Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-09-30
The Squirrel Hunters.

The story of the Squirrel Hunt
ers," said The Old Timer, has never
been written, and probably never will
be- When Kirby Smith advanced on
Cincinnati in 1862 he used his cavalry
to screen the movement of his main
army, and created a panic in Ken
lucky and Ohio. When he advanced
in force business was suspended in
Cincinnati, and practically the whole
male population over Is years of age
was organized for work OF military
duty.
THE defeat of the troops sent
against Kirby Smith and their suf-
ferings added to the public excite
ment, and when Gov Tod suggested
that the farmers and others who own
ed squirrel rifles, and could use them
effectively, could save Ohio from in
vasion by hurrying to Cincinnati, the
old men and young men acted on
common impulse. They bought pow
der, nodded bullets, and, supplied
with home cooked rations and blank
cts, drove or went ON foot to the near
est railroad town, Joined with their
neighbors in electing a captain for
each fifty or 100 men, climbed on the
first train that came along, and re-
ported without delay to the General
Al at ClAOIAAdll
1.-The movement was general and
spontaneous, and nearly every county
was represented. The first regiment
from our county was 500 strong; that
from an adjoining county 1000 strong.
The men were mostly from 40 to so
years of age, and they were a queer
lot. They were without military train
ing. and as old Major Burbanks of the
regular army looked over the gray
bearded cOuntrymen he smiled grimly
when our Captain said: We are not
much on the about face, but we know
how to shoot. If you know on what
road the rebs are coming, just put us
there. Don't ask us to cut any mon
key shines, but give us a chance to
shoot and we will pick the rebs off
like SQUIRRELS
THAT day and night 10000 men
with squirrel rifles were across the
rebel lines of advance, and the in
Specting officer, after satisfying him
self that the old dodgers were all
good marksmen, let it be known that
there were 10000 of the best shots in
Ohio in line ready for business. OF
course the old fellows in homespun
were patronized by the boys in uni
form, but they did not care War was
serious business to them, and many
who had never been outside of their
own counties were nervous and home
sick Others, however, were jolly and
venturesome, and as the men with
rifles kept coming, the movement be-
came so significant and impressive
that the people of the city and the
seasoned soldiers came to treat the
Squirrel Hunters with touching ten
derness and respect.
When the rebs retreated the SPUR
rel Hunters returned quietly to their
homes and they never were counted.
Only those who reached the front re-
sponded when the Legislature called
for lists of names. Of the sc, 900
afield only $4,000 received the SPUR
rel Hunter certificates from the Gov
ernor. 1 was prouder of mine, how
ever, than my son was of his colonePs
commission. In every case that GER
tificate, with its picture of frontier
squirrel hunter, represented service
to the country without money and
without price. There are not a few
of them in Chicago, for the descen-
dants of the Squirrel Hunters are
widely scattered, but of the older
Squirrel Hunters of 1862 there are
few vivors-'-Chicago Inter Ocean