Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-04-30
The Fourteenth Wisconsin Regimen.
Correspondence of the Milwaukee News

!
~ last Sunday morning we were some
what startled by heavy oannonading and
'errible roar OF mu>ketry in the vicinity
OF Pittsburgh Landing, nine miles above
here. Aboue nine clock news came
| that the enemy We're driving us; at noon
i no better at three. ditto at rundown
! perhaps things were ii little better in ap-
| pearnce.
A part Of the advance division Of Gen
| Bue ] 5 army under Gen. Wilson, seven
thousand strong, had arrived on Saturday
| intending To 90 up on boats, but there be-
ing no boats he was ordered up by land at
noon, Sunday, and arrived just in time to
check the inyrmidians OF Secesh.
Our regin ent BENZ stationed ut Savan-
nah guard we had no expection of
being ordered to the scene of conflict, b It
at p. NJ. one Of Gen. Smiths aids call
ed on Col. " ood, and stated to him that
Cen. Crittenden, whose division would ar
rive about dark, wanted one or two more
regiments and ask if the l4th would be
willing to 20? Certainly they would. was
! Col Nood's reply. | have not been in
structud by Gen. Grant to order YOU, but
will take the responsibility I'VE are
willing, and viii be ready in half an hour :"
Immediately the long roll was sounded
In hall an hour the regiment was ready
to mareh-in thirty minutes more we
were all aboard, the boats y ere loaded
down with troops, and we started.
We arrived at eleven. As we di-em-
barked it was as dark rs Egypt. OF
course none Of us had ever been at Pitts
burgh Landing before. We landed in the
mud. piodded along up a steep bluff, STUN
! bling through the mud and over wounded
and dead men. tell you it was dreary
walk up that road-muddy, narrow, dark
and the air filled with the neighing of hor-
ses, the brayi z of mules, and the sicken-
| ing odor OF human blood and the groans
OF wounded. and dying men Once up
/ on the bluff the regiment WAS formed in
| line as we'll as might be. They could not
/ he down 1t WAS too muddy V. c had
/ hardly taken our stand when up cam" Il
J fearful thund-T shower which lasted for
( hours. Du, Inw the entire night, at inter-
! vais OF about fifteen minutes the old gun
/ boat flung Il she'll over among the rebels
to prevent them from planting batteries
AID lowing Us all to the other side of
borden. Add to all this the reflection OF
each man, that may be this vas the last
| night on earth, and YOU have IL fair pict-
ure of what the 18th Regiment Wisconsin
Volunteers SAM, heard and elt on the ev-
or memorable my ht o. the 9th Of April.
! 1862
As soon as it was light, the Regiment
was ordered to fail in, form in line
and with others marched on the field
The battle had aIreauy begun. The 18th
was attached temporarily Gen Critten-
den S division under the immediate com
mand OF Col Smith of Kentucky, acting
bri2adier The brigade onsisteG of the
lfth Wisconsin, Il Kentucky Regiment,
and two Indiana regiments. The place of
honor was given to the Wisconsin re giment
The first Chicago battery was planted at
our right the first Nebraska infantry
Was at the right OF the battery.
Our line oil battle was about six miles
| long, nearly in the form Of semi circle
Our position was a little to the left Of he
center. Our brigade was formed in line
OF battle at SIX o clock as the first reserve
of that bloody strife A eight Gen Crit
tendon asked me how many of the Wis
consin regiment were killed | answered
none; two slightly wounded He said
''That is wonderful, they have been in full
view of the enemy and under fire ever
since they came on the battle field
At five minutes past eight the rebels
came pouring down upon US in fearful
Numbers, with wild yeils, an Bragg hav-
ing previously planted battery with the
view of rakin@ us as we Use, The design
of ; 'cesh no doubt was to take the chi
caro- battery referred to- OF course there
fore, Of Col. Smith brigade the 18th
was ordered to rise. They oheved the
command instantly, at the rebels they
went IN real earneat. For a time the
contest was doubtful. when the Wisconsin
boys were ordered to CHI rye bayonet-
and with yells that almost drowned Bracr's
hlt haV III IL,
and drove five rebel regiments at least
one mile. While thus pursuing the enc
my, Col. Smith rode up to Lieut. Col. Mess
more, and asked him if he could take that
battery I'VE can try, was the reply
and Lieut.. Col NJ. rode deliberately
through the ranks, swinging his sword over
his head. and asked the bows if they
would follow him? I'VE will they an
swcred with loud cheers ''Well, then.
we viii take yonder battery" Dashine
through under brush filled with flvinr bull
lets and retreating rebels in Il few minutes
the battery was III our possession. This
battery was taken and re-taken several
,:nes and finally held by our regiment, and
bears the words, Taken by the 14th Regt,
Wis Vol"
The manner in which our Lieutenant
Colonel led the first charge the battery
deserves all praise. | heard a captain re-
mark "rhat would have done honor to
Marshall Mcdonald" and it is a wonder
how he escaped, rs more than Il hundred
guns were aimed and fired at him About
halfpast twelve the Lieutenant Colonel,
together with his horse were thrown upon
the ground by the bursting of shell, and
he was then taken from the field
The 14th Wisconsin continued in the
fight from the commencement to its end
Nearly every man did his whole duty, and
acted IS patriots and heroes should act
The fact that our regiment virtually vol
unteered to come up on Sunday night
when all was supposed to he lost or near
! lv So the fact that they stood all night in
the rain, and marched at early dawn to
the field Of battle, with simply IA hard
cracker for breakfast; the fact that they
stood under fire for two hours and then
fought right on without finching till the
great battle was over, and the victory
won. The fact that Generals Buell. and
Crittenden complimented them in the high
est manner, saying that veterans could
| fight no better; the fact that the regiment
came off the lie d in order. and that at
DI"ht every man in the re.riment ,vaS no