Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-09-07
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell OF
Whist1ing Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.

Yes said the Major, II remember
when George B. Mcclellan was elected
captain Of the old Chicago Light Guard.
Captain J. B. Wyman, the organizer of
the company, was called away from the
city by business. In looking about for
his successor members of the company
and citizens interested in military af-
fairs turned to George B. Mcclellan,
who had resigned from the regular ar
my to become chief engineer of the ILL
nOis Central railroad.
Mcclellan was at that time about 30
years of age. He was. through his visit
to the Crimea and his book, published
soon after his return, one Of the best
known of the younger officers Of the
regular army. The Light Guard was
then the crack military company of the
Northwest, and it was natural that the
men shoIld turn to the former army
officer who had just located in Chicago
and who carried himself like a thorough
soldier
Mcclellan did not remain long
enough in Chicago to leave his impress
on the local companies. When the war
came in 1861 the Light Guard was not
in existence as a military organization,
and Mcclellan entered the service as
commander and organizer Of the Ohio
troops and was appointed Major Gen
eral in the regular army before the real
work of war had begun. Most of his
old military friends in Chicago went
into service early in the western regi-
ments Turchin going to the Nineteenth
Illinois, Barker to the Twelfth Illinois
cavalry, Forsyth and others to the
Eighth cavalry.
''Of all the old military circle of 1857
and 1858, Captain Barker of the Chi
cago Dragons was the only one to be
closely associated with Captain McClel-
Ian of the Light Guard, in the early
months Of the Civil War. After par
ticipating in the Cairo expedition Bar
ker, through the intervention OF Me-
Clellan, took the Dragons East to be-
come the escort or bodyguard of Lit
tie Mac, the most popular soldier Oh
the day. After three months service
the Dragons scattered into various reg
iments, several going to Farnsworth's
Eighth cavalry. A score or more of the
Dragons, who served with Mcclellan,
became commissioned officers and won
distinction.
"McClellan's acquaintance in Chicago
Che had been here before the Mexican
4 H. ~ ~
the st. Andrews Society took another
Chicago military company East for spe-
cial service early i'll 1861. This was
the Sturgis guards, armed and equip
ped as sharp shooters by~Solomon Stur
gis, and assigned to duty as McClellan's
bodyguard in the army Of the Potomac.
1t would be Interesting to trace the in
t1uence Of McClellan's military expert
ence in Chicago on his acquaintance
here. I wonder if there Is any one liv-
ing who can do it?"
IF Ellsworth had lived few months
longer" said the Colonel, "a good many
of the Zouaves who went into Tur-
chin's regiment would have gone East.
The story Of the military companies In
existence In the several States in 1860
is a curious one. But in no State was
the history Of such organizations more
highly spiced with romance than in
Kentucky. During the excitement pre-
liminary to the outbreak Of hostilities
in 1861 companies in many counties
were organized for both armies. In
Lexington John Morgan, captain of a
crack company, went into the Confeder-
ate service. Sanders ID. Bruce, captain
of the Chasseurs, another crack COM
pany of Lexington, went into the Union
service.
Bruce was given command of the
Twentieth Kentucky, and later Of a
brigade under Nelson. Morgan was Civ
en- an important cavalry command, and
made several raids in Kentucky. In
1863 he surrendered one battalion of the
Twentieth Kentucky with 5000 men,
and after stubborn fight captured It.
This gratif1ed him exceedingly, but the
several Kentucky cavalry regiments gal
loped after him through Kentucky and
OulO, anu Ill luIu SdpIulCu MIL gan d1O
his immediate command.
81 saw those Kentuckians when, af-
ter their long ride, they made their last
charge on Morgans men, and 1t was
worth remembering. In all my war
experience l never saw men so eager
to make capture as were these Ken
tuckians-some of them Morgan's old
neighbors. They were not malevolent.
In their own language, they Simply
wanted to take John in out Of the wet
But they went at 1t in way to make
Morgan feel that he would like to sur
render to somebody else.'-Chicago In
ter Ocean.
Some Grant Stories.
For several years there was much
said about railroad from Galena to
Janesville, the idea being, when once
there. to arrange with the then Mil
WI