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 9
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Until 1877 no attempt was made to organize the Legion, and the work which has resulted in the present National Guard was commenced by Adjutant-General George W. Russ.
General Greenwalt made no attempt to organize the Legion, as he did not deem it expedient under the laws then existing. He encouraged the organization of independent companies and promptly armed those which sent in requisi- tions. During 1870 but three companies were organized. They were the Emmet Guards, of Indianapolis, on March 1, with sixty men; Company A, Indianapolis National Guards, on April 14, with sixty men, commanded by Captain John L. Hanna; and the Lafayette Scheutzen, on June 21, with sixty men, commanded by Captain P. J. Welshibillig.
Seven companies were organized during 1871, although one was short-lived. The Bloomington Guards, consisting of sixty men under the command of Captain W. J. Allen, was organized July 12 of that year, but disbanded in May of the next year. The other companies organized during the year of 1871 were: Prairie City Guards, of Terre Haute, on June 26. with 100 men. commanded by Captain John A. Bryan; Union Guards, of Rockville, on July 12, with sixty men, commanded by Captain W. A. Magill; the Muncie Guards, on August 15, with 100 men, commanded by Captain Frank Ellis; the Angola Zonaves, on September 5, with sixty men, commanded by Captain Ora Pierce; Laporte Scheutzen, on September 12, with sixty men commanded by Captain Charles
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Peo; and the Business College Volunteers, of Indianapolis, on October 1, with sixty men, commanded by Captain T. B. Wightman. The Business College Volunteers, of Indianapo- lis, and the Laporte Scheutzen were in existence only until 1874, when they were disbanded.
During 1872 five new companies were organized-the Vin- cennes National Guards, on June 47, with fifty men, com- manded by Captain John Ellick; the South Bend Rifle Com- pany, on July 15, with eighty men, commanded by Captain George Pfleger; the Waveland Zouaves, on August 22, with sixty men, commanded by Captain C. T. Dorwin; the Laporte Zouaves, on August 30, with sixty men, commanded by Cap- tain L. A. Cale; and the First National Zouaves, of New Albany, on November 20, with sixty men, commanded by Captain John Denny.
The organized companies were called into active service early in 1873, but the power of the State to preserve the peace by arms was limited. There was not one company on which the Governor could depend in time of trouble, and all services rendered were entirely voluntary. On April 15, 1873, there was an outbreak of violence at Knightsville, and when the State was appealed to, it was necessary to call for vol- unteers. A detachment of the Indianapolis police force was sent under the command of Chief of Police Thompson, and the Emmett Guards, of Indianapolis, promptly volunteered. A part of the company was sent under command of Captain Barry, and the presence of troops restored peace and order without delay. A strike of railroad engineers caused another call for troops on December 27 of the same year at Logans- port. A portion of the Indianapolis police force was sent and the offers of the Emmett Guards and the Business Col- lege Volunteers, of Indianapolis, to serve, were accepted. The troops were placed under the command of General Ma- cauley and served but a few days. The trouble in Wayne County over the removal of the county seat was reported to the State, but no troops were sent, although the sheriff was supplied with ammunition and authorized to organize a posse and arm it.
These calls to active duty constrained Adjutant-General Connor to call attention to the fact that the militia was en- tirely unorganized. This he did in his report of January 1, 1875, in which he asked for proper laws on the subject. The companies did not report to the State and were wholly and entirely independent, although armed by the State . His appeal was without result, for he did not get the laws. Dur-
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ing 1874 he organized the State Guards, of Indianapolis, and the Noblesville Guards.
Again were the troops called out during the summer of 1876. There was a strike among the employes of the O. & M. Railroad Company, and traffic on the road was obstructed at Vincennes. The sheriff of Knox County sent an urgent call for troops, and Logansport responded with twenty-five men, under the command of Captain Chase. Lieutenant Dailey, of Captain Jack's company, of Peru, with twenty-five men, and Captain Walter, of Indianapolis, with fifty men, comprised the force ordered out. The troops were taken to Indianapolis and quartered in the State House, but the local authorities of Vincennes succeeded in handling the trouble, and the troops were not sent.
At the beginning of 1877, the year which marked the great change in the militia system of the State, the complete roster of independent companies in the State and the date of their organization, as given in the official list, was:
1870-
January 1-Indiana University, Bloomington.
January 21-Lafayette Guards.
March 1-Emmett Guards, of Indianapolis.
April 14-Indianapolis Nationel Guards.
June 20-Rockville Guards.
June 21 -- Prairie City Guards, of Terre Haute.
