Wichita eagle., 1888-09-14
SEVENTEEN INDIANA REUNION.
Clayton, Ind. Entertains General Harrison
and His Old Regiment.

| grown to over 10000. The Seventeen
regiment was recruited from the counties
| of Hendricks, johnson and Marion. OF
the 159 regiments sent to the front by the
state of Indiana, but few, if any. achieved
a more honorable or distinguished record.
1t was the first regiment to report for duty
until President Lincoln S call of July, 1862,
and was recruited in less than month by
Second Lieutenant Benjamin Harrison.
After the regiment had been recruited,
| Lieutenant Harrison was elected captain
| of Company A, and when the regiment
was organized August 1852, Captain Har-
rison was commissioned its colonel. 1t left
| indianapolis for the front August is, '62,
and returned thirty-four months later
with loss of 1S9 men. 1t participated in
eleven engagements, including Renesac.
Kenesaw, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek, At
lanta, Savannah and Bentonville. The
regiment was part of Sherman's army,
and was attached to the First brigade,
Third division and Twentieth corps.
For several years past General Harrison
has been successfully chosen president of
the regimental association, which now
comprises about five hundred veterans.
General Harrison accompanied by Mrs.
Harrison and their daughter, Mrs. Mckee,
and their guest the niece of Mrs. Harri-
son, left indianapolis shortly after 9
O'Clock. The train consisted of
eleven coaches filled to overlooking with
old veterans and their families, and ar.
rived at Clayton at 1870. At the depot
fully 5000 people had assembled to well
come the distinguished guests, and as the
train pulled in cheer went up that was
cried along the crowded village streets,
and echoed back by the multitude waiting
in the grove nearly quarter OF mile
distant. A gaily decorated carriage was
in waiting to escort General Harrison and
his family to the grounds, but the general
declined to ride, saying he preferred to
march with the veterans of his old regi-
ment. The ladies also preferred to walk,
as the weather was delightful Three
hundred veterans of the Seventeen stood
in line and saluted the general as he
walked to their front accompanied by
Captain w. c. Mitchell, the chairman
OF the executive committee of the associa-
ton. With martial music and reglmental
band the veterans were given most en-
thusiastic greeting as they marched up
the crowded street. At an intersection of
the two principal streets were two cam
paign poles scarcely fifty feet apart; one
bore the banner of Democracy, the other
Republicanism, but they were united by
from pole to pole. The reunion was held
IN a walnut grove before the school house.
\ pavilion decorated with flags and
flowers stood IN the center with seats for
veterans in front. From fifteen to eighteen
hundred veterans were present, IN addl-
ton to the members of the SEVENTEEN.
Putnam county alone sent 1000 veterans,
commanded by Colonel w. G. Waggoner.
After the cheering had ceased, General
Harrison. as president of the association,
motioned the meeting to order, using a
small rattan cane which he carried as his
gavel. He then briefly announced the pur
pose of the reunion and the order of pro-
ceedings and introduced Comrade j. II.
Meter, who opened the exercises with
prayer. Miss Mary L. Mitchell, the daugh-
ter of Captain w. c. Mitchell, was then
by the chairman and delivered |
an eloquent and touching address OF wei
come TO the veterans.
General Harrison responded as follows: |
Miss MITCHELL feel quite incompetent |
to discharge the duty that now devolves |
upon me- that of making suitable response !
to the touching, cordial and sympathetic |
words which you have addressed
TO us. We thank you and the good citi |
zens of Clayton for whom you have spoken |
that you have opened your hearts so fully |
to US today. | am sure we have never as
sembled under circumstances more at |
tractive than those that now surround Us. !
The mellow sunshine of this autumn time |
that falls upon us, the balmy air which |
moves the leaves of these shadowing trees, |
the sweet and calm spell of nature that is
over everything makes the day one of those |
the poet as "a bridal of the earth and sky"
Your hoSpitable welcome makes US feel at |
home, and in behalf of the large represen-
tation of our regiment, possibly the larg-
est that has assembled since the close of
the war, gathered not only from these ad
jacent counties but from distant homes be-
yond the Mississippi and the Missouri, we
give you today in return our most hearty
thanks for your advice. The autumn time
IS the time for our gathering, for the spring
time is gone; it was in the spring time of
our lives that we heard our country's call:
full of vigor and youth and patriotism we
to it. The exhaustion of march,
in camp and in battle and the civil strife of
those years that have passed since the close
Of the war have left their marks upon us,
and as we gather from year to year we
notice the signs Of advancing age and the
roster of our time is heightened. We are
by the minutes of our last meet
ing that have been read of the presence at
our last reunion of that faithful and be-
loved officer who went out from this coun-
try, Major Reagan. with patriotic instinct
Of what was before him. He told US then
that it was probably the last time he should
gather with us God has verified the
thought that was in his mind, and that
simple, true hearted brave comrade has
been enrolled with the larger company
We are glad today to be together, yet our
gladness is sobered. As | look into these
familiar faces, ] notice deep sense of
but | have not failed to OBJ
serve that there are tears in many eyes.
We are not moved TO tears by any sense of
regret that we gave some service to our
and to its flag, but only by the
sense that we are not all here today and
that all who are here will never gather
again in a meeting like this. We rejoice
that we are permitted to make some con-
ribution to the glory and credit and per-
petuity of the nation we love. tApplausel.
Comrades who served under our regi-
mental flags and who have gathered here
With us today, we do not boast of higher
motives or greater service than yours
We welcome you TO participa-
ion in our reunion. We fully
that you had possible
| fuller share than we in the
great achievements of the war We claim
only for the SEVENTEEN Indiana that we
vent into the service with the full purpose
% respond to every order rcries of that S
So and that we never svaded fight or
urned our backs TO the enemy. [Ap-
llausel We are not here TO exalt our
selves, but | cannot omit 70 say that
1urer, truer self conservation TO the flag
If the country was never offered than by
you and your dead comrades who in 1862
mustered Tor the defense of the union
Applause. 1t was not in the heyday of
success, 1t was not under the impression
hat sixty days would end the war, that
-ou were mustered. 1t was when the
LIQUIDS hung low and disasters were thick
Suel was returning from the Tennessee.
Kirby Smith coming through Cumberland