USA > Maine > First Maine bugle, 1890 (history of 1st Maine Cavalry) > Part 37
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FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
the old camp grounds and battle- fields. Following is a list of the comrades present :
Perry Arnold, Bangor. F. C. Adams, Lowell, Mass.
A. A. Burleigh, Houlton.
Oscar L. Bean, Monticello.
Geo. H. Briggs, Monticello.
Elijah H. Briggs, Monticello. Theodore J. Batchelder, Houlton.
Geo. Cary, Houlton. Geo. M. Case, New Gloucester.
J. P. Cilley, Rockland.
Sidney W. Clark, Masardis.
Llewellyn Copeland, Dexter.
H. R. Colesworthy, West Gorham.
E. C. Clifford, Bangor.
C. F. Dam. Portland. James Donnelly, Washburn.
J. B. Daley. Patten.
A. C. Drinkwater, Braintree, Mass.
E. B. Deering, Knightsville. Washington Daggett, Hodgdon.
J. M. Emery. Hampden.
John Emery, Hampden. Thomas S. Estabrooke, Houlton.
J. W. Freese, California.
S. A. Fuller, Hubbard, N. H.
G. W. Gray, Houlton. A. W. Ingersoll. Houlton.
C. N. Lang. Portland.
C. W. Lyons, Houlton.
Horatio S. Libby, Melrose, Mass.
Dennis Murphy, Skowhegan.
Alex. McDougal. Fort Fairfield. Laurel Monson, Houlton.
Sarge Mansur, Houlton.
C. H. Miller, Lincoln.
C. L. Packard, Orient. Melvin Preble, Bangor.
F. W. Pearce, Houlton.
Jona. T. Pollard, Masardis. George Prince, Boston, Mass. B. H. Putnam, Houlton. John L. Rogers. Fort Fairfield. George C. Randall. Washburn. S. B. Newbegin, Old Town.
William Small, Houlton. Rodney Sparrow, Portland. C. W. Skillings, Portland. W. R. Snow, Woodstock, N. B. F. J. Savage, Fairfield. C. O. Stone, Charlestown, Mass. S. K. Stetson, Houlton.
S. W. Smith, Skowhegan. Charles Smith, Skowhegan. Isaac Shields, Linneus. John P. Sheahan, Dennysville.
John E. Faulkner, Monticello.
Volney H. Foss, Bangor.
John McFarlin, Woodstock, N. B. A. D. French, Waltham, Mass. Charles R. Gould, Hampden.
S. E. Griffin, West Pembroke.
D. W. Gage, Cambridge, Mass. Stephen S. Goodhue, Haverhill, Mass.
George E. Goodwin, Skowhegan.
O. S. Haskell, Pittsfield. John E. Hart, Burnham. David H. Whittier, Athens. G. N. Harris. Boston, Mass. Frank H. Ingram, Houlton. C. E. Jacks, Boston, Mass. Sylvanus Judkins, Athens. W. A. Jordan, Bangor.
Edward Jordan. Bangor.
S. E. Keene. Lincoln Centre.
John Lovering, Houlton.
Frank Lewis, Orono. Chas. S. Luce, Monticello.
G. A. Savage, Fairfield.
Wm. Trimble, Calais.
E. P. Tobie, Pawtucket, R. I.
A. Young, Bangor.
Wm. Young, Boston. Mass.
E. C. Wilder, Calais.
John E. Ward, Calais.
Win. Weiler, Bangor.
Gilbert Wiggin. Winn.
Among those present who had not met with the boys before since the muster-out, was Capt. John W. Freesc, of Company A. and right royal were the greetings
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THE ASSEMBLY.
which he received. The captain has resided in California for years, and has thus been unable to at- tend the reunions. He looks the same as ever. and is as jolly, albeit he is suffering from illness, and came very near crossing the pon- toon bridge over the last river a few weeks before, by an accident.
Dr. J. P. Sheahan and Sergt. Sidney W. Clark told some good stories, and new ones, at the evening gathering, and both these comrades have promised to write the stories out for the benefit of the comrades. As every First Maine man always does as he agrees, the comrades may look for these stories in some future call of the BUGLE.
Perry Arnold, of Company C. was present, and looking as young as when in the field; indeed, it was remarked that he "looked young enough to be the son of himself."
Charles R. Gould, of Company A, was also present. He was wounded in the fight at St. Mary's Church, the bullet going through the centre of the chest to the back, and being cut out at the back. He has the bullet in his posses- sion now. He was an invalid for two years on account of the wound. This wound is not men- tioned in the History, by some inadvertence.
