Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 75: Waseca County in the Spanish War - Ovation to Company, 1905

WASECA COUNTY IN THE SPANISH WAR - OVATION TO COMPANY K - CAMP RAMSEY AT ST. PAUL - COMPANY ROSTER- TRIP TO CHATTANOOGA - MARCH TO CAMP THOMAS - CAMP LIFE - RETURN HOME.

For years, Waseca county had maintained a military organization, known as Company K. At the time of the breaking out of the Spanish war, in 1898, the company was nearly complete in its number of men, and vi'ithin a very short time after the call for troops, the company was ready for service. About the last of April, Capt. Walter Child I eceived orders to embark his company for St. Paul the next morning. "There was hurrying to and fro" among the boys to get ready for the sudden change, and the people of Waseca, at the instigation of John Moonan, Esq., also moved in the matter. A local paper said: ing train. Hon. John Moonan learned of the order about 9 o'clock the same evening, and immediately set to work to give the boys a decent send off. Quietly but effectively he enlisted the services of patriotic citizens and in a tew hours, Thursday morning, had everything arranged for a monster meeting and banquet. And so it happened that Company K, of this county, received a generous ovation the night before it left. The Waseca Opera House was filled to overflowing, and the street in front of the building was crowded with a swaying, patriotic mass of people who could not gain admittance. While a bounteous supper was being prepared in the G. A. R. hall by the ladies, the crowds outside were being entertained by the Waseca band. At the same time, in the opera house, a formal meeting was being held to cheer and congratulate the young men that wer« about to face the hardships of war in defense of the old flag."

The boys had a little experience to start with. They left "Waseca early in the morning, arriving at St. Paul a little after 10 o'clock the same morning. Upon arrival the company received orders to leave all grips and packages with detail and teams vchich would bring them out. Consequently all boys without haversacks left their rations, and had nothing to eat until 9 o'clock at night, after marching from St. Paul to the fair grounds. It was an unfortunate oversight on the part of the St. Paul officers. The company was finally mustered into the United States service May 8, 1898. The following was the roster of Company K, Waseca :

Olson, Mail in Pel rail, A. L. P( l.erson, l''red Parizram, II. A. J. Ryan, M. A. Reynolds, Wm. S. R(jmy, W. M. Sill, Ransom Schaiiml(i!ssel, Aug. Selianml<(,'SKeI, Al. Hliorlell, Henry Vernon, Wm. Veal, Herman Wllsey, T. A. Williams, II. II. Wlnship, A. K. VVehsI.er, Harry WIchman, Theo. Zeralh, P. C.

Father: Wo brokit camp at 0:30 a. m. Monday, May IC, and took train about 11 a. m. Wer<> detained In St. Paul on account of our bag- KaK<' and slock, and did iiol leave lliere until about 2 o'clock p. m. One man of Comiiany 1) had his bead badly cut in Minneapolis while leaning out of a window. Il<! was knocked sens<dess.

Our rcKlnienl is In thn^e seel Ions. We all have sleeping cars. The offlcers have a, very (Inc^ slec^ia^r and the men are comfortably provided for. The iieople of nearly every town along the route ar(> out In force, especially through Minnesota and Iowa. We awoke this morning In

Burlington, Iowa; got coffee at Keokuk, and had our breakfast. We have been following the Mississippi river all the forenoon, and the country is the most Godforsaken, I believe, that I ever saw.

We passed the second section of our regiment at Hannibal. They stopped there for coffee, as their engine had broken down. The boys are all feeling well at this writing, 12 m., except Geo. Gasink, who is a little sick at his stomach from riding on the cars.

We have seen, from the car windows, the log huts that we have heard of, occupied by the colored race. One small* town in Missouri was nearly all log huts.

Company K appreciate the eatables and demonstration made by the Waseca people, and are at this time enjoying the lunches. Waseca is all O. K. The merchants there furnished our train with coffee for $7.50, while in Keokuk the same amount of coffee cost us $23.50.

We shall be in St. Louis at 3:30 p. m., and from there we go to Corinth, Miss., thence to Chickamauga. We shall probably reach our destination about Wednesday night.

"We left Chattanooga about 1 o'clock p. m. and marched to Chickamauga Park, a distance of some ten miles. The boys were all in heavy marching order, and a good many of all the companies fell out along the road. We got into camp a little after 7 o'clock, and the boys were nearly dead for want of water. A detail was sent for water to one of the springs, but found it guarded by an Illinois company. Their guns were loaded with cartridges, and they would let no one get at the spring unless accompanied by an oflicer; such a cry as went up from the men for water, when we arrived, was enough to make a man sick.

