USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Cornwall > Historical records of the town of Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut; > Part 48
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"I have reached this point," he said, "in obedience to orders. My advance is checked. The enemy is strongly reinforcing from your direction. I can plainly hear the rumble of their artillery. My losses are heavy. I will be, no doubt, attacked in strong force at daylight. Can you help me ?"
This was the burden of the dispatches three times repeated during that still and anxious night. No answer came until eight o'clock of the following day. In the mean- time the enemy wasted the hours in preparation.
The long hours went by, and at eight o'clock came a strange message from the commanding general.
"You are too far away for me to direct. Look to the safety of your corps. Fall back on Fredericksburg or cross the river at Banks' Ford, as you deem best."
But to the strong and earnest appeal, "Can you help me strongly if I am attacked?" there was no reply. In the direction of Chancellorsville there was the silence of death. Not an answering gun replied to the crash of our artillery which echoed from every battery. The enemy on our front, in fact I may say on our three fronts, replied. The com- manders of the other corps who stood inactive near Chan- cellorsville heard the incessant roar of the artillery near Salem chapel. They chafed almost to mutiny, because while this gallant little band, less than one-fifth of the army, was contending against these desperate odds, six corps stood idle within the sound of their guns. Sedgwick and Hooker have passed away, and have undergone that final judgment from which there is no appeal. I am not here to say one word in disparagement of the dead, much less of a gallant soldier like General Joseph Hooker; but I do stand here to
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vindicate the memory of one of the purest men, one of the truest patriots, one of the best and bravest, aye, and greatest soldiers that ever honored any land by a life of honorable service and a glorious death upon the field of battle. It has been stated before a committee of the National Congress, whose sole business seemed to be, during the several years of their continuance, to dishonor the names of the best and truest of our soldiers, that Sedgwick's failure to obey the orders of Hooker was one of the chief causes of the failure of the Chancellorsville campaign. This statement was prin- cipally made by a man who still lives and whom, therefore, I am at full liberty to answer. He has stated before this committee that General Sedgwick's delay and failure to obey his orders was the primal cause of the failure. The order to General Sedgwick to advance to Chancellorsville and be there at daylight, included another and more import- ant commission. He was directed to make this march, impossible in itself in the time allowed, impossible if the march was unresisted. He was ordered to capture Fred- ericksburg and everything in it, which he did. He was ordered to carry Marye's Heights, which he did magnifi- cently. He was ordered to advance upon the plank road, which he did. He was also ordered to destroy any force that might intervene between him and the general com- manding. This he gallantly attempted, and did as much in the line of destruction as it was possible to do with the force at his command. The same dispatch which ordered him to destroy any intervening force informed him that the army commanded by General Robert E. Lee was between him and the position he was ordered to occupy at daylight. Now, an order to destroy General Lee and his army was very easy to issue. Its execution, as some of you gentlemen will perhaps remember, was attended with considerable difficulty; and when it is considered that during the forty- eight hours that Sedgwick was struggling to execute this part of the order, the main body of our army, consisting of six corps, never fired a shot, although within sound of Sedg- wick's guns, I submit that any man who says that the fail- ure could in any degree whatever be attributed to Sedg-
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wick, insults every soldier of his command, and defames the memory of the dead.
When the day came, Lee over-estimating, as appears from his report made subsequently, the extent of Sedg- wick's forces, failed to make his attack in force until about five o'clock in the afternoon. He believed that Sedgwick was accompanied by Reynolds' Corps, and he hesitated to attack until he could withdraw a sufficient force from Hook- er's front to make his victory certain. The main attack was made in the afternoon about five o'clock, from the di- rection of Fredericksburg, and made gallantly, and with vigor. One brigade of Howe's division, strongly posted, re- ceived the assault and was broken. The Vermont brigade was on the flank of Neill's holding the woods which flanked also the rebel advance; it was commanded by General L. A. Grant, now Assistant Secretary of War, a gallant soldier whose name and fame are inseparably connected in many battles with this great brigade, which, without disparage- ment to others, I may say was never surpassed in valor or achievement by any similar body of men, in any army of the world. It poured in its steady contribution of well- directed bullets on the advancing masses of the rebellion, and the Sixth Corps and the army were saved. The night came down upon anxious hearts. The battle was over, nor gun nor color was lost. But the position of the old corps was still as critical as ever. I pass over the melancholy his- tory of the hours that followed, filled as they were with contradictory orders, one revoking the other, and a third renewing the first. The Sixth Corps crossed the river that night, making their passage over the pontoons lighted by the bursting shells which the enemy, with very creditable practice, were dropping in the vicinity of the bridges, and the next day Hooker, far above, re-crossed the river, and this campaign was over. Sedgwick lost five thousand men in his honest endeavor to execute the part of the order which directed him to destroy the army commanded by General Lee; the combined loss of all the other corps scarcely exceeded this. Then came the regular and period- ical change in commanders, the annual picnic into Mary-
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land and Pennsylvania, the panic in Washington, and, at last, Gettysburg.
