Soéiety of th e fifmy of th e(Potomaé .

OFFICERS .

PRES ID ENT .

BREVET MAJORGEN ERAL CHARLES DEVENS , JR .

VICE- PRES IDENTS .First Corps .—C o l. GEORGE W. HOOKER , U . S . V .S econd Genoa —Gen . W . G. M ITCHELL . U . S . V .T/zz

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m’

Cocoa— C h aplain , Rev . J O S EPH H . TWICHELI U . S . V .

Fourt/z Corfin— Lieut - Col . CHARLES C . SUYDAM , U . S . V .Fq

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t/z Corps . Breve t B rig-Ge n . JOHN J . M ILHAU , U . S . A .S if t/z Corps .— Colone 1 JAMES H . P LATT , U . S . V .M ia /z Corps .— Breve t Brig-Gen . F. w . Swm , U . s . V .E lement/z Corps .— Bre ve t M aj . ~Gen . A . B UND ERWOOD , U . S . V .Tw eZ/l/z Comb —C o ] . WARREN W . PACKER . U . S V .N z

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netee/zt/z Corps .— Maj -Gen . GODFREY WEITZEL , U . S A .Genera l S tafi .—Brevet B rig-Gen . D . D . WILEY , U . S . V .C a va lry Corpx— Bre ve t Maj . -Gen . J OHN B . M CINTO SH , U . S . A .A rlz

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llery Corps r—Bre ve t Brig. Gen . CHARLES H . TOMPK IN S , U . S .A .S zyna l Coa x— Captain H . W . HOWGATE, U . S . A .

TREAS URER .

B revet M aj .-Gen . M . T. M CM AHON , 93 Na ssa u Street , New York .

RECORDING SECRETARY .Breve t C ol . HORAT IO C . KING, 1 1 5 Bro a dway, New York .

CORRES PONDING SECRETARY .Breve t Maj .—Gen . GEORGE H . SHARPE, Kingsto n , New York .

T H E S O C I E T Y

OF THE

TWELFTH ANNUAL RE UN IO N .

THE Twel fth Annual Re -Un ion o f th e Society o f th e Army o fth e Potomac wa s h el d at Hartford , Conn ecticut , o n t h e 8th o fJ un e , 1 881 .

Th e State,th rough i ts Legi slature , extended a cordi al w elcome ,

a nd tendered th e ' use o f th e State Capito l fo r t h e meetings o f th eSociety a nd t h e several Army Corps . Th e fol low ingcommittee o nth e part o f t h e Legislature w a s appointed

From th e S en a te : Hon s . J . W . ALS OP a nd JOHN J . H ILLS .From th e Assembly : Hon s . M . S . CHAP MAN. J . H . SP RAGUE ,

W . W . B IRGE , a nd S . H . SEWARD .Th e gen eral arrangemen ts w ere mad e by committees from th e

An ny a nd Navy Club o f Connecti cut,th e Hartford Club , a nd

promin en t c iti z ens,as follows

Comm i ttee on Fin a nce : Army a nd Navy Club o f Conn ecticutWi ll iam H . Bulkel ey

,Frank W . C h en ey

,Will iam E . Barrows

,

William B . Frankl in, George P . B issell , C . A . J ew el l , H . C . Dw igh t ;

Citi z en s—Joh n R . H i l l s , George S . Gi lman , C h arles M . Joslyn ,E S . Cleveland,A . E . Burr, James G. Batterson , S . A . Hubbard .

Commi ttee on R ecep ti on : Gen . W . B . Frankl in ,'

Gen . J . R .Haw l ey . Gen . Th eo . G. E l li s , Gen . L . A . D i ckin son , Col . Frank W .C h en ey , Maj . H . L . Pasco , Capt J . C . K in ney, D r . N . Mayer, Hon .R . D . Hubbard

,Ho n . H . C . Robinson . Hon . Marsh al l J ew el l , Hon .

Joh n R . Buck . Sam’l L . Clemen s, Eben ez er Roberts . A . C . Dunh am ,Edgar T. Wel les , a nd Fran ci s B . Cooley .

7w et/[ft Annua l Re Un ion— S ociety of

Comm i ttee on Tra nsp orta ti on : Will iam B . Franklin , WalterPearse , -Joh n B . Cla pp , A . B . Gi ll ett , Jo h n F . Jon e s , J . T. M cM a nus,H . C . Robin son , C h arles M . Pond , Len t B . Merriam , C h arles SDavidson , Will iam H . Green e , J . C . Ra wn , Levi Wood h ou se .

Comm i ttee on Decora ti on a nd P a ra de : Col . W . E . Con e,Capt .

Joh n K . William s , Capt . Wm . Berry , Capt . Joh n S . Ive s , E . J .Sm i th , E . S . Yerga rn , CO ] . L . A . Barbour , C h as R . Hart , J . G.Rath bun , Wm . H Post , E . C . Frisbie , S . R . M cNa ry. W . H . Bu rr .

Commi ttee on I nvi ta ti ons : Gen . Wm . B . Frankl in, Gen . L . A .D i ckin son , Capt . J . C . K inney .

Commi ttee on M usi c : Capt . A . H . Emble r,Col . C h as . A . Jew ell ,

H . R . Morley .Comm i ttee on P rin ti nga nd B a dges : Ira E . Forbes, H . P . God

dard , Jessi e H . Lord .

Commi ttee on Ca rri ages : D . W . C . Skelton , J . C . K inn ey .

Th e Headquarters o f th e Soci ety w ere at th e A l lyn House .

After th e rev i ew o f th e First Connecti cut Regim en t (Col . L A .Barbour , comm a nding, byGen eral SHERMAN , th e several organ i z ation s form ed upon th e Cap itol grounds , sou th o f t h e bu i lding, a ndm arch ed to Wash ington street, w h ere th e l in e w a s form ed, am i dth e roaring o f cannon firinga national sa lute o f th i rty - eigh t gun s .In th e lead w a s a platoon o f pol ice

,a nd n ext Colt ’s Band , red

un iform ed , h eade d th e First Regim en t C . N . G. , w h ich appea redw i th n in e compan i es

,a nd h a d, officers a nd m en , abou t four h undred

a nd seven ty-five in l in e . \Ve ed’s Ban d o f tw en ty -two pieces ledth e Governor’s Foot Guard , on e h un dred a nd six strong.Nex t came D oring

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s Ban d,o f Troy , New York , furn i sh ingmu sic

for t h e famous Tibb i t s Corps,seventy m en . An excel len t fife a nd

drum corp s , th i rty strong, w a s t h at o f Post 2, G. A . R o f P h i lad elp h ia

,w h ich accompan i ed t h e Post . In t h e lead w a s th e firing

party ” o f twenty - t h ree me n in w h i te , gold laced coats , blue pantaloon s , a nd bearskins , a nd carrying rifle s . Th e Color Guard boreth irteen tattered banners w h ich h a d been th rough th e w a r w ithPennsylvan ia regim ent s . Th e Post sh owed a total o f o n e h undreda nd seventy -eigh t m en in l in e .

A l len ’s D rum Corps led Na th an i el Lyon Post , G. A . R o f Hartford

,sixty-fou r m en , escorting E . K . Wilcox Post , G. A . R . , o f

Springfield, seventy -five m en . Th i s Post , too , h a d a firingpartyw h o paraded w ith t h eir rifle s , in t h e mu z z les o f w h ich w ere smal l

T/ze Army of t/ze P otom a c .

bouqu ets . M a j orHENRY C . DWIGHT came next w ith h is indep enden t battal ion o f over one h undred veteran s , w h o w ere no t members o f a ny organ iz ation in l ine , but w h o desi red to join in th eoccasion . Many w ore t h ei r corps or FlagDay badges . Th e MeadeDrum Corps h eaded t h em .

Th e Secon d D ivi si on , commanded by Major J . HART BUTLER ,h a d in th e va n th e Army a nd Navy Club, w h o paraded about on eh undred

, a nd w h o acted“as special escort o f th e Soci ety o f th e

Army o f th e Potomac . Th e latter h a d about four h undredm en in l ine

,some o f th e corps parad ing separately, a nd oth ers

mingl ing w i t h ot h er corps . Gen eral WR IGHT, Pre siden t o f th eSociety

, w a s at th e h ead o f th e body, arm in arm w ith Gen eralFRANKLIN . Th ose tw o gen tl emen , togeth er w it h Gen eral CHAMBEB LA IN , Gen eral P INTO , Gen eral BURNS IDE , Colon el MURP HY ,a nd Lieutenan t - Colon el ANGEL , w ere veteran s n o t on ly o f th ew a r o f th e rebel l ion , but o f th e Mexican w a r. Th e Soci ety w a sfrequently ch eered as i t passed along.

Th e Th i rd D ivis ion w a s h eaded by C h en ey’s Band o f tw en typi eces

,l eading th e Governor

’s Horse Guard , w h o turned o u t fiftyeigh t Officers a nd m en . Th e rear o f th e procession w a s brough t upby carriage s . in w h i ch w ere promin en t invited guests, several members o f th e Army o f th e Potomac

,a nd oth ers .

Th e s idewalks along th e l in e o f m arch w ere crowded w i thspectators . a nd c h eeringw a s frequen t a nd en th usiasti c . Th e routew a s down Park to Main a nd th en ce to Robert’s OperaHouse , w h eret h e members o f th e Army o f th e Poto mac file d into th e bui lding,t h ei r escort sh ow ing th e usual mil itary cou rtesi e s .

Th e Opera House w a s d ecorated w i th flags a nd streamers infestoon s draped abou t th e stage , boxes . a nd gallery , looped at in tervals w i th sh i elds bearing th e symbol s o f th e several corps . Th estage represented a camp scen e w ith tent s a nd stacks o f arms . An umber o f sm al l trees gracefu l l y grouped add ed to t h e gen eraleffect . At each corn er o f th e stage a Gatl inggun pointed over th eh eads O f th e audi en ce .

As eac h d istinguish ed guest reach ed th e platform a nd tookh is seat h e w a s greeted w it h applause . Wh en Gen eral SHERMANascended t h e stage th e ch eers w ere loud a nd long, a nd th e bandstruck up March ingth rough Georgia , ! th e Society join ingin th ech orus .

Th e battl e flags borne by Post 2 were loudly ch eered w h en th estandard bearers took position o n th e stage .

On th e platform w ere Governor B IGELOW, o f Conn ect icut,Governor L ITTLEFIELD , o f Rh ode Island , Governor PLAISTED . o fMain e . General SHERMAN , Ho n . ROBERT T. L INCOLN, Gen eralCHARLES DEVENS Gen . BURNS IDE , Gen . SLOCUM , Gen . b ro . 0 .

Tw elft/z Annua l Re Un ion—S ociety of

ROBINS ON , Gen . ALEX . S . WEBB , Gen . HAWLEY , Gen . FRANKLIN,Governor JEWELL, Lieut . Go v . BULKELEY th e President o f th eSociety, Gen eral HORATIO G. WRIGHT Mr . DANIEL D o UGHERTY ,Col . SAM’L B . SUMNER, Mayor BULKELEY , o f Hartford , Ho n . H . C .ROBINS ON, Hon . J OHN R . BUCK, a nd oth er di stingui sh ed citi z en s .Colt ’s Band a nd Weed ’s Ban d played alternately during th e

exerci ses,in admira bl e styl e .

Major Gen eral HORATIO G. WR IGHT , President o f th e Soci ety ,called th e meetingto ord er , a nd requested th e Rev . M . B . RIDDLE ,D .D to open th e proceedings w ith prayer .

PRAYER .O LordGod A lm ig h ty, our Fa t h er a nd ourGod, fa ith fu l in a ll Th y w a ys, Lord

God o f Ho sts , to w h om a lone th e decree be longs, to Th ee w e g i ve th a nk s th i s daya s w e ga th er h ere to rem ember a ll Th y merc ies to us in th e pa st Th y lo v ing k indness to our la nd Th y pro vident ia l fa it h fulness to us a s ind i v idua ls ; Th y exceedingk indness to t h i s people w h om Th ou h a st ch o sen for Th yse lf to work out for Th eegrea t pro blem s o f Th y e verl a st ing truth .We ask Th ee th a t t h i s ga t h ering m a y no t be w ith o ut a present profit to us. in

ma k ing us, a s we reca l l t h e pa st , be tter fitted to ma inta in th e present, a ndto lea ve too ur ch i ldren a brigh ter, be tter lega cy in th e record o f w h a t h as been done by Th yh and t h rough th e peo ple th a t Th ou h a st ra i sed up fo r Th yse lf.

