The National tribune., 1890-05-15
"ELEyENrH-HoUR SOLDIERS.

Did they do nothing but draw their big
bounties, feast sumptuously in pleasant
camps for a few weeks, and then marching
home again? That is the impression that
one gets from reading the diatribes in the
aforesaid papers.
Very curiously, the true history of the war
does not give this even feeble support 1t
shows that these eleventh-hour men, who
were sent 10 the field in the beginning of
1854, TO fill mp the war-wasted batialions, or
III new regiments, went directly to the most
! CHASTITY fields of slaughter that ever Redeemed
this earth's surface. There is not sensible
man now living who, in the light of that
experience, would take 10 times the biggest
bounty that was paid those men, and en-
counter for an hour what they went through
for weeks. Let us cite few instances to
show this: The Ist Me. H. A. had a good
many of these eleventh-hour men, who prob
ably received quite large bounties. 1t had
2,202 men on its rolls, and did not enter the
field until May, 1864. It's first fight took
place few days later, on the Fredericksburg
Pike, where it lost the appalling number of
III men killed and 900 wounded, or 47G in
| all. Here was more than one-fifth destroyed
at once. Had the regiment been in n Euro
| pean army this would have ended its fight
| ing. 1t would have been considered that it
had done enough, and more than enough,
and it could have gone with honor to some
! safe garrison in the rear for the rest of the
campaign. But this was only the beginning
of its fighting. By The time the Army of the
Potomac had settled down in the trenches
| around Petersburg, the 1st Me. II. A. was
reduced TO 900 muskets. June Is, 1864, q
little over a month after it had entered the
field, il made q charge upon The rebel works,
and lost out of these 900 632 killed and
wounded. Nor did this unparalleled loss
end its fighting. In the subsequent opera
render, it lost so more killed, and by the
time il was mustered ont it had lost of its
original 1902, 423 killed, $50 wounded, 81
had died in rebel prison, and 239 of the
hardships and diseases of that awful cam
paign, making total Of 543, or more than
20 per cent VIII some soldier hating editor
take this home to himself and figure out
how much bounty it would take TO induce
him TO enter, even at the eleventh hour,
regiment in which seven out of every 10
members were killed, died, or were des-
perately wounded inside of 10 months after
it entered the field?
The 3lst BE. was an eleventh-hour"
regiment having been organized in March
and April, 1864. 1t left the State with 939
men, and went directly into the Fighting at
the Wilderness. In fearfully-short time
Il lost GA Of these, killed and wounded in bat
tie, and had behaved so calamity that il was
complimented in general orders. 1t would
take very large portion Of the surplus TO
induce any of the men who arc now deriding
such soldiers, to follow the 31st Mes colors
from the Wilderness to Bethesda Church.
The 18th VI. did not leave the State until
April is, 1864, and two weeks later it re-
ceiyed its baptism Of fire. II enrolled ,l37
men, Of whom l47 were killed, 229 wounded
AID III died in prison or hospital-total,
346, or more than one-fourth.
The 57th and 53th Mass. were nearly the
last contributions Of the State TO the war.
They did not leave the State till late in
April, 1864. The 57th took out ,O52 men,
OF whom it lost 81 killed in the Wilderness,
- killed at Spottsylvania, Is at North Anna
and 60 in the fighting around Petersburg
Altogether it lost 201 killed, or one man in
every five, SIS wounded, and SO who died
in prison, of disease, etc. That is, S02 of the
total of 1,O52 who left the State were either
dead or badly wounded before the end of
the year. The 55th took out / ,032 men, Of
whom if lost 139 killed, $50 were wounded,
and 156 died in prison or Of disease; total,
/ 647, or three out Of FIVE.
The 164lh, 1G9lh and 10th n. Y. did not
reach the front till quite late in the day.
The 1G4th took out 928 men, Of whom it
lost 1l6 killed, 32l wounded, 60 died in
prison and 60 from bardships and disease
! total, 4GG, or more than one-half The 1G9th
had ,467 men, Of whom 157 were killed,
! 46l wounded and I2S died-total, TAG on
more than one-half The 10th had LOOP
men, Of whom 100 were killed, 352 wounded,
A. died in prison and 40 of disease, making
a total Of 579 or nearly out Of 8.
The 1ssth Pa. was one of the States latest
contributions 10 the army 1t was largely
made up Of veterans who re-enlisted and
got considerable bonnties for doing 80. 1t
was organized in April, 1864, and immedi-
ately went to the front with 800 men and
began heavy lighting. Between that time and
Sept 30, when il had it's last fight at Chaiiin's
Farm, ii lost 124 Of these killed, 332 wounded
~