The Portland daily press., 1892-02-08

h,;l.aIa, leaders were killed instantly while
,s,,;,,;,,, their men to resist attack or to
oLn,.r.a md avert one The losses in Sheri
dan,s division were proportionately greater
tha,, onv other on the field; those of SLIPS
al, wore the heaviest in the division.
and the list of killed and wounded in the
Tbir+v-sixth regiment exceeded that of any
other two regiments in the brigade.
Al Chick amauga again the Thirty-sixth
woe involved in a whirlpool, almost rene
tition of stones River. 1t was still in Nc
COOKS corns. Sheridan's division. and in a
brigada led by the intrepid Gen. Lytle.
AGAIN McCook held the right of the line.
| hut the surprise that threw him into con-
| fusion was not a repetition of that at
stones river. The fighting began on the
| left and extended to the center. Bodies of
| trooDs were moved off from right to left,
| and Inv a misconstrued order gan was
| made between McCook and the center.
| The Confederates had superior numbers
engaged. and it so happened that at the
| moment the gap was made isolating Nc
| Coox,s CORPS the veteran Confederate
corps of GEN Longstreet was launched
unon two isolated brigades of McCook.
| I,ytle had lust swung his brigade loose and
was marching past the gap, or along it,
when he was called upon to do something
to save the line. The regiments went into
battle order on the double quick.
| EVERYWHERE there was confusion; gener-
ais and their aids calling for help for
Thomas on the left, Others again point
| ing to the threatening food in front and
| on the right. When the brigade was
| righted Lytle rode up to the colors of the
Thirty-sixth, flashed his sword and with
! a few words to his staff moved out to-
ward the enemy. He was soon killed, and
| Col. Miller, of the Thirty-sixth, succeeded
to the command. There was no stemming
the Confederate tide and in few moments
with enemies all around them, the gallant
| fellows that survived the storm retreated
| The Thirty-sixth had gone in with $40 men
and lost III killed, wounded and missing
| it's death list amounting to IS all told
| Four captains were wounded and killed,
Q ieutenants were killed and wounded
and all in all the regiment was the heaviest
sufferer in the brigade.
One more fight under Sheridan-that at
Mission Ridge, Nov. IS, 1868, where the
regiment lost killed-and then new
leader. Then the Thirty-sixth re-enlisted
| and was furloughed for breathing spell,
and took the field in the spring of 1864.
with Gen. John Newton as division COM
mander. At Resaca, Adairsville and Dial
las, on the road to Atlanta, the death list
amounted to is, and at the disastrous
charge on Kenesaw Heights, June q, the
regiment led the assault as skirmishers,
dashed gallantly forward to the enemy's
works on the hillside and yainly looked
around for help to hold what their valor
had won. Col Silas Miller was shot down
with a mortal wound, and the death roll
Yves ID in all Miller had risen from the
ranks to lead this crack regiment, and died
like hero at the age Of twenty-five. When
he was lying on the amputation table the
names of his dead boys were brought in,
and he wept passionately while under the
surgeons knife. Il suppose those surgeons
thought me such a baby that | cried from
| the pain" he said to comrade after it
was over But | didn't care for that; |
was thinking Of the Cid Thirty sixth. |
| thought of her as she was when we left
home-over a thousand strong. thought
of her now, with scarcely enough for a full
company. 1t was for that l cried"
The handful went on and lost more by
death 1T Atlanta, and then turned north
to help beat back Hood S invading army il
Tennessee. On that famous march OF a
night and day, between Columbia and
Franklin, when Hood at times held both
sides of the road in sight Of the Union col
umn and harassed tho march at every step,
the Thirty-sixth was in OpdyclSe's brigade,
! first in advance, cutting a road through,
and then rear guard, buffeting the inlpetu-
Gus pursuit. Opdycke and his men COW
cred the retreat so we'll that the troops on
ahead reached Franklin and hastily ran
UP log and earth breastworks to defend
the crossings of Harpeth river. Late in
the day the rear guard filed in past the
lines of battle and halted for rest and sup
per. Startled in a twinkling by the omi-
nous ''yelp' of the enemy, they looked
backward to see his cleaning banners and
bayonets moving up in q charge, and to
their anlaZenent the advance Union regi-
ments were quickly crushed and scattered,
and the second line at the breastworks
soon met the same fate. Leaving their
coffee untasted, Opdycke's men seized their
musketss to recover the lost ramparts.
"Fall in, Thirty sixth, Forward to the
trenches!' were the rapid orders of Col
Porter G. Olson, another man graduated
from the ranks to be ruler over the Fox
River heroes.
Opdycke was speedily endorsed and
tOuS5AU Oi lOOl SOl.t S/lScli lOTS6tl
cheering his men up to the parapet where
he fell shot through the heart Two color
bearers of the regiment fell, and a third
carried the banner, minus it's staff, over
the bloody course from the bivouac to the
ramparts, and at last unfurled it above
the parapet, with the enemy on the oppo-
site side clutching at it's folds and demand
ing it's surrender. Words cannot picture
the awful scene-the savage fury of the re-
peated Confederate onslaughts and the
'lionhearted tenacity Of the heroes who re-
PEELED them. Opdycke's men bore the
brunt of the terrific struggle, and pluck
and daring finally won the day.
The loss of the Thirty -sixth was about
so killed and wounded; the deaths, in all,
II. Two weeks later a loss of at Nash
vile swelled the total of killed to 204, out
of 1876 enrolled The total killed and
wounded in three years was 739, about So
per cent. of the roster.
AT the close of hostilities the regiment
was ordered to join Sheridan in New Or
leans and Little PHILIP selected it for
headquarter guard The result was the
nicknaming of the Illinoisans Phil Sheri-
dams Petsa' In a sense the term would
not have been Il misnomer in the bloom of
their fighting career,