The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-06-02

occupation or those doughty fellows who
were expected to hew way through liv-
ing breastworks straight from the Poto-
mac and the Big Sandy to the Gulf. But
it is the fortune of war that all cannot be
great. TO the majority the bubble reputa-
ton breaks and is gone before eager hands
can toss it in the air to be seen of all men.
Those who built great hopes on the Sixty
ninth New York volunteers, however, never
had cause to regret their enthusiasm.
The Sixty-ninth volunteers sprang from
that old Sixty ninth militia, which fell into
disgrace for refusing to parade at the
Prince of Wales reception in 1858. Irish to
the backbone in their hatred Of England
but not less SO in their love for their
adopted country, when! Lincoln called for
militia troops in April, 1861, they asked to
be purged of contempt for insu bordination
in order that they might march to the de-
Tense of Washington. On April 20 the
charges against their colonel, Michael
Corcoran, were dismissed, and three DAYS
later the regiment with OVERLOOKING ranks
started for the capital The order for
transportation called for 1000 men, but
over 1900 were borne on the rolls, and the
display they made marching down Broad
way was unique even for those days. The
city was carried away with excitement.
and their line of march was almost car
peted with bouquets flung at them from
windows, balconies, pavements and even
housetops The column was headed by
banner drawn by four horses, bearing the
motto "Sixty-ninthl Remember Fon-
tenoy." i.
Soon after the regiment reached Virginia
1t was joined by company of boy Zouaves,
known as the "Meagher Guards" and led
by the famous Irish patriot, Thomas Fran
els Meagher. The Sixty-ninth made a
spirited charge at Bull Run-the men i'm
petuously stripping off their knapsacks in
order to have free swing, and came out
minus the colonel captured, the lieutenant
colonel killed, and a loss altogether of 1872.
The killed outright were 80, the second
highest in the battle. Capt. Meagher led
the regiment home, and was the hero of
the hour. His Zouave company, in bright
red uniform, had been conspicuous at Bull
Run, and one of his men, John D. Keefe,
had brought off the green flag after the
first bearer had been shot down. Keefe
was himselfswounded while defending the
banner. After his musl1et had been torn
from his hands he shot down two assail-
ants with revolver and made another one
prisoner.
After Bull Run the floodgates of eulogy
and adulation were again opened, and the
new Sixty ninth, formed from nucleus of
the militia regiment, took the field handi-
capped with reputation that only the
fercest heat of battle could bring to
proper temper. 1t was the current notion
that that three commands had done the
execution at Bull Run-the Black Horse
cavalry and the Louisiana Tigers on the
southern side and the Irish Sixty-ninth on
the northern. Meagher became colonel of
the regiment, and in accepting it's services
for three years the war department. sug-
gested the formation of brigade composed
entirely of Irishmen. The idea spread like
wildfre; recruiting began in New York,
Massachusetts,, Pennsylvania and the west
and in few weeks the Sixty ninth volun-