Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-09
With HIS OLD COMRADES.
The Brigade Reunion and the President
Address TO the Vets

The Brigade Reunion and the Presidents
Address to the Vets.
When the president entered the opera
house he was greeted with cheers, which
were renewed when he took a seat on the
stage. Col Dustin, addressing the presi-
dent, announced to him his unanimous
reelection as president of the association.
The announcement was received with
cheers and applause. The president &C
kuowledging the greeting addressed his
old comrades at some length. He spoke
in an easy. conversational tone. He said:
COMRADES: The object of my visit TO Gales
burg was this III citing which are to have
now. | should not, think, have been per
suaded To make this trip except for the pleas
ure which | expected TO find in meeting the
men of the old brigade from whom have
been sepa ated since the muster out day. We
have had "a great demonstration, one very full
Of interest upon the streets and in the park,
but think are drawn little closer in this
meeting and understand each other little
better tnan in the larger assemblages of which
we have made a part II is very p SAINT TO
me Ia see 80 many OF you here. cannot re-
call the names of a i of you.
A Matter of Recollection.
Time has wrou sht its hanges upon the ia 'cs
Of us all. You recognize me because there
were not many colonies as there SOL
Laughter | saw you rs in.iivi iuals in the
brigade Ii ,e when il was drawn up for either
parade or hattie II is quite natural. there
fore, and trust it will not be held q rainst me
that you should have IA better objection of
my features than can possibly nav. of yours,
and yet some of you recall and all of YOU
love. tApplausel
An Incident of the War.
After some reflections on the motives
and responsibilities of the volunteers the
president continued:
| Wen remember an incident of the early
! days of lnnteering at indianapolis, when
the first mpanies in response 10 the first cali
OF +. eSident Lincoln came hurrying to the
capitaf Among the first TO arrive was one
from Lafayette, under the co nmand of Capt
Chris Miller. I .ey came in very tumultuOus-
ly and very enthusiastic for fight. These
companies We're organized into regi-
ments which, one by one, were sent into West
Virginia or other fields for service. Ii hap
pened that h regiment TO which my friend
Miller WAS assigned was the last To leave the
state. met him one day ON the street, and
more mad and des ondent ldier / never
saw.
Got Enough of Fighting in Time.
He was not absolutely choice in the of
his lang all soldiers were not. | think
the First brigade WAS an exception.
Laughter lie was swearing like pirate
over the disgrace that had befsllen him and
his associates growing ont of the fact that he
was absolutely certain that the war would be
over before tn y got into the field; left in camp
IA stranded regiment, having no part in putting
down the rebellion. Well, his day came Pres
emily, and he was ordered TO West Virginia.
and among the first of those who under the
fire of tn enemy at Rich Mountain received a
bullet through his body was Captain Miller.
Early Troubles in the Army.
Concluding this line of talk with the
statement that patriotism took the vOlun-
teer into the army. he proceeded
The officers were sometimes bumptiOus and
unduly severe. | am enteriag a pea in my
own behalf now. Laughter The soldiers
had not Vet got TO understand why a camp
guar should tie established, why they should
not be al as perfect liberty to go 10 town as
they were when on the far IN an the days
work was over. 1t was supposed that an army
was composed of So many men, but we had not
learned at that time that il was absolutely
necessary that all those men shOu be at the
same place at the same time.
Active Duty Cured Them.
But those days were passed 500 and they
passed the sooner when the M n went into
active duty. Camp duties were always irk-
some and troublesome, but when they were
changed for the active duties of the march
and field. there was less need of restraint.
always noticed there wa great need of a
camp guard after the hoys ha marched TWEEN
ty-ive miles. They did not need near so
much watching at night.
Evolution at an Effective Force.
He spoke of disease and death which
sifted out the weaker me of the army
and finally evolved "those great armies
| which, under Grant and Sherman and
Sheridan, carried the flag to triumph"
The survivors, or some of them, are here to-
day and whatever else has come to us in life
whether in honor or disaI p lintment, do not
think there Is any one of us-not me am sure
who would to-day exchange the satisfac-
| ton, the heart comfort we have in having
| been part Of the great army that subtued
| the rebellion, that saved the country, the con-
| stitution and the flag APPLAUSE
Close of tho GsIesburg Day.
At the conclusion of the remarks of the
| president Col. Dustin int reduced Repre-
sentative Henderson, of Illinois, who
made brief speech. At its conclusion
| the veterans filed across the stage and
shook hands with the president. Many
| of the greetings med to affect the pres
| idenJ deeply. aud his voice broke more
| than once AS he acknowledged them.
| From the opera house the president was
| driven to the hotel, where he retired to
his room TO obtain little rest. At night
he attended a banquet given by the Phi
I1clth htld sDcltJS AT tOlleRt nHll, anu
made another address. and later a ban
quet given by the First brigade at the
First Christian church, after which he
boarded his train and started anew, fol
lowed by the cheers of great throng
which had gat hered at the station.
Short Stop at Burlington.
BURLINGTON, Iowa. Oct. 9-The presi
dent and party arrived here at 10 O'clock.
They were welcomed by the mayor of the
city. Geo. A. Duncan, who expressed re-
greet at the absence of the governor. The
president was then taken to the rooms of
the Commercial clnb. where an informal
reception was rendered him. The presi-
dent shook hands with several hundred
people during the reception. From the
club the president was driven back TO the
station, and at about IL o'clock the train
pulled out for Ottum wa
WE FEEL BETTER NOW
That Story About stemmeI and Leonard