USA > New York > Wayne County > Military history of Wayne County, N.Y. : the County in the Civil War > Part 34
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" Officers and Soldiers : In behalf of your old friends and neighbors, I bid you a cordial welcome home again. In their behalf, I congratulate you that in the good providence of God, you have returned safely from the perils of the camp and battle-field, to the peaceful walks and duties of life. If ever soldiers deserved well of their countrymen, yours is a claim which your fellow-citizens are proud to acknowledge. And, on this day, it is our pleasant duty to tender you this public tribute to your services. It will ever be remembered to your honor, that yours was the first company from this immediate vicinity to enlist in the grand army of the Union. Two years have elapsed since we bid you God speed in the glorious work you had undertaken. And an honorable discharge now awaits you, as patriot soldiers, who have dared everything and endured every- thing, in the glorious defense of our country's unity. For those two years we have watched your course with the deepest interest. And now that it is completed, we can only look back upon it with feelings of perfect satisfaction. We welcome you home, then, as trusty champions of a most sacred cause -- a cause that may well demand our services till the right-our country's right-is fully and uncompro- misingly vindicated. It is true, that as yet, peace does not reward your toil. It is true, that your country smiles her gracious approval upon you, even through her tears. It is true that even now, with the shouts of welcome ringing in your ears, there mingle the notes of sterner conflict still before us, to which you may again be called. But you have done your duty well. The work you enlisted for has been well performed. And when your country gathers the laurel for her victorious sons, you will not be overlooked.
" But with those laurels must be twined the grateful memory of the departed-of those brave comrades who went forth with you to battle, and who perished in the fight. In looking over your ranks we miss the well-known forms of those young spirits, whose opening manhood has been offered on their country's altar. Their sweet remem-
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
brance hallows with a sad solemnity to-day's rejoicings. Doubtless there are those around us here, whose hearts have been wrung by the desolation brought upon them by this fearful war. Let such have our truest sympathy, and let them be well assured, that their dead are held in honored recollection. We cannot soon forget the names of Allee, of Dunn,of Gaul,of Holmes, of McElwain, of Metzker, of Seavy, of Mills, of Keesler, of Morey, of Andrews, of Brink, of Hennegan, and of Strickland.
" They have died for their country-but we still live. Let us see to it, soldiers, that we live as patriots. The voice of our brothers' blood crieth to us from the ground to quit us like men, and be strong in this crisis of our Nation's history. We are wrestling with the mighty demon of Rebellion that tears and rends us sore, and no gentle exorcisms will cast it out. But, if true to ourselves, we shall, with the blessing and help of Almighty God, drive out forever this disquiet- ing spirit. This state of conflict-of seeming overthrow and discomfiture-may be only a step in the development of our political progress. Whatever we may lose in this fiery trial, we shall gain self-denial, self-sacrifice, and the bold daring of patriotism and soldiership. What we want, what we are struggling for, is a restored Nationality-one whole and undivided Union-with a strong, common, constitutional life-a national unity. And what we are struggling for, we are sure to obtain by the *blessing of Heaven, if we are in earnest, and if, joining hand to hand, we bear, cheerfully and uncomplainingly, the burdens and exactions of the war.
" What are the rewards of industry, the gains of com- merce, the success of trade, and even the life and blood of our men to the glorious work of restoring peace and union to our beloved country ?
" Officers and Soldiers : It is because you have had a share in this great work, that we welcome you to-day. It is because you have been fighting to defend us in our property and homes, that we thus tender you a most grateful welcome. Happy families are waiting to receive you-happy hearts are waiting to embrace you. Prize them as among earth's best treasures ; and in the duties and felicities of those happy homes, see to it that you show yourselves Christian men and Christian patriots.
