Image courtesy of The Charlotte Observer

Camp Chase Adams No. 1, United Spanish American War Veterans, was founded by Maj. Hillory Madison Wilder, chief medical officer of the First North Carolina Volunteer Infantry, assisted by E. L. Barkley, of Charlotte, member of the Queen City Guards, Maj. Wilder was the first commander of the camp, which was named for the first man from Mecklenburg county to lay down his life in the service. Maj. Wilder came to Charlotte from Wake County in 1876, when the population of the community was about 8,000, and his wife became so much a part of the city’s life that the two were interwoven. One of the most imposing buildings in Charlotte is located on the site of Dr. Wilder’s home, and Mrs. Wilder, loath to leave the spot of their choosing, as the distinction of living in a bungalow built on top of this skyscraper which is known as the Wilder building.

MUCH FOR CHARLOTTE.

Dr. Wilder did much for Charlotte in humanitarian effort. His record in the Spanish-American war is a matter of much general interest. Dr. Parks M. King and Dr. Boyette were with Dr. Wilder during his medical service in the army. The memory of Dr. Wilder is inseparably wound into the record of Chase Adams camp. Captain Hillory Madison Wilder was captain surgeon and afterwards major surgeon in the old fourth regiment, North Carolina Volunteers. When the United States called upon North Carolina for her quota of troops in 1898 for active service Dr. Wilder declared that, after having been a “tinsoldier” for so long a time, he felt it to be his duty to respond, although such service involved many sacrifices on his part. Maj. Wilder came of fighting stock. His father had been a major in the Mexican war, being among those who fought in Mexico along with Capt. Robert E. Lee, of the engineering corps, afterwards Gen. Robert E. Lee commander-in-chief of the confederate states armies in the War Between the States. Dr. Wilder’s forebears were of Revolutionary stock and were pioneers in North Carolina. One of them was colonel of a regiment in the war of 1775 between England and America. Maj. Wilder was born in Wake county January 16, 1851. He was a son of Maj. Gaston H. Wilder and Sarah Hinton, of Raleigh. He located in Charlotte in 1876, where he practiced his profession of medicine and surgery. He was commissioned major surgeon in the United States Army April 27, 1898. He mustered in the First North Carolina Volunteer Infantry on May 3, 1898, at Campo Bryan Grimes, Raleigh, the place of general redezvous for the North Carolina troops. He was the first soldier in North Carolina to be mustered in for the reason that he was senior surgeon, and it was necessary for him to examine his assistants, who in turn examined and mustered in the others. The troops were mustered out April 22, 1899, at Savannah;, Ga.

ORDERED TO FLORIDA.

The first North Carolina regiment in the Spanish-American war was virtually the old fourth North Carolina Volunteers. They remained in camp at Raleigh for about a week, when they were ordered to Tampa Fla., to join Gen. Fitzhugh Lee’s Seventh Army corps. they moved in three sections, Maj. George E. Butler ( now an attorney-at-law, brother of ex-Senator Marion Butler), of Cinton, commanded one section, to which was attached Capt. surgeon Archer of Concord, one of the assistants on Maj. Wilder’s staff. Maj. Rutzler of charlotte commanded another section, with Dr. Charles Jordan, of Asheville, first assistant surgeon, attached. Maj. Wilder and the regimental staff went with the first section, with Maj. W. G. Smith, of Asheville in command. En route they received orders directing them to proceed to Jacksonville, Fla., instead of Tampa. They were encamped at Camp Cuba Libre, near Jacksonville and became a part of the first brigade of the second division of the Seventh army corps. They were first brigaded with the Second Illinois and the First Wisconsin, but very soon the First Wisconsin was taken out of the brigade and the Second New Jersey placed in its stead. On account of the excessive rains of the period and the dampness of the location, the camp was moved farther out, near the old yellow fever negro cemetery.

MOVES TO SAVANNAH

On October 24, 1898, the division was moved to Savannah, GA., arriving October 25, where they took station at Camp Onward, preparatory to going to Cuba. This change in location was necessitated by the fact that the river at Jacksonville was insufficient in depth to accommodate a large army transport. The troops left Savannah December 8 aboard the transport Roumanian, arriving at Navana December 12. They were taken into the harbor the following morning, dropping anchor near the wreck of the U.S.S. Main. They marched in to the city of hjavana, being the first American soldiers to enter the city. There were 40,000 Spanish soldiers in the city at the time. It was the first sight the Cubans had of American troops. They looked upon them as their saviors and rescuers. They decorated their flowers in honor of the occasion. One of the pretty Cuban senoritias rushed out into the street as the procession was passing and placed a large circular wreath of flowers around the neck of Maj. Wilder’s horse. Maj. Wilder being on the staff of Col. Armfield, commanding, and who was riding at the head of the procession. The Cuban women and children shouted until they became hysterical, and many of them followed the troops for seven miles out of Camp Columbia, at Marianao, which was near Buena Vista, in sight of the Gulf. In order that the corps might have pure drinking water at their camp, Maj. Wilder, in concert with the late Gen. Leonard M. wood and other medical officers of the corps, had fresh water piped form Vento springs, near the top of the Elmadores mountain. United States soldiers were kept constantly on guard at these springs to see that the water was not poisoned and did not become polluted. While in Cuba the first North Carolina was brigaded with the Second Illinois and the 161st. Indiana. Before leaving this camp to return to America some of the soldiers of the three regiments-to mark the spot where they were encamped and to commemorate the friendships acquired among the personnel of the three regiments-built a large and very tall monument of sC and blew down many tents, including the hospital tent, where Maj. Wilder was in charge, but fortunately none of the soldiers were killed. Shortly after the arrival of the troops at Marianao, an orderly came into the officers’ mess hall at breakfast one morning, saluted Maj. wilder and told him that a lady was outside desirous of seeing him. Maj. Wilder followed the orderly out, where he found to his surprise his wife in a carriage, and with her the wife of Mr. Puden, the chaplain. Shortly thereafter the wives of many of the other officers arrived. The officers and their wives were provided with a row of tents, separated from the regiment proper, which became known as ‘honeymoon row.”

