[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

In a previous post some time ago, we mentioned that William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957), his brother Harry James McMurray (1876-1962), and their cousin Roland “Rollie” E. Benjamin (1868-1950?) were members of the Iowa National Guard at Newton. They were in Company L, Second Regiment in 1898, even before the April call to war by President William McKinley. Tensions leading to the Spanish-American War had been building for some time, including the January explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor (“Remember the Maine!”), and Spanish atrocities in the Cuban War for Independence.

Those in the Guard likely knew that they might be called soon for actual fighting in a foreign land. Will was just 23, Harry 21, and Roland was 29. Will and Harry were not yet married; Roland had married four years before but had no children. Were these young men excited at the patriotic thought of serving their country, traveling to a foreign land, proving themselves as men? Did they understand the politics of the situation? Were they afraid, but courageous enough to continue in the Guard anyway? Probably some of all the above.

On 22 April 1898, Congress authorized an increase in our military forces, and the very next day President McKinley declared war on Spain (including in the Spanish colonies such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines). It had only been 35 years since the horrors of the Civil War, and those dark times were still fresh in the nation’s collective memory. Newspaper headlines included “Newton Again Witnesses the Scenes of 1861-1862” as their young men marched off to war.

“Dreaded war, with all its train of heartaches, sorrows, suffering and devastation, is again upon us… we are living over again the sad scenes of 1861-2– giving up sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, the very flower of our young manhood, to battle again for the old flag and in defense of our country’s honor.”

The article continued with “Last Tuesday’s scenes will never be forgotten by the people of Newton.”  The parents of Will and Harry, Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray (1850-1929) and Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray (1854-1932) [AKA “The Scary Lady” by some of her descendants- you know who you are] must have been beside themselves with sadness yet full of pride as their two oldest children marched off to war, along with their McMurray and Benjamin cousins.

Orders were prepared quickly and Company L was to be “hastily” transported to Des Moines, Iowa, about 30 miles west. They would rendezvous with other Iowa troops from across the state, drill, and receive their final equipment before heading off to war.

The train was to leave Newton at three p.m. on Tuesday, April 26th. Every business in Newton closed that day at 1 p.m. and the school children were dismissed for the afternoon. The town was decorated with the stars and stripes, patriotic fever infecting the town. In a town of about 3,700, it was estimated that two thousand persons filled the streets to see their boys off.

(To be continued…)

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Read “Military Monday: McMurrays and a Benjamin in the Iowa National Guard of 1898,” Heritage Ramblings, 18 June 2018, for some background on the war and our family.
   https://heritageramblings.net/2018/06/18/military-monday-mcmurrays-and-a-benjamin-in-the-iowa-national-guard-of-1898/
2. Wikipedia also has a more complete article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish–American_War
3. Newton, Iowa, population statistics for 1900 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Iowa
4. Will McMurray image was cropped from a family photo. We do not have a photo of Will, Harry, or Roland in uniform- does anyone out there have a photo from this time, or any other time? Please contact us if you do.

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McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County, Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

(Continued from yesterday.)

Will McMurray and his younger brother Harry McMurray, their cousin Roland Benjamin, plus the other Company L, National Guard of Newton, Iowa members met at the Old Armory at one o’clock on Tuesday, April 26th, 1898, for one last time. The nineteen men and two cooks formed up to march off to the train station for their trip to training camp in Des Moines, Iowa. Lieut. Col. Elliott Ellsworth Lambert (1863-1948), above, another cousin on the Benjamin side, mounted a very handsome black charger and the horse pranced off down the street. A large crowd had gathered at Lister’s Opera House to see off their sons, brother, fathers, friends, and neighbors. An “eloquent prayer” was offered by the Methodist minister, and the Mayor spoke briefly. A minister of the Christian Church gave the benediction for the young men, and the crowd heartily sang the hymn, “America.”

Company L once again formed up to march. About forty veterans from the Civil War, members of the G. A. R. (Grand Army of the Republic- a group of Civil War veterans) led the Knights of Pythias and then “the heroes of the day,” Company L, in a march to the train depot. The young men bravely sang, “The Battle Song of the Iowa Troops” written especially for this war, trying to distract themselves from the sadness of the moment.

