drag the wagons. The men bivouacked at night
around their fires, without shelter and before daylight
of the nth re-commenced their march.
About six o'clock in the morning, Kennett's cavalry,
which was in the advance, came in sight of the town.
A section of Simonson's battery was placed in position
on the Meridianville road, which, while the infantry
was coming up, by a few well directed shots succeeded
in capturing a locomotive which, with train attached,
was steaming out of Huntsville, toward Stevenson, car-
rying one hundred and fifty Confederate soldiers, who
then became prisoners. As the infantry came up,
Colonel Mihalotzy sent a detachment of the 24th to tear
up the track and prevent the escape of any trains.
The cavalry in the mean time entered Huntsville,
taking the town completely by surprise, and capturing,
without a blow, all the rebel soldiers that garrisoned the
place, besides seventeen locomotives, one hundred and
fifty cars, and an immense amount of railroad and war
material. On the same day Huntsville was occupied,
the 24th and two companies of the 19th Illinois, with
one section of Simonson's battery, moved to Decatur
on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad, and captured,
in the fortifications built there for the protection of the
Decatur bridge, five hundred bales of cotton, and on the
opposite side of the bridge the full equipage of a Con-
federate regiment. Turchin's brigade pushed on from
Decatur to Tuscumbia, in western Alabama, and some
sixty miles from Huntsville. This point was seized and
occupied, thus extending Mitchel's line from Stevenson
on the east, along the railroad, to Tuscumbia on the
west, about one hundred and twenty miles. With the
small force at his command, so long a line could not be
held, and Turchin's brigade, after occupying Tuscumbia
until April 22, was obliged to fall back to Huntsville. The
command reached Jonesboro' on the 24th, crossed the
Tennessee at Decatur, on the 26th, and reached Hunts-
ville on the 30th. On May 1, the brigade was sent to
Athens, from which Colonel Stanley had just been
driven by the enemy's cavalry, with orders to occupy
and hold the place. The brigade was stationed there
nearly a month, during which time accusations deroga-
tory to the character and discipline of General Turchin
and a portion of his command, were preferred by officers
presumably jealous of both commander and command.
The culmination of the charges was the trial by court-
martial of General Turchin, and, although the final re-
sult was a signal vindication of his fair fame, the imme-
diate result was the transfer of the troops that he had
drilled so long and faithfully to another commander.
On May 26, the 24th Illinois marched to join Gene-
ral Negley's forces a: Fayetteville, Term., and with
them, on the 1st of June, set out on an expedition to
Chattanooga, to disperse a force of cavalry, concen-
trated at that point. On the 4th of June, the command
encamped at the foot of the Cumberland Mountains,
crossed Waldron's Ridge on the 5th, and, driving back
General Adams's cavalry across the valley, arrived
opposite Chattanooga, on June 7. A portion of the
enemy's cavalry was found on the north bank of the
Tennessee, on the arrival of Negley's command. He
formed his line, with the 24th deployed as skirmishers,
and moved forward, the cavalry re-crossing the river
on their advance. Batteries were placed in position
commanding the town, the enemy's guns were silenced,
and the Union troops remained on the north bank of
the river until the 7th, when, being unable to procure
supplies, General Negley was obliged to abandon the
attempt to occupy Chattanooga, and withdrew. The
regiment arrived at Stevenson on June 11, and marched
thence to Jasper, Tenn. While at Jasper, Captain
Kovats and Lieutenant Gerhardt of Co. " F," when on
a scouting expedition with a small party, along the Ten-
nessee River on June 21, encountered the Confederate
pickets and a skirmish ensued, in which Captain Kovats
was severely and Lieutenant Gerhardt slightly wounded.
Captain Kovats returned to Chicago, and a few months
later resigned his command.
