The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-11-10
RICHMOND !: H3WITzERlS.,, i

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Reunion OF Old and New Members
jt.-,----.s--4;-,. ST it.:;s e sgasassi,,
u esss F fssW
sfsss and "a Happy Time. sF ~.
s.fs ls,,. ag,g s.
saIfT ,,,,s
1.-The members of the old HoHftzer com
ranies and of the present active organization
bad sa refuion. and banquet at The HoWitzeE
armcry last night The occasion: was d very
pleasant one. f was worthy Of the men
who In war proved themselves admirable
soldiers, and I'm peace hsyes shown themselves
among the best OF citizens. ssss 81 - -
y The Richmond HoWitzers have earned sd
euviable reputation No organizatioH Of ttie
kind did better seryicef1 tie late wsrSn6ie
achieved higher distinction. !iftheY fespokled
to the firss call OF duty, aud the sound OF
their guns was the hst' heard previous TO the
GuAAGUuEI. Hk OAs.s
Z Y The first meeting OF the Howitzer battery.
afterwards Howitzer BATTALION, was held or,
Novenbe 9th. 1859. at the clerks effice- of
the Circuit Court Of Richmond. whici, was
ther, ia the old brick bniIdiY,a tiat sfoofl an
the .Capitol ESouare near the frfersee.
tiou sof Franklin and TweMthj sfraefs
The cor1, panv WIS oreaujzed nv ff7enrca w.
5Randofnb ri that fine n, nronsinent. 10 uaue,
az this civ and ienbsen,1ertlv Sacratarv III
War for tiie Confederate States and ono ~
the unrest man and best ot3cars In sha
arn;es nf .tts' GonSeder.cu I. Ths s1nna;t sare
first 40 seryiee In the & :Iobn RroSvn Uar ),
There was then f,ut ona comnanv. IN the
17tb of Anrile 1891 thew. held a moet;no n,
the basement OF the snotswood 81 Hotel
and increased their number to three
hundred and. tWenty.f1ye effective mann
bers. thus constituting a hattalion of. three
companies. with George w Randolnh
as major. There thew. drilled Till the Of Of ps
April. 1851, when the bells of the city rano
forth an aIarum of war. and thew were ann.
moneri to Wilton Heights b, meet the3 pa,u.
nee, supposed to be about to atfack Rich.
mond. They went into artillery encampment
at Richmond College, April 26.a 1861. Colonel
J. Bankhead Magruder, then Just returned
from Europe, commanding. Att1e college
they were constantly dritted by experienced
officers, and soon attained 1as remark
able proficiency in the use Of their
guns, and Ia the. varied accomplish
of the soldier. On pleasant evenings of those
days they had dress-parades, which were
witnessed by ht3Hdreds Of ladies' from the
city, who delightedsiD tkafpageaairy and
gave their smiles to The martial bscene. On
May 7th, on a:sudden alarm, detail of the
command, consisting of j. Thompson Brown,
Henry Hudnal, and oforty.si0 others, were
sent to Gloucester Point, where they imme.
diately had, on the open beach, au active
and severe engagement with Federal gun
Boat called the ,ts Yankee, q commanded by q
present admiral Of the United States navy
The Howitzers drove her back to Fortres!
Monroe, thereby securing the possession o.
the York river to the Confederacy; other
wise Richmond would have been occupied
|-by the Faderal Government before Presi
dent Davis and the Montgomery Govern
ment had had time to gethere. On tne sSsl
Q! nay t9e seeonu ,snHar anu su ssatar 1an9a,ns
unoeu a' az. az. NV o.,s.a.rS a,aat - Manosse
anu .ne n.ss Sy ostada a %ons ,ao,a ~ o-saaeJ :
uuosI GSpsI "a p.m oI, on. and 49, Wan.sses Trh
sne Ddsues VI Dan nuu aae nnSsths hotti
seegnu alu Iniiu w sSn .'.s AZ
OF betnei-one vi ,sho inoat saoiv ., ~ :,
iely pa..,es on tha 49, ~ .is e;r,es s"s the;
tory oset ot 2 .l.an I've - sAA '''-t''
nuue mna n;t,a. oo,n,.,,;esi xuero beard q
!. ane ~ 1HT,st ,t,ia Sy Wipn,. MN nan No. I
Hn;,,,bra n eneiy UuS., NJ Kon, Gn,rtbonsa Save,
m,Aas nT Earna naIoarn Geda
Z irl.a;a aoan.J Satt,a ns Ma,aasas Snof
sa,vn;a Go,,rthanse ] i. 80 ;GbancelIo,syiIIe
,Shor,,sh,n,,ro an fbe. battles of the Valley
Mnrpcaeu =, front ~ Wash;noton5, at Get
taSh,,ra !, front of Picbmond snd peters
nu. S,,rn anS =, an taa retseat from Petersbure 4
A A. nnomatsox' =, M Conrthouses sthey. met = th
anong onr1 s,na 90 nnhIvT did their duty:.
me nnmher' nf eommissioned and MOI,
l,con,nnyss;oned, effiests3 and unriyates killet
dining tha war W5a,s over q hundred. Nearlj
everr; eomnnisaioned officer NOT killed wa!
vor,yded severely on several fields of battle
and hit few of the. rank and file escaped
nit ;tbout :honorabIe scars Of war, - . r..
,,,, 10 - l,sa ago,,, az l .,zou :1..
II. g..t 80 e 80 ',t,, I'M, :, ;es,o,
as soon as possible a,ter lug .aa',. !saamisS,o,
Of the State into the Union the present com q
pany OF HoWitzers was eon1nissiohe M u ~ s'' 81
active military organizat1on. ig, .d5atsas. ]
In November, 1874 the surviving mem L1
bers Of the HoWitzers VINO Eere ln Itas s wa Va
came togetner ana eslaDiisaeu. m me nome@S
association, ana aoop.ea sne ,ohUmi s.;,, !,
"The nrst m9ntns q Ihe Ssaf i3Ea @a,orn Will ho y
memorable IN aif e.. .as;a IN. :.
recorded the great events on tn4s peliou s.s, aa,
the, results Whlcn ioiloWea. xllginA a p,ss Wa;
not neutral 10 the mignty contess tnea ~ ~. y
mencing, nor was she siow 20 move we. y,
the day OF action arrived. sr' sans sann a.a =,
lso71as y; W;sS;a; ~.
lurid mantle over tns hostzSansu sai ae ao,a1n.
fsummoned her sons % tne neio oi sota,o,. .o H.,
@Among tne earliest 70 respo9u ~ ~ a,a .us "a
was an artillery commano 81 ths s.sy =
RichmoDd, then company VIII y Da.te.y,s a.