Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-30

| ard Guard" of burlington, one Of the few
companies of uniformed militia which
were keeping M some SemblanCe Of mill
| tarY organization in Vermont before the
| outbreak of the Civil War. The down
of early manhood was on his cheek when
| the echoes of the guns that opened on
| Fort Sumter woke the soundest slecpers
| in the North from their dreams of peace.
| and he was but 10, when, in April. 1851
| he enlisted as Union volunteer. He went
| to the front a few DAYS later as a cor
| poral in Co H. Of the First Regiment of
Vermont Volunteers He was with the
| regiment when. under Gen. John w.
| Phelps it made, at Newport News. the
| first military occupancy of the sacred
| Soil of Virginia that was made by the
| Union troops. and he took part on the
| 10th of June at Big Bethel. Virginia in
the first engagement dignfied by the
| title of a battle; the first assault by
| Union infantry upon confederate en-
| trenchments: and the first experience of
Vermont troops under fire, in the great
| war for the Union.
| A few months after the expiration of the
| brief term of service Of the First Vermont.
young l.iscum, on the list of February,
| 1862. enlisted in the 18th L. S. infantry.
and was soon again at the front. The
18th infantry was a part of Princes brig
| ade of Augurs division of Gen. Banks
corps, of the Army of Virginia, which
in midsummer of that year was confront
ing the enemy between the Rappahanocll
and Rapidan rivers, while Mcclellan was
threatening Richmond Liscum'S bright
and cool courage soon attracted notice,
and he was promoted through the non
commissioned grades Of corporal and ser
ecant to be LIST sergeant of the A company
in the second battalion of the 18th. In
| the bloody battle of August 3. 1862, at
Cedar Mountain. fought by Banks and
StoncWa Jackson, with IA loss Of 5000 men
| in killed and wounded on the two sides.
Iiscum was wounded in the left elbow.
| He is mentioned by name in the report or
| the battalion commander as having rem
| dercd gallant service in that battle. and is
also mentioned by name in the report of
| Gen. Augur. commanding the division. He
was back in the ranks soon the
| wound healed and shared the fortunes
OF the army under Generals Pope. Nc
Clellan and Burnside during the remain
| der of the year. 1S62-a year marked by
many battles, including those of the Sec
ond Bull Run, Antietam, and F'redericks-
| burgh. At the close Of the year the 18th
infantry was a part of Sykes's division
of the 18th army corps, composed almost
| wholly of regulars.
IN February. 1868, he received his first
| commissioner promotion from the ranks
| to a second leutenantcy in the 18th in
| fantry-folowed three months later by
promotion to be first lieutenant. He COM
| manoed his company in the battle of
| Charlottesville. May 1 and ., 1868 and on
| the second day at Gettysburg. where the
| 5th corps replaced the broken lines of
| SickleS's Sd corps, and with terrible loss
held the position in front Of Little Round
| Top. The 18th infantry suffered severely
| at the foot of that hill, and Liscum fell
with a bullet wound in the right thigh
| In the Wilderness campaign, the fol
| lowing May. Liscum was detailed as am
| bulance officer for his division of the 5th
| corps-an office charged with responsible
| duties in battle, often involving ser
| iouS risk, as shown by the lists of killed
| and wounded. The chief ambulance of
| fcer of the corps, IN his report, com
| mends Lieut.. Liscum for his GOODNESS in
| danger and faithful performance of duty,
in that bloody campaign. In the Cold
| Harbor campaign, he especially distin-
| gushed himself in the battle of Bethesda
Church, June 2, 1864, and was brevetted
captain for gallant service in that battle,
and in the final campaign before Rich
mond.
| In July, 1866 he was appointed captain
| in the oath Y S. regiment composed of col
ored troops. In July, 1870, he was trans
ferred to the 18th IT, s. infantry. In May,
'92, he was promoted to be ma jor of the 22d
infantry, and in May SO he became lieu
tenant colonel of the oath infantry. His
service for the 30 years following the close
of the Civil War was much of II on the
| Western frontier, and in the campaigns
against the Ute ana OtneT WdT-llke In
dian tribes on the plains The details Of
this service have not been at my COM
mand: but i know that it was faithful
and efficient service.
In the war with Spain, in Cuba,
Liscum commanded the 24th infantry,
which was part of the third brigade of
Kent's division. The brigade had prom
inent part July 1, 1885, in the storming of
San Juan HILL the capture of which
sealed the fate of Santiago. AS the brig
ade moved out into open ground in front
of the Spanish intrenchments, it came
under heavy fire, by which Col. Wikoff,
commanding the brigade was killed. Fiji
infantry, who succeeded to the command
was severely wounded; command of the
brigade then devolved upon Liscum, but
had not been exercised by him many min
utes when he fell, struck In the breast by
a Mauser bullet which passed through
| the right side OF his body and out through
the shoulder blade, carrying with il
| fragrants Of the bone. He was borne back
I to q hollow, through which ran the San
Juan creek, whose banks were covered
| with wounded men. To the surgeons who
rame to him. he said: "Help those men
first. they need II more than I do" and
| lifting himself upon his unshattered shoul-
, der. he ordered back to the charging line
such OF the men near him as were ut for
duty. Nine months of sick leave and a
| slow recovery. due In large part to tina
| nursing of his devoted wife, followed
| though II never became complete, He was
| promoted to he brigadlcr- general
| OF volunteers for gallant service In
! Cuba: was assigned 10 the com