The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-10
COMMEMORATE THE
DEAD OF FORT KING

fort to direct the attention Of the good
people of our county and state to the
sadly neglected and almost forgotten
soldiers cemetery at old Fort King.
The many kind offers Of assistance
in some plan to restore the place to
a condition in keeping with the care
generally bestowed on the burial
places of American soldiers inspires
me in another effort to honor the
brave men buried there.
If only a little of the spirit that
moved France to honor the first three
killed in the war with Ger
many could be aroused the names of
the brave boys buried at old Fort King
would be safe forever.
Tens of thousands of Allied soldiers,
sailors, marines and artillerymen were
summoned to do honor to these three
men. General Bordeaux attended by
his full staff was the principal orator.
In part he said: ain the name of the
Eighteenth division, in the name of
the French army, and in the name Of
France, l bid farewell to Corporal
Gresham, Private Enright and PrI-
vate Hay of the Sixteenth Infantry,
American army.
eve will, therefore, ask that the
mortal remains of these young men
be left here, be left to US forever. We
will inscribe on their tombs: Here
lie the first soldiers of the United
States republic to fall on the soil of
France for justice and liberty The
passerby will stop and uncover his
head. The travellers of France, of the
Allied countries, of America, the men
of heart who will come to visit our
battlefield of Lorraine, will go out If
their way to come hereto bring to
these graves the tribute of their re-
spect and of their gratefulness. Cor
poral Gresham, Private Enright, Pri-
vate Hay, in the name of France, l
thank you. God receixe your souls.
Farewell"
This is a beautiful tribute paid by
a foreign country to Americas dead,
and brings right home to US the ques-
ton, why has no similar tribute been
paid to those men who fought in a
war of our own, Ought to protect the
homes of our people; died in battle
with savage men, and buried in our
own soil in badly neglected graves I?
Great as was the sacrifice of these
boys on the other side it was no less
great in the case of these boys at
home who for seven years fought
Seminole savages in many battles. AS
a matter of duty as well as decency,
both the state and nation owes debt
to these dead men that should have
been paid rs years ago. and the JUS
tice of this obligation should appeal
to every Floridian from a sentimental,
from historical. as well as a stand
point of justice.
Fort King was established by the
federal government in March. 1927,
upon a hill about three miles east of
Ocala and within this fort, and around
this fort was laid the scene. of the
greatest war ever waged by savage
people against great civilized gov
eminent, and stamped Osceola as the
greatest man that was ever born to
savage life.
1t was for the relief of this fort
that General Clinch ordered 139 reg
ular soldiers to march from Fort
Brook (near Tampa) to reinforce
| General Thompson at Fort King. The
| command of these men was given tC
Major Dade. who Immediately moved
forward, and on the evening of Dec
| 27, 1885, having crossed the Withla,
coochee river, camped for the night
| in what is now Sumter county.
In the morning of Dec. %, while
General Thompson, Lieut.. Constan
tine Smyth and two others sat al
ed into the room. killed the entire
party and made his escape.
| At about the same hour Major Dadt
broke camp, and two hours later, while
marching in open order, the command
was attacked by Indians from ambush
under the head of the Seminole Chief
tain Alligator, every man except tive
being killed by the Indians: Clarke
one of the survivors, was badl!
wounded and crawled on his hand
and knees a great part of the distanc
to Tampa.
The death of Lieut.. Smyth ant
Gen. Thompson was referred to at tn
time as a national tragedy, while tn
humiliation of Dade's command. al
most at the same hour, shocked tn
world.
The death of Leonidas and his bray
Spartans at the pass of Thermopyla
may have equaled the tragedy of thi
December morning. but we will scare
the military history of the world il
vain for a greater sacrifice than tina
of Dade and his daring followers.
The United States is. in theory a
least, Christian nation, and Florid
Christian state, while Sparta wa
pagan and all the states of Greco
were pagan states, yet the Greek
went forth as single man and erect
ed a monument on the spot wher
Leonidas fell that stood for over
thousand years, and its message t
the EStra0uoT-c S+i1I ~