The National tribune., 1899-10-12
THE IRON GRAYS.
Sturdy Workers in Metal Who
Proved Their Grit aud Stead
faStneSS in the Field of Strife.
BY J. T. PEET, WELLINGTON, NO.

south of Mason and Dixon's line in orer
rebellion. Then followed great commo
ton; the war spirit of the North was aroused
: with the single desire to preserve the Union
All along our streets was heard the
activity of preparation in drill. Several
of the largest factories and business houses
; patriotically threw open the doors of then
: plants to accommodate their employees
who readily fell into line. Among them
, who did so was William ReSor whose ex-
tensive stove foundry was placed at the dis
poSal of sIch as wished to join a new COM
pany, to be composed mainly of workmen
in the large iron works in that locality
The heaps of sand having been carted
away and the TASKS set back, a commodious
drlll-rOom was thus formed
| 1t soon became apparent that to learn
the manual of arms the infant company
must have guns, which We're furnished
through the efforts of f.. Edgley from
the furniture factory of Joshua Jones & Co
They We're fair representations of the real
article cut from boards.
In the matter of a competent drillmaster
they were, however, somewhat more fortu-
nate, for a gentleman who had Smelled
powder in the Mexican War, and who had
been drilling the various raw companies
of recruits i'll the city, was invited to put
the new company through the evolutions
which he did with such satisfaction that he
was at once elected Captain.
| And George ID. Hadley from this time
on was unremitting in his efforts to make
this the beSt-drilled company in the city,
lalthough the arm was made of wood and
the tactics what We're then known as SCOTS,
and rather clumsy in some movements.
The new company by hen i work soon at
tanned Il local reputation for precision OF
company drill.
True to their instincts they chose a
name for the now company consistent with
their trade, and We're ever after known as
the Iron Grays. The organization was
also known as Co. ID, Sd Ohio Reserves.
According TO the fitness of things the uni
form was gray. 1t consisted for privates
of a Jacket and trousers trimmed with black
edgings, the latter having rather bold
stripes of black running down the legs. or
rather that portion where the legs were
designed to go; the cap was also of the
modest gray with the initials 81 c." on the
front. The non-commiSSioned officers had
the regulation marks on the sleeves of
their jackets denoting their rank, while the
commissioned officers were duly provided
with skirts To their jackets, the shoulders
of which were embelished with the regu-
| latlOn straps.
through the efforts Of Col. Jones. They
had been carried by local military com
pany called the Yeager Rifles.
We Wer+ duly drawn up into line on the
hospital lot, where the Music Hall now
stands whence We were marched through
tHc SJItttS Dl 'iHcliiilaIi. tDfO1Pcu Win
enthusiastic citizens, TO the Little Miami
Depot, to receive transportation TO the post
OF duty, wherever that might be. AL |
though we carried no flag, we had Il flag |
staff i'll the person of George Barr, but later |
on the ladies of Cincinnati sent out an |
elegant silk flag with staff. Preceded by |
a wagon conveying carpet-bags and |
bundles, on the 22d of June, 1861, we depart
ed for the front. Our officers were: Capt.
Geo ID. Hadley; Second Lieut., ID. 1'rusdele;
i. G.. Edgley, First Sergeant; George
Cook, Second Sergeant; T.. Anderson,
\. j. Sennett, J. NJ. Robinson, George
Barr, and Charles Junghans, Corporals.
The following morning, June %, found |
us at Athens, o., where we went into the
first camp, named after the Mexican War
General, Wool.
Our arms, which had seen service in
the Mexican War were objects of much
solicitude. We had spent much time
securing them up, and were anxious to
test at which end they were most effective
Serg't Anderson ard Geo. Lynch could
bear the strain no longer so, mounting
a stake-and-ridered fence, they fired at a
chipmunk, which, however, got away,
and so did the marksmen on the opposite
side of the fence to the little animal. Here,
then. at Athens the first gun was fired.
No lives, however, We're lost.
From Athens our destination was n |
portion Of the road known as the "W,"
so called from trestle resembling that
letter The autonomy of the company
was here broken in the act of dividing it uD
into squads for the purpose of more effectu-
ally guarding the tunnels and trestles
The first squad, under Capt. Hadley,
going farther up the road to what was
known as Nigger Trestle here were de-
tailed under Capt. Hadley and known
as the headquarters. They were Serg't
EdgIey. Lieut.: Trusdel, Corp'l Inghams,
j. II. Peet. Richard Mowl, John Lynch,
Casper Feidman, and X. Oberding, our
cook.
- After the division into squads, but before :
on the rough boards in front of !
Dur quarters, the company artist, Serg't
+. Anderson, in :. poly-chromatic design
Drawn with the aid of charcoal and some {
other convenient crayon, with many "A {
flourish and elaborate scroll, produced
two contradicting signs-one promising :
despair to those who entered, the other ;
entrance altogether. Two Ian
guages were employed. One translated {
.he other in its original tongue. Yer I
Dotener Eingang" stated III German, to {
Go not in." while the words of Dante. /;
Abandon hope all We who enter here" j
made it rather undesirable to make the |
effort.
Your historian imagines at this late 8
lay that the pocket pistols with which tie {
boys were all armed We're by this time /:
getting in their work, and Comrade Ander- f
son got things "A little mixed. BE that as it t
may, either inscription would answer. for I
5he accommodations were not firSt-casS, as C
I'll agreed. S
Early in July the company was the
recipient of a beautiful silk flag from the n
girls it left behind. The presentation was t
made at headquarters occupied by Squad i
No. 1, at Nigger Tresie A commodious d
og house was appropriated for quarters.
II was the intention to make the preSenta-
ion on the Fourth of July. but it occurred
a few days after, tthe ladies being Mrs.
+. Edgiey. Mrs. Chadwick and Miss Hutch
nson, of CINCINNATI. who came out for that i!
purpose, and were entertained on the very Il
JeSt our circumstances afforded, Comrade q
)berdng being cook on that occasion. e
The ladies PRONOUNCED the noodle SOUP c
excellent, as also did the neighboring Fl
armerS and their families. who We're pres Y
mt in large numbers.r This flag was car u
led by the Iron Grays until the expiration g
If their service. 1twas a beautiful banner Il
If which the boys were justly proud. and C
vas afterward presented to the 5Oth Ohio. Il
md carried by them in the following en- d
,agementS: Battles 9Of Perryville, KY. a
Roberta, Ga; Dallas, Ga.; kenesaw Mount o
lin, Ga; Peach Tree Creek, Ga; Atlanta:
la; Jonesboro, GA; AilatOona, Ga; Frank f.
in Tenn, and Nashville, Tenn.
The flag was then sent to the flag room il
It Columbus, o., in 1865, where it now re- Il
,oses covered with glory. Nor was the a
lag alone in this respect. Several of the
'oys followed it into the service of Uncle Il
sam in the same regiment and in other Ii
egimentS of the service. OF those a few h
must receive special mention: f. G. Edglev, c
L a