The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-30
FUNERAL OF GENERAL THOMAS.
Address Delivered by Rev. r.Hack OF the
Second Parish.

The funeral OF the late General denfS
| g. Thomas took place irons the home
stead on Danforth street, yesterday aIUer'
noon. A large number of the old frlenos
of the family and Of the deceased gath
cred to pay the last tribute to bis mem
DRY. Delegations were in attendance
from Military Order OF the Loyal Legion,
the 9th Maine Regiment Association, ano
Bosworth Post, No. 2 G. A. h.. OF all
which organizations Gen. Thomas had
been a member. Among the men promI'
of the state who were present, were Ex'
Governor and Major Gen. Joshua
Cham berlain, Ex-Governor and Col.
Frederick Robe, Major General Francis
Fessenden, q. S. A, (retired), Capt.
Rogers Cd Artillery, U. S. A., Col. II.
r. MilIett 9th Maine Vol Inf, Ex-Mayor
and Major q. s. Meloher goth Maine
Vol inf, Capt. Geo. G. Brown, 9th
Maine Vol. Inf, Rev. and Major h. s.
Burrage, Major VI. Fl. Green, Me. Vol.
Iuf., U. 8. District Attorney and Col.
Albert W. Bradbury, Capt. Geo. W. Yer
rill 18th Maine Vol. Inf, Gen. Charles
P. Mattooks, y. S. VOL, MAJOR Charles
e. Boyd, late of the United States Coast
Survey, Hon. George f. Emery, Hon.
Byron d. Verrill, Capt. George F..
French, Dr. Shannon and Mr.. Noyes OF
Saco, Messrs. Bailey and Somerby.
directors of the Canal National bank.
Messrs Fritz Il. Jordan, Z. M. Rand,
Charles f. Warwick and others.
The oasket was placed in the front
parlor draped with the American flag
and literally buried in choice flowers
The form of the deceased was attired in
| the uniform of his full rank.
The services commenced with the sing
ing of the beautiful hymn Gathering
| Home" by the Second Parish choir, after
which Rev. Mr.. Hack, pastor of the
Second Parish read, selection from
Scripture. Then the choir sang "a
Charge to Keep I Have after which
Mr.. Hack spoke as follows:
| Briends:-We gather to pay the last
honors to soldier. l did not know
| General Thomas; but he was one of those
men who at the first call sprang to the
lU0lG0S9 Oh Ills CO'ubIy AC IuAh D1V VI
war has been lost in the distance of years.
To a whole generation 1t is but a ira
| dition-a tradition kept alive by monu-
ments and memorial services, by little
study of history and by the sacred
memories of dear one who gave his life
for his country.
We are being educated these days to
look upon war as unspeakably horrible
and brutal and wicked. Great hearts
have So felt ever since at least the prophet
Isaiah declared that the armour of the
armed man In the fray and the garments
rolled in blood shall ever be for burning,
for fuel of fire..
| But we are in danger of forgetting that
war may be unspeakably glorious,
chastisement but also a publication, q
discipline but a crowning as well. Such
was cur civil war, the saddest and
costliest ever known, but inevitable, and
| glorious in that wrongs were rignted and
| a nation burst it's own bonds OF guilty
peace and indifference to the right and
also struck the shackies OF slavery from
millions of men and women. Such was
| tho war General Thomas entered. He
enlisted among the first and was ap-
poipted Captain of Co. g, Fifth Maine.
At Bull Run, the whole country learned
that there was to be no holiday excursion,
and here Captain Thomas, young man
of "a, was complimented for his cool
ness and bravery" and entered upon a
career Of daring and valor that led to q
steady Advancement in rank and honors.
1t has been well said that his title OF
general was earned, not assumed
He was the first man to command a
colored regiment, being made colonel OF
| the Seventy ninth United States COlored
Infantry in March, 1868, and not quite
two years later he received the rank OF
brigadier general for conspicuous gallant
| onfR
| burg that General Thomas charged with
| his troops through the "crater", up the
slope beyond, against the enemy's breast
works where they were met by SO terrific
a fire that only handful of men came
out olive from that "hell" Of fire and
slaughter. Through all the wilderness
campaign he was present, having part
in those battles that wasted our troops
like snow under an April sun. A list
Of the battles in which Gen. Thomas was
engaged, shows how almost continuously
| be was DIT the front during the war. The
| strain of such service, the pr1vatlons thai
attended the life of soldier wrought
| their inevitable result. In those tive
wears were laid the foundations of that
disense which ended his life at the age OF
| SO. He came of lopg-lived stock and
he might well have looked forward to his
more than three score and ten years. But
the truth Is men who served their five
years in the war and came out alive, had
forfeited from ten to thirty years OF their
normal life time
Honors earned are worth everything
but we, in these days of peace sometimes
| forget what We owe the men who bought
and conquered peace with honor, for US
and our children. And we sometimes for
get the price. that the soldier paid, the
abiding penalty that was exacted from
him through all his years of strength, fol
those years of strength were too often
Years of "labor and sorrow," because the
war was war, and showed it's dragonteeth
Of trouble aud disease.
do not speak of those things simply
to glorify the memory of General Thomas
but to recall to your minds the debt We
owe the men who put their years, their
Ifs into the orucible of patriotism that
there might come out the divine products
peace and liberty. To me the empty
sleeve, the halting step. the bert form OF
the soldier, are sacred and we should en-.
shrine in our hearts their memories and
tell over fondly their names, that the