USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 80
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March 22, 1867, congress authorized the secretary of war to turn over to the board of managers of the "National Asylum" all of the materials in the barracks and other buildings at Camp Chase near Columbus. An immense amount of lumber was thus supplied for the first hasty buildings that were to be erected at Dayton. This may be the occasion for the erroneous statement that Camp Chase at Columbus was occupied by the National Home before its re- moval to Dayton. As before said, it was "Tripler Hospital" that was at first the Ohio State Home and then the National Home.
GROUNDS LAID OUT.
At the request of the board of managers, Chap. F. B. Van Horn of the United States army was detailed by Secretary Staunton to lay out the grounds. In 1875 a veteran of the Home thus describes the part performed by one who was an inmate of the Home: "Mr. Frank Mundt, the florist and gardener, began his career in Germany under the instruction of his father, who was a florist as well as landscape and architectural gardener under the grand duke of Meck- lenburg-Schwerin. In 1868 the grounds presented but few romantic features and to the experienced eye of Mr. Mundt offered a prospect far from encourag- ing. As one of the early inmates of the home he set to work with a zeal and energy truly commendable. He vigorously sought material from the surround- ing country, and collecting together all the vines and wild flowers he could find, he planted them promiscuously in the crevices of rocks and upon the hill-sides. His almost magical transformation excited the wonder and admiration of every beholder, and thousands who were attracted to the spot expressed their gratifica- tion in enthusiastic terms. Here flowers have since continued to multiply and replenish the home grounds. Mr. Mundt's next step was to construct a tem-
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porary greenhouse, to enable him to cultivate such flowers as he could find in the vicinity or that might be contributed."
Later, Mr. C. B. Davis, an architect, was appointed by the board of managers to lay out the grounds in walks, flower plots and otherwise develop the grounds. It scarcely seems possible that six or seven years after the founding of the Home, the veteran before referred to could give the following description, so true to the Home of to-day, of the improvement of the grounds: "Creeping vines and begonia leaves hang in graceful clusters on the rocks above the basin into which the sparkling element is constantly flowing. Standing upon the left side of the basin a glimpse may be obtained of a natural grotto, formed by rocks so even and regular in their arrangement as to convey the impression that they had been laid by the hand of man. Looking far beneath this beautiful formation is a spring of great depth, and which in its perennial course flows steadily into the basin. It is of great depth and inexhaustible in its supplies."
The credit for the laying out and development of the grounds in their present perfection is due to Mr. Charles Beck, who had charge of the landscape work from about 1875 till his death on March 18, 1906.
FIRST BUILDINGS.
Some of the improvements, begun before 1875, may be sketched. Up to December 1, 1868, two hundred and twelve thousand, nine hundred dollars and sixty-nine cents had been expended in the construction of buildings, furnishing them and in work on the grounds. The barracks were wooden buildings three stories high. The church was built in 1868, and is said to have been the first house of worship built by the United States government. The hospital was begun in 1868. It was an imposing structure two hundred and ninety-three feet long and cost about two hundred thousand dollars. Though so large, additional accommodations for hospital purposes have been necessary and in 1909 a large wing was added at a cost of sixty thousand dollars. The spacious dining-hall building was erected in 1874. The building was built of brick and was ninety- seven feet four inches by one hundred and thirty-one feet eight inches, and three stories high. The music hall of the early period accommodated about eight hundred people. Headquarters building one hundred and thirty feet by forty-one feet, three stories high, built of brick, was erected in 1870. The library occupied all of this building above the first story. At the east end was the library donated by Mrs. Mary Lowell Putman in memory of her son who fell, mortally wounded, at the battle of Ball's Bluff. At the west end of the building was the collection of books known as the George H. Thomas library. Already in 1875 there were work shops of almost every kind, the deer park, the menagerie, the cemetery, of course, and the foundation of a soldiers' monument.
EXTENSION OF PRIVILEGES AND REGULAR APPROPRIATIONS.
