The National tribune., 1900-09-06
IRON BRIGADE BANQUET.
Veterans OF This Famous Organization As
semble and Greet Their Old Comrades.

The banquet of the Iron Brigade at tn,
Athletic Club Monday night was notabl,
event of Encampment week. The build
| ing was handsomely decorated in honOl
of the survivors of this famous organiza
| ton and its friends, Of whom nearly 5Gt
| attended.
At the speakers table sat Col. W. IT
s. Burgwin. !. S. Flanders, Bishop Samue
Fallows, Senator Shelby NJ. Cullom
Washington Gardner. Gen. Daniel II
Sickles, Gov. J. A. Mount, Gen. A. ID
Shaw, Gen. e. S. Bragg, Toastmaster G
III. Mcconnell. Duke dArcos, Senor Riano
III. @. Chatfield-Iaylor, Gov. Z. G. -Scho
field, Charles g. Dawes, James Whitcoml
Riley, Gen. John G. Black. w. ii. Harper
Perry s. Heath, Gen. Duffeld and o. b
Knight. .s
The absence OF President Mckinley led
to the reading of a telegram from him
expressing deep regret at his inability to
attend, owing to important public matters
in Washington. The message aroused
much feeling, and on motion Of Gen.
Bragg the following resolution was passed:
Resolved, That while we keenly regret
the enforced absence from our feast of
our honored comrade, President Mckinley,
we recognize the devotion to duty which
this sacrifice involves, and we heartily
unite in wishing him the fullest measure
of success in the intricate and involved
HPSOtldLlOHS aIIeUulUS the eAlSIlnS Cni-
nese situation"
Bishop Samuel Fallows, who served as
Colonel of the 49th Wis, opened the ban
quet with prayer. During the evening
speeches were made by many prominent
men, including Duke d'Arcos, Commander
in-Chef Albert ID. Shaw, Gov. James A.
Mount, of Indiana: Congressman Wash
ington Gardner and Charles G. Dawes.
Toastmaster G. II. Mcconnell introduced
James Whitcomb Riley, who read poem,
''the Name of Old Glory" which set the
company wild.
The concluding address was made by
Gen. Edward S. Bragg, who said in part:
''In the Reunion of the old brigade the
sternest visions and the tenderest mem
ories meet and mingle in the soldiers
mind. The faces of heroes we shall never
see again this side of the river of time
rise before us in countless host. Perhaps
no division of the Federal army held more
men who fought more unmoved in the
face Of annihilating fire than the old Iron
Brigade. You remember South Mountain.
and have heard Coils tell how Mcclellan
gave Gibbons Brigade the name that will
go with it into Immortality? / do rev.
erence to one / shall always remember
as dauntless leader of leaders-Gen.
John GibbOn. He was a man who served
his country through the fire of two wars,
and asked only leave to keep it up. He
became Chief Of Artillery in McDowell's
Division Oct. 90. 1861, and all through the
Rappahannock, Maryland and Pennsylva-
mia campaigns he was foremost where the
fire was hottest. He was wounded at
Fredericksburg, and again at Gettysburg,
but he held in him that unquenchable
fame that never burned out as long as
there Was opposition to feed it. Those
awful assaults on impregnable Petersburg
he was there, too. He was the worthy
commander of an iron brigade, and the
foe well knew the fighting men of that
corps were of mettie that they might
bend but never break"
Early in the week several meetings
were held by the Iron Brigade Associa-
ton, besides the banquet on Monday
night, the final one being Tuesday, when
Gen. Bragg, in the following words, closed
the business of the society:
Men have met here yesterday and to-
day who have not shaken hands since we
fioated Old Glory over Mason and Dixen's
line. / hope we shall all live to have
many such times. feel that shall live
to meet with you ali another time, and
still another and another time. If there
be anything in that great mercy and jus
tice which set the world in motion we
shall all meet there with our comrades
who have gone before us-where we expect
to go-where every good soldier will GO
where we may not be permitted to be as
noisy as we are here, but where we can
all love each other just as much"
Previous to adjournment the following
officers were elected: Pres, Gen. Edward
S. Bragg; Sec, George f.. Smith: V. p,
ID Wis, Capt. G. NJ. Woodward; V. P,
9Th Wis, Lieut.. Thomas Kerr; " p, 10th
Wis Col. W W; Robinson; Robinson y. F., 10th
Mich, Lieut. Col. A.. NJ. Edwards; v. p,
Battery b. 4th Art Mai James Smart