On Cemetery Ridge, amid gravestones, shattered by shot and shell, behind hasty earthworks of fence rail and dirt, our gallant brothers of the Second Corps, under the fire of one hundred and eighty guns and against the very flower of the invading army, made this union an immortal thing, and the name of Hancock a cherished memory that will live forever in the hearts of the American people.
The long night march of the Sixth Corps from Man- chester to the field of Gettysburg, and its timely arrival to retrieve the disaster that Sickles had suffered, were princi- pal features of our Maryland campaign.
We had many marches that were prolonged and tedious; many that were forced by day and night both before and after the great deciding battle. On many a day Sedgwick watched them as the troops moved out of camp in the morning or closed the long dusty march of the day, and when, on one occasion in the Wilderness, after the Sixth Corps had suffered a serious disaster on the day previous, when the Vermont brigade returned after heavy losses, for their march to the assistance of the Second Corps, the Gen- eral rode along the lines as they were coming into bivouac, they burst forth in a spontaneous cheer that touched him to the heart, and when the cheers subsided, one of the men stepped to the front and called out with a comic and yet touching emphasis : "Three more for old Uncle John ?" The General's bronzed face flushed like a girl's, and as the staff laughed at his embarrassment it spread along the lines, and the whole brigade laughed and cheered as if they were just returning from a summer's picnic, and not from a bloody field, weary, worn, and with decimated ranks. Nor had they rest that night ; all night long they labored with the pick and shovel, and the next morning came the long, weary march, with fighting and intrenching, again night marches or labor in the trenches; and through it all there was neither rest nor shelter. There was no word of complaint, there was no murmur of discontent.
The troops of the corps, owing to the long and trying marches which they had been compelled to make, acquired
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the habit of calling themselves "Sedgwick's foot cavalry," and maintained that they were kept on the gallop all the time. It was a joke among them that Sedgwick never stopped until his horse gave out, and on one occasion, in Virginia, when he had dismounted by the roadside and stood on a little bank leaning on the fence, watching the troops as they went by, men in the ranks constantly called out, "Come on, we'll wait for you, get another horse, we are in no hurry." For some time the General did not notice these cries nor understand them or their significance. At last he turned to me and said, " What do they mean by ' get another horse, we'll wait for you'?" I explained to him the signifi- cance of the language, and as I did so he laughed heartily, whereupon in the ranks they cried out, " See the old fellow laugh," and immediately the whole column took it up with enthusiastic cheers.
These things I mention chiefly to show the relationship between the commander and his troops. He could appreci- ate their humor, knowing that no thought of disrespect even entered it, and a single smile from him went like a sunbeam through long columns of tired men until it broadened into a laugh, and culminated in cheers that came from the trite hearts of as gallant soldiers as ever served a patriotic cause.
After the Gettysburg campaign, Warrenton and Hazel river, a winter of delights ! when the Sixth Corps lived and reveled for six long months. There were horse races and cock fights, and balls attended by fair women from home. There were festivities such as only an army knows how to organize and enjoy. Everywhere picnics by day and danc- ing by night. Each corps vied with the other as to the extent of its hospitalities.
Through all the winter those who had occasion to live near and around John Sedgwick saw the sweeter and more touching traits of his character. Modest as a girl, unassum- ing, gentle, just, pure in heart and in word, he endeared himself to the men who followed him, and was loved by all with a love surpassing the love of women. No picture that I can draw can give to you who knew him not an ade- quate conception of how lovable he was.
Through all this winter of delights, no man looked for-
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ward to the future except to plan amusements for the ensu- ing winter ; for, strangely enough, we had got the idea that this war was to be continued indefinitely and during the rest of our lives.
