The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-05-29
COMMISSION TO
RAISE MONUMENT
Governor Names the Men
Who Will Erect a Shaft
! to the Heoes Of Monocacy
OTHER STATES JOIN JERSEY
FROM NEW YORK, PENN
SYLyANIA, MARYLAND AND
4, VERMONT TOOK PART IN THE
/ FAMOUS BATTLE.
Special to .The Jersey CITY News.")

Special to ."The Jersey City News."J
TRENTON, May 20, 06.-Governor
Stokes has appointed the commission
which is to superintend the erection of
"a monument on the battle field at Mon
ocacy, Nd, to commemorate the SER
vices of the 18th New Jersey Volunteer
regiment in the battle fought there July
8, 1864.
Those named are Colonel Jarvis Wan
ser, commandant of the Vineland sol
diers' home; Major John G. Patterson,
Ocean Grove; Adjutant William Ell. Fos-
ter, Hopewell; Sergeant John Grover,
Trenton; Corporal Roderick A. Clark,
Point Pleasant.
The legislature Of 1905 passed bill
appropriating $500 toward the erection
of the monument to be paid whenever
the adjutant general and the quarter
master general of New Jersey shall cer-
tify to the comptroller in writing that
said monument has been erected on said
battle field at cost of not less than
So, 500.
The battle of Monocacy was partici-
pated in by troops from New Jersey,
New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and
Maryland. The other States have al
ready made appropriations of $500 each.
The monument is to commemorate the
battle and an equal share of the cost will
be borne by each of the States named.
Fosters New Jersey and the Rebel
lion" gives graphic account of the bat
tie, which in part follows:
early on the 9th the dispositions for
the battle were completed, the division
of General Ricketts, to which the 18th
was attached, having the left and hold
ing the high road to Washington. At 8
O'Clock the rebel ski1mishers appeared in
front and soon drove our skirmish line
across the river, thereupon planting guns
and opening the battle. The disparity
of artillery was gRaat, the enemy having
16 Napoleons, while we had only six
smaller pieces. Soon the fight
ing became serious. The
brave division, fighting with despera-
ton rarely matched, again and again re-
PEELED the rebel assaults. strewing the
ground with dead, for six hours main
taining the unequal contest, waiting in
vain for reinforcemeuts that never came.
"At length the enemy, gathering all
it's strength for a final blow, again NOV
ed from our left IN two massive lines to
the charge. and gradually envsloping our
lines, nothing was left but to retreat
Vhe 18th, being on the extreme left of
the line, had suffered severely. but it had
stood manfully to its work, and only
retired when General Wallace, seeing
that further fighting was useless, order
ed it to do so''
The seventy Of the ordeal which the
14rh went through is shown by the foh
lowing quotation: During the engage
ment. Lieutenant Colonel Hall, Adjutant
Buckalew and several officers had been
wounded. Captains Stults, Conine and
Conover were killed, while every remain
ing officer of the line was either killed
or wounded except Captain J. J. Jane
way of Company x. The command Of
the regiment devolved upon him, he led
it bravely, but success was impossible,
and at length the line gradually fell back,
the men still disputing every inch Of
ground
sThis engagement, while disastrous to
our arms, was nevertheless beneficial,
delaying, as it did, the enemy's move
ment against Washington. and enabling
the other divisions of the Sixth corps to
reach the capital before Early appeared
before It on the 12th.''