Eau Claire County, Wisconsin - Chapter 10: Eau Claire County Training School, 1914 (part 3 of 4)

The late Col. W. F. Vilas, in his history of the Vicksburg campaign, makes the following reference to this affair: "And to cap all, the surprise by Van Dorn of Holly Springs, the intermediate base where Grant had gathered a million dollars' worth of supplies, which the enemy destroyed, determined his (Grant's) withdrawal from this attempt. It is humiliating to add that the cowardice of a Wisconsin officer. Colonel Murphy, of the Eighth Infantry, the Eagle regiment, who basely yielded the post at Holly Springs, which he could easily have defended, furnished tlie sole reason for tliat disaster; because, but for his action, liis men woiild have protected the place. It is not a consolation that he \Aas promptly cashiered. ' '

In May, 1863, we find Grant's army before Vicksburg, and Captain Green, writing to his wife as follows: "Camp near Vicksburg, May 26, 1863. - On returning to camp (eve of the twentyfirst) we had an order that the army was to charge the enemy's works at ten o'clock next day all along the line. In the morning the army was in line of battle, waiting the order to go in. It was about noon, however, when the bugles sounded and the Union Army, with Hags waving over them, charged the rebel works.

Our brigade was held in reserve. We stood in line of battle and saw the front go in. They melted away before the withering fire from the entrenchments and soon disappeared from view. Presently, when the smoke lifted, we saw them in ravines and in the ditch right under the rebel guns, with their Hags planted on the outer slope of their works. About two o'clock in the afternoon General Grant and Adjutant-General Rawlins met Generals Sherman, Tuttle and Mower, where we were standing under arms. Grant had on a slouch hat, a torn blouse and an ej'e glass slung over his shoulder. They had a conference at the head of our regiment, and several of us officers went up to where they were talking and heard what they said. General Grant said he had a dispatch from McClernand, on the extreme right of him, down by the Mississippi river, on the lower side of Vicksburg, stating that his troops had carried the enemy's works and were now in them, and if another charge was made on another part of the line to prevent the enemy sending re-enforcements to repel him he could go into the city. I heard General Grant say that he did not think it was true, but it might be so, and in order that the enterprise might not fail for lack of support, he would order that another charge be made immediately; and turning to General Sherman, he said: 'Send in your reserves.' General Sherman turned to General Tuttle, our division coiiniiander, and ordered him to send in a brigade. General 'riitlli' sjiid in turn to General Mower, wlio commanded our brigade, '(icuci-al. charge the works with your brigade at once.' General Mower was a brave man, there was no discount on that - he meant to obey the order, but could not help saying, 'General, it will be the death of every man in the brigade to go in there now,' and without waiting to hear what reply was made he sent his aide to the colonels commanding the regiments of the brigade with orders to follow the advance, marching by right flank for about one hundred yards, where the groiuid would not permit a forward movement in line of battle, and when they got out of this to form in line of battle and charge on the double quick. The Eleventh Missouri was in the lead, the Fifth Minnesota came next, the Eighth Wisconsin was next and the Forty-seventh Illinois in the rear.

"The orders were given. We moved down the road diagonally to the front, mareliing four abreast until we struck a sunken road, three or four feet deeper than the surrounding ground. This sunken road was perhaps two hundred yards long, then it tui-ned to the right. We were marching four abreast through this road until it turned, then we were to form in line of battle and march forward. Just as we struck the road we came out in full view of the enemy, who were standing by their guns. Our appearance was the signal for them to open fire on us with all their guns and a stream of fire shot out from the rebel works not over a thousand yards away. It was perfectly awful. The two regiments ahead of us had disappeared and the sunken road was full of dead and wounded. Just as we reached it, Lieutenant Chapman, as brave a young fellow as every was in the army, and a genial companion was shot, a canister shot hitting him in the breast and going through him. He fell against me, his blood spurting out in streams. I laid him down as gently as I could. His eyes looked into mine, but he was dead, killed instantly. We actually stepped on the dead and wounded in the sunken road, so thickly were they lying. Men were falling all aroinid us. The bullets whizzed in our ears like a s\varm of bees and the shells exploded among us incessantly. We reached the turn in the road and left it, the companies making a half wheel to get into line of battle, then charged forward on the double quick, without much regard to alignment. The ground was open and level, here and there a tree or a stump or a bunch of cane behind which a squad of men were crouching. The works were only a few lumdred yards ahead, but it seemed a mile. We ran on through an iron hail before which our men fell like leaves, killed and wounded. Our flag went down - then reappeared - the air thick with the dust and the noise of the enemy's shots pei'fectly deafening. It seemed as if we would never get there, but at last we reached the ditch at the foot of the entrenchments, jumped and drew a long breath of relief. Our color-bearer was boosted up and planted his flag in the ground half way up.

"Well, it was just as General Grant anticipated, our charge was a useless waste of life ; McClernand did not get into the city ; indeed, he had never been inside of the works. We lay in the ditch until after dark. During the time we were lying there the rebels would put their muskets over the parapets and shoot down at us. If one of them showed his head above the works our boys were watching and it was a dangerous operation. Several of our boys were wounded in the ditch. After dark an armistice was proclaimed to carry off our dead and wounded and our brigade, indeed all the troops, marched back to camp. The regiment had thirty killed and seventy-five or eighty wounded. The next morning an order was issued that the works were too strong to be carried by assault, that we must get them by regular approaches, consequently we are now digging our way up : exactly the same experience that the allies had before Savastopol. I think a fortnight will end the siege. There are supposed to he twenty-five or thirty thousand men in Vicksburg, we have not over twentyfive thousand, if that many.

"This campaign will be forever memorable in history and stamps General Grant as the greatest military genius of the age. He whipped Johnson's thirty thousand men and drove him so far away he can do no more miseliief, then turned round and penned Pemberton's men up iu Vicksburg, and all with a smaller army than either Johnson's or Pemberton's. His headquarters are only a short distance to our right and rear. We see him every day, common as a private soldier, but he always seems to be thinking. Grant, Sherman, Logan and McPherson are great soldiers. If the array of the Potomac had such generals, Richmond would soon be ours." During the progress of the Vicksburg siege the Eighth Wisconsin was moved about considerably. Had a sharp skirmish at Mechanicsville, also near Richmond.

"Camp on Black river, 12 miles east of Vicksburg. - I wish we had as great a general as Lee to command our eastern army. Vicksburg, Julj^ 4, 1863, 2 o'clock p. m. - I am writing this on a yellow piece of paper in the cupola of the Vicksburg court house, and I send it to you with a bunch of splinters from one of the pillars of the steeple, where a shell had gone through it. The whole cupola is riddled with our shells. The long siege is at last over.

"July 4. - Later in the day. The scenes we Avitnessed on coming into the city beggar description. I cannot write them to you. The Confederate troops were in the last stage of starvation. They had been living on mule meat for some days. I saw some of it and it was enough to turn one's stomach. The rebels were glad to see us, too. The hills are honey-combed with caves in which they have lived. As we walk along the street we can see women running toward each other, crying for joj', and throwing their arms, around each other's necks and weeping and kissing.'"

Through the kindness of Mrs. Charles CofiSn we furnish the following description of Vicksburg, as written by Captain Culbert-' '-'<'- son, of the Sixteenth Wisconsin: "If there were about ninety hills like Barren Bluff sitting near together with dugways through -| kA-.~^ "i the liills, trenches, rifle pits, forts and redoubts on every command- t/L<»->X^ ing point. If there was such a place, it would be as near like Vicksburg as anything I can think of at present, but still it would want one thing to complete the scene, which these hills would want to be covered with buildings and the buildings riddled with shells. But for all this, there are some very fine streets in the place, also some fine buildings, but finest of all are the shade trees, which are on every street, almost hiding the houses. If I had seen this place before the boats run the blockade I should have said that Grant was crazy to attempt anything of the kind, but the old fellow has a long head and works to win. Let General Grant have his army in here and I would defy the world to take this place in seven years. ' '

"Vicksburg, Miss., August 19, 1863. - Dear Mother, Sister and Brother: The steamer City of Madison was blown up today while lying at the levee loading ammunition to take below. There was a detail of about three hundred men, white and black, loading her, and it was all done by the carelessness of one negro. As they Avere loading percussion shells the negro threw one of the boxes filled with these shells into the hold, discharging the whole lot, and as the boat had several tons on, the bursting of one shell set the whole cargo ofl'. The boat was blown so that you could hardly tell that it had ever been a boat. As near as can be ascertained now there were nearly 156 lives lost. The steamer Walch, that lay along side of her, was nearly as bad, but I believe there was no loss of life on the Walch. The loss of life and property was awful. There was not a whole pane of glass left in a building within 80 rods, so great was the concussion. Men were blown across the river and fragments of the wreck could be seen all througli the city.

