The Press., 1889-08-15
THE GRAVE OF GEN. LYON.

that day. The town of Webster. Mass.
 lS miles away from Eastford, has G. A.
 K. post named after Gen. Lyon, which has
 before visited and decorated the grave.
 This year they invited the Nathaniel Lyon
 post of Hartford to join with them in a
 repetition of the act. The invitation was
 accepted, though the latter post was only
 represented by large detail of members,
 instead of being present as a post, as was
 the Webster post, which brought out about
 90 of its members.
 The story of Gen. Lyon's death, the
 eulogy of the man, so eloquently and yet so simply, told in Comrade Simond's address
 every word of which was heard with deep-
 est interest by the large gathering in the
 cemetery, and the printing of the same be- low, leaves to the reportorial pen only the
 duty of chronicling the incidents of the day, since the memory of the dead hero gets therein so fine and so just tribute. Saturday morning promised fairly we'll
 for pleasant day, but from g to II a. m. lowering clouds threatened, and about the time for the gathering at Eastford few
 rain drops were falling and raised um- brellas were seen on the little square in front of Eastford hotel. Yet the cOndensa-
 ton of the population of the vicinity went on, and later the sun burst out as if it could not withhold the tribute of it's light to the floral decorations being brought in
 to place around the monument over the grave of General Lyon.
 Eastferd village is two miles from Phoe- nixville, smaller village in the same town, where the generals remains are buried.
 The former village was the gathering place of most of the people. Here dinner was provided at Greens hotel for the Webster post, following which as many more other guests were served, without by any means exhausting the abundant provision of sub stantial and we'll prepared viands provided
 by Landlord and Landlady Green (former-
 y of Stafford Springs). The quality of the dinner and the manner in which it was served to SO large a number, won highest commendation from the nearly 200 guests
 who partook.
 About p. m. procession started for
 the grave. First went Nathaniel Lyon post of Webster; next contingent of D.
 F. Corbin post of Union, and also mem-
 Ders of other posts; then long string of carriages. Martial music gave the step to the veterans, many of them gray and bow ed with age, indicating the impress of the 28 years that had passed since they were young, or less than middle aged. Before reaching the cemetery the Hartford con- rades, who had come from the railroad sta-
 tlon at Abingdon, fell into line, and when
 the veterans followed the dirge playing musicians into the enclosure many hun dreds of people were gathered around. The monument was finely trimmed with wreaths and enfolded with the flag which
 the dead hero died to defend. A shield of white flowers bearing in blue the charac- tors '61" was the central piece of many floral tributes on the grave As the com rades passed around each added the tribute of bouquet to the mass of flowers. Then the people gathered about little platform where prayer was offered by Rev. MT. Chandler, and following which a glee club sang. Then came the following
 ADDRESS BY HON. W. E. sIMoNDs. COMRADES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN {: This noble shaft marks the grave of man who was truly great. Born here in Ash ford, in 1918, a rebel bullet cut his life short at the battle of Wilson's Creek in
 Missouri, August 10, 1861, and Windham cOunty's soil took him back to its rugged but kindly bosom at the age of forty. three. It was not a long life but it was long enough to stamp him indelibly as fit to be one of the worlds immortals.
 Few men of any note have ever lived whose lives will bear such close scrutiny as this mans life easily endures and with out disclosing single stain. No officer of the union army gave brighter promise of splendid military genius than he. A soldier more brave or g patriot more true never breathed the air of our earth, and his administration of civic affairs under impending war points to his possession of statesmanship of the highest order. It is & pleasure to speak of such man where truth and soberness permit the praise of his life and deeds to be absolutely unfet- tered and unrestricted
 He was graduated at West Point at the age of twenty-three, served creditably against the Seminoles in Florida, and with distinction in the war against Mexico, be- ing there breveted for gallantry at Con- treras and Cherubusco, and afterwards wounded at the Belen Gate in the assault on the Mexican capital. Then for few years he fought the Indians on the Pacific coast, eliciting high praise from his su- sperior officer for his conduct of that diffi- cult work. Transferred to Kansas while slavery and freedom were battling for per- Fmanent dominion of that empire, his in- nate love of the right triumphed over his political affiliations, and he became, as he remained to the end, champion of liber- ty. From g brief term of Indian fighting in Dakota he returned to Kansas in 1859, and there remained until ordered to St. Louis in February, 1861. He was killed only half year later, but that was half year of patriotism, of genius, of heroism, and of of ftatesmanship. It was the final lowering of his life time, of high purpose, pure conduct and patient ability. Had Nathaniel Lyon not lived in Missouri in those days that state would have foated the ''stars and bars" of the southern con- federacy and it's vast resources of men and materials would have gone to the aid of treason and rebebellion.
 He was the alert and determined foe of civic traitors including among them the very governor of the state-as we'll as of the enemy in arms. He out-maneuvred the one and he outfought the other mean while. His ability was so marked that he arose quickly from captain to general and became commander of the department of the west
 [ August 10, 1861, he found himself with an army of five thousand men conf. onting 2 rebel force ten thousand strong. Re treat he would not and fight he would and did. From first to last he was in the thick of the fray Hia horao voo k;IIod and ho