A special train of six coaches arrived at the train station at about three p.m. to rousing cheers. The cars already contained young volunteers from Davenport, Muscatine, Maquoketa, Grinnell, and Student Cadets from the State University at Iowa City.

“Soon the last farewells were spoken and the last kisses received from the mothers, wives, sisters and sweethearts. There was scarcely a dry eye or a lip that did not quiver in the vast crowd…”

The Newton soldiers marched into their own car, which was added to the train. The steam train chugged out of the station as the crowd waved goodbye, and likely many more tears were shed.

“Thus the boys have won their first battle, and though hallowed by tears instead of blood, it was one of the hardest battles that they will be called on to meet– the sad goodbyes with loved ones and going out from home for the first time with the possibility of never returning.”

(To be continued…)

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “Our Boys March Off to War,” The Newton Record, 28 April 1898, Vol. 4, No. 40, P. 1.
2. Lieut. Col. Elliott Ellsworth “E. E.” Lambert was the son of Reuben K. Lambert (1839-1918) and Cynthia Adeline Benjamin (1841-1925). Cynthia was the sister of Hannah Melissa Benjamin.
3. The photo of Elliott Ellsworth Lambert appears to have embossed on it “G.L. Bates” and to the left of the name, probably “Newton,” to the right, “Iowa.” There was a photographer named G. L. Bates in Newton Iowa at least from 1901-1902, and one, possibly the same person, in Prairie City, Iowa (near to Newton), from 1884-1885. See “Langdon’s List of 19th & Early 20th Century Photographers” at https://www.langdonroad.com/ban-to-baz.
4. E. E.’s uniform in this picture was likely ceremonial dress. http://www.spanamwar.com/American49Iowauniform.htm
5. The ‘hymn’ “America” was originally a poem, and sung to as many as 75 different tunes before being first published in 1910. We know it today as “America the Beautiful.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful for details.

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McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

Today, on Memorial Day, we honor those who have fallen in service to our country. Thankfully, there are few, if any, of our direct ancestors who have made the greatest sacrifice. No one who enters military service knows if they will be called to make that sacrifice, but they march off despite the risk.  For those who survive, any war leaves scars, both physical and mental, that last a lifetime, and their families also pay a price. Please take a moment today to think of all those who have fought for our rights, because they felt it was their duty and their honor to protect them for posterity.

Freedom is never free.

(Continued from yesterday)

We last left Will McMurray, Harry McMurray, Roland “Rollie” E. Benjamin, and E. E. Lambert, all cousins, as they were steaming along the rails across the prairie for the 30-mile trip from Newton to Des Moines, Iowa. Their destination was Camp McKinley, named after the President who had just declared war on Spain in April, 1898.

The Iowa State Fair Grounds had been converted into a staging and training camp.  Our boys from Newton were assigned the amphitheater as their quarters. “They are having a good time and getting used to “army diet”… We’ll bet the boys won’t go hungry,” stated the newspaper report.

Lieut. Col. E. E. Lambert was appointed as the Provost Marshall for the camp of 3,000 men. He was charged with enforcing all camp regulations and was responsible for all the property within the fairgrounds. This was quite an honor- and a huge responsibility- to be appointed to such a position. Each Iowa regiment appointed a detail of 17 men to report to Lieut. Col. Lambert for special duties within the camp.

The Iowa National Guard did not provide enough soldiers for the national quota to be fulfilled by Iowa. The Iowa Governor thus issued a proclamation that any men who had drilled as a National Guardsman or in a military school should provide their name to their local sheriff, who would pass it on to the governor for enlistment.

Will McMurray was a Second Lieutenant in the Guard, so he would have been paid $114 per month for his military service; his brother Harry was a Sergeant, and his pay would have been $17.50 per month. Their cousin, Lieut. Col. E. E. Lambert, would have made about $250/month.

The government provided flags and tents to the men, but according to the newspaper, did not furnish clothing or food. Two men went along with the Newton contingent to work as cooks for them, so it is not clear where there food came from, especially since there was also mention of the Newton soldiers having to get used to “army rations.”

