Jefferson Barracks Citizens Military Camps - Jeffersonian Yearbook (Lemay, MO)

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THE'jEFFERSONIANI Black Hawk and his principal lieutenants were taken as hostages and brought to Jefferson Barracks. Most historians, though not all, say that the detachment that con- ducted him was in charge of Lieutenant Jefferson Davis, whose name, equally with Lin- coln's, was in the mouths of all not very many years later. . In'1836 the Sixth Infantry left the Barracks to take part in the Seminole War, and in 1842 the entire regiment returned from Florida, having lost ten officers and one hundred twenty-nine men out of two hundred twenty-one. The survivors went to Fort Towson, Chockaw Nation, and, after a lapse of over half a century, are now again at the old post which the unit helped to establish. After the close of the war in 1835, a regiment of dragoons was added to the army for service against the western Indians and it was organized here at Jefferson Barracks. Since 1861, it has been known as the First Regiment of Cavalry. Its first adjutant was Jefferson Davis. f'Among the many other units that have been stationed here are the Fourth Infantry, also fresh from the Seminole War, one of whose oflicers was Lieutenant Longstreet, after- wards a general in the Confederate army, and the Third Infantry, under Lieutenant Colonel Hitchcock, which was brigaded with the Fourth and organized into a school for brigade drill under command of Colonel Stephen W. Kearney, gaining the reputation of being the best-drilled troops in the United States army. During the Mexican War, many troops were fitted out here, including the 1,200 volunteers asked from the State of Missouri and the so-called 'Kangaroo Regiment', a humorous designation of a regiment of mounted rifiemen now known as the Third Cavalry. Un its next appearance at the Barracks, July 24, 1848, it had left eighteen officers and four hundred twenty-two men in Mexico. It was atjefferson Barracks that Captain Braxton Bragg, afterward a general in the Confederate army, reorganized his famous battery that virtually saved the day at Buena Vista. This was where General Taylor is said to have said, 'Give them a little more grape, Captain Bragg', although the old general afterwards remarked that what he really did say was 'Captain, give them helll' Here also, was organized the Second Cavalry, known as fjefferson Davis' Peti, under command of Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston. It is now the Fifth Cavalry. The roster of officers read like a history of the Civil war, embracing Robert E. Lee, lieutenant colonel, William Hardee, W. T. Thomas, Earl Van Dorn and E. Kirby Smith, majors. In April, 1861,when it was feared that Missouri would secede, all arms and equip- mentin the St. Louis arsenal were removed here for safety. In Nfay of the same year, the Old Thirteenth Infantry was reorganized here with Ivilliam T. Sherman as its colonel, and Philip H. Sheridan asone of the captainsf' Mr. Bostwick tnen traced the history of the post on through the post war period up to the Spanish war, when part of the Eleventh Infantry, the Twelfth Infantry and parts of the First and Third Cavalry regiments were stationed here. In 1906, use of the post as a recruit depot began. In 1917, on our entry into the Great War, thousands of recruits were assembled here and a special cantonment was constructed to provide shelter, he added. In 1921, when recruiting ceased, the post was abolished as a recruiting center and the Sixth Infantrv was ordered to garrison the Barracks, the regiment, minus four companies, marching overland from Camp Jackson, S. C. - 1 i It is an interesting fact, Mr. Bostwick concluded, Hthat almost all the great names of American history have been in some way connected with Jefferson Barracks. General U. S. Grant, as a subaltern, was stationed at Jefferson Barracks at some time between 1840 and 1850. Generals Brull, Hancock and Fremont were also here at that period. Among the Confederate leaders we have such names as Longstreet, Ewell, Pope and Hood. Page One Huvzdrfd Eiglztemz .v.v.vmv.v.vmv.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v v v v v v v 1 ,M,,,.,.,.,.wwwvwyvalvmnvmvmvwimmmnwvA 0 0

