The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-11-24
CoIors Carried by the Eight
ing First" Have Been In
stalled in Governors Island
Chapel.
FIVE PATRIARCHS ARE
LAST OF FAMOUS BODY.
Only Three Hundred Members
Of the Regiment Returned
From the Battles of the
Mexican War.

New York, Nov. 23.-Five griZzled
veterans, all that remain Of the fam
GUS Fighting First of the Mexican
war, relinquished their bullettorn
flags on Governors Island in the
presence of distinguished assembly.
Too decrepit to participate in the &C
tual placing Of the flags in their
sconces in the post chapel of st. Cor
nelius the Centurion, the five Datri-
archs delivered them into hands that
were not shaking with the palsy OF
old age.
All five are members of the First
Regiment, New York Volunteer 1nfan-
try. Private John Dick carried the
battle flag, whose emblems had been
ripped out by bullets, leaving a rem
nant of tatters at which Dick gaZed
with adoring eyes. He faltered and
bis eyes filled with tears when a stall
wart young soldier stepped forward
to receive 1t.
Take good care Of them" Dick
pleaded He was trembling and a
seventy -five-year-old comrade whom
the years had touched more lightly,
placed his arm around the form of the
old fighter
Colors Carrier in Mexican War.
Central figures of the scene were
the five veterans, seated at the chan
Gel in view of spectators who crowded
the chapel to its capacity. They were
First Sergeant Jacob Rich Riley. Ser
geant Charles H. Farrell, Private
John Dick, Private James Butterfield
and Musician John Peter Eckweiller.
Sergt. Riley carried the Fighting
First's" national colors, Farrell the
regimental colors, Dick the battle flag
and Butterfield and Eckweiller the
regimental guidons. Heretofore the
colors have been in the keeping of the
city of New York in the relic room
at the city hall. They were carried
by the Fighting First in the Next
can war from the siege of Vera Cruz
to the capture of the City of Mexico.
Gen. Grant and his staff and officers
of the Twelfth United States Infan-
try met the five veterans at the wharf
on Governors Island shortly before 3
o'clock. Other organizations repre-
scented in the parade to the chapel
were the Veteran Corps of Artillery;
the N. G. N. Y, represented by Col.
William Henry Chaplin: Rear-Admral
Goodrich, representing the United
States Navy; President Patrick F. Nc
Gowan, for the city of New York; So
ciety of the Cincinnati, represented
by Cornelius Vanderbilt, Talcot Oily
plant, Francis Burial Hoffman, Fran
els Key Pendleton, George Washing
ton Olney and John Bradley Lord;
Society of the War of 1912, by Her.
bert Livingston Satterlee, Dudley
Evans, Nathaniel Appleton Prentiss,
jr.. Beverly Chew, John Hone and Oil
yer Grant Barton; the Ate Society
and the Military Order of the Loyal
Legion.
The Rev. Charles c. Pierce. chap
lain, United States Army, was await
ing the party at the chapel. Follow
ing the regular order of Episcopal SER
made by Asa Bird Gardiner. In giving
a brief history of the Fighting First"
Mr.. Gardiner said:
Gardiner on the "Fightine First"
"On Dec. 8, 1916, this regiment Of
New Workers was mustered into the
service with 923 men and forty-three
officers. OF this number one-third, or
33S were killed or wounded or died
from the severity of their service.
Other casualties still further reduced
the regiment, so that of the original
number less than 800 were all who
could be officially welcomed by this
city on their return home in July,
1S4S. But four regiments in all Gen.
SCOTS army equalled or very slightly
exceeded the losses of this gallant
regiment in killed and wounded
"Lieut.-Col. Baxter, who died of in,
juries received at the assault of Chap
ultepec, wrote this to his father on
the night of his death: Say to him
that the New York regiment was there
and that I fell where I should have
fallen, at the head of it
Gen. Grant accepted the colors on
behalf of the army.