Military camps are of course very regimented, and we know the schedule followed by our ancestors at Camp McKinley:

(To be continued…)

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. The Newton Record, 28 Apr 1898, Vol. 4, No. 40, Page 1.
2. A Military Tattoo in this schedule is a musical signal that the day is almost ended. Interestingly, the word “tattoo” comes from a Dutch term, doe den tap toe,  from the 1600s. It meant “turn off the tap,” referring to a beer tap. The tattoo would be sounded from the military garrison so that innkeepers/tavern owners near the base would end the service of beer to those in the military. Soldiers should then return to their quarters. Military tattoos have become elaborate musical performances in the years since. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_tattoo for more information.

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Original content copyright 2013-2020 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]

As was said in previous posts in this series, the memory of the Civil War was still a part of the American psyche in 1898. Newton, Iowa’s Company L, Second Regiment, National Guard, became the 50th Iowa once they were at Camp McKinley in Des Moines- a continuation of the regimental numbers from the War Between the States.

The Newton newspaper was full of tidbits of local people and the goings-on at Camp McKinley. On April 28th, the Newton Record mentioned that Hayden Reynolds and Fred McMurray visited their sons the previous day at Camp McKinley. The boys had been in camp just one day.

On May 9th, “Mrs. Fred McMurray [Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray] went to Des Moines to visit her two soldies [sic] boys, Lieut. Will and Orderly Sergt. Harry McMurray of Co. L, at Camp McKinley.”

E. E. Lambert was called “Colonel” in the May 11th The Newton Record story that reported he had come home on the 10th and then would return in the morning, on May 12th, to Camp McKinley. His wife, Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Boydston) Lambert was likely very happy to see him, even though the military had not yet given him the rank promotion the paper did.

While home, Lieut. Col. Lambert was of course asked how the Newton boys were faring at camp. He reported that Company L and the whole regiment were “… in high glee over the prospect of getting to go to the front.” Their regiment had been chosen to leave first, but he did not think it was feasible to get the regiment ready to move out until at least the following Wednesday, the 18th of May.

Apparently the First Regiment had exerted political pull as far as being the first regiment to leave camp, but that did not work out. The Third Regiment, with many soldiers from Des Moines, was rumored to be chosen next, but as the Record reported the “Second out-classed all of them.” The Second Regiment included the Newton Guard, and was to get it’s marching orders before any of the others.

After describing the Second Iowa as “the ‘crack’ regiment in the camp,” the newspaper reported that Co. L from Newton was the only group that had suffered from a “lack of comfort and friends.” A few of the Newton boys had received clothing or food from friends or family, but not the larger amount other groups, such as those from Iowa City, Keokuk, Grinnell, and Davenport, had received as “donations.” Some of these groups had received “box after box” or up to five loads of provisions, including tasty delicacies from home, clothing, and even cash. One group received about $300 in cash, another $1,300; the Newton boys had not received anything similar. The paper went on to say that the camp outfit of Co. L was one of the poorest.

“Of course, the Newton boys are as good, or better, than the most of them, but they do not always get all they really need.”

The shaming of Newton citizens by the newspaper had its intended effect- their boys at Camp McKinley began to receive “generous gifts from home” the next week. The camp outfit was improved by granite cups and plates (metal enamelware, blue or gray with white splatters was common; sometimes called ‘graniteware’), and table decorations. (??) The table decorations may have been used for the “Two Grand Feasts” provided to the boys by the ladies of Newton. “Eatables” were collected and sent up on the 10:47am train on 12 May 1898: roast chicken, dressing, bread, cakes, canned fruits, preserves, jellies, radishes, and onions. Those who wanted to contribute were to drop them by Mr. J. P. Newell’s early in the morning. The ladies requested even more chickens to help fill up those boys who were training hard at Camp McKinley. The Women’s Relief Corps (W.R.C., an auxiliary of the G.A.R.) was responsible for the big box to be sent to the boys for their Sunday dinner. The goal was for the goodies to be a “navel stretcher” and remind the boys that they had not been forgotten by the folks at home.

