USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > History of Cuyahoga County soldiers' and sailors' monument. Scenes and incidents from its inception to its completion.--Description of the memorial structure, and roll of honor > Part 34
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A wide expanse of bunting, converging at the center, set off the front. On either side of it were other drap- ings of a similar character. Folds of the national colors fell from the sills of the windows and the balconies, while scores of tiny flags fluttered in the breeze. Over the main door was a framed portrait of Garfield, sur- rounded on all sides by the colors he loved so well. The Stillman was supplied with numerous decorations. In the Arcade a great deal of festooning was done. A beautiful floral wreath was received yesterday from Mrs. C. F. Johnson, formerly Miss Ellen F. Terry, who was a member of the Sanitary Commission. It was placed in the Monument to decorate the panel representing the Commission. Mrs. Johnson was invited to be pres- ent at the exercises of the day, but was unable to do so. Her home is in Hartford, Conn. The wreath was coll- posed of white carnations and English hardy doy. At- tached to it was a silken band upon which was written, 'Ave et Vale' in Latin, meaning 'Hail and farewell.'
"Never has the Public Square looked so beautiful as it did last evening during the illumination in honor of the Nation's birthday and the dedication of the Soldiers' Monument. Its entire space, hemmed in by towering buildings, was a blaze of light of many tints, and it seemed as though a chapter out of the experience of Aladdin had been thrust into the Nineteenth Century. Everything within the enclosure was made to do service for the central effect desired. The trees seemed to be inade of delicate fire with their load of fairy Chinese lanterns, which also hung in rows and festoons all about the Park. Every color and tint imaginable was shown by them, but the national colors were predominant. The lanterns were likewise of all shapes and sizes, and the appearance of the aggregation, as they shifted their position under the influence of the gentle breeze that swept through the place, was most quaint and fairylike.
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The entire space in the two western sections of the Square was adorned with lines of these frail beacons. They hung thickly from the boughs of the trees just above the heads of the crowd, and cast a dreamy light over the fountains, the flower beds, and the people. The amphitheater in the northeast section was also thickly set with the lanterns, and thousands of specta- tors who witnessed the display of the evening from that vantage point looked like a misty vision. Another beautiful feature of the illumination was seen over the streets leading into the Square. The cross wires sup- porting the street car trolley wires were hung with the little glass lanterns, which became so famous at the World's Fair, on Wooded Island. The tiny cups were of the three colors which unite in the Stars and Stripes, and they were arranged in regular lines along the streets. The effect was, to a spectator at a little dis- tance, like that of a ceiling set with brilliant points of vari-colored fire. The scene was dazzling in its splen- dor. These little lights were on Superior and Ontario Streets and Euclid Avenue and the number made use of was very large.
"But the most brilliant effect of all was that pro- duced on the electric light mast in the center of tlie Square. The mast had been trimmed and decorated in a manner never before attempted. At the top were the eight arc lights as usual, but even the light from these had undergone a change. Instead of the bright, white light that is wont to stream from the high point of the inast, the colors of the rays were red, white, and blue, as in the other lights round about. But this is not all. From the top of the pole to the platform, which stands about twenty feet from the ground, there wound in spiral form a line of bright incandescent globes which fairly filled the center of the enclosure with effulgence. The effect of the flashing points was charming and
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most attractive. The globes were varied in color, run- ning through the shades of blue, violet, purple, green, and finally red and white, and the number of separate lamps was so great as to render the combined radiance almost too strong for the eye, if the one watching it were close to the mast. The gleaming column, with its intensely bright spiral, loomed upward like a triumphal monument, and the attention that it received from the spectators easily exceeded that given any other feature of the evening's display.
"At various other points in the Square were arc lamps set in globes of the prevailing colors, giving light as well as patriotic inspiration and aiding to flood the city's central park with chromatic harmony. The il- lumination fell with renewed splendor on the immense spread of bunting which decorated the Square. The long, radiating lines of flags that stretched from the top of the inast and the banners that covered the faces of the nearby buildings, were alike thrown into promi- nence and they added greatly to the brilliancy of the scene.
