The Newsletter of the Second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Association, Inc.Volume 13 Number 2 - May 2003

fu gel man - A well-drilled soldier placed in front of a military company as a model or guide for others.

The Fugelman

A CARDApril 10, 1863

Camp, 2d Wis. Vol's, Belle Plain, Va.,

I hereby acknowledge the receipt, through Capt. Hill, ofvarious and divers bottles and cans of fruit pickles and

other luxuries from Mrs. F. H. Ellsworth, Mrs. A. P.Bennett and

Mrs. McGregor; also, Messrs. S. S. Branman, J. B. Wells,A. M. Craig and A. P. Bennett, for which I tender my most

sincere thanks.It is highly gratifying to know that while we are perilingour lives for the protection of that government, we are

kindly remembered by friends at home.The only return I can at present make for such favors is

tocontinue in the faithful discharge of my duties in aidingto crush this rebellion and restoring peace to our once

prosperous and happy country.S. H. Morrison

Co. "G" 2d Wis. Vol's.

Pass inReview

Your obedient servant,Lt. Col. Gary Klas

By Gary Klas

Once again it�s time toget ready for another reenactmentseason. I would like to remind every-one that now is the time to go over yourequipment and make the requiredrepairs.Fix the buttons on your shirts oruniform that may be loose or missing.And what about your tent, does it needsewing or waterproofing?Did you lose any tent stakes last yearthat need to be replaced?How about your leathers and brogans,is a trip to the shoe repair store in orderfor sewing or blackening? Any repairsthat you can make now will save youdown time in the field.Now for the most important piece ofyour reenacting gear, what shape isyour musket in? Did you experiencemisfires last year? When did you cleanit last? Was the side plate taken offthen cleaned and oiled?If you have any concerns about yourmusket take it to a gunsmith and get itfixed. Do you need any gunpowder orprimer caps?There is nothing worse that getting to areenactment and not being able toparticipate because your musket doesnot function.Last of all do you have all yourhaversack stuffers?You know what I mean, the things thatyou are always looking for and can notfind in your haversack. Things likematches, jack knife, sewing kit, insectspray, and a small emergency kit.In closing, I wish all of our membersand their families and safe andenjoyable 2003 reenactment season.And, I will see all of you soon onthe tented fields.

CALENDAR 2003May 17-18, 2003Drill Black HatBattalion EventCo. KTier 2, Event, Ill

May 21-23Roaring Camp -School DaysCo. H, Cal

May 24-26Roaring Camp - Battles and stuffCo. H, Cal

May 23-24, 2003Madison School Day andLiving HistoryAmerican Family InsuranceCo. KTier 2Madison, Wis

May 24, 2003Memorial Day ParadeCo. CTier 2Sharpsburg, Maryland

May 26, 2003Memorial ServiceCo. KForest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin

May 27, 2003Memorial Day ParadeBattery BWaukesha, Wisconsin

May 23, 2003Green BayLiving History DayCo. EGreen Bay, Wisconsin

May 31-June 1, 2003Wood VA HospitalLiving History Fund RaiserCivil War Hospital Help save it!Co. ATier 2Milwaukee, Wis.

June 14, 2003Appleton Flag Day ParadeCo. EAppleton, Wis.June 14-15, 2003GettysburgBrigade DrillCulver Military Academy, Ind.

June 21 - 22, 2003Escanaba, MIReenactmentCivil War DaysCo. EEscanaba, MI

June 14-15Casa de Fruta, HollisterCo. H, Cal.

June 28-29Pollock Pines Auxiliary Event,El Dorado County, Co. H, Cal.

July 4, 5, 6, 2003140th Anniversary Reenactment of theBattle of GettysburgReenactmentRegimental EventGettysburg, PAJuly 5, 6, & 7 - 139th Anniversary Reenactmentof the Battle of Gettysburg.See http://www.gettysburgreenactment.com fordetails.

July 19- 20, 2002Hastings, MIReenactmentTier 1Black Hat Event

* July 19-20Duncan�s Mills, Co. H, Cal.

Aug ?Ft. Tejon Invitiational, Co. H, Cal.

Aug.1-3, 2002BoscobelReenactmentCo. KBoscobel, Wis

Aug. 8 - 10, 2002Green BayRail Road MuseumReenactmentCo. E and Battery BTier 1Green Bay, Wis

Aug. 8 - 10, 2002Living HistoryRenfrew ParkCo. CTier 1Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Aug. 16-17, 2003Irish FestRegimentalTier 3

Aug 30-9/1Moorpark or Huntington BeachCo. H, Cal.

Sept. 6, 2003Dozer DayReenactmentBattery BDousman, WI

Sept. 7, 2003Iron ManBattery BMadison, WI

Sept. 13-14Nevada City, Co. H, Cal.Sept. 26 - 28, 2003

Wade HouseReenactment, Regimental,Tier 1 Greenbush, WiNote: register through Doug Pettit.

Sept. 28-29Fresno NCWA event Black Hat Extravaganza!40+ in line, Co. H, Cal.

Oct. 10 - 12, 2002Norskedalen ReenactmentCo. B, Tier 1Coon Valley, Wis

Oct. 19-20Marysville, Co. H, Cal.

Nov 15, 2003Annual Remembrance Day ParadeRegimental, Gettysburg, PA

* Nov. 15Black Hat/Victorian Invitational Ball,Sonora, Cal., Co. H, Cal.

