The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-05-12

CHARGED OVER RAIL FENCES AND STONE
.'sE WALLS.
mand charged on the Sd of May, 1868, in
the Charlottesville fight. The JERSEYS
were reserve to the column that stormed
Marye's Heights, and following up the.
successful assault they ran into heavy
force of the enemy that stood at bay be-
hind breastwork of logs and brush at
Salem Church, three miles back of Marye's
crest. The brigade, with the exception of
the Fourth regiment, was engaged for two
hours and half in a wrestle with superior
numbers. The commander, Col. Fl. W.
Brown, was wounded; Col. NJ. W. Collet,
of the First, was killed; Col. Buck, of the
Second, wounded, and the total loss was
over 500. 1t was a hopeless fight, but a
plucky one, and the new Fifteenth regi-
ment gave notice that New jerseys fight
ing timber hadn't been exhausted by the
draft of Kearny's original 1900. 1t lost
$50 killed and wounded.
Gettysburg, following charlottesville,
the Jerseys missed SO far as fighting was
concerned, but they made the famous
forced march of thirty-fve miles which
put the Sixth corps on to the field in nick
o. time. After Gettysburg came the long
wait until the Wilderness, MAY. 1864.
Meanwhile the Twenty-third regiment
Was discharged and the Tenth took its.
place. Col. Torbert had won spurs too
big for plodding infantry to keep bright.
and was given a cavalry division under
Sheridan, SO for the third time the brigade
lost dashing commander. Col. Brown.
of the Third regiment, succeeded him.
Two years of steady fighting had reduced
the original four regiments to mere bat
talons. Each had had it's colonel killed
in battle. With only a month yet to serve
they entered the bloodiest campaign of the
war and every step they took toward
Richmond was marked with dead jersey
boys of the brand Of 1861 In the first day
at the Wilderness Col. Fl. O. Ryerson, Of
the Tenth, was shot to death as Il sort of
initiation sacrifice to place the regiment on
a footing with the old hands, The hard
est fighting Of the Wilderness, May 6 and
Z, was shared by these men, and at Spott-
sylvanla, the Sth, 9th, 10th and 18th, the
different regiments were fated to get into
every grand charge, now with the heroic
Warren, now with the fiery Upton, and
again with Hancock, the superb.
In nine days-May 5 to 1.-THE First reg
iment lost 224, Of which 40 were killed: the
Second SO, Ia of them killed; the Third 14s.
of which AZ were killed; the Fourth 1856 Of
which So were killed; the Tenth 146, 81 of
them killed, and the Fifteenth, that en-
tered the shambles with Is officers and 429
men, emerged with only officers and 1876
men. It's killed alone in five days Of the
unequal slaughter reached the enormous
total of 11G. or over 26 per cent, dead on
the field. This regiment came out with
the highest roll Of honor in the state. IT'S
Killed numbered $40, and 100 of them be-
longed TO the original 947 that joined the
old brigade in 1862.
The original four regiments Of Phil
Kearny's day were discharged at Cold
HarIorin June. Their death rolls were as
follows: First, 1873: Second, 96; Third, l57:
Fourth. 16l. Hexamer's battery made d
wonderful record for execution but it was
fortunate enough to place the biz death
roll on the enemy's side, "a way those sol
diers have who substitute science for dash
IN lighting GEORGE T., KILMET. g