Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-02-27
DEPARTMENT o. VERMONT, g. =. R.
Thirteenth Annual En:ampmeat.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

CONDENSED from the IIcrald's Ecfo:tl
The thirteenth annual cnCampmcnt OF the
Department Of Vermont G. \. r.. assem-
blud at Post Robcrts's hall at Rutland, on
Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 18th. About
fifty members from eighteen posts were
present. The meeting was called to order
by Department Commander J. II. Goulding
and the regular order of business receiving
officers rcports-proccedcd with. The first
report presented was that Of the commander,
full extracts from which We give herewith ::
CoMMANDEE's REPORT, 1880.
COn.rddes | am glad to be able to assure
You that, all things considered, we have lost
no ground despite the little service | have
rendered. We have in fact gained in posts,
some new and promising ones, and some the
reorganization of old ones for years unrepre-
scented here; posts long since supposed dead
past recovery, and over whose graves we
have fired our annual volleys at these en-
campmentS.
This seems to me fitting time, comrades,
for brief reviewiof our post as adepartment,
now assembled in its annual encampment
for the thirteenth time.
IuC pIdIlu AINlN vi lllt INtpuDIiN
ed in the State of Illinois, and the first post
organized was at Dakota, H., early in 1866,
Col. b. F. Stephenson being generally cred
tied with the first work for the order. Oct.
81 1866, Comrade Stephenson, by common
consent, acting as provisional commander-ln
chief, called the meeting for National or
Ganization at Indianapolis. Nov. 20, '66,
eleven departments being represented, and ;.
| 4. Hurlbut, of Illinois, being chosen COM
mander-in-c
The next National Encampmcnt met at
Philadelphia, January -. 1868. at which
John A. Logan was elected COMMANDMENTS
chief. and bv whose order, dated July 6,
1868, the provisional department of Vermont
was established, and General Geo. Z,
Foster appointed provisional depart
ment commander. General Foster es'
tablished his headquarters at VOL
oott and appointed C. j. Lewis his as
slstant ai1urnrt ----sal- October &, 1S6S,
there being a sufficient num,'Icl of posts il
the department to cntiilc it to pernanen
organization, the first meeting was called n
Montpelier, October %, 1868 at which meet
ing the department officers were elected and
the provisional organization made perma
merit Comrade Foster being chosen the de
partment commander. The second meetin:
was held at Montpelier, january 30, 1869
Comrade Foster being again elected com
mander and Comrade Lewis was retained a
A. A. c., till August 18th, 1869, when h
resigned, and Comrade T. 5. Peck of Bur
lington was appointed in his stead. III
situation, rs Comrade Peck found it, wa
most discouraging and nearly hopeless, bu
he communicated with the larger posts, et
fectually woke them up, obtained assurance
of support and cooperation, and | have a,
vrbat I fria.ilx- horn. n fbut 4
him perhaps more than to any one else be
longs the credit of reviving and saving til
) department to the order.
At the succeeding encampment, the third
held at Burlington, January 26, 1870. Con
) radc W. W. Henry was elected commander
retaining Comrade Peck as y. \. G., and tn
/ work of reorganization continued.
Comrade Henry was reelected at I'll
fourth annual encampment, held in January
/ 1871, and Comrade VIM. ii. Root of Blu
+ ington succeeded Comrade Peck as A. y. G
March Q. 1871. At the next meeting, Il
fifth, January 90, 1872, COmrade W.
Veazey was elected department commando
= and reelected at the 9th encampment, he
? at St. Adams, in January, 1873, Cat Il
. quarters of the now dctunct Badly Smlt
+ POST During Comrade Ncazcy's term {
q office the first soldiers reunion in this Stat
1 dnu 50 lar as We kuoN, lnt Llst soiuiSiS -
: union. as distinguished from officers IT
: unions, held in this country, was organize
Il and mustered at Rutland
=
/ The seventh annual encampment was he
II at BraltchOrO, January 81, 1874, and Cor
7 rade Stephen Thomas was elected comman
u or, appointing J. o. Livingston his a. y. ,
" Reelected at Montpelier, January 20, Is"
r. the eighth encampment, his second yeaI
administration was successful, but we met
: loss that year, great and irreparable; OF
records, books, files, etc, during the gre
Montpelier fire, being many of them, burn'
or otherwise lost or destroyed.
At the ninth encampment, held at Montp
lier, January 81, 1876, COmrade 1. ;. Pee
was elected commander, appointing Cor
rade Taplin his \. A. G., and again elcctt
at the tenth cncampment, held at Burllngto
January 2i, 1877. Comrade Peck admi
istration was us successful as his form
energy as \. ~ e. would indicate.
The present incumbent was elected at Il
eleventh encampment at Burlington, ia
23 1873. and again at the twelfth, held he
January II, 1919. COmfarc frrlin NJ
Comrade Greenleaf, have been retained
A. \. G. and \. Q. NJ. G. respectively. a
have thus served Sou four years with re
intelligence and faithfulness. l desire
thank them here personally for their servl'
with me, supplementing what have tried
do, and performing many things have !
undone.