The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-06-04

cur origin. No nation In the world
had an origin like ours. You ask
German who his forefathers were and
he answers at once. Germans. Ask
an Englishman who his forefathers
were and he answers. Englishmen.
You. ask a natlve-born citizen OF the
United States, whose forefathers came
to this country I'm the carly days, and
Il will puzzle him To answer. | do not
believe there Is one I'm hundred OF
us who could answer. For myself j
know I have Welsh, English. French
and German blood. Not only are we
of mixed blood. but our ancestors
were of the best of European nations.
They emiGratcd TO this country be-
cause they were men OF principle. aud
on that account men prosecuted In
their own countries. A Mexican 10 a
cross between an Indian and Span
lard. We have no Indian in us.
Another evidence of the superior
~ of the United States Is that
II keeps no standing army. in time of
peace. Every other great. first -class
power of the world keeps great
standing army In time OF peace. at an
expense OF hundreds OF millions OF
dollars. Our standing army Is less
than 10000 men. kept for the pur-
pose of keeping down local disturb
ances. occasioned by labor strikes and
like. I'm case of foreign war. the
patriotic citizens OF the United States
would turn out i'm mass To- fight for
their country. IF the boys In blue
had not won In the Civil war, tbs
great nation. the greatest I'm the
world. would never have existed. The
United States would have ended In
the sixties.
Was a Young Soldier.
IL enlisted as a soldier. not drum
mer. In the spiIng OF 1862. twenty
eight days before my fourteenth birth
day. While eighteen years was the
legal age to enlist. there were many
| thousands of Union soldiers. fifteen.
sixteen and seventeen years OF age.
The government needed soldiers and
did not enforce the regulation as to-
age.
In some respects the young fellows
made better soldiers than those ma
tUrcd men. lie is just forming his
| habits and will adapt himself TO army
| life and stand the hardships better
| than matured men. and hn has no wife
CT children to worry a out, and when
! there VS. fighting T. be done the
BOYS w"r" always o" hand. They re-
quired more Discipline than the men.
II there was any foraging for chick
| ems and fresh meat. or ether mischiefs
going on. II was generally the boys
! doing II.
Il used to get I'm the guard house
myself occasionally. The northern
sOl1icrs were generally armed. either
with the Springfield musket or the
Enfield rifle. My regiment. the Thir-
! ty-ilfth Illinois. was armed with the
Springfield musket. a long -barreled
gun. so long that could not handle
II. The colonel had two or three feet
sawed off from my musket ! was the
only. soldier In the regiment who car
ricd a gawCd-un muskct, and ! pro
POSED. the first fight We got into. to
rCi;lc the whole trouble with that
sawed off gun.
The first fight ! cot into was tho
battle Of Stone river near Mufrur
borough, Tennessee. on December 81.
1862. and the first thing knew a
southern boy put a bullet through me
An incident occurred at this time that
illustrates the hospitality of the
southern people. The battle Of Stone
river lasted three or four days. The
first part uf the battle favored tho
Confederates. hut i'm the end the Union
forces conquered and the soutberncrs
fell back. The first day of the battle
when was wounded. the Southerners
retained the battle field and was
made prisoner. The hattie was
fought close to town. and the Confed
crates took the wounded to town. the
wounded OF each side being put by
themselves I'm buildings.
His Wounds Were Dressed.
81. with large number of wounded
Union soldiers. was placed In large
cotton warehouse. and our wounds
were dressed by Confederate surgeons
The young surgeon who dressed my
wound seemed to take a liking to me
and said that as my wound was scri-
Gus. he would take me to his home. a
few miles out of town. where | could
get better treatment. was muci,
impressed by his kindness. but final
~ utIi'htu, tutuhinE " "oUlu nDt Dt
right, 50 stayed and took my chances
with the other wounded soldiers.
. There are esoine good things about
California. where I live. To give an
instance. some two or three years age
about two hundred hoboes. I-won't
workers. !. w. WIS invaded San
Diego. They got up on boxes on the
| street corners and insulted and abused
the American flag and government
! The men OF San Diego. including all
classes. got together and drove the |.
w. WIS out OF San Diego to the coun
~ line. made every one of them kiss
the flag and then kicked them over
the line out OF the county. At the
same time, Emma Goldman. the an
archist. came to the city to lecture.
She could get no place TO lecture. and
! left without lecturing. Her travelling
agent, who accompanied her. was
| ridden out OF town on a rail, tarred
and feathered. San Diego is troubled
no more by I. W. WIS"
Observation at Eagle Lake.
Attorney Benjamin Taylor deliv-
cred the Memorial day address yes
J terday afternoon In the Methodist
Episcopal church at Eagle Lake.
. speaking before a very large and en-
thusiastic audience. The church was
1 bpautifuttv bpcprafad NTH aogo aud