USA > Georgia > Richmond County > Augusta > Georgians during the war between the states. An address delivered before the Confederate survivors' association, in Augusta, Georgia, on the occasion of its eleventh annual reunion on Memorial day, April 26, 1889 > Part 2
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It will be remembered that Brigadier General Alex- ander R. Lawton was detailed from the line and assigned to duty as Quarter-Master General on the 17th of February 1864; and that, towards the close of 3
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the war, Brigadier General I. M. St. John was entrusted with the position of Commissary General.
We thus perceive that the State of Georgia furnished the Vice-President of the Confederacy, a Secretary of State, a Quarter-Master General, a Commissary Gen- eral, four of the twenty-one Lieutenant Generals, eleven of the one hundred and two Major Generals, and of the four hundred and seventy-five who attained unto or rose above the grade of Brigadier General, fifty-four.
To the naval service of the Confederate States Geor- gia contributed her full quota. The present Adjutant General of this State-John McIntosh Kell -is a worthy type of what this commonwealth. did in that behalf; and, in the person of Commodore Josiah Tatt- nall, we proudly point to an officer whose gallantry, seamanship, and exalted characteristics commanded universal admiration. In the language of Captain Whittle, he only lacked what Decatur called opportunity to have inscribed his name high among the great naval men of the world. His perception was like the light- ning's flash. The execution followed and with a force sufficient to overcome the resistance to be encountered. With a mind capable of conceiving the boldest designs and a courage which never faltered in their perform- ance, it may be truly said of this Bavard of the seas he was sans peur et sans reproche ..
So much, my friends, for the general officers who illustrated the patriotism and the valor of Georgia upon the battle fields of the Confederate revolution. Simply to name them is to point to fields of glory broader than the confines once claimed by the Southern States, and to revive the recollection of grand endeav- ors and gallant emprises as illustrious as the annals of any people and age may boast. Among them all there
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was none, so far as I know, who proved recreant to the trust reposed. who faltered in the hour of peril, who failed in the exhibition of an unshaken love of country. or who neglected to manifest those traits which should characterize a military leader contending in a defensive war for the conservation of all the heart holds most dear. And some among them there were, who with superior capabilities and larger opportunities wrought memorable deeds. and achieved for themselves and nation a reputation which the bravest and the knight- liest may envy.
And what shall we say of the field-officers, the staff. the non-commissioned officers and privates of the grand army which Georgia sent forth during more than four long and bloody years to do battle for the right? Their name is legion, and fearlessly did they bear themselves from the low-lying shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the furthest verge of the crimson tide breasted by the veterans of the army of Northern Virginia, -- from the Atlantic slope to the uttermost limits beyond the Mis- sissippi claimed by the Confederacy. They followed the Red Cross wherever it pointed, and the reputation of Georgia troops is intimately and honorably associated with the memorable battles fought for the indepen- dence of the South. Give me a Georgia Brigade and I can carry those heights. Such was the compliment paid at the battle of Chancellorsville by an officer who appreciated the hazard of the endeavor and understood the mettle of the men requisite for its consummation. Have you ever comprehended, my friends, how thor- oughly the manhood of this commonwealth was enlist- ed in the military service of the Confederacy? Let me refresh your recollection by this memorandum. based upon the most authentic data, of the various or- ganizations contributed by Georgia to the armies of
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the Southern Confederation. Of Infantry there were sixty-nine Regiments, twelve Battalions, and five Legions; of Cavalry twelve Regiments, and twelve Battalions ; and of Artillery nine Battalions. Besides these there were ninety-four independent companies of all arms of the service Add to these, five Regiments and six Battalions of Infantry-constituting the Geor- gia Reserves-and a multitude by no means insignifi- cant of old men and boys brought into the field when Georgia was invaded, and you will agree with me when I say that the entire manhood and boyhood too of this commonwealth were subsidized in the support of the Confederacy. Subsidized, was that the word? Nay rather, patriotically enlisted in the defense of country,. home, property. and vested rights. Be it remembered too that these were not skeleton organizations. These eyes have seen Georgia regiments moving to the front twelve hundred strong. This was before they had been torn by shot and shell, and wasted by privations, sickness, and death. So far as my information extends, this commonwealth gave to each organization its be- coming complement before turning it over to Confeder- · ate service; and, in many instances, the ranks were full to overflowing. I wish that accurate statistics were accessible, but in their absence I venture the as- sertion that Georgia sent not less than one hundred and twenty thousand of her sons to do battle under the flag of the Southern Confederation.