0 Lord God, pa rdon a ll our in iqu i t ies a s a people ; strength en us for everygo od work ma ke us m ig h ty to bring a bou t th e t ime w h en a ll sh a l l a cknow ledgeb ut one King, a nd th a t King o ur Lord J esu s Ch r ist .

And to H im w ith T h ee , 0 Fa th er, a nd th e Ho l y G h o st, b e a ll th e pra i se , worldw ith o ut end. Amen .

After music by th e band , th e PRES IDENT saidGENTLEMEN : I w i l l on ly d etain you long enough to say h ow

glad I am to see you again , a nd so many o f you , assembled at o urtwelfth annual reun ion .I n ow introduce to you H is Honor Mayor BULKELEY , o f Hart

ford,w h o desires to extend a w elcome to you o n beh alf o f th i s

c i ty . [Applause ]

ADDRESS OF WELCOME BY H I S HONOR MAYORBULKELEY, OF HARTFORD .

VETERANS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC I desire to th ankyou

, on beh alf o f th e City o f Hartford , for th e h on or you h aveconferred upon us in sel ectingth i s city as th e place for h oldingth etwelfth annual reun ion o f your Society . Th e lapse o f time h a s no tefi

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a ced from our m emories th e scenes o f twen ty years a nd more

Th e Army of M e P otoma c . 9

ago , w h en you as c i ti z en sold i ers w i th patriot ic devoti on march edto th e fron t to maintain th e l ife o f th e nation . We h ave no t fo r

gotten th e four long a nd eventful years th at fol low ed , w i th th eirtrial s , sufferings a nd defeats , no r th e h ours o f v i ctory . I need no trecount to you to- day t h e services w h i ch you rend ered to th enation a nd to th e world . You rgal lant d eeds are w ri tten in h i story,a nd n o w ords o f min e ca n add to th e glory wh ich you h ave w o n foryourselves . I t b ut remains for me to extend to you , o n beh alf o fth e city auth oriti es a nd my fel low citi z ens , a h earty a nd cordi alw elcome , a nd th at i s yours , fo r you deserve it w el l [Applause ]

General WR IGHT responded as fol low s

RESPONSE BY GENERAL WRIGHT.It i s qu ite fit for me to respon d o n t h i s occasion to th i s wel

come , for I am a n ative o f th e State o f Conn ect icut [a pplau se] ,a nd I w a s on e o f i ts most loving citi z en s . I am sure I on ly giveth e sen timent o f al l o f you w h en I exten d our t h anks fo r th i s w elcome to th e citiz ens o f Hartford w h o are assembled h ere tod ay ,n o t forgettingth e lad ies—God bless th em I [Applau se ]

After music, th e PRES IDENT sai dGENTLEMEN Th e exerci se n ext in order i s th e Poem . I h ave

t h e pleasure o f introducing to you Colon el SAMUEL B . SUMNER , o fBridgeport, Connecticut , t h e Poet o f th e D a y.Colon el SUMNER w a s greeted w ith h earty applause , a nd read

w ith excel len t effect t h e follow ingPoem

Tw el/tiz Annua l Re Union—S ociety of

P O E M

By COL . S AM'

UEL B . S UM NER .

FROM th e confl icts o f th e nine k ings , in th e c h ron ic le s o f B id,M igh ty men o f w a r, th e va ngua rd in th e o nw a rd m a rc h h a ve h e ld,To a rbi trament o f ba ttle , th rough a ll h uman wo e orwe a l ,Wa s, a nd i s , a nd must b e ever , th e supremest , la s t a ppe a l .Read th e h i stories o f na tions , from remo test age a far ;Yo u sh a l l firstly no te a ch ievements o f th e m igh ty men o f wa r.S upplementa l to th e deed, begins th e pro vince o f th e p en ,And th e ro se s o f verna cula rs enwrea th e th e ir bra vest men .Grim presa ger o f e a c h epo ch , wa r b eseeme th to h a ve sto od.And th e gen ius o f ea ch new -bo rn s ta te h a th been ba ptized in blo od ;And j e h ova h , o nce in time , to urge th e p regna n t 'w a rfa re on ,Ba de th e very sun sta nd s ti l l a bove th e h e igh ts of Aja lo nS o ng a wa kes a gra nder ch im ing , wh ere th e m arti a l lust indwe l l s ,And pul sa ting E arth re spo nds to th e vibra tio n o f its be l l s ;And Roma nce , from a ll h er gro ves , info lia tes th e w a rrior's crown ,And th e epa u le tte w ins fa vor , unvouch sa fed to w igo r gown .And th e swee te st sm i le s o f woma n o n th e h ero 's figure re st,And no b i l i ty is nobler, fo r its orders o n h is brea st ;And th e l imner lends th e ca nva s h ue s h e h ope s sh a l l never dim ,And th e scu lp tor seeks to sh a re renown , immorta l iz ing h im .And a bo ve th e warrior de a d , th e p a ns ies blo om , a s w e h a ve seen ,And th e gra sse s ta ke clo se order , a nd pre sent a brigh ter sh een ;S i lent semries, w i th th e ir countless l ittle la nce s , gua rding we l lBe st a nd bra ve s t h ea rts th ereunder, men wh o th ough t, a nd fough t, a nd fe l l !Te l l me w h y—ma y I no t te l l yo u —wh y th es e s tra nge a nd subtle ch armsM o st enno bl ing o f pro fe ssio ns , a ll in a ll, i s th a t o f a rms ;And in h im wh o w i th th e plumed tro o p wo u ‘d h o ld o r le ad th e va n ,M ust co nvene th e m a nly e lemen ts th a t some time s m ix in m a n .And it h a rdly recks w h a t cause espou sed—o r w inn ing , lo sing sideFo r h e sure ly must h a ve deemed it just, wh erefor h e wo uld h a ve died.H i s e sse ntia l m a nh o od m a kes th e fa ct, it mo st co ncerns to know ,And i t c la ims h is reco gn i tion , were h e comrade or a foe .

7 71 3 Army of M e P otoma c .

To inc l a sp h is h a nd w h o sped th e sh o t, a cco sting you th a t day,Yo u wo u ld go form i le s , o n fo o t, a lo ne , I h ere a ssume to say.Bo th a re se para te , unconscious , a nd be tw ixt yo u , th e U nknown ,And th e Reve la tio n bides bes ide th e everla sting Th roneO h , th e age o f Knigh th o od i s no t pa st, a s ta le th a t h a th been to ld .And th e wo rld. is o lder now , th a n in th e days we m i sca l l o ld ;And we l i ve in o lder time s

,th a n o lden times o f w h ich w e rea d,

And arena s kee p expa nding fo r th e com ing th o ugh t a nd deed.And, a s ro l l s th rough out th e a wful spa ce , th e un iverse o f sta rs ,S h a l l b e h ea rd reverbera tio ns o f th e o lder, be tter w a rs :And th e o lder ca p ta ins sh a l l e nga ge in co nfl icts more subl ime ,t a re wa i ting evo lution from th e mystic womb o f T ime .In our da y a nd genera tion—a s for us—may no t we sa y,We h a ve m ixed in gra nder wa rfare th a n th e na tio ns pa ssed awa y PAnd w i th purpo ses more lo fty , triumph s m igh tier h a ve wo n ,Th a n embla zed th e ma i l o f C ae sar , o r th e sword o f We l l ington !Comrade s th en l—for such I h a il ye , th o ugh th e w a rclo uds burst o ’erme ,Wh ere majestic M i ss issippi g i ve s surrender to th e seaO n o cca s io n so di stingui s h ed, i wou ld fa in embra ce th e t im eO ne more tri bute to yo ur h onor , to be seech in gra teful rh yme .But, a s M i s sissi pp i ga th ers th e gre a t rivers o f th e North ,And, a s Wi th ma terna l pride , upon h er bo som bears th em forthAnd a t la st deplo ys o n O cea n , w h ich i s O ce a n, a ll th e sameS o th e song i s va in pre sumption , th a t wou ld ma gnify your fame .M ore th a n a ll th e tributarie s wh ich th a t m igh ty torre nt h o lds ,Are th e name s o f a ll yo ur ba ttle s , o n yo ur ba nners ’ ta ttered fo lds ;P a st compu te , a s undula tio ns o ver M i s si ssi ppi 's b ed,Are th e numbers o f yo ur h ero e s—o f your l iving , a nd yo ur dead !I t sh ould se em mo s t unb efittingo f a ll songs were ever sung,To a ttempt a s mere s ta ti stics—or a s bea ds th a t m igh t b e strungO n sw ee t ro sa ry o f vesta l—recko ned o ver, o ne by o neAll th e force s ye enco untered~ a ll th e tro ph ies ye h a ve wonBy a nd by , wh en time i s o lder—in unwritten epics ye t,M a y b e wo ven certa in legends , w h ich th e world wo uld no t forget.O ld M y th o lo gy m a y th en insta l l , in temp le s ye t unre a red,S ta tue s l ike th e pre h i storic , to po s teri t ie s ende a red.C h i ldren 's ch i ldren o f o ur own , a nd from repub l ics o 'er th e sea ,S h a l l tre ad gro und, b ede stined c l a ssi c , from A tla n ti c to th e se aBy th e Jame s , a nd th e Po toma c , a nd o 'e rLo oko u t H e igh ts a fa r,And w h ere Appoma ttox h a i led th e c lo se o f interne c ine wa r.

Tfwd/tnAnnua l Re Un ion—S ociety of

S o , it i s no t se lf- lauda tion th a t convene s ve h ere to -dayLe t futuri ty a djudge ye , a nd a cknow ledge , o r ga insa yBut

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tis ra th er, to retouc h th e sa cred p icture s o f th e p a st,And fra terna l ties to strength en , wh ich s h a l l l a st wh i le l ife sh a l l la st.Rem in i scence i s th a t very p art o f l ife wh ich grows m o st dear ,As th e lo cks invi te th e fro sts o f age , a nd ye a r succumbs to year ;And th e ma n wou ld sh ame h is k ind, w h o wo uld be grudge th e fl ee ting h oursWe wo uld b egfrom time to resurre ct th e se memo rie s o f ours .C a n w e a ll forget th e ma rch , th e voya ge , th e scorch ed, th e fro zen fie ld,And th e bivoua c , wh en jewe l led h ea ven new scenes a nd th ough ts re ve a led,As w e lay outstretch ed, up - ga z ing a t th e gra ndly fre sco ed dome ,And foreboded th e impending mom , a nd o nce more dreamed 'o f h omeC an w e a ll forget th e pri so n l ife , th e h o spi ta l s , th e gra ve s ,Wh ere th e h urried, unpre tentious ri te s co nsi gned o ur fa l len bra ves !O r th e fierce a la rm , th e sudden wra th , th e cl a ngor, a nd th e ja r,As th e very a irwa s see th ing w i th th e th underbo l ts of wa rMust we e ’en fo rget th e very glees th a t m ingled w i th th e glo om ,And th e p arenth e tic gladness unto wh ich distress ga ve ro om ,As we w a tch ed th e ca mp -fire , impro vised o n some new- ca ptured ground,And th e a necdo te a nd jest a nd p ipe a nd quin ine pa ssed a ro und !M aywe a ll forge t th e bil ls o n sutler's ledger h a p ly ye t,W h ic h we feared h e would remember, a nd we h o ped h e wou ld forge t !M a ywe no t reca l l th e morn ings , wh en th e fo e were th rea ten ing h a rm ,And th e trouble ch iefly bru ited w a s , T h e co ffee i sn 't warmM ust we a ll forget th e fora g ing th e boys were pro ne to do ,As , w i th problema tic ra tion s , th ey were march ing D ixie th rough ;And th e dulce t screech o f Ch a nticleer, a nd so o th some sque a l o f sw ine ,As o ccurred th e gra tefu l h a l t, or brief diversio n from th e l ine !M ust we a ll forget th o se la zy da ys , in una ccus tomed cl im e ,W h en th e onl y fo e encountered, to b e th en subdued , wa s time ;W h en th e gua rd, th e dri l l , a nd dre ss pa rade compri sed th e mo st to do ,And a l ike unwe lcome to cs in , seemed Reve i l le a nd Ta tto oM ust we a ll forge t th e dia logue s be tw ixt th e Ya nk a nd “ Jo h nn ie ,As forjust th e no nce , on p icke t l ine , ea ch h a i led in e a ch a cro ny ,And exch anged th e ir repa rtee a nd sca nty portions w ith ea ch o th er, 'And i l lustra ted A m a n 's a m a n for a ' th a t, a nd a bro th er !M ust we a ll forge t th e seem ing dream , so stra nge ly rea l ized,O f th e ch ara cters a nd scene s we th ough t in fa ble were disgui sed ;O f explo i ts we e a rly read a bout, a nd never th ough t to sh are ,T i l l tremendous ne ed invoked, a nd fa ct suppla n ted fiction th ere

