Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-27
Ghe Jree Dress.
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
Gen. Portcrs Grafton,

ator at the recent reunion of the society of the
Army of the Potomac, at Brooklyn, N. V,
and delivered the following witty and effect.
i've address:
''lf had known earlier than | do now
that the Army of the Potomac was going to
make such an attack as this upon me tonight
/ should have endeavored to beat hasty re-
treat and abandon the ground to someone
else. think | should have succeeded, for
if there is one lesson which the war taught
better than another it is that a man may re-
treat successfully from almost any position
Il he only starts in time. We have been
cordially received by this great city and by
its Mayor, who has had to deal with at
least as great question as any that ever con-
frontcd the Army of the PotomGc-how to
govern great city. | have 1ever heard
but one fault attributed to him, and that is
The fault which will never be lad at the
door of any of us of this society, the fault
OF being young. Applause and laughter. ]
The Army long wanted to meet in Brook
Ign, but it no longer marches with its pom
toon train, and therefore it had to await the
completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. Re
newed laughter
10 the members Of this society the past is
beginning to seem like dream long since
dreamt. 1t is a ecorc of years since the
Army Of the Potomac stood shoulder to
shoulder together in line of battle in front of
Petersburg and Richmond. 1t is well nigh
quarter of a century since that army first
gathered in its might, rallied to the defence
of an imperilled nation, kuelt upon this soil
TO swear allegiance to the Republc. and
sealed the oath with its blood, Applause. /
Time is passing and memory IS fading. Re-
Qublics, if they be not ungrateful, are at
least forgctful aud it is well that the survi-
vors of that great struggle should gather to-
gcthCr each year, should once more assemble
around the bivouac, should light again the
historic camp fires, to the end that in their
light the world may read anew the record of
the lmperishable deeds of the Army of the
Potomac.
Should America be less mindful of her
heroes than Ancient Greece or Modern Eu-
rope: 1t is said that for ages after the bat
tie of 1hermopyl;e, every school child in
Greece was required to rise in his place each
morning, and recite from memory the names
OF the three hundred immortal heroes who
held that mountain pass Latour D'Auverne
private in the French army. had cover
cd himself with glory in hundred battles,
and had been given the title of the "Flrst
Grcnadier of France" When he fell, pierre
cd with bullets and Scared with wounds, a
general order directed that thereafter his
name should be kept on the active roll, should
he called at every roll call, and private in
the ranks should answer for him and at
every revclle and at every tattoo the first
sergeant called "Latour D'Auverne, and a
private answered from the ranks, Died on the
field of honor" And so, if the muster roll
of the old Army of the Potomac were spread
out here tonight and seen as you once saw
it if the familiar names were called over as
you once heard them called, each man here
could rise in his place and answer not for
one Comrade, but for tens of thousands of
comrades, "Dcd on the field of honor"
1t is nearly quarter of century since
the first gun was fired on Sumter. 1t was
not loud report; that gun did but little
damage TO the fort, but it was the most sig
nticant shot ever fired from lannon's mouth
Its sound awoke a sleeping North, its echoes
aroused to the frenzy of war a peaceful peo.
pie; its reverberations did not cease till
they had reached foreign shores. and told
the whole world that the Great Republic was
at war. Then every man, woman and child
in the land became a worker in the cause
which moved the Nations soul. Men went
to enlisting, officers to organizing. preachers
to joining Christian commissions, the noble
men and women of the land to forming
sanitary commissions, and little children
dropped their school books and went to
scraping lint and cutting bandages. There
was foreshadowed what history afterward
verified, that the true hero of that war was
the American PEOPLE. Then came the
mighty gathering of that vast army. Some
said, brothers will not fight" But broth.
ers will fight when their mothers have been
struck. Applause.
The doors of the workshops were closed,
the fields we've deserted. Armed men pour.
ed down from the hilltOps and surged up
from the valleys, the middle wall of partition
was broken down between classes, until il
seemed like the good DAYS of old when
none were for party, but all were for tho
Stale. The whole land became one vast
military camp, and man felt that he lived
ar,ain in the heroic ages Every man came
prepared TO do his duty from squirrel hunt
iug to manslaughter in the first degree anf
felt that he was able to run against and carr,
away whole section of barbcd wire fence
without scratching himself in the least. Thai
army in moment of courageous gaiety made
Ills trial trip in that somewhat complicated
series OF retrogade movements known
rs Bull Run. The men never acknowl
dyed retreat, but in their more can
did moment they did own up to fall
ing back about twenty miles. They were
told that the eyes of Washington were upor
them, and they, as matter of recip
iUCdi courtesy, wanted 10 get their eyes Oh
Washington. Many gun trembled so in tn,
hands OF Its holder on both sides that day
that II an enemy got to lodging he was prct
~ sure to be hit. When that army reached
me Potomac that night, its different supdi
visions looked as if they lad been issued il
penny numbers and not yet bound. Laugh
ter. 1t moved with one eye on Richmond
and the other on Washington until it ough
to have been as crossed as the boy who wa
trying to see two trains sweeping by in oppo
site directions at the same time. Laughter.
The mule that used to come up every da,
WIN cart load Of greenhacks thai wa
dumped IN the camp will be remembered b
al here; that mule was an important adjunc
81 inc Government and for such service
'uBHt 10 nave been DreVetted horse. Nor
iauuUtlr