Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1897 — The Bloody Ninth [ARTICLE]

The Bloody Ninth

Held Its Animal Reunion at Hebron Last Week. The survivors of the Ninth Indiana regiment held their reunion in Hebron last Friday and Saturday. It was quite a successful reunion and some of the old comrades met Saturday for the first time in 35 years. They were there from nearly every state in the union, and no doubt many of them met for the last time on earth. At 7:30 Friday evening the camfire was held in the grove in the public square. Comrade Byron A. Dunn, of Co. C., gave some very interesting reminiscences of the old Ninth. He had recently visited many battle fields where the Ninth had fought, and told them how things looked now and brought up many things of long ago to which the old veterans and the people listened with marked attention. Mayor Suman, Valparaiso; J. K. Powers, Joliet, Ill; Captain Amasa Johnson, Logansport, Ind.; Col. A. L. Whitehead, Chicago, and others made short and telling talks.

The next reunion will be held at Lowell in 1898, and in 1899 on Chickamauga battle field. The following officers were elected: Col. I. C. B. Suman made president for life. Vice presidents John Lathrope, Delphi; Judge D. B. McConnell, Logansport; John Vesper, Grand Crossing, Ill.; J. B. Braden, Elkhart; Amasa Johnson, Plymouth; H. E. James, Hammond; Daniel Lynch, Lowell; H. O. Kremer, Mishawaka; Albert Porter, Logansport, Recording secretary, J. M. Helmick, Wheatfield. Corresponding secretary, A. L. Whitehead, Chicago. Treasurer, John Banta, Logansport. The first company of the Ninth, and one of the very first companies from Indiana, if not the first, was organized here in Rensselaer, by Robert H. Milroy, the old “Grey Eagle” one of Indiana's most famous generals. There are still a few survivors of this regiment in this county. E. L. Clark, W. H. Rhoades, J. F. Iliff and W T m. Norris living in Rensselaer. In Gillam Tp., there are quite a number, and a few scattered through the county generally. So far as we know, the only member present at the reunion from this county was Capt. J. M. Helmick, of Wheatfield.