The National tribune., 1882-12-21
INDIANA.
What an Inspection of the Department Reveals
The Crack Posts.
special CORRESPONDENCE Nntional Tribune.

What an Inspection of the Department Reveals
The Crack Posts.
Special Correspondence National Tribune
VERSAILLES, IND, Dec. 1T is a pleasure
to me to record a visit to Charles c. Wheeler
Post No. 9S, of this place, and tell You some
! thing OF Its status and organization. Alightngat
! OsgOod. small village on the Ohio and Nlissis-
sippi Railroad, twenty-One miles east Of North
! Vernon and titty-twO miles west of Cincinnati,
, where its gallant commander, Major J. o.
CravenS, resides, | learned from him that the
Post was situated five miles south at this beau
tiful little city, and | soon CLEANED from the
! commander aud other comrades these interest
ing particulars: 1t was organized amidst the
rush and boom that set in i'll this Department
last summer, and mustered September Gth last
by the late Major John d. Simpson, commander
of the Alois Q. Backman Post, No 20, Madison,
| Indiana, assisted by Il distinguished cOmrade.
Paul c. Hendricks, the officers and members of
| that Post being among the best i'll this Depart
ment. They were accompanied by White S
celebrated drum c0rps-in all thirty com
! radeS-and i'll the evening at Masonic Hall
| twenty-SX gallant comrades presented them
| selves as recruits of the Grand Army of the
! Republic" and took upon themselves the solemn
vows and obligations of the Order. The follow
| ing officers were dul V installed: Commander, J.
o. Cravens, late Co. G., 9th Indiana; :. Y. G., :. NJ
Jones, Co. !, 18th Indiana j. Y. g., Phillip F.
! Seelinger, Co. G, SD Indiana: Chaplain. Ira g.
! Picket, late 37th Indiana; Surg, {. {. Bryant
! Co. X, 9th Indiana; Q. NJ, Thomas Day, Sd
| Indiana cavalry; Adjt., 4. G Hunter late ad-
adjutant, SD Indiana; o. D., Comrade Hitz;
| O. g., Thomas Laswell, CO. +, 31th Indiana;
! Sarg. g.-llajor, Frank Hancock, 6Sth Indiana :;
/ @. NJ. Serg., John B. New.
The members meet monthly, though but
! twice since their organization. Living in one
of these copperhead communities, which caused
! so much trouble in this State during the war,
! they concluded to wait until the political cx-
element was over. The prospects are now
| good for an increased membership; for this
! Post is composed of Il class of comrades above
! the average of ordinary membership, and oc-
cupy not only high standing in society, but
| have regulations extending beyond the limits
| Of the State.
! In their Commander, J. o. Crayens, they
! have a representative of the well known
! Craven family, one Of the most distinguished
| in southern Indiana; their name, interests and
! counselS have been a potent factor III the de-
velopInent Of the State Comrade Cravens is
the gallant soldier who made the race for Con-
gress two years ago against the great OBJ
jector," W. 5. Holman, and though suffering
defeat, retired with fresh laurclS on his brow,
and achieved a reputation as al orator that has
become national. His military record is
brilliant one. Entering the service early in
1S61-the " Ninth Indiana" Milroy's old regi-
ment--he participated ia the battle of Allegany
December -, 1861, in whose company was
killed that gallant boy soldier, Joseph Gordon,
son Of Major Gordon, prominent attorney,
cX-clerk of the Supreme Court. whose death
created within this State the sorrow that Ellis
worth's did throughout the Nation. He was
promoted major and assistant acknowledgement
on General Milroy's staff, where he remained
throughout the war. At its close he entered
upon the practice of law, and is now one Of the
leading attorneys III this section.
had the pleasure Of meeting hero a gallant
officer OF my old rcgiment-tho Thirteenth
lndiana-Captain Samuel NJ. Jones, the senior
vice-commander, who has an uneXceptonal
military record. He is hero of two wars, and
was an intimate friend of General Grant in
Mexico Comrade Jones attended Grants we'd
ding, and in return when the former mar
ricd, General Grant returned the compliment
by attending his nuptials. They were school
boys together.
Since the war Comradc Jones has been en-
gagged in the practice Of law, and is considered
the leading attorney i'll this section.
Junior Vice-C Commander Phillip +. Seelinger,
another gallant comradc, saw hard and arduous
service in the Eighty-third, Colonel Benjamin
Spooners rcgiment) He was with Grant in
the Vicksburg campaign, with Sherman before
Atlanta and on the march TO the sea, and adju-
tant of the regiment. Since the war Comrade
Seelinger has been elected county auditor two
terms. He is now engaged in agricultural pur-
suits.
Post Surgeon Comrade C. c. Bryant also has
a fine military record; also, Quartermaster
Thomas Day, like Cincinnatus of old, went back
to the plow at the close of the war. He be-
longed to the Third Indiana cavalry, Il regi-
ment raised in this section, and one that
achieved renown in Kilpatrick's division of
Sheman's army. The other officers | was un-
able to see. The majority of the comrades liv-
gagged in agricultural pursuits. OF ex-soldcrs
who do not belong TO the Post, but who will
soon be enrolled find surgeon well-known
and remembered by many a sick and wounded
soldier,-Dr. WILLIAM Anderson, late surgeon
Thirty Indiana, who had charge Of
the hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, during
1S64-5. His reputation army surgeon
is high in the medical world.
Captain Hezckiah Shook, late of company B,
Eighty-third, also Captain w. Il. Lloyd, com
pany f, Eighty-third Indiana, are both in
county Offices
In the silent city of the dead repose Captain
Charles G. Wheeler, late of company b, Sixty
eighth Indiana in honor Of whose memory the
Post was named. Decoration Day has never
been appropriately observed here, but it will
be i'll future, under the auspices of this Post,
their commander on several occasions being
the orator elsewhere
COmrade Henry Weber, late company G,
IlSnty -JnlTu lEulaDa volunteers tCol. Benz.
Spooner's regiment), who was wounded Janu-
ary IL, 1863, at Arkansas Post, losing the use
of his "pen hand" there; was in 1872 elected
sheriff of Ripley county by majority of 161; in
1874 was reelected by majority Of ia, and
in 1880 again by a majority of POI. He sus-
tanned defeat in the general crash that be-
fell his party, and he has determined to seek
preferment at the hands Of the Government
His application to the Pension Department is
fortified by strong personal letters from Govern
or A. q. Porter, Colonel e. w. Wolfe, auditor of
State; Dr. L. w. Haun, secretary of State; Hon.
John o. Cravens, commander of Post 81 here;
Hon. John Overmin ex-chairman State Central
Committee; Judge J. G.. Berkshire, and other
influential Indanians.
CONDITION OF OTHER POSTS
determined the other day to make a trip in
the interest of the Grand Army, and call the
attention of ex-soldiers to the necessity of in
creasing the circulation of THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE. Going into southern Indiana, ii
was nay pleasure to call upon the comrades of
Pap Thomas Post, No. 5, Greensburgh, Ind.
They are an old Post, and have good set of