Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-12-21
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whi1ed
Away Life in COMPROMISING Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-ThriI-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

ling Scenes on the Battlefield,
Mrs. oliver P. Morton, widow of the
great war Governor of Indiana, was
asked at a meeting of the Daughters
OF the Revolution to give some of her
recollections Of the stirring days of
the civil war in which her great hus-
Dand 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 1865, but nothing to
equal that occasioned by the firing on
Fort Sumter. In the morning of the
10th of April, 1861, before President
Lincoln issued his proclamation call
ing for troops, my husband sent him
"a dispatch rendering him six thou
sand troops from Indiana. When the
call came people flocked to this city
from all over the State to enlist-the
first day 500, the second day 2,4OO-
and before the end of the week more
than 10000.
1T soon became evident that we
women should do something. We be-
gan with sewing society, organized
at my home, and from this there were
made district societies about the city.
1 was made president of the parent So
ciety. Mrs. Coburn, wife of Gen. John
Coburn, and Mrs. Anna Bags were
among the active members. The Gov
ernor's house was then in West Mar
ket street ON the site now covered by
the Traction Terminal station.
1--WE started by making two large
nags, but soon found it was more i'm
portant to make clothing for the sol
1iers and to knit socks for those who
were in the hospitals.
'The 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 day or two.
We could not send them to hotel.
They seemed to think it was our duty
ito entertain them. We had quite
enough to do in that time with enter
tanning guests who came from a dis
tance, such as Chief Justice Chase,
Secretary of War Cameron and other
members of President Lincoln's cabi-
net and generals and senators. Vice
President Andrew Johnson was our
guest for time. Mr.. Lincoln and his
party, on their way to Washington in
February, 1861, were entertained at
our house at breakfast.
81 remember once my husband hur-
ried off to Washington to see Presi-
dent Lincoln. General Mcclellan had
been inactive for long time, and my
husband was out of all patience.
don't know whether that visit to the
President had anything to do with 1t,
but certain it is that General Mcclellan
was Immediately relieved from COM
mand.
my husband had some strange Wis
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. l have inforna-
ION from the inside, and l 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 a 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. Ny husband had spies in that or
ganization and knew what the mem
bers were doing all the time. Amer
lean Tribune.