Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-12
DAY OF TRIBUTES
| AT WASHINGTON

in doing homage ito the unknown
soldier from France.
It was little more than broad day.
light before the tramp of marching
men, the clatter of hoofs and the
grind OF gun carriage wheels on the
great plaza before the capitol told
that the last parade for the dead was
forming. Up past the gray mass OF
the building, under trees where only
a yeilowed leaf here and there lin
gered. the khaki tide of funeral
escort for a general OF the army
| rolled to its place.
AS the troops gathered for the
| march to the grave. the first, far
throb of the minute guns at Fort
Meyer over the river broke the
morning silence. Through the hours
that followed the distant, dull note
of sorrow sounded In measured In
terval, growing closer and closer,
louder and louder as the cortege
| wound its way up to Arlington. The
| kneN of the guns marked the way
of the funeral train step by step
and eliminated in the three crash
ing salvos that signaled the last SOL
| dier farewell.
From $50 A. NJ. until far past
| noon. the distant booming wrote the
story of the minutes with but one
halt. as the nation stood silent for
two minutes just after midday in
honor of the dead.
Up in the rotunda Of the capitol
| resting on the eatafalque where Lin
| coin, Garfield. Grant and Mckinley
laid, the casket had , stood amid
heaping piles of flowers with it's 81
lent guard of honor, a soldier, a ma
tional guardsman, a sailor and a ma
rine. through the night at the four
corners Of the bier. Then there be
| gan to gather a little group of fell
low soldiers, each wearing a hero's
decorations, to bear the casket to the
waiting gun carriage. They were led
by Sergeant Samuel Woodfin. first
| mentioned in Pershing's list of war
heroes. and with him were Ser
geants Harry Taylor of the cavalry,
Thomas d. Saunders Of the engi-
neers, Louis Razga of the Coast Ar
tillery, James w. Dell of the Field
guns and for the navy, Chief Tor
pedo Man James Delaney and Chief
Water Tender Charles Lee O'Connor
and Sergeant Ernest A. Janson of
the marines.
In the great rotunda the honora-
ry pail bearers also gathered to
walk beside the gun carriage up
Pennsylvania avenue. At their head
was Major General Hartford. execu-
tive assistant to General Pershing as
chief of staff; himself a former en-
listed man and glad to walk beside
his honored cOmrade rather than
ride at the head OF the pageant
with Pershilfg. With him were 9th
er major generals whose names
bring memories of the war. There
was Morton, Edwards of New Eng
lands 10Th Division; there was
Shanks who ruled at Hoboken while
the army was going "over there"
there was Menoher, who led the
And to victory; and Bailey O'Ryan
of New Yorks 9th and Richards of
Pennsylvania. For the navy walked
Hugh Rodman. rear admiral and
commander of the, battle fieetthat
vent over; Henry p. Wilson, for
mer chief of the Atlantic fleet, and
Plunkett. For the marines. was
Major General Neville.
Pershing, riding to lead the way
for the unknown comrade from
France on his last march, had with
him Admiral Coontz. chief of OPP
erations of the Navy and Admiral
Hillary Jones, commanding the At
lantic fleet. There too were. Lieut..
Generals Nelson A. Miles and S. B.
NJ. Young. both former heads of the
army, both veterans of the Civil war
and long retired bit out again in
uniform. There was Major General
Tasker II. Bliss, Americas repre-
sentative on the Supreme Military
Council in the days when the Ger
man host drove down toward Paris
in its last great effort; there was
Major General Billiard, who led
Pershing's First Army to victory;
there was Rear Admiral William S.
Sims. who commanded for the navy
| overseas when the submarines were
at their worst and there was Major
General John A. Legeunne, COM
mandant of the Marine Corps. who
shares with Hartford the honor of
having commanded the famous End
| Division in action in France.
! When the moment came, the body
bearers stepped forward tenderly
raised the casket and as they moved
| out and down the capitol steps, the
officer pail bearers fell in, two by
two. behind and the band began a
solemn dirge. Outside the escort
stood in motionless ranks, rifles at
present, sabers flashing in salute.
Flag draped and with a few flow
| ers scattered over 1t, the casket was
lifted to the black draped gun car
rage with it's six cleaning horses
and its artillery drivers rigid in the
saddles. A motion from Major Cen
eral Bandholtz, commanding the es-
cort, and swing in the khaki coll
| umn and the road to Arlington lay
! ahead. The commander and his
staff rode first. then the army band
swung out, playing in quick time,
! for it was long way to go. Then
| came the composite regiment of foot
troops. the regulars, the sailors and
| marines and the national guard.
then the artillery and the cavalry
and then the casket, riding high on
its gun carriage in its last journey.
At the head of the column rode
Pershing and his officers and Just
Lof