The National tribune., 1910-02-10
FIRST VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
The Chicago Dragons. the Mcclellan
Dragons, Later n Part of the 18th
ILL., Cav

une sketch. published Oct Z, to make
certain corrections.
| AdJt-Gen. Fuller, of Illinois. after the
close of the war compiled reports of all
the commands from that State that
participated. After comrades of the
| 18th III. had read the report of that
regiment in Vol. of Fullers Reports.
they may not wonder so much at the
| historic sketch of that regiment as pub
lished in The National Tribune.
| One of the very earliest commands
to respond to President Lincoln's first
call for troops-the first volunteer cav
airy organization to enlist during the
war-was a little command of play SOL
diery of Chicago. called the Chicago
Dragons, commanded by Capt Charles
w. Barker Nearly the entire organiza-
ton enlisted, and was assigned to the
service of patrolling the Ohio River on
| the Illinois shore.
When Gen. Mcclellan was ordered
| into West Virginia he had noticed this
| little mounted command. and took it
with him as his mounted escort, cou-
| riers, messengers, etc.
| While there their term of three
months service expired. Capt. Barker
| was instructed to reorganize the COM
mand for three years service The
] men returned to Chicago. where many
| tre-enlisted in the newly organized COM
pany, but several re-entered the SER
| vice in different places and different
capacities. Notable among these was
| Geo. A Forsyth, who was Corporal in
the original command. and he was not
the only one of the old company who
won and wore the stars before the war
closed.
! That original company enlisted IN
April and, of course. mustered out In
| July. The second company was en-
listed Aug. 2, 1861. Its men returned
| to West Virginia, and mounted the
| horses that had been quartered there
from the service of the first company
and rode on to Washington, Gen. Nc
Clellan having established his head
| quarters there. The Dragons pitched
their camp on vacant lots near 18th
street northwest, and resumed their
duty as headquarters cavalry, Army of
| the Potomac.
Early in October the commanding
| General authorized Capt. Barker to re-
turn to Chicago and enroll another
hundred ''as good Western boys as
he now commanded" and bring them to
Washington, and he would promote him
to the rank of Major to command the
squadron. The Chicago papers stated
the Major had his pick from 500 men
who during the week presented them
selves at Duffey's Cigar Store for enlist
ment This company's service began
Oct. %, 1861.
The first of these two companies was
Co. A, Mcclellan Dragons, Capt. Geo.
w. Shears; the second, organized Oct.
| %, was Co. 3. Capt. David C. Brown.
The squadron, commanded by Maj.
Barker, remained on service at head
quarters, Army of the Potomac, escort
| ing the commanding General, some
times including the President, to big
reviews, etc.
Besides keeping in close touch with
headquarters we were in constant SER
vice in the saddle, day and night, SUM-
shine and storm, on picket, in camp, on
the march or in battle.
Adjt Fuller's Report states the
Dragons were assigned to the 18th Ill.
Cav. while camped near Sharpsburg,
Md, in the Fall of 1862, after Antie-
tam. The Dragons knew there was
such a regiment as the 18th, as some
of their non-coms had been commits
stoned in it, noticeabiy Serg't Groosner,
their Major, and Serg't Steele and
Corp1 Slade as Captains, but they had
not yet seen the regiment.
When Gen. Mcclellan made his last
| ride at the head of the Army of the
Potomac and he and Burnside were all
day few rods in advance of the staff
and escort, seemingly in earnest dis
cussion. the Dragons formed the es-
cort. \ few minutes before that dreary,
! W
| first learned that that was the last day
Mcclellan was to command that army.
They remained at headquarters, how
ever, under Burnside, and on the same
duty they had performed there since
the organization of that army. When
the next change in command occurred,
and Fighting Joe" Hooker rode into
headquarters camp. it was then that
they took boots and saddles" and
| bade adieu to their old place and SER
vice.
March 4, 1863, they rode across coun-
| try towards Potomac Creek Landing,
and pitched. their company camps in
the lines of the 18th Ill. Cav. Thence
forth Cos A and B, Mcclellan Dra-
goons, were known as Cos. H and Of
the 18th.
Where The National Tribune found
record of a Capt. Bakers company of
McClellan's Dragons I know not. No
such command or Captain was known
there.
The 18th made record to be proud
Of Capt. Shears, of the original Dra-
goons, was complimented for the able
manner in which he handled the regi-
ment as senior officer during the battle
of Gettysburg. 1t was at the front at
the commencement, and good men fell
from its ranks near where Reynolds
fell. The regiment was mustered out
the last OF NAY, 1900, IN IekaS. Inc 1eW
of the original Chicago Dragons that
were still with the regiment, notably
Capt Jack De Lacy and a few others,
had been in continual service since
April, 1861, and no men had rendered
better service.
We can truly quote:
Their good steeds have long since gone
to dust.
Their bright blades tarnished with rust,
And their souls in Heaven we trust"
Capt. Shears was poor and blind
when last heard from. Probably the
best-preserved survivor is Capt Fred
w. Mitchell, in the Pension Bureau at
Washington. He has made valuable
contributions to the literature of the
civil war Henry Stone, the able and
alert young dragoon who rode as mes
senger the morning of Sept Is, 1862,
from Boonsboro to the front at Antie-
tam to order the road cleared for the
General, staff and escort to ride to the
front, is now a prominent real estate
man, banker and G.. A. r. man at Smith
Center, Kan, and one of those to re-
quest that the old command be proper
ly placed on record-H Calkins of the
Old Guard, Pacific, Mo.
The 5th n "