St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-09
60. G'S EARLY DAYS.
INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF THE
EAST THIRD STREET COM
PANY OF 'o~.
NINTH DID NOT WANT THEM,
BUT THEY FINALLY FOUND A
WARM PLACE IN THE
SIXTH.
GOV. RAMSEY SAW THEIR WORTH,
And They Were Soon on the March
to Fight Indians With
True Spirit.
NINTH DID NOT WANT THEM
GOV. RAMSEY SAW THEIR woRTI


unpublished on the history of the early
days of the war, read by Capt. Stees
at the annual reunion at st. Paul in
September:
When the call for more troops was made
in August, 1852, party of young men, mostly
clerks on Third street and boarding at the
| Merchants hotel met at dinner at a table al
ways reserved for them by Col. Shaw and
known as the bachelors table The war,
the last battle and the last call, were dis
cussed until the discussion grew warm and
excited, until the gauntlet was thrown down
with the exclamation, "I'n go if you will!'
AND the result was twelve young men good
and true pledged themselves to enlist to
gether, stand by each other and go to the
front.
That evening they met at the store of Fred
NORWOOD afterwards sergeant major of the
reglment-to talk the matter over and as it
mad become noised about on the streets there
! were tWenty-seVen young men present who
expressed their willingness to Join with lis and
ueslred TO sign paper to that effect, when
Henry d. Tenney-afterwards quartermaster
| sergeant of the regiment-jumped up and ex-
Claimed, what's the matter with our raising
! company of our own? We have twenty -seven
men here already" And the proposition was
accepted with cheers, and we adjourned to
meet the next night at the same place. In
the Pioneer, had put local about 1.-THE Young
| Men Aroused ETC., so that when we met
next evening our number was swollen to for
ty-seVen men, and the little store in which
| we were assembled was uncomfortable filled
and made 1t necessary for us to look around
Ior ,. more commodious quarters, and the re-
suit was, Mr.. Elfelt-brother- in-law of E. L.
Fryer, member of Company G-kindly ten.
dered us the use of the hall Of the Pioneer
GUARDS afterwards Capt. Acker's Company A.
Oh 1he FIRST Minnesota. Here we drilled daily
ana attracted considerable attention the Hon.
Edmund Rice coming into the hall one even
ing with number of the leading citizens Of
81 Paui, and after watching our drilling for
some time, said to us, Boys, you need a
recruiting fund. 1 am land poor, but have
a white morse down at the door which you can
ratle OH and thereby raise a fund.- In
stantly the citizens prepared paper and
started the raf1e-100 chances at a dollar a
! chance-and the winner presented the horse
back to the company: This operation was
repeated six or seven times, until we realized
$6OO or 500. In the same spirit DR.. Price
the then leading or principal dentist of the
city, presented us with splendid Durham
ner, realizing $500 or $400 so that we had
quite respectable fund for recruiting pur-
poses; had Russ Munger, who was then lead
er of the Great Western band. at our beck
and CALL and when the recruits were sent to
Fort Smelling for examination by Dir. Potts,
they rode up there in carriages. Things ran
along very nicely and we were living in clover
as 1t were; we adopted the name of young
men Guard The hall was thronged with
c e.Clz.s every evening watching us drill.
hd thirty Friendsn-so engraved on the scab-
pard-presented the writer with sword sash
and belt. Rev. Dr. Mattocks made the pre-
sentatton speech. 1t was a complete surprise,
ana while he was speaking 1 was wishing my
thirty friends had allowed me to purchase
my own sword and belt, for when the reverend
doctor had finished l could not find words to
express my thanks and gratitude; but the pa
pers helped me out the next day by saying
that replied in manly speech. The Rev.
| Drs. Van lngen, Riheldaffer, Mattocks and
others would come to the hall and deliver
addresses The fever ran high, and
Pioneer Armory hall would be crowded with
St PauPs best citizens. The Young Mems
Guard had street parades with Munger's Great
md attn nfaI
which caused the envy of other organizations
then recruiting for the war, but afterwards
very worthy members Of the gallant "Old
SIXTH allude to Capt. Grants Company A
and Capt. Schoenemans Company E-for they
called us The Kid Glove Company" ''The
Young Mems Christian Association, - ETC.; but
knocks they found the young men with kid
gloves could rough it with the best of them,
and l am happy to say the three St. Paul
e. were always the best of friends during their
three years of service.
