HISTORY OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY - CHAPTER 29 - The Eagle


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Regiment

Faithful Record of all Important Events, Incidents, and
Circumstances that have Transpired in the Valley of the
Chippewa from its Earliest Settlement by White People,
Indian Treaties, Organization of the Territory and State;
Also of the Counties Embracing the Valley, Senatorial,
Assembly and Congressional Districts, and a Brief
Biographical Sketch of the Most Prominent Persons in the
Settlement of the Valley. BY Thomas E. Randall 1875.  Free
Press Print.  Eau Claire, Wisconsin

CHAPTER 29 - The Eagle Regiment

Perhaps no regiment of volunteers was mustered in the United
States service during the war, that performed more service,
marched as many miles and did as much as the hard fighting
Eighth Wisconsin.

It seems to have been constantly in motion; and being one of
the first in the field from this State, and having the first
company organized in Eau Claire, and that the company was
furnished with a live eagle, it will supply material for
some interesting statements in this work.

Early in August 1861, John E. Perkins, Receiver in the Land
Office of this place, received a recruiting commission from
Governor Randall, and by being assisted by Seth Pierce,
Frank McGuire, Thomas G. Butler and Victor Wolf, who
enlisted, and several patriotic citizens, though without any
offer of bounties, organized the first company of volunteers
for the ware from this county. It was composed largely of
men from the country, and quite a number from Lafayette in
Chippewa County.

Speaking of the Battles of Iuka and Corinth, the Reverend
Mr. Love says: "The eagle of the Eighth Wisconsin took a
noticeable part in this battle. This eagle was originally
capture by the Indian 'Chief Sky,' in the northern part of
Wisconsin, near the Flambeau River, a branch of the Chippewa
River. The 'Eau Claire Eagles' brought him to the Eighth
Regiment at Madison. Captain Perkins, afterward killed at
the battle of Farmington, gave the name 'Old Abe' to the
eagle, in memory of the services of Abraham Lincoln, and the
bird gave the name 'Eagle' to the regiment. He generally
rode on the banners of the regiment in all its marches, and
manifests a singular sagacity. In time of battle he kept his
place on his perch, upon the colors, and showed the highest
interest and excitement, often jumping up and down,
spreading his pinions, and uttering his wild eagle screams."

The name of the Indian, "Chief Sky," and the locality in
which the eagle was taken, as given by Mr. Love, are
probably correct; but it is proper to state that S.S.
McCann, the old pioneer and soldier, bought him off the
Indian at Chippewa City, Eagle Point, Chippewa County, and
brought him to Eau Claire while Company C was filling up.
Mills Jeffries bought him off McCann and presented him to
the company, who immediately changed their title from 'Eau
Claire Badgers; to that of 'Eagles.'

The officers of the regiment were very anxious to
appropriate not only the title but the bird itself, to their
ownership, but Captain Wolf and the other company officers
thought it was sufficient to confer the title upon the
regiment, while the company should own and control the
eagle; which hey continued to do until the fall of 1864,
when the veteran's received furlough home, when Captain
Wolf, on behalf of the company presented the noble bird to
Governor Lewis, for the State of Wisconsin.

Captain William J. Dawes, who was severely wounded on the
first day of the battle. October 3, 1862, says, "the same
volley that did the mischief cut the cord of Old Abe, who
sat on his perch viewing the scene, and slowly rising
himself on his broad pinions, floated off over the rebel
lines until I lost sight of him. I was gathered up in a
blanket and carried from the field, hardly knowing which
most to deplore, our defeat, my own disaster, or the loss of
our guardian aegis.  Our broken regiment fell back and
passed me, as I was slowly carried along, and raising my
head to salute them, what joy filled my heart when I saw our
noble bird in his proper place. And it was a sure omen of
the terrible slaughter made among the rebels the next day.
Our eagle accompanied us on the bloody field, I heard
prisoners say they would give more to capture the eagle of
the Eighth Wisconsin, than to take a whole brigade of men."

Captain Perkins, with his Eagles, was assigned to the
position in the Eighth Regiment as Company C, and was
mustered into the service of the United States on September
4, 1861, under the superintendence of Colonel Robert C.
Murphy, and immediately left Camp Randall for active service
in the field.

At St. Louis, the live eagle created immense enthusiasm, it
being the first Wisconsin regiment that head been ordered to
that department. It field of operations during the fall and
winter was Missouri and Northern Arkansas. It was the
capture of Island No. Ten, in April 1862, and for gallantry
displayed in this campaign, General Pope ordered Island No.
Ten and New Madrid inscribed on their banners. Up the
Tennessee on the first of May, and on the 9th took part in
the Battle of Farmington, where Captain Perkins lost his
life, and was succeeded in command by the veteran soldier
and accomplished officer, Captain Victor Wolf.