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' H Hluet One hundred years ago today, Colonel Talbot Chambers with four companies of the Flrstlnfantry arrived here from Fort Bellefontaine and established a cam near Rock Spring which he named 'Cantonment Adams' in honor of President John guincy Pildams, then tinboifiice. General Gaines issued an order on the following day, July 5, for t e ereetlpn O ui 1ngs.for an Infantry Corps of Instruct1on', but the name of 'Jefferson Barracks was not officially bestowed until an order dated October 23 1826. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th just one hundred years ago today and on the day when Colonel Chambers encamped here at Rock Spring. The hrst entire regiment of troops to occupy the post was the Third Infantry, under command of Colonel Henry Leavenworth, which arrived September 17 1826. Both these and the four companies of the First Infantry lived in tents and huts protected by long fgnces in front, being encamped on the slope of the hill south of the present parade groun s. By Christmas, all troops were installed in log barracks, and in the following April 1827, the Sixth Infantry, under General Henry Atkinson, arrived and General Atkinsori at once began the construction of stone buildings, a considerable part of which were erected by the soldiers themselves. Besides the barracks, there was a large hospital, quarters for the officers and stabling for a large number of horses. There had been expended on the buildings prior to 1840 about 870,000 , c'Of these substantial buildings, however, no trace now remains except part of the foundations which are said to be visible near the south edge of the parade ground. The coat of arms of the United States in stone taken from the headquarters building, is still to be seen on the slope of the lawn in front of the present building. The old buildings were demolished in 1892 and the stone used for foundations, etc., when the construction of new buildings was authorized by Congress. In 1862, at the beginning of the Civil War, many additional buildings were erected for hospital purposes and elaborate improvements were made. These included a Water- works building, a hotel for the accommodation of persons visiting sick friends, and a building used as achapel, library, and reading room. f'The present buildings, as we see them, date only from 1905, when, on the con- version of the Barracks into a recruitinglstation, there was another wholesale reconstruc- tion. The grand-stand and the cafeteria, however, were erected in 1918 and 1919 during the Great War and some of the temporary wooden buildings of that era also remain to us. Important subsidiary features of the Barracks have always been the powder depot and the national cemetery. The former, containing approximately one hundred and ten acres, was established. about 1840 when two elaborate stone magazines were erected. Just after the Civil War, others were built in deep sink holes. Only one of these buildings is now used for the storage of powder, contents of the rest having been transferred in 1890 to the Rock Island arsenal. The others have been used for the storage of medical and other supplies. ' The national cemetery was originally the post cemetery of the Barracks and ac- quired its present status in 1867. In 1921, the grounds were doubled in size and now include forty acres. Approximately 13,000 graves of soldiers, or their immediate families, including veterans of nearly all American wars from the Seminole to the World WVar, are buried therein. c'During the period, before the Mexican war, the post was a grand rendezvous for western troups and was a point of distribution. Many of the most important military exploring expeditions made the post their starting point, and the reserve of the western army was usually to be found here. At the outbreak of the Black Hawk War, General Atkinson, with six companies of the Sixth Infantry, set out from this post by steamboat for the Upper Miississippi. In- cidentally, one company of the Illinois volunteers who took part with them inthe engage- ment at Bad AxRiver,where Black Hawk was captured, was led by Captain Abraham Lincoln, whose name most of the Sixth Infantry then doubtless heard for the first, but not for the last time. THE JEFFERSONIAN Page One Hundred Seventeen 8 v v v ofnfo 5vbVoVaVu'4'uY11oVu1uYa'u'n':'aY.VpVyVA '4V4'4VAV n A 0 0

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1 X9 f l CMTC STUDENT HEADED FOR WEST POINT if THE JFEFFERSONIAN O From CMTC to West Point! training camp season tolls around 0 .When the 1927 it will find DeLoss H Miller of Com an UI 7 . ' n 7 p Y , CII- fOllCCif?i1a cadet IH the Un1ted.States NIilitary Academy. , d1h?f, Whose home is in Bloomington, Ill., re- Slve 13 3Pl201f1fII1entC from United States Senator 19312iCi1fEiX2tEncJ2luvIKll.l enter The Point with the class of This .Fall he started his sophomore year at YVent- WOfQh M1l1t3fY AC21ClCmy, Lexington, Mo. In this Year s camp at Jefferson Barracks he was enrolled as 3 Blue course student, and his work with Company I demonstrated to the regular arm ofhcers of that . . Y outfit .that he-has the qualifications to fit him for a commission. I 'During the World War, his father, F. A. Miller . g qvvv I- was general divisional superintendent of the Y. M. C. Ai in Paris. Miller is a sandy-haired, clear-eyed young- DELoss H. MILLER , ster, keenly interested in military work and he has M j C ' . chosen the army for his life's career. 7 Yes, I ll be doing it' at West Point a year from now he admitted modestl when he was questioned about his plans for entering the United7States Military Acadeiiiy. He is now 19 years old. ' p CMTC FATHER LAUDS CAMP Followinga visit to his son,David H. Snell, Ir., of Washington, IQl., Mr. David H. Snell wrote the following letter tothe Editor of the Washington Reporter. ' In a letter to Colonel Falls he extended his thanks to the ofhcers of the CMTC for the courtesies which he received upon his visit to the camp. He added that he was also writing his congressman to commend the work of the camp. ' Editor Reporter, Dear Sir: A Last week I made a trip to see ourWashington boys at the CIWTC for this dis- trict,and if any of the folks think our national training system is not efficient a trip to Jefferson Barracks will surely change their mind. The dining or mess hall handles about 3ooo boys in thirty minutes. and they all come away satisfied. I I expect every mother of a growing boy realizes what that means. These kitchens are as clean as any home-could be kept, all food is cooked under high' pressure steam, and a boy who does not come away from the camp a better prospective American citizen is surely a hopeless case. We found the oflicers courteous and willing to explain any of our questions and the patience they show in training our boys is a revelation to anyone who has heard of the hard boiled regular army officer. ' . l The idea of these camps is not so much toward the military. goose stepuas to create a conscientious body of better American citizens with the' rudiments of military tactics, in order to have a starting point for good military organizations in case of war. ' The boys are allowed to go to St. Louis for algood time. when off duty, but. the places they can go are restricted and there are hlilitary Police at all danger points, physical or moral, to see that these restrictions are observed, in fact, the average boy is far better guarded in all respects than. he could be at home. v If you folks could just see the workings of these camps run byUncle Sam,places in them would be at a premium. You would want your boy to get this training, physical and mental, for which many of our wealthy people pay tuition and board in private camps and get a whole lot less in every way, but to the boys who can gp to these I camps, maintainence, medical attention, uniform and transportation are ree. l The nucleus of an army is not a threat of War but the best insurance against War, we do not want a war, any more than we want a fire but we carry hre insurance. Respectfully, DAVID H. SNELL, SR. Page Om' Hzuzdred N1'm'tfw1 vvvv' Yv 'V v i I 'han:0.10.44ooA44annunAasanuVnVoYA ovnvavavfovpvuvtvovsvivnVHa'A'nva'a'o'u'Avh'Avnvovavl'b! . . . U