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| The Glorious Wolverine State; First called, first to Respond, now the first to report ready for Duty |
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August 10th, 1861 Hiram Berdan |
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The U.S. Sharp Shooters Return to Hudson |
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2001 |
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| Of the 103 men from Michigan who answered their country?s call as U. S. Sharp Shooters during August of 1861, over 30 hailed from the little town of Hudson, (a total of 44 men eventually served).� Situated along Bean Creek in Lenawee county, these friends, neighbors and family members came to be known as the "Hudson Squad" in the First Company of Sharp Shooters, later called Company C 1st USSS. |
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| 140 Years later another generation of Sharpshooters returned to Hudson to answer an equally pressing call.� Only this time it was to raise money for the restoration of Maple Grove Cemetery, where the majority of the Hudson boys rest.� Although the Sharpshooters figured prominently, they by no means made up the majority of Hudson men who volunteered for service.� The ranks of the Fighting 4th and 18th Michigan Volunteer Infantry were bolstered by Hudson men.� As was Daniel's Light Artillery Battery.� The sense of Duty, Honor and country has carried down to the present day.� During the Gulf War CNN had dispatched a news crew to this tiny hamlet, as Hudson had once again sent more sons (per capita) off to War than any other town or city in the U.S.A. |
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| ��������������� (Left to right): Phil Odren, Dan Wambaugh and Bill Skillman. |
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On Friday, August 10th, members of Company B 2nd USSS arrived at Hudson to participate in the third annual Bean Creek Festival and Cemetery Tour.� After depositing their packs, the boys scouted out the nearest food and "piled on"; to coin a phrase used by the Hudson squad.� Then it was time for a reconnaissance to the Maple Grove Cemetery.� The boys were both surprised and pleased at what they found.� Two years before they found the cemetery awash in shaggy grass, dotted with fallen tree limbs, and many of the Civil War graves blackened with mold or hidden under generations of green lichen.� After tripping over one fallen grave marker, Curtiss Poole pulled the stone upright to come face to face Theodore Yost, Co. C. 1st USSS.� That year the Hudson Museum and Historical Society raised over $1500 for the cemetery.� A like amount was realized last year. |
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| What Dan Wambaugh, Phillip Odren and Bill Skillman discovered was a neat and well-maintained park, dotted with flags and gleaming white headstones.� Granted, there were still markers that needed restoration, but the scope of the improvements and in such a short time, was truly remarkable. |
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| On Saturday morning the rest of the company arrived and formed up for a preservation parade down W. Main Street.� While they were marching, Bill pointed out various homes and landmarks that figured prominently in the reunions hosted by the Hudson Sharpshooters from the late 1880's until 1914.� After the parade, the men returned to camp to put on a shooting demonstration for the public.� A couple of fellows from the 4th Michigan challenged the boys, but Dan made certain that their shots were well "off the mark", much to the spectators amusement.� While some boys shot on the range, Lt. Bob Krouse, Terry Phieffer and Jim Kowalchuk talked to spectators and reenactors alike about the history of the USSS. |
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| At noon the boys broke camp and hiked up to the museum to assist curator and Tour coordinator, Hazel Monahan, and her co-workers.� Tom Williams, Al Tingley and Phil Odren had never been to the museum before and their jaws dropped when they saw the displays of USSS medals, photographs, and Frank Cobb's cane.� Dan gave Hazel some professional advice on how to better display a knapsack.� A small, but steady stream of visitors came in to see the "those fellows in green". |
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| At four o' clock, Dan, Phil, and Bill bid their comrades farewell and "humped their kit" down to Maple Grove Cemetery where they were tasked with doing first person impressions of Sgt. George Beach, Lt. Richard Wirts and Sgt. Ed Southworth (all of Company C).� Bill joked that this was the second time he impersonated a USSS sergeant who was shot in the leg during the War, and worried that he "was becoming typecast". |
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| From 5 o'clock until nearly 8:30, four tours were conducted through the cemetery, and averaging 30-40 visitors each.� In addition to the three Sharp Shooters, another 12 reenactors represented men from their original units.� Our boys only regret was not to be able to accompany the tour, as all the participants had unique tales to tell.� The tour guests obviously felt that way, as rounds of applause were heard echoing beneath the maple trees as they walked from station to station. |
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| Dan and Phil both reported that the opportunity to speak about the personal lives of these remarkable men before, during and after the War was truly a unique experience and something they both thoroughly enjoyed.� Despite the sometimes serious tone of the talks, both Dan and Bill couldn't resist "touching up" their friend Wirts, whom they blamed for "selling them a load" to join the Sharpshooters, (Lt. Wirts had been their recruiting officer).� Phil never quite understood why the tour guests started chuckling whenever he introduced himself. |
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| Although a final tally of funds raised by the tour was not available when the boys left for home, Hazel estimated them to be well over a $1000. As for the boys of Company B, all of them believed that their efforts had been worthwhile, and the weekend a resounding success.� |
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Hazel Monahan, of the Hudson Museum |
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with the Hudson Boys |
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