A history of the National Guard of Indiana, from the beginning of the militia system in 1787 to the present time, including the services of Indiana troops in the war with Spain, Part 27

Author: Pratt, William D
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Indianapolis : W.D. Pratt, printer
Number of Pages: 502


USA > Indiana > A history of the National Guard of Indiana, from the beginning of the militia system in 1787 to the present time, including the services of Indiana troops in the war with Spain > Part 27


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41


Second Lieutenants-C. E. Lambert, B. T. Hadley, H. T. Fichen, W. J. Gaebler and C. C. Connelly.


The company at Rushville was organized in the spring of 1890, and was designated the fourth separate company under orders issued April 2 of that year. It was assigned as Com- pany G, of the Second, February 3, 1891, but was in exist- ence only until 1892, when it was disbanded. The officers were:


Captain-John F. Holt.


First Lieutenant-George R. Conover.


Second Lieutenant-Andrew Pea.


Russiaville supported a company for one term, from June 14. 1883, to 1886. It was called the Russiaville Light Infan- try, and was Company E, of the Third Regiment. The com- pany disbanded on the expiration of its first term. The offi- cers were:


Captains-John W. Burres and Melvin Seward.


First Lieutenant-George W. Topping.


Second Lieutenant-A. C. Shilling.


Scottsburg's company was organized in 1894, and served through its one term as Company L, of the First Regiment. It was mustered out of service in 1897. The officers were:


Captain-J. M. Herrod.


First Lieutenants-A. E. Hough, J. W. Warmouth and William Simonson.


Second Lieutenants-George W. Warmouth, John Hooker, William Simonson and John Simonson.


Shelbyville has twice supported companies of infantry. The first company, the Shelbyville Light Infantry, was or- ganized September 17, 1883, and was assigned to the Second Regiment as Company K. The officers were Captain John R. Clayton, First Lieutenant William W. Wray and Second Lieutenant Milton R. Senour. The company served its first


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term only, and then left the State service, but through the efforts of Captain Clayton another company was organized early in 1894, which was also assigned to the Second Regi- ment as Company K, on May 23. The company served with the regiment until 1897, when it was mustered out, having fallen below the standard of efficiency. The officers were:


Captain-J. R. Clayton.


First Lieutenants-F. G. Strong and John H. Meer.


Second Lieutenants-A. E. Speigel and F. M. Harding.


The Sheridan company was organized May 18, 1895, and was assigned to the Second Regiment as Company I. The company served through the war with Spain, but was never reorganized. The officers were:


Captains-E. Y. Green and O. A. Cox.


First Lieutenants-O. A. Cox and Charles E. Scott.


Second Lieutenants-I. G. Macy and Everett E. Newby.


South Whitley has had one company in the State service but for one term only. The Arnold Rifles were organized November 11. 1885, and were assigned to the Second Regi- metn as Company F until the reorganization early in 1888, when it was made Company D. The company was mustered out on the expiration of its term in the following fall. The officers were Captain James Arnold, First Lieutenant Ste- phen D. Dunlap and Second Lieutenant Simon Tressler.


Sullivan's company was organized early in 1890, and re- mained unassigned until April 2 of that year, when it was made Company L, of the First. The company was only maintained until the fall of 1892, when it was disbanded, having fallen below the standard of efficiency. Its officers were:


Captain-George T. Briggs.


First Lieutenants-A. B. Thurber and C. R. Hinkle.


Second Lieutenants-J. W. Scott, William H. Lucas and William Pyles.


Valparaiso was for many years the home of an enthu- siastic and flourishing military company. The first one to enter State service, the Valparaiso Blues, was organized November 17, 1882, with forty-six officers and enlisted men. The officers, commissioned December 4, 1882, were Captain Aaron W. Lytle, First Lieutenant William E. Brown and Second Lieutenant William C. Wells. The company was un- assigned until July 2, 1883, when the Third Regiment was organized, and it was made Company G of that regiment.


