hatever
might come. The students organized into military companies. Hardee's
tactics became the leading text-book. There were three companies or
more. These formed a battalion and there was a major to command it. One
company was styled "The Tappan Guard," after the venerable President,
and it was made up of as fine a body of young men as ever formed in
line. Most of them found their way into the federal army and held good
positions. The captain was Isaac H. Elliott, of Illinois, the athlete,
par excellence, of the University, a tall, handsome man and a senior.
"Tom" Wier, a junior, was first lieutenant and the writer second
lieutenant. Elliott went to the war as colonel of an Illinois regiment
of infantry and was afterwards, for many years, adjutant general of that
state. Wier went out in the Third Michigan cavalry and became its
lieutenant colonel. At the close of the war he was given a commission
as second lieutenant in the Seventh United States cavalry, Custer's
regiment, was brevetted twice for gallantry, and after escaping massacre
with his chief at Little Big Horn, died of disease in New York City in
1876.

CHAPTER III

RECRUITING IN MICHIGAN

Ann Arbor was not the only town where the fires of patriotism were kept
burning. It was one of many. "From one learn all." The state was one
vast recruiting station. There was scarcely a town of importance which
had not a company forming for some one or other of the various regiments
that were organizing all through the year. Before the close of the year,
aside from the three months men, three regiments of cavalry, eleven
regiments of infantry, and five batteries were sent out, all for three
years. There was little difficulty in getting recruits to fill these
organizations to their maximum standard. No bounties were paid, no draft
was resorted to. And, yet, the pay for enlisted men was but thirteen
dollars a month. The calls of the President, after the first one for
seventy-five thousand, were generally anticipated by the governor, and
the troops would be in camp before they were called for, if not before
they were needed. The personnel was excellent, and at first great pains
were taken to select experienced and competent officers. Alpheus S.
Williams, Orlando B. Wilcox, Israel B. Richardson, John C. Robinson,
Orlando M. Poe, Thornton F. Brodhead, Gordon Granger, Phillip H.
Sheridan and R.H.G. Minty were some of the names that appeared early in
the history of Mic