The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-04-16

in excess Of the expenditures What
shall be done with these tons Of sill
yer? Give every soldier a pension.
Many of you who were boys when
you were here, now have gray hairs.
Some who were not then married, are
now grandfathers. You are growing
old. Many are dropping off. Soon
all who are left will be old and infrm
Give all pensions.
In view Of the glorious results of
the war, and the noble part you took
in it, feel that [ am authorized by
the good people Of Jackson, to extend
to you an honest, sincere, and most
cordial welcome
Capt. Bairds response to the Address of We'll
come mastery effort, though brief. The
Captain closed his remarks with appeal to
the boys to SO live during the remainder of their
days on earth that they will all meet in a grand
Reunion in the great camp beyond the river.
1t was decided by unanimous vote to send
an expression of sympathy to Gen. Grant The
ChoraliSocety then sang the beautiful song
"Many and Bright are the Stars that Appear"
followe by historic address by Gen. w. S.
Jones The brave General was received with
uproarious applause by the old veterans.
GEN. JONES ADDRESS.
Nearly twenty years have passed since
last we met as a Regiment, and time has
furrowed the cheeks and turned gray the
hair of us all. congratulate you that
kind Providence has dealt so kindly with
you, and permitted so many of you to be
present here to-day. I rejoice that SO
many are here to take each other by the
hand, and greet each other with pleasant
words, but this joy is no doubt mingled
with sadness when you think of the many
of your old comrades who used to answer
to the roll call at old Camp Diamond, who
are absent, having either fallen in defense
of the old flag on the field of battle, or
died the victims of disease in hospitals,
or wasted their lives in the loathsome
prison pens of the South. In responding
to the toast "The Flag wehelped to save"
deem it proper to briefly allude to the
situation of our country when you were
called upon to enlist in its defense, and
at least to some of the service you per-
formed.
In April, 1851, the Rebels fired upon our
flag on Fort Sumpter, near Charleston,
South Carolina. This incensed the loyal
heart of the nation, and President Lin
coin Chat good and great man whose
very name is the SYNONYM of loyalty and
honestly called upon the states not in re-
bellion to furnish seventy-ive thousand
men to put down the rebellion, it being
then regarded by the great statesmen and
soldiers of the nation, as only before
breakfast job to wipe out the rebels,
But in very short time it became ap-
parent to everybody that the country was
engaged in great struggle for its life.
Eleven states had formally seeded from
the Union, formed an Independent gov
ernment, adopted new flag, raised
great army and threatened to invade the
loyal North. The first great battle for
the Union had been fought and lost at
Bull Run, Washington City was menaced
by the enemy who was invading the bor-
der southern states and whose line of bat
tie might be said to have extended from
the Potomac, near Washington, to the
Ohio at Parkersburgh and through Ken
lucky to Cairo, and then west to the In
dian Territory. This was the situation
when Mr. Lincoln called for 100000 men
to serve for three years or during the
war. Under this call the 53rd Regiment
in the Fall of 1861 and rendezvoused at
Camp Diamond, near Jackson, Ohio.
About the middle of February, 1862, hav-
ing almost a thousand officers and men.
it was ordered to report to Gen. Sherman
at Paducah, KY, who was organizing a
force to cooperate with Gen. Grant in the
capture of Forts Donaldson and Henry.
call to mind with great pleasure the
alacrity with which you responded to the
midnight long roll call, which summoned
you to break camp and take the cars for
Portsmouth, where you took transports
and went Uia Cincinnati and Louisville
to Paducah, arriving there too late to par
Fort Henry
Shortly after your arrival at Paducah
you were placed in the third Brigade of
Gen. Sherman's division and ascended the
Tennessee river and landed at Pittsburgh
on the Tennessee about the 10Th of March,
1862, when you disembarked and in a few
days marched out some three miles on the
Corinth road near the old Shiloh Church
where you remained until the 9th day of
April on the morning of which day began
the great battle of Shiloh, your first bat
tie.
You were the first to feel the shot of
that terrible onslaught, which coming as
it did without warning was enough to
stagger the courage of veterans. You
participated in the varying fortunes of
that struggle for two days, and the third
day joined the pursuit and aided in Civ
ing the rebels good send off to their old
camp at Corinth, by helping to defeat
Gen. Forest who was protecting the reb
el rear in the retreat.
Though censured for your conduct at
Shiloh, on account of the bad conduct of
your leader, most cheerfully bear testl-
mony to your courage on that and every
other battle field where you were engaged.
The battle of Shiloh has provoked much
discussion as to whether it was asurprise
or not. There was no order given to form
the regiments, or brigades, or divisions,
but the battle began in sort of a pell
nell way, each command beginning for
itself which is not the usual order when
an army is expecting an attack.
After the battle of Shiloh, you partici-
pated in the seige of Corinth and l think
did your full share of the skirmishing
and building the seven fortified camps
that Gen. Halleck was pleased to build in
his advance on Corintb After the fall
of Corinth you marched through Tennes-
see and North Mississippi having in the
mean time participated in the capture of
Holly Springs.