Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-29
Annual Banquet ofthe Union Soldiers
Alliance Last Night.
ONE HUNDRED AND THEIR GUESTS
Patriotic Toasts and Many Eloquent
Responses Made.
LIST OF THE MEMBERS

the 100 members were present, and there
were several prominent guests, among
whom were Representative Russell of Con-
necticut, Col. James r. O'Beirne, Lieut.
Lucien Young of the United States navy
and Mr.. Frank II. Thomas chief clerk of
the Post Office Department. The menu was
all that could he desired, and with the ar
rival of the coffee and cigars the following
officers for the ensuing year were installed:
President, DR.. Frank T. Howe; first vice
president. John S. Stodder; second vice
president, Andrew ]. Huntoon; third vice
president, John J. Narrower; secretary.
John L. Heupel; assistant secretary, John
r. Collette: treasurer. Samuel Z. Lovejoy;
proctor. Edward II. Klemroth.
TOasts and Responses.
On assuming the chair DIR. Howe made
few brief remarks thanking the society
for the honor conferred and referring to
one or two incidents of the war; He then
acted as toast master and introduced the
speakers, making a pleasant mention as
each one was called up The toasts and
responses were as follows: The President
of the United States" w. II. DoOlittle;
Our Capital" August Donath; THE Union
Soldiers Alliance" Major George +. Cor
Woman" Capt. a. S. Taber; "Our Dead"
drank standing and in silence: Our Com
rades Living" Capt. A. Hart; kindred
Organizations" was to have been respond
ed to by Col Chas. Z. Lincoln, but in his
absence his place was taken by Col James
r. O'Beiriie, who made an extremely elo-
quent address, which aroused the greatest
enthusiasm among the members. Besides
these regular toasts Representative Russell
made stirring speech. taking for his text
the subject of patriotism and showing how
ii was taught to the rising generation by
organizations of ex-UniOn soldiers. Lieut.
I.nn ian a
patriotic remarks. and Mr. Frank H.
Thomas, in a brief address. said that, al
though he was too young to be a partici-
pant in the war, he inherited from his
father, who was a gallant soldier in New
York regiment, all the patriotism which
could possibly be felt even by those around
him, and he felt 1t an honor to participate
in an occasion like this, surrounded as he
was by men all of whom had periled their
lives in defense of their country and of the
national flag.
A thrilling incident of the evening was
the presentation of the national colors
which were saiuted by every one present,
when they We're brought in by an appropri-
ate guard, and in a most impressive man
ner. MIR. George ii. Lilibridge sang several
appropriate songs. and Shroeder's orchestra
ehiivened the evening by program OF
choice selections.
Mai. Corson on the Alliance.
The most interesting response to the
members of the alliance was that made by
Major Corson, who in the course of his re-
marks thus spoke of the organization:
To the individual soldiers of all ranks
who survived that great conflict, one OF the
imp )rtant, and in many ways most pleas
ing, and in some respects grandest, results
which grew out of IL was the banding or
themselves together in fraternal societies
after their return from the camp, the pat
tle-field and the prison pen, when peace,
| bought by their blood and sacrifice. was
sminng again upon the land they had saved
FROM disgrace and disunion. chef among
| these societies was the Loyal Legion, to
which only those who wore the CpauletS
were eligible. Then followed the Grand
Army OF the Republic, into whose ranks
every soldier welcomed, regardless of
former rank, VINO was 81 good man ana true
and who could produce an honorable dis
ch lrge from the army of the Union. This
| organization was destined to become-Cid
| become-and is today the greatest and
| prandeSt body of civic soidlefy the world
| has ever seen. Other soldier organZa tons
| with like purpose have been instituted, and
| all formed like the Grand Army, on
| the bread and beautiful plan of fraternity
| and charity, and founded on the great
| principle of loyalty, loyalty to their coun-
| try. loyalty to the flag beneath whose folds
| they turned back the tide of rebellion, and
| loyalty to their comrades of the battle
| field, the camp and the bivouac.
Unique ana singular among these many
organizations of the survivors of our late
| war is this delightful organization of ours,
| The Union Soldiers Alliance" the men,
| Lers of which, in conformity with an an
| nual custom, have come together here to-
| night to look into each others faces, to
grasp each others hands in oomradely
| greeting. and to pledge to each other in
| cur Hbations our undying friendship and
our loyal devotion to our country and its
| beautiful symbol odd Glory"
| / have said that our organization is
unique and singular, and such it is in sew
| eral respects. Our number, unlike that Of
| any of our contemporary organizations, is
| limited to one hundred-one hundred gal
| liant men gathered here from every por-
| ton Of our great country; men represent
| ing every arm of the service and every
| corps and army that marched to the mu-
| sic OF the Union, and yet hardly any two
| of them ever served in the same regiment:
| men who breathed the deadly miasma in
| Chickahomny Swamp and won Malvern
| Hin under Mcclellan: who scaled the
| heights of Lookout mountain with Hooker:
| who We're with Thomas at Nashville. with
| Meade at Gettysburg, and with Sheridan
| in the Valley; who marched to the sea
| with Sherman. and who were with Grant,
the invincble, at Donaldson, Vicksburg.
the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Petersburg
| and AppomattoX.
| One Hundred Men.
One hundred men wearing the laurels
| Of victory, gathered here at the capital of
| the nation they so calamity served, and
| triumphantly saved; men who, when the
| cry of war went up through the land,
| rushed to arms in defense of liberty and
Union, and who. when the rebellion was
| crushed laid aside their muskets and their
| swords and resumed the peaceful impie-
| ments of their civil vocatiOnS and who now
| grace ard adorn every honorable profess
| sion, and who labor in their several fields
| of duty with that same patriotic devotion
| to country and to cOmrade that inspired
| and animated them in war.
| One hundred old soldiers. whose expanding
| brows and frosted boards proclaim that
| their suns have passed the meridian and
| are going down the western slope. bound
| together by a common desire and for a
| common purpose to perpetuate the men,
| cries of their soldier days and to cement
| more firmly that comradeship born of like
| dangers shared and defeats suffered, as
| well as Of bright hopes realized and VIC
| tories won.
| We are one hundred today, tomorrow
| our ranks may be broken, for we fan out
| one by one, and although another steps in
and closes the little up made by that enc
| my against which armies even cannot pre-
! vail still our going is not unheeded, for
| no sooner do the sad tidings reach us
| that one OF our number has crossed over
Joined the many hundreds on the other
| shore, than by a wise and charitable pro-
| vision in our law kind hands minister to
| the wants of the dear ones of our fallen
| comrade and we see that he receives a
| soldiers burial Shrouded in that flag he