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Captain Lytle and Lieutenant Brown both resigned on De- cember 1 following, and George S. Haste was elected captain, Lieutenant Wells was promoted to the first-lieutenancy, and William H. Banta was elected second lieutenant.


The expiration of the term of service of many of the com- panies caused a reorganization of the Third Regiment on November 1, 1884, and the Valparaiso Blues were then made Company D of the regiment. Captain Haste was made senior major of the regiment, and L. P. White was elected second lieutenant, vice William H. Banta, resigned. When the com- pany was reorganized, in January, 1886, its letter was again changed, and it became Company C, of the Third. The next change in officers resulted: Captain, Stephen L. Finney; first lieutenant. L. P. White, and second lieutenant, C. S. Douglass. The two lieutenants resigned, and C. H. Dickover became first lieutenant and R. C. Jones second. In 1890 Cap- tain Finney resigned, and each of the lieutenants was pro- moted, and J. W. Turner was elected second lieutenant. Lieutenant Turner resigned January 7, 1891, and was suc- ceeded by H. F. Dille. The company was disbanded in 1892.


Wabash organized a company November 1, 1892, which was assigned to the Fourth Regiment as Company D early in 1893. The company served with the regiment through the war with Spain, but was not reorganized. Its officers have been:


Captains-E. M. Tolan and J. R. Wimmer.


First Lieutenants-J. R. Wimmer and Arthur G. Reed.


Second Lieutenants-J. F. Roe, A. G. Reed, Ed Eikenbery and Ar- thur Sayre.


Waterloo has a long and honorable military record. The first company to enter the State service was the Waterloo Rifles, organized September 6, 1879. The company had fifty- two officers and men, and was assigned to the Second Regi- ment as Company F. In 1881 the company was transferred to the Third Regiment as Company A, but it served its one term only. The military spirit still existed and the Water- loo Cadets was the immediate result. The company was as- signed to the Third Regiment as Company I on March 3, 1888. The company served with the regiment during the war with Spain, but has never been reorganized. The officers were:


Captains-R. W. McBride, John C. Brand, S. A. Bowman, L. A. Beidler and L. L. Denison.


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First Lieutenants-John W. Patterson, John C. Brand, James P. McCague. T. B. Dickinson, S. A. Bowman, Charles H. McBride, L. A. Beidler, L. L. Denison, E. G. Abbey, Charles V. Barr and W. H. Deni- son.


Second Lieutenants-John C. Brand, James P. McCague, John Det- rick, S. A. Bowman, T. B. Dickinson, John O. Snyder, Amos Zerwes, I. D. Farrington, L. A. Beidler, E. G. Abbey, E. J. Feagler, A. D. Mc- Entarfer, Charles V. Barr, C. L. Hine, W. H. Denison and Charles A. McCague.


The Wayne Guards of Waynetown were in the service of the State for several years. The company was organized July 3, 1886, and was assigned to the Third Regiment as Com- pany K. When the reorganization was made in 1888 the company was transferred to the First Regiment as Company C, and served as such until April 2, 1890, when it was trans- ferred to the Second Regiment as Company H. The com- pany remained as a part of that regiment until 1893, in which year its armory was destroyed by fire and the arms and equipments burned. The company was not reorganized. The officers were:


Captains-H. M. Billings, W. B. Gray, William H. York, Robert E. Ray, Howard Earl. William Marks and John W. Brant.


First Lieutenants-W. B. Gray, R. E. Ray, Eli H. Edwards, Howard Earl, W. C. Goble, F. M. Lucas and S. S. Gray.


Second Lieutenants-C. M. Berry, John S. Thompson, F. M. Lucas, J. E. Bunnell, S. S. Gray and John A. Booe.


