
 former and half of the latter reached their destination little 
 damaged. 
 
 The bold strategy of our reticent commander was unfold 
 ing itself before us. The various schemes for circumventing 
 the Mississippi Gibraltar by means of canals and bayous had 
 been perseveringly tried, and all had signally failed. Now 
 the falling waters precluded further attempts of the kind, 
 but there was to be no step backward. Flank movements 
 from the northward were to be abandoned, and the field of 
 operations transferred to some point below. This much was 
 disclosed to us by the large store of army supplies sent down 
 in the barges, and the prospect of a change of base was 
 hailed with universal joy. 
 
 The Adjutant-General of the United States Army, Lorenzo 
 Thomas, was at this time making a tour through the Western 
 camps to ascertain the prevailing sentiment among rank and 
 file respecting the proposed employment of negro troops, 
 and to promote the organization of colored regiments under 
 white officers. April 2 1st the question was submitted to the 
 division of General Blair, assembled for the purpose and 
 massed in hollow square to hear various speakers upon the 
 subject. An army wagon served as a rostrum. The chief 
 address was made by General Thomas. Following him came 
 General Sherman, who called upon the soldiers present to 
 bear witness that wherever he had exercised chief authority 
 no fugitive slave had ever been reman ded to bondage; but 
 that he had always and everywhere encouraged the employ 
 ment of the colored race as teamsters, cooks, laborers and 
 officers servants. He strongly favored their employment as 
 soldiers. Colonel Benjamin Spooner made a telling, com 
 mon-sense address, and was succeeded by a German colonel, 
 who spoke eloquently in his native tongue to those best 
 understanding that language. At the final taking of a vote 
 
OFFICERS OF COLORED TROOPS. 227 
 
 upon the question, every man of the Fifty-fifth save one, 
 Michael Lyon of Company G, declared himself in favor of 
 arming the negro. 
 
 A few in the regiment avowed their intention to seek 
 commissions in the proposed organizations of colored men. 
 Richard Taylor was commissioned first-lieutenant of the First 
 Mississippi Cavalry, to date from October 2, 1863. This reg 
 iment, under Colonel E. D. Osband, gained repute as the 
 Third U. S. C. C. Taylor was promoted to a captaincy May 
 29th, 1864, and resigned January I5th, 1865. Orderly-sergeant 
 James M. Shreves was detached with the Fiftieth U. S. C. T. 
 at Vicksburg, and died August iQth, 1863, acting as quarter 
 master-sergeant while awaiting his commission. He was a 
 brave and wholly unexceptional soldier, a young man of 
 sterling character and ability. He had been chosen orderly- 
 sergeant of the company at its organization, but prejudice in 
 the appointing power had long kept him from deserved pro 
 motion; and this in spite of the fact that he was wounded at 
 Shiloh, and then received honorable mention for bravery in 
 the battle report from that same power. But for this unex- 
 plainable prejudice he would at his death have been captain 
 of Company F, and would have graced the position. John 
 Cadwallader was commissioned second-lieutenant of the 
 Second Mississippi Colored. Silas S. Garrett was transferred 
 to the First Tennessee Heavy Artillery, December nth, 1863, 
 and became first-lieutenant. The regiment was stationed at 
 Memphis. Amos Sanford was made second-lieutenant in the 
 Twelfth Louisiana Colored, in October, 1863. William L. Early 
 was also a second-lieutenant in the last named regiment. 
 
 April 29th, ten regiments of the division left Young s 
 Point upon such transports as could be collected, preceded 
 by the ironclads Baron De Kalb and Choctaw, Admiral Por 
 ter s flag-boat Black Hawk, three mortar rafts, the wooden 
 gunboat Taylor, and certain nondescript black craft that at a 
 distance might pass for gunboats. The Fifty-fifth was 
 assigned to the Belle City. The expedition started at ten 
 o clock in the forenoon, steamed up the Yazoo fifteen miles 
 and halted, sending out pickets along the shore, and the next 
 morning proceeded until within sight of the fortifications at 
 
228 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Raines s Bluff. It had been published in orders that a feint 
 only was to be made, its object being to draw attention from 
 the operations of General Grant in the vicinity of Grand 
 Gulf. The troops were landed and displayed in battle line, 
 skirmishers were sent forward, the mortars and ironclads 
 threw shells into the earth-works crowning the hill, and noth 
 ing of smoke, noise or ostentatious tactics was omitted that 
 could aid the impression that an assault was imminent. The 
 rebel batteries replied to the gunboats which were frequently 
 struck, and solid shot rolled through our lines. One man 
 only in the expedition was wounded, and he but slightly. 
 There was obviously great excitement among the camps of 
 the enemy. Their works were extended and strengthened 
 by night, and additional guns were mounted. Re-enforce 
 ments were seen coming up from the direction of Vicksburg. 
 In fact, as we afterwards learned, General Pemberton was 
 fully deceived, and troops half way on the road to General 
 Bowen were recalled and hurried to confront us. By conse 
 quence the latter general s little army, in spite of its stubborn 
 resistance, was overborne by General Grant s advance, and 
 Port Gibson and Grand Gulf, and the roads between Jackson 
 and Vicksburg fell the more easily into our possession be 
 cause of this ruse. Our demonstration was kept up until the 
 night of May ist, when, having accomplished its purpose, 
 the fleet returned as it came. 
 
 Loading our camp and garrison equipage from the levee 
 at Young s Point upon the boat, we moved to Milliken s 
 Bend, and there, on May 3d, established our camp about a 
 mile in rear of the landing. Despite the terribly unfavorable 
 sanitary conditions inseparable from the locality, and the 
 long lists of the sick at the surgeon s morning call, but five 
 men of the regiment found graves at Young s Point. These 
 were Samuel Piper of B, Corporal James W. Frazier and 
 Philip Pitts of C, Corporal Joseph Lightfoot of E, and J. K. 
 P. Moneymaker of K. Pitts was one of the few who suc 
 cumbed to the loathsome disease, small-pox. He was a 
 manly boy enrolled as a musician, but being bravely ambi 
 tious chose to serve in the ranks. Many of the seriously ill 
 were carried north upon the hospital boats, and from time to 
 
MORGAN L. SMITH S VISIT. 229 
 
 time company commanders got notice of the death of some 
 valued comrade in the great hospitals of Memphis and St. 
 Louis. 
 
 In our new camp we received a call from our former divis 
 ion commander, Brigadier-General Morgan L. Smith, who 
 left us at Chickasaw Bayou, having been grievously wounded. 
 Hearing of his arrival on a steamer from Memphis, and that 
 he proposed to visit the troops, Colonel Malmborg put out 
 scouts to give timely warning of his approach, and drew up 
 the regiment on the parade. We waited long, but at last the 
 general appeared, riding in an ambulance; the ranks were 
 opened and arms presented. The colonel, leaving the regi 
 ment standing at present, hastened to aid his distinguished 
 guest to alight, and began to address him with verbose con 
 gratulation; but General Smith, leaning on his crutches, 
 pushed him aside with characteristic brusqueness, exclaiming, 
 "O hell ! I didn t come out here to see you officers. How are 
 you, boys?" The "boys, "without waiting for orders, instantly 
 broke ranks and flocked around their crippled chief, eager to 
 shake him by the hand and listen to his quaint and pungent 
 remarks. Among other things touched upon in his uncon 
 ventional talk, he took occasion to praise in generous terms 
 our new division commander, General F. P. Blair, probably 
 surmising that our prejudices might do him injustice, his ap 
 pointment being notoriously a political one. After a brief 
 stay the general hobbled to his ambulance again, and rode 
 away amid hearty cheers. 
 
 It was understood that General Blair s division would re 
 main to guard Milliken s Bend until the arrival of other 
 forces from Memphis, and we elaborated and polished our 
 camp, anticipating a stay of weeks; but on the fifth the regi 
 ment was ordered five miles west to Lomm s Plantation, for 
 outpost duty, and on the seventh joined the brigade while 
 on the march towards Grand Gulf, which we then learned had, 
 together with Port Gibson, been captured by the van of the 
 army. Passing through Richmond, La., we were met and 
 briefly addressed by Governor Richard Yates, who was mak 
 ing a tour of inspection through General Grant s department. 
 
 The men marched gaily along with springy step, singing 
 
230 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 their army songs, chaffing each other and every one we 
 chanced to meet, and exhibiting in all variety of rampant 
 jollity their elation at escaping from the malarious swamps. 
 Full of confidence in themselves and trust in their leaders 
 they rejoiced at the prospect of meeting Pemberton s army in 
 a fair field, and already counted Vicksburg their own. We had 
 little conception of the desperate nature of the enterprise 
 into which our obstinate commander was leading us despite 
 the warning advice of his most trusted lieutenants. We 
 could not then know that, contrary to all military precedent, 
 we were about to cut loose from a base of supplies, abandon 
 connection with the navy, and thrust ourselves between two 
 formidable armies, one of which was equal to our own in num 
 bers; and this in a region by nature among the most easily 
 defensible to be found in the land, where victory must be 
 speedy and unqualified, or our destruction certain. 
 
 About fifteen miles were traversed each day, notwith 
 standing we were somewhat delayed by the frailty of the 
 numerous bridges and the incumbrance of the army train 
 placed in our charge. The route lay along Bayou Vidal to 
 Perkins s plantation, and thence beside the curved Lake St. 
 Joseph to Hard Times on the river a little above Grand Gulf. 
 The whole region is a low-lying plain possessing a rich, deep 
 soil capable of sustaining a dense population; but was occu 
 pied by a few wealthy planters, whose mansions faced the 
 road at intervals of from one to three miles. These resi 
 dences, mostly of modern construction and by far the most 
 costly and elegant we had seen in the South, were filled with 
 every appliance of taste and domestic utility. Behind 
 them were the usual twin rows of whitewashed cabins for the 
 slaves; and cotton presses, corn-barns, and often a steam-mill, 
 all furnished with the best machinery, were located not far 
 away. These had been built by Northern mechanics, and it 
 was currently reported that a soldier of our brigade found at 
 one of these plantations his tool-chest, where he had left it 
 when the war began, being obliged to flee to avoid conscrip 
 tion, and unable to obtain his wages or remove his tools. 
 There was also a rumor that he now took payment in the 
 satisfaction of seeing the work of his hands reduced to ashes. 
 
GRAND FLANK MOVEMENT. 231 
 
 The lords of these manors had deserted them in haste, and 
 a few slaves only remained in charge. The troops that had 
 passed before us left proofs of their customary lack of respect 
 for the deserted property of rebels, and at our noon halts 
 groups of tired, dust-covered "mud-sills" were to be seen 
 seated on satin-upholstered chairs amid roses or in the shade 
 of fig-trees, and eating their bacon and hard-tack from 
 marble-topped tables and rosewood pianos. Sometimes for 
 miles the road was shaded by beautiful live oaks, and catal- 
 pas in full bloom, or bordered by a tangled hedge of red and 
 white roses, forming a barricade of beauty eight feet high 
 and more in breadth; while in contrast on the left hand lay 
 the muddy bayou, an occasional dead alligator poisoning the 
 air with its hideous, swollen, malodorous carcass. Abund 
 ance of food for men and animals was found in the store 
 houses, and the fields were lush with growing corn. 
 
 On the eleventh, after nearly a day s delay at Hard Times 
 landing, we crossed the river late in the afternoon and went 
 into bivouac at Grand Gulf, not inappropriately called by 
 the Confederates "the little Gibraltar." An attempt to storm 
 this fortress from the front would have disastrously failed. 
 So far as its defensive qualities were concerned, we could not 
 see that the naval bombardment had done it much injury. 
 During the next four days we were moving towards Jackson; 
 reaching Auburn on the thirteenth, moving in a violent rain 
 storm to New Auburn on the fourteenth, and arriving at Ray 
 mond on the fifteenth, to find ourselves amid hospitals, newly 
 made graves, and other sad signs of the battle won three days 
 before by General Logan s division of the Seventeenth Army 
 Corps. The contrast between the Louisiana shore we had 
 just left, and the landscape passed through during this march 
 in Mississippi, was very striking. Our road here wound along 
 sharp-crested clay hills one to two hundred feet above the 
 river, with numerous deep ravines and water-worn gullies 
 radiating on either hand, the precipitous sides of which were 
 densely clothed with deciduous forest-growth trees, vines, 
 and underwood in great variety. In such ground the party 
 assailed had enormous advantages over the assailant, for 
 every hill top could be quickly converted into a fortress. 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 While in the Young s Point encampment, the enlisted men 
 of the regiment raised by general subscription nearly four 
 hundred dollars for the purchase of a horse and equipments 
 complete to present to Surgeon Roler as a testimonial of 
 their gratitude and affection. They declined to accept prof 
 fered contributions from the commi|ioned officers, desiring to 
 emphasize the gift as their own unanimous acknowledgement 
 of obligation for the conservative skill, tireless patience, 
 tender solicitude and humanity, always experienced from 
 Doctor Roler, by the private equally with the highest official. 
 The ten orderly-sergeants acted as a committee, and 
 selected Sergeant-Major Hartsook to write the address of 
 presentation which was fitly and eloquently done. A valuable 
 and beautiful black steed was found and bo.ught while the 
 Fifty-fifth lay at Young s Point, but the equipments did not 
 arrive until the opening of the Yazoo as the base of supplies. 
 The horse was presented at Grand Gulf, and the doctor s 
 letter of grateful acceptance and acknowledgement was read 
 by the orderly-sergeants to the several companies on the 
 evening of the arrival at Raymond. 
 
 At this point we learned that the advance divisions of the 
 Fifteenth Army Corps were already in Jackson, which had 
 been abandoned by Johnston after a brief defence, and that 
 the whole army of Vicksburg had come out to attack us. 
 At daylight on the morning of Saturday the sixteenth, we 
 moved west on the direct road to Vicksburg, and about half- 
 past seven the occasional rattle of musketry in front told 
 that General A. J. Smith s skirmishers were at work. They 
 had encountered the cavalry constituting the rear guard of 
 General Pemberton s army, then just attempting a retrogade 
 movement in order to recross Baker s Creek and march to 
 join Johnston s army at Canton. Half a mile further on an 
 artillery duel ensued. We were then within four or five miles 
 of Edwards Station and had advanced about twice that 
 distance from Raymond. General Blair s division, being 
 detached many miles from the Fifteenth Corps, was placed 
 under command of General McClernand and formed battle- 
 line at right angles with the road in conjunction with the 
 division of General A. J. Smith, which was the extreme left 
 
BATTLE OF CHAMPION S HILL. 233 
 
 of the army until General Ransom s brigade arrived late in 
 the afternoon. We were ordered to connect on the right 
 with the division of General Osterhaus. Within an hour we 
 heard sounds of skirmishing at a distance, in a northerly 
 direction, but a dense forest hid from us all views of the 
 country on either side. By eleven o clock the continuous 
 roar of battle far to the right warned us of a fiercely contested 
 and general engagement, and we were momentarily expecting 
 orders to advance upon the foe supposed to be in our front, 
 or to move by the right flank to the aid of those there hotly 
 engaged. No orders came, and for hours we lay idly on our 
 arms, unmolested and unmolesting. Occasionally a forward 
 movement was made from one low ridge to the next. Once 
 while the regiments of the brigade, marching by the flank, 
 were crossing a wide open field with no skirmishers in ad 
 vance, a rebel battery opened upon them; but before it had 
 acquired the proper range a change of our formation and 
 position saved us from loss. Captain Augustine was about 
 this time sent forward in command of skirmishers. But the 
 tactics upon the left ilank of the Federal army were continu 
 ously defensive. It had apparently impressed itself upon 
 some one high in authority that the enemy meditated a des 
 perate attack in force down the road along which we were 
 manoeuvreing, in order to cut off the Union army from Grand 
 Gulf, its supposed base of supplies. About five o clock a 
 lull in the fight was noticed, and soon a few solid shot from 
 a rebel battery ricochetted harmlessly through our line. It 
 was the farewell of Pemberton s army in full retreat; a re 
 treat that we soon after knew must have become a disorgan 
 ized rout or surrender, had the left wing, to which we were 
 temporarily joined, advanced with promptitude and energy. 
 General McClernand had lost a magnificent opportunity to 
 show that he deserved his high position. Through an excess 
 of caution he had permitted the rebel General Loring s three 
 brigades to hold four Federal divisions inactive during the 
 whole day. Obedience to repeated orders or intelligent en 
 terprise on his part, would have made the costly siege that 
 followed unnecessary. 
 
 The next morning our division marched to Bridgeport, 
 
234 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 about five miles up the Big Black, and a rubber-pontoon train 
 was brought to the front. A small earth-work on the oppo 
 site bank was found occupied by a few riflemen, who made it 
 hazardous to approach the river. General Blair, after watch 
 ing the skirmishing awhile, had ordered a flanking party to 
 swim the stream a short distance above and drive the force 
 away; but just then General Sherman came galloping to the 
 scene and quickly advanced a section of artillery, under shel 
 ter of an out-building, two well aimed shells from which 
 induced the waving of a white hancjjerchief over the parapet, 
 and the surrender of an officer with his picket of ten men. 
 Captain Crooker of the Fifty-fifth and eight of his company 
 immediately rowed over upon a pontoon and were the first 
 of the army to cross the Big Black. A picket-guard was 
 soon advanced, but no hostile force faced us. In the early 
 morning hours the noise of conflict at the railroad bridge 
 below had been heard, but the quiet that soon followed gave 
 us assurance of another success, which messengers before 
 noon made certain. The pontoon bridge was in position be 
 fore it became dark, and the passing of troops continued all 
 night by the light of fires upon the river bank. 
 
 By two o clock of Monday, May i8th, we had advanced 
 twelve or thirteen miles from the night s bivouac, and our 
 skirmishers drove the enemy s pickets into the formidable 
 earth-works encircling Vicksburg. We were upon the Grave 
 yard Road, so called. Generals Grant and Sherman rode 
 near the head of the column, their imperturbable countenances 
 showing little of the terrible load of anxiety they were yet 
 bearing. To our right were the very hills with their deserted 
 works which we had so desperately assailed five months be 
 fore. Below, concealed by the forest, lay Chickasaw Bayou, 
 and beyond, the base of supplies from which the army had 
 been separated nearly a fortnight without thereby experienc 
 ing bodily discomfort or disappointment of regular appetite, 
 but rather to the improvement of their diet. From this 
 statement our own division must be excepted, however, inas 
 much as it had found but scanty gleaning during its march at 
 the rear, and was now suffering for food. Bread had been 
 for some time exhausted throughout the army, and there was 
 
FIRST ASSAULT AT VICKSBURG. 235 
 
 general and noisy rejoicing when the reopening of the 
 "cracker-line" was announced. 
 
 The regiment lay under arms in a corn-field within musket 
 range of the fortifications that night, and occasionally a bul 
 let came hissing among us. One of these struck A. A. 
 Williams in the lower jaw, causing a painful wound. Another 
 seriously wounded Corporal Hugo Arndt in the arm. Com 
 pany F, under Captain Crooker, was sent forward to cover 
 the front and kept up a brisk skirmish with the enemy, pre 
 venting them from using artillery. About noon of the nine 
 teenth, Company F was relieved by Companies A and B, 
 who continued the duel. Some artillery had been got into 
 position and opened fire. The men of Company G, who had 
 been educated in artillery practice at Paducah, were detailed 
 to aid Chicago Battery A, upon our left. 
 
 At two o clock, in accordance with a general order for 
 assault along the whole line, the skirmishers upon the signal 
 of three volleys from the artillery, sprang forward, and the 
 waiting battle-line rushed cheering to the charge a human 
 wave that seemed irresistible when it began surging onward 
 towards the rebel lines. But as it dashed over stumps and 
 tangled limbs of fallen trees, struggled through deep gullies 
 bristling with brush and cane, and climbed the steep slopes 
 opposite in the face of a roaring, whistling storm of lead 
 and iron rain, men dropped by tens, stopped behind some 
 sheltering log or bank, slackened speed for sheer want of 
 breath, until all the momentum of the start had worn itself 
 out; and a thin line of panting, staggering humanity pressed 
 on and on until a few of the pluckiest and strongest perhaps 
 straggled nerveless into the ditch, attempted to climb the 
 abrupt scarp, and were there either slain, desperately wounded 
 or captured, or only escaped by miraculous fortune when the 
 shades of night kindly covered them from sight. The bri 
 gades on either flank of ours were driven back to cover of 
 the ravine with heavy loss; but we reached the crest of the 
 hill as a definite brigade line of battle within fifty paces of 
 the east curtain of the bastion at the Graveyard Road, and 
 there remained, slightly sheltered by the ground so long as 
 we lay prostrate, and kept up such a persistent fire that no 
 
236 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 rebel dared show his head above the parapet. Our colors 
 waved for hours within pistol shot of the line of defence, and 
 were riddled with bullets. Without support it was foolhardy 
 to advance; it was equally dangerous to attempt retreat. As 
 darkness came upon the landscape, the Confederate soldiers 
 lighted fires that they might see any movement we made, but 
 this proved more dangerous to them than to us, and finally 
 by tacit consent firing ceased. About midnight we were or 
 dered back, and gradually withdrew to our position of the 
 morning. 
 
 Upon counting our losses we found with surprise that only 
 twenty-four of the regiment had been killed or wounded 
 during the day. The effective force of the command had 
 been reported as three hundred and eighty-three a few days 
 before; but under the deceptive rule in vogue in the armies 
 of the Union although in no others special and extra 
 duty men were always included among the "present for duty," 
 so that those in the ranks during an action were frequently 
 not over four-fifths of the reported effectives. Owing to the 
 large number detached temporarily with the artillery, per 
 haps not more than two hundred and fifty stood in the charg 
 ing battle line. In an assault which to those in the flame of 
 it gave promise of extermination, we were not quite deci 
 mated. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILL. VOL. INFTY., BEFORE 
 VICKSBURG, MAY 19, 1863. 
 
 KILLED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 LEVI HILL, second-lieutenant. A. Shot in thigh and groin. 
 
 JOHN C. GLASS, orderly-sergt. A. Shot in head. 
 
 PATRICK TOBIN. A. Shot in head. 
 
 MICHAEL AINSBURY, corporal. C. Shot in head. 
 
 ORIN BABCOCK. C. Shot in head. 
 
 ROBERT A. HAMER. C. Shot in head. 
 
 JAMES A. CURRY, corporal. D. Shot in breast. 
 
 OLIVER J. HOYT. F. Shot in breast. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 OSCAR MALMBORG, colonel. Contusion over eye. 
 
 JOSEPH C. BARKLEY. A. Slightly, in head. 
 
 JOSEPH A. DEEMS, corporal. A. Seriously, in thigh. 
 
 MATTHEW MITCHELL. A. Seriously, in thigh. 
 
BATTLE CASUALTIES. 237 
 
 WOUNDED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 RIENZI L. CLEVELAND. C. Slightly, in arm. 
 
 ORION P. HOWE, drummer. C. Slightly, in thigh. 
 
 ROSWELL J. RILEY, corporal. C. Slightly, in arm. 
 
 HUGO ARNDT, corporal. E. Seriously, in arm. 
 
 FRANKLIN PEACAR, sergeant. E. Slightly, in hand. 
 
 LUCIEN B. CROOKER. captain. F. Arm broken by bullet. 
 
 LEWIS T. WINGET. F. Slightly, in hand. 
 
 ANDREW A. WILLIAMS. G. Bullet in lower jaw. 
 
 JAMES W. GAY, color-corporal. G. Bullet in shoulder. 
 
 WILLIAM C. TEITGE. H. Seriously, in shoulder and side. 
 
 JOSEPH EDWARDS. I. Seriously, in shoulder. 
 
 ROBERT McVAY, sergeant. K. Bullet through lungs. 
 
 Lieutenant Levi Hill was a daring young officer of great 
 promise. He is said to have gone into the battle depressed 
 by a premonition of his fate. Orderly-sergeant John C. Glass 
 was slain while advancing too imprudently ahead of the skir 
 mishers an irreparable loss to his company. The three 
 killed of Company C, all fine soldiers, fell one after the other 
 in the same spot, victims to the deadly aim of some expert 
 rifleman. Corporal Curry was a man of ability, had been a 
 teacher and was a thorough soldier. Captain L. B. Crocker s 
 wound, added to severe injuries previously received at Shiloh, 
 permanently disabled him for further military service, and 
 he never rejoined his command. His confirmed habit of 
 making himself too conspicuous a target for rebel bullets lost 
 us a sagacious and resolute officer; but he has been spared 
 for a life of great usefulness to state and nation. 
 
 A story that has been twice told by General Sherman and 
 more than once sung by patriotic poet, must not be omitted 
 here, for it is a romantic incident in the history of the day 
 and of the Fifty-fifth. Among the several boy musicians of 
 the regiment the youngest were two sons of Principal-Musi 
 cian Howe, one but twelve and the other fourteen years of 
 age when enrolled. They were both small of their years. 
 Our "infant drummers" attracted much attention on dress 
 parade in the great camps of instruction, at Camp Douglas 
 even rivalling our original giant color-guard." The little 
 Howes drummed well, proved hardy, never seemed homesick, 
 were treated as regimental pets, and passed through battle 
 
238 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 after battle, and march after march, untouched by disease, 
 unscathed by bullet and shell. In the charge of May iQth 
 the youngest Howe, like the other musicians, with a white 
 handkerchief tied about the left arm to designate him as a 
 non-combatant, followed in the rear of the line to assist the 
 wounded. At the advanced position finally held by the regi 
 ment, it was essential to our safety not to allow any cessation 
 in the firing, and the cartridge-boxes became rapidly depleted. 
 Ammunition, from the difficulties of the ground, could only 
 be brought to us by special messengers and in such quantity 
 as they were able to carry about the person. Sergeant-Major 
 Hartsook was instructed to go back to the regimental ord 
 nance wagon, take command of the musicians and such other 
 men as he might find detailed near our camp, and send them 
 to the front one by one, with cartridges. This dangerous 
 duty was promptly and well performed. 
 
 The little drummer, by his own statement, was not at this 
 time with the other musicians, but in the ravine just in rear 
 of the regiment, having been ordered back from the front to 
 be out of danger, by the colonel. About him were several 
 dead and wounded men. Collecting the ammunition from 
 their cartridge-boxes, and using his blouse for a sack, he car 
 ried this up to the command. Flattered with some praise 
 then received, he started for the ordnance wagon and returned 
 in safety, with his small but valuable contribution. Again he 
 sped down across the ravine and up the steep opposite slope. 
 We could see him nearly the whole way as he ran through 
 what seemed like a hailstorm of canister and musket-balls, 
 so thickly did these fall about him, each throwing up its little 
 puff of dust where it struck the dry hillside. Suddenly he 
 dropped, and hearts sank thinking his brief career ended; 
 but he had only tripped over some obstacle. Often he stum 
 bled, sometimes he fell prostrate, but was quickly up again, 
 and finally disappeared from us, limping, over the summit, 
 and the Fifty-fifth saw him no more for several months. As 
 the boy sped away the last time the colonel shouted to him, 
 as he alleges, "Bring calibre fifty-four." General Sherman s 
 letter to the War Department will best tell the rest of the 
 story : 
 
THE DRUMMER BOY OF VICKSBURG. 239 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, ) 
 CAMP ON BIG BLACK, Aug. 8, 1863. > 
 Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 
 
 SIR : I take the liberty of asking through you that something be 
 done for a young lad named Orion P. Howe of Waukegan, Illinois, who 
 belongs to the 55th Illinois, but is at present absent at his home, wounded. 
 I think he is too young for West Point, but would be the very thing for a 
 midshipman. 
 
 When the assault on Vicksburg was at its height, on the igth of May, 
 and I was in front near the road which formed my line of attack, this 
 young lad came up to me wounded and bleeding, with a good healthy 
 boy s cry: " General Sherman, send some cartridges to Colonel Malmborg; 
 the men are all out." "What is the matter, my boy?" "They shot me 
 in the leg, sir; but I can go to the hospital. Send the cartridges right 
 away!" Even where we stood the shot fell thick, and I told him to go to the 
 rear at once, I would attend to the cartridges; and off he limped. Just 
 before he disappeared on the hill, he turned and called as loud as he 
 could, "Calibre 54!" 
 
 I have not seen the boy since, and his colonel, Malmborg, on inquiring, 
 gave me his address as above, and says he is a bright, intelligent boy, 
 with a fair preliminary education. What arrested my attention there 
 was, and what renews my memory of the fact now is, that one so young, 
 carrying a musket-ball wound through his leg, should have found his way 
 to me on that fatal spot, and delivered his message, not forgetting the 
 very important part even of the calibre of the musket, 54, which you 
 know is an unusual one. 
 
 I ll warrant the boy has in him the elements of a man, and I commend 
 him to the Government as one worthy the fostering care of some one of 
 its National Institutions. 
 
 I am, with respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN. Maj.-Gen. Commanding. 
 
 In the Atlantic Monthly for September, 1864, the follow 
 ing poem by George H. Boker was published : 
 
 BEFORE VICKSBURG. 
 MAY 19, 1863. 
 
 While Sherman stood beneath the hottest fire 
 That from the lines of Vicksburg gleam d, 
 And bomb-shells tumbled in their smoky gyre, 
 And grape shot hiss d, and case shot scream d, 
 Back from the front there came, 
 Weeping, and sorely lame, 
 The merest child, the youngest face, 
 Man ever saw in such a fearful place. 
 
240 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Stifling his tears, he limp d his chief to meet; 
 
 But, when he paused and tottering stood, 
 Around the circle of his little feet 
 
 There spread a pool of bright, young blood. 
 Shocked at his doleful case, 
 Sherman cried, " Halt ! front face ! 
 Who are you ? speak, my gallant boy ! " 
 "A drummer, sir, Fifty-fifth Illinois." 
 
 "Are you not hit?" "That s nothing. Only send 
 
 Some cartridges. Our men are out, 
 And the foe press us." " But, my little friend 
 " Don t mind me ! Did you hear that shout? 
 What if our men be driven? 
 Oh, for the love of Heaven, 
 Send to my colonel, general dear 
 "But you?" "Oh, I shall easily find the rear." 
 
 " I ll see to that," cried Sherman ; and a drop, 
 
 Angels might envy, dimm d his eye, 
 As the boy, toiling towards the hill s hard top, 
 Turn d round, and, with his shrill child s cry 
 Shouted, " Oh, don t forget ! 
 We ll win the battle yet ! 
 But let our soldiers have some more, 
 More cartridges, sir, calibre fifty-four ! " 
 
 A slangy plagiarism upon this, styled "Calibre 54," was 
 printed with a full-page illustration, in Harper s Weekly for 
 August 22d, 1885. 
 
 There remains one singular fact unchronicled. The senti 
 mentality that has been expended upon the solicitous recol 
 lection by the wounded boy of "calibre fifty-four," is wholly 
 based upon somebody s blunder. The rifles of the regiment 
 were all calibre fifty-eight, and if cartridges of number fifty- 
 four had been sent, they would have been of small practical 
 use for us; even buck-shot would have been better, fighting 
 as we were at close quarters. It is, moreover, extremely 
 doubtful if there was any calibre fifty-four ammunition near 
 that battle-ground. Calibre fifty-seven cartridges were fur 
 nished to the regiment, were used, and when the guns became 
 foul and heated in action were highly convenient. This size 
 was the one desired at the time. Unlike most battle-field 
 blunders this had no doleful sequence, made no widow or 
 
CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. 241 
 
 orphan, is responsible for no bloodshed; but simply lives em 
 balmed in rhythmic romance, like many another error. 
 
 Young Howe was again wounded May 28th, 1864, at 
 Dallas, being then an orderly at the headquarters of General 
 Giles A. Smith. He received an appointment to the Naval 
 Academy from President Lincoln, ordering him to report for 
 examination June 25th, 1864; but was finally allowed a year 
 for study, and entered the academy July 28th, 1865. He was 
 unable to meet the requirements of the course, and left at 
 the end of his second year. He then entered the merchant 
 service, and was one of the crew of the ship Thornton, 
 wrecked on the Irish coast in November, 1867, losing every 
 thing but life. Having had enough of the salt water, but not 
 yet sated with adventure, he tried the roving life of a cowboy 
 in Texas, participated in some Indian fights on the plains, 
 and went in a civil capacity with the noted Powder River 
 expedition; but has at last found a quiet home in Illinois 
 again. 
 
 Though signally failing of its direct object, the attack of 
 May igth gained important advance of position at every 
 point, and valuable knowledge of the natural and artificial 
 obstacles to be overcome. It sufficiently demonstrated that 
 General Pemberton s army had recovered in great measure 
 from the demoralization it had shown at the Big Black. But 
 the assault had been far from a general one. Neither the 
 corps of General McPherson nor that of General McCler- 
 nand had approached sufficiently near the enemy s lines to 
 attempt a coup de main. In fact the assault made by the 
 division of General Blair was the only one really deserving 
 the name, and that was made upon a portion of the defences 
 which chanced to be manned by steady veterans who had 
 not experienced disheartening defeat in the field. The Fif 
 teenth Army Corps was confronted by the divisions of Gen 
 erals Martin L. Smith and J. H. Forney, and the salient upon 
 which our charge had spent itself, was defended by a brigade 
 of General Forney s division which had garrisoned Haines s 
 Bluff, composed chiefly of Mississippi regiments commanded 
 by Brigadier-General Louis Hebert. They were fighting 
 upon their native soil, and behind works where one cool- 
 16 
 
242 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 headed man ought to be equal to four or five uncovered 
 assailants. 
 
 The army at this time garrisoning Vicksburg was under 
 estimated by our generals, who supposed it not to much 
 exceed eighteen thousand men; but after the losses of the 
 siege over thirty-one thousand were surrendered. An army 
 reported to be of nearly equal size to our own was threaten 
 ing our rear, and daily receiving additions. Under the able 
 leadership of General Johnston it was not likely to neglect 
 any opportunity that presented to attempt the relief of the 
 beleaguered city. To cope successfully with the two forces 
 combined, heavy columns of troops must be summoned from 
 points hundreds of miles away. The hot season was at hand, 
 and the few springs hidden among the hills were fast drying 
 up. A consultation of the corps commanders warranting 
 General Grant in ordering preparations for the second assault 
 along the whole line, the twenty-second of May was selected 
 for the murderous experiment. Those of us who had been 
 favored with a very near view of the exterior slope of the 
 bastions and connecting rifle-pits, knowing these works to be 
 thoroughly manned by veteran soldiers of similar blood to 
 our own, felt little hope of a successful issue. But when a 
 call was made for fifty men from the brigade to constitute a 
 storming party, equipped to cross the ditch and climb the 
 parapet in advance of the main columns of attack, the Fifty- 
 fifth at once offered more than double its due proportion. 
 One commissioned officer and twelve men only were accepted. 
 
 Precisely at ten o clock the bugles sounded a charge. The 
 field batteries all along the Union line, and the gunboats and 
 mortars in the river below, had opened a fast and furious fire 
 an hour before. The army, by divisions in column with 
 fixed bayonets, rushed forward, preceded each by its forlorn 
 hope of one hundred and fifty men. Again the rebel para 
 pet blazed from its entire length. The greater the daring 
 displayed by the assailants, the more numerous the victims, 
 and after an hour or two of desperate struggle the assault 
 had failed at every point. Nowhere had our troops suc 
 ceeded in crossing the bulwarks, although the storming 
 parties had generally succeeded in reaching the ditch and 
 
THE SECOND ASSAULT. 243 
 
 planting their flags on the embankments of the bastions, 
 whence the Confederates tried in vain to pluck them away. 
 The three brigades of General Blair s division, commanded 
 by Brigadier-General Hugh Ewing and Colonels Giles A. and 
 Thomas K. Smith, marching by the flank and successively 
 plunging into the terrible fire that swept the Graveyard Road, 
 were unable to withstand it, and deployed to the left along 
 the steep sides of a ravine, where they gained partial protec 
 tion and could prevent the rebel gunners from firing. 
 
 Three or four hours later the two brigades just at our left, 
 under Colonel Giles A. Smith and Brigadier-General T. E. 
 G. Ransom, attempted to storm the rifle-pits in their front. 
 The Eighth Missouri of the first named brigade, our faithful 
 allies in many a bloody fight, we heard had volunteered to 
 make one more charge, if the Fifty-fifth would support them. 
 Suddenly we saw the tall form of Colonel Smith rise from 
 the ground at the right of his men. A prominent target for 
 hundreds of bullets, he waved his sword and shouted, "Boys, 
 they ll give us one volley ; before they can reload, we ll be 
 inside their works. Forward, double-quick, march! and 
 hurrah like - !" The charging line nearly reached the 
 trenches, only to be driven back by the withering fire poured 
 into their faces by the serried ranks of men in grey that rose 
 behind the parapet. A- renewed order to assault at three 
 o clock, when General Mower s brigade was sent to our sup 
 port on the right, resulted only in further useless slaughter. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth, as before, attained a position very near the 
 line of Confederate works, where the brow of the hill afforded 
 protection in front, and there remained in line and in compar 
 ative safety, if the foe could be kept down by constant fire. 
 As before our opponents were the men of Hebert s brigade, 
 re-enforced by the Tennesseeans of Brigadier-General Vaugh- 
 an s command. We were fully in sight from a redan on our 
 left, half a mile distant, known to us as Fort Hill, and during 
 the afternoon a rifled cannon was there trained upon us, much 
 to our annoyance and loss. The adjutant was much rallied 
 then, and has been often congratulated since, for the aston 
 ishing prescience and agility he displayed, when once, after 
 the flame and smoke leaped from the muzzle of this gun, he 
 
244 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 jumped out of the path of the ball which tore out the foot 
 prints his feet had barely left and ricochetted on its fearful 
 errand along the hillside. The prescience was the more re 
 markable in this, that it could not have been derived from 
 sight, the officer s back being nearly turned towards the gun. 
 It was an inborn cognizance of coming evil, as positive and 
 peremptory in its warning to move as a comrade s push would 
 have been. The ball terribly wounded three or four men in 
 the regiment. Sergeant Burns, a noble soldier and exem 
 plary Christian, died of his wounds the same day. Charles 
 Dhelo survives, although his arm was shattered and the flesh 
 torn from his shoulder, baring the blade bone for a space 
 eight inches in diameter; one of the most ghastly wounds 
 ever seen that did not take life. Martin Popp lost both feet, 
 torn off by the same shot. We held our position all night, 
 and were recalled the following day to a deep ravine a short 
 distance in the rear, where we were allowed to rest for two 
 days. 
 
 The volunteers who represented the regiment in the 
 storming party were the following: 
 
 WILLIAM C. PORTER, second-lieutenant. Company E. 
 
 JOHN H. FISHER, corporal. Slightly wounded. " B. 
 
 JOHN SMITH. Mortally wounded. " E. 
 
 JOHN WARDEN, corporal. Wounded. " E. 
 
 RICHARD HANEY, sergeant. Killed. " F. 
 
 AMOS SANFORD, corporal. Wounded. " F. 
 
 JACOB SANFORD. " F. 
 
 JAMES W. LARRABEE, sergeant. Wounded. " I. 
 
 MILTON BELLWOOD. Killed. " K. 
 
 ROBERT M. Cox, corporal. " K. 
 
 JAMES DONAHUE. Killed. " K. 
 
 ROBERT A. LOWER. " K. 
 
 WILLIAM WALKER. " K. 
 
 Fortunately, we are not left entirely dependent upon fad 
 ing recollections for our knowledge of the doings and experi 
 ences of these valiant patriots on that day of desperate 
 endeavor. Joseph Hartsook at the time took down from the 
 lips of Lieutenant Porter his account of the forlorn hope, 
 and from that many of the facts to be given are drawn. 
 Robert M. Cox, John H. Fisher, James W. Larrabee and John 
 
THE STORMING PARTY. 245 
 
 Warden, four survivors of the party, have furnished their 
 reminiscences, which have been used to fill the brief record. 
 The company of one hundred and fifty volunteers was 
 commanded by Captain J. H. Groce of the Thirtieth Ohio, 
 aided by three other officers one each from the One-hun 
 dred-twenty-seventh Illinois, the Sixth Missouri and the 
 Fifty-fifth Illinois. The ensign, borne by a mere boy of the 
 Eighth Missouri, Trogden by name, was the headquarters 
 flag of General Ewing s brigade. Beside their guns the men 
 carried axes, boards, and rude scaling ladders. Before the 
 order for the charge the heroic men, drawn up in line, were 
 briefly addressed in the presence of General Sherman, by 
 General Smith. They were promised sixty days furlough if 
 they captured the fort. When the company sallied out upon 
 the Graveyard Road from the ravine that concealed them, 
 but few shots were fired, and it was not until the leaders were 
 within one hundred feet of the ditch that they were met by 
 a volley. If a surprise was to be hoped for, the main column 
 should have charged unheralded by the storming party or 
 artillery fire. Pressing on at double-quick past the "lone 
 oak" and turning to the right, those not hit by the first volley 
 threw themselves into the ditch, and Trogden, with a few 
 others, climbed the slope and planted the flag. Digging 
 places for protection with their bayonets, they clung there 
 until one or more of their number were hit, apparently by 
 our own men, when all fell back to the foot of the slope. It 
 was now past noon; the charge of the main column had been 
 repulsed, and there seemed no hope of relief. The ditch in 
 which they were huddled was four or five feet in depth, 
 about double that in width, and the crest of the parapet was 
 nine or ten feet above the bottom of the ditch. The sharp 
 shooters in the rifle-pits on either flank of the fort commanded 
 portions of the ditch, and killed and wounded several. Bell- 
 wood was one of those thus killed. After a time the occu 
 pants of the fort began to shout to those in the trench, " Sur 
 render, Yanks!" and the response was, "Come and get us." 
 Once or twice a sally was attempted, but failed. Then a few 
 hand grenades were thrown over, most of which, having re 
 ceived too great impetus, fell beyond the ditch. During the 
 
246 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 afternoon they began to roll grenades down over the crest of 
 the parapet. These were stopped by holding up a rail upon 
 bayonets at the edge of the crest. Only one of these shells 
 dangerously hurt any of those in the ditch, but that one, 
 bursting under Richard Haney as he lay against the slope, 
 instantly killed him. He was buried where he died, by the 
 Confederates, two or three days after. After dark the party 
 fell back a few at a time, carrying with them the wounded, 
 and Trogden climbed to the parapet and brought away the 
 flag. 
 
 Of the one hundred and fifty, nineteen were killed and 
 thirty-four wounded, including the two senior officers. Ser 
 geant Larrabee narrates that as he lay upon the slope near 
 the top a hand grenade came over near him, and in attempt 
 ing to avoid it he raised his head sufficiently to get a glimpse 
 of the inside of the bastion. It seemed to him "a solid mass 
 of men." Just then a rebel shot him through the neck, the 
 muzzle of the gun being so near that powder from it was 
 blown into his face, the marks of which he carries to this 
 day. Donahue and Smith were victims of the first volley, 
 the former being instantly killed, the latter mortally wounded. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILL. VOL. INFTY., BEFORE 
 VICKSBURG, MAY 22, 1863. 
 
 KILLED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 JOHN BURNS, sergeant. A. Side crushed by cannon ball. 
 
 RICHARD HANEY. sergeant. F. Killed instantly by grenade. 
 
 DAVID A. SULLIVAN. F. Shot through breast. 
 
 MARTIN BELLWOOD. -K. Musket ball through head. 
 
 JAMES DONAHUE. K. Shot in body. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 HENRY LENHART, corporal. A. Slightly, in arm. 
 
 BARTHOLY HOLDEN. A. Slightly, in hand. 
 
 JOHN H. FISHER, corporal. B. Slightly, in right hip. 
 
 JOHN WARDEN, corporal. E. Musket ball through legs. 
 
 MARTIN POPP. E. Feet shot away by cannon ball. 
 
 JOHN SMITH. E. Mortally, bullet in thigh. 
 
 AMOS SANFORD, corporal. F. Face burnt by grenade. 
 
 WILLIAM J. KENNEDY. G. Arm broken; died June 25. 
 
 HORACE T. HEALEY, lieutenant. H. Bullet through shoulder. 
 
 CHARLES DHELO. I. Cannon ball wound in shoulder. 
 
 PETER EBERSOLD. I. Slightly, in head. 
 
A BRIEF TRUCE. 247 
 
 WOUNDED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 JAMES W. LARRABEE, sergeant, I. Bullet through neck. 
 ALEXANDER LITTLEFIELD. I. Slightly, in face. 
 
 JOHN SHIELDS. I. Musket ball in leg. 
 
 Sullivan was acting as orderly for the colonel, and having 
 been sent by him to the commissary department with a can 
 teen, fell dead, shot through the heart, as he was returning 
 over the ridge. He was a bright, brave youth. Kennedy 
 was on duty in the ordnance department, but for some reason 
 went out to the front and was there struck by a bullet which 
 broke his arm. The wound might not have proved danger 
 ous but for the upsetting of the ambulance on its way to the 
 hospital, by which accident he received additional injuries, 
 causing his death. 
 
 May 24th our brigade received a new commander in the 
 person of Brigadier-General J. A. J. Lightburn. He was 
 from the Eastern army, a total stranger to our division, and 
 the reason for his unwelcome assignment over us was a riddle 
 about which we often worried, but which we never solved. 
 The next day a cessation of hostilities was declared on the 
 motion of General Pemberton, "in the name of humanity," 
 continuing from six until half-past eight o clock in the after 
 noon, to give opportunity for the burial of the slain, many of 
 whom yet remained near or in the trenches, where they had 
 fallen on the nineteenth and twenty-second of the month. 
 A few bodies, being in too advanced a stage of decomposi 
 tion for removal, were buried by the Confederates where they 
 lay; but most of the dead were brought back to an estab 
 lished line by stretcher bearers detailed for that purpose by 
 the rebel officers, and were there received by comrades and 
 carried to graves prepared for them. Towards the end of 
 this distressful scene an affecting incident was witnessed by 
 many. A Confederate sentinel on the line, looking at a group 
 of Union soldiers approaching, suddenly exclaimed, "Good 
 God! John, is that you?" and springing forward the two 
 men, one in blue and one in grey, were clasped in each others 
 arms. They were brothers. 
 
 On the twenty-sixth after dark the regiment was marched 
 about six miles north along the Walnut Hills, going into 
 
248 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 bivouac at midnight. In the early morning advancing to 
 Snyder s Bluff, we found ourselves assigned to a select divis 
 ion sent out on a reconnoissance under command of General 
 Blair, in search of a rebel force supposed to be prowling 
 about the Yazoo valley, and instructed to destroy all stores 
 which could be of use to the rebel army. On the night of 
 May 2/th we camped at Mill Springs, twelve miles from 
 Haines s Bluff, and on the two following days made leisurely 
 marches of ten or twelve miles. We passed through Mc- 
 chanicsburg on the thirtieth, which was the limit of our 
 advance, although the van reached a point within twelve 
 miles of Yazoo City, having unimportant skirmishes with cav 
 alry. May 3 1st the division encamped at Haines s Bluff. It 
 had subsisted upon the country, destroyed granaries, cotton, 
 and the bridges over all streams between the Big Black and 
 the Yazoo, and brought back from the fertile bottom lands 
 a long wagon train loaded down with grain and forage, and 
 an immense herd of mules, horses, sheep and cattle. Here 
 the Fifty-fifth rested three days, and again took its place in 
 the second line behind Vicksburg. It had marched during 
 the month two hundred and forty miles. 
 
 Regular siege operations by this date were well under way. 
 The pick, spade and sap-roller had replaced the bayonet, and 
 skillfully intrenched batteries were beginning their vociferous 
 arguments. There seemed at first some doubt where to use 
 the regiment, for on the fourth of June, receiving marching 
 orders, it had proceeded a mile or two on a road towards the 
 left wing, when a countermanding order came and it was 
 marched back to the familiar ravine. Details of men were 
 called for night and day to work in the trenches. The par 
 allels and approaches, laid out and constructed under direc 
 tion of engineer officers of the regular army, were more 
 elaborate than any we had yet seen. Heavy bags of sand 
 were aligned on the ordinary earth parapet with just space 
 enough between each two for the musket barrel of the sharp 
 shooter, and on these heavy head-logs were raised; while at 
 points where there was risk of an enfilading fire, the whole 
 way was covered with logs and earth so that those passing 
 to and fro could walk without fear; in fact more safely than 
 
SIEGE OPERATIONS. 249 
 
 in the ravines at the rear where glancing bullets and bursting 
 shells found many a victim. The pioneers had in every 
 ravine the greatest abundance of vines, cane and saplings for 
 the fabrication of gabions and fascines, and the yellow-clay 
 formation of the. hills is peculiarly favorable for mining 
 operations. 
 
 On the eighth of June we relieved a brigade in the front 
 line, facing the redan on the Graveyard Road, named by us 
 Fort Pemberton, which had been the objective point of our 
 two assaults. We occupied and improved the neat cane- 
 woven huts our predecessors had built among the oaks. A 
 battery of thirty-pounder Parrott rifles crowned the crest just 
 above us at the left, which every morning nearly deafened us 
 with its din. In this location the Fifty-fifth remained until 
 the end of the siege, well sheltered by the foliage from the 
 blazing sun and by the brow of the hill from hostile missiles; 
 save that sometimes one of the thousands of minie balls that 
 daily went hissing over our heads would glance down, or a 
 shell would tear off the limb of a tree to drop among us. 
 Even a paymaster, Major Judd, was induced to make us an 
 official visit in this camp, June 26th. We had far more dis 
 tinguished visitors. The commanding general established 
 his headquarters at a short distance directly in our rearj and 
 almost every day General Grant came to our front, very often 
 accompanied by General Sherman. The one taciturn, smok 
 ing slowly, his impassive face telling no tales of any work 
 ings of the mind within, the other nervously chewing a 
 cigar and voluble, his restless eyes noting everything within 
 the field of vision, they would shelter themselves from the 
 deadly marksmen of the fort behind convenient tree-trunks, 
 thoroughly and coolly view the situation and retire discuss 
 ing it. 
 
 Over two hundred guns were at last strongly intrenched, 
 threatening every point in the seven miles of defensive 
 fortifications about the hundred hilled city, and a general 
 bombardment was ordered June 2Oth. During the whole 
 forenoon the roar was incessant and terrible, and the tornado 
 of shot and shell tore the ramparts at some points into 
 almost shapeless mounds. But the work of a night and a 
 
250 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 few cotton bales would repair all the damages done. The 
 Confederate artillery seldom replied because, as he afterwards 
 stated in his report, General Pemberton felt it advisable to 
 economize his stock of ammunition although large, in 
 expectation of numerous assaults and a protracted siege. 
 Our artillery, however, was numerically so much the superior 
 that when a rebel battery opened upon us it was quickly 
 silenced by the fire concentrated upon it, and the guns had 
 to be removed to new positions to save them from destruc 
 tion. The Union batteries were busiest during the morning 
 and evening hours, resting in the middle of the day when 
 the heat was generally intense. The popping of the sharp 
 shooters rifles was continuous, and the lines soon coming 
 very close to each other everywhere, it became extremely 
 hazardous to show a figf&e above the parapet. Thus during 
 the hours of daylight the tumult, like that of a great battle, 
 rarely paused; but the daily casualties were not very numer 
 ous, although generally serious or fatal, many being shot 
 in the head. Hair-breadth escapes were so common 
 occurrences in our experience that they called forth no more 
 remark among us than would a needle s prick in a sewing 
 circle. 
 
 By night strong covering parties were picketed to protect 
 those working in the saps, and the enemy, wherever the 
 ground permitted, also stationed pickets in advance of their 
 intrenchments to guard against a surprise. Captain Browne, 
 who had been detailed on staff duty at brigade headquarters, 
 as he was posting the sentinels one night, was suddenly 
 halted by a sharp summons: "Surrender, Yank! Throw 
 up your hands or we ll fire." The captain had mistaken 
 either distance or direction in the darkness, or the Confeder 
 ates had crept beyond their usual position, and he with his 
 two companions were in close proximity to a hostile picket 
 post. Notwithstanding the tantalizing remembrance of 
 pressing engagements elsewhere, there seemed nothing to 
 do but yield as gracefully as possible to the invitation so 
 urgently proffered. The horrible shadow of a Confederate 
 prison hung over them oppressively near. The rebel officer, 
 who had risen from behind a huge stump, ordered his men 
 
THE MORTAR SHELLS. 251 
 
 to take the captain to the rear. Now or never! One 
 desperate leap for liberty, a headlong rush and tumble, and 
 the grey-headed, but still agile, captain was out of sight in 
 the gloom, his comrades following close, unhurt by the 
 bullets hurriedly sent in pursuit of them. 
 
 After a time it became the custom for the men on outpost 
 duty, by mutual agreement, to abstain from firing upon each 
 other; a contract extremely favorable to our labor details. 
 Private interchange of Union hard-tack and coffee for Con 
 federate tobacco was not uncommon. A Mississippian one 
 night inquired for the whereabouts of the Fifty-fourth Ohio, 
 and being told that the Fifty-fourth men were our particular 
 friends and near neighbors, asked that Sergeant - - of that 
 regiment, if alive, might be notified to come to the picket 
 line at a certain hour the next night, where he would recover 
 something of great value to him. The sergeant was found, 
 and appearing as requested, received from the Southerner a 
 letter enclosing the likeness of his sweetheart, which he had 
 somehow lost during the battle of Shiloh. 
 
 In our immediate front the saps were soon carried so near 
 the bastion that hand grenades came into use, and even 
 field-artillery shells were tossed to and fro, very rarely doing 
 much execution upon our side, at least. 
 
 The navy completed the ring of fire about the doomed 
 city. We could daily hear the roar of the ten-inch and one 
 hundred-pounder rifled guns, both below and above the town, 
 pounding away at the water batteries. From our camp, 
 although not far distant from the river, the water could not 
 be seen because of intervening forest; but by night, usually 
 at intervals of fifteen minutes or less, a flash as of lightning 
 below the horizon glowed above the woods, and a dull red 
 star would come up out of the flash, curving towards the city. 
 Higher and higher it rose, until at an immense apparent alti 
 tude it became for an instant a fixed star in some reigning 
 constellation, and then faster and faster in downward haste it 
 rushed along its parabolic course, gradually brightening and 
 leaving a faint phosphorescent trail, at last to break into a 
 blaze of red and blue flame, followed by darkness. The roar 
 of the mortar as its twenty-five pound charge of powder 
 
252 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 hurled forth the huge projectile thirteen inches in diameter, 
 would just reach us when the missile attained its highest 
 point; and the sound of the exploding shell, nearer us by a 
 mile or more, came about fifteen seconds after the dazzling 
 flame; while quick succeeding, if the night were very still, 
 could be heard the crash of breaking trees or pierced roof, 
 as the ragged iron fragments tore through the oaks or plunged 
 into the buildings. 
 
 Mines were pushed under the chief salients by the pion 
 eers, which the countermining of the defenders rarely inter 
 sected. The redan confronting the brigade of General M. 
 D. Leggett, a mile to our left, had been very effectually 
 undermined, and the hour of three in the afternoon of June 
 25th was assigned for exploding a ton of powder that had 
 been sealed up beneath it. This important salient, commonly 
 styled Fort Hill, was prominently in view from either flank, 
 and the moment assigned for firing the train was generally 
 known. The eyes of thousands drawn up in battle line as 
 for assault were intently fixed upon the position as the time 
 drew near. The Fifty-fifth took a very personal interest in 
 the scene, from the fact that but a few hundred feet before 
 its own camp a similar mine was then excavated and nearly 
 ready to receive its charge of powder. A few days more 
 and we were expecting to be called upon to become promi 
 nent actors in a similar enterprise. About half-past three the 
 parapet was seen to heave, and instantly up rose a huge dark 
 column of earth, mingled with timber, tools and bodies of 
 men, in the centre of which for a second gleamed a lurid 
 flame wreathed in white smoke. From the platform of the 
 battery where we stood we could see, as the dust settled back 
 and the smoke drifted away, that the face of the redan had 
 sunk into a shapeless hillock, over which a storming party, 
 with the stars and stripes in their van, were struggling to the 
 charge, while on the other hand the Confederate reserves, 
 expectant of a general assault, were everywhere hastening 
 towards the threatened points. A heavy musketry fire across 
 the crater lasted until dark, while our artillery and sharp 
 shooters from every quarter sent their missiles of many 
 calibres hissing, whistling and shrieking into and over the 
 
BLOWING UP A REDAN. 253 
 
 trenches. Half the fort was finally won and held with great 
 sacrifice of life, but the enemy, fully aware of the existence 
 of a mine though they failed to reach it with their counter 
 mines, had constructed another work in the rear as strong as 
 that destroyed. 
 
 While a group of men were watching the assault from be 
 hind the battery above our camp, supposing themselves 
 completely sheltered from hostile bullets, a minie ball from a 
 sharp-shooter s rifle half a mile away struck Corporal Mur 
 phy in the forehead, killing him instantly. He was a young 
 man of attractive presence and character, who had left his 
 studies, impelled by patriotism, to enlist, and was loved and 
 respected by all who knew him. 
 
 In the afternoon of July ist we were again assembled to 
 see the second redan in the same locality, with its unfortu 
 nate occupants, blown into the air, but no attempt was this 
 time made to storm the crater. 
 
 Now and then willingly-captured pickets were brought in 
 by our men at night. They all told the same tale of being 
 worn out with sleeplessness and fatigue; of hospitals crowded 
 with sick and wounded; of women and children slain in the 
 city by fragments of shells. They sometimes had with them 
 copies of a newspaper, the Daily Citizen, published in Vicks- 
 burg at fifty cents a copy, printed on the blank side of half 
 a yard of wall paper. They reported that the whole popula 
 tion had little caves dug in the clay hills, into which they 
 retreated like woodchucks into their burrows whenever the 
 rain of shot and shell fell fiercest. They bitterly complained 
 that their daily ration of meat was but a mouthful of bacon, 
 and half spoiled at that; that beef and flour and even corn 
 meal had long been exhausted, and that they had neither cof 
 fee nor any substitute therefor; that raw pork and musty 
 pea-meal bread formed a monotonous diet, and that whiskey 
 cost one hundred dollars per gallon in Confederate money. 
 
 In short, these deserters confirmed in us the belief that 
 the end could not be far away. At night from our camp we 
 could hear "Yank" and "Johnny" bandying jibes with each 
 other across the brief interval that separated them, and chat 
 ting of this and that; and Yank was wont to close with: 
 
254 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 "Well, Johnny, Old Unconditional has promised us that we 
 shall dine in Vicksburg on Independence-day, and he will 
 keep his word, you bet!" This threat was even printed in 
 the city paper. Indeed the soldiers themselves, from the 
 forwardness of preparations at various points, believed that 
 another assault was to be made on the fourth of July, and 
 they meant it should succeed this time. The tired garrison 
 read the belief behind the jest and were despondent in 
 proportion to our confidence. This disheartenment in the 
 Confederate ranks doubtless hastened the surrender, for the 
 officers feared the assault and had lost all trust in Johnston s 
 ability or will to make any effective attempt at their relief. 
 That prudent general, we well knew, was preparing to dash 
 with a large force across the Big Black for a desperate effort 
 to help the imprisoned enemy. But we also knew that 
 Sherman was in our rear watching him, and desiring nothing 
 better than to see that horde, half made up of ill disciplined 
 recruits and conscripts, attack his strong lines manned as 
 they were by seasoned veterans. 
 
 Friday, July 3d, the forty-sixth day of the siege opened, 
 the sun sending down its fiercest rays from a brazen sky. 
 Even the customary morning salutation of our batteries to 
 the foe seemed languid, and at a very early hour nearly all 
 firing ceased, save from the river; consequently the navy 
 seemed more noisily busy than usual. Before noon a rumor 
 ran from man to man and camp to camp with telegraphic 
 speed, quickening each heart with an electric thrill of joyous 
 expectation, that a flag of truce had come out from General 
 Pemberton asking for terms of capitulation. Soon the lines 
 of men in grey and the lines of men in blue, lean over or 
 climb their respective parapets and gossip flippantly to 
 conceal their anxiety. In the course of the afternoon the 
 mortars cease their fire, and silence becomes almost oppress 
 ive. The camps at night are as quiet as though there had 
 been neither war nor rumor of war in the land. At the dawn 
 the hush of painful suspense was relieved, for all along the 
 dread ramparts which we had been girding ourselves to 
 storm, gleamed the white signals of surrender. Yet there 
 was little that was boisterous in the glad acclamation; but 
 
THE SURRENDER. 255 
 
 universally joy-illumined countenances, hand shakes of 
 mutual congratulation, moist eyes and silent prayers of 
 thankfulness, attested the depth of feeling. Every regiment 
 was held within its lines until at ten o clock the traitorous 
 but brave grey brigades filed out, each upon its own front, 
 stacked arms, hung upon the stacks the various accoutre 
 ments, placed the colors at the centre of each regimental 
 line all at words of command given in so low a tone that 
 we could not hear them and returned as they came, 
 marching towards the city. On our part there was no 
 cheering, but we silently gazed upon the spectacle presented 
 by this sad procession of our humbled foe with the respect 
 ful demeanor of those who stand where a funeral pageant 
 passes. Soon after the starry banner was raised upon the 
 court-house and the navy with all its bunting displayed 
 steered for the landing, blowing steam whistles and firing 
 the national salute, now doubly appropriate to the day 
 consecrated to Liberty. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILL. VOL. INFTY., DURING 
 
 THE SIEGE. 
 
 NAMES. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 THOMAS J. ELRODD, A. Shot through thigh, mortally, June 
 
 17, when going to spring. 
 JAMES B. MURPHY, corporal. G. Killed by bullet in forehead. June 
 
 25. 
 PETER GALLIGAN. G. Slightly wounded in shoulder by 
 
 shell, July 2. 
 WILLIAM WALKER. K. Shot through arm, flesh wound, 
 
 July 2. 
 
 Already the Fifty-fifth had marching orders: "Be ready 
 to move with ten days rations at short notice" and no 
 opportunity was given to explore the captured city. A brief 
 visit over the lines in our front disclosed along their rear 
 slopes a confused jumble of disabled cannon, damaged 
 wheels, wrecks of caissons, dead mules, empty ammunition 
 boxes, cotton bales, useless muskets, worn out clothing and 
 discarded equipments. The works though amply strong 
 were inferior to our own in extent and neatness of construc 
 tion. The inner trench was bestrewn with grenades and 
 shell ready for use in the expected assault, and abundant 
 
256 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 evidence appeared that the garrison had no dearth of sup 
 plies save percussion-caps and provisions. Fragments of the 
 huge shells of the navy and the shot and shell of the land 
 batteries belittered the fields and roads, and every tree was 
 maimed. But what most engaged the soldiers attention was 
 the multitude of little holes excavated in the hill slopes, 
 covered in such a manner as to be almost shell proof. So 
 numerous were they that each man must have had one, into 
 which when off duty he could dive like a gopher to escape 
 the all-searching bullets. An examination of the arms and 
 equipments surrendered showed them to be of superior class. 
 The guns were chiefly Enfield rifles which had been brought 
 into the Confederacy by the blockade runners. General 
 Pemberton s army was the best appointed we had yet met. 
 
 We knew that Port Hudson only waited the news from 
 Vicksburg before yielding to General Banks. The Confed 
 eracy was at last cut in twain, and the Father of Waters, 
 again free of blockade from source to sea, thenceforward was 
 to lend all his mighty forces to the protection of the Union. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE JACKSON CAMPAIGN. CAMP SHERMAN. 
 
 AT five o clock on the morning of July 5th the regiment 
 moved out from its little camp beneath the oaks and 
 marched towards the Big Black. The enemy having been 
 driven from the opposite shore of that stream by artillery, 
 and a bridge constructed, we crossed at Messenger s Ford the 
 next day. Thence we advanced, pursuing the direct road 
 for Jackson, constantly retarded by skirmishing in front. 
 Towards night of the seventh a terrific thunder storm burst 
 over the weary battalions, and amid the awe-compelling ele 
 mental war before which the red bale-fires of battle "pale 
 uneffectual," we went into bivouac near Bolton. We reached 
 the vicinity of Clinton on the eighth, and came within sight 
 of Mississippi s capital on the night of the ninth. The 
 weather was of the hottest; the dust rose in suffocating 
 clouds about the sweltering columns, and the men suffered 
 wofully. Several were seriously affected with sunstroke, and 
 others were constantly seen dropping out of the ranks and 
 lagging behind from exhaustion. The little water-courses 
 were now mostly dry gravel beds, and the few natural or arti 
 ficial reservoirs of water remaining had been maliciously 
 polluted by throwing into them the carcasses of slain animals. 
 About mid-forenoon of the tenth we moved within gunshot 
 of Johnston s intrenchments surrounding Jackson, his artillery 
 greeting our advance with a few harmless shells. Our posi 
 tion was near the centre of the lines of investment. 
 17 
 
258 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 During the tenth and eleventh hostilities were chiefly con 
 fined to the artillery, and our guns were served but slowly for 
 the ammunition trains had not reached us. On the twelfth a 
 furious but brief cannonade, accompanied with volleys of 
 musketry, was heard upon the right, caused by a general ad 
 vance of that wing of the army, and more especially by an 
 unfortunate charge of a brigade of General Lauman s divis 
 ion which ended in a repulse and needless bloodshed. That 
 day we began intrenching as for regular siege. The ground 
 compared with that we had lately fought over, was quite 
 level. The forest had been felled for a width of several 
 hundred feet wherever it approached the defensive works, 
 which were built of cotton bales covered with earth, and at 
 suitable points were enlarged into bastions, turfed and 
 constructed with embrasures for several guns, which had an 
 enfilading fire upon the wide open spaces on either flank. 
 General Sherman had evidently no intention of ordering any 
 hasty or unnecessary assaults upon such defences, manned 
 as we knew them to be by an army as large as that which 
 had held us at bay seven weeks before Vicksburg. We lay 
 quiet by day and worked diligently upon the trenches in the 
 shades of night. 
 
 At noon, on the fourteenth, a truce was declared for the 
 burial of those slain on the twelfth, and the pickets in our 
 front stacked arms, met each other half way, and fraternized 
 for three or four hours. Each side had very important news 
 to impart to the other, inasmuch as the account of Meade s 
 great victory over Lee and the destruction of the Con 
 federate army at Gettysburg had just reached us, and our 
 opponents had recent advices of Lee s great victory over 
 Meade, at the same place, and the annihilation of the Union 
 army both on the day of Vicksburg s surrender. As 
 neither could be expected wholly to distrust their sources 
 of information, this subject had to subside, awaiting later 
 advices. About the fact that Vicksburg had fallen there 
 could be no dispute; but the rage against Pemberton for its 
 surrender was so vociferous and unreasonably bitter going 
 even to the length of charging him with being a traitor 
 bought and paid for that one of us pointedly suggested to 
 
THE REVOLVING RIFLE. 259 
 
 these bellicose critics that they should wait calmly a few 
 days, when they might, guided by some instructive experi 
 ence of their own, arrive at a less captious judgment. The 
 Johnnies, as usual, had their rough and ready rejoinders in 
 which always figured such stereotyped phrases as: "We ll 
 die in the last ditch before we ll surrender;" "You-uns can t 
 ever conquer we-uns;" "Why don t you take Richmond?" 
 
 All belligerent feelings were apparently left behind with 
 the stacked muskets. Neither the blood that had been 
 spilled nor thoughts of the morrow, with its myriad dangers, 
 cast any spells upon good fellowship and mirth. Jokers in 
 grey and humorists in blue plied their festive witticisms, 
 vying with each other to win the ready laugh of the listeners. 
 A little before the hour that was to end the truce, a rebel 
 colonel came out to the front among the men, clad in a coat 
 bereft of most of its tail. He called attention to this, and 
 explaining that the missing cloth had been carried away by 
 a shot from our artillery, asked his Yankee auditors if any 
 of them could boast a closer call than that proved. After 
 hearing much wonderment expressed at his escape, "O," 
 said he, "I forgot to mention that when this coat was 
 thus curtailed it hung not on me, but on a tree!" After the 
 uproar of ha-has that greeted this cheap sally had subsided, 
 the same officer asked: "Who was that, last Saturday, in the 
 oak covered with grape-vine yonder? He cleaned out a 
 whole picket post for me, killing and wounding several 
 men." "That was Sergeant Ridenour of the Fifty-fifth 
 Illinois, with his revolving rifle," was the reply. "Well, I d 
 like to make the sergeant s acquaintance after the war." 
 And ordering his men back to their places, in a brief time 
 the jovial gossips had become vigilant foemen again, doing 
 their best to take each other s lives. 
 
 The exploit referred to by the colonel deserves further 
 mention. Company A being on picket during the eleventh 
 of July, was seriously annoyed by the enemy s sharp-shoot 
 ers, and the orderly-sergeant was sent with a squad of five 
 or six picked marksmen along the bed of a little creek, then 
 almost dry, to try to abate the nuisance. After posting his 
 men, the sergeant himself crept on within shorter range of 
 
260 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the rebel lines and found a double stump under the shadow 
 of a vine-clad tree on the bank of the creek, peculiarly 
 adapted to his purpose. He was not only an excellent shot 
 but carried a noted five-chambered Colt s rifle, which had 
 been used with potent effect to persuade enlistments for the 
 Douglas Brigade, all the recruits for certain companies being 
 assured they would probably be armed with .one of those 
 wonderful weapons. The magazine rifles had not then 
 appeared in the army. Watching for a mark, the sergeant 
 saw an officer in full view walking a little behind the rifle- 
 pits, and fired at him, only, however, to make him hastily 
 dodge under cover. The smoke of the gun of course 
 disclosed the lurking place of the sergeant, and a score of 
 hostile bullets came like angry hornets in search of him. 
 One of the rebels, who exposed himself in firing, became 
 a victim to the sergeant s second shot, and, keeping the rifle 
 in the same position, another suffered from his deadly aim 
 while gesticulating contemptuously and shouting, "shoot 
 again," evidently laboring under the mistaken impression 
 that the rifle, even if a double barreled one, was now 
 unloaded. Bullets hissed through the grape-vine and into 
 the oak harmlessly; but when the rifle spoke from between 
 the twin stumps some rebel had a narrow escape, or was 
 borne off on a stretcher. Those remaining soon grew 
 prudent, avoided exposing themselves even to fire at the 
 grape-vine, and left the pickets in peace. 
 
 Our batteries soon gained commanding positions whence 
 their shells penetrated every part of the city, ammunition 
 arrived, and when the sun went down on July I5th, every 
 thing pointed to an energetic bombardment of Mississippi s 
 capital on the morrow. A vigorous and obstinate defence 
 was expected, for not only was Jackson the seat of govern 
 ment containing valuable public buildings and costly private 
 residences, but as a railroad centre it possessed much 
 strategic importance. The astute General Johnston, how 
 ever, did not repeat the error of his lieutenant, Pemberton, 
 by allowing himself to be cooped up in fortifications. Before 
 light, the next morning, a large fire near the centre of the 
 city awakened suspicion, and the pickets advanced to find 
 
IN MISSISSIPPI S CAPITAL. 261 
 
 the enemy gone. General Johnston, from the hour of our 
 approach, had been quietly shipping eastward by rail all his 
 war material, and during the night had withdrawn across the 
 Pearl River by three floating bridges, safely removing his 
 sick and wounded and all his artillery save two siege guns, 
 thus leaving to us a somewhat barren victory. This was not 
 to be our last experience of this general s masterly skill in 
 retrograde strategy. 
 
 Entering the city, we were stationed at first in the capitol, 
 upon the dome of which the flag of the Thirty-fifth Massa 
 chusetts was flying. In the afternoon we crossed the river, 
 expecting to follow in support of the cavalry and a division 
 of the Fifteenth Corps sent to pursue the retreating army, 
 but were recalled to aid in extinguishing fires that threatened 
 to destroy the city, and were then detailed as provost-guard 
 and went into bivouac in the southerly end of the town. 
 Deserters from Johnston s army and stragglers captured by 
 the cavalry were constantly coming in. The city was 
 deserted by most of its inhabitants. Every night of our 
 stay, one or more fires were set by incendaries, and there 
 seemed a disposition on the part of the soldiery to mete out 
 a severe punishment to the place. This may have been in 
 part because it was the capital of Jefferson Davis s state, 
 but was more probably in revenge for the wanton pollution 
 of the water supply and the planting of torpedoes in the 
 roadways. By these last cowardly contrivances, now a 
 soldier and now a citizen was murdered or mangled. Finally 
 squads of prisoners were sent out under guard to find and 
 remove them. 
 
 The infantry having destroyed the railroads for miles to 
 the north and east, and the artillery having battered down 
 with captured ammunition the brick piers of the bridge over 
 the Pearl, the expedition returned towards Vicksburg, aban 
 doning Jackson to desolation. The return march, in its 
 fatigue and suffering from thirst and heat, rivalled that of 
 the advance. The regiment reached Clinton on the twenty- 
 third, Bolton on the twenty-fourth, and on Saturday, July 
 25th, found a more permanent resting place, about three 
 miles west of the Big Black, which received the name Camp 
 
262 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Sherman. We were between twelve and fifteen miles from 
 Vicksburg. Our camp and garrison equipage, which had 
 been brought to the Yazoo landing, came to us on the twenty- 
 seventh, and in the shade of the beech woods we set up little 
 shelters that were to be our homes for two months. We 
 formed a part of the line of the Fifteenth Army Corps, 
 which extended from Raines s Bluff to the Big Black, at the 
 railroad crossing. 
 
 Our brief Jackson campaign had been a fatiguing one, 
 entailing much hardship and absolute suffering at times, 
 chiefly because of the terrible heat and great scarcity of 
 water. Though under fire five days our loss was light. The 
 effective force of the regiment at this date was three hundred 
 and fourteen. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILL. VOL. INFTY., AT 
 
 JACKSON. 
 
 FRANKLIN L. KIMBERK of Company I, shot through arm, July 10. 
 GEORGE W. BONE of Company F, mortally wounded on picket, July 14. 
 PETER ROBERTS, second-lieutenant, seriously wounded in breast, July 14. 
 
 The influence of the then dominant policy in the War De 
 partment soon began to be felt. The matchless army that 
 had been concentrated at such trouble and cost, directed by 
 one man s will, had struck a telling blow, paralyzing rebellion 
 throughout Mississippi and shaking the Confederacy to the 
 centre. Yet this success so won, would without doubt have 
 missed its grand perfection had not General Grant s head 
 quarters for a critical week or two been in the saddle beyond 
 hearing of the dictating tick-tick of the military telegraph at 
 Washington. Now, instead of using the giant energies of 
 this army to deal staggering blows in rapid succession and in 
 the same direction, it was speedily dispersed north and south, 
 to garrison cities, to awe guerillas, to guard cotton traders, or 
 to aid expeditions of minor military import and doubtful 
 issue west of the Mississippi. The older regiments were 
 already mere skeletons, yet no new muscle was added to 
 them, either by voluntary enlistments or conscription, and 
 political managers were taxing their ingenuity to invent plans 
 for reconstruction before the retributive destruction of war 
 had been pushed to the point of convincing traitors that con- 
 
AT CAMP SHERMAN. 263 
 
 ciliation was worth suing for, or even desirable. What with 
 the stubbornness of Halleck, the subordination of military 
 to political strategy, and the plotting and counterplotting of 
 presidential aspirants, the Confederacy was given time to 
 perfect a sweeping conscription, tide over an imminent dan 
 ger and prolong the war a year. 
 
 Life in camp on the Big Black had the usual diversions 
 and employments. Regular company and regimental drills 
 were ordered from six to eight in the forenoon, guard-mount 
 and weekly inspections were renewed, and dress parade was 
 held at six in the afternoon. Nearly every week there was a 
 review or brigade drill in the vicinity of General Sherman s 
 headquarters and under his supervision. The battalion of 
 the Thirteenth U. S. Infantry, which served as headquarters 
 guard, had attached to it a superb military band, which added 
 much to the interest of these occasions. Most of the officers 
 by turns received short furloughs, and many of the enlisted 
 men were granted leave of absence as a reward for gallant 
 services, or other special reasons. The chaplain held daily 
 religious exercises in camp, which aroused much interest, and 
 several were baptised. 
 
 Of course a general court-martial, the inevitable concom 
 itant of the close of a campaign, was duly convened. From 
 the Fifty-fifth, Captain J. M. Augustine was detailed as a 
 member of this court, and it was resolved by some that the 
 commander of the regiment should appear before it for trial. 
 Charges were preferred against the colonel in due form and 
 forwarded to the brigade commander, General J. A. J. Light- 
 burn. By him they were detained, and finally suppressed; 
 probably, he would have alleged, with a view to the good of 
 the service; but as the disappointed complainants rudely 
 hinted, because "a fellow feeling makes one wondrous kind." 
 Perhaps no document among the many regimental and com 
 pany papers that have been preserved better illustrates and 
 gives excuse for certain strained relations constantly existing 
 in the regiment, which, if it were desirable, it is impossible 
 to ignore in writing its history. For that reason alone the 
 suppressed charges are reluctantly reproduced here in full, 
 without further comment: 
 
264 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 CHARGES AND SPECIFICATIONS. 
 
 CHARGE I. Violation of the forty-fifth article of war. 
 
 Specification i. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., during the operations against the enemy at Chickasaw 
 Bayou, Miss., Dec. 27, 28 and 29, 1862, was at sundry times so much in 
 toxicated as to be unfit to properly perform the duties of his position. 
 
 Specification 2. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. Ill.Vols., during the expedition to the American Bend, Miss., between 
 the dates of March 14 and March 24, 1863, was at sundry times too much 
 under the influence of intoxicating liquors to properly perform the duties 
 of his position. 
 
 CHARGE II. Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman. 
 
 Specification i. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., did, while on the transport Fanny Bullitt, rebuke Second- 
 Lieutenant William C. Porter of Company E, 55th Regt. 111. Vols., then 
 regimental Officer of the Day, for alleged neglect of duty, in a grossly 
 insulting and profane manner reproaching him in so loud and angry 
 tones as to awaken officers and men who were sleeping on the boat. 
 This near American Bend, Miss., on or about the night of the thirteenth 
 of March, 1863. 
 
 Specification 2. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., did unnecessarily and in an ungentlemanly manner re 
 buke Captain N. S. Aagesen of Company D, 55th Regt. 111. Vols., then 
 regimental Officer of the Day ; using grossly profane and insulting lan 
 guage towards him, accompanied with threatening gestures ; charging 
 him falsely with neglect of duty, and "damned impudence," when he 
 (Captain Aagesen) attempted explanation. All this on board the steamer 
 Fanny Bullitt at American Bend, Miss., on or about the fourteenth day of 
 March, 1863. 
 
 Specification j. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., during the march from Grand Gulf, Miss., to Raymond, 
 Miss., while the regiment was in bivouac, did curse and abuse Private 
 Michael T. Cox of Company A, 55th Regt. 111. Vols., for misunderstand 
 ing him using the following or similar language : "You are a liar, God 
 damn you. I have a mind to kill you right on this spot." This on or 
 about the fifteenth day of May, 1863. 
 
 Specification 4. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., while riding at the head of the regiment during the 
 march from Vicksburg, Miss., to Mechanicsburg, Miss., did break out in 
 an unusual rage against the men and officers of the regiment, because of 
 a slight disturbance in the ranks ; calling the men " damned rowdies," 
 and threatening to cut in the face with his sword any one whom he 
 should see speaking ; and upbraiding in loud and profane language the 
 officers of the regiment using these or equivalent expressions: "You 
 are a set of damned imbeciles, unfit to command a squad of one man, and 
 claim to be officers ! Damned fools, that s what you are." This on or 
 about the twenty-eighth day of May, 1863. 
 
AT AMSTERDAM FORD. 265 
 
 Specification 5. In this that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., did falsely accuse Assist.-Surgeon J. T. Smith, 55th Regt. 
 111. Vols., of cowardice and neglect of duty, and did otherwise shamefully 
 abuse him, in the presence of the regiment and Battery B, Chicago Light 
 Artillery. All this near Vicksburg, Miss., on or about the twenty-first 
 day of May, 1863. 
 
 Specification 6. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., did near Vicksburg, Miss., on or about the fourth day of 
 July, 1863, abuse with profane and insulting language Major J. J. Heffer- 
 nan of the 55th Regt. 111. Vols., in the presence of the regiment, using 
 the following or similar language: "Hold your tongue, God damn you, 
 or I ll blow your brains out." 
 
 CHARGE III. Conduct prejudicial to good order and military 
 discipline. 
 
 Specification /. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., in violation of the third section of the first article of the 
 Revised Regulations, habitually injures officers and men under him by 
 tyrannical and capricious conduct and abusive language. 
 
 Specification 2. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., does habitually reprimand and abuse officers for real or 
 fancied dereliction of duty, in the presence of the enlisted men of their 
 commands. 
 
 Specification j. In this, that the said Colonel Oscar Malmborg, 55th 
 Regt. 111. Vols., does habitually speak derogatorily of the abilities and 
 capabilities of the officers, in the presence of the enlisted men of their 
 commands. 
 
