"Father and Sons Spanish Campaign"
H.A. Miller was
also Veteran of Civil War
Enlisted at age of 17
Son Harry Who was Made
Corporal in Spanish Campaign is Now in Service at Calexico, California
The story of the military service of H. A. Miller and his two sons is very out of the ordinary. Mr. Miller served during the Civil war as a member of first Michigan Cavalry, then saw service in the west following the war. His two sons entered service at the beginning of the Spanish-American war and later Mr. Miller entered the hospital corp and went with the regiment on the campaign. The younger son, Harry, is again in service, this time in a Washington Company stationed near the border at Calexico, CA.
Mr. Miller enlisted in the Civil war at the age of 17, a mere high school lad with fifteen other high school boys from Dowagiac. He enlisted in Co. M of the First Michigan Cavalry, which later became a part of the army of the Potomac under Generals Custer and Sheridan.
Mr. Miller enlisted in 1864 and spent the entire time of his enlistment as a private. He fought in the well known battles of the Wilderness, this being his first experience, the battles of Cole Harbor, Deep Bottle and Spottsylvania.
In 1865 after peace had been declared and after the grand review at Washington was over the First Michigan Cavalry was sent west to fight the Indians. The men went to Parkersburg, VA down the Ohio by boat through Cincinnati and Louisville, KY., to Fort Leavenworth. Mr. Miller said that the boys were put into box cars instead of passenger cars or pullmans while traveling and at Fort Leavenworth new guns and horses were issued to the Cavalry in place of the equipment which they had left in Washington.
From here they journeyed as a command to Wyoming where they were used as escorts for the overland stage coaches carrying mail. In the terms of the old veteran "we had several scraps with the Indians." Later they were sent farther west and in 1869 the men of the cavalry had their choice whether they should come back to Michigan as a command or as private citizens. Mr. Miller preferred to come home his own boss, and consequently was given an honorable discharge.
In 1876 Mr. Miller was married to the woman who was later the mother of the two boys whose pictures are given with Mr. Miller's. These boys at the time of the Spanish-American war were members of the National Guard of Jackson which was at that time their home. At the time William H. was about 21 and Harry A. about 19. Being members of the National Guard of course the boys went at the first call. First they went to Island Lake, then to Chattanooga then back to Knoxville where the younger one, Harry, was taken ill with the fever.
William wired Mr. Miller who immediately went to the division hospital and took care of Harry until he was able to be brought back to Michigan. He was given thirty days furlough and later this furlough was extended twenty days more.
When Harry returned to the army Mr. Miller went south with Mrs. Miller who was in ill health. Here he met the chief surgeon who was a friend of his and who had told him when he was taking care of Harry that if they were ordered abroad he wanted Mr. Miller to accompany the hospital corp.
Two orders had been received to go abroad before this conversation but they had been rescinded. The third order came just after Mr. and Mrs. Miller arrived in the south and was not rescinded. Mr. Miller went along with his boys in the hospital corp, although he was not an enlisted man.
In 1899 after the 31st Michigan had been in the tropics for some time and had had no battles except battles with fever and other forms of enemy which gave the hospital corp more work than the privates. Mr. Miller and his two sons Harry Alk who had been made a corporal and Private Wm. He was discharged. Now again is this family represented in the boys who are guarding "old glory" and Harry, the youngest of National Guards from Seattle, Washington, now stationed at Calexico, Cal.
During three different wars and crises has this family been among those who felt it their duty to aid their country and have gone willing to make the supreme sacrifice, their lives, "that the nation might not parish but have everlasing life."