The only military organization at Winimac was short- lived. It was organized May 24, 1882, with fifty-three officers and enlisted men, and was called the Pulaski County Blues. It was an infantry organization and was assigned to the Second Regiment as Company L. The officers were Captain John F. Yarnell, First Lieutenant Andrew Keys and Second Lieutenant Jasper W. Brown. All were commissioned May 26, but Lieutenant Brown served only until June 24 follow- ing, when he resigned, and two days later Willard B. Taylor was commissioned second lieutenant. The company had a hard struggle for existence and was soon disbanded, as the members were unable to raise funds for their expenses.


Worthington's first company that was identified with the regimental organizations was called the Porter Rifles, and it was practically the company previously known as the Worth- ington Guards. It was organized June 4, 1883, and served only until 1886, when its first term expired. Throughout the term it served as Company H, Second Regiment. The offi- cers were:


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Captains-Alexander S. Helms and Charles G. Sanders.


First Lieutenants-Charles G. Sanders, Marshall D. Ellis, and Charles E. Morrison.


Second Lieutenants-Marshall D. Ellis, Fred F. Jessup, and Wil- liam C. Andrews.


The officers on the retired list at the present time are:


Brigadier-General Irvin Robbins, retired, was born in Rush County, Indiana, March 30, 1839, and graduated at the Northwestern Christian University of Indianapolis, now known as Butler College, in June, 1860. He afterwards en- tered the practice of law at Greensburg, Indiana. At the beginning of the war, on April 26, 1861, he was mustered as a private in Company F, Seventh Indiana Infantry, command- ed by Colonel Ebenezer Dumont, and participated in the three months' campaign in West Virginia, in which several small engagements took place, the first being at Phillippi, June 3, 1861. On July 21, 1862, he was appointed adjutant of the Seventy-sixth Indiana Infantry, which was a thirty days' regiment that served in western Kentucky, while the three years' call of that year was being mobilized. On returning he raised the Union Rifles, and was mustered into the State's service as captain September 12, 1862.


On July 10, 1863, this company was mustered as Company H, One-hundred-and-fourth Minute Men during the raid of General J. H. Morgan. A small skirmish took place with Morgan's men near Sumner's Station. The next day the com- pany followed Morgan to Harrison, Ohio. Then it proceeded to North Bend, Ohio. where it embarked on a steamer, and, with the flotilla of twenty-two boats, proceeded to Ports- mouth, Ohio. There it acted as provost guard until the cap- ture of General Morgan, when it returned home. The com- pany acted as a preservator of the peace in Decatur County until the fall of 1863. On November 18, 1863, most of the men were mustered in with other recruits in Company A, One-hundred-and-twenty-third Indiana Infantry, with Irvin Robbins as captain. This regiment was part of General A. P. Hovey's division of the Twenty-third Army Corps, that took part in the Atlanta campaign in 1864. After Sherman's departure for the sea this command fell back to Nashville, Tennessee, and participated in the winter campaign. On July 1, 1864, Captain Robbins was promoted to major of his regiment, and served with it until the final discharge at Lex- ington, North Carolina, in August, 1865, after an exciting campaign in that State in the spring.


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In May, 1865, Major Robbins was detailed as Acting As- sistant Inspector-General of the Seventh Division of the Twenty-third Army Corps, and later as an A. A. A. G. of the division. He also acted as provost marshal of the west half of North Carolina, while the civil officers were not in exist- ence. He declined a commission in the regular service and returned to his home at Greensburg, Indiana.


On December 5, 1882, at the request of Colonel Eli Lilly, he was appointed adjutant of the artillery regiment of the National Guard, and served until April 18, 1888. On January 17, 1893, he was appointed Adjutant-General of Indiana by Governor Matthews, and served four years. In September, 1893, the Governor ordered him to Roby, Indiana, with thir- teen companies, to suppress prize fighting, with orders to ar- rest all participating in the same. The presence of the troops resulted in the stopping of this class of entertainment in the State.


In June, 1894, he was ordered to Daviess County, Indiana, owing to the coal strike, with about 450 men, and opened up the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railroad to business. In July, 1894, he was ordered to Hammond, Indiana, with 750 men, during the great railroad strike, and preserved order without any collision, and opened up business on the rail- roads before the strike was declared off in Chicago. He re- tired on July 17. 1897, after more than ten years' service in the National Guard and over two years in the civil war.


