covered his flanks, while he had a good supply of artillery posted in the narrow passage between the two bayous. After a severe contest, the enemy were driven from their position, and pursued several miles. This is known as the battle of Lake Chicot. In this affair, the regiment suffered the following casualties:

KILLED.- Company B – Corporal John W. Miller, Private John Esterlitz. Company F -Private Cornelius A. Marston-3.

WOUNDED.- Company A-Private Orlando M. Whitman. Company B-Sergeant Henry A. Daily, Privates Davis Gorman and Charles Corbitt. Company D-Sergeants George M. Ross and Corydon Boughton, Privates Daniel Baker, Sykes P. Armitage, James Richards, Henry C. Chamberlain and Albert F. Tatum. Company F-Corporal Francis Wagner, Private Frank Brady. Company G-Sergeant Daniel H. Slawson. Company I-Privates William Brown and Abram Pruett-16.

Marching to Columbia, Ark., the command proceeded up the river to Memphis, and went into camp. Here the veterans were allowed to proceed to Wisconsin on thirty days' furlough, leaving the non-veterans under command of Captain Williams. These were moved to La Grange, employed as railroad guard, and in July, took part in General A. J. Smith's expedition into Mississippi, and participated in the engagements near Tupelo, in which Ole Severson, of Company H, was killed. They returned to Memphis after a march of two hundred and sixty miles. Here, they were rejoined by the regiment from veteran furlough.

The Eighth marched from Memphis on the 2d of August with the forces of General A. J. Smith into Mississippi, returning on the 29th. In this expedition, W. J. Baker, of Company A, and U. A. Tewksbury, of Company C, were killed. On the 2d of September, they proceeded by the way of White River to Duval's Bluff, thence to Brownsville, and on the 17th, marched with the forces under General Mower in pursuit of the rebel General Price, who was making a raid into Missouri. After marching three hundred and fifty miles, they reached Cape Girardeau, below St. Louis, arriving there about the 1st of October.

Leaving Cape Girardeau on the 5th of October, the forces of General Mower proceeded up the Mississippi to St. Louis, where the regiment was newly clothed and equipped. Reëmbarking on transports, they reached Jefferson City, on the Missouri River, on the 15th, whence they moved by rail to Lamoine Bridge. Here they were assigned a position in the expeditionary army against General Price, who was making his way into southwestern Missouri, through Kansas. The expedition reached Little Santa Fe,

BATTLE OF NASHVILLE.

537

Kansas, when information being received of the defeat and dispersion of Price's forces, and that General's escape into Arkansas, orders were given for a return, which was accomplished by marching and transportation by rail and steamer, so that they reached Benton Barracks on the 15th of November. Resting a few days, and refitting for another expedition, on the 23d of November, they left Benton Barracks, and proceeded, with the forces of General A. J. Smith, up the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers, to reinforce General Thomas, at Nashville, which place was threatened by the rebel General Hood. Landing at Nashville on the 30th, they proceeded and took position in the defensive works south of the city, and on the 15th and 16th of December, took part in the battle of Nashville. Here the Eighth, under Lientenant Colonel Britton, made four distinct charges on the enemy's works in the final one, driving the enemy in a perfect rout, from their last line of defences. In this charge the regiment captured a six gun battery, about 400 prisoners, and two stands of colors. Companies B and D, acting as flankers, surrounded and captured 200 prisoners.

The following is a list of the killed and wounded in both days' battles:

KILLED.- Company B-Private David Hull. Company D-Privates Henry C. Chamberlain and Chauncy F. Payne. Company F-Private Joseph Henry. Company GFirst Lieutenant W. H. Sargent. Company H-Corporal Michael Mansur. Company IPrivates W. H. Andree and James Mellon. Company K-Privates Nels Jenson and Edward Mason-10.

WOUNDED.- Field Officer - Lieutenant Colonel W. B. Britton. Sergeant Major August G. Weisart. Company - Private Truman Rich. Company B-First Sergeant Charles P. Stewart, Privates James Toothacker and George A. Johnson. Company D-Captain Benjamin S. Williams, Corporals Jacob C. Noteman and Joseph S. Palmer, Privates John A. Carlisle, Charles Dutcher, William G. Hall, Frederick P. Sipher and John Van Fleet. Company E-Privates George Braider, Enoch Robins, Charles F. Baum, Jacob Braider, James Anderson, Charles Hebbe and George Barrows. Company F- First Lieutenant John W. Greenman, Private Benjamin F. Greenman. Company H-Sergeant George Van Norman, Privates George Pooler, Jacob Rutherford, John Jones, John F. Roy, William Pooler, William Foy, Sanford Cluton and Ole Anderson. Company I— Captain Duncan A. Kennedy, Sergeant James B. Aney, Privates Andrew Brandhurt, Henry J. Beckwith, Casper Fopper, Ole Frederickson, Jerome Goodnough, David Langston, Orlow Robinson, John Sullivan, Franklin M. Sacia, Ransom Sage, Jacob Sampson, Joseph Stewart and Albert Van Toon. Company K-First Lieutenant T. A. Fellows, Sergt. John Philips, Privates Thomas Tarre, Christ. Lind and Edward Kartschok-52.

