Pettis County, Missouri - Chapter 31: National Guard, 1919

COMPANY FORMED IN SEDALIA IN 1890 - IN THE SPANISH- AMERICAN WAR - SEC¬ OND REGIMENT BAND - HOSPITAL CORPS - ROSTER OF COMPANIES D AND I - REORGANIZATION - MEXICAN BORDER - WORLD WAR.

For a time after the close of the Civil War there was but little mili¬ tary activity in Pettis County, but in the eighties interest in military affairs was revived and some independent companies were formed who gave a great deal of attention to social affairs. In 1890 a company was formed by H. C. Demuth which became Company D, of the Second Regiment, National Guard of Missouri. A little later in the year Lewis T. Beck became first lieutenant of this company and W. H. Ramsey second lieuten¬ ant. The officers of this company were part of the Missouri troops which attended the dedication of the Worlds Fair Buildings at Chicago in 1892. On the resignation of W. H. Ramsey, George S. Edmonson was made second lieutenant and a little later when Lewis T. Beck resigned Mr. Edmonson became first lieutenant of the company and Samuel P. Johns, Jr., second lieutenant. This organization was kept up until H. C. Demuth, who was captain, finished his term as postmaster in Sedalia and began work as a commercial traveler and could no longer be in the city to drill the company regularly. A change was then made, Mr. Demuth being elected lieutenant colonel ; Mr. Edmonson, captain of the company ; Mr. Johns being advanced to first lieutenant, and Samuel W. James being elected second lieutenant. This occurred in June, 1896. About this time Samuel K. Crawford was made major surgeon of the second regi¬ ment, National Guards of Missouri, and organized the Hospital Corps in

On the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898 all of these organizations volunteered and entered the service of the United States Government as part of the Second Regiment, Missouri Volunteers. In addi¬ tion to these organizations a new company was also formed in Sedalia known as Company I, becoming a part of the Second Regiment. Lewis T. Beck was the capitain; Morell Tomlin, first lieutenant, and David M. Dodge, second lieutenant. Emil Dorn was chief musician of the band and Charles F. Hartenbach principal musician. The call to service was received April 28, 1898, and the organization entrained for Jefferson Bar¬ racks about 9 o'clock on the evening of May 4th. The regiment in its service did not leave the territory of the United States, although in the service about ten months, being mustered out at Albany, Georgia, on February 27-28 and March 1-2, 1899.

The following is a roster of the field and staff, band, Companies D and I of the Second Regiment, Missouri Volunteers, in May and June, 1898. Some recruits were added to these organizations and some change made in the officers at a later period of their service, but this roster exhibits an exact list of those who volunteered and entered the service at the beginning of the war:

The Second Regiment, Missouri Volunteers, May 12, 1898, field and staff officers were: Colonel, William K. Caffee; lieutenant colonel, Harry C. Demuth; major, Harry H. Mitchell; major, F. E. Williams; major, L. Hardenman; adjutant, J. M. McMillan; battalion adjutant, A. V. Adams; battalion adjutant, L. Harding; surgeon, S. K. Crawford ; assistant surgeon, C. H. Stearns ; quarter master, A. B. Deutsche ; chaplain, G. A. Ottman.

G. Ogle, Otto H. Otten, Albert Parker, Carl C. Richter, John Routen, E. A. Robinson; Edward A. Strong, William L. Smythe, Charles T. Garlick, Frank A. Starr, Charles W. Thurman, Gurney C. Wallace, John K. Wal¬ lace, John L. Williams, Horace A. Neihart, Robert E. L. Gregory, Fred Mullinex and Pearl Heacker. The Bugle Corps consisted of Almond R. Blair, Walter G. Slagle, Oran T. Jenkins, William A. Jenkins, Guy S. Patterson and Fred H. Walden.

