The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-04
In MEMORY OF
COL. R. A. OAKFORD
Flag Given by His Widow to Union
Veterans Union.
PRESENTATION BY II. E. PAINE
His Remarks Contained n Very Com-
prehensive History of One ofscran-
tons Lamented soidiers--Mortaliy
Wounded at the Head of His Com
mand on Antietnm Battlefield.

mand on Antietam Battlefield.
Recollections of the late Colonel r. A.
Oakford were befittingly delivered by
II. E. Paine at last Thursday nights
meeting of the Union Veterans union.
The occasion was the presentation of a
flag by Mrs. Oekford i'm memory of her
husband. She was unable to be pres
ent and delegated Mr.. Paine to make
the presentation.
Mr.. Paine spoke eXtemporaneously
and said in part:
Colonel, Comrades and Ladies': have
at this time very pleasing task to per-
form, none other than the presenting to
this command this beautiful silk banner,
gift from Mrs Frances Oakford, of our
city. l regret that the generous donor is
prevented from being with us upon this
auspicious occasion, but can assure you
| that although she is absent in body, she
| is present in spirit. She has always taken
deep interest In every soldier-organiza-
ton and especially in the welfare of this
| command. The patriotic American blood
which flows through her veins is the pro-
| duct of half dozen preceding genera
| tions. Her ancestors. the Slocums, have
| been associated with the Wyoming and
Lackawanna valleys from the very be-
ginning. and this most gifted woman
would be false to her ancestry If she was
anything but patriotic. In her, this COM
mand will have a steadfast friend as long
| as 1t proves itself worthy of her friend
| ship.
But. colonel and comrades 1t is fitting
that l should say something of him who
went at the call of his country and did
not return. | regret to say that many
hero who gave his life that the nation
might live has had scant tribute paid to
| his memory, while he who returned to
| enjoy the fruits of his victory has In
some cases received superfluous lauda-
| ton. In the few moments allotted to me
| l can mention but very few of the many
| good things that could be said to the
memory of Colonel Oakford.
HIS BUSINESS LIFE.
| r. A. Oakford was born in the city of
| Philadelphia in the year 1920, and was
| killed at the head of his regiment on the
| bloody field of Antietam, Sept. H. 1862,
| thus being AZ years old at the time of his
| death. Colonel Oakford was blessed with
liberal education. He was a graduate
| of Lafayette college. Soon after complet-
| ing his studies, being somewhat impaired
| in health he decided to follow an active
business career In preference to a profess
| sion. He accepted of an offer from one
| of the leading business men of the Wyo-
ming valley and in 1912 settled at Wyo-
ming. Here he became acquainted with
| his future wife, Miss Frances Slocum,
| daughter of Layton Slocum, who In the
| ripeness of her years is yet with us and
| is the generous donor of this beautiful
| banner In the year 1852 Mr.. Oakford re-
moved with his family to Scranton, he
| having been appointed to a responsible
| position with the Lackawanna' Iron and
| Coal company.
| Permit me to say that he. with his fam
| lily, were the first boarders at the old
1I,N ,..,sx,. I,
| there before the building was sufficiently
| completed to furnish them with rooms.
| From this time until the breaking out
| of the war, Mr. Oakford was constantly
| In the employ of either the Lacka wanna
| Iron and Coal company or the Delaware,
| pany.
| | wish to relate an incident that hap
| pened shortly before the breaking out of
| the war. 1t was late in the fall of 1860
| or early in the winter of 1861, that he was
| required to make an extended business
| trip through the south. This trip took
him as far as the state of Texas. He re-
| turned home fully impressed with the
| fact that war was imminent, and he de-
| clared that we of the north had not one
| moment to spare in order to prepare for
| 1t. He was laughed at for his fears and
| was assured that the people of the south
would never take up arms against the
| government and actually make war upon
| the old flag. He replied that they had
| already taken up arms, that the whole
| south from the Potomac to the Rio
| Grande was one vast military camp, that
| they We're thoroughly in earnest, in fact
| that they were war-crazy and that moth
| in4Eput the most abject abasement on the
| pal of the north could prevent the i'm
| pending calamity, and as this was an act
| the north would never consent to do,
then the only thing was war; and that
very quickly too.
| Mr.. Oakford was a wise prophet; with
| in two or three short months Fort Sum-
ter was fired upon and war was upon u.s.
HIS FIRST COMMAND.
At the first call of President Lincoln
| for volunteers he offered his services and
| was made colonel of the Fifteenth Penn
| sylvania. This was a three-month regi-
ment. Colonel Oakford was In active
| command of this regiment during its en-
| tire period of service. On looking up the
| history of the command. | find that 1t
| was at the front and was actively en-
| gagged in the operations along the Poto-
| mac in the neighborhood of Martinsburg
| and Harper's Ferry, and returned home
| at the eXpiraton Of their term of service
| which v IS about the middle of August
| 1861.
For a period of just one year Colonel
| Oakford remained here i'm Scranton, at
tending to his business affairs. He was
! elected justice of the peace of-the then
| borough of-Scranton, an office which he
| held at the time of his death. He gave
literally of his time and money for every
| object that advanced the union cause and
never shirked any duty incumbent upon
him as loyal citizen.
| When, in the month of July 1862, Presi-
dent Lincoln called for 100000 more volun-
| teers Colonel Oakford realized that the
time had come for him to again take his
place at the front. Governor Curtain of
fered him the colonelcy of the one hum
| dred and Thirty-second regiment The
| offer was promptly accepted, and he as
| sumed the task of organizing and equip
ping the regiment. The companies were
from Lackawanna, Wyoming, Bradford,
| Montour and Carbon counties, The regi-
ment was mustered into the service at
Old Camp Curtain, on Aug. II, and i'm
mediately left for Washington.
| At this time the Army of the Potomac
was in a whirl of excitement. General
| Pope had fought the second battle of Bull
| Run, and had lost. His forces were fall
| ing back to Washington. McClellan's
army was being hastily brought back
| from the James, and Lees victorious le-
gions were headed for the north side of the
| Potomac. Without time for drill or op-
portunity TO learn the duties of a
soldier, Colonel Oakford's regiment was
assigned its place in the Army of the
| Potomac, and was expected to perform
| the same efficient service as was re-
| Quired of the veteran regiments. How well