The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-28
Willie Cooper Was Is When
Sent Home, But He
Came Back.
BY ARCH sTEINEL

Inc boy VINO got CuSSeQ OUT OF JIle
army in 1861-for being too young
now guards that army on its Last
March.
And as he sits white-haired be-
side window in Fort Friendly, 512
North Illinois street, and watches
the street pass by, he sees, too, in
phantom, the lis graves in the last
three years OF men Of the q. A. r.
that he has honored with the ritual
of the dead.
The boy was willie" Cooper, IS
The man is Will H. Cooper. 81. of
329 North Ritter, commander of the
George II. Thomas Post, No. II, of
the G. A. r. and candidate for de-
partment commander Of Indiana at
the departments convention in
Richmond, Ind, in June.
His job Of reading last rites Of the
Grand Army of the Republic for
Marion county's Civil war veterans
has softened his soldierly face.
Going Fast Now
He took that job when time. feeble
limbs, ennui at the increasing num-
Der of funerals, kept his comrades
from accompanying their brothers.
in-arms to the last tenting ground.
I'VE couldn't get enough veterans
to attend the funerals. You see
there're only about sixty-five or sew
enty of the boys left in the county.
So three years ago the Grand Army
League gave me the job of handling
the funerals for the various posts.
I've read the rituals at about lis
so far. They're going fast now" his
eyes fastened on the parade Of street
traffic and maybe on another
parade, too.
My first cuSsing let me out of
the army in 1861. Colonel Cruff of
Terre Haute sent me home because
was too young. He was the first
person that ever gave me cussing.
But a year later, with some more
kids, I joined the Fifty-fifth Indiana
and wound up the war as orderly
sergeant for Company H of the old
Forty-th
He was with a group of kids" as
he calls them, that tried to catch
the Morgan raiders. He was or the
Red river expedition in the south
west, and at the Battle of Pine Bluff
in Arkansas.
Occupation of the southwest was
not without its humor.
Only Two Left
"One woman" he related, while
we were foraging for food, seemed
surprised at our appearance and
physique She said, Why thought
the Yanks had tails like monkeys
But they treated us nice for the
most part when we sought food.
They had to-
Cooper'S stepfather, the Rev. j.
r. Sinclair, was captain Of the
underground railway that struggled
slaves out of the south
He says there are only two Of his
company left at encampment roll
calls.
Most OF them are buried in In
diana or far out in the southwest"
he said.
An old muzzle- loader that he sal
vaged from his Kid days in the
war is one Of Cooper's priced possess
Sions.
It's theft" fits the shoulder of the
man better than it did the softer
bones Of the boy who was cuSsed out
Of the army but wouldn't let it keep
/ him from war.
Usefulness Is Ended
Its usefulness is at an end and
only the G.. A. r. book of rituals and
a Bible feel the lingering Of the
hand that once drew bead with it.
yes, just about sixty-flve Of us
left in the county and I'm one Of
them this Memorial day." and the
boy of 81 became a man and walked
stalwartly out of the forts room to
help a daughter Of one of his COM
rades" find some one in the building
who ate out of the same mess-tin
with her dead father-a father with
whom Cooper had walked on the
Last March.