Irving B. Cook

“ Instantly the long roll played by the musicians of the guard echoed over the camp. Not waiting for orders, the men tumbled out of their tents, grasping their rifles in one hand and cartridge belts in the other, and formed in the company streets. Considerations of dress were put aside, each man thinking himself fully equipped for fighting if he had on his trousers and belt and his rifle in his hand. ”

“ Then the joy began, willing hands stripped the victim to the waist, he was blacked all over, balanced on his head and the State hose turned on him. The Yolo Farmer fell into the clutches of these worthies, but not without a heroic struggle; pursued by the ruthless mob, he rushed into his tent and, on emerging, gun in hand and bayonet fixed, presented a formidable appearance, as, thus armed, he defied his enemies. But their numbers were too much for him, he was taken from the rear, and borne in triumph to the place of execution. ”

“ Rather would they be camped in the shade cast by some brewery of vast proportions, and be lulled to rest with the hum of its machinery, than rest beneath the overhanging cliffs of giant mountains, and have their slumbers disturbed, their dreams of revelry by night broken in upon, by the varied sounds of water—water—water.
In due course of time Burtis returned with butter and milk. He and Hayes then went to their haversacks and each drew forth a can of oysters. ”

“ In Company B’s rooms members were busily packing their knapsacks, rolling their blankets, and getting into their uniforms. Every now and again some member who was notified late in the evening would come running in and endeavor to make up for lost time. The experience of being called out was to them a novel one. Whoever thought that they—the National Guard, the “tin soldiers”—would ever be called upon to do anything more arduous or dangerous than to parade the streets on a holiday for the sake of eliciting admiration from the fair sex. ”

“ Imagine a United States marshal, with six hundred soldiers at his back, pleading with a mob with, as it seemed to us, tears in his eyes, to disperse, to surrender the Depot, to return to their homes. From that moment the strikers knew that the day was won, that no troops, no matter how willing, would enter that building while commanded by Marshal Baldwin, without the strikers’ own kind permission. ”

“ Before proceeding further, we feel it our duty to gratefully recognize the efforts of our patriotic cook, Paul Rupp. His was a thankless job; and only a man of an extremely good natured disposition could have put up with the trials he was subjected to. Cooking for 50 or 60 men three times a day with the most primitive appliances, good Lord deliver us! Paul, a crown of glory awaits thee in heaven, for nothing mortal man could do would, in our estimation, sufficiently reward you for all you put up with while holding the position of head cook to the City Guard. ”

“ Standing there in the dust, burning with thirst for water we dare not touch, with the thermometer above one hundred and five degrees in the shade, watching the farce in front, and looking off toward the vacant unprotected south front of the depot, knowing well that a corporal’s squad, if thrown in from the rear, could clear it, and yet powerless to move, it would have been little wonder if the best trained regular troops became disgusted. “Why do we not take the strikers in the rear while they palaver with the men in front?” ”

“ The two sentries, not men of B company, we are most heartily glad to say, were stretched across the ties, sound asleep, with their loaded rifles lying by their sides. No punishment is too severe for such a crime. Little account need be taken of such an occurrence were the worthless lives of the culprits the only ones in jeopardy; but a sentry on duty at a camp, where the lives of his comrades depend on his watchfulness, or when on any other important guard duty, who deliberately lies down and sleeps at his post, as these two had evidently done, merits any punishment, no matter how severe. ”

“ They had loaded a car with giant powder and dynamite and rolled it into the station, ready for use—an awful engine of destruction, which, had they succeeded in exploding at the right time, as they most undoubtedly intended to attempt, would have shaken the very city to its foundations, and sacrificed the lives of all, soldier and civilian alike, within hundreds of feet of the depot. ”

“ No unprejudiced person will ever deny to the workingman the right to strike; and, as long as he confines his labor troubles within the strict letter of this right, positive advancement can not fail to attend his efforts; but, when he adds to this acknowledged right the right to indulge in acts of incendiarism, robbery and even murder, then defeat will surely be his goal. Never before, in the history of the country, with the exception of the Civil War, was the United States ever menaced by a movement so fraught with danger and terror as this. ”

“ Among the persons gathered to see us take our departure were a large number of men endowed with socialistic tendencies, whose view of the situation was so narrow that they viewed the calling out of the militia as an act of the Government’s to abet the railroad company in oppressing its employees, and not as an act necessary to maintain the laws of the land which guarantee to all equal rights in the protection of their property. These men jeered and cast all sorts of slurs at the men as they marched along. They sincerely wished that the strikers would give the troops their quietus. ”

“ On every occasion that one man thought to gain an advantage over his fellows he was sure to find others carefully watching the same opportunity. Thus it was on the Capitol grounds when one tent crowd thought to carry off an old torn tent to use as a floor cloth, but found it necessary to have a rough and tumble fight with every other tent crowd on the street before they secured the coveted prize. And so it was at our new camp. We had no sooner seen the ground on which we were to camp than we knew hay would arrive to be used as beds, four bales for each company. ”