" The procession then entered the hall and sat down to the refreshment tables, which had been laid for nearly four hundred persons, and after grace by Rev. Mr. Thomsen, half an hour more was spent in the enjoyment of the colla- tion. 'The boys' sat at the tables with their parents, wives and friends, and ate with a will ; while the merry jest, hearty
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
laugh and glowing countenance, demonstrated the fact that they were pleased with and highly enjoyed that portion of their reception quite as well as any other. The tables were beautifully ornamented with bouquets of flowers, and the hall tastefully trimmed with evergreens -- the handi-work, need we say, of our patriotic ladies? In the centre of the ' soldiers' table' was an urn, upon which was a flag, with the motto ' To the memory of the Brave;' and just over- head was a handsome banner bearing the words 'Welcome Home ! '
" After the collation, (which was very agreeably inter- rupted by the appearance of a suspicious-looking basket,- an ' original package' evidently,-a present to the Colonel from Caleb Rice, Esq., -- and the distribution of the contents of said 'package,' several patriotic pieces were sung by a Quartette under the direction of Prof. Tillotson, which were enthusiastically cheered by the assemblage. A beauti- ful piece-called 'A Song,' but worthy of a better title- composed for the occasion by Mrs. Anna R. Halliday, of this village, and dedicated to the Twenty-seventh, was among the number. It was sung in the good old tune of the Star-Spangled Banner. We publish the words of this piece below :
A SONG.
AIR :- " Star-Spangled Banner."
" Let shouts of rejoicing burst forth on the air, And each soul sing a hymn to the God of Creation, Let the Stars and the Stripes that so proudly we bear, Wave o'er the brave heroes, who fought for their Nation. Through battle's red flame, have they won a proud name, And ages unborn will yet herald their fame,
While the emblem of glory the Laurel shall wave, Triumphantly wreathing the brow of the brave.
" When the war-cry for freemen was heard through the land, Like the Sires of our Country, they nobly defended The Altar of Liberty, blest be that band Whose conflicts and dangers, we trust are now ended, Whose firesides were won by our great Washington,
Let praises be given for the work they have done. And the emblem of glory the Laurel shall wave, Triumphantly wreathing the brow of the brave.
" May the wailing of sorrow that comes from afar On the wings of the breeze, for the loved ones who, sleeping, Repose 'neath the beams of yon bright Southern star,
Be hushed for a time, and sad eyes cease their weeping. Let happy hearts blend, in a joy that ne'er ends, For the Soldier's return to his home and his friends,
Though the Cypress its branches may mournfully wave, With the Laurel that droops o'er some far Southern grave."
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
" Rev. Mr. Brown then offered thanks in a Dismissory Prayer, which was followed by the Benediction, by Rev. Mr. Montgomery, after which the crowd dispersed, the soldiers seeking their respective homes; and thus ended the reception.
"So terminated the proceedings of an occasion more magnificent in its outward features, and grander in its moral aspect, than Lyons ever saw in all her previous history. We have but feebly depicted it; the thousand incidents which contributed to its sublime effect, and wrought the intense emotion connected with it, could not be caught, and cannot be preserved, as we wish they might be, for history.
"The Twenty-seventh Regiment, in which Company B has an honorable place, has been in most of the important battles fought on the soil of the State of Virginia, and has acquitted itself, as all know, with credit to the members thereof, and to the respective towns in which its companies were recruited. Many who left Elmira with the Regiment, have found a soldiers' grave, and many are home maimed for life. A fitting reception of the survivors of our own company was not only proper, but imperative, and we are pleased to know that all who witnessed the ceremonies of Wednesday, unite in pronouncing them at once appropriate and imposing."
Company B, of the Thirty-third, returned to Palmyra and was received as shown in the following account from the Courier, of that village :
THE RETURN OF COMPANY B, THIRTY-THIRD INFANTRY.
At last two years of service for this company were finished. They had been full of toil and strife, full of privation and hardship.
Palmyra had sent them forth with loyal wishes, with hopes strong and bright. She had bid them stand for the defense of the Union, bid them fight for home and country. Upon them were invoked the richest blessings of heaven, and during all these months Palmyra had never blushed for her sons upon the battle-field. They were now coming home, and it was meet that Palmyra should welcome them with glad acclaims, with an ovation worthy of their heroic services and worthy of the national cause for which they had fought.
The regiment reached Elmira Sunday noon, May 17th, 1863. Company B left that city on Wednesday morning,
27
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
and reached Rochester ·to connect with the train due at Palmyra at II:26 A. M.
