Litchfield enquirer., 1871-10-05
THE SOLDIERS HOLIDAY.

THE SOLDIERS HOLIDAY. THE REUNION AND MONUMENTAL DEDICATION AT wooDBURY.
 The dedication of the Soldiers Monu-
 ment to it's patriotic purpose occurred on
 the 26th of September at this place. The surviving members of the Second Connec-
 tlcut Heavy Artillery held their reunion
 here on the same day. and by special invl- 1 tation provided an escort and guard of
 honor, to the long procession of distin- guished invited guests, near relations of ! the deceased soldiers, whose memory the
 monument perpetuated, and civilians, who l swarmed in from the counties of Litchfeld, Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford. It
 rained in the early morning, but the clouds l broke away and the ceremonies proceeded
 as arranged. Woodbury has had many public celebrations, but none has ever been l conducted with more Heartily enthusiasm
 and general acquiescance, than this. Pre- 1 vious to :he march of the Regiment, Dea.
 P. M. Trowbridge, who was very nearly interested in the soldiers welfare during
 the war, addressed the surviving veterans.
 When the procession to the monument
 moved, the entire street, some two hundred
 feet wide, was packed from fence to fence,
 from Dea. Linsley's House to that of Hon.
 N. B. Smith, distance of nearly a mile. There could not have been less than seven
 thousand persons present. Good judges
 estimate the number as larger. Every 1 thing proceeded in accordance with the
 pre-arranged plan at the monument which
 is erected in the south central portion of
 our extended village, on 8 beautiful emi-
 most lovely place for the purpose, being
 the same place where had formely been
 the Second Ancient Church for the period
 of nearly seventy years The monument
 was built by the Plymouth Granite Com
 pany of Waterbury, B. P. Chatfeld, Presi- l dent, from pure white granite from their Quarry at Plymouth. The lower base is
 six feet square and twenty inches high,
 surmounted by the sub base four and
 half feet square and fourteen inches high. l Over this is the die three feet square at l the base and three feet ten inches high. At the corner are ornamental consoles, and l the plane surface is paneled, the panels be- l ing finely polished and containing the
 names of the deceased soldiers. The ped iment cap is three feet ten inches square
 and one foot high. The plinth on which
 the shaft rest is three feet square and two feet seven inches high. On the front side
 the state coat of arms is handsomely chis
 eled in bold relief. Above this rises the
 shaft beautifully proportioned and twenty
 feet in night making the total altitude thir- 1 ty feet. Itstapers gracefully, terminating
 in point. The general order of architec-
 ture is Corinthian, the outlines are sharp
 and the whole effect is excellent, retiecting great credit on the taste of the architect,
 R. w. Hill, Esq, of Waterbury, as we'll as on the Plymouth Granite Company.
 The exercises at the monument opened
 with dirge by the Newton Cornet Band,
 this was followed by an introductory ad- dress by Mir. Cothren, President of the day. This was one of Mir. Cothren's most elo- quent efforts, was listened to with the clos plause. We are unable to give full report of it, owing to not securing the manuscript in time.
 ] Prayer was then offered by the Rev. John
 Churchill, of Woodbury, which was follow ed by the singing of solemn ode to the memory of the dead, by Messrs. Lindsley, Walker, Gorden and Cothren, of the Sol diers Glee Club as 6 quartett. Then fol- lowed an interesting and eloquent dedica-
 tory address by Col. A. H. Fem, of Plym- outh. It was peculiarly appropriate that Col. Fenn should be invited to deliver this address, as for time before his deserved promotion to First.Lieutenancy, he was a private in the Woodbury Company I. un der Capt. Sperry, of Woodbury. He left his right arm at Cedar Greek and could
 feelingly speak of his dead comrades of Go. I.
 After Col Fenn's address, four young la dies dressed in white advanced and sus- pended three intertwined garlands of ever- green upon each of the four corner dies of the monument, this was immediately fol- lowed by the advance of a number of young ladies similarly habited equal to the num- Der of names upon the monument who cast garlands of evergreen and flowers upon it. It was touching and beautiful sight thus to see the youth and beauty of the village amid the pitiless pelting storm, standing bravely up to perform reverential duty.
 A double-quick then took soldiers and families and invited guests to the refresh ment tent, where the munifcent hospitality of the ladies of Woodbury, which had nev- CT yet been found wanting on any similar occasion was taxed to it's uttermost. But it did not fail, more beautiful and satis. factory collation. was never spread on any similar occasion in our old town. The la dies sustained their former reputation of beautiful hosts. An adjournment then took place to the First Congregational church, where the Second had their social reunion and an interesting time. Capt. Marsh, now of Bridgeport, presided. Brief, patri- otto and appropriate addresses were made by Gov. Jewell, Gen. Noble. of Bridgeport, Ools. Wooster and Torrance, of Derby,