Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-09-04

now proudly tnen tney marched 10 mar
tial music, and how their eyes flashed
as they looked up at 1.-THE old flag that
waved in graceful folds above them.
All! boys and young men of to-day, the
loyal states, twenty-three years ago,
represented population not one-third
as great as the population of the United
States to-day, but there were million
freemen then who volunteered to defend
our country's flag, with their lives.
They do not attend reunions now, only
very few of them, who love to get to-
gether and tell how their brave COM
rades fell on Southern battle-felds.
Sometimes you think them garrulous,
but you do not know anything of the
memories of the war that are brought
back SO wildly to the minds of the
heroes who fought the battles of free
dom nearly quarter of century ago,
by the meeting of old comrades with
whom they stood shoulder to shoulder
when their comrades were falling on
all sides around them. They look now
not nearly so much like soldiers as do
the gaudily uniformed militia-men
who parade at county fairs; but twenty
years ago they belonged to the grandest
army that ever trod the earth, and they
participated in battles in which, in a
single day, more men were killed and
wounded than were ever engaged in a
battle of the Revolutionary war. And
their patriotism, their heroism and de-
votion saved the lite of the Nation; and
they stood like an adamantine wall be-
tween the Rebel armies and our homes.
God bless them!
The reunion of the old Iron Brigade,
August q and %, "a, will be remem-
bered as long as there is one member of
that noble band left to cherish pleasant
memories of bygone days.
Wednesday noon found considerable
number of the "boys'' in the city and
the greetings were warm, and such as
only old soldiers know. About two
o'clock in the afternoon
| GEN. JOHN GIBRON
arrived on the ground and was greeted
with three rousing cheers. The boys,
grizzled and gray, and many of them
on crutches and others armless, torn by
shot and shell, on the battlefelds where
the Iron Brigade had drenched the
ground with their blood, and smoke
begrimmed remnant had come out COW
cred with glory, gathered around their
old commander, and the moisture would
gather in their eyes as they grasped his
hand, and more than once the grim old
General had to wipe his eyes.
The afternoon was spent in greetings
of old comrades, and in telling the old,
old stories of the battlefield and camp.
A telegram received during the after
noon announced that Gen Fairchild,
Gen. Tom Allen, Col. j. A. Watrous,
Col. Rufus r. Dawes and many others
were coming on the Milwaukee passen-
ger train. About two hundred veterans
headed by the Lancaster Harmonic
Band and under the command of Capt.
Ii. +. Young, marched to the depot to
receive their old comrades and COM
manders. BY command of Gen Glib
bon, on the arrival of the train, the
one-armed General, Ex-Governor Fair
child, was placed upon the stretcher
and carried to carriage in waiting.
The General at first demonstrated but
at last submitted gracefully. The other
distinguished visitors were taken to car
riagss, and, headed by the procession of
veterans and the band, were escorted to
Wright House, where as they alighted
from their carriages, they were greeted
with such cheers as only old veterans of
many bloody battle-fields know how to
give.
At eight O'Clock in the evening Hyde's
Hall was crowded with the members of
the Brigade and hundreds of our citi-
zens, large proportion of whom were
ladies. The stage was tastefully
adorned with flags and bunting. On
the right of the stage was the banner
of the Iron Brigade, and around the
sides of the hall were the old regiment
al flags and banners, rent and torn by
shot and shell, which had floated over
these heroes heads on the long and
weary marches, and in the hottest of
the fight, and which they had carried
to victory on many a battlefield, and
which proudly waved over the heads of
these conquering heroes and of once
naughty but finally vanquished foes, on
the field of Appomattox. Surrounded
by wreath of evergreen, over each
window, was the name of some loved
Commander. Wadsworth, Gibbon,
Cutler, Bragg, Reynolds, King, Mere
dith, and the names called up scenes of
long-ago and deeds of daring, such as
history has never given. Gen. Gibbon,
as President of the Association, called
the meeting to order, and in few pleas
ant remarks limited that he had heard
it intimated that the city was on the
morrow to be surrendered to the mill
tary. and called upon the mayor for an
explanation of the situation and the
city's intentions. Mayor l.. j. Hollo-
way responded in the following neat
speech:
THE MAYORS WELCOME.
"Veterans Of the Iron Brigade;
behalf of the citizens of Lancaster, /
welcome you to our city. Reared and
bred as you had been, to the pursuits of
peace, you were all good citizens.
Your country's need made you soldiers.
How well YOU acquitted yourselves as
such is better told by the proud title of
Iron Brigade than by spoken or writ
ten volumes. The war ended these
torn, rent and blood stained battle
flags are crowned with victory. You
have laid aside your arms, and returned
again to civil life and good citizenship.
We are proud to welcome you! Proud
of the honor, Take our city Renew
old comradeships. Enjoy yourselves,
and If your wants are not all provided
for, let us know, and we will see to it.
AGAIN | say welcomed Thrice hearty