Tno Army of tire P otoma c . l 3

M ust we a ll forget th e le ssons , wh ich th e sch o o l s ca n never tea chAnd th e seers ca n never pro ph esy , a nd prea c h ers ca nno t prea chAnd th e priestesse s from . a ll th e ir s ta te ly tri pods ca nno t yield,Wh ich we ga th ered from th e ora c le s wh ich h aunt th e tented fie ld !O h , th e very friends wh o h ere a ttend, expre ss in words unsa idYe must cla sp th e h and w h i le l i ving ; ye must keep a l i ve your dead

Na y, a ntic i pa te , a nd dwe l l upo n , th e gree tings ye h a ve ea rned,T i l l survivor of your h o st in ch erish ed tomb sh a l l b e inurned.S o le t ea ch o ne , in nO

'forma l words , a s we a re ca l led to sayW i th h is fe l low s , ch a nge remembra nce o f h is mo s t i l lustrious day.And a ga in , fo r a ll th e da ngers , griefs , a nd jo ys h e came to sh are ,B ind th e ties o f such a bro th erh o od 'a s i s no t found e l sewh ere .And now, S o ldiers i s it no t yo ur righ t—mo st no ble a fter a llUnto th o se wh o stra yed, b ut a re re turned, to sound th e best reca l l ;Undernea th o ne fl ag, to a ll th e do ub ting , h op ing world to pro veTh a t th e ba nner th a t wa ve s o ver us , i s now , a nd sh a l l b e Lo ve !0 my ch ildren s a i th C o lumbia , come h ere a nd find your re st ;

A m a terna l fondne ss bids ye a ll repo se upon th is bre a st ;Undernea th th e o ld a nce stra l ro o f, a round o ne fam i ly bo ard,Be th a nksgiving a nd swee t ch e er di spensed, and sweet l i ba tions pouredS o , from wa r, a nd sad di stra ctions , le t us h ope for long re lea se !O h , h ow beauteo us o n th e mounta ins a re H is fee t w h o brin geth Pea ce !Pea ce wh ich pa sseth understa nding , in our h ea rts a nd m inds b e th en ,And th e bless ingo f th e Lord o f Ho sts en sh ie ld us a ll l—Amen !

Th e Poem wa s frequen t ly interrupted by applause , a nd at itsc lose t h e Poet w a s greeted w ith a h earty ovation .

THE SOUTH END GLEE CEUB , composed o f E . J . Lloyd ,Lea der ; E . C . Sloan e , First Tenor ; J . Hawkin s , Ba rytone A . H .Waite

,S econd Tenor ; C h as . E . Secor , S econd Tenor ; F . E . Bil l ,

Ba sso ; A . S . Roe , J r. , Aceomp a nz‘st—w h ich h a d gen erously vo lunteered its services , sang Let th e H i l l s a nd Vales Resound , ” a ndin respon se to a n en core sang Brave Battery Boys .

THE PRES IDENT

GENTLEM EN : Th e n ext exerci se in order i s th e Oration . I b egto present to you th e O rator o f th e Day , DANIEL DOUGHERTY ,Esq . o f Ph i ladelph ia.

1 4 Tre el/tnAnnua l Re Un ion -S ocz'

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ORAT ION .

BY DAN IEL DOUGHERTY , ESQ .

I AM e xalted , ye t abas h ed—e'

xalted that in t h i s day ' s proceedings I am assoc iated w it h t h i s h i s toric Society ; abas h ed a t myunworth ine s s to stand in suc h a pre sen ce . In former years youse le cted your S peaker from th o se w h o Io ugh t w it h you in th e w a r,o r from citiz en s eminent in civi l l ife . So unde s e rvingam I o f -th i sd i stinctio n th at I w a s prone at once to de c l ine , but al l th ough t s o fse l fwere forgotte n in obed ience to a n invitation t h a t h a d fo r m eth e aut h ority o f a command .

I c a nno t cal l yo u com rades , a nd recount th e battle s . s i ege s , a ndda ngers you h ave passed , no r w it h mingled j oy a nd sadne s s depictbygone incidents o f th e camp a nd watc h -fire , w h en t h e me rrylaugh went round—a la s pe r h aps o n t h e m orrow t h e merrie st w a slaid lo w . I cannot group t h e daring deed s o f dying so ldie rs , th atre cal l a nd t h en ecl ip se th e storied h e roe s o fGree ce a ndRom e , no rte l l h o w some regim ent o r b rigade w re sted victory w h e n th e dayse emed lo s t : n o r e u logiz e th e unknown or i l lu striou s dead , w h oh al low t h e eart h w h e reve r t h e i r as h e s m ay repose . No ! t h e se a ndk indred t h em e s be long alone to t h o se w h o s h ared w ith you th eprivatio ns a nd th e peril s , th e defeats a nd disaste rs , th e trium p h sa nd th e glo ry o f t h e eve r—to - b e - reve red A rmy o f t h e Potomac . Atbe st I cou ld b ut te l l in fe eble word s th e feve ri sh anxiety , t h e terrible suspen se t h e awful d read , th e agony , t h e tears , th e p ra ) ers ,in spi ring h 0p e , unbounded j oy , exu ltant s h outs . t h at alte rna telyfol low ed t h e varyingfortune s o f t h e cau s e fo r w h ic h yo u fough t ,a nd w h ic h w a s fina l ly a nd fo r e ve r wo n by your ne ver- fai lingfortitude a nd valo r .I Speak t h e sentim ent s o f th e l iving. a nd forete l l th e j udgment

o f poste rity , in declaringt h at your se rvic e s to t h e Republic w i l l b et h e t h em e o f songa nd sto rv—w i l l b e t ran sm itted to remote age s ,a nd never forgotten , as l ong a s th e wate rs o f t h e Potomac w indt h ei r way to th e sea—as longas t h e mountains o f t h e B lue Ridgel i ft th ei r peak s to h eaven .

Tne Army of tile P otoma c . 5

I salute you—Ve teran s o f th e Wa r ! Soldie rs w h o conque redrebel l ion De l ive re rs o f you r Country P re s e rve rs o f th e Un i onP romo te rs o f a sti l l h igh er de stiny fo r th e Republ ic ! In strumen tso f D i v ine P rovidence to li ft up t h e people o f every cl im e , t h at inth e e nd fre e institution s may go h and in h and w i th c ivil iz ation int h e ci rcuit o f th e eart h .

Ye t I must speak of the past . It i s impo s sible in your pre se nce to forget it . Its h i story i s w ritten in patriot blood . Th e pasth a s made o ur pre sent , a nd i s moulding o ur futu re . Beyond t h i s ,now t h at pe a ce a nd frate rnity a re w i th us onc e again , i t i s fittinga nd righ t , useful a nd salutary— ay ! it i s j ust to t h e dead—to th el iving a nd t h e dead— t h at w it h no th ough t to wound , fa r from t h ew i sh to revive un h appy memorie s . a t prope r t ime s a nd place s , wes h ou ld re cur to th e sorrowful past , a nd ponde r o n its tremendouse vents , that we may s h o w w e a re no t in sen s ible to t h e ine stimableble s sings we enjoy , a nd a re grate ful to Go d that our countrye scaped a n appal lingpe ri l .

Le t u s no t se ek fo r t h e cau se s t h at th rough forty yea rs brough to n th ose di re ful day s yet no w th at we c a n calm ly reason o n w h atonce se t ou r h eart s o n fire , let u s admit th e re we re fault s , i rritation s , a nd h one st Opin ion s o n both s ide s . No ignobl e t h ought . nobase or so rdid m otive infl uenced e ith e r . Th e unha ppy di s sen s ion s

grew from diffe ren ce s in‘ lo cation , train ing, a nd as socia tion .

Th e North h ad been fo r n igh a hundre d years rid o f s lavery .Th e Sout h in h e rited th e evi l . It w a s to them as earth . air , a ndwater ; in it we re inve sted four t h ousand mi ll ion s o f dol lars Inth e Sout h th e peop le w e re ta ught to love first th e Stat e , a nd thenth e Un ion . In th e Nort h we re ve red t h e Un ion above a ll priceTh e Sou th con strued th e Con stitution to re se rve th e right o fs ece s s ion ; w i th us se ce s s ion w as di sun ion . Th e North regardeds lave ry as repugnant to t h e Repu b l i c , a nd sough t to re strain i tW it h i n ce rtain confine s . Th e South be l ieved slave ry w a s prote ctedby th e Consti tution , a nd demanded , if no t spread , i t sh ould b e a tl east perpe tuated . The se ditference s , w idening w it h dis cu ss ion ,embitte red by aggre s sive acts o n bot h s ide s , unti l at l a st th e Sout hplanned a pre text , a nd t h en st ruck th e first blow .

Ele ven State s , w ith a vast te rrito ry embracing o ne th ousandm il l ion s o f squa re mi le s , w it h a popu lation four time s gre a te r th a nt h e United State s at t h e c lo se o f t h e Revolution to re t h emse lve sfrom th e gove rnment o f t h eir fathe rs , a nd e re c ted a riva l Republ ic

Th e Con fe de ra te State s o fAme rica —e l ec ted a P re siden t a ndCongre ss , cal led citi z en s to a rms , se iz ed forts , arsenals , a nd na

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tio na l property , re si sted th e co l lection o f custom s , a nd compe l le dth e surrende r o f national troops . From th e Pa tapsco to th e Gulfwa s o ne angry sea o fwa rl ike preparation . NO diffe rence o f opin ionw a s to le rated . Th e Un ion is t wa s si lenced , s h unned , or wo rse .O ffice rs reared in th e national se rvice , return ing h ome o n le a ve ,w h i rled into t h e vortex , a nd in fre nz y drew sword s again st th e i rcountry . Soldiers long di sciplined fo r th e cri s i s , ru s h ed to t h efield , stak ingt h e i r al l o n Sece s sion a nd D i sun ion . Fortune fa voredt h e i r first e fforts . Flu s h ed w ith succe s s at Manas sas , confident o frecogn i tion by t h e Powe rs o f Europe , t h ey we re sangu ine o f se izingWas h ington , a nd dictatingte rm s o f recognition to th e suppl iantNorth , even in th e Capito l .

Ho w w a s i t w i th t h e North !Th e outburst o f patriotic e nt h u s iasm t h at fol lowed t h e fal l o f

Sum te r h ad subsided , a nd di smayed by th e disaste r o f Ju ly 2 1 ,1 86 1 , we real iz ed t h a t w a r, fratric ida] wa r, te rrible a nd prol onged ,w a s raging. Grave fears fil led loyal h earts . Th e North h ad no t ,before ’6 1 , se riously th ough t t h at wa r would b e waged , countrymanagain st countryman . Party S pi rit ra n h igh a nd divided o ur people .Sympat h y w ith t h e Sout h e xi sted in eve ry community , a nd s h oweditse lf in re so lution s in political convention s a nd l egi s lat ive bodie s .Even th o se de voted to t h e Un ion diffe red . Som e w ere w i l l ingtomake eve ry conce s sion to pre se rve peace . P eace , c ri ed th ey , ata ny price O t h e rs w ere fo r divid ingt h e national territory , w itht h e righ t o f s lave ry to exi st in o ne h alf, th at freedom might b epre se rved in th e ot h er . No t a fewwere fo r a conven tion o f State s ,w it h projects c h imerical . Thousand s w e re Opp osed to coercion ,a nd al l w e re re luctant , even wh i le wa r wa s raging, to avow th eabolition o f slave ry to cru sh th e h ead o f th e se rpent bent o n th ede struction o f o ur pol iti cal P a radi se . Among t h e m ost warlikew e re mean , grove lling, a nd m ercenary w re tc h e s , eager to grow ric hupon i l l -gotten gain s filc h ed from t h e gove rnm ent a nd it s de fende rs . Th e crowned h e a ds th at h ad se emed o urfri ends gloated ove rour m i sfortun e s . a nd th e i r leading state smen a nd ru ling c la s s e sc h uckled to see our Un ion rent in twain—warringmas se s fal lingin to fragment s .

