Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-05-24
WATROUS WRITES OF
SEVENTH REGIMENT
Lancaster Men Were Among Its
Noted Members.
Was Organized at Camp Randall Ir
August 1861 and Was Mustered
Out July 1865.

In the Milwaukee Sentinel of
Thursday appeared the following
written by Lieut.. Col. j. A. Watrous
concerning the famous Seventh Regi
menJ of Wisconsin:
The regiment from Wisconsin that
lost the greatest number of men killed
and died of wounds was the Seventh
Wisconsin, the number being 281.
The Second Wisconsin lost greatest
per cent than any other regiment in
the union army which was $685. The
Seventh served a year longer than the
Second and was given many new
recruits.
The regiment was organized in
August, 1861, at Camp Randall, and
left for Washington late in Septem-
Der, becoming a member of Gen.
Rufus Kings brigade, while the
other regiments were at Camp Lyon.
near Chain bridge, a few miles up
the Potomac river from Washington.
Early in October the whole brigade
moved to Arlington heights, where
system Of drilling was adopted which
kept the Seventh Wisconsin as we'll as
the other regiments of the brigade ex-
ceedingly busy until Mcclellan
movement March 10. 1862, out to
Centerville, near the Bull Run battle
field, where it found the enemy gone
and choice selection Of wooden can
non placed in position to fool Nc
Clellan's scouts and spies all that
winter.
In The Sentinel of Sunday ap-
peared an article on the Sixth Wis
consin and a list of the battles in
which that regiment participated.
The Seventh was in the same battles.
I will not take space to again enume-
rate them. In some of the ten com
panies every man felt the sting of
bullets, and as already roted, 281
died from such stings. The regiment
was made up almost wholly of farmer
boys, clerks, railroad men and boys
who had worked in the pine woods
The three regiments in the brigade
had their nick names The Seventh
was known as the "Huckleberries. y
The Sixth was known as the Calico
Sixth, and the Second as the Rag
ged Backed Second = The Sixth and
Second were proud Of their co-work-
ers of the Seventh, but always called
them the 'Huckleberry regiment. =
which, by some of it's officers, was not
looked upon as just the right sort Of a
title, but the rank and file gloried in
it, and a better regiment Of fighters l
do not believe was organized for any
army. Their heroism in that long
list of great battles printed in the
Sunday issue, and their great losses in
killed and wounded is proof Of their
ability as a fighting machine.
AS in the base Of Second and Sixth,
most Of the officers who commanded
companies when the regiment was
mustered out at the end of the war
were privates when they left Camp
Randall in September 1861. They
had won their spurs and most of them
had given of their strength and blood.
One who advanced from the ranks
was Capt. Fred L. Warner, who for
many years has been a merchant at
Randolph and is still living. Capt
Samuel Nasmith became lieutenant
colonel Of the Twenty fifth Wisconsin.
Capt. John B. Calls, of Lancaster,
reached the rank OF lieutenant colonel
and was brevetted brigadler general
He was so badly wounded on the
battlefield of Gettysburg that he was
left for dead. A confederate lieuten-
ant found him, saw he was still living
and called the attention of confed-
crate surgeon who gave him tender
care and brought him back to life.
Gen. Calls lived in the south for
some years after the war and was
elected to congress from there. A fire
eating southeruer challenged Gen. Cal
lis to fight duel. The general ac-
cepted and made arrangements for the
event, but when the hour came the
fire eating southerner backed out and
the duel was declared off.
Capt Mark Finnicum became lieu
tenant colonel for some time COM
manded the regiment, and for few
hours commanded the brigade while
Gen Bragg had temporary commanded
OF Gen. Wadsworth's old division.
Lieut. a. r. Bushnell, of Lancaster,
became captain, and after the war
served term Or two in congress. Maj.
Charles a. Hamilton of Milwaukee,
a brother in law Of Gen. Rufus King,
became lieutenant colonel and was
Lo5Iv vvoundad Of Goipoov;IIo Ia.