The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-18
ON GLORY,S FIELD


| Among the interesting events that have
| been planned for the celebration of the
seventy-fifth anniversary of the WASH
ington artillery on washington's birth
day. is one in which unusual sentiment
will be expressed. The first thought on
the morning of the anniversary will be
for those who gave up their young lives
in the ranks of the command. The 81
survivors of the old wartime batteries,
escorted by the active battalion. will go
to the Metairie cemetery, and at the
Washington Artillery monument, will call
the roll of the heroes and place wreaths
and garlands from the fields of Virginia,
Tennessee, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The first of these wreaths came yesterday
from Gettysburg, with the compliments
of the Gettysburg National Park commits
sion, through its chairman, Col John
p. Nicholson, who sent to the command
as his personal gift a set of excellent
photographs in duplicate, showing the po-
sitions of the guns of the Washington
artillery on the battlefield and the tablets
which have been erected by the commits
sion to mark the spot. The guns shown
III AhS PitluiCS dIt VI tit NypC
and calibre as those used by the bat
teries in the great battle. but the wooden
carriages and wheels have been replaced
by cast iron ones, to be everlast-
ing. The pictures will be framed and
hung in the quarters of the battalion.
The Washington artillery was COM
manded at Gettysburg by Col. B. F.
Eshleman, who had succeeded Col. J. B.
Walton. when the latter had become
Longstreet's chief of artillery. On the
tablets the command is spoken of as
Eshleman's battalion of Louisiana, wash
ington artillery and by singular coinci-
dence the portrait of Colonel Eshleman.
the gift of his family, will be presented
during the celebration by his lifelong
friend, Maj. II. II. Baker, also veteran
of the command
The wreath from Gettysburg will be
placed on the monument by the survivors
of the First company, which had the
distinction of firing the two signal guns
which opened the greatest cannonade In
history, that which preceded Pickett's
famous charge. The platoon which fired
these two guns was commanded by Lieut..
c. H. C. Brown, and the first gun squad
was that of Serg. W. T. Hardie, both of
whom will be present at the ceremony
at the monument. The second squad
was commanded by ]. O. Fazende.
The wreath of the Second company
will be from near the Chinn house, on the
field of the battle of Manassas, sent by
Mrs. C. M. Larkin of the Manassas Me-
mortal association.
The Third company's wreath will be
taken from near the Stone bridge over
the Antietam in Maryland, where the
losses were so great that the officers of
General Longstreet's staff manned the
guns, the general himself directing the
fire. The foliage comes with the COM
pliments of Col. John L. Cook, super
intendent of the National cemetery at
Sharpsburg.
From Marye's Heights at Fredericks-
burg will come the wreath of the Fourth
company, sent through the courtesy of
Capt. M. B. Rowe, who now resides in
the old Marye house, and who with his
brother, Hon. ]. P. Rowe, mayor of
Fredericksburg, will place another
wreath on the day of the celebration
upon the graves of the Washington artil-
lerymen who sleep in the little graveyard
on the top of the hill
The wreath of the Fifth company will
come from the bloody field of Chicka-
mauga, near Glass mill, the gift of the
National Park commission. The cere-
mony at the monument will conclude with
the planting of ivy brought from the tomb
of George Washington, by Miss Annie r.
King. the regent from Louisiana Of Mt.
Vernon.
Frank de P. Villasana, the headquarters
bugler of the Washington artillery
throughout the war, will sound taps upon
his old copper bugle, used by him years
before In Mexico.
The exercises at the monument will be-
gin at $50 Sunday morning, February
%, and the descendants and families of
those who gave their lives to the lost
cause in the ranks of the Washington
artillery are invited to attend.