 J. M. AUGUSTINE, 
 Witnesses : Capt., 5$th Regt. III. Vol. Inft. 
 
 Lieut.-Col. T. C. CHANDLER, 55th Regt. 111. Vols. 
 
 Major J. J. HEFFERNAN, " " 
 
 Chaplain M. L. HANEY, " " 
 
 Adjutant H. S. NOURSE, 
 
 Asst.-Surgeon J. T. SMITH, " " 
 
 Captain C. M. BROWNE, " " 
 
 Captain F. H. SHAW, 
 
 Captain H. H. KENDRICK, " " 
 
 Lieut. A. A. WHIPPLE, " " 
 
 Lieut. H. AUGUSTINE, " " 
 
 From the twelfth to the nineteenth of August the regi 
 ment was stationed at Amsterdam Ford, on outpost duty. 
 The irrepressible craving of the soldiers for fresh vegetables, 
 fruit and other savory additions to the unvarying army 
 rations, often led them not only to break over wholesome 
 military restrictions, but even to imperil their own and others 
 lives and liberty. In example of this, a sad reminiscence 
 
2 66 
 
 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 attaches to our week s sojourn at this place. The neighbor 
 hood to the picket-posts of tilled land, orchards, and inhab 
 ited houses, was at once discovered, and soon peaches and 
 sweet potatoes were seen in the haversacks of relieved guards. 
 On August I4th, Calvin A. Songster of Company G, while 
 foraging on his own account south of the river, and engaged 
 in animated conversation with a girl in the yard of a dwelling, 
 was surprised by two mounted men armed with double-bar 
 reled guns, who dashed up and ordered him to surrender. 
 Looking into the four grim muzzles pointed at his head he 
 saw no chance of escape from captivity. It happened, how 
 ever, that a comrade belonging to Company K, by name John 
 Greene, was in the house, the old lady whose home it was 
 having agreed to give him some milk. Greene rushed out, 
 raised his gun, and aiming at the rebel cavalry men, shouted, 
 "Surrender!" The old lady followed him, and standing at 
 his side kept crying excitedly to both, "O don t fight here!" 
 But one of the Confederates discharged both barrels of his 
 gun at Greene, who, firing his own gun ineffectually as he 
 fell, dropped face downward at the feet of the woman, ejac 
 ulating, "My Jesus, what will my poor family do!" The 
 horsemen immediately wheeled and fled, leaving Greene 
 dying and Songster free. A party, at shouts of the latter for 
 aid, crossing the stream found that Greene was dead, and 
 that two men of Company A Edgar J. Porter and Joseph 
 H. White had been captured in the peach orchard near by 
 at the same time. These men were conveyed from one prison 
 to another Mobile, Atlanta, Columbia, Raleigh through 
 the breadth of the Confederacy to Libby Prison, Richmond. 
 There Porter safely delivered to Colonel Streight a letter 
 which had been entrusted to him by General Neal Dow, at 
 Mobile. The winter of 1863 was spent by them at Belle Isle, 
 where they met Jesse Gould, another soldier of the Fifty- 
 fifth. Gould had also been captured during August, while 
 upon a foraging expedition, being on detached service in the 
 division train. He died at Belle Isle. Porter and White 
 were paroled thence March 2ist, 1864, and after being duly 
 exchanged and recruited from their half-starved condition, 
 
GENERAL SHERMAN S NAMESAKE. 267 
 
 rejoined the regiment in time to take part in the Atlanta 
 campaign. 
 
 While in Camp Sherman one of Company F s patriots 
 received notice that a son had been born to him at his home 
 in Illinois, and wanted a name. He immediately wrote to 
 his wife to call the boy William Tecumseh Sherman, and at 
 the same time wrote General Sherman, informing him that he 
 had a promising namesake. The next day an orderly ap 
 peared with commands for S. F , private Fifty-fifth 111. 
 
 Vols., to report forthwith at army headquarters. The 
 soldier with some trepidation obeyed the summons, saluted 
 and awaited the general s pleasure. Sundry of the staff 
 and other officers were present, and their faces wore an air 
 of having enjoyed some joke, and of anticipating more 
 amusement. "Well," said the general, "I see by your letter, 
 
 Mr. F , that your wife has presented you with a fine boy, 
 
 and that you have done me the honor to name him for me. 
 How long have you been in the service?" "Two years, gen 
 eral," was the respectful reply. " Have you ever had a fur 
 lough?" Now it would have been strange if this question 
 did not make the heart of the husband and father leap with 
 hope of soon greeting his dear ones face to face. His gen 
 eral was surely proposing to allow him brief leave of absence 
 for this purpose, reflected the soldier, as he feelingly replied: 
 "No, general; I ve never been absent from the regiment a 
 day." "Been two years in the service, and never had a fur 
 lough and your wife has a bouncing boy! Why, really, 
 
 F , I don t understand this." The officers winked slily at 
 
 each other, enjoying the culmination of the strategy. The 
 soldier s hopes sank; but his cheeks flushed, and his answer 
 was prompt: "General, my wife last autumn made me a three 
 weeks visit when we were at Memphis." Amid the laughter 
 of all present, General Sherman owned himself for once out 
 flanked, and told the father that when the boy should be ten 
 years old he would gladly send him something to remember 
 for whom he received his name. The boy did not live to see 
 a tenth birthday. 
 
 The regiment had already lost from its rolls by the various 
 casualties of war, more than half of its complement. The 
 
268 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 monthly return for August showed the following aggregates : 
 
 .::" * 
 
 313 
 
 Present and absent.. | Commissioned ................. 
 
 493 
 
 The malarious climate asserted itself in due time, and the 
 surgeon s stock of quinine was all insufficient for the legiti 
 mate calls made for it. A few cases of typhoid fever proved 
 fatal. Men who had bravely dared and safely passed through 
 the perils of battle, assault and siege men with sun- 
 embrowned faces and vigorous frames, whose muscles had 
 become hardened with marching, drill and toil until they 
 were as tough and elastic as steel, sickened and were borne 
 to their graves within a few days. No list of those who died 
 while the regiment was upon the Big Black can be made with 
 accuracy now; but among the worthy and brave who surren 
 dered to disease then, or from malarial poison shortly after 
 we had removed thence, a few may be fitly named, even 
 though others equally deserving remembrance, perhaps, may 
 be omitted. Sergeants Henry Lenhart and Charles Rock- 
 hold, victims of fever at Camp Sherman, Christian patriots 
 both, were men whose gallantry in action and sterling quali 
 ties of mind and heart, endeared them to their comrades. 
 George W. Eckley s death was probably directly chargeable 
 to his becoming overheated on the arduous march from Jack 
 son. He was a beloved comrade, true, intrepid and capable. 
 William Snapp, a fearless soldier of fine personal presence, 
 Edward M. Bruner, an upright and manly patriot, and Leslie 
 Gaylord, an unexceptionable soldier, found graves at Camp 
 Sherman. Sergeant Samuel Kellogg and Franklin Peacar 
 died of malarial disease, the former at Camp Sherman in 
 July, the latter at Memphis in October; both were highly 
 esteemed as men and soldiers. 
 
 Captain John T. McAuley was detached from the regiment 
 for staff duty with Brigadier-General Giles A. Smith. Being 
 subsequently appointed Acting Assistant Adjutant-General 
 of the First brigade, he did not again serve with his company 
 during the war. 
 
MARCHING ORDERS. 269 
 
 Henry W. Janes, the first quartermaster of the Fifty-fifth, 
 was discharged August loth, 1863, to accept appointment as 
 captain and assistant-quartermaster of volunteers. Thaddeus 
 H. Capron, who as quartermaster-sergeant and second-lieu 
 tenant had for nearly a year performed the chief duties of 
 the office, was commissioned to fill the vacancy. Captain 
 Janes was brevetted major and lieutenant-colonel, March 16, 
 1865, "for faithful and meritorious service during the war." 
 He remained on duty in the quartermaster s department as 
 captain and assistant-quartermaster, was promoted to major, 
 June 19, 1879, and was retired July 2, 1879, "for incapacity 
 resulting from long and faithful service," in conformity with 
 section 1251 of Revised Statutes. He died at Poughkeepsie, 
 N. Y., February 16, 1883. 
 
 On the first day of September, Major Tilden paid the reg 
 iment, and a few days later, recognizing the commercial 
 opportunity, a sutler arrived with the usual miscellaneous 
 assortment of goods, in the interest of Shreves and Andrews 
 of Fulton county, Illinois. September I4th the regiment 
 went across the Big Black upon a foraging expedition, but 
 met with no noteworthy adventures, and because of the in 
 tense heat of the day failed to find this picnic-to-order par 
 ticularly enjoyable. September I9th Governor Yates visited 
 the camp and was received with the honors due to his high 
 station. On the twenty-second, in the afternoon, our summer 
 quarters were abandoned, and we moved to the railroad 
 bridge over the Big Black to take the place of some troops 
 of General Osterhaus s division, which had been ordered up 
 the Mississippi. Here we laid out a new camp in an open 
 field near the railroad. Not far away was an extensive en 
 campment of colored refugees, wards of the government. 
 Of this motley aggregation of dusky humanity, just emergent 
 from the condition of marketable chattels, Captain Shaw 
 was made provost-marshal an honor he evidently did not 
 crave, but bore with his customary quiet dignity. On the 
 twenty-fifth again marching orders came, and two days later 
 the regiment moved to Vicksburg, fifteen miles distant, with 
 all its camp property. 
 
 This march was through a doubly-desolated land. Every 
 
270 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 corn and cotton field was smothered with rank weeds; houses 
 were windowless and chimneys often houseless, where but 
 five months before rich planters led easy lives of luxury, the 
 envied of the land. Now the proud wives and daughters of 
 these men, little better clad than their former slaves, were 
 perhaps fain to receive their daily bread, doled out by an 
 U. S. commissary. 
 
 Arriving at the steamboat landing, we found the Ohio 
 Belle assigned to the regiment and began embarkation. We 
 learned that our division, then under command of Brigadier- 
 General Giles A. Smith, together with the Fourth Division, 
 under Brigadier-General Corse, were ordered to re-enforce 
 the Army of the Cumberland which General Bragg, having 
 driven with a superior force from Chickamauga, had caged 
 in Chattanooga, and was now taming by a process of slow 
 starvation. The next day was spent in loading the fleet and 
 making a tour of the city, which most of the regiment had 
 never before seen save from the swamp camps at Young s 
 Point. The old bastions, rifle-pits and siege works had all 
 been leveled, and a much shorter interior line of forts was 
 in process of construction, suitable for the occupation of a 
 small garrison. Rank vegetation had already concealed 
 many of the wounds of the siege in the rear of the city; 
 but the graves in the "Valley of Death," the shattered roofs 
 in the town, the countless little caves in the slopes of the 
 hills, and the heaps of rubbish and unsightly debris of 
 abandoned camps, were eloquent of the bloody; work of 
 May and June. 
 
 Twenty-five years have run away since the stirring events 
 occurred which the pen has tried to faintly outline in this 
 and the preceding chapter. The veteran revisiting Vicks- 
 burg, however familiar he may have been with localities, will 
 vainly strive to recognize many of them in the changed face 
 of nature. The city itself stands upon its hundred hills as 
 of old; but it is another city than that so obstinately 
 defended by Pemberton s army. The Mississippi no longer 
 rolls a turbid current at its feet; only a sleepy bayou stag 
 nates in the old channel, and commerce has retreated for its 
 landing three miles to the south. Young s Point is unrecog- 
 
THE UNKNOWN DEAD. 271 
 
 nizable; the region about Chickasaw Bayou is a tangled 
 wilderness; the nobly wooded hills have been long robbed 
 of their timber, and the Graveyard Road is no thoroughfare. 
 Upon the bluff just above the city, where the right of the 
 Fifteenth Corps rested on the river, is the beautiful National 
 Cemetery. Among its army of the great majority, these five 
 only of nearly forty belonging to the Fifty-fifth, who laid 
 down their lives for their country in the region round about, 
 have memorials inscribed with their names; and but one of 
 these fell before the bastions of Vicksburg. 
 
 LEVI T. HILL, Co. A. Sergt. KELLOGG, Co. E. GEORGE W. BONE, Co. F. 
 H. LENHART, Co. A. J. LIGHTFOOT, Co. E. 
 
 The many others lie among the "unknown" or sleep in 
 forgotten graves. No, not forgotten; even though undis 
 tinguished by verbose epitaph or pretentious marble. Their 
 patriot blood was not shed in vain. Their lives offered in 
 willing sacrifice, and the lives of such as they, are the conse 
 crated foundation of the nation regenerate the very corner 
 stone of the new republic. For it was the self-sacrificing 
 manhood of the rank and file, borne upon the resistless tide 
 of national feeling, that in spite of narrow politics, vacilla 
 ting strategy and sanguinary generalship, overwhelmed the 
 desperate rebellion. The true heroes of the war were not 
 those whose eulogies were loudest proclaimed, nor those at 
 the passing of whose catafalques city streets were draped in 
 black; but the humble volunteers of the ranks, in whose 
 souls the flame of patriotism burned bright and pure, without 
 taint of ambitious self-seeking; who, albeit hopeless of reap 
 ing renown or rising to exalted place, and always facing the 
 probability that the last of earth to them would be a name 
 less grave, yet abandoned ease, possessions, home, youthful 
 aspirations, love, to protect for posterity the constitution 
 which our fathers had built at great cost. 
 
 "These died that we might claim a soil unstained 
 Save by the blood of heroes; their bequests, 
 A realm unsevered and a race unchained. 
 Has purer blood through Norman veins come down 
 From the rough knights that clutched the Saxon crown, 
 Than warmed the pulses in these faithful breasts ?" 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CHATTANOOGA AND KNOXVILLE CAMPAIGNS. 
 
 OEPTEMBER 29th, bidding a glad good-bye to Vicksburg, 
 O we began the journey up the Mississippi, from frequent 
 repetition familiarly irksome to us all. That night and the 
 next day the boat halted at Greenville, while a supply of 
 wood was collected in the rain. The consumption of fuel 
 had been so enormous everywhere along the river, and the 
 interruption of the wood-chopper s industry so general, that 
 it had become necessary to haul fence-rails or other fuel 
 from some distance to the shore, for the use of transports. 
 This labor frequently consumed as much time as the real 
 journey. Our advance was but slow, partly on this account 
 ond partly because of the very low stage of the river. 
 Reaching Helena on the night of the second of October, we 
 halted to secure a supply of coal. Continuing on our way 
 the next morning, the boat struck hard and fast upon a sand 
 bar about twelve miles below Memphis, and we worked 
 ineffectually hour after hour to get released from it, until the 
 steamboat Metropolitan came to our assistance, and pulled 
 us off in time to reach Memphis after dark on the fourth. 
 In the morning the regiment marched out to the site of its 
 camp of 1862, near the fair grounds, and set up tents. Two 
 days were now given us wherein to rest and renew our ac 
 quaintance with the city. We found a year had changed 
 Memphis from a half-deserted town in which the spirit of 
 rebellion was insolently rampant, to a busy, prosperous mart 
 
PURSUING CAVALRY. 273 
 
 where Northern capital and Northern men throve apace in 
 trade, although it must be confessed not always by purely 
 patriotic or wholly honorable methods. The over-anxiety of 
 the government to relieve the cotton market had opened the 
 way to much illegitimate commerce, and "the Israelites 
 spoiled the Egyptians" without much consideration for Mo 
 saic or the United States laws. 
 
 On the eighth we began our long eastward journey. 
 Marching from camp at break of day, the regiment found at 
 the station a long train of box-cars loaded with army stores. 
 Mounting upon the tops of these at ten in the forenoon, we 
 left Memphis, the paradise of Jew sutler and Gentile siren, 
 behind us. Our first day s travel, however, was brief, ending 
 at Moscow because of a break in the track beyond. The 
 rebel cavalry, well led, active and bold, were scouring the 
 whole region bordering the railroad between Memphis and 
 Tuscumbia; the population left in this territory was for the 
 most part bitterly hostile, and the problem of keeping over 
 one hundred miles of track in good working order was a 
 serious one indeed. Not only had every bridge and culvert 
 to be carefully watched and protected, but single rails were 
 often removed at night and concealed. Trains were there- 
 fore compelled to utilize daylight only, and to run slowly at 
 that. By a singular accident the regiment temporarily lost 
 its colors during this trip. The flag, carelessly displayed on 
 the top of the car, got caught in an overhanging telegraph 
 wire, and was torn from the color-bearer s grasp. Fortu 
 nately it was recovered and forwarded to us the next morning. 
 We proceeded on the train to LaGrange during the afternoon 
 of the ninth, and went into bivouac about a mile beyond the 
 village, where we remained until Sunday, the eleventh. 
 
 On the morning of that day we were temporarily attached 
 to General Sweeny s command of the Sixteenth Corps, and 
 set out in pursuit of a force of rebel cavalry reported to be 
 a day s journey south. We marched until dusk, when news 
 came of General Chalmers assault upon Colliersville, where 
 he nearly captured General Sherman and staff, and we hur 
 riedly marched back six miles and went into bivouac. Octo 
 ber 1 2th, being about eighteen miles from the railroad, we 
 18 
 
274 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 learned of Chalmers defeat, and turned south towards Holly 
 Springs, marching until about noon, whence halted at Hud- 
 sonville. The next day we made a reconnoissance south for 
 about eight miles, returning to Hudsonville for the night. 
 October I4th we proceeded through Holly Springs and about 
 ten miles beyond. A year before we had visited this locality 
 for the first time, and remembered it as a beautiful town, with 
 numerous tasteful residences, evidently the abode of cultured 
 and wealthy people; while the region round about abounded 
 in signs of prosperity. Now the whole face of nature seemed 
 changed. The place was a slovenly ruin, and the fenceless 
 fields far and wide were barren wastes. On the fifteenth and 
 sixteenth we turned through Chulahoma, and by way of 
 Byhalia marched to Colliersville. The next day we mounted 
 a train for Corinth, and on the eighteenth reached luka. 
 Here the regiment was assigned to the First brigade, com 
 manded by General Giles A. Smith, a change altogether 
 agreeable to us. Here, too, we received Springfield muskets 
 in exchange for our heavy but trusty Dresden rifles. 
 
 The regiment was detailed to unload the stores from the 
 cars upon the army train. A car was discovered partly filled 
 "with sutler s goods, which the owner had managed to smug 
 gle along in direct contravention of General Sherman s 
 orders. As this stock in trade had no place in the military 
 trains, the boys in unloading began to distribute it where 
 they thought it would do the most good. While the sutler 
 was profanely remonstrating and trying to secure his property, 
 General Sherman chanced along, and to him the angry man 
 appealed for help. He received a characteristic response: 
 " Neither you nor your goods have any rights here. My or 
 ders were that only army stores should be shipped in these 
 cars. You have stolen transportation belonging to these 
 men, while they have had to make a forced march. You are 
 served just right." The general rode off, while the welkin 
 rang with cheers, and the crest-fallen sutler retired to figure 
 up his profit and loss account, and make out his claim upon 
 government. 
 
 Our six-days scout in pursuit of cavalry, from the fatigue 
 and constant exposure in a malarial region, had caused an 
 
CHEROKEE STATION. 275 
 
 alarming amount of intermittent fever among the men. The 
 daily cases of "chills" were counted by the score, and several 
 seriously ill were left behind at luka. Among these were 
 Captains Shaw and Brink. The former recovered, and joined 
 us after three months of fever and slow convalescence; the 
 latter died there, October 3ist. Even among the stalwart 
 groups of soldiers in the Fifty-fifth, Vincent E. Brink was a 
 striking figure, and his upright, vigorous physique, was fitly 
 matched by moral worth and noble qualities of heart. Be 
 fore he received his first commission he bore the colors of 
 the regiment. 
 
 On the twentieth we marched as rear guard behind the 
 division train sixteen miles to Cherokee Station, just across 
 the Alabama line, reaching it after ten o clock at night. In 
 advance we found the troops of Generals Osterhaus and John 
 E. Smith encamped. At this station Francis P. Fisher re 
 ceived his commission as first-lieutenant and adjutant, was 
 mustered in and entered upon the multifarious duties of that 
 difficult and responsible position, for which he had peculiar 
 qualifications by reason of his superior education and busi 
 ness experience. October 2ist opened with rain and fog, 
 and a proposed advance was delayed until eight o clock. 
 Soon after that hour General Osterhaus moving forward en 
 countered the Confederate forces under General S. D. Lee. 
 The rebel cavalry appeared clad in blue overcoats and suc 
 ceeded in getting near enough unsuspected to make a fierce 
 charge upon the van, causing some confusion and heavy loss 
 in one or two regiments. A sharp fight lasting an hour en 
 sued. Here were brought prominently into view at the rear, 
 where we lay in reserve, the pitiful sights and sounds of the 
 field-hospital: the operating-table never long without its 
 pallid occupant; the sufferings that could find no alleviation 
 until the death agony ended them; the surgeons with hands 
 and arms stained with gore, looking like so many butchers. 
 Horrors that in the rage of the battle s front pass almost 
 unpitied, at the improvised camp of the medical corps in the 
 rear are too distressing for the most hardened to look upon 
 unmoved. The enemy soon gave way, but the onward move 
 ment was at an end for that day. 
 
276 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 We remained at the railroad station until the twenty-sixth, 
 when General Blair, who was in command of the three divis 
 ions present, ordered an advance. Our brigade started at five 
 in the morning and formed the right flank of the battle-line. 
 The enemy were found in force near at hand and resisted 
 with artillery, but were slowly pressed back until late in the 
 afternoon when they made a determined stand behind Little 
 Bear Creek, about five miles west of Tuscumbia, holding a 
 strong position, and we went into bivouac for the night con 
 fronting them. The next morning our brigade, with that of 
 General Lightburn, were pushed out upon the left flank of 
 the Confederates who retired precipitately after a short skir 
 mish, a few well-aimed shots from our twenty-pounder rifled 
 Parrotts adding to the hot haste of their departure. The 
 country we were entering is pleasantly diversified by rounded 
 hills, well wooded and watered, fertile and altogether attract 
 ive. Its farms and villages had a home-like look, suggestive 
 of peaceful prosperity, pastoral and slumbrous. About noon 
 we marched into Tuscumbia to find it nearly deserted, its 
 numerous stores stripped of goods, its hotels inhospitably 
 closed, and its neat white residences left in charge of a few 
 women and boys or decrepid old men, who with sullen stolid 
 ity watched our entrance. On the twenty-eighth we moved 
 back to the Chickasaw bottoms about sixteen miles, when we 
 learned that General Sherman had resolved to cease further 
 attempts to repair and use the railroad, and had determined 
 upon a forced march on the north side of the Tennessee 
 River. 
 
 October twenty-ninth early in the morning the long roll 
 summoned the troops into line and we were marched, out 
 from our camps about Cherokee Station two or three miles, 
 to find that the rebel cavalry had made a dash upon the out 
 posts, probably to ascertain the Union position. On the 
 thirtieth we set out in a pouring rain with the army train for 
 Chickasaw Landing, fifteen miles distant, but the mules 
 floundered about in the deep mire of the country roads, the 
 wagons frequently stuck fast and had to be pried and lifted 
 out of the sloughs, so that we did not reach the river bank 
 until nine o clock at night of the thirty-first. There we re- 
 
A FORCED MARCH. 277 
 
 mained in such shelter as we could set up until November 
 2d, when we were conveyed by the Masonic Gem, used as a 
 ferry-boat, across the Tennessee, and marched eight miles 
 eastward to Gravelly Springs. The next day we proceeded 
 seventeen miles, passing through Cypress Mills and Florence, 
 and halting for the night within a mile of the last-named 
 place. On the fourth, by a sixteen mile march, we reached 
 Blue Water Creek, the way lying through the rich valley 
 lands whose residents were bitter Secessionists and made 
 little secret of the fact. November 5th we advanced fifteen 
 miles to Anderson Creek, a persistent drizzle adding discom 
 fort and difficulties to the miry roadways. 
 
 The Elk River, which the van of the army encountered 
 near Rogersville, was found only passable by ferry, and to 
 avoid delay the column was turned to the north in search of 
 a bridge. We took up the line of march regularly at half- 
 past seven each morning, halted about noon for an hour or 
 less wherever we chanced to be, and bivouacked near some 
 crystal stream when the day s journey ended. Often when 
 the roads were heavy and the way grew long when weary 
 feet began to drag and sorely tried spirits lost their elasticity 
 when the usual merry chat, banter, quip and laughter died 
 away, and morose silence brooded over the marching column 
 then Fred Ebersold or Dorsey Andress would strike up 
 "Tobias and Tobunkus," "Doctor Eisenbarth," or other jolly 
 catch German or English, it was all one to them and the 
 jovial singers of Company I would chime in with the chorus. 
 Or the chaplain, with full, melodious voice, would start some 
 familiar hymn, and Companies A and F, with others here and 
 there, would join until the echoes woke among all the hills 
 and woods around. And if thus hunger and thirst, cold and 
 fatigue were not wholly charmed away, at least every heart 
 and every step grew lighter, and the slow miles were more 
 easily put behind us. 
 
 November 6th we marched fifteen miles in spite of a heavy 
 rain, reaching Little Shoal Creek. The Fifty-fifth, sent out 
 on picket upon a steep hillside, made an important capture 
 of fifty or more rebellious pigs, after a brief but spirited skir 
 mish. This fresh meat acceptably eked out the half rations 
 
278 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 of hard-bread. On the seventh an advance of sixteen miles 
 was made, the noon lunch and siesta being taken at Pulaski. 
 On the eighth, sixteen miles more of our long journey were 
 counted as passed, our course being directly east through 
 Bradshaw, and our night s camp upon a rocky ridge. The 
 next day we made but nine miles, crossing Buchanan s Creek 
 about noon. The following day, passing through Fayette- 
 ville, we crossed the Elk River upon a fine stone bridge of 
 six arches, and thence marched about five miles, bending our 
 steps south again, although the direct route to our destina 
 tion lay to the east through Decherd. This circuitous course, 
 was taken to avoid the mountainous roads and to strike a re 
 gion more likely to furnish forage for the animals. The two 
 other divisions followed the railway line to the eastward. 
 November nth our road lay through damp woodlands, then 
 sombre-hued and depressing, for the glowing crimsons and 
 purples which lately clothed the trees had mostly fluttered 
 down and been woven by wind and rain into a russet-brown 
 carpet beneath, already becoming mildewed and redolent of 
 decay. The bridges were numerous and often insufficient for 
 the safe passage of artillery, requiring to be repaired or 
 strengthened, and causing vexatious delays; but we made 
 fifteen miles. During the twelfth we made better progress, 
 covering eighteen miles. About three in the afternoon we 
 crossed the Alabama line, and our camp that night was south 
 of Newmarket. The next day we increased our advance to 
 twenty miles, reaching Paint Rock on the Memphis and 
 Charleston railway. 
 
 We were among the picturesque foot-hills of the Cumber 
 land range a veritable wilderness of unspoiled nature; but 
 soldiers with blistering feet are rarely inspired with any sen 
 timental glamour about their pathway, however romantic; 
 and empty stomachs joined with weariness of body are not 
 conducive to enthusiastic appreciation of impressive scenery. 
 The rations had become wofully deficient, and the incessant 
 toil of the march began to wear upon men and animals. The 
 route here turned to the eastward again. We had made a 
 detour of over one hundred miles to reach a point but fifty 
 miles away by the direct road, because of the unbridged Elk 
 
A FORCED MARCH. 279 
 
 River. Following the railway, we marched on the fourteenth 
 to Larkinsville, sixteen miles distant, and encamped near a 
 considerable stream that comes to the light of day only to 
 disappear, a "Lost Creek" forever, passing within a few hun 
 dred yards into subterranean concealment. Sunday, the 
 fifteenth, we reached Bellefonte, an advance of fifteen miles. 
 We moved on to Stevenson, a village of sutlers, at the junc 
 tion of the Nashville and Charleston railroads, through 
 swampy woodlands, on the sixteenth, a distance of sixteen 
 miles, and thence to Bridgeport, ten miles, on the seven 
 teenth. 
 
 At this point, where the Charleston railway crosses the 
 Tennessee, was the secondary base of supplies for the Army 
 of the Cumberland. Here the military stores, after a journey 
 of five hundred miles over a single line of railroad, had to be 
 transferred to wagons and hauled by mules over a wretched 
 round-about mountain road, sixty miles to Chattanooga. As 
 the path in some places lay beside the river, the south bank 
 of which was occupied by the rebels, sharp-shooters con 
 stantly annoyed, and even interrupted, this difficult transpor 
 tation. Thousands of dead animals and broken wagons lay 
 along the roadside, and with all diligence possible not more 
 than half-rations for the men could be conveyed in this way. 
 The artillery horses perished for want of food, or became too 
 weak to move the guns. October 23d the reticent, iron- 
 jawed conqueror of Vicksburg had entered Chattanooga upon 
 crutches. In a week s time the army was receiving full ra 
 tions by the river and a shorter road on its south bank, 
 snatched from the Confederates grasp. By this route we 
 were to enter the field of military operations, the great gate 
 way between East Tennessee and Georgia, thirty miles 
 distant. 
 
 Having obtained much needed clothing and food, we con 
 tinued progress on the nineteenth, crossing the Tennessee 
 upon pontoon bridges, and bivouacked that night at White- 
 side Station, thirteen miles in advance. Our noon rest was 
 at a little stream which flows from the mouth of Nickajack 
 Cave. The Confederate authorities for a time had manufac 
 tured saltpetre here, and the remains of their lixiviating 
 
2&> FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 works were yet to be seen. At this place we heard the 
 booming of the artillery in Chattanooga. The next day, 
 travelling through a rough mountain region, rich in bitumi 
 nous coal, we came to the base of Lookout Mountain and in 
 sight of the enemy s pickets. The battle-ground of Wau- 
 hatchie was passed, where on October 28th and 29th, How 
 ard s and Geary s men defeated in a night attack the superior 
 forces of Longstreet, and ensured the permanency of the 
 "new cracker line," which made it possible to hold Chat 
 tanooga. Near by were the elaborate camps of the Eastern 
 troops, who had followed Hooker from the bloody fields of 
 Virginia as we had come from the conquered citadel of 
 Vicksburg to relieve from siege the Army of the Cumber 
 land. 
 
 There was invariably a lively sharpening of wits when the 
 free and easy Western men chanced to come in contact with 
 the "brass-mounted" troops of the Potomac. We pretended 
 to sympathize deeply with our compatriots from beyond the 
 Alleghanies, in their grievous separation from good society 
 and the luxuries to which they had been wonted. We volun 
 teered our condolence because they could no longer draw 
 from the quartermaster rye straw for their beds and Day & 
 Martin s blacking for their brogans. We expressed our earn 
 est hope that they might not be compelled to eat their hard 
 tack without butter. We said to each other, with simulated 
 admiration, "What elegant corpses they ll make in those 
 good clothes!" We prided ourselves upon not having a su 
 perfluity about us, not an ounce of weight that did not mean 
 business the business of the campaign. While the knap 
 sack was light and clothes were of minor consequence, the 
 gun and its proper accessories were always in perfect order 
 and readiness, and the powder kept dry. 
 
 It may not be amiss for us to look at ourselves as seen by 
 the eyes of a gallant officer from New England, who twenty 
 years after the war genially wrote of that day s scene thus: 
 
 One day a "coming man" rode by the camp of the Thirty-third; a 
 tall, straight, grisly-bearded, hawk-eyed, blunt old soldier William 
 Tecumseh Sherman. Behind him came his men, just in from the Missis 
 sippi, dusty and dirty, ragged and shoeless, hard marched as they had 
 
THE FIFTEENTH CORPS BADGE. 281 
 
 been hard fought. It was the Fifteenth Corps of the Army of the Ten 
 nessee, Grant s own army which had won him his victories. After the 
 disaster at Chickamauga, Sherman and his corps had been sent for by 
 Halleck. On his way from Vicksburg Sherman had been appointed to 
 the command of the whole Army of the Tennessee. He and his old 
 corps, at the urgent call of Grant, had hurried along the road, fighting 
 their way, bridging streams, repairing railroads and climbing over moun 
 tains, but pressing on to be in season to help win one more victory for 
 their beloved and ever successful old chief. They rather despised the 
 tidy camp of the Thirty-third as they passed it, its men s cleanly brushed 
 coats, polished brasses and general marks of Eastern trimness and set 
 ting up, and discoursed of paper collars and other articles regarded in 
 their eyes with contempt. They knew the Eastern men better on the 
 long march afterwards, as they themselves came to be better known, and 
 both mutually confessed their respect. 
 
 It was here that the men of the Fifteenth Corps awoke to 
 recognition of the fact that they were behind the army fash 
 ion in having no distinguishing badge. While the soldiers of 
 other corps organizations displayed everywhere glittering 
 shields, crosses, clover leaves, arrows, acorns, stars, etc., we 
 had no peculiar insignia. "What s your badge?" asked a 
 Potomac man in spruce garb, well-blacked shoes and shiny 
 equipments, of one of the begrimed veterans in our van, as 
 it passed. "Badge is it?" replied the Irishman questioned, 
 slapping his cartridge-box as he spoke, "why fourty rounds 
 here to be shure, besides twinty in me pocket." No one in 
 battle-field or on historic page has ever questioned our right 
 to this the badge of our adoption. 
 
 A furious storm that night drenched every one through 
 and through, until it seemed as though the very blood in our 
 veins would be washed out. November 2ist we crossed the 
 swift river upon a frail pontoon bridge at Brown s Ferry, and 
 waded three miles in mire through a steady pour until we 
 reached the rear of some hills on the peninsula opposite 
 Chattanooga, where we encamped about noon. The forced 
 march had ended at last. The next morning our brigade, 
 without its camp equipage, moved five miles to the north 
 ward, and went into bivouac along the North-Chickamauga 
 Creek, which we found filled with pontoons. From the sum 
 mit of a hill near by many of us sought and found a compre 
 hensive view of the two armies in their intrenched camps 
 
282 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the precipitous crest of Lookout, rising fifteen hundred feet 
 above the river on the right of the line, and Missionary 
 Ridge, stretching from the skirts of that mountain six miles 
 north to the Chickamauga River, on the left. All along the 
 rugged range Bragg s legions looked down as from the upper 
 seats of an ampitheatre upon the camps of the Army of the 
 Cumberland, the town, and winding Tennessee. Few more 
 strikingly beautiful landscapes can be found in any land, and 
 "the pomp and circumstance of glorious war," the thousands 
 of white tents, the batteries periodically wreathed in white 
 smoke, the marching and countermarching, the gay flags, the 
 busy wagon trains moving to and from the depots of sup 
 plies all added attraction and impressiveness to the scene. 
 Monday, the 23d, we remained in the same position, and 
 received full instructions respecting an important and dan 
 gerous service for which the brigade had been selected, in 
 connection with the grand strategy by which General Grant 
 hoped to overwhelm the Confederate forces then holding 
 Chattanooga in close siege. Certain officers and men of the 
 Fifty-fifth Illinois and Eighth Missouri were instructed to 
 carefully observe the position of the cavalry picket-posts 
 along the opposite shore of the Tennessee, both by day and 
 night. One hundred and sixteen pontoons, constructed in 
 Chattanooga, had been secretly conveyed across the river 
 and by woods-roads to the creek where we lay, about a mile 
 above its junction with the river. Every boat was manned 
 by four oarsmen selected for their acquaintance with water- 
 craft. The company commanders received special instruc 
 tions, and in turn informed their men. All guns were loaded 
 but not capped, and no one was to fire on any pretence what 
 ever, unless by orders. To each boat wfc assigned twenty- 
 five men and officers. At about eleven o clock at night the 
 boats received their quotas, and the expedition started. The 
 Eighth Missouri led, followed by the Fifty-fifth. The long 
 line of pontoons floated silently down the narrow creek until 
 the Tennessee was reached, and then hugged the west shore 
 as closely as possible. Not a loud word was spoken; we 
 hushed our very whispers, and the oars were carefully muf 
 fled. The impetuous river, swollen by the heavy rains, bore 
 
PERILOUS NIGHT EXPEDITION. 283 
 
 us swiftly down, and the darkness was so dense under the 
 clouded sky and in the shadows of the forest-lined shore, 
 that we could hardly see the batteau next before or behind. 
 The rebel picket fires on the opposite bank glimmered 
 through the mist; we could see the guards throwing wood 
 upon them, and once heard the challenge of a sentinel, but 
 rarely was there any sound save the steady monotone of the 
 river s rushing water. 
 
 The leading boat directed its course so as to run across 
 the stream a little below the first picket-post, and the instant 
 it struck the land the twenty-five men sprang ashore, quickly 
 surrounded the sentinel and reserve guard, and quietly march 
 ing them to the boat, landed them on the opposite side of 
 the river, and then followed the other pontoons. The second 
 boat in like manner took in the second outpost, and so on 
 until all were seized. But one gun was fired, and that by the 
 last sentinel captured, who in his nervous surprise, fired in 
 the air; but this caused no alarm to the enemy. The Eighth 
 Missouri and One-hundred-sixteenth Illinois landed above the 
 mouth of Chickamauga River. The other regiments, follow 
 ing the lead of the Fifty-fifth and passing down three miles 
 from the mouth of the creek, crossed the river at a point 
 which had been selected, a lantern on the west shore serving 
 as a signal to the oarsmen. Landing with intrenching tools, 
 pickets were thrown out and a tete de pont was begun at once. 
 Every man worked with a will, the ground was favorable, and 
 in an incredibly short time quite substantial earth-works were 
 thrown up. The oarsmen, as fast as their boats were unload 
 ed, hastened directly to the opposite shore, where the other 
 troops of the Fifteenth Corps were in waiting to be ferried 
 over. Before there was a glimpse of dayligftt, not only the 
 whole of our own division, commanded by General Morgan 
 L. Smith, but that of General John E. Smith eight thou 
 sand men in all were in line on the south bank. 
 
 The pioneers began constructing the bridge as soon as the 
 landing was effected, each pontoon bringing over its portion 
 of balks, chesses and anchors. The wagons of the train, 
 with twenty-four extra batteaux, had been brought to the 
 place of crossing, so that there was no delay, and as fast as 
 
284 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the boats used for ferriage were needed, the oarsmen deliv 
 ered them, the construction going on simultaneously from 
 both shores. The little steamer Dunbar also came up from 
 Chattanooga to aid in transporting the forces. By noon the 
 three divisions, with their artillery, were in battle array, 
 marching three columns en echelon towards the railroad tun 
 nel at the northern end of Missionary Ridge, the right flank 
 of Bragg s army. A fourth division, under General Jeff C. 
 Davis, was crossing the completed bridge. 
 
 Our brigade was formed on the extreme left, and followed 
 the course of the Chickamauga River in the advance. A 
 dense mist which soon increased to a drizzling rain concealed 
 the movement in some degree, alike from friend and foe. 
 Two hills, the northernmost summits of the range, were 
 quickly gained, against no opposition but that of a skirmish 
 line, and artillery upon the ridge to the right. Intrench- 
 ments were promptly made upon these, and batteries got 
 into position. These two hills proved to be detached from 
 the continuous crest called Missionary Ridge, by a deep val 
 ley, and from the tunnel by a steep hill covered with woods, 
 upon the top of which was a section of artillery and a large 
 force of infantry in a square redoubt built of logs, stone and 
 earth. Over the tunnel was a strong battery of Napoleon 
 guns. Beyond this stretched the unbroken ridge for miles, 
 running in a straight line nearly north and south. 
 
 The Union cavalry had crossed the Tennessee behind the 
 infantry, and passing the Chickamauga by a short pontoon 
 bridge thrown across near its mouth, was already on its way 
 to cut the railroad communications between Knoxville and 
 Chattanooga. The First brigade was opposed by skirmishers 
 in its advance, 2nd, when these were pushed back, by artillery 
 which did not long retard our progress. During the melee, 
 however, we lost our brave leader, General Giles A. Smith, 
 who was severely wounded by a bullet. The command 
 devolved upon Colonel Tupper of the One-hundred-sixteenth 
 Illinois. At night we intrenched the lines gained, and the 
 Confederates were heard busily strengthening their defences. 
 Orders came to renew the onward movement at dawn. The 
 clouds fled from the sky, and the mists rolled up the hillsides 
 
BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE. 285 
 
 and slowly vanished. The moon, thus unveiled for a time, 
 soon became obscured by entering the earth s shadow, and 
 thousands of sleepless men lay shivering on the ground, 
 watching the waxing and waning of the eclipse. The air 
 grew chillier, and wherever they could safely do so, the sol 
 diers built little fires to warm themselves and prepare coffee. 
 These fires, gleaming brightly among the foot-hills, told our 
 allies in the town that Sherman s part in the grand strategy 
 had been thus far well done. General Hooker on the right, 
 seven miles away, having been equally fortunate in the part 
 assigned him, occupied Lookout Mountain. 
 
 The general plan of battle proposed for Wednesday, the 
 twenty-fifth, was for General Hooker to cross the Chatta 
 nooga valley as rapidly as possible to Rossville, and facing 
 north to envelope the left flank, while Sherman, facing south, 
 vigorously assailed the right flank of the Confederate army; 
 and when Bragg should have weakened his centre in his 
 efforts to resist these flank attacks, Thomas was to assault 
 with his whole line. Shortly after sunrise the Fifteenth 
 Corps began its advance, and General Corse s brigade was 
 soon hotly engaged with the Arkansas and Texas brigades 
 on the fortified hill. We were five miles from Chattanooga, 
 strongly entrenched across the northern end of Missionary 
 Ridge within musket shot of the tunnel, our left flank pro 
 tected by the Chickamauga River, our right within support 
 of the left of the Army of the Cumberland. It was all- 
 important for the Confederate commander not only to pre 
 vent our gaining another rod of ground, but to push us from 
 what we had acquired; for over four divisions of veteran 
 soldiers threatened his railroad communications, his base of 
 supplies at Chickamauga Station, and his line of retreat. 
 But the position on the hill above the tunnel was by nature 
 the strongest defensible point on the whole Confederate line, 
 and the movements of the enemy were entirely masked from 
 us by the dense woods. 
 
 The day was cold, the air clear of mist, and from every 
 elevation the extensive and enchanting landscape of which 
 Chattanooga is the centre could be seen bathed in sunshine. 
 Only occasionally the white puffs of smoke from the field 
 
286 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 guns told that war s dread work was going on all along the 
 six miles between us and Bragg s left; but no sounds even of 
 artillery could break through the din of fierce conflict near 
 at hand. The desperate charge of General Corse s men failed 
 to carry the hill commanding the tunnel, but gained a threat 
 ening position to which they clung in spite of the repeated 
 efforts made to dislodge them. On his right and left the 
 divisions of Generals John E. and Morgan L. Smith advanced 
 in support. Our brigade was moving directly towards the 
 rear of the Confederate position, unopposed, but also unsup 
 ported, and nearing a hazardous position where a massed 
 force of the enemy lay in wait; but about noon we were 
 ordered by the right flank into close support of the attacking 
 column, re-enforcements from General Howard s command 
 coming to our aid on the left. The Fifty-fifth, in this move 
 ment through the woodland to reach the base of the hill 
 assailed, encountered a sharp fire from artillery at close range. 
 Shells were constantly bursting over, near and among us, but 
 did astonishingly little harm, three men only being slightly 
 wounded by them. 
 
 The contest continued for hours upon the same ground 
 with varying success. Where we had hoped to find the 
 enemy the weakest and least prepared, they were evidently 
 in great force and amply fortified. General Bragg had sent 
 regiment after regiment from his left to mass against us in 
 the wooded gorge at the tunnel. 
 
 The command of the right wing of the Confederate army 
 was vested in Lieutenant-General Hardee, and the forces 
 directly confronting us belonged to the famous division of 
 General Patrick Cleburne. This division had been ordered 
 to Knoxville, and was already embarking upon cars when 
 recalled, after the successful Union attack upon Orchard 
 Knob, November 23d. General Walker s division was brought 
 from Lookout on the twenty-fourth to strengthen Cleburne, 
 and upon the abandonment of that mountain, during the 
 twenty-fifth, the divisions of Generals Cheatham and Steven 
 son were also moved to the extreme right. Some of the 
 troops of the last named division were paroled prisoners 
 from Vicksburg, faithlessly declared exchanged by the Con- 
 
BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE. 287 
 
 federate War Department and forced into service. In a letter 
 to the Richmond Despatch, dated on the twenty-fifth, "Sal- 
 lust" says: "Finding that he could not withdraw his army in 
 time, General Bragg has given orders to mass his whole 
 available force on the right." From this it would seem that 
 the Confederate leader had proposed to abandon the Mis 
 sionary-Ridge line, which accords with the assertion of a 
 deserter on the twenty-second information apparently dis 
 credited at the time by our generals. General Grant says: 
 "From the position I occupied I could see column after col 
 umn of Bragg s forces moving against Sherman." The Fif 
 teenth Corps in fact had, so far as was possible, completed 
 the task assigned to it. In pursuance of the plan of battle 
 the general assault was expected to be made before noon, 
 but as is usual in complex tactics over large areas, unforeseen 
 delays had arisen. General Hooker had no considerable force 
 opposing him, for the troops that had garrisoned Lookout 
 Mountain and the Chattanooga valley had marched to con 
 front Sherman. But the distance to Rossville was about five 
 miles, and the bridge over Chattanooga Creek was found de 
 stroyed, causing four hours detention. 
 
 Our position was undoubtedly becoming perilous, although 
 few even of Sherman s generals were at the time aware, 
 probably, that so powerful a force was menacing us, watching 
 from covert of the forest for the favorable moment to become 
 the assailants. It was past three o clock before General 
 Grant, finding that success would be imperilled if he waited 
 longer for the van of General Hooker s force to appear, 
 directed General Thomas to advance. The Army of the 
 Cumberland moved steadily forward, unchecked by the 
 deadly fire it met at all points, and drove the enemy in con 
 fusion from the lower line of rifle-pits; then, without halting 
 for re-alignment, as the orders had contemplated, in the en 
 thusiasm inspired by conspicuous success, the men dashed 
 onward up the steep ridge, and carried the main works that 
 crowned the summit, hitherto^ considered impregnable. 
 Chickamauga was avenged. General Hooker came up in 
 good time from Rossville on the right. The battle was won, 
 and Bragg s left wing, a disorganized mob, was madly fleeing 
 
288 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 for the mountain fastnesses of Georgia. But night came 
 down upon the field before we could know of this success, 
 and the troops at Tunnel Hill slipped away unmolested under 
 cover of the darkness. 
 
 Our brigade had relieved a portion of the column of 
 attack at dusk, and occupied a line of captured rifle-pits 
 which we were busily engaged in reversing and improving, 
 until an advance by a part of the division, about midnight, 
 disclosed the fact that the tunnel and its guardian hills were 
 tenanted only by the dead. Orders for pursuit came soon 
 after, and at seven the next morning we marched from the 
 battle-ground, crossed the pontoon bridge -at the mouth of 
 the Chickamauga river and proceeded ten miles over roads 
 so muddy as to be almost impassable for teams, following 
 the line of the Charleston railroad. At Chickamauga Sta 
 tion, immense piles of corn, beans and army stores of all 
 kinds were burning, and the highway was strewn for many 
 miles with broken and abandoned wagons and camp equi 
 page. November 27th we marched beyond Graysville into 
 Georgia, in a soaking rain. We could see the smoke of 
 conflict across the valley where the fame of General Hooker, 
 the hero of the "battle above the clouds," was temporarily 
 put under a cloud by Pat Cleburne with the stubborn rear 
 guard of Bragg s army, at Ringold Gap. November 28th 
 we effectually destroyed the railway track for miles, and 
 began return northward the next morning, turning from the 
 Chattanooga road to the eastward through Julian s Gap, and 
 marching seventeen miles. The following day we gained 
 Charleston, on the Hiawassee, driving the rebel cavalry from 
 the town. 
 
 During the last day s progress we met abundant evidence 
 of the existence of a strong Union sentiment among the 
 population, and frequently little flags were affixed to the 
 gate-posts to advertise the owners devotion to the Consti 
 tution. One young woman, who stood in the doorway of a 
 house in Cleveland waving the stars and stripes in welcome, 
 was greeted with cheer upon cheer all along the column as 
 it passed. Avowed loyalty to the flag here we knew to be 
 something more than a sentimental declaration of prefer- 
 
THE MARCH TO KNOXVILLE. 289 
 
 ence. It meant suffering for conscience sake; it meant .the 
 attestation of faith by endurance of insult, relentless 
 persecution, and even captivity; it meant not seldom deadly 
 feud between neighbors, estrangement in families, and the 
 loss of nearly all that life holds dear. For this idyllic land, 
 this sylvan Arcadia bearing every outward semblance of 
 rural peacefulness and contentment, had witnessed scenes of 
 unrestrained human passion, internecine strife and brutal 
 cruelty, for which the war s history has few parallels. 
 
 The high road to Georgia was now open; the nitre beds 
 upon which the Confederacy had placed its main reliance 
 for the manufacture of powder, the coal-mines and found 
 ries were at last within our grasp. The Chattanooga 
 campaign here properly ends. To the Fifty-fifth it had 
 been a terribly laborious and exciting campaign, but one 
 attended with marvelously small loss in view of the perils 
 encountered. The effective force of the regiment was 
 reported at two hundred and thirty-seven previous to the 
 battles of November 24th and 25th. Its casualties in those 
 engagements were but three: James Howell and Marcus 
 Hardenbrook of Company B, slightly wounded in the face 
 by explosion of a shell, and Henry Reagger of Company C, 
 slightly wounded in the hand by a shell. 
 
 There had been intense and outspoken anxiety at Wash 
 ington and in the North generally, lest General Burnside and 
 his little army, besieged in Knoxville by Longstreet, should 
 be overwhelmed by force or starvation. Reports had been 
 coming to our ears long before the victory that he could not 
 hold out longer than the first week in December, for want of 
 provisions. By every communication from the War Depart 
 ment General Grant was warned to protect loyal Tennessee. 
 Some of this vociferous uneasiness on the part of the author 
 ities at the Capitol turned out to be rather unnecessary. 
 General Burnside proved able to take care of General Long- 
 street when he became actively offensive, and although his 
 brave soldiers suffered many privations until relieved by the 
 approach of Sherman s column, they were not reduced to 
 such straits for food as the army of Rosecrans had been be 
 fore our coming to Chattanooga, nor as was our own division 
 19 
 
290 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 before it regained its camps. General Grant gave up earnest 
 pursuit of Bragg to hasten succor for Knoxville. General 
 Gordon Granger with two divisions had been sent forward 
 immediately after the victory was decided, but the rate of 
 his progress not being altogether satisfactory, Generals Mor 
 gan L. Smith s and Ewing s divisions of the Fifteenth Corps, 
 and the divisions of Generals O. O. Howard and Jeff. C. Davis 
 were ordered to follow, General Sherman having command 
 of the six divisions. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth had now been a week absent from its camp, 
 whence it started out stripped for fight with two days rations 
 in haversacks. The weather was severely cold, ice forming 
 nightly over the pools in the muddy roads sometimes nearly 
 an inch in thickness, and all suffered greatly from want of 
 clothing. The knapsacks had been left behind, and most of 
 the men had no blankets. The officers carried rubber blank 
 ets only, and these alone formed their bedding save when the 
 bivouac chanced to be near a straw-stack or in the oak woods 
 where leaves could be raked together; and such materials 
 were usually rain-soaked. Soldiers disposed to be scrupulous 
 about personal cleanliness could often be seen at night wash 
 ing their shirts in the creek and drying them before the 
 camp-fire. The rations were almost exclusively corn-meal 
 and such meat, fresh or salt, as our foragers brought in. We 
 had but one wagon along for all uses, and were forced to rely 
 exclusively upon the neighboring country for subsistence. 
 One day the regiment feasted upon newly cured hams, tur 
 keys, fresh mutton and beef; the next, perhaps, it had little 
 but corn-meal. Large quantities of excellent sorghum mo 
 lasses were found. Every mill we passed was set in motion 
 to grind grain. One night all who had partaken too liberally 
 of pancakes made of some flour got at one of these mills, 
 were suddenly taken with violent qualms, and the cry of 
 "poisoned meal" began to be heard. But the trouble was 
 soon ascertained to arise from "sick wheat," and the ill effects 
 were brief. Poultry of every kind abounded; but gobbling 
 and quack and cackle were speedily hushed in the land, and 
 the army left of the abundance only bones and feathers be 
 hind. Even the patriarchal leader of the snowy flock was 
 
FORCED MARCH TO KNOXVILLE. 291 
 
 not spared, as could be testified by a certain gourmand of 
 Company G, who cooked one goose two or three days in suc 
 cession as he had opportunity, and, unable to disjoint the 
 bird, turned it over to a man of Company I, who finally 
 abandoned it in its undiminished integrity, swearing it was 
 only a deceptive petrifaction. 
 
 From Chattanooga to Knoxville is a journey of eighty- 
 four miles. Our forced march began December 1st, at noon, 
 when we crossed the Hiawassee upon the railway bridge 
 which had been partially saved from destruction and planked 
 over. Our day s march of seventeen miles ended near Ath 
 ens. We had left the mountains and entered the lovely 
 garden valleys of Eastern Tennessee a land of rich pas 
 tures and easily tilled farms, of pure, pebbly-bottomed 
 streams and forests of valuable woods, of inspiring scenery 
 and equable climate; a region favored with more natural 
 attractions for human homes than almost any other in the 
 world. On the second we marched twenty-four miles through 
 Sweet Water, and on the third thirteen miles through Phila 
 delphia to Morgantown, where we were stopped by the un- 
 bridged Little Tennessee, here over seven hundred feet wide, 
 swift, and too deep fpr fording. The little village contained 
 but few buildings, and these were quickly resolved into their 
 primitive elements, to be rapidly reconstructed, under the 
 direction of General James H. Wilson, into a bridge for the 
 troops to pass over. During the night of the fourth we 
 crossed, and on the fifth advanced fifteen miles to within a 
 short distance of Marysville, which town we entered the next 
 morning, meeting the other divisions coming up on converg 
 ing roads. We were less than fifteen miles from Knoxville. 
 Longstreet, having been repulsed with great slaughter in an 
 assault upon the works there, had withdrawn from the siege 
 during the night of the fourth, and fled up the Holston 
 valley. General Burnside courteously acknowledged his 
 obligations to Sherman s army, and we turned southward 
 again. 
 
 Throughout our march we met only friendly greetings and 
 willing assistance. With one acclaim we were joyously hailed 
 as deliverers. Grey-haired men bade us God speed, and sad- 
 
292 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 faced women called upon heaven to bless us. And when the 
 brave lassies of those beautiful valleys came out upon the 
 roadside, as they daily did, holding out diminutive copies of 
 the starry banner and wearing welcoming smiles upon their 
 blushing faces, rank and file went wild with patriotic enthusi 
 asm. The surviving veterans of the Fifty-fifth, reviewing its 
 history indelibly engraved in their memories, find many 
 pages emblazoned with greater military glory, many pages 
 crimsoned with the blood of greater sacrifice, but perhaps no 
 page is oftener reviewed with more unmixed satisfaction than 
 that which recalls how, through toil of travel and great suffer 
 ing from cold and hunger, it hastened to aid the final deliv 
 erance of this people who had long borne in unflinching 
 loyalty the brutal oppression of traitors. 
 
 The division of General M. L. Smith was ordered to fol 
 low in support of a cavalry force sent to pursue a detachment 
 of the enemy which was escaping with a wagon train into the 
 mountains of North Carolina. December 7th we camped 
 two or three miles south of the bridge constructed at Mor- 
 gantown, eighteen miles from our starting point, and on the 
 eighth at dusk, wading the bridgeless Tellico Creek, went 
 into bivouac eighteen miles nearer the slate line, in the rum 
 pled skirts of the Great Smoky range. It had been a long 
 and wearisome day s march. Not only had the roads been 
 rough and miry, but the wind that blew in our faces was of 
 marrow-piercing chilliness. The sky, all day lowering, grew 
 black and threatening before the column halted in a grove of 
 young trees. As soon as the guns were stacked and the 
 guards designated, the men hurried their preparations for 
 appeasing ravenous appetites and for setting up such little 
 shelter as they could contrive against the storm evidently 
 near at hand. Division of labor and long experience make 
 quick workers. Some gathered fuel and lighted fires, while 
 their messmates selected the fittest spots of ground and, 
 gathering grass and leaves for the night s bed, covered them 
 with such slight roofs as could be improvised. A few fires 
 began to send out a promising blaze. In a few minutes more 
 the cheerful sizzling of frying meat and the refreshing odor 
 of steaming coffee would have pervaded the bivouac, and 
 
TELLICO PLAINS. 293 
 
 half the day s discouragements would have disappeared with 
 the sparks that went sailing up among the foliage. Just at 
 this critical moment, as if bearing us special malice, the 
 storm burst. The rain came in sheets, and the wind quickly 
 rose to a gale. Every spark of fire was almost instantly 
 drowned out, and pitch darkness settled like a pall over the 
 little camp of drenched, tired, hungry, shivering, disconsolate 
 patriots. Some stood, some sat down with backs to the wind, 
 covering themselves with rubber blankets, if any they had, 
 and brooded in sullen despondency over their joyless lot, 
 homesick and lonely in the " tumultuous privacy of storm." 
 No sound was for a time heard save the swish of the wind- 
 tortured tree-tops, and the roar of the elements. But sud 
 denly a well-known voice from the right of the camp broke 
 the silence, rising, resonant and clear as a bell, above the 
 turmoil of the tempest. It was the chaplain, singing that 
 grand old hymn by Stowell : 
 
 " From every stormy wind that blows, 
 From every swelling tide of woes, 
 There is a calm, a safe retreat ; 
 Tis found beneath the mercy seat." 
 
 With the second line a few voices joined, and more and more 
 took up the strain, until it rang out through the gloom like a 
 paean of victory. It was the victory of Christian psalmody; 
 at once exaltation and benediction. 
 
 The next day we passed the Tellico Iron Works before 
 noon, and having marched about two miles encamped at 
 Tellico Plains. In this neighborhood we remained, sur 
 rounded by grand mountain scenery, for four days, living 
 upon the rich Secessionist farmers and sending out foraging 
 parties through the whole region, even across the North Car 
 olina line. December I3th we resumed our return march 
 westward by Chilahoma Mountain, crossing Conasauga Creek. 
 On the fourteenth we reached Chestuee Creek, on the fif 
 teenth passed through Charleston, on the sixteenth advanced 
 to Cleveland, and on the seventeenth came to Chattanooga. 
 During this five-days march of seventy-five miles it rained 
 most of the time, the roads were heavy, many of the men 
 were footsore, and all were half starved. It was, moreover, 
 
294 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 bitterly cold. The only way reasonable comfort could be 
 got at night was by building huge fires of pine logs, piled 
 often eight or ten feet high, and raising a shelter of evergreen 
 on the windward side, fifteen or twenty feet away, under pro 
 tection of which a thickly packed rank, with feet to the 
 blaze, took their well-earned rest. The whole country had 
 been stripped of its provisions by both armies twice over. 
 Upon our arrival in the vicinity of an army commissary, 
 many had for twenty-four hours or more eaten no morsel of 
 food, and most had tasted little but unground corn for two or 
 three days. Some beef was at once obtained, and the men 
 were to be seen everywhere broiling their rations over little 
 fires, and hardly waiting for the meat to be warmed through 
 before they ravenously devoured it. All were ragged, many 
 were entirely shoeless, and others so footsore that they could 
 not be expected to walk another hour. These last were 
 selected from the brigade and sent down the river in pon 
 toons, Captain Nourse of the Fifty-fifth having the honor to 
 be placed in command of the fleet manned by " the barefoot 
 brigade." 
 
 The regiment marched to Bridgeport, arriving there on 
 the evening of December igth, badly fagged by its long day s 
 journey of twenty-five miles. Indeed it might be called a 
 go-as-you-please march, for several of the regiment failed to 
 appear until the next day. The pontoons had anchored in 
 the same harbor a few hours before the first of the footmen 
 came over the bridge. The quartermaster and his men had 
 a camp in order ready for our coming, having arrived at 
 Bridgeport three days earlier. December 2Oth clothing was 
 issued. The Fifty-fifth, blossoming out in fresh blue, bore 
 little resemblance to the ragged, travel-stained, unkempt 
 horde of tramps that straggled into town the night before. 
 December 23d Major Newcomen paid us four months dues, 
 and on Christmas day the colonel, with ten enlisted men de 
 tailed for recruiting service, left for Illinois. The same day 
 died in camp Corporal Matthew McComb, a modest, cour 
 ageous man who quietly and faithfully served his country as 
 he quietly and faithfully did everything that came to him in 
 the light of Christian duty. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WINTER QUARTERS. RE-ENLISTMENT. 
 
 THE Fifteenth Army Corps, of which General John A. 
 Logan now assumed command, relieving General Blair, 
 was ordered to be stationed along the railroad from Steven 
 son to Decatur, for the winter. Both of these towns were in 
 direct communication by rail with Nashville, the headquar 
 ters of the department. December 26th the Fifty-fifth was 
 ordered to Bellefonte, about twenty-five miles west of Bridge 
 port. The roads proved almost impassable, it rained inces 
 santly, and animals and men were chilled through by the 
 wintry blasts from the mountains. Three full days were con 
 sumed before the regiment reached its destination, and then 
 the wagon train could not keep pace with the troops, and 
 tents and camp utensils did not get to them until the twenty- 
 ninth. Even with their recent bitter trials in campaign life 
 fresh in memory, many declared this march the worst in all 
 their experience. Supposing Bellefonte fixed upon as win 
 ter quarters, the men began to elaborate the camp, building 
 chimneys and in other ways making their huts as comfort 
 able as possible, though all suffered greatly from the unusual 
 severity of the weather. It proved but a nine days home, 
 after all. 
 
 The regiment now numbered about four hundred and 
 seventy present and absent, over one-third of whom were 
 upon detached service. The provisions of General Orders 
 191 and 376 of the War Department, proffering a bounty of 
 
296 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 four hundred and two dollars and a furlough of thirty days 
 to veteran volunteers of at least nine months service, re- 
 enlisting for three years or during the war, were being 
 accepted very generally by those troops about us to whom 
 these orders applied. But in the Fifty-fifth no enthusiasm 
 had been awakened and very few had avowed their intention 
 to re-enlist. In a regiment so noted for its ardent patriotism 
 and soldierly qualities this reluctance astonished its friends, 
 and especially the generals under whom it had served. The 
 following order was read on New-Year s day. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 20 Div., 15 ARMY CORPS, ) 
 BELLEFONTE, ALA., Dec. 31, 1863. ) 
 MEN OF THE SECOND DIVISION : 
 
 I have a word for your private ear. The campaign which you 
 have just completed exceeds by far any other march that has been made 
 during this or any other war. This division has marched from Eastport 
 to Tuscumbia and back to Eastport farther than any other division in the 
 Corps; and the Second brigade has marched from Tellico towards Mur 
 phy, twenty miles, and back further than any other brigade in the Corps. 
 I claim for you that your march was more orderly, and that you lost one 
 hundred per cent, less men from straggling than any other division. For 
 all this you have a great reward in your own manly breasts, that no paid 
 newspaper reporter can rob you of. 
 
 Now a grave question presents itself to you. Will you join the Vet 
 eran Corps? Will you finish the job you have so nobly commenced, or 
 will you falter so near the end of the race, and resign the crowning glory 
 to other hands? Don t for an instant think that I wish to persuade one 
 man to act against his convictions of duty; but let me tell you that a 
 great and rich country will never tire of rewarding the men that stand by 
 it to the end. Your children and children s children will bless you and 
 your memory to the end of time. What is done must be done quickly. 
 It must be done before the 5th of January to secure the four hundred and 
 two dollars bounty. 
 
 By order of Brig.-Gen. M. L. SMITH. 
 
 J. C. HILL, A. A. A. G. 
 
 General Smith also publicly promised a barrel of whiskey 
 to the regiment of his division first re-enlisting. The emu 
 lative spirit of the Fifty-fifth was not stirred by this proffered 
 prize. Much higher and truly patriotic considerations were 
 already moving the majority of the regiment; but most of 
 those ready to serve their country for the war had firmly re- 
 
CAMP AT LARKINSVILLE. 297 
 
 solved that they would not bind themselves to further service 
 unless given assurance which they could implicitly trust that 
 they should be relieved from the field officers then over them. 
 Lieutenant Healey was appointed regimental recruiting 
 officer, and enrolled about fifty veterans, who were sworn in 
 on the fifth. Soon after notice came that the time for the 
 acceptance of veteran re-enlistments had been again ex 
 tended. 
 
 On the third of January we performed a novel duty. Two 
 ladies and their children had been smuggled across the Ten 
 nessee somewhere in our vicinity, and were captured while 
 on their way to Murfreesboro. It was ordered that they 
 should be sent back by the same route. The Fifty-fifth was 
 detailed to escort them to the river, and Madame Peebles, 
 wife of Confederate congressman Peebles, and Mrs. Peebles, 
 wife of Colonel Peebles, with their two boys and trunks, were 
 one by one paddled across the swift Tennessee in a dug-out, 
 and receipted for by a major on picket duty opposite. This 
 affair would have lacked interest for most of the escort, how 
 ever, but for the chance discovery of a herd of pigs in the 
 bottom lands. Whether these animals belonged to loyal or 
 disloyal owners we could not be supposed to know; but upon 
 their own merits they were condemned as undoubted bush 
 whackers, and after a spirited chase the majority were drawn, 
 quartered, hung on soldiers bayonets, and carried to camp. 
 
 Three days later the Fifty-fifth was moved to Larkinsville, 
 one day in advance of the rest of the division, to take charge 
 of and preserve the buildings and barracks left by the Third 
 division, which had been ordered away. Here we were de 
 tailed as provost-guard, establishing camp again, as we 
 imagined, for the winter, and we built substantial huts of 
 boards and other lumber picked up here and there, adding 
 mud chimneys and the other customary conveniences of a 
 soldier s home in the field. Some snow had already fallen, 
 and the weather was often bitterly cold. The camp routine 
 was not onerous. Guard-mount was held at nine o clock in 
 the forenoon, and dress-parade at four in the afternoon. 
 Now and then a brigade inspector appeared among us and 
 made his favorable report. Occasionally the regiment had 
 
298 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 to procure wood for the railroad, as well as for its own use. 
 The chaplain built a little chapel for Sunday and evening 
 services, and by his fervor and industry awakened unusual 
 religious interest in the camp. Quartermaster Capron having 
 been detached for duty at brigade headquarters, as acting 
 assistant-quartermaster, on January 1st, Lieutenant Horace 
 T. Healey became acting regimental quartermaster, which 
 office he ably filled until the expiration of his term of service. 
 
 January 24th the regiment marched two miles among the 
 mountains, accompanied by the Alabama Cavalry, for the 
 purpose of summoning witnesses against alleged bushwhack 
 ers then in the hands of the provost-marshal, and returned 
 the next day. On the twenty-sixth Major Heffernan left for 
 Springfield, Illinois, upon recruiting service. His labors in 
 that line of duty, though long continued, are not known to 
 have added a man to the ranks. The same day the brigade 
 marched, with ten days rations, across the Tennessee River 
 at Larkin s Landing in pontoons, and travelled until four 
 o clock the next morning, reaching the head of a pass over 
 Sand Mountain. During the forenoon the summit was 
 reached, and meeting with neither opposition nor notable 
 adventure, the expedition returned to within three or four 
 miles of the river. Several of all ranks in the brigade be 
 trayed unmistakable symptoms of being badly poisoned by 
 "mountain tea," which some of those with acute instincts for 
 a still hunt had discovered in its secret retirement on the 
 mountain. The pontoon bridge which the pioneer corps 
 were engaged in constructing being yet incomplete, we re- 
 crossed in boats, on the twenty-eighth, and encamped at its 
 northern end, a detachment of the regiment returning to the 
 town as provost-guard, under Lieutenant-Colonel Chandler. 
 
 January 2Qth a reconnoissance in force, under command 
 of General M. L. Smith, embracing cavalry, artillery, and 
 two or three regiments of infantry from each division of the 
 Fifteenth Corps, was made across the river. This expedition 
 proceeded about forty miles towards the interior of Alabama, 
 visited Lebanon and Guntersville, effectually scoured the 
 intermediate country, and captured numerous Confederate 
 officers who, with small squads of so-called home guards, were 
 
AT LARKIN S LANDING. 299 
 
 hunting down and forcing into service the male inhabitants 
 of the northern counties, most of whom were at heart Union 
 men. The expedition did not return until February 5th. 
 The Fifty-fifth did not accompany it, being assigned to the 
 duty of guarding the pontoon bridge immediately after its 
 completion. But almost daily companies were detailed to 
 cross the river with the wagon train and bring away what 
 forage could be discovered. These excursions were popular 
 with the men, who usually found some opportunity for mak 
 ing agreeable additions to their rations; and now and then 
 two or three of the more venturesome secretly made excur 
 sions independent of a train into the mountain wilds, where 
 they sometimes narrowly escaped capture, and met with 
 many interesting adventures. February i6th the regiment 
 was gladdened by the coming of Paymaster Newcomen. On 
 the twenty-fifth the detachment at the village was relieved 
 from provost duty, and the whole regiment took post at the 
 bridge, the five companies, A, F, G, H and I, being stationed, 
 under command of Captain Augustine, in the tete de pont on. 
 the south side of the river, relieving a detachment of the 
 One-hundred-sixteenth Illinois. Lieutenant-Colonel Chand 
 ler remained with the other companies on the north side, in 
 support of the battery. 
 
 Meetings were frequently held in the evening for the pur 
 pose of trying to induce the men to re-enlist, but there 
 seemed little hope that the regiment would retain its name 
 as a veteran organization. By the first of February between 
 fifty and sixty only had been enrolled, less than one-third of 
 the number required under the provisions of General Order 
 376 of the War Department, to entitle the command to fur 
 lough as a veteran regiment. There was obviously some 
 undercurrent of feeling that restrained a majority from 
 binding themselves, although they fully recognized and ac 
 knowledged their patriotic duty and the generosity of the 
 government s bounty. Early in the month there appeared 
 among the line officers a document inspired by the chaplain, 
 but in accord with a popular sentiment in the regiment. In 
 the patriotic fervor of the time it was signed without demur 
 by nearly every officer present. It proffered to the veterans 
 
300 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the extraordinary pledge that, if enough would re-enlist to 
 retain the regimental organization, they should have the 
 privilege of electing their commissioned and non-commis 
 sioned officers, from colonel to corporals. Yet this assurance, 
 attested by the signatures of all the company officers, and, 
 verbally at least, endorsed in much higher quarters, carried 
 little force. Reasoning upon past experience, the shrewder 
 minds warned their comrades to beware of a promise lacking 
 the highest official sanction any promise which, though 
 satisfactory to the ear, could readily escape fulfillment or find 
 excuse for long delay, when the enlisted were bound beyond 
 chance of withdrawal from their part of the contract. 
 
 March 1st a reconnoissance, commanded by General Giles 
 A. Smith, was made over Sand Mountain by the Fifty-fifth, 
 accompanied by the Eighth Missouri mounted and two com 
 panies of the Fifteenth Michigan. A march of twelve miles 
 was rewarded by the capture of a few home guards, and some 
 forage was collected. Soon after, information was brought 
 to General Logan that the Confederates designed the destruc 
 tion of the bridge, and constant vigilance, especially at night, 
 was enjoined; but no hostile attempt was made, rather to our 
 disappointment after ample precautions had been taken. 
 March 2ist we were surprised by a fall of six inches of snow 
 during the night, an almost unprecedented amount for that 
 region, as the older residents assured us. 
 
 During daylight the exuberant spirits of the regiment 
 sought more or less successfully to beguile the weary hours 
 with sportive tricks, athletic exercises, and games new and 
 old. Some busied themselves with carving pipes from briar 
 and laurel roots, covering them with elaborate decoration; 
 while others wrought rings from pearly mussel-shells. Cock 
 fights were largely patronized by a few, and pet birds were 
 guarded with zealous care and systematically trained for the 
 matches. By necessity such occupations and amusements 
 were enjoyed within camp lines; but when the stars began to 
 glimmer brightly over the mountain tops, and roll-calls were 
 over, a secret exodus from company quarters often took place, 
 and humanity s great problem how to chase dull care away 
 found pleasant solution sometimes far outside even the 
 
THE FLAT-ROCK DANCES. 3 O1 
 
 picket lines. The region about us though thinly inhabited 
 was peopled by a race disposed to stand by the old flag, and, 
 save the men drafted into the rebel army and a few volun 
 teers in our own, the families all remained at their homes. 
 The females far outnumbered the males. It was not long 
 before the brave boys of the Fifty-fifth had ingratiated them 
 selves with the lorn damsels, and frequent social parties 
 followed, where the beaux, all in army blue, furnished the 
 music and the commissary stores, and the belles in costumes 
 of their own weaving and shaping, gave grace and some 
 wholesome restraint to the rustic ball. Hilarity reigned su 
 preme on such occasions, and chance lack of cultured manner 
 was held of small account weighed against native amenity 
 and jovial activity. The popular dance of the locality had 
 few changes. It was known as "the Alabama flat-rock," and 
 differed little from the genuine "break-down." Care was 
 taken not to give too general notice of these entertainments, 
 for there was great danger that the self-invited guests would 
 be too many for the house to hold, and the dance find indefi 
 nite postponement for lack of floor room and superabundance 
 of floor managers. The popular musicians of these assem 
 blies were J. G. Brown, M. M. Potter and Joseph Presson of 
 the Fifty-fifth. Principal-Musician Brown had also a talent 
 for versification, and wrote the songs of the regiment. A 
 rallying song for the veterans by him, set to the tune of 
 "The Bonnie Blue Flag," will be remembered by many. 
 Truly republican principles governed entertainers and guests; 
 corporals stripes often took precedence of shoulder-straps. 
 Several of the officers of the brigade having planned a select 
 party, on the appointed night proceeded to the rendezvous; 
 but on drawing near the proposed ball-room, they not only 
 met the resplendent glare of the usual tallow-candle illumi 
 nation, but the sound of exhilarating music and the shuffling 
 of sympathetic feet struck their astonished ears. The boys 
 had got wind of the festivities intended to be so exclusive, 
 and beaten the shoulder-strapped soldiers at strategy, much 
 to the disgust of the latter. The midnight roll-calls there 
 upon ordered for a few nights were supposed to have restored 
 discipline in camp; but strange to say the usual guests trod 
 
302 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the same measures at the regular cottage dances without ap 
 pearing in the reports as absent from roll-call. 
 
 Susceptible as well as gallant, it was inevitable that some 
 of the young warriors should lose their hearts to the frank 
 and fair maids of the mountains, and the chaplain was called 
 upon occasionally to seal the bond of union made by some 
 infatuated couple. Alas! in the spring when the army 
 marched upon the Atlanta campaign, sundry weeping wives 
 reluctantly parted from newly-made husbands. But one of 
 these husbands belonged to the Fifty-fifth, and he, it is pre 
 sumed, returned to cheer his loyal Southern spouse after the 
 cruel war was over. 
 
 There was some sickness among us at Larkinsville, chiefly 
 fever, and four men fell victims to disease: Sergeants Edward 
 Bridge and E. D. Huntington, George Putnam and Joseph F. 
 Bragg. Orderly-sergeant Huntington was a man of very 
 bright intellect, and would soon have received deserved pro 
 motion. Both he and Bridge were genial, brave soldiers, 
 whose loss was much lamented by comrades. 
 
 Over the frail bridge of boats which we were appointed 
 to protect, daily streamed a forlorn line of Alabamians, fleeing 
 conscription or oppression, and bearing with them such of 
 their household gear as they could drag over the mountain 
 roads. From over fifty miles away they came to this cross 
 ing as to the threshold of freedom, a motley procession es 
 caping the tyranny of the Secession oligarchy. War-made 
 widows with a never-dropping tear clinging to either eye, 
 accompanied by half a score of gaunt, hungry-faced children 
 passed, carrying a little bedding on the backs of a pair of 
 ancient plough mules. An old man perhaps came next, with 
 a rickety cart crammed with feather beds and crowned with a 
 spinning-wheel; five or six grown daughters following close 
 behind, who beguiled their weary walk with periodical "dips" 
 into the pouch of yellow snuff which each carried. They 
 had left "right smart uv a farm," "a good home," because the 
 obstinate grey-bearded father believed in the old Constitution 
 in spite of all its "glittering generalities," and therefore could 
 not long hope for exemption from insult or worse in the 
 inflammable neighborhood of the home guards. Next would 
 
AT LARKIN S LANDING. 303 
 
 appear, perhaps, a squad of deserters with bearing as unsol- 
 dierly as a group of young men could have, expressing with 
 noisy oath and joke their joy at getting safely into the arms 
 of Uncle Sam. More than once an escaped Union prisoner 
 reached us to be feasted with army rations and questioned 
 into a fever by the whole camp. Colored waifs were ex 
 tremely rare, for this was no slave district. The mountains 
 are too broad and the valleys too narrow for man to profit 
 much by the use of compelled labor. 
 
 During March the river suddenly rose threatening to 
 over-pass its banks, and picking up here and there a log or 
 fallen tree above, hurled them down against our bridge. 
 Like a willow wand it swayed to and fro under these blows, 
 but did not break; yet it required all our energies night 
 and day to keep it from dragging loose from its anchorage. 
 At this period there could be no passing and the constant 
 stream of refugees being therefore dammed up, formed just 
 outside our intrenchments a little lake of women, children, 
 male "white trash," ox wagons, superannuated horses and 
 mules, bedding, spinning-wheels and other "plunder." 
 Mountain maidens in homespun dress of linsey, black stock 
 ings, an d huge sun-bonnets, were abundant, and the boys did 
 not neglect the opportunity to bask in the gracious light of 
 female presence. Their own conspicuous manliness was 
 sufficient to win favor in the eyes of the fair ones, but when 
 to this was added the possession of unlimited stores of coffee 
 and tobacco, what Sand-Mountain lass could be relentlessly 
 coy? 
 
 The tales of suffering and wrong, of shootings, burnings, 
 hangings, thievery, and chivalric knavery of every descrip 
 tion, that these visitors of ours told us, often stirred our 
 Northern blood to boiling. The outrages upon the colored 
 race in the western part of the Confederacy found a parallel 
 in the cruel treatment of the Unionists of North Alabama 
 and East Tennessee. The First Alabama Cavalry attached 
 to our division had little difficulty in obtaining recruits 
 from the refugees that came in from Sand Mountain. The 
 infantry service presented far less attractions to these men. 
 To belong to "a critter company" suited their taste and sat- 
 
3<H FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 isfied their peculiar pride. "We uns air yoused ter critters," 
 was their way of explaining their preference. 
 
 During March our neighbors, the Fifty-fourth and Fifty- 
 seventh Ohio, going home upon veteran furlough, seventy- 
 one non-veterans of these regiments were temporarily assigned 
 for duty with the Fifty-fifth. Sunday, March 2^th, Generals 
 Sherman, McPherson, Logan, and a few lesser stars, visited 
 our camp unexpectedly. A salute of thirteen guns was fired 
 from the twenty-pounder Parrott rifles on the hill in their 
 honor. General Sherman after a brief inspection trotted 
 away, leaving a message in which he expressed the hope that 
 the regiment would re-enlist. After his departure General 
 M. L. Smith got the men together across the river to deliver 
 the message. He perched himself in a lounging attitude on 
 the earth-works and opened an informal talk after his easy 
 fashion, in which he gave the men to understand that Gener 
 als Logan and Sherman consented that they should, if they 
 would continue in the service, have their choice of field offi 
 cers, even if they selected some one from outside the regiment 
 to command them. Finally, in finishing what he had to say, he 
 gave the order for all to fall back to the rear who would not 
 re-enlist. Promptly at the word the whole crowd" moved 
 back. The patriots were biding their time. 
 
 Discouragements manifold had driven a majority of the 
 chaplains from the armies in the field. The peculiar combi 
 nation of physical energy, moral courage, intellectual force, 
 broad sympathy, and tenderness of heart, which are requisite 
 to qualify the regimental chaplain for any great usefulness in 
 actual campaign life, is more rarely met with than the gal 
 lantry and magnetic power which mark a military leader of 
 men. The Fifty-fifth was fortunate in possessing a chaplain 
 who never dreamt that his office could be made a sinecure, 
 or that he had fully earned his stipend by a weekly discourse 
 to the living and prayers over the dead. Attendance upon 
 religious exercises in the field was very frequently classed by 
 the irreverent boys with " fatigue duty." It was not so where 
 he presided. He was not invisible on the day of battle. On 
 the hard march the footsore private was often seen upon his 
 horse; or when he himself rode, his saddle was hung before 
 
VOTING FOR PRESIDENT. 3S 
 
 and behind with knapsacks of the weak or weary. In the 
 hospital, save the kindly and tireless surgeon, no one was 
 oftener beside the cots of the pale sufferers; no hand grasp 
 was warmer, more welcome, more full of comfort than his. 
 Recording their recognition of and respect for such rare 
 service, the men and officers of the regiment at this time 
 joined in contributing to a fund for the purchase of a library 
 of choice literature, to be given Chaplain Milton L. Haney. 
 The books were selected and presented by a special commit 
 tee, after the arrival of the veterans in Chicago. 
 
