The National tribune., 1896-01-09

going to the dark and bloody ground of
Kentucky and from there on Sonth, over
the fields of battle where once they had
carried Old Glory in defeat at times, but in
the end to glorious victory.
And so at once the preparations for q
grand meeting in Louisville began. The
whereabouts of old comrades were hunted
mp, meetings were arranged, incidents laid
mp in memOry's stOrehOuse were recalled,
| letters and memoTanda-books written in
war-times were reread, and so the days and
| weeks and months were full of Joyous an
| ticipations till September, 1885, rolled
around, and then, from North and South,
East and West there was n stream of hoys in
blue, now gray and grizzled, but with firm,
steady step. and faces beaming with con-
sciousness of having performed grand
work in the interest of right, truth, and
| law, and with glow of comradeship in the
hope of again meeting with some not seen
since the dark days Of the COS, all tending
| towards one point-Louisville, Ky.
OF the EncamDment ! need not now
speak, except TO say it more than realized
| our fondest expectations. The decorations
! were lavish and expensive, and the rich and
humble manifested their feelings in either
elaborate decorations or in humble show OF
flag and a picture of Lincoln. The parade
was wonder to all the hospitality w:S
true Kentucky exnress;3I OF good will !;
The CampGTo5 were full of interest, and the
Reunions abounded IN the warmest of COM
radeships -
can only speak of the Reunion Of the
Signal Corps, u. S. A., in City Hall, where
we met Comrades Holman, Edge, Crary,
Thayer, Jackson, Beiderman, A. o. Reve-
naugh, whose home we visited and were
we'll entertained; Hastings Jnmes III. Kelly,
DR.. Walker and @. W. ID. Marcy, of Boston,
Mass., Secretary<-of Veteran Signal Corps
Association and we must not forget Com
rade Ware, of Florida, who bad with him
the feldglass used by him and others with
Gen. Sherman TO open signal communications
between Gen. Sherman and the u. S. fleet
just at the time of the capture Of Fort Nc
Allisier at Savannah, when Sherman
marched down to the sea-" and with music
furnished by Comrades Revenaugh and
Beiderman and their families, and incident
of march, or camp, or flag and torch, the
hours flew on till the hour TO part came, and
the farewels were said with the hope ex-
pressed of meeting again.
The visit TO Cave Hill National Cemetery
at Louisville called up the sadness of war.
Here repose 1887 Union men who gave up
their lives for the dear old flag
"The munlcd drums sad roll has bea
The soldiers last tattoo;
No more on LIES parade shall meet
That brave aud fallen few"
On Thursday morning, Sept. H. our party,
consisting of Serg't James Fl. Kelly, Albany,
n. Y; John Hastings, Pennsylvania; my
son Howard; Serg't c. NJ. ID. Marcy, Bos-
ton, Mass, and myself. left for a visit to
the battlefel Is of Kentucky, Pennsylvania,
A IL olI
myself had served on those fields; Marcy
had served in the Army OF the Potomac. . All
served in the Signal Corps.
From the car window we caught glimpses
of places Of interest where we had camped,
and especially the old pike over which so
many thousands marched between Louisville
and Nashville.
Nashville is much changed since 1865, but
many places we well remembered and easily
found. The Capitol building seems 10 be
almost az it was in war days. Fort Negley
is much crumbled down, yet shows how it
was built and how the guns were placed.
On the site of Fort Casino is now the city's
waterworks. The rife-pits have gone before
the advance of the city's streets and homes
The camp of the Signal Corps used in 1865
on the Franklin Pike was found and visited
The brick house surrounded by the grove of
large trees is there, but little changed, ex-
cept the grounds are now well fenced In
this house one of our boys was married, and
here we had collation. and supper, with
music-song and speeches, on June 80, 1865.
The bill-of-fare of the supper was as follows:
Five gals. ice cream Mt So, SIS; two gals.
Medeira wine at $4, So; % lbs. cakes at 60
cents SIS; 10 lbs. nuts at so cents, $3.50;
10 lbs. raisens at so CENTS So; one-half bar
rel cream ale, SO; plates for ice cream, ETC.,
$2 Total, S62.50. u
Tie expenses were met by those about to
be mustered out. J. w. Matthias was re-
corder, Serg't Ezra Keeler was treasurer, and
John M. Davis. now of Philadelphia, Pa,
was Chairman of the Committee of Arrange
ments The occasion was one Of much
pleasure and enjoyment.
While / staid in this camp over n month,
failed to remember that in the camp was
a spring with steps leading down to same
between two stone walls, distance down of
about 80 feet. but the spring and steps are
there to prove the fact.