We were not prophets nor the sons of prophets. What knew we then of the lurid fires that would lighten the Wilderness within a few months ! The angel of death hov- ered over many, but no prophetic shadow fell from his wings. Already was his mark upon the great center of our circle, and yet in all our plans for the following winter, in all our discussions as to what we were to do to amuse our- selves and our visitors, Sedgwick was the chief figure. Amid the rain and snow, and the mud and the frost, among otir canvas cities our fires burned cheerily and our hearts were light. Letters came and went from home, and visitors by the thousand shared our hospitalities. The Sixth Corps' headquarters, because it was Sedgwick's, was a central point of interest. Nothing disturbed us except the occa- sional report that our chief was to be taken from us to com- mand the Army of the Potomac. This command, however, although not formally offered in orders he had still on two occasions most persistently declined. It was a winter of delight, but nevertheless, the day came when, from Major- General to drummer-boy there was not a dry eye in the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
On our line of battle at Spottsylvania, where, on the day previous, we had made an unsuccessful attack and suffered heavily, near a section of artillery at a fatal angle in our works, General Sedgwick stood with General Whittier, General Tompkins, and myself, directing the movement of our men then occupying the rifle-pits. It was in the early morning, and a certain feeling of gloom pervaded the army. Sedgwick had slept the previous night unsheltered by tent or blanket. He seemed in excellent spirits although a little discouraged by the slow progress of the campaign which seemed to be desperate fighting day after day with indecis- ive results. A few minutes before he had spoken of some of the young officers of his staff in tender and kindly terms of affection. He mentioned General Hyde and Colonel Kent and was about to speak of others, when he observed
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that the men moving into the rifle-pits overlapped a section of artillery at the angle in his front. He stood up and directed me to move the men further to the right, and as I walked out to do so he accompanied me. He said a few jesting words to some of the men who passed before him as they moved into the rifle-pits. His manner, attitude, and gesture, as he stood, indicated to the enemy that he was an officer of rank and authority. He wore no uniform, not even a sword. From across the little valley which separated us from the enemy's line, from one of their sharpshooters concealed in the woods in front of us, came the swift mes- senger of death. Slowly, without a word, with a sad smile. upon his lips, John Sedgwick fell, and his great heart ceased to beat.
It seemed to us who bent over him that if we could but make him hear, and call his attention to the terrible effect his fall was having on our men, he would by force of his great will rise up in spite of death. We called vainly in his ear - he made no answer.
His favorite aid, Gen. Charles A. Whittier, bent over him with streaming eyes. Gen. Tompkins, the chief of the artillery, and his surgeon, Dr. Ohlenschlager, raised him partly from the ground, and the pale and anxious faces of the men in the long line of rifle-pits were bent eagerly toward the group.
It was my duty to report at general headquarters that the Sixth Corps was without a commander, for Gen. Rick- etts, who was next in rank, understanding that it had been the desire of Gen. Sedgwick that his old associate, Gen. Horatio G. Wright of the first division, should succeed him, had informed me that he declined to assume the com- mand. When I reached general headquarters, in the tent of the Adjutant-General of the army, the gentle and much- loved Seth Williams, I found Gen. Williams and Gen. Hunt, the chief of artillery, and Col. Platt, the Judge Advocate- General of the army, and other veteran officers who had served through many years of warfare.
As they saw me marked with blood, Gen. Williams started forward, and said but one word, "Sedgwick?" I could not answer.
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Each one in that tent, old gray-bearded warriors, burst into tears, and for some minutes sobbed like children mourning a father.
They built a bower of evergreens among the pine woods, and laid him out upon a rough bier made for him by soldier hands ; and all day long there were strong men weeping by this funeral couch. They came from all parts of the army -the old and the young, the well and the wounded, officers and men - to take a last look at the be- loved chieftain. Many thousands of brave men who com- posed that army were familiar with death in all its forms. Not once or twice only had they beheld men of high rank, in high command, fall amid contending hosts. They had, perhaps, grown hardened and indifferent to what was necessarily of frequent occurrence and the common expec- tation of all. But when the news went that day, like an electric shock, along the lines of the Army of the Potomac, that John Sedgwick was dead, a great loneliness fell upon the hearts of all, and men who had scarcely heard his voice, men who scarcely knew him by sight, wept bitter tears as if they had lost an only friend ; and all recalled how on many occasions, hearing on right or left or rear the thunder of hostile guns, all anxiety passed away from the minds of men at the simple remark : " It must be all right, Unele John is there."
