Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-09-14
General Harrison's Eloquent Address
His Old Conrad -

General Harrison's Eloquent Address Il,
His Old Conrad ss,
CLAYTON Ind.) September lsta.-The four-
ieenth annual reunion OF the seventieth Indiana
Regiment was held here to-day. Thousands of
visitors were present frord Indianapolis. Terre
Haute and neighboring towns General Har-
rison and party arrived st 10 o'clock, and at the
depot 5 coo people hacf assembled to welcome
the distinguished guest. General Harrison
walked to the grove, q quarter of mile distant
with ~, veterans OF. the SEVENTEEN Regiment.
General Harrison called the meeting to order
and announced the purpose of the reunion
Miss Mary L. Mitchell was introduced and de-
hyeTee an eloquent address of welcome 10 the
veterans.
ELOQUENT SPEECH OF GENERAL HARRISON.
When the applause subsidized General Harrison
spoke as follows; g 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 citizens of Clayton that You have
| opened your hearts SO fully TO us to-day. l am
| sure we could not have assembled under Cir
cumstances more attractive than those that now
surround us--the mellow sunshine OF this au-
| tumn time that falls upon us, the balmy air
which moves the leaves of those shadowing trees,
| the sweet calm and spell of nature that is over
everything, makes the day one of those that
may be described in the language of the old
poet e bridal of the earth and sky Your
! hospitahle welcome makes us feel at home, and
| in behalf of this large representation possibly
the largest that has assembled since the close OF
| thesF3r-gatE cred not only from these adjacent
| counties, but from distant homes beyond the
| Mississippi and Missouri, we give you today in
| return our most hearty thanks fer your great
k1ddness. 1t was in the spfingtime of
OR lives that we heard our country S
iresll. Full of vigor and youth and patriotism
we responded to it. The explanation of the
iA1larch, and the camp, and the battle, and the
civil strife Of those Years that have passed since
/ the close OF the war have lett their marks upon
| us, and as we gather from year to year we no.
tiee signs OF advancing age and tbs roster of
| our dead is heightened. We are glad to-day to
be together, and yet our glaGness is sobered. AS
l look into those familiar faces l notice deep
sense of satisfaction; but have not failed to
! observe that there are tears to many
| eyes. We are not moved to tears by any
sense of regret that we gave some service to our
| country and to its flag but only by sense that
| we are not all here, and that all who are here
| will never gather again in n meeting like this.
| We rejoice that we were permitted to make
some contribution TO the glory and the credit and
| perpetuity of the nation we love. We are not
| here TO exalt ourselves. bat caonot omit TO say
| that purer, truer selfconseoration to the flag
| and country was never offered than by you and
| your dead comrades, who in 1862 mustered for
| the defense of the Union.
| at was not in the heyday of success, but it
was returning from the Tennessee. Kirby
| smith was coming through Cumberland Gap,
| and Mcclellan had been defeated on the PENN
| sula- 1t seemed as If the .frown of God was on
| our cause II was then, in that hour of stress,
| that you pledged your hearts and lives TO your
| country. We are veterans and yet citizens,
| pledged each-according to his conscience and
| thought-to do that which will best promote
| the glory of our country and best conserve, in
| our public measures, those patriotic thoughts
| and purposes that took us into the war;
At the conclusion of Harrison's speech. Col. J.
| NJ. Brown, Orator of the Day, was introduced,
| and reviewed the history CT the regiment from
| It's organization to the present time.