USA > Indiana > Reunion of the 9th regiment Indiana vet. vol. infantry association, 1892-1904 > Part 22
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Comrade J. A. M. Lapiere, secretary of the Forty- eighth Indiana Infantry, residing at Plymouth, Ind., being called up, made an earnest and eloquent appeal to all old soldiers to join the Grand Army. That he loved all hon- orably discharged old soldiers, and outside of his own regi- ment know more of the members of the 9th. 29th and 73d Indiana Regiments than other Indiana regiments, but was proud of all of the regiments of his state, proud that he was an American, and that he was a citizen and a soldier of the state that gave the Nation such men as Morton, Colfax and Lawton.
At this point the Glee Club sang America, in which the audience joined. and the camp-fire was declared closed ..
FOREXOON OF SECOND DAY. 8 A. M.
Meeting called to order, and on motion the matter of replying to greeting of Forty-first Ohio Regiment was re- ferred to the Executive Cammittee, who were instructed to return the fraternal greeting in appropriate language and to telegraph same at earliest moment to the President of the Forty-first Ohio Veteran Association.
Comrade Whitehall said he would like to suggest to the comrades the propriety of in some way marking the site of Camp Colifax, at La Porte. where the regiment had its rendezvous camp in 1861. That it had occurred to him that the citizens of La Porte would willingly join the regiment in erecting a memorial stone or tablet near the center of the territory embraced in the camp ground to mark the loca- tion of the camp. He had thought such a marker or mont- ment might be selected and erected without very great ex- pense, and suggested the planting of an unusually large granite boulder, such as is common in the vicinity of La Porte, and that a bronze tablet suitably inscribed be at- tached to a dressed side of the big rock. Several other comrades spoke in approval of the proposition and upon motion the following committee were chosen to confer with the city of township authorities or both of La Porte, and
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sce whether or not, they would take action to mark in some suitable and permanent manner the grounds known as Camp Colifax: Gen. I. C. B. Suman, Major Geo. H. Carter, Lieut. Ed. Ephlin, Comrades Sam. C. Kessler and Wm. H. Carr. To report at next reunion.
Lieut. J. M. Helmick moved that a committee of five be appointed to memoralize on behalf of the Ninth Indiana Regiment of Infantry, the Commissioners of Jasper County, Ind., to suitably mark the residence and grounds of the late Major General Robert H. Milroy, at Renselaer, Ind. The motion prevailed and the chair named as such committee Lieuts. J. M. Helmick and B. R. Faris, Sergt. Robert S. Dwiggins, Capt. M. F. Chilcoat and Lient. Wm. H. Rhoades, and instructed them to report at next meeting.
Capt. Johnson said that as a few of the comrades felt they must start for their homes on the trains departing dur- ing the noon hour, that it had been determined by the Ex- ecutive Committee to have a sort of an old soldiers' love feast for the next hour, and he had been requested by Gen. Suman to call the roll of those registered as present, and it was expected every comrade would rise to his feet and say a few words regarding his experience in civil life, or tell some incident of his army services, and the committee felt that if the speeches were cut short that very many comrades who had never voluntarily spoken at these reunions might be induced to say a few words concerning what they had done since the war, or tell some story of the service, as they felt inclined, and for himself he hoped this precedent of calling the roll of comrades present would be followed in the future and every man be heard from if possible at each of our meetings. Accordingly the roll was called and the fol- lowing comrades responded quite briefly, for the most part simply stating that they were pleased at being able to attend the reunion and had enjoyed again meeting old comrades, and also enjoyed the hospitality shown by the citizens of Plymouth. Most of the comrades said they enjoyed fairly good health, and had secured for themselves. generally by hard knocks, good home comforts, and felt like getting the best out of life for whatever length of time they might live, and had a desire to meet annually with the surviving com- rades in these reunions just as long as it was possible. A few of the comrades, on the other hand, said that they were not able to report that fortune had dealt so favorably with them as it had with some of their comrades, and that on account of wounds, disease or unavoidable misfortunes, they
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had had a hard struggle for existence, but were always pleased to have a reunion held near enough for them to get to it and enjoy a renewal of the old time comradeship with the nien they had soldiered with.
