Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-05-26
Fever For Enlistment.

| Fever For Enlistment.
The popular fever for enlistment is
illustrated by the New York Quaker
merchant, who said to one Of his
clerks:
"Well, friend James, is thee willing
to enlistY'
81 have thought of it," replied the
clerk, but hesitated because l feared
| 10 lose my situation"
eff thee will enlist" replied the
| Quaker, mot only shall thee have thy
situation. but thy salary shall go on
while thee is absent. But if thee will
not serve thy country thee cannot
stay in this store"
That the fighting spirit was abroad
was indicated by the fist fights all
| over the north. Wherever came
southern sy'npathizer and talked about
it there an alteration followed as the
sparks fly upward 1t was the same
below Mason and Dixon's line. One
clergyman who preached in favor of
the Union was given twenty four
hours. or maybe it was twelve, to
leave the state. He left. There
was not little rough humor about it
ALL "Well hang Jeff Davis on sour
apple tree was popular sentiment
in the free states I have often won
dered why it was a ''sour" apple tree
he was to be hanged on, since any
other kind would have served, but
perhaps the sour indicated how peo-
pie felt about it. These We're fierce
days. The time of fraternizing be-
tween the "Yanks" and "Johnnies" in
the trenches had not yet come.
The tensity of feeling is indicated
by two events occurring on May 16.
| They took place as far apart as Mas
sachusetts and Cincinnati. The Bay
State legislature appropriated $3.OOO,-
900 for the war, and in the Ohio city
| Dan Rice's circus was menaced by q
crowd until the Snowman pulled down
| his own flag and hoisted the stars and
| stripes.
Union troops were rapidly being con-
centrated at Fortress Monroe. Early
| in the week General Wool was order
ed to take command, but later General
| Butler refused to serve in subordi-
| nate position, 80 he was placed in
charge, and Wool was transferred.
| Ou May ~ u tOOA
place opposite the fortress The Con-
federates were seen to be fortifying
at Sewell's Point and were attacked
by the Star, a Potomac gunboat The
Star succeeded in silencing one of the
| guns, but was herself hit. The Free
born then took up the attack and sue
ceeded in silencing both guns. The
! Freeborn also captured two schooners
in the Potomac. Two days earlier
the New York troops had their first
skirmish at Smiths Point, Md. The
only other engagement of the week
worthy Of mention occurred at Potosi.
Mo-, sixty miles south Of st. Louis,
where some secession sympathizers
were arrested and their cavalry dis
persed.
Lyon Takes Command In Missouri.
General Harvey had been placed in
charge of the Missouri troops and had
issued an address approving Lyons
seizure Of Camp Jackson, but later had
entered into an agreement with Cen
eral Price for the maintenance Of
peace between the state and federal
| troops Soon after he was replaced by
General Lyon.
Consid erab excitement at this time
was occasioned by wild reports from
Harpers Ferry. On May Is the Bal
timore and Ohio railroad, which pass
es through Harpers Ferry. requested
the government to take charge Of its
line. The next day it was reported
that the road had been blown up at
that point. This was denied after
ward, however, and it came out that
only one small culvert had been in
| jured.
There was also trouble with the
mails, resulting in the gradual with
drawal of mail accommodations from.
the Confederate territory. On May IA
the service was suspended between St
Louis and the lower Mississippi. No
tice was given that other Withdrawals
would follow.
May 10 considerable amusement was
created in Washington by the return
Of one Of Ellsworths zouaves from
Alexandria with seventeen foot Con-
federate flag wrapped about his body.
It seems that he had invaded Vir-
ginia without the knowledge of his
officers, also without the knowledge Of
the enemy, and had annexed the flag
when no one was looking.
Following the neutral attitude taken
by Kentucky, the governor OF that
state on May 20 issued a manifesto
forbidding either Union or Confederate
troops crossing the state. At the
same time Major Robert Anderson of
Sumter fame was on his way to Ken
lucky to take charge of recruiting I'm
ion troops.
Two incidents of this week throw a
revealing light on the character OF
Abraham Lincoln. Appeals were mads
to him to interfere in the transfer OF
real estate in which southerners were
concerned in retaliation for the refusal
to pay bills to northern creditors from
some parts Of the south. Lincoln re-
fused, with the remark that. what
ever others did. he could not afford to
- 10 n mt