USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 25
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Charles O. Baltzell, commander; Samuel F. Bean, senior vice-com- mander : James W. Stott, junior vice-commander; Foreman E. Knowles, treasurer : John W. Corder, secretary; Charles W. Skelton, musician; Dr. C. C. Edwards, chaplain; Daniel W. Davis, color bearer; George W. McRey- nolds, patriotic instructor; Will Blair, guide; Robert Adams, inner guard; Roy P. King, outer guard; Thomas Beloat. M. F. Stewart and Robert C. Baltzell, camp council.
Following the muster and installation several short addresses were made by Colonel McGuire and others. A pleasing feature of the occasion was the presentation of a beautiful silk flag, for camp and parade use, by Col. Gil. R. Stormont, on behalf of Johnny Butler, of Franklin, Pennsylvania, a former Princeton boy and a drummer boy in the Civil war. This flag was purchased on his order and presented with his compliments and congratulations, and it came as a complete surprise to the boys.
Following is a list of the charter members: William Anderson, Robert H. Adams, Joseph Barton, George M. Braselton, Samuel N. Bottom. Charles O. Baltzell, Robert C. Baltzell, William C. Bucklin. Bruce Bucklin, Foley Brown, Thomas Beloat, Charles Bahne, Will Blair, Charles W. Benton, Paul Brownlee, Ed J. Baldwin, Samuel F. Bean, Horace Chambers, W. Ed Cris- well, I. Eugene Criswell, Oliver M. Colvin, Samuel W. Clark, John W. Corder, Daniel W. Davis, Joseph C. Danks, William Daugherty, John R. Dor- sey, Walter T. Dorsey, William Davis, George E. Daugherty, Charles C. Ed- wards, Arvil Gibson, James B. Gamble, Henry Greer, Hugh Hanna, Jr.,
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Thomas W. Hopkins, Coleman Harvey, Charles Hartin, William G. Hopkins, Joseph Hussey, R. L. Hussey, John N. Hopkins, David C. Hanna, Wiley S. Hastings, Walter J. Heller, Curtis Hamilton, Frank N. Harris, John S. Her- riott, John Ed Joyce, James Jenkins, Roy P. King, Charles King, Herbert King, Foreman E. Knowles, James M. Kessner, M. M. Kennedy, Victor Key, George Kilmartin, C. M. Lawrence, Fred J. Lewis, Ralph Little, William R. Lamb, Jesse Montgomery, Lorenzo Montgomery, Harvey Milburn, John L. Morris, Earl Moore, Allen Moore, John B. Massey, Carl Mangrum, John W. McCormick, Robert McCormick. James P. McCormick, James D. McClure, Von R. McClure, Percy McClure, Thomas Morton McDonald, Alvun New- berry, Clyde Ott, George H. Padgett, William Phillips, Robert Pierce, Nelson Pritchard, Thomas H. Riggs, Walter Riggs, Arba W. Riggs, Henry C. Red- man, Samuel Redman, J. Wesley Ritchie, Fred Shuel, William R. Spillman, Samuel Spence, Charles W. Skelton, Charles S. Scull, James W. Stott, Charles A. Steele, Ralph Stormont, M. F. Stewart, John H. Ashmead, Ellis S. Arburn, Alfonso Chambers, Barnhill Bruce, A. Dale Ford, J. Q. A. Goodwin, Jesse Kern, Arthur P. Twineham, Walter Taylor, James O. Sickles, J. Arch Sprowl, George N. Sprowl, Thomas B. Scott, Jacob Shuel, Monroe Wood- burn, John M. Wiggs, Robert Warnock, Archibald Warnock, William A. Wheeler, George Russell Wire, David B. Wheeler, Arthur Whitsett, George W. McReynolds, Hugh Harris, Walter Hollis, Clarence Hollis, John C. Gorman, William Mowery, James R. McGregor, Ralph Crumbaugh.
THE FAIR
DEDICATION OF THE GIBSON COUNTY SOLDIERS' MONUMENT, PRINCETON. Dedicated November 12, 1912.
CHAPTER XVIII.
SOLDIERS' MONUMENTS.
GIBSON COUNTY SOLDIERS MONUMENT.
