The National tribune., 1883-05-24


badge, committee was appointed 20 adopt
new design 10 b. presented as the next meet
ing. The following were elected officers for the
ensuing year: Gen.W Wv. Averiil, president; Maj.
Charles II. Hatch ire electel}, secretary; Col
onel Gerard L. Whitehead tre-elected9, treas
urer; and vice presidents, Major Marcus a.
Reno, Colonel c. j. Wilson, Colonel Charles G.
Otis, Major III. c. Myer, Major w. \. Boyd, Col
onel ]. T. Taylor and Colonel Albert Bur-
nitts General William Wells was then
elected yicc-president of the society.
TIE BUSINESS MEETING.
Later in the afternoon the annual business
meeting of the society was held at the National
Theatcr, tRe auditorium ofwhich had been taste
fully decorated for the occasion by Comrade
Frank T. Foster, of Cincinnati, o. Thepr5sceni-
um arch was heavily draped with bunting and
portrait of General Grant framed in flags, with
the single word AppUmattox below it and the
text Welcome, Army Of the Potomac" F" above
II, occupied the center. At one side OF the arch,
over the boxes, was suspended a portrait of
General Sherman, and at the other side one of
General Sheridan, while both tiers of balconies
wtre gracefully feSiooned with the national
coors, and each bore a row of shields on which
the names of the battles in which the army
participated were inscribed. The stage itself
set with a military scene AT one wing
there was an ettigy of soldier on guard, and
at the other a figure of veteran returned to
the plow, while two pillars at the center bore
the names Of the army's generals and corps
/ commanders. At the rear of the stage rose
the eIiigy Of a monument, inscribed with the
names of the dead of the last year as follows:
Major ]. b. Atehison, General 4. +. Burnside,
General s. Burbank. Colonel q. w. Bradley,
Captain w. ID. Brennan, Colonel Gouverneur
Carr, Captain J. Newton Dickson, Colonel Geo.
p. Foster, Colonel A Farnsworth, Florence
BieyleT, General j. Fitzpatrick, General 2. P.
! Rs.,x- Hahn Pfn
Humphreys presided at the business meeting,
and General Horatio King ofiieiated as secre-
tary. The secretary's and treasurerS reports
were first presented. The latter's shows a bal
ance from last year Of S7343l; dues received
from June II, 1852, to May 10, 1888, 81, ,195. 30;
Initiation fees of new members May IS, 500
total, $2,694 66: disbursements for stationery,
printing, postage. expenses of the poet, orator,
and the stenographer at the last meeting, and
incdentals, 81, ,522 SO, leaving balance on hand
of 1,l7L73.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
The next thing in order was the election of
a president for the ensuing year. General ).
IL Mann, of North Carolina, on behalf of the
Sixth Corps, nominated for president " that
grand old soldier" General John Newton.
/ There was a great clamor OF applause. Major
Joseph Steiner, from the stage, shouted at
! the top of his his voice, the nomination
of the Fifth Corps, General U. S. Grant,
which was received with great applause
! To the latter nomination it was oh
/ jected that General Grant was only an hon
/ orary member and therefore not eligible to the
presidency. General Humphreys provoked a
general laugh by quietly saying General
I Grant served with the Army of the Potomac; ;
\ j know that Finally General Mann with
| drew the name of General Newton, and then
General Barnum withdrew General Grant
Amid b0ister0us but thoroughly good natured
! tumult these pames were again presented,
| however and the ballot resulted as follows:
| General Newton, l55; General Grant, III ;
scattering, II. General Newton's election was
made unanimous. BY vote, the secretary was
authorized to cast one vote for the reelection
of the other officers as follows: Treasurer,
General NJ. T. McMahon: Secretary, General
| H0ratio King; Corresponding Secretary, Gen
| eral George III. Sharpe. The different corps
| then presented the names of the vice. -presi-
| dents, one for each corps, IS follows: First
| Corps, w w. Dudley; Second Corps General
S. S. Carroll; Third Corps General Dudley J..
| Davis; Fourth Corps, Colonel McMichael !;
| Fifth Corps, General r. B. Ayres: Sixth Corps,
| General Adam Z. King; Ninth Corps, General
! Edward Jardinette; Eleventh Corps, Colonel
Emil Frye; Twelfth Corps, General Joseph l..
| Selfridge; Nineteenth Corps; General William
1 Ill. Everett; staff corps General George d.
Ruggies; cavalry corps, Colonel 3. Mcintosh
corps, General B. f. Fisher.
The next business was the selection OF a
place in which TO hold the next Reunion.
! Three cities-Brooklyn, Portland and Harris
buTg-were recommended, but after some dis
cussion Brook yn was unanimously fixed upon.
On motion of Gen. Alexander Webb resolu-
| ton was adopted thanking the citizens OF
Washington for their hospitality, and the meet
ing adjourned until evening.
TIRE prTRTTf, MEETING
There was very large attendance at the
evening meeting and many distinguished Off
GERS end civilians were present. Secretary
Lincoln and Postmaster-General Gresham oc-
cupied one of the boxes, and among those on
the stage were Generals Webb, Humphreys,
Rosecrans Weaver, MacMahon. Adam King,
1 Wright Van Fliet, AVres Mcintosh Mckee
Dunn, IL. w. Slocum, Green B. Raum, Carmen,
H. C. King, Clarke, Zeilin, T. T. Crttenden,
0rdway Barnum, Tyler, Locke, RuggleS, Rob-
ins0n- Sharpe, Col. Trettle, Col. Truesdell, Capt
Burritt Capt. joyce Mai. Steiner, Hon NJ Ma
ginnis, the orator of the evening: George Alfred
Townsend, the poet of the occasion; District
Commissioner Edmonds Capt. Richard Hoxie
Judge MacArthuT, Commissioner Loring, Capt.
Phelps. H. J. Ramsdell, ]. Q. Thompson, Prof
Hilgard j. B. Carson, Senator ingalls,, General
Francis A. Walker, w. II. Trescot John A
Baker, and Speaker Keifer
The meeting was called to order by President
Humphreys. Commissioner Edmonds then
proceeded TO deliver brief address of welcome
At its conclusion Mr.. George Alfred Townsend
the poet of the occasion, read the following
poem:
THE ANNUAL POEM.
Civil soldiers, reasscmbled by the river of you
fame
We who saved the virgin city bathed in Washing
tons clear name
/ Which Of ell your past commanders doth this dal
your memory haunt
Scott, Mcdowell, Burnside, Hooker, Meade, Nc
Clelian, Haeck, Grant?
There is one too little mentioned when your prout
reunions come.
And the thoughtful love of country dies upon th
sounding drum:
Let me call him in your muster! Let me wake hin
in your grief
Captain by the Constitution, Abraham Lincoln wa
your chief!
Ever nearest 10 his person, ye were his defense
shield
He alone OF your commanders died upon the battle
, field.
All your generals were his children, leaning o
him chdsh-wilied
And they all were fiial aourners round tn
, mighty tomb he filed.
Tender the harp Of David his soft answers no,
become,
When amid the cares of kingdoms rose and fe
z Absalom;
!: And his humor gilds his memory like Hgt
within tent,
Or the sunken sun that fingers or the lofty mont
nent
. Like the slave that the sunrise with his far