Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-01
Another Grand Ovation Reeep-
ton Of the Forty-Second Indiana
: Great Enthusiasm. 4

Yesterday, was MADE the occasion OF
another grand ovation, fully equal to
that on Tuesday, when the 18th, oath
and 44th were received The day was
one of the most beautiful that could be
imagined. The sun shone bright and
warm, and the air was as balmy as May.
The streets were in exeellenteondition,
the mud having mostly disappeared, and
all the various hindrances, which have
so interfered with our welcomes hereto
fore, were now overcome. The street
decorations of Tuesday were increased
by hundreds of small banners, red, white
and blue streamers, and many more
large flags, and everything appeared in
holiday attire
At halfpast nine the great bell sound
ed the signal for the committee to meet,
and for the ladies to repair to the Sol
diers' Home to make preparations for
the dinner. They went by scores, some
in carriages and others on foot, with
baskets filled with every dish and deli
cacy which the ingenuity of a cultivated
taste could suggest At twelve o'clock
the regiment appeared on the streets, es-
corted by the Seventeenth, and conduct
ed by the marshsls appointed. They
marched up Washington to Delaware
stree. and countermarched, to the music
of the fife and drum by the regiment
band, in which was the noble little drum
mer boy, Johnny Mischig, and greeted by
the waving of lhandkerchiefs from every
window and balcony, and cheers from the
multitude who thronged the side walks
along the whole length of the street
The display was grand indeed. The
erect carriage, manly looks and regular
marching of the regiment told that they
were composed Of intelligent men of
purposes as unbending and true as the
bayonets that cleaned in the MONDAY
sun. Though they were veterans, long
unused to the gentle moods of civil life,
they had warm hearts, and their stern
conferences were lit up with glad
smile when they caHght the eye of beauty
cleaning upon'them.
The regiments arrived at the Soldiers
Home at one o clock, and partook of the
splendid dinner prepared for them by the
ladies. Nine tables were loaded with
viands of every description. Each table
was served by twenty ladies', all striving
to supply their respective portions in the
best and most attractive style The rich
and the poor were there together, with q
common purpose, andsall lending a will
ing hand to the work before them They
all deserve the highest credit fol-. their
good offices The managers of the Home
also merit especial notice for their efforts
to accommodate the ladies with every
thing necessary for the success of their
arrangements. s
When the soldiers had taken their pla-
ces at the tables, Col James Blake gave
the order as follows:
Attention, Battalionsl Ready, aim,
fre--and load at will" The order was
obeyed They went in as men who APP
preeiated the value of time, and when a
plate or. cup was empty, fair hand
anticipated the want and supplied it with
out q question. 1t was beautiful sight.
and long will those soldiers remember
the offering. After dinner the little
drummer boy edited the crowd of citi-
zens present with an exhibition of his
powers, exciting their admiration, and
receiving many compliments Is 81
The regiments then marched back to
Washington street and up as far as Ala
bama, countermarched and went to the
State House, the immense crowd render
ing it impossible to occupy Metropolitan
| Hall, which had been generously ten
dered for the occasion. They formed in
sssdouble column onthe centre" and the
vestibule and the grounds for many yards
around were densely packed with citi-
zens
The exercises were opened with prayer
by Chaplain Layton, of the 18th Indiana.
| God for his care of the soldiers in all
their many trials, and earnest pleading
for the blessings of Heaven upon them,
and upon the Governor and rulers of the
nation. The National Guards Band,
which hadjoined the procession at the
Soldier S Home, then gave the stirring and
,eyer-cheering "Star Spangled Banner"
with fine effect.
r. Gov. Morton welcomed the regiment
home in one. of his best efforts. He dis
cussed at some length the cause that
had induced these men to peril their
lives on the field of battle He said
there were two great ideas which had d.
vided the country One was that the
States were sovereignties, and as such,
partners in compact which they had
the right to dissolve at any time, by Sc
eession or otherwise This idea led to
separation when its advocates found they
could no longer rule the Government.
The other idea was that while all the
. / States 4hory 90
independent OF, but subordinate to, the
general Government, which was unity
ior the protection of the lesser Govern.
ment The history of Indiana proves
the absurdlty of the first. She was q
part OF Virginia, and had no original
state sovereignty sit was the desire to
preserve the unity of separate State
Governments, attacked with sucb vio-
lence by the rebels, that led forth HIM
dreds of thousands of our brave Nortb.
men to battle and to death. He said 4
we should lose ten Southern States. we
might reasonably apprehend that other
! divisions might take place, in the re-
naming States that were united by more
natural ties, until the nation wonld be
broken into fragments And under such
| u state Oh dudIrS, what would nave been
the condition of Indiana, hemmed in and
i shut off from trade or communication
with the ssa-board and Gulf of Mexico?
/ The AID went, out when Kentucky,
| Missouri and Tennessee were claimed
and overrun by the rebels 1t had par
tlclpated in the many struggles and tri-
umPhs which had given us possession
and controle Of these again 1t was in
the battles of PerrYvilie, Stone River,
Chicamauga, Lookout Mountain. Mis-.
/ sionary Ridge, and others of less note.
and had lost in killed 81, wounded $50,
captured so. 1t has brilliant and hon,
cradle record, as have all the veteran
regiments of Indiana. Their historv
viii furnish material for poetry and 70.
nance for generations to come. When
4 a boy, the Governor revered the memorv
of the Fathers, and believed that their
/ deeds would find no parallel in the ia.
Etnre; but he thought now that it was No
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