St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-08-15
VERMONT VETERANS.
The Third Reunion of the Eleventh Res
iueHf.

4NStilN 1OO Veterans aCCenQeQ TIT
third annual reunion of the societ,
OF the first artillery, 18th Vermont
Volunteers, on Thursday last. At tn,
business meeting in Grand Army hal
Maj. d. J. Stafford of Morrisville, vice
president of the society presided anc
opened the gathering with brief ad
dress of welcome
Secretary H. c. H. Lewis of Bel
lows Falls presented his annual re
port in which he stated he had the
address of 715 comrades, 624 were
on the roll of honor and there were
1901 names unaccounted for out of q
total of 234O enlistments. Three
deaths had occurred during the year
Edward c. CarTigan of Co. K, Thorn
as Penniman of Co. @, and Joshua
WhitiIa of Co. H. Among those
who Ne prominent in public life
were Hiram Smith of Co. E, now
first deputy commissioner of pensions
and Capt. U. A. Woodbury., now
eute1sant-governor of Vermont,
whom we hope" said the secretary,
ito address in another year as His
Excellency, Gov. Woodbury." This
announcement was received by the
veterans with prolonged cheers
The matter of having the next re-
union in connection with the pro-
posed brigade reunion in Burlington
was left with the executive commit
tee A rising vote of thanks was
passed to Mrs. Horace Fairbanks for
bouquet of cut flowers which she
had sent to the regiment. A letter
was also read at this time from Mrs.
Philip H. Sheridan thanking the So
ciety for resolutions sent by them on
the death of Gen. Sheridan. Consid-
cradle debate was irdulged in over
the secretary's proposition to have a
roster of the veterans printed and the
matter referred to a committee who
reported favOrably on the project.
1t was accordingly voted to have a
rosterprinted.
A committee of one from each COM
pany brought in list of officers for
the ensuing year and their report
was adopted. These officers were
chosen: President, Maj. D. ]. Stafford
of Morrisville; first vice-president,
Capt. James E. Eldredge, Warren;
second vice-president, ]. c. Jones,
Chester. Secretary, H. c. H. Lewis,
Bellows Falls treasurer, Capt. o. H.
Austin, Barton Landing; surgeon,
DR.. X. T. Johnson, West Concord;
chaplain, Capt. Edward P. Lee, Rut-
IsrIIu. -ExcrutIve- c>,rrrrlIIuucc, I. n.
Kendall, Rutland; U. A. Woodbury.,
Burlington; A. ]. Dunton, Rutland;
Geo. Howe, Burlington; A. S. Fleury,
st. Albans. They also recommended
that the next reunion be held in Rut-
land
The address of Rev. DR.. Arthur
Little of Boston in Music hall in the
evening was an eloquent and thought
full production, and worthy of larg
er audience After felicitous intro
duction and a cursory survey of the
doings of the 18th regiment until the
final surrender of Gen. Lee, the old
regiment chaplain spoke somewhat
as follows:
There is a continued demand for
the same heroic spirit that inspired
your actions 25 years ago. Though
a visible foe is not present heroism is
demanded. SO is self-sacrifce, vir-
tue without which the republic could
not long live. In these times Of rapid
growth in wealth and population
too much stress may be put upon
dollars, dress or fashion, and the
spirit of selfsacrifce lost sight of.
Show your heroic spirit by maintain
ing the untarnished honor of sol
dier's life and record. The scriptural
command is to walk worthy of your
vocation. This you have done since.
You owe it to your country and to
pOsterity to preserve the soldiers
reputation. Never come before your
country as beggars. Never let it be
money or for office. When the Amer
lean nation shall have paid all just
claims for pensions there will still re-
main a debt that cannot be paid by
any money value.
Guard your soldierly honor by let
ting it go down in history that there
is and always will be a difference be-
tween the blue and the gray. While
right is right and treason is treason
it can fever be conceded that it was
just as well to be on one side as the
other. Unless Jefferson Davis repents
he will go down in history as trail
tor, and the Southern friends, though
brave and heroic, as on the wrong
side.
Another thing requires courage,
and that is to see to it that the re-
suits involved in the war shall be en-
tirely accomplished. They have not
vet been realized south of Mason and
Dixon's line. The wicked fact that
lay at the bottom of human slavery
was the inequality of the colored
race. This thought has not been en-
tirely eradicated. There is still con-
troversy on racial differences. Until
we have fair vote and fair count
it is very dark day for the republic.
Great moneyed corporations and
trusts confront us. You are to dis
cuss great questions of capital and
labor. Temperance is great moral
issue. Vermont is in advance of al
most every state in the union on this
question. Inasmuch as we are on
high ground we can help other
states.