Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-08
MAJOR MAHON
IS REELECTED
OTTUMWA WAR VETERAN AGAIN
CHOSEN PRESIDENT OF THE
"HoRNETs' NEST" BRIGADE.
OsKALOOsA REUNION
Camp Fire Featured Program Last
Night With Address BY Captain
SAINT kirkpatrick, "Never Missed
Fight or a Foot Race"

. b.
Major Samuel Mahon of this cit!
was reelected president OF the "Iows
Hornets Nest" Brigade yesterday
afternoon at the biennial reunion a
Oskaloosa The other elected officer!
follow:
| Vice president, Second regiment, v
p. Twomhly of Des Moines.
Vice president, Seventh regiment
Timothy Spence of Knoxville.
Vice president, Eighth regiment, O
S. Wells of Knoxville.
Vice president. Twelfth regiment, N
H. Spence Of Westgate.
Vice president, Fourteenth regiment
w. J. Campbell of Oakville.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, Robert l.. Tur
ner of Oskaloosa.
One hundred and forty comrades Of
the Second, Seventh, Eighth, Twelfth
and Fourteenth regiments are in at
tendance at the reunion. The veterans
are being royalty entertained by the
citizens of Oskaloosa with automobile
rides and theater parties.
Will Meet on Battlefield.
The association voted to hold the
next reunion on the Shiloh battlefield
next year, the fiftieth anniversary of
the famous battle, on April 6 and 7.
They all voted to form ladies auxili-
airy to the reunion association.
The feature Of the first days ses-
sion at Oskaloosa yesterday was the
big camp fire at the Mahaska county
court house. Major Samuel Mahon Of
this city presided over the session and
responded to the address of welcome Of
the Oskaloosa citizens.
SAINT Kirkpatrick Talks.
Filled with war time experiences,
an excellent address. teeming with
patriotism, was the talk delivered at
the camp fire by Captain SAINT Kirk
patrick of Greensboro, N. c., former
resident OF Ottumwa. Never Missed
a Fight or Foot Race was the sub
iect of Captain Kirkpatrick's talk. 1t
is complete as follows:
Mr.. President, Comrades in Arms,
Brothers in Peace, Ladies and
Fellow Citizens:
Never missed fight or foot race
Well, that's me. The program has me
saying, never miss fight or a foot
race. Thus placing me in the present
tense, but If allowed to go behind the
returns, I will accept the amendment
and fight it out on that line If it takes
all summer. For 1t applies equally as
we'll to the second Iowa as it does to
myself and 1t also applies with equal
force to every regiment of the Iowa
brigade.
Now, there are no deductions to be
drawn from any of these conclusions
that any member of the Hornets Nest
brigade ever turned their backs upon
the enemy. Still it is claimed that
good run is sometimes better than
bad stand.
A southern soldier once said to me,
that he had record of four years
standing in the confederate army.
said to him, that in my judgment he
had record of two years standing
and the rest of the time he was run
ming.
I enlisted in April. 1861. for three
months or ninety days. but we soon
learned that we did not have Hessians
to fight. And Uncle Sam took so
kindly to me that by reason of mutual
agreement, remained with that pro-
verbal and versatile old man four
years over my time. and l made good
every letter Of the contract. by never
fight, or to eat hard tack
and bacon whenever could get it. eve
My first baptism in blood was at Fort
Donelson, Tenn, where it will be re.
membered that General Grant had
hemmed in or rather bottled up as it
were, twenty thousand Of the enemy
In that almost impregnable fortress.
The Second Iowa occupied a posi-.
ton on the extreme left of the army,
and up to this time had not been
drawn in to an engagement with the
enemy.
Late in the afternoon Of the third
days fighting General Smith came rid
ding along down the line, and ap-
preaching Colonel futile said, do
you see that fort on yonder heights?"
81 do" said Colonel futile. Then
General Smith inquired, do you be-
1ieve that God Almighty ever made
men brave enough to capture that
fort?" II do" said Colonel futile,
land have got them" Then Gen
eral Smith gave command Form your
regiment in line of battle, left wing
in front, right wing to follow, fifty
yards in the rear, and do not stop to
fire gun until you are inside the
enemy's works.
We approached to within about
three hundred feet of the enemy's
works before receiving their fire, and
then within three minutes we were
inside the Notifications, but with
loss of over two hundred killed and
wounded. If were to make special
of bravery exhibited on that
occasion, would point to one of the
color guards, who on seeing the flag
stricken down. gathered up the tat.
tered emblem and shattered staff in
CALLING fire, and bore it forward in
and a moment later Old
Glory floated from the walls of Fort +,
Donelson and that comrade is with
lis on this occasion and his name is
Captain V. p Twombly of Des Moines,
and If he were not married, would still
be good looking. He possesses some
over the rest of us, he can
walk into barber shop and have his
hair cut without removing his hat
At Shiloh. Corinth, Dalton, Snake
Crnoiy 10