The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-06-25
FOUGHT FIFTY YEARS AGO
G. E. stemn, Peter wirshem, George 9.
Limpert and Charles Vollmer Were
All With the Union Army in Famous
Fight Against Confederates.

This was day Of memories for the
little handful Of the members of Com
pany G. Of the 26th Wisconsin Infan-
try as just fifty years ago at sunset
this evening these men took part in
the battle of Peach Tree Creek, one of
the bloodiest battles Of the campaign
before Atlanta. The fight with the
1" Johnnies1 at Peach Tree Creek was
one of the most notable engagements
in which troops from Kenosha were en-
gagged. The survivors of the famous
skirmish include G. f. Stemm, former
mayor of the city. Charles Vollmer,
George G. Limpert and Peter Wir-
shem. The Goth Wisconsin Regiment
containing a large number of German
soldiers, was in the very hottest of the
fighting The regiment was under the
command of Colonel F. G. Winkler now
of Milwaukee.
In the fight which lasted less than
quarters of an hour the Goth lost
forty seven men. Opposing the Union
soldiers in this fight were the mem
bers of the fighting 33rd Mississippi
Regiment of the Confederate army.
In the fight this regiment was cut to
pieces, all of it's officers were killed
and the two flags of the regiment, in
Guiding the state flag and the flag of
the Confederacy, were captured. These
flags were brought back to Wisconsin
and placed in the capitol at Madison
and they were among the battle flags
destroyed in the fire which burned the
state house decade ago.
Former Mayor Stemm talked of the
battle today. II remember it just as
Iif it was yesterday" said Mr.. Stemm.
We had been on the march most Of
the day when we came to an old dead
corn field and had stacked our arms
with a view of getting some supper.
The Kenosha members of the regiment
had made it a custom to stick together
and when We stacked arms Limpert
went out and got some wood to make
the fire. Charley Vollmer secuted out
to get some water for the coffee and
[ was out gathering blackberries. I
had picked quart of the berries when
| heard the firing Of the skirmish lines.
We could see the men of the 33rd Mis-
sissippi coming nearly three-quarters
of mile away and we hurried to arms
and went to meet them. [ remember
that the first time / attempted to shoot
my old muzzle loading musket the
cartridge missed fire and I threw it
down and reached to pick up musket
from one of the men who had fallen.
| got hold of the sword Of Captain
Miller of Milwaukee, who had been
one of the first of our men to fall in
the struggle. / went on and managed
to get a musket and the four Kenosha
boys were right in the fighting until
the flags of the enemey had been cap
tured, the officers of the regiment kill
ed and the survivors scattered Other
regiments at the fight were the 73rd
Ohio, 33rd Massasschuetts, 55th Tndi-
ana. and one other regiment. Later on
IN the war we found a few of the mem
bers of the 33rd Mississippi after they
had been mustered into other regiments
of the Confederate army In this fight
the mettle of the German volunteers
was fully tried and the victory attain
ed was one of the most brilliant of the
campaign before Atlanta. At that
time Vollmer and were just about
seventeen years of age while Limpert
and Wirshem were well up in the
twenties. We members Of the Goth re-
gard the battle. of Peach Tree Creek
as one of the real notable engage
ments of the war. ,,