USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, and representative citizens > Part 43
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Little did our nation dream of things to come, when Father Time ushered in the new veer of promise, 1898. True, for many years our people had shuddered at the misgovernment of the Spanish government in Cuba. Until the question of State's rights and slavery were set- tled here at home, we cared little about the woes of our island neighbors.
But since all was bliss and happiness at home, the shrieks of anguish of the Cuban peo- ple were heard more distinctly, and the martyr President, William McKinley, determined to learn for himself the exact condition of things on the beautiful and rich island, long since named the "Gem of the Antilles." Official inves- tigation proved to the world that things were even worse than supposed. Weyler, Blanco, and other despotic governors were drenching the island in blood, while the revolutionists led by Gomez fought grimly from the mountain fastnesses of the interior for liberty and justice.
In February the battleship "Maine" was sent to Havana to protect the lives and property of American citizens. On the night of Febru- ary 15, 1898, while most of the fated crew were asleep in quarters, this fine battleship, with its complement of brave blue-jackets, was sunk and utterly destroyed by a submarine mine, 266 lives being lost, among them Seaman Hawkins and Elmer W. Meilstrup, of Bay City. The latter, a son of J. S. Meilstrup, for years man- ager for the Sage Company's interests on the West Side, was a High School graduate, and a member of the Peninsular Military Company, when in 1897 he joined the navy. William Mattison, in 1905 color-bearer of the local mili- tary company, was asleep in his hammock on the "Maine," when the terrific explosion hurled him overboard, where he was picked up by a rescuing party. For months he suffered terri- bly from the scalds, burns, and wounds from slivers, caused by the explosion but eventually his rugged physique won out, and today he is following his daily vocation in his old home, a living reminder of the dastardly crime against our country, which stirred our country even more suddenly than did the echoes of the firing on Fort Sumter.
The death of Hawkins and Meilstrup brought the tragedy into our very homes, and nowhere was the resentment stronger than in Bay County. For 24 years Bay City had con- tributed through the Peninsular Military Com- pany its mite to the rather neglected and thank- less State military service, but after the blowing up of the "Maine," when war became a cer- tainty, the community felt assured, that here as in 1861 Bay County would do its full duty.
The Peninsular Military Company, now Company B, Third Infantry, Michigan Na- tional Guard, was organized in November, 1873, by the members of the I. K. U. K. Club, a social organization, having in its ranks many
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of the promising young business and profes- sional men of the thriving lumber town. Those were the years of reconstruction throughout the land, and the volunteer service, which had been utterly neglected after the close of the Civil War, was just being reorganized by Mich- igan. On April 13, 1874, the Peninsulars were mustered into the State service, as Company D, Third Regiment, M. S. T. Frank H. Black- man, now of Detroit, a veteran of the Sixth Maine Infantry, was chosen captain; L. A. Pratt, today our leading architect, was chosen Ist lieutenant; and T. K. Harding, now chief of the Fire Department, was chosen 2nd lieu- tenant, with G. Harry Shearer, Ist sergeant. Charles R. Hawley, who in the next 22 years rose from sergeant to brigade commander of the Michigan National Guard, Ex-Congress- man T. A. E. Weadock, J. S. McNeil and Frank Denio were sergeants. J. L. Stoddard was president ; Edgar A. Cooley, vice-president; W. G. McMath, secretary ; and Judge Thomas E. Webster, treasurer, of the charter organiza- tion, while Charles D. Vail, father of the com- pany, and in 1905 still in active business ; C. C. Whitney, J. F. Eddy, B. Burton, Mendel J. Bialy, afterward State Senator ; R. C. Bialy, F. S. Pratt, J. A. McKay, Lyman F. Beach, J. K. Mason, R. B. Dolsen, L. Dolsen and many an- other of Bay City's prominent business and pro- fessional men, in the intervening years, were on the muster roll of this company 30 years ago.