 March 30th the regiment was informally canvassed to 
 ascertain the soldiers choice among the presidential candi 
 dates. The following letter tells the result : 
 
 LARKIN S LANDING, ALA., April 6, 1864. 
 EDITORS CHICAGO TRIBUNE : 
 
 Thinking you may take some interest in knowing that the 
 soldiers in this section who read the Tribune in preference to all other 
 newspapers when they can obtain it, coincide with you in their estimate 
 of the importance at this juncture of retaining the present executive 
 during another term of service, I send you the result of a balloting held 
 in the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, March 3oth, to express 
 preferences for President : 
 
 For Richard Yates I 
 
 For Salmon P. Chase I 
 
 For Maj.-Gen. B. F. Butler 7 
 
 For Lieut.-Gen. U. S. Grant 9 
 
 For Maj.-Gen. Geo. B. McClellan 14 
 
 For Abraham Lincoln 276 
 
 Total number of votes cast 308 
 
 * * * * ********* 
 
 I remain, yours truly, 
 
 C. M. BROWNE, Capt. $5th III. Vol. Inft. 
 
 March 3ist Colonel Malmborg with his ten associates re 
 turned from the North, having been for three months absent 
 on recruiting service. Their combined efforts had won but 
 meagre results. One of the party when rallied upon his 
 success in adding a single recruit to his company, rejoined: 
 "I told the fellow he was a fool to enlist, but he wouldn t 
 take my word for it." Two days later the colonel called the 
 regiment together, and read to them a letter from Adjutant- 
 20 
 
306 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 General Fuller, urging re-enlistment. This reading he fol 
 lowed by a speech, in which he disclaimed all personal 
 ambition, and gave his official guaranty that the veterans 
 should have a fair election. He added that he would not 
 serve unless two-thirds of the veterans desired him for their 
 commander. This promise awakened some enthusiasm, 
 but all verbal persuasions, while respectfully listened to, 
 availed nothing towards accomplishing the hoped for result 
 until supplemented by record of the following regimental 
 order: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS $STH REGT. ILLS. INFTY., > 
 
 LARKIN S LANDING, ALA., April 4, 1864. > 
 Regimental Order No. 22. 
 
 I. Inasmuch as doubt still exists in the minds of some of this com 
 mand as to whether they will be allowed an election of officers in case 
 the Regt. re-enlists as a veteran organization, notwithstanding the 
 verbal assurance already given to that effect; and in order to remove 
 any remaining doubt on the part of those who either have already re-en 
 listed or may hereafter re-enlist, the commanding officer of the 
 Regiment hereby pledges himself officially that a fair and impartial 
 election of officers for the veteran organization shall be held. 
 
 II. As soon as the required number of veterans are sworn in, the 
 commanding officer will at once issue an order for the election of all 
 commissioned officers in the regiment, from the lowest to the highest; 
 and he would call the attention of all commissioned officers in the regi 
 ment to the fact that the non-commissioned officers and privates are the 
 only legal voters in the coming election, and that we all as commissioned 
 officers are in duty bound not to interfere either directly or indirectly with 
 the full and free exercise of their privilege. 
 
 By order of 
 
 O. MALMBORG, Col. Comd g Regt. 
 F. P. FISHER, Adjutant. 
 
 After the proper publicity had been given to this extraor 
 dinary and unmilitary concession, for which alone they had 
 been waiting, the men began at once to signify their readiness 
 to re-enlist, and more than the number requisite by the order 
 of the War Department to entitle the regiment to receive 
 thirty days furlough in Illinois as a veteran-volunteer organ 
 ization, were speedily enrolled and sworn into the United 
 States service. Two hundred and twenty-two of the two 
 hundred and seventy-two eligible were thus accepted for 
 three years or during the war, distributed among the com 
 panies as follows: 
 
VETERAN RE-ORGANIZATION. 37 
 
 Company A, 19. Company E, 24. Company I, 33. 
 
 B, 19. " F, 16. " K, 21. 
 
 " C, 23. " G, 36. Non-commissioned 
 
 D, 16, " H, 12. Staff, 3. 
 
 A second order was issued by the colonel, prescribing 
 rules for the conduct of the promised election and appoint 
 ing three officers of his own selection to serve as a board of 
 judges to preside over it. To this order the veterans sturdily 
 objected. Sergeant Charles T. Beers especially incurred the 
 colonel s displeasure by his outspoken assertion of the pop 
 ular feeling, that the veteran volunteers were competent to 
 manage their own affairs, and that this second order was in 
 contempt of the last clause of the previous order. The 
 matter ended by the surrender of the whole business to the 
 enlisted men. There seemed to be a very decided unanimity 
 of feeling among them about the chief question to be voted 
 upon; while among the commissioned officers there was a 
 majority party nicknamed the Church and State, and a 
 minority party styled the Council of Kent. The result of 
 the election, which was held April 6th, the anniversary of the 
 battle of Shiloh, when the first blood of the regiment was 
 shed by rebels, is given in the following election certificate: 
 
 CAMP OF THE 55TH REGT. ILL. VOL. INFTY., > 
 LARKIN S LANDING, ALA., April 6, 1864. ) 
 Hon. ALLEN C. FULLER, Adjt.-Gen. 
 
 SIR : At an election held at Larkin s Landing, Ala., on the 6th 
 day of April, 1864, by the Veteran Volunteers of the 55th Regt. 111. Infty., 
 in accordance with Regimental Order No. 22 (enclosed), for the purpose 
 of electing the field officers of the 55th Regt. 111. Veteran Volunteer Infty., 
 the following votes were cast, viz : 
 
 For Colonel Chaplain Milton L. Haney 164 
 
 Colonel Oscar Malmborg 22 
 
 For Lieut.-Colonel . .Captain Jacob M. Augustine 160 
 
 Captain Francis H. Shaw 16 
 
 Captain William C. Porter 13 
 
 Adjutant Francis P. Fisher 2 
 
 Lt.-Colonel Theodore C. Chandler.. I 
 
 Captain Charles A. Andress I 
 
 For Major. Captain Francis H. Shaw 122 
 
 Captain Charles A. Andress 27 
 
 Captain William C. Porter 26 
 
 Captain H. H. Kendrick 9 
 
 Captain John T. McAuley 5 
 
308 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Chaplain Milton L. Haney was declared duly elected Colonel. 
 Captain Jacob M. Augustine was declared duly elected Lieutenant- 
 Colonel. 
 
 Captain Francis H. Shaw was declared duly elected Major. 
 We, the undersigned Board of Election, do hereby certify upon honor 
 that the above statement is true and correct. 
 
 s JOHN B. RIDENOUR, Sergt. Co. A. 
 Judges, j JAMES W. KAYS, Sergt. Co. K. 
 
 ( J. G. BROWN, Principal-Musician. 
 J. AUGUST SMITH, Sergt. -M a j., Clerk of Election. 
 
 Upon arrival of the veterans in Chicago the following let 
 ter was drawn up and duly forwarded, but never honored 
 with reply : 
 
 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, April 23, 1864. 
 To the Hon. RICHARD YATES, 
 
 Governor of the State of Illinois. 
 
 The undersigned, Board of Election for Field Officers of 55th Regt. 
 111. Vet. Vol. Infty., respectfully beg leave to present to your Excellency a 
 statement of facts combined with an earnest request, which we hope will 
 be favorably considered and acted upon. 
 
 The reason our regiment delayed so long in responding to the call for 
 veterans was a deep dissatisfaction with some of the field officers; and it 
 was not re-enlisted until, from Major-General Sherman down to the com 
 pany officers, all had promised that we should have our own choice of 
 officers, provided the required three-fourths should be re-enlisted. With 
 this assurance we have cheerfully given ourselves to our country for three 
 years more; and now we desire to fill our vacant ranks during our short 
 stay at home. This we cannot do so long as doubt remains as to whether 
 our action in electing officers (a report of which has been forwarded to 
 Adjutant-General Fuller) will be recognized by you. Believing that a 
 knowledge of your co-operation is absolutely necessary to the securing 
 of recruits by the men, we therefore earnestly request that the officers 
 elected be immediately commissioned, or that some assurance to that 
 effect be given to the men of the regiment. 
 
 ( J. B. RIDENOUR, First-sergt. Co. A. 
 Judges of Election. \ JOHN G. BROWN, Principal-Musician. 
 
 ( JAMES W. KAYS, Sergt. Co. K. 
 Clerk of Election, J. AUGUST SMITH, Sergt.-Major. 
 
 It was known by many that our first major, W. D. Sanger, 
 who came into the neighborhood and conferred with some of 
 the officers, would have been more than willing to become a 
 candidate for the command of the regiment. If his claims 
 were openly urged by any one, no record of the fact is found. 
 
VETERAN RE-ORGANIZATION. 39 
 
 The field officers elected were the three senior captains in 
 regular order, Haney having been a captain when made chap 
 lain. The company elections were held during the afternoon 
 of the same day. The existing company officers were in 
 nearly every case re-elected, if actually in service with their 
 companies; and of the very few not so chosen it was fully 
 understood that some desired an early opportunity of leaving 
 the service. The election of the commissioned and non 
 commissioned staff resulted in the choice of the following: 
 
 For Surgeon Dr. E. O. F. ROLER. re-elected by an unanimous vote. 
 
 11 Assistant-Surgeon Dr. JOHN T. SMITH, re-elected. 
 
 " Adjutant J. AUGUST SMITH, sergeant-major. 
 
 " Quartermaster CHARLES T. BEERS, ordnance-sergeant. 
 
 " Chaplain C. SPRINGER, civilian. 
 
 " Sergeant-major JOHN G. BROWN, principal-musician. 
 
 " Quartermaster-sergeant MILTON M. POTTER, musician. 
 
 " Commissary-sergeant WILLIAM J. ECKLEY, sergeant. 
 
 " Hospital Steward J. LEROY BURNSIDES, musician. 
 
 It is, perhaps, only just that Colonel Malmborg s criticisms 
 of the action of the regiment, following close upon his 
 regimental order and public promises to the volunteers, 
 should be here incorporated with the record; especially as 
 he made a somewhat lengthy official report, dated four days 
 after the election, which is preserved in the public archives 
 of Illinois. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS SSTH ILL. INFANTRY, ) 
 
 LARKIN S LANDING, ALA., April 10, 1864. ) 
 Hon. ALLEN C. FULLER, Adjutant-General. 
 
 Springfield, 111. 
 
 GENERAL : I have the honor and the pleasure to report to you that 
 the 5$th have re-enlisted some twenty men over and above the requisite 
 three-fourths of the total present for duty. I telegraphed to you this 
 morning from Larkinsville. 
 
 I reached the camp of my regiment on the 3ist ult., and with but little 
 hope of succeeding to veteranize the regiment after I had learned from 
 General M. L. Smith at Larkinsville that he and other generals had given 
 up all hopes, having failed in their combined efforts. I went to work, 
 however, and the same morning of my first speech to the regiment, I en 
 listed 68 men. The next day others were added to this number, but I 
 soon noticed that Companies A, H and F held back; they, especially the 
 first and last named, being composed mainly of old and intolerant meth- 
 odists, with our " rev d " chaplain at their head intimately acquainted 
 
310 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 previous to their entering into military service, and since then always 
 known as the " scheming hypocritic methodists." 
 
 But the tide was fast rising, so they had to go to save themselves. 
 Thus the good work went on, but while I was busied, faithfully assisted 
 by many officers and men, to secure the requisite number of veterans 
 that our country might be saved and the history of this efficient regiment 
 completed and perpetuated, our methodist brethren were also busied at 
 work indeed, but for their own individual interest. 
 
 Thus under the cloak of religion and by promises of promotion did 
 they succeed to induce, or I should say seduce, good and patriotic men to 
 aid in ruining, if not the glorious reputation this regiment has earned, 
 certainly its future prospects of efficiency, by securing for themselves 
 positions which they are totally incapable of filling, as the subsequent 
 result of the elections will abundantly show. By the election which took 
 place on the 6th and yth inst., on the anniversary of the battle of Shiloh, 
 were not only the adjutant, quartermaster, four captains and two first- 
 lieutenants thrown out, and the chaplain, entirely ignorant in military 
 affairs, elected colonel, Capt. Augustine lieutenant-colonel, Capt. Shaw 
 major, and worthless lieutenants and non-commissioned officers elected 
 captains and lieutenants. A man hardly able to write his name has been 
 elected quartermaster. Even to the non-commissioned officers has the 
 ridiculous transaction extended. I shall now only name Sergt. Gay, color- 
 bearer, one of the bravest and best men in the regiment, who when 
 wounded at Vicksburg refused to give up that glorious flag he so nobly 
 bore to victory. (Three of the captains ousted have been seriously 
 wounded in battle, have earned their promotions from the ranks, and are 
 among the most efficient officers the regiment ever had.) To the tools of 
 these unprincipled schemers have as a matter of course the vacated posi 
 tions been tendered, Unscrupulous and deceitful indeed, for by honor 
 able means could these men never have been prevailed upon to act thus, 
 yet fearing, on the eve of the election, that their secret plans might fail, 
 the chaplain, it has been proven, was discovered openly begging votes 
 among the men for himself. Thus either by open or secret means did he 
 succeed to ingratiate himself among the men in eight companies, who 
 did not only oust the field but their own company officers in order to give 
 room for the tools of the religious and patriotic hypocrites. But all their 
 efforts failed in Companies E and I, and as a matter of course these two 
 companies retained their officers, and also voted to a man for me. I 
 might say something, too, regarding the election itself, but I forbear at 
 present. The whole thing is regarded by every man in this corps, from 
 the drummer boy to the commanding general, as a ridiculous farce. 
 
 Said Gen. Logan, Corps commander, to me, "We have been accustomed 
 to look upon the 55th as the best regiment in the army, and how shall I 
 
 express my astonishment to find they are after all but a set of d fools! 
 
 Electing a chaplain, a civilian, a know-nothing for their colonel ! Are 
 they prepared to go into battle under such a man? Do you suppose that 
 I, now on the eve of the most important campaign of the war, am going 
 
THE COLONEL S SPITEFUL LETTER. 3" 
 
 to send that regiment into battle under that man? Do you suppose the 
 Governor and Adjutant-General of Illinois will commission him?" etc. I 
 answered that the men of the 55th were not only brave, but good men; 
 but that they had been trifled with and most shamefully misled; giving 
 various details which time now prevents me from repeating, and that 
 Governor Yates and General Fuller will do in this as in all previous cases, 
 act with justice and in the true interest of the service; but that whatever 
 may be the result, neither I myself nor any one of the officers present 
 who have thus been ousted, neither will nor can serve in the regiment 
 any longer than is absolutely necessary for the acceptance of our resig 
 nations, which as is intimated to me by Generals Smith and Logan, can 
 not take place until our return with the regiment from Illinois. As to 
 myself, it is also intimated that they do not want me to leave the service, 
 but intend to have me assigned to other duty in the field, to which I shall 
 have no objection. We shall in all probability be ready to leave for Illi 
 nois as early as the I4th inst., and at Nashville take boat for Cairo. 
 From Nashville I shall again telegraph to you. 
 
 It is our wish, if it should meet your approval, that we rendezvous at 
 Chicago, when I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing and hearing 
 you and the Governor. I hope also, for the sake of the regiment, you 
 will be so good and do all you can for the reception of the old 55th. I 
 am thankful to God that I have been able to succeed in securing its serv 
 ices to our country to the end of this accursed rebellion. I had the 
 pleasure of being highly complimented on that account, both by Gens. 
 Logan and Smith. Please also, General, to say little or rather nothing 
 about the ridiculous result of the election, for the sake of the regiment, 
 which I never can cease to love as long as I live. 
 
 I must now beg you, General, to excuse this hasty letter, for I am very 
 busied with muster-rolls, etc., and constantly interrupted. 
 I have the honor to remain, General, 
 
 Very respectfully, your obed t serv t, 
 
 O. MALMBORG, Col.tfth III. Infty. 
 
 Now that all-healing time has righted many wrongs and 
 covered in oblivion most of those that have not been re 
 dressed, little commentary need be offered to such a tissue 
 of wild misstatements and assumptions, or to the charges so 
 harshly made against the good sense of the veterans of the 
 regiment and the character of its officers elect. The Fifty- 
 fifth Illinois Veteran Volunteers, as will be shown in subse 
 quent pages, won abundant honors in the battles of Kenesaw, 
 Atlanta, Ezra Church, Jonesborough and Bentonville. 
 
 The brave sergeant elected quartermaster, who is revenge 
 fully represented as "hardly able to write his name," was not 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 a clerk; but he had acted as regimental ordnance-sergeant, 
 was an energetic man of business, and finally gave his life for 
 his country with his face to the foe. 
 
 The statement that Companies E and I "voted to a man" 
 for retaining the colonel is sufficiently answered by the rec 
 ord. While but twenty-two votes were in all cast for him, 
 Company E had twenty-four and Company I thirty-three 
 votes to cast ten more than the combined vote of the slan 
 dered Companies A, F and H. The colonel s search for 
 "hypocrites" was therefore, it is evident, too restricted in its 
 field, and his implicit confidence in the subserviency to him 
 of all our brave comrades of Teutonic race was but blind 
 self-deception. 
 
 If General Logan was capable of using the language 
 ascribed to him after having himself authorized this election 
 by word of mouth at least, it must be taken as probably 
 uttered with something of the same mental reservation the 
 astute general certainly exercised when he "highly compli 
 mented" the colonel "for securing the services" of his com 
 mand by giving it the long-wished-for opportunity to get rid 
 of him forever. It may also be fairly said that General Logan 
 had then personally little acquaintance with the regiment, its 
 colonel, or its chaplain. We had been under his command 
 but three or four months, while in winter quarters, and never 
 in that time had he seen us under arms. In the campaign to 
 come he knew us better. It was well enough known to offi 
 cers and enlisted men that the two brother generals, M. L. 
 and Giles A. Smith, commanding division and brigade, who 
 had intimately known the Fifty-fifth from the days of the 
 siege of Corinth, sympathized entirely with the desire of the 
 regiment to be relieved from the petty tyranny of a com 
 mander, all of whose instincts were un-American, and whose 
 unfortunate manners and false judgments of men had no 
 compensation of unusual military ability. 
 
 Certainly these war-worn soldiers were far better qualified 
 in many respects to make wise choice of officers to command 
 them, than when fresh from the farms and shops of Illinois 
 they elected by ballot the men who should lead them against 
 their country s foes. In the days of their entire inexperience 
 
MALMBORG S LETTER REVIEWED. 3 T 3 
 
 of military matters, companies were generally permitted to 
 choose their leaders, taking most things save ardent patriot 
 ism on trust; and Oscar Malmborg was at first accepted by 
 the line officers as their lieutenant-colonel largely upon his 
 own statements respecting his own military genius and expe 
 rience. This method of designating leaders, though perilous, 
 suited the exigency of the Republic, and the resultant evils 
 proved by experience far less than those fairly chargeable to 
 the bestowal of commissions because of local influence or as 
 a political reward. 
 
 The promises made to the volunteers by generals and 
 regimental officers perhaps never ought to have been offered. 
 It was a decidedly unmilitary proceeding, one quite certain 
 to work injustice to some worthy soldiers, and the object 
 sought could doubtless have been obtained if those high in 
 authority had chosen to request two or three resignations. 
 But the failure to keep the promises made and accepted in 
 good faith was worse than injustice. No man received the 
 commission due to his election unless he chanced to stand 
 already in the regular line for that promotion. The company 
 officers, however, respected the vote of the men and 
 honored their own promises in the appointment of the non 
 commissioned officers. The colonel, in a speech to the 
 veterans after the election, declared that he would resign 
 soon to make room for the commander elect, and the diary 
 of a sergeant records that "for this the boys gave him three 
 cheers, the best he ever got from us;" but he retained his 
 commission although not present with the regiment until 
 the expiration of his three-years term of service, Septem 
 ber 20th, 1864. 
 
 Only two years had elapsed since its first battle at Shiloh, 
 but of the whole number who were ever mustered into the 
 regiment, more than one in four was in his grave more 
 than one out of every three had been hit by bullet or 
 shell more than one in every two had, by some disabling 
 effect of war, dropped from the regimental rolls. Few such 
 fateful records can be found in war annals. The regimental 
 rolls now contained only four hundred and sixty-one names, 
 accounted for as follows : 
 
314 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Present for duty: Commissioned ---- 26 Enlisted men ____ 275 
 On detached service: " ____ 4 " " ____ 130 
 
 Absent sick ......................... " " ____ 26 
 
 3 431461 
 
 The muster-in rolls for veterans were promptly made 
 ready, and on the twelfth of April the Fifty-fifth Illinois 
 Veteran Volunteers were duly mustered into the United States 
 service for three years or during the war. On April i6th, 
 orders were received for the regiment to proceed at once to 
 Chicago for thirty-days furlough. The next morning, at 
 seven o clock, it marched in a soaking rain to Larkinsville, 
 and at ten the cars bore it away for Nashville. Arriving 
 there by night on the eighteenth, the Zollicoffer House, then 
 unfinished and utilized as barracks, afforded comfortable 
 shelter. The next day, marching to the headquarters of 
 the department to pay the customary respect to the com 
 mander, the regiment was addressed at some length by 
 General Sherman, who came out upon the sidewalk sur 
 rounded by his staff to receive and greet it. He reviewed 
 in highly flattering terms its career from the time when 
 assigned to his original brigade it first came with full ranks 
 under his orders at Benton Barracks. He alluded to the 
 fact that it had never since been detached from his com 
 mand, but had shared in all his successes and failures. He 
 spoke of the brave tenacity and the almost unrivalled sacri 
 fice of the regiment at Shiloh, and said that since that mem 
 orable day the faces of the boys of the Fifty-fifth had become 
 so familiar to him that it almost seemed that he ought to be 
 able to call each one by name. He spoke of the gallant 
 charge of the regiment with the Eighth Missouri, at Russell s 
 House which he styled "the prettiest fight of the war;" of 
 its always honorable record in camp, in march, in battle and 
 siege, from Corinth to Memphis, from Memphis to Chicka- 
 saw Bayou and defeat, from defeat to victory at Arkansas 
 Post and thence through the glorious Vicksburg campaign 
 to Jackson and Chattanooga, and Knoxville. Commending 
 the men for their patriotism in re-enlisting, he turned from 
 retrospection to prophecy. He bade them enjoy to the 
 utmost their well-earned rest, and when they should come 
 
ON VETERAN FURLOUGH. 3*5 
 
 back opportunity would be given for their valor to win fresh 
 honors in new fields. In the spirit of one who could read 
 clearly the unalterable decrees of Fate, he briefly outlined 
 the coming campaigns now famous in history; promised 
 that Atlanta s streets should be soon overpassed in their 
 victorious progress, that there should be no turning back 
 ward, that their march should be thereafter onward with 
 faces towards the sea until Savannah and Charleston should 
 fall into their hands, and the baseless fabric of the slave 
 holder s Confederacy crumble into ruins. 
 
 At dark on the nineteenth we started upon the steamer 
 Miami for Cairo, which we reached at ten in the night of the 
 twentieth. As soon as it was light enough in the morning 
 we disembarked, but could obtain neither transportation nor 
 shelter, and remained upon the levee until night, when the 
 Soldiers Home was opened to us. On the noon train of 
 April 22d we were northward-bound again, and twenty-four 
 hours later were marching through a pouring rain to the 
 Soldiers Rest in Chicago, where the regiment was welcomed 
 in a brief patriotic speech by Colonel Eastman. A substan 
 tial dinner was then set before us by the lady friends of the 
 regiment who appeared in strong force, and it was discussed 
 with appreciative appetites. That night and Sunday, the 
 twenty-fourth, we remained at the Rest. At one o clock of 
 Monday afternoon we were marched to Camp Fry, where 
 Adjutant-General Fuller came to visit us, and made a short 
 address to the men, spiced plentifully with personal compli 
 ments, which were respectfully accepted as being at least 
 official. At last, on the twenty-eighth, Major Haynes ap 
 peared and paid the volunteers their dues. Then with hasty 
 hand-shaking and good-byes all scattered their several ways 
 to meet and greet the long waiting ones. And here the 
 annalist may well leave the furloughed veterans standing on 
 the thresholds of two hundred Western homes, to which the 
 coming of their weather-browned faces and manly forms 
 brought joy unspeakable and thanksgiving. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN. 
 
 BY freeing the Mississippi River from hostile obstructions 
 the Western armies had effectually isolated an impor 
 tant food-producing portion of the Confederacy, and the 
 navy vigilantly guarded the divisional line. The grand strat 
 egy of the commander of the military division of the Missis 
 sippi in the spring of 1884, was directed to again cutting the 
 Confederacy in twain, on a line parallel with the former, but 
 along mountain passes, following and relying for supplies 
 upon a trunk railway. General Grant having been called to 
 the highest military command at the East as the one whom 
 the logic of success had proved the fittest to grapple with 
 General Lee, his mantle fell upon General Sherman by the 
 same process of natural selection. Sherman resumed the 
 aggressive early in May, beginning the most brilliant cam 
 paign of the war; one grandly conceived and in good time 
 brought skilfully to a glorious issue. In this campaign the 
 Fifty-fifth bore a prominent part and added new honors to its 
 established fame. 
 
 The non-veterans, while their re-enlisted comrades were 
 revelling in the delights of home life as only furloughed sol 
 diers can, were assigned to the One-hundred-sixteenth Illi 
 nois Infantry and placed under the command of Lieutenant 
 Barrett of that regiment. They formed a company of them 
 selves numbering about seventy-five, and remained on duty 
 at Larkin s Landing bridge until the end of April, when the 
 
A DANGEROUS EFFERVESCING DRAUGHT. 3 J 7 
 
 movement towards Chattanooga began. With the exception 
 of a few who served at division headquarters, the company 
 became from May 1st the division train guard. Marching 
 from Larkinsville by the familiar route through Bridgeport, 
 they passed Lookout Mountain May 6th, and followed in the 
 rear of the ever victorious army as it persistently pushed or 
 outflanked the Southern Fabius from his strongly fortified 
 positions, one after another, Dalton, Resaca, Adairs- 
 ville, Cassville, Dallas. Often their duties were fatiguing, 
 entailing frequent and tiresome night marches; but for prac 
 ticed campaigners the service had its little compensations. 
 It was at least a novelty for these men to be within hearing 
 and sight of a battle and not be called to the front of it. 
 June 1 3th the railway having been opened to Big Shanty, 
 that station was made a depot of supplies and the detach 
 ment was sent thither to unload cars and await the return of 
 their comrades from Illinois. 
 
 The medical officers did not accompany the regiment upon 
 veteran furlough. Dr. Smith remained on duty with the 
 division, and Dr. Roler had for some time previous been 
 medical director of the Fifteenth Army Corps, and was sta 
 tioned at Huntsville. Here, just before the opening of the 
 campaign, his valuable life was nearly sacrificed by the care 
 lessness of a subordinate. Rising one morning with a head 
 ache, he asked the steward in charge of the medical stores 
 to prepare him an effervescing draught of Rochelle salts. 
 Hastily drinking what was brought him, he noticed a peculiar 
 metallic taste. Almost immediately he began to experience 
 violent pains and other symptoms of poisoning. An investi 
 gation soon proved that one hundred and twenty grains of 
 tartar-emetic had been given him instead of the prescribed 
 tartrate of soda and potash. There was no hope of his being 
 able to survive the terrible exhaustion which would follow its 
 action. He had taken enough to kill a dozen strong men. 
 Everything that medical skill could do was promptly done, 
 but with no expectation of long retarding the approach of 
 death. The medical director at department headquarters, 
 speaking of the pitiable condition of the surgeon in the pres 
 ence of the general, said that if he had plenty of ice he 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 should not altogether despair of saving his life; but there 
 was no ice unless at a certain locality ten miles away, outside 
 the lines. When General Sherman s little son had sickened 
 on the way from Vicksburg to Memphis, the preceding 
 autumn, Dr. Roler had charge of the patient, and although 
 he failed to save the boy, his devoted care endeared him to 
 the parents, and Sherman has mentioned him in his Memoirs. 
 With his personal interest inciting his natural sympathy, 
 Sherman, without speaking of the matter to others, quickly 
 summoned the commander of the cavalry and ordered him 
 to take his company, with a wagon, and secure the ice with 
 all speed and at all hazard. The ice came in good time, and 
 by its free use Dr. Roler was enabled in a few days to appear 
 again at his post of duty; but he never has recovered his 
 normal health. 
 
 Obedient to the requirements of their leave of absence, 
 the Fifty-fifth Illinois Veteran Volunteers began to assemble 
 at Camp Fry in Chicago, the place of rendezvous, on May 
 29th, 1864. On the first day of June, with inspiriting music 
 and under escort of the One-hundred-thirty-second Illinois 
 Infantry, the regiment marched through the city to the Sol 
 diers Rest and partook there of a parting feast provided for 
 it by the patriotic ladies in charge of that beneficent hostelry. 
 At nine o clock in the evening it was upon the cars, south 
 ward bound, leaving many sad faces and sore hearts behind. 
 Arriving at Cairo by night of the next day, it at once 
 embarked upon the steamboat Armada, and at dawn landed 
 at the dilapidated little village of Smithland, Kentucky. 
 There a detention of twenty-four hours ended by the arrival 
 of the Tennessee-River boat, Mattie Cabler, which bore the 
 regiment on to Nashville, reaching there at nine o clock in 
 the evening of Sunday, the fifth of June. The men slept 
 upon the boat, but very early in the morning marched to the 
 Zollicoffer barracks. The commissioned officers at once be 
 sieged the paymaster, and the enlisted men rediscovered the 
 city s highways and byways. On Tuesday morning at seven 
 o clock another stage of the journey was begun upon the top 
 of cars loaded with stores for the army. That night at 
 Huntsville progress was again interrupted, and during the 
 
RETURN TO THE FRONT. 319 
 
 next twenty-four hours ample time was given for all to be 
 come disgusted with the hotels of the place, and charmed 
 with the town itself and its wonderful spring, leaping out 
 from the subterranean reservoir at the foot of the bluff. 
 
 On the ninth, by night, our train again started at laggard 
 pace. We breakfasted on the tenth at Stevenson, and arrived 
 in a soaking rain at Chattanooga early in the morning of the 
 eleventh, where we went to the Soldiers Rest. It was not 
 long a resting place for us. Cars filled with wounded men 
 were constantly arriving from the front, and we were soon 
 driven out through mud and tempest to establish camp in an 
 open field. Sunday, the I2th, was very generally improved 
 by a visit to the storm-swept summit of Lookout, the day 
 being especially propitious for full enjoyment of the exten 
 sive view from that bristling crag over the bewildering 
 entanglement of majestic, forest-clad mountain ridges and 
 shadowy valleys. Late in the following afternoon the regi 
 ment again mounted the cars, occupying two trains, and 
 moved out from the shelter of the mountain through Tunnel 
 Hill, where we had fought in the previous November, leaving 
 Resaca behind at sunrise, and halting at length in Kingston. 
 We passed line after line of elaborate intrenchments, some 
 of which the Confederates had spent the winter in perfecting; 
 we crossed numerous swift streams and saw many wooded 
 defiles and mountain fastnesses on either side, with ever 
 growing wonder that even the pluck of our army and the 
 genius of its leader could in one short month have compelled 
 their abandonment, and in the face of a skilful and deter 
 mined opposition forced a passage one hundred miles into 
 the heart of so defensible a region. 
 
 After forty-eight hours of waiting at Kingston, our trains 
 gained the right of way on the road, which had but a single 
 track, and we crept slowly along past the impregnable fort 
 ress of Allatoona, and at last, on June i6th, reached the 
 neighborhood of the contending armies at Big Shanty, where 
 we went into bivouac, awaiting orders. Here we had come 
 out from the maze of the foot-hills. Great stretches of a 
 comparatively open and rolling country lay before us, out of 
 which directly in our front, scarce more than a cannon-shot 
 
320 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 away, rose the twin summits of Kenesaw, six or seven hundred 
 feet above the plain; and six miles to the west stood Lost 
 Mountain, the southernmost of the noticeable isolated spurs 
 of the Alleghany range. Between and upon these two moun 
 tains the Confederates were firmly intrenched. But on the 
 very day of our arrival the smoke of battle could be seen on 
 the far right, gradually sweeping down past Lost Mountain, 
 and on the morrow Johnston s left wing was refused to a new 
 line prudently fortified in anticipation of its necessity, and 
 Kenesaw had become his salient stronghold. 
 
 We were soon joined by the non-veterans, with boisterous 
 and joyful greetings. Lieutenant-Colonel Chandler here 
 turned over the command of the regiment to the senior cap 
 tain, with the expectation of obtaining an order to report as 
 provost-marshal to division headquarters. A week or two 
 later we learned that his resignation had been accepted and 
 he had left for the North. Colonel Malmborg was known to 
 be on duty in the Seventeenth Corps, but he did not visit the 
 regiment. A few weeks later he too had returned to Illinois, 
 where he was reported to be acting as a recruiting officer for 
 the U. S. Veteran Volunteers, known as Hancock s Corps; 
 but he was not mustered out of the Fifty-fifth until Septem 
 ber 20th. It is said that he obtained a clerkship in the fourth 
 auditor s office at Washington. He died in Kansas about 
 1874, having in his later years become nearly blind. 
 
 Sunday, June igth, we were ordered to the front to join 
 our old brigade. The command now numbered three hun 
 dred and twelve present, about two hundred and seventy 
 being in the ranks for service. After crossing one deserted 
 line of rebel earth-works we came under the fire of the 
 artillery upon Kenesaw, and here Michael Rayding of Com 
 pany I was instantly killed, being nearly cut in two by a frag 
 ment of a shell that burst in front of the marching column. 
 He was of German birth, handsome in face and figure, a fine 
 soldier, the first of the veteran volunteers to give up his life. 
 Reaching the position assigned to us on the lower slope of 
 the mountain, we were formed on the left of the brigade and 
 at once began constructing strong rifle-pits. Although per 
 sistently annoyed by shells, grape and canister from the 
 
BEFORE KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 321 
 
 artillery on the summit, the work went steadily on until the 
 twenty-first of June saw our front covered by a finished 
 earth-work with log revetment breast-high, and skidded head 
 logs atop. The pickets kept up a continuous skirmish on 
 the wooded mountain-side, and the roar of artillery duels 
 went on all along the line. The Second division, under Gen 
 eral M. L. Smith, consisted now of but two brigades, each of 
 six regiments; General Giles A. Smith commanding the First 
 and General J. A. J. Lightburn the Second: 
 
 First Brigade. Second Brigade. 
 
 Sixth Missouri. Thirty-seventh Ohio. 
 
 Fifty-fifth Illinois. Forty-seventh Ohio. 
 
 One-hundred-sixteenth Illinois. Fifty-third Ohio. 
 
 One-hundred-twenty-seventh 111. Fifty-fourth Ohio. 
 
 Thirtieth Ohio. Eighty-third Indiana. 
 
 Fifty-seventh Ohio. One-hundred-eleventh Illinois. 
 
 On the twenty-third, a shrapnel shell bursting just in front 
 of us wounded three men: David McKeighan of Company 
 D, William Walker and Sergeant William Spencer of Com 
 pany K. Two iron balls passed through the upper part of 
 Spencer s arm, shattering the bone. By a triumph of con 
 servative surgery his arm was saved, two or three inches of 
 the injured humerus being exsected, shortening it by so much. 
 The plucky young sergeant, elated with the prospect of sav 
 ing his good right arm, soon after the operation sent word to 
 his company commander that he was "all right, and even had 
 some advantage in his loss, for he would now be nearer the 
 girls when he shook hands with them than the other boys." 
 
 On the right wing, where the obstacles interposed by 
 nature were not unusually difficult, there seemed to be slow 
 but steady onward progress some gain of road or hill or 
 stream almost daily made; but along our corps front rose 
 the steep scarp ending abruptly in many places with almost 
 perpendicular ledges of rock, needing no defenders. The 
 rebel pickets shouted down from their safe elevation invita 
 tions to our outposts: "Come up and see us;" and ours jocu 
 larly responded, "We re coming, waiting only for our ladders." 
 
 No weakening of the Confederate force in our front was 
 obvious, but General Sherman, with the knowledge that 
 21 
 
322 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Hood s Corps had been withdrawn from before McPherson 
 to re-enforce the left of General Johnston s line against the 
 energetic flank movements of Schofield and Hooker, reasoned 
 that the rugged and almost inaccessible heights were prob 
 ably held by artillery and a noisy skirmish line only, which 
 might be broken through at some weak spot by a sudden and 
 determined assault. Upon the rocky watch-tower of Kene- 
 saw, however, sleepless eyes noted the slightest change in the 
 features of the map outspread before them, and not a move 
 ment was made by day or by night but they marked it, 
 counted its value, guessed its purpose, and deliberately made 
 preparations for counteracting it. The Confederate left wing 
 was now so far refused that Kenesaw was, as it were, the key 
 stone of a semicircular arch formed by the rebel lines. 
 Along the chords of the long curve, at briefest notice the 
 reserves could spring to protect sorely threatened points. 
 A successful crushing through of this arc at any important 
 point, however, would almost ensure overwhelming ruin to 
 Johnston s army, and Sherman felt that the chance ought to 
 be taken that even a sanguinary charge, if successful, 
 would be economy of patriots blood. He took the fearful 
 responsibility, probably against the judgment of all the lead 
 ing general and field officers in the army, save some few 
 whose judgment was distracted by an itching of their shoul 
 ders for a star. In his report General Sherman gives as one 
 chief reason for ordering this assault upon carefully planned 
 intrenchments, that the army needed to be taught that out 
 flanking was not the only mode of offensive warfare. The 
 teacher himself seems to have learned one lesson at the same 
 date. He never again ordered a charge in column upon a 
 well-intrenched foe. 
 
 Sunday, the twenty-sixth of June, our division got orders 
 to withdraw from their lines quietly after dark, the Second 
 division of the Sixteenth Corps occupying the vacated 
 position. We marched as we then supposed for a flank 
 movement to the right, but were halted at midnight, after 
 proceeding four or five miles, went into bivouac in the wood 
 land and slept until day-break. About seven in the morning 
 the officers were summoned before the brigade commander, 
 
ASSAULT UPON LITTLE KENESAW. 323 
 
 General Giles A. Smith, and notified that in half an hour the 
 brigade was to lead in an assault upon Little Kenesaw, then 
 not much more than half a mile distant in our front. The 
 men were at once instructed to strip for fight, leaving every 
 thing but essentials at the bivouac. One man from each 
 company was detailed to remain as guard over its property. 
 Few but tried soldiers were in that little band waiting in the 
 forest glade for the dread signal. Though thus surprised 
 with the knowledge that in a few minutes they were to make 
 a desperate dash against ramparts bristling with natural diffi 
 culties and defended by practical fighters, yet probably a 
 casual observer would have noted in the occupation or out 
 ward manifestations of feeling among these men little to 
 distinguish this from an ordinary group of soldiers resting on 
 a march. The breakfast was eaten with appetite, the pipe 
 smoking and discursive talk went on as usual. But comrades 
 could read in each other s faces signs not always to be seen 
 there; in those of the prominent officers sterner and more 
 rigid facial lines, indicating the load of responsibility they 
 felt resting upon them; in all countenances a more quiet and 
 fixed expression, almost amounting to a slight pallor. The 
 laugh sometimes heard had no heart in it, the arguments no 
 vivacity, the sportiveness was rare or spasmodic, and often a 
 far-away look in some eyes told of thoughts wandering to 
 the distant Northern home, perhaps never again to be seen. 
 A few handed to some one of the guards, or to the chaplain, 
 a valued watch or keepsake, with brief words of contingent 
 instruction. A few wrote brief notes and placed them in 
 their knapsacks. 
 
 The tendency of old soldiers to become fatalists has often 
 been commented upon. Examples of this tendency were 
 frequently noticed in the Fifty-fifth. Tales of premonitions 
 justified by quick-following death or wounds are even now 
 often in the mouths of comrades, while the examples, prob 
 ably far more numerous, of gloomy omens that came to 
 naught, are all forgotten. Men who had marched confidently 
 and undismayed into battle after battle, were suddenly on 
 the approach of a fight seen to be out of heart, and save for 
 their pride almost willing to own that their courage had all 
 
324 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 left them. Perhaps these cases of dismal foreboding among 
 us were not more numerous on the morning of June 27th 
 than before other bloody days in our experience, but several 
 are remembered. A sergeant whose past record had proved 
 him exceptionally brave, was exceedingly depressed and con 
 fessed to his company commander an immovable conviction 
 that if he went into the impending battle he should never 
 see the sun rise again; and asked if he could be saved from 
 the death that stared him in the face, without disgrace. The 
 officer reported the case privately to the senior captain 
 commanding the regiment, who, knowing the worth of the 
 sergeant, ordered him detailed to be left in command of the 
 guard over the regimental property. 
 
 There was no one to excuse the captain himself. Physi 
 cally and morally an ideal company commander, tried in bat 
 tle, march, siege and assault, and never known to falter, he 
 had been conversing cheerfully and displayed his usual calm 
 demeanor. But he had quietly said to the friend and fellow 
 captain sitting beside him, that he felt the oppressive shadow 
 of near death hanging over him. He handed his friend a 
 pocket-knife to remember him by, took out a little mem 
 orandum book and wrote : 
 
 Monday, 27, 1864. 
 
 We marched last night until eleven got up at seven this morning 
 are to make an assault upon the breastworks at half-past seven. Our 
 division takes the lead. Now may God protect the right. Am doubting 
 our success. 
 
 The order for the forward movement came, and Captain 
 Augustine s voice in command rang out as sharp and clear as 
 though on parade. The two brigades steadily advanced 
 through the heavily wooded and undulating ground border 
 ing on the head waters of Nose s Creek, were formed in battle 
 lines and began the charge. At first we were preceded by a 
 regiment armed with magazine rifles and deployed as skir 
 mishers. We soon encountered the fire of the surprised rebel 
 pickets, but without pause dashed over them killing those 
 who opposed, sending some as prisoners to the rear, and driv 
 ing the rest before us. The division artillery meantime 
 poured a storm of missiles over our heads into the main works 
 
ASSAULT UPON LITTLE KENESAW. 3 2 5 
 
 of the enemy. The roar of the cannon behind and before, 
 the bursting of shells, rattling of musketry, Union hurrahs 
 and answering rebel yells, made a horrible pandemonium of 
 that little mountain valley, appalling even to the most expe 
 rienced. Rushing onward about five hundred yards beyond 
 the little barricades of the picket-line, through dense imped 
 ing underbrush and down over a stretch of marshy ground, 
 we crossed the little creek and came out upon an open area 
 at the base of a precipitous, rock-strewn hill, below the crest 
 of which, within pistol shot, lay General Loring s veterans 
 a brigade of French s division behind strong walls of stone. 
 Up the long incline to the higher ridge of Kenesaw on the 
 left ran a line of rifle-pits, the troops in which opened an 
 enfilading fire upon us, while two batteries commanded the 
 ground over which we charged. General O. O. Howard has 
 recently put upon record his opinion that the Confederate 
 line at Kenesaw "was stronger in artificial contrivances and 
 natural features than the cemetery at Gettysburg. The com 
 plete works, the slashings in front, and the difficulties of 
 the slope towards us under a full sweep of infantry and of 
 artillery cross-fire made the position in itself next to impreg 
 nable." 
 
 Our brigade, as it debouched from the thicket into the 
 open at double-quick step and struck the ledges, all over 
 which a natural growth of stunted, scraggy oaks had been 
 felled, was no longer column or line, but a swarm of desper 
 ate men clambering up between boulders and over tree trunks, 
 and struggling through a tangled abatis of gnarled limbs. 
 The place was almost inaccessible to one unincumbered and 
 unopposed. Nothing we had surmounted at Vicksburg 
 equalled it in natural difficulties. The troops upon our left, 
 dismayed, fell back without any attempt to cross the open 
 ground at the foot of the slope, and those on the right soon 
 gave way, enabling the enemy to concentrate their fire upon 
 us. There could be no concert of action and little leadership; 
 each had to climb or shelter himself and fight as he best 
 could. 
 
 Captain Augustine was conspicuous, always pressing for 
 ward and prominent among the foremost. The impulse of 
 
326 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the first rush was quickly lost in the mingled fatigue of climb 
 ing and the death of hope at sight of the fearful obstacles 
 ahead. All faltered and advance seemed at an end. Seeing 
 this, and at the same minute hearing and probably misunder 
 standing the bugle signal for retreat sounded in our rear, 
 Captain Augustine, sword in hand, climbing in advance a 
 pace or two, and shouting, "Forward, men!" stood erect, for 
 one moment the grandest figure in the terrible scene; the 
 next instant he lay prostrate, pierced through the left breast 
 by a fatal bullet. His fall visibly disheartened the regiment, 
 though a few men got closer under the rebel parapet, and 
 attempt at further forward movement ceased. Captain Shaw, 
 the second in command, calmly assumed the duty devolving 
 upon him. Many wounded were dropping back to the rear, 
 the charge could not win, and longer exposure to that cross 
 fire from covered marksmen meant only useless murder. 
 General Smith again gave the order by bugle call to fall 
 back, and most of the men swept down into the shelter of 
 the forest across the brook, and re-forming as a skirmish line 
 along a little ridge, kept the enemy from making a counter 
 charge or using their artillery, and protected the few living 
 who had failed to retreat, so that one by one nearly all crept 
 down and escaped -by a desperate run across the open space 
 to the ridge. 
 
 To this point tools were brought and rifle-pits begun, under 
 a fierce artillery fire from the hill batteries; but at night the 
 brigade was withdrawn to the rear, other troops being aligned 
 in the parallel we had captured from the pickets in the morn 
 ing advance. The bands struck up patriotic airs as darkness 
 closed down, and in their tree-canopied bivouac the torn and 
 sadly diminished battalions forgot sorrow and fatigue in 
 sleep. Of the two hundred and fifty sent into action by the 
 Fifty-fifth, twelve of the bravest lay stark and cold among 
 the rocks of the hill or by the brook-side; three had received 
 burial at the hands of comrades in the woodland, and thirty- 
 two had been borne or found their own way to the hospital 
 for surgeon s attention. 
 
 Captain Augustine was brought down to the base of the 
 hill by John Sheneman and Joseph Putnam. He was entirely 
 
THE HEROIC DEAD. 3 2 7 
 
 conscious and gave orders to some men near to seek shelter 
 behind trees and try to keep down the enemy s marksmen 
 until those yet upon the hill could escape. Soon Lieutenant 
 Henry Augustine, his brother, was summoned to his side. 
 He died within an hour in his brother s arms, bidding his 
 friends not to mourn for him; he gave his life a willing sacri 
 fice in a just cause. In the same hour, a few paces away by 
 the little stream, another pathetic scene was witnessed. 
 Joseph Putnam, having helped bring the dying captain to the 
 sheltered spot where he lay, ran to find a stretcher to bear 
 him to the rear; but before he had gone many steps a bullet 
 pierced his thigh, breaking the bone and severing an artery. 
 A sweet singer, jolliest of messmates, loved for his invincible 
 good nature, respected by all for his manliness, courage, and 
 cheerful attendance upon duty, his heroic death was in har 
 monious keeping with his life. The rosy-cheeked, curly- 
 headed boy knew that his wound was mortal, and told a 
 comrade, George W. Curfman, who attempted to aid him, 
 that he had but a brief time to live. Then he began singing: 
 "We re going home to die no more." As his life s blood 
 pulsed away his voice grew fainter and fainter, but murmured 
 the refrain until forever stilled on earth. 
 
 The generous-hearted and dauntless captain of Company 
 E, William C. Porter, leader of a forlorn hope at Vicksburg, 
 was shot through the left thigh, borne from the hill by two of 
 his men, and died from loss of blood about four o clock the 
 same afternoon. The day was intensely hot, and the fatigue 
 of the charge and toilsome climb so accelerated the pulsa 
 tions of the heart and heated the blood, that several whose 
 wounds might not otherwise have proved fatal, perished of 
 depletion before the surgeons could tie their torn arteries, or 
 of exhaustion afterwards. Captain Porter had married while 
 on veteran furlough, and spent his last moments in sending 
 consoling messages to his young wife. The men who placed 
 his body in its mother earth, their sad office done, had not 
 got out of sight of the grave when a shell from the rebel 
 batteries struck fairly into the little mound, and bursting 
 almost uncovered the dead soldier again, as though begrudg 
 ing him his six feet of Southern soil. One of the men who 
 
328 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 went to the captain s assistance when he fell, Adam Gleisner, 
 was shot through the head and died beside him on the hill. 
 He had fought in every battle the regiment was ever engaged 
 in, and bore an enviable reputation for his soldierly behavior. 
 
 Captain N. S. Aagesen, while leading his company and 
 well up the slope, had his right arm shattered near the shoul 
 der. He was helped to the rear by his men, and finally 
 reached the hospital, where his arm was amputated, leaving 
 him in a pitiable plight, for he had practically lost all use of 
 his left arm from the effects of a wound received at Shiloh. 
 Recovering after a long convalescence, he was detailed upon 
 a court of inquiry at Springfield, Illinois, and never rejoined 
 the regiment until mustered out with it at Louisville, in 1865. 
 He was a Dane by birth, and had been in America but two 
 years when the war broke out, going north from Mobile after 
 the fall of Sumpter to enlist in the Union cause. 
 
 Lieutenant Hartsook led Company K in the charge and 
 was wounded upon the mountain among the foremost. Lieu 
 tenant Lomax and Sergeant Kays of the same company were 
 struck by a bullet while one of them was giving the other a 
 drink from his canteen, after the regiment had fallen back, 
 the ball passing through the left thigh of the sergeant into 
 the right hip of the lieutenant. Bartley Holden, a jovial and 
 plucky Irishman of Company A, was shot down just in ad 
 vance of his captain. James Clark, another faithful soldier 
 of that company, was mortally wounded and died at Alla- 
 toona hospital a fortnight after the battle. George W. Crow- 
 ell of Company C, was instantly killed as he stood upon the 
 trunk of a fallen tree, while swinging his hat and shouting to 
 his comrades to "come on," he being then as near the rebel 
 line as any man in the regiment. His brother had found a 
 grave on the battle-field of Shiloh. Henry C. Curtiss of the 
 same company fell dead just as the charging line reached the 
 base of the hill. Company E had six men killed including 
 its captain nearly half the lives lost in the engagement by 
 the Fifty-fifth. Patrick Moran, whose home name was said 
 to be Flemming, and James Quigley, were among the first to 
 fall. Richard Shanning, a brave veteran, when some of his 
 comrades offered to try to get him to the rear after he was 
 
THE HEROIC DEAD. 3 2 9 
 
 mortally wounded, insisted upon their leaving him and caring 
 for themselves, as he could live but a short time. He died 
 before they left him. Charles Merrill, who was noted for 
 coolness in danger, was one of the last to come down from 
 the hill, and was shot through the heart facing the enemy, as 
 he turned to look back from the foot of the slope. 
 
 There were probably in every regiment a few men who, 
 however brave at heart, had legs that could with difficulty be 
 induced to stay anywhere near the front in the hour of battle. 
 These men were sometimes in all other respects worthy sol 
 diers; cleanly, dutiful, useful everywhere but in fight. If 
 they had not too openly disgraced themselves, they were 
 usually permitted to drift into some menial position, or were 
 detailed where their trades or special capacities made them 
 of service to the army. No company in the Fifty-fifth could 
 be more impatient of the existence of a constitutional cow 
 ard among them than the always stanch and true Company I. 
 Yet such a man was in their ranks, who, after escaping from 
 two or three battles, obtained an order placing him on de 
 tached service, out of danger. But when Sherman s sweep 
 ing order at the opening of the Atlanta campaign sent to 
 their regiments thousands of men who had been long retained 
 in comfortable berths at hospitals or supply depots, this sol 
 dier came reluctantly among his old messmates. After the 
 battle he was found at the foot of a tree some distance to the 
 rear of the creek, shot through the head by a chance ball. 
 
 The wounded who could bear moving were after a few 
 days taken from the field hospital and sent to Allatoona by 
 night in a freight train. It was a terribly painful trip for 
 these mangled men, riding over the rough roadway upon 
 mattresses spread on the floors of the cars; and when taken 
 out at sunrise most of them were completely exhausted with 
 fatigue and lack of nourishment. But they at once found 
 themselves in the hands of the agents of the Sanitary and 
 Christian Commissions, under the leadership of Mother 
 Porter, who with smiling faces and cheerful words of encour 
 agement administered needed stimulants and food, and soon 
 had them comfortably located in hospital tents. 
 
 The assaults made at other points in the lines, though 
 
330 
 
 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 nowhere encountering such insuperable natural obstacles as 
 existed at Little Kenesaw, failed as decidedly to pierce the 
 Confederate defences. The trial had been gallantly made, 
 and, as generally happens where human flesh is hurled against 
 earth and stone defended with military skill by brave veter 
 ans, nothing had been gained at all commensurate with the 
 frightful loss of valuable lives. Again resort was had to the 
 strategy of flank movements. For several days we remained 
 in reserve at the rear of the lines we had captured. Attempts 
 were made by comrades to reach our dead upon Kenesaw by 
 night, but the enemy s pickets were stationed at the foot of 
 the hill and forbade approach. It was nearly a week before 
 a burial party could visit the scene, when the bodies were 
 found unburied, though robbed of certain articles of apparel. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS VET. VOLS., 
 AT LITTLE KENESAW, JUNE ?;, 1864. 
 
 KILLED. 
 
 COMPANY. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 JACOB M. AUGUSTINE, captain. 
 BARTLEY HOLDEN. 
 WILLIAM STEVENSON. 
 GEORGE W. CROWELL. 
 HENRY C. CURTISS. 
 CHARLES SAMUELSON. 
 ADAM GLEISNER. 
 CHARLES MERRILL. 
 PATRICK MORAN. 
 WILLIAM C. PORTER, captain. 
 JAMES QUIGLEY. 
 RICHARD SHANNING. 
 JOSEPH PUTNAM. 
 ADAM HENLIEN. 
 DAVID MARSHALL. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 JAMES CLARK. 
 CHARLES F. HAMILTON. 
 DANIEL K. MAXWELL. 
 EDGAR J. PORTER. 
 HARVEY SHAW. 
 JAMES M. WHITE. 
 JOHN A. HILLBORG. 
 ALEC. W. PETERSEN. 
 THEODORE SHULTZ, sergeant. 
 
 A. 
 
 Shot 
 
 in left breast. 
 
 A. 
 
 
 
 B. 
 
 
 
 C. 
 
 
 
 C. 
 
 
 
 C. 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Shot 
 
 through head. 
 
 E. 
 
 Shot 
 
 in breast. 
 
 E. 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 Shot 
 
 in thigh. 
 
 E. 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 
 
 F. 
 
 Thigh broken. 
 
 I. 
 
 Shot 
 
 through head. 
 
 I. 
 
 Shot 
 
 through head. 
 
 A. In right shoulder, mortally. 
 
 A. Slightly, in left leg. 
 
 A. Severely, in left arm and leg. 
 
 A. Severely, in right hand and wrist. 
 
 A. Slightly, in left hand. 
 
 A. Right leg amputated. 
 
 C. In left hand. 
 
 C. In leg. 
 
 C. In the foot. 
 
CASUALTIES OF BATTLE. 
 
 331 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 COMPANY. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 NICHOLAS S. AAGESEN, captain. D. 
 
 ALBERT F. PADEN. D. 
 
 JOSEPH CORBY, color-corporal. E. 
 
 HENRY JOHNSON. E. 
 
 PATRICK QUIGLEY. E. 
 
 JAMES N. FUGATE. F. 
 
 DAVID N. HOLMES, corporal. F. 
 
 DAVID J. MATHENY. F. 
 
 EDMUND T. TOTTMAN. F. 
 
 JAMES W. GAY, color-sergeant. G. 
 
 JOHN MELLON. G. 
 
 ANDREW MURRAY. G. 
 
 FRANKLIN SMITH. G. 
 
 WILLIAM WILSON. G. 
 
 GEORGE E. WITTER. G. 
 
 JOHN D. FRAZIER, corporal. H. 
 
 JOSEPH EDWARDS. I. 
 
 STEPHEN R. MALCOMB. I. 
 
 JOHN W. MATLOCK. I. 
 
 ROBERT M. Cox, corporal. K. 
 JOSEPH HARTSOOK,yr.y/-/z>/<?fl/.K. 
 
 JAMES W. KAYS, sergeant. K. 
 
 WILLIAM D. LOMAX, second-lient. K. 
 
 Right arm amputated. 
 
 In left hand. 
 
 In left heel. 
 
 In left shoulder. 
 
 In left arm. 
 
 Bullet through both thighs. 
 
 In left hip. 
 
 In right arm. 
 
 In right elbow. 
 
 Across small of back. 
 
 Right leg amputated. 
 
 In neck. 
 
 In right shoulder, severely. 
 
 In hand. 
 
 In head. 
 
 Right arm amputated. 
 
 In right leg, severely. 
 
 In arm. 
 
 In right arm. 
 
 In left arm. 
 
 In left shoulder. 
 
 In left thigh. 
 
 In right hip. 
 
 The roads which had been in an almost impassable condi 
 tion on account of heavy rains, now under the hot summer s 
 sun fast dried, and army stores were rapidly brought to the 
 front. July 2d, at four o clock in the morning, General M. L. 
 Smith s division moved to the right and halted at noon in 
 rear of the Twenty-third Corps, near Nickajack Creek. That 
 night Kenesaw was evacuated. As usual, General Johnston 
 had fallen back into elaborate works constructed under the 
 direction of skilful military engineers by an army of negroes. 
 The works from which he had retired were held by a strong 
 line of skirmishers as long as possible. July 3d the Fifty- 
 fifth and One-hundred-twenty-seventh Illinois, in a reconnois- 
 sance on the Turner s Ferry road, encountered the rebel 
 pickets and drove them from their lines. The advance of 
 the Seventeenth Corps in the afternoon took possession of 
 the road. July 4th we moved eastward three miles, the Six 
 teenth Corps fighting in our front, and by a charge finally 
 gaining possession of a line of rifle-pits, despite strenuous 
 
332 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 opposition. Recognizing the fact that another advance by 
 the right flank would bring Sherman s army upon the Chatta- 
 hoochee near Sandtown, threatening his communications with 
 Atlanta, Johnston fell back from his new position that night 
 to another "last ditch" close to the bridges and fords of the 
 river. 
 
 Some of the works abandoned were marvels for perfection 
 of engineering cunning. In one location commanding a 
 wide, level, open tract, a tall stockade of tree trunks planted 
 side by side and fastened by transverse timber, with the usual 
 abatis in front, took the place of the ordinary rifle-pit. On 
 the fifth we moved three miles towards the river and remained 
 in bivouac two days at Mill s Grove, sweltering in the hot 
 sun. From the bringing forward of pontoon trains it became 
 evident that there was some thought of an attempt to dash 
 across the Chattahoochee, but the enemy were found fortified 
 in too great force opposite. The whistling of locomotives 
 in the direction of Marietta told that supplies were reaching 
 the army in the field by railway again. On July 8th we 
 moved two miles to the left, and from one point could see 
 the much coveted city of Atlanta in the distance. From our 
 camp at this place the following document was forwarded to 
 the capital of Illinois: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 55 REGT. ILL. INFY. VOLS., > 
 CAMP NEAR CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER, GA., July 8, 1864. \ 
 HON. A. C. FULLER, Adjutant-General, 
 
 Springfield, 111. 
 
 SIR : At a meeting of the commissioned officers of the Fifty-fifth 
 Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteers, serving with the regiment in the 
 field, Captain Francis H. Shaw of Company C, was unanimously chosen 
 to be lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, vice T. C. Chandler, resigned. 
 
 At the election of commissioned officers for the veteran organization, 
 in April last, Captain F. H. Shaw was chosen major, and Captain Jacob 
 M. Augustine, lately killed in action, lieutenant-colonel; and as all the 
 field-officers belonging to the regiment are on detached service, it is 
 respectfully urged that the efficiency of the command requires that 
 Captain Francis H. Shaw be commissioned at the earliest practicable 
 date. All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 Very truly, your obt. servt., 
 
 C. M. BROWNE, 
 
 F. P. FISHER, Capt. Co. G, actg. major ^th Regt. Ills. Vols. 
 
 ist Lieut, and Adjutant. 
 
ON THE CHATTAHOOCHEE. 333 
 
 [Endorsed.] 
 
 HEADQUARTERS IST BRIGADE, 2ND DIVISION, 15 A. C., ) 
 IN THE FIELD, GA., July gth, 1864. ) 
 
 Approved. Captain Shaw is now commanding the regiment and is a 
 good officer. He is next in rank to Major Heffernan, whose continued 
 absence from the regiment forfeits all claims to promotion. 
 
 GILES A. SMITH, Brig.-Genl. Vols. 
 
 On the ninth of July we were moved about half a mile to 
 the east, and began fortifying; but during that night the 
 enemy disappeared from our front. Johnston had crossed 
 the Chattahoochee with all his forces, and the smoke of the 
 burning bridges proclaimed the fact to the whole Union 
 army at dawn. The Twenty-third Corps had already by 
 surprise effected a crossing eight miles above the railway 
 bridge at Soap Creek, and our cavalry had waded the river 
 at Roswell. Both were strongly intrenched, expecting 
 immediate assault. The other divisions of the army made 
 demonstrations at the ferries for miles up and down the 
 Chattahoochee, which was somewhat swollen with recent 
 rains, about six hundred feet broad, and nowhere passable 
 for troops without bridging. Atlanta was but ten miles 
 distant by railroad. By the maps, it seemed obvious that 
 the more advantageous as well as shorter line of attack upon 
 that great intrenched camp and railway centre was from 
 Sandtown, aiming at the East Point junction of the West 
 Point and Macon railways to cut off the southern line of 
 retreat. Important strategic considerations, the topography 
 of the region to be traversed, and the great desirability of 
 cutting the railway communications with the East, deter 
 mined General Sherman to adopt a line of approach double 
 the length of that to the south. 
 
 On the eleventh, we moved by the left flank a hot and 
 dusty march of five miles, and in the afternoon of the next 
 day entered, after a tramp of twelve miles, the charmingly 
 located valley city, Marietta. The huge hotel, three-story 
 military academy, elegant residences, steam-mills and numer 
 ous stores and shops, marked the place as having been a 
 social and commercial centre of large importance; while the 
 park-like groves of oak and hickory and the dominating 
 
334 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 neighborhood of Kenesaw gave it a picturesque beauty rare 
 in that land. Long before light on the thirteenth, we were 
 aroused from our slumbers to hasten forward towards Ros- 
 well, ten miles east, where a trestle bridge had been thrown 
 across the river, over which we marched the following day. 
 Brick ruins enclosing great beds of grey ashes marked the 
 site of extensive mills here, which had been burned by the 
 cavalry, who had no cautious respect for the French flag 
 displayed above them as a claim for protection. These mills 
 had been manufacturing canvas and tents for the Confed 
 eracy. We had seen some of the three or four hundred 
 female operatives captured here, while on their way to the 
 cars; factory girls and tent makers having been pronounced 
 by General Sherman "contraband of war," and ordered to be 
 transported north of the Ohio River. The division advanced 
 two miles beyond the Chattahoochee, took up a strong 
 position and fortified it. We were about twenty miles from 
 Atlanta. 
 
 At this point, broiling under the July sun, we remained 
 until Sunday, the seventeenth, when, advancing eight miles, 
 we re-formed in battle line along Nancy s Creek. On Mon 
 day, marching southward, about noon we broke out of the 
 woodland and found ourselves upon the Atlanta and Charles 
 ton railroad, between Stone Mountain and Decatur. The 
 division was at once set at work tearing up and destroying 
 the track. Thus far the only opposition encountered had 
 been that of Wheeler s cavalry, which our mounted troops 
 and a skirmish line of infantry kept so rapidly in motion 
 that there was little hindrance to the steady progress of the 
 line of battle. On the nineteenth, we moved along the 
 railroad nine miles through the old-fashioned tree-embowered 
 town of Decatur, opposed vigorously but only by cavalry 
 and light-artillery. The twentieth saw a continuation of the 
 same slow progress towards the east of Atlanta, the resist 
 ance becoming much more stubborn, however, and apparently 
 supported by infantry, so that but about three miles were 
 gained. Each night we slept behind hurriedly constructed 
 rifle-pits, and even the pickets in our front had their little 
 defences of rails or logs. 
 
INVESTING ATLANTA. 335 
 
 We this day learned that the Fabian policy of General 
 Johnston, which had for some time been receiving sharp 
 criticism from the short-sighted, at last had afforded 
 Jefferson Davis the desired excuse for superseding him and 
 putting in his place a more pugnacious and adventurous 
 commander. This struck the self-confident Union veterans 
 as rather good news than otherwise, for Johnston s prudent 
 genius was far more dreaded by the intelligent than Hood s 
 headlong dash. Having had enough of assaulting, we quite 
 welcomed the prospect of seeing the rebels try the role of 
 assailants, and were willing to waive formal notice of their 
 intentions. We had not to wait long for the new policy to 
 develop itself. In fact, that very afternoon the continuous 
 roar of artillery upon our right signaled the bloody repulse 
 of the new commander s first aggressive blow. He had 
 caught the right wing of Sherman s army while advancing, 
 unsuspicious but not unready, to the south side of Peachtree 
 Creek, just where he wanted it, and just where his prede 
 cessor, competent to teach him strategy, had planned to 
 attack; yet Victory had shown no inclination to perch upon 
 his banners. 
 
 The next day it was fearfully hot, but the men worked 
 enthusiastically to complete our line of earthworks, while 
 the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps were swinging around 
 to our left with a heavy skirmish line fully occupied in their 
 front. There was no attempt made to push forward the 
 Fifteenth Corps, for neither the Twenty-third on the right 
 nor the Seventeenth on the left had come into alignment 
 with our advanced position, and the Sixteenth was at the 
 rear. Everything seemed quiet from our picket line. 
 Indeed, the opinion prevailed that we were only held back 
 by so obstinate resistance to permit the safe removal of 
 stores from Atlanta preparatory to its evacuation. This 
 idea seemed confirmed on the morning of July 22d, when 
 the skirmishers reported another strong line of rifle-pits 
 abandoned in our front. Company F, of the Fifty-fifth, was 
 sent forward to re-inforce Companies D and E of the same 
 regiment, then on picket duty, and it was confidently 
 expected that they would be in the city, but two miles 
 
336 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 distant, before night. The picket line, however, after 
 advancing to the suburbs of the town encountered the 
 enemy and began skirmishing. Here Sergeant David M. 
 Crumbaugh was brought to the rear with a wound that 
 proved fatal some months later. 
 
 The Fifteenth Corps was moved forward at once to occupy 
 the deserted works, and instinctively, without delay and with 
 out orders, the men began to improve and reconstruct them 
 to suit the altered ownership. At this critical time our much 
 beloved brigade leader, General Giles A. Smith, was taken 
 from us, promoted to the command of the Fourth division of 
 the Seventeenth Army Corps vice General Gresham, wounded. 
 He was succeeded by Colonel James S. Martin of the One- 
 hundred-eleventh Illinois. The morning had dawned bright 
 and beautiful, after a rainy night. The Second division, un 
 der General M. L. Smith, forming the centre of the Fifteenth 
 Corps, was aligned at nearly right angles to the Charleston 
 railway, which ran through the works in a deep cut. On the 
 north bank of this cut was Illinois Battery H, with four 
 twenty-pounder Parrott rifles, commanded by Captain De 
 Gress, and on his right General Lightburn s brigade. On the 
 south bank was stationed Chicago Battery A, with four brass 
 field-pieces; at their left was the Fifty-seventh Ohio, and 
 next the Fifty-fifth Illinois. Three other regiments of the 
 brigade were in reserve. Over half a mile distant in our 
 front were the pickets, and a few rods in their rear was a use 
 lessly strong support, consisting of two guns of Chicago 
 Battery A, and two regiments one from each brigade the 
 Fifty-third Ohio and One-hundred-eleventh Illinois. General 
 Morgan L. Smith, infatuated with the belief that Hood was 
 evacuating Atlanta a belief also entertained by his superiors 
 ordered these troops to push up as near as possible to the 
 fortifications surrounding the city, expecting them to be first 
 in the race for entrance. They were posted in a favorable 
 position and hastily protected themselves with light earth 
 works. This presumption that the Confederates were on the 
 point of abandoning Atlanta led to tactical looseness in locat 
 ing the Federal troops, which before the day closed had to 
 be compensated for by extraordinary fighting. 
 
THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA. 337 
 
 The rifle-pits where properly reversed were sufficient, and 
 the position was excellent, commanding a wide open area. 
 But besides the grave mistake of thrusting the small force of 
 artillery and infantry into an exposed position on the picket 
 line, where they only invited capture or destruction, two seri 
 ous and utterly inexcusable blunders of omission were charge 
 able to some one high in authority. The rank and file 
 attributed them, and no doubt correctly, to the carelessness of 
 General Morgan L. Smith and the incompetency of the brig 
 adier who, by virtue of seniority, became division commander 
 during the day, General Lightburn. The railway cut was 
 neither barricaded nor guarded, and a large brick house 
 directly in front of and near the line of Lightburn s brigade 
 was allowed to stand. Colonel Jones, upon whom the com 
 mand of the brigade devolved about noon, is said to have 
 asked authority to burn the house, but his request received 
 no attention. This negligence cost us dear. 
 
 Not far from twelve o clock heavy musketry firing at our 
 left and rear, and over a long line, indicated that the Six 
 teenth and Seventeenth Corps were hotly engaged. It was 
 evident that Hood was making a second furious attack, this 
 time upon our left flank. For a time the issue was dubious, 
 if not adverse to us, as we could easily judge from the vary 
 ing tumult of battle. Now we could tell that a charge had 
 been repelled, and now the contest would seem to be renewed 
 nearer to our rear. So far as could be seen the Seventeenth 
 Corps, which joined the Fifteenth on the left, had not been 
 driven from its position; but the occasional rattle of musketry 
 directly in its rear was an ominous sound and one which 
 we could not understand until, after the victory, we learned 
 that our old brigade commander with his division had fought 
 the enemy from both sides of his rifle-pits, the assaults upon 
 him from front and rear being so obligingly timed that he 
 could repel them alternately. Ambulances were bringing 
 their groaning burdens up the roadway behind us, and staff 
 officers were galloping furiously to and fro. About two 
 o clock our three reserve regiments, with the brave Colonel 
 Martin at their head, were hurried away towards the smoke 
 of the melee at the left. We now formed but a single thin 
 22 
 
33 8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 line, three of our largest companies being detached at the 
 front. Before leaving to re-enforce the Sixteenth, Colonel 
 Martin had requested General Smith to recall the two regi 
 ments upon the picket line; but this was not done. Although 
 we did not then know of our misfortune, our beloved young 
 general, McPherson, had fallen. General Logan was in com 
 mand of the Army of the Tennessee, General M. L. Smith 
 had succeeded him as commander of the corps, and General 
 Lightburn was temporarily placed over the division; Lieu 
 tenant-Colonel Mott of the Fifty-seventh Ohio was the senior 
 officer in command of that part of the First brigade in line. 
 No general, field or staff officer, however, troubled the Fifty- 
 fifth with his presence or his orders. In the trials soon to 
 come we conquered all difficulties, as we fought at Shiloh, 
 without interference, assistance or direction from any outside 
 party. 
 
 It was about three o clock when, during a seeming lull in 
 the conflict on the left, suddenly from our picket line and the 
 supporting regiments there came to our ears the brisk pop 
 ping of the skirmishers rifles, followed by musketry volleys 
 and the rapid fire of the two field-pieces. Quickly after in 
 came our three companies and the two regiments at headlong 
 speed, while close behind them Hood s Corps, now led by 
 General Cheatham, came surging forward, a grey torrent 
 pouring over the fields towards us. In double line without 
 skirmishers, the Confederates advanced in splendid order, 
 the file closers forcing on any disposed to lag behind. If 
 they had hoped to strike us before we were fully intrenched, 
 they were much too late. For the first time in all its history 
 the Fifty-fifth stood behind earth-works to meet a Confeder 
 ate charge. On came Hood s brigades with the usual ear- 
 piercing yell. Holding our fire until the pickets not captured 
 were safely within our lines, our assailants were met when 
 not over one hundred and fifty yards from the ditch by a 
 volley of bullets sent with a cool, steady aim. Flags went 
 down, the ground was strewn with dead and dying, and most 
 of those left standing were soon fleeing pell-mell from the 
 wrathful storm towards the city. Some of the bravest 
 plunged forward into the ditch under shelter of the high 
 
THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA. 339 
 
 parapet, and some hid behind stumps and trees. The regi 
 ment, proudly exultant, was intoxicated with the wine of 
 victory a victory gained with almost no loss and would 
 have welcomed the sight of another such battle-line, however 
 impetuous or persistent, coming in place of the one it had 
 driven from its front. 
 
 While our attention was fixed in the direction of Atlanta, 
 where the rebel officers were striving to rally their men for a 
 second charge, bullets began to whistle among us from the 
 right, and an order to fire to the right oblique was passed 
 down the line because of some rebel troops seen charging 
 along the railroad towards the battery. It was too late. As 
 we turned we could see the rifle-pits across the railway, where 
 Lightburn s brigade had been, swarming with Confederate 
 soldiers, the battery captured, and hundreds of the enemy 
 coming up in serried ranks from out the railroad cut behind 
 our right companies. The Fifty-seventh Ohio whirled back, 
 and was gone into the woodland. There was but one thing 
 to do, and every intelligent soldier knew without orders that 
 liberty depended upon a rapid movement to the left rear. 
 Captain Shaw had no time to give orders for a regimental 
 change of front, and nothing but confusion would probably 
 have resulted from such an order; for a dense thicket cov 
 ered the slope, coming quite near to our line; and even if 
 gifted with the lungs of a Stentor, his voice could hardly 
 have been heard by all in the din of the fight. He gave the 
 best possible order under the circumstances: to fall back by 
 companies. By command of its officers, each company from 
 right to left of the regiment swung back, no two leaving the 
 works at the same time, but each going at double-quick 
 obliquely to the left rear of the position. The cool and val 
 iant Lieutenant Ebersold now chief of police in the city of 
 Chicago was that day commanding Company A upon the 
 right, and when his fellow-officers towards the left saw him 
 consenting to a retrograde movement, even though they 
 heard no general order, they knew that the withdrawal was 
 not illconsidered, nor blamable for unnecessary caution. 
 
 Plunging, within a few paces, into the forest through which 
 ran a small water-course thick set with tangled underbrush, 
 
34 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 protection was at once gained, saving us from an enfilading 
 fire which must otherwise have inflicted fearful loss; but 
 there could be no preservation of line. It was, however, no 
 senseless panic. Every man clung to his gun, and when safe 
 from the enveloping sweep of the Confederate flank assault, 
 each faced about; comrade joined comrade, squad was added 
 to squad, and within half an hour the rallied and re-formed 
 regiment, by its commander s orders, began skirmishing its 
 way forward. 
 
 A few did not aid directly in the first charge of the main 
 body for the recovery of the position, having become sepa 
 rated from it by taking a different course in retreat, but all 
 were soon heading in the same direction. The chaplain had 
 fought in the ranks of Company B, then commanded by 
 Lieutenant Eichelbarger, on the extreme left of the battalion; 
 and from that position the Confederate column sweeping un 
 opposed up towards our rear from the railway could not be 
 seen. The lieutenant, a fine officer and recklessly brave, 
 hearing no order and seeing no adequate reason for the aban 
 donment of the works, seems to have been stung almost to 
 madness by what he supposed a disgraceful rout, and with 
 tears streaming down his cheeks begged his men to stand 
 firm. When finally forced to retreat, as soon as he could 
 gather a squad about him he insisted upon returning, and the 
 chaplain, thinking from the sound of musketry that the reg 
 iment was rallying at the works again, consented. Forming 
 the little company, that had become somehow detached from 
 the regiment, into a short skirmish line, they rapidly ad 
 vanced, only to suddenly find themselves in the immediate 
 presence of the enemy in force, and in terrible danger of 
 death or captivity. A rebel soldier raising his gun ordered 
 the chaplain, with an insulting oath, to surrender. The chap 
 lain s musket was luckily loaded and cocked, his challenger 
 was not twenty steps away, and without waiting to aim he 
 fired and fled. The man in grey had surrendered his life. 
 Lieutenant Eichelbarger was found after the battle, near this 
 spot, shot through the head. 
 
 The Fourth division, under General Harrow, joining us on 
 the left, two brigades of which had also been obliged to 
 
THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA. 34 T 
 
 change front to avoid the enfilading fire, charged back and 
 after a brisk fight drove the rebels over the rifle-pits, at the 
 same time that the Fifty-fifth put its whole vigor into a 
 second charge and recaptured its portion of the works, the 
 Fifty-seventh Ohio keeping equal pace with it on the right. 
 Just as the regiment when at the rear was moving forward 
 to this counter charge, a well-known form came galloping 
 furiously up the Decatur road on a coal-black charger 
 streaked with foam, hatless, his long black hair flying, his 
 eyes flashing with wrath a human hurricane on horseback. 
 It was "Black Jack," as the Illinois men were fond of calling 
 Logan, and rousing cheers went up as the soldiers recognized 
 him whose presence alone was a host. Behind him, coming 
 on the run, were our reserve regiments so unfortunately 
 absent at the critical moment. Under such inspiriting 
 leadership, re-enforcing the rallied lines of Lightburn s bri 
 gade on the right of the railroad, an impetuous charge was 
 made, the First division sweeping down from the right at 
 the same time, and* the rebels were pushed back over the 
 intrenchments. Two or three batteries on the left of the 
 Twenty-third Corps were now able to pour in upon the Con 
 federate flank a rapid fire of spherical case and canister, and 
 the rout was complete. All the guns save the two upon the 
 picket line were again ours. Captain DeGress, who had been 
 almost heart-broken at the loss of his battery, was soon hurl 
 ing shell from the recaptured twenty-pounders into the mob 
 of fugitives. 
 
 The cause of the temporary disaster was easy to see. 
 Massing behind the house which should have been de 
 stroyed in the morning, and in the railway cut which 
 should have been protected by a barricade and two field 
 pieces General Manigault s brigade and the bravest of the 
 Confederates driven from our front, broke through and out 
 flanked the weak line of the Second brigade, killed the 
 battery horses, captured the guns and opened an enfilading 
 musketry fire right and left. At the same time a large force 
 from the railway cut swept round upon Battery A and began 
 to envelope the fragment of the First brigade. If in the 
 needful hurry of the movement this little force of two de- 
 
342 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 pleted regiments did not change front in excellent order 
 and according to tactical rule, the exigency and the location 
 excused such fault, and the promptitude it showed in re 
 forming and driving the intruders back, more than atoned 
 for it. 
 
 When the regiment again stood aligned at the works, and 
 not until then, was the absence of the color-bearer with the 
 ragged remnant of the colors generally noticed. After the 
 four companies on the right had moved to the rear, Lieuten 
 ant Oliver, the self-possessed officer commanding the color 
 company, gave orders for it to fall back, and all seem to have 
 heard and obeyed save the color-sergeant. In the exciting 
 whirl of events no one appears to have noticed that he was 
 remaining behind. Not a man of that company but escaped 
 and came back in the counter charge. After the return of 
 the sergeant from captivity, it was ascertained that he did 
 not hear the order to leave the position nor understand the 
 reason for the abandonment of the works, and therefore 
 clung to them almost alone. One s hearing in the hubbub 
 of a great battle is certainly not so faithful a guide, often, as 
 sight, and the fact that company by company the regiment 
 rolled back to the left and rear was proof enough in the 
 Fifty-fifth not only of an order but of intelligent purpose. 
 The grave misfortune was sorely felt throughout the regi 
 ment, and the more because so entirely unnecessary and 
 undeserved. No one doubted for an instant the personal 
 courage of the flag-bearer, for that had been fully tested, 
 and on more sanguinary fields; but most felt that he had 
 momentarily forgotten that there is a "better part" of valor 
 called discretion, as well as that his appointed place was in 
 the regimental line whichever way it moved, and not behind 
 it, even in retreat. 
 
 The effective force of the Fifty-fifth before this fight was 
 two hundred and thirty-nine. The casualties reported were: 
 four killed, thirteen wounded and sixteen missing. One of 
 the missing, John Smith, was doubtless mortally wounded, 
 taken to Atlanta, and there died. The other fifteen fell into 
 the hands of the enemy and were soon experiencing the pri 
 vations of Andersonville. 
 
