The Somerset reporter., 1891-05-07
SELECTED.
Colby in the Army
The Colorado sun
COLLEGE SoLDIEEs.

lhe following Papcr III response to the
toast Colby University in lhc Army, -
was read by Colonel IL G. Merriam Of
be Seventh United States infantry, sta
toned at Fort Logan, at the banquet of
the Colby University Alumni Association
acid at Albany hotel, Tues lay evening.
Colby University is in Watelyille Maine,
and has Il gooaly delegation of graduates
in this vicinity.
mir. CHAIRMAN AND LADIES AND GEN
TLEMEN; am no orator As Brutus is, but
| may be able to tell you something Of
lhe services rendered by the children OF
our Alma Mater for the honor OF our flag
IN the darkest hour of our history.
"Our general catalogue shows that six
ty-eight. of Colby's alumni marched to
the sound OF the guns in defense of the
uuion in 1851. And here justice re
quires that ! should say that those figures
DO not inc udc the undergraduates who
left their classics for the field and did not
return to graduate. Yet these rendered
equa service, reflected equal honor upon
The L University, and regret my inability
10 number them with the rest.
NEARLY all who went forth from those
| classic halls won commissions, and mani
were distinguished as leaders of men III
battle. Time will not permit Inc to meu-
lion all by name, much less to recount
the numerous acts OF Individual herolsm
for which so many were distinguished.
ITO do this would require volumes, for
though few i'll number they served in all
our great armies, Eat and West, were in
neArlY every battle, and even on the sea
| may say here in passing, however, that
40 son of Colby ever failed in courage OF
in honor, to my knowledge.
The class Of 1888 gave to the country
a m6jor-general, Benjamin Franklin But
Ter. He had already won a national rcpu.
tation as a lawyer and statesman when
The war began. As q commander he VOL
!reat distinction in the capture of New
orleans in lsG2, and especially by hi
mastery admin straton and government
If its naughty, rebeiious and turbulent
pc 3ple. He also commanded successfully
he army of the James in combination
With Grants final campaign against Rich
mond and Petersburg, beginning early in
lS6i and ending at AppomatuX April o.
1850. The fame of every great man ives
tradition as well as history. College
tradition, which is the truest OF all tradi-
ton, makes Butler warrior born and
notes his frequent Skim shes with the
faculty, but all other traditions, which
distinguish him for rapacity as well IS
'agacity, are cruel and unfounded. His
name will stand high in our national his
tory as a men of manysided genius ana
power.
1.-The class of 1853 gave us another
general officer. Harris Merrill Plaisted.
lie entered service as captain in the Eley-
euth Maine, was soon advanced to ma
ior, lieutenant colonel and colonel in tn,
Held. and finally 10 bripsdier-ceneral and
Drevet major. general Tor distinguished
services. After the war he won further
norors in Congress and as governor of
his native State.
"Twenty-three others attained the full
grades of field officers, with bIevets n
general officers given in recognition OF
distinguished conduct in battle and for
ability shown in command OF troops.
That | may not weary you with too
much individual history, l Will now quote
YOU some items Of rebellion history, com
piled from ofcisl records in Washington,
ny Lieutenant-Colonel William f. Fox,
member of the New York Historical So
ciety, and published in remarkable Ivol-
ume entitled 'Regimental Losses in the
civil War. This work was published In
1859 by the Albany fublshlns COMPANY
OF Albany, NJ L., anu shoulu pe III e'cis
library III INC lahu' ou' "utuoi se'oN''
rom the <V'"'o ieeIiienes .o'"i'oa!nS t'I'
dilhleS VI 'ic hluu uui ,"S tne |'''' val
WHAT TIC Terms i,iee nuh''iou i.'ns
resIinehes'' ne 9ei.1'o ti'ese oi' 'No as
81 'ieif losses III oaCeic' WINCH 10 Sel'"'n
y good way 10 measure inc uahseis
they incurred.
hree huhateu nShtins iesiinont ~,
me basis OF 'helr iosses IN pattlG' ipaa.
Is something magical IN me hummer ."oo
especlailV when cohhecte" WIN IoaTee IT.
battle something SUBJECTIVE VI l'eol',
iaS, Iherlnopl lac, spartan couIagc ano
spartan glory lnI'e huuuieo nSn"uT
regiments.
"Our good old State Of Maine had only
thirty-four regiments in that war. Hen
proper proportion of the 800 lighting
regiments would therefore be less than
dye regiments. On that basis she would
have had a narrow field for individua
glory. But. in fact, she had In that I'M
mortal 800, thirteen regiments NOR
than two aud three-fifths times hei
proper share. And not only this, bu'
twice does she scole to the very first
place in the comparison OF individual
regiments
"Of all the mounted regiments in those
mighty armies. the First Maine cayalr,
stands AT the top in its battle losses And
~ all those > on regimeutal organic.
lions composing those mighty hosts, the
First Maine heavy artillery stands also al
the yety top in its battle losses. Who
shall say the sous of Maine failed to
stand ty the motto of their State, 'Drgo'
But if so much glory was achieved Tor
our little State, what will you say when
tell YOU Colby University furnished lie.
onidas for each of those wonderful regi-
ments, the leading regiments of the Sc
lec.ed 3O0'-winners Of this modern Thor
mopylae. Nay, not only the leaders of
both those regiments, but also their i'm
mediate subordinates, in both instances,
were graduates of Colby. Charles Hen
ry Smith, class of 1856, was the final col
onel of the First Maine cavalry. and
Stephen Boothby class of 1867. was IT.