Long before that hour the people from the surrounding towns began to pour into the village. At half past ten the procession composed of the Fire Department, the village government, the Palmyra band, the citizens of Palmyra and of neighboring towns formed, under the marshalship of Major J. A. Holmes and his assistants, Chase and Ferrin. It marched to the depot to receive the company. The crowd there was immense, reaching as high as two thousand, but the most perfect decorum prevailed, and the orders of the marshal were strictly obeyed. The train was promptly on time, and as it neared the depot the enthusiasm of the crowd became intense. All order and arrangement were for the moment set aside and a general rush made by the crowd to grasp by the hand the returned volunteers. This confusion, however, was very brief, and the procession was at once formed and marched to the Fair Grounds, in the fol- lowing order :
I. Police.
2. President and members of the village Board.
3. Committee of arrangements.
4. Clergy and Speaker.
5. Palmyra Band.
6. Company B.
7. Disabled volunteers and soldiers of 1812 and the Mexi- can War in carriages.
8. Fire Department in uniform.
9. Masonic Order.
IO. Citizens.
All along the route the utmost enthusiasm was apparent. The streets were lined by an eager multitude of citizens, and the dwellings presented a gay and animated appearance. Arriving at the Fair Grounds the procession proceded to the rear of the building, where the company was drawn up in line and welcomed home in a few appropriate remarks by John Gilbert, Esq. He said :
· " Soldiers of Company B, of the Immortal Thirty-third-It is one of the proudest duties of an enlightened and patriotic people to welcome to the paths of peace those who periled their lives in the defense of a common country. The same spirit of exalted patriotism that arouses communities from
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
the securities of peace to meet and grapple with alarming national exigencies, at the same time dictates to them the important and welcome duty of meeting these illustrious persons upon the very threshold of the social enclosure. Rome, whose invincible armies penetrated to the very heart of the then civilized world, spreading desolation over a wondering continent, always welcomed her returning sons with the voice of eloquence and the soul of song. But we ask for no precedent to establish the entire propriety of our humble endeavors to-day ; it requires no allusions to the past, no anticipations of the future to prompt the citizens of Palmyra to pour out the gratitude of hearts quickened to a lively sensibility by the recollections of a campaign that has desolated, alas, many a heart, and many a hearth-stone.
"Contending manfully within sight of the spot hallowed by the dust of Washington, around you have surged the billows of the most unnatural strife that ever called forth the passions of men. Still you have been calm amid dangers, unflinching and determined in the very face of death, and true to the last. No higher or brighter laurels shall crown the brows of any of the six hundred thousand that to-day with bristling bayonets frown down upon the enemies of our country, than you have won. But what words are necessary to welcome to the hearts and arms of this com- munity the defenders of her dignity upon the battle field ? What voice can tell the deeds of heroism that for two years-the most eventful of American history-have given us security at home, while danger and death have been their companions abroad ? No, it is the consciousness of duties performed in obedience to the dictates of a lofty patriotism that brings to you the truest welcome; and I may say here, that it is through the daring, the endurance, aye and the blood too, of just such men as these that we may hope for a future national existence ; all that patriotism can dictate, or human energy perform, life, treasurc, the hopes of youth and the fears of age, are centered in those grim ranks, though shattered and broken, that to-day stand the guardians of the welfare of a mighty people; ranks that shoulder to shoulder with yourselves have calmly brushed death aside on many a bloody field. The sacred recollections that cling to the fields of Antietam, Fair Oaks, Yorktown, and Fredericksburgh, fields where to-day bleach the whitened bones of many of your former comrades, must grow fresh and beautiful with age, and even as to-day we point to the hallowed dust of our revolutionary defenders, will future generations turn and venerate the urns in which repose the ashes of the heroes who saved us in this our second peril.
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
" Citizens of Palmyra. Give us then but the simple expressions of your surcharged hearts, to welcome back to the places that once knew them, the remnant of that heroic band that has for two years been the object of more than parental solicitude. And here while the mild influences of spring are decking the earth with the annual evidences of returning life and freshness, while nature is all that is invit- ing and beautiful around us, do we offer to you, volunteers, the welcome of honest, earnest and grateful hearts."
