The National tribune., 1908-04-09
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE WASHINGTON C, THURSDAY APRIL o. 1905

! JhODa al NIL ~, 1JUS.
regiments. the 25th and the 18th Ohio.
were held in reserve, formed in double
column and placed in the woods in rear
of the 55th and 107th Ohio, facing
south. Along the front of the five regi-I
ments of Devens's Division there were
no defenseS of strength. The fences
had been thrown down along the south
ern side of the road and piled up with a
little dirt thrown over them, and in the
woods the timber had been slashed in
front of the 41st and 45th n. Y, the
two guns in the road and the two de-
ffected regiments. the 153d Pa. and 54th
y. Y. The rest of Devens's Division was
without protection of any kind, and, in
fact. all the redoubts thrown up for the
protection of the corps were rendered
| utterly useless by the attack of jack
son, far in their rear, excepting the
| trivial rifle pit east of the Dowdall Tav-
ern, and the reports of the corps aban-
doEing strong earthworks at the first
| fire are entirely erroneous. The only
earthwork whatever that could furnish
the least protection and a chance to
| rally to the broken regiments of De-
vens's and Schurzs Divisions was the
shallow and incompleted rifle pit in the
| field east of the church and the Dowdaii
Tavern, and this could only afford shell
| ter to a thin line of infantry lying down
or kneeling behind it. 1t was so trivial
in its construction that all traces of it
have now disappeared.
THE two DETECTED regiments of Won
elisa, on whom fell the first blow of
Jackson's army, were the 153d Pa, a
regiment of nine-months men. mostly
American citizens by birth. The other
was the 54th y. Y, an old regiment, few
in numbers (about $50 mem, and COM
posed mostly of Germans or men of
German descent 1t was placed a little
in rear of the right flank of the 153d
Pa. and in echelon. Neither of these
regiments had any protection whatever,
except what was afforded by the slash
ing of the timber in their front, and
which delayed the onset of the enemy
but a few moments. The nearest sup
port to these two regiments was the
18th Ohio, in double column, facing
south, and 700 yards distant, while the
regiments on the Hawkins Farm were
over half mile distant, far to the rear
of their right flank.
Composition of the Corps.
"The Eleventh Corps at Chancellors-
vile, as previously stated, consisted of
81 regiments. of which IL were new,
while the remaining 16 were old organ
iZations, and had been tested in the
campaigns of West Virginia, the Shen-
andoah Valley and the Second Bull Run
under Pope. The history of the veteran
regiments certainly entities them to the
fullest confidence of their new asso-
ciates in the Army of the Potomac.
Concerning the personnel of the new
regiments much can be said in their
praise. In the review of the Army of
the Potomac by President Lincoln, in
April, just before the battle of Chancel-
lorsville, the Eleventh Corps made a
most excellent appearance, and the di
vision commanded by Gen. Schurz i'm
pressed the Presidential party as the
best drilled and the most soldierly in all
of the Army of the Potomac that passed
before them.
New England Regiments.
among the new troops in this corps
New England had two of its best regi-
ments, the 18th Conn. and the 33d
Mass. The 18th Conn. was well selected
in its rank and file. and most OF. it's Off
GERS had seen service in other ofganiza
tions, one of whom was the brave
Swede, Lieut.Col. Walter, who lost mis-
life in this contest. Among the rank
and file were the noted inventor, Elias
Howe, and his son, and besides these
there were many others of skill and tai
ent, who had enlisted from high sense
of duty and patriotism. The 33d Mass
was composed of the best soldiers of
that patriotic Commonwealth, and New
England had no better troops in the
service than those under the command
of Col. A. B. Underwood From the
far West the 26th Wis. claims special
notice. 1t was classed as a German
regiment, but with them there were
mixed many other nationalities, as
Scandinavians, Swiss and Americans. In
this fight it won distinction, and after
wards became noted body of troops
and was rightly reckoned by Gen. Cogs-
well as pe-of the finest military organ
iZations in the army of the United
States. The SD III. was also largely
composed of Germans, mixed with Swiss
and Americans. Among the Swiss was
youth of the name of Emil Frey, who
was student in Switzerland at the time
of the outbreak, but who promptly left
the university, with others, and offered
his humble services to the Republic
He first enlisted as a private in the 2Sth
ILL.,, but when Hecker called for volun-
teers Frey raised a company of his own,
Joined Hecker and served with distinc-
ton until June. 1865. This is the same
youth whom Switzerland sent as its
Minister to this country many years
afterwards. and who is regarded to-day
as one of its most eminent citizens. Be
sides this Swiss student there were many
others of ability in the corps, who left
lHtlT uIlNeESilleS OF tHelr IN
the armies of Europe to give their as
sistance to the Republic.
I'm this regiment was a company of
Jews, and to provide for the wants of
these men and their families the Jews
of Chicago generously raised a large
sum of money. At the head of the regi-
ment stood a citizen and man of ster-
ling worth, whose name will always be
remembered in the history of the West
and the cause of human liberty with re-
spect and reverence. The ability, pa
triotism and noble qualities of this grand
man-Frederick Hecker-had been well
established in the revolution in Baden
in 1S4S, and to his newly-adopted coun-
try he offered all he had This regiment
gained a great and deserving reputation
during the war, and here at Chancel-
lorsville the attempts it made TO stop
Jackson's surging masses show that it
did have valiant men in its ranks, who
were worthy of the highest praise.
THE 119th n. Y. was formed largely
of Germans or men of German descent,
and its Colonel was Elias Peisner. Peis-
ner had been a revolutionist in Ger
many, but was a naturaliZed citizen and
a professor at Union College. at Schen-
ectady, n. Y, and a man held in the
highest esteem. At the mention of his
name at the great mass meeting held at
Cooper Institute in 1868, in New York
City, the entire audience rose to their