BATTLE CASUALTIES. 
 
 343 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS VET. VOLS. AT 
 ATLANTA, JULY 22, 1864. 
 
 KILLED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 HARVEY BOLANDER. A. Shot through the head. 
 GEO. W. EICHELBARGER, ist-lieut. B. Shot through the head. 
 
 JAMES A. BAINES. G. Died during amputation of leg. 
 
 FRANKIN L. KIMBERK, corporal. I. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 AARON LINGENFELTER. A. 
 
 JOHN P. WHEELER, sergeant. A. 
 
 JOHN H. FISHER, corporal. B. 
 
 EARL P. GOODWIN. C. 
 
 SAMUEL KNIGHT. D. 
 
 DAVID MARTIN CRUMBAUGH, sergt. F. 
 
 SAMUEL FAAS. 
 
 BENNETT SWEARINGEN. 
 
 FRANCIS M. NIKIRK. 
 
 FRANCIS M. DENMAN, corporal. 
 
 HEMAN F. HARRIS. 
 
 GEORGE C. COY, corporal. 
 
 WILLIAM MOUNT. 
 
 CAPTURED. 
 
 ROBERT R. ELLIOTT, sergeant. 
 DENNIS SULLIVAN, corporal. 
 PETER HIGGINS. 
 GEORGE A. LEMBKE. 
 FRELINGHUYSEN PARVIN. 
 JOHN SHENEMAN. 
 JOHN LUNDBERG. 
 FREDERICK VEITH. 
 JAMES W. GAY. color-sergeant. 
 JOHN SMITH. 
 STEPHEN R. MALCOLM. 
 RICHARD NEEDHAM. 
 CHARLES D. RAY. 
 JOSEPH P. COOMBS. 
 JOHN W. EDWARDS. 
 WILLIAM E. MONEYMAKER. 
 
 F. 
 F. 
 H. 
 
 I. 
 
 I. 
 K. 
 K. 
 
 B. 
 B. 
 D. 
 D. 
 D. 
 D. 
 E. 
 E. 
 G. 
 H. 
 
 I. 
 
 I. 
 
 I. 
 K. 
 K. 
 K. 
 
 Finger shot away. 
 
 In left foot. 
 
 Severely, in left thigh. 
 
 In hand. 
 
 In neck. 
 
 Mortally, in right thigh. 
 
 In face. 
 
 In head. 
 
 Slightly. 
 
 In left leg. 
 
 In right leg. 
 
 In left leg. 
 
 Slightly, in hand. 
 
 Captured on picket line, 
 do. do. 
 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 
 Probably mortally wounded. 
 
 James A. Baines was an Englishman of somewhat eccen 
 tric disposition, but a kind-hearted comrade and an excellent 
 soldier. After the breaking of his thigh by a bullet, using 
 his gun as a crutch, he pluckily made his way to the hospital 
 unaided. His leg was amputated, and he never awoke after 
 
344 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the operation. Bolander and Kimberk were patriots, true- 
 hearted and brave. 
 
 For the four days succeeding the battle we remained in 
 our position held at such cost, burying the rebel dead and 
 rectifying the two lines of works. The pickets were skir 
 mishing continuously and artillery duels were kept up with 
 the usual insignificant results. The stench from the bodies 
 unburied before the outposts became almost intolerable ; 
 indicating that the picket companies and their support of 
 artillery and infantry had poured a very effective fire into 
 the charging column before they were outflanked and hurled 
 back in confusion. In the front of our regimental line alone 
 seventy-five dead Confederates were buried. We undoubt 
 edly had put out of the combat more rebels than our whole 
 number present in the battle. 
 
 At the first hour in the morning of July 27th, the Army 
 of the Tennessee was aroused and began moving to the right 
 rear. It was past three o clock before the turn of the Fifty- 
 fifth came to take up the route step. Through a drizzling 
 rain we marched around behind the troops facing Atlanta 
 from the north, passing corps after corps first the Twenty- 
 third, then in succession the Fourth, Twentieth, and 
 Fourteenth; and finally our more intimate associates of the 
 Sixteenth and Seventeenth who, preceding us, were coming 
 into battle line. We found the familiar locomotives already 
 busily puffing and whistling about close to the rear of the 
 Army of the Cumberland, Colonel Wright having rebuilt the 
 great Chattahoochee bridge in a single week. To us, who 
 were near the rear of the whole column, the tiresomely slow 
 tramp, tramp, hour after hour, seemed as though it never 
 would end. Occasionally the shells from Atlanta burst over 
 us, always harmlessly. Night came down, but on we 
 marched, wet, hungry, tired out. At every little halt caused 
 by some obstruction to a gun or caisson in the van, men 
 would drop by the wayside and instantly fall so soundly 
 asleep that their comrades awakened them with difficulty 
 when the move began again. Thus the column dragged on 
 and on until, when nearly eleven o clock, we were halted and 
 
THE BATTLE OF EZRA CHURCH. 345 
 
 allowed to sleep upon our arms, having been twenty hours 
 on the road. 
 
 At three the next morning we were in motion again. The 
 Seventeenth Corps gradually swung into line, facing Atlanta 
 from the west, directly opposite the position occupied by it 
 on the twenty-sixth of the month, and about the same dis 
 tance of two miles from the centre of the city and the Macon 
 railway. The right of the corps approached the cross-roads 
 near Mount Ezra Church. From that point the Fifteenth 
 Corps began to form, on an almost east and west line, at 
 about right angles with that of the Seventeenth, and parallel 
 with the Lick-skillet road. About half-past ten artillery 
 opened upon our front and left. We had barely got disen 
 tangled at noon from a labyrinth of swampy, densely-wooded 
 ravines, and gained a favorable position upon a slight ridge 
 in a narrow belt of trees, when musketry fire began to be 
 heard, and we could see the grey legions in double line of 
 battle bearing rapidly down upon us. They had nearly 
 caught us in air, and there was no time to use spade or axe 
 for protection. Even the men of the advance division had 
 barely opportunity to pile a few fence rails in their front. The 
 Fifty-fifth, conforming to the nature of the site and keeping 
 within the edge of the timbered belt, chanced to be refused 
 at a considerable angle from the east and west line of battle, 
 the ground sloping towards the right of the regiment where 
 Company A extended across a little brook. In the ravine by 
 this run the assistant surgeon and his little corps of helpers 
 stationed themselves. Beyond to the right were two regi 
 ments, the One-hundred-sixteenth Illinois and the Thirtieth 
 Ohio, with a section of artillery between them, continuing 
 the east and west alignment for a short distance in the border 
 of the forest. The ground in front was open for several hun 
 dred yards, a part of it being thickly set with stumps, and a 
 little stream and a rail fence crossing it. 
 
 The two charging lines came steadily on, at first without 
 firing, the sergeants behind with fixed bayonets keeping every 
 man up to his work. Exposed to our fire at long range, 
 scores were dropping under the cool aim of marksmen who 
 had not lost the skill acquired by their practice at Vicksburg. 
 
34 6 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 But the gaps were quickly closed, and the rapid step quick 
 ened. Alone and on foot, an almost exultant expression 
 lighting up his dark face, General Logan passed along behind 
 the line with words of cheer on his lips: "Hold them! steady, 
 boys, we ve got them now." Yet that desperate wave, though 
 gradually growing thin and weak, is getting too near; it is 
 scarce eighty yards from the regiments on our right. En 
 couraged by their general s presence these regiments increase 
 the rapidity of their fire. The Fifty-fifth, because of its re 
 fused situation, has been necessarily firing obliquely to the 
 left, but now its guns completely enfilade the charging ranks, 
 and we pour in deadly volleys at short range. The ragged, 
 dust-colored lines become a mob, falter, turn, are gone. They 
 will come again, driven by desperate commanders; but a few 
 moments are* granted us, and hurriedly fence-rails, old logs, 
 stumps anything which can help stop a bullet, are brought 
 and piled along the front, making a slight cover for men 
 lying at full length. Two regiments from the Seventeenth 
 Corps, armed with repeating rifles, are hastened past our rear 
 to extend the right flank, around which some of the enemy s 
 skirmishers have already advanced, and others are pushing 
 in alarming numbers. 
 
 Again the well-known yell; the pop-popping of the pre 
 liminary shots; the magnificent on-coming of proud lines 
 from behind the opposite ridge, with flag-bearers seeming to 
 dance out defiantly in their front; the crash of the volleyed 
 musketry; the hopeless struggle, growing confusion, slaugh 
 ter, and helpless rout. The second charge visibly lacked the 
 verve and tenacity of the first, but it was followed by a third, 
 a fourth, and a fifth, led finally by the general officers them 
 selves; but each was a more dismal failure than the one pre 
 ceding it. One of the most desperate was even made in 
 column. About four o clock the discouraged remnants of 
 the assailing divisions withdrew. We had again met the 
 same corps, now under General S. D. Lee, which, led by Gen 
 eral Cheatham, had assailed us on the twenty-second, and we 
 were content with our second revenge for the temporary dis 
 comfiture of that day. In the later charges General Stewart s 
 corps had also taken active part, only to share in the carnage. 
 
GENERAL HOWARD INTRODUCES HIMSELF. 347 
 
 The Fifteenth Corps alone had been attacked, and had fought 
 its own fight; in fact two divisions only had been seriously 
 engaged. 
 
 The second charge had hardly been fully repulsed, occa 
 sional shots still coming from the distant woodland before 
 us, when we heard cheering on our left, which regiment after 
 regiment in succession took up; and soon, walking down the 
 front of the line, came a neatly dressed officer of kindly face 
 and martial bearing, whose rank was shown by the two stars 
 upon either shoulder. The empty sleeve pinned up on his 
 right breast told us it was General O. O. Howard, that day 
 made chief of the Army of the Tennessee. He was intro 
 ducing himself to his new command on the eve of their first 
 victory under him. At the hearty cheer with which he was 
 welcomed he said: "Well, boys, I thought I had seen fighting 
 before; but I never saw anything like this." A little further 
 down the line, pointing to a dying Confederate sergeant who 
 had crept close up to the rails, he turned to the men near 
 with: "What! you didn t let them get as near as this, did 
 you?" Having been gone to the right a few minutes, he re 
 turned by the same route, and as he reached us again he 
 looked towards the fence which ran across a portion of the 
 field, along which the grey-coats lay thick, and said: "Boys, 
 there s a line of battle in your front." Some of those near, 
 thinking he meant that the enemy were again coming, sprang 
 up with guns poised, when he added: "O, you needn t mind 
 it; it seems to be a very harmless line now." The favorable 
 first impression had been happily made, and the Army of the 
 Tennessee never had reason to blame Sherman s selection of 
 the man to succeed the lamented McPherson. What our 
 general thought of us he told in his endorsement of General 
 Logan s report of the battle, and in his own congratulatory 
 order at the close of the campaign. From the last is the 
 following: 
 
 * * * My first intimate acquaintance with you dates from the 
 twenty-eighth of July. I never beheld fiercer assaults than the enemy 
 then made, and I never saw troops more steady and self-possessed in 
 action than your divisions which were then engaged. 
 
 I have learned that for cheerfulness, obedience, rapidity of movement 
 
34 8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 and confidence in battle the Army of the Tennessee is not to be surpassed, 
 and it shall be my study that your fair record shall continue, and my pur 
 pose to assist you to move steadily forward and plant the old flag in every 
 proud city of the rebellion. * * * * 
 
 Of course when the history of this battle came to be 
 written, it was announced that the generals had fully antici 
 pated it, and planned for it. Of course a special column 
 on this occasion General Davis s division had been sent by 
 another road to the right, instructed to come up providentially 
 at the crisis of the action, and by a fierce flank attack com 
 bine with us to utterly demolish the foe. Of course, as is 
 always the fact in battle strategy, the cooperating force got 
 lost in the woods and failed to arrive until the crisis had long 
 passed. The heroism of the assailed line was such as to put 
 out of account chance lack of genius or disappointment of 
 official plans. 
 
 All that night we labored constructing works, expecting 
 renewed assault at sunrise, but the punishment had been 
 sufficient. Hood s rash policy might please the autocrat of 
 Richmond, but rank and file already showed grave signs of 
 mutiny. A wounded Confederate sergeant said: "Our gen 
 eral told us the Fifteenth Corps had bragged long enough 
 that they had never been whipped, and that today he would 
 drive you to the river or hell before supper." Acre upon acre 
 of the open field lay before us at daylight strewn with dead 
 men, guns, accoutrements and clothing, while dark spots of 
 clotted blood on the slopes, far and near, told where in the 
 darkness friends had conveyed away the dead and wounded 
 they could safely reach, or where our stretcher bearers had 
 gathered groaning burdens and borne them to our own hos 
 pitals. Many a stump had a dead soldier behind it, and some 
 even three. Along the fence the rebels lay in a windrow, in 
 some places two or three piled across each other. A similar 
 swath left by the reaper Death lay in the bed of the little 
 rivulet that ran diagonally by our front, into which the 
 wounded had crept to drink their last cooling draught. Be 
 fore our angle two great graves were dug; in one were cov 
 ered fifty-two, in the other fifty-seven dead. 
 
 The effective force of the Fifty-fifth in this action was 
 
THE BATTLE CASUALTIES. 349 
 
 one hundred and eighty. Its loss was five killed and twelve 
 wounded. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF THE FIFTY-FIFTH AT EZRA CHURCH, 
 JULY 28, 1864. 
 
 KILLED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 JOHN FUNK, drummer. A. Shot in left side. 
 
 WILLIS HASTY. A. Shot in breast. 
 
 JOHN Q. A. CURTISS, orderly-sergeant. C. Shot through head. 
 
 OSCAR JOHNSON, corporal. C. Shot through head. 
 
 EDWARD PHILO. H. Spine pierced by bullet. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 ANDREW J. LOWDER. A. In left hand. 
 
 NEWTON MORGAN. A. In right hand. 
 
 OCK PORT. C. Mortally, in hip. 
 
 CHARLES R. NOLING. C. In heel. 
 
 ASA SCOTT WRIGHT. C. In left leg. 
 
 JOHN WARDEN, sergeant, E. In left hand. 
 
 THOMAS NICHOLS. E. In left shoulder. 
 
 EDWIN A. DEWEY, corporal. F. In face. 
 
 SAMUEL LONG, sergeant. F. In right arm. 
 
 ALBERT A. WHIFFLE, first-lieutenant. G. In head. 
 
 WILLIAM H. LIVERMORE. H. Right leg amputated. 
 
 JOSEPH M. SOWLES, corporal. H. In right shoulder. 
 
 Willis Hasty, a soldier always unconscious of danger, was 
 instantly killed, probably by a sharp-shooter, having gone 
 out in advance of the line after the repulse of one of the 
 assaults. The little drummer-boy, Funk, a recent recruit, 
 was mortally wounded while at the rear on duty with the 
 surgeon. Curtiss and Johnson were killed by the first volley 
 from the enemy, side by side. Johnson was a model cor 
 poral, young, light hearted, fun loving, and deservedly 
 beloved by all who knew him. Curtiss was an older man, 
 with a little family in Illinois. Two brothers of his had 
 previously given their lives in the war. He was a kind- 
 hearted comrade, cool and collected in battle. Ock Port 
 was mortally wounded at night when coming in with his 
 lieutenant from the picket line, by a bullet fired from some 
 of our own troops. A foolish scare started the men in a 
 raw regiment on the right to firing, and other troops heedless 
 of the fact that pickets were stationed in their front, followed 
 in a general fusilade, which prematurely ended the career 
 
35 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 of as tidy, obedient and stanch a soldier as existed in the 
 Union army. Edward Philo, an Englishman with all the 
 characteristic pluck of the race, was mortally wounded by a 
 bullet which fractured his spinal column. Livermore, a boy 
 noted throughout the regiment for his irrepressible jollity 
 and utter contempt for bullets, lost his right leg. Most of 
 the wounds were not severe. 
 
 The Fifteenth Army Corps was now gradually wheeled 
 into alignment with the rest of the Army of the Tennessee, 
 confronting new defensive works which were diligently 
 pushed southward by Hood to protect his railway communi 
 cations with East-Point junction, six miles from Atlanta. 
 Each day some ground was gained, often by a sudden dash 
 upon the rebel pickets, who were usually covered by little 
 lunettes or detached rifle-pits which, when captured, formed 
 the basis of a new line of offensive works. One serious 
 discomfort nearly always attended the occupation of any 
 soil which the Confederate soldier had slept upon. Far less 
 solicitous about personal cleanliness than our men of the 
 Fifty-fifth at least curses loud and deep were frequently 
 heard in camp against its late tenants for leaving a hungry 
 multitude of diminutive pests behind. At some favorable 
 hour, when quite sure of no hostile interruptions, the whole 
 line half nude would become an army of exploration. The 
 term "gray-backs" grew to be used almost indiscriminately 
 for the Southern soldiers and their inseparable parasites. 
 
 The weather had grown intensely hot and it was almost 
 impossible to get a sufficient supply of water even for drink 
 ing purposes within a reasonable distance. The men, finding 
 a swampy spot, would dig a hole three or four feet deep, 
 into which perhaps a pailful or two of water would leach 
 during twelve hours; but if the owners of the little well 
 expected to reap the full reward of their labors, they gener 
 ally had to stand guard near it. 
 
 Our division commander, Morgan L. Smith, had been 
 forced to leave the field owing, it is said, to the breaking out 
 of his wound afresh, and we were again subjected to General 
 Lightburn, the next in rank. The effective force of the 
 regiment was but one hundred and sixty men, but during the 
 
ADVANCING THE LINES. 3S 1 
 
 first week after the battle of Ezra Church it did more 
 fatigue, field and outpost duty than military laws would 
 sanction a general in imposing upon a regiment of five 
 hundred effectives, unless for self preservation. This abuse 
 of the little battalion, which in the three bloody battles 
 fought within five weeks Kenesaw, Atlanta and Ezra 
 Church had stood always preeminently in the van of 
 action leading the division, was. whether rightfully or wrong 
 fully, charged upon the division commander s incompetence 
 or worse. 
 
 During July 3Oth and 3 1st we were pushing forward into 
 position and constructing rifle-pits. Constantly exposed to 
 the fire of the sharp-shooters and artillery, our defensive 
 works became necessarily of very substantial character, with 
 heavy head-logs and strong revetment. Behind these the 
 men lay, attempting to shelter themselves somewhat from 
 the scorching rays of the midsummer sun by brush spread 
 over poles resting upon the parapet. They were often called 
 into line by sudden alarms, and kept constantly on the alert, 
 expectant of assault. During the night of August 1st the 
 Fifty-fifth was moved -forward a half-mile or more, and built 
 earth-works twice the length of its own battle front, on what 
 had been the Union picket line, the rebel outposts being 
 but a very short distance from us. Not permitted to enjoy 
 the protection we had perfected, when the main line was 
 moved forward on the afternoon of August 2d the regiment 
 was pushed to the right and again had to work all night to 
 intrench itself, plying axe and spade while other troops 
 rested behind the barricades we had erected. The advance 
 of the Twenty-third Corps this day appeared coming into 
 position on our right, but on a line refused at a large angle 
 from ours. 
 
 August 3d an attempt was made in the morning, by a gen 
 eral advance of the Second brigade, to drive the rebel pickets 
 from their trenches and hold them for our own picket line. 
 The movement met with temporary success, but gained 
 nothing; the Confederates being able safely to outflank the 
 position, so long as the Twenty-third Corps did not advance 
 within supporting distance. The rebel skirmishers were soon 
 
352 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 back in their riile-pits again, were heavily re-enforced, and 
 were more annoying than before. In the afternoon the at 
 tempt was repeated all along the whole division line, but 
 failed to win a foot of ground. The Fifty-fifth was then sent 
 for to report to General Lightburn, and marching to the left 
 a short distance from its place in the line, the senior officer 
 commanding, Captain Shaw, found the general crouched 
 close behind the parapet, and reported for orders. Pointing 
 to an aid, the general said, "You will receive your instructions 
 from Lieutenant ." The officer designated climbed over 
 the works with the captain and the regiment was ordered to 
 follow. We passed across an open field into a piece of wood 
 land where the bullets began to whistle about unpleasantly 
 near, and the aid from behind a tree, pointing to a little ele 
 vation further to the left front in an open, grassy field, said: 
 The general wants you to take that hill and hold it." Then 
 he sped back over the parapet into safety, and Captain Shaw 
 quietly gave the necessary orders and led the charge. 
 
 The point to be gained was about three hundred yards in 
 advance of the main Union line, and about the same distance 
 from the intrenched position of the enemy. The advance 
 was gallantly made across open ground, the whole of which 
 was swept by an enfilading fire from the skirmishers in the 
 rifle-pits on the right. The rebel batteries in the main line 
 also kept up a vigorous bombardment of the position we 
 were aiming to reach. The summit was speedily gained and 
 with an astonishingly small loss; for experience had taught 
 the veterans how to move rapidly while hugging the ground 
 closely, and to take the utmost advantage of every inequality. 
 The grass, moreover, though scanty was tall enough to seri 
 ously interfere with the rebels aim. Upon arrival at the 
 desired point a few minutes sufficed to dig burrows for indi 
 vidual protection. We lay upon face or back in the roasting 
 rays of the afternoon sun, slowly sinking ourselves into shal 
 low pits to avoid the shower of balls that hissed a foot or two 
 above us; and when darkness came these little pits were 
 enlarged into a continuous trench with a traverse embank 
 ment upon the exposed flank. We labored as for our lives 
 all night, momentarily expecting an attempt of the enemy 
 
AN INSANE ORDER. 353 
 
 to dislodge us, and amazed that no troops were sent either to 
 support or relieve us. 
 
 Here the morning of August 4th found us, less than one 
 hundred and fifty men all told, isolated about midway be 
 tween our own and Hood s main lines, receiving the enemy s 
 infantry and artillery fire from elaborate works in front and 
 on the right, with no possible shelter between us and those 
 works. The men were so utterly exhausted with continuous 
 toil and three nights watchfulness, that they were continually 
 dropping asleep. Captain Shaw was sick with a malarial 
 attack ; we were all half roasted with the heat of the sun, 
 consumed with thirst, and unable to properly prepare our 
 food. Our ammunition was reduced to less than twenty 
 rounds per man. The afternoon came and yet no relief. 
 Suddenly we saw two officers coming from the rear across 
 the field we had charged over the day before, running with 
 bodies bent low as though they found something unpleasant 
 in the upper air. It proved to be Lieutenant-Colonel Mott 
 of the Fifty-seventh Ohio, and Lieutenant Martin, aid of the 
 brigade commander, Colonel Theodore Jones. Lieutenant 
 Martin brought orders to Captain Shaw to advance in front 
 of our works, saying that the Fifty-seventh Ohio would sup 
 port us on the right. 
 
 Astonished at so insane an order, which could only mean 
 useless murder, Captain Shaw briefly called the aid s atten 
 tion to the condition and position of the regiment, and asked 
 that the facts be reported to Colonel Jones and General 
 Lightburn. Lieutenant-Colonel Mott asking Shaw if he re 
 fused to go forward, he replied that he could not order his 
 men to advance in their exhausted state until he heard again 
 from the brigade commander. Then Mott suggested in a 
 subdued tone that a command from Captain Shaw to his men 
 to advance would cover the requirements of the order. To 
 this the Captain replied firmly: "I shall never give a com 
 mand to this regiment that I do not wish and expect them to 
 obey." This ended the interview, and Captain Shaw and his 
 fellow officers who had heard the conversation, awaited 
 events, never suspecting that he was to be reported as diso 
 bedient and chargeable with misbehavior before the enemy, 
 23 
 
354 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 because he had suggested that the nerve and muscle of the 
 Fifty-fifth were insufficient to endure four days and nights 
 consecutively of toil and sleeplessness. Several compara 
 tively fresh regiments, double ours in numbers, lay at ease in 
 the breastworks we had built. 
 
 No return message came, but the charge was sounded and 
 the Fifty-seventh Ohio attempted to advance through the 
 woods from the rear upon our right, and the One-hundred- 
 twenty-seventh Illinois made a feeble effort to move forward 
 at our left. Captain Shaw instructed his command to be 
 ready to join the Fifty-seventh if they came near the line of 
 our position. But the spirit and bravery that generally dis 
 tinguished our comrades of the gallant Ohio regiment could 
 not make headway against the storm it encountered. The 
 slow advance of the Twenty-third and Fourteenth Corps, 
 outflanking the strong advanced posts of the rebels on our 
 right, finally on August ^th effected what General Lightburn 
 had proposed that three or four hundred men should do by 
 assault in front, where a division had failed. After dark the 
 Fifty-fifth was at length retired to the main line, when Cap 
 tain Shaw was placed in arrest for disobedience of orders. 
 He never was allowed opportunity to seek justification 
 through trial by court-martial, never permitted to offer ex 
 cuse, although every officer in his command could testify 
 that he neither disobeyed any command nor attempted to 
 avoid any military duty, but sought to convey to his superior 
 officer information which he was charitably supposed not to 
 possess, knowledge that for the safety of the army ought to 
 modify the order. But he had been reported to General 
 Lightburn as refusing to make the advance, and was sum 
 marily dismissed from the service, "for misbehavior before 
 the enemy," by General Field Order No. 9, of General O. O. 
 Howard, dated August 11, 1864. His fellow officers, aston 
 ished and grieved, at once circulated the following petition 
 among the commissioned officers of the brigade present, and 
 forwarded it through the proper channels to the President : 
 
CAPTAIN SHAW S DISMISSAL. 355 
 
 IN THE FIELD BEFORE ATLANTA, GA., 
 August 16, 1864. 
 
 To His Excellency, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 
 
 President of the United States. 
 
 SIR : Having been surprised at the recent dismissal of Captain 
 Francis H. Shaw, 55th Illinois Infantry, from the service of the United 
 States, and fearing from his well-known modesty that he will fail to place 
 before your excellency, in any form, words of explanation or defence, and 
 believing the punishment he has already undergone sufficient to palliate 
 the offence given, we entertain, through your clemency, the hope of sav 
 ing the reputation of a noble patriot, and restoring at once to the service 
 a useful officer. With this desirable object before us, we would beg leave 
 to be heard in the following statements : 
 
 Captain Shaw was a valued citizen of Mendota, Illinois, engaged at 
 the opening of the war in a lucrative business, and tendered his services 
 to the government as a private August 26, 1861. He was elected first- 
 lieutenant of Company D, 55th Illinois Infantry, and afterward promoted 
 to the rank of captain for distinguished services on the field of Shiloh, 
 where he was wounded in battle. Since his promotion he has ever been 
 considered a first-class company commander, which the superiority of his 
 company and commendatory orders will abundantly prove. He has 
 shared with his regiment, once proud and strong, but now reduced to a 
 fragment, in all the hardships which have thus reduced it. On the 6th of 
 April, 1864, he was elected by an overwhelming majority of his regiment 
 to serve with the rank of major for its veteran term, said election having 
 been authorized by commanders from Major-General Sherman down. 
 On the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Augustine, elect, he was recently 
 presented to Governor Yates for promotion to rank of lieutenant-colonel, 
 by the unanimous voice of the commissioned officers of the 55th Illinois 
 Infantry, and was commanding the regiment with the confidence of both 
 officers and men when arrested and dismissed. 
 
 The offence leading to such action in his case was as hereinafter set 
 forth. Having passed through the battles of the 22d and 28th of July, 
 the men of his command were pressed forward in the construction of 
 new lines of defence, until the utmost weariness prevailed. On the 3d 
 inst. he was ordered to advance his command to the summit of a small 
 hill, which was known to be a hazardous undertaking. The order was 
 executed, the hill taken, and fortified at night by his wearied men, with a 
 loss of two killed and three wounded, including a lieutenant. On the 
 afternoon of the 4th, he was directed by Colonel Mott, 57th regiment 
 Ohio volunteers, to advance across a ravine to a hill beyond, to which 
 Captain Shaw responded that his men had been three nights and four 
 days without relief or sleep, and it would be impossible to keep them 
 awake the fourth night if the advance post could be taken, and further 
 urged that his position in line was in advance of all others, and already 
 exposed to an enfilading fire of the enemy, and also stated that the am- 
 
356 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 munition of the command was nearly exhausted, but twenty rounds 
 remaining to the man, and that there was no time to procure a supply. 
 On being asked by Colonel Mott, "Will you, or will you not, go forward?" 
 he responded, "Under the present circumstances, I cannot order my men 
 forward," and turning to an aid of Colonel Jones, his brigade commander, 
 he said, " I wish Colonel Jones to understand the condition of my men, , 
 supposing the order could be delayed until the information could be given. 
 It was reported to Brigadier-General Lightburn, commanding the division, 
 that he had refused to advance, and Captain Shaw, with his command, 
 was ordered to the rear, and he under arrest. The effort was made to 
 advance the line, but failed, as Captain Shaw maintained would be the 
 case, until the rebel picket posts on our right were driven in, which was 
 done four days afterwards. 
 
 The attention of your excellency is, therefore, called to the following 
 points : 
 
 I. The integrity, ability and faithfulness of the defendant, who has 
 served three years without a single failure. 
 
 II. The known condition of his men at the time the order was given, 
 having at the end of two months campaign, which had wasted more than 
 one-third of their number, been three nights and four days without sleep, 
 incessantly engaged in the trenches or in the fight, so that the previous 
 night it was with difficulty the men could be kept from falling down at 
 their posts and endangering the whole command. Captain Shaw might 
 be justified in hesitating to place them the fourth night where, on their 
 vigilance, was suspended the safety of the line, and where they would 
 have been compelled to lie on their faces till the ensuing morning. 
 
 III. The duties required could only be accomplished by an energetic, 
 powerful force, as was proved by the failure of the force that tried it. 
 
 IV. Captain Shaw did not contemplate direct disobedience of orders, 
 but hoped to stay the action till the facts could be known and compara 
 tively fresh troops, which were near, could be called to the rescue of his 
 haggard band. 
 
 This petition never reached President Lincoln. It was 
 signed by fifty officers, including all present in the Fifty-fifth 
 and those most prominent of the Sixth and Eighth Missouri, 
 Fifty-seventh Ohio, One-hundred-eleventh, One-hundred- 
 sixteenth and One-hundred-twenty-seventh Illinois regiments. 
 Colonel James S. Martin, who himself had been severely cen 
 sured by Lightburn for the failure on August 3d, in append 
 ing his signature, added : 
 
 I was not present when Captain Shaw was ordered to advance his reg 
 iment, consequently know nothing of the circumstances, but will say that 
 I have served with Captain Shaw during the campaign, a short time as 
 his brigade commander. I never knew a more efficient or better officer; 
 
PETITION TO CONGRESS. 357 
 
 always prompt to obey orders, and never faltering in the fight. The gal- 
 hint conduct of the Fifty-fifth Illinois in the past four fights gives them a 
 reputation which none can injure. 
 
 The grievously wronged captain, indignant but helpless, 
 too modest to push his claims for redress in person, and hav 
 ing no political influence in high places, left for his home 
 immediately, followed by the sympathy of every man in the 
 regiment. For twenty years he bore in silence this unmer 
 ited stain upon his record. Generals convicted by unanimous 
 verdict of court-martial, colonels who ran away at first sight 
 of an armed enemy, post-commanders who basely surren 
 dered their trusts, had time and again been reinstated with 
 purged records; but it is a far more difficult matter to get 
 even justice, for the innocent victim of an arbitrary, acci 
 dental brigadier. On October 3<Dth, 1884, the survivors of 
 the Fifty-fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteers met for their first 
 reunion at Canton, Illinois. They unanimously resolved to 
 again attempt to secure a reversal of this undeserved and 
 summary order of dismissal. The action of the meeting 
 took form in resolutions and a petition, which with the early 
 documents in the case, and affidavits of certain surviving 
 officers, were presented to Congress. The petition was as 
 follows : 
 
 To THE HONORABLE SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED 
 STATES : 
 
 The subscribers and petitioners respectfully represent that they are 
 survivors of the 55th Regiment Illinois Infantry, assembled at the first 
 reunion of that regiment, held at Canton, Illinois, on October 30 and 31, 
 1884; that they are past middle life, and almost without exception bear 
 the marks of wounds received in battle, and have tried, with measurable 
 success, to perform the duties of good soldiers and citizens; that fully be 
 lieving and asserting the right of petition, they present the following, and 
 confidently ask for relief as hereinafter explained not as a favor, but 
 of right. 
 
 What we ask is that an act of Congress may be passed authorizing 
 the honorable discharge or muster out of Captain Francis H. Shaw, for 
 merly captain of Company C, of the 55th Illinois Infantry, who was, on 
 the nth day of August, 1864, dismissed from the service for misbehavior 
 before the enemy. Such dismissal was by a summary order, and without 
 any defence, or opportunity of defence, on the part of Captain Shaw. It 
 is because we believe and know that such order was unjust, and based 
 upon a misconception of the facts, that we ask at the hands of Congress the 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 relief prayed for. Captain Shaw was our comrade in arms, and the most 
 knightly among us. He shared with us for three years privations and 
 dangers only known to those who fought in the war of the rebellion, 
 always alike conspicuous for his modesty and bravery. It is incompre 
 hensible that our comrade should pass through scores of contests, should 
 face the storms of battle until his regiment was reduced to a fragment, 
 and then wilfully misbehave in the presence of the enemy. The state 
 ment of the proposition completely disproves the justice of the punish 
 ment. Now, after the fifth of a century has passed into history, and the 
 smoke of battle cleared away, we simply ask that the stain be removed 
 from the name of Captain Shaw, and the escutcheon of our regiment. 
 These proceedings are instituted at our own behest, and without the pres 
 ence or influence of Captain Shaw, who barely consents to our action. 
 Nothing herein is intended or expected to result in any cost to the gov 
 ernment. No pay or emolument is asked for just simply that Captain 
 Shaw be placed right upon the record, and his fame descend to his chil 
 dren unsullied. 
 
 For the purpose of establishing the justice of our position, and the 
 truths of the facts alleged, we append certain affidavits. Also a copy of 
 a petition filed by fifty officers of the brigade, when the action complained 
 of was pending. 
 
 Upon the honor of soldiers and citizens, we attach our personal signa 
 tures hereto, and respectfully ask that our prayer may be granted. 
 
 [Signed by eighty-eight surviving officers and men of the 55th Regi 
 ment Illinois Infantry.] 
 
 In the Forty-eighth Congress a bill was introduced by 
 Hon. R. R. Hitt, M. C. of Illinois, directing the honorable 
 discharge and muster-out of Captain Shaw, and the Commit 
 tee on Military Affairs recommended its passage. The able 
 and comprehensive report of that committee, after showing 
 that all the facts of record serve to "strongly rebut the 
 presumption of disobedience," goes on to say: 
 
 "The clear, strong, and preponderating evidence of his brother 
 officers shows that what he did was not to refuse obedience, but to ask 
 that execution might be withheld until the brigade commander should be 
 advised of the facts known to him, and thus he ( Shaw ) be relieved of 
 the responsibility of allowing a general to put troops in a position of 
 great importance who were totally unfit by reason of long exposure and 
 exhaustion for that position a construction of his conduct more con 
 sistent with his established military record than that conceived in great 
 haste by the general in command upon the, probably, fragmentary report 
 of a lieutenant of staff. * * * 
 
 While this committee have in mind the stern requirements of disci 
 pline, they have no less in mind the stern requirements of justice, and 
 
CAPTAIN SHAW VINDICATED. 359 
 
 do not look with favor upon the summary dismissal of a gallant officer 
 without his day in court. 
 
 The exigencies of the service may have denied to this officer the 
 right of trial by court-martial, but they did not deny to him the justice of 
 a hearing, or to the general commanding the wisdom of considering 
 both sides of a case." 
 
 Not reaching a vote in the Forty-eighth, the bill was 
 again introduced in the Forty-ninth Congress, and passed 
 the House of Representatives without a dissenting voice. 
 February 7th, 1887, it was passed by the Senate, and the 
 President approved it on the twenty-first of the month. 
 
 It is fitting that there should be put upon record here 
 acknowledgment of the great obligation felt by the sur 
 vivors of the Fifty-fifth to the Hon. R. R. Hitt, and to the 
 Hon. Shelby M. Cullom of Illinois, champion of their cause 
 in the United States Senate. 
 
 For two or three days after the regiment was relieved 
 from the advanced position it had won, it was stationed in 
 the main line of rifle-pits, constantly under fire of both 
 artillery and musketry, and daily sending large details for 
 picket duty. The Fourteenth and Twenty-third Corps were 
 gradually working into line on our right flank, making noise 
 enough daily for a bloody battle. On the morning of 
 August 8th, long before dawn, we were ordered to the front 
 to reverse the earth-works from which the rebel pickets had 
 been at last flanked. After twenty-four hours of outpost 
 duty, we were relieved by another regiment. In the night 
 of August Qth we again went to the front and completed the 
 works we had begun, and the division moved forward to 
 occupy them. Here we remained several days. The rebel 
 artillery persistently shelled the line and casualties occurred 
 almost daily. On the tenth, George W. Curfman was 
 wounded by a bullet which came under the head-log. On 
 the twelfth, Daniel S. Burke, an excellent young soldier, was 
 shot through the heart, and Sergeant Derrick Fryer was 
 wounded. On the thirteenth, George W. Sitler was killed, 
 and the next day John Jackson and Thomas Wilson were 
 wounded. The pickets began to make friendly agreements 
 with each other, and finally bargained to abstain from firing. 
 
360 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 When the rebel officers did not interfere to prevent, they 
 would meet and interchange commodities or talk over the 
 situation. 
 
 August 1 7th the division received a new commander, in 
 the person of Brigadier-General William B. Hazen, from the 
 Army of the Cumberland, a West Point officer. General 
 Lightburn returned to his brigade, but on the eighteenth was 
 found by a stray bullet, slightly wounded in the head, and 
 went North within a week thereafter. General Hazen in "A 
 Narrative of Military Service," speaks of his new command 
 thus : 
 
 " I was assigned to the Second, Sherman s old division, which fought 
 under him at Shiloh, and had since been under McPherson, Blair, and 
 other able and favorite officers. But recently it had been unfortunate. 
 Under General Morgan L. Smith, on the day of McPherson s death, it 
 was badly broken, and considerably damaged. Lightburn afterward 
 commanded it, and at an affair of pickets a few days before my assign 
 ment to it, there was great complaint of misconduct, and one of the 
 brigade commanders Colonel Martin of the One-hundred-eleventh 
 Illinois, a most worthy man was seriously blamed, and unjustly so, as I 
 afterwards learned. ***** The condition of the division at this 
 time was deplorable." 
 
 Judicious orders needed to raise the division to its normal 
 standard of discipline and administration were at once pub 
 lished. Something may be judged of the unwholesome 
 nature of previous management by the fact that the first 
 effect of these orders was to increase within a week s time 
 the effective men with muskets from seventeen hundred to 
 over twenty-one hundred. The general writes : 
 
 From the first, there was the most hearty desire upon the part of all 
 officers to aid these reforms, and they were successfully carried out. * * 
 * * the men and officers were both admirable. * * * 
 
 August 1 8th and igth noisy and ostentatious demonstra 
 tions were made all along the line ; colors were displayed, 
 the artillery began a furious fire, the regiments cheering 
 jumped upon the works, and the skirmishers moved forward, 
 as though to assault. The rebel pickets at some points were 
 deceived by the feint and ran back. In this way our picket 
 line made some slight advance, but nothing else of impor- 
 
LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR. 3 6]C 
 
 tance was effected, save the unmasking of three batteries in 
 our division front. During the night of the twenty-second 
 the regiment moved a short distance in advance to construct 
 field-works, and we were busily cutting down trees and con 
 veying the logs to the new line, when a battery opposite 
 hurled five shells in quick succession so skilfully directed 
 and timed that they all burst over or in the midst of the 
 working party. There was a sudden dropping of logs and 
 tools, and a general seeking of shelter. But when the con 
 fusion was over it was found that, singularly enough, only 
 one man had been injured. Gillis Woolner, a German re 
 cruit, one of a dozen who were carrying a tree trunk towards 
 the barricade, was struck in the face by a mass of iron that 
 scattered brains and fragments of skull all around. The 
 guns had doubtless been trained upon the spot before dark, 
 for the work went on that night without further interruption. 
 At this place there came from the Governor of Illinois, in 
 reply to the application for commissions given under date of 
 July 8th, the unexpected information that Major Heffernan 
 had sought for promotion in the regiment, ignoring the 
 agreement made with the re-enlisted veterans. As he had 
 been absent from the command six months, although in per 
 fect health, and was known to hold an agreeable and respon 
 sible command in Illinois, this news awakened acrimonious 
 feelings, in the full heat of which the following document 
 was signed and forwarded : 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 55 REGT. ILL. INFTY., ) 
 
 CAMP BEFORE ATLANTA, GA., August 20, 1864. ) 
 To His Excellency, RICHARD YATES, 
 
 Governor of Illinois. 
 
 SIR: Having forwarded to you in good faith and with the approval 
 of our commanding general, the names of sundry officers and non-com 
 missioned officers for promotion in several companies in our regiment, 
 and having recommended Captain Francis H. Shaw for promotion to the 
 lieutenant-colonelcy, in accordance with the principles upon which the 
 55th Regt. 111. Infty. re-enlisted, and with the approval aforesaid; being 
 without a regimental commander and having less than one commissioned 
 officer to each company, midst the most perilous struggles of the war, we 
 have waited under circumstances of great trial for your response to our 
 wishes. At length it has come through Adjutant-General Fuller, in his 
 communication dated July 27th, 1864. Passing in silence our recommen- 
 
362 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 dations for company promotions, you urge as the reason for delay in 
 commissioning our chosen regimental commander, "that as Major James 
 J. Heffernan does not appear to have agreed to submit his claims for pro 
 motion to an election, he is not bound by it, and therefore action on said 
 recommendation is suspended until you are again heard from on the 
 subject." 
 
 In accordance with your request, we, the undersigned commissioned 
 officers of the 55th Illinois Infty. Vols., would set before you the following 
 statement of facts : 
 
 ist. The men of this command utterly refused to enlist as a veteran 
 organization under their former field officers, Major James J. Heffernan 
 being one of them. 
 
 2d. In a written order of Brig.-Gen. Giles A. Smith it was expressly 
 declared that any arrangement which would be satisfactory to the officers 
 of the 55th Illinois should be guaranteed to the men, by authority of 
 Maj.-Gen. John A. Logan. 
 
 3d. Brig.-Gen. Morgan L. Smith then our division commander in 
 person promised in presence of the whole regiment, if the men would re- 
 enlist that they should have any officers they might choose, either in or 
 out of the regiment, stating that General Sherman had that day given 
 him authority to make these pledges in order to secure the services of so 
 valuable a regiment. 
 
 4th. Colonel Oscar Malmborg, in a written order, pledged the men, 
 if they would re-enlist, that they should have a fair election, and the offi 
 cers of their choice, and those only, should serve them. 
 
 5th. The commissioned officers of the regiment, except Lieut.-Colonel 
 T. C. Chandler and Major James J. Heffernan, signed a written agreement 
 on honor that they would not accept a command after the expiration of 
 the present term, except by the express will of the majority of the veter 
 ans re-enlisted. To Major James J. Heffernan the paper was not pre 
 sented, he being in Illinois, and also as md.ny responsible witnesses can 
 testify under oath he having assured the men with his own lips that 
 they should have commanders of their own choosing. Hoping that Major 
 James J. Heffernan had some sense of honor left, and fearing to delay 
 re-enlistments for his signature, the men were assured that he would not 
 stand in their way, and on this basis were re-enlisted. 
 
 We would add that we are placed under circumstances where it be 
 comes necessary to say that the conduct of Major James J. Heffernan has 
 rendered him wholly unworthy the confidence of the officers and men of 
 the 55th Illinois Infantry, as evinced in the fact that he was the only field 
 officer in the regiment who did not receive a single vote for any office 
 whatever. 
 
 Pursuant to the orders above referred to and the pledges given, Chap 
 lain Milton L. Haney was elected colonel, Capt. Jacob M. Augustine lieu 
 tenant-colonel, and Francis H. Shaw, major. Capt. Augustine having 
 been killed at Kenesaw Mountain, and Chaplain Haney preferring not to 
 accept the command, we made application by his request for the commis- 
 
LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR. 
 
 sioning of Capt. F. H. Shaw as lieutenant-colonel. Since said applica 
 tion, Capt. Shaw, for declining- to execute an order on the field, has been 
 dismissed from service, subject to the approval of the President. Under 
 the circumstances, Chaplain Haney has signified his willingness to ac 
 cept the command, if commissioned. Chaplain Haney has been identified 
 with the 55th 111. Vols. from its earliest history, and recruited more men 
 for its ranks than any other, save one. He was commissioned captain of 
 Company F, and served in that capacity until March, 1862, when pro 
 moted to chaplain. He is therefore the senior officer present with the 
 regiment. As a company commander he was successful, distinguishing 
 himself for energetic application to military duties and studious attention 
 to drill. In the post of chaplain no more faithful officer exists than Mil 
 ton L. Haney. Not thinking his duties ended with the Sabbath exhorta 
 tions, he has always and in every way labored to better the condition, 
 moral, mental and physical of the men of his charge, and essentially 
 aided the field and line officers in their efforts to make the 55th 111. Vols. 
 one of the best disciplined and most efficient regiments in the service. 
 In recent battles he has taken his place in the ranks, fighting musket in 
 hand. One evidence of his ability to command can be found in the fact 
 that he has so gained the confidence of the intelligent body of men com 
 prising the veterans of this regiment, as in a formal election for com 
 manding officer, to receive nearly nine-tenths of their votes. 
 
 We hereby earnestly request that he be immediately commissioned as 
 lieutenant-colonel of the 55th 111. Vols., and that our application for com 
 pany promotions be granted without delay. Relying upon your sense of 
 moral justice and being impelled by stern necessity, added to the solici 
 tude of our men, we confidently lay before you this our last appeal. 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted, 
 
 CYRUS M. BROWNE, Capt. Commanding 5$th Regt. III. Vol. Infty. 
 
 JOHN T. SMITH, Asst.-Sttrgeon. " " " 
 
 HENRY S. NOURSE, Captain, ^th Regt. III. Vol. Infty., Co. H. 
 
 CHARLES A. ANDRESS, Captain, " " " " /. 
 
 ALBERT A. WHIFFLE, ist Lieutenant, " " " " G. 
 
 PETER ROBERTS, sd Lieutenant, " " " " G. 
 
 ROBERT OLIVER, ist Lieutenant, " " " " C. 
 
 GILES F. HAND, ist Lieutenant, " " " " F. 
 
 JACOB FINK, ist Lieutenant, " " " " D. 
 
 FREDERICK EBERSOLD, ist Lieutenant, " " " " I. 
 
 HORACE T. HEALEY, ist Lieutenant, " " " " H. 
 
 F. A. SCOTT, 2d Lieutenant, " " " " H. 
 
 FRANCIS P. FISHER, ist Lieut, and Adjt., " " 
 
 HENRY AUGUSTINE, ist Lieutenant, " " " " A. 
 I hereby certify that the above list of signatures comprises the names 
 of all commissioned officers present with the regiment this 2oth day of 
 August, 1864. 
 
 C. M. BROWNE, Capt. Comdg. Regiment. 
 F. P. FISHER, Adjt. 
 
364 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Despite this indignant protest in behalf of the veterans, 
 Major Heffernan at this date commandant at Camp Butler, 
 Illinois was promptly commissioned lieutenant-colonel. 
 He was, however, never mustered into that grade; but re 
 tained his command at the rear until November iQth, 1864, 
 when he was mustered out of service as major, not having 
 been present with the regiment a day for ten months. Dur 
 ing the Fenian raid into Canada of May, 1866, he figured 
 briefly with the title of "Brigadier-General in the service of 
 the Irish Republic." He in after years resided successively 
 in New York, California, Utah, and Colorado, making occa 
 sional visits to Honduras and Mexico, being engaged "in 
 mining and prospecting." He was ambitious, quick-witted, 
 versatile, tireless both in mental and bodily activity, and influ 
 ential because of his attractive social qualities. He often 
 held local office, and was always and everywhere an ardent 
 politician. He died at St. Louis in 1885. 
 
 CASUALTIES OF FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS VET. VOLS. BEFORE 
 ATLANTA, IN AUGUST, 1864. 
 
 KILLED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 OLIVER E.K.icviSQyi, first-lieutenant. E. Aug. 3, in charge. 
 
 WILLIAM J. ECKLEY, sergeant. G. Aug. 3, in charge. 
 
 MICHAEL HUMPHREY. G. Aug. 3, in charge, shot in head. 
 
 WILLIAM MOUNT. K. Aug. 4, shot through head. 
 
 DANIEL S. BURKE. D. Aug. 12, shot through heart. 
 
 GEORGE W. SITLER. B. Aug. 13. 
 
 GILLIS WOOLNER. I. Aug. 22, head torn off by shell. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 WILLIAM H. BARKLEY, corporal. B. Aug. 3, in face, during charge. 
 
 THOMAS WILSON. B. Aug. 14, in head. 
 
 JOHN JACKSON. B. Aug. 14, in face. 
 
 THOMAS GOAKEY. C. Aug. 4, in neck. 
 
 MOSES WARDEN. E. Aug. 3, during charge, in thigh. 
 
 GEORGE W. CURFMAN. D. Aug. 10, in head. 
 
 DERRICK F. FRYER, sergeant. H. Aug. 12, in back. 
 
 GEORGE A. ANDREWS. I. Aug. 26, in right foot. 
 
 Lieutenant Erickson, a Swede by birth, was a gallant officer 
 and a worthy man, who had won his commission from the 
 ranks, having entered the service as a corporal in Company 
 A. He was struck by three or more bullets and instantly 
 killed, at the head of his company. Sergeant Eckley was a 
 
GRAND FLANK MOVEMENT. 3 6 5 
 
 young man of more than average intelligence and character, 
 and greatly esteemed by all his comrades. Humphrey, a 
 jocose little Irishman, was always frolicsome in camp, and 
 never a shirk in the fight. Mount was killed behind the 
 works by a chance ball. He was an exceptionally fine soldier, 
 in the flower of youth, and a lovable comrade. 
 
 The battle of Ezra Church evidently awakened at last in 
 General Hood a wholesome respect for his predecessor s pru 
 dent defensive policy. We thereafter met no more furious 
 flank assaults, but everywhere found ourselves facing elabor 
 ate field-works fully manned, and strong skirmish lines of 
 veteran troops in rifle-pits, posted some distance in front of 
 the main intrenchments. The Confederate army had been 
 re-enforced by large bodies of militia, to whom was entrusted 
 the defence of the inner line of fortifications, and battalions 
 of slaves constructed miles of field-works in anticipation of 
 every gain in position or prolongation of lines made by the 
 Union army. It was time for another grand flank movement. 
 
 On the twenty-sixth of August, at eight o clock in the 
 evening, the Army of the Tennessee abandoned its works, 
 and moving to the rear marched in a pouring rain all night 
 and until noon the next day, a distance of about sixteen 
 miles, in a southwesterly direction, along the Lickskillet and 
 Sandtown roads. Our pickets having held their posts five or 
 six hours after the division had retired, were then quietly 
 withdrawn and followed as rear guard. Lieutenant Roberts, 
 commanding the guard detail of the Fifty-fifth that night, 
 relates that, although the removal of the troops was con 
 ducted with the utmost possible precaution against noise, 
 enough mysterious sounds reached the ears of the rebel pick 
 ets to make them suspicious. After a time the hostile bat 
 teries began to shell our lines, and when our pickets retired 
 they were closely followed. Halted on the ridges along 
 Wolf Creek, we threw up a line of defences, working like 
 beavers until dark. The prepared-for assault did not come, 
 however, for General Hood, knowing that the Twentieth 
 Corps had fallen back to the railroad bridge over the Chatta- 
 hoochee, and blinded by various other circumstances, believed 
 
366 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 that Sherman was retreating to Sandtown for the purpose of 
 crossing the river. 
 
 At light on the twenty-eighth we resumed the march, and 
 reached the West Point railroad, two or three miles east of 
 Fairburn, early in the afternoon. Here we went into bivouac 
 in battle line, passing the night behind fortifications hastily 
 built at right angles with the railway. The next day we 
 worked diligently destroying the road. It was systematically 
 ruined and obstructed for miles, each rail bent into the shape 
 of a hair-pin, the ties burned, and the cuts filled with earth, 
 trees and rubbish, and an occasional artillery shell arranged 
 to serve as a torpedo. August 30th we advanced twelve 
 miles, arriving within a mile of Jonesborough on the Macon 
 railroad at night, where battle line was formed, and we at 
 once began intrenching. The day s march had been con 
 stantly delayed by Wheeler s cavalry, two or three brigades 
 of which now and then offered a sturdy opposition, some 
 times from behind barricades, and assisted by light artillery. 
 At Flint River, late in the afternoon, a more determined 
 stand was made by infantry and cavalry, intrenched, but they 
 were soon outflanked and fled, abandoning to our use the 
 bridge half burned. At Jonesborough there was evidently a 
 larger force intrenched. Guided by the sound of our labor 
 upon the rifle-pits we at once set about constructing, a con 
 stant fire was kept up in the darkness, which proved very 
 annoying. 
 
 At dawn of August 3ist we speedily discovered that our 
 position had serious faults not discernible the night before. 
 The enemy s sharp-shooters commanded the ground in our 
 immediate rear, so as to make it hazardous to move out of 
 the shelter of our works. The First brigade was at once 
 ordered to move forward and take possession of a prominent 
 hill about half a mile to the front. The enemy s skirmishers 
 stoutly resisted our advance, but by nine o clock we occupied 
 the crest, and while half the brigade pushed back the enemy 
 and held them in check, the rest piled rails and logs, of which 
 there was luckily a considerable supply within a short dis 
 tance, into a rude low breastwork. Lying behind this, with 
 bayonets and tin plates anything that could serve as a tool 
 
THE BATTLE OF JONESBOROUGH. 
 
 the men dug into the hard gravel to increase their protec 
 tion. The position commanded both the Confederate and 
 our own lines. It was an amazing oversight on the part of 
 the enemy that they had not occupied and fortified it before 
 our arrival. The railroad and village of Jonesborough, the 
 former about five hundred yards distant only, lay below us 
 in plain view. Battle-lines twice the length of our brigade 
 came out of the woodland by the railway, and a strong in 
 trenched line, fully manned with infantry and artillery, 
 stretched from our front southward into the town beyond our 
 field of sight. 
 
 Luckily a few picks and shovels soon reached us, and for 
 two or three hours every man put all his energy into the work 
 of protection. By noon we were sheltered behind a contin 
 uous line of field-works, but far inferior in height and solidity 
 to those we had become accustomed to construct in the ad 
 vance upon Atlanta. In our immediate front low brush and 
 small trees masked the situation somewhat from the hostile 
 batteries. Behind us the hill sloped gently down to a little 
 brook and a road. The dusky lines of men in the valley 
 were constantly lengthening by the coming of loaded trains 
 from the city. Two Confederate corps Hardee s and S. D. 
 Lee s were confronting the Federal Fifteenth, and our weak 
 brigade, detached by a wide interval from any support on the 
 right flank, and utterly without support on the left, formed 
 an attenuated line in this important salient, awaiting an as 
 sault for which we could see the preparations going on below. 
 The odds were too enormous, and the division general evi 
 dently recognized the fact; for at the last moment of grace 
 five little regiments were hurried forward from the distant 
 Seventeenth Corps, three of which were posted in a pine 
 grove a short distance from our left, and the other two upon 
 our right flank at an interval of a few rods. Both the forces 
 were refused nearly at right angles with the general direc 
 tion of our intrenched line. 
 
 At two o clock, heralded by the roar of the Confederate 
 batteries, General S. D. Lee s corps, in double line of assault, 
 pushed up the slope, every man yelling like a demon incar 
 nate. Our skirmishers came in upon the run. Close behind, 
 
368 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 the first rebel line rushed into sight out of the skirts of the 
 brush that fringed the slope, and when within a hundred 
 paces our first volley met them full in the face. A few of 
 the more desperate reached the rifle-pits, but the main body 
 was swept back to the shelter of the copse, leaving the hill 
 crest covered with a bloody burden. The second line ad 
 vanced with less spirit, halted for the most part about sixty 
 yards from the works, and lying down kept up a desultory 
 fire upon us. The officers again formed the lines and drove 
 their men up the hill, again to be decimated and driven. 
 Over one hundred dead men were visible in our front, and 
 three battle-flags had fallen before the brigade. Many 
 wounded and about one hundred unhurt, who had got too 
 near to retreat, surrendered, and were sent to the rear. 
 Among these a jaunty young colonel, with a broken arm, 
 mounted the works and gazed up and down the line. Recog 
 nizing the flimsy character of the barricade and the scant 
 number of defenders, a look of ineffable rage and disgust 
 distorted his fine features as he strode back towards our field 
 hospital. We buried one hundred and two dead within our 
 brigade lines, while before the picket posts were many more. 
 The attack had been made along the front of the Fifteenth 
 Corps, but the only forceful blow was struck at the Second 
 division and broke upon the First brigade. Lieutenant-Gen 
 eral Lee, in his report of the battle, acknowledged a loss of 
 thirteen hundred killed and wounded, and stated that he did 
 not persevere in his assaults because he had apparently made 
 no impression by his attack upon our left, where he supposed 
 us weakest. The Fifty-fifth, with an effective force of one 
 hundred and eighty, lost during the day two killed and ten 
 wounded, four of the latter being mortally hurt. 
 
 The morning of September 1st opened with an unclouded 
 sky. The Fourteenth, Twenty-third and Fourth Corps had 
 struck the Macon railway late on the previous evening, being 
 at the nearest point four miles north of us, engaged in leis 
 urely destruction of the track. The position in the valley 
 below, as to outward appearances, was unchanged. Hardee s 
 corps in its intrenchments annoyed us with artillery, and the 
 sharp-shooters forced us to keep close to our cover. Al- 
 
THE BATTLE OF JONESBOROUGH. 3 6 9 
 
 though we did not then know the fact, Lee s corps had 
 marched for Atlanta during the night. 
 
 It was not until afternoon that General Sherman appeared 
 upon the scene. Coming to our rear, after viewing the posi 
 tion of affairs, he sent his staff galloping with orders in every 
 direction. The Seventeenth Corps now joined us on the left, 
 and the Fourteenth came sweeping down the railroad. We 
 could overlook from our little eminence the approach of the 
 columns, the deployment and gallant advance, and the final 
 assault upon the right flank of Hardee s army, where Cle- 
 burne s division met the attack. The Confederate works 
 were strong, running across the railroad and therefore at 
 right angles with the main intrenchments, with salients con 
 taining batteries that were served with great rapidity, raining 
 grape and shell upon the blue lines as they came into range. 
 It was nearly four o clock before the successful charge was 
 made. General Sherman stood watching the formation, vis 
 ibly impatient. Soon the skirmishers were seen running 
 forward, and behind them the two battle lines rolled onward. 
 The rebel pickets rushed back pell-mell before them, the 
 smoke leaped from the cannons mouths towards them, and 
 the musketry volleys tore visible gaps through them. Now 
 and then portions of the line would falter, and with hearts in 
 our mouths we dreaded lest the next minute should see them 
 go routed back. But the hesitation was never general and 
 always brief; the brigades swept on with emulative determi 
 nation, rushed up the slope and over the batteries. Sherman, 
 rubbing his hands one over the other, said to the officer next 
 to him, "They re rolling them up like a sheet of paper," and 
 moved away to give orders for pressing the advantage gained. 
 
 But it was past five o clock, and before the Fourth Corps 
 could get into position to envelope Hardee s doomed legions 
 from the south, darkness closed down upon the day s work. 
 As usual, Thomas s army, though sure, had been terribly 
 slow. Two hours more of daylight and the whole of Har 
 dee s corps would have been hemmed in by an overwhelming 
 force, without hope of escape. During the night heavy ex 
 plosions to the northward disclosed the abandonment of 
 Atlanta, and the subdued bustle in the enemy s camps in- 
 24 
 
37 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 formed the pickets that Hardee was evacuating Jonesborough. 
 At dawn Lieutenant Oliver, leading our skirmishers, encoun 
 tered his rear guard in the town, and the brigade began pur 
 suit, following the retreat five miles, when it was relieved by 
 other troops. Knowing the country and all its numerous and 
 excellent by-roads, the enemy readily escaped without further 
 serious loss. 
 
 CASUALTIES IN FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS VET. VOLS., NEAR 
 JONESBOROUGH, GA., AUG. 3I-SEPT. 3, 1864. 
 
 KILLED. COMPANY. REMARKS. 
 
 TABOR J. THOMAS, sergeant. C. Aug 31, mortally wounded by shell in 
 
 right side and shoulder. 
 
 MAYHEW C. ATHEARN, sergt. D. Aug. 31, shot through head. 
 
 CHARLES T. BEERS, sergeant. H. Aug. 31, mortally wounded in head. 
 
 JOHN HENSEY. H. Aug. 31, mortally wounded in left leg. 
 
 GEORGE W. CROCKER. I. Aug. 31, right arm amputated. 
 
 CHARLES STOCKER, I. Aug. 31, by musket shot. 
 
 THOMAS WILSON, corporal. B. Sept. i. 
 
 JOHN CONNOR. K. Sept. i, shot in head. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 WILLIAM H. LOWE, sergeant. A. Aug. 31, in neck. 
 
 WILLIAM W. BONNE Y, corpl. D. Aug. 31, in right foot. 
 
 WILLIAM M. GROUNDS, sergt. K. Aug. 31, in left shoulder. 
 
 GEORGE W. JACKSON. G. Aug. 31, in breast. 
 
 CALVIN A. SONGSTER. G. Aug. 31, in head. 
 
 SYLVESTER M. SHERMAN. H. Aug. 31, in neck. 
 
 WILLIAM H. CRISS. D. Sept. i, in neck. 
 
 JACOB W. KEFFER. F. Sept. i, in neck. 
 
 WILLIAM F. RANDOLPH. H. Sept. i, in right arm. 
 
 ANTHONY HUGHES. I. Sept. i, in right arm. 
 
 WILLIAM D. MAY. D. Sept. 3, in hand and leg. 
 
 Sergeant Thomas was a brave, prompt soldier. His wound 
 was a terrible one, made by a fragment of shell, but he lived 
 three days. Athearn had not re-enlisted, and was looking 
 forward hopefully to his return home in a few weeks. He 
 was an unassuming but excellent sergeant. Beers was the 
 quartermaster elect of the veterans. He had been seemingly 
 elated by the excitement of battle, making jocose comments 
 upon incidents of the fight, and loading and firing as though 
 at target practice. A sharp-shooter s bullet passed through 
 his cap from front to rear, just grazing the top of his skull. 
 It was apparently a scalp wound only, but stunned him for a 
 few moments. Suddenly he regained his senses and sat up, 
 
CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. 37 1 
 
 exclaiming, "That was a close call for Charley," His life 
 ought to have been saved, and probably would have been 
 could he have had the care of our own regimental surgeon. 
 He lived three weeks. John Connor was shot through the 
 head just as he was about to be relieved from picket duty. 
 
 September 3d we were engaged in the hard labor of de 
 stroying the railway, a part of the soldier s trade which we 
 had acquired to perfection. Ranged beside the track, the 
 regiment or brigade would raise and throw over a section of 
 the length of its battle line. The ties were soon loosened 
 and collected into large square piles, across which the rails 
 were placed. Being of pine, the wood burned fiercely, and 
 the rails, soon white hot at the middle, were then bent against 
 a telegraph pole until the ends met. Some provisions and 
 forage were gleaned from the fertile region about. The 
 enemy halted at Lovejoy s, three miles south of us, and we 
 threw up works facing them, and remained in bivouac two 
 days, returning to our old position upon the hill at Jonesbo- 
 rough on the evening of the fifth. 
 
 September 7th we marched seven miles and went into 
 camp near a creek behind breastworks built by the Confed 
 erates, where the congratulatory orders of the President and 
 General Grant, and the order of thanks from General Sher 
 man were read, and we cheered ourselves hoarse over them. 
 The next day we continued northward seven miles to East 
 Point and laid out a formal camp in a belt of woodland, with 
 the hope of enjoying a period of rest which all much needed. 
 The Atlanta campaign here properly ends. It was barely 
 three months from the day the Fifty -fifth had entered the 
 field upon its return from furlough. The fearful attrition of 
 these twelve weeks is well exhibited by a comparison of the 
 morning reports at the beginning and end of this period: 
 
 Kenesaw. East Point. 
 
 Present for duty, j 
 
 Present and absent, j E^sTed m^ ffiCerS 43? 402 
 
 Aggregate ................ 261 202 
 
 Aggregate 461 424 
 
372 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 The casualties during the three months had been one hun 
 dred and thirty-five in number more than half that of the 
 total present for duty at the date when the regiment entered 
 upon the campaign. The proportion of fatal wounds is very 
 noticeable: 
 
 Killed or mortally wounded, including four commissioned officers, 39 
 
 Wounded not fatally, including four commissioned officers, 81 
 
 Captured in battle enlisted men, 15 
 
 During September the army rested in its camps about 
 Atlanta. The brigade was located in a pleasant open wood 
 land, with cleared ground in its front. The men built little 
 cabins for themselves, boards being brought from Atlanta for 
 the purpose, and most were very comfortably housed. On 
 the nineteenth company drill was resumed, and regimental 
 and brigade drills were held for an hour and a half daily, five 
 days in the week. With our war-reduced battalions it required 
 a deal of preliminary consolidation before lines of sufficient 
 length were obtained for convenience in the evolutions. The 
 division commander, a graduate from West Point and pro 
 moted from the Army of the Cumberland, exhibited a greater 
 fondness for parade, and was more insistent upon the rules of 
 military etiquette than our former generals. He summarily 
 arrested Lieutenant-Colonel Mott of the Fifty-seventh Ohio, 
 one day, because his men shouted "hard-tack" when they 
 saw the general passing, they being at the time on short 
 allowance of bread for some reason. He ordered command 
 ing officers of regiments to take steps for filling all vacancies 
 among the commissioned, and in pursuance of this order the 
 following document was forwarded to the Governor of Illinois: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 55TH REGT. ILL. VET. VOLS., ) 
 EAST POINT, Ga., Sept. 15, 1864. ) 
 
 To his Excellency, Governor RICHARD YATES, 
 
 Springfield, Illinois. 
 
 SIR : I certify on honor that at a meeting of the veterans of the 
 55th 111. Vet. Vol. Infty., this day legally held at East Point, Ga., Chaplain 
 Milton L. Haney was unanimously elected lieutenant-colonel of this 
 organization, vice Lieutenant-Colonel T. C. Chandler, resigned and dis 
 charged by S. O. No. 146, of Maj.-Gen. J. B. McPherson, dated July 3, 1864. 
 At meetings duly held at the same place and date, by the veterans of 
 
PROMOTIONS AND RESIGNATIONS. 
 
 Companies B and E of this regiment, Corporal John H. Fisher of Com 
 pany B was unanimously elected first-lieutenant of Company B vice First- 
 Lieutenant George W. Eichelbarger, killed in action July 22, 1864 ; First- 
 Sergeant Robert Dixon of Company E was elected captain of Company 
 E, vice Captain William C. Porter, killed in action June 27, 1864 ; Sergeant 
 John Warden of Company E was elected first-lieutenant, vice First-Lieu 
 tenant Oliver Erickson, killed in action August 3, 1864. 
 
 At the organizing election, held by order of Col. O. Malmborg, at Lar- 
 kin s Landing, Ala., April 6th, 1863, Captain Francis H. Shaw, Company 
 C, was elected major ; First-Lieutenant Oliver, captain of Company C, 
 and First-Sergeant Luther J. Keyes, first-lieutenant of Company C; since 
 which time Captain Shaw has been dismissed the service of the U. S. by 
 G. F. O. No. 9, dated August n, 1864, of Maj.-Gen. O. O. Howard. 
 
 I have the honor to request that Chaplain Milton L. Haney, Lieuten 
 ant Robert Oliver, Sergeants Robert Dixon, Luther J. Keyes and John 
 Warden, and Corporal John H. Fisher be commissioned at your earliest 
 convenience in the grades to which they have been elected. I would re 
 spectfully call your attention to the injunctions of an order a copy of 
 which is attached hereto received from my immediate commander; 
 and in compliance therewith I earnestly solicit you to furnish the much 
 needed commissions to the above named officers elect, and to those pre 
 viously recommended to your favor by my predecessor in command of 
 this regiment, at as early a day as practicable. 
 I have the honor to be, sir, 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 HENRY S. NOURSE, 
 Capt. 55 th III. Vet. Vols., Commanding Regt. 
 
 Within a day or two after forwarding the above, the resig 
 nations of two officers in the Fifty-fifth were accepted, their 
 physical condition incapacitating them for the hard service 
 of the campaign about to open. They were Captain H. H. 
 Kendrick and First-Lieutenant A. A. Whipple; both officers 
 of fine personal presence, intelligent, genial and universally 
 respected. Lieutenant Whipple was the youngest officer of 
 the regiment at its organization, being then second-lieuten 
 ant of Company G. For some time he was detached for 
 duty with the Signal Corps. Could he have remained in the 
 service a few weeks longer he would have received commis 
 sion as captain; but the disabling effects of the wound in 
 his head, received at the battle of Ezra Church, warned him 
 that he must surrender to others the duties which he had 
 modestly and manfully performed during nearly three years. 
 Captain Kendrick, by soldierly merit, had won his position 
 
374 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 from the ranks, and had gained especial praise for the con 
 spicuous part borne by him in the battle of July 28th. Com 
 missions came two or three days later promoting Henry 
 Augustine and Giles F. Hand to captains, and Sergeant John 
 B. Ridenour to first-lieutenant. 
 
 September 22d a haggard band of fifteen men, ragged, 
 unkempt, feeble, the pinched look of starvation in their faces, 
 limped into our camp. It was the missing group of the cap 
 tured at Atlanta, July 22d. They reported that the sixteenth 
 missing man in that action, John Smith, had died of his 
 wounds in Atlanta, on the night of battle as before stated. 
 The fifteen had been duly exchanged and returned from 
 Andersonville, having been two days upon the road without 
 food. Although they had suffered durance vile less than two 
 months, nearly all of them were so reduced with starvation, 
 and so disordered with unhealthful food and water, exposure, 
 needless and malicious ill treatment, that they had to be sent 
 to a convalescent hospital at Marietta, and finally further 
 north, to recuperate. Moneymaker alone was able to report 
 for duty at once with his company. Sergeant Gay, from his 
 normal weight of nearly two hundred pounds had fallen away 
 to one hundred and thirty-six. Many were afflicted with 
 scurvy, some with rheumatism, others with night-blindness. 
 The last was not uncommon among the prisoners, those who 
 were attacked by it losing all power of sight as soon as it 
 began to grow dark. Several of the fifteen did not recover 
 in time to rejoin the command before the march to the sea, 
 and were sent East via Cincinnati, Baltimore, Annapolis and 
 Morehead City, finally to meet the regiment at Goldsborough, 
 North Carolina. 
 
 The tale of Andersonville has been told again and again, 
 but any pen must ever utterly fail to adequately convey such 
 conception of the horrors of that prison-pen as those received 
 who, gazing into the wan faces of the emaciated victims, 
 listened to the unvarnished stories that fell from their quiv 
 ering lips, when just relieved from its tortures. A few items 
 from the reminiscences of John W. Edwards and James W. 
 Gay may appropriately find place here. Those captured on 
 July 22d were marched that night to East Point, and "cor- 
 
ANDERSONVILLE PRISONERS. 375 
 
 railed," the Fifty-fifth Virginia Infantry being detailed to 
 guard them. In the morning they were marched to Jones- 
 borough, and thence were conveyed in freight cars to Macon, 
 and finally, after some delay, to Andersonville, reaching the 
 latter place on July 28th. They were said to number about 
 seventeen hundred. From the cars they were first marched 
 to high ground near some earth-works that overlooked the 
 whole crowded interior of the prison-pen. Even at that dis 
 tance a fetid, sickening stench from it saluted their nostrils. 
 Two hill slopes, twenty sandy acres, bordering a shallow, 
 sluggish stream that ran through a broad piece of marshy 
 ground, were fenced in by two timber stockades twenty feet 
 in height, and encircling lines of strong rifle-pits, occupied 
 by artillery as well as infantry. Within were thirty thousand 
 patriot soldiers, starving in a land of plenty, denied even 
 shade from the scorching sun, and fuel for cooking, although 
 the countless stumps showed that a dense forest had been 
 cleared away to prepare the place for its wretched occupants. 
 Whether at sight of the unwelcome addition to their num 
 bers, or from other cause, the hooting and yelling of the 
 seething mass of unfortunates rose to a deafening roar, and 
 the commandant ordered a gunner to fire a shell over them. 
 He was persuaded by the sergeant of artillery to allow the 
 substitution of a solid shot, which was fired at a considerable 
 elevation across the stockade, without, however, quelling the 
 riotous din. 
 
 The newly-arrived captives now made the acquaintance of 
 their jailer, Wirtz. They were drawn up in two lines facing 
 each other, and every man was carefully searched. One of 
 the prisoners stepped across the open space and handed 
 some article to a comrade opposite, when the infamous com 
 mandant shouted to one of the sentinels to shoot him. The 
 soldier hesitating, Wirtz rushed towards him with his hand 
 upon his revolver, and again, with a string of oaths, ordered 
 the sentinel to shoot the prisoner offending. At this point 
 the officer in command of the escort guard interfered, and in 
 forcible language admonished the blood-thirsty coward that 
 the Fifty-fifth Virginia was not under his orders. Edwards 
 had sold his watch to a lieutenant of the guard for one hun- 
 
376 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 dred and fifty dollars in Confederate money, about one-half 
 of its fair value, as he was afterwards assured. In the search 
 this money was found and taken from him; but as he proved 
 by the escort how he obtained it, he was fortunate enough to 
 finally secure its restoration. The two lines were at last 
 divided into companies of ninety men each. Then order was 
 given for "a sergeant who could write to step forward from 
 each company," as though penmanship was a rare accom 
 plishment. Naturally all the sergeants came to the front, 
 which created considerable merriment among the men, and 
 greatly ruffled the jailer s temper. A sergeant for each ninety 
 men was selected and instructed to record the names and 
 regiments of that company, and to him was assigned the 
 duty of drawing and distributing rations. For convenience, 
 each company divided itself into groups of thirty, and these 
 were subdivided into squads of ten, each having its chosen 
 commissary. 
 
 For the first few days the daily allowance per man con 
 sisted of one-half pint of black peas, always gritty with sand; 
 the same quantity of corn meal, the cob apparently ground 
 with the corn; and two ounces of fresh meat, no allowance 
 being made for bone. No salt was issued, and the meat was 
 often half spoiled before it could be used. But salt could 
 be purchased for two dollars per pint at the Winders store 
 within the stockade. Onions were sold at seventy-five cents 
 to one dollar and a half each. Eggs brought thirty cents 
 apiece, and flour could be had at one dollar and fifty cents 
 per pound. Tobacco was abundant, and more reasonable in 
 price. A small bundle of pine splinters, about enough to 
 cook one man s dinner, cost a dollar and a half. By building 
 a little clay flue some cooking was done, but even the peas 
 were often eaten raw. After a time cooked rations were 
 issued, consisting of four ounces of corn bread, two ounces 
 of meat, and half a pint of rice, with two table-spoonfuls of 
 molasses. Members of a mess would always conceal a dead 
 comrade just as long as possible in order to draw his rations. 
 Some attempted to appease the gnawing pangs of hunger by 
 the most indigestible and disgusting substances even ate 
 the worms they dug from the rotten stumps. 
 
ANDERSONVILLE PRISONERS. 377 
 
 The water of the stream was but the outflow of a miasmal 
 swamp, and received the wash of the whole foul area at every 
 rain; but it was all that could be had. Many wells were 
 sunk, some to great depth, without reaching moisture. The 
 drainage of bakery and slaughter-house added to that of the 
 slopes defiled the flow more and more, until, when the 
 Atlanta prisoners arrived, the water seemed to them horrible 
 beyond endurance. The death rate then averaged about one 
 hundred per day. Suddenly, on August I3th, a clear little 
 spring gushed forth just outside the "dead line," not far from 
 the northern gate of the stockade. A barrel was permitted 
 to be sunk to receive it and a trough conducted the water 
 across the "dead line." There a guard was stationed com 
 pelling all to approach by one path and take their proper 
 turns in line. The flow was so abundant that rarely was any 
 one compelled to wait more than ten or fifteen minutes for a 
 drink, although there were sometimes hundreds of the thirsty 
 in the path. This precious fountain was generally known as 
 "God s water," or "Providence spring." 
 
 General Sherman effected arrangements for the special 
 exchange of men belonging to his own department, and on 
 September 20th the Atlanta prisoners were summoned into 
 line, the roll was called, and they were sent by rail to Rough 
 and Ready, and thence ordered to their several commands. 
 It was rare good fortune that of the fifteen men from the 
 Fifty-fifth not one died in the prison, for during the terrible 
 fifty-four days of August and September that they spent in 
 Andersonville stockade, about one in six of its inmates per 
 ished. 
 
 On the third of October, being under marching orders, we 
 began packing up our camp equipage, which we were in 
 structed to send to Atlanta, and all those unable to march 
 were transferred to the Marietta convalescent hospital. Gen 
 eral Hood was leading a desperate raid north, and had 
 already severed our railroad communications. The next 
 morning we marched for the Chattahoochee and crossing at 
 Vining s late in the afternoon went into bivouac about ten 
 o clock at night along the railroad near and south of Marietta. 
 We had tramped nineteen miles. The following morning we 
 
378 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 moved across Nickajack Creek, where, behind a line of earth 
 works, we watched and waited until the afternoon of the 
 eighth, when marching orders came and we moved to the 
 northward of Kenesaw and camped near Big Shanty, in the 
 night. The next day we lay at ease behind a line of earth 
 works, and many who had not before had opportunity 
 climbed the mountain and visited the rocky promontory 
 upon which so much of our best blood was uselessly shed on 
 the twenty-seventh of June. The explorers returned declar 
 ing with entire unanimity that our charge upon Little Kene 
 saw was one of the most foolhardy and hopeless of the war. 
 October loth, in the afternoon, we moved north to Ackworth, 
 and the next day through Allatoona to Kingston, camping on 
 Two-run Creek. This last was a hard day s march of over 
 twenty miles. On the twelfth we reached the neighborhood 
 of Rome, marching seventeen miles. We travelled nearly all 
 night on the thirteenth, bright moonlight illuminating our 
 road, and after thirteen miles were passed went into bivouac 
 near Rocky Creek. The next day after slow progress for 
 about sixteen miles, the division crossed the Oothkalooga 
 Creek and camped near Calhoun. October I5th, at daylight, 
 the column started north, but, crossing the Oostanaula at 
 Resaca, it turned westward through Sugar Valley to Snake- 
 Creek Gap. Here we came upon the Seventeenth Corps 
 skirmishing with the rear-guard of Hood s army. The road 
 was soon gained, but the numerous obstructions of fallen 
 trees seriously delayed the advance. After a nineteen mile 
 tramp we halted for the night near Villanow. The next day 
 we passed beyond Villanow about seven miles and bivou 
 acked at Ship s Gap in Taylor s Ridge, where there was brisk 
 skirmishing in our front and some prisoners were taken. 
 Another advance of seven miles the next day brought us to 
 Lafayette, where we crossed the Chattooga. 
 
 Here we turned south down the Chattooga valley, pro 
 ceeding fifteen miles on the eighteenth to the vicinity of 
 Summerville, and about ten miles on the nineteenth to a 
 point beyond Alpine. On the twentieth we marched into 
 Alabama twenty miles to Gaylesville, and October twenty- 
 first six miles, crossing the Chattooga, and halted at Little 
 
MUSTER-OUT OF NON-VETERANS. 379 
 
 River, where we found the bridge burned, and went into 
 camp. Here the regiment rested three days. Rolls were 
 made out for the non-veterans and on the evening of the 
 twenty-third they bade the regiment farewell, marching for 
 Rome in charge of Lieutenant Jacob Fink. The parting be 
 tween comrades whose fellowship was now to be ended 
 probably forever, who had during three long years shared 
 danger and toil, hunger and thirst, despair and elation, side 
 by side, was an affecting one. With softened looks and 
 voices that refused to hide the emotion behind them, vet 
 erans and non-veterans shaking each other by the hand, in 
 their rough but hearty way bade each other God-speed, and 
 separated. Partly by cars and partly by marching the com 
 pany reached Chattanooga on the twenty-seventh of the 
 month, and on the thirtieth were mustered out of the United 
 States service in due form. The muster-out rolls bore the 
 names of one-hundred and sixty-two soldiers, from that day 
 dropped from the roster of the Fifty-fifth Illinois. 
 