Let us pau se , Ame ricans , to contemplate th e h orror , t h ic k a ndfast . th at would h ave be set o ur poor country in all it s pa rts— th epeople eve rywhe re—human ity , if t h e Confede ra cy h ad be come a ne stabli s h ed fact if th e invasion o f th e Nort h h ad been succe s sfu l ;if our armie s h a d been de feated , h ad surrendered , o r been destroyed ; a nd al l th e se direful re sults h ungtremblingo n th e fate o f

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a fli a nced bride s a ndw idow ed moth e rs . Ame rican s in fore ign land sreturned a nd e n l i sted in t h e ra nk s . Ric h a nd poor marchedshoulde r to s h oulder . Brigh t boys le ft school o r co l lege , a ndw ithout o ne m ore s igh t o f h ome to say good by se iz ed muskets a ndh urried to th e front . They knew t h ey we re to ri sk h ealth a nd enc ounte r deat h ; un h oused , to b e expo sed to scorch ing heat a ndbitter cold endure fearful marche s ; fam i sh ed , to fall by th e ways ide l ike ly to die , w ithout o ne God ble s s you ; th eir bodie s tolie in uncofii ned grave s , ye t al l ! al l ! we re w e lcomed so tha t th eUn ion o f our fat h e rs m igh t b e pre se rved . The se sent iments pervaded every commun ity . Town , v illage , a nd eve ry home sent forthh er son s , a nd lo ! con fronting rebel li on o n Sout h e rn soi l stood th e

grande st armie s e ve r mars h al led in th e holy cau se o f l ibe rty a ndcountry

It se ems l ike th e awaken ing from a dream , too horrible fo r 'reality, that in th i s Chri stian land , th i s seat o f peace , vast arm ie s ,darkeningth e land w ith thei r numbe rs , s h ould , w ith t h e ir mortale ngine s , w a r w ith eac h oth e r , t h e one to de stroy , th e othe r to preserve a gove rnment th at never, know ingly , wronged a mortal .Th e se Opposingarmie s , made up o fmen born o n th e same soi l , o ft h e same blood a nd l ineage , speak ingt h e same la nguage , ta ugh t att h e same sc h ool s , kne el ingat th e sam e a ltars , proud o f th e samem em orie s , th at h ad fough t side by side in a fore ign w a r, l inkedtoge th e r by a myriad o f indisso lu ble tie s , s h ould mutilate , é z

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ll eachoth e r , brothe r again st broth er ! O h ! t h e horrors o f n ight uponsuc h a battle—field, or in t h e h ospital . O h th e agon ie s o f th e mis sing wounded , th e uncared fo r dying. Th e awful past it i s imp o ss ible to recal l , but , 0 God ! in Thine infin ite me rcy , spare , O h !S pare , o ur country fo r eve rmore from fratric idal strife !

It i s no t my provin ce to speak o f other great arm ie s—of th eArmy o fTenne s se e , th e Army o f th e Cumbe rland , th e Army o f th eO h io—o f th e ir wondrous e xploits a nd battle s c rowned w ith vi ctorie s .

And what c a n I , a laggard at hom e , say to you , t h e survivorsO f th e parent army—th e A rmy o f t h e P otomac—th e noble st legion so f th e

‘ brave a nd true—that fixed th e gaz e o f mank ind , a nd o nw h ose succe s s our deare st h ope s we re centred ! My tongue falte rsat t h e t h ough t . H i story i s al ready w riting it s annals high o n th es crol l o f Fame , a nd some gen iu s o f th e future w i ll emba lm it s deed sin h e roic ve rse , to b e read like Hom e r ’s Il iad . Its so ldie rs , trainedin t h e arts o f peace , from raw re cruits w ere di scipl ined to veterans .No t con scripts , b ut voluntee rs , longingfo r recon c iliation , yet re

Tlze Army of M e P otoma c .

so lved to conque r. Hating rebe l lion , yet free from pe rsonalenmity , fo r th e fa r out picke t s j oked a nd b a t tered w ith t h e rebe lpickets a few pace s beyond : Federal office rs meetingConfede rate sunde r a fl ag O f truce , e xchanged civi l itie s , inqui red fo r mutualfriend s , indulged in remin i scence s o fWe st P oint days , then mounting, saluted eac h ot h er a nd again we re foe s . While stay- a t- h ome smade fortune s , o ur rank a nd file fought fo r th irteen dol lars amonth . Reared to ev e ry comfort , they became inured to eve ryprivation . Victims o f swamp a nd typhus fevers b a flled time a ndagain by t h e flood battl ingat every di sadvantage w ith th e flowe rof t h e enemy , o n

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a strange soi l , w ith a hosti le popu lation ; longden ied a victory ; matured plan s jeopardiz ed ; fighting a ll dav ,marchingal l nigh t ; advanc ingunti l they saw th e spire s o f Ri chmond , then back aga in 'w ith in s ight o f th e white dome o f VVa shingto n never e lated w i th succe s s , neve r depre s sed w ith defeat ;di saster fo l lowingdi saster, th ey we re buoyant to th e c lo se .

Smi lingthrough tears , they parted w it h the ir be loved Chiefo ne brave Commandergave pla ce to another, yet gaily th ey tran sferred the i r fealty . Marc h ingto ce rtain death up M a rye s

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He ightso n tho se awful days at Frede rick sburg; fal l ing by t h ousand s atC hance l lo rsv il le th e wave s o fwa r sweepingtoward s t h e i r h ome s ,S preading devastation , worse than th e track o f a tornado— theyagain gave battle to t h e e xultant invade r at Gettysburg, a nd o nthat renowned a nd thri ce sac red fie ld , fo r th ree long days , t h eyfought a nd wo n th e victo ry that turned th e tide o f wa r a nd savedth e North from de solation . Back again t h ey fol lowed th e unyie ldingfo e , drenchingth e Wilde rne s s w ith gore fo r sti l l anothe r yearthey blee d , unti l Richmond fall s ; th e A rmy o fNo rthern Virgin ia ,overwhe lmed w ith numbers a nd suppl ie s exhausted , capitulate s ;th e Confedera cy wa s c ru shed , a nd t h e Un ion pre served .

In a few month s , al l that w a s left o f mighty Opposingforce s ,vic tor a nd vanqui shed , officers a nd private s , returned to the i rhome s , dofi

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ed the i r un iforms , furled the ir battle -fl ags , a nd passedfrom th e re a lity

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to t h e realm s o f h i sto ry .Vulcan , th e swa rth v god, w it h ponde rou s a xe , hurled a blow ,

ful l at t h e brow o f j ove . From th e c left brain o f the K ingo fGodsleapt forth M ine rva . S O from t h e c ivi l wa r ri se s ou r Republ ic ,noble r fa r, a nd mightie r , than before .

P en or tongue ne ve r had grander t h eme t h an th e new -born

glo r ie s t h at have S prung from t h e as h e s o f th e great rebe l lion .Th ey a re t h e roma n ce O f reality—t h e du l le st vi s ion be h o ld s th em ,th e profounde st inte l le ct cannot fat h om t h em . Slave ry i s no more .

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At th e stroke o f a p en , s h ack le s fe l l from Off four m i l lion S lave s ,a nd by vote s o f State s , South a nd North , eve ry acre i s dedicatedto freedom Sece s sion surrende red w ith th e sw ord o f Le e S ect io na l h ate , unknown in oth er lands , t h at h a d glared in th e eye s o ffel low countrym en , t h a t in th e Capito l h a d brandi s h ed w eapon s ,struck blow s , dared to m ortal combat , a nd fanned t h e flame o f wa r,ended w ith t h e last s h ot fired , a nd frate rnity began w h en , am id tearso f j oy a nd tears o f sorrow , th e so ldi e rs o f t h e Un ion s h ared t h e irration s w ith t h e h ungry soldie rs o f th e vanqui shed Confede racyTh e martial qual iti e s o f th e contending h ost s , th e gen iu s fo rw a r di splayed by th e greatGeneral s o n both side s , h a ve struck th eworld w it h wonde r a nd made our nam e invincible .

TO - day , w ith scarce a soldier in t h e fie ld , a t th e trumpet cal l o fcountry , tw o mi l l ion s , a nd two mil lion s more , w ould arm

No more th e th irsty entra nce of th i s so i lS h a l l daub h er l ips w ith h er own ch i ldren 's blo od.NO more sh a l l drench ing wa r ch a nne l h er fie lds ,No r bru i se h er flowere ts w i th th e a rmed h o ofsOf h o sti le pa ces—th o se o ppo sed eyes ,W h ich , l ike th e me teors of a troubled h ea ven ,All o f one na ture , o f one substa nce bred,D id la te ly m eet in th e intestine sh o ckAnd furious c lo se o f c iv i l butch ery ,S h a l l now , in mutua l wel l beseem ing ranks ,M arch a ll one way, a nd be no more Oppo sedAga inst a cqua inta nce , kindred, a nd a l l ies .

Senators a nd Repre sentative s o f th i rty - e igh t State s legi s latefo r th e common good , a nd peace smile s to t h e remote st verge .P opu lation from t h i rty , h a s inc reased to fifty , a nd e re th e centu ryfade w e w i l l b e nearingo ne hundred mil lion s . Proud o f th e gene ral a ppe l lation , “ Th e People , s corn ingal l mark s save those o fm erit , pu rsue t h e i r h appin e s s , w e lded togeth er no t by a k inglyc rown no r royal family , but by a w ri tten Con stitution , a commoncountry , a nd a sacred dag— a n Empi re o f Liberty bounded byocean s , carved into Commonwealt h s , w it h subordinate Co nstitution s , sove re ign in th eir Sph e re s , w h ere h ome ru le reign s again stth e in sidiou s encroachm ent o f centraliz ed powe r .

Th e trai ts ingrained in th e American characte r , th at h adpus h ed u s forward in th e race o f Empire , yet h a d t h e i r grande st dev eIO pment in t h e recent confl i ct , a nd prolonged th e m ightystruggle , now a re turningth e i r force s into peacefu l channe l s , a ndwork ingwonders th at pale al l o ur past . Misfortune a nd calamity

T/ze Army of M e P otoma c . 2 1

cannot check our onward caree r ; snatch ingeven from fate troph ie sprec ious to h uman ity—devastating flame s may leve l w ith th e

ground th e palace s a nd sto rehou s e s o f C h icago a nd Boston , yets carce has th e smoke ceased to curl from crumbling wal l s , thant h e se c i tie s ri se again re splendent from th e ruin s ; pesti lence m ayde c imate Memphi s a nd New O rlean s , in stant ly large sums a rera i s ed , a nd hundred s rush to nurs e , to succor, a nd to save . Th eNorth , ro ll ing in a ffl uen ce , rea ping riche st harve sts , i s pouringt reasure into eve ry arte ry o f industry , trade , commerce , a nd commun ica tio n , de ve loping marve l lou s re source s , bui lding citie s ,Openingnew region s to c ivi l iz ation , c ro s sing a nd interla c ingt h ec ontinent w ith rai l road s , tapping t h e trade o f th e fa r East , a ndbringingto o ur At lantic s h ore s , by w ay o f th e droopingWe st , th et reasure s o f th e O rient . Fortune s a re made , fabu lou s as that O fMonte Cri sto ; steady w ork a nd high wage s reward our toil ingye t educated masse s . Institution s as vari ed as th e wants o f h uman i ty a re open - doored , a nd prosperity a ndgood w i l l everywhe reprevai l .