December 6, 2003Annual Antietam Battlefield Illumination"Remember those that fell" Co. C,Antietam Battlefield, MD(Antietam Battlefield Annual Illumination. This is not areenacting event, but is recommended. 23,000 plus luminariesare put on the battlefield ground--one for every casualty atAntietam on 17 September 1862.You tour the battlefield in your car.The event is usually scheduled for the first Saturday inDecember, but the weather may dictate a change of schedule Forinformation from last year's event, go to:http://www.nps.gov/anti/Luminary.htm )

Videos from the 2001 NationalRailroadMuseum Event in Green Bayare now available....If you are interested in acquiring a

video please contact David Dresang at920/338-5048 or e-mail�tdresang@milwpc.com�.

There is a suggested donation of $5 pervideo and shipping would be $2. If youarenot familiarwithourvideos frompastevents, they run about 2 hours long andare not a profit making venture for Com-pany E but a special opportunity for thereenactors.Thanks, Theresa

Nov. 1, 1863Editor State Journal:-Rumors have reachedmefrom time to time that the remains of thosemenof the �Iron Brigade� and of the 56th Pennsyl-vania and76thNewYorkvolunteerswho fell atGainesville in the bloody fight of August 28th1862, were carelessly buried.Upon examination, a few days since whilepassing the battlefield onourway toThorough-fare Gap, it was found to be true.I have today had details from all the regimentswho fought there sent to the ground under thecharge of Capt. Richardson of the 7thWiscon-sin. They have carefully interred the remains.Many of them of them could be recognized bythe positions where thy lay or by the articlesfound about them.As the friends of those who fell there willdoubtless hear of the loose manner of the firstburial, I write this to assure them that all hasbeen done that could be to give them decentburial.

“While copying a letter from the(Wilmington) Delaware Republican, ofNovember 24, 1861, I noticed a referenceto the grave of a soldier of the SecondWisconsin. Thought you might like to seeit. The letter was very long, so I copiedonly from the mention of the graves to theend. The writer, a member of the 4thDelaware, signs with the pseudonymLeonidas. I have not yet identified him.Jerre Garrett, Hockessin, Delaware”

In the afternoon I took a stroll withQ.M.Jefferis, and Color Sergeant Armstrong,to the late residence of the rebelGen.Lee.The General, it will be remembered, ranawayfromhissplendidmansionandabout8,000 acres of land, to make a fool ofhimself in a bad speculation. Thehouse issituated on the banks of the Potomac,opposite the city of Washington, in a ro-mantic and lovely spot, surrounded byneat, well built quarters for his slaves,having owned about 1,000. The mansionbears some resemblance to the one for-merly owned by Dr. Thomson inWilmington,exceptthatthepillarsinfrontaremoremassive. Beautiful scenery onceadornedthepassagewaysthroughout thehouse, but war, with its ravaging finger,has nearly obliterated them.Below the house, on the brow of a hill, Ifound a tombwalled inwith brick, on theslab ofwhich I deciphered"Sacred to thememory of Mrs. Mary Rudolph." Theinteriorofthetombhasfallentodecayandthebrickshavetumbledin.Imusedonthescene in silence andpassed on.About 200yards from the rear of the mansion, Idiscoveredaminiaturegraveyard,whereIcountedelevengravesofdepartedUnion

Coming to the Wisconsin Veteran�sMuseum, located on the Square in

Madison, Wisconsin

Battle Flag Exhibits -April - June �

6th Wisconsin InfantryJuly - September �

2nd Wisconsin InfantryJuly - September �7th Wisconsin InfantryOctober - December �26th Wisconsin Infantry

soldiers,whodiedindefenseoftheircoun-try. I took a few notes, and thinking itwouldbeinterestingtoyourreaders,Igivethe names and regiments of those whomtheirbelovedcomradesmarkedforfuturerecognition. Somewere so obliterated bythe weather that I could not decipherthem:Marshall, Co. E, 1stWisconsin; �Blessedaretheywhodie intheLord, fortheyshalllive forever.'" "Stephen McHugh, ofMadison,Wisconsin, private, 2ndReg.Wis. Vols., died Feb. 14, 1862."CharlieS., he gave his life for his country." "T.D.Cousins, Sedwick,Me., private, Co.K, 16thMe. Vols, died Sept. 4, 1862. Afew yards from the remains of thesedeceased patriots, I observed twomarble monuments, enclosed by aboard fence, and learned from theirinscriptions thatbeneaththemreposed,"George Washington Parks Custis,diedOct. 10, 1857, andMaryL.Custis.I could not but mark the differencebetween the former and the latter; andthought that while the descendants ofthe great "Father of His Country,"were entombed beneathmarble columns, those noble youthswho were sacrifice upon the altar ofthat country, have reared monumentsof glory that will remain perpetual tothe end of time. I could not but medi-

