The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-01-29

Hold Annual Meeting and Banquet i'm
 This City-The Presidents R.port-
 Election of Officers and speakers-
 Next Meeting in Hartford.
 By far the most enjoyable reunion ever held by the secretaries and historians of Connecticut regiments in the civil war was that which took place in this city yesterday. All the regiments were rppresented The annual meeting was called to order ill G. 4. K nall and the following officers were re- elected:
 Presidential C. Kilborn, of Guilford. ingt0n.
 Secretary and treasurer-Willam E. Whit tlesey, of Nv Haven.
 It was decided to hold the next meeting in Hartford at the call of the president.
 During the meeting Presiucnt kilbOrn read his annual report, which was very h. teresting, and in full follows:
 COmrades-We meet to-day In this beauti- 1ul city as the representatives of that great body of men the story of whose bravery and yalor has 9ass-d into history. while they themselves are being crowned with the re- wards Of victory, as with faltering steps they are so surely nearing the gateway of q blessed immortality.
 And l know we are truly grateful that amid the Whirl of busy care and the eXcit- Ing scenes ot life we are permitted thus to assemble and reunite, and that we are by kind Providence enabled to see the fruiton or those declarations of liberty for which our forefatherS fought more than a century ago, ana for the preservation of which we and our comrades inperiled our lives, ill the great progress of our country, in the development Uf its industries, ill the multi plicatiOu of all the comforts of life, and it's potent influence in the affairs of the natiOuS of the world.
 It is true our own personal participation afr n iC lTiI Sy,fr l,Df we cannot much longer say of a president, q governor, judge or other official, or of Il great business magnate, that he was vet eran in the Rebellion and touched elbows With Us ill the bloody charge Forty years service since those dreary campaigns has laid us on the shelf, and we are simply has -beens." It is equally true that it would not have been' but for us. and us alone, and that though our strength faileth, our courage is still as firm, our loyalty as true, as 1t was when we charged at Gettys- burg or Chckamauga.
 When orators in their lucid intervals as- cribe to us praise, honor and glory we feel that 1t is deserved. and that we have so lived since the campaign of '65 as to be worthy of the high encOniums eloquently heaped upon the veteran; and of all the gratitude and munificence which the state and nation in patriotic thankfulness bestow upon the empty seeye.'
 My object here is to recount briefly such matters as have during the year past occur red and more nearly interest us as veterans of the state of Connecticut.
 You will observe that our last years re- port added to each regimental account va Iious matters of interest furnished by you in your reports. It is believed that this meets general approval, placing them in permanent form, which some time will be very valuable.
 I am sorry to inform you that another member of our association has been called to meet with his squadron on the other shore, and will no more join with his con- rades at the bugle call. William T. Cook, of Ledyard for many years secretary of the gallant First cavalry, died at Philadelphia June 6, 1902 aged siXty-two years.
 was not personally acquainted with him, as he had been an invalid for q long time and never attended our gatherings except by proxy. His comrades speak very highly of him, and kept him at his post, as their secretary, long after his duties had to be attended to by his assistant.
 l trust the usual resolutions will be given to his memory.
 MOVEMENTS.
 l have knowledge of only two regimental monuments having been erected and ded- cated during the year.
 The monument of the Twenty sixth regi- ment was dedicated at Norwich August 19. It cost S2,OO0, one thousand of which came from the state appropriation and the re- mainder was raised by contributions from various sources. It stands upon a fine posi- tion in the Rose of New England and is handsome piece of monumentau architect ure.
 The dedication of the monument of the First Connecticut Heavy artillery at Hart ford on September 9 was another memora- ble day in Connecticut. The monument it. self is one of the old thirteen-tuch mortars used by the regiment in theil service before Petersburg and is familiarly called the Petersburg Express" The state donated a very desirable site for it on the caoitol grounds, just east of the state house, where it was placed upon q massive granite base. Every regimental association in the state, with other patriotic societies, was invited to participate in the ceremonies, and be- this famous regiment by delegation of more or less of it's members.
 Most elaborate arrangements were made for the parade, and probably at least live thousand veterans were in the line of march, together with as many more Sons of Vet erans and representatives of other societies. The streets, public buildings and very many privat eresidences were beautifully decorated and every veteran participating in the grand march felt that it was a fitting ovation for them for their yalor and patri- Otic deeds of forty years previous.
 Among the very many incidents worthy of preservation was the review of the line by and the salutes to Major-General William -,. Franklin, one of the last of the old corps commanders surviving, and who, too feeble to take q part, sat on the veranda of his residence and received the cheers of the heroic veterans, many of whom had been under his command in the service.
 The dedicatory exercises were. as usual, quite lengthy, and, but for that fact very interesting.
 The acting governor of the state, Lieuten-