Mackerel Brigade

“ Let, then, the venerable and strategical Mackerel Brigade strike off impressions of itself in the mud before Paris; while the conic section, under Colonel Wobert Wobinson, walks calmly through the depths of storied Accomac; while Captain Samyule Sa-mith and the Anatomical Cavalry prosecute Confederate railroad researches, and Rear Admiral Head's iron-plated squadron keeps watch and fishes for bass near the captured Fort Piano, on Duck Lake. ”

“ Such a nice thing is strategy, and so easily is it deranged!
Owing to this error, of course nothing more could be done, and on Tuesday evening the Mackerel Brigade returned, full of enthusiasm, to their original side of Duck Lake. The affair had been merely a reconnoissance.
Last evening, at dusk, I was talking to the Mackerel Chaplain about this singular strategical affair, and says he:
"God help us! The skeleton regiments we have left standing are scarcely more than the skeleton regiments we have left sleeping; and only the sleeping ones can look upward." ”

“ Having been informed that the ancient and spectacled Mackerel Brigade had returned from its monthly walk toward the well-known and starving Southern Confederacy, I ascended to the roof of my architectural steed, the Gothic Pegasus, on Thursday morn, my boy, and galloped slowly to the stamping ground of the unconquerable veterans. ”

“ At the same instant, Ajack, the Mackerel sharpshooter, put a ball from his unerring rifle through a chicken-house about half a mile distant, causing a variety of fowl proceedings.
"Ah!" says Villiam, critically, "the angels will have to get a new sky, if the artillery practice of the United States of America keeps on much longer."
Meantime Company 2, Regiment 5, Mackerel Brigade, was engaging the enemy some distance to the right, under Captain Bob Shorty; and now there came a dispatch from that gallant officer to Villiam, thus:
"The Enemy's Multiplication is too much for my Division. ”

“ The uniform of the Southern Confederacy is much respected by many of our officers, my boy, and is the only guise in which a fellow-being may scrutinize the national strategic works with entire safety.
Thus attired, I joined the Mackerel Brigade in its cheerful work of pushing Richmond away from its martial front, and having penetrated to the rear where horrible carnage was being wrought in the frantic ranks of the Confederacy, I beheld the idolized General of the Mackerel Brigade anxiously searching for something upon the ground. ”

“ Sick of this dreadful slaughter, my boy, I turned from the spot with Villiam, and presently overtook the general of the Mackerel Brigade, who was seated on a fence by the roadside, trying to knock the cork out of a bottle with a piece of rock. We saluted, and went on to the camp.
Sharpshooters, my boy, are a source of much pain to hostile gunners, and if one of them should happen to put a bullet through the head of navigation, it would certainly cause the tide to fall. ”

“ Over the counter came the hardware chap, with one bound, and says he:
"Why, you durned old fool, the top an't moving at all!"
And sure enough, the very practical cast-iron chap had just stuck the top up with his hand, in order to bring the popular perception theory of the aged file to grief.
Ordinary persons, my boy, observing the Mackerel Brigade any time these three years, might think it was not moving at all; but we know its General to be the Top of the heap, and we know that he is making revolutions—in the whole art of war. ”

“ The Mackerel Brigade, in two parts, having reached the opposite shore of Duck Lake in safety, the Grim Old Fighting Cox ordered Captain Villiam Brown and Captain Bob Shorty to take each a regiment of spectacled veterans and cautiously feel the Confederacies' lines, while he led the remainder of the national troops to a small village at hand, which had particularly requested to be immediately destroyed. ”

“ Whereas, The matter of provisions is a great expense to the United States of America, besides offering inducements for unexpected raids on the part of the famishing foeman; the Mackerel Brigade is hereby directed to live entirely upon the Southern Confederacy, eating him alive wherever found, and partaking of no other food. ”