Brigadier-General James R. Carnahan, of Indianapolis, re- tired, served as captain in the First Veteran Regiment from July 1, 1877, to January 17, 1881, when he was appointed Ad- jutant-General of Indiana by Governor Porter, and served as such until January 17, 1885. General Carnahan served first in the civil war as a private in Company I, Eleventh Indiana, and served as such from April 22, 1861, to August 4, 1861. He was made first sergeant of Company K, Eighty- sixth Indiana, Angust 25, 1862, and was promoted second lieutenant November 30, 1862. He became captain of Com- pany I of the regiment August 1, 1863, and served as such until June 6, 1865, when he was mustered out.


Brigadier-General Sam M. Compton, of Indianapolis, re- tired. served as Quartermaster-General of Indiana from Janu- ary 21, 1893, to February 1, 1897. From the latter date until February 1. 1898, he served as Assistant Inspector-General on the staff of General McKee.


Brigadier-Genera! James K. Gore, of Elkhart, retired, served during the civil war as bandmaster in the Sixth Michi-


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gan Infantry from August 20, 1861, to September 20, 1862, when he was honorably discharged. He moved to Indiana, and on May 20, 1864, was commissioned as captain of Com- pany H, One-hundred-and-Thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteers and served until September 30 following. He entered State service March 17, 1882 as captain of the Elkhart Veteran Guards and served as such until March 17, 1885. On Janu- ary 1, 1886, he was elected captain of Company E, Third In- fantry, and was promoted major of the regiment July 9, 1890. He became colonel on December 20, 1894, and was in command of the regiment until January 17, 1897, when he was promoted brigadier-general and appointed Adjutant- General of the State. He filled that office until April 10, 1901, when his commission expired, and one week later he was placed on the retired list.


Brigadier-General B. A. Richardson, of Indianapolis, re- tired, served during the civil war as private of Company C, Eighty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, from August 9, 1862 until May 10, 1865, when he was mustered out. He was elected captain of the Richardson Zouaves, of Indianapolis, in the Indiana Legion, on July 29, 1882, and served until No- vember 10, 1883, when he resigned. He was next appointed Quartermaster-General of the State by Governor Mount, and served in that capacity from February 1, 1897, to March 31, 1901.


Colonel Robert W. McBride, of Indianapolis, retired, is a veteran of the civil war, having been mustered into the service as private in the Seventh Independent Squadron of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, known as the "Union Light Guard," on November 27, 1863. He served with his company until September 9, 1865, as corporal.


He entered the service of Indiana as captain of the Water- loo Rifles, on September 15, 1879, and was in command of the company when it became Company A of the Third Regiment, on the organization of that body. He served as captain un- til June 23, 1884, when he was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and served in that capacity until April 17, 1889. During the last two years of his service as lieutenant- colonel he was in command of the regiment, as Colonel I. E. Kirk was absent from the State. On April 17, 1889, he was promoted colonel, and served until January, 1891, when he resigned, having been elected one of the judges of the Su- preme Court. He was placed on the retired list February 27, 1896.


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Colonel John W. Ebel, of Terre Haute, retired, entered the service November 15, 1885, as captain in the Second In- fantry. He served until September 8, 1886. He was made captain in the First Infantry March 20, 1889, and served un- til April 17, 1891, when he was promoted lieutenant-colonel. He became colonel December 15, 1891, and was in command of the regiment until January, 1896.


Colonel I. E. Kirk, of Washington, D. C., retired, was first lieutenant and adjutant of the First Veteran Regiment from November 22, 1882, until June 30, 1883, when he was made colonel of the newly organized Third Regiment. He was in command until April 13, 1889.