Th e South , un fettered from s lavery , S prings w ith a j ocundbound e re ct — h eart th robbing, face radia nt , a nd h e r whole frameaglow w ith new - born l ife o f rec laim ed a nd e xultant libe rty . Th emist i s ri s ingfrom th e Sout h land ; t h e grandeur o f h er scene ry , h ermarve l s o f nature , a re on ly n ow beginn ing to b e known . As wedraw near h er people th e frown h a s gone , a nd we a re friends again .Th ey grieve no t at individual lo s se s , but rej oi ce in th e gene ral w eal .Th ey real iz e w h y t h ey lo st , a nd h encefort h a re se lf- re l iant ; capitala nd labor a re w e lcomed to a gen ial c limate a nd a fru itfu l soi l . Th es te e l t rack o n its wa v to th e Pacific i s penetratingprimeval fore sts ,a nd th e locomotive i s starting e c h oe s s i lent s ince c reation . , Furnace s a nd forge s a re brigh ten ingth e n ight sky, recent ly lurid w ithburn ing h ome s a nd vi l lage s . Behold A t lanta , l ike th e fabled i s lefrom wh ic h h er name i s taken , t h ough s ink ing in a sea o f fire , a ppears again to make th e fable a reality

Factori e s a nd work s h ops a re dotting s id e s o f road s a ndstream s ; vast bed s o fmineral we a lth a re dis c ove red in h ermountain range s . Th e ravage s o f wa r a re di sappearing even fromaround Richmond , a nd Southern citie s again a re beautiful . Freelabor h a s given riche r c rops a nd high er wage s th an w e re eve rreaped from th e sweat o f th e s lave . Th e last cotton c rop alonereal iz ed si x hundred mi l lion s o f do l lars . Th e fruit s o f ente rpri sea nd industry a re m ore e ven ly divided . Th e pa triot h eart , inde ed ,rej oice s th at t h e Sout h wi l l h enceforth compete in friendly rivalry

Tzed/ti; Annua l Re Um’

on— S ocz’

ely of

w it h th e North in th e race o fmate rial prosperity a nd th e e levationo f our common country .

Emigration i s stream ing from eve ry h i l l side o f Eu rope , a ndrush ing, 3. l iving torrent , acros s th e Atlantic into th e boundle s ste rritory that stretc h e s from Puget Sound to th e Rio Grande . Th ebone a nd mu sc le o f th e O ldWorld a re biddingadieu to t h e grave so f s i re s a nd th e t h rone s o f k ings , to build fo r themse l ve s a nd th e i rpo s terity new h ome s , whe re equal righ ts sh al l ru le in State s nuformed , w ith nam e s as yet unknown .

How stand we w ith th e oute r worl dTh e products o f our inventive gen iu s , our manufacture s , o ur

mac h ine ry , a re sent no t alone to Eu rope a nd Sout h Ame rica , butto C h ina , j apan , a nd other parts o f A sia , to Africa, to th e Indie sa nd th e O cean ic—t h e great i s land s forming a continent betweenth e south Pacific a nd Indian O cean . Our bread- stuffs supply th emarkets o f Europe . O ur cotton goods a nd cutle ry a re unde rse l lingEngland in London , Manc h e ste r , a nd S h effie ld . O ur e xport s w i l lsoon exceed o ur imports a m i l lion a day . Th e re w i l l l ike ly b e b efore t h e end o f th i s m on th a n e xce s s o f gold in our favor o f o neh undred mil l ion s o f do l lars . Th e colo ssal debt , w ith ch ival ri c

genero sity more t h an sta te sma nlike judgment , i s be ingpaid o ff byth e gene ration t h at contracted it , a nd o ur credit h a s no l im it . Th eas sembled nation s , C h ri stian a nd infide l . tende r th ei r congratulation s at th e permanency o f th e Republic at th e C entenn ial Expo sition , bringing t h e i r choice st gifts to purify o ur taste s , carryingback to th e extreme s o f c ivi liz ation t h e know ledge o f o ur production s a nd re source s , a nd promoting t h e coming o n o f th e timew h en arbitration s h al l take th e place o f armam ent s . a nd wa r b eknown no more . Th e right s o f t h e people a re be ing recogn iz ed .Every co lony o fGreat Britain enj oys in peace w h at our forefathe rsfough t fo r. Legi slative as semblie s s it in eve ry state . o f SouthAm e rica , a nd in e ve ry k ingdom o f Europe th e people h ave the i rrepre sentative s . Eac h year th e cru st o f some abus e o f c entu rie sfall s by th e voice o f en l igh tened di s cus sion a ndpopu lar legi s lation .Fra nce

'

dispenses w it h a monarc h a nd e lects a Pre sident , a nd event h e remain ingde spoti sms fe e l t h at th e i r th rone s a re totte ring, fo rTu rkey summon s a parliament , a nd Rus s ia talk s o f a con stitutio n .My prayer i s , t h at th e people eve ryw h ere m ay prove them se lve swort h y o f th e irlo ng lo s t righ ts , a nd, se lf- control led by moderation ,wi sdo m , a nd virtue , remembe r t h at al l a re accountable to Go d.

Th e se , my countrymen , a re th e troph ie s o f th e wa r o f th e rebe l lion ; th e se a re th e laure l s t h at a re yours t h e se th e only spoi l s

T/ze Army of fl u P otoma c . 2 3

our so ldie rs bringfrom wa r. Impartial h i story w i l l record th a t o nt h e fa te o f th e American Union h ung th e l ibe rtie s o f t h e peoplet h rough out th e world .

Think no t . Ame ricans , our country 's d e stiny i s secu re—tha tna ught ca n m a r th e he reafte r . In de spite o f al l I have pictured ,a nd I have but tou ched th e in spiring theme , we know enough , ifno t to fear , at least to guard .

Th e bi l low i s most beautiful w h en about to break . It i s th eripe fruit t h at fall s Th e sun , reach ing th e z en ith , de scends .Nation s , l ike men , a re mortal s . Th e track o f time i s strewn w i tht h e wreck s o f empire s . It i s no t e xtent o f domin ion , no r pOpu latio n , invincibi l ity in arms , unbounded

“

wealth , pro spe rity , a ndpeace , that wi l l give stabi l ity to a government o r pre se rve liberty toa peop l e . Ay, t h e se m ay b e th e seed s from w h i c h m ay grow ou rdownfal l . No martial ho sts ca n conque r u s , but t h e re a re oth e rfoe s , more subtle , ins idious , a nd fatal . We have sw iftly matured .we h ave reached p re - ern inence , whi le o ur h i story has just roundeda century . We a re ente ring a luxuriou s age—th e age when e nervation , subserviency to w ealth a nd pow e r , beget antagon i sti cc las se s , a ndprecede corruption , degene racy , a nd decay . Th e ste rnpatriot see s o n every side subj ect s fo r severe st cen sure . It i s no tw i se to d i sregard th e le s son s t h at earth a nd th e past teac h . Trutha nd justi ce , obedien ce to authority , reve rence fo r law , purity o fth e bal lot , en l ightened di s cu s s ion , th e pun i shment o f corruptionists , a j ea lous watch fu lne s s o f th e encroa c h ment o f pow e r, exaltedstate smans h ip , a nd a firm re liance o n God. th e se a re t h e fo rt ification s that w il l render o ur Republi c impregnable . With the se , sh emay l igh t w ith h er glo ry a thou sand years . Abandon them , a ndsh e w i l l survive but a few gene ration s

M ay t h e Republic , t h a t wa s saved from dism embe rment by th evalo r , b e perpetuated by th e Vi rtue s o f th e people

Mr . DOUGHERTY w a s frequently interrupted by enth usiast i capplause

,w h ich con tinued some minutes at th e close .

After th e band h a d playe d several excel l ent selection s , assi stedby th e fife a nd drum corps o f Post No . 2, o f Ph i ladelph i a , th ePRES IDENT saidGENTLEMEN Th e exerci ses o f th e day are over, b ut I see some

th ing h ere on th e programme about in formal addresses by ourguests . [Applause ]

In an sw er to loud cri es for SHERMAN , ” th e Gen eral arose a ndspoke as follow s

,rece ivingfirst a torren t o f applause a nd ch eers

Tw olf/l; A 71 mm ! Re Union—S ociety of

REMARKS OF GENERAL SHERMAN .COMRADES : Your programme says several , ” th erefore I am

to be fol low ed by several more , a nd t h e obj ect o f h avingth ose“ seve ral ” i s mostly to h ear th ei r voices a nd see th e person s so th atyou may know th em th e n ext t ime . [Applau seI h ave h a d th e pleasure a nd th e h onor o f meeting w ith th i s

Society o n two or th ree occasions, a nd always feel better for h a v

ingbeen in your presen ce .Yo u are no t h ere to boast o f your own actions . You claim

n oth ingfor yourselves on ly w h at you h a d a perfect righ t to , th etruth o f th e fact th at in 1 86 1 you w ere started in a n h ou r by th efiring on Fort Sumter ; th at you fell into ran ks o f regimen ts ,brigades , a nd divi sion s, a nd did no t care w h ere you fel l , providedyou w en t to su ccess a nd glory . You cared n o t w h ere you fel lbecause you could n o t . Some w ent to

'

t h e East,some to th e West

a nd th e South , but a ll w ere moved by on e purpose—to w in th e w a ra nd secure l iberty on earth to our ch i ldren a nd th eir ch i l dren forever . [Applau se ]I th ink your orator , Mr . DOUGHERTY , tod ay h a s conveyed th at

sen t iment to us better t h an I h ave—m o re to th e point—alth oughh e n ever , as h e admits , h eard th e bones crush un der th e w h eels o four carriages, or sa w th e dreadfu l scen es w e h ave al l w itnessed .But w e speak no t o f th ese th ings now , but w e th ink o f th em . Iknow th ere i s no t a m a n in my front w h o i s n o t a so ldier—a ndI ca n read a soldier

' s face as quickly as anybody—a nd I know yo udo no t boast o f i t , but you feel t h at sentiment deeper th an a nyperson w h o h a s n o t your claim th at you w ere part a nd parcel o fo ne o f th ose grand o ld armies th at secured l iberty on earth for ever .[Great applause ]

Hon . ROBERT T. L INCOLN , S e creta rv Of “fa r, w a s n ext cal ledupon . He arose amid great applause a nd responded as fol low s

REMARKS OF HON . ROBERT T. LINCOLN .I h ope , gen tlem en , I may be allowed to cal l you comrades , for

alth ough it i s no t my privi lege to be a member o f th i s Society, yetit w a s my privil ege to see you o n th e long l in e w h ich l ed th roughPetersburg to Appomattox . I h a d my little sh are in th e smokea nd th e flame w h ich en cumbered your march , a nd I saw you w h enyou started back from Appomattox ; th erefore , I b eg to cal l youcomrades . [Applause ]I h ave ri sen h ere m erely to acknow ledge your kind greeting. I

came h ere w ith no intention or expectation o f makinga speech . It

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

Tto ol/ll: Annua l Re Union— S oci ety of

Hartford I say th i s , b ut !as a member o f th i s Soc iety . W h en th ecal l h a s come to receive th i s Soci ety

,it h a s n ever been respon ded to

w ith more cordial ity th an h ere . [Applause ]General JOSEPH R . HAWLEY w a s called for a nd spoke as fo l

low s

REMARKS OF GENERAL HAWLEY .GENTLEMEN : I h ave been h eard o f as a speaker occasionally

duringa few years past , b ut I don ’t feel l ike i t to day . I am w i l l ingto singa nd make a noise , a nd I wan t to h ear d rums , cannon , bel l s ,ch eers o f old soldiers

,i f I ca n

,w ith out speaking. Speech i sn

’tloud enough —on ly one m a n ca n join in i t . [Applause ]

Th ese are occasions o f in estimable valu e to u s , but I don ’t stopto count th e use Of a th ingth at i s so gloriously agreeable . I won

’ttry to tel l before a poli te au dien ce th e language o f mingled lovea nd affection w ith w h ich I h ave h eard on e Old sol d i er greetanoth er . Th ey God-blessed each oth er , a nd th en th ey

“ cussedeach oth er

,in th e O ld camp styl e o f greeting. [Laugh ter . ] Th ey

w ere piou s,both o f th em . [Ren ew ed laugh ter ] Wh y, i t’s a poem .