In 1871, the privileges of the institution were extended to the disabled officers and soldiers of the War of 1812 and to the Mexican War. By an act of June 23, 1873, the word "Asylum" was struck from the title of the institution and
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the word "Home" was substituted. One of the greatest changes was that made by the act of March 3, 1875, by which regular appropriations began to be made for the maintaining of the home. Before this, the money to meet expenses had been derived from fines, forfeitures, money due deceased soldiers and so forth. Some of these moneys were now made payable to the post fund, a fund under the control of the board of managers, but to be used for purposes extra to those to which the regular appropriations were applied.
CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS.
In 1877 there were one hundred and thirty-two buildings of all sizes, six and one-half miles of macadamized roads, two miles of graveled walks, eight miles of paved gutters, fifteen miles of sewers and drains, ten deep wells, fifty- four large rain-water cisterns and four large lakes. Ninety men were employed in the cigar factory. Eighteen men were operating knitting machines. The shoe shop and the tailor shop gave employment to a large number of men. The soap factory made one hundred and twenty-one thousand, five hundred and ninety-nine gallons of soft soap and twenty-nine thousand, three hundred and nine pounds of hard soap, all chiefly from the materials from the kitchen of the some. Besides, men of every trade were kept busy in doing necessary work about the home.
Beginning in 1877 the water supply was greatly increased by deepening the three lakes, then existing, and adding in 1880 the large lake east of the original grounds on a ten-acre tract purchased by James Applegate and W. F. Howell.
Memorial Hall was completed in 1878 and was formally opened by the board of managers and the president of the United States, September 12th of that year. It was built without cost to the government, the money coming from the disabled veterans themselves, through what is called the "store and posthumus fund." It was a large, splendid brick building, one hundred and twenty feet by seventy-five feet, and sixty-five feet high, designed for all classes of literary, dramatic and musical entertainments, military drills and so forth. It was de- stroyed by fire in May, 1880. Congress soon afterward made an appropriation of thirty thousand dollars toward replacing it, and in October, 1881, the new hall was finished, and opened during the winter of 1881 and 1882. It is a mag- nificent structure with a seating capacity of one thousand six hundred.
In 1888 the "property building" containing the quartermaster and commissary departments and the general depot was built, additions to the same being made later.
Year by year, when the board of managers met it was found necessary to erect new and more substantial barracks to accommodate the increasing member- ship of the home.
Some of the more recent improvements may be concisely stated. Barracks number twenty-one and store were erected in 1893, barracks number six in 1889, and barracks number one in 1900. A frame mess hall was erected in 1891. Treasurer's quarters were erected in 1895 and the veterans' club house in 1896. An elegant Catholic chapel was built in 1898. In the last named year the palm house was built. The Lodge lake entrance was constructed in 1898 and the
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Anderson gateway in 1904. The Franklin barracks were built in 1902 and the Harris barracks in 1904. These were both designed for the convenience and comfort of old men. The nurses' cottage was built in 1906. The large wing to the hospital building was added in 1908, as was also the tuberculosis ward. The present library building was reconstructed for that purpose in 1891.
Another recent improvement was the establishment of a central steam plant to take the place of four steam plants previously existing. The home has its own electric light plant, as also its own ice plant. The home has over one and one-half miles of tunnels of recent construction, mostly six by six feet in size. A sewer eighteen inches in diameter was constructed in 1892. A beautiful and substantial cement bridge was constructed in 1895. Miles of cement walk have taken the place of the old gravel walks. Hundreds of iron seats are placed on the borders of the campus and occupy different parts of the grounds. The cost of a large part of these improvements has been paid from the post fund. A number of new avenues have been laid out chiefly in the western part of the grounds.
SOME INCIDENTS.
The history of the home at the beginning was more romantic than it could be afterward. The home was new to itself and to the city. The dedication of the church, and of the hospital, the laying of the corner stone of the soldiers' monument, the opening of the library and of the dining-hall, and a variety of other occasions, led many from the city and elsewhere to gather at the home.
Associated with the home grounds before occupied for their present purpose, were some facts reaching back to the early relations of the whites and Indians.