Owing to the fact of the secretary being busy writing dues, receipts and other routine work, he was unable to make notes of what was said by the following comrades who rose to their feet and either excused themselves from say- ing more than they were glad to be present and were en- joying the reunion : John A. Lowery, Byron A. Dunn, Wm. Brummitt, Sergt. Sam Laudis, Everett Cawood, James Mc- Knight, George Williams, J. W. Zea, Major Geo. H. Carter, Lieut. Ed. Ephlin, Lieut. John Banta, Daniel Peeples and Lieut. Prickett. Quite a number were called upon who were temporarily absent from the room, and there being a strong suspicion that some of the comrades purposely slipped out, notice was served on such that the call would be continued at our next meeting at Hobart.
The following comrades spoke at more length : Lieut. Ezra Willard and Sam L. Swinney.
As Lieut. Willard had been off on about a 35 years' absence he was particularly urged to tell the comrades what he had been doing and how well or ill the world had used him since he left the Ninth. In his quiet and earnest way the comrade said when he got back from the front he found he had something over five hundred dollars to begin life on, and he did what seemed to him, as to other men of limited capital the best thing to do, he went west to grow up with the country, and he found, as many men do who go among strangers, and into a new and undeveloped country. that it took hard work, plain living and a good deal of self-denial on the part of himself and wife to make them an humble home, and for him to build up a law business that would sustain him and his family, and that in his earlier experiences he had had to work with both head and hands, but after a steady and persistent struggle he had been able to provide a comfortable home for his family, and built up a fairly good law business in Atlantic, Iowa, which he had seen grow from a little hamlet, and had seen the great prairies of this part of the state gradually transformed into fine farming communi- ties and while all this had been transpiring he found he had grown stouter and grayer, and had many times felt he would like to just run up against what was still left of the old Ninth and see what Time had done for the boys he had known from '61 to '65. and he had finally made up his mind to come
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to this reunion and had been greatly gratified to meet such comrades among those yet living as he had been able to.
Samuel L. Swinney, who was remembered as a slender, sickly young fellow in Company K, now a large, portly, good-looking man, was not at first recognized, but after a few words the boys of K realized that the fine looking, well preserved, business like man was the same identical Sam Swinney, the slender, sickly boy that they had seen sent back up North in 1863 to die.
Comrade Swinney spoke as follows :
Comrade Swinney, in an easy, off-hand way, told of a time he had been sent back sick to the hospital, and though he seemed daily growing worse and weaker, he was finally found by the wife of the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 6th Kentucky, who had a boy of about Swinney's age, and when she found he belonged in the same brigade with her husband she obtained permission to take him to her own home, and Sam thinks she saved his life by taking him from the hospital and by her careful nursing. When he had recovered, he was again sent to his regiment, and in the retreat to Louisville, when Bragg advanced into Ken- tucky, as the 9th got within a few miles of Louisville, Swinney felt a strong desire to call on the good lady who had nursed him back to health, and he admitted he not only wanted to see the good, big-hearted, motherly woman, but wanted as well to get another taste of her good cooking, and so he went to Capt. McConnell and asked him for leave to go on into Louisville, and the captain very promptly and emphat- ically told him to stay with his company, as there was strict orders against allowing the soldiers to "straggle" and go into the city. Sam dropped back into the ranks with a heavy heart, and as he and Lieut. Banta were non-commissioned officers and chums, he told Banta he knew where they could get a "square" meal if they could only manage to dodge Capt. Mac, and get away from the company. John ac- knowledged that a home-cooked meal just then would tempt him into taking an almighty big risk ; finally the two boys "got lost from the company" at a favorable time. and made a bee-line for the city. When they got into the city Banta said: "Now Sam. are you sure you can go to that woman's house?" and Sam said, "Oh, yes," but after wandering around awhile he was not so sure he could find the house, and as he and John were tramping along in the middle of the street and he was trying to "spot" the house where he had been sheltered for several weeks, a young fellow on the
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sidewalk sang out : "Hello, Sam. is that you?" "Yes, Ben. how are you? I was just hunting your mother's house." And so Ben, who was the good lady's son, piloted Sam and John to the Colonel's home, and the Colonel's wife, in spite of Sam's ragged and dusty appearance, kissed him and seemed as glad to see him as if she had been his own mother, and he and Banta got a chance to "wash up," and sat down to a splendid dinner that they did full justice to, and after a visit with Ben and his mother they started back to camp and found they could not get to the camp without a pass, and so they went to the Galt House and hung around to see if they could find an officer who would pass them into camp. They were both getting uneasy for fear it might go hard with them if they didn't get into camp and square themselves with Capt. McConnell. Swinney finally noticed a quiet, middle-aged looking officer standing apart from the others, and approached him, saluted, and told him that he and his "pardner" wanted to get back to camp, and the officer in- quired how he came to be there anyhow, and Sam told him the straight of it, how they had run in to see a good woman who had taken care of him when he was sick, and confessed . he wanted to eat dinner once more under her roof. The officer inquired: "Well, was the lady glad to see you?" "Oh, yes; she was so glad she kissed me." "The d-1 she did! Well, she must have had a strong stomach. So you want to go into camp, eh?" and the officer took a pen and bit of paper and wrote a pass, and Swinney and Banta dis- covered by the signature the officer was General Wm. Sooy Smith. Subsequently Comrade Swinney, about a year later, was sent North so badly broken in health that he was discharged on a surgeon's certificate of disability. The comrade narrated his experience since the war, stating he was in comfortable circumstances, and now had fairly good health.
