Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-03-31
HOW THE iron BRIGADE WON ITS NAME
Battle Of GAINESVILLE, by A. R. Bushnell

asssa AsStSs sasas6ssas
they broke and fell back,-who does
not remember the cheer we gave?
But our cheers were promptly an
swered by the rebel yell They rallied
brought up reinforcements, and charg- |
ed on our lines; sand didn't they make |
it hot for us? Bullets from front, and |
right fank,-the air full of them
whistling by our ars,-scratching at |
clothes, -burning our faces,-bullets |
seemingly everywhere. The sixth came |
in on our rlght,-the nineteenth Indi- |
ana on the left of the second; and old |
battery B got into position on a little
hill to our rear, and firing over our |
heads, gave them canister, and their |
charge was repulsed.
Twice more they brought up more |
men and charged down upon us. Line |
behind line they came, their flags fly |
Ing, and we plainly heard the voice of
their commander, Forward! Guide |
center!" On they grandly came; but |
as they got near enough, and we poured |
in our fire. through the dim and smoky |
light, we saw their ranks swept down, |
grow thinner and beautifully less, until |
the last man of them seemed to sink |
into the ground. And yet, again they
came; and again their dim ranks out |
lined against the sky above the hill,
went out into nothingness.
We were now out of cartrid ges; and
the command was, Elk bayonets and
kneel down.! And we fixed bayonets,
and knelt down, what there was left
Of us,-and waited for the enemy to
come again:-but they did not come
The battle was over!
The next thing was fresh supply
of cartridges. For my company [ sent
Orderly Sergeant, old John Enloe
with squad Of men to the ammunition
wagons for them. They brought the
boxes, and we broke them open and
distributed cartridges to the men
there on the line We held.
How soon it got dark that day!|
When we went into the fight, the sun
was we'll up above the horizon. No
body realized that any time had pass
ed, but now, the stars were looking
down from the heavens all around up
on that bloody field. And vet. our
sadly diminished ranks, the changed
conditions, and the emotions experien-
ced since the opening guns of that
battle made its commencement seem
as long ago, as some years of our lives.
In the next two days fighting the
second and the seventh were consoli-
dated and put under the command of
! Colonel Fairchild. He was the only
field officer left out Of the two regi-
ments. All the rest we're killed Or
wounded. And the two regiments
hardly counted more men than two
companies Of a year before.
The above article appeared in the
| Madison Daily Democrat Of Thursday.
March Doth, and the following editor
ial appeared in connection Herewith:
"In a wartime communication to this
paper Captain A. r. Bushnell draws
! a spirited picture of what our soldiers
went through in the war of the rebel
! lion. Perhaps it might have included
more about the killed and wounded.
! but that would be to paint from a diff
ferent view point. His tale is of how
| it appeared to a soldier who was not
killed or wounded. Wisconsin soldiers
on whatever field they fought, whether
down the Mississippi from Atlanta to
the sea or up through Tennessee, Ken
lucky, the Carolinas and Virginia.were
second to none. Selfish purposes or
apathy may for time induce forget
fulness, but the spirit Of 1861 slumbers
securely in the hearts of a l0yal,united
peopie. The nation is stronger. infin-
itely stronger, for the war, and so long
as the republic survives its citizens
mush cherish infinite gratitude toward
those who cemented the union. Old
men they are today and fast passing
on to the glory of Immortality. 1t is
impossible that they may be too hand
somely honored in this day and gen
GRAFTON"
Captain Busnnelrs story of Gains
Vile becomes a vivid and lively recital
the like of which it is we'll to repeat
now and then to enforce upon the
youth of the present some little under
standing of the perils encountered by
s1res and grandsires in the mightiest