USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Cornwall > Historical records of the town of Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut; > Part 46
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On Monday, May 9th, but a short week since, he died from the shot of a sharp-shooter while reconnoitering the ground upon which his division should be placed.
He died suddenly, without fear, or struggle, or agony. He died in the front of our lines, leading the way in which he wished others to follow. He died the brave soldier's death, at the head of his columns, guiding them on to victory. He has fallen with Lyon, and Baker, and Foote, and Wadsworth, and the long roll of our honored braves. He will rest with them, not simply in the grave over which stands the column of granite to commemorate his deeds, but he will rest in the hearts and the memories of millions-in the bosom of American history-and his true monument shall be the gratitude of unborn gene- rations, who shall hail the peaceful smile of that Consti- tutional Liberty which he sprinkled with his blood.
Weep, then, ye who knew and who loved him well: drop affection's tears upon his honored grave. Weep also, ye for whose good he fought, and conquered, and fell : for one whose strong arm was ever raised in defense of this Republic has gone from us. But weep not for him chiefly, or alone. He has not died prematurely, or with life's better mission unachieved. Mourn rather for the nation that has no such men to die for it. Mourn for the heart which cannot feel the joy of such a sacrifice. Mourn for those who would not be willing in a sacred cause to emulate his devotion, his virtue, his generous carelessness of self. When the Great God vouchsafes to us an illustrious example shall we weep selfishly because
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at its brightest moment he stamps it with his seal of im- mortality? Let us draw rather fresh hope and a new spirit of consecration from this solemn and yet beautiful event. Let the high sense of duty, the firm willingness to do and suffer, which once animated this sleeping dust, wake a responsive thrill in our hearts-that we may vow, " My life henceforth is for my Country, for Freedom, and for God."
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Hereby are we taught that our strength is not alone in horses and chariots, and great men and munitions of war. There is One mightier than all and his governing provi- dence controls the destinies of nations. He would bid us repose hope and confidence in Him. "God is our refuge and strength in time of trouble." "Though ten thousand fall on our right hand, yet the Lord will uphold us, for behold, he is God." Let us bow in like resignation be- fore him, and await in holy faith the hour when the secret meaning of his providence shall be revealed.
The moment of our General's death was opportune. He fell not in the dark and disastrous campaigns which have hitherto darkened around the brave legions of the Potomac army, but he died at the moment of victory- when the Great God saw that the nation was ready for final triumph. He was tried, and we have been tried, by multiplied failures, disasters, and long, wearying delays. But now, with the silence of death there mingle the huzzas of victory. The morning light is breaking. The dark- ness fades away. We hail the auspicious omens-and let us on this Sabbath, together with the dirge and the Miserere chant the Gloria in Excelsis, and thank God for his abounding goodness to our cause and people. "The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice ; let the multitude of the isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him; righteousness and judgment are the habita-
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GEN. JOHN SEDGWICK.
tion of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. The heavens declare his right- eousness, and all the people see his glory. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For the Lord cometh to judge the nations. He shall judge the world with right- eousness, and the people with his truth. Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth !"
REMARKS
OF
PROF. WM. B. CLARKE.
It is but little that I propose to add to the sketch that has been given of the life and character of General Sedg- wick, but circumstances seem to render it fitting that I should say a few words, and my heart prompts me to do so.
I have distinctly before me that day in March, 1857, when the father of General Sedgwick was borne from this place to his burial. A venerable man, of noble presence, pure and strong in mind, great and true in heart, he was followed by the sincere regrets of his neighbors and towns- men, and a peculiarly loyal and reverent love of his children and children's children. It did not seem then a thing possible that within a few brief years there could be borne forth from this home one still more widely honored and greatly mourned, but it has pleased God to give to this house even this blessing also. Amid the tears of a nation, from which God has taken a strong and sure staff, a staff which it has so often leaned upon in the hour of its need, we bear this true son of his father, this great man from among the leaders of our armies, to his grave. Crown him with tears and thanks. Crown him with a love that shall go down to all the future, that shall endure while the nation lives, for which he died.
And now before we lay the body of this revered man in the grave, let us seek once more briefly to call him up before us in the qualities by which he has made himself so great a power to us for good.
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GEN. JOHN SEDGWICK.