But one day "a cloud came over the spirit
OF our dreams. for whilst l was drilling the
boys, in walked a second Won Moltke and,
stepping up to me, said rather brusquely
Who Is the officer in command here?''
replied, I'VE have no officer in command; we
are all officers I did not know l was
speaking to Gen. Oscar Malmros, the adjutant
general OF our war governor, Alexander Ram
sey: We'll, you appear to be in command
and l would like to see you and one or two
or your men that you may appoint as a COM
mittee on business" l appointed H. L. Car
yer, afterwards regmental quartermaster and
George W. Prescott, afterwards first lieuten-
ant of Company G and aide-de-camp on the
staff of Gen. Sibley, as such committee and
we repaired TO side room, where he in
formed us who he was-Gen. Malmros adju-
tant general Of the state of Mnnesota-and
that his business was to inform us that we
could not be accepted as a COMPANY for the
reason that all the commissions for recruiting
the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth regiments had
been issued and we could receive no such
commission unless some officer forfeited his
by failing to raise his quota of men in the
required time, and he advised us to go into
Lieut.. Grants company or the Siegel guards.
| became indignant and said we would never
do this; that l would march the men to the
capitol, and If Gov. Ramsey would not accept
us we would do like Maj. Bracket and go to
Iowa and tender him our services, and left
the room The boys were waiting for me
with bated breath, and when told them what
was up, they made me get chair so all
could e:u III, hear, and up went howl Of indigna.
ton that shook the very walls. then told
the boys If they would go with me I would
march them up to the capitol and demand
recognition as company by the governor
they gave three cheers and said they would
all go, when some one suggested we better
elect an officer to represent us, when Ed
Judson nominated me- and | was uproariously
elected. l Immediately dispatched George
Brack after Russ Munger to report forthwith
with the band, and then instructed the boys
that when we got to the capitol and Gov.
ramsey made his appearance would give
the old war governor three cheers and q
tiger such as Minnesotians only can give
The Great Western band soon made it's ap-
peaTance, and told Russ that when the gov
ernor came out he should play Hail to the
Chief" The men were then formed into
line and marched up Third to Wabasha and
up to the capitol. where the programme was
carried out to the letter. The governor made
us happy speech, complimented upon our
fine appearance and wound up by asking
what he could do for US. l sent in the same
committee who told him what was wanted
He sent for Gen. Malmros, who told him what
he had told us, and that it would be impossi-
Bile at present to recognize a company.
The governor purred his lips and thought a
while. then said, 1T will never do to refuse
SO fine body Of men those out there
you go to your office and write out a proc
lamation calling for the Ninth regiment of in
fantry. and then we can give these gentle
company" All this was done Aug. r. 1862
and The Young Mems Guard was consid-
cred Company A. Ninth Minnesota Infantry
for the enlistment papers were all made
out for the Ninth. But in less time than a
week the Sioux massacre occurred when Gov
, Ramsey issued a proclamation consolidating
the ten fullest companies then recruiting into
one regiment, and calling 1t the Sixth Mime
sofa Infantry, and that is how the Young
Mems Guard of st. Paul became Company G
of the Sixth instead of Company A of the
Ninth Minnesota Infantry.
A synopsis Of the above, with an account
of the forced march under Col. Marshall tc
Wild Goose Nest lake, where band of In
dams were captured, in which Company G
participated. written out and sent to Char.
ley johnson, compiler for the Sixth regiment
in the book entitled Minnesota in the Civil
, and Indian War" which he acknowledged
but which c. c. Andrews did not see fit tC
notice. Read Johnson's Introductory and YOU
will see where he thanks Capt stees and 9th
ers for information furnished, but you will
find that the information left out ant