Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-06-27
HEROES OF THE WAR.
Survivors of The Army Of
the Potomac Meet.
TWENTY-FOURTH REUNION.
An Interesting Outline Of Their Doingi
on the Battlefield.

BosroN, June 27.-The Hub gave q
cordial and h arty reception to the vet
erans Of the Army of the Potomac upon
the occasion of their assembling here to-
day for their 24th annual reunlon-men
whose valor helped save our Union and
preserve our national integrity. They
found the old commonwealth AS patr lotto
"A 30 years ago, when she sent 100000 OF
her loved sons 10 the front in the services
Of the Union.
The reunion has called to the city many
eminent men who have won renown not
only in the field Of battle, but In the more
peaceful pursuits of business life, and
many pleasant aud not few thrilling
memories will be recalled by the Ms
sembling of the veterans-now veterans
of time rs well as of war"
The Exercises of the Reunion
opened at Faneuil hall this morning at 8
o'clock with reception to the members.
At 10 a. m. an artillery salute was fired on
the common, and at the same hour there
was meeting of corps associations in Fan
euil hall.
At IL q. m. the annual business meeting
with the election of officers and other inn
portant matters was held i'm Faneuil hall
This completed the morning exercises.
At o'clock tle society embarked on the
Mayflower for trip down the harbor,
rendered by the city. A landing will be
made at Fort Warren. Refreshments will
be served on the boat.
An Honorabls Record.
The Army of the Potomac was one Of
t.t, 70 "A iasN
that conducted in large measure the
operations of the troops Of the war of the
rebellion. The other divisions were known
as the Army Of the Cum berland. Army OF
the James, Army of the Tennessee, Army
of West Virginia, Army of the Ohio, Army
of the Gulf and Army OF the Frontier.
1.-THE Army of the Potomac was the most
important of all the armies and had duty
to PERFORM" said writer in the American
Tribune. IF rst to defend Washington
against the powerful army which the
rebels had assembled about It, and second,
the duty of annihilating that army and
capturing Richmond"
On May q, 1861, General Irwin Nc
Dowell WAS appointed commander of the
Department of the Potomac, which at
that time was called the department Of
Northwestern Virginia" The field em-
braced all that part of Virginia east of the
Allegheny mountains aud west and north
Of the James river, excepting Fort NJ onroe
and it's immediate vicinity.
After the battle of Bull Run the dis
organized condition of the military in the
field demanded immediate attention and
reorganization. General Mcdowell had
not come up to expectations. 1t might be
noted right here that Mt that time nobody
came up to the requirements.
General Winfield Scott was physically
incapacitated from taking his place in the
field, so he selected General George b.
Mcclellan for the important office. Geu-
eral Mcclellan assumed command in July.
1t Was Napoleon's Theory
that all national capitals should be strong
ly fortified against possible attack, and
acting upon this theory, two forts, Runyon
and Corcoran, had been constructed so as
to command the long bridge and aqueduct,
and Fort Albany laid out where it could
command the Columbia, Aqueduct and
Alexandria roads. AS soon as General
Mcclellan assumed command he had thes,
plans enlarged upon by series of earth
works thrown up between Forts Corcoran
and Albany, within supporting distance
OF each other, and other works thrown up
controlling all the principal routes leading
to Washington from the north.
The operations of the Army Of the Poto-
mac were confined to comparatively
small territory between the Appomattox
and Susquehanna rivers, but the fercest
fighting Of the whole army lay inside the
limits Of that territory.
General Mcclellan was relieved on Nov.
Z, 1862 and General Ambrose f. Burnside
assumed command. On Jan. 20, 1853, Gen.
eral Burnside was relieved and General
Joseph Hooker took command. On June
%, 1853, General George G. Meade was as
signed to that command, then an almost
unknown man. On Dec. 30, 1864, he was
relieved by Major General John G. Parke,
but was reinstated on Jan. IL. 1865, and re-
mained until the close Of the war;
The Principal Battles
participated in by the Army of the Poto-
mac were: Bull Run, Yorktown. viii.
liamsburg, Gains Mills, Seven Days be-
fore Richmond, including Fair Oaks and
Seven Pines. Malvern Hill, Second Bull
Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Freder.
icksburg, Charlottesville, Gettysburg
Mine Run, Wilderness, 6pottsylvania
North Anna, Cold Harbor, ten months
siege Of Petersburg and pursuit and cap
ture of Lee.
1t varied In numerical force from Is, 200
to 150,0 900 men and lost about 5000 killed
the greatest loss sustained by any one
army during the war. IL fought more
blttles in shorter period of time and
SUSTAINED greater losses in every way than
sly other army ever mustered in this or
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