SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

President William McKinley's proclamation ordering war between the United States and Spain was issued April 23, 1898, and read as follows:

"Whereas, a joint resolution of Congress was approved on the 20th day of April 1898, entitled 'Joint Resolution for the recognition of the independence of the people of Cuba, demanding that the government of Spain relinquish its authority and government in the island of Cuba, and to withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters, and directing the President of the United States to use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry these resolutions into effect.' and

"Whereas by an act of Congress entitled 'An act to provide for temporarily increasing the military establishment of the United States in time of war and for other purposes,' approved April 22, 1898, the President is authorized, in order to raise a volunteer army, to issue his proclamation calling for volunteers to serve in the army of the United States:

"Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States. by virtue of the power vested in me by the constitution and the laws and deeming sufficient occasion to exist, have thought fit to call forth, and hereby do call forth, volunteers to the aggregate number of one hundred and twenty-five thousand, in order to carry into effect the purpose of said resolution; the same to be apportioned, as far as practicable, among the' several states and territories and the District of Columbia, according to the population, and to serve two years, unless sooner discharged. The details for this object will be immediately communicated to the proper authorities through the war department.

"Done at the city of Washington, this 23d day of April, A. D. 1898, and in the independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-second."

WILLIAM MCKINLEY

[Seal.]
By the President:
JOHN SHERMAN,
"Secretary of State."

On April 1, 1898, the following was the roster of the Iowa National Guard at Newton, as comprising Company L, Second Regiment: Henry T. Kennedy, first lieutenant; William E. McMurray, second lieutenant; Alva Baker, Henry M. Burnett, Harry Barber; Albert B. Bryant, Walter H. Boyd, Frank Besack, Frank H. Boat, Roland E. Benjamin, Frank H. Clements, Eugene M. Errett, Charles H. Fox, Pearl G. Gibford, John W. Hendryx, Marion R. Hammer, John Hayes, Harry T. Lewis, Thomas B. Law, William H. Montgomery, Will L. Maus, Harry C. A. Miller, Harry J. McMurray, Thomas F. Morrissey, George W. Ohler, A. L. Parish, James M. Richmond, Charles H. Ruberg, Arthur Reynolds, Guy H. Smith, George Selbher, Harry A. Stallings, George W. Turner, Fred E. Wilson, I. O. Wilson, William S. Westbrook, Arthur P., Woods, William H. Wert, John C. Wert, R. A. K. Wilson, Albert F. Williams, Fred H. Wells, William M. Wyrick, Lewis E. Young.

When the troops made up from the National Guards were finally mustered into the service of the United States, those from Iowa took the regimental numbers of the state, commencing where the last number left off in Civil War times. Those from Newton and Jasper County were in the regiments named below:

THE FORTY-NINTH REGIMENT

This regiment was organized from the First Regiment of Iowa National Guards was ordered into Camp McKinley, Des Moines, Iowa, by the Governor on the 25th day of April 1898, mustered into the service of the United States by Capt. J. A. Olmstead, United States Army, at Des Moines, June 2, 1898; left Des Moines, June 11, 1898, by rail for Jacksonville, Florida; assigned to the Third Brigade, Second Division, Seventh Army Corps; moved to Savannah, Georgia, October 25, 1898, and to Havana, Cuba, December 19, 1898. Companies F, C, H, K, A and I returned to the United States, April 5, 1899, for muster-out. Headquarters band and companies L, M, E, D, G, and B returned to the United States, April 9, 1899, for muster-out. The whole regiment, January 1, 1899, participated in the ceremonies attending the evacuation of Havana by the Spaniards. The regiment was mustered out of the United States service at Savannah, Georgia, on the 13th day of May 1899.

Those serving from Jasper County in Company L were: Amos J. Underwood, Elliott E. Lambert (colonel), John C. Trease, Howard T. Gibford, Swain Dennis, Ezra G. Baird, Frank E. Besack, John Wert, Thomas F. Morrisey, Burrell Owens, Fletcher H. Helm, Andrew J. Streeter, James W. Vaughn, Thomas B. Law, Herman E. Dahlgren, Ike O. Wilson, Clarence G. Errett, John McFarlane, John W. Callahan, Alexander S. Crawford, Fred H. Coleman, Thomas W. Corrigan, Homer Vasco Clutter, Frank Leroy Harsha, John A. Hayes, Horatio S. Howard, Albert L. Kennedy, Carl D. Kiser, Henry A. McKinney, Bertram Mendenhall, William J. O'Neill, Fred L. Shrader, Arthur E. Small, Charles P. Smith, Perry E. Spencer, Jesse R. Stallings, Ed C. Stevenson, Andrew J. Streeter, James W. Vaughn, Bazil Wells, Leonard A. Wells.

