The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-07-03
GIVE HONOR TO THE BRAVE.
MEN FROM THE WEST.
Interesting Figures as to Their Part at
Gettysburg.

As the battle of Gettysburg was fought
and won by the army fthe Potomac, made
up mainly OF Eastern troops. the important
part taken in that momentous contest by
Western troops IA not generally known nor
always duly acknowledged Eastern and
Western troops alike did their du;y, and no
one who saw tho charging columns of the
men IN gray will dispute the fuct that they
too fought well. In the ranks Of the two
great armies that confronted each other on
this historic ileid-the Army Of the Potomac
and the Army OF Northern virginia-were
men from every State eas, OF the Mississippi.
with the exception OF Kentucky. The states
west of the Mississippi that had troops in the
Confederate army were Arkansas, Louisiana
and Texas, and iar-ofI Minnesota one regi-
ment-the gallant ist-in the Union army.
The largest number of casualties Of any
regiment at Gettysburg occurred In the oath
Mich. II was a comparatively full regiment,
entering tho fight with % officers and i6S
men, II lost "a killed and mortnlly wound.
Ell; 60 were killed outright, 2i7 wounded.
AZ missing; total 1868. There were eight
officers killed and II wounded; four color.
leurers killed and three wounded-one OF
| them being Col. Morrow. who was captured.
| The 2Gth y. e. haI IL color-bearers shot In
! this battle, and the colors captured in the
charge on the third day Dnttle.
OF the Wisconsin regiments at Gettysburg,
the I'd commanded by Col. Lucius Fair.
| child sustained the heaviest loss, 233 Gen.
, Fairchild lost his arm in the fight near the
| Seminary, July /. This regiment, as well as
the oath Mich, belonged to the celebrated
Iron Brigade. The "a Wis. enjoys the dis.
tinction OF having lost the most men in pro.
/ portion to its numbers Of any regiment in
! the Union army 6asing its en.ire term Of
! Service. The 2Gth Wis, q German regiment,
Of the nth Corps, lost 2l7 In this battle 6l
being killed. In considering these numbers
1t must be borne in mind that the regm nts
| were sadly depleted at this stage OF the war.
The greatest regimental loss In any battle,
| In rolor,ion to its numbers engaged. oc
CURED in the ranks of the 1st Mimi. nj Get
| tysburg, when 252 officers and men broke the
| Confederate column that was advancing up
| on an exposed portion Of our line In the
afternoon Of July 2. When It was over only
A. men clustered around their colors and 205
| lay dead or wounded on the field. It's Col
onel, William Colvile fell pierced by two
| minie-halls, one In the foot and one In the
! shoulder, both of which, together with q
! buck-shot extracted from the calf Of hh leg
after first Bull Run, he showed me last fall at
| Duluth. He still carries one In his breast
| received IN one Of the battles Of the PENN
| sula 1862.
In this charge one company lost i3 killed
and II wounded out OF IS engaged. The
| percentage OF loss in this charge exceeded
that otthe Light Brigade at Balaklava-the
! charge Of The Six Hundred-which was 3G.7
per cent That OF the lst Mimi at Gettys.
burg on both days was about SO per cent.
| The regiment assisted In repelling Pickett's s
! charge on July 3, capturing the flag OF the
! 33th Virginia which can be seen In the Cap
I itol building at ~. Paul. and with 1t the
tattered battle flags the gallant lst Capt.
Messick VINO commanded the regiment, In
| ha q
| other Western regiments which assisted In
! repc,ling this charge were the slh Ohio,
! which Captured three rebel colors, aud the
! 7th Mich.
The heaviest loss sustained by any single
, brigade In the battle Of Gettysburg was sus-
tanned by the old Iron Brigade. composed en-
! tirely OF Western regiments, the ID, 9th aud
| 1lh Wis, 2jth Mich. and 10Th lnd. Their
! loss was / ,lj3 nearly all in the first days
| fight. This brigade sustained the heaviest
! loss in killed aud wounded OF any in the
| Union army. They were the hardy sons Of
the Northwest.
| The Michigan Cavalry Brigade. composed
! OF the lst, 5.h, 9th and 7th regiments, under
the command Of the gallant Custer sustained
| The hcaTic,t loss at Gettysburg Of any cav
I a'ry brigade in that battle. The Colonel OF
the 5th Mich, Of this brigade, at Gettysburg
was Geg, f::;;5cll I, Al7er
| Several hG,te hand-to-hand contests oc
|
! Western troops had their full share. In if6
/ n-st days fight the al Miss, took refuge In
' tho rai,scad-cut near the Chambers6urg
Pike The men were protected by the EN-,
bankmtnt, their colors waving deflanty
above the edge OF the cut Col. Dawes. with
the 9th Wis, charged across the field and
after flercd contest captured the entire regi.
ment,
In the bloody fight in theWheatnel on Jnly
"a desperate hand-.o-hand contest occurred.
in which the 4th Mich. figured prominently
A Confederate officer seized the flag Of tho
4th, and was shot by Col. Jeffords who in
turn was bayoneted by a soldier and fell
clinging TO the colors. The soldier who ran
him through went down bya bullet from
MAJ, Halls revolver. The Ohio Dutch
men OF the Eleventh Corps becqme engaged
In nand-to-hand contest with the Louisiana
Tigers, when they got among our guns on
East Cemetery Hill on the evening OF July g.
The Michigan Brigade, in the cavalry bat
tie east OF Gettysburg in the afternoon of
July 3, had hand-to-hand encounter with
the Confederate troopers under Gen. Wade
Hampton. II IL described as follows by
Capt Miller. of the 81 Pa. Cav
The LIST Mich. was drawn up in close
couHn OF squadrons, ordered to charge
Custer, VINO was near, placed himself at the
head. and oil they dashed. As the columns
approached each other. the pace OF each iE-
creased, when suddenly crash like the fall
Ing oi timber betokened the crisis. So sud-
ded and violent was the collision that many
OF the horses were turned end over end aud
crushed their riders beneath them The
crashing OF sabers, the firing of pistols, the
demands for surrender and cries OF combat
ants, filled the air.
The West and especially tho Northwest,
certainly has reason TO be proud OF the valor
OF her soldiers on the memorable field OF
Gettysburg, where the tide Of rebel invasion
reached its height. J. LUrz Fairfax.
SIinn