The reporter did not catch and fasten for the use of the future historian, the response of Colonel Corning. He spoke with honorable pride of the gallant services of his command, recounted some of the achievements that had rendered their career memorable, and alluded in tender, pathetic words, to those who had fallen in the strife.
Captain Draime, the bronzed veteran, was called for, and made a patriotic speech. He set forth, in plain terms, the extent and the horrors of this unholy rebellion, and declared his intention to organize another company and again enter the service in defense of the Constitution.
Lieutenant John J. Carter was also presented to the assemblage, and elicited hearty applause by his scholarly and appropriate remarks.
The tables spread for the returning soldiers, extended through the entire length of the hall, and were loaded with all the delicacies that the most thoughtful hand could provide. As the doors were thrown open, the beauty and loveliness of Palmyra were in waiting to receive the brave boys. Fair hands assisted them to places around the sump- tuous board, and with assiduous attention, saw every want supplied. From the moment the day of arrival had been announced, the ladies had been untiring in their efforts to make the welcome home a success. Long will the brave boys of Company B hold in kindly remembrance the gallant ladies of Palmyra. Amid all this rejoicing, there was an undertone of sadness which pervaded every heart, as they compared the full ranks of the company that marched so proudly forth, two years ago, with the thinned ranks that now returned. How many homes had been made desolate, how many hearts crushed by the loss of some loved one. Bennett, Gardner, Knowles and Deyoe had perished on the battle field, and ten others had died of disease.
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
The following letter, though written some months later, may appropriately appear in this connection :
" WASHINGTON, D. C., November 20th, 1863. " Miss Nottingham and Ladies of Palmyra :
" I intended to have returned this flag in person to the ladies of Palmyra, but a severe illness and my entering the service on my recovery prevented my doing so. I thank them in behalf of the boys of Company B, not for the flag alone but for the many comforts received from time to time, prepared by their fair hands, which gave us patience to endure the hardships of camp life and courage in the deadly conflict, knowing and feeling that the noble ladies of Pal- myra were ready and anxious with heart and hand to con- tribute to our comforts.
" I am not a speech maker-for your sakes I wish I was. But accept a thousand thanks in behalf of officers and men of Company B. Whenever you gaze on this flag, though not as bright and beautiful as when its folds first kissed the breeze beneath your father's trees, may it ever give you pride and pleasure to know that it was never stained with rebel blood, nor polluted with a traitor's touch.
" Again thanking you, and hoping that when this cruel war is over, we may meet again.
I am yours respectfully, H. J. DRAIME,
Late Captain Company B, Thirty-third Regiment."
The files of the Newark Courier not having been found for examination, the following brief notice of the return of Company I, of the Seventeenth, is taken from the corres- pondence of the Lyons Republican :
RECEPTION OF COMPANY I, SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT.
" This gallant Company, the first that went from this town two years ago, returned home on Wednesday, June 10th, 1863. The two Fire Companies, Hook and Ladder Com- pany, the Cornet Band, and hundreds of citizens met them at the depot, and escorted them to the village of Newark, where they were addressed in a patriotic reception speech, by Professor Steele, then the Principal of the Union School in Newark, but formerly a Captain of a volunteer company from Oswego county, and who was wounded in the battle of Seven Pines. The following is the address :
" Officers and Men of Company I :- To me is assigned the pleasing task of addressing you in behalf of your assembled neighbors, friends and kindred. We bid you a hearty welcome home; home from the toils and dangers of camp ; home to the quiet and rest of your peaceful firesides.
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
" During the years of your absence from your homes, there have been vacant seats at the table, vacant chairs at the hearth-stone, vacant positions in society. The rushing tide of life has not closed in upon the places you once occupied. They have been kept sacred for the defenders of our country. We hail your return to your former associations and friends.
" You went out from us fresh from the plow, the desk and the bench. You return to us war-scarred veterans. Your valor and patriotism have been tried in the dreadful shock of battle, and have not been found wanting. The record you have made is honorable to yourselves and to us. Newark is proud of such heroic sons. We have followed your military career with admiration. We have seen you, in imagination, standing amid the fierce hurricane of battle, heedless of the leaden storm, jealously guarding the honor of your flag, and like a wall of iron receiving the fiercest attacks of the foe. This baptism of fire, while it has sanctified your patriotism and attested your valor, has filled our hearts with joy and pride. We welcome your return beneath the folds of that glorious old flag you have so gallantly defended. Long may it wave over what we may now, more emphatically than ever before, believe to be
" The home of the brave and land of the free.
