The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-19
Bow Utah Men Uon enduring Fame I'm cuZon.

Throughout the length and breadth of
the civilized globe has gone the fame
OF batteries A and b, Utah light artil-
lery. In every tongue, in every land
where people have read of the Spanish
American war and the Filipino insur
rection, they have read OF the Utah
batteries. They have read how those
gallant soldiers stuck TO their guns
where bullets rained thickest. They
have read how these soldiers dragged
their death-dealing pieces over roads
hub deep in mud and planted them
where they would work the most de-
struction on the foe. Never faItering,
never hinching, whether their duty
called them to blood-soaked trenches
or dull routine of camp. it is small
wonder that The Utah batteries have
been heaped with commentator by all
the military men who saw their work,
and by the correspondents whose duty
i was To give a faithful record of the
events through which they passed.
1t is not, however, the purpose in
these columns to praise the volunteers.
Rather is it the intention to present
plain, unvarnishel tale of their organ
iZation. their departure for a foreign
die there and how they have come
back to their homes 10 take up once
again the broken thread of their lives.
There be some who haven't returned.
For them the laurel and cypress, for
them a niche in the hottest of temples
the hearts of their countrymen.
When President Mckinley year ago
last April issued his call for volunteers
TO the number of 125000, and Utahs
quota was aScertained, Governor Wells
was prompt TO act. On the night of
April %, 1898, he sat in the directors
room of the State Bank of Utah and,
assisted by Secretary of State Ham
mond and Adjutant General John Q.
Cannon, prepared a call to the patri-
otto sons of Utah. For more than four
hours the little group worked over that
call.
Words were written and erased, sem
fences We're penned and remodeled, and
finally a rough draft was completed a
few minutes after midnight. That call,
with its interlineations and erasures, is
d valued part of the states archives.
1t was published in the morning pa
perS the next day, and every section Of
Utah's mountain-girt valleys was
famed into a blaze of patriotism. More,
the mountains themselves became inn
bued with the patriotic fever, for in no
sections was the feeling more manifest
than in the mining camps that nestle
far up toward the everlasting snow.
Governor Wells call briefly recited
the fact that the president had asked
for volunteers, and stated that 500 men
were wanted from Utah. Willard
Young, John q. Cannon, Ray c. Nay
Tor, Joseph r. Game, +. A Grant !
George F. Downey and George w. Gibbs
were named as mastering officers, and
assigned to different cities and towns
throughout the state. There was no
lack of available material from the |
start. Wherever q recruiting office was !
opened volunteers were. found.
on April 2S the first presidency of the /
Mormon church published a manifesto, |
calling on young men reared in the |
faith to respond to the call to arms. |
There was little or no necessity for the /
appeal. Drs.- Critchlow. Beer, Meacham. |
COnroy. Penrose and Taylor, who were
appointed to make the physical exam
nations, had plenty of work to do. The |
actual recruiting began on April 81, |
when thirty-one batterymen We're &C |
cepted.
Prompt Response to Call.
From this time on the volunteers |
came in SO rapidly that within three /
days more than half of the states /
quota had been secured. Patriotic bus /
mess houses of Salt Lake came TO the /
front with offers to employees desiring /
to enlist of half pay during their alb |
sences and their old places when they |
returned. The first to make this prop |
osition was 4. G. NJ. l. Then came the /
Henry DinwCodey Furniture company |
and the Cooperative Wagon & Ma /
chine company. The Oregon Short
Line railroad agreed to hold places for
AL volunteers from their offices, work
shops and trains.
Volunteers 20 the number of ia had |
been enlisted by May !, when the order
10 stop recruiting was issued. On the
same day the commissioned officers for
the two batteries were named They
We're: Battery y. x. ". Young, cap
t2in; George W. Gibbs, first lieutenant:
Thomas c. Brady Of Mt Pleasant and
Ray g. Naylor, second lieutenants.
Battery Is, J. A. Grant. captain; r A
Nedswood. first lieutenant; Q. r. Grow
and pr. John i. CTitchloE-. second lieu
tenants. Lieutenant Brady declined the
appointment ard W. c. Webb was
named II his stead
Al volunteers were ordered TO report
a fort Douglas TO be examined and
mustered into the service. Every city.
village and hamlet throughout the state
furnished lis quota. The volunteers
We're Siven the most royal kind of send
OTIS hy those among whom they had
hveG. Baiis and entertainments were
given n their honor and when they
boarded trains Tor Salt Lake the entire
population CT their homes assembled at
the stations 10 say goodbye
FROM early in the morning Of May
., sturdy young men, anxious to serve
their country, began pouring into Fort
douglas, Lieutenant DashieI of the
Twenty-fouTth United States infantry.
who was IN charge OF the post. saw to
it that the boys were comfortably
quartered in the barracks and given
every possible attention. I,xamina-
lions went on rapidly, only a compare
lively small per cent q the applicants
being rejected on account Of physical
defects.
In the evening Of May this feature
Of the work was concluded and il was
announced that the next day the re- I
cruits would be formally mustered into ,
the service Of their country May 9 this
solemn formality WAS gone through
with and the volunteers became real
soldiers. Lieutenant Briant \ Wells. !
United States army, administered the !
oath. the batteries standing at atten-
fnn with barred heads while IL was be-