From Jasper, the regiment moved to Battle Creek,
and thence, on July n, to Tullahoma, remaining on the
Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, employed in guard-
ing various stations, until September 7, when, Bragg
having commenced his march into Kentucky, it pro-
ceeded with General Buell's Army to Nashville. It
was there assigned to Starkweather's (Twenty-eighth)
brigade, Rousseau's division, McCook's corps, and, with
the rest of Buell's Army, marched to Louisville, where
it arrived on the 28th of September.
On October 1, it marched from Louisville in pursuit
of Bragg, and on the evening of the 7th, encamped
with the brigade near Mackville. On the morning of
the 8th, after marching about twelve miles, the com-
mand reached Chaplin Hills, near Perryville,
and formed on the extreme left of Rousseau's
division. The ranks of the 24th had been sadly
thinned, ere this, by disease and hardships. Colonel
Mihalotzy was left behind at Louisville, severely sick,
198
HISTORY OF CHICAGO.
as were also Lieutenants Schweinfurth, Borneman
and Poull, all of Chicago. The field-officers were all
sick, and only seven commissioned officers were left to
the ten companies, fit for duty. Captains acted as field-
officers, and lieutenants and sergeants as captains com-
manding companies. The men who acted as field-
officers in this battle, the first one in which the regiment
was actively engaged, were Captain August Mauff and
Captain George A. Guenther ; and the companies
were commanded as follows :
Co. " A." bv Sergeant Charles Fritze, afterward its second
lieutenant; Co. " B," by First Lieutenant Andrew Jacobi, after-
ward transferred to another regiment, and promoted ; Co. "C," by
First Lieutenant William Blanke, afterward captain; Co. "D," by
Sergeant-Major William Vocke, afterward second lieutenant, adju-
tant of the regiment, aud finally captain of Co. " D "; Co. " E," by
First Lieutenant, Arthur Erbe, subsequently captain of Co. " H ";
Co. " F," by Second Lieutenant Hugo Gerhardt. afterward first
lieutenant; Co. "G," by First Lieutenant Peter Hand, afterward
captain of Co. " G"; Co. " H," by Captain Frederick Hartman,
fatally wounded ; Co. " I," by Captain August Steffens ; Co.
" K.," by Sergeant August Bitter, afterward second and first lieu-
tenant of Co. " G."
The regiment occupied the height of a wooded hill
at the left of Rousseau's line, with a portion of the 33d
Ohio deployed as skirmishers in the woods at its foot.
As General Jackson's and General Terrill's troops in
front were first attacked by the enemy, and driven back,
panic stricken and demoralized, passing to the rear of
Rousseau's division, the enemy pressed forward and
heavily attacked his left, held by Starkweather. The 2d
Ohio and 24th Illinois were ordered forward, to support
the skirmishers. The 2d Ohio was driven back, but
the 24th Illinois, personally led by General Rousseau,
who on many occasions praised the regiment as among
the best under his command, reached the position and
went into action on the left of the 33d Ohio. With the
first fierce charge of the rebels, the regiments to the
right and left, both made up of new recruits, broke, and
could not be rallied. The 24th was ordered to charge
bayonets; this the} 7 did, and then, clubbing their mus-
kets, a hand-to-hand conflict ensued, and the rebels
were finally driven from the front of the regiment.
Captain Fred. Hartman, of Co. " H," received a fatal
wound, his death occurring on November 10. Captain
August Steffens, of Co. '' I," Lieutenant Peter Hand, of
Co. "G" 'Chicago German Turners , Joseph Broesch,
the brave color-bearer, and Carl Kirchner, color-ser-
geant, were killed ; in short, about one-third of the
entire command were stricken down, but the regiment
rallied around its colors, and fought until the enemy
was routed. Generals McCook and Rousseau ac-
corded to Starkweather's brigade, and especially to
this regiment, the honor of having saved the left of the
army. At one crisis of the battle, the artillery horses
at the left were all killed, or had become unmanage-
able. The 24th Illinois and 79th Pennsylvania were or-
dered to hold the enemy in check while the guns were
drawn from the field by hand by the 1st Wisconsin, and
the order was successfully carried out.
