River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-08-23
MIGHTY HOST OF Vets
STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS ARE
THRONGED WITH THEM
AT ENCAMPMENT.
r. B. Brown of Ohio Chosen as Com
mander-The Fortieth Annual Ses-
sion of G. A. r. Entirely Success
ful-Over I6, 900 Men in Line.

Minneapolis-M eloquent than
words, more inspiring than the reveille
sounded from fife and drum under
countless banners and bullet-riddled
flags was the uneven cadence of those
$4,000 marchers who, for the love of
their land, braved the discomforts of
long march down Nicollet avenue
that the rising generation might catch
something of that patriotism which
prompted them to offer their lives that
a nations honor might be preserved.
The people paused for several hours
from the busy rush of daily routine
and, forgetting it all, cheered the sur
vivorS of '65 with an enthusiasm and
love much like that which must have
been accorded the departure of the
regiments in 81 when in the glow of
manhood the volunteers marched in
perfect cadence and with elastic step
to the battlefields of the South. The
crowds which filled every foot of space
along the line of march cheered the
veterans and, buoyed up by their en-
thusiasm, more than one old soldier
kept in line long after he should have
dropped out.
The streets along the line of march
I0NSIUGTdL0U WIFI IIlS CIl6GTS VI lAC
hundreds of thousands who crowded
every vantage point to get a glimpse
of the boys in blue. Seldom has so
much enthusiasm been shown at an en-
campment parade as was seen at this
the fortieth annual march of the arm
les OF 81. 1t was contagious, and
those who came only to look on for a
time remained to cheer, and the solid
mass of humanity did not leave until
the last post had passed the review
ing stand and saluted Commander
in-Chief Tanner. 1t is tribute enough
to the patriotism Of the thousands
who gathered to see the parade to say
that they kept UP an unfiagging dis
play of enthusiasm for three and half
hours.
ct would give $40 to be in that line"
said one old soldier with culver in
his voice as with moistened eyes he
saw his comrades passing by to the
martial strains of the "Star- Spangled
Banner" A lump rose in the throat of
more than one wearer of the blue who
was forced to admit that his march
ing days are over. More than one
third of the veterans were unable to
join their comrades on the march, and
IL WOo 1JlQSSQ PdII1CllC " SEC LlAC GA
pressions Of disappointment on the
faces Of those unfortunate ones as their
posts went by and received the cheers
in which they too, were entitled to
share. Excellent seats were provided
for the old soldiers who could not
march, and if they did not have post
of honor in the parade they were well
taken care of at the reviewing grand
stand.
Few who have ever seen an en-
campment parade can imagine what an
inspiring sight it is to see thousands
of men in line the youngest of whom is
fast approaching the biblical limita-
lion of three-score and ten. Some Of
those who marched yesterday had
passed their eightieth year, and to COW
er two miles in the heat of the day over
burning pavement is no small task for
much younger men. That the ranks
are fast thinning was evident to more
than one comrade, who viewed the pa
rade, and here and there one might
see tears shed as a post passed by
whose ranks had dwindled and where
a familiar face was missed.
The following figures include every
person who marched in the parade
Tenth street and Nicollet avenue be-
tween the hours of 10:44 and 2:05.
These figures are not an estimate by
the commander of any division or by
the men under him, nor were they
taken by guess.
Every person in the parade at the
time it passed Nicollet and Tenth was
counted and of course the figures in
clude the bands. The bands and other
marching bodies are included with the
organizations which they headed and
were not counted more than once,
many of them doubling back in the
parade after they had passed the re-
viewing stand.
These figures show that Minnesota
was first in point Of attendance with
3,513, while Wisconsin was second with
1892 Then came Illinois with 1877
and Iowa followed with 1892. Ohio
was close up with 1851 and Pennsyl-
vania had 1858.
The figures by states follow: