The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1913-07-25
CELEBRATION
IN LOUISVILLE
KENTUCKY METROPOLIS WILL
OMMEMORATE INCIDENTS
IN WAR OF 1912.
HUNDRED YEARS OF PEACE
Battles Which kentuckians Won and
Massacres in Which They Suffered
Will Be Reproduced in Fireworks
and Shams on Land and Water.

VIII DC hCpIOUuCCO III
and Shams on Land and Water.
A weeks celebration, which Louis
Williams declare will be the greatest
and most spectacular in the history
of celebrations in America, will be
held in the Kentucky metropolis fol
seven days, commencing September
20, and will be the climax of Sc
ries of celebrations held in a dozen,
lake cities, to commemorate the suf.
ferings and victories of American
arms in the War of 1872 as we'll as
to focus attention on the achieve
ments of a century of peace. The
crucial and decisive engagement OF
the War of 1912 was the battle of the
soil October 3, 1913 The series of
celebrations, which will be held IN
America will close in Louisville, Octo
Der 3, 1913, and just one hundred
years from the hour that Col Richard |
M. Johnston, afterward Vice President |
of the United States, slew, the Indian
chief Tecumseh, President Woodrow !
Wilson will probably be addressing a
crowd of 100000 people in Louisville
the home of many of the troops VINO
fought in the battle of the Thames.
Kentucky was assigned the closing |
and choice date of the celebration
because Of the distinguished part
played by the Kentuckians IN the war
of 1912. Kentucky began to play her
part in the generation before the war
opened, when she sent Gen. George
Rogers Clark and other Louisville
soldiers into the hostile wilderness
which they wrested from the French
and Indians and out of which was ait
erward carved the great States OF
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and
Michigan.
Kentucky was the last state which
could have benefited from the war, in
asmuch as it was brought about chief
" by the British impressment OF
American seamen, none of whom
were Kentuckians, whereas should
war prevail the unfriendly Indians on
TIE frontier of the border states could
be expected to commit atrocities from
which Kentucky had already received
the name Dark and Bloody Ground" y,
However, it was chiefly Henry Clay, in
the Kentucky Congressional Delega-
ton that forced President Madison to
declare the second war with Great
| Britain, and Kentucky furnished for
! ty per cent of her fighting population
! to go into that war, and at the close
/ of the war of the listed dead more
| than eighty per cent were the names
! of KentucRjans. Kentucky troops to
! a man were massacred at the River
Raisin and again at the first attack
| on Fort Meigs.
When the time came to man Perry'S
new-hewn ships, he selected Kentuck-
| ians unaccustomed to the motion of
the lakes to mount into the insecure
rigging and from that vantage point,
with their practiced eye and unerring
aim, fired down upon the British and
won the battle of Lake Erie. Prac-
tically every officer and soldier in the
battle of the Thames was Kentuck-
ian, excepting alone Gen. William
/ Henry Harrison, who, however, held
his commission as Major-General from
the Kentucky legislature. The charge
of the Forlorn Hope, about the brief
est, most terrible and most heroic at
tack narrated in the annals of war
fare, consisted exclusively of Ken
lucky soldiers when nineteen of them
and their twenty horses went down
to certain death. 1t was the Ken
lucky sharpshooters who are credited
with having won the battle of New
Orleans after the war had in reality
closed.
Kentucky proposes to reproduce
most of these scenes of the war Of
1872 in the Louisville celebration. The
battle of the Thames will be repro
duced on land in Cherokee Park, to
geographically situated similar to the
land on which was fought the battle
of the Thames, and every detail o
the sham battle will be as nearl.
historically correct as can be done
Louisville will take advantage of he
magnificent river frontage in Orde
to celebrate suitably the battle o
Lake Erie The actual battle will b
depicted in a gorgeous entertainment
of fireworks and all morning and a.
afternoon preceding the engagement
there will be boat races, life savin
feats and aquatic sports. A historica
pageant, depicting various scenes c
the war of 1912 will also include
magnificent floral parade, such a
made Louisville famous year ag,
and will include civic and militar
parades many miles in length. Drill
and exercises by 10000 costume
school children will be held in til
First Regiment Armory; mammo:
reception will be given to the descen
ents of Kentucky soldiers and sailor
of the war of 1872, and a series
costumed balls will be given in the
honor.
Exceedingly low, railroad rate
probably as low as one cent per mil
from a distance of several hundr'
miles of Louisville, will be grant
and efforts are being made to secu