Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-06-04
MEMORIAL DAY IN MlDDLEBURY.
THE EXERCISES AND THE GRAFTON.

weather on Decoration daY was perfect.
1t was bright and pleasant, and neither
too warm nor too cool for the comfort of
those walking or riding in the procession.
The line of march was formed. under the
direction of Marshal G.. II. Williamson
and Assistant Marshal II. ID. Maynard.a
Q o'clock on Pleasant street in this order:
Middlebury cornet band, under the lead
ership of f. l.. Hatch of Rutland, who
with +. +. Maxim and Frank Champagne
of Rutland came up to assist the band
II. +. Smith, drum major: Camp y. :.
Tracy Sons of Veterans under command
of Capt j. VI. Nash; Russell Post G.. \.
Il. and other veterans. Col. \. :. Tracy
commander; carriage with speaker and
the clergy. Rev. Mc:srs. Speare, Noe,
| Palmer and Carpenter; two carriages
containing young girls dressed i'm white
and bearing the flowers; carriage with
singers, etc, citizens in carriages. The
procession proceeded td the cemetery.
There hollow square was formed about
a mound of evergreen bearing, in floral
| letters. the Inscription "The Unknown. 9"
and the Memoral-day services of the
Grand Army were performed by the
officers of Russell Post Then. as the
name of each of the regiments and bat
teries sent out by the State was called.
one of the young ladies who represented
these organizations stepped forward and
deposited flowers upon the mound. \
part of them. under the direction of Com
rade Peter Champagne. decorated the
soldiers graves in the Catholic cemetery /:
and others, guided by Comrades G. w.
Pinney and +. A. Barney. placed flowers
upon the graves of those buried in the
old cemetery. Every soldiers grave was
decorated. The service closed with the
benediction pronounced by Rev. Mr..
Speare The procession reformed and
marched to the town hall.
At the hall there were seated ON the
stage. with the speaker, the clergy, the
marshal and the principal officers of
Russell Post \ large company of sing
seats in front of the platform. Mrs Mi
ncr presided at the organ. After music
by the band. prayer was offered by Rev
Mr.. Noe. The selection Rest. spirit
rest was sung and commander Tracy
introduced the orator of the day. Jane,
VI. Slade. Esq. of Middlebury. Mr.
Slade. in opening, said that it was Il hard
task for one who did not fight with tn,
veterans before him fully to enter int
the spirit of the day and its associations
But the deeds of those who battled fol
the salvation of the Union ought to b,
recalled on occasions like this. The,
had been written in history and celebrat
ed in poetry and the memory of then
would live so long as the nation endureS
Because of the war and its successful is
sue, because of the sutierings and death
of the soldiers of the North we today Ell
= joy a Union free from the curse of slav
eIy. 1t is now p years since the out
break of the war. Many remember tn
fearful spring of lSGl. 1t was then hope,
| tllat the threatening clouds would blow
, over, but it was not long before the \Ortl
saw that there must he Il conflict. Ihel
came the firing upon Sumter and the at
| tack upon Union troops in Baltimore
1t was not his purpose, said the speaker
to enter into details of the conflict. bu
only to mention some of its characters
t,,f,
. nally as was this on the part of tn
| South. whose treatment of prisoners wa
= cruel in the extreme. 1t i'll became JET
t ferSOn Davis now To prate about its haN
. ing been "holy war of defence" as h
e had lately. He was the head of a BAN
: of traitors who sought to dsmember IN
P Union; and so long as we of the Nortl
: believe that our cause was Just we can
D not look upon them as anything but ira
: tors and their acts as treason. When tn
t call for troops came Vermont responde,
] nobly, and her record as Il Stat
= and that of her soldiers are mos
honorable. The State sent TO tn
t front "a, 23S men. The speaker gave 9th
, er interesting details of Vermont's con
| tributions of men and money to the III
: ion cause, and went on to say that, with
; out disparaging any, it might truthful
l be said that the first Vermont brigad
: was the flower of the Sixth corps. an
f; that was the flower of the army of tn
Potomac. The troops from Vernon
, were composed, more largely than thos
t from any other State, of men of INTEL
= gence, who understood what they fough
: for, and consequently fought better. Th
4 achievements of the brigade were d,
e scribed at length, and what Col. G..
e Benedict says of them in his work, ''Nel
f; mont in the Civil War;" was quotet
But, the speaker continued, all the Vel
4 mont troops bore an honorable par
e They were in the first and last battles c
"a the war. Their ranks are now rapidl