The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-01-18

Missouri showed the folly of longer delay.
Robert Anderson, the hero of Sumter, had
been installed as United States commander
in Kentucky, with only a flag and a band
of music to represent the majesty and pow
er of the government.
The first regiment to march was the For
ty-ninth Ohio, and, as may be imagined,
its reception on reaching Louisville was an
ovation of the kind that enthusiastic and
half scared people tender to their champions
and deliverers. The regiment was escorted
through the streets by a vast concourse of
representative citizens and then RECALLED
with a holiday banquet at the Louisville
hotel. Such experiences are bright spots
in the life of a soldier and fortunately the
scroll of the future cannot be unrolled
above scenes like that to mar the Joy OF the
hour.
A thousand men shouted responses to tie
city's wild huzzahs, thousand men sat
down to her loaded banquet tables. What
must have been the feelings of those proud
hosts and grateful guests had it been pos
sible to foresee that ranks which might
never carry above g thousand muskets all
told into battle would before the end of the
conflict suffer quite thousand battle
wounds; that over 700 individual soldiers
would be hit, over 200 receiving mortal in
juries, while upward of 200 more would die
from exposure and disease; that the final
record would show for every seven men
enrolled under the banner of the Forty
ninth one killed in action, for every four
one cut off by bullets or disease, for every
two one struck by the enemys fire. So
reads the record of the regiment, and it
stands at the head of the Ohio troops in
point of battle losses.
The Forty-ninth was a Seneca county
regiment. -Four hundred and forty of it's
members were born in that county and 760
were native Ohioans. 1t first met the enc
my at Shiloh on the second day. Its losses
there were not heavy, but twice during the
battle it executed the trying movement of
changing front under fire. So long as raw
soldiers can keep the enemy in view they
will usually remain cool, but once they
turn their backs for moment it takes the
nerve Of a veteran to face about again.
Stone River was the first great battle
where the regiment had chance to prove
it's mettle. 1t was in the portion of the
Union line of battle which was surprised
by an early morning attack and driven
from point to point notwithstanding the
most stubborn and heroic resistance The
two field officers present and all the cap
tains of the 10 companies were killed or
wounded before the gallant ranks aban-
doned the field. In one rally Lieutenant
Colonel Levi Drake and Major Benjamin S.
Porter went down almost together, leaving
the regiment without a commander.
brakes death was the ideal one for SOL
der. An Ohio battery, known as Good
speeds, became involved in the retreat and
halted on knoll behind the Forty-ninth,
with it's guns turned toward the enemy.
Colonel w. H. Gibson of the Forty ninth
was acting as general of the brigade, and
he ordered Drake to march the regiment
back to the cover of Goodspeed's guns and
then form new line of battle. The noise
of musketry and cannonading was so ter
rife that commands could not be heard at
the distance of few feet, and Drake sig
nailed his instructions to the men by wav.
ing and pointing his sword. He took his
stand near Goodspeed's guns and was call
ing upon his men to rally about him wher
the fatal shot came.
Goodspeed's battery played part in thu
next brilliant deed Of the regiment, which
was on Thomas famous line of battle a