Those who have seen General Sedgwick will recall his large frame and the quiet, unobtrusive dignity which he wore so naturally, and with which he received his friends. He was a soldier and his manner had much of a soldier's reserve, the reserve also of a man at once self contained and of native modesty. A strong, clear sense was the inheritance which he received from his father and he seemed to hold this in a calm self-possession, which es- pecially amid the excitement of a battle must have been invaluable. But perhaps the very highest of the natural gifts which fitted him for his great place was his strong and determined will. Few men had such tenacity of purpose. His manner bore the appearance of this, and those who have watched his career as a commander, know that neither cold nor heat, nor hunger, nor fatigue, nor the fury of an enemy's onset, nor its suddenness, was enough to break the firm purpose with which he held his men to the work which necessity required them to do. It was this calm strength in his character, which must have made his unconscious influence in the army so great.
There remains yet to be mentioned that which was Gen- eral Sedgwick's noblest quality and which chiefly distin- guished him : his high sense of duty. And it is not be- cause that sentiment existed in him merely, that we honor him, it is because his nature seemed so entirely to centre in it. There was nothing in which this did not appear. He was a diligent man ; he attended carefully to those minutiæ, upon which the efficiency of his command might so greatly depend. It was because he felt his personal responsibility, even to the least particu- lars, for his work. He was superior to any thought of danger. Ile could ride unmoved amid flying bullets. It was because he knew that it was the part, the duty, of one who will lead brave men to battle, himself to be fearless. Thus, too, it was that no allurement of ambition
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seemed to touch him. At a time when new names were rising rapidly into national importance and when the incentives to a personal ambition were of unusual strength, this man seemed wholly intent, not upon seeking higher spheres, but upon filling well his sphere. This noble and pure self-reverence, this deep and constant feeling that he, John Sedgwick, must render that which was due from him, his duty, to the cause to which he had given himself ; to his name, and those that bore it with him, and to himself, this was his glory.
We are satisfied with his glory, we cannot ask that anything shall be added to the name which he has left behind him for a grateful country to love. You his townsmen, who felt that it was such a distinction to you to have sent this man to the war, are satisfied. We the people of his state, upon which he has conferred so pure and high a lustre are satisfied. Those who loved him most dearly are more than satisfied ; they are proud and thankful.
We do not forget to-day that there are those who mourn as we do not mourn. From this house God has indeed taken its light and its stay. Those who were united to Gen. Sedgwick by the closer ties, the members of his mili- tary family, more especially those bound to him by the ties of kindred, know what a deep and tender heart there was under his calm exterior. There was something most beautiful in the reverential love he had for his father. I remember to have heard that he was once summoned home to find his father lying dangerously ill and in de- lirium. In deep distress he knelt beside the sick bed, when suddenly the father, rousing to consciousness, stretched out his hand, laid it on his head and said, "My son"; and the strong soldier broke into a passion of tears.
Few men were held in deeper affection by his many
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GEN. JOHN SEDGWICK.
friends, and those whom he loved, he loved tenderly and strongly. What an unspeakable attachment he had to this home of his father's and of his child- hood. I remember one glorious autumn day his saying to me as he stood upon his doorstep, "Is there any place so beautiful as Cornwall-Hollow"? The very earth seemed dear to him because it held this home of his heart. We give our earnest sym- pathies to those bereaved ones. Now that the thought of his return is no longer given them; now that the let- ters which seldom failed to mark more than one day in each week, cease to come, may God relieve the desola- tion of this home.
I have a word to say in conclusion. There is much, very much to-day for which to give thanks to God. Those who died have not died in vain. God, we trust, will at least give us the victory. God, we trust, is even now bringing us toward the end. We thank Him for the tidings of this week. We thank Him here to-day, es- pecially, that He spared this man, our friend, to do his part even in that supreme and turning conflict, in which he has fallen.
In those days when we could least spare him, when we so needed just his strong nerve and iron will, he was at the head of his corps; and he sleeps, we trust, not till the work, which it was in him to do for us, is substantially done.
WVe rejoice in this, and we thank God even with our tears, that if this fearful war has taken from us one whom we so greatly honored, it was not until it had taught us also, how to honor and to love him.
MEMORIAL DAY EXERCISES
In Memory
OF
GEN. JOHN SEDGWICK,
CORNWALL, CONN.