The idea for the Gibson county soldiers' monument took definite form in April, 1910, when Archer Post, Grand Army of the Republic, after dis- cussing improvements which were being made in the court house square, appointed a committee to secure signatures to a petition to the county com- missioners for a county soldiers' monument, under the state law which per- mits a county appropriation of not to exceed fifty thousand dollars for a monument to Civil war soldiers, upon petition of a majority of the legal voters of the county.
One of the leaders in the movement was David Wilson Smith, veteran of Company FF, One Hundred and Twentieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and another enthusiastic spirit was Joseph K. McGary. A monument commit- tee was appointed by Archer Post, with Mr. Smith as chairman, James W. Lewis as secretary, and the following other members: Joseph Moore, Dr. W. W. Blair. Joseph K. McGary. All worked nobly, and with able assist- ance from other members and patriotic citizens, and on October 6, 1910, petitions were filed with county commissioners bearing four thousand eleven hundred and eleven signatures, a good majority. The petition was favorably acted upon, and on January 4, 1911, the county council made an appropria- tion of twenty-five thousand dollars for the monument.
A little later, from many competitive designs, that of Clark brothers, of Urbana, Illinois, and Princeton, was selected as the most desirable for the monument, and afterward the contract for construction and erection was awarded to Clark brothers, the specifications providing, after consideration of various marbles, that the base should be of Barre granite and the shaft of Montello, Wisconsin, granite. The sub-contract for the bronze figures went to Rudolph Schwarz, noted sculptor, of Indianapolis. The concrete base was laid in the fall of 1911. Building of the shaft went forward satis- factorily at the Montello quarries, so that it was ready for delivery in July
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of 1912. The bronze figures were also ready a little later, but there was long delay in getting the base from Vermont, and so the shaft was not brought here and erected until September. It was not until November 12, 1912, that the shaft was completed and ready for dedication, and it was on that date that the ceremony of dedication took place. This was a great event for Princeton, and especially for the old veterans of the county, who had worked and waited long for the realization of their hopes.
Every preparation for the dedication had been carefully planned. In- vitations to all the neighboring counties had been sent out, an interesting program of music and addresses had been arranged; everything had been arranged except the regulation of the weather. That turned out bad. A heavy rain set in early in the morning which put a damper on all other well regulated arrangements. But the people came from all parts of the county and from surrounding counties. Civil war veterans were present in goodly numbers from every county in the district. Filled with enthusiasm and the memory of experiences in army life, it required more than such a downpour of rain to dampen their ardor on this occasion. It was only a realistic re- minder of old times.
At half past one o'clock in the afternoon the formal dedication ritual of the Grand Army of the Republic was conducted by Archer Post, in the pres- ence of a vast crowd of people, including fifteen hundred children from the public schools. Preceding this there was a parade of about three hundred veterans around the public square, headed by a drum corps composed of veterans.
Owing to the unfavorable weather the other part of the program was given in the United Presbyterian church. This program consisted of patri- otic songs by a chorus, under the direction of Mrs. Irene Coolidge, and the following addresses: "The American Flag," by Lucius C. Embree; "Monu- ments, their History and Significance," by Thomas Duncan; "Indiana Soldiers in the War of 1861 to 1865," by John W. Brady; "One Country and One Flag," by Arthur P. Twineham; "Gibson County in the Civil War," by Col. Gil R. Stormont.
This monument stands on the southeast corner of the public square, facing southeast, and it is a credit to the people of Gibson county and to all who had to do with its design and erection. It is something over sixty feet in height, surmounted by a bronze figure representing a color bearer. Bronze figures are on pedestals around the base, representing the different branches of the army and navy service. On the front of the first die is the inscrip- tion :
FIFTY-EIGHTH INDIANA REGIMENT MONUMENT, Dedicated July 4, 1865.
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"Erected 1912, by the Citizens of Gibson County, Indiana, In Honor of the Valor and Patriotism of the 2,200 Soldiers and Sailors, Who En- listed from Gibson County in the Civil War, of 1861 to 1865. A Tribute to the Memory of the 500 Who Gave the Full Measure of Devotion to Their Country."
On the east face of this die is the inscription :
"On Fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread, And Glory guards with solemn round. The bivouac of the dead."
On the west side :
"It is rather for us the living, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this Nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."-From Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, 1863.
On the north side :
"Board, of Commissioners: Joseph Yochum, Gerhardt . Frobeiter. George A. Knowles.
