The Mineral argus., 1884-11-27
Fort Maginnis News.
Reception to Col. Green, Post Commander.
[From our Special Correspondents


From our Special Correspondent
On Thursday evening, the Goth inst,
the officers of the 1st regiment of cav
airy, stationed at Fort Maginnis, gave
a brilliant and largely attended recep-
ton to their popular garrison COM
mander, Col. John Green, who is about
to avail himself of an eight months
leave of absence. During his brief
s%ojourn at Fort Maginnis, Col. Green's
friends and acquaintance in this vicin-
ity had become so numerous that it
seemed eminently proper that many of
the citizens about us should be invited
to attend the ovation in which all could
so heartily unite.
The Post chapel was tastefully deco
rated with flags, bunting, and other
emblems appropriate to the occasion,
and at nine o'clock was we'll filled with
guests, every officer and lady in the
garrison, being present. The old cav
airy hero appeared at his best, and all
presented to him received the kindly
words such as "old Johnny" knows so
well how to speak.
After dancing and conversation had
been INDUCED in for about two hours.
Col. Parnell, LIST Cavalry, addressed Col.
Green, as follows:
Col. ParneII's Speech.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
l have been allotted a task this evening, and mar
ticularly pleasant though it be, ! feel myself entirely
out OF place and inadequate to do justice to the
oecasioni l realize the fact that this duty should
have been assigned to ADLER hands than mine.
We have met here tonight to do honor to Il
brother officer of our own particular regiment, the
First Cavalry-tO our own honored commanding
officer, Colonel John Green, who, anticipating the
ordinary course of events in army life, is about to
take a leave of absence pending that promotion he
so richly deserves and which we hope he may soon
realize, and long live to enjoy.
1t is hardly to be eXpected-sO near is he to that
desirable step-that we will have the pleasure of
again seeing him amongst us; his destiny and
sphere of duty will be with another regiment-we
offer il our most hearty congratulations, fer it will,
indeed, be the gamer, and we the loser.
The name of our hOnored commander carries us
back a good many years-away back into the almost
forgotten period of the Mexican war. Who of us
here can tell, even from history, anything about
that eyentful period except the man and the soldier
we do honor tO-night2 The history ofthe conquest
Of Mexico has yet to be written.
Away back in those early days of "the old army
a regiment of Mounted Rifles was organized-May
lS46-and among the number that Joined its ranks
was a young man scarcely honored with the incipi-
N0N SNA VI 10 ~ AAkaA AEo - AAAA INV lnAn~
tache-whO now stands before us, the model cavalry
man of the United States army. Applause
/ use the word ''cavalryman" advisedly, for
whether 1t be the various and multiplied duties of
the enlisted man. or the more responsible ones of
the commissioned officer, Col. John Green is per-
fectly familiar with all and has no superior in our
s~ervicei who yet with nearly forty years hard and
constant service, still retains all the vitality, en-
ergy and dash, so essential to a cavalry commander.
Following on through the constant and i~rritat-
ing campaigns against the hostile Indians, in
which he was engaged from the close of the Next
can war to 1861, we approach a period in our his
tory that few ever dreamt of, with those four long
years of strife and blOodshed we are all familiar:
but among the many thousands that stood by the
country and flag at that time we find the youth of
1876. lApplausel a full grown man, wearing mod
estly the shoulder straps gained for distinguished
service in Mexico and still standing by the flag he
fought under beneath the walls of the Mexican
capital. lGreat applause.l Still later we find him
again waging war against our natural and national
enemy-the lndian-giving confidence and security
TO thousands of our people who sought homes in
the far west.
In 1868 he is transferred by promotion TO the good
old First Cavalry, not only the first in all that goes
to make a regiment what 1t should be; disciplined,
drilled, obedient and together withal, having in its
officers that element Of friendship and harmony
that makes cOmmandeTship valuable and frontier
life endurable. We are proud of our battalion here !