" But our joy at your return is mingled with grief. As we look over your thinned ranks, the proof of your loyalty and devotion, we miss many familiar forms. The place of your gallant leader is vacant. He whom to-day we would delight to honor, has fallen. He died a soldier's death, with his face to the foe. Captain Wilson, the agreeable compan- ion, the sympathizing friend, the brave soldier, the accomp- lished officer, the hero, the patriot, is no more, save in our reverent memory of his virtues and valor. We to-day would cast the green wreath of our sincerest sympathy and condolence upon the new made graves of your honored dead. They moulder in soil all unworthy of the dust of freedom's sons. How vain are words to express our debt of gratitude to those who have given their lives in defense of our dearest rights-our homes, our altars and our sires !
" How sleep the brave, who sink to rest, By all their country's honors blest! When Spring, with dewy finger cold, Returns to deck their hallowed mould, She there shall dress a sweeter sod Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. By fairy hands their kneel is rung; By forms unseen their dirge is sung; There Honor comes, a pilgrim gay, To bless the turf that wraps their clay, And Freedom shall awhile repair, To dwell a weeping hermit, there
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
" May that God whose battles they fought, impress upon our minds the immortal principles for which they suffered, bled and died.
" By our words of cheer and welcome we would in some measure, heal the wounds that war has made. We sympa- thize with your sorrows, lament your dead, honor your patriotism, respect your bravery, rejoice at your escape ·from the thousand perils of camp and field, and will aid you in keeping ever green the memory of the immortal 'Seven- teenth.' In the sincerity and heartiness of our reception, forget, we pray you, the hardships of the soldier's life-the lonely picket, the damp bivouac, the forced march, the headlong charge, the dull monotony of camp,-and remem- ber only that, crowned with the brave man's laurels, you are home at last, among friends beneath the 'dear old flag " of our Union."
The Company responded in a very touching and interest- ing speech, made by the Rev. Mr. Shumway, and a Poem, by Miss F. H. Sheffield, was read; and after partaking of some refreshments, provided by General Barney, a general congratulation and warm shaking of hands ensued, and then all dispersed to their homes.
Their noble Captain, Andrew Wilson, fell at the second battle of Bull Run, and his grave is among his friends in the eastern part of this State.
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURGH.
At this time mingled joy and sorrow were carried into every town of the county by the news of the victory of Gettysburgh. It was true the rebels had been defeated. They had made a bold push for success by invading the North. To make our own soil the theatre of this contest seems to have been a favorite theory of the Confederate leaders. Accordingly they had dashed into the rich valleys of Pennsylvania ; levied forced contributions upon York, Carlisle, and other towns; fed their starving men from the abundant granaries, and for a few days apparently moved on " conquering and to conquer." Their cavalry swept up to within three miles of Harrisburgh, the capital of the State. The specie in the banks of that city was removed to Philadelphia ; other valuables were also carried there, and men in many cases sent their families to a place of greater
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MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
safety. But the brave army of the Potomac was soon fol- lowing upon their track. A battle was a necessity for both armies. General Lee was obliged to hazard all this brilliant scheme of invasion upon the result of a decisive blow.
It was a supreme hour to him and to his cause, no less than to General Meade and to the Union. To win a battle then and there-to annihilate the Union army-was to open. to General Lee the gates of Philadelphia, with far-reaching and incalculable results. General Lee was compelled to halt his advancing forces and offer battle to General Meade.
To the Union army a battle was a necessity. If the victorious career of the rebel forces was not checked then and there, no man could predict the events of the future. Had General Lee won a decisive victory at Gettysburgh, and then attempted a further movement northward, doubt- less there would have been an immediate rallying of such immense forces of militia or of volunteers, that his progress would still have been checked, but the moral effect of a Confederate victory at Gettysburgh would have been dis- astrous in the extreme. Foreign nations might gladly have seized the opportunity to recognize the rebel government and given them material aid.
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