The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-07-19

rade, &c, &c.
The annual retnion OF the Old First Rcgl-
ment Association took place yesterday at
the New reservoir. At about 10 O'Clock
the members and their invited guests start
ed from the City Hall In conyeyances which
had been provided for them, and after Q
pleasant drive arrived at the appointed
SPOT. Others followed, and by the middle
Of the day the party assembled was the
largest that has been drawn together on
similar occasion for several years. Shortly
after getting out the party partook OF
lunch, and then dispersed to enjoy them
selves as fancy suggested, there being no
set programme.
At O'Clock dinner was announced. The
tables, which were set in the yard OF Mr..
Charles Baker, keeper OF the reservoir,
we're supplied with everything that the
market afforded, and the "lay.out" did
credit 10 Messrs. Woodson. Vaughan, and
Phillips, the efficient Committee OF Arrange
ments, who were indeiatigable in their ell.
forts to contribute to the pleasure OF those
present. During the afternoon short ad-
dresses were made by Captain John Hamp-
den Chamberlayne and Others. The COM
pany returned TO the city late in the after"
noon, and it was unanimously voted to be
one OF the most delightful "retinions held
since the organization OF the Association.
During the afternoon the following inter-
esting letter from Sergeant.Maior POlak, OF
the Old First, was read, much TO the enjoy
ment OF the company. Mr.. Polak was q
gallant soldier, and his absence from the
annual retnion was regretted by all:
ATLANTA, GA, July 10, 1881.
Charles T. Loehr, Esq, Secretary and
Treasurer Old FIRST Virginia Infantry
Richmond, Va:
Dear Sir and Comrade,-I have deferred
answering your invitation to he with you
at the anniversary meeting OF the "Old
First" hoping that | could report myself
present for duty on the 18th; but having
engaged in a campaign where there is every
day a battle Of life to be fought for the
benefit of my commauder-in- chief and three
children OF our regiment, and the A. z. Nj.
and A. G. S. OF the C.. s. A. having ceased
TO provide either transportation or rations,
! | shall have to deprive myself OF the plea
sure Of being with the boys on that day.
Aware as you aud all OF my dear COM
rades must be OF the love i bear the old
regiment, collectively and individually,
from our glorious Colonel Skinner down to
the hardest case OF drummer-boy (and
there were some pretty bard cases among
tbem). YOU will know that l would be over
! loved 10 be with you and shake each sur
yiyor's honest hand. (No Readiusters
among you, are there:) | could wish
nothing better than to be thar or hdrdboutS
when you are fighting your battles over
and | wonder il. when the exciting scenes
and incidents Of Gettysburg and Second
Manassas, Plymouth and Bull Run, Fra
zier's Farm and Seven Pines, Fredericks-
burg aud DrewTy's Bluff, are recalled, the
veterans among you will remember
me. I'd like TO hear the ridiculous
and humorous incidents remembered which
have almost escaped our memories and
are generally brought to mind again by a
general coniab. can recall now number
OF good things, which. II properly spun out,
would ill the pages Of a spectable-sized
paper. such as the chasing Of the rabbit
whilst charging at FraZier's farm; The fun
| I'm crossing the Potomac when we could not
hold our footing unless a dozen or more
locked arms, and when even with those
precautions observed many a one Of us re-
celve good ducking before he reached the
other side; the jolly supper OF goose and
coffee tno bread) made by the few OF us
who came alive out OF Gettysburg the way
we made the most OF our slight wounds I'm
returning from that disastrous campaign)
| TO work on the sympathies generally I'M
successfully Of the Pennsylvania Dutch
men; the time Mobiles, OF Company ID, was
plugged through his canteen on the Cold
| HArbOr lines and mstook the water running
down his uDmentionabes for bis life'S blood,
or when we relieved Early dust previous to
his advance on Washington, and when our
regiment, being ordered TO ascertain the
enemy's position in front OF our lines, got
so hopelessly entangled with the blues ut
was after sun-down) thai when Lee Blan-
| ton told one OF the men to stop hring he
was Informed that "the rebels were all
around u.s.; the time we bad pitching into
the good things OF the Yankee suffers,
when we captured Plymouth; or Major
Norton's colored boy Ned announcing
breakfast ready" during our hottest
! fighting at Milton's station, on the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac rail
road, where, with not exceeding 400
muskets, we fooled Warrren's corps
long enough to give Longstreet chance to
reach the Hanover Courthouse lines first.
And, by.the.by, boys, that was as pretty a
| little fight as we ever put up. Major Nor
toa was in charge OF the brigade, or, rather,
OF portion OF each regiment in the brig
ade. We had no artillery, and but a small
squad OF cayalry-a captain and about
twenty-five men command not remember
edl; but we managed to keep Warren at
| bay for the better part OF that day, and
Longstreet was ready for him when he
finally moved forward. | remember each
circumstance Of that gallant little brush
well, as | had the honor TO act as assistant
acknowledgement to our temporary briga-
dier.
Our position was parallel to and slightly
| I'm advance Of the Mattaponi. with portion
OF the command under Davis posted in and
| behind the houses OF the little village OF
Milton, which formed right angle to our
| left. Warren's command came up at about
8 A. NJ, and commenced feeling us eau
tiously, keeping well away from the village,
and working to turn oar right. At about 3
p. NJ. zoe had felt them sufficiently, and we
retired slowly and in good order, but with
considerably fewer men than we had
started with. Among others, our en-
tire cavalry was gObbled up. How !
! Because they were on our extreme right
the place OF honor! How didthey get there
Well, as all our reserves were up, Major Nor
| ton ordered me to use the cavalry, and l
know that L never obeyed military order
with more pleasure than to dismOunt them
and dOuble.quick them TO where they could
| do the most good. But, see here, am not
a historian. My intention was only to set
YOU all talking about eye oIden times " !;
and II more food for mirth is needed, think
of the corn.cob battles at Fairfax Court
house and Falls Church, the SNOWFALL
campaign at Quincy Station; and from
those topics you will easily run
into others better remembered by some
Of you. Ah, boys, we were younger
then, and our splits more buoyant.
Who worried about "the morrow" :" then,