The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-03-03

tions Of Florida and Texas every state in
the Confederacy was touched during its
campaigns, and In eight different states 1t
buried battlefield victims.
The field services Of the Fifty-fifth be-
gan in Sherman'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, 1869, and at Bentonville,
N. c., in March, 1885, having followed his
fortunes closely during the intervening
three years. This record alone would be a
proud one, though IL could be told in few
sentences, but the regiment has other
claims to notice, having won a place
among the 800 fighting regiments whose
losses in killed and MORALLY wounded in
action entitle them TO special classification.
Its battlefield losses were distributed over
the whole period Of its campaigns, and in
fourteen out Of the thirty-dye months
Of its campaigning 1t counted its killed in
action. and In the aggregate these amount
ed to Isl, nearly Is 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.
But the best Of all Is that the fighting Of
the Fifty-fifth meant something. Shiloh,
the Vicksburg assaults, Atlanta, these
were the fields Of its flercest struggles.
Two Of them were victories and the third,
Shiloh, had Its triumph for the Fifty fifth
aside from share in the general result,
which was negatively a victory. In that
battle the regiment was In Sherman's
division, Second brigade, and was detached
from the main line and sent to the xtreme
left to hold a position more than a mile
distant from other troops. 1t SO hap
pened that the left flank Of the Union line
was just the point the COnfederates de
termined to smash at the outset. This
flank rested very near the Tennessee river,
and across that river help would come to
Grants support II It came at all. The Con-
federate commander wished to fight It out
with Grant alone, and therefore aimed to
force the Union line back from the river
and seize the crossing places before juno
ton could be effected between the Union
troops on the field and the 10000 marching
to their relief or the routed army could es-
cape over the same route. The battle was
fought as planned. Johnston, the Confed-
crate commander, was wounded while urg
ing his men forward to break the Union
resistance on the left flank.
The brigade in which the Fifty-fifth
served was commanded on that field by
the colonel Of the regiment, David Stuart.
Its fighting strength when brought into
close action was 800 men-5l2 Of the
Fifty-6fth, the remainder a part Of the
Fifty.fourth Ohio regiment. The Confed-
crate reconnoisances developed the left Of
Prentiss' line, which was next on the
right from Stuart, as the left Of the Union
army. and that line was the first attacked.
But the battle was hardly under way when
Stuart's men were seen by the Confeder-
ates, and being in motion, shifting their
positions to receive an expected attack,
they were supposed to be maneuverinE to
flank the enemy's line. Considerable time
was lost by the Confederates In preparing
to meet this new emergency. Brigades
and regiments changed their places, and
reserves were brought up to fill the gap in
the line Of battle caused by this extension
Of front 1t fell to the lot Of Chalmers
Confederate brigade. Of Wither's division,
to grapple with Stuart, and that command
moved forward under the personal direc-
ton Of Gen. Johnston, with orders to
drive the lonely brigade back toward the
river and isolate IL from the rest Of the
ITniOn army