Augustus Young, of Company A, was at the reunion. He was within four feet of General Cille.
when the latter was wounded, in the fight at Middletown, in the spring of IS62.
Lieut. Edward Jordan does not look a bit older than when he stood picket near Bealton, in the spring of 1863.
The boys from Androscoggin county and vicinity were sadly missed, but they were excusable, as the attractions, social and busi- ness, of the State Fair, were very strong.
John A. Bryson & Son, photog- raphers, made some good pictures of the comrades and ladies grouped in the grove after dinner, and also of the "Sons of the First of Maine."
Capt. George Carey, of Com- pany K, also met with the boys for the first time since the war. He is a resident of Houlton, and a physician with an extensive practice. It was indeed pleasant to meet him, and we enjoyed a nice chat with him at his office.
The absence of " Jim " Wil- liams, of Company D, postmaster of the. regiment, was greatly de- plored, the comrades missing his voluble flow of fun, but this was compensated for in part, as will be seen by reading further.
Gen. J. P. Cilley, as usual, was busy with his duties as treas- urer, and his enjoyment of the pleasures of reunion must consist mainly in the consciousness of duty well done.
The following kind words are
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FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
from the Aroostook Times, and it is a pleasure to know that they are well deserved :
The Cavalry "boys " in the late re- union have set a good example by their sobriety and gentlemanly behavior during their stay, worthy of all com- mendation and praise, and they had a good time, too.
"Captain Jack " at the Houlton Re- union.
The tricks and manners of Charles L. Jacks, of Company A. (more familiarly known as "Cap- tain Jack") at the Houlton re- union, are worthy of notice by themselves. Comrade Jacks left his home in Boston with a deter- mination to furnish his share of fun for the comrades as well as to have a share himself. He suc- ceeded beyond all question. He watched anxiously while, on the train for the appearance of Com- rade " Jim " Williams, his chum in fun and frolic, but in this he was doomed to disappointment. as Jim for some reason did not appear. But instead of discourag- ing him, this only spurred him on to higher efforts. He felt, as he expressed it. that as Jim was not present he must take Jim's place. And he succeeded. He kept things lively on the train until it was somewhere near its destina- tion, when he penned and sent the following dispatch by tele- graph :
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WYTOPITLOCK, Sept. 9. To Chief of Police:
Lock up all chicken coops. First Maine Cavalry on a raid.
CHAS. E. JACKS, Co. A.
When the boys arrived at Houl- ton, they found this dispatch posted on the street corner, to their great amusement and to the amazement of the citizens of Houlton. The first afternoon Captain Jack distinguished him- self by appearing clad in a leather hunting suit, armed with a gun, disappearing in the distant woods, and along towards night re-ap- pearing with a solitary crow. The number of ways in which the boys averred that crow was killed would have made any one else vexed, but Captain Jack, in the consciousness of his own rectitude, took all their remarks calmly. simply pointing to the fact that there was the crow. This crow he mounted. and it was proudly borne aloft in a burlesque proces- sion, and triumphantly carried away with the returning comrades. That evening, comrade Jacks was somewhat under the weather and did not join in the out-of-door festivities, but added bis mite by firing salutes from the hotel as the procession departed and re- turned. The next morning he was up bright and early - before 'any of the comrades -- and prepar- ing for the pleasures of the day. Not half-a-dozen comrades bod made their appearance on the
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THIE ASSEMBLY.
hotel piazza before a strange ob- ject was seen approaching from the further corner of the square. This stranger had a decidedly grotesque appearance. It wore a very wide-brimmed hat, a jacket of immense checks in bright colors, hunting trousers, and moc- casins. It was armed with a very long-barreled gun and an old cutlass. It approached with a cautious, stealthy step, throwing its eyes warily in all directions as if looking for game or fearing a foc. It was cow-boy, scout, bunter-all in one. As it ap- proached nearer it was discovered that it was Captain Jack, and a shout greeted this discovery. For half an hour or more, in this strange garb and with this combination of strange manners, did he per- ambulate in the square, furnishing amusement to the fast-gathering crowd. As the stage-coach drove up to the hotel, he " held it up" in the most approved style, and turned the plunder over to the comrades with graceful dignity. All day long he was everywhere present, doing excellent work when needed. and keeping every one in good humor whether at work or at play. In the grove, at dinner and after, he performed good service and aided digestion by the fun he served with the food. Hle made himself generally useful, and sprinkled fun all along. He stopped his work and his fun to make a few earnest remarks on
the question of locality for the next reunion, and then returned to his fun, keeping an eye out always upon the business before the association. He was active and efficient in preparing the groups for the photographer, and in everything else. When the line was forming for the return to the village from the grove, he formed the famous "five spot," consisting of four sons of the First of Maine at the corners, and in the centre a daughter of one of the comrades, liberally decked with yellow ribbons and waving the stars and stripes, and this five spot led the procession and the band in fine style. Later in the afternoon, Captain Jack gave a wonderful display of horseman- ship in the square, with Captain Putnam's horse, of the most awk- ward sort, but never offensively awkward. But his great effort may be said to have been made in the evening. While the Houlton Band was giving an open-air con- cert in the square in front of the Snell House, Captain Jack ap- peared, bearing a hand-organ, and leading at the end of a chain, Dan Gage, grotesquely dressed as a monkey. To see the captain manipulate that hand-organ, and make that monkey perform by pulling the chain, would have cured the worst fit of blues that ever rested over a resident of Aroostook county. The fun grew fast and furious, and lots of it.
