This article has been contributed by Mary Paulius
Aug. 14, 2006 The 25th Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, three companies of which (A, B and D) were from Vermilion
County, was organized in Vermilion County, June 1, 1961, and mustered into
service at St. Louis, Missouri, August 4, 1861, and from there transported
by rail to Jefferson City, Missouri, and thence to Sedalia, Missouri, and
marched to Springfield, Missouri, under General Fremont, in pursuit of
General Price's army, and from thence to Rolla, Missouri, where, with a
portion of Fremont's army, it spent the early part of the winter of 1861
and 1862, but returned to Springfield, Missouri, in February, 1862, under
command of General Siegel, and pursued General Price's army to
Bentonville, Arkansas, where, on the 6th, 7th and 8th of March, 1862, the
memorable battle of "Pea Ridge" was fought.
The 25th Regiment, having been held in support until
early morn of the third day, took the front under the immediate command of
General Siegel, in support of the artillery, which opened the engagement.
After a fierce contest with grape, canister and shell at short range, the
enemy's batteries were silenced, and the memorable order, "Up, 25th,
Minutes! Col. Minutes!" was given by General Siegel in person, and
the next moment the regiment, under the most terrific fire of musketry,
with other troops, charged the enemy in a thick wood, where, after a
fierce and deadly contest, the enemy's lines gave way, and the whole army
and soon in full retreat, and thus was victory brought out of what but a
few hours before was considered, by the general commanding, a defeat.
The regiment was highly complimented for its gallantry in this (its first)
engagement. Then, in connection with the army, it took up the line
eastward, where, after al long and tedious march, it arrived at
Batesville, in Arkansas, and was there detached from the army, and, with
nine other regiments and command of Gen. Jeff. C. Davis, marched eastward
to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a distance of two hundred and fifty miles in
nine days, having made an average of about twenty-eight miles per day.
The regiment then, by river transportation, joined Gen. Halleck's army in
the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, which place was soon evacuated by the
enemy; and after a short stay in Mississippi marched eastward under
command of Gen. Buell by way of Nashville, Tennessee, to Louisville,
Kentucky, a distance of nearly five hundred miles in the month of August,
in the most extreme heat and drought. Here a few days were spent in
reorganizing the army, when it was ordered in pursuit of Gen. Bragg's
army, then invading Kentucky. Later, the battle of Perryville, or Chaplain Hills, was fought between a portion of the two armies, wherein
the 25th Reg., and more than sixty thousand other well-equipped soldiers
were compelled to act as spectators in the slaughter of a portion of our
army under command of Gen. McCook, because the general commanding said
that McCook had brought on the engagement without his orders. After
this battle the regiment returned to Nashville, Tennessee, and Gen.
Rosecrans was put in command of the army, then known as the the Army of
the Cumberland, which remained at Nashville until the last of December,
1862, when it was advanced to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and met the enemy
under command of Gen. Bragg at Stone River, Tennessee, on the 30th of
December, 1862, and at the dawning of the 31st the enemy attacked in great
force. The 25th Regiment, being in the unfortunate right wing of our
army, was soon sharply engaged, when the charge grew fierce and deadly.
The line on the left of the 25th gave way, and being fiercely assailed in
front and left, the regiment was compelled to change front under a most
withering fire. Here the color-bearer was stricken down and the flag
lay on the ground, when Col. Williams, of the regiment (than whom no more
worthy patriot had died), raised the colors with his own hands, and having
indicated the new line to be formed, he planted the flag firmly, and
uttered in loud tones his living and dying words: "Boys, we will plant the
flag here and rally around it, and here we will die!" The next
moment, with flagstaff in hand, he fell. The regiment, after twice
repulsing the enemy in front, finding itself flanked on both right and
left, retired from its position and fell to the rear, leaving more than
one-third of its number dead and wounded on the field. The enemy was
finally checked, and the battle continued sullenly until the 2d of
January, 1863, when Gen. Breckenridge made his celebrated assault on the
left wing of our army. The charge was brilliant beyond comparison.
