Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-02-12
HoNoRING GENERAL THOMAS.

HONoRING GENERAL THOMAS.
The Reception rendered him In BOSTON
Glowing Tributes to His Services.
At the reception and banquet rendered
General Stephen Thomas ut Young's hotel
in Boston there were many prominent
men present. The guests included Hon.
Henry b. PIERCE, Secretary of State; Col.
Henry o. Kent, Naval Officer Col. Car
roll -. Wright. Chief of the Bureau of
Statistics of Labor Col a. G. yelling
ton. First Regiment Infantry, NJ. V. VI. {;
Col. Herbert f.. Hill, Col. Albert Clarke,
Col. +. f. Smith of Montpelier Col. G. +.
Whitaker of Brookline, Hon. g. G.. Coffin
(Charleston), Major Is. ). Calef of Gen
Birneys staff, Major Il. n. Whittier, Ad
jutant General of Artillery, 9th Corps
Capt. j. G. b. Adams, Sergeant-at-Arms !;
Capt VIM. b. Sears, President of the Sec
ond Rhode Island Infantry Association /;
Capt. James Welch of Vermont, Capts.
S. f.. Howard of the Eighth Vermont
A. Bowman and Geo. A. Reed of the
Twenty sixth Massachusetts, Capt f. II.
Buffum of the Fourteenth New Hamp-
shire Lieut.. 5 NJ. Hedges, First Battery
Artillery, NJ. V. NJ Lieuts II. w. Downs
and A. j. Sargent of the Eighth Vermont,
Lieut. II. Davis of Vermont and letters of
regret were received from Generals Sheri-
dan and Emory, Congressman II. VI.
Pollard of St Louis, Gen. l.. a. Dickinson
and Capt. J. +. Smith of Hartford, Capt.
Edward Dewey of Vermont and others.
After an informal reception had been
held in one of the parlors of the hotel, the
company sat down to the excellent dinner
IL. Id 1
penter of Boston presided On his right
sat General Thomas, and on his left were
Coils. Henry O. Kent and Carroll ID.
Wright. Col. Carpenter raped the com
pany to order, and said:
SPEECH OF COL. CARPENTER.
Gentlemen: When the Legislature of
Vermont was summoned together in 1861,
the great question before the General AS
sembly was how much Vermont should
raise for war expenses. 1t was a time of
anxiety. Members of the dominant party
in the State, with great nervousness and
hesitation, had reached a point where they
had decided to recommend that half mil
lion of dollars be raised for war expenses.
But there was a gentleman in that Assem-
bly, who appreciated the situation closer
than any one else, who saw with pro-
and he offered an amendment that the
State of Vermont should raise one million
of dollars. AT that time, what John A.
Andrew was to the State of Massachusetts
Stephen Thomas was to the State of Yer
mont. lGreat applause. He was Il lead
er of public sentiment and public thought.
He was a leader of men. And when he
received his commission as Colonel in
November he entered actively into the re-
cruiting of his regiment, and in Il little
over two months he was ready and started
for the field, and on the tented field be-
came the leader of men. 1t was seen in
Camp Bisland, when, under two DAYS
artillery fire, he alone of all the generals
field and staff officers remained on his
horse 1t was seen when he led his brig
ade in that magnificent assault upon Port
Hudson on May 81 1t was seen again at
Winchester, when, without orders, see
ing the opportunity, he ordered the charge
again at Cedar Creek, when he led his
brigade across the pike in that early morn
ing to stem the onslaught. But while adj
miring this great leadership, we who
served under him recognized above that,
true manhood, and we would offer him
that devotion which loving sons give to
revered father. Loud and continued APP
plause.l Gentlemen, | have the pleasure
of introducing to you General stephen
Thomas of Vermont lUproarious ap-
plause.
The company. rising. drank the health
of General Thomas, and then the General
said
.,.,.........
hEsfoSsE OF GEN THOMAS
Mr.. Chairman, Comrades and Fello1U
citizens:
have often heard if said thar If ia very
,,a,a',,t tI.,i-l,s ot.S IL. -
uii''outU " ii"he an "i'ei -uiiiiiei speecn'
But, after an introduction such as has
been made here, find it doubly difficult
NV friend has spoken in his Introduction
90 +ho Ioodo, of ,.n 7, e+r;,-o, ,,, .h,.
:, - .'io ie'u .n - N,e-' ~ "ne .nao
II ~ men Ihau leaus man. III relalloh
to the matter referred TO relative to the
State of Vermont, it seems to me that |
was but uroad forward nv a nublic eanti-
,,,',, 49,. to,t n,.istaa ,,,. ~ ,a',
lie' nv ~ ielt eNis,e h,io Ih fa i1yat
s ~ VI Wy Ioe"uI. itpPinuse;l iGei .i'ai
II "ouIu coulu iioU na'e uo'ie less. l
t peIese t iuir aS n'rns zen. ema. we wcIe
10 pass throasLi 'ely serious wal lelt
on tna. occasion f omat oyer anu above
e'eIylniiS else VIC o"e ~ W our country