USA > Indiana > Tipton County > History of Tipton County Indiana > Part 13
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. Among the early business men and firms were Richard Freeman, Banta & Wines. William Cummack, Mr. Attenheimer, John Zehner and John Bailey. The manufacturing interests of Windfall were never very great. The first enterprise was the saw and grist mill erected by James B. Fouch, prior to the laying out of the village, It was in successful operation for several years and did a large business, being extensively patronized by the citizens of Wildcat and surrounding townships. It was burned about the year 1858, and another combination mill was erected in its place the year following. The second mill was also erected by Fouch and stood in the southwest part of the village. It was operated as a saw and grist mill for several years, when the machinery was removed and the building was then occupied by a hoop and felloe factory. Michael Null began the manufac- ture of staves in 1865, and built his factory near the western limit of the village on the railroad. A large saw-mill and felloe factory was establish- ed in the year 1877 by Thornburgh and Hirons, who ran it in partnership until about the year 1881, at which time the former sold his interest to B. F. Gifford. The Windfall Steam Flouring Mill was established in 1873 by a joint stock company consisting of ten members. It stood near the railroad in the southeast part of the village.
- INCORPORATION.
On March 24, 1871, the village, by a unanimous vote of the citizens. became an incorporated town, and elected the following board of councilmen : J. H. Zehner. T. J. Alexander, W. A. Dennis and L. B. Carver. The board
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organized for active work, and chose Zehner for president, and Alexander for clerk. Other officers were also appointed at this time.
TOWN NOTES.
Windfall has been the scene of many crimes in the past, before law and order had been sufficiently well established. In the year 1865 one Noble Goff was murdered in his bed, by an assassin who used a large, old-fashioned hatchet. Goff had at one time been a respectable citizen, but in later years had fallen into heavy dissipation and had made many enemies. His wife was a woman of violent temper and had frequently threatened his life. She was accordingly arrested and convicted of his murder, serving a long term in the penitentiary. In 1864 or 1865 Dr Armstrong shot and killed Henry Thomas. Jealousy on the part of the doctor was the motive for the crime. He pleaded "not guilty" to the charge, and. was acquitted. In one of the village saloons later, a man named Perry was killed by A. Bal- ser. A quarrel resulting from a game of cards was the cause. In 1867. near the village, James Stewart killed a man named Gifford. The latter had gone to Stewart's home for the purpose of attaching some cattle, and. not being very warm friends, the two men soon entered into a bitter quarrel, during the progress of which the shooting was done. Stewart was tried, but' was acquitted on the ground of self-defense.
On March 13, 1883, a fire originated in the large brick drug store be- longing to Dr. McAlaster, and spread to his residence nearby. The store buildings of Vice & Nutter and Legg & Patterson were soon enveloped in flames, and quickly all of the structures were a moldering ruin. The fire was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary.
WINDFALL IN 1914.
The present town of Windfall is one of the most attractive communi- ites in Tipton county. The streets are paved and well kept, and the resi- . dences and public buildings show evidence of care and civic pride. The only drawback to the town is the railroad facilities, that is, to other points in Tipton county. The only connection is by way of the Pittsburg, Cin- cinnati, Chicago & St. Louis line, which gives intercourse with Elwood. Kokomo and Logansport. The census of 1910 gave the town a popula- tion of eight hundred and ninety-nine people, against nine hundred fifty-
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seven in 1900, and five hundred sixty-one in 1890. This figure is now generally estimated, and correctly, to be a little over one thousand.
Jacob Dick, William Kleyla, E. P. Shell and E. D Moser are the present trustees of the incorporated town of Windfall: J. S. Murphy serves as marshal, and O. L. Mckay as clerk and treasurer.
The Windfall Gas Company supplies the people with natural gas, obtain- ed from six or eight wells in the neighborhood. A franchise was granted in the fall of 1913 to the Indiana Union Traction Company to supply the town with electric lights. Perhaps the chief industry of Windfall is the Royal Canning Company, a private concern devoted to the canning of tomatoes. The country in Wildcat township is rich in the production of tomatoes, and the factory has an adequate supply of the vegetable every year.
