Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-05-20
The Sixty-Ninth New York.


With the laying of the cornerstone
the first real work in the construction
of the new Sixty-ninth regiment arm
DRY, in Lexington avenue. between
Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Streets
will be begun, says the New York
Herald.
The Sixty.ninth got its name, the
Fighting Sixty-ninth," soon after the
beginning of the war. AS an illustra-
ton Of the fierce fighting which this
regiment saw, it may be said that 572
were wounded and 1862 killed outright,
Including many officers. 1t was the
sixth on the list of fatalities OF all
regiments which fought throughout
the civil war.
One of the notable exploits In the
history of the regiment was the gal
liant work before Petersburg. The
Sixty.ninth was under fire for three
days and asked to assault position
after position. There was never
moment when the Fighting Sixty
ninth" was not ready to respond. Inc
gritty Irishmen rushed the trenches
of the southerners time and time
again, their wild yells ringing out
across the blood-stained field, their
officers always at the front.
In those awful charges men went
down by the score. The regiment
never paused, nor did it falter. Its
brave commanders had seen many
wild moment during the three years
they had fought their way south, and
many of the men with them were in
the thick of hot scrimmages, but June
16, IS and %, 1864, are three days in
the calendar of the Sixty-ninth that
saw the regiment immortalized.
These same boys had been at Wind
sor, fighting earnestly and stubbornly;
vaughn's Run, Spottsylvania, where
Company H distinguished itself by the
most conspicuous and stubborn fight
ing of that awful day; Blackwater,
Edonton Road, Tolopotomy, Clover
Hill and Antietam.
The battle of Antietam gave the
Sixty-ninth its greatest opportunity
The regiment was exposed to- ter
rife fire throughout the action.
The famous corn field was crossed
and recrossed a dSzhn times, until the
position had 'baaAltwon, but at terrible
cost to the regimeRt. The bullets OF
the confederates had practically deci.
mated the regiment. The endurance
of the Irishmen on this day was won
derful. Theys never seemed to tire.
and when night fell they were still
busy, firing and reloading as though
their work had just begun. The off,
GERS distinguished themselves, but no
more SO than the enlisted men.
Then came the battles of Hatcher's
Run, Strawberry Plain and Marye's
Heights In this last engagement the
Sixty-ninth assaulted stone wall
nine times before it was won. The
confederates put up one OF the most
stubborn resistances of the war.
Fighting their way almost to the muz-
zles of the guns, which were splitting
lead with fearful accuracy, the Irish
lads reached the barrier, only to be
hurled back. Recognizing, they as
saulted the position time and. time
again, until the torn remnants Of the
regiment cleared the wall and planted
their colors over the spot where the
confederates had fought so bitterly
and persistently.
There was grim fighting at Fred
ericksburg, Deserted House, North
Anna, and the first Bull Run. in which
the regiment played conspicuous
part. 1t had been attached to the
First brigade, Summers division,
Army of the Potomac, from December,
1861. 1t was in the Second brigade,
Richardson's First division, Second
CORDS. Army of the Potomac, later,
the regiment being discharged under
Colonel Nugent June 80, 1865, near
Alexandria, Va.
In the engagement at Peach Orch.
ard the Sixty-ninth suffered severely.
One hundred and eight men were
killed and wounded and forty-two were
missing. This is an evidence of the
fighting which the Sixty-Mnth was
called upon 10 40. IL Is llllie Wonuer
that the regiment was recruited from
New York eight times.
The record of the Sixty-ninth before
Fredericksburg is one OF the cher
ished memories of the war. The men
battled with the ferocity Of tigers,
suffering from the enfilading fire and
running into the very mouths of the
enemy's guns and artillery. The reg
iment lost twenty-four killed and
uinety-four wounded. In May, 1854,
at Spottsylvania Court House, the reg.
iment was again called upon to carry
out one of the most trying orders of
the dag. In that memorable assault
the members of the regiment were
shot down in great numbers. but not
once was there waver, the remain.