Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-04-03

! AVXeEcN number enlisted
.M4- q Nv it lost more than
e any other regi-
meut. This percentage was 1877, almost
q. Dat of 1908 total enlistments 23S
were killed in battle. If tho casualty
records of ihe war department could be
accept ed as correct, the Seventh Wiscon-
sil! Guild stand at the head Of the list
of regiments which lost the most men
];:lled in battle by actual count The
first five regiments Oh the war depart
Eeut LIST arc the following: 80.
Killed or died
Of wounds,
Seventh Wisconsin ........................... $50
Eishty.third Pennsylvania. .............. 27s
Fifth New Hampshire .......................,,s2 TT
Fifth Michigan ....:.~................. 262
Twentieth Massachusetts. .................,257
The records of the different states
have been revised since the war, and
soldiers reported missing in Wash
ington have been found to belong prop
erly among the "killed in action. The
list of "Three HundIsd Fighting Regi-
,nents' was preparec by Colonel Will
liam F. Fox after an examination Of
both national and state rolls. The figures
Of the latter were adopted in cases
where they showed the greater losses in
killed. According to the state records,
the i've regiments at the head Of the
list are: q "
Killed or died
of wounds.
Fifth New Hampshire .......................$ 295
Eighty third Pennsylvania. ............:.... 282
Seventh Wisconsin .......................... 26l
rllth Mlchisan Soo
Twentieth Massachusetts. .................. 200
In the national list the Seventh Wis
consin stands first and in the state list
third on the roll Of honor. In percent
age Of losses it stands fifth on the list,
having lost 2S1 killed out Of 1880 en-
rolled. If the percentage be based upon
the number Of men who joined the col
ors, the percentage is the highest Of all.
There were 256 conscripts assigned to
the Seventh, very few of whom reported
for duty in the field. After deducting
them the percentage Of killed in bat
tie in the Seventh rises above that OF
the banner regiment and stands at 20. 5,
or one in every five men. 4
Slaughter pens were far too common
in the war where the victims had no
chance to fight back. But the Seventh
Wisconsin was not decimated in that
way. It lost men killed in II battles.
and in 10 of the II where it suffered
great punishment fought winning fights,
at least for the time being. It gained
what it was after when the men were
killed, and that counts for good work
in war. will illustrate this story of
regimental heroics by a few examples Of
personal heroism.
The Seventh was organized in August,
1861. Each of the ten companies adopt
ed a synonym. There were the SEQ
1umbia County Cadets" FAYETTEVILLE
guards" "Stoughton guards "Mar-
quette County sharpshooters, - "Lancas-
ter Union guards. Grand Rapids I'm
ion guards, " "Badger State guards, I"
Northwestern tigers, - Badger rifles"
and "Lodi guards. - It was good band
to join the "Iron Brigade Of the West. {"
With that splendid phalanx it received
its baptism of fire at Second Bull Run,
Aug. 20, 1862. In the heat of the en-
gagement there, when the combatants
were not more than rs yards apart, the
Seventh changed front under fire in Or
der to march to the relief Of it's compan.
ion regiment, the Second Wisconsin.
7 (There were three Wisconsin regiments
in the Iron brigade-the Second, Sixth
and Seventh.)
All the field officers Of the Seventh
were wounded at Second Bull Run, but
Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton stuck by
the colors until the battle was over, then
tainted from loss of blood. At South
Mountain, Nd, on Sunday afternoon,
Sept. II, 1862, the regiment, with the
Nineteenth Indiana, led the attack on
the gorge in Turner's gap. The battle
lasted far into the night, and about 8
O'Clock the Wisconsin and Indiana SOL
diers had used up all their cartridges.
Word Of this in some way reached the
ears of the Confederates, and they pre-
pared to attack the Iron brigade and re-
cover the gorge. General Gibbon ordered
the men to hold their ground at the
point Of the bayonet. In the Seventh,
Captain Calls, who commanded in the
absence Of the wounded leaders-it was
only IA days after the battle at Bull
Run-sent out some men to gather car
tridges from the dead, and when the
boxes had been refilled ordered the regi-
ment to lie down and resume fire for
close work. Soon afterward the Confed-
crates moved up in the darkness. Cap
tain Calls called the Seventh into line
and led it forward 30 PAGES on bayonet
charge. One volley was fred, and the
enemy's line disappeared.
South Mountain is classed as q skir.
mish, but the Seventh Wisconsin lost
1875 men killed and wounded on that
field. Sergeant Jefferson Coates was one
Of the wounded. He suffered the loss Of
an eye. At Gettysburg, . year later,
Coates lost his other eye, and for gal
lanty displayed on that field was bre-
vetted captain and awarded a medal Of
| honor. --