USA > Ohio > Seneca County > History of Seneca County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Vo. I > Part 29
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Commander-"Officer of the Day, let the Guard of Honor set up the symbol of the navy and let a sailor be detailed to guard it."
A large anchor was then set up against the south side of the monument, and Captain C. P. Bragg. dressed as a United States sailor, with drawn cutlass, mounted the base and stood guard.
The commander then asked. "Junior Vice Commander. what Scripture may apply to the army ?"
Oscar Chamberlain. J. V. C., responded ; " 'To your tents, O Israel. * * * So all Israel went to their tents.'-2. Chron. x 16. 'The children of Israel shall pitch their tents. every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard. throughout their
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hosts.'-Num. i. 52. 'Thou has given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.'-Ps. Ix. 4. 'The Lord shall utter His voice before His army; for His camp is very great ; for He is strong that executeth His word; for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?'- Joel ii. 11. 'Some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.' "-Ps. xx. 7.
Commander-"Officer of the Day, let the Guard of Honor set up the symbol of the army, and let a soldier be detailed to guard it."
A musket with bayonet, canteen, haversack and knapsack were then placed against the north side of the shaft, and W. J. Daywalt, in full soldier uniform, armed with a musket with fixed bayonet, was placed on guard.
General Gibson then asked: "Officer of the Day, if the work of the navy and army be well done, what proclamation from Holy Scripture can you make ?"
Frank Frederici. Officer of the Day, then responded: "A proclamation of peace. 'Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us; for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us.'-Isaiah xxvi, 12. 'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good. that publisheth salvation; that sayeth unto Zion, Thy God reigneth ! * * * The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.' "-Isaiah lii. 7. 10.
Commander-"The chaplain will now offer the prayer of dedication."
Rev. J. A. Thrapp, the chaplain, offered prayer.
General Gibson then said: "Attention ! G. A. R .! In the name of the Grand Army of the Republic, I now dedicate this memorial shaft. I dedicate it to the memory of those who in the navy guarded our inland seas and ocean coasts. and fell in defense of the flag. I dedicate it to the memory of those who in the army fought for our hillsides and valleys and plains, and fell in de- fense of the flag. I dedicate it to the memory of those who on land and on sea fought for the Union, and fell in defense of the flag; who on land and sea fought for the authority of the Consti- tution, and fell in defense of the flag; who on land and on sea fought for their country, and fell in defense of the flag. Com- rades, salute the dead !"
After a brief pause the commander called "Attention! At ease !" and then said: "Mr. President, our service of dedication is ended. In the name of my comrades I thank you and those you represent for your courtesy in permitting us, who are bound by special ties to them, to honor our dead."
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"Attention ! G. A. R! As we close these services the guard of honor is withdrawn, the symbols of army and navy are removed, the flag is lowered, but the memorial we have dedicated .remains guarded by our dead. So long as it shall endure it shall speak to us and to all the loyalty and heroism in the army and the navy, and of that significant national authority of which our flag is the symbol to every true American heart."
"Officer of the Day, remove the symbols." (After a pause). "Lower the flag." (Another pause). "Dismiss the guard. Chap- lain, pronounce the benediction."
The benediction was then pronounced, and one of the most beautiful ceremonies ever witnessed in the county concluded a fitting close to the military history of Seneca.
The citizens of Seneca county may well feel proud of having erected this beautiful monument to her soldier and sailor dead.
HISTORY OF THE GIBSON MONUMENT.
By A. J. Baughman.
Less than a fortnight after the death of General Gibson a citizens' movement of Tiffin undertook to erect a monument to the memory of the old hero, who was described by Mckinley as the most sought-after speaker on the American continent for fifty years of public life. An organization was effected, composed of prominent business men, and it was thought by reason of the busi- ness personnel of those having the matter in charge, that the monument project would be carried forward speedily to success, but for some reason, after a little time, there was no further effort made, and for eight years the Gibson monument enterprise was only heard of as one and another would inquire concerning what had become of it. Nobody could tell and it was often said that the time had passed to accomplish anything in that direction, with the comment that it was too bad that it should be so.
