The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-02-10
General Stephen Thomas HOnOred.

The presence of General Stephen Thomas
in Boston, last week, on account of the his
tory of the Eighth Vermont Regiment
which is now in course of preparation, was
availed of by many gentlemen who served
with him in the Sixth and Nineteenth Army
Corps to give a mplimentary banquetin his
honor This took place at Young's Hotel on
wednesday afternoon. Among the gentle
men present were Hon. Henry b. Pierce
Colonel Henry o. Kent, Colonel Carroll ID !
Wright, Captain S. Z. Howard, Captain
James WEIGH and Colonel f. f. Smith OF
Vermont. Letters and kilograms were re-
cieved from Generals Sherman and Emory
Senator Edmunds, Captain Edward Dewey
OF Vermont and others. Colonel George n
Carpenter presided, and speeches were made
by Colonies Wright, Carpenter, Hill andI
Kent, Majors Whittier and Calef, Colonel
Smith, G. g. Coffin and others. We haveI
space only for the speech of General Thomas,
which is reported in the Boston Journal as
follows:
"Mr. Chairman, Comrades and Fellov-I
c{tjzenS.-l have often heard it said that it'll
is very difficult to make an after-dinnerI
speech. But, after an introduction such asI
has been made here, | find it doubly diffi-|
cult. My friend has spoken in his intro
ductlon of the leader of men. 1t strikes
me that 1t is men that leads man. In rela-
ton to all the matters of the past in rela-
ton to the matter referred to relative to
the State of Vermont, it seems to me that |
was Jul uIseu forward by puDllc Sentl-
ment that L felt existed among the loyal
sons of the state. Applause L feel that
II would L could not have done less. L
believe L felt as many felt, that we were to
pass through very serious war. | felt on
that occasion that over and above every
thing else we owed ii to our country to do
all that we could applause], and | felt that
was propelled forward by men-by the
spirit of men, by the spirit of our fathers
who have gone long before us. In relation
to being coupled with that noble patriot
John A. Andrew, | never dreamed that it
was possible that my name could anywhere
be associated with his, with his devotion to
country. Applause. Mr.. Chairman, in
your allusion To the tented field and my be-
ing the leader of men, | felt that l had the
noblest body of men behind me that any
commander ever led into the field. felt that
the promise that had made to the governor
when l was raising that command, that
what the head lacked should be made up by
the subalterns, was fully fulfilled. General
Butler once said, in reference to the recon-
mendations of my men, that he should
think by Thomas recommendation of his
men that he had set of men that were all
fit for major-generals. When that came to
my notice | said that that was the fact, that
they We're fit and there ought to be promo
ton to make them generals. When any
one was in command of men that would
follow him anywhere, regardless of all dam
ger and OF all consequences, and would
stand by him, could he help going ahead?
think not, Mr. Chairman, | think not.
And, indeed, that was the situation that l
felt that | was in. felt that | was urged
on, that they knew that their duty was for
ward, not backward, that they knew that If
they fell at all it must be with their faces to
the enemy. Yes on that bloody morning,
the 18th of October, felt So 1t was ter
ribe morning, and there are those here who
will remember it, and who know in refer
ence to the orders that We're issued to take
that brigade across the pike into that belt of
timber and hold it. The brigade went across
that pike, but many, very many of them
a majority of them-never came back, but
were left there. But, thank God, they
obeved the order that was given and not
one of them faltered, and those that FELL
fell with their faces TO the enemy. Great
applause. Indeed, they were Vermonters
Indeed, they We're New Englanders. In
deed, they We're American soldiers. The
soldiers of the West and of the East fought
side by side and they fell side by side, and
their blood commingled and fortified the
southern earth 1t was our homes and it
was their homes that have been saved to
belong to this glorious land, whose Stars
and Stripes float triumphantly from the At
lantic to the Pacific, and from the Gun to
the Great Lakes of the North. Loud APP
plause. Those men at the South can say,
| believe, if they will but speak their honest
convictions, that they thank God that the
men from the North finally succeeded and
that they were defeated, and that we now
have united country-one flag, one Con-
stitution and one people. Great applause.
Mr. Chairman, comrades and brethren, L
thank YOU for this reception, and would to
God that | felt that was worthy of it.
Indeed. feel that am hardly worthy of it.
But | feel that in all the long past-and
am nearly to the haven, | am nearly to that
land of rest from which no traveller re-
turns-I have aimed, under all circuin-
stances and upon all occasions, to be true to
the land of my fathers. CONTINUED APP
plause. My great desire now is for the
perpetuity of this land during the centuries
that are to come Renewed applausel