Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1880-02-28

called at White River Junction.
We understand also that the State
Committee intend to call the con-
vention to nominate State off GERS
ut Burlington, June 18th. IL
Grand Army Of the Republic
On Tuesday afternoon of last
week the thirteenth annual en-
campment of the Department OF
Vermont, Grand Army of the Re-
public, assembled at Post Roberts
hall in Rutland at three o'clock.
About fifty members from eighteen
posts were present. The meeting
was called to order by Department
Commander j. Fl. Goulding, and
officers reports being in order, that
of the commander was first pre-
sented. The report showed that
some defunct posts had been resur-
rected during the past year and
some new ones organized. The his
tory of the organization was briefly
outlined from its origin in Illinois
in 1866, when the first post was
established by Colonel B. Is. Steph-
enson at Dakota, it's speedy as
sumption of national character.
and it's rapid spread throughout all
the loyal states. In 1865, there be-
| ing a sufficient number of posts in
this state, a permanent organization
of the Department. of Vermont was
etfacted at Montpelier October 23d,
and General Geo. p. Foster was
elected commander. Under the
persisted efforts of Col. Z. S. Peck;
assistant adjutant general, the de-
partment emerge from a seedy, il
not ragged condition, and to him
is largely due the credit of reviving
and saving the department. to the
order. After reviving the various
encampments of the society down
to the present, the report concludes
that the department has arrived at
the time when the highest attaina.
bic point in its existence may be
reached. The day of prejudice, of
alleged political significance, is pass
ed, and little work judiciously
performed will extend the lines so
as to include all our soldier citi-
Zens.
The committee on unmarked
graves, of which Governor Proctor
is chairman, reported that under
the act of congress authorizing the
erection of headstones, to be paid
for by the national government,
they mailed circulars to the select
men of each town in the state, urg.
ling them to send in q list of such
graves before the 10Th of June, 1879
Further currency was also given tc
this circular by the newspapers OF
the state, yet, of the two hundred
and forty-one towns in the state
reports have been received from on
ly one hundred and twenty-five
and only ninety-three of these re-
port any unmarked graves. The
aggregate number of graves re-
ported is two hundred and twenty.
seven. The committee feel that
they have done all in their power tC
have the last resting place of, theil
dead comrades properly marked
As nearly one-Ealf the towns in the
state sent no reports whatever
many of them the most p0pulous in
the state, the committee are led tt
the belief that the selectmen OF
those towns are very careless and
unpatriotlc in neglecting to do theil
simple duty in this matter. "Wt
have the acknowledgement of the
receipt of our report from Quarter
master-general Meigs, and the as
surance from him that the head
stones will be erected early the com
ing summer"
At the campfire, in the evening
COmrade Warren Gibbs of Burling
ton, gave a detailed statement o
the movements which preceded thu
battle of Middletown, in 1862, a,
which he was taken prisoner. The
fight was between party under
General Shields and StOnewal
Jackson's army, resulting in The
capture OF a large number of FEEDER
al troops. His subsequent suffer
ing, penned up with over two thou
sand prisoners at Lynchburg, theil
renewal to Belle Isle, and final ex.
change, were graphically detailed
with many happy hits and allu
sions interspersed. His renlipis
cences gave point to the subsequent
quotation by Rev. j. X. Richardson
of the indignant remark OF Uni
versalist brother, on seeing file
of starved Union prisoners from
Andersonvill pass by: ~ dOn'l
know but what. after all, we shall