In the meantime, one of General Gibson's warmest friends and most ardent admirers, David Dwight Bigger, had written a series of magazine articles on Gibson as an orator, citizen and soldier. which were so well received that Dr. Bigger was importuned by a host of Gibson's friends to elaborate the article and give to the state a book containing Gibson's life and speeches. In response to this urgent request, two years after the publication of the magazine series, a book by Dr. Bigger was published containing about six hundred pages of historical matter in which the author madle General Gibson the central figure. and around the notable life of the grizzled old hero of a thousand battles, there crystalized
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fifty years of most interesting political history. A large edition of the book was published and as might be expected revived interest in the great orator's career, one effect of which was the stimulation of the G. A. R. post which bears General Gibson's name, to make another effort to erect a monument to their beloved comrade's memory, who was known from the Atlantic to the Pacific amongst the old soldiers, as the idol of the Veteran Boys in Blue.
The project taken up, a resolution was passed and a committee was appointed by the William H. Gibson Post of Tiffin, to under- take the work which had been dropped by the citizen's committee eight years prior to this time. This committee was, viz .: A. A. Gibbs, Wm. M. Miller, Wm. Negele, Wm. F. Shuman, Abraham Sheidler, James A. Burger, George W. Kishler, W. S. Stoltzen- baugh, J. Q. Crippen, Ed. T. Naylor, M. L. Scannell, Elvero Per- sons, D. D., Arlington Dunn, Frederick Nicolai, T. J. West, M. D., C. C. Park, James Sawyer, N. D. Egbert. Joseph Van Nest, Captain Milton Cowgill and John MI. Beckley.
Some time elapsed after the committee was appointed before anything more was accomplished than to simply discover the condi- tion in which the original association had left the Gibson monument effort. It was found that the original committee had secured about $500 in subscriptions, had collected $200 expending $153 of that amount in the necessary equipment for the effort they were to make. For some unaccountable reason, at this juncture, there came another spell in which there was no progress made, excepting the turning over of the $47 remaining in the citizen committee's treasury to the treasurer, William Negele of the G. A. R. committee, at the instance of Edward T. Naylor who investigated the matter. Then came the determination to make another effort and Dr. Bigger was called into the work and made the president of the Gibson Monument Association, which consisted of the G. A. R committee, a citizen's committee, appointed by Mayor Leister and all contrib- utors to the monument fund. From this time for ward until the funds were secured, there was no let-up to the work. The Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Ohio, was immediately asked to render its assistance and at their encampment at Lan- caster, Ohio, five years, 1901, gave instructions to their new depart- ment commander, Comrade Walton Weber, to issue orders to that effect. General Walton Weber was a member of the Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Gibson's regiment.
By the president of the association letters were dictated and written to the old hero's admirers all over the country. Senators and congressmen. governors of states, members of the president's cabinet, ministers and consuls from Ohio, representing the nation abroad, were given an opportunity to assist, and whilst these letters were bringing in a stream of returns in small contributions and the
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most tender and loving words of tribute to the memory of Ohio's great orator, the citizens of Seneca county and the children of the public schools were sending in their contributions.
The Ohio Society in Washington under the presidency of Hon. D. K. Watson and the Ohio Society of New York, General John J. McCook president, came to the help of the association; the Loyal Legion, Department of Ohio, of which General Gibson was an honored member, became deeply interested in the movement. con- tributing generously at their annual meeting and also supplement- ing this donation by sending in individual contributions from com- panions all over the globe.
