Major Seymour Race, heretofore mentioned, served two years in the war.
Lieutenant John Crable is still another who received his military training in the old artillery school. He was commissioned second lieutenant in Battery G, Colonel Barnett’s regiment, and afterwards promoted to first lieutenant, serving at times as captain. His company distinguished itself in several important battles and took part in others of lesser note.
“COMMISSARY” HARRY BINGHAM.
Among the many of the old artillerymen now dead, few will be better remembered than “Commissary” Harry Bingham, a man of small stature, full of life and fun. It may be said that for some years he contributed largely to the life of his military comrades. At the beginning of the war he was in Wisconsin, where he soon joined the military service. He became a lieutenant and served with credit. Finally, however, the hardships of war were greater than he could bear. For a time he lay sick at Nashville, was then brought to Cleveland, where he died. His disposition to joke did not desert him even when upon his deathbed. Said he with a smile, to a lady who called upon him during his last sickness, “I’m a funeral, sure.” He lies buried in Woodland cemetery. Who of his old military comrades will not drop a tear to his memory?
Many others of the old guard, some living and some dead, deserve well to be mentioned in this connection.
The history of the association itself may be told in a few lines. At the close of the civil war, when regiments and various commands in the war were forming associations and holding reunions, the wife of Captain Wood, who made all the cartridges used by the old gun squad, now residing in this city, past eighty-three years of age, one day suggested to her husband the propriety of Cleveland’s old artillerymen having a reunion. The thought was conveyed to General Barnett, Colonel Hayward and others, who were pleased with the idea and on the 22d of February, 1871, the members of the old squad then living and other old Cleveland artillerymen met at the Kennard House, formed an association of which General Wood was made president and then and there had their first banquet. General Wood was continued president of the association ten years, until his death May 2, 1881, when General Barnett succeeded him. The general has been president ever since, some twenty-three years. At the first meeting of the association held after General Wood’s death, General Barnett paid a high tribute to his old comrade. Among other things he said: “Since our last anniversary David L. Wood, commander of the old Grey gun squad, captain of the First artillery company in Cleveland and president of our association since its first organization, has passed away. It was he who first introduced into the then West, forty-two years ago, the artillery branch of our old militia system. We can say of our old comrade that he was an honest man. He had a bluff, outspoken way, but a warm, generous heart. His pride was with his old artillery associates. His comrades tenderly, with sorrow, laid him away in the cemetery. We will and do reverence his memory and our recollections are of a competent soldier, a patriotic man and good citizen.” General Wood was born in Barkhamsted, Conn., Aug. 14, 1847, and died May 2, 1881 in Cleveland at the residence of his brother-in-law, the Hon. O. J. Hodge.
Thirty-four years have now passed since the first meeting of the association and each year since it has had its social gathering, and each Decoration day the members have strewn with flowers the graves of their departed comrades. Such meetings, however, cannot be held many years longer. The whitened locks of these men point to a day in the near future when the members of the association will hold their last banquet, when there will be no member left to decorate the graves of the departed, but around their memory long will cluster recollections of patriotic work and good citizenship, and those now upon life’s stage, and those yet to come, with pride will study their history and place upon their graves flowers, emblematic of love and veneration.
CHAPTER IV.
The public reception of the First Regiment Ohio Light Artillery (3 months) at their home as before related practically closed the military career of that command; however, a large number of the men enlisted in other commands, notably into the First Ohio Light Artillery (3 years) the term being for three years or during the war. It was soon found that through the emergency of affairs at the opening of trouble and the improper muster in and muster out as state troops that the men had no proper standing on the rolls of the Army of the United States. This error was called to the attention of Hon. Amos Townsend, then our member of Congress, who made many earnest attempts to rectify the mistake through the Honorable Secretary of War; those efforts were however unsuccessful, it being decided as the muster roll showed that they were state troops, so the matter ran along for years and until Mr. T. E. Burton was elected to Congress. Upon representation of the case to Mr. Burton he was at once impressed with the fact that fairness and justice to the command required action of Congress, whereupon he introduced a bill substantially the same as the one finally passed in January 1903, and given herewith as well as the report of the Military Committee of which General Dick was chairman.
The command was very fortunate in having in Congress two such good friends as Mr. Burton and Gen. Dick, men who have looked so closely and faithfully that justice might be obtained. The members of the First Ohio Light Artillery (3 months) owe these two men a debt of gratitude which they can never pay but which is not forgotten.