 For three days more these men were compelled to remain 
 in Chattanooga awaiting transportation to the North. They 
 finally reached Nashville November 4th after a dismal ride 
 all night, upon the top of a train of box cars, in a freezing rain 
 storm. At that city they were paid their final dues and 
 furnished transportation via Louisville and Indianapolis to 
 Chicago, which city they reached on Wednesday, November 
 Qth. Four commissioned officers, Captain C. M. Browne, 
 Adjutant F. P. Fisher, and Lieutenants Jacob Fink and Wil 
 liam D. Lomax, were discharged at the same date with the 
 enlisted men. Major J. J. Heffernan, Surgeon E. O. F. Roler, 
 Captains John T. McAuley and Henry Augustine, and Lieu 
 tenant Joseph Hartsook were mustered out a few days later. 
 
 October 25th the division crossed Little River upon 
 a reconnoissance, halting that night eight miles south at 
 Leesburg, and pushing forward fourteen miles the next day 
 to Turkeytown, where a force of cavalry was driven from 
 its barricades by the Second brigade with slight loss. At a 
 casual halt during this expedition Sergeant-Major Brown, 
 hopeful of chicken for supper, wandered into a grove in rear 
 of a dwelling, when a "bushwhacker" stepped out from behind 
 
380 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 a tree and fired both barrels of his gun at him, being but a 
 few paces distant. For some inexplicable reason the bullets 
 missed the target, and Brown being unarmed, abandoned 
 further reconnoissance without delay, and supped thankfully 
 upon army rations. This was the nearest approach to a 
 casualty, in the Fifty-fifth, during the pursuit of Hood. 
 
 October 27th the division returned to its camp upon Little 
 River and there remained until the twenty-ninth, when the 
 return march for Atlanta began. Hood had escaped over 
 the mountains and was obviously proposing to cross the Ten 
 nessee. His campaign against our communications had been 
 brilliantly conceived and managed, though unfruitful in its 
 results. It had dismally failed in its purpose to compel Sher 
 man s army to loose its grip upon the Empire State of the 
 Confederacy. Hood was now given a "free pass" to encour 
 age his progress towards higher latitudes, and consigned to 
 the ardent attention of General Thomas. 
 
 All the surplus ordnance stores, camp utensils, officers 
 property everything that could not well be borne upon the 
 soldier s person or slung to the regimental mules, had been 
 sent back to Chattanooga in obedience to Sherman s orders. 
 Upon coming back to the camp at Little River, it was found 
 that important and much needed company papers, and Lieu 
 tenant Oliver s entire outfit, had by some oversight gone with 
 the superfluities. The captain commanding the regiment 
 anxiously sought leave for the lieutenant to go to Chattanooga 
 to recover the property, but was firmly refused. Oliver then 
 rashly volunteered to run his own risks and go without leave 
 if his immediate superior would consent. The captain con 
 niving, the lieutenant started off on foot upon his desperate 
 adventure, daring the danger of court-martial and prompt 
 dismissal for wilful disobedience of orders, if detected; and 
 the chances were altogether in favor of his being arrested 
 before he could compass half the long journey. 
 
 He reached Rome that night among the stragglers of the 
 Twenty-third Corps, which had moved for the North the day 
 before. Everything had already left Rome save the hospital 
 department, and that was merely awaiting a train. His only 
 hope of escaping arrest and getting north by the cars was to 
 
OLIVER VISITS CHATTANOOGA. 31 
 
 become an invalid. Those acquainted with the stalwart lieu 
 tenant, ruddy and robust as he was in those days his frame 
 and face plainly telling of muscles that never were tired and 
 bodily organs that never knew an ache will appreciate how 
 inconvenient it must have been for him to sham illness. He 
 luckily had nothing about his garb to mark him as an officer, 
 and he managed to get into the hospital, where he persuaded 
 an attendant that he was in a suffering condition, and hid his 
 brawny limbs in a blanket. By the time the surgeon came 
 around he had grown very sick indeed, his genuine mental 
 distress making easier a dramatic simulation of physical woe. 
 The doctor chanced to be too hilarious as well as too pre-oc- 
 cupied with the business of removal to make any sharp- 
 sighted investigation of symptoms, and administering the 
 tonic of a few encouraging words, he ordered the nurse to 
 provide him with suitable rations for the journey and disap 
 peared. Before light the train bore the sick away for the 
 North, Oliver among them, with two big loaves of bread 
 beside him; he had managed to wheedle an extra loaf out of 
 the attendant, after devouring one with an appetite so raven 
 ous as to awaken critical comments from his pallid compan 
 ions. 
 
 The constant succession of long trains bearing supplies to 
 Atlanta for Sherman s seaward-bound army delayed progress, 
 and it was four days before the lieutenant reached Chatta 
 nooga. The cars had not stopped when he leaped off and 
 away, without waiting to thank the surgeon, and hurried to 
 find the men having charge of the regimental property. He 
 soon obtained the articles for which he had risked his good 
 name, but now found himself in a worse plight than ever. 
 The order prohibiting soldiers in the front from going north 
 without pass from high authority, was not a whit more strict 
 than that forbidding anybody to go south from Chattanooga 
 without similar permit. For some hours the situation wore 
 a quite serious aspect to Oliver; but his luck had not forsaken 
 him. He suddenly met a sergeant of the Fifty-fifth who had 
 come down the road in charge of three recruits, and was 
 feeling rather chop-fallen because one of them had escaped 
 from him at Nashville. The lieutenant stepped into the gap 
 
382 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 thus providentially offered, and six days from the time he 
 deserted the regiment, rejoined it when on the march, to find 
 a captain s commission awaiting him. He felt that he had 
 earned it by his week s campaign, and he never was seen at 
 the rear again during the war. 
 
 The first day of the journey towards Atlanta from Little 
 River carried the brigade over the Chattooga and Coosa 
 Rivers, a distance of nine or ten miles only. October 3Oth 
 the regiment, with spades and axes, accompanied the wagon 
 train, serving in the capacity of pioneers, and the eighteen 
 miles advance brought it to the state line at Dyke s Store. 
 On the 3 1st the march ended at Cave Spring. During the 
 month the total distance traversed was about two hundred 
 and seventy-five miles. Commissions had arrived promoting 
 Robert Oliver and Robert Dixon to captains, and John H. 
 Fisher, Luther J. Keyes and John Warden to first-lieutenants. 
 Captain Nourse had received orders from department head 
 quarters to report to General F. P. Blair as Commissary of 
 Musters for the Seventeenth Army Corps. The acceptance 
 of this assignment to staff duty by Captain Nourse, left 
 Captain Andress, the senior officer, in command of the regi 
 ment. The Fifty-fifth was now merely a skeleton organiza 
 tion, having less than one hundred and fifty effectives; but 
 all present were hardy, resolute men, conscious of their glo 
 rious record, and proudly positive of their ability to outmarch, 
 tire out or outfight anything like their own numbers in either 
 army. 
 
 During the first five days in November the march contin 
 ued, averaging about fifteen miles daily progress, passing in 
 turn Cedar Town, Van Wert and Dallas, and ending at Vin- 
 ing s Station. Here the regiment rested, to prepare for a 
 winter s campaign, the fame of which is now world-wide, and 
 then was foreshadowed with more or less accuracy in the 
 soldier s gossip around every Union camp-fire. 
 
PART III. 
 
 FROM ATLANTA TO CHICAGO. 
 
 NOVEMBER, 1864, TO AUGUST, 1865, 
 
 BY 
 
 SERGEANT-MAJOR JOHN G. BROWN. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 FROM ATLANTA TO THE SEA. 
 
 Q HERMAN had turned his back upon the Confederate 
 O army while the rash Hood was pushing westward across 
 Alabama in search of a favorable position upon the Tennessee 
 river, whence to carry out his avowed purpose of Northern 
 invasion. He now proceeded to reorganize his own army for 
 that campaign to the tide-waters, which for its strategic bold 
 ness and the importance of its results, has few parallels in 
 the history of wars. With almost prophetic sight he foretold 
 the inevitable destruction of Hood s army by Thomas, and 
 the easy victories awaiting his own veterans upon the sea- 
 coast. He wasted no time in cutting loose from all commu 
 nication with the North, in order to secure the proffered 
 prizes. 
 
 The portions of the Western forces destined for the for 
 ward movement were, during the first week of November, 
 distributed along the railway from Rome to Atlanta, the 
 Fifty-fifth Veteran Volunteers being at Vining s near the 
 Chattahoochee River. On November 8th a vote was taken 
 in the regiment for presidential candidates, when Abraham 
 Lincoln was found to have received one hundred and twenty- 
 one, and Major-General George B. McClellan fifteen votes. 
 This proved the entire confidence felt by the soldiers in the 
 administration, as well as their belief in the necessity for a 
 vigorous prosecution of the war. Such voting, among Illi 
 nois troops, had no purpose beyond the expression of political 
 25 
 
386 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 preferences, for the soldiers of that state were disfranchised ; 
 her copperhead legislators having refused the right of suf 
 frage to those absent fighting her battles. They saw the men 
 of other loyal states casting their ballots in the camps about 
 them to be counted in the election; but their own state, one 
 of the brightest stars in the patriotic constellation, with one 
 hundred and fifty thousand of her brave sons in the field at 
 the front, had been long misrepresented by a disloyal legis 
 lature, whose acts evinced a greater sympathy with the rebel 
 than with the union cause. At the election of this date the 
 loyal people of Illinois sharply rebuked at the ballot-box 
 these unpatriotic servants. 
 
 At Vining s, on November Qth, Captain Henry Augustine 
 of Company A, whose health had been seriously undermined 
 by the malarious climate of the South, parted with his com 
 mand, having been mustered out. A brave, faithful and 
 kind-hearted officer, he possessed social qualifications that 
 made him a favorite with his men. He left for Illinois upon 
 one of the last trains that went North from the doomed 
 Atlanta. 
 
 November nth news of the re-election of President Lin 
 coln was received, and was the occasion of joyous demon 
 strations throughout the whole army. His overwhelming 
 majority was a proclamation from the popular heart, declar 
 ing that the war must be energetically prosecuted to a speedy 
 end. It inspired the troops, from commander to drummer, 
 with renewed zeal, for it was a vote of confidence that for 
 ever silenced the copperhead accusation "the war is a 
 failure." It was equal to a re-enforcement of ten thousand 
 men to Sherman s army. The refrain "We ll hang Jeff 
 Davis to a sour-apple tree," thereafter pitched upon a higher 
 key, resounded from camp to camp, and was daily heard 
 along the line of march. To add to the jollification, the 
 regiment received four months pay the following night, just 
 in time for the men to send their money home before the 
 abandonment of all connection with the United States mails. 
 
 During the night of November I2th the Fifty-fifth was 
 engaged in tearing up the railway, and on the following day 
 it crossed the Chattahoochee and went into camp about two 
 
DESTRUCTION OF ATLANTA. 3 8 7 
 
 miles from Atlanta. Here clothing was issued, and clad in 
 their new garments, the boys on the fourteenth made a tour 
 of the city, then fast crumbling into shapeless masses of 
 ruins under the assaults of gunpowder and fire. It was a 
 strange scene; tens of thousands of the boys in blue jubi 
 lant over their dearly-won victory, with here and there a 
 sullen group of the humiliated citizens of this lately defiant 
 town, gazing upon the systematic destruction of the great 
 manufactories and store-houses filled with machinery and 
 every kind of military supplies. Atlanta had been second 
 only to Richmond in the amount and variety of the material 
 furnished the Confederacy for the prosecution of the war. 
 To the public buildings of every description, railroad station, 
 arsenals, and the machine shops and foundries in which had 
 been fabricated cannon, shot and shell that carried death to 
 thousands, the torch was applied. Nothing was left standing 
 that could again be of value for military occupation, or a 
 source of menace in rear of the advancing Union Army. 
 And amid the roar of devouring flames and the crash of fall 
 ing walls, rose the exultant voices of the victors singing 
 
 "John Brown s body lies mouldering in the grave, 
 But his soul goes marching on." 
 
 On the morrow the Fifty-fifth took its assigned position 
 in the column, and the memorable march began. Some 
 features in the re-organization of the forces engaged in the 
 campaign may fitly precede a recital of incidents attendant 
 upon the march. The grand army under the command of 
 Sherman, in all about sixty-five thousand men, consisted of 
 the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth and Twentieth Army 
 Corps, respectively commanded by Generals Jeff. C. Davis, 
 P. J. Osterhaus, F. P. Blair and A. S.Williams, and a division 
 of cavalry under General H. J. Kilpatrick. The Fifteenth 
 and Seventeenth Corps constituting the Army of the Ten 
 nessee, and under command of General O. O. Howard, 
 formed the right wing; and the Fourteenth and Twentieth, 
 or Army of Georgia, under command of General H. W. 
 Slocum, formed the left wing. The cavalry was generally 
 upon the extreme left of the advancing columns, which 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 moved as nearly as possible by parallel roads, and usually 
 five or six miles apart. The Fifty-fifth retained its place in 
 the First brigade, Second division, of the Fifteenth Army 
 Corps. The brigade was composed of the Fifty-fifth, One- 
 hundred-sixteenth and One-hundred-twenty-seventh Illinois, 
 the Sixth Missouri, the Thirtieth and Fifty-seventh Ohio; 
 and was commanded by Colonel Theo. Jones, the division 
 commander being Major-General W. B. Hazen. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth now mustered less than one hundred and 
 fifty men and officers for duty. The senior captain, Henry 
 S. Nourse, being detached upon the staff of General F. P. 
 Blair, Captain Charles A. Andress commanded the regiment, 
 with Captain Giles A. Hand as next in rank. Charles B. 
 Tompkins, formerly assistant surgeon of the Seventeenth 
 Illinois, was appointed surgeon. Sergeant-Major J. A. Smith 
 was promoted adjutant, Principal Musician J. G. Brown suc 
 ceeding him in the former office. M. M. Potter was appointed 
 quartermaster-sergeant, Sergeant Jacob Sanford commissary 
 sergeant; J. L. Burnsides, hospital steward; William Kutz and 
 J. A. Averill, principal musicians. Although the regiment 
 was numerically so weak, it was made up of veterans who 
 had stood shoulder to shoulder on many bloody fields, had 
 seen hundreds of their comrades go down in conflict, and who 
 now took up the route step ready for any fate, but confident 
 that victory would always attend them until treason was 
 finally trodden into the dust. 
 
 By sketching the events of any ordinary day s march a 
 true picture of many will be given; for each twenty-four 
 hours experience was usually a repetition of the last, with 
 but slight variations. The whole campaign was so entirely 
 one of daily march and nightly bivouac, that it has been ap 
 propriately named "The Grand March to the Sea." 
 
 At the dawn, before the sounding of reveille, the foragers 
 were bustling about preparing their breakfast in order to get 
 an early start. Though but a small fraction of the army, 
 they formed a very important part of it, for they gathered 
 the larger portion of the supplies upon which the troops sub 
 sisted. But twenty days rations of bread, with coffee, sugar 
 and salt to last double that time, were carried in the wagons. 
 
THE DAILY ROUTINE. 3^9 
 
 Before starting out from camp the officer in charge of the 
 foraging detail of the regiment got instructions at headquar 
 ters as to the probable place where the column would halt 
 for the night, and then would strive to first reach the front, 
 or wander far to the flank where forage of all kinds could be 
 found. 
 
 The braying of some disconsolate or hungry mule a call 
 no sooner heard than taken up by a hundred others whose 
 sympathetic feelings were aroused always preceded reveille. 
 Then from some headquarters would sound a single bugle- 
 call, quickly followed by other bugles and fifes and drums in 
 every part of the encampment; after which countless mules 
 and jacks would raise their highest notes, like so many rival 
 prima-donnas. Thousands of fires would start up as if by 
 magic. The whole camp was immediately astir, and every 
 man busy about his share of the labor of preparing breakfast 
 no meagre meal of musty rations, but a select feast from 
 the best bill of fare the country round about could furnish. 
 Often in the limits of the regiment would be seen beef, veal, 
 fresh pork, ham, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, sweet potatoes, 
 honey, corn-bread, pan-cakes, biscuits, and the ever-present 
 coffee the last being the only item furnished by the gov 
 ernment. Sufficient was generally left over from the hearty 
 morning meal to amply provide the haversacks with materials 
 for a generous wayside lunch at noon. In fact, supplies were 
 often so abundant that much was carelessly thrown away by 
 the soldiers, or left beside the fires in the abandoned camps, 
 with the certainty that fresh provisions would be awaiting 
 them at the next halting place for the night. 
 
 The march of the column was regulated systematically in 
 the following manner: The advance regiment of each bri 
 gade held that place for a single day, taking position at the 
 rear of the brigade on the next day. The leading brigade of 
 a division, and the leading division of the corps, observed 
 the same routine. Thus the advance guard of today became 
 the rear guard of tomorrow, and the post of honor came at 
 long and regular intervals to each battalion. 
 
 Breaking camp was a matter of easy and speedy accom 
 plishment, as there was little equipage that the soldiers, camp 
 
39 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 followers and pack mules did not carry upon their backs. A 
 single wagon held all the other belongings of the regiment. 
 The troops at the front had to wait until all in the rear of 
 them had passed, and it would frequently be ten o clock be 
 fore the whole column got upon the road. The artillery, 
 ammunition train, commissary and other wagons, and what 
 ever mounted refugees joined, occupied the roadway. The 
 infantry marched at the side most exposed to attack, in order 
 to protect the train from any sudden dash that might be 
 attempted by Confederate cavalry. Upon the opposite side 
 were driven the cattle, and following them were usually long 
 lines of colored refugees. A company of pioneers led the 
 column to improve the way, wherever necessary. This order 
 was general, except that at the rear and front a regiment or 
 two occupied the road, and whenever the enemy was thought 
 to be near, and a battle might be expected, changes were 
 made to better meet the exigency. 
 
 In the rear of each regiment the negro cooks led donkeys 
 loaded with cooking utensils and provisions. This motley 
 crowd always presented a very ludicrous appearance, and 
 among them almost daily occurred incidents irresistibly 
 comic. Upon leaving Atlanta, Lieutenants Ebersold and 
 Roberts had procured elaborate camp conveniences which 
 they arranged in two improvised mess-chests, and slung them 
 across the back of a vigorous mule. They congratulated 
 themselves upon their superior arrangements for comfort, and 
 took delight in tantalizing their brother officers who were not 
 so well provided. The mule, after bearing his uncomfortable 
 burden in meekness for a short time, inaugurated a little 
 rebellion on his own account, which he managed with such 
 energy and skill that the mess-chests were very soon resolved 
 into their component parts, and the various utensils and pro 
 visions they had contained were scattered along the road and 
 destroyed. The extraordinary antics of the mule aroused 
 the noisy mirth of everybody but the two unlucky officers, 
 and their disconsolate countenances only increased the fun. 
 
 A brief halt was always taken at noon, when the cheering 
 aroma of steaming coffee would soon fill the air. The re 
 freshing draught, with the abundant lunch from the haver- 
 
MARCH AND BIVOUAC. 39 1 
 
 sacks, made a good meal, and the contented soldiers were on 
 the road again, singing the familiar camp songs. Now and 
 then a stream was reached that required bridging, and heavy 
 details would be hurried to the front to aid the pioneers. A 
 few hours sufficed to bridge a considerable river. Sometimes 
 rains and the wheels of the artillery so softened the roadway 
 that long stretches had to be corduroyed; then the infantry, 
 by brigades or divisions, as the locality demanded, was or 
 dered forward, and short sections were assigned to each regi 
 ment. Any convenient fence rails were brought, trees were 
 felled and the larger ones split, and all were laid close 
 together, forming a rough but firm ballasting over the slough. 
 When a battalion had completed its section it was moved to 
 the front and another assigned it. By this method the col 
 umn was always compact, many miles of road could be 
 corduroyed in a day, and the distance marched was very 
 little diminished in the process. 
 
 By the middle of the afternoon the van of the column 
 usually reached the camping-ground selected, in the neigh 
 borhood of which would be found, lining both sides of the 
 way for a long distance, the foraging parties, guarding their 
 day s acquisition of supplies of every description. As soon 
 as a regiment filed out in the direction of its place for the 
 night s bivouac, every fourth man made a dash for the nearest 
 fence and pre-empted two panels over which he stood guard 
 until his messmates, after the regiment had stacked arms, 
 joined him, when the rails were borne to the camp. A mile 
 of fence disappeared in an incredibly short time. By a sim 
 ple arrangement of rails covered with rubber blankets but 
 toned together, comfortable shelters for the night were 
 quickly built, sufficient to protect the hardy sleepers beneath 
 against any ordinary storm. Then a fair division of the for 
 aging party s spoils was made, and a bountiful supper, in 
 variety and excellence rivalling the morning s feast, was 
 promptly got ready and enjoyed with a zest such as only the 
 appetites of soldiers weary with a day s march can give. 
 
 Supper over, there followed such amusements as time and 
 place permitted, chief among which were always the singing 
 and dancing of the colored race, celebrating their day of 
 
392 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 jubilee. Every night brought new artists to re-enforce the 
 original minstrel troupe, and some new attraction varied the 
 entertainment. 
 
 After tattoo the whole army in a marvelously brief space 
 of time was wrapt in slumber, and succeeding the tumult of 
 the evening, the quiet that reigned in the midst of so many 
 disturbing elements was remarkable. Whether after a hard 
 day s march or a severe battle, or before an expected fight, 
 the tired veteran pushes aside all thoughts of unpleasant sur 
 roundings, and fixing his meditations upon home and the 
 dear ones far away, peacefully falls asleep to dream of them. 
 At the sounding of taps all noises die away; men and beasts 
 of burden surrender to drowsiness, and the fires slowly burn 
 down and flicker out. Only at the headquarters of the prom 
 inent generals is the universal hush broken. While the weary 
 musket-bearers are sleeping with no concern for the future, 
 the commanding officers are intently studying maps, planning 
 the movements for the morrow, and sending mounted order 
 lies galloping here and there with directions to their subordi 
 nates. "And around the slumbering host the picket-guards 
 keep quiet watch, while constant, faithful hearts in Northern 
 and Western homes pray that the angels of the Lord may 
 encamp around the sleeping army." 
 
 The first two days march, thirty-five miles, was in a south 
 easterly direction from Atlanta, passing through Rough-and- 
 Ready and McDonough. It brought us into a region flowing 
 with milk and honey, and abounding in more substantial 
 provender, for which all were hungering. A foraging party 
 consisting of three men from each company, under command 
 of Lieutenant Scott, was sent out on November i/th. This 
 detail had advanced but a few miles before they had collected 
 hams, chickens, turkeys, honey, sweet potatoes and a variety 
 of articles of food in quantity. Some horses and mules were 
 seized, their hiding place in the woods being disclosed by 
 communicative slaves. These animals were speedily har 
 nessed into such old wagons and carts as could be found, the 
 spoils were loaded, and the rude train was started in search 
 of the regimental camping-ground. By some misdirection, 
 however, the party failed to reach the command that night, 
 
ACROSS THE OCMULGEE. 393 
 
 and established a camp of its own, throwing out a picket- 
 guard and taking all needful precautions to protect them 
 selves and their valuable commissary stores. Darkness came 
 on, disclosing lights not far away, which upon investigation 
 proved to be the bivouac fires of a troop of Confederate cav 
 alry. The bright reflection from the camp-fires of the Union 
 column showed it to be several miles distant. In the early 
 morning the cavalry men, not having discovered their neigh 
 bors, held council together and rode away, to the great relief 
 of the foragers. After a hard day s march the regiment was 
 found halted near Indian Springs, the stores of food brought 
 were quickly distributed, and the hungry were feasting upon 
 luxuries rare to them. 
 
 This was a special foraging detail, and its duties ceased 
 with this successful expedition. Later a permanent party of 
 foragers was selected, one man being detailed from each 
 company of the regiment, and the whole put under command 
 of a commissioned officer. Every regiment in the army had 
 a similar party. The more exciting adventures of the Fifty- 
 fifth s detail will be reserved for a special chapter. 
 
 The division crossed the Ocmulgee November igth, upon 
 a pontoon bridge, and passed through Hillsborough the next 
 day. On the twenty-first the regiment was engaged in a 
 slight skirmish near Clinton, and the following morning the 
 First brigade was ordered to throw up intrenchments a short 
 distance outside of that town. During the day a short ad 
 vance was made, and the enemy were again seen, but in small 
 force, and were at once dispersed by a single volley. At 
 Griswoldville, a few miles south, Walcott s brigade of Gen 
 eral Wood s division, which had been sent towards Macon to 
 create the impression of hostile designs upon that place, was 
 furiously attacked by a large body of Georgia militia, under 
 General Phillips. The assault was made with more dash 
 than discretion, and resulted disastrously to the undisciplined 
 assailants. This fight cleared the flanks of the right wing 
 from any large body of rebel soldiers, and the march peace 
 fully continued. General Hardee had pushed by with the 
 main body of his command to attain a position on the coast 
 and prepare a hostile reception for us, and only small bodies 
 
394 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 of cavalry henceforward were met. The left wing of the 
 Union army occupied Milledgeville, and with Macon safely 
 passed, the chief danger and strategic difficulty of the march 
 was over. 
 
 The Oconee River was reached near Bell s Ferry, Novem 
 ber 25th, and the enemy made noisy resistance at first to its 
 passage, but decamped in the night. Here the division re 
 mained in bivouac during daylight of the 26th while other 
 troops were crossing, and it being the first daylight halt since 
 Atlanta, the opportunity was taken by the men to wash their 
 clothing, for which there was certainly great need. Bell s 
 Ferry is about half way between Atlanta and Savannah. The 
 division moved across the stream upon pontoons in the even 
 ing, and advanced about four miles. During this short night 
 march to the new bivouac the troops were noisily gay, keep 
 ing up an incessant roar, singing, shouting, and imitating the 
 cries of bird and beast. The psalm-singing Fifty-fifth joined 
 in with some of its more familiar and pathetic hymns, chief 
 among which, of course, was "Tobias and Tobunkus," lined 
 and led by Dorsey Andress, the regimental chorister, with 
 such feeling unction that it would have brought tears to the 
 eyes of a tobacconist s sign. 
 
 The march for several succeeding days was uninterrupted 
 by hostile demonstrations or serious obstacle of any kind. 
 The country traversed was more or less swampy and covered 
 with heavy forests, chiefly of pine. Long reaches of the 
 roadway had daily to be corduroyed, the wheels of the artil 
 lery and heavy wagons soon sinking up to the hub in the 
 loose sand when wet. The weather was especially pleasant, 
 and this was great good fortune. Heavy rains would have 
 seriously retarded progress in this low-lying section of Geor 
 gia. Here were the swamps in which the Confederate author 
 ities and newspapers proclaimed that Sherman and his army 
 were lost. In good time, however, we emerged from the for 
 est, and in condition to meet and overcome any and every 
 obstacle Nature or man opposed to us. The whole region 
 was sparsely settled by a people devoid of enterprise and 
 rich in nothing but acres of pine. Forage became scanty, 
 but the daring detail of the Fifty-fifth succeeded in keeping 
 
A SKIRMISH WITH CAVALRY. 395 
 
 the commissary department fairly supplied. No foragers in 
 the whole army would travel further, fight more persistently 
 or run more risks in procuring the needful food. The regi 
 ment had made a proud record by its hard fighting; it now 
 boasted that none could surpass it at gathering supplies. 
 
 December 3d the near presence of the enemy was felt. 
 The entire foraging detail of one of the Ohio regiments in 
 the brigade was captured. The next day the Fifty-fifth led 
 the advance. The foragers of the corps had collected in 
 considerable numbers at Statesborough, a high-sounding 
 name for a court-house surrounded by a few dwellings. Here 
 they were suddenly and fiercely attacked about three o clock 
 in the afternoon, by a large force of rebel cavalry, and driven 
 back upon the marching column. Several of their number 
 were left captive in the hands of the enemy. The regiment 
 was promptly deployed, and soon drove the Confederates 
 through the little town, recapturing the forage and many of 
 those taken prisoners. For a time more serious work was 
 anticipated, but a volley which killed four of the cavalry, 
 including a major, finally routed them. Aaron Lingenfelter 
 of Company A, one of the regiment s foragers, was in the 
 hands of the enemy for a few minutes. They surrounded 
 him, and shouted to him to surrender, but he held his musket 
 ready, and defied them. One horseman, more impatient than 
 the others, accompanied his order to surrender with a bullet, 
 which grazed Lingenfelter s side, and he dropped his gun, 
 but kept wrathfully blackguarding his captors. Just then 
 comrades came to his rescue, and he picked up his gun again 
 and gave the fleeing rebels a parting shot. 
 
 An incident occurred at this place which may illustrate 
 the sometimes ludicrous result of a soldier s obeying the 
 orders of his superior without question. In early morning 
 the picket-guard brought to the headquarters at the court 
 house two women who had entered the lines. The officer, 
 while questioning them, seeing that they were shivering with 
 cold, directed one of the guard to take them up stairs into 
 the court-room and build a fire that they might warm them 
 selves. Although there was neither fire-place nor stove in 
 the room, this did not prevent the disciplined veteran from 
 
396 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 obeying orders. He piled a lot of kindling and fuel upon the 
 floor, deliberately set fire to it, and went about his business. 
 The screams of the women brought the officer upon the 
 scene, who could only order the women removed and the fire 
 extinguished. He could not well reprimand the soldier, who 
 had only obeyed his orders implicitly, observing strict disci 
 pline by not questioning his superior. 
 
 As the army advanced more impediments were met. 
 Streams became more numerous, deeper and broader, and 
 swamps more difficult to pass. In some of the latter the 
 men were forced to wade for long distances in water some 
 times waist-deep. As we approached Savannah the enemy s 
 cavalry made its proximity felt oftener. Food became harder 
 to obtain in sufficient quantities, and the men were put upon 
 half rations of coffee, sugar and hard-tack, the stores in the 
 wagons being nearly exhausted. 
 
 The Canouchee River was reached at Ball s Bridge on 
 December 8th. During that night there suddenly arose some 
 skirmishing and cannonading at the front on the river s banks, 
 and the regiment was in line instantly, but all speedily became 
 quiet again, and we slept undisturbed until morning. The 
 enemy having fled in the darkness, we crossed the stream at 
 noon of the ninth and encamped two miles beyond it. 
 Heavy artillery firing was heard in the vicinity of Savannah, 
 which indicated that the left wing was at last pounding at 
 the gates of Georgia s metropolis, twenty miles away. We 
 crossed the Canouchee on the tenth, passed over the Ogeechee 
 at Dillon s Ferry, making a march of ten miles, and went into 
 bivouac about nine miles from Savannah, on Lloyd s planta 
 tion. The eleventh was spent in camp, and everything 
 seemed quiet at the front. On the twelfth the regiment went 
 out with a forage train, returning late in the evening with 
 very little in way of provision. The situation was fast be 
 coming serious. The army had but four or five days rations, 
 and we could not subsist upon what the country afforded. 
 A "cracker line" must speedily be opened. 
 
 A movement to the right ordered on December I2th indi 
 cated that Fort McAllister was to be our next objective point, 
 for that alone prevented easy communication with the Union 
 
CAPTURE OF FORT MCALLISTER. 397 
 
 fleet, supposed to be awaiting us with supplies in Ossabaw 
 Sound. On the morning of the thirteenth the Second divis 
 ion recrossed the Ogeechee on King s Bridge, marched thir 
 teen miles and halted within one and one-half miles of the 
 fort. Three regiments of each brigade, or nine in all, were 
 ordered to unsling their knapsacks, and were then moved to 
 a position under cover near the works. This was about noon. 
 The Fifty-fifth was one of the regiments held in reserve, a 
 situation it never before occupied when there was fighting in 
 prospect for the brigade. The men felt so out of place that 
 some of them, with one officer, followed the assaulting force 
 and went into the fight with it. A Confederate sentinel had 
 been captured about a mile from the fort, and the position of 
 a. line of torpedoes was disclosed by him. These were re 
 moved before the troops advanced, and their proposed deadly 
 effect was avoided. 
 
 Before General Hazen could get his charging line into 
 proper proximity to the fort preparatory to the final assault, 
 great delay was occasioned by the numerous obstructions 
 which the enemy had laboriously prepared. Meanwhile 
 Generals Sherman and Howard were impatiently watching 
 the movements with their glasses from Cheve s rice mill 
 across the Ogeechee. The sun was fast declining. Sherman 
 signaled orders to hasten. A steamer from the fleet below 
 came into view about four o clock and to its captain s ques 
 tion whether the fort had been taken, which reached Sher 
 man just as General Hazen s bugler, J. A. Vaughan of the 
 Fifty-fifth, sounded in shrill blasts: "Attention! forward, 
 double-quick, charge!" the commanding general replied: 
 "Not yet, but it will be in a minute." The gallant dash of 
 the thin line fulfilled the promise. A short, sharp struggle 
 ensued, and the parapet was crowned on all sides by the old 
 Second division. The Second brigade, which was deployed 
 on the left, had crept up under the bank of the river to a 
 point quite near the fort, and before the garrison realized the 
 situation the men were pouring over the embankments. The 
 other portion of the line of assault experienced more diffi 
 culties, both natural and artificial. It was in full view of the 
 riflemen in the fort, and the obstructions, chief of which were 
 
39 8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 torpedoes, retarded its progress; but it struggled on without 
 halt, and simultaneously with the victorious cheers on the 
 left, no less jubilant shouts from right and centre were wafted 
 on the evening air to the watching generals ears. 
 
 Our sharpshooters had been posted in easy range of the 
 gunners, and the siege artillery of the fort was in a large 
 measure ineffective. There was no formal surrender of the 
 fort. The troops poured over the works upon the defenders 
 so quickly overwhelming them that they were dumbfounded, 
 and all firing at once ceased. The garrison, which numbered 
 but two hundred and thirty, all told, lost thirty-five killed 
 and wounded. The attacking force had twenty-four killed 
 and one hundred and ten wounded. Very many of the cas 
 ualties were caused by the exploding torpedoes. The fruits 
 of victory were twenty-four cannon of various grades, over 
 one hundred small arms and abundant stores of ammunition 
 and provisions. The captured officers and soldiers, being 
 thoroughly acquainted with the location of the torpedoes 
 which guarded the channel of the Ogeechee, were immedi 
 ately compelled to assist in the removal of them, and com 
 munications were soon opened with the fleet. Light-draft 
 vessels speedily came up to King s Bridge in rear of the right 
 wing of the army, bringing the needed supplies. 
 
 The question of a base upon the sea-coast was thus defin 
 itely solved. A successful and glorious end to the campaign 
 was attained, for though Savannah was yet in possession of 
 the Confederates, it was invested securely, and a few days 
 would suffice to compel its surrender or evacuation. 
 
 December I4th the regiment encamped on the beautiful 
 grounds of an extensive plantation called Whitehall. The 
 weather was charming, seeming to the Northern soldiers 
 almost summer-like; and when at night the full moon poured 
 its refulgence upon the camp nestling under the cedars, 
 pines, and live-oaks, whose long, spreading branches were 
 covered with hanging moss, it presented a picture worthy to 
 awaken ecstacy in an artist. 
 
 While in this camp Lieutenant Ebersold and two officers 
 of another regiment, desiring some "wet commissaries," 
 sought the department of the division where such supplies 
 
A MULE RACE. 399 
 
 were to be obtained, and had their canteens filled. Ebersold 
 rode a fractious mule and his comrades were mounted upon 
 fleet horses. During their return, having got upon a piece of 
 road that invited the sport, a race was proposed. The mule 
 was given a few rods the advantage in the start and proved 
 the victor in the first contest. Soon another good piece of 
 road admitted a second trial and the riders of the horses 
 accepted another challenge. The lieutenant s mule kept the 
 front at a tremendous rate, but meeting a team at a turn in 
 the road, bolted and dashed through a heavy thorn hedge, 
 which not only scratched him severely but frightened him 
 into new speed. No obstacles could daunt the madly ex 
 cited animal, and his daring rider was not to be unseated. 
 More hedges were met with which lacerated the mule and 
 tore the clothes of his rider. The camps of some of the 
 troops were finally encountered, but the mule was no re 
 specter of place or person, and went plunging on at break 
 neck run, with his rider hanging to him like grim death. 
 The soldiers were astir about their quarters getting their sup 
 pers. Dog-tents, tables, cooking appliances, and everything 
 about the camps in the track were demolished. Coffee-pots 
 and camp-kettles were upset and their contents splashed 
 about. Angry yells arose from every command which the 
 lieutenant in his utter helplessness visited so unceremoni 
 ously, and the havoc continued until the the Fifty-fifth 
 encampment was gained, when the race ended. The quad 
 ruped looked as though he had gone through a threshing 
 machine, and Ebersold had certainly little of that dignified 
 appearance which he has of late been noted for while pre 
 siding as chief of police over the peace of Chicago. 
 
 Our rest and enjoyment in this delightful camp and its 
 beautiful surroundings, were of short duration. December 
 1 7th found us on the march along the Savannah and Gulf 
 railroad, which the division destroyed for a distance of 
 twenty miles from the Ogeechee. Leaving camp before the 
 steamers with commissary supplies had arrived at King s 
 Bridge, the regiment could draw no government rations, and 
 the country afforded very little besides rice. The very 
 fatiguing labor of tearing up the track, added to the insufTi- 
 
400 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ciency of food, proved severe upon the men, On the nine 
 teenth, in the evening, we received full rations again, and 
 with them the first mail matter we had seen for six weeks. 
 To say that all were made doubly happy but half expresses 
 the situation. The gnawings of hunger were momentarily 
 forgotten in the anxiety to read the news from the dear ones 
 at home. It was a curious spectacle: the half-starved boys 
 all through the camps reading their letters held in one hand 
 while devouring hard-tack from the other, thus exhibiting a 
 conflict between appetite and noble sensibilities. 
 
 On December 2ist the civil authorities surrendered the 
 city of Savannah, General Hardee having escaped with his 
 forces into South Carolina. The same day we finished the 
 destruction of the railway and returned to our beautiful camp. 
 This victory won by Sherman s army was supplemented by 
 the announcement of the glorious triumph of General Thomas 
 at Nashville. The Christmas present of Savannah to Presi 
 dent Lincoln was little more valuable than the contributions 
 from the armies in the West. The true greatness of our suc 
 cess was not to be measured, however, until its bearing upon 
 the succeeding campaign was determined; and it was vastly 
 enhanced because won with so little loss of life. Many regi 
 ments had not a casualty in their ranks, and the health of the 
 troops was excellent. The Fifty-fifth could muster in camp 
 every man that marched from Atlanta. Hardly a dose of 
 medicine had been administered in the whole campaign. 
 
 Details from the brigade were daily sent to report to the 
 ordnance officer in Fort McAllister, to assist in dismantling 
 that fortification. Guns and military stores were loaded upon 
 vessels for transportation to the North. The weather had 
 become suddenly cold and blustering, making it disagreeable 
 living in our slight shelters. On the first day of the new year, 
 1865, we marched to Savannah, and encamped on the second 
 just outside of the city. Having exhausted all other supplies 
 we subsisted entirely upon rice during these two days. There 
 was great abundance of this, mostly in the husk, on the 
 neighboring plantations; but rice alone, with not even enough 
 salt to season it, soldiers, however hungry, found to be an 
 unsavory dish. Two weeks rest was enjoyed at Savannah, 
 
IN SAVANNAH. 4OI 
 
 and the men built convenient huts, in which they were quite 
 comfortable. General Logan returned and assumed com 
 mand of his corps January 8th. 
 
 Savannah, which ranks as one of the most beautiful cities 
 of the South, did not seem to our soldiers to bear favorable 
 comparison in many respects with the Northern cities of sim 
 ilar size. It is neither remarkable for its works of art, nor 
 for fine architecture. Its chief features of attraction to us 
 were the rows of beautiful trees along the streets, and the 
 little circular parks at every second street crossing. A pretty 
 fountain adorns one of these numerous open places, and a 
 monument to the memory of Pulaski occupies the centre of 
 another. The streets were but sandy roads, difficult for 
 travel. 
 
 Great freedom was allowed the enlisted men during their 
 two weeks stay here. Thousands of soldiers were to be 
 daily seen strolling about the streets, and the relief from re 
 straint was not seriously abused. The citizens, many of 
 whom retained their affection for the old flag, manifested 
 deep interest in the boys in blue, treating them with uniform 
 courtesy; and the respect generally shown for private prop 
 erty by the troops showed their appreciation of such treat 
 ment. Several Union prisoners who had escaped and been 
 secreted and cared for by loyal citizens came out into the 
 joyous sunlight to welcome the Stars and Stripes, and rejoin 
 their comrades. 
 
 The colored race here as elsewhere had been the truest 
 friends of those who were unfortunate enough to taste the 
 woes of captivity. Thousands of old soldiers to this day 
 bless some black-man who rendered them invaluable aid in 
 the hour of their great need. And though ignorant and credu 
 lous, none were ever found who gave credence to the tales of 
 their masters alleging that horrible cruelties were the common 
 amusement of the Yankees. They had a confidence born of 
 inspiration in "Lincum s sojers" a confidence that could not 
 be shaken. When, as it often happened during the march, 
 information was given by the slaves, it could always be relied 
 upon, and again and again the neighborhood of the enemy 
 was disclosed and the secret hiding places of horses, mules 
 26 
 
402 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 and forage made known, to the great advantage of the army. 
 One day there came into the lines two escaped prisoners, 
 bringing with them an aged negro upon a mule. This freed 
 slave had hidden them in the swamps and fed them for weeks, 
 and in the warmth of their gratitude the men vowed that 
 their benefactor should ride to freedom and be fed on the 
 best of the land for the rest of his life. 
 
 The freedmen became faithful servants to the soldiers 
 to enlisted men as well as officers in camp and on the 
 march, voluntarily and often with no hope of pecuniary re 
 ward. Every mess soon had its black waiter, who would lead 
 the donkey loaded with utensils and provisions, do the cook 
 ing, and perform all the other work he was called upon to do. 
 Many of these men remained with the regiment until the 
 close of the war, and some came North with it. A few of 
 the more faithful colored boys of the Fifty-fifth were consid 
 ered as much a part of it as those sworn into the service, and 
 when the hour of final separation came a hearty shake of the 
 hand and a "God bless you" was given them with the warmth 
 that should be shown to a true and tried friend. These ne 
 groes realized that slavery was the exciting cause of the war, 
 and that the result of the conflict would determine their 
 future; and they rarely failed to do their whole duty by those 
 whom they recognized as their self-sacrificing benefactors. 
 
 On January I4th the army abandoned its camps about 
 Savannah and started northward to pay its respects to that 
 state which of all states was most responsible for the incep 
 tion of the unholy rebellion. The soldiers had long wished 
 for the opportunity to set foot upon the soil of South Caro 
 lina, and the anticipation of a victorious march through that 
 hot-bed of secession aroused in them renewed enthusiasm 
 and noisy rejoicing. The long pent up spirit of revenge for 
 sufferings endured and comrades slain was bound to burst 
 forth when they found themselves in the very nursery of 
 sedition, and the inhabitants, conscious of their responsibility 
 for the war, were with reason terrified at the rumor even of 
 invasion. They could but dimly foreshadow, however, the 
 woes in store for them. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FROM SAVANNAH TO GOLDSBOROUGH. 
 
 THE Fifty-fifth embarked upon the steamer George Leary 
 on January i6th, and after a few hours of uneventful ex 
 perience among the Atlantic s waves, it entered the harbor of 
 Hilton Head, then dotted with more than a hundred vessels 
 of various tonnage, all flying the national colors. As the 
 steamer neared the wharf, the last rays of the setting sun 
 were kissing the salt billows and playing hide-and-seek 
 among the rigging and sails of the fleet, numerous bands 
 were discoursing their choicest music, and the admiring sol 
 diers of the West gave cheer upon cheer in their exultation 
 amid these impressive surroundings. A camp was selected 
 a short distance beyond Beaufort, where the regiment re 
 mained nearly a fortnight in luxurious ease, save that in fair 
 weather the men were daily exercised for two or three hours 
 in battalion drill. To most of the Western soldiers the oys 
 ter was a very rare delicacy, but here the bivalves were so 
 abundant and cheap that all feasted upon them without stint. 
 During the last days of the month of January the division 
 was engaged in building corduroy roads in the direction of 
 Pocotaligo, the weather being rainy and the swamps flooded. 
 The whole army was in motion on the thirtieth, and the inva 
 sion of South Carolina had begun. The Seventeenth Corps 
 was the right flanking column, next the Salkehatchie River. 
 The Fifteenth Corps marched on a parallel road a few miles 
 to the left, and the Fourteenth and Twentieth moved from 
 the Savannah River. Thus if the crossing of the Salke 
 hatchie was disputed, or the line of the Charleston and 
 
404 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Augusta railway defended, as was to be anticipated if com 
 petent generalship governed Confederate councils, a junction 
 of Union forces could be speedily effected sufficient to sweep 
 everything before it. The weather was all that could be de 
 sired, and the roads were excellent where they had become 
 dry. 
 
 After passing Pocotaligo, from which the enemy had been 
 driven several days before with little loss, clouds of black 
 smoke soon began to darken the sky. All deserted residences 
 and other structures supposed to belong to slave-holders were 
 sure to have the torch applied to them. This incendiarism 
 was of course without authority, and clandestine. The at 
 tempts of the general officers of the Fifteenth Corps to pre 
 vent wanton destruction were constant and vigorous, but 
 availed little. South Carolina was to reap the reward for her 
 hellish work in precipitating rebellion. She had been fore 
 most in sowing the whirlwind, and she was to reap a cyclone. 
 In her central position she doubtless expected to be secure 
 from the devastating tread of hostile armies, but fifty thou 
 sand patriots had sought her out, and in their triumphal 
 march with fire and sword made her pay dearly for her vanity 
 and selfishness. Throughout the state the progress of each 
 corps was signaled far and wide by the columns of flame and 
 smoke that day by day rose from burning buildings, as the 
 army moved northward by parallel routes. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth had the advance on February 2d, and skir 
 mished with cavalry at different times during the day, sus 
 taining no loss. In the evening the enemy were found in 
 considerable force across Duck Creek, when the brigade was 
 brought into line, and after a lively fusilade dislodged them. 
 Five rebel dead were found and several prisoners were taken. 
 The brigade lost three wounded. In this position we remained 
 the following day, waiting for other troops to cross the stream. 
 The regimental foragers came in on the evening of February 
 4th, bringing an abundant supply of provisions, which were 
 much needed. 
 
 The Big Salkehatchie was crossed at Buford s Bridge on 
 the fifth, and the Little Salkehatchie near Springtown Church, 
 on the sixth. The resistance encountered was easily over- 
 
INVASION OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 405 
 
 come, probably because the Seventeenth Corps, by dashing 
 assaults, had crossed the river and carried two strong posi 
 tions several miles below. An extensive tete de pont con 
 fronted the Fifteenth Corps at Buford s Bridge, but its 
 garrison had fled. It had been foretold that Hardee, whose 
 army numbered thirty thousand, would make a persistent 
 stand on the Salkehatchie line, and its speedy abandonment 
 was a surprise. The following day preparations were ordered 
 for a contest to get possession of the Augusta and Charles 
 ton railroad. It is said that Generals Howard and Logan 
 were in consultation about the details of a general advance 
 for this purpose, when a forager upon a white mule came 
 cantering from the front and saluted them with "Hurry up! 
 hurry up! We ve got the railroad." The bummers and for 
 agers had taken the road at two or three points about Mid 
 way, and were already throwing up defensive works to hold 
 it, while the generals were planning for the attack. One day 
 was spent in tearing up the roadway, and the command was 
 again "forward." 
 
 The South Edisto was reached on the ninth, at Holman s 
 Bridge, and the rebel infantry were found holding the oppo 
 site bank. To the First brigade was assigned the duty of 
 forcing a crossing. The Fifty-fifth was deployed, and its 
 skirmishers were soon engaged at short range across the 
 deep, narrow river. The Confederate sharp-shooters, con 
 cealed in the trees, made it extremely hot for a time, and it 
 was found hopeless to attempt a passage in front of the 
 works. Captain Andress, with a lieutenant and twenty-three 
 men, by a circuitous route through the swamp, finally effected 
 a crossing higher up the stream. After safely passing one 
 channel or bayou, they had to wade for two or three hours in 
 water from one to two feet deep, before reaching the main 
 river, which they at last got over by walking out upon a 
 drifting raft of logs and brush as far as possible, and then 
 wading in water waist deep. They soon became aware that 
 a camp of Confederate cavalry was within sixty rods of them, 
 and that their approach was apparently not suspected. This 
 force was evidently the reserve of that engaged at the bridge 
 a mile away, and it was determined to attack the camp, trust- 
 
406 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ing that the surprise would rout the detachment, and that the 
 main body at the bridge, supposing themselves assailed in 
 the rear, would at once give way. 
 
 Skirmishers were sent forward, but when within about 
 thirty rods of the camp were brought to a stand by a mill- 
 race. Observations from this point being reported to Captain 
 Andress, he prudently ordered a withdrawal, his force being 
 too small to give hope of a successful surprise. Sergeant 
 Bigbee, who had command of the skirmishers, could with 
 difficulty restrain his men from firing upon an unsuspecting 
 straggler from the camp, who came out within range of their 
 place of concealment. In their retreat they were discovered 
 by a rebel sentinel, and a great commotion was noticed; but 
 no attempt was made to pursue them. Darkness closing 
 down, after long and tiresome wading through the swamp, all 
 effort to regain the command that night was abandoned. 
 The party found as dry a spot of ground as they could and 
 lay down together, cold, wet and hungry, to await the open 
 ing of another day. The next morning they rejoined the 
 regiment to find that the Confederates had withdrawn from 
 their intrenchments at the bridge, no doubt hastened by the 
 report from their reserves that the Yankees were crossing the 
 river above. The Seventeenth Corps had crossed at Binnak- 
 er s Bridge, several miles below, during the night. 
 
 Intrenchments were now thrown up at the end of each 
 day s march, for the enemy was reported to be in our front 
 in great strength. The North Edisto was reached February 
 1 2th. Shilling s Bridge, our intended place of crossing, had 
 been burnt, and rifle-pits strongly manned blocked the road. 
 While the Second brigade engaged the enemy here, General 
 Hazen led the First and Third two miles below. A floating 
 bridge was quickly constructed and a crossing effected, but 
 a swamp was found beyond three-fourths of a mile wide, and 
 flooded to a depth varying from one to five feet. The gen 
 eral and staff led the way, and the First brigade followed 
 without waiting for orders. For a time short men were at a 
 discount. The Third brigade followed closely, and the troops 
 at the bridge, finding themselves completely flanked, beat a 
 hasty retreat, the Second brigade crossing in time to capture 
 
APPROACHING COLUMBIA. 407 
 
 over fifty prisoners. The total loss in the division was re 
 ported as one killed, one drowned and four or five wounded. 
 The Seventeenth Corps at the same hour occupied the little 
 city of Orangeburg. Thus the swamps of South Carolina, 
 which the Confederates boasted were to swallow up Sherman 
 and his army, were safely passed with insignificant loss, and 
 the whole force with all its trains was upon high ground, with 
 the broad highways leading east to Charleston and north to 
 Columbia open before it. Which way would it turn? The 
 average soldier hardly troubled himself to ask the question. 
 All roads were the same that led to victory. 
 
 To illustrate the recklessness of soldiers the following 
 simple incident is given: On the morning of the thirteenth, 
 while the regiment was patiently waiting to take its proper 
 place in the moving column, the writer climbed a tall pine to 
 see which course the advance took after marching through 
 Orangeburg, a mile ahead. One of the men, as a practical 
 joke, began chopping down the tree. An order to "come 
 down out of that" being unheeded, the chopping was per 
 sisted in, and finally the tree and the game fell to the ground, 
 the latter with an injured foot which made riding in an ambu 
 lance for a few days a necessity. 
 
 Turning towards Columbia the army was brought into 
 more compact arrangement in expectancy of battle, for the 
 Confederate generals had been given ample time to perfect 
 concentration and prepare for a stubborn resistance in de 
 fence of the state capital. As we drew near Columbia, 
 entering a more densely peopled district, the whole country 
 seemed on fire at times. The inhabitants of that city could 
 plainly see the columns of smoke rapidly coming nearer day 
 by day, and anticipate the retribution about to overwhelm 
 them. The First division encountered a large force of Con 
 federates at Congaree Creek, south of and about five miles 
 from Columbia. This force was soon pushed back, and was 
 pursued by both the First and Second divisions, which took 
 position with their right resting on the Congaree River, and 
 their left at Congaree Creek. Here earth-works were quickly 
 thrown up. It was dark before the line was fully established, 
 and the camp-fires disclosed its direction to the enemy. 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 About nine o clock a rebel battery opened from across the 
 river, completely enfilading the works. In an instant the 
 fires were extinguished, and each company made a right 
 wheel and built traverses for protection, in the shelter of 
 which the men lay until morning. The battery annoyed the 
 line all night, firing shells at regular intervals. Some of 
 Company F had a turkey boiling in a camp-kettle when the 
 battery got the range. A shell struck the kettle, and not a 
 fragment of that, and only a faint smell of turkey, could be 
 afterwards discovered. The language aired upon that occa 
 sion would create consternation in a Sabbath-school. 
 
 At dawn the advanced skirmishers found the Congaree 
 Bridge at Columbia destroyed, and a battery upon the oppo 
 site shore fired on them. A few cavalry soldiers and numbers 
 of citizens were rushing to and fro in the streets, or watching 
 for the approach of Sherman s army. 
 
 The Second division moved at once to the Saluda River, 
 two miles beyond. The bridge at Saluda factory had been 
 burned. Generals Sherman, Howard, Slocum and Logan 
 came up together, and the Fifty-fifth Illinois, with the Thir 
 tieth Ohio, were ordered to cross the river upon pontoons in 
 the face of the rebels, push across to the Broad River, and 
 save the bridge over that stream, if possible. The order was 
 executed with a will. The enemy were driven on the double- 
 quick over the two miles between the Saluda and the Broad, 
 and across the covered bridge; but the planks had been tur 
 pentined, and a match set the bridge in a blaze instantly, 
 which prevented the Fifty-fifth from being the first of the 
 Union army to enter Columbia. During the charge over the 
 peninsula, one of the regiment is said by his comrades to 
 have passed through a smoke-house that stood in his way, 
 and to have come out with a ham upon his bayonet, without 
 losing a step. Sergeant Mills of Company A ran a Confed 
 erate cavalry-man into such close quarters that he dropped 
 his saddle-bags filled with corn-bread and boiled sweet pota 
 toes, which came very opportunely in the dearth of rations 
 then existing. 
 
 During the night pontoon bridges were thrown over both 
 the Saluda and Broad, and on the morning of February i;th 
 
BURNING OF COLUMBIA. 409 
 
 the army marched triumphantly into humiliated Columbia. 
 The Fifteenth Corps had the advance. The city was soon 
 filled with thousands of straggling soldiers, who seemed to 
 believe that the judgment day for South Carolina had arrived, 
 and that they were ordained to pass and execute sentence 
 upon her capital. Before the army entered the city bales of 
 cotton were burning in several places along the chief streets. 
 The wind rose during the evening to a gale, scattering flocks 
 of smoking cotton far and wide. By these, aided doubtless 
 by the incendiary matches of escaped prisoners and inebri 
 ated soldiers, the central portion of Columbia was fired and 
 rapidly swept away in storm-driven flames. An immense 
 amount of supplies and munitions of war of all kinds had 
 been collected here for safety and distribution. Some of 
 these had already been destroyed by Hampton s cavalry to 
 prevent them from falling into Union hands. What remained 
 that could not at once be utilized by the army were burned, 
 thrown into the river, or blown up with the arsenal. The 
 beautiful, unfinished capitol was not seriously injured, 
 although the stately facade will long bear a scar or two made 
 by De Gress s Battery from the other side of the river, in the 
 first salute paid to the Confederate flag floating over it. 
 
 The scenes of that night were the most horrible of the 
 kind we had seen during the whole war. The fire spread in 
 all directions from many centres. Shifting winds scattered 
 the burning brands from roof to roof, and from one part of 
 the city to another. Brigades were ordered out to fight the 
 flames, and the generals used their best efforts to this end; 
 but for a long time all labor was fruitless. The seal of de 
 struction had been set upon the city, and it was doomed. 
 Hundreds of the terror-stricken inhabitants were running 
 hither and thither to save themselves and what few things 
 they could wrest from the fire-fiend. Women and children 
 left roofless were seeking shelter with wringing hands, cries 
 of anguish, and faces paled with mortal fear. About forty 
 blocks, including all the chief business portion of the place, 
 and the best of the private residences, were entirely wiped 
 out. Columbia was a beautiful city, and its destruction was 
 a severe blow to its inhabitants and to the state. The people 
 
410 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 began more fully to realize that their cause was lost, and their 
 property at the mercy of a long-suffering and victorious 
 army. 
 
 Little comment need be made respecting the manner of, 
 and responsibility for, the burning of Columbia. It only paid 
 the just penalty for its treason. It was among the first to 
 cry out for war, and at length reaped its reward. If, as sol 
 diers mostly believed, the conflagration was in some measure 
 due to the revengeful action of scores of escaped prisoners, 
 fresh from the terrible sufferings needlessly inflicted by their 
 Southern jailers, few that saw the condition of these men 
 will harshly blame them. The chief officers of the Union 
 army made every exertion to stay the flames. 
 
 Among all the gloomy and distressing surroundings shone 
 out the smiling faces of the colored people. The welcome 
 given to General Sherman by the negroes was singularly 
 touching. As has been told by a historian of the campaign, 
 they greeted his arrival with exclamations of unbounded joy. 
 "Tank de Almighty God," they said, "Mister Sherman has 
 come at last. We knew it; we prayed for de day, and de 
 good Jesus heard our prayers. Mr. Sherman has come wid 
 his company." Groups of negroes lined the streets and sent 
 up cheers of welcome to the passing column. They seemed 
 to realize that the destruction of their masters power was 
 their own salvation. While the whites were crest-fallen, and 
 plainly showed their distressed state of mind, the blacks 
 were joyous and exultant. They believed that the day of 
 jubilee had come. An old colored couple occupied a small 
 building which was miraculously left in the heart of the burnt 
 district. They knew that the Almighty had specially pre 
 served them, and no one was disposed to dispute this when 
 viewing the surroundings. 
 
 All the railroads leading into Columbia were soon com 
 pletely destroyed. This work was done, as in many instances 
 before, by distributing the troops along the road-bed and 
 assigning a portion to each regiment. Two sets of men, 
 using a rail, pried up the track; others piled the ties with the 
 rails in the centre, the ends projecting several feet from the 
 pile; fire was started, and when the rails were so hot that the 
 
ON THE WAY TO CHERAW. 4*1 
 
 ends dropped, short levers with couplings fastened to them 
 were applied by two or three men to each end of a rail, one 
 party twisting one way and the other in the opposite direc 
 tion. In this manner each rail for several feet in the centre 
 was made to look like a cork-screw. Sometimes rails were 
 bent around the trees near the track. These were called 
 Jeff Davis s neck-ties. One regiment could thus destroy 
 several miles in a day. 
 
 The army resumed the march on February 2Oth, and 
 reached the Wateree River on the. 22d, whence a small force 
 of the enemy was dispersed, a pontoon bridge laid, and the 
 troops safely crossed. The regiment was in front on pioneer 
 duty on the twenty-third, but the country being broken and 
 the roads good it had little work to do. 
 
 On February 24th we passed through Camden of revolu 
 tionary fame, where a lot of old whiskey and bottled wine 
 was captured. Some of the last had seals over the corks 
 dated 1832. It had rained all day, the men s clothing was 
 completely soaked, and they went into bivouac weary and 
 down-hearted. A copious inward application of the captured 
 juice of the grape counteracted fatigue, drove away trouble, 
 and cheerfulness reigned throughout the camp. The regi 
 ment acted as rear guard on the twenty-fifth, and with the 
 Thirtieth Ohio encamped at Kelly s Bridge over Lynch 
 Creek, while the rest of the brigade advanced six miles to a 
 bridge higher up the stream. We joined it the following 
 morning, then countermarched to the same ground we had 
 occupied the night before; all of which extra fatigue was 
 occasioned by a miscarriage of orders. Some of the Fifty- 
 fifth foragers were missing for three days, but returned with 
 a lot of mules and more wet weather antidotes, which were 
 greatly needed, as it rained daily. These rains so raised the 
 creek that the army did not move until March 1st. The 
 streams and bottom lands for a long distance had to be 
 bridged, when the water subsided enough to permit it. Be 
 fore all had crossed, the water had fallen so that most of the 
 bridging was removed from the road. 
 
 We reached Cheraw on the Great Pedee during the fourth. 
 There had been a camp rumor that thirty thousand Confed- 
 
412 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 erate troops were awaiting us here, prepared to obstinately 
 defend the place, and that General Lee had said that Sherman 
 must be defeated at Cheraw; yet a few hundred foragers 
 took it. It was also reported that as the army neared the 
 place General Sherman sent a message to General Logan, 
 directing him to halt his command and let the Twentieth 
 Corps occupy the town, as that division of the army had not 
 yet had the honor of taking any important point during the 
 campaign. General Logan replied by messenger: "I have 
 halted my corps, but my bummers took Cheraw yesterday." 
 A large amount of merchandise and munitions of war had 
 been accumulated here, having been brought hither from 
 Charleston at the beginning of the campaign, when Sherman 
 was supposed to be moving upon that city. The enemy 
 made such haste to escape from our advance that everything 
 was left intact. Among the captures here were twenty-five 
 cannon, chiefly twenty-pounder rifled guns, from which a 
 salute was fired in honor of the second inauguration of 
 Lincoln. 
 
 Fayetteville was captured after a sharp skirmish, March 
 1 2th. Here was a supply depot of great importance to the 
 enemy. The old United States arsenal had been enlarged 
 and used to its utmost capacity in the manufacture of ord 
 nance stores, but everything was abandoned uninjured. The 
 fleet-footed defenders, escaping across Cape Fear River, 
 burned the bridge behind them. The pontoons were soon 
 brought to the front, and the army was not long detained. 
 The regiment went out with a forage train on the thirteenth, 
 returning at nine o clock at night, after a march of thirty 
 miles. Boats came up the river from Wilmington, opening 
 communications, but brought few supplies, and the army was 
 much in need of provisions and clothing, particularly of shoes. 
 A large number of refugees, who had sadly encumbered the 
 army since our leaving Columbia, were sent down the river 
 on the returning boats. These unfortunates, mostly colored, 
 had by thousands followed the army with a confidence that 
 was child-like. They were ready to do anything or go any 
 where, as Sherman directed. 
 
 At Fayetteville, as at other places where the troops had 
 
AT FAYETTEVILLE. 413 
 
 been delayed a sufficient time, the train teams were inspected 
 and all worthless mules and horses were replaced by better 
 ones captured from the inhabitants. The rejected animals 
 were corralled on the banks of a river, and a detail of soldiers 
 surrounded and shot them, many falling into the stream. 
 Thousands were disposed of in this way to prevent them 
 from becoming useful to the Confederacy. Thus the war 
 was prosecuted in every way to cripple the enemy. It was a 
 campaign of obliteration. 
 
 Every division train was also inspected by a regiment, and 
 all goods found therein of a nature by order forbidden to be 
 carried in the wagons were taken out. Sometimes books, 
 furniture, tobacco, and all kinds of household goods would 
 be found. The tobacco and all eatables would be issued to 
 the troops, and the other articles were destroyed. This work 
 created a good deal of merriment for the inspectors, but 
 chagrin and wrath in the train men, who often lost trophies 
 of war which they highly prized. 
 
 The rain poured down in torrents during March I5th and 
 i6th, flooding the country, here a continuous swamp. A part 
 of the Twentieth and Fourteenth Corps had a severe fight 
 on the sixteenth at Averysborough, about thirty miles south 
 of Raleigh, and finally drove from intrenchments a force of 
 ten thousand Confederates. The bad roads and the presence 
 of the enemy in force on front and flank made foraging very 
 unproductive. The activity of the rebels indicated that Gen 
 eral Joseph Johnston, who was now in command, would 
 stand for a test battle at the next favorable position. The 
 advance of the Fourteenth Corps was attacked March igth 
 by a superior force of the enemy. A heavy engagement was 
 soon in progress, and lasted all day, resulting finally in the 
 enemy s repulse with severe loss. The right wing of the 
 army was marching on a parallel road six miles away. Our 
 division remained in camp until ten o clock in the afternoon 
 to allow the other divisions of the corps to pass. We had 
 made eight miles by midnight, when we were countermarched 
 and hastened to the assistance of the left wing, making eight 
 een miles by six o clock in the morning, at which hour we 
 joined the right of the Fourteenth Corps. 
 
 Our regimental foragers encountered a large force of cav- 
 
414 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 airy and lost two men captured. Lewis Winget of Company 
 F was also taken prisoner while venturing too far from the 
 column of march. We moved forward at noon two miles 
 through a continuous swamp, the Sixth Missouri and Thirti 
 eth Ohio in advance, deployed as skirmishers. They drove 
 the rebels into their works, sustaining some loss. The Fifty- 
 fifth relieved the Sixth Missouri at dusk, and immediately 
 began a lively skirmish. Firing was kept up more or less 
 vigorously all night, the lines being in close proximity, the 
 Confederates posted behind intrenchments. 
 
 Joseph Moorehead of Company G was here killed. He, 
 with Lingenfelter of Company A, were together upon picket, 
 and saw a flash of light as if from a lantern. Moorehead 
 said that if it appeared again he should fire at it. He was 
 advised not to do so, but, as good as his word, he shot at it 
 the next time he saw it. Simultaneously with the flash of 
 his musket came the report of a rebel rifle, and he fell dead 
 at his comrade s feet. Moorehead was one of the youngest 
 men in the regiment, being but twenty years of age when 
 slain. He had served his country faithfully for nearly four 
 years, and at this our last battle he heroically lay down his 
 life. Captain Giles F. Hand, who had charge of the picket 
 line, was slightly wounded in the head. It was a severe ex 
 perience for the men; they had marched all the night previ 
 ous, their rations were exhausted, and the foragers were 
 unable to supply them because of the presence of the enemy 
 in great force throughout the country around. 
 
 The sergeant-major, with a detail of men and the pack 
 animals, was sent back through the swamp to find division 
 headquarters, report the situation, and procure ammunition 
 and axes. It was nearly dawn before the detail returned to 
 the regiment, having marched several miles to accomplish its 
 errand. The regiment was relieved in the morning, when the 
 men endeavored to take a little rest. During March 2ist the 
 right wing got into position, and the Seventeenth Corps 
 became hotly engaged. The same day there was skirmish 
 ing or hard fighting from extreme right to left. Both wings 
 by forward movements upon the flanks, gradually began to 
 envelope the enemy s position. 
 
 In our front there was only sharp skirmishing by a strong 
 
BATTLE OF BENTONVILLE. 415 
 
 picket line. When volunteers were called for to re-enforce 
 the pickets, twenty of the Fifty-fifth instantly stepped for 
 ward, and were soon hotly engaged. Aaron Lingenfelter, 
 one of the number, was severely wounded in the right shoul 
 der. He was the last of the regiment hit by Confederate 
 bullet in battle. He still lives, a great sufferer from the 
 grave injury then received. 
 
 Lieutenant Ridenour had charge of the brigade pickets 
 during that night, and in posting them encountered the rebels; 
 but the dense darkness admonished all to keep quiet until 
 the lines were established, when courtesies ended in a brisk 
 fire from both sides, which was kept up in order to prevent 
 the men from going to sleep, for they had been marching or 
 on continuous duty for three days and nights. 
 
 The enemy had tried their strength sufficiently in the effort 
 to put a period to Sherman s progress, and were glad to take 
 advantage of night and steal away. When the morning of 
 the twenty-third opened, Johnston was retreating towards 
 Raleigh. The army took up the march on the twenty-third, 
 and on the twenty-fourth it encamped in the vicinity of 
 Goldsborough, on the New Berne road, to rest awhile and 
 enjoy the fruits of the most memorable campaign of its kind 
 in modern warfare. In the fifty days since leaving Beaufort 
 the regiment had marched five hundred and sixteen miles, 
 and eight hundred and fifty miles since starting from Atlanta. 
 There had not during this period been a single death among 
 its number from disease a remarkable fact considering the 
 hard service. At this camp several of those left behind in 
 hospital when the march to the sea began, rejoined the 
 command. 
 
 Not only had the campaign ended gloriously, but the bat 
 tle losses had been extremely light. A wide expanse of 
 country had been scorched by the blight that always attends 
 the tread of an invading army. It should be noted here that 
 the devastation so conspicuous while in South Carolina for 
 the most part ceased after the boundary of North Carolina 
 was passed. General Sherman in his report says: "We have 
 traversed the country from Savannah to Goldsborough with 
 an average breadth of forty miles, consuming all the forage, 
 cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, cured meats, corn meal, etc. 
 
416 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 The public enemy, instead of drawing supplies from that 
 region to feed his armies, will be compelled to send provis 
 ions from other quarters to feed the inhabitants." The very 
 vitals of the Confederacy had been pierced through and 
 through, and its days were already numbered. Its army 
 could not be held together longer, and it only required one 
 more blow to break it in pieces. That blow was soon given. 
 
 March 27th a detail from the Fifty-fifth went out as guard 
 to a forage train. The party was attacked by a superior 
 force of rebels. L. B. Mohler of K, attempting to escape, 
 was fired upon and fell from his horse. Sergeant William 
 Constantine of I, and Corporal J. A. Cameron of D, were 
 captured not far away, and saw afterwards a group of Con 
 federates, one of whom had on Mohler s boots, another his 
 coat, a third his hat, and a fourth his pantaloons. They then 
 believed that Mohler was killed, and as he has never been 
 heard from since, it is probable that he was slain the last of 
 the regiment to fall by a rebel bullet. These were the final 
 war casualties in the Fifty-fifth, ending a long list which few 
 regiments in the Union army can equal. Constantine and 
 Cameron were soon exchanged, and reported to the regiment. 
 
 The entire loss in the Fifty-fifth during the campaigns 
 from Atlanta to Goldsborough was two killed, two wounded, 
 and five captured. The aggregate effective strength of the 
 regiment on April 1st, 1865, was one hundred and forty-three. 
 Total aggregate present and absent, two hundred and thirty- 
 eight. This was a small remnant of the full battalion that 
 left Chicago in 1861. A large proportion of the missing 
 filled soldiers graves in ten different states. The flag of the 
 Fifty-fifth was always found at the front, and no demands, 
 however severe the work might be, were made upon the regi 
 ment to which it did not respond cheerfully. Its brigade 
 and division were frequently chosen for arduous duties which 
 were always performed such duties as only the bravest of 
 the brave are competent to achieve. The regiment had 
 grown weak in numbers, but was yet strong in character. 
 Little discipline was exacted by the officers in the latter part 
 of the war, for every man could be relied upon to know and 
 to do his duty at all times. Long association had made us 
 one family. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE* FORAGERS. 
 
 r T^O keep a large army in an enemy s country well fed by 
 1 supplies gathered day by day along the region through 
 which it was marching, required a thoroughly organized and 
 efficient force. Upon the foraging parties devolved a very 
 important part of the campaigns through Georgia and the 
 Carolinas, and a special chapter is therefore devoted to their 
 work and adventures. Could one-half the exploits of even 
 the Fifty-fifth s foragers be told in graphic language, the ac 
 count would fill volumes with interesting reading. 
 
 A detail was made from every regiment, consisting of one 
 enlisted man from each company, under command of a 
 commissioned officer. Only the most daring were selected 
 for this hazardous duty. The life of the army was in some 
 measure in the hands of these men, and they guarded well 
 their trust. Scarcely a day passed but they were required to 
 engage in more or less skirmishing, and often hard fighting 
 was necessary to drive away the Confederate cavalry that 
 hung about the front and flanks of the army. Whenever an 
 opposing force was met too strong for the advance party, 
 they had not long to wait before re-enforcement of others 
 came, and soon the rebels had to leave, and on the double- 
 quick. An officer was placed in.charge over the details from 
 each brigade, but his office was generally a sinecure, for the 
 companies could not be kept together, each striving to get 
 farthest from the column in its chosen direction. He there- 
 27 
 
418 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 fore had to content himself with accompanying one of the 
 parties, and his foraging generalship was of little benefit. 
 The Fifty-fifth detail consisted of the following comrades: 
 
 Captain ROBERT OLIVER, Co. C. JACOB W. KEFFER, Co. F. 
 
 Sergeant JOSEPH H, MILLS, " A. JASON R. EMERY, " G. 
 
 CHARLES S. VANDERVERT, " B. COLUMBUS C. BIGBEE, " H. 
 
 EARL P. GOODWIN, " C. PETER EBERSOLD, " I. 
 
 CHARLTON G. EDWARDS, " D. L. B. MOHLER, " K. 
 CHRISTIAN LEIBUNDGUTH, " E. 
 
 This force was changed a little at times, but remained 
 practically as given to the close of the war. All proved to 
 be experts in the profession. What they could not find and 
 bring to camp was beyono! human sagacity and mule endur 
 ance. When the Fifty-fifth was short of rations it was cer 
 tain there was but little to be found in the locality, and the 
 army in general went hungry. 
 
 Captain Oliver carried written authority, endorsed by Gen 
 eral Sherman, by which he and his men could be identified 
 as duly authorized foragers. Such endorsement was expected 
 to afford some protection in case of capture, for the Confed 
 erates, and even guerillas, would show some respect for Sher 
 man s signature. His orders were to keep the regiment in 
 supplies, but to leave no family destitute of the necessaries 
 of life; a strict construction of which meant that the army 
 must live if the whole South starved. The instructions were 
 to break all fire-arms, capture all horses and mules, destroy 
 all wagons, carts and implements that might be used in 
 raising crops, and in fact leave the country as destitute as 
 possible of material that could be used in prolonging the war. 
 
 In obedience to these orders the men felt compelled at 
 times to do things at which their better natures revolted, but 
 the exigencies of war had to be respected, regardless of con 
 sequences. When the only family horse was hitched to the 
 carriage, loaded with all the cured meat and sweet potatoes 
 on the premises, and the women broke forth in sorrowful 
 lamentations, the men were >ften persuaded to yield some 
 thing to their tears and pleadings. A few incidents only will 
 here be given in the attempt to picture the daily experience 
 of the Fifty-fifth foragers. 
 
MISTAKEN HOSPITALITY. 4*9 
 
 One day while they were busily engaged in securing some 
 sweet potatoes, a company of rebel cavalry charged upon 
 them. They mounted, and in the retreat one of the mules 
 balked. The rebels, passing him, pressed after the rest, who 
 led them directly to the regiment, which happened to be 
 near by. The race then took a reverse direction, and it was 
 so rapid that the Confederates did not stop to deal with the 
 man on the balky mule, who continued bravely "holding his 
 position." 
 
 On another occasion, as they rode up to a fine house, the 
 lady of the mansion met them with smiles and courteous 
 greeting at the entrance. On demanding the keys of the 
 smoke-house and other buildings in which the provisions 
 were locked from the slaves, she readily gave them up. Af 
 ter a good supply had been taken out, she invited the soldiers 
 upon the porch, and her two daughters passed around plates 
 of cake, which each of the boys, accepted with a more or less 
 graceful bow and hearty thanks. Captain Oliver asked if 
 any of the rebel cavalry had been around lately. The women 
 seemed amazed at the question, and asked: "Ar nt you 
 Hampton s men?" He replied, "O, no; we belong to Sher 
 man s army." With terror-stricken countenances they retired 
 into the house, exclaiming in unison, with bated breath, "Are 
 you Yankees?" Being answered in the affirmative, one of 
 the girls asked, "Which is Sherman?" The stalwart captain 
 was pointed out to them, at whom they gazed in evident awe. 
 As many of the men wore southern suits, the mistaken iden 
 tity was not unreasonable. Some horses had been found in 
 the woods which were soon harnessed to a wagon heavily 
 loaded with a variety of supplies. By this time a hundred 
 other foragers had come up, but ours did not remain to see if 
 the cakes held out. They afterwards frequently addressed 
 their commander as General Sherman, and more than once 
 thereafter he was introduced to astonished natives by that 
 title. 
 
 At a place called Long Town, between Columbia and 
 Camden, the advance foragers had been surrounded and sev 
 eral captured. Those who escaped, in falling back met our 
 foragers, and reported that their lieutenant and a number of 
 
420 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 men were prisoners and under guard at a plantation. Others 
 soon came up, when all deployed and soon surrounded the 
 house, turning the tables on the rebels by taking them pris 
 oners. The lieutenant who had been for a brief time in 
 bondage, quickly, in a tone that said "delays are dangerous," 
 ordered a rebel to take off the blue uniform in which he had 
 been parading while guarding the owner, and was soon clad 
 in his own garments again. 
 
 At this plantation our party loaded a six-mule team with 
 hams and flour, and went back to the other end of the^town, 
 where the army had begun to come into camp. The vicinage 
 was a succession of rich plantations for three miles along the 
 highway, and the party spent that night at a wealthy planters, 
 where several young ladies entertained them by singing Con 
 federate songs. 
 
 In the vicinity of Camden provisions were far from abun 
 dant, and our foragers travelled a long distance from the 
 column to secure supplies. A heavy fog coming on, they 
 were lost for three days. The first day they captured eleven 
 horses and mules, and a colored man was put upon each ani 
 mal. The second day they reached Camden just at night, 
 when by chance they were informed of a quantity of liquors 
 buried in a field three miles beyond. Captain Oliver resolved 
 to obtain something with which to load his colored troopers, 
 and the party went on until the field was found, and began 
 digging. They were soon rewarded by finding the liquors, 
 which were mostly in glass bottles. Every negro had on two 
 or three pairs of pantaloons, having thus prepared himself 
 with surplus clothing for the journey to freedom when Sher 
 man should come along. The captain ordered them to take 
 off all but one pair; strings were tied around the bottoms of 
 the legs, the bottles were placed in them, and the trousers 
 thus loaded were straddled over the backs of the animals in 
 front and in rear of the riders. In this manner each negro 
 carried several bottles, and the cavalcade presented a very 
 ludicrous appearance. One of the horsemen, who had got 
 too much of the captured stimulant inside the clothes he 
 still wore, being mounted upon a fractious mule, began to fly 
 about in an erratic way. One of the bottles hit a tree and 
 
RUNNING A GRIST-MILL. 4 21 
 
 the crash of the glass frightened the animal. For a little 
 time he kept his place near the others, but soon smash went 
 another bottle as it struck a pine beside the road, and the 
 mule became so ungovernable that it ran away with rider and 
 bottles, and was never seen afterwards. The company 
 reached the regiment on the night of the third day at Lynch 
 Creek, which we were then engaged in bridging. When the 
 men came from their work in the water, each was given a 
 half gill of the contents of the bottles, which was a timely 
 treat. 
 
 As the army approached the coast food grew more and 
 more scarce, and only the most reckless and persevering for 
 agers could secure a sufficient quantity. One day about 
 March roth, our men had been unable to obtain anything. 
 At ten o clock in the forenoon they heard of a grist-mill 
 thirty miles ahead, and it was immediately determined to 
 push on and reach it. The country was infested with rebel 
 cavalry, yet this brave band, every member a hero, made the 
 thirty mile ride before sunset. They only thought of their 
 comrades who depended upon them for rations. The pro 
 prietor of the mill, a planter, was greatly surprised at their 
 coming, and acknowledged that he had not expected to see 
 any of Sherman s army for two or three days. He was told 
 that the whole force was close at hand. Being asked if he 
 had a miller, he answered in the affirmative, and sent for him. 
 "I see," said Oliver, "you have abundance of grain, and to 
 that I can help myself. How long is it since any Confeder 
 ate troops were here?" "A squad just rode away," replied 
 the planter. "Well," said the captain, "I must then send 
 across the creek for a regiment to be brought to protect us 
 while we are at work in the mill." This of course was ex 
 pected to impress the fact upon the mill-owner that it would 
 be good policy for him to prevent, if possible, any attack by 
 the rebels. A citizen was rarely found who would not do all 
 in his power to avoid a fight around his own house. Oliver 
 added: "It all depends upon yourself, if you would save 
 your property. If any of us are injured upon your planta 
 tion, Sherman will burn your buildings to the ground when 
 he arrives." 
 
422 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 A lot of grain was taken to the mill, and the miller set at 
 work grinding it, while the men fortified the place, making 
 defences so strong that many would have bitten the dust if 
 an attack had been made. About eight o clock in the even 
 ing the old planter came down to the mill, surprised to see it 
 looking more like a fort than anything else. He wanted the 
 captain to go up to the house for supper and stay all night 
 with him. Oliver excused himself, stating that he should 
 have various duties to occupy him as soon as the army came 
 up, speaking as though the column was three not thirty- 
 miles back. The excuse was accepted and the planter went 
 back to the house, while the men worked all night assisting 
 the miller and strengthening their fortifications, fully expect 
 ing an attack. 
 
