St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-10-28
The Third Vt. Regiment
A Successful Reunion.

The WelcOme.--The OrganizatiOn--COl.
Seaver's Address. THE Banquet
Letters from Invited Guests, etc.
The first reunion of the Sd regiment
Vermont volunteers was held last
Thursday and was brilliant success.
A day that opened with lowering skies
and pouring rains closed pleasantly
and the third regiment boys sat it out
in the banquet room until nearly mid
night.
A few of the veterans came in on
Tuesday, more arrived Wednesday
evening, but the larger number came
in on the morning train from the
north and the noon train from the
south. The st. Johnsbury band with
IS veterans marched to the station
to the latter train to meet Col. Seaver,
Col. Weary, Col. Pingree and other
guests. The colonies once seated in
the carriage the boys of the Sd gather
ell about them and such lot of hand
shakings and greetings followed as are
seldom witnessed, never except on
similar occasions. The company, now
increased to a 100 or more, marched to
G. A. r. hall where an hour was
spent in an informal exchange of greet
ings.
Organization of Reunion Society.
The meeting for organization was
held in the G. A. r. hall in the after
noon. Major Nelson of Ryegate pre-
sided. After some discussion it was
decided to hold reunions annually and
that the next one be held in st. Johns
bnry at the call of the executive COM
mittee. An excellent spirit was mani
tested and a movement started to Sc
cure a complete roster of all surviving
members. Remarks were made by
Col. Seaver, Col. Weary, Col. Pingree
and others.
These officers were elected: Presi-
dent, j. A. Paddock, st. JOhnsbury
vice president, Capt. Horace French,
White River Junction; secretary, Capt.
M. Montgomery treasurer, MAJ. Geo.
w. BOnett executive committee, Capt.
B. j. Austin, Lowell, Lyndon Arnold
and Geo. w. BOnett, st. JOhnsbury.
Company secretaries: Co. A, 1t.
Chas. OsgoOd, SaxtOns River Co. B,
Daniel Skinner, Barton Landing Co.
G, Geo. w. BOnett, st. Johnsbury Co.
d, E. A. Grow, Barton; Co. E, T. j.
Hastings, MOrrisville Co. F, 7. o.
Seaver, Woodstock Co. G., Augustus
R. Stone, Sutton Co. H, j. d. Bow
man, Isle La Motto; Co. l, Chas. Wood
bury, West Concord !; Co. K, George
D. Fuller, Derby; Band, w. H. Her
rick, st. JOhnsbury.
Exercises at Music Hall.
A fair sized audience gathered in
Music hall in the evening. Shortly af-
ter O'Clock the band escorted the vet
Grams to the hall. President Paddock
presided, introducing first w. P. Stat
ford who, by request, recited "Sheri-
dams Ride" These familiar lines
were given fresh life under Mr.. Stat
ford's effective rendering, and the au-
dience showed it's appreciation by re-
warding the speaker with a storm OF
applause at the close.
President Paddock followed with a
very brief address. After speaking OF
himself as the only private on the plat
form, he referred to changes that had
transpired during the past 25 years.
Many that were young or middle-aged
then are old now. Then, in a very
neat manner he introduced each of the
dozen veterans seated on the platform
to the audience, Capt. S. S. Brigham,
Lit. Col. Pingree, Capt. French, DR..
Henry Jaynes, Major Thomas Nelson,
Colonel Veazy, Major Bonett, assistant
surgeon DR.. III. C. Newell, 1t. Col.
Hubbard, Col. Seaver and our member
of congress, Gen. GrOut.
Col. Seaver was very handsomely
introduced as one who went from st.
JOhnsbury in 1861 as captain and was
afterwards the colonel, whose "steady,
steady boys" was so familiar to the
Sd regiment at Lewinsville, at Lees
Mills, at Marey's Heights, SpOttsylva-
MIA, Cold Harbor, etc.
Col. Seaver was given a rousing re-
ceptiOn. After mOdestly referring to
the soldiers natural desire to talk of
himself, he announced his purpose to
talk to the generation that had grown
up since the war. The story of the
death of the 300 brave Spartans under
LeOnidas at the battle of Thermopyle
was wildly told. The history of the
war of the rebellion tells the story of
as brave deeds performed by our own
cOuntrymen, by men unused to war
and trained only in the arts of peace.
The speaker then reviewed the condi-
ton of the country before the war, the
causes that led up to the rebellion, the
first shots at Baltimore and Sumter
and then the war that followed. A
passing tribute was paid to the cour-
age of the southern soldier and then an
eloquent description given of the brave
citizen soldiers of the north and their
work. Interspersed in the address
were brief extracts from published
works descriptive of the final days of
the war, the grand review at Washing
ton, ETC., and in closing the speaker
emphasized the fact that it was a war
not for conquest but for peace.