Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-02

! Union Veterans and Ex-Confederates Unite
in Memorial Services at Fredericksburg.
CORRESPONDENCE of The Evening Star
| FREDERrcKsBURG, VA, May 80, 1891
The sun shone out with more than regal
spiendor upon faces of brave men and fair
women from the cities of Washington, ID. c..
and Fredericksburg, Va, on this the morning
| of our national memorial day. The occasion
which brought about such unusual hustle and
holiday attire on the part of our citizens was
the visitation Of the various commands COM
posing the department Of the Union Veterans
Union Of the District Of Columbia, which, to-
! gether with the ladies who accompanied them,
numbered nearly il not quite, 500 persons.
Elaborate preparations had been made for
their reception. The party was met at the
! depot by Mayor Rowe and the members of the
| reception and arrangements committees, con-
| sisting of Judge Slaughter. Maj. Thomas z.
| Wallace. r. B. Merchant editor Fredericksburg
| Star; Capts. NJ. b. Rowe and :. j. Quinn, John
| W. Wolff, ESQ.,, Hon. J. s. Potter, II. K. Phil
lips. Gen. Geo. F. Wheeler, E. ]. Godfrey, H.
c. Roropaugh, s. Steinburg, c. Van Duzen and
| W. A. Hills, esq.
Carriages were in attendance for the ladies.
speakers and disabled veterans. After con-
gratulations, hand shakings, introductions,
&c, the line was formed on Maine street. with
| the right resting on Prussia street. Col. Frank
| I. Hall, chief of department staff, took COM
mand Of the soldier boys and Gen. G.. +.
| Wheeler, chief martial Of the day. headed the
procession, the following being the order of
| march: Broweri1gs Brass Band of Fredericks-
| burg, Va; Ged. Green Clay Smith. depart
| ment commander; Adjt Gen. Samuel Il. STRAIT
| ton and Judge Advocate Gen. Jno. r. Neon
NELL Gu horseback; Hancock, Logan, Sedgwick,
Shaw. Custer and Lincoln commands,
Uni1n Veteran Union; ladies of the Mary
Washington Monument Association and
Confederate Memorial Association in car
/ riages; citizens Of Washington and Fredericks-
| burg in carriages. On entering the cemetery
| Gen. Smith gave the command, Uncover" I'm
mediateIy hats were removed and with bowed
heads the procession moved slowly forward on
Its way to the pavilion, to the cadence OF
dirge.
| THE EXERCISES.
Exercises were at once commenced by the de-
livery of an excellent Introductory address by
Mayor Rowe. This was followed by an address
of welcome by Col. R. B. Merchant of Freder
Icksburg. after which Gen. John J. Gregg and
/ Hon. John 5. McCalmont, ex-commis5ioner of
customs OF Washington, made appropriate and
| patriotic addresses. Ex-Department Com
mander Thos. s. Hopkins the next speaker,
and having been participant in the battle OF
! Fredericksburg. his remarks ELECTED marked
attention. Col. W. H. Michael of Washington
read an original poem with great power and
/ effect The formal presentation Of an elabo-
rate floral wreath by the ladies of the Mary
i washington MOnu1nent ASSOclallOn WAS manu-
somely performed by Col. X. Ii. Merchant, in
| the absence of Senator Little of Virginia.
When he seized the American flag and called on
every one present VINO loved that flag to give
| three cheers, eX-cOnfederates rivaled ex-Union
soldiers in the Joyous shout which went forth,
and when he waved the flag over their heads
and closed with the following stanza, the en-
thusiasm was unbounded:
| ''Flag o, the Tree hearts hope and home
| By ANGEL hands to valor given.
| Thy stars have lit the wekin dome,
And all thy hues were born in heaven.
| Where brsathes the foe. but falls before US.
4 With freedoms soil beneath our feet,
And freedoms banner streaming DER Us.
| THE CEMETERY.
| Fifteen thousand Union soldiers are buried
in the Fredericksburg cemetery, and yet this is
the first time the graves we're ever decorated
on a scale of any magnitude since the war.
The cemetery, located on Marye's Heights,
comprises about thirteen or fourteen acres and
is admirably kept, presenting appearance
| second to none other in the United States. The
pavilion is constructed after the form of a
Sibley tent, excepting that it is octagon shaped
and commands a fine view of the city, the val
ley where the great battle was fought, the lofty
heights beyond, where the federal troops
under Burnside, Sumner, Franklin. French
and other generals were located; the sunken
road, the memorable stone wall, the fatal rail-
road cut, where the Irish brigade under Gen.
L
| other points of interest
Seated within the pavilion, in addition to the
| speakers, ladies and staff officers, were a num-
Der of distinguished citizens of Fredericks-
burg and state Of Virginia, also Coils. John
Finn. NJ. L. Littleheld. II. L. johnson, Frank
T. Hall, VIM. Irving, II. L. Street. H. Sims.
Jos. E. Clifford, Danl O'Niell, W. C. Talley, j:
! K. Magic, Representative Jerry Simpson, ex-
Representative Yoder, Chaplain Smith and
others Of Washington. DC. The freedom of
the city was extended to the visitors by the
mayor. Carriages were going and coming all
day long with loads of visiting strangers. The
horses and wagons in the line were decorated
with American flags. Nothing seemed to have
| been overlooked that would contribute to the
comfort OF the guests. picture was taken in
| front of the hotel of visitors and citizens. In
fact, the whole affair partook more of the ma
ture Of an old-fashiOned Fourth of July cele-
| bration than a national memorial day. The
visitors from Washington were enthusiastic in
their praises Of the hospitality and chivalric
| spirit Of their hosts.