Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-10-09
Correspondence Of the Hersld)
OUR BALTIMORE LETTER.
The 'OId Defenders" OF BaItimore-The OLD
settlers OF Grant County
RecollectionE.

q part of human nature, to dwell with |
peculiar qualifications Oh the recol.
iections of the past. Baltimore has
quite respectable list of what are
denominated "0ld Defenders" sol.
diers of the war of 1912, who are
among our most honorable citizens.
but sustaining a marked position,
more particularly on account of the
gallant defence they made against
the bombardment of Baltimore by |
the British, few days previous to
the burning of our National Capitol
a. Washington. This class of vet
Grams meets in annual convention
in orr city during this month. and
spends the day in social intercourse,
and more especially in recOunIiI G
the scenes of conflict through which
they passed, when old Fort Nc
Henry" resting in beauty on the
blue waves of the Chesapeake, hurI~
ed back the red-hot shot which fell
like iron hail on the ill taled crews
who attempted to land upon our
shores. 1t should be said 10 tie
praise of the Old Defenders that
they also devote the middle Sabbath
in September OF each year in acts IT
worship within someChristian church
where some Christian minister dis
courses eloquently on the obligations
of the American people to remember
our worthy ancestors, and especially
to reverence that Divine Being
whose gracious providence originals
ed and made Us an independenC ma
zion. The graphic scenes associated
with the defence of our city on the
occasion to which we refer, is
beautifully set forth in one of our
most popular national soHgs-:"The
Star Spangled BaDHerl" made i'm.
mortal from the genius of its youth
full author and the beauty of senti-
nent which it contains. This won
derful song was composed by young
Key while prisoner on board one
or the British vessels off Fort Nc
Henry while the bombardment war
going on, and within few days
Lhereaf er, il was set TO music, aud
every BAltimorean big aud little,
male and female, white and black,
were shouting 1t, with gusto pecu.
.iar to the theme.
What | have written on the SUBJ
ect of Baltimore Defenders" was
called forth from u notice in the Her.
atd with regard to 1.-THE Old Settlers"
annual meeting of Grant county,
which comes off the first week in
October. Your correspondent classi-
ties himself with the early settlers OF
Grant county having first looked on
On your fertile prairies and beautiful
groves as early as 1876. The recol-
lections of that, and subseqent years
IN Grant and other counties of Wis.,
consin, are like fertile spots in the
desert of human life. Passing from
The vicinity of Rockford in 1916, IN
to the lead regions of Illinois and
Wisconsin, was Impressed with the
thought that more beautiful cOun-
never came rom the Creators
hands; and my convictions have not
changed during the last q years
At that remote period, settlers
along the southern line of Lafayette
and Grant counties were few and far
between, and the writer distinctly
remembers that hotels were SO
scarce that in Aug. 1916, between
Rockford and Galena, weary travel
ers were often placed in no enviablc
predicament, in vain attempts L.
find lodgings and ething to eat
while on this journey. The early
settlers were then confined TO nun.
BILE log cabins, and Often 10 TO 20
miles intervened between houses and
settlements. A more generous anu
hospital class of persons never sel-
lied in new country than the early
miners of the lead regions, but even
They were lily prepaAed to accom-.
modate travellers in their slow tran
sit from the east to the west. Grant
county was early blest with the la
DoIs of Christian Ministers of differ
ent denOminations-th Methodist
and Catholic denominations taking
the lead in organizing societies and
laying the foundation of religious
strength and power. The latter
sect, early planted themselves at Sin
sinawa Mound, where, with their
wonted foresight and discrimination,
they erected an institute of learning
winch has proved q source Of q eat
influence 10 the Catholic church in
Wisconsin and Iowa. Oae of the
first Methodist preachers in Grant
County was Rev. John drummer OF
blessed mem Try VIII ether living or
dead the writer knows not This
faithful servant of God preached al
the humble cabin of Mr.. Kilby OF
Hurricane Grove as early as 1888 or
9, as this place was among the first
points where Methodism obtained u
foot hold in the western part Of the
State. Potosi and Lancaster with
about fifteen other neighborhoods
were embraced in Mr.. Crl miners
first circuit. At that early day PJ-
tosi was deemed hard place. aud
among the first appointments of Mr.
drummer then, he met with quite "a
rebuff; some of the fellows of the
baser sort, setting some tar barrels
on fire, and rolling them down one
of the Potosi bills into the vicinity
of where public services were usual
ly held, while the good circuit rider
was engaged in announcing the ter
rors of the Divine Law. The rabble
perceiving determination on the
part of the preacher to hold on TO
-. u 4.