Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-29
| THE BOYS HOME AGAIN
All Of Virginias Soldiers Are
Now Plain Civilians,
GREETED BY A GREAT CROWD
Hundreds Of Men and Women Welcome
Them at The Station.
MOTHERS, SISTERS, sWEETHEARTs
Many Affecting scenes-The Soldiers
Came by All Trains Yesterday-All
wanted Home Quick-Talk OF Re-
organizing the Battalion.
MOTHERS, SISTERS, swEETHEARTs

nies II and VI. Of the Fourth Virginia
Regiment. and a number OF other Rich-
mond soldiers recently mustered out at
Savannah, returned home yesterday.
The return of the soldiers was marked
by no set ceremony Of welcome. The
boys came in at all hours OF the day.
from 7:4O I'm the morning until S:7 last
night. The fact that the men did not re-
| turn in a body prevented the Blues As
sociatIon and the citizens generally from
| rendering them a reception In some de-
gree expressive OF the pleasure felt at
the return of the soldiers.
At 7:4O O'Clock yesterday morning the
Southern brought in fourteen soldiers.
There were probably fifty mothers and
sisters at the station to greet them
| Many who came to see their soldier boys,
| or brothers, return, were disappointed,
| and had TO wait for the arrival Of later
| trains.
| THE CROWD AT THE STATION.
Every train from the South brought a
contingent until S:i7 o'clock last night
At that hour from COO TO 1909 persons
were at the Byrd-Street Station To well
come eighty men of the old Blues com
panies and their officers. There were
many men in the crowd; there were at
| least three women to every one man.
Mothers and grandmothers were there;
the proportion of young girls was as three
to one They had come 10 welcome their
brothers back-their own brothers. or
| somebody else's. At S:47 o'clock the head
/ light of a locomotive flashed into view
down the track.
"There they comet" cried a hundred
voices. and from many hundred throats
| there arose a yell, which, together with
| the shrill screaming Of several nearby
whistles. made din that was deafenng.
The train. consisting of four Seaboard
Airline coaches, drew slowly into the
station-progress was slow of necessity
the crowd surging so closely about the
cars that there was imminent danger OF
somebody being crushed beneath the
wheels The boys aboard were crowding
onto the platforms. or leaning out the
windows, calling to friends in the crowd
or lust cheering 10 show their apprecla-
tion of the welcome given them, and their
ioy at being back I'm old Richmond.
THEY'LL NEVER FORGET 1T.
If they were not glad when the tram
rolled in they should have been five MIN
utes after the wheels stopped. The wei
come extended those dusty, dirty. be-
grimmed. sunburned boys in blue was
something worth travelling miles 10 re-
ceiye something they will never forget.
something which made the mouths OF
those who looked on and did not get IL
TO water with longing. Fair arms were
thrown around the necks OF the sturdy
veterans; rosy lips met those of the eager
soldier boys, and those same ruby lips
smoke words of welcome, not very coher-
ent generally, but meaning more TO the
ears for which they were intended than
the most polished English OF the purist.
Mothers were there who wept Tor JOY
as they casped their bronZed boys 10
their bosoms again and again; the voice
of many a father trembled as he greeted
his son once more.
1t was "a great mix-up." as Watch-
man standing on the outskirts OF the
crowd remarked; such mix-up as is not
often seen, such a one as Rlchmohu
never saw before, perhaps. save on that
Sunday i'm June, not quite year ago.
when those same boys went away IN an
swcr to their country's call, and an en-
tire city assembled TO bid them good-by,
maybe forever.
THOSE WHO NEVER RETURNED.
For reasons which have been given, the
crowd was not so great on the return OF
the companies, but there were other rea-
sons also. FOrty-seYen of the boys VINO
went away dd not return. and those who
bade them good-by had no cause TO be
at the train which brought back the nv
ing Forty-seVen men OF the regiment
did not come back. Some are resting III
the bosom of old Virginia.; some Steep
beneath the waving palms ana sishlns
pines of Florida; one fills lonely grave
on Cuban soil They did not light their
country's battles. but for their country
they faced death and died.
1t was probably half an hour after the
train arrived before the crowd had all |
left the station. Few of the boys came
away alone. Nearly all were accoinpa-
MED bv a group of friends, all laughing |
and chatting the veterans telling now
glad they were TO be home again. ana |
their friends saying how glad they were |
to have them back.
And so the boys went TO their homes 10 |
baths and to suppers' not
of hardtack and fried bacon ana en-
balrned beef. And then to soft beds be-
bind closed doors and 10 roofs other |
,ban those of cotton cloth and the blue
canopy of Heaven.
1T WILL REORGANIZE.
I, is the intention Of the officers and
OF the old Blues Battalion and
Tho Rlues Association 10 give the returned |
a reception on May 10th, the
anniversary OF the organization, but de-
tails have not been arranged.
II Is also the intention TO reorganize
tho battalion next month. Major Sol
cutchins commanded the battalion when
tho two companies volunteered for SER
,,ica and his commission has never been
revoked.
Twentv-six of the soldiers who returned
,.ssterdav were members of Company Nj,
rbtrd Regiment, who enlisted In Company
r of the Fourth. when they were mus
tered ont last fall. They all reside here,
md will AT once re-enist in the recently
.eorraniged Company f. First Regiment.
LEFT IN THE HOSPITAL.
Private w. f. Miller. OF Company II.
was left in the hospital at Savannah,
where he IL rapidly recovering from an
,ttack of fever. Private J. l.. Dillard. of
-omnanv NJ was released from the hos
pital just in time to come nome with the
private w. l.. Gibboney. OF Company
r. Is still In the hospital at Camp Column
Dia. Cuba. He IL now nearly well or
severe attack Of fever.
Some OF the boys remained In Savan-
nah 10 spend few days with fair
business there: Corporal King, and Pri-