I don ’t care w h at th e language w a s ; th ey w ere worsh ipping infriendsh ip , a nd th ey loved th eir God a nd th eir coun try . And everym a n i s stronger for h aving been h ere . He love s h is country betterfor h aving come h ere to ren ew th e past . Of w h at in estimablew orth i s memory !

NO soldier claims anyth ingfor h imself—h e doesn ’t know wh eth erh e did anyth ing t h at could b e measured ; b ut h e know s t h at h ecounted h imself in as o n e o f th e two mil l ion s o f t h e army , a ndth anks God th at h e li ved in a t ime w h en su ch th ings w ere to bedone . [Ch eers a nd applause ]

Gen eral DANIEL E . S ICKLES w a s next called upon a nd spokefrom th e auditorium as fol lows

REMARKS OF GENERAL SICKLES .I h ave been remin ded , sir , w h i l e sitting h ere to day , o f th e

pleasu re en j oyed by th e Ch in ese beggar w h o w a s seen in th estreets bow ingrepeatedly to a prin cess adorn ed w ith many j ew el s .And sh e directed h er attendan ts to ask th e m a n w h y h e bow ed soOften . Well , h e said , i t w a s because h e w a s so grateful to h er forw earingt h ese beautiful j ew els in th e street th at oth ers migh t en j oyth em . So I h ave been en j oyinga seat h ere to day, sir, in fron t o fth e platform , th at I migh t b etter appreciate th e Poem a nd th e

T/zc Army of tile P otoma c . 2 7

Oration—a poem , I t h ink , th at w i l l be read w ith very great pleasureal l over th e coun try as soon as it i s in prin t a poem t h at seemed tome to un i te th e strengt h o f prose w it h th e grace Of poetry a nd a noration from my dear old fri en d DOUGHERTY , w h om I h ave no th eard for l ongyears a n oration lik e th i s in w h ich h e h a s un it edto eloquen ce a nd rh etoric th e magn etic pow er o f th e perfect orator .

[Applause ] And I h ave h a d anoth er pleasure in beingon ce moreso n ear—nearer th an usual—to my comrades a nd associates Of th eSoci ety o f th e Army o f th e Potomac . Well h a s it been sai d b yth e Orator o f th e Day th at you fought n o t on ly for yourselves andyour country , but formankind . It i s my custom a ndmy pleasure tospen d a good deal o f my time in oth er lands . I am fond o f travel ,a nd I th us h ave a n o p p ortun itv to observe more nearly th an mosto f you ca n

, t h e impression s made by our coun try now upon oth ercoun tries a nd oth er parts Of th e w orld . Th e events o f th e civi lw a r taugh t Europe th at w e kn ew h ow to preserv e our li bert i es .a nd taugh t th e fri en d s o f l iberty th at th is Republi c en j oys ach arme d li fe ; th at it could n ot be broken down , a nd th at all th eforces o f react ion th at h a d been at work in th e w orl d w ould beunavai l ingaga in st th e exampl e presented by th e Un ited States o fAmerica to th e down -trodden nat ion s of Europe . [Applause ]B ut , si r, I h a d n o th ough t o f m akinga speech , and I s h all n o tbe drawn in to it . Th us much w h i ch I h ave sai d i s due sol ely to th ein spiration o f my fri en d DOUGHERTY

,a nd th e ch arm ed verse o f th e

Poet . Before I resume my seat,h ow ever , l et me say th at I th i nk

I on ly give expression to th e un iversal sentimen t o f th e Society,w hen I recogn iz e an d assure you, sir, a nd th e Mayor o f Hartfordw h o i s h ere , o f our appreciation o f th e reception w e h ave h a dto -day from th e auth oriti es a nd th e people a nd th e soldi ers o f Conn ecticut . [Applau se ] I h ave atten ded several o f our meetings , a ndw hile al l o f th em h ave been pleasurable an d enj oyable , in man yrespects , yet I do th ink th at th i s meeting wi l l b e long remembered by th e Soci ety as perh aps th e most brill ian t in a ll respectsth at w e h ave to remember ; a nd I sh all be forgetful o f th e ga llantry th at belongs to th e sol di ers a nd th e Soc i ety i f I do n o t also .in th eir n ame , acknow l edge t h e presen ce o f so many gracefu la nd tasteful h an ds in th e decorat ion O fHartford to -day . [Applause ]

A lways w h en w e come togeth er it i s in memory o f w h at w a sdon e a nd suffered by th e m en , a nd w h at w a s done a nd suffered byth e w omen , in our civi l struggle ; a nd it i s a pl easure to us to see , asyears roll o n a nd as o ur ranks are th inn ing, th at no matter w h erew e go th e h earts Of th e m en o f to - day a nd th e women o f to-dayrespon d to t h ose deeds a nd th ose sufferings o f th e gen eration th atmust now be numbered as on e Of th e past . [Applause ]

Tzoo/f inAnnua l Re Union— S ociety of

Gen eral CHARLES DEVENS w a s cal led for, a nd responded asfollow s :

REMARKS OF GENERAL DEVENS .

COMRADES I am mu ch obliged to you for th i s cord ial w elcome ,a nd th ank you most sincerely for i t . Th e O rator o f th e Day spokeo f h imself, I th ough t , altogeth er too depreciatingly , a nd th at i s al lth e fau lt I h ave to find w ith th e exercises . He call ed h imself alaggard at h ome but it i s to be remembered th at al l m en mu stdo accordingto th eir gifts , a nd i t w a s a remark o f on e o f th e o ldLatin i st s th at w h i l e h e w h o does w ell for h is country does nobly , h ew h o speaks w el l for h is country does al so most w orth i l y . [App la u se ] Th e voice o f my friend w a s h eard at all t imes encouraging,ch eering, a nd con sol ingduringth e longw a r. It i s certain ly a mostagreeable th ingto meet again a nd speak to each oth er , face to face ,a nd eye to eye a nd even i f

,as t ime goes on , th e eyes begin to grow

dim , a nd some o f us look for a modest eye glass, a nd oth ers p ut o na regu lar pair o f spectacles , a nd even i f th e lin es in th e face becomede eper a nd stronger , a nd e ven if th e voice , at t imes , begin s toqui ver a litt le w h en w e try to put on a “ t iger ” at th e end o f th reech eers

,sti l l w e remember always th at th at i s th e eye th at h a s looked

alongth e l ength Of th e rifle w h en it sen t its death -deal ing bul let .[Applause ] We remember th at th ose are th e faces th at h ave confron ted th e i ron storm , a nd sti l l w e recollect th at time, th ough itmay h ave pow er over th ese , ca n exerci se n o pow er over th e bravea nd loyal h earts o fm en .

Tim e w a s fabled to h ave a n i ron tooth , a nd to bite deep , a nd soit may make th e brigh test eye to dim , th e strongest back to ben d ,a nd t h e stou test legto fai l yet , over true a nd loyal h earts it i s p owerless ; th ey are ever th e same in youth a nd age . It i s tw en ty yearssince th i s great w a r broke out , a nd th ough tw enty years fromto - day may find , a nd mu st find us few er in num ber , as th e resi stlessartil lery Of t ime plough s th rough our ranks , yet , at th e end o f th attw en ty years

,I doubt n o t th at th e Society o f th e Arm y o f t h e Poto

mac w i l l m eet w ith th e Same patriotic im pu l ses t h at an imate itssurvivors to - day , a nd th at an imated th em w h en , as youngsoldi ers,th ey w en t forth to breast th e storm o f w a r, a nd to Offer th ei r l ivesfor th eir country . [Applause ]

Gen eral HENRY W . SLOCUM respon ded to th e cal ls in t h e fo llow ingterms

771 5 Army of M e P otoma c . 29

REMARKS OF GENERAL SLOCUM .COMRADES We h a d tw o classes o f sold i ers in th e Army o f th e

Potomac—the one th at struggled to be dash ing, a nd th e oth er to bed iscreet . I tried to create a reputation for being discreet , a nd Ith ink I di d to some extent . I don ’t wan t to forfeit th at reputation ,a nd yet I fear I sh al l do i t, for I know th ere i s no t a m a n in th i sh ouse th at w ou l d no t pronoun ce me indiscreet if I attempted tomake a ny extended remarks after th e eloquen ce o f our Orator . Iri se on ly to th ank you for th e w elcome ten dered me

,a nd to add my

voice to th e th anks to th e peopl e o f th i s c i ty .It i s no t n ecessary for me to exten d th ese remarks , because th ey

h ave been expressed better th an I ca n express th em . I sh al l refrainfor anoth er reason . We h ave a business meetingyet , a nd afte r th ata banquet , w ith n umerous speech es, a nd you may get surfeited . Ish al l simply th ank you for th e compl imen t tendered me . [Greatapplause ]

Governor B IGELOW, o f Connecticut , in respon se to th e publ icdeman d , said

REMARKS OF GOVERNOR BIGELOW .Th e Mayor o f Hartford h a s extended to you th e w elcome o f

th i s c ity as th e representat ive o f th i s State . I secon d th at w el come ,a nd h ope your reun ion may be a j oyous on e , a nd be o ne o f manyyet to come

,a nd th at yo u may leave th i s place w ith many pleasan t

recollection s . [Applause ]After March ingTh rough Georgia,

” by th e Ban d , th ree ch eersw ere given for Gen eral SHERMAN , a nd th e audien ce di spersed toth e strain s o f “ America .

30 Tw eg'

ftfz Annua i Rc Un ion—S ociety of

BU S INES S M EETING.

Presiden t General HORATIO G. WR IGHT , in th e ch air .Th e Recording Secretary presented t h e prin ted proceed ings o f

1 880,as th e minutes o f th e last meeting, a nd th e same w ere

adopted .Th e Treasurer submitted th e follow ingreport for th e fiscal year

en dingJun e 6, 1 881

REPORT OF TREASURER, SOCIETY ARMY OF THE P OTOMAC, FOR THEYEAR END ING J UNE 6. 1 881 .

DR .To Ba la nce as p er la st report 8933 25Dues rece i ved from members J une 1 4, 1 880, to J une 81 1 25In it ia t ion fee s o f new members . 21 0 00

P o sta ge for Trea surer a nd Secreta ryS ta t ionery a nd print ing for Treasurer and S ecreta ry .C lerk h ireExpenses o f P o et and S tenogra ph er a t meet ingCo lored s i lk badgesPrint ing reports of la st meet ing .Co st of w ine a t banquetCo st of c iga rs a t ba nquet . .Sundry di sbursements , expressa ge , te legrams , etc.Expenses o f sub -comm ittee to Ha rtford .Ho te l expenses for inv ited guests a t Burl ington ,Ba la nce .

50 50

On motion th e report w a s adopted.

Gen eral MCMAHON requested th at a committee be appointed toaudit h is accounts .

A motion w a s made , secon ded , a nd carried , th at th e auditingOf th e accoun ts be l eft to th e Executive Committee , a nd th at th eyreport in w ritingat th e n ext meeting.

Tbe Army of tlze P otoma c . 3 1

Nomination s for Officers for th e ensuing year beingn ext inorder

, General MCQUADE , un der instruction from th e Fift h Corps ,nominated Gen eral A . A . HUMP HREYS for Presiden t .Colon el PLATT presented t h e name o f General CHARLE S

DEVENS .Th e President appoin ted th ree tel l ers .Th e Presiden t appoin ted Generals W ILEY , SHERMAN , a nd

AS P INWALL a comm i ttee to report th ree places from w h ich to selectt h e n ext place o f meeting.

A cord ial invitation from th e City o f D etro it w a s re ceived a ndread .Gen eral SLOCUM invited th e Society to go to Brook lyn fo r

th eir n ext meeting.Th e tel l ers reported th at a majority o f votes h a d been cast for

Gen eral CHARLES DEVENS forn ext Presi dent Of th e Society , a nd, onmotion , th e election w a s made unan imous .

