River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-05-24
ARMY OF TIE poroMao.
Annual Reunion in Washington
Gen. Newton Elected President
Review by President Arthur
Address by Major Maginnis.

ISeNieW Dy IfeStueHb arthur
Address by Major Magimnis.
The reunion of the army of the Potomac
at Washington on the 10th. in connection
with the public parade and other ex-
/ ercises was a very brilliant affair
| 1t was the first representative gathering of
| the army of the Potomac in Washington
4 since the war; and, as the soldiers OF twenty
| years ago marched past the stand, many of
! them gray bearded AMI bowed with the
weigh of the intervening years, it recalled
| the review OF 1865 wnen the army of the
/ Potomac mar he'd up the avenue aud passed
\ in review before tn. president 1000
strong. OF the society Of the army of the
/ Potomac there were about 1900 rhen in
| line and together with the various organi-
| cations composing the escort, about $500
| men were in lima. The president was sur
| rounded by number of prominent men.
| Gen. Sherman and Vice Admiral Rowan
were the only officers ia uniform. The
| president sauted the different sections by
| rails ng his hat. The fife and drum corps
| played Marching Through Georgia. To
| tn Gen Sherman responded by raising his
1 hat, tut he inv UNFAIRLY sept time with his
! foot.
/ AT the business meeting in the afternoon
| . sharp contest was aroused over the elec.
| ton of president ofthe society. Gen. Grant
! those present being from Pennsylvania and
| New York, he was defeated by Gen. Newton,
/ OF He'll Gate. When Grants nane was
| brought forward, cheers and cries of "Grartli
| "Grant' "Votei" tNeWtonln for some min
| utes made it impossible for any one of the
| score of gentleman who were on their feet
| to be heard. Then followed a running dis
eussion as to Gen. Grants eligibility. Some
| one from the stage declared he was an hon
| Gray member. A voice from the audience
| replied. He hasn't paid his dues" Anoth-
En- called out "For fourteen years he de-
| clined to pecome member of our society.
| Why burden him with this honor now:"
Finally Gen. Humphreys gained attention,
| and naively suggested:
Ii remember rightly Gen. Grant, at one
| time was intimately associated with the army
| ofthe Potomac near the close ofwar. think
| is clearly eligible II on choose to elect him.
| This was received with shouts OF
| laughter and applause from all quarters,
| and it was moved to proceed to ballet the
| result being as follows: Gen. Newton, 1885,
| Gen. Grant, III, scattering, Z. Gen. New
| tons election was made uUani-
nous, and with the exception of president
| the old officers were reelected. Brooklyn,
| N Y, was selected as the place of the next
reunion of the society.
| In the evening there was brilliant audi
| ence at the National theatre.
| Lie NtttTdIlo lttitu tjlO mist IOUA N1O q
number of distinguished generals, among
whom were Gems. Sherman, Rosecrans, Bea-
yer, Hazen, Webb and Slocum, occupied
| seats ON the stage. Judge Ednunds well
| coined the society to Washington, and George
| Alfred Townsend read a poem. 1t was an
artistic effort, devoted chiefly TO the memory
of Lincoln.
The Grafton by Maj Martin Maginns OF
| the First Minresota was the chief feature OF
| tho a " c al hnnr in do
| livering it, but was listened to throughout
| with close attention and evident interest
| The appreciation of the audience was fire.
| quently exhibited by hearty and long con-
| tinued applause At one time when he al
| luded in particularly effective way to Gen.
| Sherman as the magnificent Sherman" the
| old veterans arose in their seats, threw up
their hats and fairly shouted in their enthu-
siasm. He inspired many other similar out
bursts and was enthusiastically cheered and
personally and heartily congratulated by
many at the close.
MAGINNIss' ADDRESS.