Co H at GettysburgLooks like we have a minimum of 16 thissummer, including our sisters fromSo. Cal. Looking forward to seeing all ofyou again.Steve Bechtold, Co. H

tate as I gazed upon those humbletombs, and my mind reverted to theirhomes. Had they a kindmother?Did asister mourn their demise far fromhome? Dida fatherweep for a lost son,he hope of his declining years? Alas!did a loving wife and her tender babesrealize that the paternal head of thefamilywouldnever return?Heart-sickI turned away, fearful Imight imaginethe affirmative. But such is the use towhichaportionoftheRebelGovernment'sgrounds have been applied. Themansionitself is in the occupancy of Gen.Heintzelman and staff, as head-quar-ters, with a body of infantry andcavalry.Thehorsesandwagons forourregiment have arrived. They embrace29 horses, six baggage wagons, twoambulances, and a horse for Q. M.Sergeant Jefferis.Thewagonsare con-stantly employed transporting com-missary stores, forage, hay, &c. Thehorses could not be compared in anyparticular to beautiful Arab steeds, asmost of them are but libel on the nameof that noble animal, having been bro-kendown in cavalry service.However,we have an order for their exchangefor better stock. "Ned's" mule, it hasbeen proposed, we should keep, onaccount of his proclivities to stand tostand on his forefeet and perform gy-rations innumerable in the airwith hishind ones; he is a valuable acquisitionabout the Q. M.'s department, whenwewish to disperse a crowd.The 15th Maine Regiment, adjoiningto us, struck their tents on Friday, anddeparted for Alexandria. A portion ofour regiment has been detailed forduty at the acqueduct [sic] bridge overthe Potomac, andwill start to-morrowmorning, to report at the bridge at 8o'clock. I fearmy letter will weary youby its length, so I will reserve the bal-ance for a future issue.Yours, Leonidas

Second Regiment onExpedition

"Army of the Potomac"Near Pratt's Landing, VirginiaMarch 14, 1863La Crosse Weekly DemocratMarch 17, 1863

The 175,000 men constituting theArmy of the Potomac, are not idle;from nearly every regiment the avail-able quota can be daily seen repairingand building corduroy roads; formingnew roads, building docks along thePotomac-while some are scouring theneck of land between the Potomacand Rappahannock rivers, east of us,for the purpose of gathering such mulesand horses as are fit for the servicefrom rebel sympathizers. Verily, thereare numerous other duties we couldenumerate, but defer for fear of tiringyour patience- it is enough to knowthat we are as busy as the bee whenMay flowers adorn Mother Earth.

The Second Wisconsin Regiment hasbeen particularly employed; besidesfurnishing men for the above duties,as well as for picket, details from theSecond have been make for secretexpeditions.

Recently 1,000 of the best fightingmen were called from the Army of thePotomac. The Second and Sixth Wis-consin and Seventh Indiana regimentswere chosen. The Second and Sixthrepaired in "light marching order", toPratt's Landing, and embarked onboard the beautiful steamer AlicePrice, and steamed down the Potomacat night - as Erebus - we anchored nearMatthias' Point, and all lay down torest.

Early dawn found us again plying ourway down stream. At 10 o'clockA.M., we were hailed by one of UncleSam's gunboat's - run alongside, madethings right and pursued our journey.The gunboat was a sentinel guardingthe Potomac at that point, watchingsmugglers and escaping deserters.

The width of the Potomac fromMatthias Point to the Maryland shoreis twelve miles. We run along suffi-ciently close to see the earthworksthat were built and used by the enemy,last spring, at Matthias Point, causingconsiderable anxiety for the safety ofour boats traversing the river by thatpoint.

On either shore dwellings and planta-tions could be seen, presenting everyappearance of comfort and happiness- such did we look upon it at least - thescenery quite picturesque! At 11 A.M., we reached the mouthof the Potomac and endeavored toland just opposite Point Lookout, butit was impossible, there being no dock- half a mile from shore was as near aswe could get. The Chesapeake Baylay in front of us, and naught could beseen save a vast sheet of water. Off toour left a black object can be descried,and as we move nearer, it proves to bea merchant ship.

We "about faced" and run up Coneriver - a stream renowned for furnish-ing the finest oysters in the world,landed and threw out skirmishers-awaited two hours for the result. Pres-ently a civilian was brought to theboat on horseback, from whom wasobtained beneficial information . Hishorse was taken charge of, and he wasrequested to go aboard and point ourthe channel of Cone river up as far asHeathsville landing. Ere we shovedfrom shore, however a great manycontrabands flocked to the beach andtold us all they knew. (In our opinion,"intelligent contrabands" are playedout.) We moved cautiously upstream,under the guidance of our strangerfriend, (passing nice little plantationson either side-the river is about thewidth of the La Crosse,) until wereached the dock-a distance of six oreight miles from the mouth. Here alldisembarked, except one companywho were left to protect the boat fromsurprise, and marched as rapidly aspossible towards Heathsville, thecounty seat of Northumberlandcounty, where we arrived about 2o'clock p.m., and found everything

prepared for the comfort of the South-ern conscript officers, who has onlyleft four or five hours prior to ourappearance in Heathsville. Col. Fairchild, who was in commandof the expedition, questioned the citi-zens, searched the post office, andcaptured a mail bag full of letters, etc.etc., while some of the soldiers werecooking their dinner in the streets,others dining at the hotel, the remain-der partaking of oysters at a restau-rant, who told us that he had gatheredand prepared the same in consequenceof an anticipated meeting of the citi-zens in the vicinity to confer with theconscript officers, but that they hadleft and he was glad of it, for he likedour money best.