" From the top of the tall building of the Society for Savings were turned in various directions the beam-like rays of three powerful electric search-lights. These were manipulated by expert hands, and under the skillful di- rection of the operators the various points of interest in the central part of the city were in turn illuminated.
"Off in the dark sky, rendered doubly dark to the eye grown accustomed to the glare of the immediate vicinity, there would suddenly appear the outlines of a tall building, thrown into prominence by the searching reflector. This would pass out of sight as another ob- ject appeared. The group of spectators in the park watched the strange effect of the light, as it was turned for a moment on some of their number and as quickly moved in another direction again. The Soldiers' and
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Sailors' Monument, standing somber in the half light that reached its top, was frequently thrown into strong relief against the sky by the light that slowly traveled up and down its granite column. First the gigantic figure of Liberty at the top would be seen, as plainly as in the brightest sunshine, and then the flash would move down towards the tablet room and the bronze groups that stand about the wide esplanade. Two of the lights were covered with glass screens colored a deep blue and a bright crimson, and these were turned upon various objects in the Square. The immense flag which floated from the roof of the Society for Savings build- ing was illuminated several times by the combined ef- fect of the three lamps. Thereby an exceedingly beautiful effect was produced. Each color in the flag took on a deeper tint of its own and the red stripes were of a red as deep and pure as though all the ver- milion and cochineal of a continent had been called into use for the producing of that very tint. The blue straightway became a royal purple of a richness almost impossible and the white served to accent the effect of the whole.
" Off in the distance, in every direction, were sky- rockets and Roman candles and Greek fire. The street was tinged with all the colors known to man. The buildings about the Square were illuminated in every room. The tower on the top of the store of E. R. Hull & Dutton contained an arc light high on the top and rows of incandescent lamps all around. From the roof of the Lennox sprang streaks of fire, which, winding their way into the bosom of the sky, went out in puffs of colored stars.
" Down on the lake front, in Lake View Park, and on the streets leading thereto, were numbers of spectators who watched the display, sitting on the grass or walking to and fro. The crack yacht, the Say When, came
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in from the home of Hon. W. J. White, wreathed in the national colors, which were given out by the many incandescent lights on board. The small boy made the occasion a succession of deafening noises and wild shrieks of amusement and joy. The cannon cracker ended its peaceful existence with an explosion that shook the neighborhood. The torpedo and the slirieker closed up their accounts together, and the country swain and his sweetheart enjoyed the show as only the ruralist can enjoy a Fourth of July celebration in the city. Slowly the noise and uproar ceased and the pleasure-surfeited public sought home and rest. Finally the night obtained control and the lights went out. The coming of darkness was the end of one of the greatest celebrations of a patriotic nature the Forest City has ever had, and the weary ones who had seen it all were ready to give assent to the statement."
The Plain Dealer reporter thus glowingly describes the carnival :
" The Square last evening resembled the scene of a brilliant carnival, unparalleled in beauty. From the base of the towering electric light staff in the center of the Square to its peak it was twined with a spiral of in- candescent lights, red, white and blue in color, and on the platform around the top were larger globes, all in the national colors. Completely encircling the Square was a row of Chinese lanterns and these lent a softening radiance to the whole effect. The thousand flags con- verging at the top of the tall staff fluttered softly, whiz- zing rockets sped upward and fell in multi-colored brilliance, red and blue liglits at intervals cast their strong reflection over the surging crowd that gathered early in the evening and stayed until late, and on the outskirts of the scene the Society for Savings and Cuyahoga buildings, with their every window lighted, loomed above their surroundings. Three strong search-
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lights on the former building were also used to good advantage to enhance the beauty of the scene.
