The Portland daily press., 1895-05-08
HoNoRs TO GEN. HOOKER.
Veterans and Citizens Unite in Observing
the Day.

Hadley, Mass, May THE great Hooker
reunion was held this morning in the big
tent on the green just across from the
quaint old gambrel rooted farm house where
General Hooker was born. The day was
ideal and thesparade was brilliant and i'm
mense.
The days exercises began at Northamp-
ton. Old Hadley village did its full share in
honoring its most famous citizen and the
broad stately street famed from end to end
with flags and bun nting. The soldiers In
their quarters at Northampton were
awakened $40 a. M, by the reyeille by
the Meadow City drum corps and at 7.3O the
line was formed for the parade. The marc b
was up Main to Elm street countermarch-
ing to the depot where a special train of
ten cars took the veterans to Hadley and
another train of ten cars eeaveyed the
visitors. The column was headed by the ST.
Joseph band followed by Company 1, Second
regiment, M. V. M. Then came the Marshal,
General Thomas II. Dunharl, chief of staff
Major +. W. G. Rhodes, his assistants,
Major ". A. Smith and Captain E. P. Hill,
Bugler Thomas Menry, Meadow City drum
cotps, ". L. Baker Post, $50 men, State
College band and Cadets liz, commanded by
W. n. Dickens, U. S. A., Third Army
Corps of 1875 men. under Comma nder General
Cheney McKeever. Carriages with visitors
and guests came next, and the Stanton
Post of Amherst of 72 men closed the FRO
cession.
At Hadley the procession was met by E.
K. Wilcox Postsof Springfield, I25 men, Sons
of Veterans Drum Corps of Holyoke, IL
men, kiIpa trick Post of Holyoke. 81 men,
George G. Strong Post of East Hampton. 80
men, Charles G. Smith Post South HadIey.
so men.
The parade was witnessed by 1000 people
and he tent where the exercises were held
WAS CT DIVIDED to its fullest capacity of $500
PEI ople. The platform was filed with dis
tinguished men. This programme was
carried out:
Invocation,
Chaplain Chambe of the Third Corps
Address of Welcome, o. W, Prouty
Major William Plimly, President of the
Corps.
Welcome to Massachusetts Adjutant
General Dalton, H..
Address, General Henry f. Tremaine
Poem, Commander j. Fl Jewett
Presentation of Oil Portrait from the
Corps to the town by by General
ElckleS, acceptance by the town,
DR.. franklin Bonney
GENERAL SICKLES' ADDRESS.
a0Vo hOFSA bCCA doSlSuGu TO more
pleasant duty than the one which calls
me here today. The birthplace of the
most brilliant soldier given to the late
war by Massachusetts has an interest for
all her citizens. To the survivors of the
Sd army corps this spot has peculiar at
fractions.
Our loyalty to the memory of Hooker
is sentiment in which affection and
admiration are blended. His comrades
h1 4tnyp
dence in themselves; because he made
them soldiers. They loved him because
he was proud of them, and jealous of
their honor and fame,
we admired him as the intrepid brigade
ana olvlslon commander whose plume
was always in the front of battle. We
admired his fearless bearing, his pictur-
esque figure in the saddle, at the head
of column or in line of battle-the
type OF soldier who shared every peril
to which his command was exposed. We
admired his through knowledge of hiH
professionalism the duty of soldier
to the responsibility Of commander.
Here, in this town, Hooker was born.
Here his character was formed. From
Hadl ey he went to West Point, entering
the military academy. Graduated with
honor, he became the adJutant sof the
battalion of cadets-an appointment only
given to the best soldier. His earliest
service in the field was in the Seminole
war, as a young lieutenant OF artillery.
In the Mexican war his principal duties
were on the staff, for which he was es-
pecially qualified. In that war he rose.
by successive promotions for distin-
onisbed conduct from the grade of lien
Tenant to the rank of lieutenant colonel
Hooker and I met in Washington Wa for ,i
the first tins in june 1s6l-before and
after the battle of Bull Run. He was
seeking employment for his sword. Hs I