The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-05-07
Veterans History.
D. W. HEAD.

! D. W. HEAD.
| At the breaking out Of the war D. W.
| Head was farmer living near Cataract.
| Wisconsin. Meetings were held very
! often, 20 work up enthusiasm, and ad-
dressed by prominent men. among
whom may be mentioned Captain Fiske
| LIST Lieut. Noyse. and Wait Haskell
! Mr.. Heads cflums. Johnny Martin,
! Henry ashburn and Chester johnson,
were among those of his acquaintance
who enlisted when he did.
They enlisted in the Both Wisconsin
Regiment, Company &C." for the small
sum of twelve dollars per month, but
the pay was soon after raised to six
teen dollars. From Cataract, they i'm
mediately went TO Sparta. where they
were formed into a company and drill
ed. From here they were seEt 10 Madi-
son, where they went into camp and
remained two months. most of the
time being spent in drill work under
Capt Fiske and Lieut.. Briliard.
At Madison, they received guns, am
unition, tents and uniforms, and were
then ordered to Washington. and pass
ed through Baltimore where some of
the women had prepared dinner for
them, while others INDUCED in yelling
at them and calling them all kinds of
names. From Washington they took
transportation for some point on the
Potomac, the name of which Mr.. Head
does not recall. Here they received
ratons for one day, and were at once
ordered to the Wilderness III the re-
serve corps. They were not in the
battle, but right after it the army was
drawn up in line to see three deserters
shot. These were the last deserters
shot, az the rest were compelled TO
march with a fifty pound ball and chain
tied to one leg.
From here they were ordered to NAL
vern Hill, where there had been fight
but here, also, Mr.. Head was kept in
the Reserve Corps. The dead were
brought out and laid on the grass until
after the battle, and then buried. and
the wounded were put in ambulance
wagons and taken to the Spottsylvania
Court House and To plantations close
by, where they were Kept until they
recovered from their wounds, then
they were DISCHARGED from the army.
From Malvern Hill they went TO
Cold Harhor. where they had a heavy
fight, which lasted for fifteen days dur
ing which time many men were killed
and wounded. Finally, when the bod
les were piling mp i'll front of the armies
both sides agreed TO stop fighting for
an hour to bury the dead
From cold Harbor they were sent TO
Petersburg where they went into camp
for two months. At the end of this time
part of the army was sent to Deep Bot
tom \ few miles up the Potomac, and
the rest soon joined them. Here they
had another bad fight with the rebels.
who were defeated badly. over half Of
their army being killed. The first even
ing, at Petersburg, they took fort but
after this Mr.. Heals regiment was in
the rear and did not see much lighting
After this they were sent to DESTROY the
Wheddon railroad, a supply road used
to send supplies to Petersburg. Here
they burnt all the ties and wlIt / the fire
was large enough they put the rails in
and when they were hot they bent then
out of shape. Here Mr.. Head was taken
sick and was sent to the city hospital.
| lie remained there for nearly month
and was then sent to Washington.
| While in Washington his regiment was
dlsbanded and sent to Madison, but he
was not discharged till some months
after. The people IN Dixie were women
and men who were too old to 90 to war,
and negroes who were taking care of
the plantations. Their common food
during the war was hard tack, canned
beef and coffee, and the Injuries were
fresh beef and beans. Their tents con-
sisted Of pieces of canvas, each man car
rying one piece. During the march they
would pay zoe per pound for the poor
est kind of butter. When they made a
raid on the suttlers they would tear the
houses and barns down, take all they
could find and then take the suffers.