THURSDAY, May 25, 2000 Manning Monitor

Every year on Memorial Day, Manning veterans and residents come together at a service held in honor of the memory of the more than one million men and women nation-wide who have lost their lives fighting in the U.S. armed forces for our freedom. We come together to honor the memories of the departed heroes who are no longer with us.

If you have ever been to the memorial service, the programs handed out at the ceremony list the four hundred sixty-five names of Manning area residents who have made incredible sacrifice, by giving their lives, for our freedom. The first and only name under the heading War of 1812 is Capt. Oliver Williams. Who was he? Where was he from? Was he married?

After making several calls and visits to various persons in Manning, Carroll County and finally to the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs, there was finally a bit of information on Capt. Oliver Williams.

The State of Iowa Veterans Affairs keep grave registration records on all military veterans. There was little information known on Capt. Williams. He was born in New York in 1798, making him 13 or 14 years old when he entered into the War of 1812 by joining the service in the New York Militia. Not much is known about his military history but after serving in the War of 1812 he came back to Carroll County to make his home. He took a wife named Racial Williams and was deeded land in Section 4 in Township 82 of Carroll County by President Buchannan in 1860. There is no death record but he is buried in the Manning City Cemetery with a white sandstone marker that appears to have been replaced recently.

Lee Booton, volunteer coordinator and genealogist at the Iowa Veteran Affairs in Des Moines was thrilled to find out about Capt. Oliver Williams saying, "I have only documented 33 veterans of the War of 1812 in the entire state of Iowa. This will now make our total of documented veterans of that war to 34."

The United States Congress declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812, because of the aggressions against American ships and support of western Native American tribes. The weak U.S. forces garnered more humiliations than victories. In 1814 a British force landed in Bladensburg, Maryland and marched almost unopposed to Washington, D.C. burning several government buildings including the state capitol. In January 1814 Great Britain and the United States agreed to commence peace negotiation. It was not until February 16, 1814 that a peace -treaty was signed ending the War of 1812.

One of the most patriotic songs in American cultural came as a direct result of the War of 1812. Dr. William Beans, a local government official of the State of Maryland was the incidental cause for the reason why Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that led to the American national anthem the "Star Spangled Banner."

Even though we do not know what Capt. Oliver Williams contributed to the War of 1812 we do know that he is a veteran of yesterday. He along with the veterans of today are American patriots who were willing to shed their blood in the defense of our nation's values of freedom, justice and equality.

This Monday, May 29 at 10:15 at the Manning City Cemetery please bring your children and grandchildren and join in with past and present veterans to teach them the importance of the Memorial Day celebration and their incredible sacrifices they endured to give us our freedom.