Military History of Wisconsin

FIFTH INFANTRY — (REORGANIZED.)

On the muster out of service of the " Old Fifth," Governor Lewis authorized its reorganization, and recommissioned Colonel Allen as the colonel. Under his supervision, seven companies were rapidly recruited, organized and mustered into the United States service, and left the State on the 2d of October, to join the battalion at Winchester. The following is the roster of the reorganized regiment:

Colonel — THOMAS S. ALLEN.

Lieutenant Colonel—JAMES M. BULL; Major—CHARLES W. KEMPF; Adjutant—WM. B STURGES; Quartermaster—ALEXANDER SAMUELS; Surgeon—GEORGE D. WILBUR; First Assistant Surgeon—AMBROSE JONES; Second Assistant Surgeon—WILLIAM W. ALLEN; Chaplain—Rev. B. C. HAMMOND.

Co.	Captains	First Lieutenants	Second Lieutenants
A	John B. Doughty	Charles Mayer	Henry Curran
B	Charles D. Moore	Theodore Marcol	Benjamin Smith
C	Miles L. Butterfield	Henry H. Linnell	Evan R. Jones
D	John W. Van Myers	James La Count	John S. Cooper
E	Charles R. Nevitt	John McCabe	Percy B. Smith
F	William Bremmer	John Jolley	Calvin D. Richmond
G	Henry L. Walker	Ransom D. Squires	Charles J. Bracken
H	Charles T. Wyman	Harmon S. Kribb	H. L. Farr
I	Thomas Flint	Lars E. Johnson	Nelson E. Allen
J	S. A. Hall	Lewis A. Day	Alfred T. Fleetwood

The seven companies arrived at Washington, received arms, and were sent to Alexandria, where they remained, doing provost guard duty, until the 20th of October, when they proceeded by way of Martinsburg and Winchester to Cedar Creek, where they joined the battalion and the forces under General Sheridan, and remain at that place until the 1st of December, Colonel Allen being put in command of the brigade. With the Sixth Corps, they rejoined the forces of General Grant in the trenches before Petersburg on the 4th of December, where they remained until the 5th of February, 1865, when they took part in the extension of the lines at Dabney's Mills, on Hatcher's Run, suffering little loss in that engagement, being held in the reserve. Riley C. Tryon, Company G, and Charles Berringer, Company C, were wounded.

On the 25th of March, 1865, the regiment participated in the general skirmish along the whole line, and succeeded in driving in the rebel outpost then in front. Here Sergeant William Hall, Company C, was killed, and Corporal James D. Splain, Company G, Edward Martin, John Morrison and H. S. Otis, Company D, and Charles 0. Foot, Company, K, wounded. Edward Martin is reported as having died of his wounds.

In the charge on the enemy's works at Petersburg, April 2d, the Fifth Wisconsin and Thirty-seventh ^fessachussetts, led by Colonel Allen, were in the extreme front, supported by two lines in the rear. At 4 A.M., the signal for the charge was given, and the colors of the Fifth were the first planted on the enemy's works, that regiment being the first to enter the captured works of Petersburg. Colonel Allen led a portion of the regiment two miles through the abandoned lines of the enemy to the South Side Railroad. By 8 A.M., the troops were reassembled, marched six miles to the left inside of the late rebel works, capturing many prisoners, then back to the right, where the regiment was engaged in skirmishing till night. The losses as officially reported were:

KILLED. — Company A — Captain John B. Doughty. Company E — Privates William H. Arnet and Ira Gilman. Company F — Privates H. Lysner and Albert A. Beggs. Company G — Private Hiram Billington. Company H — Private Allen Graham. Company I — Private Frank Gilbert — 8.
WOUNDED.— Company A — Lieut. Charles H. Mayer, died, Privates Ferdinand Werhle, August Ahrendt and Benjamin Mitchell. Company B — Lieutenant Benjamin Smith, Sergeant P. W. Lord, died; Private L. Bishop. Company C — Lieutenant E. R. Jones, Sergeant Thos. Larkin, Privates Hirman Brown, died, and Fred Mercier. Company D — Sergeant J. G. Troy, Corporal Wm. L. Moffatt, died. Privates P. H. Blodgett, Herbert Ward and Calvin Blood. Company E — Sergeant Thomas E. Chubbuck, Corporal Gilbert S. Main, Privates A. C. Phelps, Stephen Meridam, George H. Hutzell, John H. Park, George Knowles, M. Meutsh, Daniel S. Edson, William H. Hoskins, J. M. Ruibank, Gustavus Hirsch and George W. Barton. Company F — Captain William Bremer, Sergeant Ed. A. Allen, Privates Jos. Echman, died; Elias Marlatt, died, Jas. Bower, Peter Reuther, E. L. Aber, died; A. Dorman, S. M. Manly, A. D. Cory and Wm. M. Phelps, died. Company G — Lieutenant R. D. Squires, Sergeant Samuel T. Daggett, Privates Thomas Roach, N. J. Barker, R. C. Barker, Wm. Flynn, died, F. A. Bovee and E. Running. Company H — Corporal H. P. Cady, Privates A. W. Baswell, Luther Shooner, August Leoney, F. W. Beshel and John Rehome. Company I — Corporals George West and William Smith, Privates John Bragg, died ; James Dunn, Thomas Underwood, Theophilus George, B. Tally, John Lemuel, Henry Tipp, E. M. Fessenden, George Vanderbloom, James Witlie and Spencer Hurlbut. Company K— Sergeant John S. Barger, Seymour Beaman, Joseph Leistz, D. R. Babcock and Fred Ringling — 71. Died of wounds, 9.