May 30, 1892.
HARTFORD, CONN .: PRESS OF THE CASE, LOCKWOOD & BRAINARD COMPANY.
1892.
NOTE. - We acknowledge our obligations to the press for material which has been useful in this compilation, especially to the New York Commercial Advertiser, Hartford Courant, New Milford Gazette, Connecticut Western News, Winsted Herald, and Litchfield En- quirer.
T. S. GOLD, Editor. WEST CORNWALL, CONN.
MONUMENT AT GRAVE OF GEN. JOHN SEDGWICK, AT CORNWALL HOLLOW
T' THE citizens of Cornwall united with the veterans of various Army Posts in honoring the memory of Gen. John Sedgwick, by appropriate exercises at his grave in Cornwall Hollow, Decoration Day, May 30, 1892.
A committee of arrangements were appointed, author- ized to raise the necessary funds, and under their charge the incidentals requisite for the occasion were provided. A large dining tent, speakers' platform, seats for two thou- sand persons, a band of music, transportation of guests from West Cornwall railroad station six miles distant, supply for the tables to feed three thousand, all this in a little scattered hamlet showed true public spirit and live patriotism, the richest inheritance of New England. The press gave wide circulation to the letters of invitation, and general interest was manifested.
MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 30, 1892.
The Citizens of Cornwall will commemorate the day by appropriate exercises at the grave of General John Sedgwick at the Cemetery in Cornwall Hollow. Several members of his staff have signified their in- tention to be present, and General Martin T. McMahon of New York will deliver the address.
You are invited to unite with us in honoring the memory of General John Sedgwick.
An early acceptance will enable us to provide for your entertainment.
Yours Respectfully, THEODORE SEDGWICK GOLD, Chairman of Committee of Arrangements.
WEST CORNWALL, CONN., May 10, 1892.
The programme for the day gives the general order of exercises.
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MEMORIAL DAY, CORNWALL, May 30, 1892.
Programme.
9:15 A. M. Reception of invited guests by committee at West Corn- wall. Procession to Cornwall Hollow.
II: 30 A. M. Decoration of Soldiers' Graves in Cornwall Hollow Cemetery.
12 M. Dinner, provided by the citizens of Cornwall.
I: 30 P. M. Prayer by Rev. Samuel Scoville, Chaplain of the day.
Address by General Martin T. McMahon of New York, " General John Sedgwick as a Soldier."
Addresses by General C. A. Whittier of Boston, and others.
Members of General Sedgwick's staff and other distinguished guests will be present.
Not only all veterans, but the citizens of other towns are invited to join with us in honoring the gallant dead.
Music by the band.
Excursion tickets can be obtained at Bridgeport for the 7 A. M. train and at New Milford.
Committee of Arrangements.
T. S. GOLD, HARRY SEDGWICK, DAVID L. SMITH,
JOHN E. CALHOUN, GEORGE C. HARRISON,
WILLIAM W. BIERCE,
V. C. BEERS.
The morning was overcast and threatened rain, but the clouds graciously withheld their supply and served only as a veil to shield the power of the sun, making a rare day for open-air exercises.
In response to the invitation of the citizens, a distin- guished party left New York Sunday evening for Bridgeport in a special car over the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, and came to West Cornwall in a special car placed at their disposal by the officials of the Housatonic Railroad, arriving at 9:15 A. M.
Among those who served on Sedgwick's staff and who comprised the party was General Martin T. McMahon, the orator of the day, who served as chief of staff to the dead hero, and who had the proud distinction of being decorated by Congress with the medal of honor for distinguished bravery and valor at the battle of White Oak Swamp. General McMahon has earned fame and wealth at the New York Bar, and has served a term in the State Legislature.
Brigadier-General Charles A. Whittier, senior aid-de- camp of Sedgwick's staff, became adjutant-general of the
5
Second Army Corps after Sedgwick's death. General Whit- tier has made his mark in the financial world in Boston and New York since the conclusion of peace.
General T. W. Hyde went to the front as a captain in the Seventh Maine Volunteers, and by his gallantry won promotion and a special medal from Congress. General Hyde, since the close of the war, has been the president of the Bath Iron Works, Maine, where three new United States cruisers are now in course of construction.