Eva Wampler, born in Boutecourt county, Virginia, in 1738, was at the age of seven stolen by the Indians. When about fourteen, she was returned to her parents but seemed to have utterly forgotten all that she had known of the Eng- lish language. She recognized melodies sung to revive her memories, but seemed unable to understand the language spoken about her. After a time, she was out with her father who was building a fence. As he was going to get a rail, she called out "I'll fetch that rail" and from that moment all of her childhood was brought back to her. At the age of twenty-two, she was married to Henry Kinsey and brought up a family of six children. May 11, 1804, Henry Kinsey entered section I in Jefferson township, almost all of which is now included in the Sol- diers' Home grounds. In 1805, Jacob Wolf, a son-in-law, came from Virginia and occupied a large log house near the grotto spring. This house was the first headquarters for the Soldiers' Home and the large red barn adjacent fur- nished the home its first dining-room. The members of this early family were buried in the Soldiers' Home grounds near where the deer lodge is.
On the occasion of Gen. Hooker's visit to the home, there was a spontaneous and general outburst of enthusiasm.
May 30, 1870, Gen. Sherman visited the home where he was received with military honors. A graceful triple arch spanned the gate, inscribed in front: "Honor the Brave! Welcome Sherman ! From Atlanta to the Sea." Gen. Sherman made short addresses in the music hall and at the cemetery. He expressed him-
SOLDIERS' HOME CEMETERY
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self as gratified at what the government was doing for the disabled soldiers and surprised at the completeness and beauty of the home.
Gen. Grant with his wife and daughter, Nellie, visited the home October 3, 1871. He was then president. He with the distinguished retinue attending him, were given a salute by the battery of twenty-one guns and the band played "Hail to the Chief" and afterward "The Conquering Hero Comes." He was given an enthusiastic reception. He made a short speech in the chapel.
The veteran from whose descriptions quotations have already been made thus describes an appearance of Anna Dickenson before a Soldiers' Home audi- ence : "Something less than a thousand one-legged, and otherwise maimed soldiers sat before her. Anna had seen many such when they were suffering from fresh wounds and desperate camp-sickness, during the war, and had done a good woman's part in alleviating their sufferings. She had wept with them in camp, soothed them in sorrow, cried over their tortures, and sympathized with and com- forted them as a sister would. But she had seen nothing like this war picture. When she turned to the veterans the whole panorama of war presented itself to her vision. Her beautiful eyes filled with tears, which she tried in vain to fling away with her white jeweled fingers, and then with a half sob, she said: 'I knew, when I-was-asked, that-I-couldn't talk to you; but-I can cry with you.' Had it been mere acting, it would have been perfect; but everybody saw how truly womanly it was;
After this perfectly happy episode, Anna was herself again. * Full of passionate earnestness, she had the veterans cheering with the mighty voices of soldiers in victory, then weeping like women."
OFFICERS OF THE HOME.
Before taking our final survey of the home, we may notice some of the men who have had the responsibility of conducting it and have helped to make it what it is.
The home has had a worthy succession of governors. Maj. E. E. Tracy, who had the title of deputy governor, was appointed April 12, 1867, and resigned December 6th of the same year at about the time when the home was tranferred to Dayton. His health was already completely broken. He died in June the following year, at the early age of twenty-five, from wounds received in action.
Gen. Timothy Ingram, also with the title of deputy governor, was placed in charge December 6, 1867, and served until October 8, 1868. He was a genial gentleman and was kindly remembered by those who, during his short term, be- came acquainted with him.
Col. E. F. Brown was appointed deputy governor October 8, 1868, and full governor September 25, 1873, and served until September 22, 1880, when he was made inspector general, his duties extending to all of the Soldiers' Homes. He entered the service from New York, lost an arm in the battle of Cedar Moun- tain. He was held in very high esteem by the members of the home. He was the father of Judge O. B. Brown of the common pleas court.
Gen. M. R. Patrick was appointed governor September 23, 1880, and contin- ued as governor till his death July 27, 1888. Gen. Patrick was born in 1811, grad- uated from West Point in 1835, served in the Florida and Mexican wars, re-
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. signed from the regular army in 1850, and entered the volunteer army in 1861, with the rank of brigadier general and resigned in 1865 with the title of brevet major general. His career as governor, through a considerable part of his admin- istration was very stormy. He was appointed governor because of his known character as a disciplinarian and because it was thought that there should be worked out at the central branch a model for the government of the other Sol- diers' Homes.
