The Portland daily press., 1894-05-03
THE LOYAL LEGION.
Annual Meeting OF the Maine Com
mandery Last Evening.

General varney of Bangor Elected
Communications at the Banquet.
The annual meeting of the Maine Com
mandery of the Loyal Legion was held at
the Falmouth hotel last evening.
AT the business meeting, held before the
dinner, the following officers were elected:
Commander-Bievret Brig. Gen. George
| Varney, U. >. ", of Bangor.
Senior Vice Commander-Breyet ig.
Gen. Isaac ;. Bangs, u S.'V., Of Waite, vile.
Junior Vice ConmandeIr-Wm Henry
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Maj. Henry s. Burrage,
| US. y, of Portland.
Registrar Breyet Maj. Holman S .Melcher,
| U. 5. ", of Portland.
Treasurer-Captain Thomas j. Little, U.
| S. ", of Portland.
D Ghanoe II Lieut.. Charles w.
:, Oh .plain-Jobn Smith sewall, U. S. V. OF
| Bango
-Council-Captain Charles p. NASH Y. $.
| Y. $. v, Of Portland; Captain, Charles ".
Ford, U. S. ", of Portland Lieut.. Vain
wright CUSHING u sy Of PqxerIfti Lieut.
| A resolution was p, ssed urging upon the
Getty sburg commission the early publi-
cation of their report.
| The FLOWING new members were elected ::
| Edmund Pendleton Of Bar Harbor, s cond
| lieutenant Co. Il, 4th N. Y. Heavy Artillery;
aide of Gen. De Russy.
csn a%Gs IN maFns sFn nh Thompson Of Portland
Henry NJ. Bearce, of Norway, first lieuten-
ant 32nd Maine.
| After the business meeting the banquet
followed. the following being present. G..
| H. Boyd, l. H. Knight, W. E. Dennison,
George E. Brown, H. b. Sawyer, Bejamin
J. Hill, H. B. Hill, E. Rowen, +. M. Drew,
Charles Walker. John Mars all Brown, Alfred
| Mitchell, VIM. H. Anderson, Edward NJ.
| Rand, R. P. Learys, Nelson Howard,
| George F. French, Charles O. Hunt, Vim. H.
| Green, George W. Verri1, Charles W..
Roberts, Edward Moore, j. G. Rundlett, e.
M. Shaw, Hebron Mayhem, Westbrook; A.
l.. Turner, W. ", Whitmarsh, Charles R.
Littlefeld, Calvin L. Hayes, 10 eph A..
Titcomb, John 0. Shaw, J. H. Clifford,
Thomas j. Little, H. S. Melchel, Thomas
P. Beals, d. L. Warren. Sidney W. Thaxter,
A. B. Farnham, D. E. Parsons, A. r.
Small, E.. NJ. Everl th, VIM. G.. Clayton, E..
A. Thompson, Seldom Conner, Henry S.
Burrage, Peter G. Hams, H. A. Philbrook,
George L. Beal Henry B, Cleaves, George
Varney, Frederick Robbie, Samuel L. Miller,
Marx P. Emery, Wainwright Cushing, A. E.
Fernald, Howard Corning, Morrill, Dunn, S.
G. Gordon, Edward D. Moves, James E.
Hewey.
Grace was asked by Rev. Hiram A. Phil
brook, ex-chaplain of the commandery. =
After delicious dinner had been enjoyed
and after Comraee French, after the old
custom, had led in Marching Through
Georgia. the addresses began. Comrade
Varney introduced Ex-Governor Robe,
who presented a letter from Mrs. Clara B.
Blanchard, widow of DR.. Samuel G. Blan-
chard, forme rly of Yarmouth. daughter of
Rev. DR.. Stephen Thurston, d. D., and
sister of Mrs. Freeman McGilvery. Mrs.
Blanchard donates large oil portrait of
Col FIR. eman McGilvery. Governor Robbie,
ia presenting the portrait, gave brief
sketch of
COL. M'GILVERY'S RECORD
as soldier. After distinguished services at
Cedar Mountain, Chantilly and Antietam, he
so distinguished himself at Gettysburg that
he was promoted to be colonel of mounted
artillery. In August, 1864, he was wounded
in the finger by sharp-shooter, while on
picket duty, and from this slight wound re-
suited fatal complications.
Colonel Edward Moore recalled the day of
Col McGilverys death. He babe them good
bye at Fort He'll, and rode to the hospital
for the amputation. In short time an
orderly role down the line and reported his
death.
The-th INKS of the commandery werevoted
to Mrs. Blanchard.
Captain George w. Verrill was next intro
duced to give some points in relation to the
deeds of the Seyenteeth Maine Infantry,
specially at
GETTYSBURG AND THE WILDERNESS.
Captain Verrill began by contrasting the
differing characteristics of the fields of
Gettysburg and the Wilderness, the one
with it's open fields, the other with its dense
underbrush. The Seventeenth at Gettysburg
lost So per cent of it's men; at the Wilderness
IA per cent. The $50 men of.the regiment were
posted between the Peach Orchard and
Devils" Den at Gettysburg, in the famous
What Field.
Here from behind a stone wall the Seven
teenth received the first advance of the
Confederates (Robertson's brigade. This
fact is well attested by the reports of both
Col. Merrill sand General De Trobriand,
although Col Bachelor, the official his
torian and the Count of Paris, in their
works, do not credit the Seventeenth with
being in the Wheat Field SO early.
With varying intensity the battle between
the Seventeenth and its foes continued
until Wards line on the left gave way, and
necessitated the retirement of tn regiment
from the Wheat Field. 1t returned however,
led to the charge by General Birney, and
began anew heavy fight with the Confed-
crates, WHO had meanwhile awaited them
selves of the stone wall. Captain Verrill
reviewed,the various works of De Trobriand,
Doubleday and:the Countof Paris, which have
failed to give the Seventeenth its full.credit,
have implied that it did not come into the
Wheat Field until it was led in by General
Birney.
In regard to the
BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS
Captain Verrill began by saying that the
report of the Seventeenth in that battle
was not on file at Washington, although Col
Merrill had made up such a report. The
killed and wounded of the Seventeenth's
brigade was greater than that of any other
brigade in that battle. The Seventeenth,
under Col West, was at its best. The Third
Corps had ceased to exist, but the regiments
maintained their old spirit.and the Kearney