Colonel George S. Haste, of Valparaiso, retired, enlisted as a private in Company D, third Infantry, December 4, 1882, and was promoted to captain of the company December 1, 1883. He was promoted battalion major July 12, 1888, and regimental major May 3, 1889. He became colonel of the regiment February 3, 1891, and resigned December 22, 1892. During the civil war Colonel Haste served as a corporal in Company C, One-hundred-and-Thirty-eighth Indiana Volun- teers. He was placed on the retired list May 14, 1897.


Colonel George H. Pennington, of New Albany, entered the service of the State as captain of Company C, First Infan- try, June 1889, and was promoted to major March 19, 1891. He served with the regiment during the strikes of 1894, and was promoted colonel January 1, 1896. He brought the regiment to a very high standard of discipline, and in 1898 responded to the call of the President for volunteers for the war with Spain. He had prepared his regiment for muster into the United States service, when he was permanently injured by being thrown by a vicious horse. He was placed on the retired list in November, 1898.


Colonel Pennington is a veteran of the civil war. He en- listed in December, 1861, and was mustered into service dur- ing the February following with Company E, Fifty-third In- diana Infantry, as musician. He served through the cam- paign before Corinth and participated in all the engage- ments. He was injured and discharged in August, 1863, but re-enlisted in Company K, Ninety-first Indiana, and served on the staff of Brigadier-General Garrard of the Twenty- third Army Corps until March 26, 1864, when he was dis- charged by reason of expiration of term of service.


Colonel George W. Gunder, of Marion, retired, was com- missioned captain of Company D, Third Infantry, in 1885, and major of the regiment in 1888. He was promoted colonel


KIND


USY


LIEUT. F. R. FARROW LIEUT. L. L. MARTZ


CAPT. J. M. PORTER


CAPT. CHARLES E. LAMBERT


CAPT. F. D. BALLOU


RETIRED OFFICERS


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of the Fourth in 1890, and was in command of the regiment during the war with Spain. Colonel Gunder is a veteran of the civil war, and enlisted in the Seventy-first Ohio Volun- teer Infantry as a private in 1861. He was promoted ser- geant and was made first sergeant July 7, 1862. On August 3, 1863, he was promoted second lieutenant, and became first lieutenant April 2, 1864. He was mustered out of the United States service in 1865.


Colonel James R. Curtis, of New York City, retired, served for over eighteen years in Battery A and as chief of artillery on the staff of the Governor. He was retired with the rank of colonel September 27, 1900.


Lieutenant-Colonel Ben C. Wright, of Indianapolis, re- tired, is a veteran of the civil war. He enlisted as a private in Company A, One-hundred-and-thirty-second Indiana Vol- unteer Infantry May 3, 1864, and was discharged September 7 following. He entered State service as a private in the Indianapolis Light Infantry April 14, 1877, and was promoted first lieutenant and quartermaster of the Second Infantry May 26, 1884. He was promoted major December 26, 1886, and was recommissioned December 28, 1888. He was pro- moted lieutenant-colonel January 24, 1889, and recommis- sioned January 25, 1893. He resigned September 25, 1893, and retired with the rank of lieutenant-colonel March 26, 1896.


Lieutenant-Colonel William L. Kiger, of Bluffton, retired, was mustered into the State service as captain of Company E, Fourth Regiment, December 12, 1890. He was promoted major of the same regiment April 23, 1892, and lieutenant- colonel August 26, 1895.


During 1894 Major Kiger was in command of Companies A, D, E and H of his regiment at Hammond from July 7 to July 18, and for the next three days of the post at Whiting. He served in all fourteen days. He entered the service of the United States as lieutenant-colonel of the One-hundred- and-Sixtieth Indiana and was detailed on three general courts-martial, of two of which he was president and one of which was in session for six weeks. While in camp at Lex- ington, Kentucky, he contracted typhoid-malarial fever and was absent from the regiment for seven weeks.


He was placed in command of the first detachment of the One-hundred-and sixtieth Regiment that sailed for Cuba, and he landed there January 10, 1899, with 367 men. He was the first man of the regiment to set foot on Cuban soil. Since


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the muster out, he has been engaged in the hardware busi- ness in Bluffton.


