Olean's Forgotten War Heros

OLEAN'S FORGOTTEN WAR HEROS OF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

NATIONAL GUARD TO BE CALLED OUT! SPANISH WARSHIPS ON THEIR WAY WEST! These were the headlines of the paper on April 16, 1898.

REMEMBER THE MAINE! Was the battle cry. The ship was sunk on the night of February 15, 1898 in Havana harbor in which two hundred and sixty men lost their lives.

May 1, 1898 was a never-to-be forgotten day in the history of the city of Olean, or so the newspaper stated. But alas! It has been forgotten as well as the106 brave soldiers of Olean's 43d National Guard that marched off to the Spanish American War on that day.

Let me refresh our memory of those brave 43d boys who marched to the music of the band toward the Erie Depot. Along the way veterans of the Civil War stepped proudly to the beat of the band, remembering the scenes of 1861. Mothers saw their sons leaving home that morning with thoughts in their hearts of how long will they be gone and hopes for their safe return.

Olean was astir early, and the sun shone brightly throughout the entire day. Many attended church early that morning, and here and there the somber field service uniform of the guardsmen mingled with the many colored dresses of the ladies. The out of town visitors began coming early in the day.

At 6 o'clock Saturday evening, the men gathered at the Armory, which was a hub of activity. J. W. Cook, the company clerk, was busy marking the officer's camp outfits. First Sergeant Cobb commenced making out a complete muster roll of those who were going.

Sunday afternoon at 1:40 p.m., the alarm in the city hall tower rang out its ten strokes calling the men to the Armory. At 2 o'clock the bugle sounded the "assembly and fifteen minutes later the "fall in" was sounded. After all the regulations were completed the men spent an hour mingling with friends and family. When the bugle was sounded again, the men fell into line, the Barry Street doors swung open and they marched out along Barry to Union Street and toward the depot. The streets were one solid jam of people following the parade of the different organizations marching in the dust. About 18,000 to 20,000 well wishers thronged the streets and surrounded the depot to see the boys off.

When the train pulled into the depot a cheer went up for the men of Jamestown's 13th Separate Company. As the men entered the train and quickly settled into their seats the final goodbyes were said and handshakes were grasped through the opened windows. Straining eyes watched the last car as it disappeared out of sight and the 43d was off eastwardly headed to camp.

Word was received at 6:30a.m. on the following morning that the 43d Separate Co. had reached the Erie Depot at Jersey City and they were now on the ferry bound for Camp Black. They arrived at the camp at 12:15 in the afternoon.

The announcement was made on May 3rd, that the 43rd Separate Company would now be known at Co. I, First Battalion of The Third Provisional Regiment under General E. M. Hoffman.

After unloading at a little wayside station called Dunn Loring on May 29th, the Third Regiment marched to Camp Alger, a distance of six or seven miles away. After pitching the tents, the men had to gather their own wood and water. The water had to be brought through the woods a distance of over a mile. This lasted for about three weeks before the artesian wells were in working order. The regiment spent the time at Camp Alger waiting impatiently for a call to more active service. On June 28th the regiment left the camp on a fifteen mile march to 'Difficult Run', a feat they accomplished in three hours and forty-five minutes. After spending the night there they returned to Camp Alger and on July 26th left for Falls Church where they were assigned to provost duty guarding the railway exit and so forth.

Peace was declared on August 13, 1898, and the Regiment returned to Camp Alger where they remained until the 18th, the date they returned to Camp Meade by rail. It was a miserable, dark, rainy night, and the long train was made up of thirteen cars, containing several sick soldiers. It was on this night that Private George Westbrook was taken seriously ill, and died the following morning shortly after reaching the camp hospital. His body was shipped to Warsaw, N.Y.

Captain Franchot wrote a letter dated August 25 to his brother N.V. V. Franchot, which gave in detail the names of the Olean soldiers who were sick. He went on to say that the men were being taken care of as well as a field hospital will afford.

Eugene C. Wright was reported ill with typhoid fever and Arthur P. Webb was reported suffering, but showing improvement at the Fort Meyer hospital. John Steir, Guy Drake and Emile Walhauser, who were ill with typhoid fever, were at the first division hospital near Dunn Loring, Va. while Jacob Lehman was ill with malaria fever. The men that were ill in quarters at Camp Mead were H. J. Wind, malarial fever, Bussler Bovee, J. W. Wilson, G. W. Branch, M. W. Morse, Paul Bartsch, ill with stomach trouble. E. C. Hollis, J. H. Crawford and C. M. Smith were ill from the heat and recovering. Ill with typhoid fever at the Camp Mead Hospital were W. P. Williams, William Getchell, R. B. Lawrence, George L. Kerr, Charles W. Worden, C. B. Balch, R. Sullivan, H. L. Hall, D. F. Morton, W. E. Elliott, W. B. Bernard and O. L. Tanner.