In 1877 they were ordered to Detroit where riots were caused by railroad difficulties. In 1881, under Capt. C. R. Hawley, the Penin- sulars were the body-guard of Governor Be- gole at the centennial celebration upon the bat- tle-field of Yorktown, Virginia. During the strikes in the sawmill industry along the shore in 1884-86, the Peninsulars were on active duty in command of another Civil War veteran, Cap- tain H. P. Warfield, in 1905, superintendent of
Elm Lawn Cemetery, and the members of the company acquitted themselves in this trying duty with commendable good judgment and efficient performance of duty. In the next 10 years the routine of barrack drilling was varied only by occasional socials. The annual encamp- ments, from 1891, when the writer enlisted, to 1900, were held at Island Lake with the excep- tion of 1898-99, when the volunteers had more important work to do.
Fortunately for Michigan, the brigade in 1896-97 had the benefit of co-operation from the regular army, the 19th United States In- fantry taking part in the field camps. Maj. Charles A. Vernon, then as now, was the effi- cient regular army instructor detailed to Mich- igan, and General Hawley of Bay City had learned much in the 22 years of State service, which he put into practical execution during his command of Michigan's volunteers, while the commander-in-chief, Governor Hazen S. Pingree, was himself a Civil War veteran. Hence when the 32 years of peace were broken by the appalling disaster of the "Maine," the local military company, and the four regiments in Michigan, were in a high state of efficiency.
When in March, 1898, it became certain that war was inevitable, there was a rush of young men to the colors, and hundreds had to be turned away, because each company was al- lowed but 112 men. Many of those unable to join the Peninsulars went into other regiments, regulars and volunteers, while still others joined the navy, so that Bay County furnished in the four short months of actual combat about 300 men, many of whom later went to the Philip- pines.
On April 26, 1898, the Peninsular Military Company, later Company C, 33d Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and now Company B, Third Infantry, Michigan National Guard, answered the call of President Mckinley for
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service against Spain. It was a day never to be forgotten by those in line. Thousands of people thronged the streets, business was sus- pended, cannons roared, bands played and fire- works added to the din, while the decorations in red, white and blue made one think it might be a Fourth of July celebration. Led by the regimental band and accompanied by the Vet- eran Corps of the Peninsulars, who throughout the war looked after the families and relatives of the men on duty in Cuba, and by many civic societies, the men destined to see the most stir- ring events at Santiago marched from the old barracks on Washington avenue and Ninth street down Center avenue to Jackson street and the Michigan Central Railroad Depot, every inch of the way through a mass of shout- ing, cheering, and even tearful thousands.