“ He had taken part in this kind of work before, and was wise in his superior knowledge.
"One-half of the brigade, two thousand men, is our enemy," he explained; "and we're going to fight them. The battalion that's helping us is on in front, and it will soon be fighting. When it's hard pressed we'll go up to help, for we're the supports. It won't be long till we hear the firing."
An hour's brisk march was followed by a halt, when we were ordered to draw well into the left of the road to let the company guns go by. ”

“ He came out with the Battalion in 1915, and had taken part in all the fighting in which the Division had been engaged. A quiet, unassuming man, with a strong personality, he was known and loved not only by the officers and {85} men of his own Battalion, but throughout the Brigade. He seldom had a man of his Company before the C.O. In fact, the apparent pain which it gave to "W.G." to think that a man had done anything to bring disgrace on his beloved Company was the greatest punishment that man could have. ”

“ Lieutenant MacKenzie, in charge of the four guns of his company, was covering the 7th Brigade in the attack upon the difficult country about Friesland, Meetcheele and Graf. With his gun-positions on the high ground, he was prepared to bring direct fire upon the enemy as our troops advanced, and to lay an effective barrage before our line upon the occupation of the objectives. ”

“ The Redoubt was now out of our hands, and the line taken ran just under the crest on the west, and was continued north of Loos by the 46th Brigade. To retire the van was no light task. Two officers, whose names deserve to be remembered, Major Crichton of the 10th Gordons, and Major Barron of the 7th Camerons, volunteered for the desperate mission. They fell in the task, but the order reached the stragglers, and they began to fight their way back. In the midst of encircling fire it was a forlorn hope, and few returned to the British lines on the Hill. ”

“ Most of the troops landed and slept on shore. All night long you could hear a noise as if artillery was moving. Next morning commenced raining. While the fleet went by water a force was sent by land to clear the shore of artillery. The marines started in advance and skirmishing commenced quite early, the enemy driving stubbornly. The 2d brigade supported by the marines, 5th Minnesota, 47th Illinois, and 8th Wisconsin, drove the rebels across a bayou called Muddy Bayou, where artillery was in position. ”

“ Infantry toiled and sweated after them. The maligned staff viewed from afar the battle royal. Thankful men received wounds from galloping umpires, and lay down peacefully to await rescue by the attentive ambulance. Chastisements descended from great to lesser dignitaries. Why had not Colonel Macpherson managed to move his flank-guard three miles in two minutes? So a field day would pass, each rank being roundly condemned to everlasting perdition by the rank immediately below it, until the G.O.C., Egypt, and the British Empire, bore the brunt of the awful damnings. ”

“ Mackenzie soon after received the appointment of deputy-assistant adjutant-general in Dublin, which he held until the Crimean war. He went to Turkey as brigade-major of Codrington's brigade of the light division, with which he landed in the Crimea, and was present at the Alma and Inkermann and before Sevastapol. ”

“ When the yell was raised two regiments started on the double-quick to take the batteries at the point of the bayonet, but on reaching the bayou could not get across. The brigade suffered severely in this charge. Four men in the 33d Missouri were struck down by one shot, and the loss in two regiments, 33d Mo. and 35th Iowa, was 80 men. One of their guns was masked. Our artillery did not render us any assistance. Eight guns were playing on us as we advanced, until we got close enough to them to use our guns, and they were forced to leave under a heavy fire. ”

“ They shot at us at long range, but some of their skirmishers advanced quite close to us, and some of the 11th went out to meet them, and the firing was quite brisk for some time. The rebels did not advance any farther at this time. They got a cross fire on the 8th Wisconsin, and they suffered most in the brigade. The rebels had the advantage of position and numbers. Their intention was to outflank us but they were unable to do so, as we could fall back under the heavy siege guns, commanded by McWilliams. ”

“ A very small portion of the land could be cultivated. There were some people living in these hills, and seemed to enjoy themselves. But few men were to be seen at home, as they were gone into the rebel army.
Orders came at last, and the brigade was soon in motion again on the road to Yazoo City. After marching up one hill and down another, the brigade arrived at Mechanicsburg, where our cavalry fell in with a force of rebel cavalry and there was a short skirmish. The infantry went to the cavalry's assistance, when the rebels broke and fled. ”

