Clark, left Fort Rice on the 3d of June, arrived at St. Joseph, Mo, on the 11th., and proceeding thence by rail on the following day, reached Quincy, Ill., on the 13th, and Madison, Wisconsin, on the 14th of June. Here the whole regiment was immediately mustered out, paid and disbanded.

The returns of this regiment filed in this office furnish few data from which to compile its military history.

The list of dead, pp. 570-571, is omitted and is published in full in volume 3.

572]

FIFTY-FIRST REGIMENT.

Six companies of the Fifty-first regiment, recruited under the superintendence of Colonel Leonard Martin, were organized at Camp Washburn, during the month of February, March, April and May, 1865, and forwarded after organization, to Benton Barracks, Mo., the regimental rendezvous; the last company of the regiment being organized on the 29th of April.

The four junior companies, not having left the state, were mustered out and discharged at Milwaukee on the 6th of May, under General Orders of the War Department, for the reduction of the army.

On the 7th of April, company B was placed on temporary duty at St. Louis, and on the 8th of May companies A, C, D, E and F were ordered to Warrensburg, Mo., where they arrived on the following day.1 These companies were then stationed along the line of the Pacific railroad, and occupied in guarding the construction of the railroad and the Pacific route from Holden to Pleasant Hill. Company B rejoined the regiment on the 21st of June.

In the latter part of June, companies B, C, D, E and F were concentrated at Pleasant Hill, Mo., company A being stationed at Crawford's Run, seven miles east. They were afterwards stationed as follows: company B at Carondelet; companies C and D at Kingsville, and companies E and F at Pleasant Hill.

In accordance with Special Orders from the War Department, dated June 10th, 1865, the Fifty-third Wisconsin, [four companies], was consolidated with the Fifty-first.

1 Report of Lieut. Morris S. Rice 101 Rebellion Records 278. 102 Ibid. 55, 153, 267, 269, 350, 421, 863.

51st and 52d INFANTRY-IN MISSOURI.

405

The regiment arrived on the 5th of August at Madison, Wisconsin where they were mustered out by companies, as follows: company H, on the 16th, company G, on the 18th; company C, on the 19th; companies E and K, on the 21st; company F, on the 22d; field and staff, on the 26th; companies B and D, on the 29th and company I on the 30th of August, 1865.

The returns of this regiment, furnish no memoranda, from which to compile its record since the 30th of June, 1865.

The list of dead, p. 573, is omitted and is published in full in volume 3.

574]

FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT.

The Fifty-second Wisconsin, five companies, recruited under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Hiram J. Lewis, was sent forward, by companies in the month of April 1865, to St. Louis, Mo.

They left St. Louis on the 8th of May, under orders to report at Warrensburg, Mo., two hundred and thirty miles distant. From Warrensburg, they marched eighteen miles to Holden, where they were employed in guarding the workmen of the Pacific railroad, and frequently furnished scouting parties to protect the inhabitants from the depredations of lawless bands of guerrillas, which infested the surrounding country. They were engaged in this duty until the 21st of June, when they set out for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where they arrived and were assigned to duty on the 28th.1

They were mustered out of Fort Leavenworth on the 28th of July, and arrived on the 2d of August 1865, at Madison, Wisconsin, where they were paid and disbanded.

The list of dead, p. 574, is omitted and is published in full in volume 3.

101 Rebellion Records 278.

FIFTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

But four companies of this regiment were organized, under Lieutenant Colonel Pugh. They proceeded to St. Louis, Mo., and thence to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where they were transferred to the Fifty-first Wisconsin, by orders of the War Department.1

No returns were received from the Fifty-Third Wisconsin.

575] COMPANY "G" BERDAN'S SHARPSHOOTERS.

(1st U. S. Volunteers)

This company was recruited and organized at Camp Randall during the early part of September, 1861, under the supervision of Captain W. P. Alexander, of Beloit, who had received special authority for that purpose from the United States.

2

They left Madison on the 19th of September, and proceeded to the regimental rendezvous at Weehawken, N. J., at which place they encamped on the 21st. Here the regiment was fully organized, the Wisconsin contribution being assigned to position as Company "G." On the 23d, they crossed the river to New York city, where they were mustered into the United States service on the same day." Captain Alexander being obliged to return to Wisconsin, on account of failing health, his place was supplied by Edward Drew, of Buffalo, N. Y., who was chosen captain by vote of the company. They left New York next day, [Sept. 24], numbering eighty-two men, and proceeded to Washington, D. C., where they were placed in camp of instruction, and submitted to rigid discipline. Here they were joined on the 5th of November, by twenty-five recruits swelling their number to an aggregate of one hundred and

seven.

