In early 1863, Sigel resigned as commander of the 11th Corps,
and corps command was given to Major General Oliver O. Howard.
The 11th Corps’ 3rd Division, to which the regiment belonged, was
commanded by Major General Carl Schurz, a German revolutionary,
and the 2nd Brigade was led by Polish-born Colonel Włodzimierz
Krzyżanowski. In late April and early May 1863, John, Joseph, and
the 26th Wisconsin participated in the Chancellorsville Campaign in
Virginia. During the evening of May 2, 1863, as the regiment rested
at the edge of a forest known as the Wilderness, Confederate
soldiers led by General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson attacked.
Jackson’s 28,000 men struck the exposed end of the 11th Corps, the
right flank of the Union line. The 26th Wisconsin formed into line of
battle and delivered several volleys into the advancing Confederates.
After a twenty-minute struggle, the Badger state Germans were
forced to retreat. In its first battle, out of 471 engaged, the 26th
Wisconsin suffered 204 casualties in killed, wounded, and missing,
including their colonel, the fifth-highest losses of any northern
regiment on the field. | | After the Union withdrawal back across the Rappahannock
River, John and Joseph were with their regiment as the Army of the
Potomac pursued the Confederates northward into Pennsylvania. In
the morning of July 1, 1863, the 26th Wisconsin and the rest of the
11th Corps were encamped around Emmitsburg, Maryland when they
received word that Confederate infantry were advancing in force near
the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Wisconsin Germans
set out on a forced march north towards Gettysburg. After a fatiguing
thirteen-mile journey, the regiment arrived in the borough by early
afternoon and rested in a peach orchard at the northern edge of town.
Krzyżanowski’s brigade eventually received orders to advance across
the plains of Gettysburg to reinforce Brigadier General Francis Barlow’s
exposed 1st Division of the 11th Corps, positioned on a knoll owned by
farmer John Blocher. As the 26th Wisconsin advanced on the right of
the brigade, the regiment engaged Georgians of George Doles’ and
John B. Gordon’s brigades. The regiment exchanged volleys with the
Confederates but was eventually flanked and forced to retreat through
the town of Gettysburg. | | The regiment was positioned on Cemetery Hill during the
second and third days of the battle and not engaged. For his actions in
the battle, John Held was promoted to the rank of Corporal, dated
July 1, 1863. During three years of service, the 26th Wisconsin Infantry
lost 191 men, including Corporal John Held, killed and mortally
wounded, the fourth-highest percentage of any Union regiment. Colonel
James Wood, commanding the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 20th Corps, in
his official report, said this of the conduct of the 26th Wisconsin in the
Battle of Peachtree Creek: “Where all behaved well, it may be regarded
as invidious to call attention to individuals, yet it seems to me I cannot
discharge my duty in this report without pointing out for especial
commendation the conduct of the Twenty-sixth Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry and its brave and able commander. The position of this regiment
in the line was such that the brunt of the enemy’s attack fell upon it. The
brave, skillful and determined manner in which it met this attack, rolled
back the onset, pressed forward in a counter charge and drove back the
enemy, could not be excelled by the troops in this or any other army, and
is worthy of the highest commendation and praise.” |
