Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-02


is one of the oldest commands in PENNSYLVANIA
and has history that goes back for more than
fifty years If you talk history to an eighteenth
man he will take you back to September S, 1881.
when Rufus l.. Baker, afterward major in the
U. S. army, organized the Duquesne Crews of
Pittsburgh. He will take you up to the regi-
mental headquarters and show you an old and
tattered frame containing piece of paper ON
which the ink is badly faded The paper is
dated in 1916 and is from the adjutant general
OF Pennsylvania it contains his thanks for the
offer OF the organizations services in Mexico
and accepts the company. He will show YOU in
the regimental records the roster of Company
X, First Pennsylvania Volunteers as the COM
pany became in 1916, and then turn over to
black-edged page, showing how the company
fought and how In one struggle, when it cut its
way through the Mexican lancers in the streets
OF Pueblo on October r. 1S47, it left thirteen
men dead beneath the horses feet and had but
half a dozen men in line without a wound. He
will bring you on to 1861, when the command
became Company B, Twelfth PENNSYLVANIA
Volunteers and served during the three months
OF the first call for volunteers. He will show
you list with 81 names all from the company
Of men who became officers of U. s. troops;
some of them; such as Gen. Drum, the present
Acknowledgement of the army and Gen. Eakin,
the late ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, officers in the
regular service. Others, such as Major-General
Negley, Col. Robt. Anderson, Col j. NJ Kincaid
and Col George 8. Hays, officers of volunteers.
He will show you roll of honor which reads /:
Col. Sam1 w. Black, Sixty-second PENNSYLVANIA
Volunteers, killed at Gaines Mill; Col. Oliver ii.
Rippey, Sixty-frst Pennsylvania Volunteers,
killed at Fair Cakes Col Bart G. Leiper, First
Kentucky Infantry, killed at Perrysville; Col.
John w. Patterson, One-hundred-and-second
Pennsylvania Volunteers, killed at The Wilder
ness; Major Frank Ward, Anderson Cavalry,
killed at Stone river; Major John Poland, One
hundred-and-second Pennsylvania Volunteers:
killed at Malvern Hill, and he will tell you that
these men were members of the old command
and were but part of those who fell in action.
That is the outline of the history of the or
ganization up to the war. company in Mex
leo; a company in the three months service in
81, and then every man who was able to take the
field given q commission, and Of these sixteen
dying in the service: After the war the old
members reorganized again as the Duquesne
Greys. They were company in 1863, had
grown to a battalion in 1870, and to a regiment
in 1871, when the command received the numer-
ical designation of the Eighteenth" Col
David Campbell, who had been captain of the
company prior to the war, and colonel Of the
regiment Of which it formed the nucleus in the
service, was the first commander He was sus-
ceeded in 1874 by Preasly N. Guthrie, who re-
tanned command until promoted to adjutant-
general OF the state in 1888. Col. Chambers
McKibbin was the next commander, but i'll
health forced him to resign in 1884 Col. Nor
man N. Smith, who had gone into the service as
a private in 1861 and been mustered out as a
ieutenant-colonel in 1865, was then chosen as
chief of the Eighteenth, position he still holds.
Since the command has had regimental forma-
ton it has had four colonies, all Of whom re-
ceived their trainieg under fire.
In the years that it has been national guard
organization the regiment has been under arms
several times and has been called into service
once. This was in 1877-the railroad riot year
and every man who ever served with the regi-
ment Is proud OF the record the old command
made. The Eighteenth was the first regiment
called out and it responded with every man for
which It had equipments. The authorities
feared that the mob would burn the East Liberty
stockyards and sack the East End valley, the
richest section Of the city. The Eighteenth was
sent out ct once and when the mob came IL
found . line Of bayonets and men ready to use
mem. Gen. Guthrie was colonel then and his
hrmness VS. too much for the mob. The
sisbfees hostile DEMONSTRATION broughtA hsyonet