FIFTY-FIRST REGIMENT

This regiment was organized from the Third Regiment of Iowa National Guards; was ordered into quarters at Camp McKinley, Des Moines, Iowa, by the Governor, on the 25th day of April 1898; mustered into service of the United States by Capt. J. A. Olmstead, United States Army, at Des Moines May 30, 1898; left Des Moines June 5, 1898, by rail for San Francisco, California, per telegram from war department; arrived in Camp Merritt, San Francisco, June 10, 1898; removed to Camp Merriman, Presidio, July 29, 1898; embarked on board transport "Pennsylvania," at San Francisco, November 3, 1898; arrived at Honolulu November 12, 1898, arriving at Manila Bay, Philippine Island. December 7, 1898; remained on transport in Manila Bay until December 26, 1898, upon which date the regiment sailed for Iloilo, arriving at the latter place December 28, 1898; remained on board the transport in Iloilo Bay until January 29, 1899, upon which date they sailed for Cavite, arriving January 31, 1899; disembarked from transport February 3, 1899, and went into quarters at Cavite. The regiment participated in the occupation of San Roque, February 9, 1899, and the various companies were in the following engagements of the Philippine expedition: Gaudalupe Church, Quingua, East and West Pulilan, Calumpit, Santo Tomas, San Fernando, Calulut, Angeles.

September 6, 1899, the regiment was moved to Manila preparatory to returning to the United States; sailed on transport "Senator," September 22, 1899, arriving at San Francisco, California, October 22, 1899; mustered out of service of the United States November 2, 1899, at San Francisco, California.

In this regiment there were soldiers from Jasper County as follows: Fred S. Carpenter, Joseph V. House, Herbert Vv. Marshall.

FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT

This regiment was organized from the Fourth Regiment of Iowa National Guards, and was designed to go to Porto Rico, but never left this country, being stationed at Chickamauga Park, Georgia, and were mustered out at Des Moines in October 1898. Only two from Jasper County served in this regiment, Charles A. Leonard, of Mingo, and Robert H. Rose, of Vandalia.

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC

The Grand Army of the Republic is composed of men who placed their lives at the disposal of their government for the preservation of the Union during the years of 1861 to 1865. They are organized to continue the fraternal comradeship, which grew out of their associations in a common cause, and the seeking of a common end, "The perpetuity of the Union." To teach coming generations by precept, as well as by example, a reverence for our flag, a love for our country, and the continuance of a "government of the people, by the people and for the people." Also to care for the needy soldiers, widows and orphans. Its motto and its practice is, "Fraternity, charity and loyalty."

Garrett Post No. 16, Department of Iowa, located at Newton, Iowa, was organized and mustered in on the 20th day of August 1879, and was named in honor of Col. John A. Garrett, who entered the military service in the War of the Rebellion August 1861, as captain of Company I, Tenth Iowa Infantry, and was mustered out at the close of the war as colonel of the Fortieth Iowa Infantry. Colonel Garrett died at his home in Newton, Iowa, January 23, 1877. This post now has a membership of about seventy-five Civil war soldiers and two Spanish-American soldiers.

The 1911 officers are: J. W. Donavan, commander; J. W. Longley, senior vice-commander; T. M. Rodgers, junior vice-commander; A. Dennison, quartermaster; J. R. Sitler, adjutant; J. D. Edge, officer of the day; John Potter, chaplain.

With the return of each Memorial Day the old veterans take charge of the services and decorate the graves of the one hundred and sixty soldiers now buried in the City Cemetery, in a very befitting and truly touching manner.

OTHER POSTS IN JASPER COUNTY

The Grand Army is also represented at the following points within Jasper County: E. H. Keyes Post No. 511, at Mingo; Shellady Post No. 84, at Monroe; McGray Post No. 27, at Prairie City; Alloway Post No. 106, at Lynnville; E. D. Duncan Post No. 253, at Colfax; General Wilson Post No. 432, at Kellogg; Garrett Post No. 16, at Newton. There was a post at Baxter, but on account of the death and removal of many of the members their charter has probably been surrendered.

Nearly if not all of the posts have had connected with them many years the helpful auxiliary of the Woman's Relief Corps.

THE PASSING OF THE "GRAND ARMY"

As the years speed by the ranks of the Grand Army posts are fast disbanding through the inroads of death. Perhaps no more eloquent passage along this theme can be here narrated than that recently delivered by Sant Kirkpatrick to his comrades of the Hornet's Nest Brigade, at Oskaloosa, Iowa, in April 1911, when, in closing his well-timed address to the boys who once wore the loyal blue, he remarked:

"To me, an occasion like this, in a great measure, is an hour of sorrow, a never ending day of mourning. The length and breadth and depth of the wounds and scars occasioned by that cruel war are as a poisoned arrow, the shaft of which has deeply pierced the heart of every true American citizen.

"Comrades, you and I have passed the meridian of life; we are now going down the decline on the other side, and I feel sometimes as if all creation was greased for the occasion.

"With you and I, the morning of life has gone, somber shades of evening are gathering closely around about us, we have heard the reveille at sun rise and listened to the tattoo of night, and taps, yes, taps, that once betokened the extinguishment of lights, now come reverberating back as the heralds of death.

"Another decade and many of us will have crossed the bar, another score of years and nearly, or quite all of us, will have answered the roll call of eternity, and not only the Grand Army of the Republic, but the grandest army of the world, will have passed into history.

"Already the great majority of those with whom we once touched elbows have crossed the river. Would you behold them today? If so, then come with me and draw aside as it were the veil of immortality."