The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-09
"Garrnrd's Tigers"

Exactly because IL Is not one OF tne
"famous' regiments but typical, the
organization whose civil war record
IL compiled lin first person plural mar
rative) by MARY GENEviE GREEN
| BRAINARp in Campaigns Of the l46h
! Regiment. NcU York state Volunteers
| Putnams) IL interesting. The reg!-
ment sometimes called the Fifth
Oneida for the county in which 1t was
recruited, and "Garrards Tigers Tor
| its first colonel. fought at Chance.lors'
vile. Gettysburg. the Wilderness.
/ Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Har-
Dor. Petersburg and in the Appomattov
campaign, with numerous less talked
| OF battles.
Early in the summer of 1862 Pres-
| dent Lincoln issued his third call for
volunteers. After fifteen months o!
war peop,e were well enough ac-
/ aualnted with its cost, misery and
sacrifice To- make enlistment much
more serious business than 1t had
/ been at the start: yet New York State.
which had already sent nearly $780,
| 600 men to the front, now exceeded
| it's quota of 59.705 by some twenty
| thousand. Sceptic hint at hountcs
! cannot obscure the tremendous pa
| trlotsm of 80. finer because deeper
| than the enthusiasm of 81. Oneida
! county had three regiments in
| the field. but the recruiting went
! on with such fervor that in
less than a month nearly LOO men
| had enrolled for the fourth. the 1l1ta
/ New York. In August, applications
continuing to pour in, the Firth
Oneida. 10th New York, was organ
/ lied and drilled at Camp Huntington,
/ in Rome. Lieut.. Col kenner Gar
| rard, commandart at West Point. took
/ command of the regiment. His regu-
: lar army discipline was irksome at
| FIRST, but was a prime factor in tho
1 fine military development of the or
! ganization. \ bit NJ a martinez, his
| though:fulnoss for the welfare Il MS
! men and his great personal courage
| in battle endearcd him to the troops.
In October the rCgiment left for
! the front. In New York IT marched
! through Tenth avenue. Houston
street and broadway tn city Han
! Park, wnere. in the park barracks,
I'VE were served with "A Government
dinner. which WIS palatahle only be-
! cause Of the sauce % appetite With
which our fas, Of the night had album
dainty provided us" The men Wee
taken down the hay t South Amhoy
/ on two steamers. md across Jersey
/ over the Camden and Amboy Railroad
I 1t was dark when they disemhark"d
at Amboy, and the landing was diff
| ficult, for the troops had tn cross a
skeleton wharf one man stepped
thr ugh the trestle and WAS drowned.
The regiment went into camp Oh Ar
i!ngton Heights and was sent into
the field in November
In the retreat from Fredericks-
burg sergeant IN command OF 4
picket detail Of the ida regiment
failed by some mishap To got the or
der calling in the sontrics. II was a
81 rmy night. and the mon on post dill
not notice the withdrawal Of the rest
Of the line until dayhreak. Tlen a
picket came in ard reported t. cor
poral Of the guard that the s,'tries
on the left mus; have been with
drawn as none had come out to meet
him for some time. soon similar re-
Fort came from the other side. The
sergeant had orders not 10 bring his
men in without command from tn"
Colonel but he led his detail through
the city and across the last pontoon
bridge just as the engineers were dis
mantllng it and the first Confederate
| shells began to burst. When the
men rejoined their command the Col
! orcl inCensed at the seeming viola
ton OF his orders. Informed the ser
gclnt that he had been reduced To the
ranks. When, however, he learned
the excupatory circumstances, he
summoned the man again and pro-
NOTED him second lieutenant and the
corporal t. sergeant.
Capt Curran wrote n rather unusual
account of the sensations Of hts first
battle: "Of all the delightful sensations
that OF battle is the most pleasant
ever experienced. Every nerve
thrills with excitement. Every sense
is wide awake and keen, | laughed
at others To see them So excited. and
then would find myself rather excited
also, and Immediately become quie:,
1t is useless to attempt TO tell how
YOU feel II Is indescrihably delight
full. and do not wonder that old
soldiers love the battlefield. The hope
and desire of success absorb your
whole attention"
Going into Gettysburg:
As we advanced, we hched the mar,
shallirg OF forces that rortends a coming
conflict; troops Ming slowly through the
woods to right and left. orderlies rushing
here and there. artillery wagons lumber
ing along the uneven roads. Again. with