It will be remembered that the Sixteenth regiment, to which Captain Wheeler's company belonged, was badly cut up at the battle of Pittsburg Landing or Shiloh. Later engagements, sickness and death further reduced its ranks, and it was found necessary to reorganize the regiment. This was done by consolidating the ten old companies into five and adding "new companies B, D, F, H and K. " John Kelly, who went out as a private in Captain Wheeler's Company G, was made captain of "new company B," a well earned promotion. I find no other Eau Claire man in this company, it being recruited from the eastern part of the state. One of the "new companies," Company H, was recruited here.

Free Press, December 3, 1863. On Monday last 67 men for a new company in the Sixteenth left for LaCrosse in charge of D. C. Whipple and John T. Tinker. This company has been recruited in less time than it required to raise any previous one. Messrs.

Tinker, Whipple and M. A. Shaw have labored zealously to raise this company, and their efforts have been erovi^ned with the most ample success. No officers of this company were elected until after their arrival at LaCrosse. No list of the privates in this company was printed at the time, but from the official roster the list below is furnished. Capt., Darwin C. Whipple ; First Lieut., John T. Tinker ; Second Lieut., Milton Grover, Red Cedar ; Second Lieut., Edward W. Allen, Eau Claire. Privates : John C. Bailey, Burzelia Bailey, Walter D. Bailey, John C. Barland, William H. H. Beebe, Harvey N. Benjamin, Edward J. Bonnell, John W. Brown, Wesley C. Butterfield, James G. Cleghorn, Peter Cromwell, Samuel C. Dean, Peter Deery, Isiah Drew, William H. Fox, John W. Gilbert, Freeman Grover, Jefferson Heath, John W. Heasley, Henry Ilendrickson, Benjamin P. Ilowland, Hiram Hill, Lyman M. Hotehiss, Azro B. Hoyt, Arch K. Humphrey, Samuel Iverson, John Johnson, Daniel E. Johnson, Dwight A. King, Myron N. Lawton, Henry Longdo, George IMcElrath, Even J. Morgan, Ener Nelson, Patrick Nooney, David A. Robertson, Joel Ross, John Ross, Harvey N. Saunders, Myron A. Shaw, Canute Thompson, Cary P. Wood, Henry Wyborney.

The history of Company H, which christened itself the "Williams Guards " in honor of H. Clay Williams, was published in Tom Randall's history of the Chippewa Valley, as told by Lieut. j,v'-vvivvi.^ c^|^ E. W. Allen, and is herewith reprinted : -^ jL "^ n-^ peach blossoms of Vicksburg was a pleasant change. After doing picket duty at Black River bridge for a month we were ordered back to Vicksburg, from thence north on transports up the river, passing Port Pillow a few hours after the massacre by Forrest. Company H and two other companies were landed at Columbus to assist the colored troops in defending the fort against an attack momentarily expected from that chivalrous general, which, however, he failed to make. After two weeks of hard duty we joined the command at Cairo, then preparing to join Sherman's army in Northern George. From Cairo to Clifton, Tennessee, on transports, and thence by forced marches three hundred miles across that state, Alabama and Georgia, taking position on the left of the grand army, before Kenesaw Mountain, June 10, 1864. We suffered terribly during this march and many gave out by the way, among whom were Lieutenants Grover and Tinker, who went to the hospital.

our first exploits being in the battles about Kenesaw, where we lost several men; then hotly pursuing the rebels night and day, until they took refuge in their trenches before Atlanta. We lay on our arras on the night of July 20, the enemy strongly fortified in front, and just at break of day we were ordered to charge. Grave doubts and fears were expressed, as there were so many new recruits in the regiment, whether it would not be better to put an old and tried regiment in our place, but after a short consultation it was decided to keep us where we were, for if the charge was made, the older soldiers Avho Avere supporting them would have no confidence in them, and they would lose all confidence in themselves. The result showed the wisdom of the conclusion. It was a trying moment when Colonel Fairchild shouted the order, 'Fix bayonets, forward.' Out of the timber, down a ravine, up and across a field, over their works, driving out Hardee's veterans and taking some prisoners, was but the work of a moment. Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds, coming up quickly, said to the new men, 'You are all veterans now, boys.'

"The general commanding the brigade sent word to General Blair, saying, 'The "Wisconsin boys did nobly,' but it was praise dearly earned. Colonel Fairchild, Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds, Capt. John Wheeler, and many other officers were wounded, but fortunately none killed. Company H lost two killed and seven wounded. Captain Whipple particularly distinguished himself in this action, and a somewhat laughable incident occurred during the charge. So great was the excitement but little attention was paid to his efl:orts to keep the men in line with the colors, but finally becoming terribly in earnest and shouting above the roar and din of battle, he sang out, 'If you don't know what line on the colors means, keep your eyes on that flag. ' We held the works all day under fire, and strengthened them at night ; but about noon the next day the enemy burst on our left, and was crushing that part of our army like an egg shell, coming boldly on until they reached the works held by the Twelfth and Sixteenth Wisconsin, who repulsed them in six successive terrible charges, first in front, then in rear, and changing sides of their works as many times. Captain Whipple showed himself the same hero here as the day before, but the strain was too much ; constant fatigue and anxiety and the suffering from his wound sent him to the ambulance. Orderly Sergeant Allen took command of the company, there being no commissioned officer with the company. Being ordered to another part of the field, by a forced march, Captain Whipple again joined us and assisted in repi;lsing several charges, but was

"The final battles of Jonesborongh and Lovejoy's Station closed the campaign, and with light hearts we spread our tents in Atlanta, September 10, 1864. Our company was reduced from ninety to twenty muskets, so severe had been the work. Here we received a quantity of good things, pickles, berries, condensed milk, etc., from kind friends in Eau Claire, for which, if ever men felt grateful, we did. But we did not rest long. Hood had gone north and was eating our crackers, so we were after him again, and for five days and nights we chased him over mountains, rivers and valleys, and then were ordered back to Atlanta again, whei'e, for the first time in eight months, we received our pay, and voted for president, thirty-four for Lincoln and two for McClellan. That was the kind of men that composed Company H. On November 14 we started with Sherman on his grand march to the sea, and a month of constant marching brought us to the gates of Savannah, where, after a short resistance, we marched, flags flying, into the city. Starting again, we took Poeotaligo, out on the Charleston railroad, which fell in consequence, and next our company was at the burning of Columbia, then Cheraw, Fayetteville, Bentonville and Goldsborough were taken, and after a few daj^s' rest, waiting for our absent men to come up, a forced march brought us to Raleigh.

"When Captain Whipple, who had been sent home sick, rejoined us, how glad we were to see him. Here the war virtually closed. The fighting was over, but we were a long way from home, but marching was easy now, for every day brought us nearer to our loved ones there. On to Petersburg, Richmond and Washington, where on the twenty-third of May, we took part in the grandest pageant ever seen in America, the grand review; Mrs. Sherman throwing bouquets at our tattered and worn colors. We were soon transferred to Louisville, Ky., where, on the fourth day of July, 1865, General Sherman took a final farewell of us, and a few days after we were mustered out, sent to Madison, received our final pay and discharged on August 21, 1865, and with light hearts started for home, never more, it is hoped, to be called to take up arms for our beloved country against internal foes."

On the roster of Captain Whipple's company will be found the name of John C. Barland, who furnished to the Telegram the following reminiscences of that company.

lection of the old Sixteenth Wisconsin volunteers should have some response. The pressure of circumstances makes it difficult for me to do so just now. Still I would fain offer something, for when is not a tribute due to those gallant men? Through the dimming mists of fifty years again they come before my vision.

Company G, the first to go, enrolled some of the choicest spirits that Eau Claire could give. I cannot stop to enumerate. Of one I will speak. John Kelly ; rough, yes rough, but a diamond in the rough. Years later, when asked, "Do you receive a pension?" his answer : "John, why should I receive a pension ? I was a better man physically, morally and mentally when I came out than when I went in." This was true. He was a growing man to the last day of his life, and no finer thing can be said of any man.

In the fall of '63, while Vicksburg and Gettysburg still echoed in our ears. Company H enlisted and later joined the Sixteenth at Vicksburg. Of that company, Eau Claire may be proud. There were Whipple and Tinker and Allen, so finely identified with the early history of Eau Claire, all worthy of mention if these limits permitted. Only a few remain - Merton of Bloomer, a good soldier, and most worthy man, and Cleghorn of Eau Claire, splendid soldier, good citizen, who gave of his best to his country and the little valley that bears his name.