" And the crowd was a jolly, cosmopolitan assemblage. The great grand stand in the northeast corner was filled with people and a still larger, constantly changing crowd promenaded the Square until midnight. The people shouldered and elbowed each other in what seemed sometimes an utterly futile attempt to make any progress, but a better-natured lot of seething humanity was never seen. Everyone realized that Cleveland was en fete and wore his or her happiest smile to grace thie occasion. The city's holiday attire, the brilliant lights, the people all combined to make the scene one never to be forgotten.
" Governor Mckinley expressed himself as very much pleased with the Fourth of July celebration in this city in conversation with a Plain Dealer reporter last even- ing. He characterized it as a most fitting observance of the day and said :
"'The program was carried out in an excellent man- ner, without jar or collision, and the citizens of Cleve- land may well feel proud of the celebration. One of the most impressive scenes of the day was the presence of the 3,000 school children on the immense amphitheater singing patriotic songs. The singing of the ‘Star Spangled Banner' and the waving of flags above their heads was indeed inspiring.'
" In speaking of the parade, the Governor said that it was one of the finest he had ever witnessed and was handled in a magnificent manner. 'The troops looked splendid and the independent companies presented a fine appearance. The large number of the boys who wore the blue in line was a very pleasing sight and one of the features of the parade. The industrial display was great.'
" The Governor attached a great deal of interest to
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the presence of so inany Veterans and felt a personal interest in that portion of the parade, as two companies of his old regiment were from this locality.
"'Another interesting feature,' he said, 'was the presence at the morning exercises of Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Thatcher, the oldest surviving organizers of the La- dies' Aid Society, who did such noble work during the dark days of the War. Their attendance was an addi- tion that made the affair complete in every particular. The one other thing that put a finish to the grandeur of the day was the decorations, which were profuse and elaborate. Particularly was it true of the Square, Euclid Avenue and Prospect Street.
"'The whole day was a memorable one,' said Gov- ernor Mckinley in conclusion, 'and an event in which I was glad indeed to be able to participate.'
" Ex-Governor Foraker said last evening that he had been most highly gratified with the results of Wednes- day's celebration."
XAVI.
THE MONUMENT COMMISSIONERS.
T HE companionship of the Commission and the work done by them were referred to in the fol- lowing pleasant vein by the Leader reporter :
"There is something not quite in line with this prac- tical age, in the idea of a number of men banding thein- selves together for a purely unselfish object and con- tinuing in this relation and in the efforts for the accom- plishment of the object sought for nearly a score and a half of years. Such has been the case with the Monu- ment Commission, the members of which have labored together in building the structure dedicated for so long that the beginning of the enterprise seems far away. For the first few years, the Commission was composed of only a few members, others being added from time to time, but whether in or out of the organization, the twelve present members have always been in sympathy with the enterprise and have aided in securing its success whenever opportunity offered. The plans that have been proposed and the suggestions offered have been placed before all the members as they came up, and all have had an opportunity of expressing their opinions. The dedication of the Monument will take from many of them a weight of responsibility which has rested somewhat heavily during all the controversy and variance of opinion that has characterized the'prog- ress of the enterprise."
The Plain Dealer compliments the Commissioners in the following happy style :
"A better choice of twelve men to serve on the
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Monument Commission could hardly have been made. They are all members of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Union, and as such were appointed on the Commission by Gov. Joseph B. Foraker. By their fellow-citizens they are highly esteemed, not only for their bravery in war, but for their records in times of peace. There are three generals on the Commission- Leggett, Barnett and Elwell. The other men have all attained to some rank and have served with distinction. In local affairs, several of the men have been honored by being elected or appointed to positions of trust and honor. The handling of the business connected with the building of the Monument has been done in a systematic and business-like manner, and their report of the finances entrusted to their care will show this."
A brief biography of each Commissioner will be found in the succeeding pages, from the souvenir editions of the Leader and Plain Dealer:
MAJOR WILLIAM J. GLEASON.
