The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-07-21


ON THE YIELD.
ed. Col Kelley was hit twice. True the
Sixty-ninth didn't win the battle Of Antle-
tam; but suppose Il had flincheL before chat
biting hail and carried back the brigade
line with Il and with that the supporting
divisionsf What them Possibly the eman-
cipation proclamation would never have
been issued. Such incidents may decide
great battles and turn the scale Of war.
Just three months after Antietam the
Irish brigade was again called Into the
breach to try where others bad failed. A
new leader bad come TO the division Han
cock the SupeFb-aA successor to Richard
son. who fell ut Antietam.
In front Of MRrye'S Height, on the morn
ing Of Dec. Is, 1862, the command formed
In line TO support the battalions Of Gen
French In Qssaulting the stone wall.
Shortly before the battle the old green
Gags Of the IFsh regiments had been sent
home and replaced with new cOlors, pre-
sented by admirers In New York. The
ranks were 10 thin that Gen. Meagher de
cided not TO risk the new banners In the
fredericksburg fight, and when the men
paraded on the flats along the river and
formed for the charge he rode up to the
Sixty ninth, which was In front as usual,
and taking q bunch Of green from q box
hedge close at hand placed 1t In his cap,
with 4 signal TO the men TO do the same.
In short order the hedge was stripped and
every man had waving tuft Of green for
his battle plume. The general spoke few
words to the Sixty-ninth and then rode out
beside its colonel, Robert Nugent, leading
It by column to the point Of assault.
Shot and shell swept the ground; deep
mill rice and two fences obstructed the
march, and the Sixty-ninth was Obliged 70
halt under fire TO allow the rear Of the line
TO close up. AZ the base Of the hill the
brigade formed In two columns, the Sixty
ninth In front, on the right. Forward the
doomed ranks marched against the deadly
stone wall. over the dead and wounded Of
French's shattered brigndrs, up to the
third fence, which had not yet been passed
by any boy In blue. Hating there, the
men knelt or lay down and fired ut the
enemy above. A supporting brigade soon
reached the spot, and then the survivors
Of FFench's battAlions and the few Irish
men yet unhurt arose and Joined the
charging ranks The lust fence was passed,
and handful rushed for the stone wall to
die nearest the works, the only thing left
todo. The Sixty-ninth was literally wiped
ouNs AODuN W NhGu =" w utAu bGGu III BAIT
mlEh line were all that remained for duty.
The roll call that morning showed IS OH
GERS and 2l0 men present, and the casu-
alties were 10 officers and lO3 men killed
and wounded. The mortality in the ranks
was again enormous, the dead numbering
30 against 70 wounded. The bearer Of the
United States cOlors was found on the field
with the Gag wrapped around his chest,
his arms folded across It, and bullethole
through the flag and through his heart as
we'll. Among the wounded officers were
Col. Nugent and the major. and two cap
tains that had succeeded them In command
For some reason the Irish brigade was
not allowed 70 recruit Its ranks, and after
fredericksburg the eixth-ninth was con.
solidated into two companies. At GettyS-
burg Il responded to Hancock's cAil and
charged across the Wheat Field. losing 10
killed and wounded and missing out Of
% engaged. After Gettysburg the sur.
vivors Te-enlisted, the brigade was kept up
and the regiment fought under Hancock
In the Wilderness and Petersburg. In It's
last hard fght, March %, 1865, It's killed
numbered 90, with only 90 wounded. In
its whole career, not including Bull Run,
the Casualties scored LII, Of which SO
were killed and wounded. The total deaths
on the field were 96l. The regiment car
RED ,5I8 men on Its rolls. The percentage
Of killed was a tribe over II, the highest
among all the New York regiments and
the fifth from the top In all the Union
army. A few more such and England could
well have paid US 10 keep the war a-gning
Her old hereditary foe would soon have
been Wearing o the Green" out Of haTm's
way, that is wearing Il over their graves.
GRoRGR l. KILMRR