Major Horace C. Long, of Rochester, retired, served from August 20, 1887, to March 3, 1892, as captain in the Third Infantry. He was promoted major on the latter date and served as such until July 25, 1893.


Major George E. Downey, of Aurora, retired, was captain of Company F, Fourth Infantry, from March 5, 1891, to Feb- ruary 10, 1894. He was then promoted major, and served as such until July 23, 1896.


Major W. H. Lopp, of Indianapolis, retired, was captain and assistant surgeon of the First Artillery from June S, 1883, until June 16, 1886. He was promoted surgeon, with the rank of major on the latter date, and served until July 22, 1896.


Major C. B. Rockwood, of Indianapolis, retired, was adju- tant of the Second Infantry from March 11, 1892, until Janu- ary 26, 1894, when he was promoted major, and served until January 9, 1897.


Major H. H. Woods, of the Lafayette Soldiers' Home, re- tired, was captain of the Porter Light Artillery from April 1, 1881, until November 25, 1882, when he was promoted major of the First Artillery, and served until May 1, 1891.


Major Charles F. Griffin, of Crown Point, retired, was cap- tain of the Crown Point Blues from May 22, 1884, until Au- gust 13, 1888, when he was promoted major of the Second Infantry, and served as such until January 15, 1891, when he was transfered to the Third Infantry, and served with that regiment until August 12, 1892.


Major John E. Miller, of Ft. Wayne, enlisted as a private in Company B, Third Infantry, September 9, 1885, when the company was organized. He was appointed sergeant Sep- tember 1, 1886, and first sergeant September 20, 18SS. He became second lieutenant January 26, 1891, and cap- tain October 26, 1891. He was promoted major of the Third July 25, 1893, and was assigned to the command of the Third battalion. He was left in command at Roby in 1893, and took part in the active service for the sup- pression of riots in the strike of 1894. Major Miller served until January 17, 1897, when he was appointed chief clerk to the Adjutant-General by General Gore. Probably no man in the State is as familiar with all the details of National Guard work or has the acquaintance among the officers and men of the Guard that Major Miller possesses. In the work of


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preparing the Indiana troops for United States service dur- ing the war with Spain and in mustering them out and re- organizing the Guard, his services have been almost inval- uable to the State.


Major Edwin H. Fitzgerald, of Goshen, retired, first en- tered military life in Company E, First Infantry, Illinois Na- tional Guard, in which he served from January, 1883, to January, 1888. He then moved to Rochester, Indiana, and entered Company G, Third Infantry, as private, and served from 1888 to 1890. He then moved to Goshen and became captain of Company C of the regiment September 14, 1892, and was promoted major March 25, 1897. He served through the Spanish war with the regiment, and was then appointed a captain in the Thirtieth United States Volunteer Infantry, and with his command served in the Philippines until 1901.


Major E. L. Siver, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, served as surgeon of the Second Infantry from June 1, 1888, to June 9, 1891, when he was transferred to the Third Infantry, and served until May 5, 1898.


Major W. W. Robbins, of Indianapolis, retired, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, July 12, 1845, and came with his parents to Indiana in 1851. When eighteen years old he en- listed in Company D, One-hundred-and-eighteenth Indiana Volunteers, and served until the expiration of his term, when he enlisted again in Company G, Twenty-first Indiana Heavy Artillery, and served with it until October, 1865, or the close of the civil war. In 1878 he assisted in organizing the Lime City Battery of Huntington, and was commissioned its sec- ond lieutenant October 1, 1878. In 1880 he located in Bunker Hill, and five years later organized the Bunker Hill Light Guards. which became Company C of the Second Regiment. He was commissioned captain of the company November 17, 1885, and July 19, 1889, was promoted battalion major. He was commissioned major of infantry, unassigned, November 17, 1892, and was later assigned by General McKee to duties on his staff. He was placed on the retired list November 17, 1897.




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