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C. P. WOLFE. PUBLISHER.HOW INDIANARESPONDEDFifty-Four Years Ago Saw Indiana Filled With Marching Men.Fifty-four years ago Indiana's mili- \ tant youth poured into Indianapolis in the name of patriotism, to offer service to the flag of the Union. Before night many companies were formed and ready 10 go into camp at the state fair grounds. Vet the iirst call for troops had come only the day before.Indiana’s quota on the first call was six regiments of infantry. Many more men than could be liken offered to enlist. It was as if Sumter’s echo had struck the chord of loyalty in every Hoosier heart. Beginning with the first news of the first shot on Ft. Sumter, April 12, the wave of enthusiasm swept up and down the state Gov. Mortou had offered, in advance of the president’s call, to supply 10,100 soldiers from Indiana. The call when it came was for 6,000.Yet it is interesting to turn to the history of the war. period and to lind, in 1366, in the words of Gen. Lew Wallace, spoken publicly, the statement that in April, 1301, there were brave and thoughtful men who seriously doubted whether Induma could be depended on to ruLc the 6,000 men the president needed. In spite of the splendid optimism of Morton, expressed in his voluntary offer in advance of 10,000 fighting men. there existed in ’61 a solemn misgiving as to the result of the test that was coming.“Can we get 6,000 men from IuJi-anaV” was the question of the hour fi:-ty-four years ago. This was the st-cret query among the oilicers undei Morton, the great war governo*, Lincoln’s right hand.History tells how splendidly Indi ana’s sons rose to meet the emergency One hundred and fifty regiments of infantry, twenty-six batteiies of artillery, squadron after squadron of cavalry, in all some 212,000 men, or more, arose to respond to the call of their country, in a state where the raisiug of 6,000 in ltGl had seemed to be a matter of possible difficulty and uncertainty.It was on April 16, 1801, Morton issued his call us governor fur six legi-ments. The drum tup sounded from river to lake, and l..e tush of tin-youth of the state began, all toward Indianapolis and in'o the camp o mobilization. Every village and ham let heard its drum and life, playing the music of the Uui.-D.Such was the abounding patriotism of the time that in ten days, by April 26, enough men had offered themselve to form twenty regiments instead oi six.It was at this time Morton’s vision and wisdom expressed itself in fore handed action. Be called the state legislature in extraordinary session He otiered not only the six regiments asked for by Lincoln, but six othe regiments from Indiana. Be saw th« war would continue fir beyong the ninety-day period suggested by the original call for men.When the United States governmeiv did not accept the extra Indiana regiments, Morton sent the extra reg -ments into camp, at state expense, to be maintained and trained until such time as Lincoln might have nrc-j of them.Five of the six regiments called to the colors fifty years ago were sent t ■ West Virginia. The eleventh Inds ana went to Cumberland, Md. Th-regiments formed on the first call for three months’ service were the Seventh Eighth, Ninth. Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth. Up to that lime six Indiana regiments had seen service in the Mex-icas war, and the numbering of the commands began with seven.These three months’ regiments returned home In ninety days, only to be recruited and eol forth once more for longer enlistment and further gallant service.On this fifty-fourih anniversary of the first “long roll” and assembly call for Indiana’s heroic sons of the Civil War, it may be well to remind the present pen^i tion that Indiana lost in the Civil war 3,434 killed: 2,382 died from wounds, or a total loss of 5,817. Those Indiana soldiers who died from disease numbered 19,392, making the total Indiana loss in the war 24,417, literally an army corps.This Indiana loss in the Civil war was more than the total American loss in the Mexican war,American louses in the W«.r of 1812 This gives the present generation some idva of the meaning of this date.It was fifty-four years ago the people of the state, no le»s than the stateNo state m the north was more prompt in tilling regiments. There was no call* in the war period, but that Indiana bad some troops sent out to her credit. Not only were Indiana soldiers in the Jirst regiments of the war, but the Thirty-fourth Indiana fought the last tight of the war in 1865, in May, near Brownsville, Tex. This