USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Iowa City > Reunion of the Second Iowa Cavalry Veteran Association, 1891 > Part 6
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But finally one day I got to cleaning the office. I actually did clean the office, but in the course of my work I accidentally knocked down the frame containing the hard tack. The glass broke, and the plaster of Paris broke, but the cracker didn't. After this I thought I would keep it in the safe; and to-day, unless the boys have broken it with a sledge hammer, it is there, just as clean and as sweet as the day I got it. And so I came to believe that the story of my friend was true; and I am going to keep it without a frame and without a glass. It has got to stand the racket and the atmosphere the same as I did. When I see it I say, "How are you, brother?" Now don't understand that all my brothers are hard crackers ! [ Laughter. ]
In the army we did not always have full rations furnished us. We often had to find them ourselves, which frequently compelled us to provide a way out of danger.
| The speaker here gave an example of an Irishman, who was perhaps better in expedients for getting out of danger than were most soldiers. Pursuing the story, he said: ]
The Irishman was standing on a railroad track, apparently unconcerned at the approaching train. "Pat, what are you doing there?" said a friend. But as the train came whizzing along, Pat simply took hold of his breeches and lifted him- self up above the train until it passed, when he landed again safely on the track. [ Laughter. ]
When we didn't have rations furnished, we went out in the country and pro- vided them ourselves. And this wasn't as easy as it was for the man down in Kansas during the dry period. It sometimes gets dry down there! Everything dries up; no corn; no grass; no hay; no nothing much. At one of these times the citizens in a corner of one county met to hold a meeting to provide ways and means to get through the winter, and live along until the next spring They dis- cussed plans for some time, when one old fellow got up in the corner and said, "I am fixed with my family for the winter." They said, "What have you got?" "I've got a cow," said he, "and the cow will keep us, and we can get along: the cow will keep us." "But how are you going to keep the cow? " said they. "Oh that is all right," said he, "she sucks herself !" | Laughter and Applause. ] . Of course that was a novel scheme. That's something new, and yet, when you come to realize it, it isn't so darned new as you think. We have, down in our s.ate-this is about Kansas, every word of it is-we have, down in our state, a party that proposes to do the very same thing; Now please don't misunder- stand me. I know you will not. There is no politics in this. At a reunion like this, I abhor politics.
[Colonel Jonesthen made a very forcible hit on the party which is proposing plans by which the government, like the cow, is to support herself and us, too, by "sucking" herself !]
Now this is hard tack, said he, it was hard; it was tough; sometimes we could neither bite it nor break it; but we could always pound it. But it preserved the life of the army; it was the mainstay of the army, and many and many a night, as we role along, sometimes not getting into camp until eleven or twelve o'clock, how we reached back into our haversacks for a cracker ! And how we bit them off ! and sometimes ate as high as three or four. Iremember, sometimes, that I ate as high as six hard tacks ! [ Laughter ]
The speaker here related a laughable joke they played one day on one of their comrades by placing among his day's rations an old piece of sole leather and the
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merriment it produced when he took it up and begin to bite on it After extem- porizing at length on hard tack, he made a very beautiful allusion to our flag, and closed with a stirring tribute to the women of the war, and the respect in which they are held by the boys, and an expression of pleasure in anticipation of the reunion in two years, to be held at Mason City. The speech throughout was the very sonl of wit and humor, and was greeted with round after round of applause.
Song, "America," after which Comrade J. A Gillispie followed with:
J. A. GILLISPIES.
"THROUGH THE ENEMY'S LINES."
Mr. Chairman, Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It affords me a good deal of pleasure to be on this platform at this time. I have three reasons for being glad to be here. The first reason is because I am before the Second Iowa Cavalry. The second reason is, this is, chronologically speaking, that in lowa City is where I first met my wife. The third reason is, that I am standing here in the shadow of my old alma mater. Iam glad. I say, to be here. Why I was called upon by the Secretary to make this particular talk on "Through the Enemy's Lines" I know not. I am talking to old veterans who were soldiers before I entered the Second Iowa Cavalry, and my company will remember a boy who, at that time, hardly weighed a hundred and thirty- five pounds, but you see I am getting even with some of you in point of avoirdu- pois I am just as large as the rest of them.
