Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-11-06
3lafr1iman & gumnal.
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER G. 1873.
Officers Reunion.

been n gallant officer OF our forces in the field
and was ut that time member Of our Legisla
ture II was In one OF the rooms Of the old Pa
vilion that, meeting several comrades In arms
he spoke of how pleasant a thing 1t would be |
the officers Of our Vermont regiments could b'
gathered together annually, there to recount the
various experiences keep alive the patriotic fire.
which induced them to go into the service, ant
perpetuate the bonds which a fraternity 10 DANCE
had welded upon them.
| These reunions were held at Montpelier yearly
with large attendance and marked enthusiasm
until the system of biennial sessions OF the Legis
lature came in vogue Since that time they hav,
been held every alternate year here, while Rut
| land, Brattleboro, St. Albans and st. JohDsbury
have been honored by their sessions.
| The meeting this year held Thursday, WAS one o
the best and most enthusiastic ever known. Tht
attendance OF officers has never been exceeded
and as, year by year. the numbers of that no.
Bile band who gave to the whole country com.
mon destiny are waning, the interest In its annual
gathering seems to be growing.
At the business meeting held at the State House
in the afternoon, Col Geo. w. Hooker, OF Bratte-
boro, President Of the Society, took the chair.
General Peck, the Secretary, read n transcript OF
the proceedings OF the last animal meeting at st.
Iohnsbury. motion admitting enlisted men to
the privileges of the society was laid over until
the next meeting. A somewhat lengthy discus
sion ensued rs to the publication of the records
and histories of the different regiments and COM
panies of artillery and sharpshooters. The mat
ter was, however, very satisfactorily settled by
the adoption OF the following resolution, intro
dupnd hu Mai 4 w of
Reoired That committee of three be appointed to pre-
pure resolution be presented the present legislature,
authorize appoint historian to prepare
history the part taken by soldiers sail
ors In the war for the Union.
Colonel Hooker then announced the appoint
ment of committee on Toasts for the banquet to
he held at the Pavilion in the evening" George
II Bgelow &. G. Benedict E. J. Ormsbee, Warren
Gibbs, J. B. Mead and Willard Harrington
The matter of Soldiers Home was brought up
and committee was appointed to memoialze
the Legislature upon the subject Upon the sug-
gestion of Major Ormsbee, Brandon was selected
rs the place for holding the next annual reunion
its new water works apparently satisfying
Major Richard Smith of Tunbridge that that was
an appropriate place for the occasion.
The nominating committee consisting of one
from each regiment, to suggest officers for the
ensuing year, reported the following list, and the
gentlemen named were elected unanimously:
President, Colonel A. S. Tracy of Middlebuiy;
Vice Presidents, Willard Harrington of St. AL
bans and W W. Lynde of Brattle5oro; Secretary,
James S. Peck of Montpelier; Treasurer, L G.
Kingsley of Rutland; Executive Committee Z. J.
Orm-bee OF Brandon, j. A. Salisbury of Rutland
and c. W. Carr of Brandon
A committee to prepare proper obituary papers
Ipon deceased members of the society was ap
pointed by the president, as follows: G. G. Bene-
ict G. II. Bigeow and ]. S. Peck
The president announced the appointment of
Colonel T. S. Peck OF Burlington, as marshal for
the evenings exercises, and the meeting then ad-
journed.
SERGEANT BIGELow's ADDRESS.
Representatives LII was filled to its utmost
capacity in the evening The body of the house
md the galleries were literally packed, and many
we're unable to gain admittance Colonel George
W. Hooker called the house to order, and prayer
offered by Captain U. A. Woodbury., of
Elmore. The ST. Albans Glee Club then sang
"We praise thee. o God, rendering it in an ex-
cellent manner.
Colonel Hooker then, In a few fitting words, in
troduced the speaker, Lucius Bigelow. He had
consented, he said, to address his feow-otilcers.
because he thought they believed he could speak
To them underst,ndingly Of scenes in which he
md they had been engaged No sounds OF
IRE heard now throughout the land. The beau
tiful peace of Nature Is unbroken along the Po-
tomac. He would not give them au oraiion-for
ratons were not for the meetings like this. Self
interest and moral ideas are the two forces that
push the world. Where these two are in healthy
equilibrium there is the desirable condition of
nan-the realization of perfect social state.
The moral is superior to the material force. 1t
vas this that fired your hearts when the country
vas in danger and needed your services The
warm blood of Puritan manhood flowed in the
veins of men in those days, and superseded the
'eltish interest The utilitarian theory of govern
nent had the common assent when the fist gun
was fired upon Sumter. The shot at the flag
broke the spell of the false philosophy OF self
interest. Moral enthusiasm for something fair
and square is the bloom OF a humane nature. So
in 1861 you were called to unknown fields You
vent in spite of baby hands tugging at your heart
strings to pull you back. You went to defend the
nations interests The men who hold the widest
sway In the hearts OF humanity are the men of
leep poetic instinct, and who have deep appre-
cia,on ofimmortaiiy.
The air from the South is full of friendly words
from those who were once our enemies. But
these are often perverted by those who did not
understand the real promptings of the war
There is manness ia dying for error, but there
is more than manliness-there is magnitcence-n
dying for the truth. We needn't put valor against
valor, for there is equality in bravery among
those who fought on opposite sides
What was worth fighting for four years IL worth
talking about forever tapplause) Liberty bound
and gagged is enforced tranquility, but it is no
ess tyranny Let us believe that as long as one
soldiers slab tells the story OF our dead, so long
this New England soil will have a breed worthy
Of their bulldog pedigree, Till all these are
passed away the soldier will never be played out.
For an afflicted Southerner we have help and
sympathy, but we will never allow that they were
right In bringing the war upon u.s. II the South
insists in spurning the rudder OF justice, she will
be ruled by the rock of retribution
While we were fighting on the fields Of the
South there were many at home In Vermont
mothers and sisters and friends-who gifded up
our loins for stout battle, They may have been
Much nonsense has been written about war and
ts heroes War blights the country. In books
1t IL romance, but in reality it is cruelty. The
herosm of our boys had little uproar about it. 1t
was quiet and homey like themselves. They
fought quietly, firmly and bravey There was
gold among them, and there wis dross among
them; there was no romance about them In
camp there was meanness and cowardce among
them, just as there Is among men outside
uf camps but these qualities were rare in
times of trial. The duty of soldier IL
best done by him who knows aud feels that
noble tasks are diGicult-that the cypress and the
| myrtle are thicker than the roses, Homey he
roes our boys we're, but as genuine specimens as
| ever fought at the front and fell where they
| fought Was he who fell in defeat any less q
hero than he who fell in victory7 Were not both
lives rounded out in bravery? Success is to Sc,
| your duty and then to do it. In remembering
those who fell, keep not the memory of thei
weaknesses, but cherish the recollection OF the
Immortal spirits. The speaker concluded his re
marks with the apt quotation beginning;
| "a single drop OF manly blood
The sursing sea outweigh."
At the close OF Mr.. Bigelow able and eoquen
address-which was frequently interrupted b,
bursts of applause from the immense audience
Surgeon Edison moved a vote of thanks whicl
was heartily given The Glee Club then sang
To thee o Country" which was warmly en-
cored They responded to the call, and afte
that Colonel Hooker called for an "old arm.