"Soldiers' Monument Committee: David Wilson Smith, Joseph K. Mc- Gary, Joseph Moore, Dr. W. W. Blair, James W. Lewis."
On the caps of the several dies in the shaft are the following names of battles in which soldiers from Gibson county engaged :
"Resaca," "Gettysburg." "Chickamauga," "March to the Sea," "Antietam," "Franklin," "Kenesaw Mountain," "Fredericksburg," ."Shiloh," "Perry- ville," "Vicksburg," "Nashville," "Bentonville." "Atlanta," "Mission Ridge," "Stone's River."
FIFTY-EIGHTII INDIANA REGIMENT MONUMENT.
Strangers who visit Princeton are attracted by the modest marble shaft which stands in the southwest corner of the courthouse square, and fre- quent inquiries are made of citizens and business men for information as to its history, and there are frequent visits made to the monument by the seeker
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after knowledge of its origin and meaning. But with all this inquiry and in- vestigation, incorrect information and erroneous ideas are often obtained by these seekers after knowledge, for the reason that there are comparatively few of the citizens and business men of the town who are sufficiently in- formed to give correct answer to the inquiring stranger. Some of the his- torians of Gibson county have referred to this monument as evidence of the patriotic regard entertained by the people of the county for the soldiers who laid down their lives for the defense of their country, whereas, the people of the county had nothing whatever to do with the erection of this monument. Neither had the people of Princeton, except to furnish a committee to super- intend its construction and secure a place for its erection.
The money for the erection of this monument came from the survivors of the Fifty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, in honor of whose dead it was erected, and all of this money was raised by voluntary donations and subscriptions from members of the regiment while in service. A consid- erable part of this fund was obtained by appropriating certain money due the members of the regiment on account of an allowance for unused rations, supplemented by liberal subscriptions by officers and men of the regiment. The contract for the construction of the monument was made in 1863, and it was completed, erected and dedicated before the regiment was discharged from the service. In the manner of its conception, as well as in the manner and conditions under which it was erected and dedicated, it is in a class by itself. It was the first regimental monument erected in the state in memory of the soldiers of the Civil war, and it is the only one in this state, or in the United States, that was erected and dedicated by a regiment in honor of its deceased soldiers while that regiment was still in the service. History has been challenged to show its counterpart in the world and this challenge has not been answered.
In view of these facts, that the truth of history might be preserved, and the present generation and generations to come, might have wherewith to make answer to the inquiry, "What mean these stones?" we submit the fol- lowing historical sketch, written by the late Lieut .- Col. Joseph Moore, of the Fifty-eighth Indiana, who was secretary of the regimental monument as- sociation :
"In the early months of 1863, the Fifty-eighth Indiana Regiment was encamped near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as a part of the Army of the Cumberland, under General Rosecrans. During part of this time Lieutenant- Colonel Embree and myself occupied the same tent as quarters, and by us and Quartermaster Samuel Sterne was conceived the idea of erecting a monu-
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ment by the survivors of the regiment, to perpetuate the memory of our de- ceased comrades. The plan was matured and it was made known and ex- plained to our comrades of the regiment and was heartily approved by them. A plan of organization was drawn up and adopted. Lieutenant-Colonel En- bree was elected president, and myself, then major, elected secretary and treasurer. Liberal subscriptions to meet the expense of the proposed monu- ment were made by officers and men of the regiment at the time of the or- ganization. It was stipulated that the cost of the monument should not ex- ceed five thousand dollars, and that no subscription should be solicited nor received from any source outside of the regiment, as it was intended to be a monument of the regiment and erected by the regiment.
"It was determined by the voice of the regiment that the monument should be erected in the courthouse square, in Princeton, where the regiment was organized. A local committee was appointed, consisting of Dr. Andrew Lewis, Joseph Devin, William Kurtz and John Kell, to carry out the wishes of the regiment. The committee advertised for designs, with probable cost of erection, and these designs were forwarded to the regimental organiza- tion, then in the field, near Hillsboro, Tennessee. The design of C. Rule and Coleman of Cincinnati, Ohio, was adopted as the choice of the regiment, and the local committee was instructed to close a contract with this firm. It was stipulated in the contract that the monument should be completed by the time the regiment returned from the field at the expiration of its term of three years' service. This time was, however, extended for nearly a year on account of the re-enlistment of the regiment as veterans.