The Sixth Corps went on and served through the war. It stood all day long at the bloody angle under a fire that cut down the great trees in our front. It stood up in the withering slaughter of Cold Harbor. It crossed the great river to the dismal contest before Petersburgh. It swept the valley under Sheridan as with a broom, and, massed in a mighty column of brigades, it broke through the stubborn lines of Petersburg and snapped this rebellion in twain. But not all the glories that succeeded the 9th of May, not all the triumphs achieved by their valor in the later fields of the war, not all the tame years that have followed since, have effaced the memories of that one day in Spottsyl- vania, when we all realized the fact that all our marches yet to be made, all our battles yet to be fought, all our deeds, whether good or ill, would never again win word of
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praise or censure from the silent lips of the great man, whom we loved and honored as only soldiers know how to love and honor leaders like Sedgwick.
Back to this quiet churchyard near the village of Corn- wall Hollow, which the boy had left so many years ago, came, accompanied by all the evidences of the nation's sorrow, the lifeless body of that great and simple-minded hero.
He sleeps beneath this simple monument erected by a sister's love, but his memory will never die among men who love their kind, and who believe that " A country's a thing men must die for at need."
ADDRESS OF GEN. CHAS. A. WHITTIER, SENIOR AID TO GEN. SEDGWICK.
In the first of the bloody days of the Wilderness cam- paign a division had been detached from Gen. Sedgwick's command, the Sixth Corps, to reinforce the troops on another part of the line. The losses of this division were very great, and with no result of victory to cheer or com- pensate the survivors. Upon their return to the corps the General rode before them at their evening parade. Such demonstrations of cheers and enthusiasm, as they saw his beloved figure, rarely occurred in the army. One might have thought it the expression of joy over a great victory.
What was the cause of this ? Simply the character of the man. The soldiers, officers, and enlisted men had seen him in many hard fought battles, on the march, and in the camp. He had never failed them. Everything to conduce to their comfort, well-being, and efficiency was his first thought. Day after day of hard marches, battles, and skir- mishes he would sit by the roadside waiting to see the last regiment settled in camp or bivouac ; judging of their con- dition, anxious to give comfort and help where needed.
Was there ever such a march as that made to Gettys- burg ? An army corps starting in the evening, and on the move until noon the next day, over thirty-two miles, with- out a straggler ; all this was due to the personal influence of the man. His own comfort and rest were always second- ary considerations.
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Every soldier knew that he was to them a loving father, and that right and duty were his guiding stars.
Probably few of you here to-day ever saw the man whose memory you are honoring. Even with Gen. McMahon's beautiful tribute, I doubt if you can understand the qualities which made up his character-the best sense of justice, loyalty, right, bravery, affection, modesty, truth. Even if history does not give him the highest place among our commanders, he must stand in the temple of fame as the great corps commander, who gave all and did all for the triumph of our arms. There was no better soldier ; self-interest had no place in his heart. When, just before the battle of Antietam, he was offered by Gen. McClellan the command of a corps, a high promotion, he declined it on the ground that in the impending battle his services were better with the division which he had formed and knew and trusted. And when, after the battle of Chancel- lorsville, he was offered command of the Army of the Potomac, the high prize - so attractive and so sought by many - had no allurement for him. He loved his corps ; his corps loved him. And his good sword with such a com- mand was a power for which there was no substitute. That affectionate, generous nature was attached particularly to the young.
Can you to-day imagine men (or rather boys) of 21, 22, 23 years, commanding companies, regiments, exercising high functions in a struggle involving the existence of our country ? For all such General Sedgwick had always a deep sympathy, a kind word. I recall one especially touch- ing incident. A short time before the movement of the army on his last campaign he had entertained at supper in our tent Major Henry L. Abbott of my old regiment, the Twentieth Massachusetts, then butt 23 years old, but with every best quality of a veteran, an officer of positive genius. A delightful evening was enjoyed, and the quali- ties of both those splendid soldiers shone to the best advan- tage. As I went with the younger to his horse he said : "What a dear old trump the General is!" Returning to the tent, the General said : " He is a fine young gentleman, Major Abbott." Within two weeks, as I was carrying the
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dead body of my chief to his last resting-place here, we met at the station in New York the friends of Abbott ex- ercising the same sad office ; the two bodies were carried side by side into the station.
I am aware that I have inadequately stated to you the pre-eminent qualities which made up the personality of General Sedgwick. Committed to no sect or creed, his life was of absolute purity. Everything he did he knew was right. Respect, confidence, admiration, love - all came to him from his soldiers.
A great heart, a white soul, " He was a very perfect, gentle Knight: The noblest Roman of them all."