Various fraternal orders were desirous to participate in honor- ing the name of the eloquent Ohioan, and gave substantial assis- tance, none of them large, but all giving a little help. All this had a tendency to quieken the thoughts of Gibson's legion of ad- mirers and it was then that the members of the Gibson Memorial Association and a committee from the state G. A. R. appeared be- fore the legislature of the state and presented the matter of the Gibson Memorial, and in a popular wave of enthusiastic admiration for Ohio's incomparable soldier-orator. an appropriation, by prae- tically a unanimous vote, of $10.000. was made to honor and per- petuate the memory of Gibson. One of the delightful features of this action of the legislature was the introduction of the bill in the house by the Hon. Roscoe Carle and in the senate by Hon. Elza Carter. both of the Democratic party, which in General Gib- son's political career, he for a life time opposed. But "Bill"
Gibson was loved and admired regardless of political affiliations, for he was a man of the masses and a patriot, and was everybody's friend. Governor Myron T. Herrick. Auditor of State Walter D. Guilbert, and Secretary of State Lewis C. Laylin, representing the state; and Dr. David Dwight Bigger. Col. Edward T. Naylor and F. A. Mabery, representing the G. A. R. and citizens of Tiffin, were made a commission to have the monument construction in charge. Subsequently Governor Pattison and Governor Harris, in turn, succeeded Governor Herrick.
Speaking of the work. Dr. Bigger, president of the Association. upon whom had devolved the main portion of the effort to secure the funds remarked that he had no idea concerning the work which was necessarily entailed by consenting to take up the Gibson monument business, but when once the burden was fairly should- ered, his love for Gibson would not permit the thought of a pos- sible failure, and that which had been done could only be accom- plished by catching moments from very crowded professional en- gagements. "This you will see." said Dr. Bigger, "when I tell you that more than ten thousand letters were dictated and sent out, and that there is scarcely a country on the planet that did not
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have some one living in it who was interested in honoring the name of General Gibson. The fund was made up of small contribu- tions. There were only three $100 gifts from Tiffin. and one $200 that came from the late Thomas Connor. the Missouri zine king, of Joplin, who was a devoted friend of General Gibson. The largest gift from any G. A. R. post in the state was $150 contrib-
REV. D. D. BIGGER, D. D.
uted by the General Wm. H. Gibson Post, of this city. The largest contribution from any fraternal order came from the Tiffin Junior Order amounting to $205 and it was this same order that made the first contribution of $25 to a Gibson monument. This was voted and paid in. in less than a fortnight after Gibson's death. The largest fund secured by any individual effort in any
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town outside of Tiffin came from the citizens of Bowling Green, W. H. Frederick, of that city, having collected and sent in $230. The next highest was from Youngstown, from J. T. Finch. The largest contribution outside of the state's appropriation came from G. Edward Bradfield, of Barnesville, son-in-law of General Gib- son and that was $1,000. But this was not all that Mr. Bradfield proposed to do, for when the limit of time came in which the money had to be raised, he came to me and offered to place in my hands his check for an additional-$2,000. This saved the effort from a failure. I thanked Mr. Bradfield for his kindly aid at the time and accepted the gift, but said to him: 'This money saves the appropriation, but you will understand that the greater the num- ber of contributions to General Gibson's Memorial, the more fitting it will be, for General Gibson was loved by everybody, and at the proper time I will turn this check back into your hands,' and this was a true prophecy. More letters were sent out at once and in due time this declaration to Mr. Bradfield was made good. so that it can be truthfully said that the masses of Ohio's generous people, who revered the name of Grand Old 'Bill' Gibson united in the building of his magnificient monument to his memory."
Many touching letters were received as the contributions were sent in. One old soldier. lying on his cot in the hospital of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Sandusky, took out from an old well worn pocketbook two silver half dollars and said: "I want these two half dollars to be placed in the Gibson monument. They have a history. One of them I secured on the day that I cast my first ballot for a president, and that was for old 'Abe' Lincoln. This half dollar has been in my pocket ever since. The other half dollar bears the date of my enlistment in the army; it was a part of my first month's pay that I received from the government. These half dollars went with me all through the war and have been in my pocket ever since, and I know of no place that I can put them where I would rather have them to be than in Gibson's monument." These coins were. melted and cast in the bronze statue of Gibson.