July 15-Martinsville Guards.
August 2-Ft. Wayne Light Guards.
1871-
June 20-New Castle Guards.
September 5-Angola Zouaves.
September 28-College Guards, of Indianapolis. 1872-
June 27 --- Vincennes National Gnards.
July 15-South Bend Rifle Company.
August 22-Waveland Guards.
August 30-Laporte Zouaves.
November 20 -- New Albany Guards.
1873-
June 30-Evansville Zouaves.
1875-
September 16-Zionsville Zouave Guards.
December 8-Ft. Wayne Light Guards.
1876-
January 22-Huntington Light Guards.
Mach 6-Lafayette Guards.
March 6-Crawfordsville Guards.
March 13-Ft. Wayne Cadets.
March 18-Indianapolis High School Cadets.
May 5-Logansport Grays.
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NATIONAL GUARD OF INDIANA.
June 6-Indianapolis Centennial Cadets.
June 15-Lagrange Light Guards.
June 20-Asbury Cadets, of Greencastle.
June 28-Peru Grays.
July 28-Greensburg Light Guards.
August 7-Pulaski Guards.
September 6-Delaware Guards, of Muncie.
September 18-Benton County Cavalry, of Fowler.
October 13-Greencastle College Cadets.
October 19-Jackson Guards, of Tippecanoe County.
November 27-Jeffersonville Rifles.
George W. Russ entered upon the duties of the Adjutant- General on February 13, 1877, and he brought with him an interest in things military, an energy and a vigor that soon showed results in the beginning of a trained force of soldiers on which the State could depend in times of emergency. During the first year General Russ was in charge, the rail- road strikes demonstrated in all parts of the country the imperative necessity of having a well organized and equipped militia. General Russ found the State without a single or- ganized company of militia and nothing but the independent companies to rely upon. The State was helpless in the event of trouble except for such response as might be voluntarily made to a call for assistance.
General Russ grasped the situation and exerted himself to organize companies and enroll them in the Indiana Legion. In this he succeeded so well that through his efforts, by the last of 1878, there were enrolled in the Legion the Conners- ville Guard, of Connersville; Company A, National Guard, of Indianapolis; Lafayette Guard, of Lafayette; Indianapolis Light Infantry, of Indianapolis; Monroe Guard, of Blooming- ton; Lane Guard, of Crawfordsville; Evansville Rifles, of Ev- ansville; Wabash Guard, of Snoddy's Mill; Marshall County Guard, Company A, of Plymouth; North Manchester Guard, of North Manchester; Rochester Light Guard, of Rochester; Richmond Light Guard, of Richmond; Lebanon Cadets, of Lebanon; Governor's Guard, of Terre Haute; Shelby Rifles, of Shelbyville; Russ Rifles, of Indianapolis; Marshall County Guard, Company B, of Bourbon; Newport Light Guard, of Newport; Tree's Grays, of Anderson; Tykle Guard, of Middle- town; Kokomo Guard, of Kokomo; Lime City Battery, of Huntington; and the Terre Haute Light Guard, of Terre Haute.
The last named had been in existence for many years as an independent organization, but at the beginning of the troubles in the summer of 1877 their services were tendered to the State with 100 men and were accepted. They saw the
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NATIONAL GUARD OF INDIANA.
desirability of being enrolled in the Legion, and at their own request they were taken into the State service.
In addition to these militia companies, there were organ- ized during the first two years of General Russ's term the Grover Light Guard, of Greensburg, on July 28, 1877; the Lawrenceburg Light Guard, of Lawrenceburg, on June 22, 1877; the Indianapolis National Guards, of Indianapolis, on November 17, 1877; Purdue University Cadets, of Lafayette, on November 17, 1877; and the Hibernian Rifles, of Indianap- olis, on May 24, 1877.
The great railroad strikes of the summer of 1877 were a menace to the entire country, and Indiana was affected, but not so seriously as some other points. So threatening did the aspect become in Indianapolis that a committee of public safety was appointed, and finally Governor Williams was ap- pealed to for State aid. In July he ordered a portion of the militia to be ready to serve, and Company A, National Guard of Indianapolis, under the command of Captain Kiley, was ordered into camp at the United States arsenal in Indianap- olis to protect it and its stores. The Indianapolis Light In- fantry, under the command of Captain Nicholas R. Ruckle, was held at its armory at the corner of New York and Dela- ware streets. The Terre Haute Light Guard at once tendered its services, and, under the command of Captain Charles O. Wood, was held under arms at its armory in Terre Haute. The Lafayette Light Guard, under the command of Captain Carnahan, was held at its armory in Lafayette. The Logans- port Grays, under the command of Captain Chase, and the Cass County Blues, under command of Captain Zigler, were both independent companies but offered their services and were held under arms in their armories at Logansport. The Montgomery Guard, of Crawfordsville, Captain Lew Wallace commanding, which was also an independent company, hur- ried to Indianapolis and tendered its services. They were sworn into the service of the State and remained on duty throughout the strike.
