The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-09-29
"THE OLD REGULARS"
The Cannoneer's Remarks in Their Beha

"THE OLD REGULARS"
The CannOneers Remarks in Their Behalf.
During the Reunion of the Iron Brigade in
| the Thomas Tent at Grand Army Place last
Thursday evening, after Gen. Fairchild, of
Wisconsin, and Maj. James Stewart, of Battery
| B. 4th q. 8. Art, had addressed the assembled
veterans and their wives and children, and
Miss Pearl Patterson, daughter of the 10Th
Ind, had recited dialect poem in her inimita-
BILE style, Gen. Fairchild ordered Private
Buell., No. g. on the left gun of the center
section of Battery b. to the front. Buell. was
escorted to the platform by Johnny Cook, the
Bugler of the Battery, and Capt. Edward P.
Brooks, Adjutant of the 9Th Wis. He said:
Comrades of the Iron Brigade. thank you CRATE
fully for this compliment If have any right TO
brigade, but had the high honor to serve little
while humbly in Battery b, OF the 4h Regulars.
which you have formally adopted IS part of your
historic organzation because that battery for
three years manned chiefly by volunteers detached
from, your stalwart ranks and because to their
courage and to their fidelity it owes the best part
of the grandest chapter OF It's nistory-a history
that began with Pattsbur. in the Of 1872; that
richly oruamented ut Buena Vista that
incrustcd with glory at Anietam, Gettysburg, and
spottsyvania. and that now awaits only another
| summons to add In letters OF fire new page OF
victory.
came to this Wisconsin, indiana Michigan vol
untecr battery of United States Regulars as one of
a squad Of four New York Volunteers in Febru-
airy, 1853 II you can conceive anything more ore
thoroughly National than that description you will
surpass me. My three comrades were Francis
Mccormick, of the 9Th N Y; Arson Jillson, of
Of the goth n. Y.-all boys under 20 years of age.
was II. Poor, handsome. brave jolly little Anse
Jillson sleeps in nameess grave at Spottsylvania,
bis bright eyes dimmed. his big heart silled. and
his sweet tenor voice-which all the old battery
boys will remember in the songs we used TO sing
down by the forage pile-siieneed forever by a
morning OF the 9Th of May 1864! Mccormick was
wounded severely twice. but stuck to the guns till
shot at Bethesda Church June 2, 1864 refer to
these facts because some mention has been made
here tonight OF percentage OF casualties III action
as indicating the quality of the troops engaged,
and wish TO spread on the records of the Iron
Brigade the fact that the loss in action of the little
squad of New Workers who joined you In the camp
on the Belle Plaine road i'll February, 1863, was
three out OF four or 10 per cent OF the total pres
ent.
But this is not my main theme. will not con-
sumo much OF your time. have attended several
Reunions like this. have heard much Faid about
this, that and the other volunteer regiments; but
have not yet heard word about class of soldiers
whom we used to call, for short, "Old Regulars u"
that is to say, the men who made up the Regular
Army of the Union when South Carolina fired at
Sumter the shot which, like another. was heard
round the world,' and whose echoes let US hope
died out forever at Appomattox!
Let me say that word which seems 10 need say
ing about those "Old Regulars" Three of them
are here whom knew; there may be others. II
so, let them speak now or forever hereafter hold
whom know are Maj. James Stewart, commander
of Battery b, who has just addressed you; Serg't
Frederick A. Chaplin, formerly OF Battery 3, but
now citizen of Newport, Il. |. Chaplin is sitting
over there just inside the tent.door alongside of
Comrade Clinton Beckwih. of the 12lst N Y.
Sixth Corps who is here by my invitation as the
guest of your guest. l presume that the Sixth
Corps will always be welcomed by The Iron Bril-
Gade. lCries of You bet, aiways."]
And, by the way. you see right in my front our
old Comrade Perry iSouZ, detached in the battery
from the 18th Ind. Perry was shot through both
legs the first day ut GETTYSBURG and then lay in
the ditch alongside tile railroad embankment four
days without attention, and with no sustenance
except the water that trickled down the ditch rs it
rained. Under these circumstances our Perry lost
only one leg out of q possible two: But he was
saying 10 Beekwith this afternoon, Great Cesar!
Beck Old Man. if we had only had the Sixth Corps
on our right-there that dayl"
Further comment does not seem necessary. But
will venture to suggest that if the Bloody Old
Sixth had been on our risht and the Eleventh had
been marching from Westminster that first day,
Pickett would not have charged to any consider
able extent the third day.
But this is not to the point If had not told you
that Fred Chaplin was an Old Regular, you might
! easily mistake him for "A Presbyterian clergyman.
You would hardly believe me If should say that
the benevolent face you now sce made venerable
by whiened mustache and WhisSers, 30 years
ago the front of the most warlise soldiers that
ever buttoned jacket; that in the plain clad
breast you see beats heart that never knew fear
then or now or that this dignifed old gentleman,
TO whom have called your attention. was the man
VINO HrSt exnlDiteu ~ mt iHe ,t"e moIu, iuooei,
fashion, and substance OF the soldier and taught me
how 10 fight for the Union.
At this Serg't Chaplin attempted to sneak out of
the Iron Brigade tent
Stay there. Fred, old boy! You are too old TO
begin lodging now. A man who could stand the
shot and shell of Bull Run, Antieam and Fred
ericksburg rs you did, in manner that compelled
Capt. Stewart to mention you specially for con-
spicuous gaanry in three successive battlereports,
can't finch from few good words uttered by the
swing driver on your caisson after 80 years! How
ever, will now let up Fred, with the remark
that do not say these things because he is here or
because he my Sergeant but because he is the
am describing him.
The third Old Regular here sits just to the right
of Serg't Chaplin, with his wife and little daughter
who is also my daughter by adoption. He is
Johnny Cook, the famous Buger of our immortal
battery. If have cursed johnny in the past
about 4:3O a. NJ, for disturbing my dreams of home
mother. and the hum of the honey-bees. with the !
Internal blare of his malicious brass buge vieiousy
blown-I ask his pardon. If he has done anything |
that sorry for, he is probably glad of it, or
words to that effect. At any rate he enlisted be-
fore he Ia years old, was severely wounded at
Antietam before he Is. and did not quit until
the last armed foe had expired-or surrendered
Well comrades, these are the Old Regulars. |
They were professional soldiers The volunteers |
used say that of course the Regulars had 10 fight
because they were hired to die )" But that won't |
do. II Jack Stewart and Fred Chaplin and Johnny |
used to say, they would have died, because neither
ofthem could have been induced to violate any kind |
of obligation The fact that they here Tonight
disproves that theory. No, comrades the Old |
Regulars were not hired to die They were simply |
ready trained soldiers, TO whom young volun. |
teers were apprentices When reported to Fred |
Clapiu-Old Fred, who sits over there by the tent.
ANDY WI nj m m a Rd a YAnfn Dn