This subject, "Through the Enemy's Lines," takes in the memorable cam- paign of Shoal Creek. The boys will all know what I am talking about. They will remember the line; they will remember the creek; they will remember the three forts, one near where we were camped, and one away down, and a little one between; how we were camped on our side of the creek and General Hood on the other. The circumstances were these: General Hood was there with his army. General Sherman, had begun his march to the sea, and he wanted some time to get his boys there, and this camp on Shoul Creek was intended to keep the other army back. Often we would sleep a part of the night, and along about daylight we would hear the words, "Boys, wake up and prepare to get out in fifteen minutes; make no noise." And we would, and have our horses ready and sometimes go to the first, second or third fort; and at another time we would go across the creek and run the enemy's picket in, and hear their bugles calling them to boots and saddles, and by the time they were ready for action we would be safely on our own side. We stirred the enemy up in this way over and over again. General Thomas wanted time, and we were there to keep Hood's army in check. Six men were called for who would volunteer to go over to the Ten- nessee and try to cut loose the Confederates' pontoon bridges.
It was on the evening of election day, the day on which, by your votes and the votes of the North, the grand martyr, Abraham Lincoln, was elected On that evening at seven o'clock we started. Onr part of the detail was to go through the enemy's lines and reach the Tennessee river and to build signal fires. The six men who had gone above to cut the pontoon bridges were to come on down the river and, seeing the fires; would know that we were friends, and we were to take them in. But "the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley."
[The speaker told of Major Moore's ruse to obtain guidance by passing the detail off as "a body of Baford's men," which succeeded, though at one time he called one old man out, and found to their discomfiture that Colonel Buford was in his house They insisted that he should be allowed "to rest, as he needed it."
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They were not hunting him that night. He spoke of getting lost in the woods and swamps, and of at last reaching the Tennessee.
They were going to Play low" all day, if the enemy would let them alone. They sent men on the hill to see if the coast was clear. They were very close to the enemy. They thought how the old man would "bless" them, when in the morning he should find that they wore the blue clothes, and their danger of dis- covery. They knew he would let the enemy know that they were there.
The vicissitudes of the return were closely followed. The situations were at times critical and dangerous. It was said, after they got back, that at one time they were within a half mile of General Hood's headquarters, but the speaker would not vouch for that. How they got back safely seemed a miracle, from this point of view. It was a foolish and fool-hardy thing to undertake, but they got through without the loss of a man. But the boys who went to cut the pon- toons loose were discovered, and I believe all were shot. But we did our part of it, except to do the very thing we went for, which force of circumstances pre- vented.
The address concluded with these excellent sentiments:
Now, we went through the enemy's lines, and without a single star missing: But we are not through the enemy's lines to-day. We are in the enemy's lines; and questions that have been before you here are yet to be solved. How are we to avoid the troubles that are coming? I do not prophesy troubles, but simply state the facts that we know to be with us. We must start at the bottom of all of it, and transmit patriotic sentiments in the hearts of all of our youths. We represent here to-day, perhaps, two hundred and forty public schools of this country. The public schools are the cradles of this country; they are the bulwarks of our liberty; they must be protected, and you must do it. We started it several years ago and called it "Decoration Day." In Omaha we changed the name a little, and called it "Memorial Day." And in the schools it is made a holiday. The teachers provide programmes and speakers, who teach what "Memorial Day" means, and who teach patriotism. Yet through the country, I take it that this is not done, knowing that this is quite a recent thing. But I want to say to you, Second Iowa Cavalry, go home and talk with your school teacher and your school director, and see that a programme is prepared for Memorial Day and that speakers are provided to tell the children what this means. Have patriotic songs sung. Tell them what it means; what our country cost; that the flag represents one country. If it were not for the efforts of the men in whose memory the day is set apart we would have a Southern Confeder- acy, or perhaps a Central, a Western, a Northern, and an Eastern. What would our flag be worth, if such were the case? It would not be worth the cloth it is made of.
