The Ottawa free trader., 1885-07-04
FLAG OF THE FIFTY.THIRD.

! TO the now celebrated Dattle.llag OF the 0Jd
Illinois Volunteer Infantry. II is as fol
! lows:
DEAR SIR AND CoMRApE;-Yom letter
of the 18th came TO hand YESTERDAY, also
clipping from NdtioRdi IytJHHe | was in
every engagement the regiment partici-
pated in with one exception, and that was
the Merriden, Mississippi, raid, And as
YOU know something Of the Fiftythird =
! history, you must know We went through
some close places. But ! never saw such
speedy destruction Of men without chance
of retaliating as on the day we lost that
! flag. After participating in the NiCksburg
siege and without having chance TO view
the city, our brigade, Twenty eighth, Forty
| first, Fifty-third Illinois infantry, Third 10
wa infantry and lIickenloopers Ohio bat
terry commonly known rs Fifth Ohio bat
| terv)were ordered to Black river in COnneC-
/ tlOu with other troops under Gen. Sherman.
| We very soon became aware that Gen.
! John ton and his army were the game Shel-
man was after; We marched oil rather
| lively, thinking that after capturing Nicks
! burg and its garrison We could whip almost
anything. On the evening of July llth,
we found ourselves in line southeast OF
jackson, Miss, north of the jackson "
Mississippi railroad, in Il thick growth OF
black Jack timber, the limbs of the trees
reaching SO close to the ground as to make
it rather difficult forming line of battle. |
think our division, II Fourth division
Seventeenth army corps, composed of two
brigrades, We're all the troops north of the
railroad. The rest of the troops had been
swung into line as they came up west and
south Of Us the line running generally east
and west. Our division was TO connect
with the troops of the 18th corps forming
line running north and south or nearly at
rights with the other troops. On the morn
ing of the 18th we moved forward west 10
make this extension OF line and connect
with the other troops, we threw ont skir-
mishers, pushed the battery forward and
soon developed the enemy strongly en-
trenChed, with trees cut and fallen in every
way to impede our charging or taking the
works, we came to and tore down nice
frame dwelling TO make a position for the
battery; but we were still ordered forward,
Soon we came up with the skirmiSh line
who had advanced rs far as they could, and
still the orders were forward, 50 at them
we went; the men fell thick and fast Col
Earl was wonded, right leg broken, and OF
the four men Ordere, 10 take him off the
field, two were killed and one wounded
The colonel received two canister shot in his
head and three or four through his breast
Major James Hudson and all the field, staff
and line officers except two or three lieu
tenants were either killed or wounded
We had gotten within about fifty yards or
laps of the enemvs works and We're at a
stand could 90 no further and no reserves
to help us At this time | looked to the
right and saw the troops falling back and
| gave the order to fall bac k and waved my
sword to the men to give them TO under
stand that they were to fall back; saw the
flag start back, carried by Sergeant Pound
stone; did not see any OF the rest OF the
color guard with him. and supposed he
was all the one left But it seems the poor
fellow met death then and there and that
the blood on the flag is his blood shed in
defense of that tlag-our flag, When the
regiment got to a place Of safety and the
roll was called, there were but about sev.
enty-tive men left to answer. | cannot say
exactly how many men we took into tue
tipht but think about 300 | know on re-
turning to the regiment about thirty days
afterwards the men said out of every five
men whe went in only one came out do
not think the regiment took II banner or
blue fag into that battle. My recollection
is il was so badly used mp that We quit Us
Ing il sometime before this. \ friend of
mine, Spencer Ellsworth, of the Lacon
Hon.e JOulHai, was in Washington ABOUT
three years ago, and in looking over the
trophies captured at Richmond, came across
this same tiag of ours, and in an article in
his paper at the time describes il in very
much the same manner in which II is now
described hut he did not recollect that the
Fifty third was my old regiment until |
called ON him and mentioned the matter,
when he told me there was also a flag be
longing 10 the Forty fist Illinois. They
lost one the same time and place. They
ought both be brought To Springfield. !
mentioned the matter 10 several at the sol
diers' reunion at Ottawa, two years ago, but
no one appeared to take much interest In II
then. Ny opinion Is that those of us that
did escape that day owe our escape largely
10 the very effective work of the Fifth
Ohio battery | do not think our officers
expected fight nor do think they want
ed one. But think it was blunder for
which Gen. J. G.. Lawman, of Iowa, got the
full credit, and yet | was told that he pre-
served his orders that he acted upon till his
death, and that he repeatedly demanded an
investigation but never got It, aud that the
old gentleman died broken hearted from
the sadness and distress caused by the event
A large portion of the battery that were
with Breckenridge were afterwards cap
tured at kenneSaw mountain, and as they
were being taken north the men of the Fif
ty.third talked with them about the Jack.
son charge. They said they double shotted
their guns with grape and canister; that
their officers fully expected 10 see line OF
support but as none came, they thought It
shame to see 80 many brave men need.
lessly sacrificed.
Capt. II. b. Reed can get this (or the
two, Fifty.third and Forty.tir flag, and
can In any way render him any assistance,
[ would gladly do so. sent one stand OF
colors home to the ladies of Ottawa, by Gus.
Clarke, from Savannah, Georgia, when We
drew new set, but never heard of II or
him afterwards
As this Is getting too lengthy will quilt