Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-11-20
MANY Will
ATTEND OLD
TIERS DAY
The Entertainment Given to
Those Who Have Been Here
25 Years Opens Today
COMMERCIAL CLUB
PLANS COMPLETE
Hundred are Expc cted to be
Present and Enjoy the Hos
pitality of City.

pitality of City.
A Dakotan for more than half cen.
tury; hero of many Indian battles un,
der Sully, and familiar with the Mis-,
souri, Slope country almost a decade
before Bismarck was established, Tho.
masWelch, one of the Capital City's
Oldest citizens, will be among the
scores of pioneers in attendance at
the first annual reunion of Bismarck
and Burleigh county old settlers, at
the Commercial club rooms this even.
ing.
Came in 1861.
MIR. Welch marched into Dakota in
1861, with the Fourteenth Iowa In.
fantry, which was stationed at Fort
Randall. Two years later his COM
mand joined in Sully's expedition
against the Sioux, and Mr. WEIGH par
ticipated in the famous battle of Xii.
deer mountain, July 2S, 1863, and in
other encounters of that notable band
of Indian fighters. Mr.. WEIGH was &
member of the expedition which laid:
out Forts Rice, I4incoln, Buford anc
Totten, later returning to Forts j.
coin and Rice, as company blacksmith,
after establishing his residence in Bis
niarck. He shod the mounts which
carried Clusters men on their last
charge. June 25, 1876, to shoe Com
anche, the famous charger of Cap.
tain Keogh, in whose honor, after
the brave horse had been brought
back to Fort Lincoln from the Little
big Horn, General Sturgis of the Sew
enth Cavalry issued the following gen
eral order: 4 ..e
stts !, ", Special Order. 's
headquarters Seventh U. S.
Cavalry, Fort A. Lincoln, D. r.,
April 10, 1878; General Orders
No. Z: %
"(1) The horse known as Com.
anche,' being the only living repre-
sentative Of the bloody tragedy of the
Little Big Horn, June rs, 1876, his
kind treatment and comfort shall ibe
a matter of special pride and solici
tude on the part of every member of
the Seventh Cavalry, to the end that
his life be preserved to the utmost
limit. Wounded and Scared as he is,
his very existence speaks in terms
more eloquent than words of the des-
perate struggle against overwhelming
numbers, of the hopeless conflict and
the heroic manner in which all went
down on that fatal day.
Prepare Special Stable.
"(2) The commanding officer OF
&c. ! wAl see that special and com
Portable stable is fitted up for lin,
and he will not be ridden 10y any per-
son whatsoever, under any circum
stances; nor will he be put to any
kind of work.
"(3D Hereafter, upon all occasions
of ceremony of mounted regimental
formation, Comanche, saddled, bridled
and draped in mourning, and led by a
mounted trooper of Co. I, will be pa
raded with the regiment"
Mr. Wech, although we'll past 10, is
in good health and active. His mem
ory is excellent. and his stories of
the olden days always are interesting.
Where the Wife Ruled.
Among the many other old-timers
who will Ebe present tonight are Mr..
and Mrs. T. j. Tully Of 1902 Broad
way, who came to Bismarck, April II.
1879. MIR. Tully was then member
of the Eighteenth United States In.
fantry, but Mrs. Tully, upon viewing
the town and its location, recognizing
it as city with a future, declared
for civilian life and. upon procuring
his discharge, Mr.. Tully engaged in
the tailoring business 1lere, retiring
only few years ago.
Civil War Veteran.
lMr. Tully served throughout the
Civil war VITA Vermont regiment.
He was in the thick Of the fight at
Gettysburg, receiving personally the.f
surrender of the colonel of the Ninth |
Virginia, and he distinguished himself
at Fort Fisher and in a number of 9TH
er important engagements. While at
tending the se1ni-centennial reunion
of the boys of the blue and gray, who
net on the historic field of Gettys-|
burg, Mr. Tully had the pleasure of
greeting a Johnny Reb of a Virginia
regiment who lad opposed him on the |
firing line during that bloody conflict.
Each found the other a very Hkabie
sort of being, and expressed mutual
pleasure over their poor marksman- |
ship upon this paticular occasion. Mr..
Tully will celebrate his eighty-first |
birthday anniversary Jan. 1, 1916. He
is a well preserved old gentleman WHO
retains the barring and courtliness of
the true soldier.
Has Faith in Future.
County Justice E. S. Pierce. who
will attend with Mrs. Pierce this even
ing, is an octogenarian resident of
Bismarck, who has faith in the future |
of the Missouri Slope as a dairy |
country Mr.. Pierce served witl the
Twelfth PENNSYLVANIA Cavalry. unde-
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