Marching to Disaster

Marching to Disaster. "A Single Regiment Storming". Midday , As the members of the 8th New York advanced, blind to the danger in front of them, the Confederates marveled at their precision. "The Germans came marching across the clover field in beautiful line..." one recalled. "The Colonel walk[ed] backwards in front of them, seeing that they preserved a perfect alignment just as though they were drilling." The Federals temporarily disappeared from sight as they advanced into the hollow behind you. As they emerged from the depression and marched past here, a member of the 21st Georgia said they appeared to be charging "over the crest of the ridge.", The colonel leading the regiment was Col. Francis Wutschel, whom some members of the brigade held responsible for the disaster that followed, accusing him of being drunk and attacking prematurely, which may explain why the 45th New York was not part of the assault., "The whole battle plan and any chance of winning the battle was foiled by the precipitous actions of Colonel Wutschel..." wrote Corp. August Horstmann of the 45th New York. "Long before the battle was supposed to begin and without having any reserves behind him, this officer gave his regiment the command to attack (rumor has it he was drunk, and he now faces court-martial). They beat back the enemy pickets, and then they started singing "Hinaus in die Ferne" ["Let's Go Out into the Distance"] and went straight into a bayonet attack." Horstmann wondered what the defenders thought when "they saw a single regiment storming at them with their bayonets at charge and singing.", Marching in perfect formation, led by a drunken officer, and singing a German hiking song at the top of their voices, the regiment advanced towards the fence line., (captions) , Corp. Robert Rossi of the 8th New York had emigrated from Germany in 1858. He was not wounded in the battle., Col. Francis Wutschel. After the battle, the regiment's officers told Wutschel he could either resign or face a court-martial for being constantly drunk and having disobeyed orders to wait for the command to attack. Wutschel was dishonorably discharged two months later., Officers of the 8th New York, early in the war, wearing Mexican War-era uniforms. From The Photographic History of the Civil War., This marker was made possible through the generosity of the Lee-Jackson Educational Foundation