016 091027 6 # F 589 .R23 R77 Copy 1 Camp Randall Memorial Arch DEDICATED JUNE 18-19, 1912 1861 Ttcrfzi, Urn to, ill. Remember old Camp Randall, And the days of sixty-one, When we were gay young soldiers- I Our service just begun; ' Remember our dear comrades Who marched with us away But fell amid the strife, — Remember them to-day. 1912 LIBRARY Of CONGRESS JAN?01921 DOCUMENTS Division CAMP RANDALL MEMORIAL ARCH Dedication June 18-19, 1912 Dear Comrade: — I am writins^- this letter to you so that 1 ma\' tell you about something- in which I know you will be interested. I told you in my letter to you last year that a movement was .on foot to erect at the Dayton street entrance to Old Camp Ran- dall a memorial arch and gateway. Well, the legislature of 1911 passed a bill setting apart a piece of ground just inside the gate where we used to go in and out — when we had passes — not to ex- ceed four hundred square rods, for a Camp Randall Memorial Park, and appropriating $23,000 for the improvement of the park and to erect at the entrance a Memorial Arch. The bill provided for the appointment of a commission of three comrades whose business it should be to cause this work to be done. Ciovernor Mc(io\ern appointed for this commission three as capable and worthy comrades as could be found in the state. — Colonel j. .\. Watrous. an Iron Brigade soldier, adjutant of the Sixth Wisconsin ; Colonel C. E. Warner, at the close of the war the gallant one-armed commander of the Thirty-sixth Wisconsin ; and W. J. McKay, a boy soldier of the Forty-fourth Wisconsin. All had their first lessons in the ser\icc that helped save our country from disunion in Camp Randall. These comrades went about their work with a will. — with as much real patriotism as they had in the old canip fifty years ago. It was not an easy thing to select a design when many persons had different opinions about what would be best. After courteous consideration of many suggested ideas and plans, the members of the commission decided upon the form of arch to he erected and gave the contract for the work to the Woodbury (iranite Com])any. the same ])eoide who are building the new State Capitol. Last May the work on the arch was so far along that the coiu- mission decided upon Tuesday and Wednesday. June 1reak u]) the reunion we had voted to hold at Viola this year. I did. however, give notice in some papers that a tent would be put up on the grounds for the use of such members of the Twelfth as would be there. Though the arch proper had been completed before the time of our meeting, the two pieces of statuar}- — one of a boy soldier just come into camp, the other of the Grand Army man fifty years after — had not arri\ed. Because of this we were all greatly dis- appointed. The commission had been assured that the figures would be here in time, or thev would ha\e put the date of the dedi- cation later. I have said that the arch had. excepting these figures, been completed, yet. when I come to think of it. I must tell you that some- thing else was lacking. Under the archway, on each side, there is to be set in the wall a bronze plate. On one plate there is to be the general inscripition concerning the arch, on the other the number of every regiment and batterv that v.-as organized in Camp Randall during the war. with its date of muster in and that of its muster out. Also, there will be i)ut down the num- ber of regiments and batteries, with dates of muster in and out of the service, of those that were organized in other military camps in \\'isconsin. The regiments organized in Camp Randall were the 2d. 5th. 6th. 7th, 8th, 11th. 12th, 15th, 16th. 17th. 20th. 23d. 29th. 30th, 36th, 37th, 38th. 40th, 42d, 44th, 45th, 46th. 47th, 49th, 50th, 52d and 53d; also, the 11th and 12th batteries of light artillery and Companies A, E, F, (i, H, I. K. L and M of the 1st heavy artillery. Company (i of Berdan's United States Sharpshooters was also organized in Cani]) Randall. This makes 27 regiments, two bat- teries of light artillery, nine comi)anies of heavy artillery and one company of sharpshooters. These troops were organized in Milwaukee: ^ Camp Scott, the 1st. 3 montlis, infantry and 1st regiment reorijanized. after its three montlis of ser\iee. for three years. Camp Sigel, the 9th. 24tli. 2^)lh and 27th infantry. Camp Holton, the lOth infan- tr\. Camp Trowbridge, same i)lace as Cam]) Mijhon. the ISth in- fantry. Camp Washburn, the 2Sih. .Uth. 3.^th, .S. Merrick. 6 o'clock until 7 — Rations at mess tent. Relief Corj^s. S o'clock — Open-air cam])fire — rails and tar barrels, t'amp song-s and rapid-fire talks. 10 o'clock — Taps. Lights out. Wednesday. June 19. Sunrise (iun. « 7 o'clock till S — Rations at niess tent, Relief Corps. 9 o'clock — fiirtlier re,e:istration at lieadquarters. Reunions oon- liiuied. 