Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-02
ONE OF THE EVENTS OF THE DAY.
Corporal Tanner, of the Union Army,
Makes IL superb Speech.


Corporal Tanner. of the Union Army,
Makes n superb speech.
General Gordon here approached the
edge of the platform. and with evident
pride said that he was going 70 take the
liberty of introducing to this audience Cor
poral James Tanner, of New York, who
fought in the Union army. and had both
of his legs shot off by a cannon fired by
Virginia soldiers. General Gordon stated
that soon after the war he met Corporal
Tanner on his way TO Richmond, and
asked him If he were not afraid TO come
here to which Corporal Tanner replied:
NO: / think a man has right 10 visit
his own burying-ground-two of my legs
now lie in Virginia soil" Oaughter)
The reception given Corporal Tanner
was one Of the most spontaneous and
enthusiastic of the day. After the au-
dience had become quiet General Cor
don said
Now. my comrades, here is man
you shot with bullets through the legs,
and / guarantee you have put bullet
through his heart by this glorious demon
stration."
The manned Union soldier hobbled 10
the front OF the stage to respond to the
enthusiastic call that had been made
upon him. and he said:
MY fellow veterans" and these words
were greeted with the widest cheering,
81 have had General Gordon in New York
when he was about the lone Confederate
there. To-day the conditions are re-
versed. and ! am possibly the lone Yam
kee (Cheers) Possibly | should have
felt lonesome since / have been here in
Richmond "a voice you are at home
here'O. but there are many of you who
know I have not been lonesome, and that
II has been some strain on me TO get the
necessary sleep, I'm order that man could
keep moving. Q-aughter)
THEN AND NOW.
"Thrty-four years ago |. with my COM
rades in blue, were looking in the faces
of some OF you at Malvern Hill Cheers.
To-day we are as one. Thank God Al
mighty for II. (Renewed cheers. For
my comrades who went to death under
your fire: those who. like myself. have
suffered with unreasonable agony from
wounds that were made in war, now look
to-day at a reunited country. We are all
standing in support of one flag. and
common country. That is what we fought
for. and we have got II. (Applause) II
II does not suit any soul on earth, then |
am satisfied that that is a soul belonging
10 a creature who never got around UNI
iii all opportunity to fight has gone by.
loud cheers. mingled with cries OF
That's right)
"As | told the boys in Lee Camp last
night. there were those fellows who cried
IN advance 'On to Richmond ON TO
Richmondr why didn't the army mover
when old Father Abraham called them
through the channel OF a draft they had
the draft in ore hand and n time table OF
the nearest route to Canada in the other
0auehter) There are men here in the
sound of my voice who know that this Is
no new tune / am singing. All along
over a score OF years ago, when l did not
have a single personal acquaintance
among eX-Confederates-there were not
any within miles and miles ! say here
and now. and am entitled to say II, for !
have said II so many times in my own
northern community. that If the boys VINO
aid the hot work I'm that war had taken
hold of matters this country would have
escaped the Infamous disgrace of the re-
construction period" (Applause)
HELPED OUR SOLDIERS HOME
General Gordon made allusion," the
speaker continued ito matter that ]
am proud of. / am a New Yorker, but for
the last seven years | have been living in
the city of Washington. At the time l
speak of ] was residing in the city OF
Brooklyn and one day there came in my
mail a circular that some OF the boys sent
me from Richmond. They did me great
honor to mail II to me. II set forth the
needs Of the Confederate soldiers. Il
called attention to the fact that they had |
no pension-that war had Slapped the very
substance from them. | read II, and read
ing between the lines my eyes became |
moist and | never was ashamed of II. l
picked up my pen and wrote five brief |
notes. l asked fve different men to come |
TO my office at 5 o'clock. They all came |
within one minute and half OF o'clock.
Every mothers son of them were short |
arm or a leg l told them TO take seat. |
They looked at me and said. Tanner, |
what In the devil have you got now?' !
read them that circular. and they said: |
What IN the devil have we got to do |
with itg I wrote out a call for a meet |
ing of Union soldiers at the Council Hall. |
They came and packed the building. / |
read my call, and everything went along |
like Methodist camp-meeting with an |
amen.
''Out OF that came a great r.ass-meet-
ing and Henry Ward Beecher made a
great speech, and / tell you It was a
great speech. The chaplain OF the Grand
Army made a magnificent lecture on
American citizenship. We counted up our
expenses and found out that we had-l
am proud TO say that we did have the
pleasure OF sending TO Richmond Sl.76S 10
the boys in Richmond. (Applause.)
when that project for that monument
at Chicago was started there was a great
deal OF kicking. A good many did me the
honor 10 write and asked me what I
thought Of It. l said that 1t seems to me
that when man who was IN the Con-
federate army sees 200 unknown graves
"a voice 6.cx)-sees 5000 unknown graves
OF his former comrades. wanted 10 build
a monument TO mark their graves. l said
there is evidences of warm heart. and l
said that | would Ike TO touch elbows
with him. { said. further. that when you
ask me about what ! thought OF erecting
a monument to the rebel dead In re-
united country that don't draw the line
In the United States--t take up the whole
earth. A people who win forget their
men who 20 out and fight for cause.