The muster roll of the Peninsulars on that day was as follows: Captain, W. D. Parke; lieutenants,-C. H. Dumont and G. A. Mand- ley ; Ist sergeant, A. H. Gansser ; quartermaster sergeant, J. T. Sills ; sergeants,-H. E. Burton, W. N. Schultz, A. R. Frantz, R. V. Miller, H. J. Hoffman and J. H. Alberts; Corporals,-C. D. Webster, A. N. Rhodes, Frank Koth, G. T. Whaler, E. M. Jones, Louie Irons, J. E. Brockway and R. S. Youngs ; musicians,-W. S. Kurzrock and P. M. Lawrence; privates,- E. A. Annis, George Brisbeau, Henry Camp- bell, C. C. Carter, F. W. Crosbie, Charles C. Cuthbert, G.A. Cobb, J. J. Coleman, Orrin Cole- man, J. C. Delaney, W. H. Dollard (died in Cuba ), E. C. Eickemeyer, J. M. Goepfert, Emil Gelinas, A. Grimm, Stanley Gilkey, H. J. Gra- ham, G. R. Hoover, F. L. Harwood (died in Philippines ), F. J. Haut, H. F. Kutella, Fred Karl, H. J. Koth, John Karpus, L. C. Knack, F. G. Leser, Florenz Lutzke, F. Marshall, D. H. MacMillan (died in 1905), C. J. McIntyre, J. WV. McKee (died in 1904), William Metzger,
C. C. Merritt, F. R. Merrick, W. R. Misener, A. McClellan, H. J. C. Maus, A. L. Montgomery, C. W. Marshall, Chester Nolan, J. J. Parker, H. S. Perry, A. Potter, H. H. Presley, G. G. Reinhardt, J. K. Reigel, H. E. Rogers, William Risto, J. S. Sills, C. C. Stockford, E. A. Spier, J. H. Schultz, J. Schettler, H. H. Schroeder, W. H. Thompson (died in 1898), Roy Verity, E. A. VanDyke, W. F. VanDyke, C. L. Walk, B. Walker, F. B. Wiley, G. A. Wright, F. A. Wells, and J. F. Berdan, the last named a Civil War veteran, who was later barred on account of the age limit. A number of these were called home during May for family reasons, and a number were rejected in the physical examina- tions conducted by regular army surgeons and State appointees. Much fault was found at the time with the haste and apparent inaccuracy of this vital test of physical fitness for the rigors of a campaign in Cuba. Since the average examined was more than one per minute, the cause of many of these mistakes is apparent. To fill these vacancies, recruiting was carried on the latter part of May and the following ad- ditional members were mustered in at Island Lake: M. Anderson, J. A. Brown, W. M. H. Carpenter, Charles Calkins (died in Philip- pines, 1899), E. S. Dunbar, R. M. Dawley, W. H. Ellis, E. A. Foss, A. E. Fessette (died in Cuba), H. D. Fenton, P. E. Filiatrault, F. B. Hammond, F. E. Bence (died in 1902), P. F. Hendrie, A. B. Kelley, F. A. Greening, J. B. Galloway, J. L. Hiliker, H. Hallead, W. E. Hurlbert, J. W. Hutchins, W. E. Johnson, G. P. Labadie, F. Langstaff, A. A. Lyon, C. F. Laframboise, C. L. Martin, J. Lester, D. L. Meyers, Fred Meyers (died in 1902), A. G. Nobeck, Al. Ostrom, C. A. Pusey, Burt Piper, C. A. Pringle, W. Pringle (died in 1900), A. Pellow, G. L. Parent (died in Philippines,
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1900), G. F. Parsons, A. Rouse, J. T. Sills (died in Cuba), R. E. Verity, H. L. Warren, L. Wiles and T. M. McKee.
The following from Bay County served in other companies of the 33rd Michigan: Com- pany B, M. Highland; Company E, Bert F. Becker (died at Montauk Point, 1898), F. Heike, L. G. Wilkinson, R. N. Colburn, F. M. Schindehette and G. Rabideau; Company M, J. E. Rabideau and C. B. Mervick.
The 33rd Michigan Infantry Band, T. W. Goldsmith, drum major, was largely composed of Bay City musicians. Sergt. Frank Heric, now in the Philippines with the regulars, was chief musician, and Jesse Wagar, now leader of the band here, was principal musician. Among the musicians who stirred the rocks of Cuba by their martial airs were: E. B. Hartig, Charles Hartig, Victor Heric, Nicholas Heric, Joseph Lafountain, A. Carrier, Frank Sharpe (died in Cuba), George E. Smart, J. Muschall, J. Schopski, W. Barber, P. Roeder, Ed. Nunn, G. E. Nunn, R. R. Lemke and A. Goslar. Va- cancies on the band were latter filled by enlist- ment of musicians from other parts of the State. The band throughout 1898 held a high place for proficiency, wherever it had occas- ion to show its merit.
