The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-24

REFORM SCHOOL HISTORIES.
Gen. CIarlson Says Veterans Should
Insist on 1t.


Insist, on 1t.
The CORY and ghastty phantom of the
Rebellion was exhumed. from it's
mCuldy grave laGsti evening at the
Peoples church. and among the pic
turesQue old WARRIORS who assisted in
this annual resurrection was Thadeus
S. ClarksOn, cOmmander-in-chie Of the
Grand Army of the Republic.
They called it "a campfire 1t was
really notable gathering of men and
women who occupied the platform of
the vast church, and faced an audience
Of perhaps 1000 people. With gaping
mouths and wide eyes they listened
to the thrice told tales of battles fought
and won, of camp lore and weary
! march Some of: the speakers broke
away from the past and drew parallels
for the future, as did the commander
1n-chief, in whose words there was a
solemn earnestnesS.
The church was decorated with ma
tional flags and bunting, and sitting
| under a stand of red, white and blue,
a distinguished cOtfrie of war dogs and
patriotic ladies were the cynosure of all
eyes, The Third United. States Infantry
band was stationed above 1.-THE, stage
on which were Con1mander-in-Ch Chief
T. S! Clarkson Department Commander
]. o., McFardy, Gem chm. z. Brooke,
U: s. A.; Adjt. Gen! J.i.K. Mertz, May or
Doran and wife, Col. and Mrs. r. NJ
Newport, Col Page, Third infantry, and
wife; Judge Ell. Torrance, e. Gen. and
Mrs. ]. w. Bishop, Maj. c. M ,Wilkin-
son, U. S. "A; Mrs. tMcCardy, Mrs. Elsie
Hazenwinkle, Senior Vice Commander
Dodge, Of GAINESVILLE, Mimi; Maj E.
3. Wood, Of Long Prairie; Miss Castle
and members of the Troubadour quar-
tette 80.
The session was. one of the last at
which the retiring department COM
! nander, J. j. McCardy, will preside
His comrades greeted him with many
cheers as he formally opened the camp
fire. The Third Regiment band rem
dered a descriptive piece entitled "Re-
minders Of Days and Nights Gone By"
! The piece was eXcellently arranged. 1t
embraced many features, one of the
most fetching to the old soldier being
squad of trumpeters from Fort Smell
| ing. 80
The first address" Of the evening was
told when, where and, ihow he volunteer
ed. Mr.. Mertz was not killed during
the war; but he had a. hard time avoid
ing that melancholy end before he sue
ceeded in enlistingc The adjutant gen
erals dad was IsOppething of a com
mander-in=chief, If al small way. That
is, he exercised full authority over his
head he wanted to march up and down
the streets of that sold Pennsylvania
town with the other boys who were
going to the front young Mertz had
seen but sixteen, years of the sinful
world, but the safnp1e he had seen did
not suit him. He wanted to try his
! hand at the great game. going on in
the South but "Gkad'n kicked The fu-
ture adjutant general was bound out
to trade, but heard the band go past
the factory SO many times that he was
constrained to ''yump his yob." Mertz
at different: times ran amuck Of
his employer and the first battle Of
the war for independence was fought
with that worthy. Young Mertz
brought two batteries to bear upon his
employers eyes, and as a result the
engagement was short and Mertz won
out. The second engagement was a
drawn battle. Young Mertz tried to
run away from home, but his sister had
been on skirmish duty and informed
the ''commander-in-chi Mertz was
caught in the act as he was stealing
down the back stairs. He entrenched
himself on the middle landing and
defied the enemy. His mother here
stepped in as arbitrator and stopped
hCstilities. The young man won out
on the case and went to war, enlisting
in the Fifth Pennsylvania Reserve vol
unteens. 1n
Gen. John r. Brooke, U. S. A, told
of personal memories of artillery prac-
tice during the battle of Gettysburg.
The speaker said he did not know
how many guns there were in Lee
line, but he, presumed there were as
many as $50 in action at one time For
hours these guns were pouring their
shot into the cgnteT of the Second
army corps, which was the center Of
the line, and q very Vulnerable point
The fire was intense in its severity
and tore great rents in the line of
Union batteries. -INhe-general was then
in command of a battalion of six guns
When the suspense gould be endured
no longer, the ssh g%hs were trained
upon the rebel BATTERIES, which had
been pounding down the center of the
the rebel guns Snd @gave the Union
corps a little respheMJ An order then
came for the six guns to cease firing,
and the rebels @lfneA their attention
to Cushings bait erY After a few
moments of inactionsrthe guns in the
Brooke battalion were opened UP again,
and this alternating fire was kept up
for an hour and a 5half- Gen. Brooke
said he had never been sorry that the
six guns haGEbeerf brought into serv-
ice when they-did. as they gave the
poor fellows 6ftthe, Second army corps
a respite Gen Brooke WILDLY mar
rated how he stood upon an eninence
with his colonel and saw Lengstreet's
army advance against.~the whirlwind
of shot ard shell. He saw great gaps
| torn in the ranks and then saw the
ranks fiji .up as fast eass the men were
shot down. Such terrible destruction
had never been- eqdaled. The sneaker
had seen Pictatt hurI his. 4,500 men
| against tie 'fs nn6 ~'ar In the Army Of