The National tribune., 1883-11-01
PHILADELPHIA G. A. r. DAY.
Fine Parade During the Day and a Rousing
Campfire at Night.
correspondence National Tribune.


the Republic in Pennsylvania. For several
years it had been customary for the comrades
to assemble on Broad street, form their line
and march out through Fairmount Park, to
that immense structure so familiar to the
whole country, the main building OF the Cen
tennial Exhibition, and there spend the day
and evening with their families and friends in
social manner. Music, song, banquets, games
and dancing were then the order of the day.
That grand building is now thing of the past
and the acre of ground once covered by it has
since been leveled, sodded and planted with
beautiful flowers and shrubbery. Last year
| the day fixed was the 9th of October, which
day fell in the week of holidays devoted to the
magnificent celebration of the two-hundredth
birthday of this Commonwealth, and the turn
out of the Grand Army on that occasion added
not little to the successful results achieved
during that week of holidays. The parade of
the old veterans was the grandest they have
ever made probably ever viii make. This
year, having neither q mai building in which
! to spend the day nor any bi-centennial ami
| versary to celebrate, the comrades were some
| what at a loss as to the manner in which to
| recognize the day. 1t was finally determined
| TO have a parade over short route in the
afternoon, to be followed by grand public
Campfire in the evening. Accordingly prepa-
Tations for both events were pushed rap
| idly forward, for the time between the
| fixing of the date and the programme and the
| date itself was but short. As the day drew
near many anxious forecasts of the weather
were made and the signal office indications
were carefully consulted. Monday was dull,
! gloomy, threatening day, with temperature
/ that made oyercoats decidedly comfortable
and the prospect was dismal one; still there
was hope, but on Tuesday morning early
cold steady, northeast rain set in it kept falling
| all day, and the last sound heard at midnight
was the plash of the drops against the window
panes. BY this time all hope of good day
| had died out, which was revived but little when
yesterday morning opened. Although the
| rain had ceased to fall, the heavy, ieaden-
eolored clouds looked as though they might
| spring a-leak again at any minute. Towards
| noon, however, they commenced to break away,
| and by the time fixed for the formation Of the
line of parade the sun had several times peeped
out Two o'clock was the hour fixed for the
line to FORM but long before that time Broad
street was thronged with the rapidly-arriving
Posts which at once took up the places pre-
yiously assigned them In general orders. On
the sidewalks gathered the iFrepressible small
boy, as well as those of larger growth, all eager
| TO witness the imposing display while large
force OF policemen were distributed along the
! route to preserve order and keep the streets
clear of vehicles. While the line was forming
on Broad street equal activity was manifested
| at Department Headquarters on Chestnut
street Here were assembling Commander
Osborne and staff and Chief
Beath and staff, with other invited guests,
among whom were many distinguished COM
rades, together with his Honor, Mayor King.
At the proper time, Department Commander
-Osborne and as many OF his stat as were not
prevented by disability, mounted their horses,
the balance taking carriages Immediately in
rear of the Commander-in-Chief and staff and
invited guests. Riding and driving rapidly
to the right of the line, at Broad and Chest
nut streets, the signal was given, and shortly
after the hour fixed the column moved. As the
order of movement was by breaking from the
right and marching to the left, much time was
saved, and the head of the column passed the
whole line standing at attention, except when
the customary salute was given by each Post
as it was reached. The route previously an
nounced was then passed over, the formation
Of the column being as follows:
THE MARCHING COLUMN.
Department Commander E. S. Osborne, Senior
Vice Department Commander a. j. Sellers, A.
A. G.. Thes. J. Stewart, 4. @. M. G. Smith d. Coz
ems Chief Mastering Officer Geo. W. Kennedy,
E. S. Sellers, Jno H. Missner, and L. w. Shin
gle, of the Council of Administration; Senior
Aid-de-C Camp III. G.. Williams; Aids Matthew
Hall, G. J. r. Miller, ]. z. Rudolph, JOS W.
Tyler, G. E. Upton, and Edgar Welch; Cavalry
Post, No. 35,-A. J. Speese, Commander,-aet-
ing as escort to Department Headquarters.
\
ing, in the order given: Commander-in-Chief
Robert B. Beath, Past Colanander-in-C Chief
Louis Wagner, Adjutant-General Jno. NJ. Van
derslice, QuartermasterGe General John Taylor,
His Honor Samuel G. King, mayor of the city;
Gen. Jas. A. Beaver, Past Department Com
manders Sam1 /. Given and o. @. BOsbyshell
Aids to oCommander-in- Chief, Jno. Stewart, Geo.
B. Thatcher, a. M. K. Storrie, and Hon. J.
Blackburn, of Delaware; Department Inspector
Thos. G. Sample, Department Chaplain Rev.
Jno. w. Sayres, Medical Director Jos. Ferguson,
Department Commander Ross, of Delaware, and
! staff; Department Commander Fielder, of New
Jersey, and staff; Department Aids Demor,
Clark, Curtin, Potter, Gentner, and Neill, Past
Senior Vice Department Commander Dyer and
P. p. c. n. G.. Wilson, of Post No 8, Gettysburg.
Next came the Posts in the following order
Geo. G. Meade Post, No. / Post No. 2, with
guard; battalion soldiers orphans; Post No. s.
with guard Ellis Post. No. 6 Capt w. S. New
hall Post No. z, with guard; Gen. E. D. Baker
Post, No. 8, with guard; Greble Post, No. 10,
with guard Gen. Zook Post No. IL, of Norris
| town; Hettie a. Jones Post, No. IL; Gen. L.
Z. Warren Post, No. 10; Col. W. L. Curry Post
No. Is; Col. Fred. Taylor Post, No. 19, with
guard Courtland Saunders Post, No. 21 Ad-
miral Dupont Post, No. "a, with guard; Wilde
Post, No. %, of Chester; Mccall Post, No. 81,
of West Chester; Col. Gus. w. Town Post, No.
46, with guard Bayard Post, No. 8, of Tren-
ton; Capt. Philip r. Schuyler Post, No. 81, with
guard; Kearney Post, No. So, with guard Col
J. w. Moore Post, No. So, with guard Birney
Post, No. So, with guard Reno Post No. 81
of Williamsport; Geo. Smith Post, No. 79, ol
Conshohocken; Robert Bryan Post, No. so (col-
ored), with guard Charles Sumner Post, No
103 (colored); Winfield Scott Post, No. ia
with guard Post No. lis. In the line were
also Gunner Post, of New York; Dupont Post
No. 2. of Wilmington, Del; VIM. B. Hatch
Post, No. ST. of Camden N. j. and Post No. %
of Trenton. The scene along the streets through
which the veterans marched was very attract
i've and inspiring, profuse decorations being dis
played in different sections of the route, and
each Post being accompanied by band OF
drum corps, or both. At Broad and Girard
avenue the line was reviewed by the Command.
er-in-Chief and Department Commander, with
their respective stats, General Wagner, Past De-
partment Commanders Hartranft, Given, and
Bosbyshell, Past Department Commander Tan
ner, of New York; Mayor King, and other in
vited guests. Passing on to Columbiaavenue the
line countermarched at Spring Garden street
and then dismissed. Considering the threaten.
ing condition of the weather almost up to the
hour the parade was to start, the muddiness o1
the streets, the chiliness of the atmosphere rem
dering it unsafe to go without oyercoats, par
tieularly when wearing their flannel uniform
and, above all, the fact that the boys are not sc
young as they used to be, the turnout was
! highly ereditable one.
THE CAMPFIRE.