Tenting on the Old Camp Ground

 

                                We're tenting tonight on the old camp ground,

                                Give us a song to cheer

                                Our weary hearts, a song of home

                                And friends we love so dear.

                        Chorus:

                                Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,

                                Wishing for the war to cease;

                                Many are the hearts looking for the right

                                To see the dawn of peace.

                                Tenting tonight, tenting tonight,

                                Tenting on the old camp ground.

Tenting on the Old Camp Ground  (1863)
words and music by Walter Kittredge
{To listen to this song as you read, skip to the end}

It was a pretty day but very warm. The kind of summer day that if you worked outdoors finding some  cool shade under a tree or a canvas tent was especially appealing. The bandsmen's splendid uniforms were relatively new, bought the past summer, but were better suited for parades in the fall or spring rather than marching in July. The drum heads did not behave well in the heat and the shiny brass cornet and tuba absorbed so much energy from the sun that they became too hot to handle.

The men were members of the Second Regiment of the Minnesota National Guard. Each summer the guard performed its annual duty when multiple infantry and artillery companies from around southwest Minnesota assembled for military training. The town of New Ulm had hosted the previous encampment, and before that Faribault and Winona. This summer it was Mankato's turn. Over ten days the old fairgrounds north of the city near the Minnesota River became home to over 400 soldiers. Since most would arrive by train they formed into their respective companies at Makato's rail station and marched into camp to the accompaniment of the Second Regiment Band. On arrival they were immediately put to work setting up tents and arranging equipment. It would be a busy week. 

On the back of the bandsmen's photograph is a note:

Mankato     July 6th to 16th  1887 

Most newspapers in Minnesota regularly published very detailed reports on all the various National Guard encampments, including those in Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas. The Second Regiment received its share of attention, too, and on 2 July 1887 the Saint Paul Globe published a short announcement on the start of its summer training. At this time the population of Mankato was around 8,000. 

THE SECOND'S ENCAMPMENT. 

    The Second regiment, Minnesota National guards, will enter upon a ten days' encampment at Mankato July 6.  The regiment has an enviable record and is officered by men who have well maintained their reputations as disciplinarians.  Col. Bobleter is well and favorably known throughout the state.  His interest in his regiment and in military affairs generally is little short of enthusiastic and is evident in the high state of efficiency his command has attained.  

    The encampment, which will be the sixth held by the regiment, will still further familiarize its members with the practical duties of the soldier, and cannot fail of lasting good.  It is natural enough that the people of Mankato should look upon the encampment as a highly important event, and that it will be interesting we have no doubt.  Minnesota has good reason for the pride she takes in her militia, and the Second regiment is responsible for having developed a very good share of It.  We hope the encampment will be a huge success. 

Source: Winona by Walter Bennick, 2012

The guard soldiers were not the same as those in the regular army. The guard were primarily civilians and their military service was essentially part-time work and limited to a few weeks in the year. Soldiers  were paid $1.50 per day and officers received a regular officer's pay for their time. The annual encampment was designed to refresh training and discipline. This involved a lot of drills and exercises. For the infantry there were tests of marksmanship at a rifle range. For artillery it was specialized instruction on the bigger ordnance. The band's work entailed playing at the twice-daily guard mount, and giving a concert in the evening.

    

On 6 July 1887 the Saint Paul Globe followed up with a short account of the daily schedule for the guard soldiers. They named their temporary encampment, Camp McGill, after Minnesota's recently inaugurated governor, Andrew Ryan McGill, (1840 – 1905).  

