Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-09-16
REUNION DAY
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quite as strong as those of family. "Oh,
we are little greyer than we used to
be- but we are on earth yet" said one to
the Journal man this morning. You
should have seen the boys greet the
grand old man. of the regiment. Capt.
Moses French of Solon, when he
alighted from the Skowhegan train in
the morning. They rushed up to him
fairly Jhugged him. Said Comrade John
White of Clinton. as he wiped away
few tears, honest ones, as he dropped
the venerable captains hand. Captain
French was father to me all through
the war" That meant good deal. 1t
spoke volumes. Men greeted the old
captain who had not seen him for years
and then they could hardly utter
word. so deep was their emotion.
Here is a small man. 1t is Comrade
Joseph Annis. he had not seen the cap
tain for years; he took the old mans
hand, the captain looked him in the
eye. Il know you, bless you; your
name is almost on my tongues end but
l can not speak it. Who are you?'
Call him Joe and Mont spoke UP
another veteran, and then the old cap
tain's hand shook that of the other
vigorously, the title of Joe and
Maude" had brought back to him
afresh memories of the dim and distant
past and he remembered. Then Joe"
shed few tears and went off to COM
mune with himself, satisfied with hav-
;,,c no of his old
tain again.
Here was a little of veterans. one OF
which was scurrying among the others
as though in search of some one or
something! Finally he landed upon a
comrade and said: well. Frank, have
you seen Joe Annis? Well. he's here"
1t seemed to satisfy him that Joe An
mis- was there and he wanted every
body to know it. Truly the yellow is
above the blue or any other color to-
day in Waterville. They have been
gathering on every corner and chatting
over-not the war particularly-bu the
health of each.
l note that they all are watching in
ternational affairs and are conservative
in their expressions of the possibilities
of a war with a foreign country, but
all are of the opinion that when the
time comes for another war, thee will
be found men who will jump into the
breach just as they diu in 81, and that
the old flag will not go down in dis
grace if it does in defeat
While at the headquarters of Heath
Post, this morning, l found the visitors
had, in many instances, brought their
wives along with them. This is an in
teresting feature of the reunions of the
war regiments. In those days when
the young men were at the front much
was done by the women at home. the
wife or the sweetheart, to which may
be attributed to a great degree, the
success of the war. Think of the
mother of the young soldier of the 1st
Maine Infantry who told her son in a
letter to stay there until the question
of slavery has been settled. / trust in
God to send you back to me-" or the
wife of the soldier of the End Maine
Cavalry who wrote to her husband:
Don't mind for us at home. We are
able to stand it and will until this
thing is settled once for ALL"
1t requied genuine heroism to say
those things 1t meant the inspiring oil
courage to the heart that was fretting
and tugging at the chains that bound il
to conflict and was often dispairing. it
lent strength to the arm that was be-
ing raised in the countrys defense and
it was the watch word of the men Of
the line as they faced the deadly rifle
fire of the parapets or the wall Of
bayonets of the opposing forces. 1t
meant much to this nation and no man
shall say that COlumbia's noble women
did not fight in the War of the Rebel
lion, and fighting thus nobly, won
every battle of the war.
We see in the fast thinning ranks of
the End Maine Cavalry. what was the
bone and sinew of the State, and when
we think of the number of that same
regiment that lay today in unmarked
graves beneath Southern soil, W.
gather a faint idea only of what the
cost. The veterans have done well TO
come to Waterville, for this town sent
out some brave men to the front.
Many heart mOurnS the loss of it,
mate, in this city, and no city or town
in the State appreciates more keenly
the Importance of the service rendere ]
the country by it's soldiers, than do the
citizens of Waterville
The city bids the veterans welcome
to it's bounds and to it's hospitality, and
when the visitors shall have finished
the convention they will want to come
next year, and they will be welcome
then.
Headquarters of the association are
at the Elmwood. but the business meet
ing, this afternoon. was held in G. A.
r. hall. Over 100 members of the as
sociation were present and they have
come from all over the country to at
tend. The veterans miss the old war
horse of the regiment. Gen. Squirting.
| who went from the 1st Maine to their
| regiments as lieutenant colonel. Gen.
| Squirting was powerful man and as
| fearless as he was strong physically
| While he does not boast of it, he has a
| record of having personally killed over
! 100 men in the war. 1t is told of him
that when he was a captain in the 1st
Maine Cavalry. he was hedged in by
| four confederates s.u ,., ...
| Squirting lost no time in figuring o.!
the possibilities of being exchanged il
he surrendered, but drawing his sabre