By the heavy guns at Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans,-behind the parapets of Pulaski, McAllis- ter, and Sumter,-among the volcanic throes of Bat. tery Wagner,-at Ocean Pond and Honey Hill,-upon the murderous slopes of Malvern Hill,-beneath the lethal shadows of the Seven Pines,-in the trenches around Petersburg -- amid the smoke and carnage of
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Manassas, Fredericksburg, Spottsylvania, Chancellors- ville, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Brandy Station, Cold- Harbor. the Wilderness, Corinth, Shiloh. Vicksburg. Perryville, Murfreesboro, Missionary Ridge, Chicka - mauga, Franklin, Nashville, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Ben- tonville, and until the last thunders of war were hushed at Appomattox. and Greensboro when. in the language of the present gallant Chief Magistrate of this commonwealth, our regiments, brigades, divisions, and army corps were "worn to a frazzle." these brave Georgians were found shoulder to shoulder with heroic companions in arms, maintaining the honor of their State and supporting the flag of their beleaguered country. You can mention no decisive battle delivered. no memorable shock of arms during the protracted and herculean effort to achieve the independence of the South. where Georgia troops were not present. Their life blood incarnadined, their valor glorified, and their bones sanctified the soil above which the Red Cross, which they followed so closely, waved long and fear- lessly in the face of desperate odds. All honor to the courageous men who fell in the forefront of battle. All honor to the cause which enlisted such sympathy and evoked such proofs of marvelous devotion. Pre- cious for all time should be the patriotic, heroic, and virtuous legacy bequeathed by the men and the aspir- ations of that generation. Within the whole range of defensive wars you will search in vain for surer pledges and higher illustrations of love of country, of self-denial, of patient endurance, of unwavering conti- dence, and of exalted action. And, as we behold among the survivors of this gigantic conflict not a few who are maimed by wounds, enfeebled by age, and op- pressed by poverty, our tenderest sympathy goes out toward them, and there arises a general and an earnest
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desire that speedy and suitable provision should be made for every needy and crippled veteran of the grand army which Georgia sent forth to do battle for the right under the stars and bars of the Confederacy. He should at least be shielded from absolute want. By public benefaction he should be enabled to spend the residue of his days unmenaced by the calamities of hunger and cold. No more sacred duty devolves upon this commonwealth than the reasonable relief and sus- tentation of those who lost health and limb in defense
of the general safety. With loyal hearts we elevate statues in marble and in bronze of our Confederate chieftians, and garland the graves of those who gave their lives to the Southern cause. and shall we not ex- tend a helping hand to the living-survivors of that shock of arms-who having shared like peril, endured similar privations, fought under the same banner, and contended for the maintenance of the same principles, emerged from the smoke and carnage of that memor- able strife, bringing their shields with them, but so maimed in body, and enfeebled by wounds. disease, and exposures, that they are no longer capable of custom- ary labor, or competent to engage on equal terms with their fellow men in the tiresome and life-long struggle for food. for clothing, and for shelter ? To the Mother State which summoned them to the field. and to Geor- gians whose homes their valor essayed to protect against invasion and destruction-to her and to them only-can these disabled veterans look for that sub- stantial aid which in this, the season of poverty, inca- pacity, and declining years, is essential to their well- being and comfort. Their claim to suitable recognition in this behalf rests not upon charity, but is based upon the general gratitude and inherent right. Horatius halting on one knee was not more surely entitled to
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the gratitude and the help of the Roman Senate and people than is the maimed Confederate veteran worthy of sympathy, honor, and relief not only from the Gen- eral Assembly of Georgia but also from the entire community. The Red Cross which he followed so long and so well belongs now only to the thesaurus of the Recording Angel. The Confederary, once so puissant. is now simply a pure, a heroic, a glorious memory ; and soon there will be numbered among the living none who bore arms in defense of the South. The time is short. Let the obligation-too long unfulfilled-be promptly and generously met. The scars which he re- ceived in protecting home and country and vested rights have won for him a claim to universal respect, a pecu- liar consideration which none should gainsay or lightly esteem, and a title to nobility beyond the blazon of the Herald's College.
