The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-18
ROOSEVELT TO ANTIETAM MEN
PRESIDENT SPEAKS on BATTLE.
FIELD IN 4 STORM.
Accepts the New Jersey Monument on
Behalf Of the NatiOn-Drlvins Rain
SOaks Him ThrOHgh-Tclls Of the
Great Crisis That the Battle Settled.

HAGERSTowN, Md, sept. T-Standing
nm the battlefield of Antetam to-day in
a driving rainstorm, President Roosevelt
extolled the valur of the men who fought
for the Union in the civil war and proclaimed
the broad principles which were established
as n result Of their labor and suffering.
He had words OF praise also for the veterans
of the Confederate Army. which were re-
ceiyed just as enthusiastically by the good
sized crowd which listened to him as were
his remarks To the men who wore the Blue
The old Union soldiers stood shoulder
to shoulder in the crowd with men who
fought in Gray, and they looked one another
in the eyes and smiled and nodded while
the rain pelted down on their bare heads
and rolled in big drops over their faces
The rain was driven by high WIND,
and it caught the President full in the face
az he spoke, 30 that by the time he was
through with his address he was wet TO
the skin and had to leave the field for his
train to get change Of clothing. The
President came to the battlefield, to be
present at the unwilling of monument
erected by New Jersey in honor of the men
who represented her in the fight at Antietam'
The President accepted the monument
on behalf of the Federal Government, III
was formally presented by Gov. Murphy,
who had the President IA his guest on the
trip
With the Governor were his entire sian
and many men well known in New Jersey
public life, including Senators Dryden and
Kean. Besides those who came on the
Governors train more than 800 OF New
JERSEYS civil war veterans attended the
ceremonies of the unwilling.
All the veterans were interested IN the
monument, of course. but many OF them
were far more Interested in the place it
self. They roamed over the battlefield
even when the storm was at it's worst, with
the warer dripping from their clothing and
their feet heavy with mud, pointing out
the spot where this and that happened
and telling one another how Bill or Dan
or Jack" fell and died just over ther,
where the oornfeld is now. And some
times one saw two veterans with theil
arms linked, standing apart from the
crowd, the one telling exactly how anc
where no advanced in a Confederate
company under Gen, Lee and the Other
explaining with an equally jealous regarc
to details what he did on the eventfu
Sept. II, 1852, under Gen. Mcclellan.
1t was incidents like these which made
the day one of exceeding interest, despite
the bad weather, and nobody enjoyed il
more keenly or noticed things more closely
than the President. The President got tt
Sharpsburg with the Governor and hi:
party at $50 o'clock in the morning. The
weather at that time was fine. The sky
was clear and the sun was blazing
hotly The start for the battlefield wa'
made at 10 o'clock. 1t was three mile.
away The 800 veterans from New Jersey
led the way on foot, The President followed
. n a carriage with Gov. Murphy and Ad
utant- General Briuetnal.
The line Of carriages was almost hal
a mile long and as they passed through
the little old fashioned, bullet SCARED vii
lage. which lies mostly along the roa'
leading to the battlefield, the peopl
crowded out on the verandas, They LOOKED
on at first in silence: then some of the wome
folk, few of whom wore the quain
black bonnets of the Dunkard sect, wave'
their headgear and the demonstration
was taken up all along the Il ne, until tn
street was alive with futtering flags an
waving handkerchiefs and bonnets, Bu
no one cheered. It seemed IA though no
body sven spoke as the procession passed
and the silence Of Sharpsburg's welcom
impressed on the visitors more fore eful!
than anything else could have done tn
true purpose Of their coming
The monument is on the Hagerstown roac
just beyond the historic old Dunkard Churci
- ~, Ia fa,tf hn Nh nNh ant
Monument. It Is an ornate Corinthia
column of granite. with hexasonal bas
and bronze figure OF a soldier with a
uplifted sword on top. 1t rs ~ feet higl
The figure on top represents Capt. l.
Irish Of the old Thirteenth New Jcrse
Infantry, the first Jerseyman who fell
the battle. On the six sides Of the has
are tablets concentrating the New Jerse
companies which took part in the figh
The President and the Governor and II
Governors party were seated in a covere
stand near the monument. The Ne
Jersey veterans and the other old s0ldie
who had come in from the nearby plac,
were drawn up in front OF the stan
The exercises began with salute
the President from the United stat
battery. The Rev. ID. Fl. Fraser of Newa
offered prayer, and James Smith,
the board Of commiss toner's which hf
charge of the erection Of the monumer
submitted a report on the work. As
concluded, the monument was unveiled
sister Of Capt Irish. and every veter;
barred his head.
Gov. Murphy accepted the monume
on behalf Of tie State Of New Jersey in
speech in which he reviewed the pa
the Jersey troops took in the bait
and paid glowing tribute to all Uni'
soldiers.
President Roosevelt, when he. rose
speak, was greeted with loud cheers and
great waving Of hats. just then terri
storm of wind and rain swooped down
the battlefield and soaked everybody al
everything. The water came throu
the roof OF the stand in rivulets, and 81
hats we're soaked until they looked II
pieces Of black cloth slapped down on t
heads of the wearers. The Presidel
however, did not stop speaking, even 4
q minute, and instead OF seeking the lit
protection which the stand afforded
stood far out in front, entirely expos
to the storm. Only a few people left t
field while he was speaking, and the e
by the wetting. The President said.
Gov. Murphy. and you, veterans OF NJ
Jersey, and YOU, men of the Grand Arm
and all othnrs here, l greet you, thai
you OF NJ" Jersey for the monument
the troor. e New Jersey who fought
Antietalr, nrd on behalf Of the nation
accept the g't We meet to-day up
one Of th great, battlefields OF the CT
war. No cher battle Of the civil "
lasting but one day shows AZ great a p'
centage OF loss as that which occurr
here upon the day on which Antietam "
fought. Moreover, in its ultimate effst
this battle was OF momentous and ev
decisive importance, for when it had ende
and Lee had retreated south OF the Potomi