Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1870-07-06
Grand Excursion of the Vet
Grams of 1872

Grams Oh 1910
A meeting of the soldiers Of
the war of 1912 was held In
this city, on Wednesday last
Upwards of eighty old soldiers
we're in attendance-one d
whom-S. B. III. Jones, Of Flem'
ing county, 70 years old, had
walked forty miles to be pres
ent. After a banquet at the
Bourbon House, about thirty
of the veterans accepted the
invitation to visit the battle,
fields of their youth, and left
this city on the afternoon train
for Cincinnati. During the day
telegraphic dispatches had been
received from 7. A. Harrow,
of the Metropolitan Hotel,
rendering in behalf of Mrs.
Thurston, the hospitalities OF
that house, and also from the
proprietors of the Broadway
extending a similar invitation
Both invitations were CRATE
fully accepted and the company
divided, one.half being the
guests of the Broadway, and
the other of the Metropolitan.
We were the guests Of the Me,
tropolitan, as were number Of
the old soldiers from this Sec
ton of the State, many of
whom Mrs. Thurston had
known in their young manhood,
and all of whom she had seen
ffty-seven years ago, as they
passed to the defense of the
then Northwestern frontier.-
1t is needless to say, that every
possible attention was shown
our party; the supper at the
Metropolitan was altogether
impromptu, but was one of the
best that ever gladdened the
inner man. 1t was a fitting
foretaste of the good things yet
to come. Nor was the Broad
way at all behind; not content
with extending every courtesy
to their guests, the proprietors
generously presented to the
party a sum of twenty-five dol
lars to provide for lunch at
Lima.
Having rested Wednesday
night at Cincinnati, the next
morning we proceeded to the
depot of the Hamilton and
Dayton Railroad, where a
special train had been provided,
through the kindness of S. S.
L'Hommedieu, Esq, the Pres
ident of the road. In a short
time, the old soldierswere COM
fortably provided for and at
7.30 A. M, started for Perrys-
burg and Maumee City. The
through which the
Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
passes-the valley of the Little
Miami-is one Of the most
beautiful the eye ever rested on,
and now in midsummer, with
its abundant and luxuriant grain
fields glittering in the sunlight,
rivaled in beauty even our
boasted Blue Grass Region
the crops seemed to be
more promising and more ad.
than those in this sec
ton Of the country. And,
then, all along the route were
scattered cities, and villages,
almost all of which had sprung
into existence within less time
than the sixty years, since these
veterans of the war of 1912 had
first passed through them. On
and on and on hurried our
train. When in 1928, the
pioneer had to cut roads
the dense forest with
his axe, was now alive with
teeming thousands and hund.
reds OF thousands. The will
derness they then hurried to
defend was now the seat of
populous cities, a thriving COM
merce, and an industrious and
contented people. What the
services of these old soldiers
their endurance, their sacrifices
h ad to do with these results
who can estimate ?
At Middletown, Ohio, we
joined by four veterans,
one Of whom David McChesney,
brought with him the. .tattered
lag which had ioated defiant
v over Fort Mei0s in l8l3.-