The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-02

union of the regiment before, as his home is in the west.
 Secretary Mansfield related the in- cident of him that when a meeting for getting recruits was held on the Green and several speakers had addressed it asking volunteers to enlist to go to the front, Lieutenant Harmount, then a young man, was asked to speak, which he did, asking volunteers to come to the front
 Lieutenant Harmount said: Com rades, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is with the greatest pleasure and satis- faction that l meet with you to-day. We have had but one meeting before in thirty years sil we were mus tered out, I find yself embarrassed with what has been said of me. The incident on the Green referred to il- Illustrates in some respects the spirit prevalent among the youth in that time of war. You will pardon me if cor rect the statement of the incident as given by Comrade Mansfield
 "The meeting on the Green was called for the purpose of getting volunteers so that a draft would not have to be resorted to. Several thousand people were assembled about the steps of the old state house. and if I remember cor rectly Mayor Welch, who presided, was seated at an old wooden table. I was not at the time in uniform, as Com- rade Mansfield has said I was almost school boy. I had just graduated from the high school and intended to enter college.
 The meeting on the Green had lapsed into strife between the two political parties of the day as to the reasons and causes of the war It was at this point that filled with spirit which enflames the youth of the time, l sprang upon the platform and made the speech referred to.
 T well remember the impression of that hour. I seemed to see before me in that vast audience one far more prominent than all others, that of Pro- lessor Thacher of Yale, whom I hoped to be under in college, and there I was talking to him, but as I went on I felt the inspiration of that noble fore thought all aglow with the patriotic sentiment of the hour. The burden of my talk was that we were there not to talk, but to act.
 T shall never forget the time Hector Murphy, whose death the past year has been so touchingly referred to here to- day, told me In camp one day that that little spech of mine had put him up to enlisting. That is but little incident of the spirit which filled the youth of those times"
 Continuing, Lieutenant Harmount referred to the. noble qualities of the regiments officers, Lieutenant Colonel Merwin, Captain Taylor of Company c, Captain Schleister. killed at Freder- icksburg, and Captain Jedediah Chap man. He also said that sword given to him by the members of his company, Company c, he had given to Confed- crate officer who was in command of a force by which he was taken prisoner. on his promising that he would return 1t to him after the war He never heard from the officer, who very likely may have been killed In some of the later battles, but he received the sword back from Union soldier living in Wisconsin, who wrote to the adiutant general of Connecticut inquiring for him. It had been found by him on one of the battlefields of the war and he was very glad to return it to him.
 As another incident of the times, Lieutenant Harmount related that his brother was so anxious to enlist that he went in the place of one Edward Mix, who was too sick to go when the regiment went to the front. At roll call he responded to the name Mix. as of course his own name was not called. n M;,yte I back home, as the regiment was full and he was not enlisted.
 Comrade Charles A. Baldwin was next called upon and said: q recall Lieutenant Harmount as he looked in 1882 He was just as straight and neat and clean as any one in our ranks and we often pointed to him with pride as 8 model soldier. I am glad he is here to-day. I wish he could be with us of- tener.
 T have been thinking to-day what a. company we were when we went to the war. There were some of our number who were young and needed some cod ding, but most of them bore up brave ly. I have been thinking, too. of the friends who were there to bid us adieu our mothers, wives, sisters and sweet hearts. I remember the first Sunday we spent in camp in an old peach or chard What soft bed we had on old Virginia mud!
 "I am thinking of how noblv our mothers and sweethearts and wives stood by us in those times No regi- ment in the army received more letters or wrote more than ours. When our regiment mustered out its members went home to stand for principle and right am thinking of the future. too. Some few are afraid of getting old. I thank God I have been able to get along as well as l have. We have all got to pass away some time. I believe that the people of our land do not ap preciate the services of the men who preserved the Union. When they are all laid away in their graves fifty years from now then people will begin to ap- preciate the work they did.
 Comrades, let us be true to every kind of duty. Let us stand and battle for every known duty"
 Major Benjamin Brown, the newly elected president, was introduced as the man who had risen from drummer boy to president of the association He said: q never expected when I was mustered out as drummer boy that I should rise to the command of the reg