The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-11-03
r,rr GREATEST CROWD EVER ''n
HE GROUNDS.
SPLENDID MILITARY D1SfhAf :
,,a,o1 : e Tho First Virginia Regiment
and Visiting Companies
,,o., or thc Dispatch Prsz
,,erHER LIST OF PREMIUMS
,,yp. .yuRDLE RACE AND PLoVGhINe
YITCH TO-DAY.
. .,rua, Meeting OF the sscseaS and
Election OF officers.

The whole city and thousands OF, people
from no tho :" country seemed to he OH the Fair
Grounds Yesterday. From the early hour
at which the gates were opened until late
in the afternoon long trains Of railroad
cars crowded to overflowing with passen-
gers were arriving and dischargtng their
human freight; carriages and every other
kind of vehicle were also kept con-
stantly emrtoyed in the same busi'
ness, and thousands wended their way
to the grounds on foot. The seenr
presented was the most brilliant eyer
Witnessed at Virginia State Fair, and il
was the general impression that as large !
crowd was never on the grounds. Turn
where one wonid, the eye fell upon dense
gatherings of people. Every exhibition
hall was thropged; the porchcs of every
building were laden almost to the brenklal
point the grand stand bad not vacan
scat an eager crowd was ever about the
stalls, pens, and coops, and the lawns were
but 4 mass of human beings restlng, pro
menading, strOIling into side-shoWs, or IN
terestcd listeners at the eloQuence o. Lii
gitt-cnterprise men.
The Military Display.
The feature of the day was the military
parade. AT o'clock the First Virgins
regiment, Captain John A. Sloan com
handing, assembled, pursuant to orders,
on the Broad-street parade-Sround. Inc
co!fnanics represented were the Lee
Guard. Lieutenant l.. D. Crcnshaw Wake;
Light Guard, Captain Bassi Etard OF
the ComnonWealtb, CAPTAIN Purcell Sid,
ney arays, captain Ordway; Richmond
Grays, Captain BosslcuX; Company "
Captain Whitehead !; and COMPANY, :,
Cantain C,Irkc. There p,eic about
five hundred Hra..i In line. The Lee
G usrd took the right, the walker
light Guard the left, ard the Guard OF the
Commonweath carried The cnlors. th?se
presented to Company G on "Wednesday
nirht being used. a ilner-lcoking or more
soIJicrly regiment Is seldom seen, and 1t
wa. i,attei OF surprise to many persons
10 lind that so large and efficient force OF
volunteer militia is in existence IN kieh-
mond.. ,,y:,
lionsburs Light Infantry, Captain II. a.
Wise commanding, having received TIC
regulation salute, occupied FOR i TINE tie
most of honor, the whnfc regiment acting
AZ an csro.+. 81 halfpast the column
rnotct. tla Governor street to the Elk
change Hotel, where the Lynchhurg Home
G,lard-a splendid-looking and we!fdflled
company--receIre1a matching salute, and
then tcok position on the left. The line OF
march then lay along Franklin. Fifteenth.
tiain, Fifth, Franklin, Second, Grace, and
Sixth streets, TO the corner OF SiNtH tnh
Broad, where the head Of the. column
rested for fifteen minutes. The appearance
g, the men In Tine was the subject of uni
ycrsalsv favorable comment. They marched
well, and all the evolutious were crcdltabiy
performed. The sight OF the troops march
ing up Main and Franklin streets in column
of companies was one Of the finest NC nave
seen Tor many day.
Another Visiting Company.
When the column returned 10 Broad
street the commandment received iDforml.
ton Of the arrival in the city OF the Dan
vile Grays. Company 3. Wa'kc: Light
Guard, was detSiied ~ al escort. and cs-
cortea the ylsiiing company from Capitol
looking set OF men, ard received unusual
honcrs il, ruw Of their recent successful
skirmish with the enemy. They carry the
beautiful banner presented to them by the
ladies' Of Dunyil,: il r;w weeks ago:
Review by tho Governes.
At half-past II o'clock the regiment
and visiting companies entered the Fair
Grounds, marching in column OF fours, and
from that time almost mUnUpollscd The it,
tcntion Of n majority ut the spectators
Arriving at the offices Of tie Society Tie
troops were reviewed IN cJ.,atiinu of compa.
hins by hIe ESsJeilcncy Governor Walker
the committee on the przc-mcdal, and the
PRESIDENT of the Virginia Agricultural So
clety. This spectacle WINS witnessed BY ar
Immense number Of persons. A rtst wa:
then ordered until about O'Clock, when thu
! Drill for the dispatch Prize Medal
commenced. All the companies from Rich
mond except time. honored old Of
which has had muskets only few days,
and the Lynchburg Home Guard entcrct
into the contest. IL was conducted will
considerable sririt, aud the precision will
which AL the companies drilled was re
tnarkable, considering the disadvantage!
\ under which all have labored and the little
| encouragement hitherto offered them by
| the State or the citizens generally. Eart
company was allowed fifteen minutes, il
which time they were tc do whatever tht
captain chose to put them through. II
toe mean time the judgeS-General Bradle,
| T. johnson, General Lane, ColoGel Gil
| ham, and General w. IL. +. Lee-wcre
stationed on Il portico from which Il fine
view was commanded. AT the close OF the
contest the companies were drawn up at
parade-reStt TO receive the
Announcement ofthe Award.
The decision was made known, when
General Johnson requested Captain Pur.
cell, of the Guard OF the Commonwealth,
to join the committee. General johnson
| then spoke as follows:
"Gentlenen and Soldiers The com.
mittee have directed me to express to you
the pleasure they have felt i'll observing the
drill OF these companies and the difficulty
they have experienced in deciding between
them. The practice displayed by you in
| the military manual and evolutions proves
| the proficiency of your instructors and the
excellence of the material which they have
operated.
"Where all are first, it is law to say who
| shall be foremost, but as there must be
pr17aus inter parasitic precedence even
| among peerS-the committee have devolved
on me the duty of presenting this medal to
the Guard of the Commonwealth, Captain
Purcell commanding.
"Guard OF the Commonwealth ! signiti
cant name! there are men living, and wo.
mcn too, still young, who have seen in
serricd ranks on the plain ten thousand
men in gray With blue steel in their bands
who were Of a verify the guard of the
Commonwealth! And while the memo
rieS Of those days sweep over these human
hearts, the tide PUSHES back again, over
whclming with grief; for those days are
past, and the furled flag and the rusted
sabre and blackened musket are our en-
blems OF memory, not OF hope. Yet the
race from which we sprang is race that
never relinquishes its rights. 1t may lose
them for time, but as sure as the sun
shines and the buds blossom so surely will
they in the fullness of time retrieve every.
thing now lost.
"Our ancestors for Il thousand years have
fought and lost and fought and won the
battle OF liberty, but from Runnymede
down their loss has been temporary, their
gain more permanent. In their spirit we
look TO the future, and you or your sons
will retrinyp evarvthipv that buc boap lot