The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-01-09

CZLLL~ES LOCAHOCD
The camp fire smolders-ashes fall,
The clouds are black against the
sky;
No taps Of drums, no bugle call;
My comrades, all goodby."
By 1929 there were only three of
the "a left-Lockwood, John S. Golf
Of St Paul and Peter Hall of Atwa-
ter, MINI. Within the next year both
Golf and Hall had died, so when JURY
q, 1880, came around it fell to the lot
of Lockwood TO hold the last meeting
of the Last Mans Club" So he
chairs, black-draped, set about
table in the Lowell inn. which stands
on the site Of the old Sawyer house
"a tired old man, priceless winner of
a race against DEATH" press dis
patches of the time described him
raised his glass in salute Ito my COM
rades !" took sip of what had once
been sparkling Burgundy wine but
which had by this time turned to
vinegar, and repeated the words of
The Last Survivor TO His Dead Com
rades." Then with his promise full
filed he turned away-and the Last
Mans Club" had reached its destiny
of dissolution.
When the Grand Army of the Re-
public went TO Portland, Maine, for
its annual grand encampment in 1929,
two veterans attracted much atten-
ton by the insignia which they wore
on their hats. The ornament was the
tail of deer, for these two men, Will
liam A. Mckay of Utica, Pa. and Har-
ley Drips of Derby, Pa, both of the
Samuel P. Town post of the G. A. R.
in Philadelphia, are among the few
survivors of the famous 'Bucktal"
regiments of Pennsylvania. There
were two regiments of ''Bucktails" in
Civil war days-the First Pennsyl-
vania Rifles and later the One Hun
dred Fiftieth Pennsylvania Rifles.
So far as is known the last survivor
of the original "Bucktail" regiment,
the First Pennsylvania Rifles, died in
1927. An issue of the Potter County
Journal at Coudersport, Pa, during
that year contained this news story:
The recent death of Charles W.
Dickinson, aged Lightweight,
marked the passing of the last
member of the original Bucktail
regiment, famous for its record
during the Civil war.
The regiment. organized in
1861, through the influence of Gen.
Thomas L. Kane, founder of the
city of Kane, was made up large
~ of hardy mountaineers of this
section of the country. On April
IS, 1861. representatives from Nc
Kean, Elk and Cameron counties
met at the Smethport courthouse
in answer to summons sent out
by General Kane Three COM
panies. the Mexican County Rifles,
the Elk County Rifles and the
Cameron County Wild Cats, were
organized and formed the nucleus
of what later became the Bucktail
regiment.
1t was at Smethport that the in
sigma by which the regiment
came to be known was adopted.
The day the recruits assembled
at Smethport, April %, 1861,
James Landregan. member Of the
Mexican County Rifles. while pass
ing a meat market where a deer's
carcass was on display, cut off
the animals tail. stuck it in his
hat and proceeded TO headquar-
tiers. Thomas L. Kane, who later
became general, observed the
bucks tail and seizing upon the
idea, announced that the force he
was recruiting should be known
as the Bucktails. Within a short
time the deer's carcass was d.
vested of its hide which was cut
into strips TO resemble buck tails
and attached to their caps.
After marching over the noun
tains the Mexican and Elk county
troops joined those of Cameron
county at Emporium and contin-
ued their march to Driftwood on
the Sinnemahoning. branch of
the Susquehanna river
Rats had been constructed of
lumber for their journey down the
Susquehanna to Lock Haven. And
on April q. 1861. the forces num-
bering 315 men embarked and at
Lock Haven boarded train for