Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1901-12-06
THE GREEN FLAG IN BATTLE.
Good Records Made by Irish RcEi-
ments In Battles OF the
Civil War.

"I carried green flag" said the ser.
geant, inithe Chicago Inter Ocean, 'in
a good many battles of the civil war.
In most cases, the regimental or state
flag carried with the colors or the
stars and stripes was solid blue. The
Irish regiments, from some of the
states at least, carried green flags in
stead of blue, and it always made my
heart swell with pride to see that the
green flags in the charging line never
Jagged behind. Nearly every Irish
regiment in the union army made a
good record, and j have always been
sorry that so many of the anecdotes of
everyday experience have not found
permanent place in the war literature.
For example, there was an Irish
man of the Thirty,siXth Indiana who
while on skirmish line at Dallas saw
a good chance to capture rebel. lie
availed himself of the opportunity:
captured his man and was passing to
the rear with his prisoner, when one
of the boys called out to him: Pat,
let me have that man. l will take him
over to Gen. Gross, our brigade COM
mander.' 'Niver mind, me boy re-
piled Pat, Il left million back over
the hill there. Go yourself and fetch
one of the lads over and take him to
Gen. Gross
"A member of the Chicago Irish reg
iment, which ut the time was in the
Fifteenth corps, became very much
excited because he couldn't force a
cartridge into his musket, fouled by
E,.ip 10 t,ia Il 81,
again, and at last called out to his
colonel explaining why he could not
load. 1t was in the midst of a furious
engagement, and the colonel advised
him to try again. Pat tried again,
failed, and then facing the enemy
came to an order arms, and stood like
statue. The colonel asked him what
he meant, and Pat replied: 'Shure,
I'm jist waitin' for n Johnny to come
up till | can knock his brains out with
me musket. / am waitn' for him.
and in the midst of the hottest pos
sible fire, he waited until the regiment
charged forward"
Il remember case" said the cap
tain, ''in which an Irshman named
Casey, little mite of man, distin-
guished himself at Islll Run. After
everybody had been withdrawn from
our line, Casey remained loading and
firing, unconscious of the fact that
| the regiment had retired and that he
alone was holding the advanced line.
Finally he was surrounded, and con-
federate grappled with him, ordering
him to surrender. Casey caught his
| man and shouted back TO the regiment
reforming in the rear: Colonel, Oi
have prisoner here, but he won't let
me bring him in Casey was rescued,
but he lost his prisoner.
1--WE had in our regiment n captain
who had served his time in railway
building, and who had risen from u
day laborer to the position of SUBJ
contractor and boss. He was often
severe with his men. but many time
l have seen him in the midst of Il hot
engagement, when il became neces-
sary to throw up intrenchments,
throw off his sword belt and blouse,
take up spade or shovel, and do as
much work as three or four men. On
one occasion the colonel, dashing
along the line, discovered the captain
in the trenches and ordered him out.
The captain declined 10 come, saying,
good humorcdly: There are times,
colonel, when the shovel is mightier
than the sword. This is one of the
times
IL remember that on that famous
day at kenesaw when the burial par