Address by Capt. JOHN F. DUNCOMBE (Portrait) Address by Capt. CHARLES B. RICHARDS (Portrait) 508 Address by Lieut. JOHN N. MAXWELL (Portrait) Address by Lieut. FRANK R MASON (Portrait). Address by Private MICHAEL SWEENEY Address by Private WM. K. LAUGHLIN (Portrait). This engraving was copied from a photograph of Mr. Carpenter some years before his election as Governor, and near the time he served as a private in the Spirit Lake Expedition. ANNALS OF IOWA. VOL. III, No. 7. DES MOINES, IA., OCTOBER, 1898. 3D SERIES. THE SPIRIT LAKE EXPEDITION. In the summer of 1887, thirty years after the events transpired, the idea was agitated at Webster City of placing in the Hamilton County Court House a brass tablet in memory of Co. C, of the Spirit Lake Expedition. Petitions were circulated praying for the appropriation by the Board of Supervisors of $300 for this purpose. Nearly all to whom they were presented signed them. The names included most of the bankers, merchants and other leading men, with such representative farmers as happened to come into town while the petition was in circulation. The petition was granted at once upon its presentation, largely through the hearty good will of the chairman of the board, the late Hon. Charles T. Fenton. A committee was chosen to procure the tablet and otherwise carry into effect the prayer of the petitioners. August 12 was fixed as the date for unveiling the tablet. Gov. William Larrabee kindly consented to be present and occupy the chair. Seven participants in the Expedition accepted invitations to narrate their recollections of the weary march and its attendant circumstances. These persons were Capt. John F. Duncombe, Capt. Charles B. Richards, Lieut. John N. Maxwell, Lieut. Frank R. Mason, and privates Cyrus C. Carpenter, W. K. Laughlin and Michael Sweeney. When the great concourse of people assembled at the Court House it was found that it would not hold half of the 2,000 present. An out door meeting was therefore organized on the east front of the edifice, where a part of the speeches were delivered. These speeches had quite a run in the daily and weekly press at that time, but it is believed that they possess much historical value and should be gathered into these pages in order to insure their permanent preservation. They present the best possible history of the Expedition. Ex-Gov. Cyrus C. Carpenter, whose remarks were revised by himself, spoke as follows to the people out-of-doors. THE ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR CARPENTER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: Others will give in detail the organization, the marches, and the disbandment of the Spirit Lake Expedition of 1857. I shall confine myself to a few reminiscences of the campaign, and to a personal mention of some of the conspicuous characters in the command. Previous to any knowledge of the massacre at Spirit Lake, I had gone with Mr. Angus McBane on some business to Al VOL. III.-31 |