Evening journal., 1914-09-26
New News Of Yesterday
The Last Surviving Civil
War Colonel in Western
Pennsylvania
BY Holland

While speaking of the volunteer
who enlisted in Western Pennsylvania
at the time of the civil war, Norman
b. Ream said to me recently that he
had been informed that the last sur
viving commander of Western Penn
sylvania volunteer regiment in the
civil war was Col Edward Jay Allen,
of Pittsburgh. Mr.. Ream was himself
a volunteer in one of the Western
Pennsylvania regiments and was pro-
NOTED for gallantry in battle to cap
taincy. He has always taken great
interest in the Pennsylvania volun-
teers and has recently been occupied
with the preparation of the history OF
/ his own regiment
had an opportunity to learn from
Col. Allen that AIR. Ream was correct
i'm the statement that he is now the
sole surviving colonel of Western
Pennsylvania volunteer regiment. Col.
Aliens career was divided. so to
speak, by his service in the civil war.
He had already had a most exciting
! sensational career as one of the
pioneers who blazed the path from
the Missouri river to the Pacific Coast,
and in one of his expeditions he en-
tertained in his camp young army
engineer who afterward became a
great general and, later, candidate
for the residency-George b. Nc
Clellan.
while that, of course, was the most
interesting episode" said Col. Allen.
"vet | think as / look back that my
experience in the development Of the
transportation systems of the United
States has been after all the most inn
portant
zone of the great influences which
have caused the United States now to
equal, if not to exceed, the estimated
combined wealth of Europe has been
, our transportation. Il is an extraor-
dinary gratifying reflection to me that
have been able to witness all these
, developments. Think of it, Here
: am still alive and in fairly good health
and vet my career has been cOntem-
poraneous with American Transports
s tion development.
r There was first the stagecoach, anc
/ the stagecoach was the great incentive
. in giving national aid 10 internal i'm
! provement. Henry Clay secured thou
sands of followers because he obtained
q Federal aid for good roads STRETCHING
p from the Atlantic TO the agriculture
o regions west Of the Alleghanies.
: "I well remember when the stage
4 coach. the ConestOga wagon, and tn
d herd of cattle raised vast clouds o
S dust along the national pixies. Toda
a il is my good fortune to see the moto
! tourists reviving the life and activit
,f on the pixies which we're characters
o tic of the stagecoachers.
e '"Then there was the second deve
% lopment-that of the canals. ] sur
j. pose that today not one in 100000 {
"a our people ever made journey on
s. canal boat. But in the '3O's and 40
" heavy freight and passenger trav'
r we're chiefly by canal Many gres
I'd enterprises we're undertaken to M
IS ance and complete canal development
s. although money was scarce and labc
IN hard to get With the canal came th
I'd marvellous opening up of the Sout
Id and the West. It was then that Pitt'
I'D burgh received the name of the Cal
Is of the West, for at Pittsburgh rive
a. navigation began, ] remember we
ID when il was the ambition OF every ma
SO to be engaged in some capacity on
u steamboat. With the next transpo
tatiOn development many of those no
~ living are thoroughly familiar. Tha
III of course, was the development
railroads. We are indeed your
o country and this is proved by the ia
re that / can recall each Of the transpo
es tatiOn eras and developments and hi
considerable part in each"
y. Copyright. 1914. by +. J. Edward
All rights reserved)