There are one and a half miles of brick paved streets in Windfall, and the sewerage system is very complete and efficient for the size of the town, having its outlet in a nearby creek. Water is obtained from wells.
The town has the good fortune to have a hospital, small but adequate in room and service, built by Drs. Moser in 1913. in connection with their offices and residence.
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CHAPTER VII.
MILITARY HISTORY.
The military record of the county of Tipton might be rightly said to begin with the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861. In the late forties, during the war with Mexico, this territory was very sparsely settled, and therefore was not sufficiently organized to contribute a company of men. A few days before the close of the Mexican war, however, three young men, William S. Hamilton, Marion P. Evans and Isaac H. Montgomery, enlisted to join a company which was to be organized at Frankfort, Clinton county, but they were not mustered into the service, for the reason that the war soon closed. Hamilton claimed his right of enlistment and received a land warrant for his trouble, although he was never in actual service.
Between the close of the Mexican war and the opening of the Civil war, Tipton county gave never a thought to military tactics or organization. Not a man was trained in the arts of warfare. Perhaps here and there through the county there might have been a few drill squads, who would assemble on the "commons" and entertain their admiring friends and relatives, but outside of this farrago, war was deemed an impossibility. The firing on Sumter and the call for troops awakened the latent martial ardor, and the Tipton boys were ranked as among the best.
EVENTS LEADING UP TO HOSTILITIES.
It was on the 12th day of April, 1861, when the little garrison in Fort Sumter, off the coast from Charleston, was attacked and the rebellion first fired a shot at the American flag.
Events, prior to this, made it manifest that a great crisis was hovering over the country, and the successful election and inauguration of Abraham Lincoln precipitated what had been predicted for many months.
In the national campaign of 1860, the Democratic party was split asunder, there being two candidates. Stephen A. Douglas was a candidate of the Demo- crats of the Northern states, and J. C. Breckenridge, for the Democrats of the Southern states. Breckenridge carried all the Southern states and Lincoln
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carried all the Northern states, while Douglas only carried one state and that was Missouri. The election of Lincoln meant to the Southern states that a government part slave and part free could not exist, and on the day before Christmas, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the union.
Events then followed thick and fast, and before Lincoln was inaugurated six states had withdrawn from the Union.
Lincoln reached Washington on February 23, and was inaugurated on March 4, and was just beginning to "size up" the situation when the shot was fired that aroused the world. Prior to this, South Carolina seceded on December 24, 1860; Mississippi on January 9, 1861 ; Florida and Alabama on January II ; Georgia on January 19; Louisiana on January 28, and Texas on February 1. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mis- souri followed in quick succession. Kentucky passed a resolution in its Legislature that it would stand neutral and would neither be for nor against, but Lincoln said "no," that it had to be on one side or the other, so it remained in the Union, though public sentiment in the state was largely in sympathy with the rebellion.
Most of the Southern Senators had resigned. Senators Benjamin and Slidell, of Louisiana, Toombs, of Georgia, Clay and Fitzpatrick of Alabama, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, and others had delivered farewell speeches in the Senate.
A convention held at Montgomery, Alabama, February 4, with delegates from six states, had adopted a constitution for the Confederate States, with Jefferson Davis as president, and he was inaugurated February 18, he becom- ing president of the Confederacy before Lincoln became President of the United States. Before this, forts, arsenals and other government property had been seized and turned over to the Confederacy.
Mayor-General Twiggs, of the regular army, had surrendered all the United States property and munitions of war in Texas to the state author- ities. Supplies had been cut off from Fort Pickens at Pensacola and Fort Sumter was in peril.
This was the situation fifty-four years ago. On that awful morning. April 12, 1861, rebel guns began to play on Fort Sumter and for two days the little garrison held out, but, being deprived of guns and ammunition and pro- visions, it was compelled to surrender and the war became a fact.