With the brigade, the 24th participated in the pursuit
of Bragg to Crab Orchard, and returned to Mitchells-
ville, where it was employed in guard and provost duty
for a short time.
On December 7, it marched toward Nashville, and
went into camp at Stewartsboro', near that city, on the
9th. In the organization of the Army of the Cumber-
land, under Rosei rans, Starkweather's brigade was still
designated the Twenty-eighth, Rousseau's (Third di-
vision, but formed a pari of the center, under Thomas.
The command left camp, on the morning of the
26th of DecemL'.r, and moved toward Murfreesboro',
on the Nashville and Murfreesboro' turnpike, arriving,
on the 30th, at the crossing of the Stone River, on the
Jefferson pike, about nine miles below Murfreesboro'.
There the brigade, which formed the extreme left of
Rousseau's division, was detached, and, with Stone's
battery, left to cover the pike and guard the trains.
During the day, it was attacked by Wheeler's cavalry in
force, but succeeded in routing it with a loss of eighty
killed, wounded and prisoners. The next morning the
brigade reported to General Rousseau, and was formed
in line of battle on the left of the division, in the dense
cedar wood which Rousseau's command occupied. As
this division was held as reserve, the brigade suffered
comparatively little from the enemy, but much from
hunger and cold. General Rousseau says, in his report
of the battle :
"The rain on the night of the 31st, which continued at inter-
vals until the Saturday night following, rendered the ground occu-
pied by my command exceedingly sloppy and muddy, and during
much of the time my men had neither shelter, food nor fire." (The
horse of Lieutenant Starkweather was killed by a cannon ball on
the 1st of January, and so famished were the men that steaks cut
from it were broiled and eaten on the field.) " Day and night in
the cold, wet and mud, my men suffered severely, but during the
whole time I did not hear one single murmur at their hardships,
but all were cheerful and ever ready to stand by their arms and
fight. Such endurance I never saw."
After the battle, the regiment went into camp near
Murfreesboro'. At the reorganization of the army, on
the 9th of January, the designation of Starkweather's
brigade was changed, becoming the Second Brigade,
First Division (General Baird), of Thomas's Fourteenth
Army Corps.
On June 24th, with the brigade, the 24th ad-
vanced toward the enemy, posted at Tullahoma amid
the fastnesses of the Cumberland Mountains. After
driving Bragg's advance from Hoover's Gap, turning
his position at Tullahoma, and expelling his army from
middle Tennessee, Rosecrans pressed on toward Chat-
tanooga.
On the 4th of September, Baird's division crossed
the Tennessee River at Bridgeport, and, on the 9th,
crossed the Lookout Mountains, and encamped in the
vicinity of Trenton, Ga. The following day the divis-
ion was ordered forward to the support of Negley, who
had advanced across McLemore's Cove to Dug Gap,
and there encountered the enemy in force. On the
falling back of Negley to Stevens's Gap, Starkweather's
brigade acted as rear guard to the Union troops. On
the 17th, Baird moved from Stevens's Gap to Owen's
Gap, the next day to Crawfish Springs, and, on the 19th,
with Thomas's corps, moved to the left and formed
line-of-battle at Chickamauga Creek. Thomas's line
was formed on the LaFayette road, facing Reid's and
Alexander's bridges, where the enemy had crossed in
force the evening before.
At about ten o'clock a. m., Croxton's brigade of
Brannan's division, became engaged. Brannan's divis-
ion formed the left of Thomas's line; Baird joined him
on the right. Croxton's brigade, as stated, became en-
gaged at about ten o'clock on the morning of the 19th,
and had nearly exhausted its ammunition when Baird
advanced to its support, Starkweather's brigade in re-
serve. The enemy was driven back, Croxton's brigade
moved to the rear to replenish their ammunition boxes,
and General Baird halted his command to re-adjust his
line. Before this could be completed, his right and
front were attacked by an overwhelming force, and
Scribner's and King's brigades driven back, in disorder,
through Starkweather's reserve brigade. The 79th
Pennsylvania, which was in front, was likewise thrown
THIRTY-SEVENTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
'99
back in dismay, leaving Ruch's battery wholly exposed,
with the 24th Illinois, a few steps away, in the rear.