The member of the Monument Commission who, if any, has had more to do with the enterprise than the others, is Major William J. Gleason, from the first the President of the body. Major Gleason introduced the resolution that placed the members of Camp Barnett Soldiers' and Sailors' Society on record in favor of the erection of the Monument. This was as far in the past as the year 1879. He had been active previous to that time in the agitation of the subject, and in all the years that followed he retained his place in the van of the workers. He was born in the famous county Clare, Ireland, in the year 1846, on June 2d, and within six months from that time he was in America. His parents settled in Vermont, but after a short time removed to Cleveland, where they made their home. The son attended the parochial and public schools of the city, and at the age of eleven commenced selling newspapers
Fraternally yours, Une I. Sbacon.
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on the street and doing other light work. He received his practical education in the printing office and by hard study, being a genuine self-made man. He was less than fifteen years of age when the War broke out, and he had been at that time engaged as printer's devil for six months in the composing room of the Plain Dealer. With some of his earnings he purchased a drum and went out to join the Soldiers at Camp Taylor, which was located on the block bounded by Woodland and Scovill Aventies and Maple and Linden Streets. He be- came a drummer under Captain De Villiers and spent three months at the camp. Though at this time only fifteen years old, the next year he became eighteen, so as to enlist, and he at once did so for three years, or till the close of the War. This time he became a inem- ber of the Sixtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain P. K. Walsh, and his soldier experience lasted just a week. At the expiration of that time, his parents sought him out with a writ of habeas corpus, and he was led home. He was allowed to enter the National Guard, however, and Company E, of the Twenty-ninth Regiment, received him as a drummer boy and gradu- ated him in 1864 as a full-fledged Soldier, able to carry a intsket. While a member of the National Guard, he was a compositor in the Plain Dealer office. One morning, he left home as usual with his dinner basket, but he never reached the office. Instead, he enlisted in the 150th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain J. B. Molyneaux, and the first his parents knew of it they received a letter from Washington, where he was en- gaged in defending the National Capital. He still lacked one month of being eighteen years of age, but this time he was not molested, and he remained with the regiment until it came home.
Major Gleason is a printer by trade, a fact of which he declares himself proud.
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As he was a private in active service it becomes necessary to explain his title of major. His friends assert that he was born a major, is a major by nature and by habit, and will die a major. It is said that strangers at first glance always spot him for a major. The spirit of major is thoroughly imbued in him and personified by him. But he came to the title honestly, for though too young to acquire it in war, he served on the staff of the Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.
After his return from the army, Major Gleason re- . simed the printing trade as a compositor. He was subsequently a hustling reporter and connected with the business department, going through all of the grades of newspaper work. Of late years, however, he has not continued in this, being engaged in the insur- ance business. He has been conspicuous in all things relating to the improvement of Cleveland. He organ- ized the system under which the Board of Elections is working and was its first Secretary. Under the admin- istration of Mayor George W. Gardner, he was City Comptroller. He has been Secretary of the Library Board for three years, and also a member of the Board of Equalization. He has held many positions of trust and responsibility, nearly all of them without pay, dis- charging his every duty with intelligence and ; fidelity. He was President of the Irish National League during its entire practical existence. In all patriotic objects concerning either his native country or the Government of the United States, he has been a tireless worker. His entire life has been marked by thorough executive ability, earnest activity and enterprise. Upon the election of the Permanent Commission, he was made a member thereof, and was subsequently unanimously chosen its President.
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CAPTAIN LEVI F. BAUDER.
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CAPTAIN LEVI F. BAUDER.
Associated with the Monument enterprise from the first and connected with the Commission since its organ- ization as its permanent Secretary, Captain Levi F. Bauder has been in close touch with all the work that has been done. The records of the endeavors of the fifteen years that the Commission has been in exist- ence, placed in black and white by him, are voluminous and complete. The main portion of the history of the enterprise is contained within the covers of one litige volume, but aside from this there has been an immense amount of other clerical work.