“ For scarcely had the tail end of the regulars disappeared when the members of the company were very much startled at hearing a shot ring out. As if an electric current had passed through the entire company and battalion, every man sprang to his feet and his place in ranks. As the first shot was followed by a second, and that by another and another, until the firing became a regular fusillade, the excitement of the men arose correspondingly with the increase of the fire to a higher and higher pitch. ”

“ TOWARD evening B Company received orders to be in readiness to relieve the company on guard at the bridge over the American river. This was hailed as glorious news both by those who had already been there and those who had lived in anticipation of this trip to that paradise of posts. Even to a stranger the eagerness of the men, as they rolled their blankets or packed their haversacks, would plainly indicate some pleasant duty about to be performed. ”

“ Who of us will ever forget the 4th of July, when we stood like Spartans under a blazing sun, listening to the oratory of Marshal Barry Baldwin and the strikers, who held forth from the top of an engine-cab. Major Burdick, many think, came next; but our boys say Captain Cook. We think they stand about even. ”

“ A camp fire was lighted, details for guard made, and the sentries for the succeeding two hours posted at intervals in the shadow of the trestle, along its half-mile of length. The men, tired with their day’s work at pitching camp, and one at least of B’s men, having served night and day on the two just preceding days, rolled in their blankets, stretched themselves on the windward side of the fire, with their feet as close to it as the combustibility of leather would allow, and composed themselves to sleep. ”

“ Not waiting for the long roll, which was quickly sounded, nor for the calls of our first sergeant to “Fall in!” “Fall in!” those of us who were awake and dressed quickly buckled on our belts, snatched our rifles from the racks, and “Fell in” in the company street. The excitement was intense, and increasing every moment. Excitable men were dodging in and out of their tents, forgetting their belts, forgetting their rifles, forgetting every thing, it would seem, but the fact that some one either was or had been “blazing away” down the line. ”

“ But when workmen threaten to inaugurate sympathetic strikes of the third, fourth, or fifth degree, which can only affect the person against whom the direct strike is waged in an indirect way, if it affects him at all, they threaten to inaugurate movements which contain within themselves the germs of suicide. How absurd it is to inaugurate a strike among the journeymen tailors, because their employer furnishes clothes to the man who sells groceries to the person who operates mines which supply coal to the railroad companies that use Pullman cars. ”

“ Now, when a sensible man discovers that he has made a mistake, he is not likely to repeat it. The result was, that a number of luminous minds, when they yearned to go into town, or explore the surroundings, or breathe the purer air from some hilly height, and view Donner lake from afar, naturally took French leave.
An object of particular interest to us all since our arrival at Truckee, and the subject of much conjecture when we saw it for the first time, on the night of our arrival, ablaze with electric lights, was a small, circular building, on the crest of the hill to our left. ”

“ As the men gazed down into the raging waters, they wondered if the major thought them lunatics. No sane man surely would risk his life by attempting to bathe in that swiftly flowing current. From the burden and tenor of his closing remarks, it was quite plain that the major felt sorry at leaving the men in this lonely spot, and would no doubt have continued for some time longer with cautions and fear-allaying words, had he not been interrupted by Corporal Burtis, who respectfully saluted and told him “he need not be in any hurry to relieve them.” ”

“ The mob gave away before the charge, but quickly rallied and discharged a number of shots at the troops. No further orders were needed by the men. Rifles were leveled and a sheet of lead mowed down the front rank of the strikers. The mob then fled in the wildest confusion. Too much credit cannot be bestowed upon this company for the manner in which it behaved. No company of regular troops ever acquitted themselves with greater honor, and none showed more loyalty and courage. May their example be ever imitated by the rest of the National Guard. ”

“ The rest of the night passed quietly, and daybreak found our men, with the exception of George Heizman, again on guard. On being relieved these men found that breakfast had been already cooked, served, and eaten, great care being taken, as during the night, that nothing should be left for the men who were yet to be relieved. All this, too, in spite of the fact that a B man, Heizman, of whose comrades the present detail was mainly formed, had kindly acted as cook. The tired and hungry men of course “raised a kick,” but as usual each individual warmly denied having “doubled up” on his allowance. ”

“ And years hence, when the future members of this company are gathered around the festive board, the memory of the deeds of the City Guard during the Sacramento campaign will awake and fire the eloquence of the orator, and inspire the muse of the poet. Along San Francisco’s highways we marched to martial strains, the endless amount and variety of whiskers among the men affording much amusement to, and calling forth innumerable comments from, the small boy. ”

