The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-05
THE SOLDIERS FOURTH
AN Enormous CROWD AT GARFIELD
PARK EXERCISES.
Battery AS Evolutions and a Dress
Parade The Adj
dresses.

One of the largest crowds that has ever
assembled at Garfield Park was the one of
yesterday. II was said TO be much larger
than the crowd of the year before and that
was counted a record breaker. The day
was made the occasion of many family pic
mics, and early in the morning the street
cars were crowded with families going to the
park with we'll filled baskets and prepared to
make day of ii. The regular programme OF
the day was in charge of the National Sol
ders' and Sailors Mutual League and in II
the veterans Of several wars were repre-
scented. The most spectacular feature of the
day was the drill of Battery A and COM
pany of infantry under command of Lieu
tenant Miller, and the dress parade and re-
view of these troops by General Mckee and
staff These exercises closed the celebration
of the day and the immense crowd formed a
hollow square in which the evolutions were
performed. Battery A gave the first drill
II ounted. All the movements of artillery
tactics were gone through with and the bat
terry fired the guns several times. The COM
pany of infantry followed in short gen.
eral drill. and then gave a skirmish drill
With the advance and retreat. Blank cart
ridges were used and for a time the noise
producers of the general crowd were
silenced. General Mckee and his staff then
rode into the square and the two organiza-
tons passed in review and then formed for
a dress parade. A slight rain interfered a
little with the dress parade, but the crowd
remained 10 the end of 1t.
The exercises were to have commenced at
1:So, but it was some time after that hour
when they were taken up. A stand was
erected IN the grove back of the main pa
vilion, covered with flags and bunting and
on it the speakers and choir were seated
Captain W. E. English presided and, in
the absence Of Rev. G. A. Christensen, the
invocation was offered by Rev. w. w. Rey-
nolds. Of Brightwood NJ. E. Church.
CAPTAIN ENGLISH'S ADDRESS.
Captain English then referred TO the
Fourth of year ago and in part said:
1T is but natural that in thus assembling
to-day the mind should quickly and nat
urally revert 10 the very different cir
this national anniversary one year ago.
Then, you will all recall, the Nation was
thrilled from one end to the other with the
glorious tidings that Skaters and Wheelers
and Lawton'S and Summers and RooSe-
welt great victories of July 1 and upon the
land had been supplemented by a highly and
upon the sea that forever settled the ques-
ton of Spanish dominion on American soil
But II you were thrilled and stirred to
the utmost by this joyous information, you
can comprehend the effect II had upon the
soldiers of General Skaters gallant but
sick. worn and weary army, that filed the
trenches. hospitals and fever camps sur
rounding the besieged city of Santiago /
particularly speak of the effect il had upon
the sick. the wounded, the exhausted and the
Ieeple. who hlled the hospitals and the fever
camps at the time. On the night of July 2
they had been disheartened by the gloomy
rumors and forebodings that had been whis-
pered about that our army would be COM
PEELED TO withdraw from the advanced posi-
lions. occupied with such galantry and at
such sacrifce and retreat to position near
our base OF supplies at Siboney by the sea
AS they feverishly tossed about upon their
blanket rolls under the torrid sun or swung
Iseply In the few hammocks they possessed,
dhey eagerly listened on the morning of July
8 10 the roar of the great guns out at sea
which told them that events of great mo-
ment were at that time undergoing the grim
decision of naval war. The sea was shut
out from their view by the stern and rugged
nils that line lSantiagos shore, and they
ald not know the full import of what was
going on, but they knew that the war
dogs of the American navy were SENDING
iorth hail of shot and shell upon the Span
ISM enemy. They knew how much might de-
pend upon it to their country. to the army
of which they were part. and to their own
immediate future and safety.
Later in the day the news began to be
victory had been won and the Spanish f,eat
mad been destroyed. They went to their
iever1sh sleep that night with that report
;ng i th upon lneir anxious hearts, fear
prove 1T all to be a feverish dream. But
the morning of July 4, just one year ago,
t n,otsno r aii tne details of confirmation of
lips anxously and eagerly whispered the
news TO the fever-stricken comrade on the
blanket adjoining, and the eye of the ban
daged and manned and wounded brightened
with the Joyous news. There were 70 be no
more gloomy forebodings, no more rumors of
WITHDRAWAL, Tor now ii was only a uues-
ton of days when the star-spangled ban
ner was 10 float proudly over the ram
parts OF Santiago; it was only question of
days when the war would be at an end
You are at home here in this beautiful
city, with all the pleasant surroundings
and comforts of home, and friends can
to those poor sufferers. To them ii brought
glorious vision Of hearth and home. MANY
eyes In which the CLASSY stare of death
could already be family seen grew brighter
with holy light, as the belief that the war
was soon 70 end brought the feeble hope TO
their trembling hearts that they might yet
be spared to return TO the mother, wife, sis
ter or sweetheart who waited lovingly and
iongingly for the absent one. who was never
to return-an anxious longing never to be
realized-a home never to be beheld again
for grim death was already stalking hideous-
ly abroad, laying his feverish hand upon our
strcsen boys 1sd in that poison-aden. fever
THE ATKINSON ILK.
Captain English then took I'D the SUBJ
ject Of the patriotism of the American peo-
pie and said there has never been time in
the history of the country when this day was
not celebrated. No year, said he, has been
more pregnant in results than that one
which has just passed. America has taken
her place ong the nations of the earth
as she has never taken II before. and this
country has become more important fac
tor in the world Coming to the present du-
ties. he said:
To-day there is but one duty before lis in
tnat relation, and that is to manfully sum
port the President of the United States in
mis- patriotic efforts to put down rebellion
and enforce respect for the American flag
and enforce obedience to the commands of
the American Nation through her regularly
accredited representatives.
FOR myself, L do not hesitate to saw that
L have no sympathy with the Boston con-
spirators of the Atkinson ilk and their fol.
lowers. who are firing upon our brave sol
diers in Manila il the rear while their
front. Nor do / believe they will even find
sympathizers In their unpatriotic course in
any soldier who ever wore the blue whether
In the civil or the Spanish-American war
In the consideration of what is due TO SOL
diers of the Spanish-American war no dis
tinction should be made between those who
reached the battle line and those who
control. were not given that opportunity
They all volunteered under exactly the same
patriotic circumstances. and, whether thew
suffered on the battle line in the fever