Colonel Arthur Mcclellan, a brother of the famous general who organized the Army of the Potomac, was attached to his brother's staff and subsequently to that of Sedgwick. Colonel McClellan, on laying down his arms, became superintendent and manager of the immense coal mines of the Coxe Brothers' Company at Drifton, Pa.
Colonel E. B. Beaumont, United States Cavalry, who served as an aid on General Sedgwick's staff, and after- ward acquired fame for bravery as a cavalry officer in the Indian wars, met with the other veterans to honor his old commander.
Others in the party were Captain E. K. Russell, United States Artillery, one of Sedgwick's favorite aids and now in command of the garrison at Fort Wadsworth; Dr. Charles O'Leary, late president of the Rhode Island State Medical Association, who was medical director of the Sixth Army Corps and a member of Sedgwick's staff; and Colonel James K. Schofield, chief of the Commissary Department under Sedgwick; Major E. C. Pierce of Boston, commander of the Signal Corps of Sedgwick's command; Captain George B. Fielder, Register of Deeds of Jersey City, who went to the front as a private in the Twenty-first Regiment of New Jersey, and served in the Sixth Army Corps and fought his way up to a captaincy; Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Truesdell, who went to the front as First Lieuten- ant of the Sixty-fifth (N. Y.) Regiment, was promoted Captain on the field at Fair Oaks and was brevetted Lieu- tenant-Colonel for valor, serving thereafter on the brigade staff of General Shaler in Sixth Army Corps and on division staff of General Ricketts, now treasurer of the Society of the Army of the Potomac.
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The distinguished veterans arrived at West Cornwall at 9:15 A. M., Monday, where they were given a reception by the Citizens' Committee of Arrangements. Teams were in readiness and the procession was formed for Cornwall Hollow.
This procession from West Cornwall, accompanied by the Falls Village and Wassaic Bands, and the Gregory Army Post from Sharon and Cornwall, extended over one mile in close column, receiving additions at every cross road. Messrs. John E. Calhoun and Charles L. Gold acted as marshals.
The first exercise on arrival at the cemetery was the decoration of Sedgwick's grave by his surviving comrades of the war. This was followed by prayer by the Rev. Samuel Scoville of Stamford, a native of Cornwall. The decoration of this and the other soldiers' graves in the cemetery followed, by Gregory Post, the other army organizations, and the citizens.
The Grand Army Posts present were John M. Gregory of Cornwall and Sharon, Orrin H. Knight of Lakeville, David S. Cowles of Canaan, and Seth H. Plumb of Litch- field. Sons of Veterans: C. O. Belden Camp of Litchfield, John Sedgwick Camp of Cornwall Bridge and Sharon. The bands were the Citizens' Band of Canaan, Wolfe's Cornet Band of Falls Village, and bands from Goshen, Conn., and Wassaic, N.Y. As representatives of the most distinguished citizens of Connecticut there were present Lieutenant-Gov- ernor Samuel E. Merwin of New Haven, Gen. Dwight Morris of Bridgeport, Gen. Wm. B. Rudd of Lakeville, Quartermaster-General of Connecticut, Judge A. T. Rora- back of Canaan, Hon. Robbins Battell of Norfolk, Capt. Leonard and Lieut. D. C. Kilbourn of Litchfield, Senator Lucas of Goshen, and Dr. William W. Welch of Norfolk, accompanied by Mrs. Welch, the only surviving sister of Gen. John Sedgwick.
The newspaper men present were A. R. Baker of the Hartford Courant, J. H. Vaill of the Winsted Herald and now secretary of the Connecticut World's Fair organization, Mr. Duffie of the Litchfield Enquirer, Editors Beckley and Whittlesey of the Connecticut Western News, Mr. Grew of the
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New York Journal of Commerce, and J. A. Bolles, editor of the New Milford Gazette.
The dinner was served on time in the tent, invited guests and veterans having the precedence. All that need be said of the entertainment was that there was an abund- ance for all of good plain fare, and that the lemonade and coffee held their strength to the last.
The speaking from the platform began promptly according to the programme, the reading of letters of excuse and regret at absence being deferred till after the addresses, to accommodate some who wished to leave on an early train. Theodore S. Gold, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, presided, and introduced General Martin T. McMahon, Adjutant-General of Sedgwick's Staff, of New York, as the orator of the day.
