Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-10-12
THE WAR VETERANS VISIT.
To the Shenandoah VaIIey..-An Inter.
eating 0ceaHfou.

Hampshire Regiment belongs the credit of
the Inauguration of such a reunion, and par
ticular credit is due to Lieutenant Buffum,
formerly of that regiment, and now an at.
tachc of the Boston Herald, for designing the
trip and for much of its ultimate success.
The Fourteenth formed an association during
the past year for the purpose of this visit,
and included in its invitation the surviving
members of the Sixth, Eighth and Nineteenth
corps, all Of whom were present at Winches
ter nineteen years ago. Committees were
chosen from each Of the corps, an excursion
was planned and special train chartered at
Washington for the journey south. Two hun
dred and twenty-five veterans, with their
wives and friends, arrived at Harpers Ferry
Monday evening, September 18th, end at
noon the next day were in the city of Win
chester. Here they were received by the
city authorities, and by a committee of ex-
confederates with the greatest enthusiasm
and the most generous hospitality. The visi.
tors were escorted to the court house, where
an address Of welcome was delivered by the
mayor, to which Colonel Carroll d. Wright
of Boston, in command of the Fourteenth
New Hampshire Regiment during the war,
responded in an eloquent speech. The ice
was thus readily broken, and the party sat
down to a bountful banquet provided by the
citizens Of the city. The visiting command
then repaired to the camp situated some two
miles from town, where an interesting pro-
gramme of exercises was carried out. On
Wednesday, the 10TH the veterans marched
to the national cemetery where sleep some
four thousand of those who wore the blue
separated by narrow lane from the burial
place of the confederate soldiers A large
crowd of people were present to witness the
solemn and impressive ceremonies which were
held at the foot of the New Hampshire monu-
ment erected by that state at this place. The
crowning feature of the day was the tribute
paid by the northern veterans to the hundred
unknown confederate dead that lie buried here.
Prayer was offered by Chaplain Whittemore of
the Tenth Massachusetts,, who is an tx congress-
man from the state of South Carolina to which
a responsive "Amen" came from the lips of
every listener, after which an address was de-
lvered by Colonel Wright and the procession
returned to camp. Here some fifty tents had
been pitched by the visitors, and during the
evening a host of Winchester citizens rode
down to acknowledge the handsome tribute
peid to their dead during the afternoon, and to
be present at the exercises OF the evening.
Speeches were delivered songs were sung, and
display of fireworks served to make the oc-
casion brilliant in the extreme. Exercises no
less interesting were held each evening at the
camp during the two remaining days of the
veterans stay, and the memories that cluster
around Camp Emory"-named in honor of
| the venerable commander Of the Nineteenth
| corps, who was present-will linger for years
in the minds not only of the visiting soldiers
| but also Of the people Of Winchester who par
took of its hospitality. Every day except
| Friday, which day was spent at the battle
| fields of Cedar Creek and Fishers Hill, was
spent by those in camp rehearsing the events
of nineteen years ago and in visiting the his
toric scenes in and about the city Of Winches-
ter. Saturday morning tents were struck,
and after a hearty "God-speed" from the citi
| zens and a farewell meeting at the court
house hall, the visiting party left for the
north.
| General Stephen Thomas, the honored COM
mander of the old Eighth Vermont, was in
| charge of the arrangements for the excursion
on the part of the Vermont veterans, and
| headed party of some twenty five from this
state. In an interview with him a few days
since the general spoke with the greatest en-
thusiasm of the success and pleasure of the
| expedition. His intimate knowledge and per-
| sonal experience OF that campaign in the Shen-
| andoah valley serve to make his "reminiscences
of its battles of the greatest possible interest.
| He entered into the spirit of this reunion-of
| again tenting on the old cemp-ground-wth
| the same zeal and fervor which characterized
| bis whole career in the army and gave him
! not only us Wtll-NOu tllle Dut tue love ana re-
| spect of all his men. The general took upon
himself the task, on his trip, OF tracing out
and fixing the positions of the different army
corps at the battles of Winchester, Cedar Creek
| and Fishers Hill. At Winchester the field had
| been very materially changed as to its land
scape. Forests had been cut away, fields
plowed up, and fences erected which had al.
tered the features of the country in a marked
degree, and it was only after considerable la
Dor that satisfactory picture of the battle field
could be reproduced 20 the minds eye. At
Cedar Greek and also at Fishers Hill no diff
Guilty was met IN fixing the relative positions
of the troops. A striking fact was brought to
the notice of all who went over these grounds
with General Thomas, in that the distances
from point to point were 80 much greater than
they seemed in the memories Of those who
travelled them nineteen years ago. The battle
of Cedar Greek was fought Just month, to a
day, after that at Winchester, and the Generals
recollection of that battle seems vivid as il
it occurred but yesterday. The storehouse oc.
cupied by General Sheridan as his headquarters
was found still standing, and occupied by
Scotchman named Smiley. A woman was
found living there who well remembered the
battle and, as she told General Thomas IVA,
nightly skeered, "aud took up a refuge in the
cellar to escape the bullets which were too pro
miscuously plenty for safety As was said by
one of the confederates of this battle, 1--WE
whipped you in the forenoon and you whipped
us in the afternoon" The Union men were
fortunate in being able to laugh best" a,
their luck came at the close of the day, in
total rout of the enemy.
The visitors spent the last day at the city o
Harrisonburg Here they were met with
complete ovation-the citizens seeming to vie
with those at Winchester in the warmth ant
heartiness of their greeting Thousands o.
people turned out to welcome them, headed by
committees, bands of music, with carriage
for the ladies of the party, and the town wa
decorated with flags and bunting from top Il
toe. A bountiful dinner was provided at tn,
Revere House, while many of the citizen
welcomed members of the party to their pri
vate houses.