"The design of the monument adopted and as erected was an elegant marble shaft about thirty-three feet in height. On the north side are crossed swords and wreath. On the east side a small shield resting upon oak and myrtle. Underneath is a large wreath encircling the words, "Erected by the Survivors of the Fifty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteers to the Memory of Their Deceased Comrades." On the south side is a knapsack supporting crossed muskets and flags, and a soldier's cap. On the west side is the coat- of-arms of the state of Indiana. On the front in large raised letters are the words, "Honor the Flag." On the several sides of the caps of the dies are the following names of battles in which the regiment engaged: "Stone's River," "Lavergne," "Chickamauga," "Mission Ridge." The American eagle, made of the finest Italian marble, surmounts the shaft, holding in its beak and talons the national ensign."
The names of all deceased members of the regiment were inscribed on
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the shaft at the time of its construction. Names of those who died in the service after its completion were added later. It was not intended that the names of those who died after the regiment was discharged should be in- scribed on the monument.
The monument was formally dedicated on Tuesday, July 4. 1865. As has been stated, the regiment was still in the service at this time, but they were at Louisville waiting for their discharge. Many of the officers and men received furloughs and were present at the dedication. Addresses were made by Dr. Andrew Lewis, Rev. John McMaster, Chaplain John J. Hight of the Fifty-eighth, and others. The dedication of this monument was a great day in Princeton. Thousands of people were present, including many of the Gibson county soldiers who had returned from the war, all rejoicing in vic- tory and peace.
But amid this rejoicing there were many in sorrow and tears because of the absence of loved ones whose names were inscribed on the monument to be dedicated. The names are still there, but most of those who mingled tears with rejoicing at the dedication of this monument, bearing the names of loved ones, have passed away. The monument itself is yielding to the ravages of time and is crumbling away, but it is none the less entitled to the highest honor, reverence and respect from the citizens of Princeton, young and old, and from the stranger as well, who comes within our gates. For nearly half a century this monument has stood in this most public place, a silent testimony of the priceless heritage that is enjoyed by this genera- tion. It stands as a memento of the patriotism, love, sacrifice and comrade- ship of soldiers, who, from their small pittance in the army, created the fund for its erection. Time has dimmed its artistic beauty. As an object of the sculptor's art it has lost much of its former attractiveness. As compared with other monuments of modern construction, it may appear obscure and insignificant. But in its meaning, in sacrifice, sentiment and comradeship, it looms far above and beyond them all.
COMPANY F, FORTY-SECOND INDIANA, MONUMENT.
On a little triangular piece of ground near the track of the Southern railroad, in Oakland City, there stands a modest appearing shaft which at- tracts the attention of people passing by on the train. If these passing peo- ple are interested enough and inquisitive enough to ask someone what this modest shaft represents, the information will probably be that this is a monument erected by the surviving members of Company F, Forty-second
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Indiana Regiment, as a loving tribute to the memory of their comrades who gave up their lives in defense of the flag during the Civil war.
The monument was erected during the summer of 1893 and was dedi- cated in September of that year. The initial steps were taken at a reunion of the company a year prior to that time, when a committee was appointed to raise the necessary funds. This committee was composed of Col. W. M. Cockrum, John W. Corder, James T. Bell, John l'. Simpson and Washing- ton Strickland. Dr. George C. Mason acted as an advisory member and gave much financial and advisory aid which was greatly appreciated by the con- pany. Col. W. M. Cockrum executed a deed to Gibson county for the lot on which the monument stands.
The contract for the monument was awarded to William Kelley of Oakland City at a cost of near one thousand dollars. The material used was oolitic limestone. The monument stands on a base seven feet square and is twenty-eight feet in height. On the top is the figure of a soldier carved in stone. On the several sides of the dies are the names of all the original members of the company and the recruits, one hundred and forty-three in number.
On a panel for that purpose are the names of the original field and staff officers of the regiment. On another side of the shaft there is a scroll in which is inscribed, "Starved to Death at Andersonville," and underneath are the names of eleven members of the company who gave this supreme test of their devotion to their country. Following are the names: Chester- field P. Dill, Alford Farmer, J. M. Hunter, H. H. Hunter, John H. Martin, Adamı Canon, William A. Reavis, W. W. Oliver, A. H. Mariner, Jacob Strickland and A. C. Coleman. These all were taken prisoners at the battle of Chickamauga and died at Andersonville.
