The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-11
CHURCH AT SALEM
NEW JERSEY MONUMENT HAS
BEEN UNVEILED.
IL Bears An. Inscription in Honor Of
Alabama Soldiers who
Fell ON That Famous


Fredericksburg Star. Nav q
special train composed of two Pull
man cars and four other coaches arrived
mere at O'Clock Friday morning bear
ms the surviving veterans of the 23rd
regiment New Jersey Volunteers.
known at the famous "Yahoo Regiment.
me train left Philadelphia at midnight
anu upon its arrival here the veterans
and ladies composing the party, num-
berlng nearly three hundred, proceed
ed TO the Exchange Hotel, their head
quarters IN the city, where breakfast
was served. Gen. E. Burd Grub was
the commander of the veterans
Just before 10 o'clock the party left
in vehicles for Salem Church, in Spot
sylVania County, where the monument
10 the memory of those of the regiment
who fell in battle there mad been erect
ed number of Fredericksburgers
accompanied the party and when they
arrived at the grounds quite a gather
ing OF people of Spotsylvania were on
nand and there was a general mingling
of both Union and Confederate vet
Grams.
May is the anniversary of the day
on which the 'Yahoos' fought their
greatest battle, at Salem Church, and
Tor this reason it was chosen as the
date of the annual reunion. The field
on which the regiment fought at Sa-
lem church was purchases and
presented to the regiment by General
Grubb, and it is there that the regi-
mental monument stands.
The exercises took place at noon
and in the gathering there were old
coldiers of both armies of the civil war
and members of their families, togeth-
er with the commissioners of New Jer-
sey and considerable representation of
the younger generation of Fredericks-
burg and SDOtSylyania COUNTY
The Ceremonies.
! The unwilling exercises were eIab-
crate and impressive. They opened with
music by the Fredericksburg Band, fol-
lowed by prayer and addresses, Rev.
I William Talbot of Asbury Park, n j.,
chaplain of the regiment, officiating in
the devotional features. The address of
welcome was delivered by Judge John
| t. Goolrick of Fredericksburg.
ID. B. Grubb, Jr.. the generals only
son, unveiled the monument. He is the
regiments mascot. General Grub pre-
| sented the shaft to the state of New
l Jersey, and Hon. Edmond Wilson of
/ Red Bank, n. j., representing Gov
ernor Stokes. accepted it for the State
| Captain E. H. Kirkbride accepted it on
behalf of the veterans association.
Governor Swanson of Virginia, being
unable to be present, was ably repre-
! sented by Mayor Robert w. Hunter,
! Secretary of Virginia Military Records,
and former Chief of Staff to General
| John B. Gordon.
| Hon. Edmund Wilson, who represent
ed Governor Stokes of New Jersey, is
! on of the most prominent citizens of
/ New Jersey and well did& he perform
the duties assigned him. His speech
was a most excellent one. He was
dubbed" Governor for the day, and 1t
| was intimated by quite a number that
he would in all likelihood fill that po-
| sition some time in the future. Gen. e.
| Burd Grub is known and liked by
every one and was one of the central
! figures of the day. His presentation
speech as President of the Commission.
was listened to with great interest by
all present.
All of the Confederate soldiers of
this city were specially invited as
guests of the New Jersey Volunteers,
and were provided with transportation
and furnished with lunch.
Judge Goolrick, during his speech,
presented beautiful floral wreath for
the monument from Maury Camp, Con-
federate Veterans, of Fredericksburg.
He also presented a wreath of ivy from
the home of Mary Washington, the mo-
Their of George Washington, which was
| intended as a special tribute to Gen. E.
Burd Grub, who was the first soldier
north of the Potomac River to give a
| donation to Mrs. Barney for the fund to
place head stones in the Confederate
Cemetery here. Judge Goolrick, in the
course of his address. among other
! things said that the question of en-
listment and service during the civil
war was largely dependent upon a
mans environments; that if he had been
born and reared in the No. tn he would
have Joined the Northern army. and if
Southern born and reared he would
have joined the Southern army. AS en-
az John Boyle O'Reiley, Thomas Fran
els Meagher and John Mitchell, the
Irish patriots. who were expatrioted
from Ireland in 1S4S. and exiled to Aus
trala. from which place they escaped
and camc to America. O'Reiley set
tied in Boston, Meagher in New Jersey.
and Mitchell in Richmond, Va. When
the war came on. Meagher enlisted I'M
der the Stars and Stripes, Mitchell un-
der the Stars and Bars and O'Reilly
wrote beautiful poetic tributes to the
North from his Boston home. When
Meagher made his brilliant charge
against Marye's Heights, John Mitchell
as an atde-de-camp in the Confederate
Army his compatriot in the Irish Rebel
lion, looked down from Marye's Heights
upon this charge,
The Monument.
The monument is OF gray granite,
twenty feet high. with the figure of
soldier standing at rest on the top On
one side OF the base stone is the follow
ing inscriptions "Twenty-third Regi-
ment New Jersey Volunteers" There
are four large brass plates The front
one contains the following inscription:
Monument to commemorate the serv-
Ices of the Twenty-third Regiment
New Jersey Volunteers, Infantry. in the
Battle of Salem Church Va May 3.
1868 Erected by the state of New Jer-
sew under the authority of an act pass
ed at the session Of 1906 Introduced
in the House Of Assembly by Samuel w
Rollins. Speaker. Approved by Edward
c. stokes, Governor"
Second plate: ITO the memory OF our
heroic dead comrades who gave their
lives for their country's honor. on the
battlefield. this tablet Is dedicated"
Third plate: ITO the brave Alabama
boys. our opponents on this field of bat
tie. whose memory we honor. this tab
let is dedicated.
The fourth plate contains a base re-
lief Of Cen r. Burd Grubb, who com
manded the regiment In the baltic
Just above these plates Is 81 small
hrass plate with the coat-of-arms OF
New Jersey. on each side of which is
the following inscription; '1S61-1S65."
on the shaft are two muskets, crossed.