The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-10-11
GRAND ARMY QUARTET.
Veterans Who Have Been Singing
All Their Lives.

The Logansport Grand Army
Quartet, consisting of four veteran
members of Logansport Post No. IA,
Grand Army of the Republic, is at
tracing attention by reason of its
remarkable record as an organiza-
ton. For more than a quarter of a
century they have been singing to-
gether the songs of tie nation, the
church, the campfire and the home,
and for many years more they expect
to sing them. They are undoubtedly
the oldest male quartet in the State
and have sung probably at more
Grand Army camp6res and funerals
of old soldiers than any other similar
organization in Indiana.
The quartet consists of DIR. c. ii.
Cushman, first tenor; ]. E. Grain,
second tenor; Newton Watkins, first
bass; William Richardson, second
bass. All are members of the local
Grand Army Post DR.. Cushman is
sixty-nine years old, and served in
the army from April 1861, until the
close of the war, having enlisted in
Company E, of the Sixteenth Ohio,
and afterward in the Ninety-fourth
Ohio, Mr.. Grain is sixty-two years
old and enlisted in 1864 in Company
F, One-hrndred-and-h fty-first 1ndi-
ana, serving until the close of the
war. Mr.. Watkins is sixty-one years
old, and enlisted July &c, 1861, in
Company F, Seventh Indiana, and
served until the close of the war;
Mr.. Richardson is sixty-eight years
old, and enlisted in Company B, For
ty-sixth Indiana, and served four
years.
Despite their years, their voices
are true and clear, and while per-
haps not as strong and resonant as
when they were younger, there is a
peculiar charm about them that is
pleasing.
Although they have entertained
the public hundreds of times they
have received pay only FIVE times,
and then it was accepted as a gift
rather than as recompense. On two
occasions they received IS each for
singing at funerals, and on three oc-
casions they received 50 each for
singing at lodge entertainments.
All of them were singing teachers
in their younger days and had made
the art of singing study. They
never sing without the music before
them. Probably no other quartet in
existence ever had as many points
in common as the Logansport Grand
Army quartet. All of them are mem
bers of the same Grand Army post,
all are Masons, all are Republicans
all are Methodists. all are members
of the local horse thief detective as
ISOLATION and all are married
All are firm believers in the power
of music and as proof of this power
Mr.. Richardson relates an incident
of the war. 1t was while the Union
forces were marching on the rebel
fort at DuvalI's Bluff, on White river
in Arkansas, one night, that he start
ed his trained chorus of thirty voices
singing battle song They sang for
some time when gradually the res
of the soldiers took up the refrain
until nearly every one of the $500
soldiers had joined in the song. They
sang as they approached the fort ard
the song never stopped all night. In
the morning they marched into the
fort and found it deserted, the 5000
rebels having fled. Mr.. Richardson
is convinced that the combined sing
ing of the $500 voices sounded like
an army OF much greater size am
frightened the rebels into fight