It does seem that this monument which we consecrate to his memory should leave upon all of you the impress of his character. It is more than the memorial of a hero who died for his country ; it is not to perpetuate any record of war. Let it rather be a daily reminder of a life of honor and truth. Remember that life which he led -not the earthly life taken away - and let his spirit, his soul, be your monitors and examples.
" Were a star quenched on high, For ages would its light, Still traveling downward from the sky, Shine on our mortal sight.
" So when a great man dies, For years beyond our ken The light he leaves behind lies Upon the path of men."
These were followed by extempore addresses by Lieut. Kilbourn of Litchfield, to whom was entrusted for the occasion the guidon of the Sixth Corps. Standing in front of the platform, holding this in his hand, he called attention to it as the old headquarters ensign of the Sixth Corps, which was borne triumphantly from Petersburg up through the Valley until the surrender of Lee. This ensign was a few feet behind Gen. Sedgwick when he was killed. Another souvenir may be mentioned here. It is a cane which was carried by Harry Sedgwick during the day. It was made from a tree that grew above the spot where Gen. Sedgwick fell.
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Gen. Merwin of New Haven spoke briefly but eloquently. He urged the people to bring their children to such shrines as that of Gen. Sedgwick and there educate them in patriotism. If this be done, and another crisis demands patriots, they will be as readily found among these hills as in 1861.
Good speeches were also made by Capt. G. B. Fielder and by the Rev. Samuel Scoville. Mr. Scoville spoke of the commendable pride felt by the people of Cornwall in the fact that Sedgwick had been born in that town, and he congratulated the people on the possession of so noble a hero.
Chairman Gold called attention to the fact that in other cemeteries in Cornwall were graves of other heroic sons of the region who had fallen in the war, whose names, embalmed in our memories, should be trans- mitted as a holy trust to our posterity.
Mr. Gold then read a poem written for the occasion by the Hon. Miles T. Granger of Canaan: -
IN MEMORIAM. GEN. JOHN SEDGWICK.
May 30, 1892.
" On Fame's eternal camping-ground " The patriot hero sleeps, And Honor o'er him, glory-crowned, A ceaseless vigil keeps.
His name, enshrined in hearts of all, Shall live while time remains, Till shade and sunlight cease to fall On Cornwall's hills and plains.
Unlike the fading flowers we place Above his tomb to-day, Affection's roses, flowers of grace, For him shall bloom for aye.
The top and crown of gems that span His diadem of fame Is this: he lived an honest man; And honored be his name.
The bugle call, the rattling drum Disturb his sleep no more; But peaceful near his boyhood's home He'll rest till time is o'er.
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The Chairman then exhibited and read the original copy of letter from his father, Dr. Samuel W. Gold, to Hon. Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, recommending young Sedgwick for a cadetship at West Point: -
HON. LEWIS CASS, Secretary of War.
Sir : Mr. John Sedgwick, a resident of Litchfield County, Conn., is desirous of becoming a member of West Point Academy. From an inti- mate acquaintance with Mr. Sedgwick I am happy in being afforded an opportunity of recommending him to your favor as a candidate for that institution. The family of Mr. Sedgwick have long been distinguished in this part of the country for talents, character, and loyalty, and the young gentleman who now desires the benefit of our national academy, possessing health and a good degree of physical and mental endowment, if permitted to enjoy that privilege, would, I believe, be an honor to the institution, and prove of great service to his country.
Your obedient servant, SAMUEL W. GOLD.
GOSHEN, Jan. 23, 1832.
At this time the Chairman presented letters of regret at their in- ability to be present from Governor Bulkeley and other distinguished citizens, especially from officers of the Grand Army Posts, whose home duties commanded their time.
Many were read, and extracts of personal reminiscences are here given:
GOVERNOR MORGAN G. BULKELEY.
HARTFORD, May 21, '92.
I should be well pleased were it possible for me to accept your in- vitation to spend the Sabbath with you, and join on Monday, the 30th, with the citizens of your town in the memorial services at the grave of one of Connecticut's most distinguished sons and soldiers, but I find it will be impossible for me to arrange other engagements to suit, and am obliged to decline.
Yours truly, M. G. BULKELEY.
REV. HIRAM EDDY.
CANAAN, May 13, 1892.
