The daily Gate City., 1914-02-16

other candidates were Douglas ON d
compromise platform: the regular
democratic candidate was Brecken-
ridge, and Bell was the union or
American candidate.
IT was q. crisis, the first great crisis
since the formation of our govern
ment,
Altar the election, the south no
not the south, but the hot heads OF
the south began to talk secession and
the South Carolina legislature passed
the secession resolution. The people
OF North Carolina voted ON secession
ana It was defeated by 1900 major
ity, Also Tennessee defeated 1t by
$4,000 majority but 1t passed the
legislature anyhow The rest of the
states were carried out by the legis-
lature without the voice OF the peo-
pie.
Jefferson Davis, president of the
southern contizderacy, opposed seces-
sion, but went with his state. Alex
ander H. Stephens, vice president OF
| the confederacy made an eight hours
speech in the Georgia legislature
against secession but went with the
state. General Robert e. Lee who
/ was a captain in the U. s. army and
once stationed at Fort Madison andl
for whom Lee county received It's
name, opposed it but went with Vir-
! ginia, his state.
Dlmond Enllsts.
WAS working with my father in
a small shoe shop at the time OF the
4 election in 1860 and up to the spring
/ Of 1851 whsn at the age OF 19 years
| enlisted in the army and often heard
/ Major Floyd who often came to our
/ shop for work and who then had
charge Of the Des Moines rapids I'M
provement hera, talk secession and
finally resigned from the u. s. army
and became a major general in the
confederate servics. We fought him
at Fort Donaldson,
4 AS I said before it was tremen-
dous crisis and Abraham Lincoln on
his way to Washington to be inaug-
urated president, made speech at
Cincinnati and promised the people
Of the south that no political rights
would be taken from them. Slavery
would have to stay wllere 1t was and
not spread to new territory.
Lincoln was inaugurated president
1 Of the Unitsd States, and the stars
and stripes was fired upon and Fori
Sumpter taken. Then the whole north
was sf1re with patriotism. Men for
| got party and under the call for IS,
600 volunteers for thres months ses
vice more men offered their service:
than needed. Iowa's quota was ont
regiment and meeting was calles
for Veranda hall on Johnson stree
between Second and Third, and demo
Gratis We'd with republicans in pat
riotic speeches in support of the go,
ernment. Judge Claggett presided a
that meeting and call was made 70
a meeting at the old Keobuk guar
hall on Main street bstween Fourt
and Fifth on the south siie of Mai
| 4
near the centre of the block.
Men Enroll at Once.
In few days we had 120 men er
rolled and could have been in tn
First Iowa regiment If our oficer
should have applied for their commits
sions right away We became TIL
Eleventh company and as there wer
: but ten companies to regiment w
became company A, Second Iowa reg
, ment. We were so anxious to q
Lincoln was telegraphed to, to acceI
. two regiments from Iowa and tn
reply was that the next call would b
y for 100000 for three years and W
: would be accepted for three years w
were drawn up IN line and the repl
stated, and anyone who did not wan
to go for three years step to the fror
9 and five or six stepped out. We ther,
fore became the first thrse years reg
! ment from Iowa We were trimme
y down to 101 officers and men an
' were ready with the ten full con
panies.
We left a day before the First low
infantry on the 18th day of June 1856.
Q for Hannibal and by the 18th day {
June. 1861 we wsre established at S
Joseph, Mo-. as our headquarters.
!. The following are remaining men
bers of old Co. A, Second Iowa /
Keokuk: ]. A. M. Collins. VIM. NJ,
Kenzie, James Kerr, ]. r. Bimont
VIM. Holt, s. w. Anderson, Josep
> Aiken
Mr.. Dimond closed his speech wit
! an anology of the stirring times
! the rebellion to those OF the Bibl
: times when Moses and Christ we,
. raised as LADDERS to show the peopl
the ways out of bondage. He emph;
sized that the chances for patriotisl
were as great now as in the days
the war.