On the 28th the regiment was brought into a hand-to-hand
fight, to save a battery, and were complimented on the field
for their bravery by Generals Plummer and Tyler.

The Eighth was kept continually moving in Tennessee,
Mississippi, thence back into Missouri and Kansas, thence to
the siege and capture of Vicksburg, at Nashville under
General Thomas, and finally after the veterans had their
furlough home, taking the eagle with them, and filling up
their decimated ranks, were sent down the Mississippi to New
Orleans, and thence to Mobile, in the siege of which the
regiment did its last hard fighting, losing two men at For
Blakely on March 27, 1865, and were mustered out at
Demopolis, Alabama, the following September. The eagle still
lives in the capital of our noble State, hale and hearty.
During the war, the regiment lost in action - thirty-five;
died of wounds - fourteen; died of disease - two hundred and
one; died by accident - five; making in all, two hundred and
fifty-five; twenty-one of whom, including Captain Perkins
were in Company C.

Among the reasons assigned by General McClellan for delaying
active operations against the enemy in the fall of 1861, was
the want of cavalry, and orders were immediately issued to
the authorities in each State to recruit cavalry regiments
to supply the want. In November of that year, Arthur M.
Sherman, of Eau Claire, returned from Madison with authority
to recruit a company for the Second Regiment, then filling
up under the superintendence of Colonel C.C. Washburn. On
some account or other, the undertaking met with less
encouragement from the citizens than it deserved, and some
even manifest opposition, and circulated reports that the
government countermanded the order for cavalry, and if men
enlisted as such, they would not be mounted. But calling to
his assistance some determined young men, among whom were,
Israel Burbank, Thomas J. Nary, George E. Grout, Len L.
Lancaster, and Milo B. Wyman of Eau Claire and James Leroy,
of Chippewa Falls, the company was ready with eighty-seven
enlisted men by the fist of January 1862, and was mustered
into the United States service soon after, and were mounted
at Benton Barracks, Missouri, in March.

The commissioned officers of the company, at first, were,
Arthur M Sherman, Captain; Israel B. Burbank, First
Lieutenant; and Thomas J. Nary, Second Lieutenant.

Like most of the Western cavalry regiments, the Second
Wisconsin was divided up into battalions, and scattered over
the departments of the Mississippi and Tennessee, guarding
rail roads, fighting guerrillas; making raids into enemy
country, doing provost duty seizing cotton, and harassing
the rebels generally. Stationed in malarias and unhealthy
locations during the summer of 1862, the morality from
disease was very great, and much suffering was caused by
their confinement to bad hospitals. Many amusing and some
thrilling incidents are related of sudden attacks, and hand-
to-hand conflicts with guerrillas, while stationed in
Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and other Southern States,
one of which is too good to be lost. Among those who came
with Leroy from Chippewa Falls was a Frenchman, named Louis
Blair, a first-class river pilot, both before and since the
war. On one occasion, Louis made one of a party of six to
reconnoiter a certain road leading from their post into the
interior, just hen infested by guerrillas, a strong party of
whom came suddenly upon our little squad, some of who
escaped by flight, but Louis, being wounded, must surrender
or fight. I will try to tell the rest in his own language as
related to me during the past summer:  "I know dat guerrilla
reb too well to tink dey keep dare word wid me if I
surrender-r-r; and don't been all, I don't been made dat
kind of stuff, an' I was tole him he might cut me up, but
surrender no sir-ee. A dozen of de cowardly villains den
make for me, and you see dat scar on my face, an' dat one on
my neck?" Then uncovering his back and breast, he showed me
scar after scar where saber wounds had been inflicted. 'An'
dare, an' dare," He said, "dey cut an' gash me, an' all de
time dey say , 'Surrender, you d-m Dutch Yankee.' But by an'
by our boy was come, and dem de reb he was shoot me right
dare," pointing to another scar. "When our boy dey come, dey
tink I was dead, but I don't be going to die dat way."

The most fighting done by the Second Cavalry was with
General Grierson, in his raid into Mississippi, in 1864. Its
last work was done in Texas, where, at Austin, on November
15, 1865, they were mustered out of service, having served
four years, lacking one month, and lost, in killed, wounded
and by disease, two hundred and eight of their number,
thirty of whom were from Company L.