There now ensued a desperate struggle for the posses-
sion of the battery, many of its men having fled or
been killed. The loss sustained by the regiment, in
this encounter, was even greater than that suffered at
Perryville. Colonel Mihalotzy was shot through the
hand while waving his sword and urging his men on to
save the battery; Major George A. Guenther was se-
verely wounded in the shoulder, while other officers,
and many men, were stricken down and disabled. For
a time, the regiment stood alone against an overpower-
ing force of the enemy, until finally Johnson's division
came to their relief, and, driving the enemy before it,
aided in saving the battery. At noon of that day, when
the engagement was over, the division commander,
General Baird, rode past the brigade, when Colonel
Starkweather, its commander, took occasion to say to
him in loud tones of praise, pointing to the 24th regi-
ment: " General Baird, the boys of the 24th are bully
boys. They saved my battery this morning. I'll never
forget it." The brigade bivouacked that night in the
open field, and on the morning of the 20th were early
placed in line of battle, somewhat protected by barri-
cades thrown up during the night. When the retreat
was ordered, toward sunset, the brigade retired to a line
of defense near Mission Ridge, and, on the 22d, fell
back with the army to Chattanooga.
In the assault on Mission Ridge, November 25, the
brigade formed a part of the reserve, taking no part in
the active engagement. It joined in the pursuit of the
enemy as far as Stevens's Gap, and then returned to
camp at Chattanooga, where it remained until February,
1864, when it accompanied the Fourteenth Corps in the
flight on Dalton, by way of Tunnel Hill.
On the afternoon of the 24th of February, the regi-
ment participated in a sharp little engagement to the
right of Dalton, when, toward six o'clock in the evening,
it was advanced as an outpost into Buzzard Roost Gap,
a deep, narrow pass traversed by Mill Creek, and situ-
ated between an impassable mountain range on the left,
known as Rocky Face Ridge, and a high and imposing
peak on the right, called Buzzard Roost. The regiment
was advanced far into the gap, and took possession of
a wooded hill, from which there was a steep rise toward
the Roost, with the creek on the other side, above which
towered abruptly and almost perpendicularly the Rocky
Face. The sky was clouded, and the air damp and
chilly. Two companies were stationed on the crest as
pickets, while the reserve remained at a short distance
in the rear. At nightfall, the rebels were seen march-
ing up in large numbers to the right of the regiment,
on the slope of the Roost, where they kindled their
camp-fires, to rest for the night. A few of the pickets,
therefore, returned to the regiment with the report that
they were face to face with the enemy's outposts, which
had been advanced later in the evening. A few isolated
shots fell, from time to time, from the rebel lines, which
showed plainly that the enemy was only a few feet from
the pickets, and the utmost quiet had to be observed to
prevent a discovery of the regiment's position. At
about midnight, Colonel Mihalotzy went to the front
for the purpose of making a personal inspection of the
picket-line, when a shot was fired. Not another sound
was heard, but the Colonel returned in a few minutes,
and it was found that he was dangerously wounded, a
ball having penetrated the right side of his body. The
regiment maintained its position until daybreak, when
it withdrew a few hundred yards, and there held the
front of the line the entire day. During the ensuing
night, all the troops who had participated in the expe-
dition returned toward Chattanooga, where Colonel
Mihalotzy died of his wounds, March 11, 1S64, and
was interred at the National Cemetery there.
Upon the death of Colonel Mihalotzy, the command
of the regiment devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel John
Van Horn, who, however, owing to old age, resigned
his position on the 21st of March, 1864; whereupon
Major George A. Guenther assumed command, and con-
tinued therein until the term of service of the regiment
expired.