From the miasmas and sickness of the Mississippi valley the early spring of '64 found us at Huntsville, Alabama, after a series of arduous marches to join Sherman for the capture of Atlanta. It was a grewsome sight, that Sunday afternoon, when we arrived at Huntsville after a long forced march. The beautiful stream that bubbles up from a great spring in the heart of Huntsville was lined with our boys, their shirts in their hands picking off the greybacks, and washing in the stream. From Huntsville throiigh an enemy's country, 400 miles of forced marching and fighting to our goal, Atlanta. On the long march, unable to obtain supplies, many a soldier had to go barefoot. Such was the writer's fate, who was known as the barefoot corporal. It was near the base Kenesaw that we joined Sherman. It was here

1hat Company II received its baptism of fire. For hours we had marched to the deepening sound of artillery. At first only a throb on the air, and then, nearer and clearer and still clearer. A strange silence stole over the men, and Captain Whipple, marching at our side said: "Well boys, that is what we have been marching so long for to find at last," And next the order to file right into line, and now the bullets are whistling in our ears and the shells from Kenesaw are bursting in our midst.

The great struggle for Atlanta was on. It lasted through all those long, hot summer mouths. These limits will only permit of a glimpse. There was a constant roar of battle, day and night, upon some part of our line, swelling now into the assault upon Kenesaw, where we were repulsed, now upon Lost Mountain, or South Mountain, which stood like sentinels between us and Atlanta, or again at Peachtree Creek, on the twenty-second of July, when Hood flung himself upon us in the madness of desperation. It was here that the Sixteenth Wisconsin, of all its memorable conflicts, distinguished itself the most. Hood's veterans had fiercely attacked our left wing in hope of turning it, and largely it was the determination of the Sixteenth Wisconsin which prevented this. If Hood could have turned our flauk at that time he Avould have won a vast prize, for there, on our left flank, were massed the wagon trains of our army. It was the fortune of the writer at that time to be detailed to guard the wagon train. Five hundred six-mule wagons were massed not three miles from Decatur. Hood, for the moment, had turned our flank and was sweeping down upon our train. The wagon fled in a furious panic to form behind the center. The train guards were deployed in a thin skirmish line to hold Hood in check. It was here the Sixteenth, with others, saved the day, and Hood was turned back. It was this incident that enabled the writer to speak intelligently of that field. As we passed down the lines to rejoin our train, behind the center, we passed the Sixteenth where they lay in the midst of the carnage that had been wrought. There were the dead rebels as thick as leaves, right up to the very foot of the Sixteenth's lines. As we passed down the lines there were Icmg rows of our own dead and wounded, and further on, younij: .Mc- Pherson, the brave commander of our own army of the Tennessee, lay still in death.

It was only a few days later that, assaying to go to the regiment which lay beyond a little wood and down an open slope, that I ran across Willard Bartlett, a member of Company G. He was cooking at a fire. I knew him to be a good soldier, and I said to him, "How is this, "Willard?" "Well," he said, "I have only three days more to get my discharge and I prevailed on the officers to let me cook, so I might have a chance to get through." The writer passed on through the wood to the open slope. Though I knew that the regiment lay not forty rods away, not a sign of them was visible. No enemy was in sight. The stillness of death hung over the little valley. As I emerged from the woods the sharpshooters in the trees beyond got a line upon me. The bullets flew thick and fast. You may be sure I walked pretty fast. Though I did not like to have the Sixteenth see me run, when I got within ten rods of the ditch I heard Ed Allen's voice calling: "Run, John, why don't you run?" Iran. "Why," said Ed, who was down in the ditch almost out of sight, "it's not safe to show your head. The rebs are only ten rods away in another ditch." I stayed curled up in the bottom of the narrow ditch till it was dark and then I returned to my train, but I stopped on my way to see Willard Bartlett. They told me he had been shot soon after I had left him; slain doubtless by one of the bullets aimed at myself. I give this incident that yovi may .iust get a glimpse of this terrible conflict."

Editor Daily Telegram. - We take up today the story of another company from Eau Claire county. The town of Pleasant Valley seems to deserve a considerable share of credit for this company, which later became Company K of the Thirty-sixth Wisconsin infantry. I furnish you a picture of Capt. Warren Graves, who died near Petersburg, Va.

(Free Press, March 3, 1864.) The work of recruiting goes on in a satisfactory manner, and at the present rate men are coming forward it is confidently expected the towns of Lincoln, Bridge Creek and Brunswick will yet raise their quota prior to the draft. Eau Claire county has made a record which shines too brightly to be dimmed by failure to respond to the demands of the hour, and some of her sons have helped to make the grand old state of which we are proud to be the children, a synonym for all that is manly, courageous and brave. Since Friday last about one hundred and twenty men have enlisted to fill various quotas for this and adjoining counties, and the new company now being raised for the Thirty-sixth Regiment.

The town and county have already furnished a large amount to avoid conscription and are ready to make further advances in the same direction, if the men will come forward. The enthusiasm is at fever heat in this county, and the boys are determined to close up this rebellion before another summer.

One week ago last Monday, amid general enthusiastic rejoicing and well wishes from those they left behind, the volunteers of the new company for the Twenty-sixth Regiment, numbering one hundred and twenty men, left this place for Jladison, where they are to be mustered into service. As we glanced at the many familiar friends leaving to share the uncertainties of war, one could not help noticing the large number of "Old Pioneers"' in the ranks on whose countenance age had already deeply stamped its never failing mark. They have proven their deep patriotism by enlisting side by side Avith younger companions, to assist in quelling this unholy rebellion, which speedily must have a termination. In the ranks were to be seen men whose "silvery locks" told that mau.\- siiiniiicrs had passed over them, beside the beardless youth will ISC :! II lent desire to serve his country knows no bounds ; all leaving Avith many blessings and fervent wishes for their safe journey through scenes which they may be called to pass, and for their speedy return home when duties are discharged. Although recruiting for the company onh' commenced four weeks ago, it raised its maximum number in much less time ; and in general appearance will compare with any other company raised in this section. A number of the volunteers are residents of Chippewa and Buffalo counties, all stout, well built, rugged looking fellows, as if inured to the privations, hardships and exposures of outdoor life. The company is yet unorganized, having expressed a wish to leave the selection of officers until they reach the place of destination, where they will be assigned to the Thirty-sixth Regiment.

(Free Press, April 7, 1864.) We understand that the new company recently raised here for the Twenty-sixth Regiment has selected W. Graves for captain and E. A. Galloway for first lieutenant. Both of these men are quali- fied to discharge the perplexing duties of their offices in a creditable manner. Charles H. Witherow, late of the Twenty-fifth Regiment, took six or eight new recruits with him last M'eek to Madison.

I have found no satisfactory account of the service of the Graves company. Thomas Randall, in his history of the Chippewa Valley devotes a small amount of space to it, but his statements are not altogether accurate. The following is taken from his book : ' ' Company K, Thirty-sixth Regiment, was recruited under the call of the President for five hundred thousand men, in February and March, 1864, through the efforts of Capt. Warren Graves and Lieut. E. A. Galloway and Joseph R. Ellis, all of Pleasant Valley, in this county, and nearly all the men were from the country towns in Eau Claire, Chippewa and Dunn counties. It was a brave and hardy company of men, but the regiment was the most unfortunate of any that left this state, and of the eighty-eight men in Captain Graves' company, only one returned unscathed. W. W. Crandall, of LaFayette, Chippewa coimty, was neither sick, wounded nor taken prisoner while every other man in the company was either killed, woimded, taken prisoner or sent to hospital. Captain Graves was wounded, sent to hospital and died. Lieutenant Galloway was killed while leading an assault on the enemy's works. Many were taken prisoners in the deep railroad cut south of Petersburg, and suffered horrors a thousand times worse than death in rebel prisons, and many painful circumstances grew out of the long suspense and almost hopeless uncertainty as to their fate."

The number in the company was considerably larger than stated by Mr. Randall. The Free Press states that 120 joined, but some of these must have failed to muster in. The official roll shows 102 names. Captain Graves did not die of wounds and was not wounded, but died from heat and overexertion during an engagement. There is no such name as W. W. Crandall given on the official muster roll. There was a David Crandall, from Red Cedar, but this Crandall was wounded at Cold Harbor. Although this company unquestionably was fearfully decimated by death, wounds and prisoners taken, yet it is too strong a statement to say that only one returned unscathed. Of course, there is no means of telling how many liave temporarily been sick and in hospitals, but I find over 20 names of those who were mustered out at the time of the general mustering out of the company on the twelfth of July, 1865, and a considerable number more who were mustered out a few weeks earlier.

I give below the names of all in this company who enlisted from Eau Claire, Chippewa and Dunn counties. As stated in the Free Press, quite a number in this company were from Buffalo county. I also give a summary made up from the official roster showing the fate of members of the company.

