Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-12-15
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies whiIed
Away Life in COMPROMISING Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-ThriI-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

pertences, Tlresome Marches-Thri1-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.
Mrs. Oliver Z. Morton, widow of the
great war Governor of Indiana, was
asked ct meeting of the Daughters
OF the Revolution to give some of her
rccollections of the stirring days Of
the civil war in which her great hus.
band played so prominent a part
The excitement following the firing
on Fort SUMTER said Mrs. Morton,
was doubtless the most intense that
Indianapolis ever knew. There were
many other times of excitement in the
days of 1861 to 1868, but nothing TO
equal that occasloned by the firing on
Fort Sumter In the morning of the
10th of April, 1861, before President
Lincoln issued his proclamation cali
Ing for troops. my husband sent him
a dispatch rendering him six thou
sand troops from Indiana. When the
call came people fiocked to this city
from all over the State to enliSt-the
first day 900. the second day ZOO
and before the end of the week more,
than 10000.
1t soon became evident that we
women should do something. We be-
gan with a sewing society, organized
at my home, and from this there were
made district societies about the city
! was made president of the parent So
ciety. Mrs Cohurn. wife OF Gen. John
Coburn, and Mrs. Anna Baggs were
among the active members, The Gov
errors house was then in West Mar
ket street on the site now covered by
the Traction Terminal station.
we started by making two large
flags, but soon found it was more i'm
portant to make clothing for the sol
tiiers and to knit socks for those who
were in the hospitals,
''rhe people Of the State had some
what different ideas Of what the GOV.
ernor's house should be from those that
are held now. In those days soldiers
wives and their children came to the
Governors house to stay all night
Sometimes to remain for a day or two
We could not send them to hotel
They seemed TO think 1t was our duty
enough to do in that time with enter
tanning guests who came from dis
lance, such as Chief Justice Chase,
Secretary Of War Cameron and other
members of President Lincoln's cabi-
net and generals and senator's Vice
President Andrew Johnson was our
guest for a time Mr. Lincoln and his
party, on their way to Washington in
February, 1861, were entertained at
our house at breakfast.
II remember once my husband hur-
ried off to Washington to see Presl-
dent Lincoln. General Mcclellan had
been inactive for long time. and my
husband was ont of all patience. |
don't know whether that visit to the
President had anything to do with II,
but certain 1t Is that General. Mcclellan
was Immediately relieved from com
mand.
itors. One day during the excitement
attending the conspiracy Of the Sons OF
Liberty or the knights Of the Golden
Circle, an acquaintance visited the
Governor and said to him; Governor,
you are all wrong. / have informa-
tion from the inside, and | know the
organization has no intention whatever
of assisting the prisoners at Camp
Morton to rise against their guards
and escape Well said my husband
perhaps | have better information than
you think He opened a drawer, and
taking out paper, read To the visitor
a speech that he. the visitor. had made
at a meeting of the Sons of Liberty a
few nights before advocating the re
lease of the prisoners at Camp Nor
ton My husband had spies in that or
ganization and knew what the mem
bers were doing all the time Amer
lean Tribune