The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-08-22
THE 4th WIS. AT BATON ROUGE.
Gallant Badger State" Regiment. Tha,
Needs No Defense.

| only infer Its substance from Coinrade
I.iscOmbs answer. l am more competent
than Comrade Liscomb to discuss the
points in issue, as ! was present ut the
| battle of Baton Rouge, while his knowl-
| edge is secondhand; but, nevertheless,
correct. Probably Comrade Wilkins was
there also, but when he criticises Paine
Tor not coming to the relief of the 2lst
| Ind. he exposes his ignorance of a fact
at that time wei! known by the army at
Baton Rouge, that Col. Paine was not
| there, but in New Orleans, during the
battle, where he had been sent under ar
TEST by Gen. Williams for refusing to de-
liver fugitive negroes to their masters
the regimental lines. L venture to say
ihat Comrade Wilkins, if ignorant of that
fact, was the only person i'll Baton Rouge
soldier or citizen, black or white, that
was, for the 4th Wis. and some other
| ttoops there We're almost in a state OF
nutiny because of the arrest, and Gen.
| Vi iIliams had notified the regiment that
| lie would put every officer and man in il
Cnder arrest if the demonstration, made
at its last dress parade, should be repeat
c,l. and II battery and two other regiments
we're conveniently disposed, either pur-
posely or accidentally, so as to be used
| IUI that purpose.
If Comrade wilkins says that when he
MINED Col. Paine he meant the 18th Wis,
| then | reply that The various regiments
were assigned TO their respective places
| Ill the line of defense by Gen. Williams,
and so far us the history of the battle is
known, each regiment performed the duty
assigned to it, with Il single exception,
| and that exception was not the 4th Wis.
| L furthermore, if Comrade Wilkins were
better posted on the tactics of that battle
land he ought to be before he sets him
self in adverse Judgment upon his COM
radcsl, he would know that the 4th Wis.
did come to the relief of the 21st Ind.
and 9th Mich. as rapidly as possible when
ordered so TO do by Gen. Williams, with
out whose command it, of course, could
not leave open that part of the line it had
been posted to hold-which was at the
cemetery on the extreme left, and as
remember it, over half a mile from the
Iosition of the e21st Ind.
The 4th got to the new position as
quickly as any troops could, arriving just
as the enemy was repulsed. The battle
there being at an end, the 18th was or
dered 10 resume its original position in
the defense. When about half way back
it was halted, under fire, on ridge and
ordered to lie down, when very soon some
of our troops what regiment L will not
say, as | may be mistaken) came back in
panic out of 2 corntield, where, l judge,
they had been engaged in a skirmish
fight. BY command of Lieut.-Col. Bean
the 4th opened passages to let the fugi-
tives through. l well remember the
Imaginable exhibition of a big, fat Cap
lain, who was sprinting ahead of dozen
or more of the flying, all the time yelling
Halt, halt" and frantically waving his
sword. He cleared our line at one jump
and, / doubt not, was the first Union
soldier to drink out of the Mississippi
that day.
The list Ind, 9th Mich. and Nims's
Mass. Battery covered themselves with
glory that day. The opportunity came to
them and they were equal to the emer
gency, a reputation that followed them
without a flaw to the end of the war. The
4th Wis. had the distinction of drawing
the first rebel fire at Baton ROuge-it did
fully all required of it there and every
where thereafter, and though serving the
longest of any regiment in the war. there
is not a single stain upon its reputation,
and it i'll becomes Comrade wilkins to
east any unkind reflections upon it.
Gen. Butler, as soon as advised Of Gen.
Williams's death, ordered Col. Paine to
duty, and he arrived at Baton Rouge
early the morning after the battle, and
as ranking officer assumed command and
withdrew the troops to new line within
the arsenal grounds, threw up intrench-
ments, cleared away buildings and put
the position in state of defense that
ought to have been done as soon as it was
known that breckenridge was about TO at
tack.
Our new lines were two sides of tri-
angle resting upon the river as base,
and We're fianked by gunboats arranged
to sweep the front with their heavy guns,
making a proposition that the JohnnieS
had no stomach for.
Breckinridge's attack on Baton Rouge
was not foolhardy nor ill-advised, when
we remember that he had 5000 infantry,
ID cannon and a considerable cavalry
force, and that he was to be supported
t,. Ind AL 81
The Arkansas was covered with railroad
rails, and had, a short time before, proved
invulnerable to the 11-inch guns of POr-
ter's fleet az Ficksburg, she having passed
through it unframed from the Yazoo af
ter destroying one and disabling another
Union vessel The Arkansas arrived just
above Baton Rouge the day before the
battle, and was expected to support the
attack upon the left of the Union line at
the cemetery, where the 4th Wis. was
posted.
There were four wooden Union gun
boats at Baton Rouge in no way capable
OF putting up a successful fight against |
the Arkansas, and had she put in an ap-
pearance, as expected, taking our lines in |
flank and rear simultaneously with the |
land attack, it is almost certain that the |
entire Union force would have been cap
tured. Fortunately, however, the engines
Of the Arkansas broke down and she was |
where she lay until the next day, when |
her commander, rather than surrender, |
blew her up. The explosion was plainly |
heard, and the smoke and debris plainly |
seen within our lines, and every loyal |
heart felt relief, for another attack by |
supported by the Arkansas, |
was hourly expected. Her destruction I'M |
caused his final retreat.
The battle began in heavy fog early |
in the morning and lasted about five hours |
the day was humid, hot and oppressive |
and especially severe on the Union troops,
who were all in very low state of VI |
tality, many of them being almost skele- |
tons from fever and diarrhea contracted |
where they were engaged in digging the |
" illiams Canal across Young's Point.
When the battle began l was confined |
to my cot in the post hospital, where /
had lain for two weeks with intermittent
FEVER, unable to move. The excitement |
OF the hour, however, toned me up so that |
got on pants, shoes and hat got a mus
ket and cartridges, and started to join
my regiment, which, by the help of Bill
Paradis, trench recruit from the Fort
Philip garrison, l finally succeeded in
doing at the cemetery. By the help of
comrades to carry my musket and occa-
to assist me personally, l stayed
with the regiment until the fight was over,
when l utterly collapsed and was carried
back to the hospita. on an improvised
5tretcher. l. however, Joined my regiment
at the arsenal again the next day. Testi-
mony of Surgeon Van Nostrani and 9TH
ars as to this part Of my record is on file
with my papers in Pension Office.
1t was reported at the time that Lou
siana rum-and-gunpOwder mixture was