To his Excellency, JAMES T. LEWIS, Governor :

I have the honor herewith to submit my annual report from

this department for the year 1865;

Very respectfully,

your obedient servant.

AUG. GAYLORD;

Adjutant General.

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, STATE OF WISCONSIN,

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Madison, September 1, 1866.

In consequence of delay, arising from various causes, in the publication of this volume, all organizations of Wisconsin troops have been mustered out of service, in time so that their completed histories could be inserted in this report, and this has been done, in order to make a complete and compact official history of the part taken by Wisconsin in the great struggle for the maintenance of the General Government against rebellion. This will serve to explain the fact that while this is the report of this office for the year ending September 30, 1865, it contains histories, rosters, mortality lists, etc., complete to different dates in 1866, when the organizations have been disbanded, which were in the service of the United States, on the 30th of September, 1865. This course was deemed to be exceedingly desirable in connection with the reprint of regimental narratives from the reports of previous years. These additions to the report have been made from data coming into possession of the office partly previous to the resignation of General Gaylord, on the 1st of May last, and partly since.

JAMES K. PROUDFIT,
Adjutant General.

ANNUAL REPORT.

14

GOVERNOR-In submitting to your Excellency this, my fourth annual report, it is with lively pleasure I recall the fact that the days of our nation's civil strife are ended; that the victory of the union forces over an armed rebellion against the General Government is complete and final, and that with labors all done, and well done, we have been permitted to welcome home again so many of those who went forth from the state to battle in this great struggle.

In the accomplishment of this result, Wisconsin has, in common with her sister states, right nobly borne herself in every department aroused to activity by this contest; through her soldiers in the field, and her patriotic men and women at home. Her sons have gone forth manfully, achieving for themselves, and reflecting honors upon their state, from every battlefield.

Whether in the army of the Potomac, the army of the Cumberland, the Tennessee, or the Gulf, or in the more remote and less conspicuous array, her soldiers have stood shoulder to shoulder with those of other states, equal with any, and second to none in deeds of heroism and devotion to our country's cause and flag.

In every department of sanitary and Christian labor, through public channels and private munificence, her people at home have given unceasing and unwearied labor to sustain. and cheer their sons and brothers at the front and to maintain and secure the perpetuity of the National government.

RECRUITING SERVICE.

The succession of Union victories culminating in the surrender of the main rebel forces under Lee and Johnston, in April of the present year, and the consequent suspension of recruit ing, and the disbandment of the volunteer force, preclude the

8] necessity for any extended report of the recruiting service in this state during the year, and will render the character of this report that of a review of the volunteer service of this state during the rebellion; rather than any extended record of the labors of the present year.

The labors of the first three months, although of short duration, were, however, remarkably active, and successful in securing the General Government a larger number of recruits from this state than in any corresponding period subsequent to the autumn of 1862; the total number of volunteers and drafted men exceeding twelve thousand.

The call of the president of the United States, dated December 19th, 1864, for three hundred thousand volunteers, was issued to the people of this state on the 3rd of January, 1865, in General Orders number one, current series, from this office. also directing the organization of the Forty-sixth regiment. The Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth, organizing and incomplete at the commencement of the year, with half a regiment each at the front, were, by active exertions of the commanding officers, speedily filled to the minimum, the recruits being mus tered and forwarded to the front by companies.

The provisions of the Act of Congress, approved July 4th, 1864, for "calling out the national forces," permitted the terms of one, two and three years' enlistment, and the new regiments were under this call and subsequent orders designated and organized as one year regiments. Subsequent orders were issued as late as March 1st, directing the organization of new regiments, numbering from the Forty-seventh to the Fifty-third, inclusive.

Recruiting slackened, however, to such an extent before the completion of the last-named regiment, that it became necessary to consolidate the four companies of the Fifty-third with five of the Fifty-first, yet incomplete, and they were thus mustered into the service under command of Colonel Leonard Martin.

Besides the volunteers constituting the new organizations. under this call there were, during this period, from January 1st to April 15th-the date on which recruiting ceased by order of the War Department, a large number of recruits and drafted men assigned to old regiments in the service, both infantry and cavalry.