James F. Allen

Among the members of this company and who was also taken prisoner, was James P. Allen, a brother of C. L. Allen, of this city, and now a resident of Plorida. At my request C. L. Allen wrote to liis brother in Plorida asking him if he would write something concerning his experience. I am allowed to quote his reply, which was as follows :

-'De Land, Plorida, July 13, 1911. - In regard to writing an article for publication of my war experiences. Now my actual war experience, outside of my prison experience, was very limited and covered a period of about thirty days, while in that time there was war enough to satisfy the most valorous spirits, for the length of time at least, it was too short a time on which to build a readable story unless supplemented by the imagination, and you know I am short on that quality.

"And when it comes to my prison experience, that is anotlier matter entirely. It is a subject I don't like to think about, much less talk about and have been for forty-six years trying to forget all my prison life and its attendant horrors, and now to deliberately sit down and write about those terrible days, weeks and months (I was in the different so-called prisons ten and a half months) is more than I care to do, even if I thought I could write an interesting letter, which I can't. I am very much interested in the old war time letters being printed, with Ed's and Uncle Bill'sT^nd others. " .'j > " -"-

S. S. McCann. - Among tlie names of those from Chippewa county we find the name of tliat old pioneer Stephen S. McCann. It was he who with Jeremiah Thomas began the first lumbering operations in Eau Claire, in the middle forties. At the time of his enlistment he must have been quite an old man,

A son of Captain Graves, Wilbur Graves, is living in tliis city and is head engineer at the paper mill. The widow of Captain Graves, now Mrs. Cleasby, is also now in the city. In response to a request I have received from the family the following brief account of Captain Graves. It was also from them that I obtained the excellent picture of the captain, which I am furnishing you todav with the other material.

Capt. Warren Graves, Company "K," Thirty-sixth Wisconsin Volunteers, recruited his own company; was commissioned in March, 1864; mustered into the service by Lieut. J. H. Purcell.

Spent two weeks in Madison, Wisconsin, drilling liis company. From Madisou, Captain Graves was ordered to Washington and on arriving there was ordered to join his regiment in Virginia, which at that time was the active seat of war.

Here Captain Graves and his men took part in tlie "Battle of the Wilderness," in which the Union loss was very severe. From May 5 to June 15, 1864, Captain Graves took part in one battle after another in rapid succession.

It was during this time that in a letter to his wife Captain Graves spoke in reference to this sis weeks' steady work against the rebels. The following is the substance of the letter :

Mrs. Harriet Graves Cleasby

He said he had been engaged with the enemy all night and had just come into camp for breakfast and sleep when he and his men were called out for dutj' again. These six weeks of continuous duty weakened him physically and during the months of July and migust made many long marches. On the fourteenth day of August Captain Graves went into battle after having made a long and severe march. During the heat of the battle Captain Graves suffered a sun-stroke and was taken off the field. (During this battle the greater share of his company were taken prisoners.) Captain Graves was removed to a hospital at Petersburg and there passed away the twenty-ninth of August, 1864. MRS. HARRIET GRAVES CLEASBY.

September 1, 1914. Since the series of Civil War articles was published in the Telegram in 1911, I have been fortunate enough to find a survivor of Captain Graves' Company K, of the Thirtysixth Wisconsin, and have obtained from him his story of the company and regiment. Corporal Henry W. Butler is still living, in the town of Washington, a hale and hearty veteran. Although lacking but a few weeks of being eightyeight years of age, he appears much younger, and it is a common occurrence for him to walk the four miles from his farm home to the city, and if necessary, walk home again.

Corporal Butler'S Story

I came to Eau Claire in the fall of 1855. My former home was in Hartford, Dodge county, but wishing to make a change I, with several others, started out to seek a new location. "We first went into Iowa, and when at a point on the river near Dubuque we met the veteran lumberman, William Carson, then in business at Eau Galle. Mr. Carson was on a trip purchasing horses and oxen for the pineries. Learning that we were planning to come up this way he said: "Boys, if you will help me take care of this stock on the way up to Eau Galle, I will stand your expenses, also keep you over Sunday at Eau Galle, and furnish you provisions for your trip from there to Eau Claire." We accepted the offer. The trip from Eau Galle to Eau Claire was made on foot. Read and Gage's small saw mill and boarding house were the only buildings on the east side. There was a stage line from Madison to St. Paul running through the place, and there was a barn on the west bank. There was no bridge or ferry, but the stage drivers would put their horses in this barn, then load the stage or wagons on a raft and pole across the river. Arriving at the bank about dark we hallooed across to Jim Read, who came over with a raft and took us to the east side.

The land down on the bottoms near what was later Porter's mills, was open to homestead entry and we made a trip down there. Shortly before there had been a flood, and saw logs and drift wood were scattered all over the bottoms or found hanging up in trees. We wanted none of that. At Jim Read's place I met a man who said he had a farm for sale, four miles out, two hundred and twenty-five acres, twenty acres broke, with a log house and log barn - price seven hundred dollars. I went out to see it and bought the place, which has since been my home.

I was married and had two children, my wife and chilbeing still in Dodge county. Returning there I remained until March, when, with a yoke of oxen and sleighs, with a prairie schooner top and a stove, we made the trip to Eau Claire, and it was not such a very long trip either, considering the mode of travel. My oxen were young and active, and we made the distance, about 175 miles, in seven days, keeping along with horse teams that were making the same trip.

The Barland, Cook, Wyman and Robbins families were the only farmers in this vicinity. Sparta was our nearest trading point, and it required from five to six days to take out grain there and bring back a load of supplies. The land was new, and produced heavy crops of wheat and other grains, and prices were high. We got $2.00 for wheat, $1.75 for oats and $1.00 for potatoes. Our nearest grist mill was Duncan's, on Duncan creek, at Chippewa Falls. I helped to haul in the mill stones for the Peter Daniel's grist mill, which was later built on Lows creek, a few miles below my place, and about a mile above the present Coming's or "Silver Springs" farm.

Game was plentiful, and although not a hunter, I would occasionally shoot a deer. They had a runway to the creek near my place. Bear and wolves were also plentiful, the wolves especially doing considerable damage to stock. Lows creek was a good trout stream in those days.

In the spring of 1864 a company was recruited for the Civil War, the recruits coming largely from the farmers ia our neighborhood, and in Pleasant Valley. I enlisted with the others. Our captain was Warren Graves, a Methodist minister, who had lived in Pleasant Valley and had been preaching at different points in that vicinity. He was an excellent man, kind and considerate to the members of his company, and generally highly esteemed.

We left Eau Claire about the fifteenth of March for Camp Randall, and left there on the tenth of May for Washington. We remained in Washington only one night, and on the fourteenth took boat for Belle Plains Landing. After a half day on the boat and a day's march, we arrived at Fredericksburg. Just before our arrival a New York regiment had been sent out against some Confederate bushwackers who had made a raid and captured several carloads of ham and hardtack. Being met with a brisk fire from the enemy, the New Yorker's came running back, claiming that the enemy were in greatly superior force. We were just cooking our supper coffee when the order came to fall in, and turn back the demoralized New Yorkers, also to attack the enemy. We were entirely successful in both, also recaptured the provisions. The battle of the Wilderness was practically over. From Fredericksburg we marched to Spottsylvania Court House, arriving there on the seventeenth, where on the day following we were held in reserve, and did not get into action in that battle.

First Brigade, Second Division, Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac. In regimental histories that liave been piiblished, the battle of Spottsylvania Court House is given as the first engagement in which our regiment Avas present, but this is a mistake, as we had already talcen part in the affair at Fredericksburg, as noted above.

On the twentieth our entire Second Corps under Geneial Hancock, marched toward the North Anna. On our way we came to a Confederate fortification. Hastily throwing up some breastworks for ourselves, we lay on our arms until two o'clock in the morning, when the order was given to charge the enemy's works. Rushing over their breastworks, we found the enemy had already departed, leaving only a few pickets to give the appearance of occupation.

The battle of North Anna began on the twenty-third. On the twenty-sixth Company H and Company K were ordered to charge a line of rebel works, which we took. Our loss was two men killed, twelve Avouuded and one taken prisoner. Both the men killed Avere from Company H. The pioneer lumberman, Stephen S. McCann, Avas a member of our company, and was Avounded in this engagement.