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FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
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Everybody had to laugh, but the captain kept a serious face and the monkey grinned and grimaced seriously. After a while, the organ-grinder and his monkey drew away from the hotel, when he found himself followed by a crowd of small boys. He stopped, set down his organ, and proceeded to deliver to those boys a lecture on astronomy -a lecture which one of the residents of Houlton pronounced wonderful. Indeed, so earnest was his talk, and so in- terested were the boys, that, as he concluded, they seriously and honestly thanked him for it, a proceeding which, he afterwards said, was so entirely unlooked for that it came near breaking him all up. An hour or more later, when called upon to speak at the gather- ing in Music Hall, Captain Jack arose to his feet and made the most earnest, eloquent, elegant address of the evening, upon the love of the comrades for each other, astonishing even the com- rades who thought they knew him well, and completely mystifying the good people of Houlton, who had enjoyed his pranks during the day and evening, and who looked upon him simply as a clown, though they had recognized the fact that whatever he did in the way of fun he did in a gentle- manly manner.
It should be stated that Captain Jack was ably seconded in his work of furnishing fun by com-
rade Daniel W. Gage, of Co. G, who was an excellent aid to an accomplished leader.
Our Trip to Houlton.
We are happy to say that we went to the reunion at Houlton, and that we took our two sons with us; also our niece from Portland. We enjoyed the re- union as much or more than any previous one which we attended, and we have missed only two of them. There was a spirit over it all, and a flavor to the greetings, the proceedings, the fun, and the formal exercises, which to us sur- passed everything before. . But it is not of this reunion we propose to speak. To write all that mem- ory brings up from it would fill all the pages of this Call and de- prive it of the variety which it is the purpose to give and which the comrades enjoy. A general idea of the reunion is given in this Call, and a full report will be given later. It is of the trip, or rather of the visit to Houlton, that We propose now to speak. First, let us say that we took our sons with us for the purpose of giving them some idea of the extent and beauty of the grand old State where their father was born, and of the woods and fields and hills of that State; and the ride from one end of the State to the other, and the rides about Houlton did this, sending them home with new ideas of Maine which they
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THE ASSEMBLY.
will always retain. Then we. wished them to be present at the organization of the "Sons of the First of Maine," and this wish was granted. So that though we were furthest from Houlton than any of the comrades, and took the greatest trouble to go, yet we are well satisfied with the trip.
We were so well pleased with Houlton and its surroundings that we decided to stay there a few days after the reunion, in order to see more of that grand country. So when the comrades left there on Friday morning, we remained behind. A large portion of that day was spent in the newspaper offices, assisting the editors in the preparation of their reports of the reunion. This was a good deal like work, but it was well worth doing, in order that the comrades might have the pleasure of reading full and correct reports, and it more than paid in courtesies we subsequently received from the editors. By the middle of the afternoon this work was over, and we took a drive into the country, accompanied by Mrs. Munson, wife of comrade Mun- son, and by comrade A. C. Drink- water and wife, who also remained over one day. The ride was a beautiful one, with grand scenery all around, and with evidences of thrift everywhere. It looked odd to see, here and there, men en- gaged in digging potatoes, and picking them up - not into bas-
kets in the old way, but into barrels. This digging potatoes by the barrel was new to us, but is the custom in that great potato country. Right here it may be said that three thousand barrels of potatoes were sold in the square at Houlton that very day, and a like quantity the next day, while we were told that fifty thousand barrels had been sold there in a single day. After enjoying a ride of about five miles, we turned into the woods and in a few moments were very much surprised, in spite of the general orders issued in the winter of 1862-3, making it a serious offence for a cavalryman to be surprised. Way up there in the woods, one hundred and seventy-five miles from a daily paper, and ninety miles from salt water, was a cozy little summer resort, on the borders of a beauti- ful lake, with handsome and taste- ful cottages all about, with row- boats, sail-boats, and a steam-boat on the lake, with swings and other amusements, and with an attract- ive building for dinners, dancing parties, etc. It was a complete surprise. Why, it had seemed to us that Houlton itself, with its pleasant drives, its grand scenery, and its pure air, was a good enough summer resort for any one, and we had seriously considered making it the Mecca of our summer vacation hopes; but here, close by, was a veritable "shore re- sort." A row across the lake, an
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FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
outside inspection of some of the cottages, including one of logs which cannot be surpassed any- where, and we left this charming spot even before we had fully re- covered our surprise at finding it there. We continued the drive a few miles further, returning by another road, finding new pleas- ures, new scenes of interest, all the way.