In consequence of the hostility excited against him by some of the attaches of some of the local newspapers and because of the opposition of certain politi- cians and the hostile attitude taken by some of the members of the home, a bit- ter and continuous attack was made against him. Advantage was taken of the fact that he had begun his military career in the regular army. He was accused of harshness, under the mistaken idea that discipline was necessary only for awfully bad people. A committee appointed by congress to investigate all the Soldiers' Homes, made an exhaustive investigation at the central branch. The in- vestigation closed in a dramatic way when Gen. Patrick, addressing the com- mittee said :. "I am a man of strong convictions. I fear God and him only. I shall not depart, while the little of life that is left to me shall remain, from the principles I have laid down all through my life for my guidance." The inves- tigation was in 1884 and the whole matter dropped with the making of the re- port by the committee.
November 17, 1888, Col. J. B. Thomas, who had previously served as treasurer was appointed governor. He served with great credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned, till his death March 5, 1907.
Col. A. J. Clark was appointed governor April 1, 1907. He was made treasurer of the home January 1, 1901, being appointed from New Jersey. Col. Clark was a captain of the famous Clark's battery, a New Jersey organization in the civil war. He is very popular as governor.
Of scarcely less importance than the governors and of greater importance in some ways is the resident manager of the home. Hon. L. B. Gunckel of Dayton came into this responsible position at the founding of the home in 1867. His devoted services in this experimental period cannot be overestimated. He was succeeded in 1878 by Col. Leonard A. Harris, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who served until his death July 5, 1890. Gen. James Barnett of Cleveland was ap- pointed in March, 1891, and served until April, 1894. He was succeeded by Gen. Charles M. Anderson of Greenville, Ohio, who died December 28, 1908. All of the local managers were able and faithful servants of the government in ministering to the comfort and well-being of their soldier wards.
Dr. Clark McDermont was surgeon at the central branch from the time of its establishment, with the exception of fourteen months, till 1874. He was succeeded by Dr. J. M. Weaver, who served till 1880.
Rev. William Earnshaw was appointed chaplain September 5, 1867, and served till his death July 17, 1885. In his period, he was the ready spokesman and the active leader in every enterprise for the building up of the home. He was succeeded by Rev. J. V. Lerch.
An account of the officers of the home would not be complete without a recognition of Mrs. E. L. Miller, who early in the war assisted in establishing the
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Cleveland and Cincinnati sanitary associations, was connected with the Ohio home when it was fostered by these associations and later when it was sup- planted by the state of Ohio and came with the national home to Dayton and filled for years the important place of matron. Aside from being the matron of the hospital, she had charge of the hotel, the laundry and the restaurant. For twenty years, she has been superintendent of the general depot which sup- plies stores for all of the Soldiers' Homes. With the aid of an assistant she still performs the duties of this responsible position. These duties do not hide what is her chief distinction as the soldiers' friend.
The present officers of the central branch are the following: Governor, Col. A. J. Clark ; Treasurer, Maj. W. H. Ort; Secretary, Maj. F. W. Roush; Quar- termaster, Capt. E. P. Hooven; Commissary of Subsistance and Superintendent of Post Fund, John Cissna; Assistant Adjutant General, Maj. Carl Berlin; In- spector, Maj. A. S. Galbraith ; Chaplain, Rev. H. A. McDonald; Chaplain (Cath- olic), Rev. B. F. Kuhlman, D. D.
The present board of managers for all of the Soldiers' Homes are the follow- ing: President, Maj. James W. Wadsworth; First Vice-President, Gen. Thomas J. Henderson; Second Vice-President, Capt. Henry E. Palmer; Col. Walter P. Brownlow, Senator William Warner, Gen. Joseph S. Smith, Col. Edwin P. Hammond, John M. Holley, Esq., Col. Henry H. Markham and Lieut. Frank- lin Murphy. The vacancy caused by the death of Gen. Charles M. Anderson re- mains unfilled. The number of managers was nine until a few years ago, when the number was increased to eleven. The president of the United States, the chief justice and the secretary of war are ex-officio members of the board of man- agers.
