On July 26, 1907, members of Battery C, Fifth Field Artillery marched into Maryville late at night as part of a 200+ mile march from Fort Leavenworth to Des Moines after overnights that included Lake Contrary in St. Joseph and Savannah. In August, the Army marched back to Fort Leavenworth through Maryville.
The unity brought caissons (the two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece). In 1908, Edmund Gruber, commander of the unit and later commandant of Fort Leavenworth, wrote: “The Caissons Go Rolling Along.” Those lyrics differ from the current official version. Gruber’s version was transformed into a march by John Philip Sousa in 1917 and renamed the “U.S. Field Artillery March.”
The unit camped at McJimsey Park Pond (just north of the Alice Beal property –Beal Park today– across the Wabash tracks)
Battery C had supposedly won the Army baseball title the year before and Maryville showed its hospitality by beating the team 2-0. The Army stayed longer on the retrun march and lost two more games. The games were probably played at Carl Riffe Field (named for a deputy sheriff), which was at the corner of East Halsey and South Charles (and is still a field today). It was two blocks from St. Mary’s Church (now St. Gregory Barbargio). This field was used by several ball teams, including the high school team, and was discontinued around 1915 when the college built its field.
The Comets were a semipro team, and this item challenges the printed history of the team, which says it got its name because Haley’s Comet was present during a game. The Comet was in 1910, and this predates that.
Here’s an account of their arrival. Forum July 27, 1907, Part 2
SOLDIER BOYS IN THE CITY. Marched into Maryville Friday Night and camped at McJimsey Park, Battery C, Fifth Field Artillery, Captain Aultman in command. They marched into Maryville Friday night at 11:30 and went into camp on the north side of the lake at McJimsey Park. The battery consists of ninety men and four pieces of rapid-fire artillery. The command will leave here on Sunday and continue the march toward Des Moines, Iowa, where it will participate in the state maneuvers. The camp was the scene of many visitors throughout the day on Saturday. The boys were courteous to all and ready to answer the many questions asked about the guns and army life. Although the hour was late when the battery reached Maryville, many people were out to see the artillerymen march in and to get some Idea what a battery looks like when it is on the move. All the men in the command, except those detailed to camp guard duty, were given passes Saturday afternoon to attend the ball game between the battery ball team and the Comets.
Here’s an account of the game Forum (Tribune) July 29, 1907 Page 2
SHUT OUT THE SOLDIERS Comets Defeat the Team That Won the Army Pennant and the Big Prize Last Year. PITCHING AND FIELDING FINE Red Sox Take Bat at the Comets and Lose By a Score of Six to Two in a Fairly Fast Game. The team with the Twenty-ninth battery was taken into camp at the ball grounds in Maryville Saturday afternoon by a score of 2 to 0. The battery boys had a rapid-fire man in the box, and in fact, the entire team played rapid-fire ball from start to finish, but they could not explode their ammunition at the proper range to do effective work. They used their rangefinders on Mershon’s delivery but were unable to find it effectively. But the game was the best played on the local grounds this year, and the crowd was the largest to attend a game.
The Crack Army Team. The battery team is the crack baseball aggregation in the entire army of the United States. It won the championship in army circles last year and can hang the out-classed sign on any of the teams in the Western league. In fact, it can do almost anything to the best teams in the West. Every member of the organization is a ball player and does not let anything pass. In the parlance of the street, not one of the bunch overlooks any bets when it comes to playing an airtight game of ball.
Mr. Lawless, the pitcher, had a whole sleeve full of slants in addition to a short out drop that has a habit of breaking just as the batter swings at it. Robinson, the shortstop, too, has a very bad habit of getting everything that comes into his territory, and anything too high for him is looked after successfully by Hurley in center field. The fact is, this player did not turn down anything that came into his territory. The infield was airtight, and the outfield was in the same fix, and that old veteran, Priddy, behind the bat, was a stone wall against everything the pitcher handed out.
Comets in Great Form. The Comets were in great form and played winning ball from start to finish. As is his habit, Wolfe started one of those double plays that were SO fast no one could keep up except those participating. In the last half of the ninth inning, Priddy started something by making a clean three-base hit into deep right field. In attempting to stretch this into a home run, he was caught at the plate and tagged _out.
This was as near as the soldiers came to scoring. When this play was made, two men were out, and the out at home plate ended the game. Fine Umpiring. The umpiring by Captain D. E. Altman, in command of the battery, was the best seen on the local grounds this year. It was strictly impartial, and the captain demonstrated that he knew all the fine points of the game and was on his honor when he took the score tally. There was not a time when his decision was in the least questionable to anyone who knows the game. The game’s story shows that the Comets had to play ball like a machine to defeat the crack bunch in Uncle Sam’s service. It is understood that if the battery comes back this way, they will try it again, and will probably remain here two days
Here’s a report on the other two Army losses (Forum, August 23, 1907)
Below are the original lyrics and tune for The Caissons Go Rolling Along, which clearly emphasize the field artillery aspect. The official song today is different, but much remains the same.