After the expedition to Dalton and Buzzard Roost,
the regiment was encamped, first at Tyner Station and
next at Grayville, Ga. On the 2d of May, 1864, the
command started, with the army under Sherman, on the
Atlanta campaign. During the march, it participated
in a number of engagements, chief of which were the
battles of Resaca (May 14, 1864), and of Kenesaw
Mountain (June 22-28, 1864). Its term of service hav-
ing expired, it was returned to the rear, during the lat-
ter part of July, 1864, and on the 6th of the following
August, was mustered out of the service of the United
States, at Chicago. A fraction of the regiment, com-
posed of men who had joined it after it had been mus-
tered into the service, and whose term of three years
had, therefore, not been fully completed, was formed
into one company, known as Co. "A," under command
of First Lieutenant Frederick Zengler and Second
Lieutenant Paul Lippert. It remained attached to the
Third Brigade, First Division 1 General R. W. Johnson),
Fourteenth Army Corps, and was finally discharged
from the service at Camp Butler, on August 1, 1865.
Colonel Geza Mihalotzy was a native of Hungary, a
trained soldier, and an active participant in the Magyar struggle
to throw off the yoke of Austria. On the failure of that revolu-
tion, in 184S, he came to Chicago, and was for some years engaged
in business in the city. As related in the foregoing pages, he
entered the service of his adopted country at the beginning of the
war, and faithfully performed all his duties until his death. The
men in his command ever held him in the highest regard on account
of his many soldierly and manly qualities, and mourned his death
as that of a personal friend.
THIRTY-SEVENTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
This regiment was organized in Chicago, in the
summer of 1861, as the " Fremont Rifle Regiment," by
Julius White, for many years a member of the Chicago
Board of Trade, and, at the time, collector of customs
of the port of Chicago. Three of its companies — the
Manierre Rifles, Captain John W. Laimbeer ; Turner
Rifles, Captain Henry N. Frisbie, and the company of
Captain Ransom Kennicott, were recruited in the city.
The regiment went into camp at Wright's Grove, North
Side, and was mustered into the Linked States service
September 18, 1861. While in camp, a fine banner,
painted by G. P. A. Healv, was presented the regi-
ment by the Board of Trade. It was of blue silk ; on
one side, being a portrait of General Fremont, and on
the reverse, representations of three of the chief events
of his life. Colonel White was presented with a splen-
did black charger by the merchants of Chicago, and
Lieutenant George R. Bell, of Co. " G," a sash and
sword by the members of the Chicago Bar.
Besides the officers above mentioned, there were,
from Chicago, Captain, subsequently Major and Lieu-
tenant-Colonel, Henry X. Frisbie; Adjutants Anton Nie-
man and Charles B. Chroniger, Quartermaster John H.
Peck, Surgeon Luther F. Humeston. Chaplain Edward
Anderson, First Lieutenant Wells H. Blodgett, of Co.
" D," subsequently colonel of a regiment of Missouri
HISTORY OF CHICAGO.
Infantrv ; and First Lieutenant Isaac C. Dodge, of
Co. •• I."
Following is the regimental roster at date of muster :
Field and Staff. — Colonel, Julius White ; Lieutenant-Colonel,
Mvron S. Barnes ; Major, Tohn Charles Black ; Adjutant, Anton
Ni'eman : Quartermaster, John H. Peck ; Surgeon, Luther F.
Humeston ; Assistant Surgeon, E. A. Clark ; Chaplain, Edward
Anderson.
Lin,- Officers. — Co. "A": Captain, John A. Jordan; First
Lieutenant, Henry Curtis. Jr. ; Second Lieutenant, Charies W.
Hawes. Co. " B": Captain", Charles V. Dickinson; First Lieu-
tenant, Cassimer P. Jackson ; Second Lieutenant, Francis A.
