The record-union., 1896-05-30
UNION PRIl1ARY.
Captain e. L. Hawk Addresses ar
Interested Audience.


Seventh and G streets, Mrs. M. E.
Mumford, Principal, large number of
visitors were in attendance and were
well pleased with the exercises, the little
ones doing remarkably we'll in the rem
d1tion of the programme, which was
published yesterday morning in the
Record Union
School Director Sherburn made a few
well-chosen remarks, narrating the or
igin of Decoration Day, and then in
troduced Captain E. L. Hawk, the
speaker of the day. Captain Hawk
spoke as follows, and was listened to
very attentively:
E. L. HAWKS ADDRESS.
My young friends: I have been de-
tailed to appear before you to-day as a
member of the Grand Army of the Re-
public
One Of the first things required of the
recruit upon entering the service is to
obligate himself to obey all orders Of
his superior officers.
Having been assigned the duty Of
talking to you for a few minutes as
one who served in the Union Army
during the civil war, l do not think
that I can interest you better than to
tell you some of my personal history
ard observation during that period In
this / must be brief, as it would take
hours for me to go over the ground.
[ have always, as rule, avoided
talking of these things except to those
who have participated in like scenes,
as l do not always feel that the recital
OF such experiences would interest 9TH
ers. wish, also, to say that my own
experience can be duplicated in almost
any of the thousand regiments that
went to the field-no one of us saw it
all, but each attended to the part as
signed him.
Thirty-five years ago last month I
was attending school in my native
town in the State Of Ohio, the same as
you are now here in Sacramento. While
there had been rumors and alarms of
war very much the same as we have
been having during the past few
months, there was nothing that did to
any great extent excite the schoolboy
of Is or 19 years. But in one day there
came an awakening; the shot fired on
Sumter was heard all over the land
and felt almost as suddenly as many
of you in this building doubtless felt
the earthquake some three years since
Everything changed in a day-the
hoy became man; then came the good
bys, and we leave home, parents, sis
ters, brothers and all we love and hold
dear and cross the Ohio River in the
direction of where the enemy are re-
ported to be- We keep up courage on
leaving our friends, but after the good
bys have been said and the train starts
then comes the reaction and I tell you,
f,-sz
not gone far from the station before
there was not dry eye in the car.
We then realized that we were actu-
ally going to war, and of course We as
well as the whole North at that time,
intended TO put down the rebellion with
in ninety days, that being the term OF
enlistment of the first troops called for
by the President. But it took four long
years to accomplish the work, and that
same town sent out 1000 men before
the war closed.
Our first experience in the war was
really not that of soldiers: we had a
good time in most of that service, and
when mustered out at the expiration o.
the term OF enlistment we thought we
knew just a little more than those who
had remained at home. But we We're
scarcely out until we enlisted again
under a call for 100000 men. This
time we began to know little of what
war was.
After some months out and being very
sick, I was mustered out, coming back
home again, but before recovering en-
tirely came a call from. President Lin
coin for 00,000, followed within a few
days for 100000 additional, which was
answered by hurried enlistments, say
ing. I'VE are coming. Father Abraham
100000 more"
In this last enlistment I had arrived
az the age of 20 years, and on account
Of my having seen some service was
elected to command company of ion
men, Then came the hard work o1
getting ready for active service As
soldiers there were many things tC
learn, but the most necessary thing
was discipline. Our school teachers had
been entirely too good for US to make
good disciplined soldiers.
To be a good soldier in the ranks
one must become almost a machine
must obey orders. which he will do a.
a rule the moment he has confidence IL
his commander; no need to look or
either side to know that the conrad,
OF a company to look back in a charg,
to see II his company is coming; III
knows that all that are not shot dowi
are coming, and that they will follow
wherever he goes.
l am satisfied that there is no posi-
ton or place where one can tell 81
quickly what the man is as in th'
army. / care not to know his age o.
experience; observe that person unde
fre, and you can tell in flash IL he 4
the true soldier or not. What 1t i
tells you this I cannot explain, bu
certain 1t is that everyone know
after his first battle who is who-blus
ter don't count there.
We schoolboy volunteers knew yer,
little Of either the science or theor.
of war, but in active, hard campaign
and battles learned fast. When ourcom
rades fell, as we who were spares
moved on, there was a shudder passe-
through US, and then on we 60 nov
stepping over wounded one who coul
not get out of the way, and so on unit
the charge comes, when we go helter
skelter over the ground, our hearts il
our throats. until the works or cannol
are captured.