“ The pickets kept on the alert for any suspicious move on their part, and had plans formed for repulsing any advance that they might make. The strikers, however, were not looking for trouble, as they had enough for one day.
The following morning the company again omitted to take its accustomed walk for breakfast—it was served on the grounds. From this time on meals were prepared within the camp. The rapidity with which cooks sprang up on every hand passeth all understanding. Some were but an ephemeral growth—they blossomed but to die. ”

“ Burdick, Antonelli Gille, Sam Wise, and Joe Keene would result in permeating them with all the knowledge of the ancients and moderns, books could be thrown to the wind while sitting at the base of such monuments of learning. Amid the wildest applause Mr. Flanagan gravely arose, like a knight of old, and thus addressed the assembly. He said he was satisfied that the forming of the branch suggested by Mr. Kennedy, would meet with the hearty approval of every man in the Irish tent. ”

“ Six o’clock came, but with it no change of position. Now we began to wonder whether or not our “ample breakfast” of the morning was intended to serve as supper, too. If that were so, we decided that man’s nature had changed since General Allen was young, for we certainly began to feel the pangs of hunger.
Our fears were allayed, however, when, at 6:30, the order “Fall in for supper” was given. Taking our arms with us, we were marched, under command of Lieutenant Filmer, to the State House Hotel, where our display of gastronomic powers completely dismayed the scurrying waiters. ”

“ The men, when not on guard, divided the time between eating and fishing. Degeneration had already set in—they seemed not to have a soul above their stomachs—meal time was hungrily looked forward to, and the bill of fare considered the only subject worthy of discussion. So when the squad, composed of privates George Claussenius, Bannan, King Flanagan, and Gille—Claussenius acting as corporal—arrived at Prosser Creek near noontime, on Monday, July 23d, Gille wanted immediately to locate the rotisserie that had earned such a reputation for itself. ”

“ Add to this terrible list of at least intended crime that most cold-blooded, red-handed murder of their own comrade, Sam Clark, the engineer, and of the four United States soldiers, who were doing a duty they had taken a most solemn oath to perform when they swore to uphold their country and its laws against all transgressors, and not only the lack of sympathy, but the great and all-absorbing desire to mete out deserving punishment for such a fearful crime, which possessed the citizen soldiery, cannot seem strange. ”

“ Never was the Sacramento railroad yard so busy as now. Switch engines were dashing back and forth, clearing the tracks and making up long trains of freight and passenger coaches. Many of the firemen and brakemen, who had been forced out against their will and better judgment, were glad of the opportunity to return to work.
Little or no sympathy was felt by the soldiers for the strikers. The majority of them wage-earners themselves, they felt that the great cause of labor against capital was injured, not benefited, by such strikes as these. ”

“ When he reached camp, all that he had left was his ax, and the skeleton of an old pack-saddle found on the banks of the Truckee.
Lieutenant Lundquist suggested that they continue their tramp till a view of Donner lake could be obtained; so, like a bevy of seminary girls out with their chaperone, the lieutenant and his men went merrily on their way. They were traveling through what was once, apparently, the pathless forest, for all around them were the charred stumps of trees. The strong and relentless hand of man had spread destruction and death among the giants of the forest. ”

“ The City Guard originally set the pace in the matter of shooting rifle matches with teams composed of fifty men from a company. It is a recognized fact that a soldier should know how to shoot, and, in order to encourage the members, some inducements must be given. What is better than placing them in a large shooting team? Any member of a company will strive very hard indeed to win a place on such a team, especially if he thinks there is any possible show for him, while otherwise he would be rather lukewarm if simply competing for a personal decoration. ”

“ One interesting subject was the manner in which the members of the company impressed the strikers. Their duty had been performed in such a way, with such snap and at the same time with such firmness, that the strikers were kept guessing as to whether they were regulars or the militia. Surely, the strikers argued, that man, pointing to Crowley, does not belong to the militia, or that one, pointing to Burtis, or that one, etc., pointing to Wilson, Keane, Heeth, Zimmerman, R. Radke in succession, and, above all, that one with the white diamond on his arm, meaning First Sergeant A. F. Ramm. ”

“ Monday, the 16th, was for us of B Company essentially a day of rest. No guard details were called for, some of our men having already served forty-eight consecutive hours.
An event of this day, however, served to open our eyes to the awful depths to which we had fallen; how, as members of society, we had deteriorated during our short campaign. At dinner on this day Doc Sieberst, who was acting as waiter, carrying round a pot of stew in one hand and a ladle in the other, noticed Frank Sindler narrowly scanning a very doubtful looking plate, before calling for his rations. ”

“ Tooker couldn’t see why the Colonel wouldn’t send him up to Truckee to join his company, and took every opportunity of arguing with those he came in contact with, why he should be sent, and how foolish it was to keep him at Sacramento. He convinced every one, to his own satisfaction, that such was the case. O’Malley made life unbearable at the hospital, refusing to do any thing but nurse his own grief. ”