The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-26
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
DEDICATION OF MONUMENT GIVEN
BY BUTTERFIELD.

Ceremonies Attended by Presid emit
Mckinley, His Cabinet, Gen. Miles,
GEN. Wheeler and Others-Both
Federal and Confederate Leaders
Speakers Warmly AppIauded-Cor-
nerstone of the Fifth Regiment
Monument Was Laid.
Fredericksburg, Va, May 25.-On the
very ground over which the old Fifth
Corps charged at Fredericksburg, Presi-
dent Mckinley, his cabinet and Gen. Miles
to-day witnessed the laying of the cor
nerstone in a shaft which will perpetuate
in bronze and granite the heroism of the
Army of the Potomac.
1t was an impressive ceremony and rem
dered the more so by the fact that among
the hundreds who witnessed the event
were noted leaders of both the Federal
and Confederate forces.
The monument was the personal gift of
Gen. Daniel Butterfeld to the National
Memorial Association The committal of
the monument to the Secretary of War
was made by Col. Hill, one of the veterans
of the Fifth Corps The ceremony was
had with due Masonic rites and at its COM
pletion the Secretary of War accepted the
gift in the name of the American peo-
pie
The'visit of the President to Fredericks-
burg was primarily in honor of the thirty
first annual reunion of the Army of the
Potomac. The town was in gala dress and
turned out en- masse to receive its distin-
cy11iGh nod wi ha
cabinet were welcomed at the Court House
which was decorated with the national
colors and the various corps flags of the
Army of the Potomac. Welcoming speech
es were made by prominent veterans from
both sides of the Civil War and after
ward the President held an informal re-
ception at the home of st. George r. Fitz-
hugh where he was welcomed by hun
dreds of the townfolk, both white and col
ored.
The special train which arrived at ITO
o'clock carried all the members of the
cabinet except Secretary Wilson. There
also were in The party Gen. Nelson A
Miles, his chief aid, Col. Michler; Gen.
Joseph Wheeler, former Adjutant General
Ruggles, who was colonel of the Presi-
dents old regiment during the war; and
the marine band.
The Public Exercises.
The train was met at Quantico by a Re
ception Committee from Frederick sburg
consisting of Hon. Horace f. Crisman,
Mai. p. T. Morris and Postmaster Crit
fin, who accompanied the presidential par
ty to Fredericksburg, where they were
turned over to the hospitalities of the
local committee The procession formed
at the depot and headed by the Marine
Band, moved al once TO the Court House.
where the public exercises were held, and
an official welcome delivered by st.
George r. Fitzhugh, and the response was
made by Gen. Martin T. E. Mcmahon.
The Grafton of the day was then delivered
by Gen. Daniel e. Slcl1les who said among
other things:
THE amenities of this faternal gather
ing would be violated by awakening mem
cries of campaigns in which military
achievements and military commands
were conspicuous. The Society of the
Army of the Potomac is not here to-day
to fight its battle DER again. ] shall fail
90 give just expression to the sentiments
of my comrades, If revive the asperities
which divided the old South from the old
North, and do not appeal to the broader
and better sympathies which have re-
stored fraternal ties among former ad-
versaries If 1t be true that the world
had never seen such a gigantic conflict
between people of the same nationality
as that which severed the North and
South within the memory of millions Of
survivors, II is equally remarkable that
history chronicles no example of a recon-
Citation so spontaneous, so prompt and
so complete as was shown by the Span
sh-American war 90 have followed the
civil strife that shook this continent only
a genera ton ago"
Speaking of Cuba, Gen. Sickles said:
Cuba would have been ours today, as
it should be ours. If we had not chosen
to renounce that island by a self-denylng
ordinance. in which wisdom was sacri-
feed to sentiment. But Cuba will come
TO us, all the same by the laws OF po-
ltical and economical gravitation."
Mr.. Fitzhugh's GRAFTON was a striking
piece of oratory. He paid the highest
ribute to the Army of the Potomac ana
TO their Confederate opponents saying
that to erase the names of he Spots
rylvanis battlefeds from the hi story Of
the American army would he 10 rob II
Of half its glory. The same blood shed
Oh the Fredericksburg fields, he said still
flows in Sne veins of the Ameri can sol
diers. Wherever the American arms
might be in the future, whetf er those
who bore them were ex-Federqls or ex-
Confederates or descendants OF the two,
\ they would stand shoulder 10 shoulder,