 The next morning the planter came down and invited the 
 captain to eat breakfast with him, which he did. The fam 
 ily consisted of the father, two daughters of eighteen and 
 twenty, and one son about fifteeen years old. Another son 
 and the lover of one of the girls were in Lee s army. 
 
 The captain asked them if they had anything buried about 
 the premises. They replied, "Not anything." Oliver then 
 said, "Do not deceive yourselves; we don t want anything 
 that belongs in the house, and if you have property buried 
 dig it up, put it in the house, and I will place a guard over it 
 and everything will be safe." At noon the son was sent to 
 the mill to invite the whole party to a dinner which the young 
 ladies had prepared especially for them. They accepted the 
 invitation, a part going at a time, as they did not propose to 
 be led into a trap. That bountiful dinner, served by female 
 hands, made them think of home. The girls sat at table 
 with them, and were as jolly as if entertaining their best 
 friends. At night the captain was again invited to sleep in 
 the house, but excused himself by saying, "My place is with 
 my men." 
 
 They had been at the mill twenty-four hours, and, strange 
 to say, not another Union soldier had put in an appearance, 
 and happily none of the enemy. Close watch was kept at 
 night, and in the morning breakfast was prepared by the fam 
 ily and partaken of by the men, taking turns as before. Peter 
 
NOTHING BURIED. 4 2 3 
 
 Ebersold was placed on guard at the house, preparatory to 
 the coming of the bummers, who were expected to arrive 
 soon, and Captain Oliver repeated his admonition of the 
 morning before, saying, "If you have anything buried it will 
 surely be found today, as the treasure-seekers will be along 
 soon." "O, no, we ve nothing buried," they persisted in say 
 ing. About ten o clock some bummers arrived, and began 
 thrusting their bayonets into the ground about the garden. 
 An iron kettle was soon found, containing forty dollars in 
 silver, a watch and a quantity of Confederate money. The 
 old planter came down to the mill with a down-cast face, and 
 said to the captain, "They have found it." "Found what?" 
 he asked; and was told about the concealed money. The 
 captain laughed, and again warned him: "They will find 
 everything that you have hidden. If you have anything 
 more concealed, get it into the house and my guard will pro 
 tect it;" but the answer was, "There is nothing more." 
 
 At noon all ate dinner at the house again; the boys began 
 to feel very much at home, and they had some fun in twitting 
 the girls upon their ill success in hiding things from the 
 Yankees. About two o clock the planter appeared again at 
 the mill, and reported: "They have found it." This time a 
 lot of trinkets belonging to the girls had been unearthed. 
 He came three or four times during the afternoon and said, 
 They have found it," until there was apparently nothing 
 more to be found. The girls dolefully told of their lost 
 treasures, and said: "After this we will believe a Yankee, for 
 you have always told us the truth, and did not permit a sol 
 dier to set his foot inside the door of the house." That 
 night the troops were camped all around them. 
 
 The mill was kept running night and day, and turned out 
 a large quantity of flour and meal for the army. Just before 
 our party were prepared to leave the next day, a mounted 
 man came along and asked Oliver what facilities he had for 
 transporting provisions, etc. The captain replied that he had 
 impressed all the planter s horses, mules and wagons to carry 
 the supplies to camp. The cavalry-man then told him that 
 he had found two kegs of peach brandy out in the swamp, 
 and had knocked in the head of one and filled his canteen. 
 
4 2 4 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 He suggested that the captain might secure the other un 
 broken. This Oliver at once did, and sending for the planter 
 asked him if he had any liquors on the place. He stoutly 
 affirmed that he had not a drop. "Very well, then," rejoined 
 the captain, "these kegs of brandy must belong to some one 
 else. A bummer has just found two hidden in the woods, 
 and I will take one to my command." The old man was 
 dumbfounded, and ejaculated, with an oath, "That is the last." 
 
 Before leaving the whole party went to the house to say 
 good-bye to the girls, who had treated them so well. Not 
 withstanding they were taking all the horses and wagons, 
 leaving the place destitute of anything to raise a crop with, 
 the family plead with the men to stay another night, as they 
 considered themselves safe so long as they remained. The 
 old planter took the captain by the hand and said: " If you 
 will only stay there is nothing I have but what I will freely 
 give you." 
 
 In trying to reach the regiment the wagons got stuck in 
 the mud, when the captain went ahead and sent the regi 
 mental wagon to the rescue, in the middle of the night. The 
 party and provisions arrived in camp at four o clock in the 
 morning, receiving hearty welcome for they had been given 
 up as lost. 
 
 On one occasion an old mare had been hitched to a cart 
 loaded with sweet potatoes, when the aged lady who owned 
 them begged the men to leave the mare and cart, as she had 
 nothing else to go to mill with. Her daughter spitefully 
 exclaimed: " Mother, it is no use your saying any thing more, 
 they will take them any how." This taunt had the desired 
 effect, for the captain ordered the animal left. Then the 
 girl said: "Mother, your prayers did move them." In fact 
 it was the girl s challenge of their generosity that won the 
 concession. 
 
 The account of an adventure on March iQth, near Benton- 
 ville, N. C., shall be given in Captain Oliver s own language: 
 
 The division was marching on the road from Lee s Store, and I took 
 the road to the left. We travelled until about ten o clock in the forenoon 
 before meeting any opposition. A picket was then seen standing at a 
 cross road which led to the main highway upon which the division was 
 marching. We rode up until he halted us, and found ourselves near a 
 
A NARROW ESCAPE. 425 
 
 rebel general s headquarters. We galloped away upon the road to the 
 left and received a parting volley by which, fortunately, no one was hit. 
 Having gone about two miles we came to a fine plantation well stocked. 
 Here we loaded two carts with provisions and I directed Ebersold and 
 Edwards to hitch the horses to them when they had finished eating, and 
 follow the road in the direction of the troops; I took the other eight men 
 and proceeded about two miles further to the front, reaching another 
 plantation where we saw a dozen or more rebel cavalry, but they fled 
 leaving us in possession. We here got three or four sacks of flour and 
 started back. 
 
 When about half way to where Ebersold and Edwards had been left 
 we saw a soldier standing in the centre of the road. I did not like his 
 looks, but we rode on until we got quite close, when his comrades began 
 to come out of the woods and soon filled the road. They were dressed in 
 blue uniforms, and we rode up to within ten rods of them when they 
 commanded us to surrender. We could not think of complying without 
 an attempt to preserve our freedom. I told the boys to throw away the 
 provisions with which they were loaded, and we made for the swamp. I 
 wanted to get around the enemy and reach the other two men, thinking 
 they might not have moved yet. We took a circuitous route through the 
 swamp and the rebels had the road, but we reached the men first. I put 
 out two guards to keep a look-out while we made haste to hitch up and 
 get away. 
 
 Just as all was ready a whole brigade of Hampton s cavalry rode 
 right over us, and we were completely mixed up with them. I cannot 
 fully explain how any of us got out of the place. The bravery exhibited 
 by every one of that handful of men will never be forgotten by me. A 
 rebel captain rode up within six feet of me and pulled his revolver to 
 
 shoot, when Henry Joslin ran up and caught his leg and said: "D n 
 
 you, what are you about ! don t you know you are shooting your own 
 men?" I have no doubt but that act saved my life for the bullet just 
 missed me. I shouted to the boys to take care of themselves. All hap 
 pened to be dismounted except myself, and therefore I was powerless to 
 assist them in any way. I did not for a moment expect to escape, but I 
 resolved to make the attempt at all hazards, for it would probably be 
 death if taken. We understood that Hampton had given orders that 
 foragers should receive no quarter. They had me so cornered that all 
 there was for me to do was to try the mettle of my horse. I put the 
 spurs to him with all my force, and started towards a high fence which 
 it seemed like an impossibility for him to surmount, but the leap was 
 successfully made by the frightened animal. Up to this time many shots 
 had been fired at me, and how they all missed will always be a mystery. 
 
 I then struck out after the boys who had made their escape, not know 
 ing how many had succeeded. I caught up with them and found all safe 
 but Ebersold and Edwards. Just then I heard cheering, and told the 
 boys to make for the swamp, while I would ride back, thinking our ad. 
 vance might have come up. I felt distressed that any of the boys were 
 
426 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 captured, feeling that certain death would be their fate. I rode back 
 until I came within about fifteen rods of some troops, and was sure that 
 they were some of our own army, when one of them shouted, " There 
 comes one of those d d Yankees !" I turned to escape and they opened 
 fire, wounding my horse so that he was unmanageable. He ran into a 
 pine thicket and between two leaning trees, striking my left shoulder 
 against one, and throwing me with such force against the other as to 
 knock me to the ground senseless. My right shoulder and head were 
 terribly bruised. I came to my senses soon after my fall and saw my 
 horse about twenty rods from me running around in a circle; I then 
 made my way as best I could for the swamp to which I had told the boys 
 to go. They had seen my horse without a rider, and had started to look 
 for me. We succeeded in escaping all pursuers and found the regiment 
 in the evening just before it counter-marched to support the left wing 
 which had been fighting all day. 
 
 It was long afterwards learned that Ebersold s horse was 
 killed and fell upon him. The rebels pulled him out from 
 under the dead animal, and beat him severely about the head 
 with their carbines, but he was finally rescued by Fred Klein, 
 a captain in the Tenth South Carolina Cavalry, who recog 
 nized him as a former schoolmate in the Fatherland. Ed 
 wards was also captured, and both were subsequently paroled 
 and discharged without joining the regiment. 
 
 Every member of the party had encounters scarcely less 
 desperate in making his escape. Each looked out for his 
 own safety until all rallied in the swamp, in which the rebels 
 for a time followed them. One shot from Sergeant Mills 
 broke an arm for one of his most persistent pursuers, and 
 others doubtless used their tried weapons to some purpose. 
 
 The duty of the foragers ceased after this date. They had 
 faithfully fulfilled their trust, and the regiment had nearly 
 always been well fed by the brave band. The Fifty-fifth 
 drew on the march less government rations than any other 
 regiment of the division, and every surviving member of it 
 present in that campaign will ever hold the services of Cap 
 tain Oliver and his detail in grateful remembrance, for they 
 held the comfort if not the lives of their comrades in their 
 hands. 
 
 The bummers formed an element of the army deserving 
 of some recognition here; for, although their names will not 
 appear in this record, the Fifty-fifth was not without represent 
 atives in this irregular body. The name was used to desig- 
 
THE BUMMERS. 4 2 7 
 
 nate self-constituted foragers, and every regiment had. its 
 delegates among this class which, at times, would perhaps 
 outnumber the regular detail; and their presence in large 
 numbers often aided the latter in driving the enemy, and 
 securing the food. They would be absent from their com 
 mands many days at a time, but upon their return they 
 always brought in a good supply of the choicest spoils of the 
 land, as a peace offering for their unsoldierly and improper 
 conduct. 
 
 Many of the soldiers were at times without shoes. To 
 such men, by order of the commander, rejected horses and 
 mules were given on which they rode in rear of their respect 
 ive commands. Being thus mounted it was an easy matter 
 to slip out and join the army of bummers, and many availed 
 themselves of the opportunity, soon developing into the most 
 reckless of their class. These men with their feet wrapped 
 up in old rags would frequently capture boots or shoes, but 
 would sell or give them to a comrade, preferring a ride and 
 their barefooted freedom. 
 
 The bummers were always found at the front. Parties of 
 them, without officers, would join together and resist a charge 
 of cavalry, or make an attack upon the enemy, and they 
 were almost always the victors in a skirmish. The advance 
 at Cheraw and Fayetteville was composed of this class, 
 joined with the regular foragers, and what fighting was done 
 in the capture of these places was justly credited to them. 
 
 Many, of course, were merely treasure seekers, and in 
 order to succeed in their search it was necessary to be in the 
 van. They speedily overran a town, and were the terror of 
 the inhabitants. Sometimes they would constitute them 
 selves guards over private houses for a money consideration, 
 and protect the property against the vandalism of their asso 
 ciates. When the army moved and they abandoned their 
 posts for new fields, it is doubtful whether they received the 
 blessings or curses of those they had protected. 
 
 Notwithstanding all that has been said or written deroga 
 tory to the bummer, his voluntary services at the front and 
 flanks were, at times, of great value to the army. His good 
 deeds often over-balanced his bad ones, and the mantle of 
 charity may well be thrown over him. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FROM GOLDSBOROUGH TO CHICAGO. 
 
 WHILE in camp at Goldsborough, on the evening of 
 March 2Oth, a meeting was held with reference to 
 electing officers to fill the positions of lieutenant-colonel and 
 major, the regiment not having men enough to entitle it to a 
 colonel. The feeling in favor of an election to fill the exist 
 ing vacancies was the result of the official sanction given to 
 such procedure at the time of re-enlistment as an inducement 
 for the Fifty-fifth to join the brotherhood of veterans, and 
 because those high in authority then recognized the unfitness 
 of the existing field officers for their positions. The orders 
 on that occasion, by their express terms only applied to the 
 officers needed upon re-organization, but it was claimed by 
 many that the elective right was impliedly vested in the en 
 listed men during the remainder of their term. 
 
 All the officers mentioned in the previous pages as com 
 missioned or elected to hold field positions in the regiment 
 had by the casualties of battle or other causes left the service 
 during or before the campaign succeeding the fall of Atlanta. 
 Captain Henry S. Nourse, the senior officer, upon arriving in 
 Goldsborough at the end of the Carolina campaign, had 
 chosen to be mustered out, his term of enlistment having 
 long expired. It is not clear how many officers participated 
 in the effort to secure an election at this time. It is certain, 
 however, that some, among whom may be named Oliver, 
 Roberts and Ebersold, neither took part nor believed in it as 
 
AT GOLDSBOROUGH. 429 
 
 a matter of right or policy. Those enlisted men who saw fit 
 proceeded on March 2ist to express their choice for field 
 officers, with the following result: There were seventy-eight 
 votes altogether cast for lieutenant-colonel, of which John B. 
 Ridenour received fifty-nine, Charles A. Andress eighteen, 
 and Giles F. Hand one vote. For major there were only 
 sixty votes cast, of which Francis A. Scott received forty- 
 one, Robert Oliver ten, J. August Smith eight, and Charles 
 A. Andress one vote. On April 1st, ten days later, there 
 were reported one hundred and forty-three men present for 
 duty. It is apparent, therefore, that but few more than half 
 the regiment participated in this so-called election, and less 
 than half voted for major. Some companies are reported to 
 have taken no part whatever, and the result obtained no 
 recognition from the officers of the army or of the state. 
 
 It was, however, in a measure a compliment to those who 
 received the highest vote; they had fought their way up from 
 the ranks, and it showed at least that they had the good-will 
 of the majority of those who chose to go through the forms 
 of an election. Lieutenant Ridenour had been made cor 
 poral in 1862, was grievously wounded at Shiloh, won his 
 promotions subsequently step by step, and during his whole 
 term had been always known as a thoroughly reliable sol 
 dier and consistent Christian. 
 
 All Fools Day was noisily observed in camp. Every man 
 who did not stay close in quarters and hold his peace became 
 sooner or later the victim of some ridiculous joke. Disci 
 pline was for a time abandoned, even the officers joining in 
 the frolic to the loss of all authority. Finally, the postmas 
 ter having prepared a quantity of letters, at dark shouted the 
 ever-welcome call, " Come and get your mail." The soldiers 
 eagerly obeyed the summons, and only discovered the decep 
 tion when they opened the envelopes at their quarters, by 
 which time the cruel joker was safe in concealment. 
 
 On April 10th the army took up the march again in the 
 direction of the capital of North Carolina. News of the 
 capture of Richmond had just been received, and all were 
 jubilant over the prospect of the speedy end of the rebellion. 
 But when a dispatch came on the twelfth announcing that 
 
43 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 General Lee had surrendered his whole army to General 
 Grant, the troops became crazy with enthusiasm. The long 
 column from van to rear guard was soon in an uproarious, 
 uncontrollable state of excitement that did not subside dur 
 ing the day. Every one knew that the long and bloody war 
 was at an end. Home seemed almost in sight. No wonder 
 that an exultant joy took possession of each soldier s heart, 
 and manifested itself in the wildest demonstrations. 
 
 On the thirteenth two men of the regiment captured four 
 Confederate soldiers, who were "tired of war," and reported 
 that Johnston s army was fast being depleted by desertions. 
 Raleigh was occupied the next day, and the army marching 
 through its streets and passing in review before General Sher 
 man at the capitol, presented a grand military pageant. 
 Many citizens greeted it with demonstrations of joy, evincing 
 their gratification that the close of the great conflict was near 
 at hand. The ladies particularly were lavish with smiles and 
 greetings of welcome, which the soldiers acknowledged by 
 cheers as they passed. 
 
 The shocking news of the assassination of the President 
 was received on the seventeenth, and cast a deep gloom over 
 all the camp. Loud and angry expressions of hatred for the 
 dastard who perpetrated the deed, and the cowardly traitors 
 who sanctioned it, were heard everywhere. The same day 
 General Sherman met General Johnston under a flag of truce 
 to consider terms of capitulation for the army in our front. 
 Owing to a disagreement arising between Secretary Stanton 
 and General Sherman, the final surrender was not, however, 
 consummated until April 27th, when orders were issued for 
 the homeward march. 
 
 While in camp about four miles north of Raleigh the Fifty- 
 fifth received a beautiful national flag, upon which were 
 inscribed the names of the battles in which the regiment 
 had participated. It was the gift of Chicago friends, chief 
 of whom was Fred P. Fisher, a brother of our third adjutant, 
 Francis P. Fisher. This appropriate gift was warmly wel 
 comed by every member of the regiment, at its formal recep 
 tion was greeted with hearty cheers, and a vote of thanks 
 was unanimously tendered the donors. 
 
ON TO RICHMOND. 43 1 
 
 In the same camp, during the delay attending the arrange 
 ment of the terms of surrender for Johnston s army, the men 
 who for a time had been subsisting exclusively upon the ra 
 tions furnished by government, began to weary of their 
 monotonous diet. They had for so many months been feast 
 ing upon the fat of the land that hard-bread and salt pork 
 palled upon their appetites. Foraging was, however, posi 
 tively forbidden by orders, early in April. The situation 
 seemed to veterans to warrant the adoption of extraordinary 
 and perhaps even questionable measures. A squad of men 
 from the regiment went out about ten miles to a wealthy 
 planter s and persuaded him to sell them a wagon-load of 
 miscellaneous provisions, very cheap. He was permitted to 
 accompany them to camp in order to convey the purchase 
 with his own team and wagon, but was mildly enjoined to 
 reply promptly to any inquirers who might ask impertinent 
 questions about his load, that the soldiers had satisfactorily 
 paid for it. This he did, the goods were safely delivered, 
 and the expedition was proclaimed a glorious success. 
 
 The whole army of Sherman took up the march April 
 29th, bound for Washington via Richmond. The command 
 ing general had gone to visit Savannah and other points in 
 the South in order to confer with various officers and settle 
 matters pertaining to their departments. The corps and 
 many of the division generals turned their commands over 
 to subordinates and hurried in advance to Richmond and 
 Washington for a festival of rejoicing over the triumph of 
 the Union arms. The officers left in command entered into 
 a friendly contest, as the newspapers of the day character 
 ized it, to see which could reach Richmond first. The result 
 of this amicable race was a disorganized and fagged-out 
 column of troops put to the severest test of endurance. 
 Brigades would be ordered to take the road in the middle of 
 the night in order to steal around other troops and get in the 
 advance. There was more straggling and actual suffering 
 from fatigue in this march, perhaps, than in any other during 
 the Carolina campaign. Thirty-five miles a day were made 
 by some commands. The first warm weather of the season 
 had come, making the tramp doubly exhausting to the men, 
 
432 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 and several fatal sun-strokes were reported. Twenty-eight 
 miles was the longest distance covered by the Fifty-fifth in 
 one day. 
 
 The people, white and black, all along the route greeted 
 us with demonstrations of joy. All seemed delighted that 
 the bloody war was over, and their absent friends coming 
 home again. The paroled prisoners congregated along the 
 column and about the camps and freely discussed the cam 
 paigns and their future status under the government, about 
 which they seemed deeply concerned. It was the universal 
 expression that if the conquerors would allow the conquered 
 their homes and equal rights with all in prosecuting their 
 business they would be content. They did not expect a 
 voice in the management of the republic which they had 
 fought so hard to destroy. 
 
 But what a change has been wrought ! Our paroled pris 
 oners have now equal voice with the patriotic victors in the 
 control of the government against which they waged an 
 unholy and bloody war, and for which their leaders have 
 little love today. In the highest councils of the nation trea 
 son is lauded by the traitors who instigated the rebellion and 
 who were governing spirits in the attack against the life of 
 the grandest republic on the face of the earth. Patriotism 
 blushes with shame at the humiliating spectacle. The ad 
 ministration is handicapped by the power and influence of 
 its chief advisers, who were given their high authority by the 
 votes of the paroled prisoners and apologists of treason. 
 The Southern oligarchy has taken control of the government 
 and the Northern patriots are supplicants at its feet. Union 
 soldiers who sacrificed health in defence of their country are 
 kicked out of place to make room for rebels they conquered. 
 Maimed and diseased soldiers are sneeringly refused pensions 
 by the chief executive. How long shall we bear these humil 
 iations at the hands of our old enemy? Comrades of the 
 Fifty-fifth, let us remember the four hundred and fifty of our 
 number killed and wounded by the men who now rule over 
 us, and register a vow to wage as desperate a battle against 
 them with the ballot as we did with the bullet. 
 
 Petersburg was reached on May 7th. Here the Fifteenth 
 
THE GRAND REVIEW. 433 
 
 Corps was reviewed by General Howard, and a day s rest was 
 taken and enjoyed by the men in visiting the immense forti 
 fications around that city, where Grant and Lee had contended 
 so long. Marks of the desperate struggle were visible every 
 where. At the site of the mine we could see human bones 
 yet strewn over the ground. But the wrecks of war only 
 feebly illustrate its horrors. The army went into camp on 
 the tenth at Manchester, opposite Richmond, where a two 
 days halt was ordered. The rebel capital and its numerous 
 places of note were thoroughly inspected. Libby Prison and 
 Castle Thunder awakened sad reminiscences and just wrath 
 against the now fugitive authorities responsible for the 
 infamous cruelty to our comrades therein confined. 
 
 The column was again put in motion May I3th, and pass 
 ing in turn the noted battle grounds north of Richmond, 
 marched via Hanover Court-House, Bowling Green, Freder- 
 icksburg, Stafford Court-House and Dumfries to Alexandria. 
 Near the latter place we encamped at noon of the twenty- 
 first, and began preparations for the farewell review, to take 
 place at the Capital. On the twenty-third the Second divis 
 ion moved towards Washington and went into bivouac for 
 the night at the southerly end of Long Bridge. The follow 
 ing day the Fifty-fifth took its assigned position in the 
 column for the Grand Review. Its rank and file were ragged 
 and visibly bore many marks of the hard campaigning they 
 had endured; but they marched with a true and steady step, 
 proud in the consciousness of having performed their whole 
 duty to their country, and receiving as their honest due a full 
 share of the plaudits tendered by the assembled multitude to 
 the bravest of the brave. 
 
 A camp was established two miles north of the city, and 
 the men improved the opportunity for visiting the public 
 buildings and noteworthy places near the Capital, all tending 
 to impress them with the greatness of our country. The 
 recruits belonging to the One-hundred-sixteenth and One- 
 hundred-twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry, upon the expira 
 tion of the term of service of those regiments and consequent 
 muster-out, were attached to the Fifty-fifth. This nominally 
 added eighty-five men to our thinned ranks a re-enforce- 
 28 
 
434 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 ment which, however welcome, was useless, for the war was 
 over. 
 
 At this camp sundry promotions in the regiment were an 
 nounced, and several commissions issued, as follows: Captain 
 Charles A. Andress of Company I was commissioned lieu 
 tenant-colonel; Captain Giles F. Hand of Company F, major; 
 John B. Tompkins, assistant-surgeon. First-Lieutenant John 
 B. Ridenour of Company A was promoted captain; Sergeant 
 Harrison H. Prickett of Company A, first-lieutenant; Ser 
 geant Isaac Wooding of Company D, first-lieutenant; Ser 
 geant David N. Holmes of Company F, first-lieutenant; 
 Second-Lieutenant Peter Roberts of Company G, captain; 
 Second-Lieutenant Francis A. Scott of Company H, captain; 
 Sergeant Artemas C. Richardson of Company H, first-lieu 
 tenant; First-Lieutenant Fred Ebersold of Company I, cap 
 tain; Sergeant Dorsey C. Andress of Company I, first-lieu 
 tenant; James W. Kays of Company K, first-lieutenant. 
 
 The Western army left its encampments June 2d, and pro 
 ceeded by railroad to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and thence 
 by boats to Louisville, Kentucky, where camps were estab 
 lished and all expected to be speedily disbanded. At this 
 point commissions came for those promoted, as previously 
 named. These official documents arrived by mail on the 
 twenty-third, and the recipients were at once called upon to 
 "stand treat" in their respective companies. It had long 
 been customary in the regiment for a newly commissioned 
 officer to furnish his men, in honor of the assumption of his 
 rank, with something delectable to the palate, if not exhila 
 rating to the spirits. Louisville could supply everything 
 eatable and drinkable, and the new officials had no excuse 
 for not satisfying all tastes. The soldiers partook of the 
 bounty furnished in camp fashion, and good fellowship 
 reigned over the festivities. 
 
 The troops, present in great numbers, were paid off and 
 discharged as rapidly as possible. The Fifty-fifth was wait 
 ing patiently for its turn to come, preparing papers for the 
 final settlement of accounts with the government, when or 
 ders unexpectedly came for the Second division to get ready 
 to move to Arkansas. This struck dismay to the hearts of 
 
ORDERED TO ARKANSAS. 435 
 
 all. Ever since the organization of the old Second division 
 it had repeatedly been given extra marching and excessive 
 work; and now with home almost in sight, to be sent South 
 again for garrison duty was too intolerable to contemplate. 
 The regiment was paid off on the twenty-ninth, and with the 
 other regiments of the division took boat on the thirtieth for 
 the voyage down the Ohio. The Fifty-seventh Ohio and the 
 Fifty-fifth were embarked on board of the Pocahontas, a mis 
 erable old tub. The fleet was not allowed to land at promi 
 nent towns, but was held at anchor in the middle of the 
 river, while the officers and boat s crew went ashore in skiffs. 
 This was an exasperating sight to the men, and its frequent 
 repetition added fuel to the smouldering fire. 
 
 In approaching Memphis, Tennessee, where many of the 
 regiments of the division had encamped for a long time three 
 years before, the men swore they were going to land. When 
 the city was sighted a cheer went up from all the boats, 
 betokening some conspiracy. About noon the transports 
 cast anchor in front of the town, which had a very inviting 
 look to the men who had spent many enjoyable months there 
 in 1862. The troops in large numbers were seen to collect 
 on the bows of the boats. By some unforseen cause the 
 anchor cables broke, or the rudder ropes gave way, and the 
 steam having gone down the boats were soon floating help 
 lessly in the current. After drifting a few miles every thing 
 was righted, and the fleet lay in the stream till night, when it 
 moved up under Fort Pickering. It is needless to say that 
 most of the men spent the night in the city. 
 
 Devall s Bluff, on White River, was reached July 3d. The 
 "glorious fourth" was not very joyously celebrated, the 
 troops awaiting transportation to Little Rock, which place 
 they reached by cars on the sixth. The Fifty-fifth took pos 
 session of the old log barracks of a deserted camp near the 
 city. The routine of camp duty, including brigade drill, was 
 at once inaugurated here, which was sadly distasteful to the 
 men. The weather was extremely hot, the brigade drills 
 were voted a nuisance, and but few men were around when 
 drill call sounded. It was a great hardship for veterans to 
 play soldier, and they did not play it when they could avoid it. 
 
436 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 Frequent visits were made to the city, where the men 
 found various sources of relief from the monotony of the 
 camp. Late one night several were returning to their quar 
 ters, and when passing near the colored section in the 
 suburbs, heard a series of unearthly yells, shrieks and groans 
 breaking suddenly upon the stillness of the night. A rush 
 was made for the house from which the noises came, and the 
 men broke in without ceremony, expecting to interrupt or 
 prevent a bloody tragedy. An old colored man saluted them 
 upon their entrance with, "Please, mister sojers, doant terrupt 
 de meetin ; we jes havin a little ligious citement." The un 
 invited guests withdrew and the negro revival doubtless pro 
 ceeded with renewed fervor. 
 
 The following promotions were announced at Little Rock: 
 Adjutant J. August Smith to captain of Company F; Ser 
 geant-Major John G. Brown to adjutant; Sergeant Theodore 
 Shultz of Company C, to quartermaster; First-Lieutenant 
 Harrison H. Prickett of Company A, to captain in place of 
 John B. Ridenour, resigned at Louisville, Kentucky; Sergeant 
 William McCumber of Company A, to first-lieutenant; Ser 
 geant Francis Bandfield of Company B, to captain; Sergeant 
 Robert R. Elliott of Company B, to first-lieutenant; Sergeant 
 C. F. Bennett of Company G, to first-lieutenant. Some of 
 the officers had been performing for some time the duties of 
 the positions to which they were promoted; which was also 
 true of most of those who received promotion at Washing 
 ton. During the campaigns through Georgia and the Caro- 
 linas the regiment had but fourteen commissioned officers 
 present. 
 
 Time dragged heavily with the men, waiting for something 
 to turn up. The question, "What are we here for?" was fre 
 quently asked. The camp was thrown into joyous excite 
 ment on July 3ist, by the announcement that we were to be 
 discharged as soon as the necessary papers could be made 
 out. Earnest and vigorous work began, and was prosecuted 
 day and night to completion, when the following order was 
 read to the regiment : 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 437 
 
 RS IST BRIGADE, 20 DIVISION, 15x11 A. 
 LITTLE ROCK, ARK., August i3th, 1865. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS IST BRIGADE, 2D DIVISION, 15 A. C., ) 
 
 General Order, 
 
 No. 40. 
 OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST BRIGADE : 
 
 I have the honor to congratulate you that the time has arrived 
 when you will be mustered-out and sent to your homes for final payment 
 and discharge. It is unnecessary for me to enumerate the many marches, 
 bivouacs and skirmishes that you have been engaged in ; history will do 
 that. In returning to your homes you will bear with you my best wishes 
 for your future welfare, and my hope that you may be as good and 
 obedient citizens in peace as you have been soldiers in war. 
 
 THEO. JONES, 
 
 Brevet Brig. -Gen I Commanding. 
 
 The regiment, numbering nineteen commissioned and two 
 hundred and sixteen enlisted men, including the assigned 
 recruits, was mustered-out August I4th, and bade farewell to 
 Little Rock the next day. The journey homeward was by 
 cars to Devall s Bluff, where in company with the Fifty-sev 
 enth Ohio, the regiment embarked upon a steamer for their 
 last voyage together down the White and up the Mississippi 
 river. When Memphis again came in view, the veterans 
 remembering their many exploits and experiences there, 
 greeted it with cheers. As the boat neared the well remem 
 bered landing a large pile of watermelons was discovered on 
 the shore, and fearing lest the temptation might be too much 
 for them, the men sounded an alarm cry of, "Take in those 
 melons!" But their kindly warning was unheeded by those 
 interested in the property. All crowded upon the side of 
 the boat next to the shore, making landing difficult by caus 
 ing the boat to careen seriously. The mate cursed as only a 
 mate can, and implored the soldiers to distribute themselves 
 over the boat if they did not want the boilers to blow them 
 sky-high. "Let her bust," was all the consolation he got 
 from them. Before the plank was run out half the men were 
 ashore interviewing the melons, most of which accompanied 
 them back upon the boat. 
 
 Chicago was entered by the regiment on the eighteenth 
 in the midst of a rain-storm, and temporary quarters were 
 secured at the Soldiers Rest. The next day we marched to 
 Camp Douglas where, as a final farewell to government 
 
43$ FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 rations, we were fed on sour bread and wormy meat. Our 
 arms and accoutrements were here turned over to the ord 
 nance department. The parting from these drew out many 
 strong expressions of regret, for they had served us through 
 numerous hard contests, and, as long worn and tried com 
 panions, were closely associated with most of our memories 
 of the eventful years passed in fighting for the Union. The 
 paymaster visited us on the twenty-fifth, and the signing of 
 the pay-roll receipts was the winding up of our military con 
 tract. 
 
 Notwithstanding the members of the regiment had all 
 anxiously looked with longing for the day of final discharge, 
 when the time for their separation came there were struggles 
 with the emotions which showed themselves, although not in 
 words, for no language can express the feelings of sorrow at 
 parting between comrades whose regard for each other has 
 grown from long companionship amid the scenes of a bloody 
 war. We were citizens again, and each one after the parting 
 words and hand-shaking took his individual way homeward 
 to join the dear ones around the family hearth-stone, and 
 enjoy the fruits of his labor in saving and purifying our gov 
 ernment. 
 
 The Fifty-fifth had been in the service four years, and 
 how well, and at what cost, it had filled its place in the 
 Grand Army of the Republic, the foregoing pages and the 
 table of casualties will attest. The whole number of individ 
 uals that appeared upon its rolls during the war according to 
 the Adjutant-General s Reports, was eleven hundred and 
 ninety-one. Of this aggregate eighty-five were the recruits 
 belonging to the One-hundred-sixteenth and One-hundred- 
 twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry, temporarily attached to the 
 Fifty-fifth in June, 1865, to complete their term of service. 
 They came to the regiment some time after all fighting had 
 ceased, and the disbanding of the army had begun. Their 
 record properly appertains to the commands with which they 
 first served. Sixteen more were unassigned recruits, not 
 one of them ever seen with the regiment. Twenty were 
 members of the regimental band, and were discharged by 
 order of the War Department before the field of action was 
 
CONCLUDING SUMMARY. 439 
 
 reached. Deducting these one hundred and twenty-one 
 men, we find the correct number of those fairly considered 
 members of the regiment during the war to be ten hundred 
 and seventy. Nor did so many as this perform actual service 
 or ever reach the front. At Camp Douglas, Benton Barracks 
 and Paducah very many dropped out by resignation and dis 
 charge, and a few died of disease. Twelve recruits enlisted 
 in 1865 joined ^the regiment after the last battle had been 
 fought and the Confederacy had succumbed. 
 
 Any computation, therefore, of the proper percentages of 
 regimental loss must keep in view the fact that considerably 
 less than a thousand men ever served their country in the 
 Fifty-fifth outside of the camps of instruction. Four hun 
 dred and forty-eight of this number were killed or wounded 
 in battle, over one hundred of whom were reported as killed 
 outright. Thus forty-two per cent, of the total number ever 
 borne upon the rolls in the field were hurt by Confederate 
 missiles severely enough to place their names in the battle 
 reports or certainly more than half of those who followed 
 the regimental colors upon the soil of a rebel state. Others 
 there were so slightly touched by bullet or shell as to decline 
 to report themselves wounded. But fifty-five were captured 
 by the enemy, and taking this into consideration, the heavy 
 percentage of battle casualties is remarkable, and perhaps 
 rarely equalled. 
 
 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, 
 
44 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 eye 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 true relation to the battle of Pittsburg 
 Landing. 
 
442 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 
 
APPOINTED CHAPLAIN. 443 
 
 the regiment had faith in the sincerity of my trust in God, 
 but with their confidence in my integrity I could not fail. I 
 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 I 
 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 done, 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 I 
 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 
 
444 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 ex 
 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 
 
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH. 445 
 
 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, 
 
44-6 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- 
 
THE BATTLE OF SHILOH. 447 
 
 ered 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 
 
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 Corinth, many soldiers contracted dis 
 eases 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 
 
AT LA GRANGE. 449 
 
 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- 
 29 
 
45 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 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 
 
DEATH OF CAPTAIN SCHLEICH. 451 
 
 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 free. 
 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 
 ceeded 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, I 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. 
 
 On December 28th I was caring for some wounded at a 
 distance from the Fifty-fifth, when I was strongly impressed 
 to go to the regiment. On reaching it Captain Schleich was 
 forming his company to go to the front. As they marched 
 away I spoke to him, urging the utmost caution as the trees 
 were overhung with moss and the enemy secreted behind the 
 levee. I addressed the men also as they passed by, and then 
 returned toward my post of duty; but before half way there, 
 was drawn by an irresistible impulse to rejoin the regiment. 
 On reaching the spot where I had just parted with him, I met 
 the lifeless body of Captain Schleich, borne by his comrades 
 whose hearts were aching and whose eyes were streaming 
 with tears. As in his dream he had stood facing a rebel sol- 
 
45 2 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 dier about fifty yards away, just long enough to be shot 
 through the heart, and the spirit of my brave and beautiful 
 captain had gone back to God who gave it. So quickly did 
 death come that he fell into the arms of Sergeant Henry 
 Haney, only crying, "I am shot!" He had few equals in in 
 tellect and all those qualities which form true manhood. 
 His presence was sunshine, and in our darkest days his good 
 cheer had given comfort and inspiration. Beautiful captain, 
 I shall see you again when the throne comes down! 
 
 In the gloom and depression of the morning I said to 
 some comrades, "Boys, it would be worth a thousand dollars 
 to see Morgan L. Smith." To our surprise and joy, in a few 
 minutes the general rode through our lines towards the pick 
 ets. He was cautioned with reference to the sharp-shooters 
 as he passed, but on he went. In less time than it takes to 
 write it, he returned. We noticed that his face was pale, and 
 on looking again I saw blood on his stirrup. He passed in 
 silence, but turning and looking at us cried, "Boys, give them 
 
 h 1!" Among the very bravest generals of the war, he 
 
 had a natural power to inspire men which was wonderful. 
 From the wound received that day he never fully recovered. 
 
 The deep night of the Yazoo was succeeded by a bright 
 day at the Post of Arkansas. Our troops had nearly made 
 the circuit of the enemy s works, when darkness came on. 
 To divert the Confederate commander s attention from the 
 real design, a detachment of men was ordered forward to 
 open fire upon the rebel works. Scarce had the firing begun 
 when a great rebel gun threw some shells over us. My horse 
 was fastened near, but so that he could not step on me as I 
 lay on my blankets, and becoming excited by the glare and 
 roar of the cannon, opened fire on the rebel works with his 
 heels; and I, unable to get away owing to the vigor of his 
 movements, lay there in doubt as to whether the rebel shot 
 or the heels of the Union horse were the most dangerous to 
 me. The next day, before the regiment was engaged, I rode 
 down to the gunboats just in time to see a sergeant train his 
 gun on a big cannon in the fort. I could follow the shot with 
 my eye, and had the pleasure of seeing the third ball hit the 
 
AT ARKANSAS POST. 453 
 
 gun about half way from the muzzle and end its mission of 
 death forever. 
 
 Knowing that fearful work was going on at our right flank 
 I hastened thither to assist the wounded, and never were my 
 offices needed more. I found scores of soldiers bleeding in 
 the woods and no ambulances near nor any one to care for 
 them. There were bullets in those woods, and the com 
 mander of the ambulance corps, being a prudent man, had 
 secured a safe retreat nearly a mile away. On complaining 
 to McClernand s medical director, I received orders to bring 
 up the ambulance corps, and that prudent gentleman came 
 with his train on a gallop at the heels of a new commander. 
 The wounded had scarcely been loaded in when the long, 
 glad shout of victory came up all along our lines, telling that 
 six thousand rebel soldiers were in our hands. 
 
 After a season of gladness I went in search of the wound 
 ed, who by this time had been conducted to the boats. I 
 boarded a large steamer and found two rows of wounded 
 soldiers lying the length of the cabin, totally without care. 
 Their bandages wet with blood had become dry, and the 
 wounds were inflamed. In utter amazement I inquired as to 
 the cause of this, and found that the surgeon in charge was 
 drunk. Procuring a vessel of water to moisten their wounds 
 I went the entire circuit of the cabin, and in my rounds saw 
 many who were marked for death. Not a complaint did I 
 hear, however, from all that throng of sufferers; but there 
 were notes of triumph from a few Christian heroes there, 
 which almost alleviated the horror of the situation. The 
 bathing their wounds was all that I could do to ease their 
 sufferings, and I then went around a second time to minister 
 to the souls of the dying. I gave an appropriate tract to the 
 nearest comrade of each mortally wounded man, requesting 
 him to read it quietly to his neighbor. 
 
 While thus employed a German captain came in and found 
 three of his own men in a neglected condition. Looking at 
 me with flaming eyes, supposing that I was in command of 
 the boat, he began to curse me. I quietly waited until he 
 had finished, and then informed him of my relation to the 
 wounded. To his profuse apologies, I interposed: "Captain, 
 
454 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 if what you have said has relieved your mind I rejoice with 
 you, for the case is a desperate one." I then sought the 
 drunken surgeon, intending to end his debauch by an im 
 mersion in the river. Failing to find him, however, I hast 
 ened to General Stuart s headquarters and besought him to 
 go to Sherman at once and enter complaint. To end my im 
 portunity he assented, but feeling intuitively that he would 
 not keep his word, I took it upon myself to go. The general 
 was evidently tired with my impertinence, and turning upon 
 his heel responded to me, "D n it, chaplain, I am not re 
 sponsible for the neglect of the doctors." I was as excited 
 as General Sherman, and answered, "General, I am aware of 
 that; but you command all the doctors in this army, and if 
 this is not righted I will publish the whole affair if it costs 
 me my head." It was not long until there was such com 
 motion among the surgeons as there is among the rats when 
 a house burns down; and it was but a few hours before the 
 sufferers in that cabin were in a clean hospital boat, with 
 wounds carefully dressed and comforts assured; and I wept 
 in the gladness of my heart at what God had done by my 
 hand. 
 
 At Young s Point, a few weeks after, I went to General 
 Sherman to get his signature to some papers. He recognized 
 me, and without looking at the papers ordered his adjutant 
 to sign them. Turning to me he said: "Chaplain Haney, 
 whatever I can do consistently to aid you, I will gladly do 
 until the end of the war." Grand old hero that he was as 
 he is today he felt that I was right in my appeal for the 
 wounded though I had overstepped military discipline. 
 
 We suffered nothing from battle at Young s Point, but the 
 mortality among our soldiers was terrible to contemplate. 
 The papers of the opposition at the North were full of trea 
 son, while the whole nation behind us appeared absorbed in 
 the pursuit of pleasure or money. This was the time when 
 from the soldiers stand-point the day grew dark, as if God 
 in displeasure at our national apathy had resolved upon the 
 downfall of the Republic. To get relief to my own soul and 
 to move the Christian power of the North to humiliation, 
 fasting and prayer, I resolved to address several Christian 
 
THE BLIND BOY. 455 
 
 ministers whom I had formerly known. After weeks of wait 
 ing an answer came from one of these, and I sat down with 
 unspeakable gladness to drink in its contents. "Yours re 
 ceived," so the writer said. "Very glad to hear from you. I 
 learn that you are going up the Red River. I am now en 
 gaged in the hedge business and want you to get me some 
 seed." In the bitterness of my disappointment and con 
 tempt I could only think that had I possessed hedge seed by 
 the boat-load, he should have had none of it. 
 
 While we were halted a little while at the village of Ray 
 mond, I seized the opportunity to visit the wounded that 
 crowded a little brick church not far distant. Observing a 
 beautiful boy whose eyes were covered with bandages, I in 
 quired as to his injury, and learned that a minie ball had 
 entered his left temple, cutting the optic nerve and coming 
 out at his right eye. "I suppose," I said to him, "the sun is 
 blotted out forever to you." "Yes," came quickly in reply, 
 "but I have light within." I was profoundly moved that one 
 so young and beautiful should be thus mutilated, and rejoined, 
 "It is sad indeed, this prospect of walking many years in 
 darkness." "But, sir," said he, "I have light within and it is 
 glorious." From another who was lying wounded in the 
 church at that time, I learned a few years since that the sub 
 sequent life of the blind boy was a continual triumph through 
 his Master. If I had ever doubted my religion, such con 
 quests of faith would have ended that unbelief forever. 
 
 During the long and painful siege of Vicksburg I was 
 much taxed with the hospital work and care of our own regi 
 ment, but also gave much time to another Illinois battalion, 
 the chaplain of which had resigned. The health of the men 
 had given way, and utter discouragement was everywhere 
 prevailing. Deaths occurred every day, and each man who 
 became sick expected a fatal termination of his disease. I 
 resorted to every innocent measure to restore their spirits 
 and fill them with hope. I sang and prayed with them; I 
 laughed and related funny anecdotes, and by word and work 
 encouraged cheerfulness until I had the satisfaction of seeing 
 my efforts in a measure successful. My daily visits very 
 nearly cost me my life, however, for their camp was situated 
 
FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 in a deep, unhealthy ravine, and so full of malaria that I 
 sometimes wonder at my escape. 
 
 About this time I witnessed a beautiful incident. On en 
 tering the hospital one day I saw a young soldier from New 
 York reading a well-worn copy of the New Testament. He 
 had been taken up from the streets when a ragged urchin by 
 a pious school teacher, educated and brought to Christ, and 
 now as he lay wounded sought consolation in the word. The 
 next day I found him again engaged with his testament, and 
 received the facts of his history from his own lips. His eyes 
 filled with tears at mention of his teacher. "O," said he, "if 
 she could only know how glad I am now that I am dying for 
 my country, that she brought me to Christ." As I came in 
 the third morning his eyes were set and he seemed uncon 
 scious. He gave no answer to my greeting, and the nurse 
 informed me that he had not noticed anything since sunrise. 
 I took the little testament which was carefully laid against 
 his left breast and passed it before his vision. That moment 
 his eyes began to follow it, and then looking me in the face 
 he glanced towards his breast, indicating that he wished to 
 die with the word of God upon his heart. I leaned over his 
 form and said, "My boy, you love this book;" and as he died 
 he whispered, "Yes, O yes!" I placed it again over his heart, 
 and his happy spirit went triumphantly unto its reward. 
 
 At Camp Sherman we prepared as soon as possible for 
 regular religious services. At the meetings many of the 
 men were happily converted. One incident of this period 
 made an indelible impression upon my memory. At the con 
 clusion of a discourse upon the experimental evidences of 
 the Christian religion, a confirmed sceptic came to me, and 
 with a depth of emotion that brought the perspiration in 
 beads upon his face, remarked, "Chaplain Haney, this is the 
 most wonderful thing that I ever heard of." "Why, my 
 friend," said I, "what is the matter?" The sermon had been 
 an attempt to show that the most illiterate were capable of 
 exercising a rational faith in the Christian religion, and re 
 lated almost entirely to the operations of the Holy Ghost 
 within the human breast. I began with the first ray of divine 
 conviction, and tracing as best I could the subsequent steps 
 
AT CHATTANOOGA. 457 
 
 in the holy way, concluded with the profounder experiences 
 of the mature Christian character. Behind the sceptic sat 
 an old negro who, as each successive step was explained from 
 the pulpit, ejaculated, "Dat s so! Bress de Lord, dat s so!" 
 This was the mystery that confounded my sceptical friend, 
 and he continued: "That stupid old slave could no more 
 have made the points in your sermon than he could have 
 made the world; but the moment you brought them out he 
 saw that he had a corresponding experience in his own heart, 
 and from this time on, chaplain, you may count me in to be 
 a Christian." His name was Samuel Bunnel, and he belonged 
 to Company D of the Twelfth Indiana. In February, 1887, 
 I learned from one of his old comrades that he was converted 
 before reaching his tent, and as the result of this wonderful 
 change in heart and life, brought many of his fellow soldiers 
 to the cross. In less than twenty days from his conversion 
 he died in the triumph of the Gospel. 
 
 Before crossing the Tennessee River above Chattanooga, 
 we had a service of prayer, and as the result there were some 
 in those boats who were assured of protection, although en 
 gaged in one of the most hazardous undertakings of the war. 
 Others were not so confident. I remember a surgeon fresh 
 from the North who was with us. Before leaving the Chicka- 
 mauga his face blanched and his knees began to tremble as 
 he said: "As soon as we strike the river we shall be blown to 
 pieces." As his fears increased his body bent lower, until at 
 length he lay prone with his face to the bottom of the boat. 
 God s hand was over that expedition, however, and our brave 
 boys landed in the face of the rebel army unnoticed and un 
 hurt. Soon joy filled our hearts, as from boat to boat the 
 news passed on that the rebel pickets had been captured 
 without the firing of a gun. Hearing this, the terror-stricken 
 man rose up and made a sickly attempt to yawn as though 
 just aroused from refreshing slumber, and as his teeth ceased 
 to chatter, said, "Well, I ve had quite a nap!" 
 
 Our little brigade was soon followed by Sherman s entire 
 army, and we were ready to attack Bragg s right flank at 
 Missionary Ridge. As we were advancing upon the enemy s 
 pickets through a region thickly covered with underbrush, I 
 
45 8 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 met General Giles A. Smith who had advanced beyond his 
 post of duty. "Chaplain," said he, "if I were you I would 
 not go into that brush, for it is full of bullets." I heeded his 
 warning and he retired a little to the rear. Here he stood 
 facing the enemy, when he was so severely wounded that he 
 never fully recovered. A gentleman, a patriot, a skilful bri 
 gade commander, may his name be revered as long as this 
 country endures! 
 
 After taking the first hill, we were ordered to the foot of 
 the second. In descending we were exposed to a storm of 
 shells from the heights beyond, and in the confusion of the 
 moment our colonel ordered us to lie down. The rebel bat 
 teries could not have had a more inviting mark, and shell 
 after shell came crashing among us until the air was filled with 
 dust and smoke. It seemed as if annihilation was before 
 us, and knowing that a few rods further towards the enemy 
 would place us out of danger from artillery, I shouted, "Col 
 onel, why don t you take the men to the foot of the hill?" 
 This brought an order to march forward, and when out of 
 range we had opportunity to reckon up our loss. It is diffi 
 cult to say whether we were more amazed or delighted to 
 find that but three had been wounded. 
 
 On returning from Knoxville, Tennessee, whither Sherman 
 had been sent to relieve Burnside, we were compelled to sub 
 sist on the country. Our colonel had not detailed a sufficient 
 foraging party to supply the regiment. One night I met the 
 officers of the line coming in a body to headquarters. On 
 inquiring the object of their visit, one of them replied, "We 
 
 are going up to settle with that old Swede. Our men 
 
 have marched all day and some of them have eaten nothing 
 since yesterday." Lest trouble should result from the stormy 
 interview which I saw was about to take place, I prevailed 
 upon them to allow me to speak to the colonel for them. 
 Finding him in excellent humor, I had no difficulty in getting 
 his permission to lead a foraging party the next day and cov 
 enanted to supply the regiment by noon. 
 
 That night the soldiers supped on faith, and in faith they 
 slept. In the morning I started out, with Joe Presson as my 
 sergeant. Arriving at a beautiful home, we were met by the 
 
IN EAST TENNESSEE. 459 
 
 father and mother and two daughters. In reply to my ques 
 tions the father said that they were Union people and had 
 three sons in the Federal army. Having observed that nearly 
 all the inhabitants of the South became Unionists in the 
 presence of our soldiers, I continued my interrogations. 
 Upon this, one of the girls brought out the portraits of her 
 three brothers, all of whom were dressed in Federal uniforms, 
 and also a number of letters from them. "There," said she, 
 and the tears began to fall, "look at these pictures and read 
 these letters if you don t believe that my brothers are in the 
 Union army." Presson had meanwhile gone through the 
 house without formality, and upon returning said: "Chaplain, 
 I find some very nice bacon here. How much shall I take?" 
 Of course under the circumstances I forbade his taking any. 
 As he turned reluctantly from the bacon, as well as from 
 several turkeys upon the fence, his face formed a picture that 
 rises vividly before me as I write. 
 
 In a little valley which we soon reached I heard a young 
 man say to his mother, "There are more coming; be ready." 
 I learned upon approaching the woman that she had been 
 sending her son down to the moving column since morning 
 inviting hungry soldiers to come to her house to get refresh 
 ment. After her cheerfully giving us all that we requested, 
 I sent Presson across the valley to get further supplies, and I 
 entered the house. "Strange as it may seem to you," I said 
 to the family, "I am a Methodist preacher, and thought I 
 would come in and talk with you about Christ." An aged 
 woman sick unto death was lying there upon a couch; but on 
 hearing my remark she sprang up in bed and shouted aloud, 
 praising God that she was permitted to see a Christian minis 
 ter once again. 
 
 In our rambles we soon came upon an old mill and in it 
 ground a quantity of corn meal, and in due course of time 
 we returned to camp with bountiful supplies. The varied in 
 cidents of this expedition, most of them so pleasant, make 
 its memories among the most precious to me of any of the 
 war. 
 
 Passing down to Tellico Plains we crossed a beautiful 
 mountain stream. I noticed among our pioneers a number 
 
460 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 of feeble men who were unable to wade the stream, as the 
 water ran nearly breast high, so to assist them I remained 
 behind the command and took them across upon my horse. 
 The last one that I took over evidently found it difficult to 
 express his gratitude, but was at length, I think, equal to the 
 occasion. Said he, "I have a beautiful sister at home, and 
 when the war is over if you will come down you may marry 
 her, by all that is good and great." Near our camp that night 
 was the grave of an old lady who was shot because she in 
 sisted on waving a Union flag. In all our marching through 
 the South we were never hailed with such gladness as that 
 which met us among the hills of Tennessee. "O, sir," said a 
 poor old man, as his voice trembled with feeling, "I have not 
 seen that dear old flag for three years. God be praised, it 
 shall yet wave!" The face of his aged wife was radiant, and 
 having brought all that she had to give the soldiers as they 
 passed, she literally danced like a girl. Women and girls 
 came for miles, bringing baskets of provisions and other 
 tokens of love and loyalty to the flag. I remember seeing 
 one beautiful girl standing at the forks of the road, waving a 
 little flag. Not a word could she say, but the joyful tears 
 which rolled down her cheeks will not be forgotten by one of 
 the soldiers who tramped so wearily by that day. 
 
 At three different times while I was in the South my fam 
 ily visited me. Their sojourn in camp has ever been remem 
 bered with pleasure by them, and greatly added to the joy 
 of my own life in the army. Each of them formed an undy 
 ing love for our grand old regiment, and the entire future of 
 my sons was moulded favorably by those months of associa 
 tion with our patriot soldiers. 
 
 Before the capture of Atlanta, through the kindness of 
 General Logan I was permitted to return to the North for 
 the purpose of recruiting the regiment. Having been elected 
 by the veterans to be their colonel, it was found necessary 
 under existing laws to add to our numbers before we could 
 muster in a full corps of officers. I remained with the regi 
 ment long enough, however, to witness the crowning outrage 
 of our campaigning, viz: the arrest of Captain Shaw for hes 
 itating to obey an order of General Lightburn, which it would 
 
BROKEN PROMISES. 461 
 
 have been a crime for him to have executed. With more 
 manhood and patriotism and courage in an hour than Light- 
 burn was capable of possessing in a lifetime, our true, good 
 captain was left under a cloud for twenty years a cloud that 
 at last has lifted through the untiring efforts of his surviving 
 comrades: May his children s children be blessed to the 
 latest generations. 
 
 Upon arriving at Springfield I immediately reported at the 
 office of Governor Yates, only to find that he was in Chicago 
 attending the democratic convention. Taking the next train 
 for that city I presented my papers to him, and he promised 
 to see me the next day. The republican central committee 
 and the governor feared that the welfare of the country 
 would be in danger if any more loyal men left Illinois before 
 the election. The draft was soon to take effect, and they 
 proposed that if I would speak in certain doubtful districts I 
 should have two hundred men from the draft. In addition to 
 this they agreed that as many men as voluntarily reported to 
 me might be sent on to the regiment. Believing that every 
 thing depended upon the re-election of President Lincoln 
 and a republican majority in Congress, I accepted their prop 
 osition and spoke through two districts until the campaign 
 was ended. A large number of recruits voluntarily reported 
 to me and were sent on to Springfield. At the close of the 
 campaign I received a note from the Secretary of War stat 
 ing that he was painfully disappointed in the result of the 
 draft, and could not furnish the two hundred men as agreed. 
 Much chagrined I hastened to Springfield only to find that 
 nearly all of the recruits who had voluntarily reported to me 
 had for some reasons not been sent to the regiment. I be 
 lieved then and do now that they were sold to the highest 
 bidder by dishonest officials. In view of these facts I re 
 quested to be mustered out of the service. When Sherman s 
 army had reached the sea my request was complied with. 
 
 My election to the colonelcy was unsought and contrary 
 to my expressed wish; but the appreciation of the regiment 
 shown thus, and in a thousand other ways, fills me with grati 
 tude. To be identified with such a body of men and in such 
 a cause is honor enough for one life, and to me a source of 
 
462 
 
 FIFTY-FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 
 
 unfailing pride and joy. After these years I only regret that 
 I was separated from the veterans in their last triumphal 
 march; and yet it must have been God s will, and I do not 
 murmur. The years have come and gone, and our ranks are 
 very thin. Our comrades are sleeping on many a field that 
 their valor won, and most of us who remain are worn and 
 grey. May the good God who gave us victory grant a glori 
 ous reunion to the old Fifty-fifth in the land of never-ending 
 peace ! 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
ROSTER OF THE FIFTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 IT is probable that some inaccuracies as well as many omissions will be 
 discovered in the following roster. This ought not to be thought 
 strange in view of the fact that twenty-two years have elapsed since the 
 muster out of the regiment, and that many of the company documents 
 have been lost or destroyed. It has been found impossible to supply all 
 deficiencies from the uncertain memories and notes of surviving com 
 rades. The efforts of the committee have been, however, directed to the 
 reduction of errors to a minimum. Competent and interested men have 
 been found among the living of nearly all the companies, who have 
 labored zealously to correct these records. Prominent among them may 
 be mentioned: J. B. Ridenour, Curtis P. Lacey, Robert Oliver, Jacob 
 Fink, John Warden, Joseph Hartsook, Peter Roberts, J. August Smith, 
 and John Averill. The late reprint of the report of the Adjutant-General 
 of Illinois, though very imperfect, has been an invaluable assistant. 
 Many of its omissions and errors will be found rectified in these pages. 
 Luckily copies of all the regimental reports of battle casualties have 
 been preserved, and every man hit by rebel missile and so reported by 
 name at any time has been duly credited in this roster. 
 
 The names of those who lost their lives during the war are noted with 
 a * ; commissioned officers names are preceded by a |. 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 "fDAviD STUART. Chicago; colonel at organization; commanded brigade 
 from Feb. 27 to May 14, 62; wounded in shoulder at Shiloh; appointed 
 brigadier-general Nov. 29, 62, to date from Oct. 31, "61; commanded 
 brigade to Dec. 27, 62, and division during remainder of service; left 
 service April 3, 63, his appointment having failed of confirmation by 
 the Senate. Died at Detroit, Mich., Sept. 11, 1868. 
 
 |OscAR MALMBORG. Chicago; lieutenant-colonel at organization; pro 
 moted colonel to date from Dec. 19, 62; wounded contusion over eye 
 at Vicksburg, May 19, 63; mustered out Sept. 20, 64. Died in Kan 
 sas, 1874, aged 67 years. 
 30 
 
4 66 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 [WILLIAM D. SANGER. Chicago; major at organization; promoted lieu 
 tenant-colonel to date from Dec. 19, 62, but declined commission; aid 
 to General W. T. Sherman from March 10, 62, until discharge; mus 
 tered out for disability an unexplained error by S. O. of the War 
 Dept., to date from Nov. i, 62. Died at St. Louis, Nov. , 1873. 
 
 [THEODORE C. CHANDLER. Canton; transferred from D as major, to 
 date from Dec. 19, 62; promoted lieutenant-colonel, to date from 
 March 27, 63; resigned July 3, 64. See D. 
 
 [JAMES J. HEFFERNAN. Chicago; transferred from H as major, to date 
 from Dec. 19, 62; promoted lieutenant-colonel, to dale from July 3, 64; 
 mustered out as major, Nov. 19, 64. Died at St. Louis, 1886. See H. 
 
 |MiLTON L. HANEY. Bushnell; transferred from F as chaplain, to date 
 from March 6/62; elected colonel at veteran re-organization, April 6, 
 64; commissioned lieutenant-colonel; mustered out Dec. 2, 64, as 
 chaplain. See F. 
 
 [CHARLES A. ANDRESS. Mendota; transferred from I as lieutenant- 
 colonel, to date from June 12, 65; mustered out with regiment. Died 
 - 1876. See L 
 
 [GILES F. HAND. Prairie City; transferred from F as major, to date 
 from June 12, 65; mustered out with regiment. See F. 
 
 [GEORGE L. THURSTON. Lancaster, Mass.; adjutant at organization; 
 promoted captain of B, to date from March I, 62. See B. 
 
 [HENRY S. NOURSE. Lancaster, Mass.; headquarters clerk at organiza 
 tion; commissioned adjutant, to date from April 30, 62; slightly wound 
 ed in leg at Shiloh; promoted captain of H, to date from Dec. 19, 62. 
 See H. 
 
 [FRANCIS P. FISHER. Chicago; transferred from C as commissary-ser 
 geant, Nov. 20, 61; detached as store-keeper, etc., at brigade, division 
 and corps headquarters, from July, 62, to June, 63; promoted adjutant 
 Oct. 19, 63; mustered out Oct. 30, 64. See C. 
 
 tJ. AUGUST SMITH. Cedar Rapids, Iowa; transferred from H as sergeant- 
 major, Jan. i, 64; veteran; promoted adjutant, to date from Oct. 31/64; 
 commissioned captain of F, to date from Aug. 2, 65; mustered out 
 with regiment as adjutant. See H. 
 
 [HENRY W. JANES. Chicago; quartermaster at organization; promoted 
 captain a. qm. vols. Aug. 10, 63; captain a. qm. U. S. A., Nov. 17, 63; 
 brevet major and lieutenant-colonel, March 13/65; retired as major, 
 for disability, July 2, 79. Died at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Feb. 16, 1883. 
 
 [THADDEUS H. CAPRON. Durand; transferred from C as quartermaster- 
 sergeant; promoted second-lieutenant of C and acting quartermaster; 
 promoted quartermaster, to date from Aug. 10. 63; captain a. qm. vols. 
 June 20, 65; mustered out Oct. 31, 65. Appointed second-lieutenant 
 9th U. S. Infty., Jan. 22, 67; promoted first-lieutenant Nov. 8, 71. See C. 
 
 "fE. O. F. ROLER. Chicago; surgeon at organization, promoted from 
 assistant-surgeon 42d 111. Infty.; acting brigade and division surgeon 
 March, 62, to Aug., 63; medical inspector I5th A. C. to May, 64; med 
 ical director i$th A. C. to end of service; mustered out Nov. 10, 64. 
 J[CHARLES B. TOMPKINS. Lewistown; promoted from I7th 111. Infty., to 
 date from Nov. 25, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 [CHARLES WINNE. Somonauk; first assistant-surgeon, to date from Nov. 
 25, 61 ; promoted surgeon 77th 111. Infty., to date from Dec. 6, 62. 
 
 fJoHN T. SMITH. Cedar Rapids, Iowa; enlisted Sept. 20, 61; appointed 
 hospital steward at organization; promoted second assistant-surgeon, 
 to date from Dec. 6, 62; first assistant-surgeon, to date from Jan. 3, 63; 
 mustered out Jan. 6, 65. 
 
 [JOHN B. TOMPKINS. Lewistown; first assistant-surgeon, to date from 
 May 5, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 fORLANDO W. NEWELL. Marshall; second assistant-surgeon, to date 
 May 19, 63; resigned Aug. 13, 63. 
 
FIELD AND STAFF. 4 6 7 
 
 |L. P. CROUCH. Chaplain at organization; resigned March I, 62. 
 
 JOHN T. McAuLEY. Transferred from K as sergeant-major, Nov. 14, 61 ; 
 
 wounded severely at Shiloh; promoted second-lieutenant of C. See 
 
 K, C and B. 
 JOSEPH HARTSOOK. Transferred from F as sergeant-major, Sept. 1/62; 
 
 promoted first-lieutenant of K. See F and K. 
 JOHN G. BROWN. Transferred from A as principal musician, Feb. 63; 
 
 veteran; promoted sergeant-major, to date Oct. 31, 64; mustered out 
 
 with regiment. See A. 
 CALVIN K. SANDERS. Appointed (quartermaster-sergeant at organization, 
 
 from C; discharged for disability Jan. 5, 63. See C. 
 JOSEPH H. PRESSON. Transferred from A as quartermaster-sergeant, 
 
 Sept. , 62; mustered out Oct. 31, 61. See A. 
 MILTON M. POTTER. Transferred from D as quartermaster-sergeant, 
 
 Oct. 31, 64; mustered out with regiment. See D. 
 HENRY A. HURLBUT. Transferred From C as commissary-sergeant, May 
 
 4, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. See C. 
 DORSEY C. ANDRESS. Transferred from I as commissary-sergeant, Oct. 
 
 31, 64; promoted first-lieutenant of I, June 12, 65. See I. 
 JACOB SANFORD. Transferred from F as commissary-sergeant, June 13, 
 
 65; mustered out with regiment. See F. 
 *ELON G. CANFIELD. Transferred from E as hospital steward, 63; 
 
 died at Batavia, 111., Dec. 13, 63. See E, 
 EDWARD H. WORDEN. Transferred from B as hospital steward, 63; 
 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. See B. 
 JAMES LEROY BURNSIDE. Transferred from G as hospital steward, Jan. 
 
 1, 65; mustered out with regiment. See G. 
 
 WILLIAM H. HOWE. Transferred from G as principal musician, Jan. i, 
 62; mustered out Feb. 9, 93, pursuant to G. O. 126, abolishing the 
 office. See G. 
 
 MICHAEL GUILFOIL. Transferred from E as acting principal musician, 
 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. See E. 
 
 WILLIAM KUTZ. Transferred from I as acting principal musician, Jan. 
 
 2, 64; mustered out with regiment. See I. 
 
 JOHN Q. AVERILL. Transferred from K as acting principal musician, 
 March 1/64; mustered out with regiment. See K. 
 
 BAND. 
 
 The band was mustered into service with the regiment at Camp 
 Douglas, and mustered out at Paducah, Ky., Feb. i, 1862. 
 
 LEADER S. V. W. Post. 
 Musicians. 
 
 Amos, Benjamin Downey, A. Parker, Roderick 
 
 Bailey, John Downey, H. Raney, Edward 
 
 Bardsley, John Foster, A. Rice, Augustus 
 
 Collister, S. G. Hill, Henry Sproule, John 
 
 Coykendall, H. W. Johnson, William Smalley, Forrest 
 
 Carry, David Kaste, William Thorpe, Barton 
 Kirkbride, Wesley 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 When Company A was mustered into the service it numbered one 
 hundred and one enlisted men and officers. They were recruited princi 
 pally in Fulton County, and in three divisions: one from Lewistown by 
 Rev. William A. Presson, one from Canton by Jacob M. Augustine, one 
 from Liverpool by Casper Schleich. The company was known as the 
 Canton Blues, the ladies having presented them with a blue flag. 
 
 The men for the most part came from rural avocations and they made 
 the best of soldiers. One evidence, perhaps, of this is the fact that they 
 furnished an unusual number of commissioned and non-commissioned 
 officers. The regiment elected from A two lieutenant-colonels, Jacob 
 M. Augustine and John B. Ridenour, though by fortune of war neither 
 obtained commissions in that grade. Joseph H. Presson was promoted 
 quartermaster-sergeant; John G. Brown, sergeant-major; Captain W. A. 
 Presson, after his resignation from the 55th, became major and lieutenant- 
 colonel in the 73d 111. Infty. Company A had five captains from its own 
 ranks, and furnished one each to E and F. Captain Henry Augustine 
 after leaving the regiment served six months as captain of Company I, 
 5ist 111. Vet. Vols. John B.Johnson became captain in the I37th 111. Infty. 
 Seven first-lieutenants were supplied to Company A, one to E and one to 
 the ist Tennessee H. A. Four second-lieutenants were furnished to 
 Company A, one to F and one to the 2d Mississippi Colored. Thus in all 
 it gave the service eight captains, seven first-lieutenants, and six second- 
 lieutenants. 
 
 The company had during the war eight orderly-sergeants and fur 
 nished one, Peter Schleich, to the Veteran Reserve Corps. Twenty-one 
 served as duty sergeants and twenty-eight held the rank of corporal. 
 Sergeant John B. Phillips, the first color-bearer of the Fifty-fifth, after 
 discharge served three years as private in the 23d 111. Infty. Most of the 
 survivors of the company fill important stations in church and society, 
 and respectable positions in business pursuits. 
 
 The losses during the war were as follows: Killed, 10; mortally 
 wounded, 4; wounded not mortally, 25; died of disease, 10; discharged 
 for disability, 12; taken prisoners all returned to duty 8; died since 
 the war so far as known, 13. 
 
 The company had in it a large number of consistent Christians, a 
 majority of them Methodists, whose prayers and songs were often heard 
 in camp, on the march, in storm and battle. As a fearless and efficient 
 military leader and commander, Captain Jacob M. Augustine, killed while 
 commanding the regiment, was recognized as among the foremost. 
 
 *| AUGUSTINE, JACOB M. Enlisted at Canton, July 30, 61; first-lieutenant 
 at organization; promoted captain, to date from March 15, 62; elected 
 lieutenant-colonel by veterans, April 6, 64; killed in charge on Little 
 Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, 64. 
 
 | AUGUSTINE, HENRY. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 23, 61; sergeant at or 
 ganization; promoted second-lieutenant, to date from Aug. 1/62; first- 
 lieutenant to date from Oct. 2, 62; captain, to date from June 27, 64; 
 mustered out Nov. 8, 64. Captain 5ist 111. Vet. Vols., 1865. 
 
COMPANY A. 469 
 
 *APPLE, NATHANIEL. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 10, 61 ; died at home, 
 May 9, 62. 
 
 *BABBITT, CHRISTIE. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 21, 61 ; wounded and cap 
 tured at Shiloh; paroled, and died during May, 62, at Canton. 
 
 *BANKS, JOHN M. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 10, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 BARKLEY, JOHN M. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2, 61 ; division teamster 
 from Nov. 1/62; discharged for disability, Jan. 28, 63. Died July, 1884. 
 
 BARKLEY, JOSEPH C. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. n, 61; wounded in 
 head at Vicksburg, May 19/63; division teamster from Nov. 10, 63; 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *BOLANDER, HARVEY. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2, 61; killed at At 
 lanta, July 22, 64. 
 
 BOYLE, JASON. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 12, 61; deserted Jan. 11, 62. 
 
 BRAYDEN, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Lewistown, Oct. 10/61 ; division teamster 
 from Oct. 23, 62; captured and paroled near Memphis, Tenn.; mus 
 tered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BROWN, ELI C. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2, 61; discharged for disa 
 bility, Jan. 28/63. Died at Bryant in 1881. 
 
 BROWN, JOHN G. Enlisted at Canton, Oct. 29/61; musician; veteran; 
 promoted principal musician and sergeant-major. See Field and Staff. 
 
 BUFFUM, GEORGE A. Enlisted at Lewistown, Oct. 7/61; corporal at or 
 ganization in color-guard; discharged for disability, Jan. 23, 63. Died 
 at Lewistown, Dec. 20, 1884. 
 
 BULL, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 9/61; wounded in left knee 
 at Shiloh, and discharged therefor Nov. 13, 62. 
 
 * BURNS, JOHN. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 20, 61; promoted corporal 
 March 15, 62; sergeant, March 31, 63; killed at Vicksburg by shell, 
 May 22, 63. 
 
 BURNSIDES, GEORGE M. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 7, 61 ; detached at 
 corps quartermaster s from Nov. n, 62; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 CADWALLADER, JOHN. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. 2, 61 ; captured at 
 Shiloh, and returned March 2, 63; transferred to Second Miss. Colored 
 as second-lieutenant, June 15/63. 
 
 CHAMBERS, CHARLES. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2/61 ; wounded at 
 Shiloh in left hip, and discharged therefor July 2, 62. 
 
 *CLARK, JAMES. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. 14, 61 ; wounded in charge 
 at Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64, and died of wound at Allatoona, 
 July 9, 64. 
 
 COLEMAN, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 4/61 ; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 ICOOTES, WILLIAM F. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. i, 61; first-sergeant 
 at organization; promoted second-lieutenant, to date from March 13, 
 62; first-lieutenant, to date from July 1/62; transferred to E as cap 
 tain. See E. 
 
 Cox, ALFRED J. Recruit; enlisted at Young Hickory, March 7, 65; mus 
 tered out June 8, 65. 
 
 Cox, MICHAEL T. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2,| 6i ; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 COYKENDALL, MORRIS J. Enlisted at Canton, Oct. 16/61; wounded at 
 Shiloh; with Signal Corps in 62; discharged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 DEEMS, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31, 61; wounded severely 
 in left side at Shiloh; promoted corporal Aug. 1/62; sergeant, Sept. I, 
 63; wounded in thigh at Vicksburg, May 19, 63; mustered out Oct. 
 31/64. 
 
 DEFORD, MILTON. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31/61; deserted May 
 11/63. 
 
 DEFORD, THOMAS. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 1/61 ; discharged 62. 
 Died Dec., 1885. 
 
 DURHAM, JACOB A. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 6/6 1; detached with 
 
47 APPENDIX. 
 
 corps quartermaster from Dec. 10, 62; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. Died 
 Nov. 6, 1885. 
 
 DURYEA, BENJAMIN F. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 21, 61; division team 
 ster; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *ELRODD, THOMAS J. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31/61; wounded in 
 thigh at Shiloh; wounded at Vicksburg, June 18, 63, and died of wound 
 at home, Aug. 21, 63. 
 
 ERICKSON, OLIVER. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 3, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; sergeant, Aug. i, 62; first-sergeant, May 19, 63; transferred to 
 E as first-lieutenant. See E. 
 
 EVELAND, LORENZO. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31, 61; orderly for 
 Brig.-Gen. M. L. Smith from Oct. 20, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 FILER, LORENZO. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. 3, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 3 1 . 64- 
 
 FINGLE, CHARLES P. Recruit; enlisted at Young Hickory, March 7, 65; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 FRY, DAVID J. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61; corporal at organiza 
 tion; veteran; promoted sergeant, March 28, 65; mustered out with 
 regiment, as first-sergeant. 
 
 *FUNK, JOHN. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Jan. 10, 64; drummer; killed 
 at Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64. 
 
 GARRETT, SILAS S. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. 24, 61; captured at 
 Shiloh and returned April 7, 63; transferred to ist Tennessee H. A. 
 Colored, Dec. 1 1/63, as first-lieutenant. Died at Memphis, July 23, 1885. 
 
 GAY, JOSHUA H. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. 14, 61 ; discharged for dis 
 ability, Sept. 24, 62. 
 
 *GLASS, JOHN C. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 30, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; promoted sergeant, Aug. i, 62; first-sergeant, March 31, 63; 
 killed at Vicksburg, May 19, 63. 
 
 GLASS, WILLIAM M. Enlisted at Liverpool, Oct. 2i, 6i; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal, June I, 65; mustered out with regiment. Died, Peoria, 
 Nov. 27, 1883. 
 
 HAMILTON, CHARLES F. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61; wounded in 
 left leg in charge upon Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; mustered 
 out, Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 HART, HENRY L. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 31, 61; promoted corpo 
 ral, May 22, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *HASTY, WILLIS. Enlisted at Lewistown, Oct. 5, 61; veteran; killed at 
 Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64. 
 
 HAYDEN, ALFRED R. Enlisted at Nekoma, Oct. 30, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 HEBB, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Canton, July 30, 61; mustered out, Oct. 31, 
 64. 
 
 *HENDRIX, LYMAN P. Enlisted at Fayette, Aug. 5, 61; died in hospital 
 at St. Louis, April 17, 63. 
 
 HENDRIX, TIMOTHY S. Enlisted at Fayette, Oct. 14, 61; went home on 
 furlough sick, June 17, 62, and deserted. 
 
 |*HILL, LEVI. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 30, 61; sergeant at organi 
 zation; promoted first-sergeant, March 15, 62; second-lieutenant, Oct. 
 2, 62; killed at Vicksburg, May 19, 63. 
 
 *HOLDEN, BARTLEY. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31. 61; killed in 
 charge upon Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 *HUFFARD, FRANCIS M. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 10, 61 ; captured at 
 Shiloh, and returned Feb. 25, 63; died at Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 9, 63. 
 
 JOHNSON, JOHN B. Enlisted at Prairie City, Sept. 2, 61; sergeant at or 
 ganization; transferred to F as second-lieutenant, March 8, 62. See F. 
 
 JONES, ABNER. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 3 1, 64. 
 
 *LENHART, HENRY. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31, 61; promoted cor- 
 
COMPANY A. 471 
 
 poral March 15, 62; severely wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant 
 May 22, 63; died at Camp Sherman, Miss., Aug. 21. 63. 
 
 LENHART, ISAIAH. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31/61. Enlisted again in 
 Company A, io3d 111. Infty., Aug. 16, 62, and mustered out June 21/65. 
 
 LINGENFELTER, AARON. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 9, 61; veteran; 
 wounded at Atlanta, July 22, 64, in hand; wounded severely in right 
 shoulder at Bentonville, N. C., March 21, 65; mustered out July 22, 65. 
 
 LOWDER, ANDREW J. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 31, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh; veteran; wounded at Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64; promoted cor 
 poral Oct. 31, 64; sergeant, July 21, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 LOWDER, JAMES. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 31, 61; division teamster; 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 LOWE, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 5, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 March 31, 63; sergeant, May 26, 63; severely wounded in neck at 
 Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 LUCKEY, GEORGE J. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 12, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; promoted sergeant March 15, 62; discharged for disability 
 July 24, 62. 
 
 MAXWELL, ALBERT B. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 8, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 MAXWELL, DANIEL K. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 5, 61; veteran; se 
 verely wounded in right leg in charge on Little Kenesaw, June 27, 64, 
 and discharged for wound March 10, 65. 
 
 MAXWELL, RICHARD A. Recruit; enlisted at Clarion, March 13, 65; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MCCULLOUGH, JOHN K. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 21, 61; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal Oct. 31, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 McCuMBER, ORVILLE. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2/61 ; discharged for 
 disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 fMcCuMBER, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2, 61; promoted 
 corporal Sept. 23, 63; veteran; promoted sergeant Oct. 31, 64; first- 
 sergeant, March 28, 65; commissioned first-lieutenant July 21, 65; 
 mustered out with regiment as first-sergeant. 
 
 MILLS, JOSEPH H. Enlisted at Ellisville, Sept. 13, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 Sept. 26, 63; veteran; prompted sergeant Oct. 31, 64; first-sergeant, 
 July 21, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MITCHELL, MATTHEW. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61; wounded in 
 groin at Vicksburg, May 19, 63; veteran; promoted corporal Oct. 31, 
 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MONROE, J. J. Recruit; enlisted at Clarion, March 13, 65; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *MORAN, CHARLES. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61; died at Memphis, 
 Tenn., Oct. 17, 63. 
 
 MORGAN, NEWTON. Enlisted at Ellisville, Sept. 13, 61 ; wounded at Ezra 
 Chapel, July 28, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 NEGLEY, DANIEL O. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 Aug. i, 62; sergeant, Sept. 11, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 NORMAN, JAMES. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12/61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 division teamster; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. Died in Kansas in 1881. 
 
 *PETERS, WILLIAM T. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61; died at home, 
 March 19. 62. 
 
 PHILLIPS, JOHN B. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 23/61 ; sergeant at organ 
 ization, being the first color-bearer; discharged March 31, 62. 
 
 *POLLOCK, HARRISON. Enlisted at Lewistown, Oct. 7/61 ; died in hospital 
 at Paducah, Ky., March 23, 62. 
 
 PORTER, EDGAR J. Enlisted at Lewistown, Oct. 17/61 ; captured on Black 
 River, Miss., Aug. 14, 63; exchanged, and returned June 16, 64; se 
 verely wounded in left hand in charge upon Little Kenesaw, June 27, 
 . 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
47 2 APPENDIX. 
 
 PORTER, FITCH J. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31/61 ; discharged for dis 
 ability Sept. 14, 62. 
 
 PRESSON, JOSEPH H. Enlisted at Galesburg, Sept. 2, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; promoted quartermaster-sergeant March 31, 63. See Field 
 and Staff. 
 
 IPRESSON, WILLIAM A. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31, 61; captain at 
 organization; resigned March 13, 62. Major and lieutenant-colonel 
 73d 111. Infty. 
 
 tPRiCKETT, HARRISON H. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31, 61 ; promoted 
 corporal Sept. 26, 63; veteran; promoted first-sergeant Nov. i, 64; 
 first-lieutenant, to date from May 19, 65; captain, from July 21, 65; 
 mustered out with regiment. Killed at Lewistown by runaway team, 
 Jan. 27, 1867. 
 
