Addis CDV. Autographed album page. "Was born in the city of New York, June tenth, 1818. He enjoyed the benefits of a liberal education, having graduated from the University of the City of New York. After graduating, he studied medicine, but not fancying to practice, he never did. Soon after finishing his medical studies, he went to Europe and there devoted his attention principally to military studies. He was a long time at Berlin, which was then the best point for that purpose. Since then these have been his favorite pursuit, although some connection with the militia of Dutchess county, where he long resided, was his only practical application of them, until the war of 1861. The militia is a poor organization for the practical operation of military science, so that the Colonel never found much encouragement in his favorite vocation until he entered the army. At the commencement of the war, he was requested to take the post of Major in the Twenty-ninth New York Volunteers. This was composed chiefly of Germans, and Colonel Wainwright understanding that language perfectly, and the officers desiring one American, he was finally induced to accept the position. The officers had mostly been educated at the German military schools, and it was always a source of gratification to the Colonel that, though fearfully cut up, this was one Regiment in the Brigade that did not run at Chancellorsville. Shortly after the battle of Cross Keys, Colonel Wainwright was ordered to Washington to take command of the SEVENTY-SIXTH, then at Fredericksburg. How earnestly he entered upon his work has been already stated in the body of this work. The Colonel believes that the best men will be inefficient without discipline and drill, while these aids will make tolerable soldiers of poorer material. In a communication to the writer, the Colonel says :" I can now unhesitatingly say that there are no men capable of being made such good soldiers as our native American country boys; but they should know their A B C before being brought into the field, and their officers should have some idea of what they have a right to require, and that neither laziness nor home associations must interfere with keeping each man up to his work.I believe I mentioned to you that I consider it a great subject of pride for the Seventy-sixth that (at least so far as I remember), they have never exhausted their cartridges on the hottest battle-field. The action is hardly conceivable in which a good soldier who has a full supply at the commencement, should do so. Europeans are much worse about it than Americans and were it not that the Prussian needle gun, (being a breech-loader), never requires the muzzle to be raised high enough to be directed above the enemy's heads, the only consequence from its capacity of rapid discharge, would have been to make it impossible to supply the army with cartridges."The anxiety of the Colonel that his Regiment should have the best officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, and be in the best state of drill and discipline, sometimes induced the men to believe him unnecessarily strict; but as they grew into soldiers, and witnessed their steady ranks as they rushed into the jaws of death, while other regiments of equally good material, from want of discipline, broke and fled, they united in one voice of praise of the Colonel.At the battle of South Mountain, the Colonel was wounded in the arm, and his horse killed under him. He rejoined the Regiment near Warrenton, and remained in command at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville ; but on the march to the North in June, 1863, his health becoming impaired, he was obliged to resign. We have failed of our object if, in the preceding pages, we have not shown that Colonel Wainwright was an accomplished Christian gentleman and officer.He has resumed his residence in New York City.
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