Apparently, the Newton families had been following the directions of the camp that soldiers were to have only regular Army rations, however that is not what was happening with the other units in camp. They did rectify the situation once they realized- and the boys were “assured of a sumptuous feast” -actually two- before they headed off to the front.

Local folks in Newton planned to go to the camp that Friday, May 13, to celebrate Flag Day. This must have been a special event, as the official Flag Day is June 14, the anniversary of when our country’s flag was adopted. What we now call “Memorial Day” was then known as “Decoration Day” and would not occur until May 30th of 1898. Citizens likely wanted to celebrate our flag and our country with their boys before they went off to war.

(To be continued...)

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. The Newton Daily Record, 28 April 1898, page 1.
2. The Newton Daily Record, 11 May 1898, page 4.
3. The Newton Daily Record, 16 May 1898, page 4.

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Original content copyright 2013-2020 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray,  Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors, and there are many other branches from this family.]

“SAD GOODBYES OF LOVED ONES” was one of the headlines in the 16 May 1898 issue of The Newton Daily Record. The day before, a Sunday, an extra train was arranged to take Newton, Iowa families to Camp McKinley in Des Moines, Iowa to spend a last day with their sons, brothers, fathers, cousins, and neighbors before they went off to fight in the Spanish-American War. “The parting scenes in the evening made a sad picture indeed,” the paper stated. “The boys are anxious to be off, but of course all are thinking more seriously of the uncertainty of what the future may have in store for them.” The plan was that the unit would leave for New Orleans soon.

Our ancestors were not a part of this parting scene, however. Medical examinations had taken place by the 10th of May, and sadly, William Elmer McMurray was rejected, although we do not know the reason. His brother Harry James McMurray was elected as 2nd Lieutenant of the company on the 10th, but then he too, along with three other men from Co. L,  failed the medical exam. “The boys were deeply disappointed but there was no use of kicking,” per The Record. Even with those losses for medical reasons, the company had 11 members more than what was needed, so additional men also made the sad trip home. We can imagine the hurt, the disappointment, and the range of emotions those young men felt, especially with their cousins still in a unit that was going off to a foreign war. Imagining the reactions of the parents too is not hard- how do you reconcile your son’s disappointment (times two for Hannah Melissa Benjamin McMurray and Fred McMurray, the parents of Will and Harry) with your patriotism but also your relief to not have your baby going off to war?

Knowing what happened to the unit after they left Camp McKinley gives us an interesting perspective, however.

Iowa had four infantry regiments mustered for the Spanish-American War.

The 49th Iowa, made up of men from Tipton, Marshalltown, etc., was sent to Savannah Georgia for training, and was part of the occupying force in Cuba after the war in 1898-1899.

Iowa’s 51st Infantry mustered men from Des Moines, Oskaloosa, etc., and were transported to San Francisco, CA for training. They then saw active duty in the Philippines, helping to put down the Philippine Insurrection that happened after the war..

The 52nd Iowa trained at Chickamauga Park, Georgia. The men in this unit and their families back home must have felt another connection to the Civil War as they were in the same area that Iowa troops had fought, and won, at Missionary Ridge on 25 Nov 1863. The 52nd then returned to Camp McKinley in October, 1898, and were quartered in barns that had been overhauled to prepare for the cold winter. They expected to be shipped out on 30 Oct., however with Spain surrendering on 16 July 1898 and a treaty in progress, they were mustered out on 30 Oct 1898, never seeing foreign service since the war was only ten weeks long.

And then there was the 50th Iowa Infantry, from Newton and thereabouts. Lieut. Col. Elliott Ellsworth Lambert was made full Colonel, and was in command of the entire Brigade at one point; Roland E. Benjamin may have still been in the unit, but we will leave that for other researchers to determine. The 50th shipped south from Des Moines to Jacksonville, Florida, arriving 24 May 1898. Their camp was a flat section of sandy land outside the city called “Camp Cuba Libre” since one of the reasons for the war was independence for Cuba from Spain. The men drilled and completed target practice day after day, training for their planned liberation of Havana, Cuba.