In this epoch of commercial methods-of general and increasing poverty in the agricultural regions of the South-of absorption by foreign capital of favoreil localities, and of the creation in our midst of gigantic corporations intent upon self-aggrandizement,-in this era of manifest modification, if not actual obliteration of those sentiments and modes of thought and action which rendered us a peculiar people,-I call you to witness that there is a growing tendency to belittle the influences, the ways, the services, the lessons, and the characteristics of former years. I call you to witness that the moral and political standard of the present is not equal to that set up and zealously guarded by our fathers. I call you to witness that in the stern battle with poverty,-in the effort to retrieve lost fortunes,
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and in the attempt to amass large moneys by specula- tion,-in the commercial turn which the general thought and conduct have recently taken,-and in the struggle by shifts and questionable devices to outstrip the profits of legitimate ventures, there has occurred a lowering of the tone which marked our former manly, conservative, patriarchal civilization. I call you to witness that many have attempted and are now endeav- oring by apologizing for the alleged short comings of the past to stultify the record of the olden time. and by fawning upon the stranger to cast a reproach upon the friend. I call you to witness that by false impres- sions and improper laudations of the new order of affairs, men in our midst have sought to minimize the capabilities of the past, and unduly to magnify the development of the present. I call you to witness that by adulation and fulsome entertainment of itinerant promoters and blatant schemers, seeking to inaugurate enterprises which are designed to benefit those only who are personally interested in them, the public has been sadly duped to its shame and loss. I call you to witness that the truest test of civilization lies not in the census, in the growth of cities, in railway combinations and the formation of Gargantuan trusts, in the expan- · sion of manufactures, in the manipulation of land schemes and corporate securities, or in the aggregation of wealth, but in the mental, moral, political, and economic education and elevation of the population. I call you to witness that the present inclination to make one part of society inordinately affluent at the expense of the wretchedness and the unhappiness of the other, is in derogation of natural rights, impairing the equilibrium and disturbing the repose of the ele- ments essential to the entity and the happiness of a great, honest, virtuous, and democratic nation. I call
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you to witness that a reign of plutocrats-a subjection of men, measures, and places to the will of million- aires and plethoric syndicates -- is antagonistic to the liberty of the Republic and subversive of personal freedom. I call you to witness that this adoration of wealth-this bending the knee to the Golden Calf- this worship of mortals gifted with the Midas touch, savors of a sordid and debasing fetichism at variance with the spirit of true religion and emasculatory of all tokens of robust manhood. I call you to witness that "Mammon is the largest slave-holder in the world," and that the integrity of station and principle is seri- ously imperiled when subjected to. the pressure of gold. I call you to witness that cardinal doctrines and exalted sentiments, when assailed, should, like troops of the line, stand fast; and at all times and under all circumstances be held above and beyond all price. I call you to witness that the alleged prosperity of this commonwealth, except in limited localities, is largely a matter of imagination. I call you to witness that, eliminating from the computation the value of slaves as ascertained by the returns of 1860, the State of Georgia is now poorer by more than twelve millions of dollars than she was twenty nine years ago. I call you to witness that behind this fanfare of trumpets proclaiming the attractions and the growth of the New South may too often be detected the deglutition of the harpy and the chuckle of the hireling. I call you to witness that the important problem involving the re- munerative cultivation of the soil, and the employment of our agricultural population upon a basis of suitable industry, economy, compensation, and independence, is largely unsolved. The occupation of the planter lying at the foundation of all engagements and constituting the normal, the indispensable, the legitimate, and the