It was decided to finish up any regular business yet to be transacted and adjourn in ample time that all comrades wishing to depart before one o'clock might get dinner and get away in due time. and after dinner that those remain- ing gather at the G. A. R. Hall and continue the calling of the roll and responses by the comrades.
Capt. McConnell, chairman of the committee on resolu- tions, submitted the following resolutions, which were unan- imously adopted by a rising vote :
Resolved. That this association has the keenest appre- viation of the large, warm-hearted hospitality of the citizens
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of the beautiful city of Plymouth. Our reception here is such as shows to us that regard for the services of the soldiers of 1861 to 1865 still lives in the hearts of this gener- ation, and we especially feel grateful to the good ladies of Plymouth for their share in the welcome extended to us, without them our reception would have been without its greatest charm.
Resolved further, That we are under especial obliga- tions to Emanuel Price, John W. Wiltfong. J. G. Davis, K. Frank Brook and J. D. Vangilder, of the Glee Club, and to Mrs. D. Frank Redd, pianist, who contributed by their ex- cellent music to make our campfire the enjoyable occasion it was. We will always bear them and their delightful and very artistic music in grateful remembrance.
Resolved, That this association desires to record its annual expression of grateful appreciation of the labors in behalf of the association of our loved comrade, Alexander L. Whitehall, as corresponding secretary. His faithfulness and ability is not surpassed in the history of regimental as- sociations incident to the war of 1861, and we deeply regret that the circumstances which burden him with such labors should be such as to leave him without reward other than our love and gratitude.
The quartermaster, as Capt. Johnson called the roll, handed out the tickets of admission to a superb dinner, served by the ladies in the Methodist church, and the asso- ciation then took a recess for dinner.
AFTERNOON SECOND DAY.
About fifty comrades and ladies returned from their excellent dinner at the church, to the G. A. R. Hall, and about 2 o'clock, p. m., President Suman called the meeting to order and announced that the roll would be called for talks from members and he hoped the comrades would rise to their feet and say at least a few words.
Jones Grant, of Company D, who was wounded several times in prior battles, was desperately wounded on the second day's fight at Chickamauga and captured and had a bitter prison experience, was called upon, and many com- rades insisted upon his giving his experience while lying on the battle field, but he seemed reluctant to speak very much of the terrible experiences he passed through while lying terribly wounded, uncared for and unattended, on the battle field for several days. Comrade Grant. if the writer
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heard correctly, stated he was wounded late in the afternoon Sunday while the regiment was repelling, in conjunction with the 125th Ohio and other regiments, a desperate charge made by Longstreet's men in an attempt to break through our lines between the Kelly field and Snodgrass Hill, that as he was unable to help himself he had to lie where he had fallen and kept hoping that he would be seen and picked up, but no aid came and about nightfall he hailed a staff officer riding past and the officer told him his regiment had left the field and the army of Thomas was falling back, and he passed that night on the battle field weak and helpless, suffering with his wound and thirsting for water.
"The next day," said Comrade Grant, "I think not later than 9 o'clock, a confederate skirmish line cautiously ad- vanced to where I was lying, apparently fearing a trap had been set for them. I talked with some of the confederates and at first they did not seem to believe that our army had really fallen back, and they said to me, 'why, if your general had only known it we were as badly whipped as you were.'"
Comrade Grant, from what he saw of the cautious man- ner in which the army of Bragg moved after Thomas and of the talk he heard then and while he was a prisoner, was of the opinion that if Gen. Thomas had remained in position till Monday morning Bragg's army would have fallen back instead of advancing.
The writer was unable to hear all Comrade Grant said, but understood he was, after several days, picked up by negroes and put into a wagon and taken to a Field Hospital and subsequently, as he grew stronger, sent to prison.