Letter opens with reference to previous engagements for the day, and concludes: " I much regret this, as my heart on that day will be at Gen. Sedgwick's grave, where with the multitude I dropped my tear when that noble form was laid to rest. The burial was in true republi- can simplicity. We buried our hero in silence; there was neither minute gun nor drum beat, nor soldiers with reversed arms - none of the ceremonies of a military funeral. Yet, if ever soldier deserved such a
funeral Gen. John Sedgwick was that soldier. But as he was known as ' Uncle John ' among his men, and was a veritable Uncle John to them all, it was befitting that he should have a funeral of such sublime simplicity.
May the Heavens smile on you that day as it did on that bright Sabbath day when all that was mortal of the hero was buried.
Yours truly, HIRAM EDDY."
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REV. S. J. ANDREWS.
HARTFORD, CONN., May 21, 1892.
I am one now of the comparatively few who knew General Sedgwick in his youth. He was for a time an inmate of my father's family, and at school in South Cornwall.
I remember dining with him when stationed at Governors Island, in New York Harbor, about 1841, and I am not sure that I saw him at all after that.
He was of good New England stock, sturdy, firm, and not impulsive, not brilliant, needing purpose to bring out his powers, a man who could stand as a pillar in time of trouble, stout of heart and of limb. The citizens of his native town may well honor his memory, and be proud that he was one of their sons. If I could I would gladly lay my little flower upon his grave. Yours truly,
S. J. ANDREWS.
From. GEN. ABNER DOUBLEDAY, who trained the first gun in defense of Fort Sumter.
MENDHAM, N. J., May 18, 1892.
Dear Sir : I have been an invalid for some months, and am still unable to leave my house ; so I must decline your pleasant invitation to do honor to the memory of Gen. Sedgwick on Memorial Day. I was as- sociated with him for several years at the same post, and learned to ad- mire his character as a man, and his sterling qualities as a soldier and a leader.
Yours very truly, ABNER DOUBLEDAY.
ROBERT O. TYLER POST, No. 50.
HARTFORD, May 18, 1892.
We cannot do too much in honoring the memory and per- petuating the fame of that brave, skillful, and patriotic soldier, General John Sedgwick, who reflected credit and honor upon his profession and native State by his brilliant achievements in the field.
Very respectfully yours,
JOHN G. ROOT, Commander.
A. G. WARNER POST, No. 54.
PUTNAM, CONN., May 21, 1892.
I congratulate your town in being honored as she is with the illustrious name and record of our General John Sedgwick.
I knew him well, always at his post when duty called. I was within a few feet of him when he fell at Spottsylvania in 1864.
May all the observances of this day be to your liking, and may the young men of your vicinity learn devotion to our country with all its
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freeinstitutions. May they learn that to the hero dead they owe much ; reverence for their memories, kindness to their representatives, thought- ful provision for their surviving comrades. If they learn but this, then the day will truly be a memorial to the future.
I am truly yours,
G. D. BATES, Commander.
ELIAS HOWE, JR., POST, No. 3.
BRIDGEPORT, CONN., May 19, 1892.
I had the honor to serve as an officer in that grand old Sixth Corps, so ably commanded by General Sedgwick. He was beloved by every comrade, and the boys always felt safe when " Uncle John " (as the boys called him) was in command.
I well remember the last time I saw him. It was about S A.M., May 6, 1864, in the Wilderness. I was going to the rear wounded in my left leg. I was hobbling along the best I could by the aid of my sword and a stick that I had picked up and used as a cane. The General was standing alone in an old road, probably about one-third of a mile from the line of battle, where his headquarters were established at that time. The shells were bursting around him. His horse was tied to a tree in charge of a colored man. Two orderlies mounted were near by. I saw no staff officers at that time, as they were probably busy along the line, for the battle was raging hot. The General was looking towards the front although he could not see one hundred feet from him, owing to the dense forest, but he could hear the musketry very plainly. I can recall just how earnest and anxious he looked. As I arrived near him I stopped and saluted. He returned the salute, and said : " Lieutenant, are you badly wounded ?" I replied, "Not very bad, sir, I hope." He said, " I am pleased to know that (I give his exact language); how is it in the front ?" I said, " There is very hard fighting, sir ; but we will whip them, sure." He said, " I should think by the sound that there was some fighting ; of course we will whip them," and then he smiled and looked pleased. "Follow this road and you will find a field hospital about a mile back."
Very respectfully, JAMES H. SMITH, Commander.
P. S. - I served as a First Lieutenant, 43d N. Y. Vols., 3d Brig., 2d Div., 6th Corps.
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