Tones. Co. "C": Captain, Eugene B. Payne ; First Lieutenant,
Jndson I. Huntley ; Second Lieutenant, Chauncey C. Morse. Co.
" D" (Chicago) " Manierre Rifles": Captain, JohnW. Laimbeer;
First Lieutenant, Wells H. Blodgett ; Second Lieutenant, William
Mazell. Co. "E": Captain, Phineas B. Rust; First Lieutenant,
Orville R. Powers : Second Lieutenant, Charles W. Day. Co.
"F": Captain, Erwin B. Messer ; First Lieutenant, Andreas
Greve ; Second Lieutenant, Gallio H. Fairman. Co. "G"
(Chicago) " Turner Rifles": Captain, Henry N. Frisbie ; First
Lieutenant. George R. Bell (promoted captain, June 9, 1S62) ;
Second Lieutenant, Manning F. Atkinson (promoted First Lieu-
tenant, Tune 9, 1S62). Co. "H": Captain, John B. Frick ; First
Lieutenant, Herman Wolford ; Second Lieutenant, Joseph Eaton.
Co. "I" (Chicago): Captain, Ransom Kennicott ; First Lieuten-
ant, Frederick Abbey ; Second Lieutenant, Isaac C. Dodge. Co.
" K ": Captain, William P. Black ; First Lieutenant, William H.
Fithian ; Second Lieutenant, William M. Bandy.
The usual order of arranging companies did not
prevail in the 37th. The companies were arranged in
regular order, from right to left, and thus Co " K "
held the left flank on all occasions.
The 37th left Chicago for St. Louis, Mo., Septem-
ber 19, 1 861. On the 30th of the same month, it was
assigned to General Pope's division, and ordered to
Booneville, Mo. While stationed at that post, difficul-
ties arose between the Booneville Home Guards and an
officer of Pope's staff, which threatened for a time to
become serious. Lieutenant-Colonel Barnes, of the
37th. was appointed commander of the post, and
brought order out of disorder in a short space of time.
In October, the regiment was ordered to Otterville,
and formed a part of Fremont's expedition into South-
western Missouri, leaving that place, October 29, 1861.
On reaching Houmansville, November 2, orders were re -
to march with all haste to Springfield. Colonel
White drew up the regiment the next morning, and re
quested all those unable to make the forced march to
remain behind, and accompany the train, which was
nder command of Captain Peck. One hundred and
sixty remained behind, and the balance, without equip-
ments, set out on the sixty-three-mile march.
Upon this occasion, when the regiment was within
a few miles of Springfield, occurred a singular circum-
Stance, and which uperstitious, was quite
startling. The regiment had been drawn up on the
plain, not having learned of the order placing General
Curtis in command of the Department, and under
which General I remont was then en route. A boister-
ous prairie wind was sweeping along, and rudely play-
ing with the , ors „f t h e regiment, when Gen-
eral Fremont rode toward the command. As lie ap-
proached, the bearer raised the banner to salute his
superior, in the behalf of the " Fremont Rifles," when,
with a sharp report, the beautiful standard was rent
from fringe to fringe, straight across the noble figure
of the General himself.
The regiment reached Springfield on the 4th,
remaining four days, and on the evacuation of
that city, marched thence to Syracuse, Mo. The
regiment then marched to the Lamine River,
where it was ordered to go into winter quarters;
but had hardly commenced building its log huts,
when it was ordered to Sedalia, and thence back
to Otterville, where it remained through a part of
the winter of 1861-62, in Camp Lamine, on the
Lamine River, where the regiment suffered ex-
tremely from sickness caused by cold and miasma.
In December, 1861, Colonel W r hite having been as-
signed to the command of the Second Brigade, Third
Division, Army of the Southwest, consisting of the 37th
Illinois, 59th Illinois, and Davidson's Peoria battery, the
command of the regiment devolved upon Lieutenant-