From North Anna Ave marched to Cold Harbor, arriving there on the morning of the second of June, and on the folloAviug morning the brigade charged the enemy's works. Although starting out in the rear of the brigade, by a shifting about of the troops Avhen near the rebel intrenchments, our Thirty-sixth Regiment Avas in the lead. Just at this time Colonel McKean, brigade commander, Avas killed, and Colonel Haskell, of our regiment, took command. Our lines were swept by a fierce fire from the enemy, and just as Colonel Haskell had given an order for the men to lie down, a bullet struck him in the head and he Avas instantly killed. His death Avas deeply felt in our regiment and in the brigade. Although only a young man, he Avas a thorough soldier and a first class officer. While in the act of putting a cartridge into my musket I Avas shot in the hand, shattering the bone. Although left Avith a permanently crippled hand, I was much more fortunate than my comrade, Biesecker, who stood just back of me, as the same bullet that crippled my hand struck him in the hip, Avounding him so severely that he died a feAV Aveeks later. Our loss Avas heavy, much more so than that of the enemy. We remained in the vicinity of Cold Harbor until the tAvelfth, Avhen Ave advanced toward Petersburg. The day after we left Cold Harbor some half dozen of our company were left behind and while hurrying along to overtake the company were captured by a band of rebel guerillas. One of those taken prisoner was James F. Allen, of Eau Claire, or Fred Allen, as he was called by his friends. He was a son of James Allen, who for many years had charge of the rafting of lumber for Ingram & Kennedy, and their successor, the Empire Lumber Company.

Although my crippled hand made it impossible for me to serve in the ranks, I did not wish to be separated from my company, so asked and obtained permission to do duty at regimental headquarters. This I continued to do until mustered out at the close of the war.

We reached the vicinity of Petersburg on the fifteenth of June and the day following occupied the first line of the enemy's works. On the seventeenth our regiment was held in reserve. On the eighteenth we charged and drove the enemy from their second and heavier works, following them through dense Avoods to an open field on the opposite side of which were their main defenses. It was while charging *~^\ /^c{^ through these woods that Lieutenant Galloway, of our company, was killed. He enlisted from Chippewa Falls, and was a thoroughly good and efficient officer. In the afternoon our regiment charged across the open ground and our Colonel Savage, who had succeeded Colonel Haskell, was mortally wounded as he was climbing over the enemy's breastworks. In this charge our regiment lost nearly onethird of its numbers in killed and wounded. As it seemed certain death to either advance or withdraw, the survivors of our regiment lay down on the ground and by scooping holes in the soft ground got what protection they could iintil darkness allowed them to leave the field. In the skirmishing around Petersburg our entire first brigade on the twenty-second was flanked by the enemy and nearly one-half of its members captured. Througli the skill of our officers the Thirty-sixth Regiment changed front and escaped capture, but lost several killed and wounded.

The colonel of a Pennsylvania regiment from the mining district had proposed an underground mine under the enemy's works to blow up their fortifications and aid in the capture of Petersburg. General Graut had sanctioned the plan and by the latter part of July everything was in readiness for the explosion. In order to divert the enemy, Grant marched a part of the troops, including our regiment, to another plane and made a demonstration, then quietly brought us around in front of the fortifications to witness the setting off of the mine. This took place on the thirtieth of July. It was an awful sight, even to us who had seen considerable of the horrors of war. I did not want to look. Mangled bodies of men, flying timbers and earth rose into the air as from a volcano. You know the result. It was a failure. On account of delay in getting troops across the pit, or crater, the enemy had time to rallj'. Many of our own troops met their death in trying to cross, and Petersburg was not taken.

The Weldon railroad, running south from Petersburg, was of extreme importance to the enemy, and Grant was determined on its capture. One force, including oiir regiment, were sent north of the James river to threaten Richmond, while another was sent south of Petersburg to capture the railroad already mentioned. "We met the enemy on the fourteenth and had a severe engagement, our regiment loss being three officers and twenty-eight men killed and wountled. Grant's plan Avas a success and the railroad was captured, but the enemy continued to make desperate attempts to recapture it. For several weeks there was almost continuous fighting along the railroad south of Petersburg. Reams Station was on this road only a few miles from Petersburg. On the twenty-fifth the enemy attacked the Union troops at that place. The Thirty-sixth was stationed in a deep railroad cut. Although not successful in recapturing the road, at one time they drove back the Union lines and hemmed in our Thirty-sixth Regiment, whose position allowed them little chance to escape. A few did cut their way through, but a large part of the regiment were either killed, wounded or taken prisoners. Captain Graves, of our company, was overcome by heat and exertion and died in the hospital a few days later. He was succeeded as captain by First Lieut. Joseph R. Ellis, also from Pleasant Valley. My old neighbor, Patrick 0 'Donahue, of Pleasant Valley, who enlisted the same day as myself, was one of the number captured. He survived his imprisonment, and was mustered out with our company, but his health was shattered, and he died a few years later. Some of his descendants are still living in this vicinity, but they have dropped the "0" from their names, which is now Donahue.

General Gibbon was not satisfied with the part taken by the Thirty-sixth Regiment at Reams Station, and without stopping to examine into the matter, issued an order depriving the regiment of carrying the national colors. A thorough investigation was later made, with the result that General Gibbon was ordered to personally present to the regiment a new set of colors. This was done about the first of November.

On the twenty-fourth of October our brigade marched to the left, and on the twenty-seventh reached the enemy 's fortifications at Hatcher's Run. Company A of our regiment advanced and captured the rebel picket. This was followed by a general engagement in which the enemy forced their way through the Union lines, cutting off communication between the two parts. Captain Fisk, in command of our regiment, saw the danger, faced the regiment to the rear and ordered a bayonet charge. "We doubled up the line of the enemy and put them to rout, capturing a large number of prisoners. General Eagan wrote a letter to the Governor praising the work done by the regiment under Captain Fisk, and stated that we had captured more prisoners than we had men on the field. Our regimental loss was some fifteen wounded and missing. After this engagement we returned to our former location, where we remained until mid-winter. Early in February we had another engagement at Hatcher's Run, then went into winter quarters and remained there until the last of March. We then moved against the enemy's works, capturing one line after another, including prisoners and guns, and early in April learned that Lee's army was in full retreat. One entire second corps followed, crossing the Appomattox on the seventh and on the ninth were present at Lee's surrender near Appomattox Court House.

We saw no active service after this, but what did remain of our regiment went to Washington and took part in the grand review, then returned to Madison and our homes.

institution in the early history of the village of Eau Claire was the old "Wesleyan Seminary, which stood where the high schood building now stands. Principal Shadrach A. Hall went out as captain of this new company. Like the "Whipple company, this one was also made up to take the place of another company in a reorganized regiment.

I have asked J. F. Ellis, who helped Captain Hall to recruit this company and who served as a private in same, to tell vour readers its story.

Eau Claire, Wis., August 14, 1911. - W. W. Bartlett : As I promised, I give you the following history of Company K, Fifth Wisconsin Infantry, which was mostly made up here. My diarj', which I kept, was burned in the great Water street fire years ago, so my accoimt is largely a matter of memory, which accounts for a general lack of dates. There were three Companies K in the Fifth Wisconsin: First Company K, Evans, captain, from Menomonie ; Second Company K, Mott, captain, also from Monomonie, and Third Company K, Hall, captain, designated from Eau Claire. The last one is tlie company that I write about.

The recruiting of this company was for another regiment which was filled up and left for the front before we reached Madison, and so belonged to no certain regiment when we reached there. Company K, as made up here, was recruited by Captain Hall and myself in 1864. I turned my papers over to him in order that he might get a captain's commission and I went into the ranks, where I remained until mustered out. After reaching Camp Randall we consolidated with a squad from near Oshkosh. Those composing the Eau Claire squad are the following : S. A. Hall, captain. Privates - Andrew Anderson, Peter Anderson, David Babcock, Charles W. Bailey, John S. Barger, Lyman Beemau, Samuel W. Bennett, Erastus S. Bills, Charles E. Burpee, Heinrich Christman, John Crapser, James W. Crouch, Hiram S. Curtis, Joseph E. Davenport, Elias Davis, Francis W. Dighton, Philander S. Drew, J. F. Ellis, Roderick Elwell, Charles 0. Foote, James Gilbert, Nelson Gillet, Patsex,^A^Haekett, Russell Ilaekett, Benjamin G. Hall, Dwight L. HazenTJohnOTHoisington, Demetrius P. Howell, Alfred Ingalls, Robert Jones, Miles Lansdell, Joseph Listy, James B. Louther, Joseph B. Reynolds, Nicholas Roach, Isaac A. Shane, Peter Shores, George F. Silvernail, Adrian J. Smith, Uriah M.

Capt. John Kellet It. J. T. Tinker

Colonel La Grange, of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, was at Madison when we reached there and offered Captain Hall and myself each a first lieutenancy if we would join his regiment with our recruits, but we finally decided to join the Fifth Infantry and consolidated with a squad from Oshkosh in order to make a full company. By this plan Company K was organized and Hall was commissioned captain and commanded the company throughout its service, excepting when absent by sickness. Our recruits were mostly from Eau Claire, Dunn and Chippewa counties. We came together on the West Side and had a reception in the old Seminary Hall, where the high school building now stands. The ladies got up a banquet for us at which there Avere speeches and music, mostly war songs, and a flag presentation. The flag was made by the ladies and was presented by one of the most beautiful, bright and popular young ladies of the town, Miss Izzie Farwell, daughter of L. W. Farwell, a west side merchant. I was delegated to receive the flag, which I carried until we reached Madison, when we shipped it back to Eau Claire.

