Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-03-19
The FRS, Charge of the aoth Illinois


The First Charge of the 36th Illinois
The troops who were assigned To the
southwest In the early days of the
war, remember what dilapidated,
"one-horse town" the terminus Of the
railroad was in 1861. Every sharty
was whisky shop from whence pro
ceeded every form of loathsome
disease and death TO those who patron
izeG the places. On Colonel Grensel,
of the 1hirty-siAth Illinois Regiment,
devoyed the command of the post. The
first measure inaugurated by him. and
the first expedition In which the
Thirty sixth participated was Il demon
stration against the whisky dens.
The Colonel headed the charge in
person, seized all the liquor that
could be found, emptying ii into the
streets. The natives who witnessed
this onslaught of the Yankee crusaders
on their Ito them elixir Of life,
thought we'uns were very wasteful.
Out of this chaos and disorder the
colonel soon brought cleanliness and
order. War, with its wonder-workine
power, brought great change IN the
appearance of this sleepy town. White
walled canvas villages sprang up all
around the hill-sides sentinels paced
up and down its once quiet walks
army wagons, soldiers, mounted Off
GERS, orderlies hurrying from camp to
camp, gave the place an air OF business
| activity quite in contrast with the
primitive days Of the town.
| The population was largely made up
! Of apple women, mustang ponies. fugi.
| lives from the outskirts Of civilization
mules, contraband negroes, with now
and then seCessionist not smart
enough to run away. and too worth
| less to be hung Such was RolIa as
we found It, Any one visiting that
part Of Missouri and RoIa In partlcu
lar, please make "A note of the then
and now contrast. Another institution
somewhat aboriginal, ana yet peculiarly
Missourian, was the pie and cake vend
ers. generally skinny. snuff-rubblDg 10
bacco-chewing old women, who hockCd
from the country with "buckskin" oi
Heather apron compositions callec
pies and gingerbread. made from sor
ghum, flour and bacon grease (the
color suggested tart The vendors OF
these vilainous articles would ham
about the confines of the camp, hawk
ing their wares with voices as musica'
and feminine as horse hddles
1t was absolutely marvellous to SEE
the quantities which an average "thir
ty-sixer" could hold and how 1t was
continual source Of wonder how meT
could endure the surfet Of leather anC
sorghum. beans and ''sow-belly'' witt
witch they tormented their digestive
organs and survive. IT could only be
accounted for on the theory that witt
the change from civil to military life
their stomachs, like their costumes
had undergone a wonderful transfer
nation perhaps were lined with quits
percha and riveted to a diaphragm OF
boiler iron. Yet they lived and, like
Joshua Of old. waXed fat. The demand
for this indlgestible native pastry wai
occasioned by the poor quality Of the
rations at that time issued 20 the
troops. The boys Of 81 well remcm
her some Of the enrly issues Of the old
round worny. m0uldy, hard bread
with "B. G. marked on the barrels
When soaked IN coffee more or less
worms would wlggle to the surface OIL
be found among the dregs. The mem
bers Of the band al one time had Is
sued to them a barrel Of tack" lnin
itcIy worse than any that had Hitherto
been received. After hasty council
they determined to give It military
burial, Headed by the leader. the
whole burial corps Of the regiment
la. 4,