The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-05-13
THE OLD MAJOR EXPLAINS.
BY BRET HARTE.

Well-you see the fact is, Colonel, don't
know as can come,
For the farm is not half planted and there
is work to do at home; ,
And my leg is getting troublesome-lt iald
me up last fall,
And the doctors they have cut and hacked
and never found the ball.
And then for an old man like me it's not
exactly right,
This kind of playing soldier with no enemy
in sight.
The Union, that was well enough, way up
to '66;
But this reunion, may be now it's mixed
No? Well, you understand 1t best, but then
you see, my lad,
I'm deacon now, and some might think
that the examples bad;
And week from next is Conference-you
said the 18th of May?
Why, that's the day we broke their line
at Spottsylvania.
Hot work, eh! Colonel, wasn't 1t? ye mind
that narrow front? ;,
They called 1t the death angel-weil, Weii'
my lad, we won't
Fight that old battle over now, only mean
IreaIly can't engage to come upon the 18th
of May.
How's Thompson What, will he be there
you know,
The first man in the rebel works; they
called him Swearing Joe.
A wild young fellow, sir, fear the rascal
was; but then
Well. short of Heaven, there wasn't place
he darsen't lead his men.
And Dick, you say, is coming too, and Billy,
-ah! it's true,
We buried him al Gettysburg, Imind the
A little field below the hill-it must be
persaps that's why the fields round here
bring him to me to-day.
Well, well, excuse me, Colonel but there
are some things that drop
The tail-board out ones feelings, and the
only ways to stop.
So they want to see the old man-ah! the
rascals, do they, eh?
Well I've business down in Boston ABOUT
the 18th OF May.
After the reading was concluded,
loud calls were made for General Sherl-
dan. He was introduced as a young
man from Germany, and spoke as
follows:
GENrLEMEN-I will not detain you
long. can only say that always feel
proud Of being a member OF the Army
of the Potomac, but have felt prouder
after nv return than ever before. Dur
ing nav absence have had the pleasure
of seeing nearly every army in Europe,
both in actual service and in peace, and
have never seen one that
carried Its standard higher than
did the Army Of the Potomac dur
the last year of the war. General
Hooker was afraid that he would get q
bad character before he got out OF this
town. He said II come here to see
soldiers. Not talking ones, but
fighting ones. l didn't come here to
play the politician and l don't want to
DO it, l thank you a thousand times
for YOUR kindness and wish l was a
hundred times more deserving Of it.
General Pleasonton thought that the
soldiers could tell the American people
how to remedy mistakes, both In civil
and military life, because they had had
more experience.
General Slocum urged them not to
| meddle with politics.
Other addresses were made by Gen
erals Logan, Humphries, Custer
Heintzelman, Hunt, Robinson, Wright,
Fitzpatrick, Morris and Devins, and
Commodore Stedman, after which the
routine business Of the society occupied
the time till 4 o'clock.
Atthe second annual reunion OF the
Cavalry Corps Association this morn
ing, it was decided to change the name
to The Cavalry Corps Of the United
States.