Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-04-14
Survivors of First
Colorado Cavalry
| Held Reunion
|0NLY TWENTY-FIVE REMAIN
Gallant Regiment Known as
. Pet Lambs is D,vindling
in Numbers.

Denver, Colo, April 14.-Broken in
health and strength, remnant OF the
once proud and victorious First Colo
RADIO Cavalry, eight old and feeble
soldiers met to do honor to the men,
DRY of their dead commander on the
anniversary of his seventy-ninth birth
day. II had long been the wish Of
Major Jacob Downing to gather
around him the "old boys his COM
rades through the war but because OF
the small size of his former home on
West Colfax he was unable to do So
I'm the latter part of 1907 he pur-
chased the house at 1851 Gilpin. now
occupied by his widow, and made
preparations for the realization OF
his long-cherished desire. But ON the
first of December of that year he
answered his last bugle call.
In respect to the memory of her
husband and to carry out his wishes
Mrs Downing planned the reunion OF
yesterday. Invitations had been eX-
tended to twenty-five, tne sole sur
yiying members of the pet Lambs"
which originally numbered l,2o0.
Only eight were able to attend, but
what the gathering lacked in num-
bers it made up in Split. AROUND
the festive board were some OF Den
yers finest old men, men who have
seen the Queen City of the Plains
grow from rude frontier town to
the metropolis of the West.
Stories were exchanged and camp
fire yarns were swapped, and in most
of these the prominent figure and
the hero was Major Downing. Sew
eral songs were sung by Mrs. G. A.
! Fassett, accompanied on the piano by
Mrs. C. L. Hall and on the violin by
Miss Dorothy Hinckley. The latter
1 Also rendered several solos. Mrs.
Downing and Mrs. Fanny Hardin,
| wife of the late Lieutenant d. w.
Hardin, were made honorary mem
bers of the Society of Pet Lambs.
Mrs. Downing announced her lnten-
ton of making this lunch an annual
affair.
The story of the origin of the nick
name was told. 1t was given on
account of favoritism shown the reg
iment by the governor Of the terri
tory of Colorado. tt-
| Won Renown on Frontier.
The First Colorado Cavalry served
with great credit during the Ciyll
War and won especial renown in
guarding the frontier from the raw
ages of guerrilla warfare. The Socie
ty of Pet Lambs was organized in
1883, and in 1906 affiliated with the
Society of Colorado Veterans of the
Civil War. The regiment was organ
ized in the fall Of 1861 on command
of Governor Gllpin. Recruiting sta
tions were established at Boulder
Colorado City, Canon City, Centra
City and in most of the mining camps
The entire force of the regimen,
was composed of twelve companies
John P. Slough, later chief justice o.
| New Mexico, was appointed colonel
Samuel F. Tappan lieutenant colone
and J. M, Chivington major Jacol
! Downing was captain of Company D
On January s, 1862, the regiment
left for Pueblo. 1t had formerly beer
stationed at Fort Weld, two miles W
the Platte from Denver. On March
13 they reached Fort Union, New
Mexico, and on the Goth force OF
240 under the command of Major
Chivington met and defeated a body
of 600 Texan troops under Genera
H. H. Sibley at Apache Canon. On
the 18th of April Colonel Slough, who
had always been with the men, re
signed and was succeeded by Major
ChivingtOn. The troops remained ir
New Mexico during the rest of that
year, and then were transferred ,tC
the western frontier where they did
efficient service in subduing the par
ticularly fierce species of guerrilla
warfare with which that section OF
the country was infested. They We're
mustered out at Denver at the close
| of the war.
| Adopt Official Poem.
/ Those present at the reunion were
| William A. Smith, Company c.; Sam
uel G. Dorsey, Company H; Chauncey
! L. Hall, Company H; Joseph Shea
Company I; Alexander Cree, Com
pany F; Samuel R. Huffsmith, Com
pany G; Byron i. Sanford, Company
H, and William R. Beatty, Company
F.
| The following was read and adopt
ed as the poem of the Society of
, Pet Lambs:
How swift the years have flown,
How feeble our steps have grown!
But few are left to shed tear,