"A lieutenant has to go with the water brigade several times a day. The reason for this guarding is, that some one had poisoned the springs and wells, a day or two before we arrived, and they had to be cleaned out; so guards are now stationed at each spring and well.

"The Park is a fine place. Our regiment has cleaned its camp quarters so that there is no grass or leaves left on the ground. We all had a good bath in Chickamauga creek yesterday. The water looks dirty, but one can wash quite clean in it after all.

"This is no play soldier. The first night in camp no tents were put up, and we all lay upon the ground in our blankets and were very glad of the chance to do so and rest. A good many of the bovs sleep in the open air yet, as one car load of our tents was lost on the way. Our boys are all standing camp life pretty well, although the 'grub' is pretty tough at present, as we are just finishing up our traveling rations. We expect something better after a little."

"On the 11th of June, Corporal Cordry was detailed to return to Waseca to secure twenty-three recruits for the company so as to bring It up to the number of one hundred and six. He arrived at Waseca June 13, 1898, and on the 21st of the same month his recruits had all been secured. The following were the recruits with name, age and occupation of each: Anderson, Otto, 31, miller; Axtell, Arthur V., 21, farmer; Borge, Lars K., 22, tailor; Clark, Geo. A., 22, saddler; Davis, Thos. A., 24, mlUer; Everson, Sofus, 21, clerk; Hanley, James M., 21, law student; Hanson, Albert, 23, plumber; Johnson, David, 23, laborer; Ketchum, Verner A., 20, farmer; Lindsay, George W., 25, clerk; Leo, Wm., 25, tinner; Smith, Jasper A., 26, farmer; Skaug, Henry M., 21, clerk; Shave, Edwin, D., 23, carpenter; Sand, Ole, 21, mechanic; Smith, Varde, 18, laborer; Starr, Frank E., 19, laborer; Sterner, Wm. A., 27, butcher; Thoresen, And. C, 23, miller; Walte, Fred A., 22, butcher; Wynnemer, Fred, 31, mechanic; Wlckershelm, 24, farmer."

The regiment remained at Camp Thomas, Ga., until August 22, when the men broke camp and started for Camp Hamilton, near Lexington, Ky. The Waseca Herald correspondent, under date of Aug. 28, 1898, wrote as follows :

"We broke camp at Camp Thomas at 6:30, Monday, the 22d, packed up and started on the march for Rossvllle about 9 o'clock; after a fast march of nearly seven miles, we arrived there only to find that there were no cars and that we would have to wait until night. When night came we were told that the cars were expected any time, so we camped on the ground without even putting up our shelter tents, for we expected to load any time within the night. The cars at last arrived Tuesday morning, and at 9 o'clock we were going as fast as steam could carry us away from the place that none of the men can remember with pleasant thoughts. Nothing of any interest happened en route, only that the boys were delighted with the beautiful scenery that was to be seen from the car windows.

We arrived at Rossvllle about 4 o'clock, Wednesday morning, unloaded, marched to our new camp, put up our tents, and Thursday night found us all settled with board floors In our tents. A good many of the boys have purchased cots.

This place seems to have been made on purpose for a camp - the ground is sloping and it so pleasant and cool here. The grass is green and that is something we have not seen since we came South. This is In the heart of the blue-grass country where the best of everything grows. If anything does not grow, the people make sure to get it in some other way. The people here think there is nothing too good for a soldier; at Camp Thomas all the people thought of a soldier was the money they could get from him, and they got pretty near all of It too.

Just think of paying forty cents a gallon for milk, and that not very good. Here we g«t the very best milk right from the farmers for twenty-five cents a gallon."

After remaining at Camp Hamilton about a month the Twelfth regiment was ordered home, to New Ulm, to be mustered out of service. The company arrived in Waseca September 22, and was tendered a banquet and a flag presentation. The banquet was prepared by the Woman's Relief Corps and the old veterans of McKune Post, G. A. R., with the assistance of lady friends. The company men and many of their relatives, with the members of the W. R. C. and G. A.R., sat down to a sumptuous repast at the G. A. R. Hall, about 7 o'clock p. m. As soon as the banquet was disposed of, all repaired to the court room, where speeches of welcome were made, and a large silk flag presented to the company. The flag was the joint work of the ladies of Waseca, Waterville, and Janesville, and was a very handsome gift. Short speeches were made by Senator Collester, Hon. Peter ilcGovern, Capt. Walter Child, Editor John A. Henry, and lawyers P. B. Andrews and John Moonan.

The company remained in camp at New Ulm, - most of the men being home on furlough - for a month, Avhen they were paid off and mustered out of the United States service, with the privilege of continuing as a part of the State organization. But after the service the men had seen, they lost interest in the organization and declined to stand the expense of maintaining a company, so they soon after disbanded.