Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-12-15
civil WAR RECALLED.
Reunion of the Army Of the From.
tier at Madison.
LUCIUS FAIRCHILD POST G. 4. T..

List of the Charter Members and Present
Whereabouts of the Survivors-General
Harnden's Reception by the Army of til e
Frontier-The Battle of Prairie Grove,
Ark.-Portion of General Harnden's Ac.
count of tho Capture of Jeff Davis.
Madison, Wis, Dec. 13.-Heroic memo
ries of the days of stress ard strife
have been the order of the hour here for
several days past. The annual inspec-
ton of Lucius Tairchild post G. A. r.,
which claims to be the oldest in the
world, followed by the reunion OF the
Army of the Frontier, have turned the
thoughts of all who have come in con-
tact with the veterans back to the
dreadful drama in which the war; broken
survivors of the armies of the republic
figured. The Madison G. A. r. post
was founded June TO- 1866, and named
itself Cassius Fairchild post No. l, in
honor of Madison hero who died Of
wounds received at Shiloh. The senior
ity of the Madison post is contested by
that of Berlin, Wis, on the ground that
the Madison post did not hold continu-
Gus meetings on organizing and so is
not entitled to first place. But the
Capital city post holds the original
charter, dating back to June 10, 1866
The charter members of the post hold
ing this gratifying distinction of being
the Oldest in the world are, in the order
their names appear on the list as fol-
lows:
Joshua w. Tolford Henry Sanford,
Charles G. Mayors, Lucius Fairchild, A.
~
John Reynolds, Francis Downs, George
F.. Rowell, George H. Meissner John
Gets, Louis l.. Goodman, S. L. Pearson
Charles IL. Barton, James X. Proudiit
and Thomas Reynolds. OF these Cen
eral Fairchld, Mayors, Meredith, John
and Thomas Reynolds and Pearson are
dead, Captain Tolford lives at Neills-
vile, Sanford alone remains in Madison,
Olney was in Kansas when last heard
from, Downs is department commander
of California, RoWell resides in MaZo-
mamie, Goodman in Waunakee and
Proudft in Missouri. Captain Tolford
was the first post commander and Hen
ry Sanford. the present adjutant, was
also the first adjutant. James X.
Proudlit was the first state department
commander and George f. Rowell the
first assistant adjutant general. The
first meetings We're held in the base
ment of the capitol. on the death of
Governor Washhurn the name of the
post was changed to c. c. Washburn
But the Fairchild family had soft
place in the hearts of the veterans and
on the death of General Lucius Fair
child the name was quickly changed
in honor of that hero, special meet
ing having been called at once to fore
stall similar action by some other post
Anniversary of AN Important Battle.
The reunion of the Army of the From
tier was held in the assembly cham
Der of the capitol Dec. Z, which was the
thirty-siXth anniversary of the battle
of Prairie Grove, Ark, which the par
Elephants say was the beginning of the
end of the war in that it broke the
rebel power west OF the Mississippi
saved st. Louis from falling into the
hands of the enemy, thus preventing q
probable invasion of the northwest and
served to keep in check the murderous
Cherokees, Sioux and other tribes who
were ready to take the Warpath.
Though history makes small mention
of it, 1t was one of the bloodest and
most desperately contested battles of
the war. A Union force of 10000 men,
under General Frank j. Heron, now Of
New York city, defeated a rebel force
of three times that number under Gen
eral Marmaduke. The Twentieth Wis
consin went into the fight less than 500
strong and lost 250 men, ofwhom eighty
six were killed on the field Of battle
in twenty minutes, the largest loss any
Wisconsin regiment suffered in any
battle in the war. BY a resolution
adopted Wednesday all soldiers who
served west of the Mississippi and north
of the Red river are entitled to mem
lership in the society of the Army of
the Frontier.
None of the speakers at the reunion
was more heartily received than was
General Henry Harnden. who had the
honor of capturing Jeff Davis when the
ill-starred head of the confederacy made
his futile attempt to escape southwark
after Lees surrender.
Capture of JEFF Davis.
General Harnden has recently con-
tributed to the Wisconsin historical col
lections an account of the First Wscor-
sin cavalry at the capture of Jeff Davis
from which we are privileged to make