Thoroughly drilled and disciplined, they left camp on the 21st of March, 1862, arriving on the 24th, at Fortress Monroe, at which place the regiment was assigned to General FitzJohn

1102 Rebellion Records 55, 153, 225, 269, 469, 486, 589, 597, 614, 913. 231 Ibid. 973, Assignment of Col. Hiram Berdan as commander, 312, 333, 342, 743, 931.

3 122 Ibid. 880.

SHARPSHOOTERS-PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN.

407

Porter's division, and took its place in the army of the Potomac,
then concentrating near that place for the attack on Richmond.
They were not attached to any brigade during the celebrated
Peninsular Campaign, which followed.

Having taken part in the reconnoissance to Great Bethel, Va., on the 27th of March, when they were under fire for the first time, they accompanied the movement of the army from Hampton towards Yorktown; participating in the skirmish of Cockletown, on the 14th of April, and accomplishing a distance of twenty-four miles in the first day's advance. They arrived before Yorktown, on the following day, when the siege of that place was immediately commenced. During the next month, they were constantly in the riflepits, the regiment being separated and portions sent on special duty to various brigades and divisions. In the night of the 1st of May, a detail from our company was sent to the front to select an advanced position for riflepits. While in the performance of this duty, they lost one man killed. Yorktown was occupied by our forces on the 4th of May, the enemy having evacuated the place during the previous night. “

Before proceeding up the York River, the regiment was armed with Sharpe's improved rifles. They accompanied the movement of the army up the peninsula, encamping at West Point on the 9th. They were frequently employed as skirmishers, but took part in no important action until the 27th of May, when 576] after a march of eighteen miles, through a drizzling rain, they arrived at the scene of action near Hanover Court House, a little afternoon. In this battle one of their number was wounded. On the following day, the division marched to camp, at Gaines' Hill, where the headquarters of the regiment remained during the month of June, our company being frequently sent out on reconnoissances, and to various places along the line, where skirmishers were needed.

On the 10th of June, companies G and C, under command of Captain Drew, were sent on detached service to General Slocum's division, then stationed at Mechanicsville. Shortly afterwards, they moved with this division to Fair Oaks, a distance of fifteen miles, and after an absence of two days they were ordered back to Mechanicsville, on the extreme right of the army, then held by the Pennsylvania Reserves, under General McCall. Their principal duty while stationed here was to fur

nish daily details of men for picket duty, to be employed in scouting along the line of advanced sentinels, during the performance of which duty, several sharp skirmishes with the enemy occurred.

On the 26th of June, was fought the battle of Mechanicsville, the first in the celebrated Seven Days' conflicts. The sharpshooters, deployed as skirmishers on the extreme right of our army, close to the Chickahominy Swamp, were closely engaged all day, and sustained but trifling loss. Before daybreak on the following day, the movement of this portion of our army to connect with the centre was commenced. The sharpshooters remained in the riflepits, guarding the road across the swamp, to the latest moment, when, together with the "Bucktails" of Pennsylvania, they were ordered to fall back. Shortly afterwards, they lost two men, taken prisoners by the rebels in a charge on our rear. They participated in the battle of Gaines' Hill, on the afternoon and evening of the same day, in which the right wing of the army of the Potomac so valiantly defeated the rebel attempt to cut off its communications with the main body.

Company G was among the last to cross the Chickahominy, late at night, and on the 28th of June, was exposed to artillery fire, during the battle of the Chickahominy, while protecting the pioneers in obstructing the road. Our whole force having been at this time extricated from the swamp, they commenced falling back towards the James River next day, the sharpshooters being placed in position that night, to guard a road on the left of the line of march, near White Oak Swamp. In the af ternoon of the 30th, they were ordered forward, and took part in the battle of Charles City Cross Roads. They were here exposed to a flank fire, and suffered severely, but they held the position until, having been run over by a retreating regiment, and losing five killed and seven wounded and prisoners, they were ordered to fall back to the cover of the woods near at hand, where they were again deployed and did good service, capturing a number of prisoners.

5771 Early in the morning of the 1st of July, they arrived at Turkey Bend, near which place, in the afternoon, the great struggle of the Seven Days terminated in the battle of Malvern Hill. Late at night our forces fell back, arriving at Harrison's Landing on the following morning, at which place they went