The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-07-14

able to prepare for you upon the short notice
| they have had of your coming. "a
Elk THE WELCOME OF THE STATE. E
Gov. Miller, on whom devolved the duty of
welcoming the troops on behalf of the State,
addressed them in o few remarks, saying that
as the dinner tables spread for them up stairs
were the best orators of welcome, no formal
address was needed from him. The bright eyes
and the ACC pies which the ladies had waiting
for them, would speak in more welcome Ian
guage than he could. Cheers He referred
| to the fact that they had been captured once
before by the ladies Cat Chicago and men,
toned the compliment that those ladies had
paid them, "that the Eleventh Minnesota was
one of the best behaved regiments that they
had ever entertained"
"On behalf of the State" he said, 81 well
come you home, to your firesides, to your va
rious pursuits of peace, to the gratitude and
honor Of our whole people. Though your
duty has not led you into the battle, you have
performed all the part entrusted to you, well
and faithfully-and this is the highest COM
mendation soldier can receive. now turn
you over to the ladies for farther welcome"
The regiment responded to this address with
three rousing cheers for the ladies of st. Paul.
s COL. GILFILL.AN's RESPONSE.
| Col Gilfllan advanced and responded to tn
welcome as follows:
Ladies and Citizens of Sa;mt Paul:
On behalf of my regiment, thank you for
the kind words of welcome you have expressed.
ft,n
manner you meet us, and the hospitable enter
tainment you have invited us to. Deprived as
we have been for many months of the social in
tercOurse which We were wont to enjoy at
home, and of the bright smiles and other en-
dearments of society here, which does not ex-
ist in the locality where duty has called US,
what we have met to-day, and are to meet,
our lot as o regiment to be on the battlefield,
however eagerly we desired that glorious part
| of soldiers duty, but we have been kept at q
post where the duty required of US was very
mon otOnous, and we are glad that the causes
which first prompted us to offer our services
over, and we have come home to lay down our
arms, and resume our civil relations. This
greeting-this cordial welcome which you,
/ Gov. Miller, have extended to us on behalf of
the State, and you, Mr.. Prince, on behalf OF
this city, calls for our gratitude and thanks,
and in the name of my regiment, tender them
to you. ... . .-...,..,
The firemen and citizens responded to Col.
G.s modest and soldierly reply with three
huge cheers. The whole formal ceremonies of
reception were very brief, so as not to keep
the men waiting for their dinner, and being
concluded, they were at once marched up and
ordered to charge on the tables, which they
did spiritedly, but in perfect good order.
| THE DINNER.
The large number of guests-much greater
than had been expectad, taxed the accommo-
dations provided by the ladies severely-but
all, we believe, found place. and plenty to
eat. 1t may as well be apologized here to the
Regiment, that the fare would have been still
better, had the ladies got longer notice but
the telegraph being blown down, they had
only about twenty-four hours notice, and the
Fourth of July intervening, while mlny Of
them were out, or preparing to 60 out, of
| town. Many of them went to the Capitol
early yesterday morning, and worked hard
until the dinner was over-4 o'clock. But we
congratulate them that their guests repay them
by their praises and gratitude, and that the
| whole affair came off so cleditably and success
| fully.
THEY GO TO THE FORT.
After dinner was over the regiment again fell
| into line and took up their march to the Upper
| Levee, where they re-embarked on the Keo-
kuk, and were soon at Fort Smelling.
| THEIR MUSTER OUT.
They have already been mustered out" in
fact, but the papers have not been delivered.
They will at once be delivered, and the men
PAID off-so that in week at farthest the SOL
diers of the Eleventh Regiment will all be cit
liens once more, and the Regiment exist no
longer as an organization.
| The men are as we'll behaved soldiers as we
ever saw. Captain Moulton, of the Keokuk,
says their conduct on the trip up could not
have been better-and wherever the Eleventh
has gone, they have won golden opinions for
good behavior. This is noble record-as
good, almost, as a list of battles inscribed on
their regimental flag. .L
| HISTORY OF THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
| Under this head we have not so much to re-
cord as we would had the Regiment been
longer in service-they having campaigned it
|
was raised under the 5000 call last August,
for one years service and was filled in few
days. The commissions of its Field Officers
date about Sept. 1, 1864, at which time the
Regiment was fully organized. 1t left Fort
Smelling, marching through st. Paul to the
Levee, on Sept. %, and at that time numbered
over 1000 strong. The Regiment went at
once to Nashville, where it remained from Oc-
tober to October 10, when it was sent to sup
press raid on the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad, near Gallatin. They drove away the
guerillas, killed then and at other times, a
number of them, and losing two men. They
remained quartered in stockades, guarding
some forty-fve miles of the road ever since.
They did their duty well, giving the guerillas
no quarter, and the road over the section
guarded by them was never molested after
Al Al