The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-26
and hope for their cooperation in the pres

and hope for their cooperation in the pres
ent occasion.
No doubt. they had a brave time that
day, the citizens of Liberty and Browns
vile, the company of Lieut. Amos Chap
man and all the rest of them, in their
brilliant uniforms. People then seemed to
go into the celebration Of the Fourth Of
July with more vim and enthusiasm than
they do now. Whether the Declaration has
come TO be an old story, or what not, there
is less of the rattle and roar and fume and
fzz of the time of the Brownsville Guards.
When Gen. St Clair was Governor of the
Northwest Territory he had the idea that
there were few things more important
than the organization of a numerically
strong, well-drilled force of guardsmen.
BY his efforts Indiana's militia was or
ganiZed in 1900. Randolph county was the
first to organize. AT that time the militia
was organized by counties, and the COM
panies so designated. Among the lists Of
Randolph county men is the name of Ma
thaniel Hull, who afterwards was figure
of note. Knox county organized in 1902,
Wayne county was among the first and
Dearborn county, which had a. foremost
part in the history of the State in those
days, was fourth or fifth.
SOME OLD ORDERS.
Some of the things about the militiamen
of those days would seem decidedly odd to
the breezy, clean-cut guardsmen OF to-day
who is brother to the regular. In the or
ders by which the militia was organized
appears this paragraph relating to equip
ment: "a good musket, a sufficient bayo-
net and belt or fusee, a knapsack and a
pouch with a box therein TO contain not
less than twenty-four cartridges suited to
the bore of his musket or fusee, each cart
ridge 10 contain a proper quantity of pow
der and ball; or, good rife, knapsack,
pouch and powder horn, with twenty balls
suited to the bore of the rife, and one
quarter of a pound of powder The COM
missioned officers to be armed with a
sword. hanger or espontOn."
Each company was supposed to contain
siXty-four men, or, in case of necessity.
the number could be raised to eighty.
Four companies constituted a battalion,
two battaliOns a regiment, from two TO
four regiments a brigade and two brigades
a division. The company officers were a
captain and two lieutenants. A lieutenant
colonel commanded regiment; each brig
ade had it's brigadier, and a major general
was at the head Of the hypothetical divi-
sion. Each regiment was required to con-
between the ages of eighteen and twenty
four, who should be known as gTenadiers
light infantrymen, more than usually good
shots, as might be selected by the brigade
commander.
The characteristic thing about the period
the muster. Drills were frequent and
IL was provided that a general muster
should be held every two months On all
these occasions the men were required TO
appear in a uniform prescribed by their
regimental officers, and each paid for his
uniform.
Considerable interest was taken in the
militia in those early years Of the century,
and the Indiana guardsmen went into the
Indian wars and the war of 1912, under
Gen. William Henry Harrison, a fairly
well-drilled, capable force. The total quota
at that time was AGO men, and their
weapons were fourteen swords, 100 musk
cts, l,lO9 rifles, thirty fusees, ten bayonets
and 1896 pouches and horns. In the Next
can war regiments made up of Indiana
Guardsmen performed distinguished serv-
ice, and the later history Of the organiza-
ton. its civil war record and more recent
achievements are familiar.