 PRICKETT, JACOB P. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 3, 61; deserted while 
 on sick leave, granted June 12, 62. Died May 11, 1886. 
 
 PRITCHARD, BENJAMIN. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 30, 61 ; mustered 
 out March 27, 65. 
 
 REDFERN, MARK. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 31/61; fifer; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *REEVES, DAVID M. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 6, 61 ; v/ounded at Shiloh 
 and died of wound at Quincy, 111., May 27, 62. 
 
 tRiDENOUR, JOHN B. Enlisted at Lynn, Sept. 21, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; 
 promoted corporal Aug. I, 62; sergeant, May 19, 63; first-sergeant, 
 Sept. 26, 63; veteran; promoted first-lieutenant, to date June 27, 64; 
 captain, to date March 28, 65; elected lieutenant-colonel March 30, 65; 
 resigned as captain, June 15, 6j5, at Louisville, Ky. 
 
 ROBBINS, JAMES F. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 26, 61 ; discharged for dis 
 ability June 12, 62. 
 
 *ROCKHOLD, CHARLES. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 5, 61 ; promoted cor 
 poral March 15, 62; sergeant, March 31/63; died at Camp Sherman, 
 Miss., of fever, Sept. n, 63. 
 
 ROSEBAUM, ABRAHAM. Enlisted at Canton, Oct. 9/61 ; deserted Jan. 10/63. 
 
 Ross, STEPHEN M. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 31, 61; discharged for dis 
 ability June , 62. 
 
 SCANLAN, THOMAS. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 8, 61; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal March 28, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 jScHLEiCH, CASPER. Enlisted at Liverpool, Aug. 31, 61 ; second-lieuten 
 ant at organization; promoted first-lieutenant March 15/62; transferred 
 July i, 62, to F as captain. See F. 
 
 SCHLEICH, PETER. Enlisted at Ellisville, Aug. 31, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; promoted sergeant Aug. 1/62; transferred to V. R. C., Sept. 
 
 9. 6 3- 
 SEBREE, JAMES. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 10, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 
 May 22/63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 SHAW, HARVEY. Enlisted at Liverpool, Oct. 5/61; captured at Shiloh; 
 
 wounded at charge on Little Kenesaw, June 27, 64; mustered out 
 
 May ii, 65. 
 *SIMPSON, SAMUEL J. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 9, 61; died at Shiloh 
 
 about April 15, 62. 
 *TOBIN, PATRICK. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 2, 61 ; killed at Vicks- 
 
 burg, May 19, 63. 
 VAUGHAN, JAMES A. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 15/61; bugler; wounded 
 
 at Shiloh; mustered out with regiment. 
 WELLINGTON, HORATIO. Enlisted at Canton, July 30, .61; mustered out 
 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 WHEELER, ALLEN. Enlisted at Fayette, Aug. 18, 61; detached in 
 
 Pioneer Corps; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 WHEELER, JOHN P. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 24, 61 ; promoted cor 
 poral, Aug. i, 63; sergeant, Sept. 26, 63; veteran; wounded in right 
 
COMPANY B. 473 
 
 foot at Atlanta July 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 WHEELER, MYRON. Enlisted at Fayette, Aug. 5, *6i; sergeant at organi 
 zation; discharged by court-martial Dec. 25, 64. 
 WHEELER, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Fayette, Oct. 7, 61; deserted while 
 
 on furlough granted June 17, 62. 
 
 WHITE, JOSEPH H. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 30, 61; captured at 
 Black River, Miss., Aug. 14, 63, and returned June 16, 64! mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. Died at Lewistown, June 4, 1875. 
 
 WHITE, JAMES M. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 3, 61 ; promoted corpo 
 ral Aug. i, 63; veteran; wounded at charge upon Little Kenesaw Mt., 
 July 27, 64, leg amputated, and discharged June 5, 65. 
 *WILLIAMSON, NATHANIEL. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 22, 61; died of 
 
 wound received at Shiloh. 
 
 WILSON, BENJAMIN A. Enlisted at Lewistown, Aug. 31, 61; discharged 
 for disability Sept. 4, 62. Reported killed by Indians in 1877. 
 The following were temporarily transferred from n6th and I27th 111. 
 Infantry to complete their terms of enlistment, and were mustered out 
 with the regiment: ii6th Geo. W. Church, John Fry, Benjamin T. Han 
 cock, James W. Hancock, William H. Miller. I27th Charles Bennett, 
 Lorenzo D. Goff, Hiram S. Mead, James Niswanger, Bayard Smith. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 This body of patriots was drawn from widely separated localities. 
 Most of those earliest enrolled were from DeKalb and Ogle counties. A 
 few came from Michigan and others from Iowa; the last originally being 
 members of a company which was recruited with the intention of enter 
 ing the 23d Illinois Mulligan s Brigade. The report of the adjutant- 
 general of the state also credits several to Kentucky, and this singular 
 error was not discovered until it was unfortunately copied from that 
 authority on page 37 of this volume. The locality thus wrongly attributed 
 to Kentucky is Mayfield, De Kalb county, Illinois. 
 
 The first commander of the organization was Thomas B. Mackey, who 
 had served for several years in the U. S. Army. At Paducah he resigned 
 and Adjutant George L. Thurston was appointed to succeed him. The 
 company was designated B, and given position on the left flank of the 
 regiment. At Shiloh, led by Captain Thurston, it encountered the enemy 
 some time before the brigade came under fire, lost several men while 
 skirmishing, and inflicted severe punishment upon the Confederates. Its 
 casualties during the battle outnumbered those of any other company in 
 the 55th, and were, beyond a doubt, more numerous than those of any 
 similar organization engaged amounting to nine killed outright and 
 thirty-two wounded, out of less than seventy in action. At Russell s 
 House, May 17, 1862, the company again became conspicuous, being en 
 gaged upon the skirmish line, and lost one killed and two wounded. 
 
 July 5, 1862, Captain Thurston was compelled to leave the field be 
 cause of illness which soon proved fatal, and Lieutenant Merrill was 
 discharged for disability at Memphis. Lieutenant John T. McAuley was 
 transferred from C as captain. Elijah C. Lawrence of K had succeeded 
 Asahel C. Smith, the original second-lieutenant of the company. He was 
 31 
 
474 APPENDIX. 
 
 severely wounded at Shiloh and resigned after arrival before Vicksburg 
 in 1863. George W. Eichelbarger who succeeded him, a brave and effi 
 cient officer, was killed before Atlanta. 
 
 Without question, the company compared favorably with any in the 
 55th in its soldierly capacity and services rendered. Its officers were 
 nearly all capable drill-masters, and the men did honor to their discipline. 
 A summary of the company s losses is as follows: Killed, 16; mortally 
 wounded, 10; other wounded, 31; captured, 3, two of whom died in rebel 
 prisons; discharged for wounds, 7; discharged for disability, 12; died of 
 disease, 15; deserted, 4. 
 
 *ALLISON, WILLIAM P. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61; killed at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 *ASHMAN, NICHOLAS. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 8, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 *ASHMORE, JOHN N. Enlisted at Oakland, Sept. 3, 61 ; sergeant at organ 
 ization; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 ATWOOD, AMOS C. Enlisted at De Kalb, Aug. 27, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh 
 and discharged therefor. 
 
 AVERILL, JOHN. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61 ; transferred to K 
 Nov. 7, 6 1. See K, and Field and Staff. 
 
 *BAGLEY, J. PARKER. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 10, 61 ; first-sergeant at 
 organization; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 IBANDFIELD, FRANCIS. Enlisted at Milan, Mich., Oct. 24, 61 ; promoted 
 sergeant Sept. 1/63; veteran; commissioned captain July 21, 65; mus 
 tered out as sergeant with regiment. 
 
 BARKLEY, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61 ; veteran; pro 
 moted sergeant ; wounded at Atlanta, Aug. 3, 64; mustered out with 
 regiment. 
 
 *BARRETT, DANIEL. Enlisted at Charleston, Aug. 27, 61; sergeant at 
 organization; died in hospital at St. Louis, June I, 63. 
 
 BLACK, JAMES S. Enlisted at Oakland, Sept. 30, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; promoted sergeant; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BLACK, WILLIAM J. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BRADFORD, M. J. Enlisted at Chicago, Aug. 27, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 31/64- 
 
 *BRIDGE, EDWARD. Enlisted at Malta, Sept. 10, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 promoted sergeant March 27, 63; died at Larkinsville, Ala., Jan. 11/64. 
 
 BURROWS, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Chicago, July 28, 61 ; discharged 
 July 10, 62. 
 
 CARNEY, JOHN W. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 28, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; 
 veteran; promoted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 CASEY, JAMES. Enlisted at Chicago, July 28, 61 ; veteran; promoted cor 
 poral; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 CASEY, JOHN. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 10, 61; corporal at organization; 
 wounded at Shiloh; mustered out Nov. 7, 64, as private. 
 
 CHAPFELL, DANIEL S. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10, 61 ; discharged 
 May 8, 62. 
 
 *CLARK, ROBERT. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 30, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; 
 wounded at Russell s House, May 17, 62, died of wound May 20, 62. 
 
 *CROSS, DEWITT C. Enlisted at De Kalb, Sept. 25, 61; died in hospital 
 at Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 12, 62. 
 
 DIXON, ROBERT. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 3 1. 64. 
 
 *DONAHUE, JAMES. Enlisted at Chicago, Aug. 27, 61 ; died in hospital at 
 Monterey, Tenn., June 5, 62. of typhoid fever. 
 
COMPANY B. 475 
 
 DOWNING, REUBEN. Enlisted at De Kalb, Oct. 29, 61; discharged for 
 disability Nov. 5, 61. 
 
 t*EiCHELBARGER, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Fulton, Oct. 7, 61 ; promoted 
 corporal; wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant; second-lieutenant, 
 to elate Feb. 9, 63; first-lieutenant, Sept. 26, 63; killed at Atlanta, July 
 
 22, 64. 
 
 *ELLIOTT, DAVID H. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; wounded at Shiloh, and died of wound at Mt. Vernon, Ind., 
 April 28, 62. 
 
 {ELLIOTT, ROBERT R. Enlisted at Oakland, Sept. 30, 61 ; wounded at 
 Shiloh; veteran; promoted corporal; sergeant; commissioned first- 
 lieutenant; mustered out with regiment as sergeant. 
 
 ELLSWORTH, LYMAN. Enlisted at Dement, Oct. 19, 61; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 *FARWELL, GEORGE G. Enlisted at Mayfield, Oct. 25, 61 ; bugler; killed 
 at Shiloh. 
 
 IFISHER, JOHN H. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 wounded slightly at Vicksburg, in storming party, May 22, "63; veteran; 
 promoted corporal; wounded at Atlanta, July 22, 64; promoted first- 
 lieutenant, to date from July 22, 64; discharged May 15, 65. 
 
 FOLEY, GEORGE. Enlisted at De Kalb, Sept. 25, 61; transferred to 5ist 
 111. Infty., Dec. 7/61. 
 
 FRANK, PETER W. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 29, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 31, 64. 
 
 *FRANKLIN, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61; captured at 
 Shiloh and died a prisoner. 
 
 *GALE, RUSSELL. Enlisted at Oregon, Sept. 29, 61 ; died at Camp Doug 
 las, Dec. 15, 61. 
 
 GAMMON, JOHN. Enlisted at Malta, Sept. 25, 61; deserted Nov. 21, 61, 
 but served later in Gen. Halleck s body guard. 
 
 *GoopwiN, DAVID M. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 20, 61; died at Mem 
 phis, Tenn., Aug. 12, 62. 
 
 GRAVES, JOSEPH F. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. 8, 61 ; discharged Sept. 23/62. 
 
 GRAY, WILLIAM W. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 8, 61; wounded at Shiloh 
 and discharged therefor. 
 
 HARDENBROOK, MARCUS. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10. 61; slightly 
 wounded at Chattanooga, Nov. 25, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *HARRINGTON, T. W. Enlisted at Chicago, Nov. i, 6i; wounded at Shi 
 loh, and died of wound at Keokuk, la., May 11, 62. 
 
 *HAYS, LEVI. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61; captured at Shiloh, and 
 died at Chattanooga. 
 
 HEIDLER, PETER. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10. 61; sergeant at organi 
 zation; discharged Aug. 18, 62. 
 
 HOWARD, JAMES D. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27/61; deserted near 
 Richmond, La., May 8, 63. Served again in Missouri cavalry. 
 
 HOWE, LISTON D. Enlisted Feb. 12/62; drummer; discharged Feb. 28/65. 
 
 HOWELL, JAMES. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 30, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 wounded slightly at Chattanooga, Nov. 25, 63; veteran; deserted June 
 i, 64. 
 
 *HUNTINGTON, E. D. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. 8, 61 ; promoted first-ser 
 geant May i, 62; died at Larkinsville, Ala., May 13, 64. 
 
 JACKSON, JOHN. Enlisted at Lane, Oct. 12, 61; wounded at Shiloh; vet 
 eran; wounded near Atlanta, Aug. 14, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *JONES, ANDREW J. Enlisted at Oakwoods, Aug. 27, 61 ; wounded at Shi 
 loh; killed at Russell s House, May 17, 62. 
 
 KEYES, WILLIAM A. Enlisted at De Kalb, Oct. 15, 61; veteran; dis 
 charged for disability Feb. 19, 65. 
 
 KLOIDT, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Dement, Oct. 12, 61; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
476 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 *KURTZ, SILAS D. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 8, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; killed at Shiloh. 
 LACEY, CURTIS P. Enlisted July 25, 61; sergeant at organization; 
 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 LANDY, JOHN. Enlisted at Lane, Oct. 4, 61; wounded at Shiloh, and 
 
 discharged for wound Oct. 18, 62. 
 ILAWRENCE, ELIJAH C. Transferred from K as second-lieutenant, March 
 
 5, 62; wounded by bullet through both thighs at Shiloh; resigned Feb. 
 
 7, 63. See K. 
 
 LAWSON, LAWRENCE. Enlisted at De Kalb, Sept. 10, 61; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 LINDSAY, CHARLES. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. 8, 61; deserted Aug. 31, 62. 
 *LINDSAY, OLIVER. Enlisted at Mayfield, Oct. i, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 IMACKEY, THOMAS B. Enlisted at Muscatine, Iowa, June, 61; captain at 
 
 organization; resigned Dec. 26, 61. 
 |McAuLEY, JOHN T. Transferred from C as captain, to date from Sept. 
 
 4/62; detached as aid to Brig.-Gen. Giles A. Smith, Aug. 5, 63; as 
 
 A. A. A. G., Aug. 6, 64; mustered out Nov. 30, 64. See C, and Field 
 
 and Staff. 
 *McCARTY, ALEXANDER. Enlisted at Mayfield, Oct. 29, 61 ; wounded at 
 
 Shiloh, and died of wound April 18, 62. 
 MCELROY, THOMAS. Enlisted at Lane, Oct. 12, 61; discharged April 
 
 1 6, 63. 
 McKEEN, SALMON. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10, 61; discharged July 
 
 9, 62. 
 |MERRILL, ALBERT F. Enlisted at Dement, Oct. 31, 61; first-lieutenant 
 
 at organization; mustered out by S. O. of War Dept., for disability, at 
 
 Memphis, April 25, 63. 
 
 .-MILLER, JOHN. Enlisted at Mayfield, Oct. 29, 61; deserted Oct. i, 62. 
 MILLIGAN, JOHN A. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 30, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31/64. 
 *MUCKLE, HUGH. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. io, 6i; shot by accidental 
 
 discharge of gun at Paducah, Ky., March 6, 62, and died the next day. 
 MUZZY, CALEB W. Enlisted at De Kalb, Oct. 29, 61; veteran; promoted 
 
 corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 NARAMORE, EBEN F. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. 8, 61; veteran; promoted 
 
 sergeant; mustered out with regiment. Died at Savannah, Ga., July 
 
 25, 1885. 
 OLSEN, NATHAN. [Natland, Wolson, in reports.] Enlisted at Chicago, 
 
 Oct. 15, 61; deserted Aug. 31, 62. 
 *PATTERSON, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61 ; died at Camp 
 
 Sherman, Miss., Aug. 25, 63. 
 
 PAYNE, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Oakland, Sept. 30, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; wounded at Shiloh; mustered out as private with regiment. 
 *PAYNE, THADDEUS N. Enlisted at Oakland, Sept. 30, 61 ; wounded at 
 
 Shiloh, and died of wound April 13, 62. 
 *PEPPER, STEPHEN O. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 29, 62; died in hospital 
 
 at St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 14, 62. 
 PERRY, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Chicago, Aug. 30, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh, 
 
 and discharged for wound Jan. 10, 63. Since died. 
 *PETASCH, PAUL C. Enlisted at Dement, Oct. 25, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh, 
 
 and died of wounds May 6, 62. 
 *PIPER, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 
 and died of wound April 23, 62. 
 *PIPER, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61; died at Young s 
 
 Point, La., April i, 6^. 
 
 PLOQUETT, HENRY. Enlisted at Malta, Sept. 25, 61; discharged for dis 
 ability Dec. 24, 62. 
 *POTTER, WILLIAM A. Enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 29, 61 ; wounded at 
 
COMPANY B. 477 
 
 Shiloh; arm amputated, and died April 12, 62. 
 
 *QUINN, CHARLES. Enlisted at Memphis, 62; killed at Chickasaw 
 Bayou Dec. 28, 62. 
 
 RAYMOND, HENRY C. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh, and discharged for wound July 8, 62. 
 
 *REIMAN, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Oregon, Oct. 29, 61; killed on skirmish 
 line at Shiloh, 
 
 ROBINSON, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Milan, Mich., Oct. 24, 61; died in hos 
 pital at Keokuk, Iowa, Jan. 8, 63. 
 
 RULE, ROBERT. Enlisted at Dement, Oct. 29, 61; wounded at Russell s 
 House, May 17, 62, and discharged for wound Sept. 19, 62. 
 
 SARGENT, GEORGE E. Enlisted at Oakland, Oct. 27, 61 ; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *SELSER, NICHOLAS. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 15, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 SHIPMAN, JOSEPHUS. Enlisted at Chicago, Aug. 30, 6 1; wounded and 
 captured at Shiloh, and exchanged Feb. 4, 63; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 
 *SITLER, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Dement, Oct. 29, 61; wounded at Shi 
 loh; killed near Atlanta, Aug. 13. 64. 
 
 ISMITH, ASAHEL C. Enlisted at Mayfield, Oct. 31, 61; second-lieutenant 
 at organization; resigned March 5, 62. 
 
 *SMITH, JAMES. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 30, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 SPRAGUE, SOLOMON S. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. i, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; discharged for disability July 22, 62. 
 
 *STEPHENSON, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61; veteran; 
 killed in charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 SULLIVAN, ALECK. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 SULLIVAN, DENNIS. Enlisted at Chicago, Nov. i, 61; veteran; promoted 
 corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 SWAN, NELSON. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Feb. 24, 64; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *SWISHER, JOHN. Recruit; died in hospital at Memphis, July 10/63. 
 
 |*THURSTON, GEORGE L. Promoted from adjutant to captain March i, 
 62; went home on furlough sick, July 5, 62, and died at Lancaster, 
 Mass., Dec. 19, 62, aged 31 yrs. See Field and Staff. 
 
 TUIETT, WALTER. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. i, 6i ; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 
 VANDERVERT, CHARLES S. Enlisted at Grandview; wounded at Shiloh; 
 veteran; promoted sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 WALROD, HORACE. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61 ; wounded at Shi 
 loh, and discharged for wound June 25, 62. 
 
 WARDEN, EDWARD H. Musician; enlisted at Oakland, Aug. 27, 61; pro 
 moted hospital steward Jan. i, 64. See Field and Staff. 
 
 WEEDEN, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61 ; musician; trans 
 ferred to K Nov. 7, 6 1. See K. 
 
 WELCH, EDWARD. Enlisted at Malta, Oct. i, 6i; wounded at Shiloh; 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 WELLS, CHARLES C. Enlisted at Milan, Mich., Oct. 8, 61; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 *WILSON, THOMAS. Enlisted at Dement, Sept. 10, 61; veteran; wounded 
 near Atlanta, Aug. 14, 64; killed at Jonesboro , Sept. i, 64. 
 
 *WiNG, TURNER. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 10, 61 ; corporal at organi 
 zation; wounded at Shiloh, and died of wound May 17, 62. 
 
 WOOLEY, A. M. Enlisted at Mayfield, Sept. 30/61 ; discharged May 12/62. 
 Temporarily transferred to company to complete their terms of enlist 
 ment, from I27th 111. Infty., and mustered out with regiment: Walter R. 
 
 Brewster, Alva C. Bristow, Francis Cooper, Calvin C. Chandler, Sylvester 
 
 Fielder, George W. C. Hanson, Nicholas Hendrickson, Enos Ovitt, John 
 
 Rains. 
 
47$ APPENDIX. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 The men composing Company C were mostly from the towns of Du- 
 rand, Harrison and Burritt, in Winnebago county, Illinois! a few were 
 from Wisconsin, but all were credited to the same county. 
 
 The company was at first known as the Washburn Rifles, and was or 
 ganized at Rockford, Illinois, September 3, 1861, by R. A. Bird, its first 
 captain, who had gained some military experience during three months 
 service in the Eleventh Illinois Infantry. On September gth it moved to 
 Chicago and received quarters in Camp Douglas. A few of its number 
 at the muster-in of the Forty-second Illinois, were transferred to fill the 
 ranks of that regiment. In the equalization of companies at the organi 
 zation of the Fifty-fifth several recruits were received by transfer from 
 Company B. These men rendered as good service as any in the com 
 mand. When mustered the position of color-company was assigned to 
 C, and in consequence of the duties attendant upon this position, the com 
 pany was generally kept with the regiment, rarely taking part in detached 
 movements or skirmishing. One exception there was, at Arkansas Post, 
 where, in conjunction with Company A, it was sent to dislodge the rebel 
 sharp-shooters who were stationed in rifle-pits near the river, and endeav 
 oring to pick off the men upon the gunboats. In this service the com 
 pany was subjected to a severe fire of grape and canister from the 
 Confederate artillery. The position afforded an excellent view of the 
 tremendous bombardment of the fort by the gunboats, during which the 
 enemy s guns were completely silenced, when the company was with 
 drawn to join the regiment. 
 
 The company s loss at Shiloh was disproportionately severe, probably 
 from its nearness to the colors. In that engagement it had eleven killed 
 and twenty-seven wounded. A summary of its casualties, etc., during 
 the war follows: Killed in action, 18; wounded mortally, 5; wounded 
 other than mortally, 37; captured, 4; discharged because of wounds, 5; 
 discharged for disability, 20; died of disease while in service, 12; trans 
 ferred for promotion, 9; deserted, 7. There were thirteen pairs of 
 brothers in C, and one group of three. Of the twenty-nine, nine lost their 
 lives in battle, and seven others were wounded. 
 
 AAGESEN, NICHOLAS S. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; promoted corporal March 
 i, 62; transferred for promotion. See H and D. 
 
 AINSBURY, MICHAEL. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; wounded at Shiloh; pro 
 moted to corporal March 9, 63; killed at Vicksburg May 19, 63. 
 
 ANTHONY, EDMOND. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; discharged for disability 
 March 31, 62. 
 
 AUSTIN, JOSEPH. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; veteran; promoted corporal May 
 i, 64; sergeant, July i, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *BABCOCK, ORIN. Enlisted Sept. 8, 61; killed at Vicksburg May 19, 63. 
 
 BAILEY, ANDREW W. Enlisted Oct. 10, 61; deserted May 25, 62. 
 
 BARTON, GEORGE D. Enlisted Oct. 16, 61; deserted Jan. 26, 62. 
 
 *BENJAMIN, FILMORE. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; wounded at Shiloh; pro 
 moted corporal March 9, 63; died in hospital Oct. 28, 63. 
 
 |BiRD, RHENODYNE A. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; captain at organization; 
 wounded at Shiloh; resigned June 6, 62. 
 
COMPANY C. 479 
 
 BISHOP, ISAAC. Enlisted Sept. 9, 62; discharged for disability May 16, 
 65. 
 
 *BODINE, GEORGE W. Enlisted Jan. jj, 64; died in hospital Feb. 14, 64. 
 
 BOWEN, ARDEN H. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; sergeant at organization; dis 
 charged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 *BOWEN, CHARLES N. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; 
 killed it Shiloh. 
 
 BROOKS, OLIVER S. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; discharged Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *BYRNS, GEORGE. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; promoted corporal March 2, 62; 
 slightly wounded at Shiloh; died of disease June 13, 62. 
 
 ICAPRON. THADDEUS H. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; acted as quartermaster- 
 sergeant from Nov. 25, 62; promoted second-lieutenant, to rank from 
 Sept. 4, 62; transferred. See Field and Staff. 
 
 CHASE, IRA G. W. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; discharged for disability Sept. 
 14, 62. 
 
 CLAPP, WILLIAM. Enlisted Oct. 30, 61 ; regimental wagon-master from 
 Nov. 12, 62; veteran; brigade wagon-master from June 19, 64; ap 
 pointed division wagon-master; discharged for disability June 30, 65. 
 
 CLEVELAND, RIENZI L. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; wounded at Vicksburg 
 May 19, 63; promoted corporal March 8, 64; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 
 CONNER, MAURICE. Enlisted Oct. i, 61; veteran; promoted corporal 
 March 8, 64; color-sergeant, Sept. 3, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 Died in 1878. 
 
 CORCORAN, EDWARD. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; promoted corporal May i, 
 62; sergeant, March 8, 64; veteran; promoted first-sergeant July i, 
 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 CRANDALL, JACOB. Enlisted Oct. 10, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; discharged 
 for disability June 11, 62. 
 
 *CROWDER, JOHN E. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; died in hospital Jan. 26, 62. 
 
 *CROWELL, BARZILLA. Enlisted Oct. i, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 *CROWELL, GEORGE W. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; veteran; killed at Kene- 
 saw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 *CURTISS, HENRY C. Enlisted Dec. 14, 61; veteran; killed at Kenesaw 
 Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 *CURTISS, JOHN Q. A. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; 
 promoted sergeant March 8, 62; veteran; killed at Ezra Chapel July 
 28, 64. 
 
 DOOLITTLE, ALONZO P. Enlisted Oct. 23, 61; discharged for disability 
 March 31, 62. 
 
 *EGGERT, AUGUSTUS. Enlisted Sept. 12, 61; mortally wounded at Shi 
 loh; died May 18, 62. 
 
 *EGGERT, MARTIN. Enlisted Sept. 12, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 ELLIOT, GEORGE W. Enlisted Dec. 14, 61; mustered out Dec. 31, 64. 
 
 FISHER, FRANCIS P. Enlisted Nov. i, 6i; transferred for promotion. 
 See Field and Staff. 
 
 *FLINT, JAMES T. Enlisted Dec. 5, 61; wounded at Shiloh, taken pris 
 oner, and died at Nashville, Tenn., before exchange. 
 
 *FRAZIER, JAMES W. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; promoted 
 corporal Nov. 19, 62; died March 5, 63. 
 
 FRAZIER, JOHN. Enlisted Oct. 11, 61; detailed as orderly for General 
 Sherman from March i, 62, to muster out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 GARNER, JAMES C. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; wounded at Shiloh; promoted 
 corporal July i, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *GANOUNG, MYRON. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; promoted sergeant March 8, 
 62; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 GAYLORD, WILLIAM E. H. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 discharged for disability June 28, 63. 
 
 GOAKEY, THOMAS. Enlisted Jan. 5, 64; wounded near Atlanta, Aug. 3, 
 64; mustered out with regiment. Died Feb. 3, 1883. . 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 GOAKEY, AUGUSTUS. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; veteran; mustered out with 
 
 regiment. 
 GOLLOGLY, PATRICK. Enlisted Sept. 10, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; veteran; 
 
 promoted corporal July i, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 GOODWIN, EARL P. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; veteran; promoted corporal 
 
 May i, 64; wounded before Atlanta, July 22, 64; mustered out with 
 
 regiment. 
 *GOODWIN, JAMES D. Enlisted Oct. 17, 61; mortally wounded at Shiloh: 
 
 died at Cincinnati, Ohio, May 8, 62. 
 
 HALL, JOHN A. Enlisted Jan. 23, 64; mustered put with regiment. 
 *HAMER, ROBERT A. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; killed at Vicksburg, May 
 
 19. 63- 
 
 HARRIS, EDWARD. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 HELGESON, NELS. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; wounded at Shiloh; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *HELGESON, OLE. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 *HELVERSON, OLE. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; wounded at Shiloh; died in 
 hospital at St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 3, 63. 
 
 HICKOK, HORACE T. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; 
 veteran; musetred out with regiment. 
 
 HILLBERG, JOHN. Enlisted Jan. 22, 64; wounded at Kenesaw Mt., June 
 27, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 |*HODGES, THEODORE W. Enlisted Sept. -9/61; sergeant at organiza 
 tion; promoted second-lieutenant, to rank from March 8, 62; mortally 
 wounded at Shiloh; died April 9, 62. Reported among "killed." 
 
 HOWE, ORION P. Enlisted Sept. i, 62, as drummer; wounded at Vicks 
 burg, May 19/63; promoted corporal Dec. 25, 63; veteran; wounded 
 at Dallas, May 28, 64; discharged Oct. i, 64, S. O. No. 327, A. G. O. 
 
 HURLBUT, HENRY A. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; promoted 
 corporal Nov. i, 62; sergeant, March 8, 64; transferred by promotion 
 May 4, 64. See Field and Staff. 
 
 *JOHNSON, CALVIN. Enlisted Oct. 23, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 JOHNSON, CHARLES E. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; discharged for disability 
 July ii, 62. Died a few years after. 
 
 JOHNSON, JOHN A. Enlisted Jan. 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *JOHNSON, OSCAR. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; promoted corporal July i, 63; 
 killed at Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64. 
 
 JOSLIN, HENRY H. Enlisted Oct. i, 61; wounded at Shiloh; veteran; 
 promoted corporal Nov. i, 64; discharged for disability June 30, 65. 
 
 *KETTLESON, CHRISTOPHER. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 died while on sick furlough, at Laona, 111., May 22, 64. 
 
 KEYES, JOSIAH E. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; sergeant at organization; trans 
 ferred for promotion, March 8, 62. See E. 
 
 IKEYES, LUTHER J. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; pro 
 moted sergeant Nov. 19, 62; promoted first-sergeant March 8, 64; 
 veteran; first-lieutenant, to rank from Aug. 11/64; mustered out with 
 regiment. 
 
 *KNAPP, NATHAN H. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 KNUDSON, OLE. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 LARSON, NELS. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; deserted June 7, 62. 
 
 MAHAN, MICHAEL. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; wounded at Shiloh; veteran; 
 promoted corporal June i, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 fMcAuLEY, JOHN T. Promoted from Field and Staff to second-lieuten 
 ant, to rank from July 1/62; transferred for promotion Sept. 4/62. 
 See Field and Staff, and B. 
 
 McGRAW, THOMAS. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 fMclNTOSH, DANIEL. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; first-lieutenant at organiza 
 tion; wounded at Shiloh; mustered out by special order, for disability, 
 Nov. 26, 62. 
 
COMPANY C. 481 
 
 NOLING, CHARLES R. Enlisted Jan. 26, 64; wounded at Ezra Church, 
 
 July 28, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 IOLIVER, ROBERT. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; slight 
 
 ly wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant May I, 62; first-sergeant, 
 
 Sept. i, 62; first-lieutenant, to rank from Nov. 26, 62; veteran; cap 
 
 tain, Aug. 1 1/64; right shoulder seriously injured at Bentonville, March 
 
 20, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 PARTCH, AMBROSE E. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; first-sergeant at organization; 
 
 severely wounded at Shiloh; discharged therefor Aug. 25, 62. 
 PARTCH, ORVILLE H. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; corporal at organization; 
 
 promoted sergeant March 8, 62; severely wounded in right arm at 
 
 Shiloh; discharged therefor Aug. 5, 62. 
 *PATTERSON, JOHN A. Enlisted Oct. 16, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh and taken 
 
 prisoner; died before exchange, at Macon, Ga., Sept. 18, 62. 
 PETERSON, ALEX. W. Enlisted Jan. 23, 64; wounded at Kenesaw, June 
 
 27, 64; deserted Aug. 4, 64. 
 *PiTTS, PHILIP. Enlisted Nov. i, 61 ; died of small-pox at Young s Point, 
 
 La., Feb. 14, 63. 
 *PORT, OCK. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61 ; veteran; mortally wounded at Ezra 
 
 Chapel, July 28, 64; died Sept. 26, 64. 
 PORTER, HAZEN H. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; musician; discharged for dis 
 
 ability March 31, 62. 
 *PUTNAM, GEORGE W. Enlisted Oct. 16/61; taken prisoner at Shiloh; 
 
 died in hospital Feb. 11, 64. 
 
 *RAUP, CHARLES I. Enlisted Oct. 6, 61; missing in action at Shiloh. 
 *RAUP, GEORGE A. Enlisted Oct. i, 61 ; promoted corporal March i, 62; 
 
 killed at Shiloh, April 7, 62. 
 REAGGER, HENRY. Enlisted Sept. 30, 61; veteran; slightly wounded at 
 
 Missionary Ridge, Nov. 25, 63; mustered out with regiment. 
 REESE, JAMES E. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; deserted Nov. 7, 61. 
 REESE, NICHOLAS. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; deserted Nov. 7, 61. 
 RILEY, JAMES W. Enlisted Dec. i, 6i; veteran; promoted to corporal; 
 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 RILEY, ROSWELL J. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; promoted corporal March 9, 
 
 63; wounded at Vicksburg, May 19, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 RILEY, WILLIAM A. V. Enlisted Oct. 17/61; discharged for disability 
 
 June 6, 62. 
 ROBB, PERRY C. Enlisted Oct. 23, 61 ; discharged for disability June 3, 
 
 62. Died in 1882. 
 ROLAND, JOHN. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. Died 
 
 soon after. 
 Ross, GEORGE. Enlisted Feb. 16, 64; discharged for disability, May 
 
 25, 65. 
 RUSSELL, GEORGE W. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; promoted corporal March 9, 
 
 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 *SAMUELSON, CHARLES. Enlisted Feb. 16, 64; killed at Kenesaw Mt., 
 
 June 27, 64. 
 SANDERS, CALVIN K. Enlisted Sept. 26, 61 ;7. transferred for promotion 
 
 April i, 62. See Field and Staff. 
 ISCHULTZ, THEODORE. Enlisted Aug. 27. 61; promoted corporal March 
 
 1/62; wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant Nov. 1/62; veteran; 
 
 wounded at Kenesaw, June 27, 64; first-sergeant Nov. i, 64; trans 
 
 ferred for promotion. See Field and Staff. 
 
 , FRANCIS H. Transferred from D and promoted captain, to rank 
 
 
 
 from July 1/62; dismissed by General O. O. Howard, Aug. 11, 64, G. 
 F. O. No. 9. Honorably mustered out by direction of the Secretary of 
 War, under provisions of an Act of Congress, approved Feb. 21, 1887, 
 to date Aug. n, 1864. Special Orders No. 83, Headquarters of the 
 Army, Washington, April 11, 1887. 
 32 
 
482 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 *SHEFNER, ALBERT B. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61 ; promoted to corporal March 
 
 8, 62; died in hospital. 
 
 SHIELDS, DANIEL. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; dis 
 charged for disability, Feb. 10, 63. 
 
 SHIELDS, JOHN. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; sergeant at organization; dis 
 charged for disability March 31, 62. 
 SIMCOX, JACOB. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; promoted corporal March 8, 62; 
 
 wounded at Shiloh, April 7, 62; discharged therefor July 19, 62. 
 SNOOK, WILLIAM. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; wounded at Shiloh; mustered 
 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 *SPEAKER, WILLIAM H. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; corporal at organization; 
 
 died in hospital at St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 11, 62. 
 
 STOTLER, SAMUEL. Enlisted Sept. 20, 61; deserted March 11, 62. 
 STRAWN, ALONZO. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; discharged for disability March 
 
 31, 62. 
 *SULLIVAN, DANIEL. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; promoted corporal March I, 
 
 62; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 *SUMMERS, THOMAS. Enlisted Sept. 30, 61; died in hospital Sept. 22, 62. 
 *THOMAS, TABER J. Enlisted Sept. 20, 61; promoted to corporal May i, 
 
 62; sergeant, May i, 63; veteran; mortally wounded near Jonesboro 
 
 Ga., Aug. 31, 64; died Sept. 3, 64. 
 TURNEY, CHARLES G. Enlisted Oct. 8, 61; promoted sergeant March i, 
 
 62; wounded at Shiloh; discharged therefor Jan. 28, 63. 
 WESTBROOK, RICHARD W. Enlisted Sept. 25, 61; discharged for disa 
 bility March 31, 62. 
 WILCOX, RANSOM R. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; discharged for disability 
 
 June 24, 62. 
 
 *WINCHESTER, CLARK A. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 WOODRING, HENRY. Enlisted Sept. 9, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 WRIGHT, ASA S. Enlisted Sept. 9. 61; veteran; promotea corporal 
 
 March i, 64; wounded at Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64; promoted sergeant 
 
 Nov. i, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 WRIGHT, GEORGE. Enlisted Sept. 9/61; veteran; promoted sergeant 
 
 Nov. 1/64; mustered out with regiment. 
 WRIGHT, GEORGE D. Enlisted Sept. 20, 61; veteran; discharged for 
 
 disability June 25, 65. 
 
 WRIGHT, JAMES M. Enlisted Sept. g; 6i; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 IWRIGHT, SQUIRE A. Enlisted from Grand Haven, Mich., July 28, 61; 
 
 second-lieutenant at organization; transferred for promotion March 8, 
 
 62. See F. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Company D was largely made up from enlistments in Canton, Fulton 
 county, and the neighboring towns. Theodore C. Chandler, its first cap 
 tain, afterwards lieutenant-colonel, was active in the organization of the 
 first company of seventeen men who went from Canton. Their names 
 are as follows: T. C. Chandler, W. L. Johnson, Charles G. Burnap, J. H 
 Nies, J. R. Roberts, Jacob Fink, Wm. J. Harell, James Harell, James 
 HufTord, Theodore Wilhelm, Daniel S. Burke, William Shellenberger, 
 James Young, John Conger, Thomas Hughes, George Pollett, and T. 
 Lacy. They, arrived at old Camp Douglas on the I2th of September, 
 1861. On the 22d another party of nine men from Fulton county arrived 
 at Camp Douglas, in charge of W. D. May. Capt. Wm. A. Presson of 
 
COMPANY D. 4 8 3 
 
 Company A was instrumental in recruiting quite a number of men as 
 signed to this company. Joseph A. Knott and William Shellenberger 
 were also active in procuring recruits. 
 
 The 42d Illinois Infantry, when it took the field, received four volun 
 teers from D, and when the 55th was organized in October, a portion of 
 the Mendota company, I, with Lieut. Francis H. Shaw, was consolidated 
 with the company in order to complete the number required for muster. 
 
 The personnel of the company was excellent, consisting almost wholly 
 of those who enlisted from patriotic motives, and who fully understood 
 the great issues of the conflict. Three of the company, after their dis 
 charge by reason of the expiration of three years service, re-enlisted in 
 other regiments Jacob Fink in the 5th U. S. Vet. Vols., Wm. J. Harrell 
 in the I5ist 111. Vols., and Timothy Ryan in the cavalry. 
 
 The company participated in all the hardships and sufferings of the 
 regiment. Sixteen of its number re-enlisted as veterans. The company 
 originally mustered one hundred, and received but five recruits after 
 leaving Camp Douglas. Mustered out at close of the war, 22. Its losses 
 were as follows: Killed in action, 5; mortally wounded, 3; wounded not 
 mortally, 21; discharged for disability, 16; died of disease, 13; taken 
 prisoners, 9; deserted, 7. 
 
 fAAGESEN. NICHOLAS S. Promoted to captain from H, to date from Feb. 
 
 9, 63; wounded (right arm amputated) in charge on Little Kenesaw 
 
 Mt., June 27, 64; mustered out June 17, 65. See C and H. 
 ABBOTT, JOSEPH. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 8, 61 ; mustered out 
 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 *ATHEARN, MAYHEW C. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 8, 61; corporal 
 
 at organization; promoted sergeant in 62; killed at Jonesboro , Aug. 
 
 31/64. 
 
 ATHEARN, JOSIAH T. Enlisted at Ellisville, Oct. 8, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BARKLEY, FLAVIUS J. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; transferred to Co. A, 57th 111. 
 Infty., Dec. 8, 61. 
 
 *BAYLESS, WILLIAM. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 10, 61; died 1862. 
 
 BEECHAM, EDWARD. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Feb. 22, 64; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 BELL, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 22, 61 ; wounded at Shi- 
 loh; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BONNEY, SAMUEL P. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. i8, 6i; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BONNEY, WILLIAM W. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 8, 61; veteran; 
 promoted sergeant; wounded at Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *BRAGG, JOSEPH F. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22, 61; died at Larkins- 
 ville, Ala., Jan. i, 64. 
 
 BULGER, JOHN. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 22, 61 ; mustered out 
 Oct. 31/64. 
 
 *BURKE, DANIEL S. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; wounded at Shi- 
 loh; veteran; killed near Atlanta, Aug. 12, 64. 
 
 BURLINGAME, SAMUEL. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 22, 61; dis 
 charged for disability Jan. 28, ,63. 
 
 BURNAP, CHARLES G. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; first-sergeant at 
 organization; discharged for disability in 62. 
 
 CAMERON, JAMES H. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 18, 61; veteran; 
 
4 8 4 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 promoted corporal; captured on march through N. C., March, 65; 
 mustered out May 30, 65. 
 
 CAMPBELL, WILLIAM H. H. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 22, 61 ; mus 
 tered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 ICHANDLER, THEODORE C. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; captain at 
 organization; promoted major. See Field and Staff. 
 
 *CHENHALL, PHILLIP. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. i, 61; died at St. 
 Louis, Jan. 10, 62. 
 
 *CONGER, JOHN. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; died near Memphis, 
 July 21, 62. 
 
 *CORDER, BENJAMIN. Enlisted at Canton, Oct. 5, 61 ; promoted corporal; 
 wounded at Shiloh in three places; died at Paducah, Ky., Jan. 15, "64. 
 
 CRISS, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Lewistown, Sept. 27, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh; wounded at Jonesboro , Sept. i, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 CURFMAN, GEORGE W. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 19, 61; veteran; 
 wounded near Atlanta, Aug. 10, 64; promoted sergeant; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *CURRY, JAMES W. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 16/61; promoted 
 corporal; killed at Vicksburg, May 19, 63. 
 
 DAVIS, BENJAMIN. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 20, 61 ; discharged 
 for disability Feb. 11, 62. 
 
 *DEWEY, ANDREW S. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 18, 61; badly 
 wounded at Shiloh and taken prisoner; probably died. 
 
 DODDRIDGE, PAUL. Recruit; enlisted at Lee, March 7/65; mustered 
 out June 8, 65. 
 
 DUNN, HENRY. Recruit; enlisted at Truro, Jan. 9, 65; mustered out with 
 regiment. 
 
 EDWARDS, CHARLTON G. Enlisted in Winnebago county, Nov. 26, 61; 
 veteran; captured near Bentonville, N. C., March 19/65; mustered 
 out June 29, 65. 
 
 ERWIN, JESSE. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 8, 61. No further record. 
 
 FIELDS, GEORGE H. Enlisted in Fulton county, Aug. 26, 61. No further 
 record. 
 
 |FiNK, JACOB. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61 ; corporal at organization; 
 promoted sergeant March, 62; second-lieutenant, to date from Feb. 9, 
 63; first-lieutenant, mustered Sept. 26, 63; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 Re-enlisted in U. S. Vet. Vols., March 31, 65, and made sergeant; 
 mustered out as second-lieutenant April 5, 66. 
 
 FISHER, JACOB. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 15/61; discharged for 
 disability at St. Louis, 62. Died at Liverpool, Oct. i, 1879. 
 
 GOLDEN, JAMES. Enlisted at Mendota, Aug. 26, 61 ; discharged for disa 
 bility Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 GOLDING, JAMES A. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 10, 61 ; discharged for 
 disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 GOODELL, JAMES. Recruit; enlisted at Lee, March 21, 65; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 GOODELL, LEVI. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 8/61; veteran; 
 promoted sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *GOODRICH, JAMES M. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 9. 61; died 
 at Abingdon, 111., Oct. 20, 63. 
 
 *GREATHOUSE, DANIEL. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 11, 61; killed 
 at Shiloh. 
 
 GREER, JAMES W. Enlisted at Canton, Oct. n, 61; sergeant at organi 
 zation; wounded at Shiloh; mustered out June 12, 65, as private. 
 
 HALLIBAUGH, WILLIAM. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 19/61; dis 
 charged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 HARELL, JAMES. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; corporal at organiza 
 tion; wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant; wounded in hand by 
 
COMPANY D. 485 
 
 discharge of his own gun at Chickasaw Bayou; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment as private. 
 
 HARELL, WILLIAM J. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; promoted cor 
 poral; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. Enlisted again in 1515! 111. Infty., 
 and became lieutenant. 
 
 HARTSON, JAMES. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 18, 61; discharged 
 for disability, 1862. 
 
 HEDGES, DANIEL. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 5. 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 transferred to V. R. C., May 31, 64. 
 
 HIGGINS, PETER. Enlisted at Havana, Oct. 15, 61; captured at Atlanta, 
 July 22, 64, and exchanged from Andersonville; mustered out Oct. 
 31. 64. 
 
 HILL, SOLOMON. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 8, 61; discharged for 
 disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 HUFFORD, JAMES. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 HUGHES, THOMAS H. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; discharged for 
 disability, 62. Enlisted again in iO3d 111. Infty., and died at Camp 
 Sherman, Miss. 
 
 JOHNSON, JOHN. Enlisted at Chicago, Aug. 26, 61. No further record. 
 
 tJoHNSON, WILLIAM S. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; second-lieu 
 tenant at organization; resigned March 5, 62. 
 
 JOHNSTON, THOMAS. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 22/61. No further 
 record. 
 
 JORDAN, CHARLES. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 14, 61 ; deserted at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 KENT, HENRY. Enlisted in Mason county, Oct. 15, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31/64. 
 
 *KITTRIDGE, SAMUEL M. Enlisted in Mendota, Oct. 5, 61; died at St. 
 Louis. 
 
 KNAPP, JAMES. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22, 61; corporal at organiza 
 tion; wounded at Shiloh in arm; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 KNIGHT, SAMUEL. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 11/61; captured at 
 Shiloh, and exchanged 63; veteran; promoted corporal; wounded at 
 Atlanta, July 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 KNOTT, JOSEPH A. Enlisted at Ellisville, Oct. 8, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; discharged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 LACEY, THOMAS. Enlisted in Cook county, Oct. 3, 61 ; deserted at Chick 
 asaw Bayou, Jan. 29, 63; captured and sentenced; deserted again at 
 Memphis, Oct. 4, 64. 
 
 LAMOND, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 4, 61. No further record. 
 
 LASWELL, JAMES. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 8, 61 ; deserted at 
 Arkansas Post, Jan. 10, 63. Died since the war. 
 
 LEMBKE, GEORGE A. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Feb. 20, 64; captured 
 at Atlanta, July 22, 64; exchanged in September, from Andersonville; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 LETTS, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Mendota, Sept. 26, 6 1; deserted at 
 Arkansas Post, Jan. 10, 63. 
 
 MAY, WILLIAM D. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22/61; wounded at Love- 
 joy Station, Ga., Sept. 3, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 MCKEIGHAN, DAVID. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 9/61; vet 
 eran; wounded at Kenesaw Mt, June 25, 64; promoted sergeant; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 MCKEIGHAN, ROBERT. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 15, 61; 
 deserted near Raymond, Miss., May 15, 63. 
 
 *MICHAELS, FREDERICK A. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 24, 61; died 
 soon after Shiloh, 62. 
 
 MORGAN, MARMADUKE. Enlisted in Mason county, Oct. 18, 61. No 
 further record. 
 
4 86 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 MORRIS, ASA. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22, 61; corporal at organization; 
 promoted sergeant; in color-guard; veteran; promoted first-sergeant; 
 mustered out with regiment. Died July 17, 1886. 
 
 MYERS, ANDREW. Enlisted in Fulton county, Aug. 26, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 NEWTON, T. )., JR. Enlisted in Hancock county, Oct. 22, 61. No further 
 record. 
 
 NIES, JAMES H. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; sergeant at organiza 
 tion; promoted first-sergeant; mustered out Nov. i, 64. 
 
 PADEN, ALBERT F. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 27, 61; wounded in 
 hand at charge on Little Kenesaw, June 27, 04; mustered out June 
 17, 65. 
 
 PARKER, GEORGE T. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. ii, 6i; deserted 
 at Arkansas Post, Jan. 10, 63. 
 
 PARVIN, FRELINGHUYSEN. Enlisted at Knoxville, Oct. 9, 61; musician; 
 veteran; captured at Atlanta, July 22, 64; exchanged from Anderson- 
 ville; mustered out with regiment. Died since war. 
 
 PATNER, HENRY. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 29, 61; taken prisoner 
 at Shiloh; exchanged, and discharged soon after. 
 
 PATTERSON, WILLIAM. Enlisted in Mason county, Oct. 15, 61; dis 
 charged for disability, 62. Died since. 
 
 POLLETT, GEORGE. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31. 64- 
 
 POTTER, MILTON M. Enlisted at Mendota, Aug. 26, 61; musician; vet 
 eran; promoted quartermaster-sergeant. See Field and Staff. 
 
 ^ROBERTS, JOSEPH R. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; sergeant at or 
 ganization; promoted first-lieutenant, to date July 1/62; mustered out 
 for disability at Memphis, to date from Nov. 26, 62. 
 
 *RODENBAUGH, Louis N. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 22, 61 ; wound 
 ed at Shiloh, and died of wound at Quincy, 111., Nov. 16, 62. 
 
 *Ross, WILLIAM A. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 22, 61; died 62. 
 
 RYAN, TIMOTHY. Enlisted at Mendota, Aug. 26, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31. 64. 
 
 SAVILLE, EDWARD. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh 
 and discharged for wound. 
 
 SEBREE, PRESTON. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 22, 61 ; discharged 
 for disability, 62. 
 
 JSHAW, FRANCIS H. Enlisted at Mendota, Oct. 61; first-lieutenant at or 
 ganization; wounded at Shiloh; transferred to C as captain. See C. 
 
 SHAW, HIRAM. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 19, 61 ; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 *SHAW, JAMES. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 21, 61; died 62. 
 
 *SHELLENBERGER, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61 ; killed at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 SHENEMAN, JOHN. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 17, 61; veteran; cap 
 tured at Atlanta, July 22, 64, and exchanged from Andersonville in 
 September; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 SHOUP, AZEL D. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 22, 61; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 *SMITH, GEORGE. Enlisted at Mendota, Oct. 12, 61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 arm amputated, captured, and died a prisoner. 
 
 SMITH, HARRISON. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 27, 61; discharged 
 for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 ISMITH, HENRY A. Transferred from K as second-lieutenant, to date 
 from July i, 62; wounded at Shiloh; resigned Feb. 9, 63. See K. 
 
 *SNOW, JOSEPH. Enlisted in Michigan, Sept. 26, 61; died at Moscow, 
 Tenn., June, 62. 
 
 STUBBS, JAMES. Enlisted at Mendota, Aug. 26, 61. No further record. 
 
COMPANY E. 487 
 
 THOMPSON, STEPHEN L. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22, 61 ; died at Camp 
 Douglas, Dec. 26, 61. 
 
 TWITCHELL, SHERMAN B. Enlisted at Mendota, Aug. 26, 61; deserted 
 Nov. 18, 61, at Camp Douglas. 
 
 VICE, GAINES B. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 22, 61 ; transferred to V. R. 
 C., May 31, 64. Died in Adair county, Mo., Feb. 8, 1882. 
 
 VAUGHAN, JOB. Enlisted at Liverpool, Sept. 22, 61 ; sergeant at organi 
 zation; mustered out as private Nov. I, 64. 
 
 *WHITE, T. J. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 8, 61 ; died at Camp Doug 
 las, Dec. 26, 61. 
 
 WIKIEL, JOHN W. Enlisted in Fulton county, Oct. 9, 61; discharged for 
 disability, 62. 
 
 WILHELM, THEODORE. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; promoted sergeant; mustered out Nov. i, 64. 
 
 fWoopiNG, ISAAC. Enlisted at Mendota, Oct. 12, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; veteran; promoted sergeant; first-sergeant; first-lieutenant, 
 to date May 19, 65; mustered out with regiment. Died since the war. 
 
 YATES, THOMAS J. Enlisted in Mason county, Oct. 18, 61; discharged 
 for disability. Died since the war. 
 
 YOUNG, JAMES. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 12,61; discharged for disabili 
 ty, 62. Died since the war. 
 The following were transferred from 12/th 111. Infantry to complete 
 
 term of service, and mustered out with regiment: Henry Haeger, Thomas 
 
 J. Wilkins. 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 This organization was recruited principally from the counties of Du 
 Page and Kane. The DuPage division came from the towns of Naper- 
 ville, Downer s Grove and York, and the Kane men from Elgin and its 
 neighborhood. Mr. Birdsall, William Shimp and Henry Dixon were ac 
 tive in enlisting the Du Page company, the first being chosen captain and 
 the others first and second lieutenants. They joined the troops then in 
 old Camp Douglas, and when the 42d 111. Infty. took its departure, Wm. 
 Shimp and five others went with it. The remaining men, with the recruits 
 from Elgin, were consolidated, and at a formal election made choice of 
 Charles Tazewell for captain, Henry Dixon for first-lieutenant, William 
 Halligan for second-lieutenant, and Jonas L. Buck for orderly-sergeant. 
 
 The company was as a whole a fine body of young men. Among 
 them were heroes and a few cowards men that the most expert tactician 
 with all his ar-t could not decoy into a battle; but as a body they were 
 good and true patriot soldiers. No march was too long or too fast for 
 them, no fort or battle-line too formidable for them to attack. When 
 volunteers were called for to lead the forlorn hope at Vicksburg, on May 
 22, 1863, three men from Company E stepped from the ranks. Their 
 names were William C. Porter, John Warden and John Smith. The last 
 two were wounded, Smith mortally. Captain Porter was killed in 1864, 
 when leading his company in the charge upon Little Kenesaw Mt. Por 
 ter was the friend of all who did their duty, and always exacted it of his 
 men. He was a fearless soldier, and died universally lamented among 
 his comrades. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Oliver Erickson, who was killed commanding the company, August 3, 
 1864, before Atlanta, is deserving of special mention as a brave soldier 
 and true man. 
 
 The company went into the charge upon Little Kenesaw with twenty- 
 seven men all told, and lost ten of its number six killed and four 
 wounded. It was on picket at the time of Hood s assault upon the Army 
 of the Tennessee, July 22, 1864, and behaved with great coolness and 
 credit. 
 
 The war losses of E were: Killed, 8; mortally wounded, 4; wounded 
 not mortally, 18; discharged for wounds, 4; died of disease, 7; captured, 
 5; discharged for disability, 15; deserted, 6. The number upon original 
 roster was but 87, and it received but nine recruits. 
 
 ABBOTT, JESSE. Enlisted at Clintonville, Sept. 27, 61; deserted. 
 ARNDT, HUGO. Enlisted at Naperville, Oct. 16, 61 ; promoted corporal; 
 
 wounded at Vicksburg, May ig, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 BAIGER, DEDRIC. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 6, 61; veteran; absent 
 
 sick at muster out of regiment. 
 BANGS, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Elgin, Aug. 14, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31/64. 
 BAUMAN, JOHN F. Enlisted at Elgin, Aug. 14, 61; mustered out April 
 
 BENIE, HENRY. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 15/61; seriously wounded 
 at Shiloh; veteran; promoted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *BOND, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Bloomingdale, Aug. 1/61; wounded at 
 Chickasaw Bayou, Dec. 28, 62, and died of wound Feb. 27, 63. 
 
 BOULTINGHAUSE, AMOS. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 6, 61 ; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 |BucK, JONAS L. Enlisted at Belvidere, July 30, 61; first-sergeant at or 
 ganization; promoted second-lieutenant, March 5, 62; dismissed for" 
 cowardice Sept. 16, 62. 
 
 BUNKLE, JAMES. Enlisted in Iowa, Sept. 9, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *CAMPBELL, THOMAS. Enlisted at Clintonville, Aug. 26, 61 ; died at 
 Chattanooga, Jan. I, 64. 
 
 CANFIELD, ELAN T. Enlisted at Batavia, Aug. 1/61 ; transferred as hos 
 pital steward. See Field and Staff. 
 
 CLEAVES, CHARLES. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61 ; deserted May 25, 62. 
 
 COLLINS, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Belvidere, Oct. 3, 61 ; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 CONNAUGHTON, ROGER. Enlisted at Deerfield Aug. 4, 61; corporal at 
 organization; promoted sergeant; veteran; injured by cars at Big 
 Shanty, Ga., , 64; discharged for disability Feb. 14, 65. 
 
 CONNAUGHTON, THOMAS. Enlisted at De Kalb, Aug. 4, 61 ; discharged 
 for disability. 
 
 fCooTES, WILLIAM F. Transferred from A as captain, to date from Oct. 
 i, 62; wounded at Chickasaw Bayou, Dec. 28, 62, and resigned there 
 for March 30, 63. See A. 
 
 CORBY, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61; corporal at organization; 
 served in color-guard; veteran; wounded in charge on Little Kene 
 saw, June 27, 64, and discharged therefor Jan. 25, 64. Died in 1885, 
 at Elgin. 
 
 DAILY, ANDREW. Enlisted at Chicago. Sept. 6, 61. No further record. 
 
 DAVIS, DANIEL. Enlisted at Clintonville, Aug. 14, 61; mustered out July 
 19, 65. 
 
 |DixoN, ROBERT. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept, 3, 61 ; corporal at organ- 
 
COMPANY E. 489 
 
 ization; promoted sergeant and first-sergeant; veteran; captain, to 
 date from June 27, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 H. 
 
 N, WILLIAM H. Enlisted from Du Page county; first-lieutenant at 
 
 organization; resigned March 13/62. 
 DONOVAN, TIMOTHY. Enlisted at Elgin, Oct. 21, 64. No further record. 
 DOWNES, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Elgin, Aug. i, 61; discharged for disa 
 
 bility Dec. 23, 63. 
 *DOWNING, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Bloomingdale, Oct. 3, 61; captured at 
 
 Shiloh, and died at Tuscaloosa, Ala., before exchange. 
 DOWNING, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Bloomingdale, Aug. 14, 61; veteran; 
 
 promoted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 |*ERICKSON, OLIVER. Transferred from A as first-lieutenant, to date 
 
 from Sept. 26, 62; killed in action near Atlanta, Aug. 3, 64. 
 FLATRO, JACOB. Enlisted at Elgin, Oct. 3, 61 ; corporal at organization. 
 
 No further record. 
 
 FLORENCE, ROBERT K. Enlisted at Elgin, Aug. i, 6i. No further record. 
 *FRAZIER, EDMUND. Enlisted at Bloomingdale, Sept. 17, 61; killed at 
 
 Shiloh. 
 *GARBS, DIEDRICK. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 16, 61; wounded by 
 
 shell at Arkansas Post, Jan. 10, 63, and died of wound Jan. 26. 63. 
 GARST, CHRISTIAN. Enlisted at Elgin, Sept. 6, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 
 veteran; discharged for disability Nov. 11, 64. Died in 1885. 
 *GLEISNER, ADAM. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 9, 61; veteran; pro 
 
 moted corporal; killed in charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 GUBBINS, JAMES D. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31/64. 
 
 GUILFOIL, JOHN. Enlisted at Elgin, Oct. 29, 61; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 GUILFOIL, MICHAEL. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61 ; musician; promoted 
 
 principal musician. See Field and Staff . 
 GUSHARD, EMANUEL. Enlisted at Naperville, Nov. 18, 61; captured 
 
 Nov. 3, 63. No further record. 
 GUSHARD, ISAAC. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 3, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; 
 
 veteran; absent sick at muster out of regiment. 
 IHALLIGAN, WILLIAM R. Enlisted at Elgin; second-lieutenant at or 
 
 ganization; resigned March 5, 62. 
 HAYES, EDWARD. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 3, 61; veteran; mustered 
 
 out with regiment. 
 REDDING, GEORGE. Enlisted at Elmwood, Sept. 20, 6 1. No further 
 
 record. 
 
 HILL, ANDREW. Enlisted at Chicago, Nov. 2, 61; deserted Jan. 20, 62. 
 HILL, MERRITT. Enlisted at Belvidere, July 30, 61; discharged for disa 
 
 bility Jan. 28, 63. 
 HOLDEN, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Elmwood, Aug. i, 6i; discharged for 
 
 disability Tan. 28, 63. 
 *HUNTER, JO HN. Enlisted at Gilbert, Sept. 27, 61; reported discharged; 
 
 died soon after. 
 JOHNSON, HENRY. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Jan. 22, 64; wounded in 
 
 charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; discharged for wound Jan. 
 
 5. 65. 
 KAILER, FREDERICK. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 3, 61; promoted cor 
 
 poral; sergeant; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 KAISER, HENRY. Enlisted at York, Aug. 28, 61 ; promoted corporal June 
 
 62; veteran; promoted sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 KELLY, DENNIS. Enlisted at Belvidere, Aug. 14, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31. 64- 
 
 *KELLOGG, SAMUEL C. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 25, 61; sergeant at 
 
 organization; died at Vicksburg, July 18, 63. 
 KENNEDY, JAMES. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 8, 61 ; captured at Shiloh 
 
 and exchanged; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 33 
 
49 APPENDIX. 
 
 fKeyes, Josiah E. Transferred from C as first-lieutenant, to date from 
 March 13, 62; mustered out April 24, 63. 
 
 KNEUDSON, SILVERT. Enlisted at Chicago, Nov. 30, 61; veteran; de 
 serted June, 64. 
 
 LEIBUNDGUTH, CHRISTOPHER. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 6, 61 ; pro 
 moted corporal; sergeant; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 Killed at Homewood, 1880. 
 
 LEIBUNDGUTH, PETER. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Feb. 25, 64; pro 
 moted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *LIGHTFOOT, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Elgin, Sept. 7, 61 ; corporal at organi 
 zation; died at Young s Point, La., March 6, 63. 
 
 LUNDBORG, JOHAN. Recruit; enlisted at Jefferson, Feb. i, 64; captured 
 at Atlanta, July 22/64, an d exchanged from Andersonville; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 MANN, THOMAS. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61; transferred to V. R. C., 
 April 28, 64. 
 
 MARTIN, PORTER B. Enlisted in Du Page county, Sept. 3, 61; corporal 
 at organization; discharged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 *MERRILL, CHARLES. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 22, 61; promoted cor 
 poral; veteran; killed in charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 MISNER, ANDREW. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 19/61; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 MONTGOMERY, JOHN. Enlisted at Chicago, Dec. 13/61; veteran; dis 
 charged for disability June 25, "65. 
 
 *MORAN, PATRICK. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 21. 61; killed in charge 
 on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 NELSON, HORATIO. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 3i 64- 
 
 NELSON, OLOF. Recruit; enlisted at Jefferson, Feb. i, 64; promoted 
 sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 NICHOLS, THOMAS. Enlisted at Peoria, Aug. i, 61; wounded at Ezra 
 Chapel, July 28, 64; mustered out June i, 65. 
 
 *O BRiEN, DANIEL. Enlisted at Lockport, Sept. 19, 61 ; died at Memphis 
 Dec. 16, 62. 
 
 *PECOR, FRANKLIN. Enlisted at Huntley, Aug. 10, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; promoted sergeant; wounded at Vicksburg, May 19, 63; 
 died at Memphis, Oct. 18, 63. 
 
 PECOR, NELSON W. Enlisted at Dundee, Sept. 27, 61 ; veteran; promoted 
 corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 PICKETT, CHRISTOPHER. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, March 10, 64; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 POPP, MARTIN. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 20, 61 ; lost leg at Vicks 
 burg, May 22, 63, by cannon snot; discharged for wound Sept. 26, 63. 
 
 |*PORTER, WILLIAM C. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 3, 61 ; sergeant at 
 organization; promoted first-sergeant; second-lieutenant, to date from 
 Sept. 17, 62; captain, to date from April i, 63; in forlorn hope at 
 Vicksburg, May 22, 63; killed at Kenesaw Mt., in charge of June 
 27, 64. 
 
 *QUIGLEY, JAMES. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 3, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 killed in charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 QUIGLEY, PATRICK. Recruit; enlisted at Memphis, 62; wounded in 
 charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; mustered out with regi 
 ment. 
 
 *REALS, EDWARD. Enlisted at Belvidere, July 30, 61 ; wounded at Shi 
 loh, and died of wound at Cincinnati, 62. 
 
 REINOEHL, HENRY. Enlisted at Naperville, Nov. i, 6i; veteran; pro 
 moted sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 REINHOLD, JAMES. Enlisted at Naperville, Nov. 61 ; discharged for dis 
 ability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
COMPANY F. 491 
 
 REYNOLDS, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Naperville, Nov. 18, 61. No further 
 record. 
 
 RHODEMEYER, HENRY. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 14, 61; veteran; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 ROBINSON, JAMES. Enlisted at Elgin, Aug. i, 6i. No further record. 
 
 *SCHOENING, DIEDRICH. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 5/61; veteran; 
 killed in charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 SHORT, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Elgin, July 30, 61; corporal at organiza 
 tion; deserted Feb. 64. 
 
 SIMPSON, ELBRIDGE. Enlisted at Naperville, July 30, 61; sergeant at 
 organization; discharged for disability, 63. 
 
 SLADE, JOHN P. Enlisted at Palatine, Sept. i, 6i; sergeant at organiza 
 tion. No further record. 
 
 *SMITH, JOHN. Enlisted at Elgin, Sept. 7, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; wound 
 ed in storming party at Vicksburg, May 22, 63, and died of wounds 
 June 22, 63. 
 
 STELLING, RICHARD. Enlisted at Chicago, Nov. 3, 61 ; wounded at Shi 
 loh; discharged for disablility. 
 
 STRICKER, DAVID. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 3, 61 ; discharged for 
 disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 SWANSON, NELSON. Enlisted in Cook county, Aug. 24, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31/64. 
 
 SYLVA, CHARLES. Enlisted in Kane county, Sept. 7, 61 ; deserter. 
 
 ITAZEWELL, CHARLES. Enlisted at Elgin, July, 61; captain at organi 
 zation; resigned Aug. 31, 62. 
 
 TEISEL, HENRY. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 6, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 3l 6*. 
 
 THOMPSON, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Dundee, Sept. 7, 61 ; wounded at Shi 
 loh, and discharged for wound Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 *TIMKIE, HERMAN. Enlisted at Naperville, Oct. 16, 61; died at Napol 
 eon, Ark., Jan. 17. 63. 
 
 UTTER, NELS G. Recruit; enlisted at Jefferson, Feb. 1/64; discharged 
 for disability June 25, 65. 
 
 VEITH, FREDERICK. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Feb. 25, 64; captured 
 at Atlanta, July 22, 64; exchanged from Andersonville; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 ^WARDEN, JOHN. Enlisted at Naperville, Sept. 3, 61 ; promoted corporal; 
 sergeant, Dec. 63; wounded in storming party at Vicksburg, May 22, 
 63; veteran; wounded at Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64; promoted first- 
 lieutenant, to date Aug. 3, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 WARDEN, MOSES. Enlisted in Du Page county, Sept. 3/61; veteran; 
 wounded near Atlanta in action of Aug. 3, 64; mustered out with reg 
 iment. 
 The following men of I27th 111. Infty. were temporarily attached to 
 
 E, to serve out their term of enlistment: John Blake, George O. Briggs, 
 
 Wilson Briggs, John Burke, Joseph Dorn, Joseph Fleury, Thomas W. 
 
 Mullenix. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 This company was recruited in McDonough county, 111., and called 
 the Bushnell Light Guards in honor of the town in which it was organ 
 ized. The largest share of the work of enlistment was done by the Rev 
 erends William A. Presson, Milton L. Haney and Harrison Presson, three 
 enthusiastic and patriotic ministers of the Methodist faith. Rev. W. A. 
 Presson was at the time captain of a company afterwards known as A in 
 
49 2 APPENDIX. 
 
 the 55th infantry, and already in Camp Douglas. Rev. M. L. Haney and 
 H. Presson, being in charge of adjacent circuits, had conferred with each 
 other and resolved to enter the military service together. The eloquent 
 efforts of these three ministers, aided by certain soldierly exhibitions of 
 Lieutenant Palmer and Corporal J. H. Presson, with a specimen of the 
 famous revolving rifle the weapon with which all recruits were promised 
 they should be armed secured eighty enlistments between October 3d 
 and nth, from the towns of Bushnell, Prairie City and Marietta. 
 
 On the afternoon of the nth an election for officers and non-commis 
 sioned officers, was held near what is now West Park in Bushnell, which 
 resulted in the choice of M. L. Haney as captain, H. Presson as first-lieu 
 tenant, Joseph W. Parks as second-lieutenant, and James M. Shreves as 
 orderly-sergeant. On the evening of Saturday, the I2th, several other 
 recruits having been enrolled, the company started for Chicago. The 
 captain was presented with an elegant sword, and the company with a 
 national flag by the citizens, hundreds of whom assembled at the station 
 to bid the soldiers good bye. Upon the muster-in of the 55th, the Bush 
 nell Light Guards became Company F of that regiment. 
 
 March 14, 1862, Captain Haney was persuaded to resign and accept 
 the post of regimental chaplain. Lieutenant Presson had left the regi 
 ment a few days earlier. Second-Lieutenant Squire A. Wright of Com 
 pany C, was thereupon made captain of F against the urgent remon 
 strance of the whole company, in which there was abundance of excellent 
 material for officers. Lieutenant Parks was at the same date promoted 
 one step, and Sergeant J. B. Johnson of Company A, was appointed to the 
 vacant place of second-lieutenant. July I, 1862, Casper Schliech of 
 Company A, was promoted to the captaincy, made vacant by the death 
 of Captain Wright, and Lieutenant L. B. Crooker of Company I, was pro 
 moted to the same position, after Captain Schliech had fallen in battle. 
 The four officers thus transferred to Company F were the only ones it 
 had, not from its own ranks. They were all brave and efficient, filling 
 their positions with great credit. Captains Wright and Schliech lost 
 their lives leading their men in battle, and Captain Crooker was disabled 
 by wounds. 
 
 Company F was with the regiment on every occasion, excepting during 
 the short and bloodless expedition to Columbus, Ky. Sixteen of its mem 
 bers re-enlisted at the end of their three years service. Giles F. Hand 
 rose from its ranks to be the last major of the regiment. Six of its mem 
 bers were transferred as officers to other organizations. There were in 
 it eleven pairs and one group of three brothers; of the twenty-five, two 
 were killed in action, two mortally wounded, three died of disease, and 
 ten others were struck by rebel missiles. One hundred and fourteen 
 names in all were borne upon the company rolls; among them were the 
 following casualties: Killed in action, 10; wounded, 43; died of wounds, 
 6; died of disease, 16; discharged for wounds, 12; discharged for other 
 disability, 20; captured, 2; deserted, 3; transferred to V. R. C., 5; re 
 signed, 4. 
 
COMPANY F. 493 
 
 BEADLES, JOSEPH H. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 4/61 ; corporal at or 
 ganization; wounded at Shiloh; discharged for disability, Dec. 6, 62. 
 
 tBENTON, JOSHUA R. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 4, 61 ; severely wounded 
 at Shiloh; promoted first-sergeant April 12/64; commissioned first- 
 lieutenant, to date from Oct. 31, 63, and commission declined; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 BEVANS, CORYDON. Enlisted at Marietta, Nov. 26/61; discharged for 
 disability, at St. Louis, June 10, 62. 
 
 BOND, BENJAMIN F. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12/61; discharged for 
 disability, at Camp Douglas, Nov. 20, 61. 
 
 *BONE, GEORGE. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 1 1/61 ; severely wounded 
 at Shiloh; wounded at Jackson, Miss., July 14, 63, and died same day. 
 
 BOOTH, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 10, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 31, 64. 
 
 BRADY, ARCHIBALD C. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 5, 61; captured at 
 Shiloh, and exchanged. No further record. 
 
 J-*BRINK, VINCENT E. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 3, 61 ; sergeant at or 
 ganization; promoted second-lieutenant, to date from Sept. 4/62; cap 
 tain, to date from Aug. 3, 63; died of fever at luka, Miss., Oct. 31, 63. 
 
 *BRUNER, EDWARD M. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; died at Camp 
 Sherman, Miss., Sept. 12/63, f fever. 
 
 *CARNES, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61; died of fever 
 at St. Louis, June 27, 62. 
 
 CARRIER, JOHN. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 11, 61; promoted corporal 
 March 31, 63; veteran; promoted sergeant March 30, 64; first-ser 
 geant, May 15, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *COGILL, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh; died of congestive chill, July 4, 63, near Vicksburg. 
 
 COLLIER. WILLIAM. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 5, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 3 1 * 64. 
 
 tCROOKER, LUCIEN B. Transferred from I as captain, to date from Dec. 
 29/62; severely wounded in arm at Vicksburg, May 19/63; resigned 
 for wounds Aug. 3, 63. See I. 
 
 CROWELL, GEORGE P. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; discharged for 
 disability, at Camp Douglas, Nov. 20, 61. Died since the war. 
 
 CROWELL, WILLIAM A. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh; discharged for wound, at Memphis, Aug. 25, 62. 
 
 *CRUMBAUGH, DAVID M. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7/61; corporal at 
 organization; wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant April 3, 63; vet 
 eran; wounded at Atlanta, July 22, 64, and died of wound April 14, 65. 
 
 DAILY, JOHN F. Enlisted at Henderson, Oct. 8, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; transferred to V. R. C., Feb. i, 64. 
 
 *DAVIS, LLOYD P. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 DEWEY, EDWIN A. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 Dec. 4/62; veteran; wounded at Ezra Church, July 28/64; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 DEWEY, JOHN C. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; discharged for disa 
 bility, at Memphis, Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 DUNLAP, LEGRAND. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; deserted at Mem 
 phis, Nov. 25, 62. 
 
 E ADS, JOHN. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 11/61; discharged for disa 
 bility, at Memphis, Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 EWING, JOSEPH B. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 31/64. 
 
 FAAS, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12. 61; veteran; severely 
 wounded at Atlanta, July 22, 64; discharged for disability July 25, 65. 
 
 FERGUSON, PHILLIP B. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 3, 61 ; corporal at or 
 ganization; promoted sergeant Nov. 24, 62; wounded in hand at Shi- 
 
494 APPENDIX. 
 
 loh; wounded at Chickasaw Bayou, Dec. 28, 62, and discharged for 
 wounds Jan. 28, 63. Died near Toledo, 111., Dec. 9, 1881. 
 
 FLEEHARTY, JOHN N. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61 ; discharged for 
 disability Aug. 18, 62. 
 
 FLUKE, CALVIN R. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 4, 61 ; severely wounded 
 at Shiloh, and discharged for wound Oct. 10, 62. 
 
 FOSTER, CHANNING B. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; discharged for 
 disability March 31, 62. 
 
 *FOURAKER, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 21, 61 ; died of fever 
 near Vicksburg, June 28, 63. 
 
 FUGATE, JAMES N. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61; veteran; terribly 
 wounded in charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64, and discharged 
 for wound April 19, 65. 
 
 *FUGATE, ROBERT M. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 3, 61 ; died at Memphis 
 Jan. 14, 64. 
 
 |HAND, GILES F. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; promoted sergeant May, 62; first-sergeant. Aug. i, 63; first- 
 lieutenant, to date from Nov. 27, 62; captain, to date from Oct. 31, 63; 
 wounded in head near Bentonville, N. C., March 20, 65; promoted 
 major. See Field and Staff. 
 
 HANEY, HENRY M. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 4, 61 ; sergeant at organi 
 zation; promoted first-sergeant Aug. 19, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 IHANEY, MILTON L., Rev. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; captain at 
 organization; resigned March 14, 62, to accept chaplaincy. See Field 
 and Staff. 
 
 *HANEY, RICHARD. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 4, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; slightly wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant March 31, 63; 
 killed by shell in storming party at Vicksburg, May 22, 63. 
 
 HARTMAN, AARON B. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. n, 61; discharged for 
 disability, at Memphis, Oct. 13, 62. 
 
 HARTSOOK, DANIEL. Enlisted at Bushnell. Oct. 7, 61 ; severely wounded 
 at Shiloh; transferred to V. R. C., Sept. 16, 63. 
 
 HARTSOOK, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. n, 61; promoted cor 
 poral Aug. i, 62; sergeant-major, Sept. i, 62. See Field and Staff, 
 and K. 
 
 *HENDRICKS, JAMES. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; sent from regi 
 ment July 10, 62, by Col. Stuart, and died at Cairo in autumn of 62. 
 
 HENSELY, SAMUEL H. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 4, 61; transferred to 
 G, Nov. 21, 61. 
 
 IHOLMES, DAVID N. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; promoted cor 
 poral March 31, 63; sergeant, Jan. 16, 64; veteran; wounded in hip at 
 charge on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; promoted first-sergeant 
 Dec. 15/64; first-lieutenant, to date from May 19, 65; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *HOYT, OLIVER J. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 12/61; killed at Vicks 
 burg, May 19, 63. 
 
 HUTCHINS, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. n, 61; severely 
 wounded at Shiloh; transferred to V. R. C., Feb. 6, 64. 
 
 *!NMAN, JESSE N. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 5/61; died of congestive 
 chill, at Memphis, Sept. 27, 62. 
 
 *JAMESON, ROBERT S. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7/61; wounded at 
 Shiloh, and died of wound at home, May 24, 62. 
 
 UOHNSON, JOHN B. Transferred from A as second-lieutenant, to date 
 from March 8, 62; resigned Sept. 3, 62. Captain I37th 111. Infty. See A. 
 
 JOHNSON, JOHN A. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 1 1, 61 ; transferred to V. R. 
 C., May 31/64. 
 
 JONES, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh, 
 April 6, 62; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 KEFFER, JACOB W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 1 1/61 ; veteran; wounded 
 
COMPANY F. 495 
 
 at Jonesboro , Sept. i, 64; promoted sergeant June i, 65; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 KING, LYMAN B. Enlisted at Prairie City, Dec. i, 61; discharged for dis 
 ability, at St. Louis, July 10, 62. 
 
 *KREIDER, DAVID. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 9, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 *LONG, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. u, 61; wounded at Shi 
 loh, and died of wound, at St. Louis, April 20, 62. 
 
 LONG, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. n, 6i; severely wounded at 
 Shiloh; promoted corporal Aug. 20, 63; sergeant, Nov. 10, 63; veteran; 
 wounded at Ezra Chapel, July 28, 64, and discharged for wound March 
 23, 65. 
 
 *LUTZ, AHAZ B. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 5, 61; died at Memphis Dec. 
 6, 62. 
 
 LYBARGER, LILLIBERN. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 3, 61; severely 
 wounded at Shiloh, and discharged for wound at St. Louis Oct. 2, 62. 
 
 LYBARGER, MILTON C. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 3, 61; severely 
 wounded at Shiloh; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 
 MATHENY, DAVID J. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7, 61; musician; se 
 verely wounded in charge upon Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; mus 
 tered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 MAXWELL, WILLIAM J. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 7, 61 ; discharged for 
 disability at Camp Douglas Nov. 20, 61. 
 
 McCANCE, MANSON. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 4, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; deserted at Holly Springs, Miss., Dec. 11, 62. 
 
 MCCAUGHEY, JOSEPH W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 3, 61 ; wounded at 
 Shiloh; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *McCoMB, MATTHEW. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7, 61; promoted 
 corporal March 31, 63; died at Bridgeport, Ala., Dec. 25, 63. 
 
 MCDONALD, JAMES I. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; discharged for 
 disability Oct. 10, 62. 
 
 MCELROY, WILBERT. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 30, 61; discharged for 
 disability Feb. 18, 63. 
 
 MEAD, ALFRED. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 12, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *MEDARIS, JOHN C. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; died at Pittsburg 
 Landing, April 17, 62. 
 
 *MEDARIS, JOSEPH B. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; died at home 
 May 2, 64. 
 
 MILLER, GEORGE S. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 10, 61; promoted cor 
 poral Jan. 10, 64; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MILLER, JACOB C. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 31, 64. Died at Bardolph since the war. 
 
 MILLER, WILLIAM J. Enlisted at Bushnell, Sept. 31, 62; promoted cor 
 poral June i, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MOORE, ALBERTSON. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; severely wound 
 ed at Shiloh, and discharged for wound, at Memphis, Jan. 23/63. 
 