BATHE IN THE OCEAN.

The wife of Lieut. Col. Cowles had charge of the officers’ mess. Being the wife of a regular army officer, she was always careful to see to it that the colonel sat at the head of the table, and that the other officers were seated in the order of their rank. On Sunday, the first day of January, 1899, the entire regiment was ordered to march three miles to the gulf and take a bath in the surf. This order was promulgated at the suggestion of Maj. Wilder as ranking surgeon in the interests of cleanliness and health. Although I was the middle of the winter from the American standpoint, it was a warm, balmy day in Cuba. A few Lazy soldiers demurred on the grounds of religious scruples. These few at first positively refused to take a bath on the Sabbath, but Major wilder finally convinced them that “cleanliness was next to Godliness,” and they got into line. The point selected was a rocky and ragged coral beach. The ffeet of many of the soldiers were bruised on the sharp coral rock, and others were stung by small sea porcupines. At the suggestion of native boys the milky white juice of bushes growing nearby was applied to these stings, and seemed to give instant relief. Maj. Butler relates that while in Cuba the units of his battalion were charged, and the Queen City Guards, Company M, Capt. Chadwick, and the Hornets Nest rifleman, Company A., Capt. Robertson, both charlotte companies, became part of his battalion.

RETURN TO SAVANNAH.

The regiment left Cuba on the transport Vigilancia, return to Savannah, Ga., at which place it was mustered out of the service on April 22, 1899. The United States government was so little prepared for war in 1898 that many medicines necessary for the welfare of the soldiers could not be supplied by the government. Maj. Wilder stated afterwards that he could not see the boys suffer and die if it were in his power to prevent it, so on his own responsibility he purchased these supplies. He was never reimbursed by the government for this outlay, his only compensation being the satisfaction of having only five men die in his regimental hospital during the period. This is an outstanding record in the service, amalaria, fevers and other pestilences having mowed down men aby the hundreds in other hospitals. Major Wilder while in Jacksonville discovered the unsanitary manner in which beer was being handled in the canteen of the regiment. He recommended to General Burt (Reg., U.S.A.) the abolition of his feature, and this recommendation was later adopted. Major Wilder is credited with several regulations of this kind that are being retained in the United States army to this day. Major Wilder contacted malaria in the service in Cuba, and was never a well man thereafter. He died of invalidism June 15, 1924, at his residence in Charlotte.

VETERANS ORGANIZE.

He organized Camp Chase Adams No. 1, and was its first commander. In the latter years of life a touching episode took place. although barely able to sit up after weeks of illness, he insisted on being taken to the upstairs balcony of his residence, where, placed in a chair, and holding in his hand a sizable United States flag, he waited for his beloved Spanish-American war veterans to pass in a Twentieth of May parade. When just in front of his home, now the site of the Wilder building, the veterans, Captain Lester Powell commanding, halted, right-faced and saluted Major Wilder. The major feebly returned the salute and waved the stars and stripes. He was greatly touched. During the short balance of his life he never forgot the honor “his boys” did him that day. In camp he often visited the enlisted men’s mess and partook with them of their afre of hardtack, etc., with as much or more enjoyment than he did his own meals at the officers’ quarters. It is told that some of the soldiers in the regiment, in order to be excused from drill, would feign illness. As practically all of the government medicines were more of less of the same for and size (white tablets), designed by number, many thought the same medicine was prescribed for every ill. After a rain the drains around the company tents would be lined with white tablets, much to the amusement of all concerned. The rank of major is said to have been the highest ever given a medical man at that time in the United States army, but in more recent years medical men have been promoted to be colonels. Major Wilder was therefore at the top of his profession in the medical service in the army. During Major Wilder’s stay in Jacksonville he was importuned to consider accepting an appointment on the division hospital staff, but he preferred to remain with and look after his own boys, and he remained loyal to them until they were mustered out, and for the remainder of his life, for that matter.