The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-10-03

surrendered at Meridian, Mlssls.
sippi, May 10th, 1865, with that
gallant "Irishman" Captain John
McGrath, commanding Co. CO.
st. Mary Volunteers, with only
two of the original Company leav-
ing St. Mary in 81 answered Roll
Call. Our Company like the Reg
iment was very much reduced
from killed, wounded, prisoners
of war, sick in hospital, and sorry
to say, some deserted.
Iquote Mr.. White of Louisiana:
The 18th Louisiana Regiment
met the first shock of battle at
Shiloh. There the Regiment shed
a beautiful luster of courage upon
my State, certainly never sur
passed.
Mr.. Wheeler Of Alabama.
Gibson's 18th Louisiana Reg
iment gained immortal renown for
courage and heroism from the
time it first met the shock of battle
on the field Of Shiloh.
Mr.. Hooker of Mississippi:
Gibson's Brigade was four times
repulsed with great slaughter at
Shiloh-the "Hornet's Nest but it
was in the front line at sunset and
was distinguished in the fighting
next day under General Polk,
which General Sherman pro-
nounced the heaviest fire during
the war,
Quoting from L. E. Hall, Baptist
Pastor:
On the 2Sth, Of July, when Gen
eral Sherman's army was moving
rapidly to our right for the pur-
pose oi flankirg US out Of the cl;y
of Atlanta, We were rushed around
to our left and charged upon the
massed forces of the enemy. L
witnessed on this occasion the
most appalling scene that l ever
beheld. Gibson's La. Brigade
had been almost annihilated when
we came to its support, the ground
in some places was slippery with
blood, these Louisianians had
gone as far as mortal man could
90 and this they always did.
Quoting from General Dan
Adams report Of the Battle of
Perryville, Kentucky:
The 18th La. Regiment, Colonel
Randeli Lee Gibson deserves
special mention for the prompt
ness with which they moFFeaaf0 for
ward, the alacrity and rapidity
with which they pressed the
enemy until halted by my COM
mand. At Murfreesboro, Tennes-
see, he lost one third of his Bril-
gade, out Of twenty -eight officers
Of the 18th La, Regiment he lost
nineteen, and three hundred and
thirty two men killed and wound
ed, and received cordial COM
mendations of his superior officers.
Quoting from Mr.. Henderson,
Federal Officer under General
Buell., says of Gibson's Louisiana
Brigade:
Under it's tremendous force our
line was driven back to Stone
River with dreadful loss of life.
In my own Regiment out of four
hundred aud forty nine men with
muskets two hundred and thirteen
men were killed or wounded in the
bloody battle of Stone River.
The Communications of Gibson
and his Louisiana Brigade was
we'll deserved, for Notwithstanding
the dreadful loss and the natural
that came under
that dreadful discharge from the
federal Battery Of fifty-one guns,
at such short range, Gibson's Bril-
gade, in fact, of the entire COM
mand OF Breckenridge from that
Field, was characterized with very
little disorder. They retreated in
the same mastery manner that
they had advanced.
Quoting from General Stephen
D. Lee, says:
l designated Gibson's La, Bril-
gade to cross the Tennessee River
IN open boats in the presence of ,
the enemy near Florence, Ala ,
bama, and more gallant cross
ing Of any river was not made !
during the war. At Nashville
when Hood was defeated by Gen.
eral Thomas Gibson's brigade !
was conspicuously posted on the
eft Of the Pike near Overton Hill, !
and | witnessed there driving back I
with the rest Of Clayton's Division I,
,wo formidable assaults of the i
enemy. | recollect near dark rid T
ng up to the Brigade near Bat +
cry and trying to seize a stand of !
;olors and lead the Brigade against !
he enemy. The Color Bearer re- a
used to give up his colors and t
vas sustained by his Regiment. I
found it was the color bearer Of il