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honorable avocation of the masses. I call you to wit- ness that every reasonable encouragement should be extended in facilitating his labors and in multiplying the fruits of his toil. I call you to witness that gener- al prosperity cannot be expected while such extensive areas of our territory remain uncultivated, while so many of our farmers annually crave advances. I call you to witness that the potentialities of our former civilization, so far from being improved, have been
sadly retarded by the issues of war. I call you to witness that the promises of the ante-bellum days, had they not been thus rudely thwarted, would have yielded results far transcending those which we now behold. I call you to witness that the grand effort now is and should be to preserve inviolate the sentiments and to transmit unimpaired the characteristics of the Old South. I call you to witness that in the restor- ation of the good order, the decorum, the honesty, the veracity, the public confidence, the conservatism, the security to person and property, the high-toned conduct, and the manliness of the past lies best hope for the honor and lasting prosperity of the coming years. I call you to witness that the heroic example of other days constitutes, in large measure, the source of the courage of the succeeding generation; and that "when beckoned onward by the shades of the brave that were," we may the more confidently venture upon enterprises of pith and moment and, without fear, work out our present and future salvation.
Palsied be the Southern tongue which would speak disparagingly of a Confederate past, and withered ]be the Southern arm that refuses to lift itself in praise of the virtue and the valor which characterized the actors, from the highest to the lowest, in a war not of. "rebel- lion," but for the conservation of home, the mainte-
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nance of constitutional government and the supremacy of law, and the vindication of the natural rights of man.
Did time permit, gladly, my Comrades, would I call to your remembrance the leading military events which transpired, and the battles which were fought on Georgia soil during the war between the States; but anything more than a bare mention of them would transcend the limits of this hour and exceed the de- mands which I have a right to make upon your gen- erous patience. To the military lessons inculcated dur- ing the bombardments of Forts Pulaski and McAllister I have, on a former occasion, had the honor of directing your attention. The capture near Rome of Colonel Streight and his entire command by General Forrest- the memorable battle of Chickamauga-the death-grap- ple between. Generals Johnston and Sherman from Dalton to Atlanta-the battles around and the demoli- tion of that city-the devastating march of the Feder- al columns from Atlanta to the coast-the capture of Fort McAllister-the siege and evacuation of Savan- nah-the levy en masse of the arms-bearing population of this commonwealth-the last meeting of the Con- federate cabinet at Washington, in Wilkes county- the disintegration of the Confederate government and the capture of President Davis on Georgia soil-these, and many other important occurrences, are fresh in your recollection. Fitting relations of them may well be reserved for other occasions.
If we turn to the proceedings of the General As- semblies of Georgia convened during the period cover-
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ed by the war, we will find them aglow with patriotic acts and generous resolutions providing for the arming and clothing of soldiers in the field,-for the relief and the support of their indigent families,-for the organ- ization and sustentation of hospitals, way-side homes, and charitable associations of various sorts demanded by the exigencies of the times and the claims of suffer- ing humanity-for the manufacture and distribution of wool and cotton cards, by which, upon the plantations, the fabrication of cloth might be facilitated,-for the exemption from taxation of soldiers at the front whose property did not exceed in value a thousand dollars, so long as they remained in the active military service either of Georgia or of the Confederate States -- encour- aging the cultivation of grain to the exclusion of cot- ton,-expressing confidence in the President of the Confederate States and pledging allegiance to the gov- ernment of which he was the chief-magistrate-thank- ing officers and men for their gallantry upon many a bloody feld-complimenting troops upon the alacrity with which they reinlisted upon the expiration of their terms of service,-appropriating large sums for the purchase of quarter-master, commissary, and ordnance stores,-condemning monopolies, punishing extortion- ers, and in various ways fostering useful schemes which advanced the revolution and ministered to the wants of those who were engaged in a gigantic and lethal struggle for its maintenance.