Addressing the president of the United
States and his comrades of the army of the
Potomac, Mr. Maginnis said:
Surely comrades, as you again came down
to the Potomac, and to your eye again APP
peared the white vision of the capitol,
around which, phantom-like have clustere
memories that have attended you through
long peace amid the struggles of existence,
in the fields of everyday endeavor. surely
the stones of twenty years were rolled away;
and out of the sepulchTe of each comrade's
past came forth young, an ardent, an he
roic spirit Planted by the fathers in the
center of their United States, revolution had
moved the capital to the frontier. Worsel
Secession was behind as well as in front of
it. 1t was an outpost in the enemy's c0un-
try-garrisoned only by the government.
Secession had gone back to the sacred soil
but it said, with CIhiine, l gol
but ] r,turn. For otfense or defense
Wash ngtoh was strategicaliy weak, but its
foundation were laid with those of the
Uni n. 1t was hallowed by association
with the venerated dead. |. was the sacred
city OF the nation. And the loyal people
determined that never should domestic in
surrection profane its holy places. There
is no need to defend the justice of that war
which has given us a Union. The military
history OF our campaigns is road beset,
with thorns, involving criticisms on gen.
erals who are members of this society, and
on statesmen who had large followings in
their lives and are honored by the country
in their deaths. Let critics and historians
perform this ungrateful task. / shall give
only honor to our superiors in the cabinet
and in the field. 1t is boosted that the best
blood of the South was in their ranks.
Nbll3 Tic USSG DlOOu anu UIdlnS vi
the North were in ours. The
orators of our pulpits, the
lights of the bar, senators and representa-
tives were privates in the army of the Poto-
mac. The story of that army is a sad but
glorious story OF bootless efforts, useless sac
rifices and final success. Worn out in
marches without Objects wasted in battles
that had no results; tainted with inactivity;
batf1ed by interference and delay, it strHg
gled, fought and bled for victory. For as
this was the peoples war, it turned out to
be the peoples fight. N Alexander, C9sar
or Napoleon arose to monopolize its glories
and claim its victories for himself alone
AS far as the army of the Potomac was con-
cerned, there never was an army that owed
less to brilliancy of leadership or the inspi-
ration OF genius. What it lost was often
from the lackes of its direction; what it won
1t dearly paid for in its own patriotic
blood In the history of the war this army
is entitled to the right of the lire. Through
all the baffi S and smiles of folly, for une
and glory, when hope was lost in useless
endeav r, and patriotism paled in the
apathy of outworn enthusiasm, its disc1-
pin its spirit, its organization never failed
and whatever criticism may be made as to
how it was fought this society Of this coun-
try unite in praisng the organizing hand OF
our comrade and chief, Mcclellan. More
so than with our Other armies that disci-
pine was needed to mt 1t tor It's task. 1t
could maintain no bummers. 1t never
camped out of the sound of the enemy's
guns or bivouaced beyond the reach OF inn
mediate attack; a gladiator Away in the
arena, a knight whose guard could never
be let down. That discipline was superb.
II in the wider sen discipline means that
obedience to duty which keeps men in line
when they fight, and in column when they
march, to fight again tomorrow, and march
the night after, until energy is exhausted
and obedience mechanical; If that be dis
cipline, as it is the object of discipline, then
it was the best disciplined army on this
planet. But, comrades the result is worth
it all. Every passing year will make more
plain the decree ofthe god of battles that
the lost cause was Justly lost. To this city,
where they had met, the comrades of many
years were called, that they might part.
You crossed the Potomac, and turning your
backs upon its banks, marched in review
up the avenue, that river of steel, wave after
wave passed the White house and moved by
the capitol to break and art and return to
the utterniost parts ofthe Union. But ofal
those whose tattered standards f1oated on
the air and whose triumphant music filed
the heart with joy, how few there were of
the faces that 70 II years before had marched
down that avenue the other way-had
marched down to the battle field, the hos
pital, the grave. How much vaster the
shadowy hosts of the dead, whose pale
memories moved with the column and Kept
time to the march. From scores of fields.
consecrated by their deaths, forever sacred
to their memories, they could not come I'M
ufnufA h1f