Th e V i ce-Presidents,Treasurer, Recording a nd Corresponding

Secretaries w ere ch osen by unan imous votes . Th ei r names Wi l l befoun d o n th e first page o f th i s report .It w a s voted unan imously th at th e Con sti tution Of th e Society

be so amended as to in clude in th e Soci ety th e Nin eteen th Corpsa nd a ny oth er corps w h ich at a ny t ime formed part o f th e Army ofth e Potomac .

A vote o f th anks w a s unan imously tendered th e O rator a ndth e Poet o f th e Day .Gen eral FRANKLIN . after eulogiz ingth e distinguish ed services

O f Gen eral JOHN F . REYNOLDS , deceased , offered th e follow ingresolution s , w h i ch w ere unan imously adopted

RESOLUT IONS APPROVING AND INVITING SUBSCRIPTIONS TO A FUNDFOR AN EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GENERAL J OHN F . REYNOLDS .ADOP TED BY THE SOCIETY OF THE ARM Y OF THE P OTOMAC.WHEREAS , a generou s c itizen of P h i lade lph ia , M r. J . E . TEMPLE , offers to sub

scribe t h e sum o f tw enty-five th ousa nd do l la rs tow a rds a n equestria n sta tue o fGenera l J OHN F . REYNOLDS ,

Resolved , T h a t th e S oc ie ty o f th e Army o f th e P o tom a c h ea rt i l y a ppro ve t h epro po sed memoria l , a nd recommend it to i ts members , to a ll w h o served under a ndw ith REYNOLDS , and e spec ia ll y to h is own, th e F irst Corps , a s w e l l a s to th e Th irda nd E leventh Corps a nd BUFORD ’S Ca va lry Di v i s ion , REYNOLD S ’S comm a nd w h en h efe l l a t Gettysburg .

Resolved, T h a t a comm ittee of t h ree , togeth er w ith th e o fficers o f th i s S oc iety ,b e a ppo inted to cO-opera te w ith sim i la r comm ittees from oth er orga n i za t ions , inta king th e requ is ite steps to ra i se such addit iona l sum a s S h a ll b e requ ired to comp lete th e am ount needed for th e proper execut ion o f th e pro posedmemoria l .

32 Tw et/“

tnAnnua t Re Un ion—S ociety of

Resolved, Th a t th i s S o c iety a ppea l to th e publ ic , a s w e l l a s to i tsmembers and a llso ldiers, to subscribe to th e propo sedmemoria l , th a t itm ay su ita bly record a nd reca l lth e princ ipa l events OfREYNOLD S ’S long anddi st ingu i sh edm i l ita ry ca reer;h is servicesin th e Florida w a r a nd th e w arw ith M ex ico h is ga l la nt lea dersh i p of th e D i v is ionof th e P ennsy l va n ia Re serves th rough th e ba ttle s on th e P en insu la ; h is h ero i smin th e ba tt les before Wa sh ington h is indom ita ble perseverance in orga n iz ing t h em i l i tia for th e campa ign in Ma ryla nd h is di st ingu i sh ed a bi l ity in lea ding th e F irstCorps a t Fredericksburg a nd Ch ance l lorsv i l le h is sk i l l in h a ndl ing th e th ree Corpsand th e Ca va lry D i v i s ion in t h e campa ign th a t ended in t h e Ba ttle of Gettysburgh is sh a re in securing t h a t v ictory , a nd h is h ero ic dea th on th e ba ttle fie ld a t th eh ead of h is bra ve so ldiers in t h e open ing h our of th e contest .

Th e Presiden t appoin ted as such committee General W . B .FRANKLIN , Hartford . Ct ; Gen eral HORATIOG. WRIGHT , Wash ington , D . C . ; Gen eral HENRY W . SLOCUM , Brooklyn , N . Y.

DANIEL DOUGHERTY , Esq , a nd Colonel S . B . SUMNER , th eOrator a nd th e Poet Of th e Day , a nd Hon . ROBERT T. L INCOLN ,Secretary o f War , w ere elected h onorary members .

A ri sing vote o f th ank s w a s passed to th e citi z en s o f Hartfordxa nd w a s supplemen ted by th ree rousingch eers .

On motion o f Gen eral MILES , i t w a s voted th at a committee Ofth ree be appointed to confer w ith th e Officers O f al l oth er Armyorgan i z ation s w i th a Vi ew to a gen eral re -un ion at th e n ext World ’sFair in th i s coun try w h erever h el d . Th e Presi den t appoint ed assu ch committee General s NELS ON A . M ILES , D . E . S ICKLES . a ndHENRY W . SLOCUM .

Th e comm ittee on sel ection o f place o f meetingin 1 882 reportedDetroit

,Mich Brooklyn , N . Y . , a nd Utica, N . Y.

Th e tel lers appointed to coun t th e vote reported 5 7 for Detroit,

a nea rly unan imous vote .Th e busin ess m eetingth en adj ourn ed .

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34 Tw et/t}: Annua l Re Un ion—S oci ety of

REPORT OF THE SECOND CORP S .

THE annual meetingo f th e Second Corps C lub w a s convened inRoom 3 3 o f th e S tate Cap itol , in Hartford , Conn . , at 1 0O ’clock A .Mo f June 8 , 1 88 1 , Colonel GEORGE F . H OP P ER , th e Pres iden t o f th eA ssoc iation , in th e ch air . Th ere w a s a large number in attendan ce .

Th e Compact a nd Ru les o f t h e Club w ere read a nd amended byaddinga section to th e latter , provid ing for t h e election o f th reeV ice-Pres idents .

Th e old Corp s h eadquarters fl agw a s brough t o n by th e Presiden t fl‘O lll Governor’s I sland , a nd a vote o f t h anks wa s extendedGeneral MITCHELL fo r i ts use . It w a s afterwards born e at th e h eado f t h e Corp s as it march ed th rough th e c i ty , a nd attracted muchattention .Letters expressingth ei r inabil i ty to be present w ere read from

Gen erals HANCOCK, IIUM PHR EYS , COUCH , a ndWARREN . a nd by votewere entered in th e records in ful l . (Th ey are om itted in th i sreport

Duringth e absence o f a committee appointed to nominate a l i sto f officers fo r th e ensu ingyea r,Genera l NELS ON W . M ILES w a s cal l edupon to address h is o ld com rades

,a nd comp lied

'

in a few h appyrem a rks .

Th e fol low ing l i st o f offi cers , reported by th e n ominating comm ittee , wa s accep ted a nd unan imously adopted

P res ident : Major-General DARIUS N . C OUCH , Norwalk , Conn .S ecreta ry a nd Trea surer : JOHN D . B ILLINGS , Cambridgeport ,

Mass .Vice -P res idents : General N ELS ON W . MILES , U . S . A . Colonel

NATHAN CHURCH , Ith aca, N . Y. Colon el J . HENRY SLEEP ER ,Boston , Mass .

Executive Comm i ttee : Gen eral J . E . CURTIS , Canandaigua, N .Y . ;Gen eral THEODORE G. ELLIS , Hartford . Conn ; Colonel GEO . F .HOP P ER

,New York ; General JAMES N . BEAVER , Bel le fonte, Pa.

Captain BENJ . H . CHILD , Pro v idence , R . I .H istori a n of th e Corp s : Gen eral FRANCIS N . WALKER , Wash

ingto n, D . C .A fter some remarks tou ch ing th e im portan ce o f h aving th e

h i story o f t h e Corp s begun at a n early day , th e Secretary w a sau t h or iz ed to con fer w it h t h e h istorian w i th a v i ew to assuringth at

,in case i t i s impossi b le fo r h im to accept th e position , some

o ne e l se m a y be obtained before t h e n ext meeting.Th e Association wa s th en adjourn ed to j oin in th e meeting o f

th e Society o f th e Army o f t h e Potomac at th e Opera House.JOHN D . B ILLINGS ,

S ecreta ry .

Tfie Army of tile P otoma c .

REPORT OF THE FIFTH CORPS .

M INUTES o f th e Society O f th e Fifth Army Corps, at th e regulara nnual meeting, h eld in th e c i ty o f Hartford . Conn . , June 8, 1 88 1 .Minutes o f t h e l as t meetingo f th e Society read a nd approved .

Repor t O f Trea surer read a nd adopted .B revet B rigadi er-General JOHN J . M ILHAU, U . S . A . , w a s el ected

Vice -Pres ident to represent t h e Corps in t h e Society o f th e Army o fth e Potomac .

A letter from General F . J . PORTER w a s read , in w h ich h ee xpressed h is gratefu l th anks for th e in terest S h own by th e Societyin h is beh a l f.

Th e fol low ing resolut ion w a s unan imousl y adoptedR eso lved Th a t t h e Soci ety o f t h e Fi ft h Army Corps h a s

regard ed w i th surprise a nd regret th e fai lure o f th e House o f Rep rese nta t ive s

,in th e Forty- s ixt h Congress assembled , to pass t h e

Senate resolut ions a nd bil l in vindi cat ion o f our first Comm a nde r ,General F ITZ JOHN PORTER, a nd as recomm ended by t h e AdvisoryBoard ap p oin ted by t h e Presiden t o f t h e Un ite d States to examineinto th e facts , a nd to report w h at act ion justice requ i res S h ou ld betaken in t h e case . ’

“ T h at t h e Soc iety earnestl y and respectfully asks o f th e Co ngress o f t h e Un ited S tates to take measures to carry into effect th erecomm endatio ns o f th e Ad v i sory Board

,so as to en sure

,at a n early

date , t h e ful l vind icat ion w h i c h t h e army a nd t h e coun try knowGeneral PO RTER 'S conduct de serves

,w h ich conduct th e Advisory

Board dec lares ‘ i t i s no t possibl e t h at a ny court martial could h avec ondemne d if i t h a d been correctly understood. On t h e contrary

,

t h at conduct w a s obed ie nt , subord inate . fait h ful , a nd j ud ic ious .I t sav ed t h e Un ion Army from disaster o n th e 29th o f August ,

I t w a s Resolved Th at th e foregoing resolution be spread u ponth e minutes, a nd a Copy sent to th e Secretary o f t h e Soci ety o f th eArmy o f t h e Po tomac .

Th e follow inggentlemen w ere elected officers o f th e Society forth e en suingyear :

P res ident : Brevet Major -General J AS . MCQUADE .Vi ce-P res ident Brevet MajorGeneral S . \V. CRAWFORD .S ecreta ry a nd Trea surer : Brevet B rigad ier -Gen e ral FRED . T.

LOCKEE eecu tive Commi ttee : Brevet Maj or -Gen eral HENRY A .

BARNUM ; Colonel A . M . CLARKE Private J . M . WEBB .FRED . T. LOCKE ,

S ecreta ry.

T'we/f tfi Annua l Re Union— 5 05 2230 of

REPORT OF THE S IXTH CORP S .

THE Society o f th e S ixth Army Corps h eld its th i rteen th annualreun ion in th e Assembly C h amber

,State Capitol

,Wednesday

morn ing, June 8. Th e meeting h a d been cal led at 1 0 o’clock , b utow ing to th e n o n -arrival o f Post 2 , G. A . R . , o f Ph i ladelph ia , tow h ich Post many members o f th e Soci ety belonged , it wa s deemedbest no t to commen ce busin ess ti l l 1 1 o’clock . At th at h our,Gen eralDEVENS , Presiden t o f th e Society, called th e meeting to order ; att h e same time h e th anked th e Soci ety for th e h onor in electingh imPresident at th e Burl ington meeting, at w h ich place h e w a s unableto attend , ow ingto public bu siness .

He made complimentary allusion s to General s SEDGWICK ,FRANKLIN , a nd WR IGHT . He said th e h igh er obj ect o f th ese A ssocia tion s i s h i storic—to retain th e names a nd tran saction s n o t on lyo f th e Gen eral s, but o f t h e private sold ier also . Th e soldi ers wh obelonged to th e Army o f th e Potomac are proud o f th e Association .

He spoke o f th e services o f th e Sixth Corps during th e w a r,th e h ardsh ips a nd reverses t h ey h a d sh ared in , a nd th e successesa nd glory th ey h a d partic ipated in .