 MOSHER, DANIEL. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; severely wounded 
 at Shiloh, and discharged for wound April 4, 63. 
 
 NEWKIRK, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31/64. 
 
 OSBORN, JOHN. Enlisted at Bushnell, Nov. 27, 61 ; mustered out Dec. 
 30, 64. 
 
 |PARKS, JOSEPH W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 1 1/61 ; second-lieutenant 
 at organization; promoted first-lieutenant, to date March 8/62; mus 
 tered out by S. O. lot; of War Dept, for disability, to date from Nov. 
 26, 62. 
 
 *PATTERSON, ROBERT S. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 1 1/61 ; died at Cape 
 Girardeau, Jan. 22, 62. 
 
49 6 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 *PENNELL, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; killed at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 PENNINGTON, JACOB A. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 1 1, 61 ; discharged for 
 disability, at Memphis, Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 PERDUE, DALLAS. Recruit; enlisted at Bushnell, Feb. 24, 64; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 POTTINGER, SAMUEL W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 21/61; transferred 
 to G, Nov. 21, 61. See G. 
 
 POWERS, JOHN. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 10, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 
 64. Died in Kansas, June 19, 1878. 
 
 fPRESSON, HARRISON. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; first-lieutenant 
 at organization; resigned March 5, 62. 
 
 PUTNAM, JOHN M. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and discharged for wound Oct. 2, 62. Died near Canton since war. 
 
 *PUTNAM, JOSEPH P. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; veteran; killed in 
 assault on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64. 
 
 REED, AMENZO. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11/61; mustered out Oct. 
 31, 64. 
 
 *REYNOLDS, JOEL. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61; died at Pittsburg 
 Landing, May 10, 62. 
 
 RICKMAN, MOSES B. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 19, 61; transferred to 
 K, Nov. 14, 61. See K. 
 
 *ROGERS, GEORGE H. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 11, 61; corporal at 
 organization; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 ROGERS, LEWIS D. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7/61; promoted cor 
 poral Aug. 1/62; discharged for disability Feb. 11, 63, at Memphis. 
 
 SANDERS, FESTUS H. Enlisted at Marietta, Oct. 3, 61; given unlimited 
 furlough by Col. Stuart, at Camp Douglas, Nov, 19, 61. 
 
 SANFORD, AMOS. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 10, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 Aug. i, 62; slightly wounded May 22, 63, at Vicksburg in storming 
 party; promoted sergeant Aug. 20, 63; transferred to 5oth U. S. Col 
 ored, Sept. 19, 63, as first-lieutenant. Died at Anna, 111., since war. 
 
 SANFORD, EBENEZER. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11/61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *SANFORD, GEORGE. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7/61; sergeant at 
 organization; wounded at Shiloh, and died of wound April 14, 62. 
 
 SANFORD, JACOB. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 7, 61 ; veteran; promoted 
 corporal June 1/65; commissary-sergeant June 18, 65. See Field and 
 Staff. 
 
 J"*SCHLIECH, CASPER. Transferred from A as captain, to date from July 
 i, 62; killed at Chickasaw Bayou Dec. 29, 62. See A. 
 
 *SHANNON, ALVIN. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 3, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh 
 and died of wound, at Cairo, April 17, 62. 
 
 *SHREVES, JAMES M. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11/61; first-sergeant at 
 organization; wounded at Shiloh; promoted first-lieutenant in I2th 
 Louisiana Colored, Aug. i, 63; died of fever at Vicksburg Aug. 19/63. 
 
 SMITH, JAMES K. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12/61; severely wounded 
 at Shiloh, and discharged for wound Oct. 13, 62. 
 
 *SNAPP, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; died at Camp Sher 
 man, Miss., Aug. 29, 63. 
 
 SPERLING, THEODORE. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. n, 61; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal June 1/65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 STERLING, LEWIS W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 3/61; transferred to 
 V. R. C., May 1/64. 
 
 *SULLIVAN, DAVID A. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 25, 61 ; musician; killed 
 at Vicksburg May 22, 63. 
 
 SWEARINGEN, BENNETT. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh; veteran; wounded at Atlanta July 22, 64; promoted corporal 
 Oct. 10, 64; sergeant, June 1/65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
COMPANY G. 497 
 
 TEITSWORTH, OLIVER P. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; discharged 
 for disability Nov. 16, 62. 
 
 THOMPSON, THOMAS E. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 TOTMAN, EDMOND T. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; severely wounded 
 at Ezra Church, July 28, 64, and discharged for wound April 28, 65. 
 
 WALKER, ANDREW J. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61; sergeant at or 
 ganization; discharged for disability Nov. 24, 62, at Memphis. 
 
 WETZEL, AHAZ B. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61; promoted corporal 
 April 3, 63; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 WETZEL, DANIEL W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 5/61 ; mustered out 
 Oct. 31/64. 
 
 *WILSON, J. O. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 8, 61 ; died at Quincy, 111., 
 May 16, 62. 
 
 WINGET, LEWIS T. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 6, 61; wounded at Vicks- 
 burg, May 19, 63; veteran; promoted corporal June I, 65; captured 
 March 19, 65, and exchanged; mustered out with regiment. Died 
 near Macomb, since the war. 
 
 WINTERS, AUGUSTUS. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. ii, 6i; deserted near 
 Corinth, Miss., June 10, 62. 
 
 "}"*WRIGHT, SQUIRE A. Transferred from C as captain, to date from 
 March 14, 62; wounded at Shiloh twice, and died of wounds May 12, 
 62. See C. 
 
 WYCKOF, DAVID L. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 11, 61; wounded at Shi 
 loh, and discharged for wound Sept. 26, 62. Died at home in 1865. 
 The following recruits of the I loth 111. Infty. were assigned to F in 
 
 1865, to complete their service, and were mustered out with regiment: 
 
 John C. Aaron, Richard C. Ball, George W. Bacon, John Dulany, Pascal 
 
 Hamilton, John C. Houck, William H. Johnson, Samuel Kitt, James D. 
 
 Long, William M. Loyd, Clark McGee, John W. McGovern, Jonathan 
 
 Owen, John C. Raymond, John P. Russell, John R. Scribner, Henry Sites, 
 
 Felix Shutter, Seth T. Spore, James K. Westfall, Benjamin White, George 
 
 Woodhouse. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 About the first of August, 1861, Joseph Clay of La Salle began recruit 
 ing a company to join the Douglas Brigade, then being formed at Camp 
 Douglas. He was assisted by C. C. Davis, William J. Kennedy and a 
 few others. Those enrolled, numbering about thirty-five men, reported 
 at Chicago, August 7th. About the 25th of September, Peter Roberts, 
 then a member of what was later known as Company A, assisted by 
 Thomas R. Scott and William J. Eckley, began recruiting in Fulton, 
 Stark and McDonough counties. The men they obtained were assigned 
 to the company of Captain Clay, and a few transfers from the surplus of 
 other commands, made up the required number for organization. The 
 name of Lyon Guards was given to the company, until it became a part 
 of the Fifty-fifth Infantry, when it was designated G. 
 
 Captain Clay professed to have seen service in the regular army, and 
 at the election for officers his title of commander was confirmed by the 
 votes of the men. Cyrus M. Browne was chosen first-lieutenant, Albert 
 A. Whipple second-lieutenant, and Peter Roberts first-sergeant. Lieu 
 tenant Browne was one of the oldest men of the regiment, being then 
 34 
 
49 8 APPENDIX. 
 
 about forty-seven, while Lieutenant Whipple was its youngest officer, 
 being barely nineteen. The company presented a sword, sash and belt 
 to their captain. A few months later he had disgraced the gift by cow 
 ardice, and the indignant donors took the sword from him. 
 
 Company G started for the front with eighty-nine rank and file, and 
 received but three recruits thereafter. With few exceptions they were 
 young men, quiet, brave and true, who had been led to enlist purely from 
 patriotic motives without thought of distinction or reward to be gained. 
 At the veteran re-enlistment thirty-six were mustered in for the war a 
 larger number than volunteered from any other company of the Fifty- 
 fifth. 
 
 The first of G to lay down his life was Albert A. Washburn, who died 
 on the journey down the Mississippi from St. Louis, in January, 1862; the 
 last was Joseph Morehead, killed at Bentonville, N. C., March, 1865 
 and the last man of the Fifty-fifth slain in battle. One boy, Maurice A. 
 Cadwallader, was but eighteen years of age when he had completed his 
 three years service. There were six pairs of brothers in G. Seven of 
 these did not survive the war, and three were discharged, leaving only 
 two to be mustered out at the end of the rebellion. The casualties of 
 the company in its four years service were: killed in action, 8; wounded 
 in action, 22; died of wounds, 3; died of disease, 14; discharged for 
 wounds, 5; discharged for other disability, 7; captured, 3; deserters, 3; 
 transferred to V. R. C., I. 
 
 AYRES, MONROE L. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 25, 61 ; discharged for dis 
 ability. 
 *BAINES, JAMES A. Enlisted at Young America, Nov. 4, 61 ; promoted 
 
 corporal; veteran; wounded in thigh at Atlanta, July 22, 64, and died 
 
 the same day while undergoing amputation. 
 BALDWIN, WILLIAM G. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 15, 61; transferred to 
 
 V. R. C., Jan. 22, 64. 
 BALL, HARRISON. Ennlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 18, 61 ; veteran; 
 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 BEACH, JOHN D. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23, 61; veteran; promoted 
 
 corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 BEEMAN, JOHN. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 14/61; discharged for disa 
 bility July 31, 65. Died since the war. 
 BELL, STEPHEN R. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 25, 61; corporal at 
 
 organization; mustered out as private Oct. 31, 64. 
 ^BENNETT, CHARLES F. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23, 61; veteran; 
 
 promoted sergeant; first-sergeant; commissioned first-lieutenant, to 
 
 date July 25, 65; mustered out as first-sergeant, with regiment. 
 BRIGGS, WASHINGTON A. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 15/61; 
 
 veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 BRAZLETON, JAMES H. Enlisted at Young America, Oct. 14, 61 ; veteran; 
 
 promoted sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 IBROWNE, CYRUS M. Enlisted at La Salle, July 22, 61 ; first-lieutenant 
 
 at organization; promoted captain, to date from Sept. 17, 62; mustered 
 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 BURNSIDE, JAMES L. Enlisted at Kankakee, Oct. 18, 61; fifer; veteran; 
 
 promoted hospital steward Jan. I, 65. See Field and Staff. 
 *BURNSIDE, WILLIAM S. Enlisted at Kankakee, Aug. 23, 61 ; killed at 
 
 Shiloh. 
 
COMPANY G. 499 
 
 CADWALLADER, MAURICE A. Enlisted at Prairie City, Oct. 25/61; pro 
 moted corporal; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 ICLAY, JOSEPH. Enlisted at La Salle, July 23, 61 ; captain at organiza 
 tion; dismissed for cowardice Sept. 16, 62, by G. O. War. Dept. 243. 
 
 COGSWELL, LESTER S. Enlisted at Toulon, Oct. 23, 61; promoted cor 
 poral; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 DAVIS, C. C. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 7, 61 ; promoted corporal, wound 
 ed in left leg at Shiloh, and discharged for wound April 13, 63. 
 
 DRAKE, DAVID N. Enlisted at Bushnell, Nov. 8, 61; discharged Dec. 
 31 1 64. 
 
 EARLY, WILLIAM L. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 9/61; cap 
 tured at Shiloh, and exchanged; discharged Aug. I, 63, to accept com 
 mission as second-lieutenant in I2th Louisiana Colored. 
 
 *ECKLEY, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Toulon, Oct. 23, 61; died of fever at 
 Camp Sherman, Miss., Aug. 8, 63. 
 
 ECKLEY, JAMES A. Enlisted at Toulon, Oct. 23, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 
 64. Died March 10, 1869. 
 
 *ECKLEY, WILLIAM J. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 25, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; veteran; promoted sergeant; wounded at Atlanta, Aug. 3, 
 64, and died of wound, at Marietta, Aug. 15, 64. 
 
 EMERY, JASON R. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 4/61; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 ERVINE, ELIJAH P. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 8, 6i ; promoted 
 corporal; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 FAIRFIELD, AUGUSTUS. Enlisted at La Salle, Nov. i, 61; promoted cor 
 poral; sergeant; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *FITSIMMONS, THOMAS. Enlisted in Warren county, Oct. 18, 61 ; left sick 
 in hospital at Memphis, Nov. 62, and supposed to have died there. 
 
 GARRIGAN, PETER. Enlisted at Young America, Oct. 18, 61; wounded 
 at yicksburg slightly by shell, July 2, 63; veteran; mustered out with 
 regiment. 
 
 GAY, JAMES W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 5, 61; prompted corporal; 
 sergeant in color-guard; wounded in left shoulder at Vicksburg, May 
 
 19, 63; veteran; wounded in assault on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; 
 captured at Atlanta, July 22, 64; exchanged from Anderson ville; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *GILLESPIE, JAMES T. Enlisted from Fulton county, Sept. 25, 61; killed 
 at Shiloh. 
 
 GIVEREL, MICHAEL. Enlisted at Lake, Oct. 16, 61; captured at Shiloh; 
 returned, and enlisted in I27th 111. Infty. 
 
 HAWK, GEORGE B. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 14, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; 
 promoted corporal; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 HAZELL, HARRY A. Enlisted at La Salle. Sept. 25, 61 ; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 HENSLEY, SAMUEL H. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 4, 61; deserted Dec. 
 
 20, 62. 
 
 *HERRING, CHARLES W. Enlisted in Warren county, Nov. i, 61; died 
 
 at Memphis, Oct. 3, 62. 
 HINER, JOSEPH C. Enlisted at Toulon, Oct. 23, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 
 veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 HOGUE, JAMES B. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 14, 61; veteran; 
 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 HOGUE, WILLIAM P. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 14/61; dis 
 charged for disability, at Quincy, 111., Sept. 4, 62. 
 HOWE, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Waukegan, June 5, 61, in i$th 111. 
 
 Infty; transferred to G, and promoted principal musician Jan. 1/62. 
 
 See Field and Staff. 
 *HUMPHREY, MICHAEL. Enlisted at La Salle, Oct. 20/61 ; wounded at 
 
 Shiloh; veteran; killed near Atlanta Aug. 3, 64. 
 
5 APPENDIX. 
 
 JACKSON, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Bushnell, Sept. 25, 61; veteran; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *KENNEDY, JAMES. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 6, 61; died at St. Louis, 
 June i, 62. 
 
 *KENNEDY, WILLIAM J. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 6, 61 ; wounded in 
 arm at Vicksburg, May 22, 63, and died of fever and wounds at 
 Memphis, June 22, 63. 
 
 *KEMBLE, HENRY W. Recruit; enlisted at Memphis, Oct., 62; died at 
 Memphis, May 8, 63. 
 
 LATHROP, WILLIAM C. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 3/61; sergeant at 
 organization; mustered out Oct. 31, 64, as private. 
 
 LAXON, LEANDER. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 LOUCKS, DELOS. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 4, 61; deserted 
 Dec. 20, 62. 
 
 *LOVELACE, JOHN W. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 18, 61 ; died 
 at Louisville, Ky., May 10, 62. 
 
 *LYON, MICHAEL. Enlisted in Cook county, Oct. 11, 61; died at Mem 
 phis, Nov. 4, 63. 
 
 *MARCH, JOHN. Enlisted in Henry county, Oct. 4, 61; left sick at Mem 
 phis, Nov., 62, and supposed to have died Mar., 63. 
 
 McKAiG, RICHARD B. Enlisted in McDonough county, Oct. 18/61; de 
 serted at LaFayette, Tenn., June 26, 62. 
 
 MCQUEEN, HOSIAH P. Enlisted at Bushnell, Sept. 14, 61; veteran; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MELLON, JOHN. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 6, 61; veteran; wounded in 
 assault of Little Kenesaw, June 27, 64; leg amputated and discharged 
 March I, 65. 
 
 *MILLER, SOLOMON L. Enlisted at Young America, Oct. 18, 61; died 
 at Memphis, July 29, 62. 
 
 MILLS, DAVID M. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 25, 61 ; discharged 
 for disability, 62. 
 
 Mix, CHARLES. Enlisted at Waukegan, Oct. 5, 61; discharged for dis 
 ability at Paducah, Ky., June 10, 62. 
 
 Mix, EDWARD. Enlisted at Waukegan, Oct. 5, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and discharged on account of wound. 
 
 *MOREHEAD, JOSEPH. Enlisted at La Salle, Oct. 23/61; veteran; killed 
 at Bentonville, N. C., March 21, 65. 
 
 *MOREHEAD, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at La Salle, Oct. 23, 61; killed at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 MOREY, HARVEY C. Recruit; enlisted at Bushnell, Nov. 7, 63; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 MURRAY, ANDREW. Enlisted in Warren county, Oct. 23/61; veteran; 
 wounded in assault on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27/64; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *MURPHY, JAMES B. Enlisted at Prairie City, Sept. 24, 61 ; corporal at 
 organization; killed at Vicksburg, June 25, 63. 
 
 MYERS, JOHN H. Enlisted at Prairie City, Sept. 25/61; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *NEWELL, CYRUS W. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 14, 61; corporal at 
 organization; wounded at Shiloh; died of disease on hospital boat, 
 May 10, 62. 
 
 OGLESBY, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12/61; mustered out Oct. 
 31* 64. 
 
 *PATTERSON, CHARLES H. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23/61 ; sergeant 
 at organization; died at St. Louis, Oct. 19, 63. 
 
 PETERSON, ARMOUR. Enlisted in Warren county, Oct. 4/61; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
COMPANY G. 5 01 
 
 PETERSON, WILLARD C. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 25, 61; promoted 
 corporal; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *POTTINGER, SAMUEL W. Transferred from F Nov. 2i, 6i; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. Died soon after at Chattanooga in hospital. 
 
 PUNTNEY, JOHN. Enlisted at Young America, Oct. 18, 61 ; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 "[ROBERTS, PETER. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 20, 61; first-sergeant at or 
 ganization; promoted second-lieutenant, to date from Sept. 17, 62; 
 captain, to date from May 19, 65; wounded severely at Jackson, July 
 11, 63; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 SCOTT, THOMAS R. Enlisted at Canton, Sept. 25, "61 ; sergeant at organ 
 ization; veteran; discharged for disability June 14, 65. 
 
 *SEXTON, JOHN. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 4, 61; died at Camp Sher 
 man, Miss., Aug. 31, 63. 
 
 *SHANNON, IRVING. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 12, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and discharged for wound June 10, 62. Re-enlisted in 85th 111. Infty., 
 Aug. 62, and mortally wounded at Kenesaw, June 27, 64. 
 
 SMITH, FRANKLIN. Recruit; enlisted at Wilmington, Feb. 2, 64; 
 wounded in assault upon Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64, and dis 
 charged for wound June 25, 65. 
 
 tSMiTH, FRED W. Enlisted at La Salle, Sept. 12, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; promoted sergeant; veteran; promoted first-sergeant; com 
 missioned first-lieutenant, to date May 19, 65; discharged for disa 
 bility, as sergeant, April 25, "65. 
 
 SMITH, JOHN N. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 6, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 31. 64. 
 
 SMITH, WEBSTER N. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 7, 61 ; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 SONGSTER, CALVIN A. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 14, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; promoted sergeant; veteran; wounded at Jonesboro , Sept. 
 i, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 SWARTZLANDER, CARL. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23, 61 ; wounded at 
 Shiloh, and discharged for wound Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 TERRY, WILLIAM. Enlisted in Douglas county, Aug. 28, 61; discharged 
 for disability, 62. 
 
 TURNER, JAMES. Enlisted at Peoria, Sept. 14, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 31/64. 
 
 VANBUSKIRK, ALONZO. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23, 61 ; corporal at 
 organization; veteran; discharged for disability at Louisville, Ky., 
 June 25, 65. 
 
 WARREN, AARON E. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 3, 61 ; discharged Feb. 
 21/64, a-t Scottsboro , Ala.; re-enlisted in ist 111. Art., Co. I, Feb. 22, 
 64, and mustered out July 26, 65. 
 
 *WASHBURN, ALBERT A. Enlisted at Waukegan, Oct. 21, 61 ; died on 
 board steamboat D. A. January, Jan. 15, 62. 
 
 *WEAVER, HARRY H. Enlisted in Fulton county, Sept. 25, 61; sergeant 
 at organization; died at St. Louis April 8, 63, of disease caused by ex 
 posure at Arkansas Post. 
 
 WEST, CHARLES L. Enlisted at La Salle, Sept. 12, 61 ; veteran; wounded 
 in assault upon Little Kenesaw Mt, June 27/64; mustered out with 
 regiment. 
 
 WHEELER, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Canton, Aug. 10, 61; corporal at organ 
 ization; veteran; discharged, to date June 30, 65, according to act of 
 Congress, approved July 5, 1884. 
 
 IWHIPPLE, ALBERT A. Enlisted at La Salle, July 29/61; second-lieu 
 tenant at organization; promoted first-lieutenant, to date from Sept. 
 17, 62; wounded in head at Ezra Church July 28/64; resigned Sept. 16, 
 64. Died at Denver, Col., March 22, 1885. 
 
 WILLIAMS, ANDREW. Enlisted at Bushnell, Oct. 18, 61 ; wounded in face 
 
5 02 APPENDIX. 
 
 at Vicksburg, May 19, 63; veteran; discharged for disability Aug. 
 2, 64. 
 
 WILLIAMS, CLARENCE A. Enlisted at Morris, Sept. 14, 61; drummer; 
 veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 WILSON, WILLIAM. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 14, 61 ; veteran; wounded 
 in assault on Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; mustered out with reg 
 iment. 
 
 WITTER, GEORGE E. Enlisted at Toulon, Oct. 23, 61 ; veteran; promoted 
 corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 WOOD, CHARLES B. Enlisted at La Salle, Aug. 23/61; veteran; dis 
 charged, to date July, 65, according to act of Congress of July 5, 1884. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 This company was made up chiefly of young men from Carroll and 
 Ogle counties, and was recruited by two Methodist ministers, Rev. Wil 
 liam A. Presson and Rev. L. P. Crouch, at Polo, where it was duly organ 
 ized and made choice of officers Oct. 29, 1861. It started for Chicago the 
 same day. Its officers elect were: Timothy B. Burrows, captain; James 
 Matthews, first-lieutenant; Henry Norton, second-lieutenant. 
 
 Shortly after arrival at Camp Douglas, the enlisted men discovered 
 that Colonel Stuart had no intention of respecting their desires as ex 
 pressed at the Polo election. He succeeded in persuading Captain Bur 
 rows to accept the position of second-lieutenant, and placed two strangers 
 in the higher offices; James J. Heffernan as captain, and James Weldon 
 as first-lieutenant. This arbitrary proceeding was at first resented by 
 most of those concerned as a great grievance, but no obvious remedy 
 was at hand, and their patriotic fervor kept the men patient. The new 
 officers by their tact and ability soon won favor, and the episode left few 
 rankling memories. Upon the promotion of Captain Heffernan to major 
 early in 1863, Adjutant H. S. Nourse succeeded to the command of the 
 company. Lieutenant Burrows died at Paducah, and Lieutenant Weldon 
 was mortally wounded at Shiloh. Horace T. Healey was promoted, and 
 Francis A Scott transferred from I to fill the vacancies thus created. 
 
 At the muster-in of the regiment, this company was numerically the 
 smallest in the 55th, having but seventy-five in its ranks. Thirteen were 
 added before the close of November, but it received only two recruits 
 thereafter. Its material was of the best, and its loss by battle casualty 
 above the average of the regiment, being fifty-three per cent, of its total 
 number. It participated in all the marches and battles of the 55th, and 
 was but once detached for special duty. For a brief time at Milliken s 
 Bend, La., it was employed in guarding the Medical Purveyor s depart 
 ment on the steamboat Post Boy. 
 
 Of the rank and file of Company H, ninety men all told eight were 
 killed in battle and thirty-eight wounded. Eight of the latter died of 
 their injuries. Ten were discharged and two transferred to the V. R. C., 
 because of wounds. Ten died of disease, ten were discharged for disa 
 bility, and ten were reported deserters. Only three were captured by the 
 
COMPANY H. 53 
 
 enemy all of whom were wounded, and two of of them died in captivity. 
 All casualties are properly credited in the following roster, save that 
 twenty-five names only of the twenty-seven wounded at Shiloh, have been 
 ascertained. 
 
 fAAGESEN, NICHOLAS S. Transferred from D as second-lieutenant, to 
 date from March I, 62; severely wounded in arm at Shiloh; promoted 
 first-lieutenant, to date from July 1/62; transferred by promotion to 
 D. SeeD. 
 
 ADAMS, THOMAS. Enlisted at Morris, Aug. 7, 61; promoted sergeant; 
 wounded slightly at Shiloh; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 ALLEN, HENRY. Enlisted at Waukegan, Oct. 22, 61; discharged for dis 
 ability Aug. 28, 62. 
 
 *ALLISON, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; wounded in 
 leg at Shiloh; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. Died in 1864. 
 
 BAIR, GEORGE N. D. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 29, 61 ; wounded in head 
 at Shiloh, and discharged for wound. 
 
 BARNES, OSCAR. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 22, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BEERS, BARNETT M. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; wounded in 
 leg at Shiloh; discharged at expiration of term of service. 
 
 *BEERS, CHARLES T. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; corporal at 
 organization; promoted sergeant Oct. 10, 62; ordnance sergeant; vet 
 eran; wounded in head at Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64, and died of wound, 
 at Marietta, Ga., Sept. 21, 64. 
 
 BELCHER, ALBERT. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 22, 61; before enlisted in the 
 1 5th 111. Infty.; returned to his regiment Jan. 5, 62. 
 
 BIGBEE, COLUMBUS C. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; veteran; 
 promoted sergeant; in color-guard; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 BOYDSTON, ULYSSES A. Enlisted Nov. 5. 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BROCK, ANDREW J. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 25/61; sergeant at 
 organization; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 BROWN, HERMAN. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 20, 61; orderly to Col. 
 Stuart; discharged April i, 63, because a minor. 
 
 BROWN, JOHN. Enlisted at Buffalo Grove, Oct. 22. 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 31. 64. 
 
 *BURNETT, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; wounded 
 at Shiloh, arm amputated, and died June 3, 62. 
 
 |*BURROWS, TIMOTHY B. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 19, 61; elected cap 
 tain; second-lieutenant at organization; died at Paducah, Ky., of fever, 
 Feb. 14, 62. 
 
 CHRISSINGER, JOHN W. Enlisted at Burlington, Nov. 6, 61; wounded 
 severely and taken prisoner at Shiloh; discharged for disability May 
 15/63. Reported deserter in Adjt.-Gen. Report, by error. 
 
 CLEMENTS, JAMES. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 28, 61 ; discharged for disabil 
 ity July 16, 62. 
 
 *CROUCH, STEPHEN D. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 19, 61 ; sergeant 
 at organization; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 DEETS, LEWIS. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 31/61 ; deserted June 25/65. 
 
 *DE WOLF, JAMES. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 25, 61; sergeant at organiza 
 tion; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 DODD, ELIAS B. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61 ; deserted May 
 29, "62, at Corinth. 
 
 DOWNER, JOHN. Enlisted at Industry, Nov. 6, 61; promoted corporal; 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 ELY, JOSEH H. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61 ; discharged for dis 
 ability March 7, 62. 
 
 *FENNER, ROSELLE. Enlisted at Morris, Oct. 22, 61; died Sept. 22, 62. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 FESSLER, HENRY. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 29, 61 ; wounded in face at 
 Shiloh; discharged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 FORD, WILLIAM. Enlisted at Industry, Nov. 21/61; wounded in face at 
 Shiloh; discharged for wound, date not known. 
 
 FRAZER, JOHN D. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 29, 61; promoted corporal; 
 lost right arm by wound in the assault of Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 
 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 FRYER, DERRICK F. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 25/61; corporal at 
 organization; wounded in chin at Shiloh; promoted sergeant; veteran; 
 wounded near Atlanta, Aug. 12/64; promoted first-sergeant; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 FULTON, CHARLES E. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 22/61; discharged for dis 
 ability Aug. 27, 62. 
 
 *GAYLORD, LESLIE E. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 25, 61; died Aug. 
 2, 63, near Vicksburg. 
 
 GEISSEL, ALBERT. Enlisted at Jefferson City, Mo., Oct. 27, 61 ; wounded 
 in leg and arm at Shiloh, and never returned to duty; reported de 
 serter Dec. 20, 62. 
 
 *HARRINGTON, FRANCIS. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 25, 61 ; wounded 
 in leg at Shiloh, and died June 8, 62, of wound. 
 
 *HARSH, JONAS. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Nov. I, 61 ; wounded in breast 
 at Shiloh, and died May 9, 62, of wound. 
 
 *HEALEY, CYRUS M. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 25/61; prompted 
 corporal; wounded in leg and breast and taken prisoner at Shiloh; 
 died at Macon, Ga., Aug. 13, 62. 
 
 IHEALEY, HORACE T. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; corporal at 
 organization; promoted sergeant and first-sergeant; first-lieutenant, to 
 date from Dec. 20, 62; wounded in shoulder at Vicksburg, May 22/63; 
 acting quartermaster from Jan. 64 to end of service; mustered out 
 Jan. 28, 65. 
 
 ^HEFFERNAN, JAMES J. Captain at organization; promoted major, to 
 date from Dec. 19, 62. See Field and Staff. 
 
 *HENSEY, JOHN. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 20, 61; wounded Aug. 31, 64, 
 at Jonesboro , Ga.; died of wounds Sept. 6, 64, at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 HICKEY, DANIEL. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 28, 61; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 HOWELL, OTHO M. Enlisted from Wheeling, W. Va., Nov. 4, 61; dis 
 charged for disability May 29, 62. 
 
 HUSGEN, JOSEPH. Enlisted at Jefferson City, Mo., Oct. 22/61; veteran; 
 promoted corporal; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 INGRAHAM, CHARLES. Enlisted at Batavia, Nov. 21/61; transferred to 
 V. R. C., May 1/64. 
 
 *JAGERS, ANTON. Enlisted at Jefferson City, Mo., Oct. 19, 61 ; died at 
 Vicksburg, Aug. 23, 63. 
 
 *JOHNSTONE, JOHN. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22/61 ; died May 22/62. 
 
 KELLOGG, PETER. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; deserted Dec. 20, 62. 
 
 *KENNEDY, JOHN. Enlisted at Industry, Nov. 28, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 LEE, MARSHALL. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 25, 61; corporal at or 
 ganization; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 LEPER, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61; discharged for disa 
 bility March 12, 62. 
 
 LIVERMORE, WILLIAM H. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61; veteran; 
 wounded at Ezra Church, July 28, 64, losing a leg; discharged for 
 wounds Feb. 5, 65. 
 
 LYNCH, JEREMIAH. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29/61; wounded in 
 head at Shiloh, and at Vicksburg lost a hand; discharged for wounds 
 Oct. 21, 63. 
 
 MCCREEDY, JAMES. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; first-sergeant 
 
COMPANY H. 505 
 
 at organization; slightly wounded at Shiloh in breast; transferred to 
 
 V. R. C, May 1/64. 
 MERRICK, JOHN D. Enlisted at Industry, Nov. 5, 61; promoted corporal; 
 
 wounded at Shiloh; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 MILLER, EDWARD. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 25, 61; deserted May 20, 62. 
 NASH, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 20, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31 1 64- 
 
 NIKIRK, FRANCIS M. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 29/61; veteran; pro 
 moted sergeant; slightly wounded July 22, 64, at Atlanta; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 INOURSE, HENRY S. Captain, to date from Dec. 19, 62, promoted from 
 adiutant; appointed commissary of musters i/th A. C., Oct. 24, 64; 
 mustered out on expiration of service, March 29, 65. See Field and 
 Staff. 
 
 *O MEALLY, PATRICK F. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 22, 61; corporal at 
 organization; died at Memphis, Tenn., in 1862. 
 
 OSTERHAUT, MATTHEW. Enlisted at Buffalo Grove, Oct. 21, 61 ; sergeant 
 at organization; mustered out Oct. 31, 64, as private. Died since war. 
 
 OWEN, CHARLES. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 PALMETIER, JESSE. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 64; wounded in leg at Shi 
 loh, and discharged Aug. 9, 63, for wounds. 
 
 PAY, EPHRAIM. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *PHILO, EDWARD. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61; veteran: died July 
 29, 64, of wounds received July 28, 64, at Ezra Church. 
 
 *POTTER, HENRY. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61 ; died at Pittsburg Land 
 ing, March 28. 62. 
 
 *PULVER, ANDREW. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61; killed at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 RANDOLPH, WILLIAM F. Enlisted at Industry, Nov. 6, 61; wounded at 
 Jonesboro , Sept. i, 64; mustered out June 14, 65. 
 
 REED, MONTGOMERY. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 29, 61 ; detailed as 
 teamster; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. Died since the war. 
 
 REED, REUBEN P. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 19, 61 ; corporal at organiza 
 tion; discharged for disability Jan. 28, 63; re-enlisted Jan. 5, 64, as 
 veteran recruit; mustered out as sergeant with regiment. 
 
 RICHARDS, NELSON. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 29, 61; deserted Dec. 
 20, 62. 
 
 IRICHARDSON, ARTEMUS C. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 19, 61 ; corporal 
 at organization; promoted sergeant and first-sergeant; wounded in leg 
 at Shiloh; veteran; promoted first-lieutenant, to date from May 19, 65. 
 
 ROBINSON, SETH C. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; deserted Dec. 
 20, 62. 
 
 RUTHERFORD, DAVID. Recruit; enlisted at Chicago, Jan. 18, 64; re 
 ported deserter April, 65. 
 
 |SCOTT, FRANCIS A. Transferred from I as second-lieutenant, to date 
 from July I, 62; promoted captain, to date from May 19, 6$; mustered 
 out with regiment. See L Killed on railroad near Baltimore, Md., 
 Aug. 17, 1887. 
 
 SCOTT, JAMES. Enlisted at Polo, Oct. 29, 61 ; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 SHERMAN, SYLVESTER M. Enlisted at Morris, Aug. 27, 61; drummer; 
 veteran; wounded in neck at Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 SMITH, DAVID B. enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61; wounded in 
 shoulder at Shiloh, and discharged for wound Dec. I, 62. 
 
 SMITH, J. AUGUST. Enlisted at Adeline, Oct. 29, 61 ; promoted sergeant 
 Oct. 10, 62; sergeant-major. See Field and Staff . 
 
 *SMITH, JOHN. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh 
 in leg; missing July 22, 64, at Atlanta undoubtedly mortally wounded 
 and captured. 
 35 
 
506 APPENDIX. 
 
 SOWLES, JOSEPH M. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; promoted 
 sergeant; veteran; wounded July 28, 64, at Ezra Church, in foot; dis 
 charged June 25, 65, for wound. 
 
 SPENCER, GEORGE. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 20, 61 ; deserted May 
 20, 62. 
 
 STEWART, CHARLES. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61 ; deserted 
 Nov. 17, 62. 
 
 STEWART, SAMUEL. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61 ; discharged 
 for disability Jan. I, 63. 
 
 *STEWART, WILLIAM A. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61 ; wounded 
 at Shiloh, leg amputated, and died June 16, 62. 
 
 SWEENEY, JOHN. Enlisted at Chicago, Sept. 20, 61 ; discharged for disa 
 bility March 31, 62. 
 
 TAYLOR, BYRON F. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; fifer; acted 
 as principal musician for some time; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 TEACHOUT, CYRUS. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; wounded in 
 face at Shiloh, and discharged for wound July 1 1, 62. Died since war. 
 
 TEITGE, WILLIAM C. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 29, 61 ; wounded at 
 Vicksburg, May 19, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 *TERRELL, JOHN A. Enlisted at Byron, Oct. 29, 61 ; died at Camp Doug 
 las, Chicago. 
 
 *TROUT, LEWIS. Enlisted at Galesburg, Nov. 8, 61 ; died March 30, 62. 
 
 *WAGONER, ALBERT. Enlisted at Chicago, Oct. 22, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 |*WELDON, JAMES. Transferred from I; promoted first-lieutenant at or 
 ganization; died April 19, 62, of wound in leg, received at Shiloh. 
 See L 
 
 *WETHERAL, RICHARD W. Enlisted at Chicago, Nov. 28. 61; died at 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 *WILCOX, GEORGE W. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; killed at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 WILCOX, LAFAYETTE. Enlisted at Milledgeville, Oct. 22, 61; wounded 
 in hand at Shiloh, and never rejoined company. 
 Recruits from ii6th 111. Infty., assigned to H in 1865, to finish their 
 
 terms of enlistment. James M. Betzer, Joseph A. Blythe, Thomas Bon- 
 
 ser, William Clay, Alex. R. Davis, Aquila Gromley, Giles W. Gromley, 
 
 Stephen B. Johnson, Peter Lux, James McKee, Joseph McKee, Joseph 
 
 Miller, Josiah Minich, Joseph E. Moffett, James Peck, Jerome Peck, John 
 
 W. Slavens, Robert Wagoner. 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Two embryo organizations then in Camp Douglas one from La Salle, 
 the other from Grundy county were consolidated to form this company. 
 At the muster-in of the Fifty-fifth, some of the surplus men were trans 
 ferred to D and H, and with them went acting First-Lieutenant Shaw and 
 Sergeant James Weldon, to serve as officers of those companies. At 
 later periods of the war Lucien B. Crooker and Francis A. Scott were 
 transferred for promotion to other companies. Richard Taylor became 
 an officer in the First Mississippi Cavalry. During the war I had four 
 captains, five first-lieutenants, three second-lieutenants, and five orderly- 
 sergeants. One of its captains, Charles A. Andress, became the last 
 commander of the regiment, as lieutenant-colonel. 
 
 A pronounced peculiarity of the company was the considerable pro 
 portion of Germans in it, most of whom were notably good soldiers. It 
 
COMPANY 1. 57 
 
 was also conspicuous in the regiment for the musical talent and propensi 
 ties of its men. The most noteworthy experience of I, separate from the 
 regimental line, was in the battle at Russell s House, May 17, 1862, where 
 five men were wounded out of about thirty engaged. At the outset it 
 had in its ranks twelve pairs of brothers, four of whom were killed, two 
 mortally wounded and nine otherwise wounded some of them twice, 
 and one four times. 
 
 There were probably about seventy men of the company who actually 
 faced the risk of battle. Fourteen were shot dead, six of these being 
 slain by artillery missiles. Forty-two were wounded, six of the injuries 
 being fatal. Only four died of disease, and but ten recruits were re 
 ceived. Nine were discharged for wounds, fifteen for other disability, 
 and two were transferred to the V. R. C. 
 
 It does not seem necessary to enter upon any eulogy of Company I. 
 It of right claims one-tenth of the credit won by the regiment. The mil 
 itary record of its men will be found in the following roster, as complete 
 as should be expected at this late day, and since all that is known ap 
 pears following each name, further comment here is unnecessary. But 
 little can be learned about those comrades who survived the war, and as 
 to the most of them it is not ascertained whether they are alive or dead. 
 
 IANDRESS, CHARLES A. Second-sergeant at organization; promoted 
 second-lieutenant to date from March 5, 62; captain, to date from 
 
 April 5, 63; veteran; promoted lieutenant-colonel, to date from June 
 12/65; mustered out with regiment. Died in 1876. See Field c 
 Staff. 
 
 IANDRESS, DORSEY C. Corporal at organization; promoted sergeant 
 March i, 62; orderly-sergeant, Dec. 29, 62; commissary-sergeant, 
 March 12, 64; veteran; promoted first-lieuteuant, to rank from June 
 12, 65; mustered out with regiment. See Field and Staff. 
 
 ANDREWS, GEORGE A. Enlisted Aug. 2, 61 ; wounded by musket-ball in 
 right foot before Atlanta, Aug. 26, 64; veteran; mustered out with 
 regiment. 
 
 ARMSTRONG, JOHN. Corporal at organization; promoted sergeant; cap 
 tured at Shiloh; discharged for disability after exchange. 
 
 ADAMS, THOMAS. Corporal at organization; transferred to H, Nov. I, 61. 
 
 ALLEN, WILLIAM P. Enlisted Oct. 22, 61; fifer; discharged Jan. 62, for 
 disability. 
 
 *BAIRD, WILLIAM W. Enlisted Oct. 7, 61 ; killed by musket-shot through 
 head, at Shiloh. 
 
 BAKER, JOHN F. Enlisted Oct. 5, 61; term extended for desertion; dis 
 charged March 29, 65. 
 
 BATTLE, EDWARD. Enlisted Oct. 25, 61; soon transferred to his former 
 regiment, Mulligan s Brigade. 
 
 BERGSTRESSER, SAMUEL B. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; discharged for disabil 
 ity Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 BERLIN, JOHN. Enlisted Sept. 27, 61; veteran; mustered out with regi 
 ment. Killed by railroad accident in 1885. 
 
 BLAHS, GEORGE. Enlisted Aug. 27, 62; wounded by musket-shot in face 
 at Shiloh; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 BOGART, ABRAHAM. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; corporal at organization; dis 
 charged by furnishing substitute. 
 
 BOGART, EDWARD D. Enlisted Nov. i, 6i; wounded in elbow joint by 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 musket-ball at Russell s House, May 17, 62; discharged therefor Oct. 
 4, 62. 
 
 *BOGART, CHARLES D. Enlisted Aug. 27, 62; died at St. Louis, May 
 12, 62. 
 
 BOOKHALT, GEORGE W. Enlisted Oct. 25, 61; wounded at Russell s 
 House by musket-ball in arm, May 17/62; veteran; captured before 
 Atlanta, July 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 BOYD, MICHAEL. Recruit; enlisted Oct. i, 64; deserted at once. 
 
 BROOKS, BRANSON. Enlisted Sept. 28, 61 ; deserted Nov. 26, 62. 
 
 BROWN, AMBROSE. Enlisted Oct. 4, 61; detailed to assist surgeon; dis 
 charged for disability Aug. 25, 62. 
 
 *CARPENTER, JESSE A. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; killed by musket-shot 
 through head at Shiloh. 
 
 CLARK, JOHN T. Enlisted Oct. 20, 61; for a time corporal and sergeant; 
 wounded by musket-shot in arm at Russell s House, May 17, ,62; 
 wounded in leg by cannon-shot at Arkansas Post, Jan. 10, 63; veteran; 
 mustered out as corporal with regiment. 
 
 COLLAR, EPHRAIM. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; deserted June 26, 62. 
 
 CONSTANTINE, WILLIAM. Enlisted Oct. 22, 61; veteran; promoted cor 
 poral and sergeant; captured on march in 65; mustered out with reg 
 iment. 
 
 *CooK, ELI L. Enlisted Aug. 28, 61; corporal at organization; mortally 
 wounded by musket-shot through hip at Shiloh. 
 
 *CROCKER, GEORGE W. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; veteran; mortally wound 
 ed by loss of arm at Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64. 
 
 CROCKER, JOSEPH W. Enlisted Oct, 2, 61; deserted while on sick fur 
 lough. 
 
 CROOKER, CHARLES A. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61; discharged for disability 
 July 15, 62. 
 
 ICROOKER, LUCIEN B. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; orderly-sergeant at organi 
 zation; promoted first-lieutenant March 5, 62; received three wounds 
 at Shiloh; transferred for promotion. See F. 
 
 fCROOKER, JABEZ C. Captain at organization; resigned at Paducah in 
 Feb., 62. 
 
 DHELO, CHARLES. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61, wounded in shoulder by can 
 non-shot at Vicksburg, May 22, 63; discharged therefor Nov. 12, 63. 
 
 DENMAN, FRANCIS M. Enlisted Oct. 5/61; veteran; promoted corporal 
 and sergeant; wounded in left leg by musket-ball at Atlanta, July 22, 
 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 DOWLING, NORTON H. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61; wounded by musket-shot 
 in leg at Russell s House, May 17, 62; discharged therefor Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 JEBERSOLD, FREDERICK. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61; sergeant at organiza 
 tion; promoted orderly-sergeant April 7, 62; wounded in breast at 
 Shiloh; promoted second-lieutenant, to date from Dec. 29, 62; first- 
 lieutenant, to date from April 5, 63; veteran; promoted captain, to 
 date from Jan. 12, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 EBERSOLD, PETER. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61; wounded by musket-shot at 
 Vicksburg, May 22, 63; veteran; wounded and captured near Benton- 
 ville, N. C, March 19, 65. 
 
 EDWARDS, JOSEPH W. Enlisted Sept. 13, 61, as drummer; wounded in 
 shoulder by musket-shot, May 19, 63, at Vicksburg; wounded in right 
 leg by musket-shot at Kenesaw, June 27, 64; discharged for wounds. 
 
 FAIRCHILD, HIRAM. Enlisted Aug. 7/61; deserted April 10, 62. 
 
 *FISKE, CHARLES R. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; promoted corporal; killed 
 by cannon-shot at Shiloh. 
 
 FRARY, GEORGE. Enlisted Aug. 7, 61; deserted Nov. 14, 61. 
 
 GARRISON, JOHN H. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61; sergeant at organization; re 
 duced to ranks; discharged for disability. 
 
COMPANY I. 59 
 
 GARVIS, DAVID. Enlisted Oct. 7, 61; wounded in arm by musket-shot at 
 Shiloh; discharged therefor Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 GHERING, CHRISTIAN. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; bugler; discharged at St. 
 Louis, Aug. 21, 62, for disability. 
 
 *GRANTZERT, JOHN P. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; promoted corporal; killed 
 by cannon-shot at Shiloh. 
 
 GROSSHARDT, WILLIAM. Enlisted Sept. 8, 61 ; discharged for disability 
 Sept. 15/62. 
 
 HARRIS, HEMAN F. Enlisted Oct. 2/61; veteran; wounded in right leg 
 by musket-shot at Atlanta, July 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 HECK, PHILIP. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; captured at Shiloh; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 *HENLINE, ADAM. Enlisted Oct. 22, 61; killed by musket-shot through 
 head at Kenesaw, June 27, 64. 
 
 HILL, HAMILTON. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61; discharged for disability soon. 
 
 HOFF, HENRY. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61; promoted corporal, and reduced 
 at his own request; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 HOLDEN, DENNIS. Enlisted Oct. 12, 61; died at Nashville, April 3, 64. 
 
 HORSELY, GEORGE W. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; mortally wounded by 
 musket-shot in shoulder at Shiloh. 
 
 HOTTINGER, ALBERT. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; wounded in head by mus 
 ket-shot at Shiloh; never returned to regiment. 
 
 *HUGHES, THOMAS. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; promoted sergeant March I, 
 62; killed by cannon-shot at Shiloh. 
 
 HUGHES, ANTHONY. Enlisted Aug. 7/61; veteran; wounded in right 
 arm by musket-shot at Jonesboro , Sept. i, 64; mustered out with reg 
 iment. 
 
 INGERSOL, BEN F. Enlisted Oct. 9, 61; promoted corporal; veteran; 
 promoted sergeant; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *KAPPET SEBASTIAN. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; wounded at Shiloh by mus 
 ket-shot; died at Chattanooga, Nov. 3, 64. 
 
 KEOLINE, JOSEPH. Recruit; enlisted Feb. 24, 65; mustered out with reg 
 iment. 
 
 KEOPPER, HENRY. Enlisted Oct. i. 6i; wounded in leg by musket-shot 
 at Shiloh; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *KIMBERK, FRANK L. Enlisted Aug. 7, 61 ; wounded in arm by musket- 
 shot at Jackson, Miss., July 10, 63; promoted corporal; killed by mus 
 ket-shot at Atlanta, July 22, 64. 
 
 KIMBERK, GEORGE L. Enlisted Aug. 7, 61; wounded by musket-shot at 
 Shiloh; veteran; deserted Oct. 10/64. 
 
 KLEINGENMAIR, MICHAEL. Recruit; enlisted Dec. 15, 63; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 KRUGER, JOHN. Recruit; enlisted Jan. i, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 KUTZ, WILLIAM. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61 ; fifer; promoted principal musi 
 cian; veteran; mustered out with regiment. See Field and Staff. 
 
 LARRABEE, JAMES W. Enlisted Oct. 29, 61; wounded in arm by musket- 
 shot at Shiloh; promoted corporal; wounded in neck by musket-shot 
 while with forlorn hope at Vicksburg, May 22, 63; promoted sergeant; 
 veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 LAYERS, PETER. Recruit; enlisted Jan, 15. 64; mustered out with regi 
 ment. 
 
 LIEHER, Louis. Enlisted Oct. 15, 61; deserted on sick leave Dec. 20/62. 
 
 LITTLEFIELD, ALEXANDER. Enlisted Aug. 16, 61; wounded in face by 
 musket-shot at Vicksburg, May 22, 63; veteran; promoted corporal; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *LULL, CHARLES E. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61; promoted corporal; mortally 
 wounded by musket-shot through arm at Shiloh. 
 
 LUMAS, LUMOT. Recruit; enlisted Dec. 7, 63; transferred to V. R. C. 
 
 LYNN, WILLIAM A. Enlisted Sept. 8, 61 ; wounded by musket-shot in leg 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 at Shiloh; promoted sergeant; reduced to ranks; veteran; deserted 
 June 25, 65. 
 
 MALCOMB, STEPHEN R. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; promoted corporal; pro 
 moted sergeant; wounded in right arm by musket-shot at Kenesaw, 
 June 27, 64; captured at Atlanta, July 22, 64; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 MATLOCK, JOHN W. Enlisted Oct. 15, 61; veteran; wounded in right 
 arm by musket-shot at Kenesaw, June 27, 64; mustered out with regi 
 ment. 
 
 *MARSHALL, DAVID. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; veteran; killed by musket- 
 shot through head at Kenesaw, June 27, 64. 
 
 *MAYS, ROBERT. Enlisted Oct. 19, 61 ; mortally wounded by musket- 
 shot at Shiloh. 
 
 MERRITT, JOHN E. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; teamster; mustered out Oct. 
 31/64. 
 
 MITCHELL, ANDREW J. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; promoted corporal; re 
 duced to ranks; deserted Jan. 22, 63. 
 
 MULLALY, BARNEY. Enlisted May 27, 61; discharged for disability Jan. 
 28, 63. 
 
 *NAGLESCHMIDT, WILLIAM. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61 ; wounded by musket- 
 shot at Shiloh; wounded by musket-shot at Arkansas Post, Jan. n, 63; 
 died at Memphis Oct. 21, 63. 
 
 NEEDHAM, RICHARD. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; veteran; captured at Atlan 
 ta, July 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. Died since the war. 
 
 *O NEAL, PATRICK. Enlisted Oct. 5, 61; killed by musket-shot through 
 body at Shiloh. 
 
 PACY, JOHN. Enlisted Oct. 11, 61; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 PEART, CHARLES. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; discharged for disability Feb. 
 20, 62. 
 
 PEART, WILLIAM. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61; transferred to V. R. C., April 
 30, 64. 
 
 PETERS, PETER. Enlisted Oct. 5, 61; captured at Shiloh; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 POUNDS, BEN F. Enlisted May 26, 61; drummed out of Camp Douglas 
 for worthlessness. 
 
 PRATT, JAMES O. Enlisted Oct. 4, 61; deserted Dec. 20, 62. 
 
 RAY, CHARLES D. Enlisted Oct. 3, 61; veteran; captured at Atlanta, 
 July 22, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 *RAYDING, MICHAEL. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61; killed by cannon-shot near 
 Kenesaw Mt., June 19, 64. 
 
 REUDY, JOHN. Enlisted Sept. 26, 61 ; discharged for disability Jan. 28/63. 
 
 ROCKWOOD, JOHN B. Enlisted Aug. 26, 62; corporal at organization; 
 wounded by musket-shot in abdomen at Shiloh; discharged therefor. 
 
 SCOTT, FRANCIS A. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; corporal at organization; pro 
 moted sergeant; transferred for promotion. See H. 
 
 ISEELBACH, PHILIP. First-lieutenant at organization; resigned March 5, 
 62. Drowned while officer in another regiment. 
 
 fSHAW, FRANCIS H. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; lieutenant; transferred for 
 promotion at organization. See D and C. 
 
 SHERMAN, SYLVESTER. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; transferred to H at organ 
 ization. See H. 
 
 SHIELDS, JOHN. Enlisted Aug. 6, 61; wounded by musket-shot in leg at 
 Vicksburg, May 22, 63; mustered out Nov. 3, 64. 
 
 SIMPSON, ADAM. Enlisted Aug. 7, 61; promoted corporal, and reduced 
 at his own request; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 SKINNER, JOHN. Enlisted Dec. 8, 61 ; discharged July 12, 62. 
 
 SLATTERY, TIMOTHY. Enlisted Sept. 12, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh; veteran; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 SLATTERY, PATRICK. Enlisted Aug. 7, 61; promoted corporal Oct. 11, 
 62; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
COMPANY K. S 11 
 
 tSLATTERY, TIMOTHY. Second-lieutenant at organization; promoted cap 
 tain, to rank from Feb. 18, 62; served on staff of General Stuart from 
 Jan. 8, 63; resigned April 4, 63. 
 
 *SLATTERY, EDWARD. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61 ; promoted orderly-sergeant 
 March i, 62; killed by cannon-shot at Shiloh, April 7, 62. 
 
 SMITH, HENRY. Recruit; enlisted Dec. 19, 63; mustered out with regi 
 ment. 
 
 SMITH, MARTIN. Enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; promoted corporal, sergeant, and 
 orderly-sergeant; veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 STEVENS, ALONZO. Enlisted Dec. 8, 61; veteran; deserted June 25, 65. 
 
 STOCKER, WILLIAM. Enlisted Dec. 8, 61; discharged for disability July 
 12, 62. 
 
 *STOCKER, CHARLES R. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; veteran; killed by mus 
 ket-shot at Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64. 
 
 STRICKER, BENJAMIN. Recruit; enlisted March 22, 64; discharged Sept. 
 26, 64. 
 
 *TANSY, CHARLES R. Enlisted Oct. 2, 61; killed by musket-shot at 
 Shiloh. 
 
 TAYLOR, RICHARD. Enlisted Aug. 7/61; discharged for promotion to 
 first-lieutenant in First Miss. Colored Cavalry, Dec. 5, 63. 
 
 TAYLOR, ANDREW. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; deserted Nov. 16, 61. Served 
 in another regiment. 
 
 ULLMAN, GEORGE. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61; wounded in shoulder by mus 
 ket-shot at Russell s House, May 17, 62; discharged therefor Oct. 14, 
 62. Re-enlisted Jan. 29, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 WALTERS, GEORGE. Enlisted Oct. 14, 61; promoted corporal; veteran; 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 
 WATKINS, JAMES R. Enlisted Sept. 16, 61; deserted Dec. 20, 62. 
 
 WELDON, JAMES. Enlisted Aug. n, 6i; sergeant; transferred for pro 
 motion. See H. 
 
 WELDON, JOHN. Enlisted Aug. 7, 64; regimental wagon-master; cap 
 tured Dec. 20, 62; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 WILLIAMS, CURTIS. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; captured at Shiloh; dis 
 charged before return to regiment. 
 
 WILMOT, JOSEPH. Enlisted Oct. 22, 61; deserted while on sick furlough 
 in July, 62. 
 
 WILSON, GEORGE W. Enlisted Sept. 27, 61 ; wounded by musket-shot at 
 Shiloh; discharged therefor. 
 
 *WHITE, ARIOL D. Enlisted Aug. 26, 61 ; mortally wounded by cannon- 
 shot at Shiloh. 
 
 WHITMORE, SYLVESTER P. Enlisted Sept. 22, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 Aug. 1/62; promoted sergeant Dec. 29, 62; veteran; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 WOLKE, WILLIAM. Enlisted Aug. 27, 61; wounded by musket-shot in 
 shoulder at Shiloh; discharged therefor Oct. 14, 62. 
 
 *WOOLNER, GILLIS. Recruit; enlisted Jan. 20, 63; killed by cannon- 
 shot near Atlanta, Aug. 22, 64. 
 
 YOUNG, JOHN. Recruit; enlisted Jan. 16, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 Rev. Milton L. Haney recruited this company at Abingdon. The 
 first man enlisted was Joseph Black, a merchant of Abingdon, on the I7th 
 of October, 1861. He was followed by Rev. B. C. Swartz, an active and 
 esteemed minister of the M. E. church. Their patriotic example was 
 quickly copied by others of the best citizens of the country about, mostly 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 young men of vigorous frames and good capacity. By the 22d of the 
 same month one hundred and two names had been enrolled. On that day 
 the company was duly organized by the election of Joseph Black captain, 
 B. C. Swartz first-lieutenant, and A. J. Gillett second-lieutenant. Two 
 days later it marched into Camp Douglas, every man in his place. 
 
 In personnel this body of men, enrolled within five days, was the peer 
 of any, and its after service brought honor to the county and regiment. 
 A few of those enrolled were rejected at the muster-in, and there were 
 added to the ranks while in Camp Douglas, J. T. McAuley, E. C. Law 
 rence, H. A. Smith, John Q. Averill. Six recruits were received early in 
 1865. The men so diligently improved their time in the camps of in 
 struction, that when the time came for the company to enter the field it 
 was as proficient in drill and discipline as those which had been under 
 instruction much longer. The excellent morale of the company was 
 largely due to Captain Black s efforts, he soon proving himself a fine 
 executive officer, firm and impartial. 
 
 While the company was upon picket duty near Shelby Depot, Tenn., 
 in the night of October 22, 1862, they were fired upon by guerillas, and 
 Captain Black and Sergeant W. D. Lomax were slightly wounded. From 
 November 26, 1862, until February 7, 1863, Captain Black alternated with 
 two other senior captains in acting as major of the regiment. At the 
 latter date he resigned, and on the gih of March, H. H. Kendrick became 
 captain. With the exception of First-Lieutenant Joseph Hartsook, pro 
 moted from sergeant-major September 26, 1863, all the officers of K were 
 furnished from its own ranks. 
 
 Five of the volunteers for the storming party of twenty furnished by 
 the 55th at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, were from K; namely: R. M. Cox, 
 Milton Bellwood killed, James Donahue killed, Robert A. Lower, and 
 William Walker. 
 
 The actual members of the company mustered in during the war 
 were 113. Of these the killed in battle numbered 8; wounded in action, 
 36; captured, 7. Of the wounded, 6 died and 4 were discharged. The 
 discharged for disability numbered 26, and 5 were transferred to the V. 
 R. C.; ii died of disease and 2 deserted; 6 were transferred to other 
 companies before entering the field. 
 
 ANDERSON, JOHN. Henderson; enlisted Oct. 17/61; went home sick on 
 leave. No further record. 
 
 *ANDREWS, A. M. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; died at Jefferson 
 Barracks, Mo., June 20, 63. 
 
 AVERILL, JOHN. Transferred from B, Nov. 8, 61; musician; veteran; 
 promoted principal musician March i, 64. See B and Field and Staff. 
 
 BABBITT, HARRY. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 23, 61; corporal at organiza 
 tion; promoted sergeant; discharged for disability Sept. 4, 62. 
 
 BALDWIN, MARTIN. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; transferred to V. 
 R. C., Sept. 30, 63. 
 
 BEESON, H. T. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; went home sick on fur 
 lough and did not re-join command. Served again in io3d 111. Infty. 
 
 BELLWOOD, LEMUEL. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at 
 Shiloh, and discharged for wound June 20, 62. 
 
COMPANY K. 5 J 3 
 
 *BELLWOOD, MILTON. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; killed at Vicks- 
 
 burg May 22, 63, in storming party. 
 
 fBLACK, JOSEPH. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 17, 61; captain at organiza 
 tion; slightly wounded at Shelby Depot, Tenn., Oct. 21, 62; resigned 
 
 Feb. 9, 63. 
 BLISS, SETH. A substitute recruit; transferred to 45th 111. Infty. March 
 
 18, 65. 
 BONHAM, B. A. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for disability 
 
 April, I 62. 
 BROWN, C. F. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for age and 
 
 stature Nov. 7, 61. 
 BURNAUGH, WILLIAM H. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; corporal at 
 
 organization; promoted color sergeant; mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 *BUTTERFIELD, DAVID. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; promoted 
 
 first-sergeant March 1/62; discharged for disability April i, 62, and 
 
 died April 20, 62. 
 CAMPBELL, JOSEPH. Sparta; recruit; enlisted Jan. 26, 65; mustered out 
 
 with regiment. 
 CATLIN, OWEN. Substitute recruit, never joined; transferred to 45th 111. 
 
 Infty., March 8, 65. 
 CHESNEY, WILLIAM C. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at 
 
 Shiloh; veteran; discharged at Mound City hospital July 31, 65. 
 COGHLIN, JOHN. Louisville; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for disabil 
 ity June 28, 63. 
 *CONNOR, JOHN. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; killed at Jonesboro , 
 
 Ga., Sept. i, 64. 
 
 COOMES, JOSEPH P. St. Augustine; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; veteran; pro 
 moted corporal; taken prisoner at Atlanta, July 22, 64; exchanged 
 
 from Anderson ville; mustered out with regiment. 
 Cox, ROBERT M. St. Augustine; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; promoted corporal; 
 
 veteran; wounded in assault upon Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; 
 
 mustered out with regiment. 
 COY, GEORGE C. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; promoted corporal; 
 
 veteran; wounded at Atlanta, July 22, 64; promoted sergeant July 25, 
 
 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 COY, U. D. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; discharged for age Nov. 7/61. 
 CROUCH, HIRAM. Sparta; recruit; enlisted Jan. 26, 65; mustered out 
 
 with regiment. 
 
 CURTICE, DANIEL. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for disa 
 bility Nov. 7, 61. 
 DAVIS, MOSES S. Henderson; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; transferred to V. R. 
 
 C., Nov. 30, 63. 
 DEAN, WILLIAM H. Henderson; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; transferred to V. 
 
 R. C., May 1/64. 
 DEWEY, ISSACHAR B. Elmwood; enlisted Nov. 18, 61; discharged for 
 
 disability Feb. 20, 62. 
 DICKEY, HENRY. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 31/64. 
 *DONAHUE, JAMES. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; killed in storming 
 
 party at Vicksburg, May 22, 63. 
 EDWARDS, JOHN W. Cameron; enlisted Oct. 30, 61; promoted corporal; 
 
 prisoner at Shiloh, and exchanged; veteran; taken prisoner at Atlanta 
 
 July 22, 64, and exchanged; mustered out with regiment. 
 *ENNIS, J. E. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at Shiloh, and 
 
 died of wound at St. Louis, May 29, 62. 
 ENSELL, CHARLES K. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; first-sergeant at 
 
 organization; discharged for disability May i, 62. 
 IFILLMORE JOHN H. Abingdon; enlisted April 23, 61, in First Cavalry, 
 
 captured at Lexington, Mo., and discharged Oct. 9, 61; re-enlisted in 
 36 
 
5*4 APPENDIX. 
 
 K, Oct. 22, 61; sergeant at organization; promoted first-lieutenant, to 
 date March 13, 62; mustered out Nov. 26, 62, for disability. 
 
 FORBES, JOHN. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; sergeant at organization; 
 discharged for disability Aug. 14, 62. 
 
 FOREY, OSTRANDO D. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for 
 disability May I, 62. 
 
 GENTRY, I. J. Mt. Vernon; enlisted Oct. 17, 61; discharged for disability 
 Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 fGiLLETT, ANDREW J. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; second-lieutenant 
 at organization; resigned April 7, 62. 
 
 GILLIAM, JOHN C. Mt. Vernon; enlisted Oct. 17/61; veteran; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 *GOULD, JESSE. St. Augustine; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; captured at Black 
 River, Miss., Aug. 63, and died at Belle Isle, Va., in rebel prison. 
 
 *GREENE, JOHN. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; killed at Amsterdam 
 Ford on Black River, Miss., Aug. 14, 63. 
 
 JGROUNDS, WILLIAM. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 23/61; corporal at or 
 ganization; wounded at Shiloh; promoted sergeant, June 9/62; vet 
 eran; wounded at Jonesboro , Aug. 31, 64; promoted first-lieutenant, 
 to date from May 19, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 HALL, WILLIAM M. St. Augustine; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for 
 disability June 18, 62. 
 
 fHARTSOOK, JOSEPH. Transferred by promotion from sergeant-major as 
 first-lieutenant, to date from Nov. 26, 62; wounded in assault on Little 
 Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; mustered out Nov. 19, 64. See F, and 
 Field and Staff. 
 
 HATFIELD, DINGUS. Berwick; enlisted Oct. 23/61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and discharged for wound July 8, 62. 
 
 *HATFIELD, JOSEPH. Berwick; enlisted Oct. 23, 61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and died at home. 
 
 HAWTHORN, JAMES. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; wounded at Shiloh; discharged for disability. 
 
 JACOBS, NELSON. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, *6i ; mustered out Oct. 
 31/64. 
 
 JACKSON, M. H. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22/61; mustered out Oct. 31/64. 
 
 *JOHNSTON, N. H. Galesburg; enlisted Oct. 20, 61; died in hospital at 
 Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
 
 KAYS, HENRY. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; mustered out while at 
 home on sick furlough, Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 IKAYS, JAMES W. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; corporal at organiza 
 tion; promoted sergeant; veteran; wounded in assault upon Little 
 Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; promoted first-lieutenant, to date from 
 Nov. 19, 64; captain, to date from May 19, 65; mustered out with reg 
 iment. 
 
 IKENDRICK, HILAND H. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; sergeant at or 
 ganization; wounded at Shiloh; promoted first-sergeant June 9, 62; 
 second-lieutenant, July i, 62; captain, Feb. 9, 63; resigned Sept. 16/64. 
 
 KENNEY, C. E. Mt. Vernon; enlisted Oct. 17/61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 mustered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 LATIMER, THOMAS P. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; wounded at Shi 
 loh; promoted corporal Feb. 7, 63; veteran; promoted first-sergeant 
 July 25, 65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 tLAWRENCE, ELIJAH C. Chicago; enlisted Nov. 14/61; transferred as 
 second-lieutenant to B, March 5, 62. See B. 
 
 |LoMAX, WILLIAM D. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; promoted cor 
 poral March 1/62; sergeant, Aug. 14/62; wounded at Shelby Station, 
 Tenn., Oct. 21, 62; promoted second-lieutenant, to date from March I, 
 63; wounded in assault upon Little Kenesaw Mt., June 27, 64; mus 
 tered out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
COMPANY K. 
 
 LOWER, ROBERT A. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 31, 64. 
 
 *MAPES, ASHBY. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and died of wound May i, 62. 
 
 MARSHALL, JAMES. Abingdon;- enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 veteran; promoted corporal Nov. 1/64; sergeant, June i, 65; mustered 
 out with regiment. 
 
 *MASSEY, JAMES M. Galesburg; enlisted Oct. 20, 61; sergeant at organ 
 ization; promoted first-sergeant April i, 62; died June 9, 62. 
 
 MATLOCK, JOHN W. Henderson; enlisted Oct. 18/01; transferred to I 
 Jan. 4, 62. See I, 
 
 MAXON, DUANE. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at Shiloh, 
 and discharged for wound June 18, 62. 
 
 McAuLEY, JOHN T. Chicago; enlisted Nov. 14/61; promoted sergeant- 
 major Nov. 14, 6 1. See Field and Staff, B and C. 
 
 McKiBBEN, L. C. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for disa 
 bility Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 MCMULLEN, ROBERT W. Elmwood; enlisted Nov. 7, 61; mustered out 
 Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 McVAY, HUGH. Herman; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; discharged for disability 
 May 29, 62. 
 
 McVAY, ROBERT. Herman; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; promoted corporal 
 May i, 62; sergeant, July i, 62; wounded severely at Vicksburg, May 
 19, 63; transferred to V. R. C., July 15, 64. 
 
 *MILLER, FRANCIS M. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; died in hospital 
 at Paducah, Ky., Feb. 20, 62. 
 
 MILLER. MOLETUS. Abingdon; enlisted April 23/61, in First Cavalry, 
 taken prisoner at Lexington, Mo., and discharged Oct. 9, 61; en 
 listed in K, Oct. 22, 61; corporal at organization; veteran; promoted 
 sergeant June 1/65; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MILLER, WILLIAM. Chicago; recruit; enlisted Jan. 1 8, 64; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *MOHLER, LYMAN B. Virgil; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; veteran; taken pris 
 oner and killed, March 27, 65, near Goldsboro , N. C. 
 
 *MONEYMAKER, J. K. P. Galesburg; enlisted Oct. 20. 61; died of small 
 pox at Young s Point, La., Feb. 8, 63. 
 
 MONEYMAKER, WILLIAM E. Galesburg; enlisted Oct. 20, 61; veteran; 
 taken prisoner at Atlanta, July 22, 64, and exchanged from Anderson- 
 ville in September; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 MORFORD. JEROME. Mt. Vernon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; veteran; mus 
 tered out with regiment. 
 
 *MoRRiS, JAMES M. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; corporal at organi 
 zation; promoted sergeant; mortally wounded at Shiloh. 
 
 MOSHER, TIMOTHY. Mt. Vernon; enlisted Oct. 20/61; captured at Shi 
 loh, exchanged, went home, and never rejoined regiment. 
 
 *MOUNT, WILLIAM. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; veteran; wounded 
 slightly at Atlanta, July 22, 64; killed near Atlanta, Aug. 4, 64. 
 
 MURRAY, SIDNEY S. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; mustered out Oct. 
 3 1 . 64- 
 
 NELSON, WILLIAM H. Saluda; Oct. 22/61; discharged for disability 
 June 2, 62. 
 
 NEWKIRK, ABSALOM W. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 23, 61; discharged for 
 disability April i, 62; re-enlisted at Sparta, Jan. 26, 65; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *PATTERSON, W. H. Logantown; enlisted Oct. 22/61; promoted cor 
 poral; killed at Shiloh. 
 
 POINTER, JAMES T. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; promoted corporal; 
 veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 RAYMOND, T. L. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 23/61; promoted corporal- 
 transferred to V. R. C., May i, 64. 
 
 *RECKNER, DANIEL. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; captured at Shiloh 
 and died a prisoner at Huntsville, Ala. 
 
 RHODECKER, GEORGE W. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22/61; mustered 
 out Oct. 31, 64. 
 
 RICHEY, S. H. Abingdon; Enlisted Oct. 22/61; discharged on account 
 of age, Nov. 3/61. 
 
 RICKMAN, M. B. Henderson; enlisted Oct. 17, 61 ; transferred Jan. 4, 62, 
 to I. 
 
 ROBINSON, JAMES. Berwick; enlisted Oct. 22/61; discharged for disa 
 bility April i, 62. 
 
 *ROBINSON, SAMUEL. Galesburg; enlisted Oct. 30, 61 ; mortally wounded 
 at Shiloh. 
 
 *RoE, MASON H. Abingdon; enlisted April 25, 61, in First Cavalry, and 
 captured at Lexington, Mo.; discharged Oct. 9, 61, and enlisted in K, 
 Oct. 22, 61 ; wounded at Shiloh, and died at home of wound May 8, 62. 
 
 ROMESBURG, DAVID. Sparta; recruit; enlisted Jan. 26/65; mustered out 
 with regiment. 
 
 *RousE, THOMAS S. Trivoli; enlisted Oct. 22/61; promoted corporal 
 March 1/62; sergeant, July 1/62; wounded at Shiloh; veteran; died 
 in hospital at Devall s Bluff, Ark., July 25, 65. 
 
 SHOOP, THOMAS T. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 discharged for disability Jan. 28, 63. 
 
 SIMMONS, EDWARD. Trivoli; enlisted Oct. 22/61; wounded at Shiloh; 
 veteran; mustered out with regiment. 
 
 SMITH, A. C. Substitute recruit; enlisted Sept. 28, 64; mustered out June 
 
 II, 65. 
 
 SMITH, HENRY A. Cleaveland, O.; enlisted Nov. 14, 61; transferred to 
 
 D as first-sergeant, March i, 62. See D. 
 SMITH, H. F. Elmwood; enlisted Nov. 17/61; deserted at Memphis, 
 
 Dec. 20, 62. 
 
 *SouTH, ELIJAH. St. Augustine; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; killed at Shiloh. 
 SPENCER, WILLIAM. Abingdon; Enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; promoted corporal 
 
 July 1/63; sergeant, Jan./64; veteran; severely wounded at Kene- 
 
 saw Mt., June 23, 64; at home sick at muster out of regiment. 
 SPITZER, ANDREW. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 21/61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 STAGGS, DAVID M. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 23, 61; went home sick on 
 
 furlough, and never returned. 
 *STILES, EDGAR C. Sparta; recruit; enlisted Jan. 26/65; died in hospital 
 
 at Jeffersonville, Ind. 
 ISWARTZ, BENJAMIN C. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; first-lieutenant 
 
 at organization; resigned March 13/62, to become chaplain of 4ist 
 
 III. Infty. 
 
 *TOWNSEND, JOHN N. Abingdon; enlisted April 23, 61, in First Cavalry, 
 captured at Lexington, Mp., and discharged; re-enlisted in K, Oct. 22, 
 61; promoted corporal; died Jan. 30, 64. 
 
 VICKERY, ALBERT. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22/61; mustered out Oct. 
 
 3 1, 64. 
 WADDELL, WILLIAM. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22/61; discharged for 
 
 disability Oct. 18, 62. 
 WALKER, WILLIAM. Trivoli; enlisted Oct. 22/61; promoted corporal; 
 
 wounded at Shiloh; veteran; wounded in assault upon Little Kenesaw 
 
 Mt., June 27, 64; mustered out with regiment. 
 WEEDEN, WILLIAM. Sycamore; musician; transferred from B, Nov. 7, 
 
 61; discharged for disability Oct. 18, 62. 
 WESTFALL, EBENEZER P. Henderson; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; corporal at 
 
UNASSIGNED. 
 
 Si? 
 
 Organization; wounded at Shiloh, and discharged for wound Oct. 20/62. 
 WIDNER, MATHIAS. Elmwood; enlisted Oct. 22, 61; deserter. 
 WILLIFORD, WILLIAM A. Abingdon; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; discharged 
 
 for disability Sept. 4, 62. 
 WOLSTENHOLM, JOHN. Farmington; enlisted Oct. 22, 61 ; discharged for 
 
 disability Feb. 9, 63. 
 
 UNASSIGNED. 
 
 The following "unassigned recruits" are credited to the Fifty-fifth in 
 the Adjutant General s Report, enlisted early in 1864, but never reached 
 the regiment : 
 
 Baumgarten, Nicholas Johnson, George 
 
 Burger, Sebastian 
 Gitchell, David 
 Gill, Robert P. 
 Hesbringer, Michael 
 
 Johnson, John D. 
 Lidberg, John L. 
 Lynch, Pat 
 Murray, Walter 
 Parny, Robert 
 
 Potter, William 
 Quick, William L. 
 Stanton, Michael 
 Wilson, Thomas 
 Wells, John 
 
 The following were of Company G, I2yth 111. Infty., transferred to 
 Fifty-fifth after the close of the war : 
 
 First- Sergeant Charles R. Danisson. 
 
 Sergeants Dow Shebley, Matthew Kuns, Daniel Newcomb, Albert 
 M. Clark. 
 
 Corporal John Rapp. 
 
 Privates Jacob Baker, John Elliott, John Fitzgerald, James Fitch, 
 Hugh Fagan, Edward Grimmeson, Joseph Kearney, James Harris, Thos. 
 R. Powers, William Toorner, Robert S. Wood. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 
 Numbered in Dec. 1861, 
 at leaving Camp Douglas. 
 
 ^o 
 
 00 
 
 c 
 
 cu 
 C 
 
 CO 
 
 < 
 
 1 
 
 CO 
 
 .B 
 
 cu 
 
 vD 
 
 00 
 
 C 
 
 1 
 
 LOSSES DURING WAR. 
 
 bfl 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 Captured. 
 
 en 
 
 I 
 
 *O 
 
 CU 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 8 
 6 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 P 
 
 CJ 
 
 en 
 
 B 
 
 4 
 7 
 5 
 
 i 
 
 4 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 4 
 
 cu 
 in 
 oj 
 cu 
 
 en 
 
 ID 
 cu 
 
 Q 
 
 Disch d for disability 
 
 u 
 
 o 
 
 V 
 
 t 
 
 cu 
 in 
 
 H 
 i 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 2 
 I 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 o 
 C! 
 cu 
 en 
 
 cu 
 
 ^u 
 
 cu 
 
 6 
 4 
 7 
 7 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 
 C 
 
 in 
 
 CJ 
 
 cu 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 en 
 
 CJ 
 CU 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 en 
 (-, 
 
 CJ 
 
 CU 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 9 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 i 
 i 
 i 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 CJ 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 
 10 
 
 16 
 18 
 
 5 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 8 
 14 
 8 
 
 Field and Staff.. 
 Company A 
 B 
 
 ii 
 
 100 
 
 95 
 95 
 99 
 87 
 
 89 
 86 
 
 98 
 
 4 
 29 
 
 41 
 
 42 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 43 
 
 22 
 38 
 42 
 36 
 
 8 
 3 
 4 
 9 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 3 
 ii 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 13 
 
 7 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 ii 
 
 12 
 12 
 20 
 
 16 
 15 
 
 20 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 26 
 
 C 
 
 D 
 E 
 
 F 
 
 G 
 H 
 I . . 
 
 K 
 
 968 9 5 33^2 ^105 343 55 55 61 112 153 19 63 
 
 1,027 448 
 
 Original organization, Oct. 31, 1861: 
 
 Commissioned 38 
 
 Enlisted 911 
 
 Band 20 
 
 - 969 
 
 Joined subsequently 121 
 
 1,090 
 
 Temporarily assigned from i i6th 111. Infty., June, 1865 45 
 
 12/th 111. Infty., " " 40 
 
 Recruits unassigned, never joined 16 
 
 Total number commissioned in regiment 94 
 
 Miles marched by regiment 3,240 
 
 Miles moved by boat 5>85 
 
 Miles moved by railway 2,875 
 
 1,191 
 
 11,965 
 
CASUALTIES OF BATTLE. 
 
 519 
 
 BATTLE CASUALTIES IN FIFTY-FIFTH ILL. INFTY. DURING 
 THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 NAME AND DATE OF ACTION. 
 
 KILLED. 
 
 WOUNDED. 
 
 | Captured. 
 
 1 
 
 bJO 
 <L> 
 IH 
 
 bX) 
 
 1 
 2 7 8 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 3 
 24 
 19 
 4 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 4 
 47 
 33 
 17 
 7 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 499 
 4 
 
 503 
 
 Officers. 
 
 Enlisted Men. 
 
 3 
 & 
 
 09 
 
 |H 
 
 
 U 
 
 
 
 C 
 
 8 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 i 
 
 2 
 19 
 
 Enlisted Men. 
 
 rt 
 
 
 
 202 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 3 
 16 
 
 14 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 3 
 32 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 3 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 4 
 
 343 
 
 Shiloh, Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., April 6-7, 1862. 
 Russell s House, Miss , May 17 1862 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 2 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 46 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 5 
 i 
 i 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 13 
 4 
 5 
 3 
 3 
 
 2 
 2 
 I 
 I 
 
 98 
 
 * 47 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 15 
 5 
 5 
 4 
 3 
 
 2 
 2 
 I 
 I 
 
 105 
 
 194 
 
 7 
 i 
 
 3 
 3 
 15 
 13 
 3 
 i 
 
 3 
 3 
 29 
 
 13 
 ii 
 
 3 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 324 
 
 29 
 
 2 
 
 15 
 
 5 
 
 5i 
 4 
 
 55 
 
 Shelby Depot Tenn Oct 23 1862 
 
 Chickasaw Bayou, Miss., Dec 28, 1862 
 
 Arkansas Post, Ark., Jan. 10, 1863 
 
 Vicksburg, Miss., assault, May 19, 1863 
 
 May 22 " 
 
 " " siege, June-July, " 
 
 Jackson, Miss., siege, July 1015, 1863 
 
 Amsterdam Ford, Black River, Miss., Aug. 14, 1863 
 Mission Ridge, Tenn., Dec. 24-25, 1863 
 
 Kenesaw Mt., Ga., June 19-23, 1864 
 Little Kenesaw Mt., Ga., assault, June 27, 1864. . . 
 Atlanta, Ga., July 22, 1864 
 
 Ezra Church, Ga., July 28, 1864 
 
 Advancing line, Atlanta, Aug. 3-4, 1864 
 
 Atlanta, siege of. August, 1864 
 
 Jonesborough, Ga., Aug. 31, 1864 
 
 " Sept. i, 1864 
 
 Bentonville, N. C., March 19-21, 1865 
 
 Near Goldsborough March 27 1865 
 
 Totals . . 
 
 Teamsters captured away from regiment 
 
 * In the Official Records of the Rebellion, Vol. X, four of the mortally 
 wounded are classed as killed, making the total 51. Several of the 
 wounded lived but a few hours, or days. Of the 55 captured seven, at least, 
 were wounded when taken, and they are included in the column of wounded; 
 ten died in rebel prisons and two others were never heard from. 
 
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