Then teach the boys and girls that they must be Americans, and that whether they are foreign born; whether they be naturalized or native born, let them be Americans; and teach them that this, the flag of America, is a flag of power.
A man from England moved to this country, and afterwards went to Cuba. He was arrested and tried for a crime, and condemned to be shot. Our Ameri- can Consul pleaded that he was an American citizen, and an English Consul appeared also in his behalf "He was tried and condemned," was the reply, "and he must be shot " The men were called out in line to shoot the culprit. There he was placed; the men stood back. The officer said "Ready!" The men raised their arms, but before the word "Fire!" came, the English Consul rushed out and threw an English flag around the man and the American Consul stepped up and threw an American flag around him, and in stepping back said,
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"Now hre, if you dare." The man was released Why? Because there was a powerful nation, ready and strong, back of the flag. It was not the miserable rags on the man; no, but the power behind them.
That is what we mean. You men of the Second Iowa Cavalry, go home and teach the children of the public schools, and keep this sentiment ever before them.
Song, "Jesus, Lover of my Soul," Comrade Gillispie accompanying with the sign language.
At this point our old bugler, Jack Williamson, came forward and claimed the attention of the comrades a few moments. He said:
"JACK" WILLIAMSON.
Comrades.
I have been bugler for a great number of years, and during that time I came into possession of that bugle. I don't expect always to live, but as long as I live I hope to blow it for you; and when I can no longer do this I wish it turned over to the Secretary of this society, with the view of having Thomas Anderson as my successor, who acted as chief bugler in the regiment during my detail. At pres- ent I will take care of it, and, until I can blow it no longer, and then I will turn it over to the Secretary of the Second Iowa Cavalry. I wish to have Thomas Anderson be my successor.
GENERAL COON.
Mr. President.
I take pleasure in offering a motion now, under these solemn circumstances. I must say now here, before making a motion, that on yesterday when Bugler Williamson was called upon to sound the calls on that bugle, if he had been speaking to me with his own tongue, instead of blowing through that. bugle, I would have known it was Jack Williamson. If I had been in the mountains of Colorado, or out upon the Atlantic Ocean, and heard that sound as I did on yes- terday, I would have said, "That is old Jack Williamson; I know it is Jack Williamson by the sound of that bugle." Comrades, there is a sound there in that bugle that is not like the sound of any other bugle on earth. There.never was a bugler on this earth that could blow a sound so sweet and Rvely to you as Jack Williamson can do. We comrades of the Second Iowa Cavalry have listened to the musical and eloquent sound of the bugle by Jack Williamson day after day, when on the march and in camp, and I think you, with me, have recognized that the sound he makes upon the bugle is different from that made by any other bugler you ever listened to. Now I want to move you, Mr. Presi- dent, that this society accepts the proposition made by this gallant old soldier, the-bugler of our regiment, that when the Angel of Death comes and calls him to the other world it may be turned over io the Secretary of this society, as requested by him, and may we be able to keep it as long as we live and the soci- ety exists. And we hope we may be, through the Providence of God, allowed to hear the sound of that bugle from Jack Williamson for many years, and when he is gone let the bugle remain with the regiment until the last man of the Second lowa Cavalry has been called to the other side.
COLONEL HORTON.
Mr. Chairman.
I want to second that motion. You heard that same old bagle winded by the gallant Jack Williamson at Farmington, when the regiment followed the gallant Hatch, with Jack by his side, as we took the Rebel batteries on the hill, and it
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vent with us all through the raid and when we stormed the works at Nashville. After Jack was taken from the regiment, the bugle passed to the gallant Tommy" Anderson, who was as dear to me as any man can be. But this old ougle started out in the hands of our old comrade, Jack Williamson, who often stirred the hearts of the boys, and I join with General Coon in wishing that he may be with us at many returning reunions. 1 second the motion of General Coon.
PRESIDENT RUMPLE.
Comrades.