THE SECOND REGIMENT

To Go Into Camp To-Day at Camp McGill,

Mankato.Special to the Globe.
    Camp McGill, Mankato, July 5. — Details from all companies of the Second regiment are at work to-day putting up tents and arranging the camp. The entire body of troops will move in tomorrow under command of Col. Joseph Bobleter. The camp is pitched on a large, level bunch just north of the city, with a splendid look-out and well exposed to the currents of air which constantly move through the valley. Excellent rifle ranges have been prepared and an artillery range is to be constructed with a firing distance of from 2,000 to 3,000 yards.
    The daily routine, as ordered by Col. Bobleter, is as follows: Reveille, 5:15 a. m.; sick call, 5:20; breakfast, 6; battalion drill, 6:30 to 8; guard mounting, 8:30; battalion skirmish drill, 9:10-10:30; rifle practice, 10:30; orderly hour, 11; dinner, 12; officers' school, 2 p. m.; supper, 6; dress parade, 6:50; guard mount, 8; concert by band, 8:30-9:30; tattoo, 9:40; taps, 10. Sunday, July 10, company and battalion drill and rifle practice to be omitted, and divine services held by regimental chaplain at 10:30.
    Tuesday, July 12, is set apart as Governor's Day, when the entire body of troops will be reviewed by Gov. McGill. Company F was the first to report for duty. The boys marched into camp to-day at 4 p. m. 'They presented a fine appearance in their brand new uniforms. After supper they formed in line and Lieut. W. L. Comstock, in behalf of the company, presented Capt. D. F. McGraw with a handsome gold-mounted sword. An informal guard was posted for the night at 8 o'clock to keep off stragglers.

Source: Winona by Walter Bennick, 2012

These encampments were popular with local folk, too, as it offered a kind of live entertainment that was different from a circus or county fair. The Second Regiment Band gave special concerts when the public was invited. The highlight of the 10 day encampment was the "sham battle" when soldiers would divide into two forces to stage a mock combat. Thousands of civilians traveled out to see this military spectacle. 

On 13 July 1887 the New Ulm Review reported on the activities at Camp McGill.

The Second Regiment holds its sixth

annual encampment at Mankato,

July 6th to 16th.

Special Correspondence to Review.

    Mankato, July 11.

    All of the companies comprising the Second Regiment were in camp by Wednesday evening and Mankato began to wear a military air.  Co. A arrived here at 11:30 a. m. Wednesday accompanied by Co. I, of St. Peter.  The site of the encampment, from a military point of view, is one of the most desirable spots that could possibly be selected for the purpose.  Situated on the brow of a commanding knoll about two miles north from the center of the city, it has all the natural advantages to be wished, besides the artificial advantages which a near proximity to the city affords.  The grounds include about 220 acres of level plain—just the kind of a place for the drills and evolutions of a military encampment.  The camp itself is situated at the south end of the field, with the parade and drill grounds to the north.  

    The camp comprises about 160 tents, and is laid out with true military precision and regularity. The different companies are located in the north half of the camp, each company possessing a separate street and two rows of five tents each.  The company streets run north and south.  South of the company streets is a street running east and west with the company officer's tents lining the south side.  Back of these tents are the tents occupied by the band and also the tents of the regimental staff.  Near the south side of the camp are the tent flies which cover the rough board tables that comprise the company dining rooms.  

    Mrs. Jos. Koehler acts as cook for Co. A. and has served us so well that the boys will be sure to find fault with their boardinghouse grub when they return home.  

    The strength of the various companies in camp is as follows:
                Company A               = 37

                      "         B               = 33

                      "         C               =  43

                      "         D             =  40

                      "         E             =  39

                      "         F             =  42

                      "         G             =  41

                      "         H             =  38

                      "         I             =  36

                      "         K             =  28

                      "         H, 3rd Rgt  =  24

                Band             =  17

                Staff & others      = 15

                                   _____

                                      Total        433

    Battery F Fourth Artillery. Maj Geo. B. Rodney commanding, arrived here Thursday evening.  Their "lightning drills" are a feature of the encampment.  So far the boys of Co. A. are all well and have not been obliged to call on Surgeon Berry for medical assistance.   

    Sunday was a glorious day, and it being a day of rest, the boys enjoyed themselves thoroughly.  Col. Bend, Capts. Bean and Bronson, Lieuts. Paltaquist and Clark, Sergt. Maj. Bartram and Principal Musician Neil, of the First Regiment, Gen. Brandt, inspector

general, Capt. Groesbeck, of the United States Army were the guests of the officers of the Second Regiment Sunday.  Monday evening Gov. McGill and staff arrived. The party consists of Gov. McGill, Gen. Seeley, Gen. Richeson, Col. Hawley, Col. Blakely, Col. Caine, Capt. Braden and ex-Gov. Hubbard.  They are the guests of Col. Bobleter and will remain at Mankato until Wednesday evening.  Today (Tuesday) is Governor's day and tomorrow will be sham-battle day.  Saturday, we will break camp.

