Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-19
STATUS OF GILPIN'S~ BANC
It Was Actively Engaged in Service i,
the Mexican War.
Assistant Secretary Davis Institutes
an investigation to Render
Justice to Survivors.

Assistant Secretary Webster Davis of the
Interior Deps rtment has rendered an i'm
rortant decision in the pension claim of
the widow of w. NICK. Winters, a soldier
of Gilpin's Battalion of Missouri Volun-
teers, Mexican war service, which definite
" settles the status of that organization
in respect to title to pension under the
act of January 20. 1887.
The soldier was originally pensioned as
a Mexican war survivor, but after his
death his widows application for pension
was rejected by the pension bureau on the
81 ound that Gilpin's Battalion of Missouri
Volunteers is net a pensionable service I'M
der the Mexican war survivors act of jan
uary %, 1887.
This rejection by the pension bureau was
had ir accordance with decision rendered
August -. 1896, by Assistant Secretary
Reynolds in the case of Anton Brunz, in
which 1t was held that Gilpin's Battalion
OF Missouri Infantry was called into serv-
ice during the war with Mexico for the
purpose of protecting the United States
trains en- the Santa Fee route, and to pun
ish the Indians who had attacked those
II aims, and did not serve in Mexico on the
coasts or frontier thereof. nor en- route
thereto, conditions precedent to title to
pension under the Mexican war survivors
act.
Assistant Secretary Webster Davis, not
upon true and correct information touch
ing the service of Gilpins Battalion of Mis-
scuri Volunteers in the Mexican war, and
being unwilling to affirm rejection of a
widows claim to service pension pre-
vicusly enjoyed by her husband without
further report from the Secretary of War
the Secretary of War was requested to
furnish the Interior Department with a
supplementary report showing what char
acter of Mexican war service was per-
formed by Gilpin's Battalion, and the mil
itary status Of that organization, as held
and esteemed by the War Department in
connection with the United States forces
serving In that var.
In compliance with this request Acting
Secretary of War Meiklejohn recently for
warded to the Interior Department an eX-
haustive' report, prepared by Col. F. E.
Airsworth, United States army, chief of
the record and pension Office of the War
Department., in which it is shown that Gill
pins Battalion of Missourian Volunteers
not only served with the army of the from
tier of Mexico and en- route thereto, but d.
rectly served within the territory of the
enemy, and was engaged in battle, and that
its services in keeping open line Of COM
nunication with the army of the United
States in Mexican territory had a direct
and important connection with the military
operations of that army.
1t being apparent. therefore that the ad-
verse decision in the case of Anton Brunz
had been rendered under Inisapprehension
of facts, Secretary Davis annulled the same
and dire tied that the widows title to Mex
lean war pension be adjudicated in her
favor
Quite a number of pension claims of sur
viving soldiers and widows of soldiers of
Gilpin's Battalion of Missouri Volunteers
hitherto denied, will now be admitted This
decision has an important bearing also
from the fact that the distinguished pion-
Ger, Gov. Gilpin Of Colorado, lately deceas-
ed, was the commander of this battalion,
and the services of his soldiers and him
w ,Ix- xJox1
Taylor and Scott and by the then Secretary
of War.