The shock of battle was terrific. Our left was broken, defeated and
driven back. Fresh troops were in like manner swept away like chaff
before the wind. Fifty pieces of artillery were brought to bear on the
enemy's right. The earth trembled and shook as a leaf in the storm beneath
the iron monsters, as they poured their storm of death into the advancing
column, and yet their onward march was as the march of destiny, until the
shout from Gen. Negley rang out, "Who'll save the left?" "The 19th
Ill., " was the reply-the 25th Ill. being close in their support. They did
save the left, and the 25th held the front thus carried until the retreat
of the enemy, while the heaps of the enemy's dead testified to gallantry
worthy of a better cause. The regiment, in connection with the army,
next marched south in pursuit of Gen. Bragg's army till it reached the
Tennessee River, near Stevenson, Alabama. To cross this river in the
face of the enemy and lay the pontoon bridge was given in charge of this
regiment alone; consequently, at early morn our shore was lined with
skirmishers and a battery of artillery, while the regiment embarked in
pontoon boats and rowed away to the opposite shore a mile distant, drove
the enemy back, laid the bridge and was crossing the entire army over by
eleven o'clock A.M. The sight of this little circumstance was
extremely grand, but the danger great. The regiment next crossed
over Sand Mountain and Lookout Mountain and entered into the valley, again
engaging the enemy in the terrible battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, where
it left more than two-thirds of its number among the dead and wounded on
the field, all of whom fell into the hands of the enemy. This
battle, for severity, stands second to none in the history of the war, and
no regiment in the engagement suffered greater loss than the Twenty-fifth
Illinois. The regiment was next called to meet the enemy at the
battle of Chattanooga, under command of Gen. U. S. Grant, and when the
order came to storm Mission Ridge, the Twenty-fifth Regiment was assigned
the front, or skirmish line, where it advanced slowly until within a few
rods of the enemy's guns, when, with a simultaneous charge, in connection
with the Thirty-fifth Illinois, carried the enemy's works, captured their
batteries, broke their lines on Missionary Ridge, and made way for a
magnificent victory. Along the entire line here again connection
with the Thirty-fifth Illinois, carried the enemy's works captured their
batteries, broke their lines on Missionary Ridge, and made way for a
magnificent victory, Along the entire line here again the carnage
was great, but the achievements brilliant in the extreme. The
regiment was then ordered to east Tennessee, where it spent the winter in
various unimportant campaigns, and in the spring of 1864 rejoined the Army
of the Cumberland, near Chattanooga, under command of Gen. Sherman, and
started on that memorable campaign to Atlanta, Georgia, at which place it
terminated its service and returned home to be mustered out.
During the months of this campaign, the endurance of
both officers and men of the regiment was taxed to its utmost-it was one
long and tedious battle, often violent and destructive, then slow and
sullen, both armies seeking advantage by intrenching, maneuvering,
flanking and by sudden and by desperate charges, the Twenty-fifth
Illinois, bearing its equal burden of the toils, the dangers and losses,
as will more fully appear from the following order or address, delivered
by Col. W. H. Gibson, commanding the brigade, on its taking leave of the
army, at Atlanta, Georgia, August 20, 1864, to wit:
Soldiers of the Twenty-fifth Illinois Volunteers:
As your term of three years' service has expired, and you are about to
proceed to your state to be mustered out, it is fitting and proper that
the colonel commanding should express to each and all his earnest thanks
for the cheerful manhood with which, during the present campaign, you have
submitted to every hardship, overcome every difficulty, and for the
magnificent heroism with which you have met and vanquished the foe.
Your deportment in camp has been worthy true soldiers, while your conduct
in battle has excited the admiration of your companions in arms.
Patriotic thousands and a noble state will give you a reception worthy of
your sacrifice and your valor. You have done your duty. The
men who rallied under the starry emblem of our nationality at Pea Ridge,
Corinth, Champion Hills, Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge,
Noonday Creek, Pinetop Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee, Peach
Tree Creek and Atlanta, having made history for all time and coming
generations to admire, your services will ever bee gratefully appreciated.
Officers and soldiers farewell. May God guarantee to each health,
happiness and usefulness in coming life, and may our country soon merge
from the gloom of blood that now surrounds it and again enter upon a
career of progress, peace and prosperity."
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Martin J. Barger,
at present the governor of the Danville Branch of the Home for Disabled
Soldiers and Sailors, is a son of Vermilion County. He was born
February __, 1845, in Newell township. He was the son of William J.
Barger.
His father died when he was quite young, and his mother
married again. Upon this he left home and apprenticed himself to the
shoemaker's trade. He did not work at this trade, however.
When the war broke out, he determined to enlist, although he was but
sixteen years old. He made application to Capt. McKibben, but was
laughed at. Nothing daunted, he followed the soldiers to Springfield
and thence along until they had reached Cape Girardeau. At every
place he insisted on enlisting and was everywhere laughed at, for there
were plenty of men ready to go into the service and he was a boy, who
looked even younger than he was. He had attached himself to the
Twenty-fifth Illinois regiment without enlisting, and gone with them as
far as Forsythe, Missouri, where he made one more appeal to Capt.
Wall of
Company B, and was told it was no use, that he would die in a few days.
He insisted on following the army whether they would let him or not, and
they gave him an outfit and a suit of clothing. In about a week the
army was in motion for Batesville, Arkansas. The boy started with
them and the first day he kept up; the second day he did not get into camp
with his command and the third day did not arrive until late at night, and
the fourth day he lost sight of the army. He had a little money and
could get his meals along the way and make inquiries of directions.
He camped out at night and moved forward footsore and weary and went into
Batesville but a little behind the army. When he was first seen the
cheers rang out long and strong. He had not been seen for a week,
and everyone thought him either captured or dead. When the time came
to pay off the army he was asked if he wanted pay. "If you think I
will make a soldier," he answered. "O, you'll do, " was the answer,
and the boy was given a payroll to sign, and he was legally a soldier.
He was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga and taken prisoner. He
was held about ten days and then paroled. He was not exchanged until
the next summer. He remained with his regiment until he was
exchanged, but not doing duty. He was discharged in March, 1865.
His wound was of such a nature as to incapacitate him for hard work, and
he draws a pension.
He was discharged in March, 1865. His wound was
of such a nature as to incapacitate him for hard work, and he draws a
pension.
He has held public office often in his life and has
been one of the officers of the Home since its being established here.
When Governor Clements died and made a vacancy, Mr. Barger naturally
succeeded him, having been his assistant for some time previous to this
time. |
