The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-06-13
MEN FROM THE WEST.
Interesting Figures to Their Part at
GettysburG.


Gettysburg.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: As the
battle of Gettysburg was fought and won by
the Army of the Potomac made up mainly
of Eastern troops, the important part taken
in that momentous contest by Western
troops is not generally known nor always
duly acknowledged. Eastern and Western
troops alike did their duty, and no one who
saw the charging columns of the men in
gray viii dispute the fact that they, too,
fought well. In the ranks of the two great
armies that confronted each other on this
historic field-the Army of the Potomac and
the Army OF Northern Virginia-were men
from every State east of the Mississippi.
with the exception OF Kentucky. The States
west Of the Mississippi that had troops in
the Confederate army were Arkansas, Louis
ana and Texas, and far-off Minnesota one
regiment-the gallant 1st-in the Union
army.
According to estimates based upon official
reports 81, 500 men fought in the ranks of
the Union army at Gettysburg. The num-
Der of infantry regiments was DAB; cavalry,
3s; batteries of artillery, 81; guns, $40.
The Western States contributed to the force
at Gettysburg 80 regiments of infantry, 10
regiments of cavalry and five batteries of
artillery. Ohio stands first with 10 organi-
cations, ID regiments of infantry, two regi-
ments of cavalry and four batteries of artil-
lery. Michigan stands next with II organi-
cations, seven regiments Of infantry. four of
cavalry and one battery Of horse artillery.
Indiana furnished five regiments of infantry
and two of cavalry; Wisconsin, six infantry
regiments; Illinois, one infantry regiment
and two cavalry regiments; Minnesota, one
infantry regiment.
According to official reports the total
Union loss in the battle of Gettysburg was
23,049. OF this number a, l03 were from the
Western States, as follows: Ohio, 1871 !;
Michigan, LII; Wisconsin, SOC; Indiana,
552; Minnesota, 224; Illinois, 139 The
Western States contributed 13 per cent. of
the force that fought at Gettysburg, while
their loss is nearly Is per cent This is due
to the fact that the Sixth Corps, the largest
in the army, did but very little fighting at
Gettysburg. its total loss being but 242 and
In this corps was but one Western regiment,
the 5th Wis. The Western regiments hap
peDed TO be in the corps that did the hardest
fighting.
Col. Fox, in his valuable work, Regi-
mental Losses" gives the number Of Union
soldiers who were either killed OF, died Of
wounds at Gettysburg as 5,291 Surround
ing the Soldiers National Monument in the
cemetery at Gettysburg are the graves of
1856 Union dead. Many of the dead were
taken home by their friends, and many Of
the badly wounded died in the hospitals in
Baltimore, Carlisle, and New York, and were
buried there. OF the 3, 555 buried at Get
tysburg g79 are marked unknown OF
the 25T6 known, 513 are from the Western
States, as follows: Michigan, III; Ohio,
l31; Indiana, so; Wisconsin, 70; Mime
sofa, 81; Illinois, 6; thus, 20 per cent. are
FROM the Western States Western regi-
ments too, sustained more than their full
proportion OF commanding officers, four
killed and nine wounded.
The largest number of casualties of any
regiment at Gettysburg occurred in the oath
Mich. 1T was a comparatively full regiment,
entering the fight with % officers and 46s
men. 1t lost 81 killed and MORALLY wounded;
90 were killed outright, 247 wounded, and
AZ missing; total, 363. There were eight
officers killed and IA wounded; four color
bearers killed and three wounded-one Of
them being Col. Morrow, who was captured.
The Goth \. c. had IL color-bearers
shot in this battle, and the cOlors captured
in the charge on the third days battle
OF the Wisconsin regiments at Gettys-
burg, the I'd, commanded by Col. Lucius
Fairchild, sustained the heaviest loss. 233
Gen. Fainchild lost his arm in the fight near
the Seminary, Julyl. This regiment, as well
as the 24ih Mich, belonged to the celebrated
Iron Brigade. The I'd Wis. enjoys the dis
-tinction Of having lost the most men in pro-
portion TO its numbers of any regiment in
the Union army during its entire term of
service. The Goth Wis, a German regiment.
Of the Eleventh Corps, lost 2I7 in this battle
81 being killed In considering these num-
bers il must be borne in mind that the
regiments were sadly depleted at this stage
of the war
The greatest regimental loss in any battle.
In proportion TO its numbers engaged. oc-
cured Ia the ranks Of the LIST MINI. at Get
tysburg, when 252 officers and men broke
the Confederate column that was advancing
upon an exposed portion Of our line in the
afternoon Of July q When it was over ONLY
q men clustered around their colars. aud
2O5 lay dead or wounded on the field. It's
Colonel, William Colyille, fell pierced by two
mlnie-balis, one in the foot and one in the
shoulder, both Of which, together with a
ouck-shot extracted from the calf of his leg
amer hrst Bull Run, he showed me last Fall
al Duluth. He still carries one in his breast,
received IN one Of the battles of the PENN
sula in 1862.
In this charge one company lost 13 killed
and IL wounded out Of 35 engaged. The
percentage OF loss IN this charge exceeded
that Of the Light Brigade at Balaklaya-
the charge Of the Six HuDdred-which was
36.7 per cent. That Of the LIST Mimi. at
Gettysburg on both days WAS about So per
cent The regiment assisted in repelling
PicketVs charge on July ,, capturing the
flag of the 2Sih Va, which can be seen in
the Capitol building at st. Paul, and with it
the tattered battle-flags of the gallant 1st
Capt. Messiek who commanded the regi-
ment, in repelling this charge. was killed.
The two other Western regiments which as
sisted in repelling this charge were the sth
Ohio, which captured three rebel colors.
and the 9TH Mich.
The heaviest loss sustained by any single
brigade in the battle Of Gettysburg was sus-
tanned by the old from Brigade, composed
entirely of Western regiments, the I'd. 9Th
and 9Th Wis.,, oath Mich. and 18th Ind.
Their loss was ], 1873, nearly all in the first
days fight. This brigade sustained the
heaviest loss in killed and wounded of any
in the Union army. They were the hardy
sons OF the Northwest