The Portland daily press., 1892-03-09

Capt, -Hazlett. whose battery was aiding
Vincent's men, was killed at his guns, and
Col. O'Rourke, of the One Hundred and
Fortieth New York, was shot down as he
led his regiment to their support. Col.
Vincent soon fell with a mortal wound, but
the fight went on until Hoods charge was
eifectually repulsed.
The loss Of the regiment was 46, the
death list being 1s The men had fought
behind sheltering powders, and thus the
casualties were comparatively slight.
The Eighty third entered the Wilderness
campaign in the spring of 1854, in Bartlett's
brigade, Griffin's division, Warren's (Fifth)
corps BARTLETT opened the battle at the
Wilderness on May 5, and the regiment
lost 20 killed and wounded on that field
At Spottsylvana Bartlett again opened the
fight. Warren's corps led the march in the
attempt to seize the court house. The gen.
erals expected to encounter nothing more
than Stuart's cavalry outposts, but when
the Eighty-third attempted to brush away
the opposition met at Laurel Hill it found
line of Confederate works, manned with
infantry, blocking the road. A calling
musketry fire saluted the advance, but the
Pennsylyanians fixed bayonets on the
march and dashed upon the barricade.
Many men crossed over and piled the bay
onet, even taking some prisoners and send
ing them back to the rear.
Every man that entered the works was
wounded and come of the number severely.
The regiment meanwhile held it's line with
in few PAGES of the barricade and poured
in a fusilade until its ranks were fearfully
depleted The color bearer was wounded
at the beginning of the charge and the col
ors left his hands. He subsequently re-
yived, seized the flag again and planted 1t
on the breastworks, but receiving another
wound in the breast, hurled the banner
back to the rear, where it was secured by
other hands. Lacking support, the regi-
nent finally retreated after losing 1854 killed,
wounded and missing. The death list in
the end reached 81. Spottsylvania was
the sixth and last great battle of the regi~
ment. In these six-Gaines' MILL Malvern
Hill, Second Bull Run, Gettysburg, Wilder
ness and Spottsylvania-the death list on
the field amounted to 232, and the record
shows how great the loss of life may be
in negative fighting. The regiment had
stormed no batteries and carried no key po-
sitions-simply stood it's ground vallantly
while there was hope, sometimes yalnly,
and again with success.
to Petersburg the loss was slight. At Pee
bles' Farm, Petersburg. on Sept. 80. 1864
the regiment, reduced to battalion,
charged upon a Confederate redoubt.
planted it's banner first upon the parapet
and learned after long years of bloody
work how sweet is the taste of victory. Its
loss in that affair was 10 killed. The mem
bership of the regiment first and last was
1.s0S OF this number 81 were killed or
wounded. The total deaths in battle was
2S2; the deaths by disease, etc, amounted
to 1873 OF the wounded 1917 were perma.
nently disabled, and hence the waste in
aggregate amounted to S32, or 40 per cent
of the hardy young country boys who went
out in the bloom of health to battle for
their country. To this should be added
the permanently disabled by disease and
hardship, and it would be interesting to
know what proportion of the men who
stuck to the colors escaped either wound,
death stroke or permanent disease.
GEORGE L. KILMER.