The next day, or soon thereafter, we all gathered on the East Side Hill (University Square), where lumber Avagons waited for us with boards across the boxes for seats in most cases, and where friends, sweethearts and wives gathered to bid us bood-bye. We traveled in those rigs to Sparta, where we took railway passage for Madison. We had our OAvn improvised band. I. H. Shane, with his fife, and a couple of drummers. Every stop we made was enlivened, if there was anybody to look on, by getting in line with the flag floating and the band playing martial airs. Mr. Shane was very good with the fife and served for a while in the regimental band, bi;t did not like the service and came back to the company and was with it until mustered out of the service. Shane was one of the best soldiers in the service, tall, muscular, but not fat, active, kindly, faithful and strictly honest. On account of his height he was ahvays near the right of the line and so at the front. His feet were large and strong, a quality that helps in a long or forced march. At one time, when drawing clothing, he had to have a pair of shoes. There wasn't a pair in the whole supply that came to that post for the army large enough for him. He marched and did every duty called for, barefoot, good naturedly and just as faithfully as any man in the army. Years afterward, while in the employ of the Daniel Shaw Lumber

The company reached Madison and went into quarters at Camp Randall the latter part of August or early in September, 1864, and was there some time. Camp life in Camp Randall was very demoralizing, much more so than in the field. Although guards were stationed at all times at the entrance, yet everybody was allowed to enter and also go out, except those dressed in uniforms of the common soldier. Some of those wearing officers' uniforms were among the most drunken and worst gamblers there. As soon as our company was organized we began company drill, spending from one to four hours daily. After drawing our uniforms and guns and accoutrements we then drilled dressed in uniforms.

The Fifth Wisconsin Infantry, all told, in officers and men, from its first organization until it was mustered out, numbered over 3,000 men. When we joined it, it was reorganized, the old numbers were consolidated into Companies A, B and C, and we went out as one of the seven new companies, carried a new flag and a new state banner. The colonel of the regiment was with us. The balance of the regiment was then in the Shenandoah Valley. The seven new companies left Madison by rail to Chicago, thence to Pittsburgh, to Baltimore and on to Washington, all the way by rail. We were in barracks at Washington some time, and one Sunday morning about twenty-five of our company formed and under the leadership of one of our number, marched up to the White House and saw President Lincoln. Shortly after this visit to the President the regiment was sent across the long bridge into Alexandria, Va., in barracks next the railroad station and held ready for any emergency call, all dressed and arms at hand.

One afternoon late Company K and two other companies of the Fifth were ordered to draw five days' rations and report at the railroad station in five minutes. We rolled up our blankets, buckeled on our belts, slung on our knapsacks, canteens and took our guns and haversacks in hand and lined up before the commissary sergeant, took each his rations of hard tack, pork, coffee, sugar and doubled-quicked for the station. An engine Avith steam up coupled to a train of box cars was there. We climbed in in a hurry and away we went. We were run out to a siding on the old Bull Run battle-ground, fifteen miles in fifteen minutes. When we stopped at the siding army wagons hauled by mules and driven by niggers were coming toward the station on the dead run, drivers yelling and lashing their teams with all their might. Some of the darky drivers were so scared that they had turned pale. ' We tumbled out of the cars before they had fairly stopped and formed in line between the siding and timber, about 80 rods away, where the teams had been gathering wood for the use of the government at Washington. Mosby and his men were raiding the teams. Two horsemen rode out of the woods and looked us over and rode back out of sight. We dug trenches and were in line of battle for several days, and did some scouting, but there was nothing doing. Returned to Washington.

A Gruesome Camp Ground

The seven new companies of the regiment were sent from Washington via Harper's Ferry to Winchester, where we joined the balance of the regiment and went into camp on the battlefield. It was a desolate sight. Every living thing was destroyed. Not even a weed could be seen. The ground was gouged and pounded. A fitting place for new recruits to camp. Shallow trenches had been dug, the dead laid in and covered with earth rounded up a little. Here and there a shallow place had been scooped out and a body twisted and stiffened in its contortions, so that it could not be laid in the trenches with its fellows, was placed in the shallow grave and covered. Rains had come and washed off some of the covering and here an arm and there a foot was pointing mutely toward the heavens. The stench was sickening. One of our boys saw a shoe almost new lying on the field. It looked to him to be about his fit. He thought he had made a good find. He rushed to it and picked it up. He found that it had a human foot in it, which had began to decay. There was no other place for our camp and there we camped for a few days. We formed in groups of fours, buttoned our pieces of tents together, making our tent large enough for four men to sleep in and huddle under during a storm and a shelter for our extra clothing and provisions. Each group of four owned a coffee pot and spider and usually cooked its coffee in common, while each man cooked his own meat. We had fresh beef and salt pork regularly and our rations were abundant and generally good. From Winchester we moved up the valley to Red Cedar Creek, where we became a part of the army under Sheridan, near the battle-ground where the battle of Cedar Creek was fought. Plere we became a part of the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Wright commanding, and remained in that corps until the close of the war. The Fifth "Wisconsin was not in that battle, although it had been a member of the Sixth Corps from the time of its organization. While at Cedar Creek I became indisposed and was sent to the field hospital, which was located in a beautiful place in large tents. My care was very good there, and I was soon able to walk. The presidential election was coming on and I happened to be the only one in the company who had any experience in conducting an election, so tlie captain wanted me to come back to the company and take charge. The surgeon-in-chief advised against it, but did not forbid it. I took my belongings and went back to the company the day before the election and sat at the polls in the open air at the head of the company camp and polled votes all day. That night when I turned in, after making up the returns, I was about played out again.

The morning after election, before I had a chance to return to the hospital, the army was ordered to fall back, the hospital well in front. I was hardly able to march without any load, so with my gun, accoutrements and outfit, I struggled. The army made out a half day's march and it was night when I got in. I got some help in carrying my load by a wagon carrying supplies. The army, as the retreat began, was so severely harrassed by guerillas and rebel cavalry that it went into camp here and sent out strong picket lines. We stayed here luitil after Thanksgiving Day. The day and night before Thanksgiving snow began to fall and on that day the ground was covered and the weather Avas severe. The people in New England had sent down a sliij)- load of turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens for a Tranksgiving dinner for the Army of the Potomac. A lot of "fixings" that go with them was sent too. The part that came to the army in the valley reached it the night before. The advantage of holding commissions was well shown in the distribution. Every group of four enlisted men got one chicken. Every officer a pair of chickens, a turkey or a goose or duck and fixings.

Sharp and deadly work was being done on the picket line. Strong picket posts behind rail and timber barricades composed of the best shots were shooting every enemy in range and many of them in turn were hit and brought in. Although I was not detailed on picket duty, I went out to see them work. Our camp was in the timber. There was no cooking or serving meals by companies or in groups. Each enlisted man usually received five days' rations, consisting of hardtack, a piece of side salt pork, coffee, C sugar, salt and pepper. Also generally fresh beef. The cattle were driven with the army and when in camp enough were slaughtered for one to two days' rations and distributed. We were transferred by rail back to Washington to our old quarters in the shadow of the capitol, and soon marched across the long bridge again to Alexandria, thence by transport down the Chesapeake Bay and up the James river to City Point. At this place, which was then General Grant's headquarters, a train of flat cars was ready for us, on which we took passage for the left. This road was known as "Grant's Railroad," and extended from City Point, behind the lines as far to the left as the army reached, and was used to transport supplies and men back and forth. The road Avas level and graded but little. At places where the hostile lines were close to each other, a high bank was raised along the track on the side towards the enemy for protection. As we were whisked past these places the engineer pulled the lever wide open and we went by at a clip that made it very difficult for us to retain our footing. Each car was loaded to its capacity with standing men, holding on to each other. The noise of the rushing train provoked a storm of shot and shell, but all passed over us or fell behind us. The sharp rattle of musketry and the heavy roar and smoke and flash of artillery all along our right as we speeded along the track showed that the fighting was on all the time. We landed at General Meade's headquarters, some distance to the left of Petersburg, and moved out to the breastworks occupied by the Fifth, or Warren's Corps, and relieved it. Our pickets were detailed and sent out to the front, relieving their pickets and Warren's Corps fell back to the rear of Meade's headquarters and became a part of the reserve. The Second Corps, that we relieved, had built their winter quarters, which we occupied.