In appropriate places on the shaft appear the names of battles in which the company participated. There are as follows: Perryville, Stone's River, Stevenson, Flint River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Buzzard Roost, Big Shanty, Snake Creek Gap, Chattahoochie River, Bentonville.
As stated, this monument was dedicated in September, 1893. At the ciedication there was a large assemblage of the surviving members of the company and regiment, soldiers from other regiments, citizens and friends. These all gathered around the monument where an appropriate address was delivered by Capt. A. J. McCutchan, of Company A, Forty-second Regi- ment. It was a proud day for the veterans of this company when they could look upon the completion of this monument as the crowning triumph of the
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cause for which they fought, even though this rejoicing was mingled with tears in memory of those whose names were inscribed on the monument who had given up their lives for that cause.
"For their cause was the cause of the races, That languished in slavery's night, And the death that was pale on their faces, Has filled the whole world with its light."
CHAPTER XIX.
CHOLERA EPIDEMICS IN GIBSON COUNTY.
By Roy P. King.
Of the thousands of victims of Asiatic cholera, which was intermit- tently prevalent in the United States from 1832, when it first appeared in New York City, until the last epidemic, which occurred in 1873. Gibson county perhaps paid as large a toll of lives as any county in Indiana, with the possible exception of a few more thickly populated districts along the Ohio river. Twice in the history of the county has this dreaded scourge prevailed with fatal results. First in the summer of 1852, when a total of more than eighty deaths occurred, and again in 1873, when twenty or more victims were claimed by this disease. In each of these epidemics the death rate was extremely high and but a small number of the stricken recovered. In some instances almost entire families were wiped out of existence.
The awful carnage of war, the frightful harvest of death, due to dis- turbances of the elements, appalling industrial disasters, all bring sadness and gloom to a community so affected and leave deep and lasting impressions, but no message so terrorizes the heart of man as the whispered word that a certain and almost surely fatal plague is stalking over the land, dealing death, surely and quickly, on every side. The cry of fear dies on the lips, faces are blanched by the agony of the hideous thought and eyes look into eyes with indescribable horror at the mere mention that the dreaded contagion has manifested itself. Fear and suspicion enter the heart and mind and each one looks with fear and dread upon every other person, any one of whom may be infected with the pestilence. The conduct of business and the pursuit of pleasure cease and everywhere throughout the horror-stricken community there is that manifestation of gloom and sadness which an inevitable calam- ity alone can produce. In some homes already blighted by the contagion, often the living members of the family must bury their dead unassisted, and the only hands outstretched to them in aid and sympathy are from those men and women endowed with the heroic virtue to rise above the common level in times of greatest need. The pages of history are embellished with the noble deeds of such men and women, but other unknown thousands reap no such reward of fame. Of this great army of heroes and heroines, Gibson
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county, in its times of greatest stress, furnished an ample number. They entered the cholera stricken homes, cared for the living, gave burial to the dead and asked nor received reward, except that which comes from the con- sciousness of a noble deed well done.
In these latter days, when medical science and research and the modern methods of quarantine and disinfection have made possible the complete eradication of Asiatic cholera and many other contagious and infectious dis- eases, there is less to fear, though cholera is still numbered among the plagues for which there is no known specific remedy. However, it has lost its former horribleness to humanity by the certain knowledge that it is an infectious and not a contagious disease. This was discovered as late as 1884. In 1873, when the second epidemic occurred in Gibson county, cholera was still believed by physicians to be contagious.
First mention of Asiatic cholera is found in the early Sanscrit and Chi- nese writings, but the first notation in history was made in the sixteenth cen- tury, when it raged in India, where it has since been endemic. In 1817 it was contracted by the English soldiers in India and spread to China, Prussia, Ger- inany and Russia. It reached England in the spring of 1832, appearing in London.
In June, 1832, cases were reported in Montreal, Canada, and in July of the same year the first deaths occurred at New York. In the following few months the epidemic spread to other Eastern cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston.
From Montreal the epidemic traveled westward along the great lakes and down the Mississippi valley. There is no record of it having claimed any victims at that time in Gibson county.
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