After the hour's duration, we retracedour steps and arrived at the boat, adistance ofFour or five miles, at dusk, and campedalong the shore. We had not ling beenthere, however, when orders weregiven to repair to neighboring planta-tions and gather up the large quanti-ties of bacon that we were informedwere stowed away for the use of theSouthern army. Soon could be seen atleast a dozen "go-carts", drawn byoxen, driven by contrabands, wend-ing their way to and from the boat,hauling us the finest bacon extant,principally hams. Thus 15,000 hamswere secured. In the meantime, asquad were out gathering up mulesand horses, and come in with fifteenor twenty.

Not being able to take the live stock onboard, it was necessary that other ar-rangements be made; therefore, adetail of thirty men from the Secondwas resorted to, that some might re-turn to camp by land, taking the cap-tured mules and horses with them. At daylight the detail started outinto the interior, and such a squadnever was seen before-some on horseswith bridles and saddles, and somewithout either managing their steedswith ropes-other on mules, with strapsfor bridles, and believe me, in two orthree cases bridles were manufacturedour of an old wail torn in strips. Thus

were mounted thirty infantry of theSecond Wisconsin Regiment, wend-ing their way through the enemy'scountry, eighty five miles outside ofour picket lines.On route we passed through the coun-ties of Northumberl and,Westmoreland and King George, pick-ing up horses, mules, saddles andbridles.We "gobbled" up a Lieutenant of theNinth Mississippi regiment, O.H. Cox,who was on a "leave of absence"visiting, and a gentleman purportingto be a contractor for the SouthernConfederacy. He had on his person alarge amount of Southern money, anda "pass" signed by Gen. Lee. We were three days and nights onthe way, arriving at camp during avery heavy snow storm, with eighteenhorses and thirty-one mules.

Our arrival was indeed gratifying toGen. Meredith and Col. Fairchild, bothof whom had become somewhatalarmed about us.

The steamer returned with the Sixthand a portion of the Second, the daywe left them. The Seventh Indianadid not land, but returned the sameday.

The whole expedition pecuniarilybenefited the government to theamount of $12,000 besides dispersingrebel conscript Officers, and learninga portion of the country, which ismagnificent….

HAWKEYE

By the way, HAWKEYE is Charles C.Bushee of the 2nd wisc. (That�s whoCharles Wood portrays.)

La Crosse Editorordered out ofArmy linesLa Crosse Weekly Democrat,April 7, 1863

Headquarters Dist. Eastern Ark.Helena, Ark., March 24, 1863.GENERAL ORDER No. 19

M. M Pomeroy, a citizen of Wiscon-sin, having been found within the linesof the army, in this district, as corre-spondent of the "La Crosse Demo-crat", a newspaper published at LaCrosse, Wis., and there being ampleevidence in the possession of the Gen-eral commanding that he has beencommunicating to and publishing insaid paper, over his signature as suchcorrespondent, articles containing dis-loyal sentiments, and filled with re-marks calculated to discourage anddemoralize the army.

And that he believes the war for therestoration of the Union, to be 'a mur-derous crusade for cotton and niggers,'and the loyal soldiers of the armiesoperating in the Mississippi valley tobe a band of thieves and robbers, saidM.M.

Pomeroy is hereby ordered to leavethe lines of this army immediately,and not return under penalty of arrestas a spy. By order of

Brig. Gen. Prentiss.Thanks for the above articles fromJohn Dudkiewicz Co. B

Here is another story of the adven-ture in virigina in early 1863

February 1863WAR CORRESPONDENCE -2D REGIMENTWE HAVE RECEIVED ALETTER FROM OUR OLDCORRESPONDENT IN CO. E.DATED BELL PLAIN, VA., FEB 17.AS IT IS QUITE LONG WE AREOBLIGED TO OMIT THE FIRSTPART AFTER SPEAKING OF THEWEATHER, HIS OFFICERS, &C., HEPROCEEDS:

The "Old Second still lives."We now turn out something over twomuskets.The reputation of the "Iron Brigade"is still above par in army circles.We were unfortunate enough to berear guard in the late fruitless effort atanother demonstration againstFredericksburg, which is one of themost unenviable positions in which a

regiment can be placed although it isconsidered a post of honor.The storm (more severe than anywhich I ever experienced) commencedthe first day.The roads were never worse and menand teams suffered fearfully. The firstnight, from being compelled to wait,the movements of artillery, teams,&c., which stuck in the mud in ad-vance, it was 12 o'clock at night whenwe camped, the rain falling in tor-rents, accompanied by a severeNor'easter.The storm continued three days whichput an effectual check upon any fur-ther movement at that time.The troops were ordered to return andtake up their old positions.It was some time, however, before allthe artillery, wagon, &c., could be gotback, so bad were the roads, which formiles were completely blocked upwith army wagons, artillery, deadmules and horses.T'was a sad failure to say the least, andventure the assertion that governmentlost as much by it in men, (throughdesertion, sickness, &c,) and mate-rial, and that esprit-d'-corps, so essen-tial to success, as when we failed totake impregnable batteries at the pointof the bayonet in Burnside's first at-tempt on Fredericksburg.Since then we have been doing picketand fatigue duty - such as building"corduroy roads, bridges, docks, &c.",so that the men are on duty almostevery day.Some changes have taken place in thecommand of the 2d.. Lieut. Col. Allenis now Col. of the 5th, and Maj. Stevensin now Lieut. Col. with CaptMansfield,-"G" Co., Portage CityLight Guard, as Major.We now have a Brigade band com-posed mostly of the old members ofthe 2d's Band that was discharged lastsummer.They met with a most hearty welcomefrom the boys who had never forgivenour venerable Uncle Samuel for de-priving us of the only source of plea-sure ever afforded them.The present band is a good one, andunder the direction of their gentle-manly leader, Mr. Fischal, discourses