Judge McConnell at this point read extracts from a speech made by a certain minister in Chicago assailing our soldiers in the Philippines as the "scum of the earth." drunk- en and devilish men unfit to be called Americans.
Considerable indignation was expressed for the white- livered, traitorous wretch, mean and cowardly enough to as sail men as far above him in real, genuine manhood and chivalry, as righteousness is above sin. And deeming him unworthy of the criticism of the soldiers who made it pos. sible for such a creature to even live in this republic, the veterans resumed the roll call, and several veterans called for being absent or excusing themselves, Gen. Suman's name was reached, and he said :
"Comrades. I pity a man whose soul is so small, and his love of country so dwarfed that he can utter such un- American expressions in regard to our gallant men in the
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Philippines as this preacher up in Chicago is charged with saying in a public speech.
"We know that by creatures of his ilk the soldiers of the U'nion were also reviled and defamed in the days of our na- tion's greatest peril. But such a man is beneath the atten- tion of any man, soldier or not, who loves his country and his country's flag.
"In the main, comrades, we have good reason to con- gratulate ourselves that in civil life our regiment has made a good record. The Ninth has furnished three governors. two United States senators, and over a dozen judges, and numerous county and town officials who have acquitted themselves honorably and creditably to our regiment.
"Comrades, we have in the past shown that our citizen- ship is on par with our conduct as soldiers of this magnifi- cent republic, and as our lives are gradually drawing to a close, we must aim to so live as that we shall be able to meet our comrades in the great beyond."
General Suman said as some of the boys had referred to incidents in their service life, he was just then reminded of a sort of a picnic and wild goose chase that the regiment took while on the Atlanta campaign. Many of you boys will recall that little scouting expedition and some of the fun we had on the trip. The writer's attention was at this stage of the General's talk occupied in work which pre- cluded us from getting a report of what he said, and though we have urged the General to give us the substance of his story of that picnic party he has refused and said, "just in- corporate in your report what my brave boys said and let my talks go." The writer was not with the regiment and has not had an opportunity to get "coached" by one of the boys that was on the trip so as to be able to give a correct write- up of the expedition so we shall simply have to content our- self with saying that during the narration of the General of the day's doings, many old comrades who were "right in it" were moved to uproarious laughter as the General detailed some of the happenings.
From such of the talk as we were able to hear, it seemed Suman felt the boys had been on a strain for over three months marching, skirmishing and fighting almost daily along with Sherman's main army, and he felt a day out in the woods all by themselves would be a relaxation which they would enjoy and as there was a certain ridge or moun- tain of which but little was known by our scouts he con- ceived the idea of asking for a day off in order to give the
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boys a little outing by taking them up on that mountain to see what was there. Accordingly he sent in a request to Gen. Sherman for permission "to take his regiment and go fishing" upon the mountain. "Uncle Billy" was very much amused when he was told one of his Colonels wanted to take his regiment and go fishing, and said: "Well, what darn fool officer makes such a fool request as that? Suman of the Ninth Indiana, eh? Well, let him take his regiment and go up there on the mountain and watch our flank and see if he can find how the country lies," and so the regiment which had been reduced to rather a small battalion of well- seasoned survivors that had started out with a good comple- ment of men for a regiment when the campaign opened in the spring, and was now in good shape after months of ac- tive, effective skirmish work to either "fight or run" as the exigencies of the situation might demand, filed out of camp and climbed the mountain and ultimately halted at a cabin near the top, and as we remember, the Colonel's description of the woman who came to the cabin door, she was not endowed with the pleasing contour of the female form divine, the pretty face and winsome way that wins at a beauty show. On the contrary the matron of the mountain was simply an angular, altogether unlovely specimen of the female Georgia Cracker. The doughty Colonel of the Ninth, in his blandest and most seductive tones, saluted the Lady of the Mountain, and after a few commonplace questions, inquired of her ladyship if she would be kind enough to tell him what was on the other side of the moun- tain and if any one lived there, and she made reply to the effect, "You d- Yankee if you want to know what is on the totherside of that mountain you jist go ahead and find out." And the regiment did go ahead, and what they found, whether it was fighting or eating, is what the writer failed to hear, and when we next caught on to the tail end of the story the Colonel was telling how one Moxley. who had a surveyor's compass that had excited the curiosity of a rustic they had picked up somewhere on the mountain, and Moxley told the fellows that the instrument was a "lic tester" and induced the unsophisticated coon hunter to look into the telescope, told him now he must answer his ques. tions and be careful to tell the truth as the machine would show when he was lying, and thereupon proceeded to ex- tract information as to the surrounding country and whether any confederates were in the neighborhood, etc.
