American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-05-11
COL. JAcKsoH's REPLY.

MIA Reserves, for this unmerited token of
your respect. l would be dead to graft
tude indeed, were I to receive, without
returning my most sincere thanks, such a
beautiful testimonial as this, and that too,
coming from such worthy donors as the
officers and men of the llth Pennsylva-
MIA Reserves.
/ am not aware of any act, or acts of
mine toward you, which should call forth
such tribute as this. have required of
you vigilance, punctuality, and faithful
ness, in the discharge of your duties, and
with these requirements you have uni
formly complied. could ask no more,
and could not with propriety have de-
demand less. But | accept this, fellow
soldiers, not that have merited it at your
hands, but because init | recognize anoth-
er symptom of your devotion to that glo-
rious cause in which you have been so
manfully struggling. 1t lis now well nigh
three years since you and | first met in the
character of soldiers. You were then
pleased to place me in position of honor
and authority among you. For this, al
low me here to thank you. But have
you not, since then, given ten-thousand
greater reasons for my thanks? You
have been to me more than should have
expected, yea, more than l deserved.
You have stood by me, and with me,
where none uthearts Of steel could stand;
and have ever willingly, and cheerfully,
obeved my harshest mandates.
l am proud here to say, (and that too
at the risk of being considered egotistic),
that no regiment in the Federal service
has made a brighter record than that
made by the officers and men of the Elev-
enth Pennsylvania Reserves.
You showed forth to the world around
you when you first entered the service of
your country that patriotism was yourchiei,
your high motive-not that patriotism
that needed appeals, Or waited for the
stimulants of bounties. 1t was enough
for you to knew that your country was in
peril. The roar of the first rebel cannon
reverbrating across our peaceful hills, had
scarcely died away, when you sprang to
arms and, fastening across the Alleghenies
placed your own brave breasts, bulwork
of strength, to stay the tide of rebellion
which then surged against the base of our
country's capitol And, since then, wheth-
er amid the smoke and tumult Of battle in
cid Virginia, or on the sanguine fields Of
Maryland and Pennsylvania. or within
the doleful dens of the rebel prisons, you
have ever proved true to your country's
trust.
But I must not, upon this occasion, for
get to make honorable mention of our
gallant dead, those loved but fallen mar
tyrs, whose bleaching bones whiten the
plains of the treacherous south. Our
gallant Nesbit the noble Stewart, the
brave and determined Lewis, the gentle
manly Kcister, and the heroic and efficient
Brady, yea and hundred more as worthy
of mention, have all sealed their devotion
to their country by shedding their life's
blood.
But their names stand high upon the
roll of Freedoms martyrs, and let the
blessings OF our eternal love halo around
their memories "May the sweetest and
softest sunshine of all Gods heavens lin
ger where their poor bones are moulder-
ing into dust :" But trust the dawn of
peace is near approaching, and ere long,
it will break with all its God-like efful-
gence, upon our distracted land Then
will our glorious old banner float trium-
phant, and unmolested, from Maine to Ore
eon. and from the Potomac to the Rio
Grande. Then, fellow soldiers, will /
place this gift among the chief relics Of
my life, and ever prize it highest of all
my earthly stores. Again, fellow soldiers
of the eleventh regiment, accept my heart
felt, my most grateful thanks"
After Colonel jackson concluded his
reply, three hearty cheers were given for
him. The gift cost iye-hundred dollars.
Captain Timblin stated that nine dollars
of the money raised remained in his
hands, and he asked what should be done
with it. 1t was voted to be given to the
Sanitary Commission, of Philadelphia.
1t is but just to remark here, that both
Col jackson and Capt. Timbln, have
been in every battle in which the regi-
ment has been engaged. Neither has
been wounded, and both have made very
narrow escapes.
In the battle of Antietam, after differ
ent color bearers had been shot down,
Capt Timblin took the colors and carried
them off the field At Fredericksburg
Dec. 18th, 1862, he again took up the
colors after three or four color bearers had
fallen and carried them until our men