most excellent music.The last "grand movement" of the 2d, wasa foraging expedition down the Potomac,in company with the 6th Wis, under com-mand of Col. Fairchild, the plan of theexpedition was this: the 2d and 6th Wis,and the 7th Ind. (not in our brigade) wereto take transports at the landing not morethan half a mile from the camp, sail downthe river and canal in NorthumberlandCo., where, at Heathsville, the countyseat, we were to meet and act in conjunc-tion with a force of cavalry , who were tohave taken the overland route.Thursday, the 12th, the infantry forceembarked - the 2d and 6th on the AlicePrice, and the 7th Ind. on the EdwinLewis.T'was 4 o'clock P.M. before we left thedock and steamed down the river. Ourpicket line (the left of which rests on theriver about three miles from point ofembarkation,) was passed, and from thatpoint to the mouth of the Potomac, thecountry is in the possession of the rebels.By 10 o'clock the second day, having runup what is known as Cove Creek, weeffected a landing at a point about 3 milesfrom where it empties into the Potomac.I will state here that the boat with the 7thInd. on board failed to land and returnedwithout accomplishing anything and ourforce was consequently much weakened."E" Co. was first ordered to land andinstantly pushed out into the country pick-ing up horses, mules, forage and suspi-cious looking citizens and not returningto the boat until late in the evening, hav-ing captured 26 mules, six horses, fourthousand lbs. bacon, ham shoulders, &c.,not a bad day's work for a company of 11privates, 6 non-commissioned officersand one 2d Lieut.The remainder of the force in the mean-time having marched to Heathsville andalthough behind time some three or fourhours the cavalry we were to have metthere had not arrived; neither did theyarrive at all having been badly frightenedsoon after leaving our picket lines byindications of the presence of a largeforce of the enemy's cavalry in the vicin-ity.Their loss was not felt for although ourcavalry in this division is probably asgood as any in the field, it isn't what itshould be; in fact, our cavalry is the mostineffective arm of the service.At Heathsville we broke up a conscriptmeeting and made several valuable cap-tures. At night "E" Co. was on picket.Having more horses and mules than wecould take back on the boat early in the

morning of the second day, volunteers tothe number of thirty were called for totake the extra stock to camp by land -amost hazardous undertaking, as you willacknowledge when you consider that thedistance to be traced was near ninety milesand that through an enemy's country,"E" Co. being on picket was only repre-sented by one man, Geo. E. Smith, who,having been on duty away from the co.,was on hand and made one of the party.At day break the cavalcade started underthe command of Lieut. Daily, "B " Co.,LaCrosse L. G. It was a daring feat and the well wishes ofthose who remained for the safe arrival ofeach and all were given with many a sadforeboding.What the Col. thought of it may be im-plied from this: When asked why he didn'tsend more that one commissioned officerwith the troop he remarked, "I thoughtone was enough to be captured!" Those who remained embarked in theafternoon of the second day with all thehorses, mules, bacon, &c., the boat couldcarry and the next day, at night, found usat our quarters.The second day after our arrival the landforce reached camp having, by judiciousmanagement, eluded the enemy's cavalryat every point and bringing with them anadditional number of horses and mulesbesides making some very important cap-tures of rebel officers.Many interesting incidents are related bythe boys-hair breadth escapes, romanticadventures, first experiences at barebackmule-riding &c., but for fear of trespass-ing too much on you space will mentionbut one.The first day out from Heathsville, throughinformation received from a conscript whohad for some time been making it hisheadquarters in the woods thus eludingthe authorities whose business it was toenforce the conscript act,- they becameapprised of their near proximity to thehouse of a Col. Claybrook - noted seces-sionist and a man prominent for his exer-tions in enforcing that act and conse-quently no special favorite with its vic-tims. Determined upon his capture; LieutDaily disposed his men so as to surroundthe home before approaching close enoughto alarm the inmates and then graduallyclosing in; thus effectually preventing anescape.On arriving at the door and before theLieut. could dismount, the party weresuddenly confronted by a specimen offemale chivalry as represented in the in-dignant persons of the old lady and two

remarkably fine looking daughters - themost beautiful of which demanded, withrevolver leveled, what was wanted.The Lieut., respectfully touching his cap,(a tribute to the youth and beauty of thefair secessionist ) replied that it was theCol. they were in quest of, begging themnot to alarm themselves assuring themthat Union soldiers never war uponwomen. With pistol still pointed she thenasked -What 's you name, sir?"The Lieut., who had dismounted in themeantime, replied: "My name is Lt. Daily,2d Wis. Vol. "O!" then exclaimed theyoung lady with a good deal less asperity"so you are Wisconsin men.I thought you were eastern troops", at thesame time dropping the pistol by her sideand assuming her own proper characterof the refined and accomplished lady.She then informed the Lieut. that the Col.was not in and gave them permission tosearch the house which they did but noCol. was to be found.I mention this as it is only one of the manytributes paid to the superiority of westerntroops.The expedition was most successful asthe result will show. We captured ninety-eight horses and mules, several thousandpounds of bacon, ham, & ., broke up agang of smugglers, burned a rebel schoo-ner and returned without the loss of aman.This letter is much longer that was at firstintended abut I will strive to avoid arepetition of the offence.