The next day, April 15, Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand troops, and volunteers began to pour in from every direction. The next day, April 16, Governor Morton issued a call for volunteers and Indiana soldiers began to fill up Indianapolis, until there were thousands of soldiers ready to obey
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any demand in defense of old glory, but there were no guns, for all the war material had been sent to the South before Lincoln became President. Mor- ton called a special session of the Legislature, and without a moment's delay two million dollars was voted to place the state on a good war footing.
What followed these events every school boy knows. A four-years war devastated every Southern state, millions of lives were sacrificed and billions of dollars spent and finally the rebels were forced to surrender and every state compelled to come back into the Union, and they are here to stay and they are as glad of it as the Northern states are. One of the great results of the war was the freedom of slavery, and the black man given his citizenship, the same as the white man.
A REBEL FLAG.
The news of the firing on Sumter reached the city of Tipton on the 13th of April, 1861, and on the morning of the 14th, when the people arose, they saw a strange flag floating from the court house tower. When it became known that it was a rebel flag, the people were indignant and there was con- siderable mutterings and when Samuel Knisell, a druggist of that day, came down town, he flew into a passion and soon had a crowd worked up to the fighting point. It was discovered that a man by the name of Jack Applegate and another man, who was a book agent, both being Southern sympathizers, had hoisted the rebel flag over the court house and Knisell went to a hardware store and got a rope and called upon the crowd to catch the men and hang them. Applegate soon saw that there was danger in remaining in Tipton and he and the book agent got out of town as quickly as they could and neither ever came back. Applegate had not lived in Tipton very long and was get- ting ready to go into the law practice, he being a fourth-rate pettifogger.
The indignant crowd pulled down the flag, tore it into strips and not being satisfied with this, gathered up the pieces and made a bonfire of them.
To offset the indignity, an American flag was procured and hoisted over the court house and a sign posted on the court house door, saying "Death to the Man that Insults This Flag."
Applegate was so alarmed and fearful that he would be caught that he crossed the Ohio river, went to the South, where he became a lieutenant- colonel of a rebel regiment. After the war, he was elected as lieutenant- governor of the state of Alabama.
There were other expressions of sympathy with the South to be heard, but these were speedily quieted. Tipton county was a Union county
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clear through. and the so-called "butternut" element was not to be found, at least, a week after the call to arms.
THE FIRST COMPANY.
Edward T. Wallace. who was a harness maker in Tipton, and a brother of the late Gen. Lew Wallace. began the organization of a company of volunteers and he set April 20th on which enlistments would be made, and before night the company roster was complete. Owing to the govern- ment not having clothing and munitions of war, they remained at home for a few days, and in the meantime, the women set to work to provide uniforms for them. They made linen caps, or bonnet-like coverings for the head, called Havelocks, red flannel shirts and blue trousers and within two days every volunteer had a ready-made uniform, all made by the patriotic women of Tipton.
On April 23rd, they formed in line for their departure, dressed in their new suits, and marched along the streets, the great contrast of bright red and dark blue presenting an appearance which seemed to the native Tiptonian as a wonderful military display. A short time before starting to the depot, which at that time was at the foot of East Jefferson street, the company marched into the public square, where several hundred people were assembled to wit- ness the presentation of a home-made banner. It was presented to the com- pany by Mrs. Ada Kane, a sister of Mrs. W. P. Gates, who now resides on West Jefferson street.
The people had come from all parts of the country to see the soldiers off to the war, so there was a large crowd in town. Finally, the company formed in line, the people having collected on the sidewalks along the street over which the soldiers had to pass on their way to the depot. As they passed along the street they were loudly cheered, to which the soldiers responded with patriotic zeal. Among that cheering throng were fathers and mothers, wives and sisters, who, with tearful eyes and throbbing hearts, bade farewell to their husbands, sons and brothers. There were also loving maidens, who could not refrain from showing their love and anxiety for certain ones as they passed by. The company soon boarded the cars and as the train moved off the soldiers, so many as could, stood on the platforms of the cars and with hat or handkerchief in hand waved a final farewell to friends who stood on the platform at the depot, watching to catch the last glimpse as the train passed out of sight.
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Thus, the first company of Tipton county volunteers for the great Civil war went into camp at Indianapolis on the 23rd.
