The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-09-11
SOLDIERS REUNION.
Washington County Soldiers Have q
Glorious Time.
The Stories Of the Camp, March and
Battle Revived.
Address by Hon George r. Peck, Of
Topeka.

DtFed by The cltItens oil W asnlngton coun-
~. For weeks public notice h sd been Civ
en- through the medium Of the press, and
By posters, put up at almost every con-
spicuous place in the county, that on the
81 and All days of Sep ember, 1879. the
soldiers of Washington and al ,ining coun-
ties would have
GRAND REUNION,
at Washington.
twas happy thought, and when the
matter was first talked over among q few
of the boys "who wore the blue" it was for
eign from their expectations that the meet
ing should assume such grand proportions !;
they expected to get goodly number Of
the old soldiers together, have a good time,
and perhaps organize permanent
local organic alton, looking to an annual
meeting; but as the days passed, and the
time fixed upon for this the first meeting Of
the kind in the county approached, it be-
came apparent that the reunion was going
TO prove a big thing, ard 20 for the last week
or ten dsys, active preparations were made
to properly entertain the vast crowd which
was expected.
A section OF battery Of artillery was
procured, and early this morning it was
wheeled into line. and for a few minutes
did excellent .ervice in the way of disturb
ing the slumbers OF that great army OF the
race who have yet to learn that tbs the
early bird that get the worm" For miles
around the warning signal gun was heard,
and early in the day the town presented an
animating and inspiring scene. The prin-
cipsl streets of the city were crowded. Ga
almos, every business house, and On many
private residences, a very lioeral display Of
bunting was msde.
At ten o'clock the procession was formed,
headed by the Washington Cornet Band,
and proceeded to the grove about half a
mile from town
THE GROVE.
The scene al the grove was we'll calcula-
ted to revive in the minds OF the veteran,
the recollections Of other days when war
was a dread reality" Tents we're arranged
SO as to make the surroundings as much
like an army camp IS possible.
Passing through the camp my eye fell
| upon that institution 30 dear to every sol
| der, for with it be deposited most OF his
wages. The Suttler.
With the same energy that characteriz ID
the ragimen,al suttler during the war, The
suttler was early in camp and ready to cell
to the boys for cash, mot suffers checks)
ANYTHING in his line. A sign in front OF
the tent read, "a. W. Ellsworth, Co "G''
seth Ill Vol. Sd Div, 4th Corps"
Who had better right to sell suffers
supplies than comrade Ellsworth?
aRegimental Headquarter," Navy Rem.
dezvou-,' Cavalry Headquarters" wash.
ington County Headquarters" were e'tab.
lished: ALEC Recruiting office" where the
officer and clerks were kept busy enrolling
the names of the boys who wanted to EN-
list for life"
A roster was being kept of every soldier
who called at misunderstanding his
! name, company and regiment, place of resi-
| denoe and his nilive State or country.
The Camp or Post is in command oil
Brig Gen1. p Rockefeller, the gentlemsnly
and accommodating postmaster at Wash
| ington, while his efiicien, Adjutant General
il none other than Charles Smith, a prom.
isiug attorney OF this town. l should make
mention Of the fact that every arm Of the
military service is represented at the camp.
| A regiment of mi intry has been organized,
| with six companies, OF which ]. NJ. WEIGH,
| il Colonel; z. S Erb, Lieutenant-C Colonel
D. NJ. Emmons, Major; W. ii. johnson
Adjutant and Charles Hayes, Sergeant.
Major.
| ron. ID. E. Billiard is the Commissary.
General, ard right good one he is to.
Captain f. d. Moore, that prince Of good
fellows, il in mmand of the cavalry.
Captain K. Ii. Steele has command Of
the Battery.
Commodore S. H. Maunder, an cold tar
has charge OF the navy. The navy, by the
way, made about as good q display-al-
| though not in nrmbers-as either OF the
other branches Of the service; they wore the
regular Uniform OF sailor and attracted 8
great deal of attention. Too great praise
cannot be given the Commodore for the in
terest he has manifested in this reunion
may he live u enjoy many more such.
THE BAND
A word of praise for the Washington
Cornet Band may not be out of place. The
4
ard has sixteen members Prof. George ii
Hillabrsn, an accomplished musician, i:
the leader under his skilIful training the
boys have made rapid progress, ard now
render come pieces AZ we'll as many organ
izstions having years Of practice. The
music to day WAS furnished by this band
and it truly was an enjoyable feature o.
the exercises.
DRESS PARADE, DRILL, sc.
Al / o'clock the companies formed nndel
the command of their respective officer,
and for an hour engaged in drilling, and 8
dress parade To those unacGuainted with
soldier life it doubtless looked ridiculous,
even silly; but to those who had "been
there" it hsd a different meaning. 1t mean
that all the lessons of the war had not been
forgotten; that they could yet keep step to
the music of the Union; that they could
enter the service of their country, to defend
it from the attacks Of traitorous foes.
| sPEECH-MAKING.
At o'clock the band played patriotic
air at the grand stand, and soon vast
crowd had assembled around it to hear the
orator Of the day, Hon. Geo. K. Peck, Of
Topeka.
The services we're properly opened with
prayer by the resident minister OF the NJ.
f. church, when Mr.. Peck wss introduced
ard spoke rs follows:
Fellou Comrades, ladies aud Gentlemen:
The worlds greatest dramstist puts into
the mouth of one Of his great soldiers, the
warlike Harry of England, this assertion
''In peace there's nothing 30 becomes 8
msp, As modest stiffness, and humility
Doubtless the statement is true Is an ab.
stra t proposition, but venture to say that
when the victorious monarch led his little
army back from tue bloody field of Agin-
court, he was not very vigilant in suppress
ing the talk among the soldiers, As to how
it was done.
| Human nature would not be what it is if,
when men have suffered ant triumphed to
gether, they did not enjoy meeting again ~
We have met to-day, to talk OF the old
fields and fights, to clasp the warm hand Of
an old comrade, to listen for the echoes oil
an old-time busle, and to kindle again the
| diving embers of the old camp fire.
And 80 do not think We mar the beauty
Of these golden sumner days BY coming to-
,seiher iR memory of the time when We
stood undSr other ekies to fight the battle
which, alas had to be fought, for liberty
and Law, fof God and His Righteousness
cannot feel thst this is the time for indul.
gence in the set phrase Of speech, but rather
for . general Interchange of stories and
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. little matters of per-
sonal experience which together swell that
mighty volume that constitutes the history
of the war.
As each little rivet IN the mechanism Of