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


ON THE FIELD.
ed. Col. Kelley was hit twice. True the
Sixty-ninth didn't win the battle of Antie-
tam; but suppose it had finched before that
biting hail and carried back the brigade
line with it and with that the supporting
divisions? What then? Possibly the eman-
cipation proclamation would never have
been issued. Such incidents may decide
great battles and turn the scale of war
just three months after Antietam the
Irish brigade was again called into the
breach to try where others had failed. A
new leader had come to the division-Han
cock the Superb-as successor to Richard
son, who fell at Antietam.
In front of Marye's Height, on the morn
ing of Dec. 13, 1862, the command formed
in line to support the. battalions Of Gen.
French III assaulting the stone wall
Shortly before the battle the old green
flags OF the IRISH regiments had been sent
home and replaced with new colors, pre-
sented by admirers in New York. The
ranks were so thin that Gen. Meagher de-
cided not to risk the new banners in the
Fredericksburg fight, and when the men
paraded on the flats along the river and
formed for the charge he rode up to the
Sixty ninth, which was in front as usual,
and taking a bunch Of green from box
hedge close at hand placed it in his cap,
with signal to the men to do the same
In short order the hedge was stripped and
every man had a waving tuft Of green for
his battle plume. The general spoke few
words to the Sixty ninth and then rode out
beside its colonel, Robert Nugent, leading
it by column to the point Of assault.
Shot and shell swept the ground; deep
mill race and two fences INSTRUCTED the
march, and the Sixty-ninth was obliged to
halt under fire to allow the rear of the line
to close up. At the base of the hill the
brigade formed in two columns, the Sixty
ninth in front, on the right. Forward the
doomed ranks marched against the deadly
stone wall, over the dead and wounded of
French's shattered brigades, up to the
third fence, which had not yet been passed
by any boy in blue. Hating there, the
men knelt or lay down and fred at the
enemy above. A supporting brigade soon
reached the spot, and then the survivors
of French's battalions and the few. Irish
men yet unhurt arose and Joined the
charging ranks, The last fence was passed,
and handful rushed for the stone wall to
die nearest the works. the only thing left
to do. The Sixty ninth was literally wiped
out. About 40 men who had been in Skin
mlsh line We're all that remained for duty
The roll call that morning showed 1S off,
GERS and 2lO men present, and the casu-
alties were 16 officers and lob men killed
and wounded. The mortality in the ranks
was again enormous, the dead numbering
3S against 20 wounded. The bearer of the
United States colors was found on the field
with the flag wrapped around his chest,
his arms folded across it, and bullethole
through the flag and through his heart as
well. Among the wounded officers were
Col. Nugent and the major, and two cap
tains that had succeeded them in command
For some reason the Irish brigade was
not allowed to recruitits ranks, and after
Fredericksburg the Sixth-ninth was con-
solidated into, two companies. At Gettys-
burg it responded to Hancock's coll and
charged across the Wheat Field, losing 10
killed and wounded and missing out of
69 engaged. After Gettysburg the sur
vivors re-enlisted, the brigade was kept up
and the regiment fought under Hancock
in the Wilderness and Petersburg. In it's
last hard fight, March 25 1856, its killed
numbered ~, with only 80 wounded. In
its whole career, not including Bull Run,
the casualties scored LIT, of which S74
were killed and wounded. The total deaths
on the field were 261. The regiment car
ried LIB men on it's rolls. The percentage
of killed was a trife over II, the highest
among all the New York regiments and
the fifth from the top in all the Union.
army. a few more such and England could
well have paid us to keep the war a-going.
Her old hereditary foe would soon have
been Wearing O the Green out Of harms
way, that is wearing it over their graves. 3
GEORGE L. KILMER.