Camp Adair sentry., May 21, 1942, Page 5, Image 5

Camp Adair Sentry
Page Fr, o
May 21, 1942.
Answer to “Why Camp Adair?”
Found in Old News Clippings
WHY CAMP ADAIR?
Speculation as to the naming of Camp Adair has been rife
since its announcement a little more than a month ago. Why
Camp Adair?
News stories at the time of the announcement of the name
told us the camp was named after Lt. Henry R. Adair, the first
Oregon man killed in the Mexican fracas in 1916. Further than
that, little was available although Portland Sunday papers gave
us Lt. Adair's picture in his 1916 uniform and a few facts
of his career as a soldier.
To satisfy The Sentry and for the information of its readers,
a somewhat more detailed explanation has been dug up, and if
somewhat lengthy, yet we publish it here for permanent record.
To begin with may we quote from the Portland Oregonian of
June 23, 1916:
“Lieut. Henry Rodney Adair, who was reported killed in
the battle of Carrizal, June 21, was born in Astoria, Ore.,
April 13, 1882. The first 18 years of hi? life were spent on a
ranch in Clatsop county.
“At 15 years of age, Adair entered school for the first
time at the Bishop Scott academy. Prior to that time he
received his education from his mother.
“After spending two years at the Bishop Scott, he entered
the Astoria high school, where he remained two years, leaving
there in 1900 to enter West Point.
“He graduated from West Point in 1904, and entered the
Tenth cavalry at Fort Robinson, Neb. In 1907 he was ordered
to Fort McKinley. Philippine Islands, where he was stationed
until 1909, when he returned for duty at Fort Ethan Allen,
Vermont. In 1911 he was detailed to the Mounted service school.
Fort Riley, where he graduated in 1912, after which he rejoined
his regiment at Fort Ethan Allen. In 1913 he was ordered
to Fort Houachuca, Ariz., and from there he was detailed in
1914 to take post-graduate course at Fort Riley. He returned
to his regiment at Fort Houachuca in 1915. He'returned to the
border until March, 1916, when he entered Mexico with Colonel
Dodd’s flying cavalry, as acting adjutant. Since the bill for
the war use of the army was passed he was notified that his
promotion to a captaincy would take place July 1. His troop
went further into the interior of Mexico than any other, in
May marching several hundred miles.
“In 1912, while stationed at Fort Ethan Allen, he took
part with cavalry officers from Belgium, Holland, Canada and
England in the International horse show in New York, where
he won the broad water jump, clearing the 18 foot distance
with a foot to spare.
“He is survived by his parents. Mr. and Mrs. S. D. Adair,
and two brothers and two sisters: W. Morris Adair. Alexander
Adair, Mrs. {>808881 R. Rogers and Mary A. Adair.
"The news of his death is being kept from his father
who is at death’s door in the Good Samaritan hospital.”
According to newspaper stories current at the time of his
death, Lt. Adair died “with his boots on” fighting against heavy
odds and setting the price of his own life very high. One old
newspaper story says “the young lieutenant’s bravery astounded
both his fellow soldiers and the Mexicans.”
The skirmish in which Lt. Adair was killed began following
a conference between his own Captain Boyd and a Mexican
leader named Gomez. Before Captain Boyd could return to
his troops the Mexicans began firing on the Americans. For
two hours the battle raged as the American soldiers made their
advance. Three days after the battle 39 dead Mexicans were
found on the battlefield and 12 Americans including the bodies
of Captain Boyd and Lt. Adair.
The advance was made against two machine guns, one
implaced in an irrigation ditch and the other under cover of an
orchard with barbed wire protecting their position». Lt. Adair
led some few of his men through cross fire from these guns and
apparently routed the gun crews because his body was found
in the rear of the machine gun positions.
News stories in papers of the time indicate that Lt. Adair
accounted for at least 15 Mexicans with no weapon but his
automatic pistol and that of his orderly. His orderly is recorded
as a poor shot while Lt. Adair, the story says, was one of the
best marksmen in the Tenth Cavalry, his regiment. The orderly-
kept ammunition in clips of both pistols while Lt. Adair did
the firing.
Oregon was proud of her soldier hero at the time, as
voiced in editorial comment throughout the state, and sugges­
tions were persistent that the name of Lt. Adair be perpetuated
in some manner. For instance, here is an editorial published
in the Astorian in June, 1916:
"A thrill of pride mingles with the sting of sorrow when
we recall the last act and dying words of Lieutenant Henry R.
Adair Astoria’s hero and the first Oregon man to give his
life in the war with Mexico. All Oregon should do honor to
his memory which should be made perpetual by the erection
of a permanent memorial at some point on the Columbia
highway where ail Oregon might share it. Clatsop county
claims him as a child. Astoria claims hhn as a high school
student, Portland claims him as a young man. He belongs to
all Oregon, he is Oregon’s contribution to national life—what
could be more fitting than that all people of his home state
should pay tribute to his heroic character by raising a monument
in hi» honor? And th« movement should be started in Astoria
With undaunted courage Lieutenant Adair fought to the last
and when he fell mortally wounded his last thoughts were of
duty 'Go on. sergeant,' he said to the man sent for ammunition
who would have paused in his errand to make easier the last
minutes of his dying commadder. ‘Go on sergeant.’ These
' simple word» should be engraven on eternal stone just as they
are engraven now on the minds and hearts of his fellow citizens
in whose service he fell fighting on the field of battle.’*
In a clipping without date or credit marking but apparently
from the Portland Oregonian, the following paragraphs indicate
that Lt. Adair's exploit had been recognized before:
“Battery Henry Adair, on the Island of Oahu, on which
is situated Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, has been named in
memory of First Lieutenant Henry Adair, Tenth United States
Cavalry, whose home was in Portland and who was killed in
action at Carrizal, Mexico, June 21, 1916.