Company D, Second Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, was composed of the following officers and men: Company Officers - Captain, George S. Edmonson; first lieutenant, Samuel P. Johns, Jr.; second lieu¬ tenant, Samuel W. James ; first sergeant, Harry 0. Moss ; and sergeants, quarter master, Haley L. Rodgers, William A. Cue, Richard R. Highleyman, James N. Evans, Edward B. Lyon. Corporals: John R. Hedrick, Otto A. Holst, Edward L. Hardin, George H. Evans, Samuel L. Floyd,

At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War Sedalia was without a military company for several months, until November, 1899, when Samuel W. James reorganized Company D, of the Second Regiment, Na¬ tional Guard of Missouri. He was elected captain, with H. 0. Moss as first lieutenant and B. S. Jackson as second lieutenant. Jackson served but a few months, when he gave place to Joseph K. Tuttle as second lieutenant. Mr. Tuttle later resigned and W. E. Grimm became second lieutenant. Mr. Moss was appointed regimental commissary and Mr. Grimm was made first lieutenant and W. F. Logan second lieutenant. On July 14, 1905, Samuel W. James was elected major of the Second Regiment. W. F. Logan succeeded him as captain, but served only a few months, when he was succeeded by W. E. Grimm, with T. F. Hardin first lieutenant and H. O. Berry as second lieutenant. This organization attended one camp of instruction after which there was a reorganiza¬ tion of the company and William A. Collins became captain with J. E. Heckert and R. 0. Bowman as lieutenants. Heckert was later succeeded by Bowman and Harry L. Collins became second lieutenant. These wei'e the officers of the company in 1910 when the company was mustered out because it had fallen below the number of men required by the Govern¬ ment to keep up a military organization. Shortly after the mustering out of the company, Major S. W. James resigned as major of the regiment, and for a couple of years there was no military organization in the city.

The Sixth Regiment had lost a number of companies and were in need of some new organizations and Major James consented to assist the organization to get on its feet so that it could go to camp. In the fall of 1912 he organized four companies in central Missouri, which became the Third Battalion of the Sixth Regiment. The companies were K, at Sedalia; I, at Boonville; N, at Cole Camp, and I, at Warrensburg. Major James was elected major in the Sixth Regiment and served until July, 1914, when it became necessary for the adjutant general to reorganize the National Guard of the State in order to comply with the Government regulations and the Sixth Regiment was mustered out of the service. During the time Major James was major in the Sixth Regiment W. F. Logan was on his staff as battalion adjutant, and Arthur L. Crandall as battalion quarter master. They ranked as first and second lieutenants, respectively. A few of the companies of the Sixth Regiment were not mustered out with the regiment but were attached to other regiments. The Sedalia Company was attached to the Third Regiment and remained with it for a number of months before it was finally mustered out.

When the National Guard of the United States was called into the service in June, 1916, to patrol the Mexican Border, Sedalia had no mili¬ tary organization. In July the adjutant general granted authority to Major S. W. James to organize a Machine Gun Company for the Third Regiment, as that regiment at the time had no Machine Gun Company. Major James selected W. F. Logan and Harry L. Collins as assistants in the organization. The telegram from the adjutant general asking if he would organize the company was sent on July 12th. The company entrained for Nevada, Missouri on July 22nd. It had been the intention of Major James to take the captaincy of this company with Logan and Collins as lieutenants and he had made arrangements with Mr. W. A. Col¬ lins to take care of his business during the three or four months he expected to be in the service. While the company was being formed Mr. Collins was taken seriously ill and was sent to a hospital in Minnesota for an operation and Major James was unable to make any satisfactory arrangement to have his business taken care of while he was gone, so was compelled to remain at home, sending the company into the service with W. F. Logan as captain, Harry L. Collins as first lieutenant, and Joseph L. Darr as second lieutenant. The other lieutenant was already in the service and was assigned to the company later. The company spent two months in the service at Nevada and was then mustered out of the Government service along with the rest of the Third Regiment in September, 1916. The company continued as a National Guard organi¬ zation and was later transferred to the Fourth Regiment. On the entrance of the United States into the World War they entered the service along with the balance of the regiment.