Captain Bauder was born in the Forest City on Janu- ary 28, 1840. His early life was uneventful. He attended the public schools, and was graduated from the Central High School in 1858. Later, he attended the academny at Port Royal, Va., and Oberlin College, and was engaged as a teacher in Pickaway county when the War broke out. He at once returned to Cleveland, and enlisted in the Sprague Cadets, two or three days after the fall of Fort Suinter. The Sprague Cadets was a Cleveland company, and became a part of the Seventh Regiment. After a few days spent at Camp Taylor, in this city, the company was sent to Camp Dennison, a short distance from Cincinnati. This was a camp of instruction, and there they remained until June 20, when Captain Bauder again enlisted for three years, and was returned to the same regiment. The record of the Seventh Regiment, the "Bloody Seventh," as it became known in after years, is familiar to all who know anything of the history of the Cuyahoga Soldiers. Its long marches and bloody conflicts are historical. Captain Bauder participated in twelve of the fifteen engagements of the regiment, and in three others in which the regiment as a whole had no part. He went into the service as a private, and passed up through the
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successive grades of duty sergeant, ordnance sergeant of division, and first sergeant of company. During the trying times around Lookout Mountain, when the regiment became so decimated that only a small part of the original number remained, he had command of his company for four months. Here it was that he gained the title of captain, although that rank was never officially conferred upon him. The reason for this was that the regiment had become so thinned that no more officers were thought to be necessary, and Sergeant Bauder remained a sergeant, although having command of his company.
After the three years for which Captain Bauder en- listed had expired, he returned home with the regiment and was mustered out. This was in July, 1864. Later, he was offered an adjutancy in a new regiment that was being formed, but he refused it, having just married. Since then, Captain Bauder held the office of County Auditor, from 1877 to 1883, and he was a Justice of the Peace from 1886 to 1892. He was several years a mnem- ber of the Public Library Board, and is one of the Curators of the Western Reserve Historical Society. He has a more than local reputation as a writer of prose and verse, inany of his poems being of a high order of merit. He is devoted to his profession as an attorney- at-law, and is well known throughout the county as a quiet, cultured, affable gentleman with hosts of friends.
CAPTAIN JOSEPH B. MOLYNEAUX.
Joseph B. Molyneaux was born near Ann Arbor, Mich., on January 1, 1840. At the age of four years, his mother died, and the father and son removed to Elmira, N. Y., where the little fellow was put out with farmers until he reached the age of seven. Since that time he has been obliged to shift for himself, for his father was lost at sea. Until fourteen years old, he worked on farm, in hotel, saw-mill, stone quarry; in fact,
CAPTAIN JOSEPH B. MOLYNEAUX.
نصيب
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any place that offered. He met Prof. Lowe, who at that time was traveling as a magician, but later became- famed as an aeronaut. For a year the boy assisted the professor to mystify audiences, but quit this business at Belleville, O. His next adventure was the study of medicine with Dr. Whitcomb. Then he came to Cleve- land and learned the printer's trade, working in various offices until the beginning of the War.
He first enlisted as a private in the three-months service, but was appointed sergeant. At the reorgani- zation of the regiment for three years lie was elected first lieutenant ; later was appointed adjutant and pro- moted to captain. The men under his command were mostly young fellows, and so well did he care for them that they speak. even now words of endearment and devotion for him. At Cedar Mountain, he was wounded in the head, shoulder and leg, and had two horses shot under him. He was then discharged for disability, but when his wounds healed he returned to service as. captain of Company E, 150th O. V. I., and was assigned to command at Fort Thayer, near Washington. Since the War he has been engaged in the printing business, has been Deputy County Recorder, Assistant Post- master, and at present is a member of the Board of Equalization and Assessment.
Capt. Molyneaux's record is a splendid one. Qn several occasions he performed special duties. While a sergeant at Camp Dennison, he did duty as a field. officer. In 1862, he was detailed by Gen. McClellan to collect all convalescents of the Army of the Potomac and return them to their commands. This was an arduous undertaking. When so severely wounded at Cedar Mountain, he took command of the regiment, his senior officers being killed. He commanded the division that acted as escort at the burial of General Lander at Patterson Creek, Va. His company had been
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