The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-25
Regimental Reunions.

1WANllhIh h46lnGNls
The chief event of the evening was the re-
union of the Twentieth Regiment, the gallant
body of men which Chamberlain led to Little
Round Top, and whose obstinate hold of that
important position baffled the plans of Lee and
made the battle of Gettysburg Union victory.
The meeting was held in the great Yale tent.
Long before the hour for the exercises came
the tent was filled by interested spectators, and
the grey-bearded "boys" with the red Maltese
cross upon their caps, found difficulty in max
ing their way within hearing distance.
At half-past seven the President of the regi-
mental Association, Major II. s. Melcher,
called the assemblage to order, and at signal
from him, "Dan" Butterfield sounded the
bugle call. This brought the veterans to their
feet and they broke into cheers in which the
rest of the audience enthusiastically joined.
Major Melcher then brought to the front the
shot-ridden flag borne by the regiment
through the storm of iron and lead at Gettys-
burg AS Sergeant Darling came forward
with the staff in his hand the spectators broke
into another long cheer, and one man excited
ly exclaimed, Il bore those colors at Antie-
TAM" Thereupon there was mighty cheer,
which was only stayed when Chambers band
struck up Orally round the flag" The man
who carried the colors up Little Round Top is
Lieutenant Fuller of Brunswick. Since the
war they have been in the possession of Gen.
Ames, the first Colonel of the regiment, and
after this morning, when they will appear in
the procession, go into the hands of DR.. Coan,
the only surviving Sergeant of the color guard,
who is instructed to give them into the care Of
the State.
When the applause had subsidized the presi
dent read song set to the air of "The Star
Spangled Banner" commemorative the deeds
of the regiment and the army. Lieut.. Muller,
now editor of the Lincoln County News, was
selected to prepare and deliver the historical
address. The selection was most judicious,
for the history was full without being verbose,
and eloquent without being pretentous. 1t
was replete with wide and exact information,
happily expressed and Systematically arranged
concerning the movements of the regiment
from the momentous days just before Antie-
tam to the glorious triumphs at Appomatox
where the enemy cast their arms at the feet of
the Fifth Corps. Lieut.. Miller's valuable
sketch ought to be printed and put in possess
sion of every member of the Twentieth.
AS Lieut.. Miller concluded his remarks
Gen. Chamberlain appeared upon the plat
form and was received with great applause.
In response to the welcome he spoke briefly
and as is his custom, we'll. His experience
with the Twentieth was, he said, the dearest
and most honorable of his life. The red-cross
badge he bore on his breast was once crimsoned
with blood but is now blushing with indy
ing love. No body of men who wore that
badge was worther than the Twentieth Maine
a regiment that, he had the words of generals,
from brigade commanders up to Meade him
self, was held of as great account as any regi-
ment that served in the war of the Rebellion.
They all eagerly gave recognition to its hero
ism and its valor, It's fortitude and patience.
For discipline and morals, it bore a character
conspicuous in the army In JEFF Davis's
dreary reminiscep ses, the speaker said, the
rebel President &C nowledges, without naming
thu regiment, tina, the fellows who held Round
Top spoiled all his plans and destroyed the
Confederacy. That regiment was the Twenti-
eth, and the honor it won that day it MAIN
tanned until, at Five Forks, it stood in the
proud line at whose feet the army of northern
Virginia cast its arms and its trophies In
concluding, the speaker commended thi ex-
ample of valor to t youth of the land, and