The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-19
LOCAL C. A. R.POST
IS 1H|RTY-FOUR
YEARS OLD
N. M. Puffer Writes Interest.
ingIy of Its History
WAS ORGANIZED IN 1877
Has Mustered in Many Members But
the Roll Grows Smaller
Every Year
WAS ORGANIZED IN 1877

TO the Editor of the Banner Look
ing through the description book OF
our local post few days since
learned that the date OF its organiza-
ton was April 1877, the centennial
year OF Bennington Battle day and
twelve years after the close of the
war. Albert G. Patchin was its first
commander and in the thirty-four
years OF existence has mustered into
its ranks two hundred and seventy
four members OF this number one
hundred and eighty-two have died,
twenty-one are unaccounted for (hav-
ing moved from the state) leaving
seventy-one members as reported Jan
1st., showing a net loss by death OF
nearly siXty-eight per cent in the thir-
ty-four years. The average age of
those living Is seventy years. Five
deaths were reported i'm the post
during the year 1910 AS there is no
field for the veterans to recruit from
IL will be seen that it is only quest
ion of short duration when the places
that know the old soldier will know
him no more. AS the roll has grown
shorter, naturally the expenses OF the
Post have grown higher, yet we are
proud to say no member is ever
dropped, or suspended from our rank
1t is our desire that when the last
member of the Post answers the final
call and the records are turned over to
the historian, it will be found that
every member, whose name appears
therein, surrendered in good standing
and is worthy of mention.
. -
invite a few patriotic citizens to be-
come associate members of the Post
by paying an annual fee of two dol
lars. This met with a ready response
and has enabled the Post to meet
their obligations comfortably as we'll
as afford little aid and encourage
ment to needy comrades. To each of
these members is issued a certificate
of membership with the seal of the
Post and button to be worn On the
lapel to prove their loyalty. There
is no intrinsic value in these momen-
toes at the present time, but when the
last veteran shall have passed away,
the children and grandchildren of our
kind friends will be pleased to cherish
them The old soldiers are truly
grateful to these associates for their
assistance
find in looking up statistics as
compiled in the history of our state
that more than thirty-five thousand
answered the call of President Lin
coin for volunteers to suppress the
rebellion, or ten per cent of the en-
tire population. OF this number eigh-
teen hundred and thlrty-two were
killed In action, thirty-four hundred
and twenty-three died of wounds,
disease and in prison pens, making a
total loss of flfty-two hundred and
fifty-three, the greatest in percentage
of any northern state. Less than
thirty thousand returned. Using the
losses of our Post as basis and
making the estimate for forty-six
years instead of thirty-four, as in case
of the Post, we will find there are
not more than twenty-five per cent
of the men, who returned in 1855,
living today. With twenty per cent
of this number located outside the
state, total of seven thousand five
hundred are living, six thousand of
whom reside in Vermont. According
to statistics the average age of the
veteran is seventy years. This places
nearly all on a level as far as earning
capacity is concerned. In years gone
by our Soldiers Home has done a
splendid work in caring for the more
unfortunate, but now conditions have
changed; all may be truthfully termed
unfortunate Under these circum-
stances it will be found as a rule that
the membership of homes are quite
as able to provide for themselves to-
day as are the great majority of those
others who are struggling along to
maintain themselves. No doubt the
people OF Vermont are proud of the
benefits they are granting their de-
tenders, yet / do not believe they
quite understand how little il
amounts to and how far it relieves.
For Instance our own home takes
care of an average of eighty to one
fifteen thousand dollars per year
twelve thousand dollars per year
more when needed and the govern
ment allows one hundred dollars for
each member, giving the home TWEEN
ty to twenty-five thousand dollars an
nually. 1t requires six thousand dol
lars and upward for maintenance and
salaries, which leaves a net of four
teen to sixteen thousand dollars anC
the product of the farm to provide
for the men a per capita of about one
hundred and sixty-fve to seventy dol
lars year per man. This could only
be accomplished through strict econo
my on the part of the superintendent
for there is no hotel in the state tina
furnishes a finer menu to it's guests
with other comforts in proportion
than the Home provides for its in
mates.
It will therefore be seen that thu
whole appropriation goes for thu
benefit of eighty to one hundred mel
while the majority of the other 81.
thousand purchase their five cent loa
and struggle along until the next pen
sion day. | believe / understand tn
condition and disposition of the oil
soldier as well as any man and an
prepared to say truthfully that 1t
the same will and pride that kept tn
boys on the firing line in the sixtie
that keeps these old disabled men O
(ContInued on last paRe)