Millions upon millions were freely voted, raised by taxation, and expended for the support of Georgians in arms and for the relief of the needy families of sol- diers at the front, but not one cent was ever offered by public resolution for hireling or substitute. Be this fact spoken and remembered in perpetual praise of this people and of the cause which enlisted their profound-
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est-sympathies. Situated in the heart of the Confeder- acy-the Egypt of this struggling nation-Georgia . knew no distractions within her borders, but freely gave her sons, her substance, and her every countenance to sustain the fortunes of the Southern Confederation. State government, legislature, municipalities, county organizations, the bench, the pulpit, and citizens, with one accord united in devising and supporting measures designed to promote the success of the grand endeavor.
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And what, my friends, shall we say of the slave population of this commonwealth which was then con- fidently reckoned upon by strangers and enemies as an element of weakness? While strong men were in the tented field, our servants remained quietly at home. As was their wont, they tilled the soil, ministered kind- ly to the needs of unprotected women and children, and performed all customary services with the same cheerfulness and alacrity as when surrounded by the usual controlling agencies. Gentle, tractable, and docile, they conducted all domestic operations with com . mendable industry and regularity. Security of person and property was not invaded. The long established tokens of respect and obedience were every where ob- served, and our domestics, in the emergency, proved themselves in very deed the guardians of home and family. Praiseworthy was their conduct ; and the Southern heart warms towards them still for their fi- delity, friendship, and uninterrupted labors during this `epoch of anxiety, of temptation. and of disquietude. The slaves of Georgia and of the other Confederate commonwealths cannot be too highly commended for their fidelity, quiet behavior, and valuable services
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during this eventful period. In localities not over .run or occupied by Federal forces they remained loyal to their owners. Few indeed were the instances of in- subordination, and the history of the times furnishes no authentic cases of violence or insurrection Be- cause agricultural operations were so largely commit- ted to and performed by the slave population, was the Confederacy enabled to utilize so thoroughly the white military strength of the States which composed it. Nothing attests more surely the attachment then enter- tained by the servant for his master and family- nothing proclaims more emphatically the satisfactory status of the relation-nothing certifies more truly the pleasant intercourse between the races, than the do- mestic peace which reigned within this State and the Confederacy during this season of peril and alarm. The record is unique: and yet to one accustomed from childhood to understand and appreciate the influences of that relation as developed and confirmed for gen- erations, the result appears but a logical sequence of mutual dependence. trust, and genuine friendship
The services of the Southern slaves were not how- ever, limited to the performance of domestic duties and the conduct of operations appurtenant to the planta- tions. Many accompanied their owners to the front. shared with them the privations of camp life. endured the fatigues of the march, were not infrequently ex- posed to the dangers of battle, served as cooks and hostlers, drove wagons, nursed the sick and wounded. and, in fine, discharged almost all duties other than those incident to bearing arms.
Another important station filled by the Southern slave during the war was that of a laborer engaged upon the construction of river, harbor, and city de- fenses, in the erection of government buildings, and in
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the elevation of military works at strategic point -. Such service was of the highest importance. Duri ... the early months of the war it was, at various points along the sea-coast of Georgia, freely contributed by ti- masters of plantations. As the struggle progressed. it was-made available under regulations prescribed ani for compensation provided under the auspices of the Confederate government.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately for the future of the Southern States, neither the soldiers in the fieldi nor the citizens at home, as a general rule, favored the enlistment of the negro in the armies of the Confeder- acy; and when the Confederate Congress,-moved by the exigency and largely influenced by the opinions of President Davis, General Lee, and others high in pub- lic confidence,-enacted a law sanctioning the employ- ment of negro slaves in the military service of the Confederate States, matters were so evidently in ex- tremis, and the fall of the Confederate Government was manifestly so close at hand, that no opportunity was afforded for testing an experiment which, to say the least, savored of desperation and betokened the early and certain abolition of slavery within the borders of the Confederacy.
