The National tribune., 1892-04-14
SOME "ELEvENTH-HOU MEN"

SOME "ELEvENTH-HOUR MEN"
The soldicr-hating press is particularly
harsh upon the "eleventh-hour men" who
did not get into the army until the last year
of the war. These criticisms are almost in
variably from men who did not enlist at oil,
though their country called them just as
loudly as it did others, and tempted their
cupidity with just as big bounties as were
paid to anybody. 1t is they who shirked
every part of the burden of the conflict who
are most severe upon those who rallied
around the flag. They seem to be constantly
trying to palliate their own cowardice and
selishness by disparaging the patriotism OF
those whose example was a strong rebuke to
them.
Turning over some war records we came
upon illusions to some of these eleventh
hour men which showed just how much
ground the soldier maligners had for de-
nouncing them.
The seth, 57th and 5Sth Mass. were nearly
the last of the troops which Massachusetts,
raised for the war. But three regiments
were attempted to be raised afterward, and
before the organization of these was COM
| pleted the Confederacy went to smash. So
| the three regiments named can be considered
| as really the last which were raised, and
| they fill the bill of eleventh hour men "
completely. All three were organized in
the Spring of 1864, and none Of them COM
pleted its quota. Let us give brief sketch
of their history.
| The seth Mass was accepted in February,
| 1864 with minimum number Of men, and
was hurried off to join the Ninth Corps, then
preparing for its sanguinary march through
the Wilderness. It carried with it about 500
muskets, and within brief six months after
its entry into the service it had left 1876 of
those who bore the muskets dead upon the
crinsoned soil of Virginia, and 100 more
| were dead from ether causes. Two hun
dred and twenty-six dead men out Of 300 in
six months is not a record to he derided by
| those who never heard q bullets angry
whistle, or by veterans of hundred fields,
! either.
The 57th Mass was two months later get
ting into the field. It left the State in
March, to march as directly to the far front
as the roads could take it, aud On the 4th
and 9Th of May, before the regiment was a
month old, it lost % men killed Including
its Colonel), d wounded, and 10 missing
Seven DAYS later it lost 20 killed, 81 wound
ed, and l6 missing. Six days later it added
10 killed and IS wounded, and before it
reached the James IS more were slain, with
| q proportionate number of wounded. In the
fighting aroand Petersburg it lost SIS killed,
and by the time the regiment was year
old it had lost, of the $50 men who had fol-
lowed its banners from the State, 1875 killed
and 321 wounded, while d. had died in rebel
prisons That is, SAT out Of its original $50
were either wounded or dead Or nearly two
out of every three. What amount of bounty
could have induced any soldier-hater to 60
through such an experience?
The 57th Mass had even more disastrous
experience. 1t did not leave the State until
after the middle Of April, and was hurried
directly to the Wilderness. 1t took into
that awful fight 545 men, and lost 81 killed,
I5S wounded, and 30 missing. At Spottsyl-
vania it lost 80 killed; at the North Anna,
} IS; at Bethesda Church, / and by the time
Petersburg fell its list Of killed had sweiled
, to POI, with 515 wounded, and 81 dead in
; rebel prisons. Persistent and bloody fight
l ing had reduced the 800 men it took from
the State to bare remnant of TO- with
which it fought lis last battle.
If the war history Of the world can show
better fighting than this, Or Drawer bearing o.
s appalling losses than by these specimen regi
q ments of eleventh men," we should
like to have it pointed out to u.s. They
make the most illustrious regiments of Eu
rope-with the accumulated losses of cen
turtles of fighting-show but feebly beside
IS their sanguinary records Of less than year
i If each subscriber to THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE wM charge himself aoiM gettin.
one new subscriber the circulation of the pape