The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-06-23

old times with comrades. At 8 p. m.
we met again in Merrill Hall and
were marched to Music Hall. AS we
passed the Russell House, the people
of the state of Michigan, and the
police of Detroit found that the
cavalry corps of the army Of the
Potomac could not be crowded into
the gutter and after vainly attempt
ing it the police told the crowd it
was vain to attempt to break the
column. Arrived at Merrill Hall,
your correspondent found himself
seated in about the middle of that
large and most beautiful room.
Decorated-well, read all the papers
published in Detroit, hear all the
boys have to say about it, and then,
f you have a powerful imagination,
you may think you have some idea
of it. 1t was superb, but of all the
ship overhead and the camp scene
on the stage will long be remembered.
That camp scene with its real soldiers,
campfire and all was f~aultless.
The programme was strictly car
ried out. Gen. Devons, President Of
the army of the Potomac, called the
meeting to order. The Governor
gave us an address of welcome, but,
as his lungs are weak, he could not
be heard and l can simply say he
may have said some good things.
The Mayor of Detroit followed, and
we all knew he gave us a welcome.
We heard it and we knew it. The
poem was good and enjoyable. The
Grafton "History of the Army of the
Potomac by Gen. Bragg was not
endurable. 1t vas ho long and not
delivered loud enough to be heard
by any except those very near him
I heard but little other fault with it.
Some did not like to hear Gen.
Mcclellan called a good organizer,
and others thought Grants name was
not mentioned, but Grant never
commanded the army of the Potomac
only as he commanded all the
armies. 1t was too warm and the
boys too impatient and the orator
yielded the floor. Gen. Grant was
called for and cheered as he rose.
He stood there a few moments and
the papers say he made a speech, but
if he did, we did not hear il. Gen.
Sheridan was next called for and was
received with deafening shouts. He
smiled a glorious welcome, but said
very little; said if it was as warm
where we were as where he was, he
thought we would not like to hear
anything he might say, but many Of
us had heard his say in hotter places
tn an that. He was followed by Gen.
Sickles, who first charged us with too
much Impotence to hear Gen. Bragg's
Grafton and then told us to keep still
and he would say something, and he
did. He said the great generosity
credited to Congress by Gen. Devon
in voting money to the soldiers, in
bounties, was not just, they had simply
voted other peoples money to us while
voting some in their own pockets and
not cut of them. Second, that the coun-
try had failed to keep the promises
made us when we enlisted, in the
matter OF appointments to Office, but
instead had cried civil service reform
and appointed none to Office except
he belonged to the political ring or
clique, all Of which must have
sounded q little plain, to say the
least, to the two ex-Presidents, Grant
and Hayes, sitting upon the stage.
Ex-President Hayes made a good
little speech which was plainly heard
and we'll received. His and
appearance was far ahead of Gen.
Grants. The exercises closed at II p. m.
and as we passed out we had a good
view of the night decorations. The City
Hall was shining with lights from the
ground to its highest points.
At 8 a. m, the 10th, the cavalry
corps again met in Merrill Hall and
at s. 80 started for its place in COL
umn which was the front of the
veterans. We marched, yes, and
counter marched and then marched
again, but for where and to where,
the Detroit papers a tell better
than | as we simply followed, singing
the old camp songs of twenty years
ago, and when came a lull in that
you could hear the step given, left,
left, left a good home, left, as onward
we marched. During all our march.
we found the streets free from car
riages, and the walks, windows and
house tops filled with the multitudes.
The cavalry were marched to the
Fair grounds by request of the man
agement there, but many of us found
little there worth our while and soon
found our way back to the city.
Detroit gave us the best welcome
possible considering its limited
knowledge of the proportions of the
army and its friends. Provisions
were plenty, though l heard one