Dr. Bigger further reverting to the long seige of work re- quired to bring about the building of the monument, said : "Honor is due to all who had participated, in any way, to the success of the undertaking. Even those who had said that it could not be done should not be deprived of a just meed of praise due them. Many have given positive assistance. Scarcely a movement has been projected that Edward T. Naylor has not been consulted. From the very first he proved a wise and loyal adviser. When plans and ways and means to secure funds were submitted to Mr. Naylor, his hearty approval was an invaluable source of encourage- ment. From the very first he was responsive to every call for
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time and effort, and he gave them with the utmost good cheer. And Frank A. Mabery, having won a place on the commission by his splendid handling of the G. A. R. encampment in 1904, too, entered into the work with self sacrificing devotion, and there has been nothing that he could do, that he has not done in the calls made upon him for time and personal effort. Wise in counsel, faithful in effort, very much eredit is dus Mr. Mabery for his work in the completion of the splendid work of art that is to be the pride of Tiffin in all time to come.
"Captain Wm. M. Miller and William Negele, as secretary and treasurer of the Monument Association, performed faithfully the trusts committed to their care and we feel deeply grateful to the Gibson post, and the Grand Army and the Citizen's committees, and the G. A. R. department of the state, the Woman's Relief Corps of the state and all the fraternal orders for their hearty and en- thusiastic co-operation. Mayor Leister and Superintendent Krout and the teachers of the public schools throughout the county, and hundreds of friends whose names we could not mention if we would try, did all in their power to assist along the good effort. One citizen deserves especial mention and that is the late Frederick William Grammes, whose ardent and persistent advocacy of a monument to General Gibson was one of the strongest forces which brought about the effort that has resulted in the success of the enterprise. After all it was the people who built Gibson's monu- ment, and the work, as completed has sprung from the masses from which the great orator arose and to them the credit is due."
The monument, as produced by the architects is a massive pile of granite in graceful lines, stately and beautiful in contour. The base is twenty feet square, the entire structure being twenty-seven feet and eight inches high. The second stone is fourteen feet square and two feet in height, the largest stone known to have been placed in a statue monument in this country. The tablet stone on which is imbedded four large bronze tablets, is nine by nine and three feet in height. The pedestal, six feet eight inches by seven feet, six inches ; cap seven feet, two by one foot, eight inches ; plinth one foot, six inches; statue. ten feet, cast from United States stan- dard bronze. The granite is the finest textured Barre. On the pedestal, in raised characters, there appears an illustration of McKinley's famous speech over the casket of General Gibson on the occasion of his obsequies. when the martyred president said : "General Gibson once said to me, 'I would place the flag of my country just beneath the cross. That,' he said, 'is high enough for it.' ""
On the tablet die, beneath, appear Mckinley's words in bronze. Sitting in graceful pose on the first base, there is a beautiful and strikingly suggestive bronze statue of an American
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girl in meditation, thoughfully reading this immortal sentiment. On the four corners of the first base of the monument appear royal mortars carved out of the solid granite base and on the four corners of the monument square. following the conforming to the lines of the monument are placed bronze candelabra, set in massive granite pillars. The walk about the monument and leading to the street is granitoid. Beneath the monument is a solid concrete foundation six feet in depth. The massivity and graceful lines of this structure are in perfect harmony and conformation, and present to the public one of the most beautiful and impressive works of art in the country. The total number of competitors was thirty-six and out of this number the Hughes' Granite and Marble Company of Clyde were successful in having the contract awarded
them. The design selected was the seventy-sixth considered, which evinces the care that the commission had taken to secure something that would meet the approval of all who might be interested.
James Brown King, who modeled the now famous bust of Robert Burns, Scotia's beloved bard, is the Gibson sculptor. modeling all the art pieces of bronze in connection with the monu- ment. Two of these are exquisite specimens of the sculptor's art in bas relief. One represents Gibson speaking at the age of twenty-two at a Fourth of July celebration in 1843. An Ameri- can Revolutionary soldier is on the platform, garbed in the con- tinental uniform. Gibson, in impassioned eloquence. is repre- sented placing Old Glory on the old patriot's brow, while he pays a tribute to him. The other represents Gibson's four homes in
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which he had lived. In the center of the panel there is a bas re- lief scene of the battle of Stone River on the 31st day of December, 1862.