After the defeat of the rebels, the regiment joined in the pursuit, marching 150 miles, and finally encamping at Cliftou, Tennessee, on the 2d of January, and moved thence to Eastport, on the Tennessee River. Embarking on the 6th of

February, the regiment proceeded with Smith's Sixteenth Corps, down the Tennessee to Cairo, thence down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and went into camp five miles below the city.

The Sixteenth corps of General Smith, moved in transports on the 5th of March, to take part in the investment of the defences of Mobile, landing at Dauphin Island, from whence they moved, on the 20th, across Mobile Bay, and proceeded up Fish River ten miles, and went into camp. On the 25th they moved and took position in the lines before Spanish Fort. Here they were constantly employed in fortifying, and the performance of picket duty, until the evacuation of the Fort, on the 9th of April, when they moved to a position before Fort Blakely, and took part in the charge on that place, with a small loss.

We find the following casualties reported as occurring at Spanish Fort:

KILLED.- Company E-Private Thomas J. Gilbert. Company G-Private Charles T. Kelly. Company D-Private George W. Richards, died of wounds.

After the surrender, the regiment marched 180 miles, to Montgomery, Alabama, where they remained until the 10th of May. On that day they marched by the way of Selma, and took cars for Uniontown, on the Alabama and Mississippi River Railroad. Here they went into camp, and remained until orders were received for their muster out. This was done at Demopolis, Alabama, on the 5th of September, and the regiment reached Madison on the 13th, where they received their pay, and were formally disbanded.

The Eighth was known as the "Eagle regiment," from the fact that a live Eagle was carried through all its campaigns, up to the return of the non-veterans, in 1864. This noble bird was taken from the parent nest in Chippewa County, in this State, by an Indian, who disposed of it to a gentleman of Eau Claire County, from whom it was purchased by the members of Captain Perkins' company-Eau Claire Eagles-by whom it was presented to the regiment while organizing, in 1861. It is needless to say that it was instantly adopted as the regimental pet, and was christened "Old Abe!" A perch was prepared, and the royal bird was borne with the regiment on all its marches,

THE PET EAGLE, "OLD ABE."

539

and into every battle in which the gallant Eighth was engaged, up to the muster out of the non veterans. Perched on his standard above the heads of the men, the bird has been more than once the mark for rebel bullets, but luckily has escaped unharmed, with the exception of the loss of a few feathers, shot away. He returned with the non veterans in 1864, and was presented to the State, and placed in charge of the Quartermaster's department, and every care necessary is bestowed upon him. At the great Chicago Fair, in 1865, “Old Abe" was exhibited and his photograph disposed of, realizing the amount of about $16,000. He' was also exhibited at the Milwaukee Fair, with profitable results. We are told that the sum netted to these charitable objects was about $20,000. He occasionally breaks from his fetters, and soars into his native element, but he has become so far domesticated that he is easily recovered. Occasionally the music of a band, or the noise of a drum will reach his ear, when he will instantly listen, and will respond with his characteristic scream, probably recognizing the strain as one with which the battle field has made his ear familiar. Old Abe has become celebrated in our military annals, and his history is inextricably interwoven with that of the brave and gallant regiment who bore him triumphantly through the field of strife.

Regimental Statistics.-Original strength, 973. Gain-by recruits in 1863, 52, in 1864, 236, in 1865, 62; by substitutes, 16; by draft in 1865, 3; by veteran reënlistments, 301; total, 1,643. Lossby death, 255; missing, 3; desertion, 60; transferred, 41; discharged, 320; mustered out, 964.

CHAPTER XVII.

REGIMENTAL HISTORY-NINTH INFANTRY.

REGIMENTAL ROSTER-MOVE TO LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS-MARCH TO FORT SCOTT-JOIN THE INDIAN EXPEDITION-BATTLE OF NEWTONIA -PRAIRIE GROVE-SERVICE IN MISSOURI-EMBARK FOR HELENA, ARK.-JOIN General SteELE'S ARMY AT LITTLE ROCK — MARCH TO CAMDEN-BATTLE OF ELKINS' FERRY-JENKINS' FERRY — RETURN TO LITTLE ROCK-NON-VETERANS-MUSTERED OUT—Independent BATTALION-EXPEDITION to the Saline River.

THIS regiment was organized at Camp Sigel, Milwaukee, and was recruited among the German population of the State. Enlisted men were forwarded to camp and then assigned to companies, all of which were mustered into the United States service by the 26th of October. They remained at Camp Sigel until January 22d, 1862, when they left the State to report at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The following was the regimental roster:

COLONEL-FREDERICK SALOMON.

Lieutenant Colonel — A. GEORGE WRIESBERG; Major-HENRY ORFF; Adjutant—ARTHUR JACOBI; Quartermaster — WILLIAM FINKLER; Surgeon — HERMANN NEUMANN; First Assistant Surgeon - LEWIS LEHR; Second Assistant Surgeon - HERMANN E. HASSE; Chaplain - Rev. JOHN BANTLY.

Proceeding by way of Chicago, Quincy, and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, they arrived at Weston, Missouri, on the