The National tribune., 1906-08-02
"FOR COMRADES SAKE"
A Little FrafernaI Talk by IN Ex-Con-
ssdernte.

'FOR COMRADES SAKE"
A Little FrnfernaI Talk by IN Ex-Con-
sedernte.
From the silence of sorrowful hours
The des1iate mourners go,
Lovingly laden with flowers,
Alike for the friend and the foe"
Editor National Tribune: kindly con
vey to the survivors of the 54th Pa.
through the columns of your most val
liable paper that the writer, cf1ock full
Of such sentiment as Is expressed In the
poetry above quoted, proceeded on Me-
mortal Day to the monument erected by
them in commemoration OF their dead
comrades who fell. May 16. 1854. on
the field on which this monument
stands, and with lifted hat and loving
hands placed tenderly thereon a bou-
quet composed of red and white roses,
honeysuckle and evergreen, bound to-
gether with blue ribbon, thus repre-
senting the National colors.
Tell them We placed It in the center
of the now withered but once beautiful
wreath which Comrades Bryan. Ben
nett and others placed there on the 42d
anniversary of the battle
While with US these comrades were
invited by a committee Of Neff-Rice
Camp, q. c. ". to take part in the Con-
federate Memorial services which are
always held on the anniversary day of
the battle of New Market by the ladies
of the Memorial Society.
1t Is useless to say tina. they gladly
and willingly accepted the honor, ana
marched at the head OF the procession
from start to finish, side by side with
an equal number of Confederate yeter-
ans of Neff-Rice Camp. Thus, for the
first time in the history Of Memorial
Day in our town. the blue and the gray
mingled and commingled In freterneI
friendship on the very field where 42
years ago to the day, and perhaps hour,
they looked upon each other as bitter
enemies, striving to kill, annihilate and
destroy one another.
1t was scene long to be remembered.
and. we trust, never to be forgotten, in
which our people Joined in admiration
and approval
We hope this is only the forerunner
OF future Reunions of the blue and the
gray, when the survivors of both armies
their families and friends may meet in
one grand Reunion, In fraternaI friend
ship. relating to each other their expert
ences and hardships during those four
long years of strife. believe this Is as
1t should be.
mar the pleasure Of the veterans above
named while with us, and to this we
learned they took no umbrage We
anude to the introduction of the orator
OF the occasion by, as the reporter stat
ed. an "old grizzled veteran" who said:
Our cousins from across the river (the
Potomac) came into our country with
guns in their hands and matches in
their pockets We are surprised that
he didn't finish with. "and malice In
their hearts" but he stopped short. and,
we trust, never to go again as an intro
ducer of speakers in the presence of an
intelligent audience of veterans and
their friends. We suppose this "old
grizzled veteran" thought "our cousins"
ought to have crossed the river with
sticks instead of guns and bouquets in
stead of matches. Had they done so,
what cinch the Johnnies would have
had! We allude to the Johnnies who
went across the river with "guns in
their hands and matches IN their pock-
ets." and who burned in part Chambers
burg. Pa, not In retaliation. but for
lucre and personal ends.
Our friends and comrades found the
improvements around and to the monu-
ment, made since its erection and un-
vailing, all good, and so pronounced
them. They also found the monument
as 1t was erected, and not defaced. as
some predicted it would be. The i'm
provements consist Of a nice iron fence
around and a macadamized walk from =
the Valley pike to the monument, as
well as stock-proof steps at the pike
entrance. Other Improvements are con-
templated and doubtless will shortly be
made.
While near the monument a thought
flashed through my mind that may be
interesting to repeat, and it was to the
AhoN InI $40
the comrades of the 54th Pa. under very
different circumstances from those Of
the present occasion. We allude to the
capture of Fort Gregg. in which the
writer aided in defending and the s4th
Pa. aided in attacking. Eighteen regi-
ments of the Union army claim to have
the honor of being the first to plant its
be as it may. 1t was, before the fort fell,
a scene that will always live in the
memory of those who participated. dt
was on a field which permitted none
other but brave men to stand field
which ran red with blood, so to speak;
a field where blue and gray locked bay
onets; field where shot ard shell
swept through the ranks Of the on
pressing Union army, scattering death
and destruction everywhere. undl hun
dreds upon hundreds lay dead and
on both sides. We confess we
were loath to take leave OF these COM
rades on the morning of the 10th. as We
found all to be gentlemen and pleasant
and they made last
ng impressions upon our people.
Come again. boys. next year, and
bring others. and let's have a grand
Reunion of the boys I'm blue and the
boys in gray. and you'll find rousing
crowd to meet and greet you; but don't
come, as the "old grtzzled veteran" said.
with guns In your hands and matches
n your pockets but as you did on this
occasion. bringing bouquets, wreaths
md flowers, and all will be serene and
ovely.-Geo W. Kennedy. Prices Bat
cry, McIntosh's Battalion. HIPS Corps,
\. ". Va, New Market. Va.
Every Soldier, sailor or Mariae