The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1880-11-11
FATE. OR WHAT?

No historian of the war will ever
write of companies and battalions, and
the strange fate which followed a COM
pany of infantry attached To u regi-
nient from Michigan need not be look
ell for in history, although ii would
make an interesting page in any
work.
The company was mustered into
service 100 strong and better lot of
men never took the oath Of allegiance
10 Uncle sam. Before leaving the
State three of the men died. On the
trip from Detroit to Washington two
were killed by the cars. In marching
along the streets of the capital another
fell dead. In going into the camp ar
other was accidentally shot through
the heart. Inside Of three weeks there
were seven deaths i'm this company
and not even n ease of sickness i'm any
other. The regiment was i'm camp
near Washington for four weeks, and
two more men died out of this cOmpa-
ny, a third was drowned and the
fourth was shot dead in a street brawl.
This made eleven men, and not anOth-
er company had lost man.
In its first skirmish the company
lost four men. while no other company
had n,an wounded. Its First Lieu
tenant and Third Sergeant were twOof
the killed. Promotions had hardly
been made when the company was de-
tailed for post duty, and guerrillas
killed three of its men at one vOlley.
The First Lieutenant and Third Ser
geant were two of the tree This made
eighteen men, and only one other
company had lost man. Promotions
were again made, and the regiment
became engaged i'm battle. Other COM
panies had men wounded, but this one
had five killed. The First Lieutenant
and Third Sergeant were among the
number This made the total twenty
three. Not man had fallen sick but
to die Not man had been hit except
to 90 down.
BY this time the ill-luck of the COM
pany had become camp talk and men
were not ashamed to believe that there
was something strange and supersti-
tious about it. II was hard work to
find men who would take promotion
and three of the rank and file were SO
unmannered that they deserted. Out
of a loss of twenty-seven men in the
regiment up to this time twenty-six
had been from one company.
a curious change now occurred. In
lis next fight the company lost four
men. The First and Fifth COrporals
were two of these. Within a week
these two same positions were vacant
again. In six months five First and
five Fifth Corporals were killed. while
the First Lieutenant and Third Ser
f.h al II
lose any other commissioned or nom
commissioned officers.
When the company had been re-
duced to siNty-One men no other COM
paDy had less than ninety. Ten re-
cruits joined it on Monday and all
were killed in fight on Thursday.
In couple of weeks seven mere came,
but in less than month death had
reduced the number to siNty-One again.
In fight in which this fated company
was purposely held i'm reserve, the
other nine companies had fourteen
men wounded and one killed. A rebel
shell fell into the midst of the reserve
and killed four men from the one COM
pany In two years il lost l6S men,
while no other company had lost
Twenty-Five. In its three years at the
front il never had man wounded.
Whoever was hit was killed on the
spot. Ii lost more commissioned and
non commissioned officers than any
six companies combined. In one
year the man who went out ~ Fourth
Corporal was First Lieutenant and
dead and almost forgotten. For three
months the company stood at forty
men. Twenty-three recruits were add
ed and in three: months more than
twenty men either died of sickness,
been captured or buried on the battle
field. When it was decided to join
this company with another not one of
the nine would consent and when it
had been reduced TO thirty-eight men
il was transferred to headquarters to
do guard and provost duty.-Detroit
Free Press.