Members of "E" co with the Reg.are all well and on duty .The health of the Reg. is good Yours W. S. R. EXPEDITION TO NORTHERNNECK A LARGE QUANTITY OFSUPPLIES CAPTURED, &C.HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THEPOTOMACMARCH 30, 1863The expedition of Col. Fairchild of theSecond Wisconsin to the Northern verysuccessful trip.The command consisting of two hundredand forty on from the Second Wisconsinregiment and twenty cavalry left BellePlain in steamers on the night of the 25thand arrived at the landing on lowerMachodoc. In Westmoreland County, thenext morning at daylight, Lieut. Col. Krissimmediately stated across the Neck withthe cavalry for the purpose of breaking upthe ferries and capturing rebel cavalryreported to be in this section while theinfantry debarked and marched up to

Newton's plantation where a large quantityof grain was stored. A few shots were firedat the infantry by the bushwackers; but thescouts sent out after the guerrillas returnedunsuccessful.At night Colonel Fairchild surrounded hisforce with a breastwork of cordwood inanticipation of an attack; but no hostiledemonstrations were made; the next day thework of loading the barges was resumed.Three hundred pounds of bacon, one thou-sand pounds of pork, two hundred and thirtybushels of wheat, three thousand bushels ofcorn, fifteen bushels of white beans and alarge quantity of oats were secured. Theteams of the farmers were impressed; andthe slaves, jubilant at the prospect of free-dom, worked faithfully. A number of thelatter returned with the expedition . Thecavalry seized a number of valuable horsesand mules, captured several prisoners andbroke up the ferries at Union wharf andRappahannock. Colonel Fairchild alsoburned a schooner engaged in smugglingcontraband goods into Virginia, bringingaway her anchors, chains, cables &c.,A number of citizens begged permission tocome on board the steamers and come up toBelle Plaine. They report terrible sufferingon the part of those suspected of loyalsentiments and state that there are now onthe Neck, hundreds on the poorer classeswho would rejoice at an opportunity toescape from the rebel army.Some of the leading inhabitants have op-pressed the populations most outrageouslyand are employed as tools by the rebelauthorities to enforce the conscription andspy upon the movements of our army.

receiveus;thePioneers,however,commencedtheworkwhichdrewamurderous fire fromthe enemies earth works which caused thePioneers to fall back for a time, about 8o�clockourbrigademadearushfortheriverwithafulldeterminationtocrossandchargetheir works at all hazards; we rushed to theriver banks launched the boats and crossedthe river, received a shower of bullets fromthe enemy and a storm of enthusiasm wentup from the �Iron Brigade.� We succeededin carrying the work with the loss of eightofficers andmen, killed andwounded in the7th Regt.; among the killed were Capt.Alexander Gordon, Co. K, Lieut. W. O.Topping,Co.C, (ofGrantCo.) PrivateWm.Ross, Co. F, (of Grant Co.; among thewounded were Lieut. Ryan, Co. A, PrivateBenjaminHayden, co. F, (slight) and otherswhose names I cannot now call to mind.Capt Gordon was the last of the originalCaptains of the Regt.; a fine officer, a truepatriot and a genial companion. May theGod of the widow and the fatherlessstrengthenhis family in this thehourof theirdeep affliction and sorrow.Lieut. Wm. O. Topping was a promisingyoung officerwhowas always at his post forduty, ever ready to lay down his life (as hedid)forhiscountry;hehadthuswontheloveof all the officers andmen of the Regt., whonowdeeplymournhis loss.MajorFinnicumreceived a slight wound from a shell but isstill on duty.On the 2d day of May we received intelli-gence that our right was sorely pressed andorderstorecrosstheriverandmarchatonceto U.S. Ford, above Fredericksburg to rein-force the right. We did so, Col. W. W.Robinson covering the crossing with 4 com-paniesofthe7thwithoutthelossofaman;wecrossedtheriveragainandmarchedintotheline of battle; while the battle was ragingwith unparalleled fury it so happened thatthe enemy did not undertake to break thatportion of the line barricaded by the �blackhats� (as they call us) of the �IronBrigade,�it seemingtobetheirdeterminationtobrakeourconferandwebeinga little to therightofthe center were in constant expectancy ofand ready for an attack on our front; weremained in this situation for two days andnights while the terrific strife was going onimmediatelyinfrontoftheleftofourbrigadethe rebels made some 15 charges on ourcenter and were repulsed each time withterrible loss; our lines never gave way butonce and that was when the 11th Corpsbroke,(analmostirreparablecalamity.)Iseethatsomeof thepaperssay itwasall the faultof the �d�d cowardly Dutchmen;� now, Ithink it very unkind, ungenerous and un-gentlemanlyto indulge insuchpersonalities,

