Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

THE LIFE OF OUR SISTER 283
by boat to New Orleans and composed a part of Banks' second
Red River expedition.
"Banks was perhaps the most incompetent general m the
Union army. After marching his army nearly to the Red
River from New Orleans, he became alarmed at the maneuvers
of the rebel army under Dick Taylor, though no stronger than
his own, and turned about and fled. Our brigade, on account
of its experience in lighting, was made rear guard. We
skirmished all day with the rebel cavalry; at night we camped
in a strip of timber along Bayou Grand Coteau. The main
rebel army, 6,000 strong, camped within two miles of us.
Banks with his main army fell back and went into camp six
miles in our rear. Our brigade was composed of four regiments
and two light batteries, but 1,100 in all. We were every
one experienced veterans and knew that, with Banks and his
army six miles away and the rebel army within two miles, we
were doomed to destruction. The rebels attacked us next
day about eleven o'clock; they massed all their infantry and
threw it against our front, while their cavalry charged our
flank. Three of our regiments were crumpled up and either
killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. My regiment, the 83d
Ohio, fought its way into the woods near by, where the cavalry
could not form to charge en masse. The fragments of the
other regiments gathered to us. The color-bearer of the 23d
Wisconsm with his color guard fought his way out of the mixup
in which his regiment was destroyed and attached himself to
our regiment.
"At the opening of the battle our color-bearer was visiting
a picket post in front and was taken prisoner by the rebel
cavalry before he could get back to the regiment. I picked up
our colors and carried them through the fight. The color-
bearer of the 23d Wisconsin was shot by my side, and his colors
fell to the ground. I picked them up and carried them under
my arm while I kept my own flying, so I had the honor of
saving both my own colors and the colors of the 23d Wisconsin.
For this I was honored by a furlough home with my color
guard. Out of 1,100 of us who went into the fight, only 300
came out! Out of the 1,050 men with which my regiment