You have heard the motion, as made by General Coon and as seconded by Colonel Horton. I know that there rises in the heart of every man the same sentiments that have been so eloquently and so feelingly expressed. I know of no man who can confer upon this regiment a greater honor at this time than Jack Williamson, by the conferring and transmitting of this old bngle. It has sounded in the frosty morning, calling from the rest of the tent; calling us to duty ; calling us to water; calling us to boots and saddle. I know of no grander body to which this little instrument could be transmitted, nor a more worthy man than Tommy Anderson to be his successor. It gives me pleasure, as well as sadness, to put this motion.
The Chairman then called for a rising vote on the motion, when every mem- ber present rose as a single man.
T. T. ANDERSON.
Mr. President.
Could I say just a word? My comrades of the Second Iowa Cavalry, if it is possible for me to have control of my feelings for a moment, I will say a word. When I went into the war I was but a small, beardless boy. "Old Jack," as we called him, trained me to blow the bugle. I learned under his tuition. I learned more than that. I learned to love it I know Jack Williamson better than any man here. I was a boy. He was twenty-five years older than I was. I came to know this of Jack Williamson, that he was a man inherently honest; that he was a man with God-given principles in him. I could trust Jack all the time. I never knew him to misrepresent anything, and, as I said before I always looked upon him as inherently honest. There were years and years we forgot each other. These years I forgot Jack, but not forever. A letter came to me once; it was from him. I read it, and Oh how I prized that letter ! I have it yet. Dur- ing the four years, my comrades, as you know, I did my duty as best I could. I learned to love this regiment. Oh how proud I was to be a member of the Second Towa Cavalry,! How proud I was to be at the head of it, with Colonel Horton ! How I learned to love Colonel Horton; and I learned to love you all. As I grow older, my love and respect for you increase. I can say to-day, God bless every member of the Second Iowa Cavalry. Jack, God bless you to-day. Twenty-five years ago I turned my bugle over to the State of Iowa I wish I had it to-day Jack, I wish I had thit bugle, to set up there beside yours to-day, but I haven't. I do not know what became of it. I was out for four years. I expected to be out six. I consider it, Jack, a great honor to be chosen as your successor I followed you twenty-five years ago, in the regiment, but I hope. old friend, that you may blow that bugle for' ten, twenty, or twenty-five years yet, and when you have passed over the river, if I remain, Iwill "get into the saddle" again. And friends, I declare to you that I will do my duty again when Jack lays down the horn.
Song, "Marching Through Georgia," followed by Comrade Thomas Bell.
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THOMAS BELL.
'ARMY SPICE."
Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen.
When the Secretary wrote me that I was going to be called on here, he told me to choose my own subject. I wrote him that I didn't have any subject. ] came here and found he had assigned "Army Spice" to me Last night, when I listened to the speeches made, I had quite a speech mapped out. But Comrade Burnap cut the spice out of the first part of it, and Comrade Albrook took the other end of it and took all the spice there was in that, and after listening to all the remarks of the meeting, I don't see as there is much left for me to say.
It is well enough to have enthusiasm, and I am glad to say that I belong to one of the most enthusiastic regiments that went out of the State of Iowa; the only cavalry regiment that went out of the state, the Second Iowa Cavalry. I tell the men that no regiment went from the State of Iowa that made so grand a record as the Second Iowa Cavalry.
But I don't want to take a great deal of time. I don't want to make a long speech, but was thinking, while sitting here, what I was going to say. I have a a lot of stories I could tell you, but I want to tell you something about the raid that happened down on Wolf river in Tennessee on a certain regiment from the State of Iowa.
You have all heard about the raid at Collierville that was made on the Forty- fifth lowa, and if there is a Forty-fifth Iowa man here he will bear me out in what I have to say. The Forty-fifth Iowa was stationed on Wolf river to pro- tect the bridge at that point. The Forty-fifth lowa Regiment was one of those one-hundred-day regiments. They had not had very much experience in soldier- ing. We were at La Grange in Tennessee, a few miles from them, and one eve- ning, while some of the boys were sitting out on the railroad track to keep the Rebels from burning the bridge, they looked up and saw a flash, and directly saw another and another, and one fellow who sat there began shooting. The report was heard in the camp on Wolf river, and we went down there to rein- force the boys and keep the Rebels from capturing the fort and destroying the bridge. But when we got there and began to investigate, we found that instead of Rebels, trying to take the bridge, there were a whole lot of lightning bugs. [ Laughter. ]
There was another regiment went out from this state that made a good record.
