Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-06-13
18th ANNUAL REUNION, 18th REGIMENT,
VERMONT VOLS. AT PROCTOR.

fEkHUNI NULO. Al PKUIlUk.
The unique and re markable invita-
ton which Colonel Redfield Proctor
sent out to the surviving members of
the 18th Vermont Regiment with wife
or child to come, as his guests and at
mis- expense, to help him celebrate his
73rd birthday anniversary, met with
general and delighted acceptance.
In the Worlds history no great mil
itary leader ever planned his most
successful campaign with more skill
than was planned this event, from
start to finish. 1t was a great cam
paign, and a great victory, and the
victory was love. Even the zigzag
Journey thither was planned to ac-
Commodate the greatest possible num-
Der, with the least possible inconven-
ience to ALL Starting from Newport
in the early morning hours of that
memorable June LIST, Veterans and
companions came pouring into the
special train provided for them, from
the different stations along the route.
The beaming faces and hearty greet
ings of old comrades were delightful
TO behold, and each body of recruits
picked up by the wayside seemed to
add new zest to the occasion. From
Wells River we crossed to-Montpelier,
and from here on surprising evidences
of the Senator's thoughtfulness con-
tinued to appear, for there was placed
IN the hands of each a program of the
two days. pleasure. Soon after, as if
by magic, pals of delicious lemonade
began TO appear, while the disappear
ance of their contents was quite OBJ
servable. This part of the route, from
Montpelier to Burlington and on, was
unfamiliar to many of us, and the
view presented varied by thrifty
farms, valleys, rivers, mountains and
lakes, only confirmed our belief that
Vermont scenery at this time of year
isunsurpassed.
,SDn arriving at Proctor, the stalwart
torn OF the gallant Colonel of '62 and
3 So, the ex- Governor, the ex-Secretary
of War, the noble champion Of the
oppressed in Cuba, and the active
Senator of to-day, stood erect and
well preserved, and with smiling
face extended cordial greetings to
ssel1 and every one; while the Proc
tor band, which would do credit to a
large city, played stirring airs and
continued to do so throughout the
afternoon, excepting as interrupted
by other exercises. We then repaired
to the beautiful Y. NJ. G. A. building
where dinner was to be served. And
here the situation might have been
embarrassing, had not our charmin G
young servitors met the exigencies of
the case in. the same gracious manner
as their leader, for the train arrived a
half hour earlier than scheduled. And,
as watched this small army of intel
Iigent looking young people vending
their way through the crowd, with
their heavily laden trays and huge
freezers of ice-cream, giving nothing
but kindly smiles and pleasant words,
thought perhaps the Senator's great
est victories had not been won on the
battlefield nor in the Worlds arena,
but in setting such an example. For
1t was a revelation and a delight to
me, to see so many young people to-
gether and every one with such kind
ly courteous manners.
After grace nearly three hundred
sat down to the tables beautifully
decorated with flowers, while but
ton-hole bouquet of carnations with
pin to fasten it was placed beside
each plate. AS l saw the FIVE bounti-
full courses disappear one by one,
thought if the Vermont soldiers swept
the enemy from the field in the same
manner, that the praise which has
always been awarded them for doing
their full share in bringing the war to
a successful termination, was well
merited. After dinner and cigars,
which the Veterans who smoked wise