The National tribune., 1886-07-22
TIE GRANITE STATE
The New Hampshire Veterans at the
Gettysburg Reunion.

burg in july 1868, took place in that historic
town, in connection with that of the Third
Corps, under circumstances of peculiar interest.
1t viii be remembered that at the last session
OF the Legislature an appropriation OF $500 was
made to each of the military organizations of
the State which participated in that memora-
BILE battle upon Northern soil for the purpose of
erecting monument 10 mark the position of
such organization upon that battle-ground.
The New Hampshire contingent Of partici-
pants in this Reunion and dedication Of monu-
ments left on June 90 and proceeded via the
Fall River line Of steamers and the Pennsylva-
MIA & Cumberland Valley Railroads, arriving
at Gettysburg at o'clock on the evening of
the Both. The party was soon quartered in
hotels and private houses, mainly in the village,
although some tarried in house upon the
Emmittsburg road, near the historic Peach
Orchard, in order TO be nearer the scene Of their
action of % years ago.
Thursday, LIST, the 23d anniversary of the
opening day of the battle of Gettysburg, was
spent in looking over the battlefield. and espe-
cially the portions occupied by the Union forces
on the second day of the battle.
or course % years have wrought many
changes in the appearance of the battlefield,
which covers so vast an extent of territory, and
il was not TO be wondered at that it required
careful search and Tetracing Of steps to fix the
localities Of events which made deep impress
sion upon the boys in blue at that time. But
this was DONE and the positions of the I'd and
5th n. H., and of the SharpshOoters. on the I'd
and 30 of July, were traced in detail, even to
the spots where comrades fell or prisoners were
captured. 1t can be said to the credit of the
ID n. III. that the most advanced position in
! the line of battle on our left at the Peach
Orchard on the ID Of July was occupied by it
until forced back to escape being cut off by Gen.
Barksdale. Altogether the day was most
| busily spent, and nightfall found the boys
weary with their campaigning. but amply re-
| paid for their days tTamping over the line of
battle of the second day of the Gettysburg
| fight.
Friday, the I'd, being the anniversary of the
fighting on the left, in which Gen. Sickles's
| Third Corps was engaged, and sustained such
| heavy losses il was decided that the monu-
ments to the I'd aud 9Th y. II. and Sharpshoot-
| ers should be dedicated and turned over to the
Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association on
that day. Accordingly, at 8 o'clock a car was
| taken on the short line of railroad which runs
| from the village of Gettysburg TO Little Round
| Top Park, and passes very near to the Sharp
| shooters monument, which is located but few
| rods from what is known as " Hancock Station"
! This is a station in name only, there being no
structure for passengers TO wait in, but only
| two or three steps which rise from the track to
the slight knoll where board announces that
Gen. Hancock was wounded, and 10 the small
clump of bushes TO which he was carried.
Maj. E. t. Rowell, Of Lowell, Chairman Of
the Monument Committee called upon Comrade
Rev. c. ii. Kinbail 20 offer prayer. after which
"America" was sung. and Maj. Rowell addressed
| Past Department Commander John G.. Linehan,
| the New Hampshire Director OF the Gettysburg
Battlefield Memorial Association, rendering the
monument to which Col. Linehan responded in
| eloquent terms
| The 9Th n. III. monument was also dedicated.
! This monument is located on the spot where
Col. Cross fell mortally wounded, in the woods
| near the field in which Gen. Sickles was
wounded. The monument is wholly unlike
any other on the ground, and naturally attracts
much attention. 1t consists of hammered
disk of Nsw Hampshire granite, upon which
the names of the dead are inscribed, resting on
large boulders, aud also surmounted by a
| boulder
Capt. J. r. McCrillis, Chairman Of the Monu-
ment Committee, called upon Col Hapgood TO
offer prayer after which Adjutant Elias III.
Marston delivered q fine address Capt.
McCrillis, in short and appropriate address,
| turned the monument over to the Battlefield
Memorial Association, and Col. John c. Lineban
replied appropriately.
The I'd ". III. monument was dedicated at 3
| o'clock, the suspension Of the rain serving to
give an increased audience over the forenoon
exercises. This monument is located on the
advanced line in the Peach Orchard, which was
occupied by the regiment on July 2, 1863, near
the old rail fence, and fronting upon an avenue
that is to be laid out through the Peach
Orchard The Orchard, by the way, does not
contain any of the trees that grew in it % years
ago, but a lot Of thrifty young trees. Gen.
| Patterson, Chairman Of the Committee TO pro-
cure the monument, called upon Chap. J. w.
Adams to offer prayer, after which Congressman
Martin a. Haynes spoke most elOquently. We
| give the concluding paragraphs:
n IL
plain figures chiseled upon that block OF granite
| are the eloquent record OF the deed One hundred
| and ninety-three men stricken not from a division
| not from a Brigade but from one little skeleton
| regiment numbering but 355 officers aud men. DO
those who never stood in the battle line understand
what such figures mean? Why, battles have been
| fought which were pivotal events in history and
are quoted as monuments Of yaor, with less aggre-
gate loss than that Of the % ". III. upon this spot
Our fathers won Bennington, and bravely won IL
/ with a loss Of but 20 killed and wounded Trenton
and Princeton combined cost Washington only
about half the men that Gettysburg cost single
| regiment. And Yorktown was won and American
Independence assured with less than half the loss
the American army that regiment here sus
taned while the total loss of French allies Eel
seven below our figures. amounting to I56 men
"Tlppecanoe" became the rallying cry of a grea
political party, upon which its hero elevated x
the Presidency; but Tippecanoe, stubborn fight a
II was, cost HarTison'5 army only l5S men. There
Is world Of suggestion in such figures these.
IL was a veteran regiment that fought here anC
II can be safely assumed that none but "a veteran
regiment could have stood such test and don,
such work. There were men who fought at Bull
Run, who followed Hooker in the battles of tn,
Peninsula, who charged with Grover over the rail
road bank at Groyeton But not all that stood will
US at Gettysburg had such a record The number
Ia line at the Peach Orchard was probably less thar
the recruits which the regiment had from time Il
time received Our brave old Col. Marston wor
the well earned stars Of General, in another com
mand. and he who had been the 10th Captain in tn
line had risen by regular promotion to the com
mand Of the regiment. Such had been the change
incident 10 the service But that the regiment wa
a veteran regiment by no mean carries the assump
ton that II was composed exclusively of veterans
In fact, there were la our ranks nearly a hundre,
men who here for the first time heard the roa
OF hostile guns. IL a rough initiation, but Of al
who fought here there were none Drawer bette
than our raw recruits-the men of the dismantle
| I7th
Such the regiment-such was its deed Gu
State has indicated its pride in both by setting her
this memorial stone. We are not many, we VIII
stood at Gettysburg. Some escaped the iron hal
here only 10 meet heir fate other fields and
number Is rapidly growing less. For u.s. the hy
ing, this monument stands a memorial to on
comrades, our brothers, who here gave up thei
lives. Our recompsnse while living is ample in Tn
proud privilege Of saying, was with the I'd Reg
and that day will not be long in coming-genera
lions OF New Hampshire men will point to the recor
there inscribed with honest pride in the achieve
menis OF their ancestors who lived In age whic
. they will recognize as heroic.
5 The address was followed by q poem b
Q Chaplain Adams, and the reading of a lette
Q from Col Ed. L.. Bailey by Comrade Thoma
e B. Little. Gen. Patterson turned over tn
: monument 70 the custody of the Battlefield
j Monument Association, to which Col. Iineha
Z replied.
: Grouppictures were taken of the three monu
ments by local artists, which will be in denan
4 -. -