THE HOME TO-DAY.
Lest it should escape us, we notice first that the name of the great institu- tion to which we are directing our attention is the Central Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. There is one great home at first called an asylum, now with ten branches, under a single board of managers. We do well to lay emphasis on the word Central in the name of the local institution. Not only geographically, but in its history and in its present relations to the other branches it has a central place. Among the buildings of the central branch, is a substantial and commodious general depot, where supplies are gathered, clothing manufactured and distribution made for all of the branch homes.
By successive acts of congress, the last being of March 4, 1909, the privileges of the general institution of the national home have been greatly extended. The following is the present law:
"Resolved, That soldiers who are beneficiaries of the Soldiers' Home at Washington, D. C., shall be considered as being sufficiently provided for, and will not be admitted to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers."
83. The following persons only shall be entitled to the benefits of the Na- tional Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and may be admitted thereto upon the order of a member of the board of managers, namely :- All honorably dis- charged officers, soldiers, and sailors who served in the regular or volunteer
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forces of the United States in any war in which the country has been engaged, including the Spanish-American war, the provisional army (authorized by act of congress, approved March 2, 1899), in any of the campaigns against hos- tile Indians, or who have served in the Philippines, in China, or in Alaska, who are disabled by disease, wounds or otherwise, and who have no adequate means of support, are not otherwise provided for by law, and by reason of such dis- ability are incapable of earning their living.
The home is reached by two systems of street railroads, three lines in all, and by a steam railroad, mainly for freight purposes. The first "dummy" railroad from West Third street to the home, was followed, in the early eighties, by a railroad entering the grounds from the north which was given up when one company came into possession of both roads. At an early time direct connections were made with tracks in West Dayton and also with the Union station.
The home crowns an elevation having a commanding view of the city of Dayton and a wide area of the Miami valley. Its buildings, large and small now number over one hundred, the larger number of them tasteful and substantial.
The village or city character of the home is what strikes many visitors with surprise. It has its own postoffice, a well-equipped fire department, its lighting plant and other features belonging to municipal administration. For a time it had a school but the veterans are too old to go to school or they have already learned their lessons. The water system, while adequate for ordinary purposes, will soon be greatly improved. The name of the postoffice is National Military Home, Montgomery county, Ohio. W. H. Hallam is the present postmaster. Between five hundred thousand and six hundred thousand persons visit the home annually. The events of a day at the home will be of interest to those who have no direct acquaintance with the daily routine. At 5:00 o'clock each morning there is the regulation military bugle call. At 6:00 o'clock there is another bugle call and the first division go to breakfast, the second division following a half hour later. At 9:00 o'clock the governor goes to headquarters and hears complaints and holds a sort of court. Persons charged with having violated the rules are brought before him, and testimony for and against them may be introduced. One of the punishments is in being assigned to work without pay and being de- prived of the privilege of leaving the grounds. At 12:00 and at 12:30 dinner is served and at 5:00 and 5:30 supper is served. At 6:00 the evening concert be- gins and lasts for an hour and a half. At sunset a corporal with his squad lowers the flag and a salute is sounded from a near-by cannon. At 8:30 the bugle calls the men to quarters. At 9:00 o'clock a plaintive strain smooths the way to sleep.
The table fare for three days in June, 1909 was as follows: (Sunday) break- fast-fried ham, horse radish, steamed potatoes, bread, oleo, coffee; dinner- mutton stew, young onions, apple pie, bread, oleo, coffee ; supper-stewed peaches, cheese, bread, oleo, tea; (Monday) breakfast-bacon and baked beans, bread, oleo, coffee; dinner -- vegetable soup, roast beef and gravy, potatoes, pickles, crackers, bread, oleo ; supper-stewed apples, biscuit, bread, oleo, tea; (Tuesday) breakfast-corned beef hash, tomato catsup, bread, oleo, coffee; dinner-shoul- ders, stewed tomatoes, potatoes, bread, oleo, coffee; supper-stewed prunes, ginger cake, bread, oleo, tea.
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