for the samenumberof anynationofpeopleonearthmighthavedonelikewiseunderlikecircumstances; and Imust say thatmy ownobservation has proven to my satisfactionthatthisarmycannotproducemoredevotedand daring soldiers than theGermans, whoI have seen tried in the fiery furnace for thepast 21 months of my service.You have heard a great deal said about the�IrishBrigade;�andnodoubthave thoughtthe story exaggerated; but Cover, I tell youthe true story of their fighting qualities can-not be told; a man must see it in action andthenhewill knownwhat kindof apicture tomadeofthem.IthinkIneversawsuchdevilsto fight a bloody fight as the Irish of thefamous �IrishBrigade.� In the battle aboveFredericksburg the rebels in charge killedevery horse in one of their batteries; where-uponahand-to-handconflictwashadfortheguns and gunners all having been killed,thereby rendering the guns of no other ser-vice thanasaboon to fight for; the rebel�s inoverwhelming numbers rather got the bet-ter of the Irishat first and tookpossessionofthe guns some of them having first beenspiked; but in the attempt to take them offthe field the hatless, coatless, gun less andbloodyIrishmenresolvedtorallyandretakethe guns if in on other way by a regularsmash-nose knock down and in they went -and out they camewith every gun, each guntaking 40 man team to haul it through themud; they saved the guns but with heavyloss;thosethatgotoutwiththegunswerethebloodiest, muddiest, nakedest, most savagelookingmen I ever witnessed; the Irish Bri-gade against the world in a hand to handconflict!I am told the enemy lost 18,000 and our losswill not exceeded 10,000; Hooker has donejust what he started out to do and can doagain at his pleasure; we are quietly reclin-ing on the north side of the Rappahannock,ready for any order.John B. Callis

Letter from the 7thWisconsinHEADQUARTERS, 7th Wis. Vols,Camp in the field, May 12th, �63FRIENDCOVER:Againwearecalleduponto record and name the loss of some of theofficers andmen of the old 7th; our thinnedranksandofficerspostsvacanttellasorrow-ful story of the past.On thenight of the 28thof April at 12 o�clock when all was quiet incamp we received notice that the old �IronBrigade� had been assigned the duty ofrepairing at once to the river crossing inboatsandstormingtheenemiesworksontheopposite bank; the order was given andevery man was up and ready for the work;we marched in all haste to the point desig-nated for the crossing, but for some reasonunknown to me the boats had not arrivedready to launch until the dawn of day; andwhen the Pioneers attempted to launch theboats, it then being daylight and the enemyby their pickets or otherwise having beenapprised of our intentions, were ready to

April 17, 2003 - Warner has revealed aJuly 15th street date for the recent CivilWar epic �Gods & Generals�, however it�snot yet known what version of the film theDVD will include or what the special fea-tures will be. The theatrical cut of �Gods& Generals� was well over three hours inlength, but there was also a six hour�mini-series� version of the movie puttogether for an eventual release on DVD.The announcement of the street datedoesn�t reveal what cut of the film will hitstores on July 15th, although it�s verylikely that it�ll just be the theatrical edi-tion with the six-hour version followinglater in the year

May 31-June 1, 2003

Wood VAMedical Center

Living HistoryFund Raiser

A Civil War HospitalHelp save it!

Co. ATier 2

Milwauke e, W is.

Photo to the Left.

Here is a picture from Gary VanKauwenbergh from Boscobel�sskirmish last year, in which the 2ndWisc. took 1st place over the 8thWisc. cannon crew.

This target was shot with Gary�s 3/4scale iron 6 pounder.

The crew serving it is standingbehind the target.

They include his wife Darlene, RoyNelson, Gary, Matt Barboour andyours truely.

Terry Brown

�Fox Lake�sCivil War Newsand Letters�.A book review byGary Van Kauwenbergh

FoxLake,Wisconsin�s is center-pieced inthis local effort to encapsulatetheir town�s richCivilWar history.The book is a compilation of newspaperarticles and letters from Fox Lake and thesurrounding area who sponsored compa-nies in the 2nd, 8th and 29th Wisconsin,alongwithmanymembers inCompanyGofthe1stUSSharpshootersandotherunits.The book is 553pages long, including theindex.. It is an oversized, softcover book, typed double spaced on 8½x11 paper, using a 12 pitch seriffont. I recommend readers begin this bookabout a third of theway in, and comebackto the first part of the book later.The first third of this book iscomposed almost entirely of newspaper�patriotic puff pieces� that have very littleinformation other thanmentioningnames.Thelasttwothirdsofthebookarefilledwithletters from the front, that I found farmoreinteresting. Readers beware; while mostpiecesare inarrangedchronologicalorder,many of them that are out of sequence.

HerearepagesIfoundparticularlyinterest-ing:Pg.58.Letter fromCPTElyof the2ndWI, describing the battle of Antietam Pg.210 Coverage of the 2nd leaving CampRandall Pg. 123 2ndWI�s CPTColwell�slast words, after South Mountain Pg. 1092nd WI�s invalids stave off supply trainattackatCatlett�sStation,VA Pg.276IronBde bivouacs together at Ft Tillinghast.Twoanecdotesabout2ndWIpicketsforag-ingPg.325 list of casualties from thebattleof South Mountain Pg. 338 great quotefrom21stWI soldier �...Until theymakeadistinctionbetweenmenandmulesnomanshouldever enlist, orgointo service unless he has a constitutionequal toamuleandlikes tobetreatedlikeaDog.� Pg. 340 Mention of brigade com-posed completely ofWisconsin regiments(14th, 16th,17th and 18th Regts.) in theWestern theater. Pg. 365 Account of theIron Brigade flag being presented to theunit, includingthe textofCOLRobinson�sacceptance speech. Pg. 392 Departure ofthe 2nd for home. Pgs. 401-428Extensivecoverage of the return of the 2nd Wis.Descriptionsoftheparadeanddinner.Com-plete texts of Gov. Lewis�s address, GENFairchild�s remarks, keynote speaker Su-preme Court Judge Cole�s speech, letterfrom BG Cutler and Resolution by Mr.Rublee. Pgs. 429-447Accounts of the2ndWis at first Bull Run Pg. 451TwolettersaboutBrawner�sFarmPg.470

