The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-12
AN APPEAL FOR AID.
Mexican Veterans Ask for Assistance in
Making Their Reunion q Success.

The resident Mexican veterans are already be-
ginning to make preparations for the entertain
nient of their comrades, who will visit Indian
apolis next month to attend the reunion of the
survivors of that war. They have written the
following appeal to the public for assistance:
INDIANAPOLIS. Aug. 8.
ITO the Citizens of Indianapolis and Stateof Indiana
1.-THE National Association Of Veterans of the
Mexican War has selected indianapolis az the
place OF holding their next annual meeting,
which will be held on the 10th and 18th of Sept.
1883. We expect between 800 and 400 comrades
to be present, coming from nearly every State
In the Union, and the resident comrades here at
indianapolis make to you our first appeal; and
by reason OF age, our last appeal, for assistance
to help US entertain our visiting comrades.
Thirty nine years ago Indiana sent 5000 soldiers
Go the Mexican war: of these men all but about
200 are in their graves; their bodies are buried On
the battle fields of Mexico-in the valleys and
on the mountains and in the sands along the
shores Of the Gulf of Mexico, with no headstones
to mark their graves-nor was any sanitary
commission present to assist them and comfort
them in their dying hours. Victory after vic
tory perched upon their banners. and never a
defeat-untl the territory comprising the great
and New MeXico-territory comprising
nearly 1000, 900 square miles, was wrested from
a foreign power and added to the United States.
This was worth to the United States hundreds
~ Va AOA'thS bh0 SOaAN bSo W OoSao op
any price from them. Again, in 1861, when the
dark clouds of war were gathering over the land
and the government called to arms, the veterans
OF the Mexican war were among the first to
gather around the flag they had SO often borne to
victory. On more than two hundred bloody fields
they helped to place victory again, and again, on
the starry folds of the flag they had followed so
often and so we'll in a foreign land. Among our
comrades from this State we will mention Gen
erals Milroy, Wallace, Manson, Dumont, Spicely,
McGinnis. Simonson, Wagner, Love. Crittenden
and JEFF. G. Davis, and hundreds of field and line
officers and privates in the ranks. More than
three fourths of our comrades served in the last
war; half of them wear the badge OF the Grand
Army; in politics they are about equally divided.
We speak only of the veterans of our own State,
though we have the names of over one hundred
general officers in the last war from other States
who were our comrades in the Mexican war.
ut is the veterans of two wars who call on
you to assist them. Our heads are now white
with age; and We are broken down from hard
service for our country. Our reunions on earth
are few. We think no soldiers on earth have
done more for their government, and think that
government ought to recognize our services by
pensioning US at So per month. But if they
think otherwise and let the rest of us pass away
without any recognition, it is well. We have been
treated spiendidly at our reunions at Washing
ton, Cincinnati, Louisville and Nashville. An
other Western city. which draws a large trade
from the territory that our services annexed to
the United States, we regret to say, saw tit to
take no notice of us: nor assisted our resident
comrades in any way for our reunion. Thirty
eight years have passed since the close of the
Mexican war, and we have asked you for moth
ing; this is our first appeal and you can reason
ably expect it to be the last. indianapolis has
always responded nobly, whether for devastating
fires IN the North, or floods in the Ohio valley or
yellow fever in the South. We think that you
will assist US now to entertain our visiting COM
rades. The chairman of the committee is
CAPTAIN Buchanan; secretary. Captain Dodd;
traacurar Gapapal McGippic. Copfoip Moor.
house and Captain Clinton are also on the
committee. Any donations that the citizens may
wish to make can be made to them; and when
the time comes to decorate our hall the loan of
any flag or any assistance rendered will be
thankfully received. By order of the committee.
"a. MoORHoUSE."