Saturday, with our little family, we drove to Woodstock, in the Queen's dominions, and looked over the town with a good deal of interest. 'It was strange to see a fountain in the square, surmount- ed by a crown and dedicated to " Her Majesty Queen Victoria," and, to see the names " Queen Street," "King Street," " Bank of London," etc., but otherwise the town did not appear to be much different from Maine towns, except that there was a dull, dead appearance over all -- a remark- able absence of life and energy. Two of the comrades are in busi- ness there - John McFarlin of Co. D, and William R. Snow of Co. E. We met the former on the street, and had quite a chat with him, but the latter was out of town that day. We purchased a dozen "Woodstock pipes" here for comrade friends at home, in memory of the days in the service when this kind of a pipe was a prize eagerly sought. A few hours here, and a dinner in this foreign town, and we returned to
Houlton, every moment of the drive and of the visit having been pleasant, with only three dollars to pay for a span of horses and a carriage all day long.
The next day, by invitation of George H. Gilman, of the Aroos- took Pioneer, we spent in the woods, gloriously. The weather looked somewhat threatening in the morning, but the ladies of the party were firm in the belief that it was not going to rain, and their faith triumphed, much to our pleasure. The party consisted of Mr. Gilman and wife, Frank Rogers and wife, and our little family. The teams were loaded with mysterious looking bundles, and the party set out before eight o'clock. The ride was a pleasant one of course - all rides in the vicinity of Houlton are pleasant -- and in due time Corcoran's lake was reached. This lake is in Tit- comb, within sight of Smyrna. The horses were stabled, a tire- place of rocks was made and an ample quantity of wood provided. when the ladies prepared for their duties and pleasures on shore, and the men started out in a boat to catch some of the pick- erel for which this lake is famed. As this is not a " fish story," it may be said that it was not a good day for fishing, the wind blowing too strongly, and only one was caught -- a lonesome perch, which was hooked by a man from Rhode Island. But the stories of the fish
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THE ASSEMBLY.
that had been caught in that lake
were very encouraging. This sort of thing began to grow some- what monotonous after lines had been cast pretty nearly all over that lake, and the fishermen re- turned to shore. In due time the picnic dinner, prepared by the ladies, was served, and never was dinner in the woods more enjoyed. There was chicken stew, of the best; green corn, the finest eaton this year; hot coffee - in short, everything a hungry mortal could ask for. It was a grand dinner. After dinner we were content to lie on a blanket and gaze upon the beautiful scenery all around, but the other males wanted some hunting. Into the woods they went, and soon the reports of guns came from the woods. In half an hour they returned with six plump partridges, as the re- sult of their brief period of sport. There was more hunting during the afternoon, but no more suc- cess. The drive back to Houlton was pleasant, and well rounded out a complete day in the woods. It was a day long to be remem- bered. The next morning we left Houlton on our homeward way, carrying with us the pleasantest of memories of the place, the peo- ple, and the surroundings, with a feeling that it would be pleasant to remain there always, and a strong hope to be able to pay another visit at no distant day.
During this whole trip we felt
as young as thirty years ago, and we thought we must look young, when a lady at the hotel inquired of our niece if the three fellows (meaning our two sons and our- self ) with her were her brothers. Well, the fine weather, the bracing air, the meetings and greetings of the comrades, the kindness of the people, the pleasant drives, the quarters and rations at the Snell House, the charming scenery, pleasant thoughts, everything, tended to make one feel, look and act young.
We wish to return our thanks to the comrades residing in Houl- ton, to the editors of the Pioneer and Times, and to the people we met, for their courtesy and kind- ness and their successful efforts to make our stay pleasant. To Mr. and Mrs. Gilman are thanks especially due for pleasures given us from the first day to the last of our stay.
