The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-18

J. ~
ganized for the Mexican war, and was
disbanded after that struggle was over.
The third. which is the present Twelfth
regiment was mustered in under the
direction of President Abraham Lin
coin. May 4, 1851. and has been in con-
tinuOus existence ever since.
The first colonel Of the Twelfth was
William b. Franklin, afterward pro-
NOTED 10 general He was succeeded
by Colonel. afterward General c. C..
Augur. The other colonies in their
order were o. b. Wilcox, r. T. Town
send Jacob Fl. Smith, John N. An
drews. Chambers MckibbOu and John
W. Bubb. Colonies Wilcox. Smith and
NcKibbon becoming brigadier generals,
General Smith being conspicuously
before the public at present because Of
the allegations made as to his course
In Samar.
The Twelfth was originally recruited
I'm 1861 throughout the eastern states,
and it began its fighting with the first
battle of Bull Run. II was also in the
second battle Of Bull Run, and took
part in most Of the battles of the army
of the Potomac. 1t fought at Fred
ericksburg. Antietam, Malvern bill,
Gaines mill. Spottsylvania. thr0ush0ut
the Wilderness campaign, ct Peters
burg and at numerous other battles and
skirmishes.
Through Many Battles.
The names Of all these engagements
are now inscribed on the battle flag.
The eagle and part Of the fringe Of
the flag went through all the battles
and the subsequent campaigns, but the
rest of the flag is comparatively new,
taking the place Of the tattered rem
nants LETT after the war.
From the close Of the war until 1859
the regiment was on reconstruction
duty. being stationed in South Carolina.
IN 1859 the organization was sent west.
The headquarters were established on
Angel island, I'm the bay of San Fran
cisco, the companies being scattered
through Idaho and Arizona.
When the MOdoc war broke out in
the early '7Os, the Twelfth took the
field. In the battle on the lava beds
Of northern California, company z was
nearly extermiuated. though victorious
An overwhelming force of Indians at
tackled the little band Of men undei
Lieutenant Wright. During the en-
gagement Lieutenant Wright was
killed, but Second Lieutenant Egan
afterward commissarv general and re-
tired because Of his controversy with
General Miles. took command, and tht
company continued its desperate fight
They drove off the Indians, bat at th'
end there was scarcely a handful o
men.
Fights With Indians.
IN 1876 the Bannoeks. now livini
peacefully on the Fort Hail reservation
and giving up a large part Of thei
lands for cpsh, took the warpath Gen
eral Miles Aonducted the campaign Of
the east sideNof the range in Wy0mins
The Twelfth was engaged with tn
Bannocks on the Idaho side Of tn
divide.
A year or so later. when Chief JOSEPH
led the NeZ Pefces against the whites
the Twelfth was called upon TO al
General o. o. Howard in Idaho an
over in the Yellowstone country j.
putting down the uprising. IN 1878
was transferred to Arizona, where
fought the Apaches under Juh an
other chiefs during the early sos. /
1852 came a relief from frontier dutl
The regiment was taken east an
scattered along the great lakes in Ne
York and elsewhere, remaining theT
until 1887.
Then came a return to life on IN
frontier, this time in Dakota Fol
Yates became the regimental head
quarters. When Sitting. Bull took tn
field with his Sioux warriors. Il
Twelfth furnished part of the infahtf
forces to crush the iusurrectiOn. a POI
ton Of the regiment was at the bait
of Wounded Knee, and afterward ;
the killing of Sitting Bull on the Gran
river, near Fort Yates, in 1890.
Part in the Spanish War.
The headquarters were moved
Fort Leavenworth in 1890 and 20 Fo
Niobrara in 1894. where they RENAME
until the outbreak of the Spanish wa
In 1894 companies L and G went fro
Fort Leavenworth to Chicago, whe
they did riot duty during the Pullms
strike.
When the Spanish war broke out
1898. the Twelfth was promptly Sc
20 the front in Cuba. It was a pa
of Chaffee's brigade Lawton's divisio
Fifth army corps. and consequently
the thick Of the fight.
At the battle of ii Caney, July
1895 the Twelfth was in the van. L
der the leadership Of Lieutenant @
onel Haskell. who then ranked as ca
tain. but who was in command Of {
@egiment the Twelfth charged up
heights and was the first to climb {
walls of the famous stone fort at
summit. driving the Spaniards befC
them The Twenty-hfth infantry, G
Of the cOlored regiments came in fr'
another side shortly afterward, and
Two together pursued the Spanial
down the slope
at the battle of san Juan. fOu.
about the same time the Fourth
fantry. of which Colonel Bubb y
then major was st0rming those heig
with the Roosevelt rough riders g
other troops.
Sent to Philippines.
The Twelfth took part in the ST
Of Santiago, returning after the sign
of the treaty Of peace to Monte
Point. Long island. After short n
during which tbe regiment was
cruited up. it left New York. Feb.
1899. in command Of Lieutenant Colo
Jacob H. Smith for Manila, going
way Of Gibraltar and Suez
Arriving az Manila April II. 1899.
regiment plunged into the thick Of
fghting Ii was in LaWtons comma
during his MOrOng expedition tax
part i'm the fierce battle Of Tay T
went on the expedition into Cavite Z
in June. 1889. was in the battles
Paranaque and of the ZapOte ri'
In the last named engagement g
panies l. and VI were i'm an eXtreH
dangerous position. They advanced
the face Of a tremendous fire to wit
thirty-hye yards OF the insurg
trenches where they were forced
halt because unable to cross the d
Zapote river They lay there unde
storm Of bullets for over an M
greatly OutnumbeTed. until Gene
I,awton finally succeeded in gett
some troops across the river 81
distance farther up the stream, {
fanking the Filipinos and forcing Il
to retreat In this battle the two c.
panies sustained a loss in killed
wounded Of one officer and thiri
enlisted men.