The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-10-01

tons CT Florida and Texas every state in
the Confederacy was touched during its
campaigns, and in eight different states it
buried battlefield victims.
The field services of the Fifty-fifth be
gan in Shernan's brigade, in the St. Louis
rendezvous, in 1861, and ended when he dis
banded his army after the grand review in
1865 The regiment was with Sherman at
Shiloh, in April, 1862, and at Bcntonville,
y. c., in March, 1865, having followed his
fortunes closely during the intervening
three years This record alone would be a
proud one. though it could be told in t sftel
Sentences but the regiment bod oePp
s sl"ims to, to aS'ifs; otssr
losses in killed g'1ile arg won place
action entitle---.Ing regiments whose
Its battlsse IVA and mortally wounded ne IN
lily says: .leld losses were distributed over
49,. srynole period of it's campaigns, and in
/ fourteen out of the thirtyfive months
of it's campaigning it counted its killed in
action, and in the aggregate these amount.
| ed to l57, nearly 10 per cent. of the total
| number borne on the regimental rolls:
| Probably one out of every five who STOOD
| in its ranks in battle was killed.
Rut the best of all is that the lighting or
the Fifty-ffth meant something. Shiloh,
| the Vicksburg assaults, Atlanta, these
were the fields of it's fercest struggles
Two of them were victories and the thlru,
| Shiloh, had its triumph for the tuty- hith
aside from share in the general result,
! which was negatively a victory In that
battle the regiment was in sherman
division, Second brigade, and was detached
from the main line and sent to the extreme
left to hold q position more than mile
distant from other troops 1t SO nap
pened that the left flank of the Union line
was Just the point the Confederates &c
tcrmined to smash at the outset lhls
flank rested very near the Tennessee river
and across that river help would come to
Grants support if it came at all. The Con
federate commander wished to fight it out
with Grant alone, and therefore aimed tt
force the Union line back from the rive
, and seize the crossing places before june
zion could be effected between the Cnloi
Z troops on the field and the 10000 marching
To their relief or the routed army could es
cane over the same route The battle wa:
fought as planned. Johnston, the Confed
: crate commander, was wounded While ufS
Ing his men forward to break the Unio'
resistance on the left flank.
g The brigade in which the Fifty-fiftl
r served was commanded on that field b.
the colonel of the regiment, David Stuart
Its fighting strength when brought int
4 close action was 800 men-512 of tn
c Fifty-fifth, the remainder a part CT tn
f Fifty-fourth Ohio regiment The Conted
crate reconnoisances developed the left c
% Prentiss' line, which was next on tn
d right from Stuart, as the left of the Cnio
v army, and that line was the first attacked
;, But the battle was hardly under way wine
, Stuart's men were seen by the Confede
ates, and being in motion, shifting the
,r positions TO receive an expected ATTACH
d they were supposed to be maneuvering
:. flank the enemy's line. Considerable tin
ID was lost by the Confederates in pTepariI
n to meet this new emergency. BriSad
is and regiments changed their places, an
w reserves We're brought up to fill the gap
= the line of battle caused by this eXtens1t
. OF front. 1t fell to the lot of Chalmef
he Confederate brigade, of Wither's divislo
es to grapple with Stuart and that commai
,v moved forward under the personal dire
=, ton of Gen. Johnston, with orders
| drive the lonely brigade back toward Il
Id river and isolate it from the rest OF
n Union army.