GEN McClellan�s letter describing thebattles of SouthMountain and Antietam Ibelieve I paid over $40 for this book.Withthatheftypricetag,andthecontentofthe book, I can�t recommend everyonepurchase a copy. I do think Company Areenactors and those of uswith an appetitefor original source material will find thisbookworth the price.All communities do not enjoyaCivilWarheritageastherichasFoxLake,but I hope Fox Lake�s examplewill inspire other towns to compile andpublish similar accounts of theirlocal history.

James Johnson Gary Klas100 East Main St. 6415 Hilltop Dr.Apt. 228 or Allenton, WIWaukesha, WI 53186 53002-9791

Jim JohnsonCell Phone 414-840-4856

The Fugelmanis a publication of

The 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Assn.

Publisher..................................Gary KlasEditor/Art Director............James Johnsonand is a publication for members.

Active membership is $20.00 yearly.Inquiries or information should be directed

YOUR WEBSITEhttp://www.secondwi.com

Photo 3: Measurements of thesurviving piece, courtesy of ScottFrank

Photo below1: Picture of the surviving piece of theregimental finial from the Wisconsin Veteran’s Mu-seum Storage.

Gentlemen,The short version of this report is theassociation’s flag project is running alittle behind schedule, and we’rehaving problems replicating theregimental flag pole finial. I’m pleasedto report that the committee is on topof the situation though, and the projectis running as smoothly as can be ex-pected.After the flag committee made it’sreport at the annual meeting, wediscovered the regimental flag polefinial was different from the one onthe National pole. It is not only differ-ent, but half of it is missing and wehave not been able to find anyone whocan redo it’s thin-walled brassconstruction. We only know of onesurviving photograph of the finialbefore it was broke, and that image isnot clear enough to definitively saywhat the finial looked like.The original regimental finial not astandard issue finial; none of theearly unit’s had standardized flags orfinials. The finial is a multi-piece,hollow,thin-walledbrass construction.We have detailed photographs anddrawings of the surviving piece, andhave obtained a high-resolution digi-tal image of the only known photo-graph from the Wisconsin HistoricalSociety archives. The Historical Soci-ety will not let me publish the photowithout charge, but if you look inNolan’s book, “The Iron Brigade”, atthe photo of the 2nd Wisconsin Offic-ers sitting outside their tents oppositeFredericksburg, you’ll see what thecommittee is coping with.The digital image does not clearlyshow what the missing part of theregimental finial looks like. We’restill trying to find an image of the flagamong some of the post-War reunionphotos, but as of this writing nonehave been located.We’re asking for help from Associa-tion Members: If anyone knows ofanother photograph of the finial onthe first-issue regimental flag, orknows an artisan who is capable ofcopying the piece in the original thin-walled brass construction, pleasecontact Gary Van Kauwenbergh atGaryvank@aol.com,

If we have not found a clear image, oran artisan who can replicate the origi-nal thin-walled brass by the time theflags arrive we intend to have just thesurviving piece replicated on a latheout of a piece of solid brass.I e-mailed a request to Steven Hill fora brief progress report April 15, but asof this writing, I have not had a re-sponse. When I checked with himlast January, he reported that he wasbehind schedule, and still working onsomeone else’s flags, but that oursflags were next in line.Fred Cook has delivered the ironfinial for the National flag back toRod Dary, who is reducing the size ofthe ball below the spearpoint to matchthe original. Scott Frank traveled toLaCrosse and now has the plans forthe authentic flag cases. They are madefrom vulcanized ground cloths, andare machine sewn. Scott will haveboth the authentic, and the modern,PCV tube cases made after we re-

ceive the flags, know their exact mea-surements. Scott Sonntag found us thecorrect sized brass tubing to reinforcethe end of the wooden National flag-pole. This project may take a littlelonger than I originally anticipated,but I am confident that once complete,the new flags will be the best possiblereproductions available. I encourageanyone with concerns or questions toeither contact me, or any of the com-mittee members.Respectfully submitted,By Yr. Obt. Srvt.Gary Van Kauwenbergh

Above Photo 2:An enhanced excerpt from the only surviving photo of the complete finial.Taken from the picture of the 2nd Wisconsin officers sitting outside their tentsacross from Fredricksburg, near Falmouth.

UPDATE:I just receivedane-mail fromSteve Hill of the DuPage Flag Companysaying he expects he�ll be painting 2dWisconsin flags in June, and hopes todeliver them first or second week July.That�s later than his original projection,but I thought that date was optimisticconsidering thenumber of flags hehad inthe works. Quality takes time.

James Johnson100 East Main StreetApt 228Waukesha, Wisconsin53186