The loss of the regiment was about one-tenth of that suffered by the whole corps, consisting of fifty regiments.

On the afternoon of April 3d, they joined in the pursuit of Lee, marching with great rapidity by day and night. The Sixth Corps encountered General Ewell's forces at "Little Sailors' Creek," on the 7th. The lines were hurriedly formed, and they pushed forward at a double quick, the regiment marching with unbroken line through a swamp waist deep, under the fire of the enemy's musketry. They moved to the brow of a hill, where the enemy was discovered but a few paces distant, admirably posted, and fighting with the energy of despair. The regiment was in an extremely hazardous position, being subjected to a severe flank and cross fire. Colonel Allen rode in advance of the line as calmly as though danger was unknown. Company G, Captain Henry Curran, and Company C, Lieutenant Evan R. Jones, were deployed as skirmishers. Lieutenant General Ewell and staff, surrendered to six men of the skirmishers, under command of Sergeant Cameron, Company A, who was promoted Lieutenant on the field, for his gallantry. The action of the regiment elicited high encomiums from the corps, division, and brigade commanders.

The following were the casualties in the action of April 7th, as officially reported:

KILLED.— Company A — Private Gustave Loefller. Company B — Private John Rierdon. Company C — Color Corporal Alexander Johnson and Corporal John L. Heberlies. Company D — Sergeant John Purdy, Privates John Gallagher and Lysander M. Muzzy. Company E — Privates Allen K. Augur, George Mills and J. D. Gurney. Company F — Corporal George L. Welty, Privates C. Truax and George Truax. Company G — Privates James Conlin and Stephen Smith. Company H — Private Edmund Bigford — 16.
WOUNDED.— Company A — Color Corporal August Franz, Sergeant William H. Landott, Privates Christian Erickson, Duncan McLenan, Charles Sheffnet, Robert Miller and C. Spinner. Company B — Corporals William Meade and Johnson, Privates George H. Rees, J. H. Keyes and P. Wells. Company C — Privates Cornelius M. Bonnell and Ephraim Purdy. Company D — Privates George Ross, George Buffan, died, James Tooney, Francis Goodness, Freedom Cromwell, John Banker, John Nelson, William Conniff, Lyman Smith and Milo Wells. Company E — Corporal E. W. Mellon, Privates Theodore Bandow, John Polar, Abram Casslar, Thomas Leet and W. Lansing. Company F — Captain William Bremer, Privates C. H. Gee, Orson Foucher, Fred Gross, Andrew McFadden, August Gessel, Reuben Stock, John Hanson, Theodore Czeskleba, Andrew Rowe, O. Gesse and F. Ott. Company G — Corporal John W. Curran, Privates Samuel Vasnow, Lewis A. Nelson, Edward Tierney, Smith Owen, John W. Stafford, Adelbert E. Lane, Thomas Marshall, Torger Peterson, L. W. Stoner, Alexander Hamilton, Charles C. Vanalstine, died; John Stetzner, John Stichner and Simon Anderson. Company H — Sergeant Charles E. Woodridge, Privates Peter Peterson and John L. Nelson. Company I —Privates Henry Goodman, Daniel Smith, Jacob Peterson and T. Czeskleba. Company K — Color Corporal John O. Hoisington, Corporal George C. Lefever, Privates J. R. Whitney, H. D. Warden, Nelson Gillett, Nicholas Hammond, Albertus Hoffman, J. W. Wiggins, D. P. Howell, J. D. Crapser, M. Ware, Cordon Wyman, M. H. Parcel, died, L. Parsons and C. O. Foote — 79. Died of wounds, 3.

The pursuit was continued until the 9th, when Lee surrendered. On the 10th, the regiment commenced its return, and reached Burke's Station on the evening of the 13th, encamped till the 23d, and marched to Danville, arriving there on the 27th, left Danville, May 3d, by rail, arrived at Wilson's Station, May 4th, and May 18th, marched for Eichmond, which they reached on the 20th. On the 24th, left Richmond, for Washington, where they arrived on the 2d of June, after a long and tedious march. Left Washington, June 16th, and arrived at Madison, June 20th, and were soon after mustered out, thus closing the record of the "Fighting Fifth."

Colonel Allen was brevetted Brigadier General for gallant and meritorious services during the war.

Regimental Statistics. — Original strength, 1,058. Gain — by recruits in 1863, 210, in 1864, 684, in 1865, 25 ; by substitutes, 50; by draft in 1865, 25; by veteran reenlistments, 204; total, 2,256. Losses — deaths, 285; missing, 4; desertion, 105; transferred, 33; discharged, 405; mustered out, 1,424.

SOURCE: E. B. Quiner, Esq., The Military History of Wisconsin: A Record of the Civil and Military Patriotism of the State... (Chicago: Clarke & Co., 1866), 522-525.