“ I’ll not see the army ambuscaded without a warning. If they take it we shall make a better fight, and for the first hour it will be bad enough anyway till the vanguard are brought back, and if they won’t take it, why, we have done our duty, and we will have to look after ourselves.” And Carlton spurred his horse and cantered forward to where the headquarters staff were riding with the troop which was called the Scots brigade, because it was largely officered and to some extent manned by Scotsmen, and in which MacKay had a captain’s commission. ”

“ Craig next mentioned that the infantry and artillery units of the Brigade were at peace strength. MacArthur was surprised to learn that each battalion had just 2 rifle companies, and each battery only 4 guns instead of 6. He was even more surprised to find that each of the 6 infantry companies had 50 men less than the number called for in Marine war tables. ”

“ Only one Company Officer got back. Some more men came in next morning, but the total number that returned from the fight never reached 100. Luckily, several officers and men who had been left out at the transport line form a nucleus round which to reconstruct the Battalion.
To sum up: the enemy's barrage fire successfully annihilated our right and left flank, the evident intention being to surround those left in the centre. All the officers of the front Company being casualties, the line was methodically withdrawn under N.C.O.'s. The support Companies had more or less the same experience. ”

“ The troops then entered the trenches with Major-General Mackinnon at their head; on leaving the approaches they advanced rapidly over the rugged ground leading to the breach, many of the men carrying bags filled with grass to throw into the ditch and break the descent. Arrived at the foot of the breach they speedily mounted, but met with a very gallant resistance, and many men [41] and officers fell: amongst the latter was the commander of the Brigade, Major-General Mackinnon, who was killed with many others by an explosion of gunpowder in the moment of victory. ”

“ Meanwhile, at 2:15 a.m., on the 21st of November, the 1st Infantry Brigade, under command of Brigadier-General H. T. Macpherson, C.B., V.C., marched from the camp at Jamrud and followed in the track of the 2nd Brigade, which preceded them by eight hours and forty minutes. The fighting strength of the brigade amounted to 43 British officers, 569 British rank and file, and 1,345 natives of all ranks. ”

“ Worth’s Division (or Brigade as it was then called) occupied the right of the investment, the Mohawks under Patterson the centre, and Twiggs the left. After resting our men at Malibran, we moved back to our old position with the 3rd Artillery, where we bivouacked.
[57] I had observed on the preceding day the position of the aqueduct supplying the city with water. I told Lieutenant Beauregard [33] next morning what I had seen. He reported it to Colonel [Joseph G.] Totten [Chief of Engineers] and Smith and myself were ordered to cut off the water, Foster remaining at home. ”

“ Again the American commander in chief placed every available man at the disposal of Marshal Foch. It was at this critical time, when the Allies were facing a grave crisis, that the Second Division, including the Marine Brigade, together with elements of the Third and Twenty-eighth Divisions, were thrown into the line and, in blocking the German advance in the Chateau-Thierry sector, rendered great assistance in stopping the most dangerous of the German drives. ”

“ Then all sounds were drowned in the rattling musketry, as the rebels began a hot fire from their saddles, in answer to the Union musketry.
"Captain, they are moving out a brigade on either flank to take us in the rear," said Col. McBiddle calmly to Capt. McGillicuddy. "We'll have to fall back to the brigade. Pass the word along to retire slowly, firing as we go. The brigade must be near. You had better move your company over toward the right, to meet any attack that may come from that direction. ”

“ The snapping of the twigs, the neighing of horses, and hoarse commands, inspire a husky cheer, and when the line of the old brigade breaks through the trees in full view, they fairly yell! Every man jumps to his feet, the brigade presses firmly forward, and soon the roll of musketry tells all who are waiting to hear that serious work is progressing away down in the woods. All honor to the devoted infantry. The hour of glory has arrived for couriers, aides-de-camp, [Pg 99] and staff officers generally. They dash about from place to place like spirits of unrest. ”