Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-06-29
and exhaust their strength in marauding to

Collect IL iOr us OWN gam VI az
Thank God, you, in common with every othe
high minded soldier, hold in adherence sucl
base, such ignoble acts. In the performance
of your more active military duties, you hav,
without confusion without any lawless vic
Ienoe, made many fatiguing march in sum
mer,s heat and winters cold, in dust, in mud
in sunshine and storm without the least fal
tering or murmuring. Such was your disci
pIine that you promptly executed every or
der, whatever it might be.
ssYours not to make reply
Yours not to why,
Yours but to do or. die"
this was the sentiment, the esprit du corn
of your regiment. By your admirable con
duct on the battle field you have elevated
the character of the American solder through
out the world. Participating in many sharp
skirmishes and perilous reconnoisances you
never failed to meet every just expectation.
FearIe sslv and firmly have you faced dangers
and difficulties of the most appalling charac-
ter. But on no field, in no place, III no emer-
gency however terrible have you quailed be-
fore dancer or failed to do all that human
arms could do to sustain the National cause
and vindicate the National authority MANY
an insolent traitor has, by your blows, been
made TO bite the dust. Everywhere have you
essentially contributed by your vaior to avert
disaster from the Army of the Potomac and
materially aided it in winning the substantial
fruits of victory. Amid the frightful sl3ugi
ter, the horrors of blood and gloom which
have made the battle fields of Bull Run
Gainesville, South Mountain, Antetam, Fred
ericksburg Charlottesville, Gettysburg and
the Wilderness ever memorable, you bore
yourselves nobly and W ell. Your regiment was
always in its proper position in that brigade,
whose glory or fortune it was ever to be,
sson the perilous edge
OF battle hen ir ragged in all assaults
when death strokes fell the fastest, obstin-
ately contesting every inch OF ground with
the enemy-now by an impetuous charge
falling upon his bewiidered lines like a thun-
derbolt and hurting his masses before it
then by well directed musketry fire thin
ming his ranks-now REFUSING some desper-
ate charge of cavalry-tben unmasklng and
taking some battery dangerously posted
now recovering some ground that had been
Iost-aud then with consummate skill and in
the most perfect order covering the retreat;
such has been the position, the work of that
Brigade which has won for itself the title it
so well deserv5s-a title at once suggestive
of its magnificent courage, its unconquerable
will, its lnvincible spirit and resolution. Need
| add that that title is " The Iron Brigade -
that it is now known and IS forever to be
distinguished by that name, so nobly won
50 proudly won? And it is called "The
Iron Brigade because on many a bloody
UeIl mas the TACT Deen established Iuat II was
composed Of men who like the Old Guard of
Napoleon, die in their places facing the foe,
but they never fly, they never surrender. 1t
was with that Brigade soldiers of the Second,
that you were associated. Such were your ri
walls in fame, such your companions in glory
And you all achieved for yourselves imper-
ishable renown. Whatever fortune may be-
tide that Brigade in the future-upon what
ever fields it may win new honors or lose its
air IL bap la
secure When your connection with it
terminated, its name was respondent with
glory. And when the Muse of History comes
to consign to her immortal records the deeds
of valor and devotion performed by our sol
diers and sailors IN this war, she viii find no
page upon which she can dwell with more de-
light than the one which tells the story of
the brilliant career of The Iron Brigade"
while you we're associated with it.
But this is not the occasion to recount your
exploits, so marvellous and wonderful. I viii
add that l know of nothing in your career
that would alter or change were ii in nay pow
er TO do it. There is nothing in your con
duet as regiment, from its first baptism in
fire and smoke at Bull Run the 2Ist of
July, 1861, down to the recent period, when
in triumph and with garments purple with
blood its men emerged from that Armaged-
don, the Wilderness, that your fellow citi-
zens would have otherwise than 1t Is. Quite
true it is that you were not always victorious
that the fortune Of war sometimes inclined
to the side of the enemy. True it is that our
hearts were at times terribly depressed, al
most crushed at the result of some conflicts
in which you had been engaged. We believ-
ca on the first dispatches 4zt no blame for
these sad failures attached to YOU, either as
individuals or a regiment. In this 5ood opin-
ion Of YOU we found ourselves always con
frmed by the full accounts OF the battle. No,
whatever others did OF failed to do, the
Second Wisconsin always did Its assigned
work, thoroughly, seasUnably and well. In
these remarks | make no exception, because
in Justice none should be made. Not even in
the first battle in which you were engaged,
disastrous as it was in its result, did you
disappoint any hope or forfeit any conf
dence we had reposed in you. You, as did
our rank and file generally, acquitted your
selves well on that bloody field. Indlsci-
plined troops, as you all were, Just from the
farm the shop, the counting room, the col
lege and the lawyers office, unacquaInted
with war, ignorant of the country, you were
sent-after fatiguing MARKEDLY regiments,
without concert, into the brush and woods
over hills and through obscure roads
to hunt mp the enemy wherever YOU
could find him and fight aim in his
fortified admirably chosen positions
Under these disadvantages even, by your des-
perate yaior, you succeeded in whipping him.
But after your strength was exhausted, sud
denly, late in the day, you found yourselves
confronted by fresh troops. Your supports
were at distance, and not brought into ac-
ton at all, while another force that should
have co-operated with you IN the engagement
whose men were burning with Impotence
70 do so-was, .fgdsy the commander is general
rapidly retiring from, instead of advancing
upon the enemy. That YOU were finally driv-
en back defeated, under these circumstances,
was no matter of surprise, no wonder But
As ! have said, not alone your regiment, buI
our rank and file generally, conducted them
selves we'll on that day- The first battle OF
Bull Run, then, has its bright features and
great compensations. For, while we can bu
admit that the battle was illustrated by nc
consummate generalship, no high military
genius planning the movements and directing
the undisciplined valor Of our troops, yet the
discriminating observer viii not fail TO mark
numerous examples of the greatest bravery
displayed by regiments and individuals there
eaEaged-ieeds of heroiSm which llumine
xse gloom Of that dark days business with S
terrible beauty ike the lightning playing u
rhs ..g.., - IN 4f,rr1- have lRplr for I