On three sides of the die upon which appears the name of General Gibson, the following sentiments. culled from the expres- sions of a number of our great characters in history, are engraved :
"I have listened to the most eloquent orators in my day. General William H. Gibson has no equal as a master of mass as- semblies."
James G. Blaine.
"Could I speak like that man. I would willingly forfeit my stars. "
General Phil. Sheridan.
"I have heard many of the gifted orators of Europe and America, but have never listened to such eloquence as poured forth for two hours and a half, from the lips of William H. Gib- son of Ohio."
Harriet Beecher Stowe.
"I have just finished the life of Patrick Henry. I elosed the book and asked myself. 'Have we any man like him ?' Only one figure rose before me and that was our own eloquent Gibson." Rutherford B. Hayes.
"OUR UNKNOWN HEROES."
By Rev. E. J. Craft.
Standing in our national cemetery at Gettysburg, one can see around him the marble shafts and granite blocks which mark the resting place of the nation's illustrious dead. Here and there among them are grim cannon, keeping their sombre guard over the silent city. Down the slope which stretches away south and east- ward, in the early morning I saw thousands. it seemed, of little marble slabs which the sun's rays kissed into glistening beauty. They bore the simple inscription "unknown." I knew that after the fearful battle hundreds. ves thousands, of dead men were car- ried hither and buried in these long trenches-unrecognized; no loving hand to fashion for them a last resting place; no one to preserve their memory and hand down to future generations their honored names. What part each took in the great struggle, what. deeds of daring and high courage they performed, none but God can know; but here no less than there under the fluted marble on
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which loving hands have caused to be engraved a fitting eulogy, sleep heroes of our nation, who toiled, suffered and died that their children might inherit the promise. Lost though their individ- uality may be. their personal efforts unknown, intermingled with the deeds of thousands. as their bones which lie crumbling there, yet no less to them we owe a nation's debt of gratitude.
How typical this is of the great movements of society which have brought the blessing of upliftment to the race of man. Here and there, in these great epochs of history some figures stand out clear and distinct among the multitudes, and around which all interest seems to be concentrated; but back, far back, in the past are souls who inflamed with holy zeal and love for eternal right, have set in motion a current of events which gathering force has burst forth from obscurity. and sweeping onward irresistibly has carried humanity on its tide farther up the height of progress.
In the pages of the ordinary historian their names are unwrit- ten. Indeed such research from effect to primal cause is for him an impossibility. He can only gaze upon the super-structure and as it emerges from obscurity and forget those who toiled with bleeding hands upon the foundation far below. Yet no one can fully appreciate a great movement of society until, by tracing back through the centuries. he is able to be in affinity with the thought, conditions, feeling, spirit and the endeavors which gave it birth, and can count the cost by which the gift has been transmitted to him from the past. This grand work is supported by the people of Seneca county in aiding the efforts now being made to give them a local history-in bringing to life by patient research the early history of their county. telling to the generations of the present the splendid story of the past, tracing out the conditions which met the pioneers, their heroic struggle and their achievements, which have resulted in the founding and developing of one of the most splendid sections of country upon the face of the globe-bring- ing before the present generation that history of courage and forti- tude, whose remembrance cannot but stimulate and intensify the spirit of true manhood-the love of home, whose every spot is sanctified by the toil and struggle of those whose bones make of all a hallowed ground.
It is a worthy task for worthy men. for spirit touches spirit into existence. A nation's strength is in its history. Generations are what generations have been. It is the knowledge and venera- tion for the past which wings loyalty to jump from one generation to another, as the sun leaps from mountain peak to mountain peak around the world. For there is that in this history of our un- known heroes, and in the development upon the foundations they have laid, which cannot but call forth admiration, which is tl parent of emulation, and he who presents to mankind an ideal
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