These companies rendered good service in the protection of property, but the strike assumed such great proportions and there was such danger to the lives of the citizens, that it was deemed expedient to be prepared for an emergency, and a call for volunteers was issued in Indianapolis.
The response called into service eleven companies, which were promptly organized, drilled and equipped. This call was issued July 26, and the organization which was so quickly perfected was composed of the most prominent and distin-
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guished men in the city. There has never been an organi- zation of State troops in the history of Indiana in which were so many men of prominence.
Governor Williams tendered the command to General Benjamin Harrison, but the committee of public safety had asked General Daniel Macauley to assume command, so Gen- eral Harrison declined, but took command of a company. Headquarters were established in the federal building in Indianapolis, and the regiment served about thirty days and rendered good service. Fortunately there were no serious clashes, and the trouble was adjusted without any loss of life in Indianapolis.
Those who served on General Macauley's staff as aides-de- camp, with the rank of captain, were Livingston Howland, Wood G. Tousey, S. K. Fletcher, James W. Kennard, and W. P. Fishback. J. W. Gordon was chief of staff, with the rank of colonel, Charles L. Holstein was assistant adjutant- general, with the rank of captain, John D. Nicholas was com- missary of subsistence, with the rank of major, and N. T. James was assistant commissary of subsistence, with the rank of first lieutenant. James Miller was appointed assist- ant adjutant-general, with the rank of captain.
The company organizations of the volunteers that were assigned to the First Regiment, Indiana Legion, were:
Company C-Benjamin Harrison, captain; Eli F. Ritter, first lieu- tenant; and W. H. McKay, second lieutenant.
Company H-Robert S. Foster, captain; Samuel F. Gray, first lieu- tenant; and William M. Wiles, second lieutenant.
Company D-John J. Palmer, captain; James B. Black, first lieu- tenant; and Alfred Sinker, second lieutenant.
Company E-Frederick Knefler, captain; C. J. Dobbs, first lieu- tenant; and Benjamin D. House, second lieutenant.
Company I-George H. Chapman, captain.
Company F-William J. Richards, captain.
Company G-Henry C. Adams, captain; A. J. Ralph, first lieu- tenant: and George W. Stubbs, second lieutenant.
Company K-Charles E. Emrick, captain; H. E. Smith, first lieu- tenant; and F. J. Cadwallader, second lieutenant.
Company L-John Coburn, captain; W. H. Craft, first lieutenant; and C. W. Tutewiler, second lieutenant.
Those assigned to the Second Regiment were:
Company A-Lew Wallace, captain; Isaac C. Ellston, first lieu- tenant; James H. Wallace, second lieutenant; and W. P. Herron, third lieutenant.
A troop of cavalry, which was called Company A, First Cavalry, Indiana Legion, had as officers Henry Jordan, cap- tain; Henry Dailey, first lieutenant; and John McMasters, second lieutenant.
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NATIONAL GUARD OF INDIANA.
General Russ also had much trouble with the Wabash Guards. Early in the year some of the members of the com- pany went into a saloon at Stringtown, Fountain County, after a drill, with their arms. The company had no armory, and the members were permitted to take their arms home with them. These men were drinking, and while so engaged some negroes and white men entered the saloon, and an alter- cation followed in which one of the negroes was killed. Great excitement followed, and the sheriff of the county called on the company to assist him in making the arrests of the par- ties charged with the murder. The company responded, and charges were publicly made that the members of the company were patrolling the streets of Stringtown under arms. Gen- eral Russ investigated and found they were acting under the orders of the sheriff according to law, so no action was taken regarding the charges. After the trouble had quieted down, one officer and thirty-two men, who were miners, were mustered out, as General Russ deemed it best that no one who was in any way interested in mining troubles should re- main in the organization. The other members were farmers.
There was high feeling against the company, which cul- minated in another outbreak in June and a call was made for troops to assist the sheriff. The Indianapolis Light In- fantry, under command of Captain N. R. Ruckle, was ordered out and reported to the sheriff at Coal Creek within five hours from the receipt of the order. The company remained on duty until June 26, when it was relieved by the Lane Guards, of Crawfordsville, under the command of Captain Denneen. This company remained on duty until July 3, when it was considered unnecessary to hold troops there longer. The Wabash Guards were later disbanded, as were also the Connersville Guards and Company A, National Guards, of Indianapolis.