Mrs. Bartech left Olean on September 5th to be at the bedside of her son Paul, who was in Philadelphia but he had passed away before she reached him. Jacob Wind also died on that same day. Upon learning of the death of the two boys, Lt. Cook ordered the Armory flag at half-mast and the flags at the City Club and the City building were also lowered.

The following is the sad story of the dying words of Private Henry Jacob Wind, who died at St. Mary's Hospital at Philadelphia, Pa . "The hospital attaches had taken special interest in Wind's case, and everything possible was done to save him. The surgeons, after a consultation, decided that his only chance of recovery was to perform a delicate surgical operation. Although the surgeons performed their work well, the patient collapsed under the knife. They carried him back to his cot in the ward, and realized that he had but a very few minutes to live. The soldier seemed to understand his own condition fully, clutched one of the doctors by the sleeve, and said:
"Oh, just pull me through, doctor, my mother needs me. She needs me bad."
He fell back breathing torturously; and a nurse passed her soothing hand over his hot brow. At that moment the occupants of the room were electrified by the strangely appropriate strains of a song that floated through the window from the street. A quartette of young men with exceptionally good voices was passing the hospital singing;
Just break the news to mother, she knows how dear I love her,
And tell her not to wait for me, for I'm not coming home;
Just to say there is no other can take the place of mother,
Then kiss her dear sweet lips for me and break the news to her.
Almost at that very moment the sufferer gasped and was dead. The singers passed on down the street, and the low sobbing of the nurse broke the quietness of the ward. There were tears, too, in the eyes of the surgeons.

On the morning of September 9, 1898 Olean buried her two dead soldiers with honors. The double funeral of Jacob Wind and Paul Burtsch was held at St. Mary of the Angels Church on Henley St. The church was almost filled to capacity. When the service had finished, the procession marched to Thirteenth Street where the street railway cars were waiting for the trip to St. Bonaventure Cemetery. Upon arriving at the entrance to the cemetery, the hearses and cortege marched slowly up the hill to the spot where two graves were dug side by side and at the foot of each floated the Stars and Strips. The soldiers lined up in company in front and the bearers lowered the remains into their last resting place. Side by side they laid in death, awaiting the last great reveille. The firing squad fired three volleys, and as the last volley rolled from hill to hill, Musician Gale stepped forward and sounded 'Taps'.

On September the 13th, after breakfast and a participating in a parade at Elmira the Olean Company headed home. Hundred of flags and yards of bunting were hung from the business places until the streets were a mass of color. At 2:30 the different organizations under the direction of Major Whitney began their march to the Erie Depot. Upon the arrival of the troop train the people cheered till they were coarse, whistles of all tones and sizes added their share to the volume of sound, and the giant firecrackers exploded with a deafening roar. The cheering continued from the depot to the Armory where an immense crowd had gathered. In the evening the Turner Hose Band gave a concert on Union Street, fireworks and a balloon ascension near the street railway powerhouse brought the celebration of the welcoming home to a memorable and fitting close.

THE BOYS ARE HOME AGAIN !!!!!

On November 12, 1898 the remains of Pvt. Guy Drake, who had taken ill on August 25th at Camp Alger passed away. It was a disagreeable cold day when a large number of people assembled at his home on River Street, North Olean to attend his funeral. Both military organizations were in attendance. The line formed as follows: Foley's 43d Band; the firing squad from Company I; the bearers from Company I; Company I Third New York Volunteer Infantry, with Capt. R. H. Franchot, commanding ; The 143 Separate Company, N. G. N. Y., First Lt. W. J. Cook, commanding; Bayard Post, G. A. R., Henry Gale, commanding; and the Acme Hose Company.

At the close of the services conducted by Dr. W. C. Wilbor, the men of both companies filed past the casket and took a last look at their comrade, then the line reformed and escorted the remains as far as the north end of Union Street thence to Pleasant Valley Cemetery. At the grave the three volleys were fired and musician Thompson sounded "Taps".

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