The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-08-21
Reception of the New England Guards at
Northfeld, Saturday, 18th inst.

arrived in Mortified, on Saturday last, at 3
o'clock A. M. They were received with great
demonstrations of joy, Major Williams, with
his light artillery company firing salute. and
the bells of the villagernging their merry peals
in honor Of their return.
At 7 o'clock, the Guards assembled at their
armory and procession was soon formed-the
two fire companies. Maj. Williams company,
and the Northtield Brass Band doing escort duty
under the direction of Messrs. Cady, Brown and
Webb, who were the marshals of the day.
After moving through the principal streets,
they were assembled on the com mon, where
they were addressed by John Gregory, Esq,
who spoke as follows
CAPT. BoYNToN, OFFICERS AND PRVATEs OF
TIE New ENGLAND GUARDS The citizens of
Mortified bid me welcome you back to the
Green Mountain State, and the goodly town
from whence you departed some three months
ago, amid the booming of cannon, and the spon
thousand hearts. Your promptness, friends, in
hastcning to the scene of rebellion, was patriotic
and wise, and it shows that you were composed
of the right metal to leave friends and kindred,
and assist in striking blow for freedom that
shall rebound to the honor and happiness of
those who shall come after us. You did well
in thus volunteering your services, and believe
me we have watched your course with satisfac-
ton from the time when the iron horse took you
in charge until your arrival in Fortress Monroe
With pleasure we heard of your soldierly ap
pearance while marching through New York
and read with pride the high encomiums passed
upon you by the New York Press We fingered
around Newport News with anxious solcitude
for your welfare, and sent up OR prayers of
thankfuIness to high Heaven that none Of you
We're destroyed in your charges against the
masked batteries of Great Bethel.
We welcome you back. then, New England
Guards, to your homes and your fresides, to re
ceive the warm hand grasp of relatives, friends
and neighbors, TO renewal of the social joys of
life. And although the war is not yet ended
yet we shall ever consider that as the faithful
representatives of Vermont, you contributed not
a little to the general cause in which every pat
riot soul is now engaged. And when rebellion
shall cease in cur otherwise happy land, and
traitors receive the doom of annihilaton that
awaits them, then as American citizens, you will
have the proud satisfaction of knowing that you
assisted in the noble work of bringing back our
Government to its original unity and splendor
and depart with the feeling that in the hour of
your nations trial Gou stood forth as the cham
pons of liberty, justice and right, that you en-
deavored to do your duty! Once more We bid
you welcome.
To which, Mr.. Drew of w olcott, private in
the New England Guards, spoke as follows
Ladies and Gentlemen I'VE mourn, and we
rejoice we rejoice that we have again returned
to our homes and 10 the bosom Of our families
we rejoice to find our friends in so good health
but we mourn to think that with those with
whom we have endeavored TO serve our try
we shall be no more Our officer s commanding
voice and the beat of the drum will call US to-
ge,her no longer The greatest pang of all is
our country--for her we weep, for her we
mourn, for her we have offered our lives and
we are ready again, whenever the emergency
requires it, to shoulder our arms and march to
the battlefield. We have fought for the I'm
ion, we meant to stand by it, We claim to be
possessed with the spirit Of freedom. Our rur
pose has been to maintain our national honor,
and to uphold our national flag. My country
men, we have endeavored to be faithful to that
sacred cause in which we enlisted. If we have
not it has been an error of judgment. We
remembered that we were sons OF Vermont,
and she needs no comment on her past history.
There are her Aliens, her Starks, her Benn
ington and her Hubbardton. We have endeav.
ored to keep these pages shining brightly. We
are proud to say that we are American citizens,
but prouder yet are We to be able to say that
VIC are citizens Of Vermont.
Fellow citizens, we are again among you, but
| assure you there is not one of this Company
who, if he knew his country really needed his
services, would stop only to bid his friends
goodbye. There is the same spirit beating
within or breasts to-day that there was three
months ago. We will cling to our country
with the same tenacity. We love her, and
under her flag we are ready to die. Gentlemen,
we are in the midst Of revolution, the wick
edest, | believe, ever known to the world. 1t is
a struggle betwixt life and death. The contest
which is to decide whether the prograss OF free
dom shall be onward, or this Government, which
has so long been our protection, shall crumble
into ruin. Will that flag which waves over
the capitol of Washington, which bears the
name Of him we hold SO dear, our glory and our
pride, trail in the dust? 1t will not, | trust.
believe there is u popular heart large enough
to save the Union May we never see the ves
sci go to wreck, the keel of which was laid by
the hand of Washington, Jefferson, Mad
ison, a Hamilton, the Adanses and the Jays, |
and all that figured in our carly and virtuous
days, but rather declare the Star-spangled Ban
ner shall wave from it's mast Our brothers
blood, which was split on the 2lst of July, calls
for Justice Our war-cry is Onward, Justice
and Liberty " The cry of Liberty has knock
at every door in New England. It's echo
has reached every heart and hearthstone. Will
you not, then, my countrymen, join heart and
hand in one cause, our Country Let us re-