General Russ urged a uniformity of uniforms and that the regulation fatigue uniform of the United States army be adopted. He was the first to urge that the uniforms be furnished by the State or the cost of them allowed to the men by the State. He suggested that the men be permitted to buy and wear any dress uniform they might see fit. He tried to secure an encampment of the troops, but found there were no tents, and in his annual report he urged that the State provide tents, camp equipage, subsistence and trans- portation to and from an annual camp. The recommenda- tions were the first made for provisions on the line of the present organization.
COL. J. R. HENRY
LIEUT .- COL. J. E. ROBERTS
BRIG .- GEN. B. A. RICHARDSON
COL. RUSSELL B. HARRISON COL. H. C. MEGREW LIEUT .- COL. W. A. RIDER MAJOR L. R. GIGNILLIAT GOVERNOR MOUNT'S STAFF
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NATIONAL GUARD OF INDIANA.
At the close of 1878, the companies in the Indiana Legion and the officers were:
Terre Haute Light Guard-Captain Charles O. Wood, First Lieu- tenant F. C. Crawford and Second Lieutenant W. H. Armstrong.
Indianapolis Light Infantry-Captain Nicholas R. Ruckle, First Lieutenant George Butler and Second Lieutenant James R. Ross.
Lafayette Guard-Captain James R. Carnahan, First Lieutenant Collins Blackmer and Second Lieutenant Charles E. Erving.
Monroe Guard, of Bloomington-Captain H. J. Feltus, First Lieu- tenant Alfred R. Howe and Second Lieutenant Thomas C. Purcell.
Evansville Rifles-Captain William M. Blakey, First Lieutenant Jacob W. Messick and Second Lieutenant Henry Hammersley.
Marshall County Guard, Company A, of Plymouth-Captain James E. Houghton. First Lieutenant Hiram Moore and Second Lieutenant William Holland.
Lebanon Cadets-Captain Felix Shumate, First Lieutenant Frank Gregory and Second Lieutenant John H. Bushy.
Marshall County Guard, Company B, of Bourbon-Captain George Stockman, First Lieutenant Charles H. Wynant and Second Lieutenant John K. Lawrence.
Lane Guard, of Crawfordsville-Captain John A. Denneen, First Lieutenant D. W. Staras and Second Lieutenant M. G. McCarty.
Rochester Light Guard-Captain H. P. Bitters, First Lieutenant John J. Myers and Second Lieutenant Benjamin M. Elliott.
Governor's Guard, of Terre Haute-Captain W. P. Hector, First Lieutenant John T. Staff and Second Lieutenant Newlan Rogers.
Shelby Rifles, of Shelbyville-Captain John W. Vannoy, First Lieu- tenant August Depray and Second Lieutenant William Craycraft.
Russ Rifles, of Indianapolis-Captain Robert Emmett, First Lieu- tenant J. R. Forbes and Second Lieutenant C. S. Butterfield.
Richmond Light Guard-Captain Joseph Iliff, First Lieutenant Sam- uel F. Judy and Second Lieutenant Henry T. Barnes.
Newport Light Guard-Captain Jacob A. Souders, First Lieutenant Robert B. Sears and Second Lieutenant A. C. Brokaw.
North Manchester Guard-Captain A. A. McKain, First Lieutenant Samuel Dunbar and Second Lieutenant James Arnold.
Trees' Grays, of Anderson-Captain Larry Anderson, First Lieu- tenant David R. Berg and Second Lieutenant Cornelius Dougherty.
Tykle Guard, of Middletown-Captain Charles C. Shedron, First Lieutenant Joseph A. Young and Second Lieutenant Joseph A. Swope.
Kokomo Guard-Captain Francis M. Gideon, First Lieutenant Wil- liamn T. Wiley and Second Lieutenant Baker A. Bannum.
Lime City Battery, of Huntington-Captain George Wetmore, First Lieutenant Charles W. Walkins and Second Lieutenant A. J. Rose- braugh.
Nearly all these companies ceased to exist before regi- ments were organized, and but four, the Terre Haute Light Guard, the Indianapolis Light Infantry, the Evansville Rifles, and the Richmond Light Guard, became companies when the new order was instituted. All others had disbanded.
