The National tribune., 1893-02-23
THE 66th ILL.
A COmrade Gives a Chronological Histor,
of the Regiment.

THE 66th ILL.
| A COmrade Gives Chronological History
| of the Regiment.
| In your issue of Dee 90 1892, in Picket
! Shots "Fremont's Body Guard" Henry Ri
phel of Clitherall. Mimi, tried to say some
thing about the Goth ILL.,; but he is mistaken
about the battle of Mount Lion, Dec. % 1861.
| and roughing it in northwestern Missouri. 1t
ought 10 be Mount Zion, not Mount Lion. l
| think the comrade is little of, or was not
J with the regiment. We were never called the
| Northwestern Sharpshooters while in north
east Missouri, in 1861, 90. The regiment was
organized as Birge's Western Sharpshooters.
| The regiment was organized at Benton Bar
racks near St Louis Mo-, in September and
| October, 1861, with three companies from st.
! Louis, three companies from Illinois, two COM
panies from Ohio one from Michigan, and de-
| tachments from Indiana. Wisconsin. Iowa and
Minnesota were attached to the different COM
panies. 1t was mustered into the United States
! service Nov. %. 1861, by Lieut.. Bundy, U.S.A.
| We were uniformed in gray pants with green
stripe down the leg. blue coats with green
trimmings and armed with the American deer
| and Demmck rifle ! was on detail in st.
Lonis in November. 1861. that went to Dem
mick's gun-store in St. Louis and loaded the
rifles in the wagons
1t was Geu. Fremont's design TO make
sharpshooting regiment for the Western army.
/ but when Fremont was superseded by old
! Granny Haiieck the pet scheme failed, and
/ Halleck ordered the regiment to the field. We
/ left Benton Barracks Dec. II, 1861 on the North
Missouri Railroad, for Centralia and Sturgeon.
Mo- While in north Missouri Capt Weikers
company was attached to the regiment, making
| 10 companies.
| Six companies Of Brge's Sharpshooters and
| Glovers Sd No. Cav. fought Col. Poindexter's
! command at Mount Zion Church, Dec. 2S 1861,
and defeated them. Feb. 4, 1861, left Sturgeon.
| Mo, for Paducah, KY, where we arrived Feb.
! z, 1862; thence up the Tennessee River 10 Fort
/ Henry. The regiment opened the ball at Fort
! Donelson Feb b. 1862 aud kept rebel battery
! silenced for three days. Was in the battle of
! Shiloh, April g. Z. 1862.
April Is, 1862, Capt. G. A. Taylor's company
! (K) from Lima, o., Joined the regiment, and
at the same time the name OF Birge's Western
! Sharpshooters was dropped and we were num-
bered as the 14tb Mo. Western Sharpshooters.
| Engaged in siege Of C0rinth. Miss. April % to
May 30. 1862. and in the fight at PhillipS's
Creek, Miss. May 81, 1862. Scented in north
| Mississippi in the Summer of 1862, and took
| part in battle of Corinth Miss, Oct 3, 4, 1862,
and the Hatchie.
Nov. 26, 1862, the regiment was changed from
| 14th Mo- to Goth III. The regiment established
au outpost to the garrison Of Corinth, called
Camp Davies. While here the regiment had
plenty of scouting to do with Hams (Missis-
sippi) scouts aud was in the fights of Rienz
and Whteside's Farm, Miss, Sept. 9, 1863.
! Nov /, 1863, left Camp Davies with the Second
Division, Sixteenth Corps, Gen. Tom w.
/ Sweeny, and marched to Pulaski. Tenn. Dec
! Is. 1863, the members began re-enlisting in the
veteran service, and were mustered IN as veter-
| ans Dec. %. 1863, Col. z. L. Burke command
! ing, and about 40 members purchased the
Henry repeating-rife, 16-shooters, for SAB. at
/ their own expense. The Government fur
nished the ammunition.
/ Jan. 16, 1864, left Pulaski. Tenn for Chi
/ eago, ILL.,, on veteran furlough. The regi-
ment was reorganized at Joliet. H., March 3,
1864, aud left at once for the front, arriving at
Pulaski, Tenn, March 10. 1864.
April %. 1864, the Goth Ill. left Pulaski,
/ Tenn, TO join Gen. William 7. ShermaBs army
at Chattanooga; marched via Florence and
! Huntsville Ala, to Larkinsvlie, thence by
cars to Chattanooga, where we arrived May 5.
1864. and marched to Rossvlle Ga. May 6
passed over the battlefield of Chickamauga
and camped at Lee aud Gardon's Mill
/ Marched on the 18th, crossed Chickamauga
/ Greek aud camped at Nillanow. Ga. May 8
/ the 66th had the honor Of driving the Missis-
| sipp Brigade through Snake Creek Gap and
| held until night the high hills of Resaca, Ga.
/ May 1874, 1864, engaged in the battles Of Re-
SAGA, and Lays Ferry, May 14-l5; Rome
! Crossroads, May 10. Here we lost our gallant
Colonel, Patrick L. Burke killed. May IL,
Adairsville; May D to June ], 1864, Dallas,
and Lone Mountain, Ga; June J. New Hope
Church; June 2 Big Shanty June II, Brushy
| Mountain; June I5 Kenesaw Mountain !;
June 20 TO July 2, 1864, kenesaw; June 81.
general assault; Marietta, July B; Ruff's Mill
aud Nickajack Creek, July 4; Powers's Ferry,
July 81; Chattahoochic River, July b; De-
catur July 1920; Howard House, Bald Hill,
and Atlanta, Ga. July %. Here the Goth re-
captured the celebrated DE Crosse list Ill. bat
| terry of four 20 FOUNDER PARROT guns, which
| were taken from the Second Division, Fifteenth
Corps. Ezra Church. July %; Proctor's Creek,
! Aug. 4, 9, IL siege OF Atlanta July 26 to Aug.
26; Jonesboro, Aug. 81 and Sept. / Lovejoy
Station, Sept. 2, 3 4 Rome, Ga, Oct. l2-15;
Coosaville, Ala, Oct. %.
Left Rome Nov. /, marched to Atlanta, and
on the 18th of November 1864, destroyed the
Gate City of the South and commenced the
grand march to the sea; was engaged at
Jencks's Bridge Dec. /, 1864; battle of Eden
Crossroads Dec 8, 1864 Here the Goth cap
tured rebel fort and fine English Blakely
cannon. Siege and hattie of Savannah, Ga,
December 10 TO q, 1864. In Savannah the 66th
III. was given the post of honor" by Gen
VIM. I. Sherman, by being quartered in Ogle-
thorpe Barracks. Jan. Is, 1865, left Savannah
with the Second Brigade, Fourth Division. Fiji
tcenth Corps, Gen. john A. Logan, and crossed
the Savannah River at Sisters Ferry. Ca. wa:
engaged at Shilling's Bridge. Whippy Swamp
and Congaree Creek, S. C., Feb. l5 1865; CO.
lumba, S. c., Feb. IL; Camden, s. e.. Feb. "a
Lynch's Creek. Feb. 25 Cheraw. March 3
: Fayetteville. n. C.. March IL; South River
March Is; Bentonville. March 10. 20, ri; Colds
boro, March %; Raleigh. n. C.. April l3, 1865
Grand Review of Gen. Sherman's army, Wash
ington City. ID. C., May "a. 1866. Mustered ou
OF service July z. 1865, at Louisville. KY. Dis
charged at Camp Butler. near Springfield, Ill.
July IS, lS65.-CHARLEs 5. KIMMEL, Co. q
Seth H.. 70 High St, Dayton, o.