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In March of 1864, Guy Taylor, along with his fellow recruits, reported to Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin. There they were formed into the Thirty-Sixth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Taylor was assigned to Company F. The unit was organized under the command of Colonel Frank A. Haskell. Colonel Haskell was a veteran of the Sixth Wisconsin Regiment, which belonged to the famous “Iron Brigade.” In July of 1863, he had distinguished himself at the Battle of Gettysburg and earned the reputation of being a soldier’s soldier. He was known for his courage under fire, his discipline, and his sense of duty. James M. Aubery in his history of the Thirty-Sixth Wisconsin reported his impressions of Camp Randall in this way: Camp Randall was located near the State University, a short distance from the beautiful capital city, Madison, and when first made must have been a beautiful camp. When we arrived there grass was badly cut up, the spring rains had made it muddy and wet, and we could hardly reach headquarters without getting over our shoes in mud. Barracks had been built especially for the Thirty-sixth, consisting of ten long, narrow, rough-board buildings. . . . Madison and vicinity was patrolled by the provost guard to pick up any soldier who had no pass, and they had their hands full, for there were, at one time, while we were there, seven thousand men.1 As Guy Taylor trained to be a soldier at Camp Randall, Sarah and Charley moved into the farm home of her parents, located in the town of Bristol, Dane County, Wisconsin. There they would live for the duration of the war. 7 c h a p t e r 1 In Training March 25 to May 16, 1864 In March and April of 1864, General Grant developed plans for what became known as his Overland Campaign. At that same time, the ThirtySixth Wisconsin continued its training at Camp Randall. Then in a letter written on April 5, Taylor told Sarah that “the docter says that I am acoming down with the measles.” Eventually Taylor recovered his health enough to rejoin the Thirty-Sixth and complete his training, but he would continue to be plagued by illness throughout the rest of his service. On the third and fourth of May 1864, the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapidan River. Its primary objective was to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia. The war was about to enter a new phase, and in his memoirs, Grant stated that he knew “the losses inflicted, and endured, were destined to be severe.”2 His prediction proved to be true as his Overland Campaign resulted in heavier losses to both armies than had been experienced in previous campaigns of equal duration. It appeared that this Civil War was to be a total war, a war of attrition, a proverbial fight to the finish. The first major confrontation in the spring campaign of 1864 occurred on the fifth and sixth of May. It came to be known as the Battle of the Wilderness. According to oªcial war records, the Union su¤ered nearly 18,000 casualties compared to an estimated 11,200 for the Confederates. To make matters even more tragic, many of the wounded burned to death as they attempted to escape fires started during the engagement. After the battle was over, Grant, unlike his predecessors, continued south. As the battle raged, the Thirty-Sixth Wisconsin finished their training and waited for the order to board railroad cars at the Madison depot. The next major battle of the campaign was fought from May 8 to May 21. This engagement took place in the vicinity of Spotsylvania, Virginia. Again the fighting was furious, with losses reaching 18,400 for the North and an estimated 12,400 for the South. On May 11 during the battle, Grant sent a letter to Major General Halleck, chief of sta¤ of the army. In the letter, Grant declared, “I . . . [propose] to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.”3 Grant knew he had advantages in manpower and provisions over Lee, and he intended to put his advantages to good use. Meanwhile, Lee held on to the hope that inflicting enough casualties on the North would lead to Lincoln’s defeat in the upcoming 1864 presidential election—and perhaps if that happened , the new administration might negotiate a settlement to the conflict. On the tenth of May...

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