The events in the Spanish-American war moved fast indeed, and thanks particularly to our jolly tars, the war was over in less time than it required in ages gone to begin the pre- liminaries. On April II, President Mckinley asked Congress for power to intervene in Cuba, which was ordered on April 19th. Our ultima- tum was wired Minister Woodford at Madrid April 20th, and promptly rejected by the haugh- ty Dons. On April 21st at 7 A. M., war was declared, and within 24 hours Admiral Samp- son's fleet moved on Havana. On April 22nd the gunboat "Nashville" fired the first shot at a land battery near Havana. On April 23rd
President Mckinley asked for 125,000 volun- teers, a figure somewhat in excess of the full strength of our country's National Guard.
On April 26th Michigan's five regiments were mobilized at Island Lake. Bay City's contingent was given a grand ovation when the troop train pulled out of the depot, but among the cheering thousands were many aching hearts. Every town and village in Michigan, through which these trains passed that day, added their mite of music and cheering, prov- ing conclusively that our people were a unit in prosecuting this war. The first two weeks in camp were wet, raw and cold, so that from the first the volunteers had to contend with ad- verse elements. Rifle practice and battle exer- cises were the order of the day for the next five weeks.
On April 29th Michigan's Naval Reserves left for Newport News, where they manned the auxiliary cruiser "Yosemite." Bay City. was represented there by E. E. Anneke, W. B. Fox, J. C. Irvine, John Ruge and M. R. Tousey.
The realities of war were brought to the camp at Island Lake on the evening of May 2nd, when suddenly the long roll was sounded and the five regiments assembled before head- quarters to hear the glad tidings of Admiral Dewey's naval victory at Manila on May I. There was little sleep for the boys in blue on that memorable night. On May 11th Ensign Bagley and four men were killed in a naval at- tack on Cardenas. Meanwhile the regular army examiners and mustering officers began the work of selecting the four regiments of 12 com- panies each apportioned to Michigan by the War Department.
On May 19th the 31st Michigan Infantry left camp for Chickamauga, where the regiment was destined to remain until the war closed, when it spent several months in Cuba on gar-
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rison duty. On May 19th the 32nd Michigan Infantry left camp for Tampa, Florida, and as that was the naval base for the planned at- tack on Havana, this regiment appeared most likely to see immediate action. Circumstances later prevented the attack on Havana, and this regiment spent the entire time in camp. Both of these regiments had a number of men from Bay County. On May 19th Admiral Cervera and his fated fleet entered Santiago harbor, and on May 27th Admiral Schley with 12 ships of war began the long vigil, whose tragic ending the Bay County contingent was to witness at Santiago little more than a month later.
President Mckinley's second call for troops brought out the 35th Michigan Infantry in June, in which a score of Bay County men en- listed.
On May 28th the 33d Michigan Infantry with the Peninsulars left camp for the army corps rendezvous 12 miles from Washington, the historic battle-field of Bull Run, named in honor of Michigan's Secretary of War, "Camp Alger." The last farewells were said on the Sunday previous when a large contingent of Bay County people witnessed the last review of the regiment on Island Lake's famous parade grounds. Another ovation greeted the regi- ment on its speedy trip through Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia, South vying with North to honor the nation's volunteers. At Dunloring, Virginia, the rigors of war serv- ice began in earnest. A wearisome march over Virginia's dusty roads brought the Michigan boys, now largely recruits, to a wilderness of of scrub woods and marsh, where they had to work for days clearing away the underbrush, amid Virginia's tropical heat, before a drill ground and camp were finally established. Hob- son's brilliant attempt to block the harbor en- trance at Santiago June 3rd electrified Camp
Alger, and the cheering thousands in blue and khaki clamored loudly "On to Cuba !"
On June 7th the 34th Michigan Inf. also arrived at Camp Alger, camping just across the highway from the 33rd, while the Ninth Massachusetts Infantry to the south was bri- gaded with them under Gen. H. M. Duffield of Detroit, a Michigan Civil War veteran. Scarce- ity of water was the main drawback to Camp Alger, every spring being zealously guarded, and the Michigan boys carried their water supply many miles in the blazing sun. Dysen- tery and typhoid soon invested the camp. News from the front however kept all on edge.
