The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-16
PERSIMMON BOYS HERE
ANNUAL REUNION OF THIS FAMOUS
FIGHTING BRIGADE.
IndOrse . Movement to Put Naval
Veteran at the Head of the
G. A. r. Next Year.

and seventeenth and Northumberland
eighteenth Indiana Infantry Regiments,
held their tenth annual reunion yesterday
at the courthouse. with over one hundred
griZzled veterans present. President u. L.
Baum, of Paris, ILL.,, called the brigade to
order at 1880 a. m. Four members OF the
brigade have died during the year and
memorials of them We're read. The meet
ing then adjourned till afternoon.
The heroes of a hundred battles fingered
a little over dinner and it was 2:3o when
the afternoon session was called to order
The election of regimental officers was the
first item on the order of business and the
regiments elected officers as follows: One
red-and-f1fteenth, Jas. c. Layman,
president; r. E. Hawley, of acton, secre-
tary. One-hundred- and sixteenth. E. B.
Brown, of Newport Ind, president; J. NJ
Cassel, secretary. observation-disclosures Seven
teenth, Thomas Fitzpatrick, of Blooming
ton, Ind, president JOS. c. Rhea, of Emil
hence. Ind, secretary. Northumberland
eighteenth, John T. Giltner, president, and
w. w. Robbins secretary. Next was the
election of officers for the brigade for the
ensuing year. and Capt. John B. Writ was
chosen president; j. NJ. Cassel was elected
secretary for the sixth time, ex-Lieutenant
Governor Hanna, treasurer, and Alonzo
Murphy chaplain. Robert Denny was re-
elected historian, and Major Saylor his as
sistant.
Robert Denny, brigade historian reported
that the expense of collecting data and
correctly preparing. the brigade history was
very heavy and recommended that work be
discontinued until something like $500 had
been raised to defray expenses. A COM
mittee composed of one member from each
regiment was appointed to take charge of
the financial question. An address was
made by comrade r. E. Hawley, of Acton,
in which he advocated the desirability of
securing and placing file register of
all che past and present members of the
Persimmon Brigade Steps will be at once
taken to do this and the full roster of the
association will be included in the history
The new president, Captain Writ, said that
this reunion was the best in point of at
tendance and enthusiasm that had been
held for years.
Resolutions were introduced and adopted
stating that it was with qualification that
the members of the brigade learned of the
desire of many of the State G. A. r.
camprnents to push the candidacy of Rear
Admiral Richard w. Meade for the posi-
ton of comnander-in-chief of the G.. A.
r., and indorsing the movement to nomi-
nate him as such at the next National En-
campment at Buffalo.
A committee was appointed to formally
invite Col. l.. n. Walker, past commander
Ut. "a.
the campfire last night as the guest Of the
brigade. On motion of Comrade Hawley a
cordial invitation was also extended the
newspaper men to be present. While the
committee on nominations was celebrating
on its report the boys in blue gathered In
little knots and related to each other many
amusing little incidents of army life in the
stirring times of 1S61-65.
A COMRADES STORY
One that set the whole gathering laugh
ing uproariously was told by a private, as
follows:
"One afternoon, after forced march Of
forty-one miles General Ross was sitting
in the shade resting his weary limbs when
looking up, he spied a mounta.neer old
and feeble coming toward him. leading a
mule as decrepit as himself with a halter
rope Making profound salute, he said
'Kurnel, | come to see if yoh won't let me
have a gyard. sub; yes, sub, q gyard I
want some perfection for what little l have
left. sub. General Ross asked him if the
boys had been annoying him much lately
should say they had. sub. Fust it wuz my
smokehouse that went; then 1t wuz my
they took my flour, and / haint got moth
ing left but'-here he turned around to
point to his mule. but it was gone; Some
complaining, cut the halter and led the
old mule off. And subj he continued I
guess yum needn't bother about this here
good story was told by another private,
who was one of the principals. One time
north of Knoxville, protecting the city the
boys were weary of the monotony of bar
rack life and started a camp meeting for a
little advertisement. Colonel Ham, of
Greenville, Ind, was commanding the regi-
ment and was very much worried by the
racket made by the singing and shouting
of the boys. One morning orders came to
be ready to march al any minute and
while the preparations We're going on the
boys held another session of their camp
meeting. The noise grew unbearable to the
testy colonel and he dispatched an order
w TO fnn
send the noisest of the men to him for
punishment The lieutenant was busy MAX
ing Preparations I for the march and this
the orderly he said: Tell Colonel Ham
that if he wants them men he just
come up here and pick em out; amt got
time to stop" And went calmly on with
his work.
]. K. Gowdy, chairman of the Republican
Indiana Cavalry At the fight a Walkers
Ford, twenty-seven miles southeast of
were pouring calling fire into the cavalry
ranks and We're gradually driving them
back. One of the Persimmon Brigade says
that just as they We're about to be
pulsed Gowdy looked over his shoulder saw
the Persimmons marching to their rescue
at the double-quick. then turned and
shouted to his comrades: Give 'em HI
boys, the Persimmon Knockers are right
here to help us That shout turned the
tide or the battle and the soldier said that
he thought Gowdy was never so glad be-
fore or since to see a friend.
All Tie OF the brigade wore one
or two green persimmons on their coats
yesterday, and one of them said DO you
know how we got the name of the Persim-
mon Knockers? Well, I'll tell you. 1t was
during the winter of 1S63-64 and we were
about twenty miles south of the Kentucky
line, working South. Our only base of sun
plies was Cincinnati, and the grub had to
be hauled in wagon trains overland from
there. One of these trains was cut off by
the Johnnies and pretty soon our rations
began to run short. We couldn't forage,
for there was nothing to forage on. So one
morning when we went up for our rations
we were given two ears of green corn and
were told that that was all there was
Some of the boys went over to a persin-
mon tree and gathered lot of green per-
to shrink their stomachs to the size of the
rations. After while we all did that and
hardly missed the decrease in the amount
of grub. That's the way we got the name
sir
After the regular business of the reunion
had been finished at the courthouse the
"Persimmons" adjourned to Mansur Hall
over 156 East Washington street where the
lady friends of the brigade, under the di-
rection of Mrs. W. w. Robbins had pre-
pared a fine dinner for the boys. The pro-
verbal beans and bareback We're conspicu-
Gus by their absence, but nearly every other
good thing to eat was on the table. After
dinner speeches We're made by ex-Govern-
Rev. Alonzo Murphy and others. After
dinner, the little band of time-scarred war
riors once more adjourned to the court
house, where oid-time, informal camp
fire was held and a few short speeches
made.