Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-08
ENCAMPMENT OF
G.. A. r. HERE THE
LAST IN STATE
Indianapolis Proud to We'll
come Veterans Who Helped
Bring Fame to Indiana.
"REMINISCENCES OF WAR
BY GRIER N. sHOTWELL.


the Civil War have come to Indianapolis
for the annual gathering
The approach of the rencampment
week. and the resultant activity of the
committee preparing for the accOmmoda-
ton Of thousands Of visitors who viii
come to the city serves to renew a pub
lie interest in the period and events in
which these old soldiers of the Grand
Army played the leading role.
It is fitting that the men of the G. A
R. should choose Indianapolis again for
heir annual encampment, not only be-
cause this is, in a way, the home city
Of the Grand Army, but also because of
the part which Indiana played in the
Civil War.
No other period in the history of the
State has such a proud record of accom-
plishment. According to the report made
at the close of the war in 1865 by W.
II. Fl. Terrell, adjutant general of the
n State, Indiana" sent into the field more
&than two hundred thousand troops, the
nsjority being for three years service.
IN addition" he says, fifty thousand
bate militia have been called into service
Lrief periods during the war to pro-
Il our Southern border from invasion
I'll Abel raids Seventeen thousand one
Z my bred and fourteen military commits
sidns have been issued since the out
-break of the Rebellion"
STATE RESPONDS
TO LINCOLN'S CALL.
Lincolns first call for troops met with
q Statewide response from Indiana.
Companies were. everywhere rapidly re
cruited and called into service. Although
the minimum age for enlistment was fixed
at co. Is and 16year-old boys were often
passed by recruiting officers and served
along with the older men. There were
many boys Sc anxious to enlist for short
periods of service that every sort of trick
was resorted to By them to make the re-
crgiting officers believe that they were
of enlistment age.
The story is told that some Indiana
boys, who lacked several years of enlist
ment age, wrote the numerals 30" on
slips Of paper which they put in the bot
tom of their shoes. On being questioned
by the recruiting officer as to their ages
they replied that they were "over 90 In
another Indiana company organized near
Indianapolis, there was a boy who had
been mustered in. although considerably
below the enlistment age. The outfit had
seen some strenuous campaigning during
the one year enlistment period for which
most Of the men had signed up. When
the men We're ready to accept their dis
charges but when it came the turn Of this
boy. who had still several years to serve
before attaining the ripe age of 20, his
answer was I lied three times to get into
this Army, I'm not going to ask to get
/. out"
There is such wealth of history cen
= tering about the operations of Indiana
81 rOops during the early days of the war
hat it is possible to mention only a few
distances which are typical Of the part
ythers played in the opening stages OF the
5Hcon1ict.
SIXTH INDIANA
IN FIRST BATTLE.
The Sixth Indiana, which was organized
and mustered into service for three
months al Indianapolis, April %, 1861.
was one Of the regiments of three month
men organized under Lincoln's first, call
for 10000 men. This Indiana regiment
arrived in Western Virginia on June 2
1861 and participated in the first battle
of the war at Phillip on the following
day The 7th, Sth, 9th, 10th, and 18th
Indiana Volunteers were organized in In
dianapolis at the same time the 9Th was
mustered into service and all took part in
opening engagements. At the end of
their three months term of service, these
regiments returned to Indianapolis and
were mustered out to be Immediately re-
organized for three years service.
The 18th Indiana, which was mus
tered in at Richmond, in May. 1861, had
the distinction Of being the first regi-
ment to march through Baltimore, Mary
land, after the 9Th Massachusetts had
been fred on in April. there as Il was
passing through on its way to the de
Tense Of Washington.
The 10th was under the command of
Col Pleasant A. Hackelman, the only
general officer from Indiana who was
killed during the war. He was killed in
sction at tuka, Miss, during the siege
Of Corinth. The command Of the 16tA
then passed to Lieut.. Col Thomas J.
Lucas, who was later advanced to ne
rank Of brigsdier and brevet major gen
eraI, winning fame as leader of cav
airy.
Not enly were Indiana regiments en-
gagged In the first battle OF the war at
Phillip, in western Virginia, >but at
least one Indiana regiment participated
in the last pitched battle of the war.
Singularly enough, this battle, which oc-
Cured on the evening of April ., 1866,
took place after the surrender of Lee
70 Grant in the courthouse at Appomatox.
COLONEL PERRY
WOUNDED IN ACTION.
Col. orsn Perry, now superintendent
Of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument,
was in command of the Goth Indiana at
this closing battle of the war, and was
wounded while leading his men In a
victorious assault on Fort Blakely, which
was one Of the stronghOlds in the de-
lenses around Mobile.
The Union Army. Colonel Perry says.
numbered about 5000 men. The de-
lenses of Mobile were extensive and of a
formidable character. The Confederates
had cut down great numbers of trees in
front Of the fort, and had dug pits and
planted torpedoes to impede the progress
OF the Northern armies.
I'VE made the assault on that eve
ming" SAYS Colonel Perry, knowing
nothing OF Lees surrender. It was
almost a week later that we learned that
the war was over Tie attaek on 1T
Blakely," which was the last pitched
battle of the war, was important be-
cause the immediate result of 1t was the
surrender of the rebel troops In the gulf
territory which included Florida, Ala
bana, Louisiana, and Texas"
1t was many years after the close OF
the war. Colonel Perry says, that there
came into his hands a copy of Harpers
magazine for the year 1860 containing
the pen drawing which is reproduced
here Of the final engagement Of Indiana
troops. The sketch. which was made
by one who witnessed the attack, truth
fully pictures the assault, Colonel Perry
says. Due to its age, the clipping has
now faded and the lines are some what