Camp Cuba Libre had up to 30,000 men living there, with supplies very scarce at the beginning. Eating utensils had not arrived so the men ate off of shingles with their fingers. Uniforms were only available in small numbers, and by the time some of the men got theirs, the uniforms of others had already worn out. Some supplies were purposefully withheld by the administration to help ‘toughen’ the men, such as tent floorboards, and medical supplies were so short that the camp had to ask the Red Cross for assistance.

Once the rainy season began in Florida, things got even worse. Flooding began in the camp. Without wooden floorboards in their tents there was no hope of staying out of the watery muck. The soldiers built new barracks that were elevated, however they still had to move around through the flooded portions of camp. (Please see a picture here that should be public domain due to its age and that it was probably taken by a federal employee, but it is apparently copyrighted by number of organizations so cannot be posted.)

Soldiers started getting sick, many with typhoid fever, which is a bacterial infection from contaminated water or food; it can also be transmitted between people due to poor sanitation. (It would have been challenging to build latrines in sandy soil with a water table close to the surface, and then the rains came…) The number of men visiting sick call increased as the rains continued, and some died, especially since antibiotics were not yet available. Female nurses, not yet common in the military, had to brave social ostracizing- they were considered loose women, especially by the camp surgeon. Catholic Lakota nuns and then Red Cross nurses from the North cared for the ailing men despite the constant suspicion and monitoring of their behavior.

Both officers and soldiers protested up the chain of command about the camp conditions and increasing sickness, and finally on 1 August they were given permission to move the camp to higher ground. This helped, but because of the long period of infection and bacterial shedding of typhoid, in just over three weeks from 10 Aug-5 Sep, 100-300 men were either relieved of duty due to illness or were in the hospital. Inspections were conducted and eventually improvements to sanitary conditions were made.

A cease-fire with Spain was signed on 12 August 1898.

The War Department ordered the 50th to return to Iowa on 12 Sep 1898. Sick men were carefully loaded into Pullman cars and the train transported the Regiment back to Des Moines, where they arrived on 17 Sep. Most men were given a 40 day furlough, and then they returned to Camp McKinley. They were mustered out there on 30 Nov 1898, never having left the continental United States.

Many of the sick went home and died soon after at their Iowa home, their illness acquired during their term of service. At least they were with their family at the end.

Of the 1,369 men of the 50th Iowa Infantry Regiment, none were killed or wounded in battle, however 32 died of disease, 30 were discharged for disease, wounds, or other causes, and 38 were transferred. Col. Lambert wrote many reports that detailed the events of the unit during its time in service.

One estimate is that 90% of the men who died during the Spanish-American War were lost to disease.

This information begs the question- would we be here if Will McMurray and Harry McMurray had been accepted into service during the Spanish-American War?

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “Co. L Will be First to Go,” The Newton Daily Record, 11 May 1898, page 4.
2. “Among Camp McKinley Boys,” The Newton Daily Record, 16 May 1898, page 4.
3. Iowa Civil War Monuments– http://www.iowacivilwarmonuments.com/cgi-bin/gaarddetails.pl?1222301210
4. 52nd Iowa– http://www.spanamwar.com/52ndiowa.htm
5. Warren Co Iowa Soldiers some war statistics– http://iagenweb.org/warren/military/spanishamericanwar.html
6. Historical Sketch of the 50th Iowa Volunteer Infantry– http://genealogytrails.com/iowa/50th_regiment1.html
7. “Iowa Spanish-American War Soldiers Who Died Due to Illness or Wounds”– http://iagenweb.org/history/military/SPW/SPAW_deaths.htm
8. The Iowa National Guard has images along with a history at https://www.iowanationalguard.com/History/History/Pages/Spanish-American-War.aspx
   The picture that is to the left  of the descriptions of the 49th and 51st Iowa has a file name suggesting they are officers of the 50th in Jacksonville, FL.
9. An illustrated cover- envelope and stamp- from a soldier in Co. F, 50th Iowa may be seen at https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1898-cover-co-50th-iowa-camp-cuba-97337567
10. Camp Cuba Libre- one may question the accuracy of some of this after seeing pictures of the camp. — http://www.spanamwar.com/campcubalibre.htm

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