The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-05-06
Veterans Greet Each Other

/
New Jersey Volunteers, held their annual
reunion in Mount Holly on Saturday.
They arrived on the train reaching here
at $50, and went to the hall of Shiras
Post, where q short business session was
held. From there the veterans went to
the Mount Holly cemetery and spent a
few minutes at the grave of their former
captain, William E. Bryan.
From the burial ground the party pro-
ceeded to the restaurant of Edward
Smith, where dinner had been prepared
and which was enjoyed by all. The mem
beers present were: Gavin Nelson, E. A.
Dold, George Hargrave. Jacob Yeager, j.
B. Newlin, of Philadelphia; John W. b.
dine, Camden; William H. Budd, Browns
Mills; Philip Karg, Hainesport; Jacob In
man. Pemberton; James Wiseman, Thos
Randall. Mount Holly The invited guests
were William D. Bryan, Philadelphia;
Woodrow Hughes, Camden; Walter A.
Barrows, John Throckmorton, Joseph c.
Kingdom, Mount Holly.
present, among them A. w. Dougherty,
of Brooklyn. This gentleman has always
made the meetings lively, being quite an
elocutionist. He sent reminder, how
ever, in an original poem, which we print:
REUNION OF oMPANY H, Sd N. j. Vol.
1t is forty years, my comrades. forty solid
years TO Date,
Since we were strip ling green recruits, dap
per youngsters slim and straight,
And now In portly manhood wise and serious
To gossip of the stirring times. of sword and
hayonet.
Our portly manhood as above our siivered
heads and ALL
May be respected more or less by circles large
But my comrades, all the honors OF our civil
walks and ways,
Seem but empty to the glory OF the old heroic
days.
Yet the martial pomp and grandeur. falling
somehow 10 connect,
We're not always clearly present at the time,
recolect.
There were dusty. weary marches, not roman
More especially if rations CHANGED to fall tor
man or beast.
There were times when human nature had to
murmnr just a bit;
There were seasons of bad language, yes, the
There were bfYOuacs in the rain or snow. black
darkness overhead,
And the SOdden ground beneath u.s. and a
fence rail for bed
But what appetites for lobscouse, and what
dinners large and free,
supplemented by canteen full of Commits
sary "B -
With the naughty southern hoe-cake. and the
colored Aunty's pie.
And streamlet for finger bowl If one me-
andered by.
Do you remember comrades how we fought
and overcame
Those guerilla ducks and turkeys, war-like
pigs and other game
And those savage rebel chickens. who would
die, but never yield.
Whom we faced with deathless valor on so
many southern 1eldf
Though we murmured. though our language
was at times a trifie queer,
Though we had but little reverence, even tor
Brigadier.
Though We grumbled at the government with
Yet we faced the gray battalions, all undaunt-
ed to the death.
We fought them and we killed them. ana
they killed us in return,
But we never thought to hate them. and we
never cared to learn.
We met them on the picket lines. with flag OF
truce between;
They we're "Johnnies," we were "Yanks," and
better friends were never seen.
w hat anomalies and contrast recall the
twenty-seventh day in June,
When the world was warm with summer and
the bf ds were all in tune.
Peace and beauty all about us. death and
danger just ahead,
On our faces careless courage, in our hearts a
sombre dread.
Then the battle line went forward, and the
only sound we heard,
Was the hum of droning insects, and the carol
TIL. far of. d fash OF IRE. and little cloud
went by,
Like an angels mantle floating down from out
an azure sky
Then a shell went screaming DER u.s. ana the
air at once was rife
With million whispering hornets, swiftly
searching for a life,
And the birds and insects fed away before
the "rebel YELL"
The thunder of the battle and the furious
flames of hell.
Other memories come thronging: when our
uniforms were new,
We were nearly all the world, but now, alas,
so few;
Then we marched with ringing footsteps,
looking gaily to the fore
Now with wistful. dreamy glances. we look
back to days OF yore.
If the spirits of the dead visit earth for wea
or woe,
We might fancy they would Join u.s. those
dear friends of long ago.
Hush who knows what ghostly comrades
may have come with noiseless feet,
In tile old familiar friendliness to make our
band complete