12 o'clock until 2 p. m. — Rations at mess tent. Relief Corps. Program National Hymn — America. Trousdale church choir and audience. Invocation — Rev. \V. J. McKay. Patriotic Antheu] — ( )ur Flag. Trousdale church choir. Presentation of .Arch — Colonel J. A. Watrous, chairman of com- mission. Acceptance of Arch for the State — Professor Duncan McGregor, private secretary to (iovernor McCiovern. Battle Hymn of the Republic — Trousdale church choir. Dedicatorv .Address — Bisho]) .Samuel Fallows, of Chicago. Patriotic ,A.nthem — Columbia. (Jueen of the Nations — Trousdale church choir. Dedicatory Prayer— Rev. W. J. McKay. Star Spangled Banner — Choir and audience. Firing of Salute — Comrade John C. Martin. Cannoneer. Soon after the close of the dedication services the old comrades and their friends began to say good-bye. and within two hours the camp ground looked something as ours used to look after we' had struck tents and marched away. The next day. when we began to talk it all over, we felt that everything about our reunion and dedication had l)een about as near- ly ideal as it could be. The weather was delightful. — clear and not too warm. The attendance was large. Five hundred and sixty comrades had registered their names. Kverything on the program had gone off just as planned ; nobody shirked. There had been so happy a spirit manifest everywhere that everyone seemed to partake of it. It was a time to be pleasantly remembered all along our re- maining march. And so our Cam]) Randall .McuKjri.al .Arch was most happily dedicated. I-ong may it stand, a silent teacher of ])atriotism. The next day after the dedication a regiment of two thousand soldiers of the regular army — on a march to the military camp at .Sparta — marched inio Cam]) Randall for a rest of three days. As the men jiassed under our arch, led by a cavalcade of mounted officers, every officer, as a token of respect, removed his hat as he rode through. I must tell you. Coloucl I'roudtit. that the ])ark. to which this arch is the eutrance, is in time to l)e made both beautiful and his- toric. We shall ask the next lei^islatvn-e to i)r()vi(le for an exten- sion of the orrounds. southward, that will take in a grove of twen- ty-eight tine oak trees. To the west of our park, where we used to drill and have dress parade, the university regiment is to have its drill ground, and. prol)al)ly. an armory. It is now proi)osed by the university to remo\e from Camp Kandall e\er\thing connected with the athletic grounds and to prcjjare a new and more modern athletic held on the lake shore some distance west of the university. This will lea\e the old camp ground about as clear as it was in war times. All of it belongs to the state. The university has no title to it. but has been granted the use of it. Deaths. Since our last reunion I have heard of the death of Comrades as follows : Company A — Jasper George, Manchester, New Hampshire. September 6, 1910; Harvey Law, New Richmond, June 26. 1912; Charles F. Miller, Prescott, May 10, 1912. Company D — \V. R. Wescott, Barton, November 25, 1911; Edward K. Lord, Chicago, January 16. 1912 ; James D. Miller. Easton. January 21, 1912. Company E — Charles Headstream. Mauston, April 7. 1912; James E. Hoisington, Evansville, September 10. 1911; Charles S. Briggs, Reedsburg, June 12. 1912. Company H — Lieutenant James Lennon, Appleton, February 29. 1912. Company K — Samuel P. Wayne. Soscobel, April 17, 1912. I presume there have been other deaths of which I have not heard. Will you not. Comrade, make it your business to report all facts concerning our boys that should be of interest to us, — re- movals, deaths, etc.? Financial Report In order that \ou may know tlie condition of our treasury, I am sending^ you tlie following: Amount on hand last report, August 29, 1911 $bU.80 Received at West Bend reunion, August 30, 1911 40.50 Receipts since that time 1911 August 31 lohn Ellingson 1.00 31 Mrs. Colonel Bryant 1.00 September 1 John Bell 1.00 1 Marcus Pratt .50 8 P. S. Gilson 1.00 15 Stephen J. Davis .25 15 Mrs. James Jackson .50 16 Mrs. Susie Albert Nelson 1.00 November 15 Carrie Enderbv 1.00 17 Joseph Curtis 1.00 19 Abraham Morehouse 3.00 20 Erick Paul .50 December 4 John B. Jones 1.00 4 Hiram Schofield .25 8 Samuel Albright 1.00 15 Kundt Johnson 1.00 2^ Albert Savage 1.00 28 Interest on bank certificate 1.12 1912 lanuarv 1 Harrv Harris 1.00 18 Wecel Novak .50 28 Samuel \arney 1.00 Februarv 21 B. L. Eighmv : .50 June ' 20 William H thaver 1.00 29 Emma A. Butler 1.00 ■ 19 Van S. Bennett 1.00 19 Henry Shafer 1.00 19 John Sutherand .50 19 Ransom Kellogg .50 19 L. D. Kellogg i .50 19 C. M. Bliss 1.00 19 Albert Savage 1.00 $129.92 Expenditures December 4, 1911 Paid for Printing Reunion Story 48.50 Paid for postage for " " 11.00 " " Paid for pictures for " " 3.00 June 25, 1912 Paid for tent at Camp Randall 3.00 Total $65.50 Total amount received $129.92 Total amcjunt expended 65.50 July 22. 1912 Amt^unt on hand today $64.42 10 If any one hnds an error in this report, please let me know about it. Conclusion Comrade. I have l')een hojjini;- to i;et a ])icture of our arch to send you with this letter, hut I think now 1 shall ncjt be able to flo so. The statuary has come, but the figures have not been erected. I do not wish to send a picture of it until it is complete. If I can- not get it ready for this letter, you will get it some other time. I hope you will make it your business to attend our reunion at \'iola next year. When you know of anything concerning our com- rades that should be recorded, write to me. Help me keep my mail- ing list as nearlv correct as practicable. Cordially and PVaternally yours. Hosea W. Rood. Madison. Wisconsin. July 22. 1912. P. S. Say. Comrade Fairbanks, see if you can recall what we Vv'ere doing forty-eight years ago today. H. ^^'. R. LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 016 091 027 6 • 016 0' LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 016 091027 6 #