On June Ioth the United States marines landed at Guantanamo, and on June 13th Gen- eral Shafter's expedition started for Santiago from Key West, Florida, landing at Baiquiri, June 22nd. Little did the Michigan boys then dream that in a few weeks they would be with him before the Cuban stronghold. On June 2Ist the writer was in a telegraph station near Washington, wiring his daily budget of news from the Michigan regiments to our native State, when the ticker at division headquarters announced an order from Secretary Alger for the 33rd and 34 Michigan Infantry to prepare to reinforce Shafter before Santiago. When he announced this news in camp, the boys were skeptical, and yet overjoyed at the prospect. That night the official orders were issued, and early next morning the 33rd and one battalion of the 34th left for Newport News where on June 23rd they boarded the auxiliary cruiser "Yale," formerly the ocean greyhound "New York," and on June 25th the rest of the 34th Michigan and Ninth Massachusetts followed, embarking June 26th at Newport News on the auxiliary cruiser "Harvard," Captain Cotton now admiral United States Navy, commanding. Many of the men had visited Washington dur-
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ing the stay at Camp Alger, had roamed over the battle-field of Bull Run, been wearied by camp routine, and amid the cheering thousands who bade them farewell none were happier than the men who went forth to an uncertain fate in a foreign isle. The writer will never forget the ovation of the Virginians along the line of railway, particularly at Richmond, where cheering thousands thronged about Rob- ert E. Lee's statue as we swept by. We had camped between regiments from Virginia, Ten- nessee, Missouri and Kentucky, had rallied with them at the midnight alarms, "hiked" and drilled with them in Camp Alger's maneuvers, shared with them the little comforts of camp, and we realized fully there was "no North, no South" in this war, but a united country had rallied around the old flag. At Fortress Mon- roe we entered the war zone. American bat- tleships patrolled the coast, torpedo boats flitted about the mines that guarded the entrance to the Norfolk Navy Yard, where two monster battleships, the "Kentucky" and "Kearsarge," were on the stocks. Since so many Russian and Japanese ships in 1904 ran foul of their own mines, we can congratulate ourselves that in all our coast guarding not a single ship or life was lost in 1898.
On June 27th the Michigan regiments landed at Baiquiri, the Bay County contingent seeing for the first time the scenes of Shafter's landing, Hobson's adventure, Morro Castle, Sampson's fleet, General Garcia's ragged Cuban insurgents and Spanish blockhouses, so effective against prowling Cubans, but easily demolished by the American fleet. Our fondest wish was realized. We were on Cuban soil, and in the very midst of the stirring war drama about Santiago. It took us many hours to land food, ammunition and arms through the roaring ocean surf, and at nightfall we pitched camp in a pretty palm grove. The first regular army
officer to look us over shook his head when he noticed our antiquated Springfield rifles, with smoking powder ammunition. He said it was a shame to send men to Santiago with those old blunderbusses, when thousands of Krag-Jor- gensen repeating rifles lay idle in the arsenals at home. He told us of the skirmish at Las Guasimas, June 24th and General Chaffee's vic- tory at Sevilla, June 25th driving the Span- iards back to El Poso, General Shafter's army gradually advancing each day toward the San Juan Hills and El Caney, which were plainly visible from the Meastro Mountains on our right. That night lizards, land crabs and a myriad of other and strange beasts and creep- ers made life miserable for the sons of Bay County, and at midnight a terrific rain-storm, a veritable cloud-burst, made camp unbearable and the real hardships of campaigning in a trop- ical climate began in earnest. Next morning the Michiganders changed to high ground, spent house in policing camp, furnished General Shafter with men for the water-works pump- ing station at Siboney and railroad hands for the narrow gauge railroad running toward Morro Castle from the copper mines in the mountains. Trenches were dug on the ocean shore for the hospitals, already filled with the wounded of the early skirmishes. Wagons were loaded for the front, guards placed on the hills toward Morro Castle and every man felt that a crisis was at hand.