On the 25th of April the company was mustered into the United States service, as Company F of the Eleventh Regiment of three-months men.
This company did not contain all the men from Tipton county who en- listed in the three-months service. Several men went to other counties and joined companies of other regiments, and so those counties get the credit for their service, although they were Tipton men. It was so in every county in the state.
LATER COMPANIES.
The second company raised in this county was recruited by M. C. Hol- man, W. P. Gard, R. M. Sharp and others, and organized on August 9, 1861, by electing Holman as captain, W. P. Gard, first lieutenant. and R. M. Sharp, second lieutenant. This company assembled at the village of Sharpsville on the day they were to enter the service. The people of that place served the boys with a bountiful dinner, and in every way tried to hide their sorrow with a cloak of gaiety. The company were transported to Indianapolis, and were there mustered into the service as Company C of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, on August 31, 1861.
At the expiration of their terms of enlistment. the three-months men returned, and the Eleventh Regiment was mustered out of the service on August 4, 1861. In a short time the company reorganized, with about twenty- five men from Tipton county in Company F of the new organization. They were mustered in this time for three years on August 31st.
During this same month of August another company was raised and organized, with John W. Stevenson, captain, Samuel G. Decker, first lieu- tenant, and Wesley S. King, second lieutenant. The company met at Tip- ton on the 28th of August; quartered in the court house that night; and on the next day went to Indianapolis, where they were mustered into the service as Company G, Thirty-ninth Regiment of Infantry, on August 29, 1861. This regiment was afterwards changed to the Eighth Cavalry. On May 8, 1862. Jasper M. Grove was appointed surgeon pro tem of this regiment.
The fourth company to be raised in Tipton county was recruited by M. P. Evans, E. C. Hill, N. R. Overman and others, and was organized on Octo- ber 10, 1861. Ellison C. Hill was elected captain. W. H. Hayford, first lieu- tenant, and Joseph A. Mckinsey, second lieutenant., The company went into camp at Anderson for a short time, and when the regiment was organ-
(10)
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ized, moved to Indianapolis, and were there mustered into the service as Com- pany K of the Forty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry. This was on De- cember 13, 1861. Marion P. Evans, of Tipton, was appointed adjutant of the regiment by Governor Morton.
In addition to the four companies organized in the county, there were a few men in each of the Thirteenth, Seventeenth, Twenty-first. Twenty- second, Twenty-third, Forty-second, Fifty-first and Fifty-seventh Regiments of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in all nearly a hundred men. With the roster of the four full companies, this made a total of five hundred men enlisted from this county before the close of the year 1861.
DONATIONS.
The call for such a large number of men by the government made im- possible the immediate equipment of the companies. Governor Morton called upon the people of Indiana for donations of such things as were needed to supply the soldiers during the coming winter. The people responded liberally and with high patriotism. The women gathered together and made clothing, bedding, bandages, and other necessities. Food stuffs were collected and sent to the soldiers, or to the state agent, who, in turn, distributed the supplies. This agent was compelled to call a halt in the supply after a time, for there was more than the men could use.
WINTER OF 1861-2.
The winter of 1861 and 1862 was a time of doubt and apprehension. At the outset of hostilities, the people of the North as a whole believed that the Confederacy would be crushed with a single blow, and the Union pre- served. Months passed, and the defiance and success of the rebel arms be- came greater. McClellan and the Army of the Potomac were accomplishing nothing, and even in other parts of the field of battle the Union forces had been stricken with defeat by the Southerners. A grimness of countenance, a concise spirit of determination, and a tenacious desire to quench the rebellion took hold of the people, and, without a smile, they realized that a task was set, the completion of which would mean a sanguinary cost, horrible to con- template or estimate.
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1862 ENLISTMENTS.