Several other comrades were called upon and it was
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found they had gone to the depot and it was deemed best to close the meeting.
.At the request of the president Miss Madge Whitehall took her place at the organ and the comrades and their wives rose to their feet and sang fervently "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow." and the reunion was de- clared adjourned.
PRESENT AT REUNION.
Gen. 1. C. B. Suman, president, Valparaiso.
A. L. Whitehall, corresponding secretary, Chicago.
Lieut. J. M. Helmick, secretary, Wheatfield. Lieut. John Banta, treasurer, Logansport.
Major Jas. D. Braden and wife, Elkhart.
Ed. L. D. Foster, Co. C. Goshen.
W'm. A. Markle. Co. I, Goshen.
11. L. Shupert. C. Elkhart.
M. Nicolai, E, Syracuse.
B. F. Hentzell, E, Syracuse.
A. G. Manning and wife, C, Elkhart.
Rinard Stutzman, C. Elkhart.
Chas. I .. Andrews, D, Plymouth.
Lieut. Washington Kelly,-, Plymouth.
Capt. Amasa Johnson, D, Plymouth.
Mrs. John L. Knapp, widow of John L. Knapp, C, Spring Valley, III.
Philetus P. Abel and wife, C, Elkhart.
Jackson Barnes and wife, F, Spring Grove, Mich.
C. P. Jackson, K. Bringhurst.
Henry Chilcot, K. Logansport.
Augustus Cooke, K. Logansport.
Joseph H. Leffert. K. Logansport.
L. H. Burns, K, Logansport.
Capt. Geo. K. Marshall, A, Logansport.
Capt. James M. Wharton. A. Bringhurst.
J. S. Hunumer, A, Sedalia. Jas. Chambers. K. Logansport.
J. M. Barron, K. Logansport. John H. Watts, K, Monticello.
Alpheus Porter, K. Logansport. Win. Banta and wife, K, Logansport. Geo. Friend and wife, K, Logansport.
Capt. D. B. McConnell. K, Logansport. John F. Hulderman and daughter, F, Wakarusa. john G. Leonard, D, Plymouth.
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Silas Roose and wife, K, Wakarusa. Nathan Bales, B, Washington, Kan. Luther Johnson, D, Bourbon. Samuel C. Kessler, C, La Porte. Levi Van Winkle, B, Walkerton. John H. Mathews, H. Hobart.
Peter D. Holmes. B. Michigan City. W. H. Rifenburger, E, Hobart. John Ritz, II, Valparaiso. J. W. Zea, HI, Valparaiso. Robert Donnell, B. Michigan City.
Wm. H. Carr, F, New Carlisle.
Jerome Martin and wife, K, Wakarusa.
Lieut. J. M. Hehmick and daughter, E, Wheatfield.
Lient. Thomas Prickett, E, Ligonier. Moses Richards, D, Argos. Jones Grant and wife, D, Bourbon.
Alex. L. Whitehall, wife and daughter. F. Chicago. A. R. Castle, E. Hobart. John Stewart, E, Palmer.
S. L. Swinney, K, Kankakee, Ill.
Geo. Williams, E, Palmer. Jas. MeNight, E, Leroy.
(). S. Wood, band. Valparaiso.
Harvey J. Smith, C, Donaldson.
Nelson Bailey, D, Plymouth.
Jesse Moore, D, Argos. Gustavus A. Thompson, B, Chicago. Louisa Burch, widow of Jas. Burch, D. Plymouth.
Daniel Peeples, D, Maxenkuckee.
George Peeples, D. Maxenkuckee.
Geo. W. Dawson, D, Argos. Everett Cawood. D, Burnettsville.
Samuel Landis, K, Carroll. Tohn Morrow and wife, HI, Hebron.
O. V. Servis and wife, E, Orchard Grove.
H. O. Kremer, 1. Mishawaka. William Bonny, I, Mishawaka. Samuel James, I, Mishawaka. Wm. Brummitt, I, New Carlisle. David Slough, 1, South Bend. Lieut. Robt. H. Drulinger, H, South Bend. Maj. Geo. II. Carter, La Porte. Lient. Ed. Ephlin, F and A. La Porte. F. Molebash, I, Napinec.
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