The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-08-01
GONG. REILLY
 AFTER MEDALS.
Edf Survivors of FOrIOrn Hope Brigade, In Terrific Struggle
 of Civil War

--71-A-el1A Neridens is championing a measure Ia the House of Representatives to secure medals for the survivors of the Forforn Hope Brigade. who played an important part In the capture of Port Hudson. the Confederate stronghold during the Civil war. The measure is helng urged in the Senate by Sena- nnr Mclean
 For many years the dvvindling sur vRvors have been battling unsucceGs- fuuy for the government recognition &o which they believe they are enti- fIed in the form of a medal of honor. Despite repeated failures to obtain the necessary congressional grant, the spirit w7Eh which they have renewed their efforts time and again competes win thz< which prompted them to en- roll themselves with the organization fifty years ago.
 The ground on which the survivors Of the FoElorn Hope Stor1ning Column base their claim was their response to the following call, designated as gem .eral order No 4S, which on June IS, 1868. Major General Nathaniel F. Banks, commanding the Department of the Gulf, addressed to his 15sO00 men. who were taking part in the hfege of Port Hudson;
 --Offfoers who lead the column of victory In ehis last assault may be as-
 
 services by promotion and every off OCT and soldier who shares it's peri1s and It's g1ories shall receive a medal ft ho commenorate the first grand success of the campaign ofs.1S63 for the freedom of the Mississippi. His name shall be placed in general or ders on me. roll of honor.'s
 One of the Connecticut survivors of the brigade is Loren D .PenheId, for u1er and for many years city clerk of New Britain When recently speak ing of the 1Or1orn hope, Mr. Penheld sald-
 The eneznyss knowledge of the proposed assault had much to do with the surrender in my opinion All though three assaults had been made unzuccessfuIIy, this would have re- Su1&ed In victory for the Union. We Eave been disappointed by Congress rnzny times, and now there arc few of us Ieft on1ys three in this cftyE" Mr. Peune1d was seventy years old on : Jnue 1E the nftleth anniversary of the ] can to which he responded
 Perhaps thesmost active. survivor of the regiment Is Charles B. RoweH of Derby, who was a private In the T1nir-' tssnfh Connecticut MT. Powell is prUu1zneue En Republican politics, and he has succeeded in eu1isting the aid of many members ofs Congress and in ! keeping them on the firing line for many years Mir. RoWeu had seen severe fighting with F'arragut and un- der General WeItze1 about New Or leans He had taken part in a. deS- moraeas sasaau1t upon Port Hudson with a brow of unconscious daring, but he wayB that the sensation in volunteer Ing for the forForn hope charge was mat of a man signing his own death warrant
 we all wrote farewell letters home" said Mfr. Powell, ~and in the soldiers way prepared for the worst Every man of the 964 had been in the bEoody repu1se of the day before, but the for1orn hope attack was to be a do or die affair for us all, with heavy odds on the side of death We had daily drills for the coming struggle, but because Grant got Vicksburg we lived to fight many days in Virginia under General Emory and with Sher- fdan in the Shenandoah
 For more than twenty-five years we have tried to get Congress to make good the promise of General Banks to give us medals The Senate has pass- ed our bin at nine different sessions, but the House for reasons unexplain- pd. invariably is hostile We can on-y ly think that we are being treated with fnexcusabIe uegIect-by the House Military committee"
 .s Of fine S64 men who composed the roIumn 400 were members of New York and 300 of Connecticut regi-
 
 led the list with z44 men.
 The other regiments represented were the Twelfth and Twenty-ffth Connecticut; the Seventy-hfth, Nine tieth, Ninety-frst, 114th, 116th, 12Sth, 1s1st, 1sSd. 15sth, 15sth, 16Oth. 161st. I62d, 165th, 173rd, 1T4th, 175th and 17Tth New York; the Twelfth, Four teenth, Twenty Twenty second, Tvrenty-9ourth and Twenty eighth Maine: the Thirtieth, Thirty-hrzt, Thirty y-e1ghtn. Forty-eighth, F'iftieth, FTfty-th1rd Thirteenth Battery and Third cavalry, Massachusetts; the Eighth and Sixteenth New Hampshire, Eighth Vermont First and Second Louisiana. Sixth Michigan, Fourth Wisconsin and Second artillery.
 The storm brigade was divided into two battalions of ten and eight com Danless respectively -Captaining the Eighth company of the Second battal- ion was Felix Agnus of the 10th New. York. now proprietor of the Bal tirnore American General Edward L. lfolkneux of Brooklyn, who Is an ar dent champion of the F'or1orn Hopers' claim, was a New Orleans hospital at the time of the call, having re- ceived some of the contents of a. Mis- slssippi rife in the first advance on Port Hudson
 There are not more than two hun s7red and fifty survivors of the column to-day. but the ardor of some of them Er1 pressing the medal quest increases ns their number diminishes.
 
 Ereridenites- recall that John Pagan of Kensington. an uncle. of Congress man Reilly was one of the Forlorn Hope troops