During the two years from 1879 to 1881, a number of new companies were organized and enrolled in the militia. All
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of them were included in the regiments, and they were the Sherman Guards, of Frankfort, the Waterloo Rifles, the Mc- Cune Cadets, of Rockville, and the Remington Guards.
Again, and it proved to be the last call to active service before the organization of regiments, the Indianapolis Light Infantry was called out to preserve the peace. An atrocious murder was committed at Salem and the "Regulators," then quite numerous in that part of the State, had demolished the jail in an effort to lynch the prisoner. In the disguise of women's clothing he had been hurried to New Albany by the sheriff, and on October 31, 1879, the Light Infantry was sent as a guard when he was returned to Salem for trial. Many threats were made of blowing up bridges over which the train passed, and dreadful deeds said to be about to be done, but the company took him back, remained on duty three days during the trial, and returned him to New Albany in safety.
CHAPTER IV.
ENCAMPMENTS AND ACTIVE SERVICE.
The National Guard system of to-day is a comparatively recent product in Indiana. To General James R. Carnahan, who became Adjutant-General January 17, 1881, is due more credit for it than to any one man, and he may be justly called the father of the National Guard. General Russ had commenced the work, and, later, General N. R. Ruckle per- fected the details. To those three men is due the credit for the foundation of the system of to-day, but to General Carna- han is due greater praise than either of the others.
He gave to the Legion a tremendous impetus; he first organized regiments and he held the first encampments. This was done, not with the aid of the State but in spite of the State, for no support was given the Legion by the State. The organization was maintained through pride only and en- tirely at the expense of the members. There were separate companies in the State when General Carnahan entered upon the duties of his office, but he was not satisfied with a Legion of separate companies.
He assumed seemingly impossible tasks and carried them through successfully, and he inspired among the members of the Legion a feeling of pride in their organization. He brought the Legion prominently before the public as an or- ganization and he received substantial aid and support from the veterans of the civil war.
Public spirit had died down somewhat and there were few organizations as a nucleus for General Carnahan to work around. He lost no time and by the end of his second year he had an organized Legion of twenty-nine companies of infantry, with 103 officers and 1,491 enlisted men; five com- panies of artillery, with eighteen officers and 175 enlisted men, and one company of cavalry, with three officers and forty-four enlisted men, or a total of 214 officers and 1,710 enlisted men. This was but a small proportion of those in the State subject to military duty, the number then being 320,546, but it was a well organized, well drilled, and, con- sidering that the State did practically nothing for it, a well equipped force.
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NATIONAL GUARD OF INDIANA.
The State furnished arms only and the companies uni- formed themselves at their own expense. All adopted the neat and plain blue uniform of the United States army, and in soldierly bearing and proficiency in drill, the Indiana Le- gion compared favorably with the organized troops of any other State. During his first two years in office, General Carnahan organized two regiments of infantry and one of artillery, and before he completed his term he organized the Third Regiment of infantry.
This was a good beginning, but the struggle was a long and hard one, as the Legislature gave no assistance for many years and everything that has been secured has been only after the greatest effort. Regimental organizations have existed since 1882, but during their early years they lacked coherence, as they were changed frequently to meet the exi- gencies of each encampment. Military enthusiasm was aroused in towns which were not large enough to maintain companies properly and these companies were mustered into service only to drop out on the expiration of the first term after the novelty wore off. The regiments were suffering from this, and there was little esprit de corps, but still there was enough to keep up the organizations, and gradually the companies became more fixed and the changes less frequent. The multiplication of companies caused many reorganiza- tions of regiments, as new regiments were organized, and this tended to demoralize the organization.
Such were a few of the struggles of the earlier days, but slowly though surely the Legion reached a solid foundation, the State more and more assisted it, the arms and equipment improved in quality and quantity, until the National Guard of to-day is an organization of which the State may be proud.
Nearly all the officers in the earlier days were veterans of the civil war who strongly encouraged the Legion. The regiments were organized in general so that one should cen- ter around Indianapolis, one be north and east of that city, one north and west, and one in the southern part of the State. The companies varied from very good to very bad, and there were varying degrees of discipline.
By 1884 the Legion increased to a total of 170 officers and 1,912 men. Of this number fifty were in the cavalry company and 260 in the eight companies of artillery. At that time there were thirty-four infantry companies, and the organization of Gatling gun sections was taken up. Nearly all these sections were composed of boys from twelve to four-
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NATIONAL GUARD OF INDIANA.
teen years old, and they became exceedingly proficient in drill.
The division of regiments into two battalions was made in 1886, and two years later the divison into three battalions. By 1890 the infantry was uniformly armed with the Spring- fields, and the Legion had grown.
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