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


alry-but you can't have much of
reunion OF the Eight Illinois cavalry
with only three TO answer roll call
even in Memorial hall at Randolph
street and Michigan avenue. Since
Comrade George Perry, ninety years
old, died last summer at his home in
Sycamore, there isn't going TO be any
sixty-ifth annual reunion.
Not that the glorious old Eighth is
actually disbanded, but the gaping
rows Of vacant chairs and the too
generous spaces Of the hall that now
toss back at them the quavering
echoes OF their odd voices lifted in
the songs that once roared Justify up
TO the rafters waken too many memo
ries. Too many gentle ghosts walk
there.
$50 the faded old flags have been
furled for the last time. The records
will remain closed. FINS is being
written TO the gallant regiment that
on October Is back in 1861 rode up
Pennsylvania avenue in Washington
troops halted TO give three rousing
cheers for Abraham Lincoln. The
regiment that the President watching
them dubbed in his own quaint phrase
ology. 'Farnsworth's Big Abolition
Regiment
''They were eleven hundred and
eighty-four strong that day, mounted
but without carbines or sabers. John
T. Farnsworth, who recruited them,
largely from Chicago and Evanston,
at Camp Kane, st. Charles, Ill, was
elected first colonel of the regiment.
He had reason to look upon them
pridefully.
Those who remain of the regiment
that was mustered out Of service at
Benton Barracks, st. Louis, in June
of 1865 and returned TO Chicago for
final payment and discharge are ]. r.
Duff of Dundee, Henry Eichfeld of
Milwaukee and c. W. Blatherwick of
Chicago. Comrade Duff was captain
of the vanished post"
Such story could be written about
almost every regiment which marched
away to war 40 years ago, for of more
than three millions who wore the Blue
or the Gray in 1861 to 1865, only a
handful remain. Last summer in Still
water, Mimi, there took place dra-
matte scene which symbolized strik-
ingly the passing of ''the rear guard
of the Civil war" 1t was the last
meeting Of the now-famous last
Mans Cuba meeting attended by
only one man. He was Charles Lock
wood, eighty-seven years old, now
resident Of Chamberlain, S. D., but
once a member OF a group Of young
men who responded to President Lin
coins first call for volunteers.
1t was on Sunday morning. April 81,
1861, that company Of gay young
men marched from Saltwater after a
night Of dancing at the Sawyer house
They went TO Fort Smelling, where
they were formed into Company B,
First Minnesota Volunteer infantry.
Then came Bull Run, battle of Fair
Oaks, Antietam and Fredericksburg.
They built the Grapevine bridge, sal
walton of Reyes corps at Seven Pines
in co. After Pickett's charge at Get
tysburg only few of the gallant Com
pany B remained fit for duty.
In 1885 several Of the veterans de-
cided TO form an organization of their
comrades. They met on September
IL, 1885. The ranks of the company
10 -
Hospes, father of Al Hospes, known
as the baby" of the company, gave
the organization a bottle of Burgun-
dy wine. and it was decided to form
Last Mans Club" and the last
man was to open the wine and drink
a final toast to his departed comrades.
Each took a pledge TO do this. The
purpose of the organization was TO
keep "alive the memory OF the fallen
comrades"
Il think the boys got the idea of
the Last Mans club from reading
some story of French soldiers" says
Lockwood. They used to have those
wine suppers every year" 1t was de-
cided TO hold the annual reunions
on July u, the anniversary of the
Battle of Bull Run. Each year on
that day the veterans would assemble
at the Sawyer house after a group of
them had gone TO the first National
bank and taken from its vault the old
bottle of wine which was Kept in a
cese along With a poem written by the
late FL. E. Hayden in 1887. The poem
vas entitled The Last Survivor to
His Dead Comrades"