On July 15, 1862, Isaac H. Montgomery was commissioned a second lieutenant. The governor of the state had commissioned second lieutenants as recruiting officers, who, if they succeeded in raising a company, were al- lowed to go into the field and retain the rank. Accordingly, Montgomery began recruiting, being aided by Dr. Isaac Parker, J. V. Cox and Sylvester Turpen. They enlisted one hundred and thirty-five men, and organized a company on the 26th of the same month. Montgomery was elected captain, George L. Shaw, first lieutenant, and Noah W. Parker, second lieutenant. The governor designated the organization of regiments by congressional dis- tricts, and for convenience arranged rendezvous camps in each district. Tip- ton was then in the eleventh district, for which a camp was established at Wabash. This camp was not prepared when Montgomery's troops was organized, so the men had to stay at home for a few days.
PICNICS.
During this time the citizens of Normanda and vicinity held a picnic in a grove just south of that village. This celebration was held on August 6, 1862. An ox was killed and roasted, and then fed to several thousand people assembled. It was a gala day, and a greater part of the time was spent in speech-making, among the principal speakers being Judge John Green, Dr. Isaac Parker, J. V. Cox, Dr. A. M. Vickery and Judge Joshua Jones. The lat- ter orator waxed warm and emphatically stated that if he had the power he would uncap the lower regions, heat the flames of the devil's resort seven times hotter than the hottest flame old Satan had ever fanned, and then cause a cyclone to rise in the Gulf of Mexico large enough to gather and encircle in its winding embrace every man who had helped to bring on this wicked rebel- lion. The cyclone should carry them over the deepest hole in the hottest place of that lake of fire, and with all its force shoot them forth, as a ball from a cannon, down into the lowest depths of the deepest hell, so far out of sight that old Satan himself could never find them.
The citizens of Tipton, a few days after the above day, prepared a large dinner at the old fair grounds, south of town. Here a similar program was carried out, even to the roasting of an ox carcass. Captain Montgomery's company was present in a body. Speeches were made by the leading citizens and a general good time enjoyed.
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Soon after dinner the company formed in line and marched through town to the depot, where they took the train for Wabash, arriving at that city on the evening of August 11, 1862. They went into camp on the south side of the river, near the city, and remained there for a few days, or until their regiment was organized. Then they moved to Indianapolis, and were mustered into the service as Company B of the Seventy-fifth Regiment, Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry. This was on August 19, 1862. Dr. James B. White, of Normanda, was appointed assistant surgeon of this regiment.
In this company there were more men than needed, so these remained at home and began immediately to recruit for another company. Sylvester Turpen was commissioned a second lieutenant to organize it. In a very few days a sufficient number of men were obtained. On August 15, 1862, the company was organized, and Alexander McCreary was elected captain, Syl- vester Turpen, first lieutenant, and Ezekiel L. Cooper, second lieutenant. On the same afternoon they went to Wabash, after partaking of a dinner given at several homes in Tipton. The men remained at Wabash until the company was organized, whereupon they entrained for Indianapolis. There they were mustered in as Company C of the One Hundred and First Infantry, on September 7, 1862. James Price, of Tipton, for whom the Grand Army post at Tipton has been named, was appointed adjutant of this regiment. Rev. Thomas Whalen, of Tipton, was appointed chaplain for this regiment on May 14, 1863, but had to resign September 3, 1863, on account of dis- ability.
Then followed another wearisome and anxious winter. . There were many more men in the field who needed the assistance of the people at home, and this was given them to the greatest extent possible. Every means was resorted to in order to get funds to purchase supplies for the troops.
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE.
The state Legislature of 1863 convened, and passed, or attempted to pass, measures which threw a gloom over the whole state. This body of men declared the war a failure, demanded a cessation of hostilities, a compro- mise with the rebels, and even tried to prevent the granting of state appropria- tions for military purposes, and to take the command of the state militia from Governor Morton's hands. Partisan feeling was the motive for these dis- graceful actions. This demoralization, due to politics, led to many serious affairs. Patriotism ran at low ebb at home, soldiers deserted from the armies in the field, and the Southerners took renewed hope. A secret organ-
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ization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle was established, a treason- able body to the extreme. Designing politicians organized these bodies, through corruption, deception and violence. In several counties of the state this condition led to bloodshed. Enrolling officers and marshals were shot down while in the discharge of their duties.
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