ORATION OF GENERAL MARTIN T. McMAHON.
It was twenty-eight years ago, in the early days of this month of May, which by the services of to-day and the law and customs of the States has been consecrated to the solemn memory of the illustrious dead, that a little group of those who now stand in this presence knelt with bowed heads and tearful eyes by the body of a soldier where he fell on his battle-line at Spottsylvania.
There was a hush among the troops as he fell to the earth in full sight of all. Their attention had been at- tracted to his presence there, as they moved into the rifle pits, by a few words of playful encouragement which he spoke to them as they passed. As they knelt in the long line of the trench their faces were turned in anxious dread and sorrow to the little group that bent over him, and when Dr. Ohlenschlager of the artillery brigade gave token that the soul of Sedgwick had departed, a gloom fell upon the hearts of all who stood around, which defeat could not deepen nor victory dispel. The men knelt still in the trenches, and their hearts were filled with a great sorrow ; but such was the force of discipline that not one wandered from his place, although all knew that a terrible blow had fallen on them, and the silence which follows a great trag-
8
edy descended on the woods of Spottsylvania on that morn- ing of saddest memories.
General Whittier and Colonel Beaumont, who are here to-day, and Captain Halstead, who has long since gone to join his chief, were detailed by the general commanding to bear the body of the dead general to this spot, where it was his desire to rest.
In the City Hall of the great metropolis he was laid in state, and for a day, while all men waited with feverish anxiety for further news from the front where the two great armies were still in deadly battle, a steady stream of mourn- ing citizens went by, giving silent testimony to the place he held in the hearts of the people.
The three aids, whom he loved dearly, came with him here. His friends and neighbors came from far and near, and stood around where you stand now -you who succeed them as the generation of to-day. And you do well to be here, for no grave has opened in all this broad land since the dawning day of our liberty wherein a truer heart, a better man, a more patriotic citizen, or a more gallant sol- dier was ever laid to rest.
From this little village of Cornwall Hollow, in Connec- ticut, he entered the military academy in the year 1833. Upon graduating he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Second Artillery, and served on the plains against the Indians, until the brilliant and romantic episode of the Mexican war. At Contreras and Churubusco he com- manded his company, was complimented in orders, and brevetted Captain. At Molino del Rey he was again especially commended, and was brevetted Major for Chepul- tepec. He especially distinguished himself at the attack of the San Cosmo Gate of the City of Mexico, and was again especially commended in the reports. He was made full Captain in 1849, and when the new regiments were created in 1855 he was appointed Major of the First Cavalry. This appointment, wholly unsolicited and unex- pected by him, was made, I may say, almost by the unani- mous request and desire of the higher officers of the army. While in this position he figured in the miniature civil war in bleeding Kansas, contending alternately against the dis-
9
ciples of John Brown and the border ruffians of Missouri. In March, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second Cavalry, and in April of the same year Colonel of the Fourth Cavalry. In August, 1861, he was made Briga- dier-General of Volunteers, and the following year re- ceived the full rank of Major-General.
On many battlefields, therefore, from his boyhood onward, he had ample opportunity of learning what an American soldier could do, and this, like all else that came under his observation, he laid away for future use, and made available in the greater operations in which it was his fortune to be subsequently engaged.
On the plains, as a commander of cavalry in the monotonous, difficult, dangerous, and inglorious contests against the Indians, he simply did his soldierly duty, always winning the commendation of his superiors, the love of his associates, and the respect of his men.
During this period of his service at Jefferson Barracks the cholera swept through his command, striking down officers and men alike. Sedgwick was spared throughout it all, and a great part of each day he spent in the hos- pitals, cheering the sick and consoling the dying.
He was little known outside of army circles, but in the army there was no one from the general commanding down to the private soldier better known or more warmly regarded.
When the civil war commenced he was duly ordered from the plains to the East, duly promoted to higher com- mands, and found himself in 1861 Brigadier-General of Volunteers, commanding a brigade in the army then being organized near Washington to retrieve the disaster of Bull Run, and to carry the colors of the Union and the authority of the United States into and through and over the re- volted States.
His selection for this command, like that of many of the greatest of our soldiers who were similarly selected, was due to the wise foresight and intimate knowledge of the army possessed by the first organizer and great com- mander of the Army of the Potomac, George B. McClellan.
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