The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-08-16


NlI&%>IN the statement
W. that the men of
F% the Irish race
A. ''take to fighting
M as readily as
ducks to water, :"
he starts out with a broad text. The
story of the Fifth Confederate regiment
in the Military Annals of Tennessee"
opens with that bold declaration from
the pen Of the author, who was an Off
Ger in that command throughout it's
four years of fighting, or from Belmont
to Bentonville. No effort was required
to make good the claim. The sketch in
Produces the reader to good company
under both flags, but chiefly tells how
the Irishmen in gray bore the battle ON
the hottest fields of the west. The title
Fifth Confederate" was unique one
given to a regiment formed by CONSOLE
dation of two Tennessee regiments after
the battle of Shiloh. The members of
the original regiments were nearly all
Irishmen from Memphis, and we must
suppose that they were the very ones
who had plenty Of the fighting spirit
left. The consolidation produced but
eight companies, scant ones at that,
mastering about 500 or 600 effective
soldiers, although but 800 engaged in
the next battle, and the author naively
remarks that the Union blockade inter
fered with southern immigration hence
there was no chance to get recruits. A
trained soldier was placed at the head
of the new commando. A. Smith.
Nothing more seemed necessary for the
environment of these Memphis braves
but a brigadier of their own elk and
stamp" an event that came about when
they joined forces with Pat Cleburne's
Arkansans.
Cleburne was an enthusiastic young
Irishman from Little Rock, who led out
a regiment Of his countrymen in 1861
and gained star for good work hitting
heads at Shiloh. Strangely enough, the
new regiment received it's baptism of
fire in close contest with Irishmen in
blue, the Tenth Ohio, also called the
Montgomery regiment" in honor of the
gallant Irish-American Revolutionary
hero, who fell at Quebec. Lytle, the
poet-soldier, author of the famous lines
beginning
am dying, Egypt, dying.
was the father of the Tenth.
The historian of the Fifth Confederate
is sparing of red ink, enlivening his
narrative instead with personal Incl
dents, but official descriptions of the bat
ties Of the regiment fill in the dark side
of the page.
The battle between the Ohioans and
Tennesseeans was fought ON Kentucky
soil, at Perryville. Perryville might be
compared to Donnybrook in more re-
spects than one. The heads to be hit
were in masses, as, for instance, the bat
teries, battalions and regiments lying
around loose. Things We're heller SHELTER
on both sides of the line. When the
Fifth marched to the front, charmed by
the sounds of the fighting, it seemed
like chase after rainbow. The smoke
and roar of battle receded as it dashed
ahead. All at once while the regiment
was perfectly screened, as it appeared to
the men, by stone wall about 80 rods
away, hundreds Of rifles opened on them
with terrific crash Lytle's rishmen
were behind the convenient wall using
it to screen their own heads. The line of
Tennesseeans swayed, and as one man
drew back. A glance at the former po-
sition showed a goodly rank Of PROSTATE
men, cut down in files as they marched.
With fierce yell, not stopping for Or
ders, the Tennesseeans dashed for the
wall, leaping over the dead and dying
in the mad charge. Lytle's men, alone
and without ammunition, gave way, but
they had the pluck of their race and re-
treated only few rods. Every request
of Lytles for aid brought the reply that
there was none to send him, but that
his position must be held at any cost.
At last he saw that he would be forced
to yield the ground after sacrificing all
his men. Forming bare skirmish line
from his old regiment, the Tenth Irish
he commanded a brigade at the time
he charged toward the wall The |
slender line was wiped out and its gal
liant leader left for dead ON the field. In |
falling back the remainder of the Tenth |
ran the gantlet of the Confederate Irish |
rifles, and the pathway was marked with |
rows of dead. So far the account was
even.
Lytle became prisoner to his country |
men, who gave timely aid and saved |
his life. Other Union regiments took up
the fight at the stone wall and the Fifth
Confederate barely escaped humiliation.
Cleburne rescued it by heading a des-
perate charge with fresh troops. The
Tenth Ohio lost half of its men killed
and wounded. Its Irish antagonists suf
fered loss Of about one-third. While
the Memphians were marching north
ward ON the disastrous Kentucky raid
their thoughts had been upon the roll
licking times they promised themselves
beyond the Ohio, especially in Cincin-
natl, river town where they would
find congenial pleasures But, alas Gin
cinnati meant other things for them
than good times, and, moreover, had
met them half way. Lytle hailed from
Cincinnati and had recruited his Tenth
Ohio in the Queen City.
Stone River followed Perryville so