"Major Henry J. Jewett, Corps of Engineers. U.S.A., yes­
terday received an official order, signed by Major-General Scott,
chief of staff, U.S.A., in which the battery is so designated.”
Although tempted • to select only paragraphs, we reprint
the following story in full from the Oregonian of July 16, 1916:
“Members of the family of the gallant Lieutenant Henry
Rodney Adair, of the Tenth Cavalry, United States army, killed
in action with Carranza Mexican troops at Carrizal and whose
memory was honored by thousands at his funeral in Portland
last Wednesday, have received additional accounts of the heroic
manner in which he met his death.
“ 'The Mexican president of Carrizal, who located the
bodies of the American soldiers for the undertakers,’ says one
of the accounts, ‘declared that he witnessed the fight from a
room of his house in Carrizal and he declared that Lieutenant
Adair was the bravest man he had ever seen.
“ ‘The president told the undertaker in charg' hat after
Lieutenant Adair had been surrounded, he killer .. least 15
men and as many horses.
“ ‘After the officer had exhausted his supply of rifle
ammunition he swept the field with his automatic pistol, killing
five or six more,’ the Mexican said. ‘And when he had exhausted
these shells he took the pistol of a wounded negro trooper and
had started to sweep the field with its fire when he was hit
in the heart and fell forward on his face.’
"The Americans in the party declare that this statement
, is borne out by the presence of horses and dead Mexicans
around the place where Lieutenant Adair fell. The Mexican
mayor of the little town also declared that 80 instead of 40
Mexicans had been killed in the battle.
"Another account corroborating these details is that of a
Carranza soldier who took part in the battle with the troopers'
of the Tenth Cavalry.
4
“This Mexican soldier told O. J. Wilson, one of the under­
takers who helped exhume the bodies of the slain Americans:
“‘You should have seen the white teniente (Lieutenant
Henry Adair) fight. He was just a boy. slim and weak-looking,
but he fought us like a madman. He operated his automatic
pistol until it seemed like a machine gun, and when its work
was finished he threw it at us and seized another from a
dead trooper and fought us harder than ever. He was wounded,
but still his bullets rained among us until one of our shots tore
into his chest and he dropped dead.'
“ ‘The Mexican,’ continued Wilson, ‘pointed out the spot
where Lieutenant Adair fell. Before it was strewn thickly
with the carcasses of Mexican horses, whose riders had been
shot down by the officer. The soldier said Lieutenant Adair,
thus single-handed, mowed down a cavalry charge of the
Mexicans, fanning his automatic from side to side.’
“ ‘Shells were strewn everywhere about the place where
Adair died. His fight must have been one of the most gallant
ever made by an American officer against hopeless odds.’ ”
In the Oregonian of July 12, 1916, there is a full column
story of the funeral of Lt. Adair at which state and Portland
military and patriotic organizations attended in a body. The
funeral was military, beginning the Portland armory where ■
the body lay in state for two hours followed by a procession
to the Cathedral of St. Stephen, the Martyr. The casket was
borne on a gun caisson in the procession and a group of non­
commissioned officers from Vancouver barracks were pall
bearers and formed the immediate escort.
Bishop Walter T. Sumner conducted the service at the
cathedral. Music was furnished by several choirs combined and
the service included a tribute to Lt. Adair by Mrs. June
McMillan Ordway, who was a girlhood friend of Lt. Adair’s
mother and whose son was a schoolmate of the lieutenant’s.
On the same page in the Oregonian with the story of his
funeral is a poetic tribute by William McReynolds captioned
with the lieutenant’s full name, “Henry Rodney Adair.” The
poem appeared in a three column decorated border, hand
lettered and decorated by Guy Stanley Henderson. The poem
follows:
Glow brightly, lustrous star,
Upon thine azure field;
Proclaim thy glory far
And tender homage yield,—■
This is thy son,
Proud Oregon!
Hemorrhoids (P'les)
Why suffer?
The Ambulant Way never fails
See DR. WIDMER
Phone 424-W
--------------------------------------- '
COMFORTABLE VISION
Dr. A. W. Marker
Optometrist
Phone 470 — Ball Bldg.
Corvallis. Next Safeway Store
'
~
Don C. Wilson, Agent
Y ,
New York Life Ins. Co.
Corvallis—865-M
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è
We hear the tramp of feet.
We see the emblemed car;
Now Death and Honour meet.
With Glory's gates ajar,—
Flag-shrouded breast.
Go to thy rest.
Nobly the task was done
In combat’s fearful clash,—
Nobly thy honours won
In Fame's swift, golden flash;
Sleep safe beneath
Thy laurel wreath.
The stately fir and pine
Thy Solemn requiem sing;
A Nation’s tears are thine,
A Nation’s love we bring,—
And Heaven stands
With outstretched hands.
Paul H.
GATHERCOAL
357 Jackson St.
Wm. KONICK
Jeweler
E»t. 1913
Corner Second & Madison Sts.
Telephone 485, Corvallis
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*