There were horses too, though it's unclear if they were from a cavalry unit. The stables are visible in the top corner of the bandsmen's photo. Of course officers would either travel in a carriage or ride their own horse to the camp. And certainly there would have been many horse-drawn wagons used to haul the tents, equipment, and miscellaneous paraphernalia.

Source: Winona by Walter Bennick, 2012

The band was a professional ensemble hired for the year by the guards' regimental command. In March 1886 the Germania band of Mankato was "mustered in" by the Second Regiment to perform at its summer encampment and at any parades or events where the regiment was present. The band had a long history in Mankato and numbered 22 musicians in 1887 with "several honorary members in reserve". Many of its musicians were German, Bohemian, or Czech immigrants who had played in European military bands. Reports of the Germania Band engagement as the Second Regiment's Band  promoted them as one of the best bands in the state. During the 10 day encampment the band regularly played  evening concerts and sometimes changed into an orchestra as bandsmen traded brass and woodwinds  for string instruments. I wonder if they got extra pay for doubling on more than one instrument.

One of the other bands considered by the regiment was a band from Albert Lea, Minnesota, whose photo I featured in my story from September 2017, The Lake Park Cornet Band. 

At the end of the encampment the "boys", as they were universally called, returned home to their respective communities, usually treated to a welcoming party at the station with music from their local band. Each town's newspaper heaped fulsome praise on its guard company's soldiers and officers. Every summer it was repeated across the nation as National Guard units in each state fulfilled their two week service. In February 2019 I featured postcard photos from another National Guard band from Washington in The Band at the Old Campgrounds. That encampment occurred 23 years later in 1910. The band uniforms had become more utilitarian and practical then. The tents and cots were about the same though.

In 1887 the "boys" at Camp McGill in Mankato were mostly young men age 20 to 30+ with lives that so far had avoided a major war. But they very likely knew about military service from their fathers who fought in the Union Army during the Civil War of 1861-1865. Minnesota sent around 25,000 men in 11 infantry regiments, two companies of sharpshooters, several units of artillery and cavalry, and several dozen sailors. Minnesotans distinguished themselves in many major battles like Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and Atlanta as well as with General Sherman's "March to the Sea."  

The fathers of the soldiers of 1887 might more vividly remember the stories of the Dakota War of 1862 when the Second Regiment was part of a force that fought two battles against Santee Sioux warriors in New Ulm, Minnesota, 30 miles northwest of Mankato. That war cost the lives of 77 soldiers, 36 volunteer guards, and 358 settlers as well as over 150 Sioux.   

In the next decade, some of the men in the Second Regiment may have volunteered for the brief Spanish American War of 1898. Other may have served in the violent occupation of Cuba or the Philippines. In 1917 their sons or grandsons would likely take part in the American Expeditionary Force that President Woodrow Wilson sent to join the Great War in Europe. This list could go on and on, though now 138 years later, it is not just the boys but the men and women who serve in the National Guard. 

Each state's National Guard is still an integral part of our country's armed forces. They even continue to maintain bands in the Guard. But in 2025 the National  Guard face formidable new challenges that America must address. The Guard's main mission is to protect Americans, but sadly, defining who is an American is not so easy anymore. And right now, I don't know what music a band should play. Everything seems out of tune.

I finish with a rendition of the song
that is the title and opening text of my story.
It was popular in the Civil War
and likely sung in Mankato in 1897.
Here is "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground",
written by Walter Kittredge in 1863/64.

 It is performed by Tom Rousha.

                                We've been fighting today on the old camp ground,

                                Many are lying near;

                                Some are dead, and some are dying,

                                Many are in tears.

                        Final Chorus:

                                Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,

                                Wishing for the war to cease;

                                Many are the hearts looking for the right,

                                To see the dawn of peace.

                                Dying tonight, dying tonight,

                                Dying on the old camp ground

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where camping can be fun.
Except for the washing up.
And the mosquitos.
And the rain.