The Cubans meanwhile made the camp disagreeable with their skulking and pilfering, loud boasts and ravenous appetites being ap- parently the stock in trade of most of these Cuban warriors, armed with machetes of huge dimensions. Only a few had serviceable rifles. The arms of wounded Americans were given General Garcia's band, and his elite did good service scouting on the front and flank of the Spaniards, a service which they could better
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perform than the Americans because they knew the trails through the shaparel, the rank under- growth of cactus, vines and creepers, which covered the country back of Santiago, where in times of peace stood rich sugar plantations with thousands of acres of sugar cane. War's hor- rors were everywhere in evidence here, but this handful of Cubans saved the reputation of their countrymen at Santiago, the majority of whom were lazy and shiftless negroes.
While guarding the shore, the Michigan volunteers witnessed several bombardments of Morro Castle by the American fleet. After the surrender an inspection of the Spanish batteries by the writer showed the mass of shells did but little damage. Between the thundering cannon, screeching shells, blazing sun, dirty water and drenching rains, we soon learned that General Sherman knew whereof he spoke, when he said "War is hell!" But we were still vigorous, the war panorama about us was inspiring, and the nearness of the foreign enemy lent zest to all our work.
On the night of June 30th final preparations were made for the assault on Santiago. The Michigan regiments, the rest of the 34th just landing, were ordered to assault at daybreak, Aquadores, a fortified height defending the crossing of Aquadores River, east of Morro Castle, while the regulars under Chaffee, Kent, Wheeler, Lawton, Sumner and Capron's artil- lery, assaulted San Juan Hill and El Caney, That night Bay City's band played "Michigan, my Michigan," while the preparations for the next day's battle went forward, and never did that air of our far-away home sound more mar- tial and inspiring.
At break of day, July 1, 1898, the Michigan troops were moved in the little ore cars to a bend below Aquadores River, and by 5 A. M. they were under fire from the Spanish battery.
They kept under cover until 7 A. M., when they marched up the railroad cut, where a shell exploded over Company L, killing four and wounding and maiming as many more. Ex- posed to artillery fire without being able to reply with the old Springfields at that distance, there was nothing for it, but to seek cover and ad- vance among the rocks along shore. When the river was reached the bridge was found missing, the Cuban scouts had vanished with the first exploding shell, and reluctantly enough the Michigan regiments ended their diversion at this point. The last two battalions of the 34th finished landing before noon, and marched to the support of the 33rd, meeting them on their return to Siboney, where the 33rd was ordered to guard prisoners taken that day at El Caney, while the 34th was ordered forward to support General Shafter's thin blue line in the Spanish entrenchments taken that bloody day on the heights of San Juan. All night long the regi- ment marched over the 12 miles of mountain trail to San Juan, and at daybreak it was greet- ed with stray shells from Santiago, one of which exploded under the gun of Capron's battery, killing the entire crew. For the next two miles of the advance the regiment was under a hail of Mauser bullets, with occasional screeching shells, fired from the Spaniards' trenches just outside of Santiago, but as they were fired at an angle at San Juan, all went wild and high over our heads. That did not prevent us from duck- ing occasionally, when the sound came nearer, or a ricochet bullet whizzed past. Only a few minor wounds were sustained by the 1,000 Michiganders marching past the "bloody bend," taken the day before by the Americans with much loss of life, and by noon we were in the rear of General Kent's division on San Juan Hill, where we were kept in reserve, our smok- ing powder and short-range rifles being con-
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sidered more of a drawback than help in this modern warfare at long ranges. That night we rallied in the trenches with the regulars, when the Spaniards made a desperate charge on General Chaffee's line, but American machine guns and rifle fire drove the Spaniards back, just as they did on July 10th, when the writer witnessed the last desperate charge of the enemy on the bloody angle.
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