News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-11-06


'ResOIVed, That, with unchanged appreci-
alton and admiration of his patriotism and
heroic bravery on the field of battle, and,
with unchanged personal love and affection,
we tender to him our earnest sympathy and
best wishes for a speedy recovery"
About 100 members of the regi
ment were present. The following
letter to Comrade c. M. Ferrin was
read:
DR.. C. ". Ferrin, Dear Comrade: I had
hoped to be able to attend the reunion of our
grand old regiment, but the fates are entirely
against me. Not only the press of business
devolving upon me at the end of the month
prevents, but Mrs. Holton was taken ill this
morning, rendering it impossible for me to
leave home. About one-fifth of my army ser
vice was with the gallant Eighth Vermont
and | esteem it the greatest honor to have,
at any time, been connected with it. | have
no army friendships SO strong as those for
my comrades of the old Eighth. 1t was a
gallant band, calamity led. and it accom-
plished great things. 1t isnOt fulsome praise
of self for me to compliment the Eighth, nv
own career with it was so brief The official
figures of its losses, impartially told by the
truthful statistician, are its greatest recon-
mendation.
In Colonel Foxs " Regimental Losses in
the American Civil War" is a table giving
maximum percentages of loss, in a list of six
ty-three regiments, meeting with phenomenal
losses in single engagements,-the gallant old
Eighth Vermont is given seventh place. and
is credited with sustaining a loss of 81 9 per
cent at Cedar Creek After giving this table
Contracting sixty-three regiments) Fox re-
marks ut is well to pause here and con-
slider what these figures mean to think what
these extraordinary percentages imply. Per-
bon Sio wi lar
stood when compared with some extraordi-
nary loss in foreign wars,-some well-known
instance which may serve as a standard of
measurement. Take the charge of the Light
Brigade" at BalaklaYa. Its extraordinary
loss has been made familiar feature of he
role verse and story in every land. until the
whole world has heard of the gallant six
hundred" and their ride into the valley of
death. Now as the Light Brigade" accom-
pished nothing in this action-merely exc.
cuted an order which was blunder-it must
be that 1T was the danger and its attendant
loss which inspired the interest in that his
toric ride What was the loss? The Light
Brigade took GA officers and meninto that
charge. They lost ID lSilled. $500.
cent. of loss of the Eighth Vermont at Cedar
Creek exceeds the per cent. of loss of the
Light Brigade at Balaklava by 81. ? per
cent. Fox also mentions the loss of the
Eighth at the siege of Port Hudson, May %
to July s, 1864, as larger than that of any
other regiment Of Augur's command
1t makes n fellow sad to think of the good
things to be dispensed free to all members
by Quartermaster Fred E. Smith Qadies as
sisting),' which | must miss Methinks that
repast will beat anything ever brought into
camp by even Comrade Selleck from his most
successful foraging expedition. Would were
with you. How we would wag our bald and
fast-bleaching heads, and work our old jaws
ing bareback, "salt-horse, v" beans" and
coffee drawn from the commissary and
growing chicks, squealing pigs, gOhbling tur-
keys and sweet potatoes, drawn trOm-well,
let the accomplished fOragers of the old
Eighth tell where-wil be brought out and
retOld again. What keenness the " old boys -
appetites will acquire from the presence of
the ladies-heaven bless them. Did not
thoughts of them, back in the Green Noun
tain homes, with hearts true, nerve the
boys to deeds of valor, when the hour of trial
was upon them? And when the glorious old
colonel used to say ut such times: Vermont
is looking at you to-day, boys!'' didn't he
mean the g girls left behind - more than any
body else?
Give my kindest, most loving greeting to
the boys and our old comrades saw the
general at Boston, and what a big place the
boys hold in his great patriotic heart heard
his earnest, instructive, inspiring words to us
all, and within myself said: 4" We're consti-
tutiOnal government, the union or its flag
now assailed or endangered, there is patriot
ic fire and vim enough in the old man to
make a regiment of towards stand up and
fight in their defence
Tell my comrades to "whoop her I'D. -
unwind their choicest yarn-b balls, crack their
best i" old chestnuts, - and properly celebrate
this festive and honOred occasion: and in the
midst OF their festivities tell them how one
old comrade now growing gray mourns the
Cot hat lrrn,N
Ward once said, Yours more'n anybody s
else
WILLIAM II. H. HoLToN.
New York, October 81
1t had been intended to make a
call on General Thomas, but it was
finally decided that in view of the
condition of the generals health, a
visit from a hundred comrades
would be too much for him. The
resolutions expressed what the boys
would have said personally had the
call been possible Vermont Watch
man.
FIRST. VERMONT CAVALRY.
The eighteenth annual business
meeting of the First Vermont Caval-
ry was held in the cloak-room of the
house of representatives, Tuesday
evening at five O'Clock, when the fol
lowing officers for the ensuing year
were elected: President, c. D. Gates
of Cambridge; secretary, W. l..
Greenleaf, Burlington; vice-presi-
dents, Co. A, Warren Gibbs, st. Al
bans; Co. B., W. w. Conger ofSt. Al
bans Bay; Co. c., p. C. Cheney of
Dover, n. H.; Co. D., II. A. Moore, st.
JOhnsbury; Co. E., M. j. Plummer
Co. F., William c. Royce; Co. G..
James Barrett of Clarendon; Co. H.
Henry o. Edison of Rutland; Co. l.,
Captain E. Grant of Irasburgh; Co.
X, Captain Moore of Shoreham; Co.
L., W. f. Blinn of Whallensburgh,
n. Y; Co. NJ, Peter Landon of Bur
lington; staff surgeon, p 0. NJ. Ed
son of Boston. A society badge was
adopted, to consist of a horseshoe,
crossed sabres and sunburst. The
annual reunion and banquet was held
at the Pavilion at eight o'clock with
seventy-tive comrades in attendance.
The annual address was delivered bv
c. II. Pierce of Vergennes, secretary
of the Fifth New York Cavalry, who
was elected an honorary member.
The speech-making in charge of Hen
ry 0. Edison of Rutland, was partici-
pated in by Major circuit of Derby
Line, Comrades Dodge of New York,
F. S. Stranahan and Warren Gibbs
of st. Adams, General W. L. Green
leaf of Burlington, and President
elect c. O. Gates. The secretary was
requested to tender the goodwill and
sympathy of the First Vermont Cav
airy to the Fifth New York Cavalry,
and the comrades dispersed to the
music of cold John Brown
THE OFFICERS GATHERING.
The 9th annual reunion OF the
Vermont officers was held at Mont
pelier Wednesday, the 29th ult. At
7.3O O'Clock a long line of officers
with their wives and friends, headed
by the military band, marched to the
hall of the house of representatives,
where Capt. L. H. Bisbee of Chicago
addressed the audience upon the sub
ject of Gen p H. Sheridan eaapl,,r4iiaaaoe
the minds of the veterans back to
scenes in which they had taken an