The National tribune., 1900-09-20
THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
A COLOR-BEAEER'S STORY.
Carrying Field Flag at the Battle of Jack
SOMA Dangerous Duty.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: After
reading about the color guards in your
valuable paper some time since, I think
every color guard and bearer should con
tribute his experience IN that line during
the war Doth the blue and the gray.
shall never forget my experience as color
guard and bearer of the blue field flag OF
the 41st Ill. No one knows the response
bility of bearers of flags in battle or else.
where unless they have gone through the
experience of such. | can now recall the
struggles we went through, at Columbus
KY, Forts Henry and Donaldson, Shiloh
Holly Springs, La Grange, Cold Water,
Vicksburg, Haines's Bluff, Jackson, Miss.
and Sherman's March to the Sea, where
the fiercest struggle of the war was
enacted.
On July 5, 1863, the army, under W
L. Sherman, was ordered to Jackson
Miss, to attend to Gen. Johnston, who
had gathered 10000 men to help raise the
siege at Nicksburg, where we had cele,
brated On July 4. On July II Gen. Lau,
man was ordered in position, and the 18th
41st and 43d Ill. and the famous Sd Iowa
were selected to drive the enemy out OF
the woods in our front. Col. pugh was
in command of the four regiments, with
an Ohio battery.
We were halted at the edge of Il corn.
and not more than GOO yards from the
enemy's works. An order came from Gen
Ord to charge. We found the following
behind good breastworks: LIST La, 1st
Fla, list Ky, Austin's Sharpshooters of
New Orleans, Cobb's Kentucky Battery
list Tenn. Battery, and Slocum's famous
artillery of New Orleans, i'll all 5000 in
fantry and 2S pieces of artillery, all com.
manded by Gen. breckenridge.
On we went, receiving the fire of dou-
Discharged guns, with grape and canister
moving us down like grass.
Out OF $50 men Gi5 We're killed, wound,
ed or prisoners. Our colors were, of
course, special target for the rebel can
noneers, and six color bearers were shot
down, four more killed and two wounded
Two of them still survive that carnage of
death, Lewis Il. March and Samuel b.
Hall, who carried the field flag. Serg't
III. w. Strever carried the Stars and
Stripes. Our flag was blood-stained and
so badly riddled we could not use it any
more.
Gen. Lauman, we understand, was
placed under arrest for this charge, but
was never granted hearing. He simply
obeyed the orders of Gen. Ord. Who was
to blame for the great slaughter that day
| am unable to say.
l was shot through the right leg, and
the rebels finally captured the blue flag,
which was sent to Richmond, Va, as one
of the hardest-earned trophies of the war,
where it remained until the close of the
war, when the War Department at Wash
ington took charge of all rebel trophies
In March, 1856, the flag was sent to the
Capitol of Illinois, aud is now in Me
mortal Hall at Springfield. ILL.,, all tat
tered and blOOd-stained. BY request of
the regiment the photo of the writer is
also by the flag. Iu ~
Yes, it is very honorable but dangerous
to be a color bearer or guard. Four of
the nine that went into th,it battle were
killed outright and two severely wounded.
L. Il. MARCH, Bloomfield, Mo.