He called th e attention o f th e Soci ety to th e fact th at th ereports o f th e final battles o f th e Corps cou ld no t be found amongth e papers in th e office o f th e Adj utant-Gen eral at Wash ington .Th e reports w ere

, n o doubt , in Was h ington , a nd i t i s importantth at th ey sh ould be found, a nd to th at end h e h oped th e Soci ety ,before adj ourn ing, wou ld take proper action in th e matter. Th eywh o served in th e S ixth Corps ca n poin t w ith pride to th eir record

- a record in w h ich bravery a nd h eroi sm w ere on ly equal led by selfden ial a nd devot ion to d uty .

Th e ca l l ingo f th e rol l w a s di spen sed w ith .Th e minu tes o f th e meeting h eld at Burl ington , Vt . , Jun e 1 6,

1 880,w ere read by Major IVAN TAI LOF, Corresponding Secretary

th e Recording Secretary , Colonel ROBT . LOW , being detain edw ith Post 2 .Colonel J . H . PLATT , from th e Comm ittee to Investigate th e

righ t o f th e Tw enty -th i rd Regim en t o f Mil itia o f Brooklyn , N . Y tow ear th e badge o f th e Sixth Army Corps , read th e follow ing report

,w h i ch w a s unan imously adopted :

Th e committee appointed at th e last meeting o f th i s Soci ety ,h e ld at Burl ington , Vt . , Jun e 1 6 , 1 880, to investigate th e righ t o fth e Twen ty - th i rd Regimen t , New York State Mil itia, to w ear th ebadge o f th e Sixth Corps , resp ectfu l ly report

Th e mem bers o f th e Twenty -th i rd Regim en t claim th at th eirRegimen t w a s in corporated into th e Sixth Corps duringth e Gettys

T/ze Army of M e P otoma c . 37

burgcampaign , J uly , 1 863 . a nd th at th ey'

p a rtic ip a ted in t h e battl e ,e tc .

, etc . ; a nd fo r th at servi ce are entitl ed to w ear th e b adge o f th eCorps . Th e con spicuous d i splay o f t h e badge by th e m embers o ft h e Twenty - th ird, a nd th e repeated statements made by th em o ft h ei r servi ce a nd attach men t to th e S ixth Corp s , aroused t h e indignation o f many veteran s , w h o recorded t h ei r protests in t h e publ icj ourn al s o fNew York a nd Brooklyn against th e unwarranted libertyo f th e members o f th e Twen ty - th i rd in t h eir adoption o f th e badge ,o ne t h ey h ave no more th e righ t to w ear t h an th ey h ave th at o f th ec ross o f th e Legion o f Honor .From a careful examination o f th e roster o f regimen ts com

p osing t h e S ixt h Army Corps , from i ts organ i z ation to i ts finalmuster o ut , n o mention i s found o f th e Twe nty - th i rd New YorkState Mil i tia . From documentary h i story your comm ittee find th eTwenty- th ird Regimen t migh t h ave been attach ed to t h e S ixthCorps h a dGeneral (BALDY ) SMITH gi ven h is assen t .

During th e memorable Gettysburg campaign , in w h ich th emembers o f t h e Twenty -t h i rd say th ei r regiment partic ipated , w efind t h at th ey , w i th ot h er New York a nd some Pennsylvan iam i l itia, made u p a d ivi sion o f troops th at were a part o f t h e forcescon st itutingth e D epartment o f th e Susqueh anna , commanded byGen eral COUCH . Th e division referred to w a s command ed byGeneral W . F . SMITH . a former commander o f th e S ixt h Corps , w h oarrived abou t th e 1 2th o f July , 1 863, at Boonsboro

‘

,Maryland . Th e

d ivision h a d been at Wayn esboro’, w h ere t h ey met a deta ch men tfrom th e S ixth Corps command ed by Gene ral NIE LL. At Boonsboro’

, Gene ral MEADE offered to attac h Gen eral SMITH ’S divisionto o ne o f h is corp s (p er h aps th e Sixt h , a nd p ut th em in th e fron t ,but Gen eral SMITH advised so strongly against i t th at Gene ralMEADE left t h em in t h e rear . [Testimony o f General MEADEbefore t h e Comm i ttee o n th e Co

'

nduct o f t h e War . ]Th e Twenty-th i rd Regiment w a s n o t attach ed to t h e S ixth

Army Corps or even to th e Army o f th e Potomac .In view o f t h ese facts your committee w ou ld recommen d , so as

to set at rest a useless con troversy, th at a statem en t be preparedfo r publication to th e effect t h at n o proof exists t h at t h e Twentyt h i rd Regimen t Mil it ia w ere at a ny t ime , or w ere th ey in a ny w a y,connected w ith th e Sixth Army Corp s ; a nd t h erefore its m em bersh ave no righ t (except th ose w h o found service in regiments t h a twere attac h ed to th e Sixth ) to wear th e ins ign ia o f th e SixthA rmy Corps .

[Sign ed] SAM’L TRUESDELL, Lieutenan t -Colonel .JAs. H . PLATT, Colonel .J . W . WARNER

,Brigadier Gen eral .

38 Tfwd/til. Am za a /Re Un ion—S oci ety of

Th e Corresponding Secretary , Ma jor IVAN TAILOF, presen tedh is report o f matters relat ing to h is offi ce , wh i ch w a s read a ndordered o n file .

Th e Treasurer , Colonel TRUESDELL, read h is report o f receiptsa nd disbursemen ts since t h e last meeting. Approved a nd placed onfile .

Th e follow ingw ere elected officers for th e en su ingyear

P resi dent : General GEO . W . GETTY .Vi ce-P residen ts : General W . W . HENRY ;Gen eral FRANCIS E

PINTO ; Colon el GEO . W . FORD .S ecreta ry : Major IVAN TA ILOF.Trea surer Colon el SAMUEL TRUESDELL .Vi ce-P res ident of th e S oci ety of th e Army of th e P otoma c , rep re

sentingth e S ixth Corp s : Colon el JAMES H . PLATT .Th e Presi dent named General WRIGHT as th e Ch ai rman o f th e

Committee to look up t h e reports o f th e Corps, as al luded to in h isremarks w h en call ingt h e meetingto order. Th e oth er members o fth e committee w ould be named h e reafter .

Afte r pa ssinga vote o f t h ank s to th e Legi slatu re for th e u se o fth e Assembly C h ambe r, a nd to t h e ci ti z en s o f Hartford for th eirki nd reception , t h e meetingadj ourn ed .

Th e Army of th e P otoma c . 39

REPORT OF THE NINTII CORPS .

PROCEED INGS o f th e annual meetingo f th e Soci ety o f th e Burnsi de Exped it ion a nd o f th e Ninth Army Corps

,h el d at Hartford ,

Conn . , o n Wednesday , June 8, 1 881Th e meetingw a s cal led to order in th e Supreme Court Room , atth e State Capitol , at A .M . , by t h e Presi den t , General A . E .BURNS IDE . About seven ty -five members w ere present .

Th e Presiden t made a sh ort add ress,expressing h is pleasure at

meetingagain th e members o f th e Soci ety .Th e records o f th e last meeting, h el d in Providen ce , were th en

read a nd approved .Th e Pres i den t announced th e follow ingcommitteesOn Nominat ions General H . C . LEE General M . T. DONAHOE ,

a nd Captain IRA B . SAMP S ON .On Gen eral Bu sin ess Gen eral s R . B . POTTER , W . H . P .

STEERE,a nd F . W . SWIFT .

Before th e Committee o n Nominat ion s cou ld reti re for con sultat ion

,Colon el C . H . HOUGHTON rose a nd sai d th at h e de sired to

make th e same motion as last year , v iz . Th at th e rul es be suspen ded

, a nd th atGen eral BURNS IDE be re - elected President for th een su ingyear by acclamati on .

Th i s motion w a s unan imously carried .Gen eral BURNS IDE . in a few word s , return ed h is th an ks for th e

h onor, a nd expressed th e pleasure w h ic h th ese continued re—elect ion s gave h im .Gen eral F . W . SWIFT presented a n invitat ion from promin ent

c it iz en s o f D etroit for th e Ninth Corps to meet in th at city n ext year.After remarks by th e Presi dent , a nd Gen eral s JULIUS WH ITE

a nd EDWARD JARD INE , t h e invitation w a s referred to th e Committee o n Gen eral Business.

Th e Treasurer’s report w a s th en read . received , a nd ordered tobe placed on file . I t sh ow ed th e rece ipt s to h ave been $ 1 5 5 ; th eexpen ditures a nd th e ba lan ce o n h and

,

Th e Secretary reported th e deat h o f Lieutenan t J OSEP H W .HOLMES , formerly o f th e Twen ty- seventh Massach usetts Vo lunteers , a nd read a sh ort sketch o f h is l ife a nd mi litary services .General R . B . POTTER , from th e Committee o n Gen eral B usi

n ess,reported in favor o f accepting th e invitation to meet in

Detroit n ext year , a nd i t w a s so voted .It w a s also voted th at th e m embers o f th e Soci ety use th ei r

utmost en deavors to induce th e Army o f th e Potomac to meet atth e same place .

Tw elf th Annua l Re Uni on—S ociety of

General H . C . LEE , from th e Nominating Comm i ttee, reportedth e fol low ingl i st o f officers , a nd th ey w ere unan imou sly elected

Vi ce-P resi dent : General A . B . R . SP RAGUE , o fWorcester , Mass .S ecreta ry : Gen eral C . HENRY BARNEY , o f Providen ce , R . I ,Trea surer : Colon el D . R . LARNED , U . S . A .Vi ce-P resi dent of Army of P otom a c : General F . W . SWIFT, o f

Detroit,Mich .

Th e Presiden t announced th e arrangemen ts for th e Army o fth e Potomac banquet in th e even ing.It w a s unan imou sly voted to tender th e th ank s o f th e Soci ety

to th e auth oriti es o f th e State o f Connecti cut for th e use o f th eroom s in th e Capitol , so generously placed at th eir d isposal .

Th e Presiden t made th e announ cemen t th at th e members o fth e Society w ere requ ested to form in l ine at A .M . , near th esouth en tran ce to th e bui ld ing, to proceed in a body to t h e Armyo f t h e Potomac meet ing.

Th ere beingno furth er busin ess, th e meetingadj ou rn ed .At test

C . H . BARNEY,

S ecreta ry .

REPORT OF THE'

TWELFTH CORP S .

AT th e meeting o f th e members o f th e Twelfth Army Corps,h eld in Room 5 5 , in th e C apitol , J un e 8, 1 88 1 , th e fol low ingofficersw ere elected

P residen t : Gen eral GEO . L . BEAL .S ecreta ry : D r . JNO . J . H . LOVE .Th irty -five members o f th e old Corps w ere presen t

, a nd en rol ledth eir names . A comm ittee , con si sting o f Colonel s BUCKINGHAM ,COGGSWE LL , a nd CHAPMAN , w a s appointed to report at th e n extmeetinga design for a su itable Corps badge .Colonel WARREN W . PACKER , o f Conn . , w a s named as V ice

Presiden t from th i s Corps to th e Society o f th e Army o f th ePotomac .

JOHN J . H . LOVE ,

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42 Tw elfth Annua l Re Un ion— S ociety of

Th e report wa s unan imously adopted, a nd th e Secretary w a s

instructed to cast o n e ballot for th e ticket , w h i ch w a s done , a nd th eofficers declared elected .Motions were th en made

,a nd unan imously carri ed , th at th e

th anks o f t h e Society be tendered to Major-Gen eral JOHN B . M CINTOSH, th e ret i ringPresi den t, a nd also to th e auth oriti es a nd cit iz en s o f Hartford for th eir h ospital ity a nd k in d attent ion s to th eSoc i ety duringth i s meeting, a nd for th e use o f th e Senate Ch amber .It wa s furth er m oved a nd adopted th at th e Secretary act as

Treasurer un ti l th e qualification o f th e . n ew Treasurer ; th at th enew Treasurer be in structed

,out o f th e first funds com ing in to h is

h an ds , to pay to th e Secretary th e sum o f advan ced by h imfor th e Society

, a nd such oth er amoun ts as h e migh t so advance ,a nd th at th e