Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-11-25
VETERANS OF MANY WARS
MARCH IN BIG ARMISTIcE DAY
PARADE IN WASHINGTON.
oLD-TIME UNIFORMS SEEN
Blue and the Gray of the Civil War
MingIe With the Khaki Of the World
ConfIict-Foreign Armies Are Repre-
sented.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.


Arlington amphitheater, there APP
peared virtually every former and
present soldier andssailor living in or
near Washington who was not bed
ridden.
Veterans of the Indian, the Civil and
the Spanish wars turned out in great
numbers to join their brothers of the
World war in doing honor to the I'M
known dead who represents the spirit
CT willing sacrifice of Americans in
the high cause.
Some Of the men who appeared in
the parade seemed to have stepped
from the pages of history. Take old
Maj. Gen Arson Mills, for instance.
He is well past fourscore years OF
age but he came to do his part. Once
on a time when General Mills was a
captain in the active service, the
American people read with excited IN
terest and proper pride one of his ex-
ploits in an Indian war when he was
q subaltern Of cavalry.
In the year of the Sioux wars, the
winter following the time that General
Custer was killed, Captain Mills, with
a small command which was almost
starved to death, fell in with great
body of well-fed. well-armed Indians.
By a mastery handling of an almost
deadly situation Mills managed to
hold off the foe until relief came. His
men had nothing to eat but little
horse meat. which it was necessary
for them to eat raw. The relief column
which came to his aid was in like
starving condition, but surmising that
Mills little command was in trouble,
tire others pressed on through zero
weather, shoeless and cold and
hungry, till they came to the relief Of
the gallant captain and his COM
rades.
Old-Tirners Out in Uniform.
Every former soldier and sailor in
Washington who had a uniform put 1t
on on Armistice day. The parade
showed meeting of the far past, the
midway past and the present. It was
hoped TINT the one living Washington
veteran IF the Mexican war could ap-
pear in the parade, but although his
spirit was willing his strength was not
quite equal to the occasion. Gen. Ho-
ratio Gibson, who as second lieuten-
ant, was with Gen. Winfield Scott
when the City of Mexico surrendered,
is living in this city today. He Is
more than ninety years of age, but
with youthful and a frequent deter
mination which enables him to carry
out his wishes to mingle with the
Younger generation of soldiers Of his
country.
Veterans of the Civil war of both
the northern and the southern armies
were present in the parade in large
numbers. Some of the southern sol
diers wore their old gray uniforms,
while the men of the North came in
the blue of the days of their service.
The Spanish war veterans who took
part in the proceedings are middle
aged men. They still swing along, how
ever with no tendency to lose step
or cadence, and bearing themselves
with ramrod-like straightness without
physical effort
Many Nations Represented.
Hundreds of men who saw service
in the great war in armies other
than those of the United States
marched in the parade. There were
English. French, Italian, Belgian,
Japanese and representatives of some
ether countries of the world in the
marching ranks. In a way, it was a
great allied demonstration in mem
DRY and in honor of a soldier whose
identity is unknown to the world. He
was an American soldier, and he died
I'll the front-and this was deemed
sufficient to deserve the tribute of the
nations.
Mer: who did not know that they
could march did march in this great
parade. Strength seemed to be re-
newed in the veterans of the older
services.
No one in the parade gave thought
to anything but the solemnity of the
immediate occasion. Never before in
the history of the country was there
a demonstration like unto this. 1t
was solemn, but it was uplifting. The
President of the United States
marched with the privates of the
army There was no distinction of
rank. All were Americans paying
tribute to an American who had given
all that he had to the service of the
home land.
AngIo-Jap Pact to Go.
Once in great while one is willing
to make a prophecy. Prophets fire.
quently are proved unworthy of
honor, but today there seems to be
no reason why one should be black
ward in coming forward" with the
statement that. the Arglo-Japanese
treaty of alliance will be abrogated
and never will see renewal.
The chances are that the charge Of