was a month after the declaration of peace, and before the word could reach that out-of-the-way frontier post.The last shot tired at the enemy by a Union soldier was fired by an Indiana man. John J. Williams, of Company B, Thirty-fourth regiment, the Morton Rifles, was the last Union soldier to be klled in battle.New Barmooy did not lose any time in responding to the call for troops. In the New Harmony Advertiser, April 20, 1861, was the notice that a public meeting would be held at Union Hall “for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of organizing a military company.”The meeting was held with the following presiding officers:J. K. HighmaD, president: J. B. Elliott, Vice President and Gen. VV. A. Twigg, Secretary.The meeting was addressed by Gen. Twigg, Horace Pritchard, Capt. John K. Hugo, John Wheatcroft, C. H. Crew and others. Before the meetiDg ended 28 volunteers signed the roll in the formation of a company subject to ibe requisition of the governor.At the same time another company called the Harmony Rangers, mounted, was organized. The Advertiser undvr date of April 27th publishes a full list of the officers of the newly organized companies:Harmony Rangers Mounted.Captain—Richard Owen.1st Lieut.—John K. Highman.2nd Lieut —Julian D. Owen.3rd Lieut.—Alfred V. Robins.lt Sergeant—David Wilsey.2nd “ —Edward T. Cox.3rd “ -Lytle Wiley.4th “ —Frank Bolton.1st Corporal—Louis KiDg.2nd “ —John Puiiyblank, Jr.3rd “ —Lycurgus Chaffin.4th “ —Levi Thrallkill.Chief Bugler—Victor C. Duclo9.2nd Bugler—Wm. Bennett.Union Rifles—PostCaptain—G. W. Saltzman.1st Lieut. —Richard Ford.2nd Lieut.—Victor Miller.3rd Lieut.—Absolem Borenis NEngine Hits Automobile.Hiram Cochran, Fred Stokes and •Jlt; ha Crebs, Jr , hud an experience la*i Thursday afternoon which they are not apit to forget soon says last week’s Carmi Tribune.The young men left our city last Thursday afternoon in Don Cochran’s car for Epworth. It is claimed that the boys intended to make it to Epworth before the L. N. Dude accommodation train reached that station. This train going east is due to arrive at Carmi at 4:40 p. m., and had possibly arrived at this station about the time the young. men left here in their automobile. Everything was well with them and they were fairly sailing until 'hey reached an L N. crossing eist of town known as the Puckett mossing. The boys evidently heard the train coming toward them, but concluded they could clear the crossing before the train arrived and likelj would of done so had everything worked right. But when they made the run for the crossing, where there is rather steep hill, the car landed on the midd e o? the crossing aod the engine of the automob'e stopped By this time the passenger train was right at them, so close that the engineer did not have time to prevent an accident and the bo.\ s barely saved their lives by jumping out of the car. The locomotive struck the back end of the touring car, upsetting it and badly damaging it The boys walked back to town and the automobile is now in a garage for repairs.While the boys regret much that their car was wrecked yet they rejoice that they escaped with their lives.Thi more our n eg pec and j it by raiseiThi year Not anim: larva one-tl in the which latter poor abilit ing a tribul infon condi prope troub sixty hack small iightl FarmiplishyouranaloresultThe ble u stage times whataboul pears The eduriothe ai the e£ younj From throuIt ailumpaboulally £lattergrowiemerjsomegroutgrouithe £fromcompaboulThe tion t laid i the 1 devel that fblack of ho suppt They and • are s largeThipestswiote are iithe c;woull of h there genei warbWJit m!New Wabash River Bridge.It is very evident from present indications that this summer wih be one of the busiest in the history of Grayviile says the Independent. Considerable building is being contemplated in the near future, among which seems certain the Dew Illinois Central steel bridge spanning the Wabash just south of this city.A corps of engineers have been sounding the river the past week andadded to the i ^ *8 rePorte^ *hey will recommendthat the new bridge be constructed some distance this side of the old bridge, where a solid rock bottom was found to exist clear across the river. A reporter of this paper interviewedtttt1r1ai
Newspaper Details
New Harmony Times
New Harmony, Indiana, US
Fri, Apr 23, 1915
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Stuart S.
USA 04 Jun 2019
Other Publications Near New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony Register
New Harmony Times
New Harmony Indiana Statesman