When we relieved the Fifth Corps in the long line investing Petersburg, the Union forces were opposed by the line of the enemy extending as far to the left as ours reached. Each line was protected by breastworks in which at every commanding or high point a fort stood, mounting from one to more pieces of artillery, and the field in front of the breastworks were generally cleared of timber. The breastworks were protected by abattis, rows of tree tops stripped of bark and sharpened tops lying with butts set in ground, tops pointing out. The ditches in front of the works were deep and at this time of year, early winter, were mostly filled with yellow, muddy water. The picket posts were rail barricades, the more exposed with earth thrown up against them in front. They were about sixteen feet front with a wing at each end and from twenty-five to one hundred yards apart; each post manned with from five to twenty men. The picket lines were fighting all the time when we relieved Warren's Corps. Every man exposed on either side was shot at by some one or several men on the other side. Casualties were numerous. When we went in there we followed the old custom of the Sixth Corps not to try to kill an opponent unless necessary for the protection of our own lives. We had no personal feeling to gratify bj' wantonly killing. So after repeatedly firing at our picket posts, at a cap poked up in sight on a ramrod, a blouse with a hat above poked into view and getting nothing but chaffing in return, shooting at each other mostly ceased. Instead something like this took place: "Hello, Yank." "Hello, Johnnie." "Got any cofl'ee to spare, Yank?" "Got any tobac, Johnnie?" "Leave me some coffee at the foot of that tree and I'll leave some tobac." And so the trading habit was put in force. The men from each going to the stump or tree sometimes got together and talked over their lots. Soon deserters began to come, sometimes one and later in squads. After a while they came so thick that the enemy attacked us several times, drove in our picket line, and drove us back to the breastworks, where the alarm of the attack had called up the entire army with reserves. We had several of these attacks during the winter, but none of them proved to be very serious. They were made to induce us to shoot deserters who made a run for our lines. They resulted in our capture of some of the attacking men, and as we could not shoot the one or half dozen men running to our lines, the desertions became more numerous. The practice of shooting at every one in sight by the troops, both to our left and right, continued as before we relieved Warren's men. The desertions to our corps were greater than those to the entire balance of the line. Desertion by them was a serious matter. Trusted men Avere stationed all along their line, good shots, with instruction to shoot every man leaving their line coming toward ours without a flag of truce and escort. Many tried it and were shot dead and the report of the effort and death circulated among the men of the rebel army.

During the winter an eseciation for desertion in front of the enemy while in battle took place in front of our regiment, outside the breastworks. Two men had been condemned to be shot. Their graves were dug in the field in our front. The men were brought through the lines in ambulance open wagon, sitting on their coffins; each man's legs were tied together at the ankles and knees and hands tied together behind their back. Each man's coffin was placed aei-oss his grave and he was seated on the foot. His eyes were bandaged; ten men of the provost guard, with loaded muskets, faced the condemned men. The officer in charge took his station by one of the men and instructed tlie guard that when the word fire was given, they must fire at the man aimed at, aiming at his breast. He gave the command: "Guard ready, aim, one, two, three, fire." Before he gave the command "fire," he jerked the man next to him oil" the box and the shots were at the other fellow. He fell backward oft' his coffin with his bound legs still on the coffin, lying on his back, face to the sky, dead, his breast stove in. This was the only execution by court martial in the Sixth Cori3s while I was a member of it. Major General Humphrey, who executed so many men in the Nineteenth Corps, was reputed to be" a brave commander, very rigid and austere. I had a personal taste of his austerity and promptly put his bravery to test, and it was wanting. I was stationed with a squad of men at the picket post on our extreme left. The next one to the left was the Nineteenth Corps post on the extreme right. In the picket posts along our front we had not been required to turn out the guard, form in line and present arms to the general officer of the day of the army, though the rules of war required it, and it was all a soldier's liberty was worth not to do it.

This major general commanding the Nineteenth Corps Avas general officer of the day when I was in charge of this post, and really before I was aware of it (the timber here was rather thick) he rode up at a sharp gallop from my left, just in the rear of my post with the big red sash across his breast and over his right shoulder and a long retinue of aids and orderlies following him, indicating his rank for the day. My post was not in sight of the post either to the right or left, nor of any of the posts of the enemy. Rebel pickets were shooting our way often. This commanding officer halted and called to the one in charge of the post. I stepped out. He told me in no uncertain language in a loud voice, showing auger, what was coming to me for not showing due respect for the general officer of the day by not tui-ning out my guard. I went up close to him and told him that in his big red sash and bright equipment he was a good mark for a rebel sharpshooter over in front and that I did not turn out the guard as it Avould direct attention to him and he might get hurt. Just then a Johnnie's gun went off and the bullet struck the tree top overhead. He went to the rear like a rocket, leaving his retinue far behind, not even stopping to thank me for being so considerate of his safety. Several times during the winter the regi- meut was ordered to break camp. "We fell in, usually in the evening, marched down to the left a few miles, around and back again, or marched to the right towards Petersburg, and after a march of an hour or two, came back to our old camping ground and again pitched our tents in the same places we occupied before. The colonel told me that the army was full of spies and these moves were to mislead the enemy. The point we occupied in the line, with the line genei'ally to the left of Petersburg, had been advanced and we were over a mile in front of its former location. A fort, Davidson, just back of Meade's headquarters and adjoining Warren's headquarters, occupied a commanding position and was cared for. A guard and a lieutenant from our regiment, part of Company K and others, were detailed for this job and stayed there until about the latter part of ]\Iarch. While we were doing guard duty at this fort the battle of Hatcher's Run was fought, Avay down on the left. Company K and the regiment took part, but only as reserves to the Fifth Corps. Company K lost one man, who dropped dead from heart failure. Warren's entire corps passed close by the fort in moving down to the left. We could plainly hear the guns. General Warren Avas there relieved of his command by Sheridan, who came back to his quarters looking a broken man. I was out in front of his quarters when he returned without his aids and orderlies, with only one orderly. He gave me the first tidings of the battle. From the accounts the boys gave me later, it appeared that Company K and the regiment were under a heavy artillery fire, but the shell and shot, though falling all about, did not hurt Company K. Shortly after the return of the regiment from Hatcher's Run, the guard in Fort Davidson was relieved and we went back to the old camp and took part in drills, maneuvers and dress parades, battallion, regimental, brigade and division. All winter, ever since we went into the trenches, the battle had been carried on between the picket lines, and the lines where they were too close together to put out pickets. The roar of musketry and artillery day and night was heard nearly all along the lines. The troops engaged on both sides were always alert to take advantage of any carelessness or weakness shown on either side. Assaults on the Sixth Corps were more frequent than elsewhere, because our troops were not keeping up a constant fusillade. These assaults were by a relatively small force, usually less than five hundred men. Tliey came with a rush and noise that would call out the whole corps. After the shock and shake-up they would retreat with as great a rush as thev came. The casualties were verv small, two or three wounded and once or twice a man killed. They never got off so cheap. Several of these assaults were made upon the line in our front. In one of them we captured a lieutenant and a bunch of enlisted men. The lieutenant was very despondent at being taken alive. I think he Avas slightly wounded, and tliat he would rather have been killed.

A Silent Night March

On the night of April 1, 1865, after dark an army silently marched in and occupied our breastworks and we were ordered to strike tents and prepare to march. The orders were given in a whisper or very low. We were told to put our cups in our haversacks, move our bayonet scabbards around toward the back, so that no metal parts would strike and rattle, to keep perfectly still, no talking nor noise in marching. After forming in line we moved out a little way toward the left and rear. Our guns were loaded and bayonets fixed. We each had sixty rounds of ammunition. We moved a little way in one direction and halted; then moved again and halted. The night set in misty and so dark that we could not see except by the uncertain light of campfires and that made by burning fuses from shells passing overhead from both sides. Just before ten o 'clock at night of the first, I noticed by the fitful glare of the light made by the burning fuses of the shells, that we were close to the dark walls of a silent fort. This was Fort Fisher. We passed through a narrow opening to the left of the fort and against its wall, in the breastworks, just wide enough for one man, and out to the picket lines. Moving as still as we possibly could, yet a body of seven or eight hundred men make some noise in walking, though we moved slow and picked each step as carefully as we could in the dark and rain. The mist of the evening had developed into a light, drizzling Virginia rain, which kept falling nearly all night long. The rebel picket line was alert and at every unusual sound fired toward us and cursed and swore and abused the Yanks. We at once laid down and kept perfectly still. We saw the vicious fiashes of their guns, heard the bullets cut the air about us, the thud when they hit, and all but two or three of the officers hugged the ground. Sharp picket firing had been going on this place for days and the breastworks on both sides had been held by a strong force. The two armies were strongly entrenched all along the lines for miles, but our men, while it was expected they would attack at some point, were trying to keep the point of attack secret. So every noise on our side was magnified by the enemy into an assault, so when we made any noise their whole force manned their works and began firing at us savagely as long as there was any possibility in their minds of there being any force there other than the picket line. They had the range and if we were standing their fire would have got a good many of us, and as it was we lost a number of men during the fusillade. We lay flat on the ground in the darkness and the rain from about ten o'clock for an hour and a half. The firing upon us gradually ceased. Those hit made no outcry. No other noise than the thud of the bullets when they struck the victims. Two soldiers with a stretcher would noiselessly lay the man shot upon it and carry him away. All those hit, whether killed or wounded, were removed at once.

