The National tribune., 1883-10-25
The Fourth Wisconsin at Port Hudson.
10 the editor NArroNAL TRIHuNE:

10 the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In your Issue of September 13, 1888. w. H.
Roosevelt, Second (Duryea| Zouaves, asks Of
Comrade Surby where certain regiments were
at Port Hudson, La. during the siege, and as
1 was member of company |, Fourth Wis
consin, tone of the regiments nlentioned,1 l
will attempt to answer his question, SO far as
that regiment is concerned. On the 9th day
Of May, 1863, being the day of the first assault,
my regiment was about half mile from the
right of the Federal line and directly in front
of four-gun rebel battery. The assault On that
part of the line was made in line of battle, our
forces being five lines deep. My regiment was
in the third line and upon coming out of the
woods, about one-fourth of mile from the rebel
works, we found piece of low ground between
US and the enemy. 1t was not a swamp, but
slight depressioEa of perhaps twenty-five or
thirty feet. This had been covered with TIM
Der felled by the rebs, so as to form an abatis.
When we reached it, we found that the two
lines of battle in our front had been broken.
We went into the brush and forced our way
through and to within twelve or fifteen rods
of the enemys works, where we succeeded in
silencing the rebel battery above mentioned,
but not until they had made sad havoc with a
light battery in our rear, which presume to
have been the Eighth Vermont. This battery the
rebS ruined in a very short time. The Fourth
Wisconsin lost seventy-two men killed and
wounded in the engagement. The regiment at
this time was mounted infantry, and our horses
were left in the rear and we charged as infantry.
We held our ground until the evening of June 1,
when, after dark, we were relieved by another
regiment and we returned to the rear to our
horses. On June Sd, at daylight we started
with the Sixth and Seventh Illinois cavalry
for Clinton, La distant about thirty miles,
and here at about o'clock p. m. Col. Grierson,
who was in command, ran us into an ambush
of about 1000 rebs under Gen. Writ Adams,
and in one hour had us most beautifully licked
and the retreat. Here Gen. Grierson
showed one of his brilliant acts of putting
an independent company of cavalry in the
rear to cover the retreat and allowing it TO get
gobbled UP, instead of sending company of
one of his crack regiments-the Sixth and
Seventh. I think the independent company
mentioned was from Massachusetts,. After
they we're gobbled up, the covering of the re-
treat was left to my company of mounted in
fantry. The loss of my regiment was thirteen
men killed and wounded. On reaching Port
Hudson again, sometime before midnight,
my regiment camped In the woods in the
rear of our lines. Here we remained until
June 18th, when we were taken again as infan-
try to the front or near it, where we lay on our
arms over night to be in readiness for the as
sault of the next morning. Early on the morn
ing of the 18th of June we were marched IN
under cover of the darkness to within eighty
rods of the rebel works and told to lie down
until the signal to charge was given. This was
given about daylight and away we went to
slaughter. At the roll-caH that morning 226
men of our regiment answered to their names.
Of these, two were excused, leaving 224 men to
go into the charge. OF these, 139 were killed
or wounded, being q loss of over 65 per cent.
The smallness of the regiment is accounted for
by the fact that we had been In service two years
and two companies were on detached duty and
absent, and all convalescents were either in
hospital or left TO care for our horses. In
the charge / think every officer was killed or
wounded. / think we are entitled to the
"pastry." At some future time may under
take to eriticise the order of Gen. Banks for the
conduct Of the charge then made
L. B. BENNETT,
Private Co. I, 4th Wis Vols.
WoRTHTNGToN, MINI.