694
HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
every safe-guard against accident or injury was given his splendid vessel. At sunrise of. the 25th of the following January, 1898, the United States battleship Maine, Captain Sigsbee commanding, returning the visit of comity and honor, steamed slowly into the Spanish port of Havana and was anchored at the mooring indicated by the Spanish official harbor master. She was courteously received with the customary naval and military salutes and the exchange of ceremonial official visits, as required by naval etiquette, yet with thinly concealed hatred. At 9:40 o'clock on the evening of February 15th, a terrific submarine explosion shattered the magnificent ship instantly to an utter wreck, hurling two of the ship's officers and 264 brave seamen to an instant and horrible death.
This atrocious infamy filled to overflowing the cup of our forbearance. The American people, already burning with indignation at Spain's unspeakable brutality in her treatment of the Cubans, could no longer be restrained; and on April 22d following, Congress passed an act officially recognizing Cuban independence, demanding Spain's withdrawal from the waters of the Gulf, and authorizing the President to call into service 125,000 volunteers to carry the resolution into effect. On the next day the President's call was issued, and the celerity with which a trained and highly efficient army could be mobilized was amazing to those unfamiliar with the facts of our thorough militia organization. The Third Regiment of the Illinois National Guards was commanded by Colonel Fred Bennitt of Joliet. Major Joseph B. Caughey, one of its field officers, and Assistant Surgeon Carlton E. Starrett upon the regimental staff-both gallant and experienced officers^-were residents of Kane County. Three companies of the regiment were composed of Kane County men, viz.: Company "D" of Aurora, commanded by Captain John L. Graves and Lieutenants Fred L. Thatcher and Charles F. Spicer; Company "E" of Elgin, officered by Captain (Major) Ben E. Gould, and Lieutenants Jacob Bode and Fred J. Smailes; and Company "I" of Aurora, with Captain Charles H. Greene ami Lieutenants William Kline and Albert Lindsey. These splendid companies had many of the attributes of veterans. They had participated in eight or ten regimental, brigade and larger encampments at Chicago, Lake Geneva, Wis.; Rockford, Buffalo Rock, Springfield
and elsewhere. They had marched in review through the streets of the vanished "White City," and up Broadway, New York, and had taken a practice march from Aurora to Ottawa. They had participated in a number of sham battles involving the movements of a brigade or' larger force, and they had been thoroughly drilled in squad and company tactics-that best "school of the soldier." They had also seen actual war service in quelling at least eight great mobs and riots, in one engagement killing three and wounding eight of the rioters. At the great Pullman strike and riot they demonstrated their celerity in assembling for duty. About noon on July 6, 1894, Governor Altgeld telegraphed hurry orders for the Third Regiment to report at Chicago to assist in maintaining order. At 9 p. m. the regiment was in line with nearly every soldier in his place at Thirty-fifth Street and Wentworth Avenue, near the center of the riot, although some of the companies had journeyed about 100 miles.
It was near midnight on Monday, April 25, 1898, when Colonel Bennitt received Governor Tanner's order to report, with his command at Springfield, on the following Wednesday. The twelve companies of the regiment were scattered in ten different towns of a half dozen counties from Rockford to Joliet, from Woodstock to Streator; yet so prompt and vigorous was the action of its commander, field staff and line officers, so thorough its discipline and preparedness for any emergency, that on Wednesday morning, the 27th, every company responded to the Adjutant's call and marched with nearly full ranks to its place on the color line, fully equipped and ready to volunteer for foreign service. Rank and file, about 1,000 choice young men were in line, and when they voluntarily mustered for United States army service on. May 10th, and with uplifted hands and uncovered heads, deliberately and reverently assented to the prescribed oath of allegiance and obedience, the scene was deeply impressive. It is said to have been the first muster of a full regiment in this State since the close of the great war.
On May 14th the regiment left Springfield under orders for the organizing camp at Chicka-mauga, Tenn., where it received recruits that brought its numbers up to 1,300 men. It left this camp of discipline and drill on July 22d for Porto Rico, via Newport News, and on board