God bless Houlton and its peo- ple.
The Ladies' Auxiliary.
The sixth annual reunion of the Ladies' Auxiliary was held at Houl- ton, and the meeting was called to order by the secretary, Miss Grace Eveleth Tobie. of Portland, Me. Mrs. Susie Drinkwater was elected President pro tem.
It was voted to draw resolutions of sympathy on the death of the president of the society, Mrs. E. P. Tobie, of Pawtucket, R. I.
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FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
It was voted to hold the next reunion at the same time and place as the First Maine Cavalry Association, and to extend thanks to the people of Houlton for the cordial welcome to and entertain- ment of the society.
The following officers for the coming year were elected :
President, Mrs. Laurel Mon- son, Houlton.
Vice-President, Mrs. Volney H. Foss, Bangor.
Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Grace Eveleth Tobie, Port- land.
Fourteen were admitted to membership.
We had the pleasure, during a recent visit to Portland, to be shown about the Grand Army Ilall of Bosworth Post, and were gratified to see à handsome me- morial window in memory of our loved comrade, Sergt. Winsor B. Smith of Co. K, and also to find upon the walls of the cozy hall a fine, large portrait of Com- rade Smith, while in one of the reception rooms, carefully pre- served in a substantial case, was the old battle flag of the regiment, presented to the regiment by citi- zens of Portland, which was Ser- geant Smith's special care until he died. These facts will be grati- fying to every comrade of the regiment.
In the next Call of the BUGLE will be the second sketch of the series entitled, " After Appomat- tox," by Major Henry C. Hall, which will treat of Judge Cox and Col. Ball-the loyal judge and the Black Horse Cavalry.
Attention is called to the letter headed "Bowdoin Boys in Labra- dor." It will be of particular inter- est to the sons of the comrades, as it is written by a son of Gen. Cilley, who spent the summer on the coast of Labrador with the Bow- doin College Scientific Expedition and it contains many facts of geu- cral historical interest. Young Cilley is one of the vice-presidents of " The sons of the First of Maine."
The following three items are taken from The Piscataquis Ob- server of August 13th, 1891.
The Maine division in the grand parade formed on John street, and at the time appointed to repair to that point it looked as though the Pine Tree State would not show up very well, as Gen. Cilley of the First Maine Cavalry and our distinguished townsman, A. M. Warren, were the only ones to follow the colors from headquarters; but they all got there and made a very good show- ing.
The First Maine Cavalry was well represented in the parade. forming the larger part of the second platoon, with Gen. Cilley on the right.
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THE ASSEMBLY.
Gen. Smith, now Colonel of the Nineteenth United States Infantry, and stationed at Fort Wayne, had the forces under his command re- viewed by the Secretary of War, Monday. Gen. Alger and Ex- President Hayes were present, with Generals Cilley and Beal, of Maine, and a good delegation from Gen. Smith's old regiment, the First Maine Cavalry. Gen. Alger took the Secretary of War and all guests to Camp Sherman in his beautiful steam yacht " Vita." Gen. Smith also enter- tained members of the First Maine Cavalry at his residence at Fort Wayne.
The famous First Maine Cav- alry held a large reunion for a regi- ment one thousand miles from home, some twenty-two comrades being present, General Smith General Cilley and Lieutenant Andrew being among the num- ber. Gen. C. HI. Smith, Nine- teenth United States Infantry, stationed at Fort Wayne, invited his old comrades and all their representatives from Maine to at- tend a dress parade of the Regu- lars in the morning, which they accepted .- National Tribune.
Col. J. B. Peaks, of Dover, has not recovered from his throat trouble, from which he has been suffering nearly a year and may have to go South to recover from it fully. Although the trouble is
not attended with any pain, he is more or less hoarse all the time, and any considerable use of his voice aggravates the difficulty .- Bangor Commercial, Aug. 16, 1891.
A wedding of interest to Grand Army and Relief Corps workers, particularly of Iowa and Ohio, was that on June 9th, 1891, in Rus- sel Street Baptist Church, Colum- bus, the couple being Rinnie C. Holliday, Past Department Senior Vice President, W. R. C., of Steubenville, O., and Col. M. T.V. Bowman, of Des Moines, Iowa, late commissary of the First Maine Cavalry. After a sum- mer's sojourn in Maine they will take up their abode in the Colonel's delightful home in Des Moines. The bride was the widow of the late Col. Holliday, of Steubenville, O., a woman of lovely character and many accomplishments, and one who has stood very high in Grand Army and Relief Corps circles in the Buckeye State. She is warmly commended to her Iowa sisters .-- National Tribune.
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