A mistake had been made when we moved out through the breastworks. We passed our left in front and when we faced the enemy the rear of the regiment was in front, so about midnight a whispered order was passed along the line, we got up and fell in, formed in rank, and changed front or countermarched. Although we were as still as we could be, yet the little noise we made roused the Johnnies again and they again began to shoot us. As soon as we were right in front we laid down again. In lying down we broke ranks and this time I laid down just in front of Lieutenant Squires of Company G, from Black River Falls. The rebels shot more accurately this time and we lost more men. I felt the air cut by a bullet which passed over me and struck the lieutenant; a flesh wound in the lower part of his body. He yelled, jumped up and ran the whole length of the regiment and fell and they put him on a stretcher and carried him to the rear. The noise of tlie lieutenant aroused the whole rebel line opposite and gave them our location. They fired on us a continuous rattling volley of musketry and yelled and yelled. The anguishing screams of the wounded lieutenant made them cheer, laugh, damn us and fire at us with all their might. They hit a number of our meu, but the otliers did not cry out. We hugged the ground closer than before if possible. The surface sloped slightly downward toward the enemy and we moved ahead a little to be on a lower level and laid perfectly still while the bullets pounded the earth and cut the air about us. About two o'clock the firing upon us gradually slackened and finally ceased altogether. About 2:30 a. m., of April 2, we carefully and silently got to our feet and stood ready, each man a little way from his fellow waiting. The rain had almost ceased to fall. We were waiting for the order or signal to charge. Our feeling was intense. Nothing could be spcu in front. We knew nothing of the obstacles in our way. We knew that when the big gun in Fort Fisher behind us spoke that we must charge the unseen enemy and kill or subdue them or die in the effort.

Just before three o'clock the Johnnies had quieted down and ceased yelling and shooting at us. At three o'clock in the morning of April 2, the big gun in Fort Fisher was fired. We went in on the jump. Every man yelling, many shooting, all running, carrying our guns any way, every man paying no attention to what was being said or done by the rest ; all charging upon the black darkness ahead. We cleared the space from where we waited, some hundred yards to the rebel breastworks, tore openings through the abattis and were upon their breastworks as quick as we could run there, but not quick enough to avoid a shot from every rebel who could get his gun and get to the works. A number of our men were killed and wounded, about fifty altogether. We surprised the enemy. After they shot the lieutenant and his j-elling with pain caused the commotion at near midnight, we kept so still that they thought they had shot one of our pickets and so they had all turned in excepting the guard when we made the rush. Most of those we got when we went over the works were dressed only in their shirts and drawers. When I went over the works, a Johnnie laid in his shirt and drawers only. He had dropped on his knees and fallen over on his back, his head turned to one side, a good looking, strong, well built man, arms thrown out, his gun on his right arm, a bloody, ragged hole in his shirt just over the heart, dead. He was the first dead man I saw that day. A smouldering camp fire close by may have made the sight more impressive and the reason why I remember it so well, for I saw a great many men killed before the day was done, but none other made such a distinct impression upon me. The point where our regiment struck and captured the enemy's line of works was much lower than on both the right and left, the bottom of a small valley. The land was clear for eighty rods or more from their works to the timber in the rear. In our line of works both to the right and left, at the top of this valley and about eighty rods apart, were two forts. The bottom of the valley where we went in happened to be the point of least resistance. We made so much noise and our line was extended so long and we went with such a rush that though the line swung around and struck theirs end on, yet they must have thought the entire army was upon them. After the short resistance we drove them into the timber and our regiment was right after them. My strength gave out and after we got inside their lines and most of the boys pursued the retreating Johnnies, I, with a few others, staid there at the works. Fires flared up all along the lines and the rain ceased about us. Most of the light, however, was from the flash of musketry and artillery. Then it appeared that lines were waiting ready, back at our picket lines, the outcome of our assault, and when our regiment went in and drove the rebels at this point then there was no occasion for concealment and fires burned everywhere and especially to our right and left. Other members of the regiment who did not chase tlie enemy gathered about me ; some of Company K. They came over the breastworks and our force rapidly increased. There was no commissioned officer with us at first.

The flames shooting from the muskets and the two cannon in the fort to our right, and the screams of those shot, the angry yells of the attacking force and those defending, made the battle there fierce and hand to hand. Our forces in front of the fort were wavering; when I called to our men to attack the fort on the flank and in the rear. "We sent a man over to those in front and we attacked with a rush and yells, shooting as we charged. Just before we reached the fort, the Johnnies ran and the force in front went in the fort with a rush. Just then the attack on the fort across the valley to the left, about eighty rods, began to develop. The Johnnies were working their one gun to the limit. The flash of musketry showed that there was a large force ot infantry in there and that they were all fighting with frenzy. Because of the dai'kness, I could not see the line of men attacking the fort, but the flashes of their gims showed it to be a large body and that it was attacking and was within gunshot of the fort. I pointed out to those with me the fight going on at the fort across the valley and told them that we must go across the valley and help. We rushed down the slope, more men joining us on the way, among whom was a captain of one of the companies of our regiments, with his naked sword in his hand, wild and excited, not knowing what to do. I told him to put up his sword; that he could not do anything with that ; to pick up a gun and some cartridges and come along, we were going to attack that fort up there on the left. The ground was strewn with guns and cartridge boxes, and he at once armed himself and came along. The wall of the fort on the flank where we attacked was ten to twelve feet high from the bottom of the ditch to the top, the side steep and sloping. I told the men that we would run up the wall with our loaded giuis ready, point the muzzle down inside held at arm's length above om- heads and fire and run down in the ditch, load and run vip and fire again as fast as possible. We attacked in this Avay and looked sharp for any of them who would dare to show himself. We made noise enough for a thousand men. By the erys of pain from inside the fort, I knew that an occasional shot of ours was hitting. The army attacking iti front was pushing its force close to the foi-t, when cry for quarter came from the fort to us. I told them to tlirow down their arms, put up their hands and come over and surrender. They ceased firing; part of them ran away and some of them came out and surrendered to us.

We were in possession of over a mile of the enemy's works, including two forts and three pieces of artillery and a squad of prisoners in immediate charge of the men that were with me. The battle had begun to rage off to our left a half mile away in which large bodies of men were fighting. It was an attack on the rebel line. The Fifth Wisconsin had not yet returned from the timber into wiiich it chased the enemy. I wanted to hold our prisoners until the regiment returned. Some of the men with me wanted to shoot them. The prisoners were seared. I would not stand for shooting them or tying them, but tried to get a guard of volunteers to take them to the rear and deliver them to the provost guards. No one would volunteer, so I decided to take them to the rear myself.

On the afternoon of April 2, 1865, after the enemy had been driven out of their works to the left, and forced back toward Petersburg, and after numerous battles Avere fought, in none of which we were called upon to take part, a rebel battery in a grove on a high place inside the enemy's lines was shelling the Union forces. Its fire was disastrous. The gunners were very active and their fire accurate. The Fifth Wisconsin was ordered to charge that battery and drive them out or capture them. From where we were to reach the battery we had to move across an open field of rolling or undulating surface. The regiment moved out in columns of fours. My feet had become so lame that I could not keep up. The regiment followed depression for protection. Its course was zigzag, ahvays going nearer to the battery. I told the colonel that my feet were so lame that I could not keep up and so I would go straight toward the battery, which I did. As soon as the battery saw that the regiment was bearing down upon it, it directed its fire against the regiment. I went across higher ground and nearer the battery than the regiment and clearly saw them both. The first shell they fired went over the regiment, struck the ground beyond and exploded. They depressed the gun, and the second shell struck the ground near me, bounded above the regiment also, went in the ground beyond and exploded. Both shells tore great holes in the earth. The third shot got the range of the regiment and struck a man in the shoulder and ranged through the file of four men, literally tearing them to pieces. The regiment charged the battery at double quick and it limbered up and went off at a gallop toward Petersburg to another high point and opened on us again just as we reached the ground where they were. A few shells exploded over us, but we were not touched. About four o'clock the army was formed in line of battle at right angles to the rebel works and as soon as formed, the left extending for half a mile inside those works and the right far beyond them, towards the Union works, the Fifth Wisconsin near the left, a general advance towards Petersburg was begun. I took my place in the ranks, though I was suffering excruciating pain in my feet. We moved slowly forward until about six o'clock, when we halted for the night, the whole line resting with arms at hand or lying on their arms all night.