[The speaker here related a laughable incident of the Colonel of the Nine- teenth Iowa, while located at Memphis, which came under the observation of some of the cavalry boys. It happens-that the cavalry boys had heard of some cows not far off, and, like this Colonel, wanted some milk. The Colonel said, "We'll go out and see if we can't get some milk ourselves." So in the evening, about milking time, they started out. Some of the cows were out along the fence. They quietly approached them. The Colonel said, "This looks like a good one " About that time the Colonel went to sit down, but the cow moved off, and moved off on the run. The Colonel, starting after her, said, "Stop that cow! stop that cow!" and a picket near by began laughing, and as the Colonel came running, he said, "Why in the world didn't you stop that cow?" and he said. "What are you laughing at?" "Why Colonel," said the picket, "didn't you know that cow was a steer?" [ Prolonged Laughter. ]
[ Comrade Bell here told of an incident he had read of, about a certain Rebel, belonging to Stewart's command. The command was retreating, and he got very tired and laid down beside a tree to rest, notwithstanding it was drizzling and
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damp. And along came Stewart's men and stopped alongside this tree, and a comrade said to him, "Why did you go into the war, anyway?" The Rebel said, "Why I tell you, it was love of country; I thought it would only last a few days, and then I would go back home. But the few days have lengthened out into a year, and I tell you, Jim, if I ever get out this scrape, I will never love another country !" [ Laughter. ]
After a few other remarks, the speaker said :
Talk about this flag of ours. I want to tell what it represents, It represents life, purity, Heaven. That red stripe there represents the baptism of blood. The white stripe there represents peace. That blue field with those stars repre- sents Heaven, and every star on that flag represents a state. And as other states are added they are fixed there so ineffaceably that no rebel, no anarchist, nor socialist, nor any other power, except the God of Nations, can blot it out. And every state in North America, and every state in South America, and every ssate in Canada is going to be added to that old flag. I don't believe the flag is going to go down. I don't believe our sons are going to allow any nation to drag the old flag in the dust. I want to tell you what it means. It means free speech and free schools. It means that every boy, whatever his condition, may, if he deserves it, be made President of the United States. And just as long as we instil these truths and deeds of patriotism into the hearts of our children, and their children, just so long will the old flag continue to wave.
The Committee on Resolutions reported as follows:
RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved - - That our thanks are due to those comrades who have, at great sacri- fice of time and money, come from other states, aye, even from the most remote corners of the nation, to meet with us in this, our Fifth Reunion.
Resolved -- That we extend to our comrades who are not here a cordial and fra- ternal greeting, with a sincere and fervent prayer that they may be permitted to attend our next reunion.
Resolved-That we are gratified to hail with delight the intense and growing interest manifested by the Sons and Daughters of Veterans in the perpetuation of our reunions
Resolved-That we tender our thanks to the good people of Iowa City for the many conrtesies shown us during our stay in their city, and to the local commit- tee for work in making our reunions one that will always be remembered by us.
Resolved-That we extend our thanks to the President of the Iowa State Uni- versity for courtesies shown, and also that we tender our thanks to the State University Battalion for their kindness in exhibiting to us their drill and dress parade, and congratulate them on the promptness and proficiency with which they performed their second dress parade this year.
Resolved-That our thanks are due to the press of the city for their many kind notices and comments of our reunion.
Resolved-That we extend our thanks to the Glee Club for their excellent and appropriate music, and especially do we thank Miss Cree.
Resolved-That our thanks are due the "Women's Relief Corps" for the very efficient manner in which they provided the commissary stores for the occasion. Their efforts to please us can only be measured by the very satisfactary manner in which we took our rations.
Resolved -That we will remember, with a spirit of true comradeship, the members of Iowa City Post No. 8, for their kindness and courtesies during our stay here.
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