Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-07-29
E. ]. FREEMAN
All Love To Honor E. ]. Freeman,
Whom National Veterans Elected
President OF Drum Corps.

that yet-was the shortest man of sta
ture in Co. A of the Sixteenth Illinois.
He came over from the Vermont coun-
try with his neighbor boy friend,
Pierce Mickey, to Macomb, and joined
the first company that went to the
front from McDonough county. His
comrade and messmate Mickey, sue
cumbed to the malarial swamps of the
south and died in the fevered hospi-
tai on the advance of Corinth. Bert
marched on to the end of the war, al
ways on the left of the company.
Though short of stature he was tall
in patriotism, endurance and courage.
He never lodged guard duty, shirked
q march, missed a fight, or whimpered
over his place in ranks or against his
superiors, from the fret days service
as raw recruit to the last one when
veteran of more than four years.
His Springfield rirle was always ready
for Immediate inspection, or to
"load and fire at will.
After the war few years he found
himself residing in Audubon, Ia,
where he yet lives; is prominent, req
pected and prosperous. Though not
long a musician in the armyl he be-
came one in Audubon, where, after
some years, he organized drum corps
Nothing but the biggest satisfied
Shorty" Freeman, so, of course, his
was the biggest drum corps in the
county; then he took in the county,
and the counties round, until he Or
ganizad mammoth drum corps OF
the old fifers and drummers of the
state, which kept growing under his
supervision and enthusiastic endeavor
until now there is in existence the
"Nationel Association of Civil War
Musicians" with the largest veteran
drum corps in the world, comprising
over seven hundred grey-haaded and
grey-bearded fifers and drummers, of
which association 3. j. Freeman, the
McDonough so!sis1 : president, and
has been the past three or four years.
This mammoth martial band will
lead the grand parade at the National
Encampment at Salt Lake City in
middle August, and Comrade Bert
Freeman, he of the rear rank of the
left file of Co. A., viii be in chief COM
mand, in front rank on the right, the
most altitudinal in loyalty and glori-
Gus good feeling of the whole "kit
oilip."
To show the immensity Of CON-
mander Freeman's band, we give
herewith from his circular marshaling
same for the encampment the follow
ing directions to the members:
Let every member of the band
equip himself as of old with bugle,
gun aud b flat fife, take up the 'line
of march" and move to our annual
meeting at Salt Lake City, Utah, re-
porting on arrival there at Lafayette
school building, No. 135 North State
Street, for duty during the week of
Aug. 9-l4, where we will surely make
this, the 43d National Encampment
G. A. r., the best. pleasantest and
most profitable in our history as an as
sociation. That beautiful city of the
inland sean bids us cordial western
welcome Will entertain us while with
| them free of charge.
ave have already been assigned to
lead the grand parade, as usual, and
other divisions also.
at is suggested that comrades from
the "far east" use the N. Y. G. & Ell.
r. r. to Buffalo, then Nickle Plate to
Chicago, arriving there in LaSalle
street depot on morning of Aug. 9th;
there take special car via g. r. l. &
P. out at 9:l5 a. m., train No. Z; this
will be for use of G. w. M. only. AT
Des Moines, Ia, it will be attached to
the Iowa Special" train. AT Atlantic
Ia, joined by another special car,
then through to Colorado Springs
then via the d. & r. G. to Salt Lake
City, arriving Sunday, the Sth of Au-
gust, passing through the Rockies by
daylight, August 7th. This gives one
the chance to see the beautiful scenery
the Rockies afford.
"To shrill of fife and beat of drum
March on, brave boys, march on"
All hail the greatest martial band
in the world as 1t fills with glorious
patriotic din every nook and corner of
the great old city of the saints. All
hail every grisled veteran who blows 6
fife or beats drum! All hail Bert
Freeman, the McDonough soldier who
from the left file of Co. A. will be the
tallest man in authority-the "higt
boss of the job"-By one who knows
w. HI. Hainline, Historian Co. A 10th
| Illinois Infantry and Editor Macomt
] Daily Journal.