Of the conduct of the women of Georgia during the Confederate . revolution we may not speak except in terms of the highest admiration and with emotions of the profoundest gratitude. From its inception to its close their behavior was beyond all praise. Whether in lowly cottage or stately mansion there came from them no thought, no look, no message, no act, which was not redolent of love of country, full of incitement
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to heroic action, commendatory of all that was good and noble and virtuous, and sanctified by genuine self- · denial and the exhibition of the tenderest Christian charity. Through the long and dark hours of that protracted struggle for independence how sublime their influence, their patience, their sufferings, their . aspirations, and their example! The presence of their sympathy and of their aid, the potency of their prayers and their sacrifices, the language of their patriotism and of their devotion, and the eloquence of their tears and of their smiles were priceless in the inspiration they brought and more effective than an army with banners.
And when the war was over, in tender appreciation of the brave deeds wrought in the name of truth and freedom, in proud memory of the slain, they dignified this land with soldiers' monuments, gathered the sacred dust, guarded unmarked graves, and canonized those who suffered martyrdom during this eventful epoch. Than the record of the patriotism, the pas- sion, and the generous deeds of the women of the South there is none brighter, purer, or loftier in the annals of the civilized world.
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In the sisterhood of States composing the Southern Confederacy it may be fairly claimed that none occu- pied a braver or more influential station than this commonwealth. Of Georgia's part in the struggle we may be justly proud. Although the grand effort culminated in disappointment and disaster, born of and surviving the conflict are examples of heroic vir- . tue, of patriotism, of self-sacrifice, of exalted emprise, and of conspicuous valor, which will endure for the
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emulation of the ages, and constitute a precious legacy in the esteem of all who are capable of recognizing and reverencing the true glory of race and nation. Most grateful should we be that this land was capable of furnishing such exhibitions of virtue and of valor- that this State could command the services of such sons and daughters in the hour of her supreme peril. While in the nature of things like crisis may never arise, in the memories of this brave and consecrated past find we cause for unstinted exultation .. Such recollections justly encourage expectation of present and future loyalty and manliness. From gallant loins should spring a race competent to cope with every diffi- culty-willing to respond to every emergency. At great cost was the manhood of Georgia thus demon- strated, and preserved amid circumstances the most arduous. Let it not be impaired by the demoralizing influences of a utilitarian present. While responsive to existing obligations,-while earnestly desiring the purity, the elevation, and the prosperity of the whole country,-and while rejoicing in the hope that in this centennial year all sectional issues will be consigned to the grave of the Sadducee whence there is no resurrec- tion, and that from henceforth an era of amity, of mutual forbearance, of equal rights, of expanding virtue, of constitutional freedom, and of supreme devotion to the highest conceptions of truth, of justice, and of honor will dominate and beatify this puissant Republic throughout its wide borders, -- we have no apologies to offer or excuses to render for the conduct of this com- monwealth during the war between the States. She did her whole duty and performed it nobly. For the aspirations, the heroes, the sentiments and the achieve- ments of a past which lends so much lustre to the pages of history and gives to humanity such assurance 5
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of its greatness there should be only abounding grati- tude and praise without ceasing.
Surely the memorable deeds which were then wrought, the lessons inculcated. the characters unfolded. the principles advanced, the traditions delivered, and the monuments bequeathed, should stimulate us and those who will come after us to lives of patriotism, of hon- · esty, of courage, and of virtue.
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OFFICERS
OF THE
CONFEDERATE SURVIVORS' ASSOCIATION.
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PRESIDENT, Colonel Charles C. Jones, Jr., KL. D.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT, Captain F. E. Eve. 1
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT, General M. A. Stovall.
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT, Hon: J. C. C. Black.
SECRETARY, F. M. Stovall, Esq.
TREASURER, Captain C. E. Coffin.
CHAPLAIN, Right Rev: E. G. Weed, S. T. D.
ASSISTANT CHAPLAIN, Rev : General C. A. Evans. SENTINEL, 1
Captain I. A Picquet.
FYS
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