Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-11-12

Nelson, want Of frirates' would be found
written on my heart 80. one who was
Hiled to discern The real force, which ia
H. make iOr life or tor death, lpDkihudovn
upon the cold ana palIld form Of Hancock
rs he lay at rest, beneath the droopip1
nag OF his country, there on Governors
Island, in February, would have seen
"Reams station written on he uruw and
brain and heart rs palpable It's, 10 he com
mon eye were the sCjir- 1T Gcttysburg.
Nor can | tell OF the honorable aud for
tunate expedition to the BOydtun Road i'm
October, 1864, which closed tn" career of
Hancock IN the field. During November.
his wounds still distressing him, it was
proposed by the president and the secretary
OF war that he should relnquish
his command, and returning to the
North during the season where nc
1--WE operations would be iniprac-
tlcaDle through stress of wta.her. should
raise Il corps to he composed wholly Of
veterans, who had served honorable
through one term of enlistment. This
trust Hancock accepted IN the same spirit
with which he had received and, 40 tar as
lay in him, had executed every commits
sion ana order, since he left the quarter
masters camp at Los Angeles
In the opening Of the year he took the
neld at the head OF his new command, Of
ncered by men like Carroll, Brooke and
Morgan but before he was called to en-
counter the enemy the brilliant combina-
'lp'Io VI '9HtIl Itll, w dIltl ana Hum
phrey, the sturdy valOr and indumitable
energy Of Wright and ord. the fine sol
dlerShlp and loyal devotion OF parke and
Glbbon, had brought the long contest to Il
close; Petersburg had fallen, ana, with it
Richmond, the object of fOur Vpurs' in
ceNsant lighting Lees army, attempting
to escape, had been beset in flank and
rear by troops that seemed to have lost
the sense alike of fatigue and OF tear bat
ties had been fought upon the double
quick, and divisions and army corps had
| matched or run, IN dtpluyed lines, from
| daylight until dark and, at last at Ap-
/ ponatON Court House, the much endur-
ing army of Northern Virginia, after per
forming prodgies Of vaur, surrounded
ana brought to bay before five told odds
surrendered without shame, and the
greatest rebellion of modern times was
| crushed.
| wish | could tell the hundred anec-
dotes that come up to my mind, ilustra-
tive OF the character of the soldier
and the man. Winfield > Hancock.
What pains he took to encourage Young
officers, so that the juniors Of his old di-
vision ana OF his corps fairly worshiped
| him, formed themselves ON MIN and were
ready to die at his word; how Just and
/ honorable in dealing with the regulations
| of others, so that have known him to keep
/ a stan officer riding whole day among
the camps of the army to find out the
/ name of Il lieutenant who, in the heat of
some action had brought him message
| from another commander, that due ac-
knowledgement might he made of it in
his Official report ; how courteous and
consldelate to the unfortunate, so that
Whtu II was my late To ttll into the hands
/ OF the coutederate,, Lieut.. ten. A. p
/ Hi, sent staff officer, with the message
/ that he hdd given urGtr- tnHi | -nDuld be
created with the utmost attention. be
cause Gen. Hancock mad be, n So kind to
/ MS soldiers when prisoners. But il il time
to bring this long address toa close.
| gentlemen OF the Vermont Reunion So
clctN inns Is the @3ci annual meeting of
| your society. In all these years you have
not failed to come up hlthcr To renew the
associations with the living and to freshen
the memory of the dead. | do lot know
OF any other State IN which TINS pious
duty Is 80 seduuusly and scrupuously per
formed.
must have noted how our ranks are
thinning, now, under the fire of the
enemy. The soldiers Of the Union are
falling faster, to-day, than III 1852 OF 3
lori
But it i. among those who especially
bore the burden of care, thought and re
sponslblllty, in addition to the hardships
and dangers OF the field that the mortality
il great st
When in 1-s?, began to write the his
tory OF the 2! corps, Of its 1--WE command
ers, TOUR were living, To give me their val
uab!e suggestions and aud When. few
weeks ago wrote the last page OF that
story, OF the five, four lay in soldiers
graves.
Within an even brefer space, how many
OF the most Illu-triuus leaders of The war
nave fallen Grant, the commander of
all the armies OF the United States Nc
DoWeil and Mcclellan, comm .udel., in
Immediate succession, of the Army oi the
Potomac: Hancock, the most brilliant
corps commander Of that army: while.
IRON out your own number has gone the
gallant capable and efficient officer,
George i. Stauuard
since the deadly SHAFTS are thus dropping
lhlck ana last among Us from an UNSEEN
eutlllS, II hehOUNes Us, comrades to close
our ranks, as IN the old DAYS, when. draw
ing together, we hid the CHASTITY chasms
blown ny bursting shells, or the deep fur
row OF the solid shot, our front narrowing
as our line advanced. bat ever seeping
the "tuuch OF the elbow" lu which is
couras" and comfort dui strength.
Let our ComradtsiIp luCrtit,e and iuten-
NY as uur ber-UMlul~h.l,tcVrr. -
mat tails have, in thOu-ut i'll mon ia ipun.
"a soldier hulldl; Hud these reunions be
come solemn Ied~tS COuSeCrtr4 10 the
memory OF noble deeds and Of the heroic
dead.
over LOCO Plurality in ONO Campbell
Elected ~ "a Muin Of