USA > Pennsylvania > History of the First regiment infantry, National guard of Pennsylvania (Grey Reserves) 1861-1911, pt 2 > Part 27
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
Then the teacher. seizing this opportunity, may open the leaves of the life of the martyred President. and read as the conclusion of the matter:
"Let reverence of the law be breathed by every mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in the schools, seminaries and coi- leges; let it be written in primers, spelling books and almanacs; let it be preached from pulpits, proclaimed in legislative halls and enforced in courts of justice : in short, let it become the political religion of the nation."
By such teaching shall Liberty be preserved, and an answer be given to .the cry:
"God give us men. A time like this demands Strong minds. great hearts, true faith and ready hand -; Men whom the lust of office does not kill ; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a will : Men who have honor: men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking;
Tall men. sun-crowned, who live above the fog,'
In public duty and in private thinking. For while the rabble, with their thumbworn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish stride, lo! Freedom weeps. Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps."
There is an Eastern story of a child who saw a silver spangle lying in the sand. Picking it up. she found it was attached to a fine thread of gold.
41
642
HISTORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT, N. G. P.
1911
As she drew this out of the sand there were other spangles on it, and the filament seemed endless. She wound it about her head and about her neck. her arms and her body, until she was covered with resplendent gold and silver.
So when a child takes up the one spangle of patriotism, unalloyed by personal greed or petty jealousy. As he lifts it he finds it is attached to . filament of gold, and as he draws up this thread he finds other personal and civic virtues clinging to it, until when he has wound the golden thread around his mind and heart, lo! he has grown to be a man worthy of the name.
Mr. Commander, I do not mean to indulge in rhapsody or mere rhetoric. This scene to-night has a lesson, and should be a prophecy. The utilitarian sentiment of the age tends to deaden the ear to all save money and material good. There is something higher in life than accumulation of wealth-some. thing nobler than selfish indulgence-but the better nature must be fed, as is the physical man; the fires of patriotism must be kept kindled, the lesson- of home, of country, of honor, of patriotism of the flag, must be taught by song and story. The duties of citizenship must be impressed by precept and by example, and it is on us that the duty rests; it is to us the glad privilege is given of training and teaching those who minst soon be the lawmakers of our country and the defenders of its life.
To-night we are helped in duty and privilege by the donors of these por- traits, and while we gratefully accept the gifts, we congratulate them upon the embraced opportunity of aiding in the glorious work which has been suggested.
Gentlemen donors, the command salutes and thanks you for what you have done.
The most interesting and instructive lecture of Comrade A. F .. Watch, at the October meeting of 1895, on " A Personal Trip from Denmark to Russia," illustrated with stereopticon views, wa- listened to with appreciation. At the meeting of January, 1896. Col. Jos. R. C. Ward delivered his address, " General Meade. the Stonewall of Gettysburg."
Lieut .- Gen. Nelson A. Miles, commanding the Army of the United States, as the reviewing officer of the regiment on the anniversary parade of April 19, 1896, had been the guest of the . Veteran Corps at its banquet in the evening, which courtesy General Miles subsequently acknowledged, in a letter to Colonel Wiedersheim, as follows:
I am just in receipt of your letter of April 20th, and desire to express to you, and through you, to the Veteran Corps of the First Regiment, my appre- ciation of the kindness received at your hands during my recent visit to the City of Philadelphia. It has given me great pleasure to meet the members of your Corps, and I feel extremely indebted to you for having afforded mne the opportunity to do so.
Hoping for a renewal of those pleasant associations in the near future. I remain, etc.
During the month of May, 1896, a distinguished body of Military Surgeons of the United States held their annual session
4
643
DOINGS OF CORPS 1896-1898
1911
in Philadelphia, and the Veteran Corps was selected by the Gen- eral Committee, who had their entertainment in charge, to escort the body in its attendance at the reception given by the First Regiment at the Regimental Armory.
The Veteran Corps had been selected on September 3, 1896. by the Union League, to escort His Excellency. Viceroy Li Hung Chang, to the reception tendered him by that body, from his quar- ters at the Hotel Walton, to the Union League House. The Viceroy's other appointments, however, prevented his attendance.
The Veteran Corps, at the January meeting of 1597, extended to Comrade James Rankin Young its congratulations upon his election in the November previous to represent the Fourth Pen- sylvania District, in the House of Representatives of the United States, which Comrade Young subsequently acknowledged with grateful thanks and expression of high appreciation.
It was at the same January meeting that Maj .- Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland delivered, as an address, an instructive and valu- able contribution to the history of the times he knew so intimately, entitled, " Four Years in the Army."
On May 14, 1897, the Veteran Corps escorted President MeKinley from the Hotel Walton to the Union League, and after- wards assisted at the reception given him by that body on that occasion. This service the Union League subsequently acknowl- edged, through its Board of Directors, with a vote of thanks.
At the October meeting of 1897, Comrade William HI. Patter- son delivered an interesting historical address on the Artillery Corps of the Washington Grays, including an account of the First Regiment's connection with that organization. On this occasion the Corps was honored, through his acceptance of its invitation, by the presence of Maj .- Gen. Galusha A. Pennypacker, U. S. A .. retired, a distinguished officer of both the volunteer and regular establishments, but of special renown for his masterful and sue- cessful assault on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, as Colonel of the Ninety-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers.
At the January meeting of 1898, Mr. C. J. Hexamer delivered an instructive illustrated lecture entitled, "Views of Syria from the Saddle."
On February 22. 1898, upon the invitation of the Provost and Faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, the Veteran Corps
644
1911
HISTORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT, N. G. P.
escorted President William McKinley to the Academy of Music. where the President delivered the University's annual addres -. commemorative of the birthday of Washington.
The Spanish-American War, April to October, 1898, gave opportunity for a demonstration of the practical and purposeful usefulness of the First Regiment's Veteran Corps of a wider scope than had theretofore been afforded. The opportunity was promptly made effective.
The Armory Building, with all the property interests and belongings of the Regiment, during its six months' absence in the field, went to the custody and keeping of the Veteran Corps. through its officers, who by virtue of their offices were members of the corporation, the First Regiment Association, by whom it was safely and securely cared for. The welfare of the Regiment was carefully looked after, and families in need of help were relieved, whenever their wants were made known.
At the annual meeting, April 30, 1808, a special committee of eleven was appointed. " to take into full consideration what action shall be taken by the Corps in view of the present state of affairs in the country," with Col. R. Dale Benson as chairman, and Com- rades Sylvester Bonnaffon, Jr., C. Stuart Patterson, James Camp- bell Gilmore, James Hogan, William S. Poulterer, Alexander P. Colesberry, James W. Latta, William W. Allen, A. C. Rockhill, and Theo. E. Wiedersheim, commander, as members.
This committee held many sessions, had frequent interviews and exchanged considerable correspondence with the Government and State authorities, and the Regiment in the field. At all times ready to clothe and equip a regiment for active service, the Gor- ernment to supply the arms, ready with money and men for the organization of a new regiment, the emergency did not seem to immediately demand the authorization of any new regimental units. This conclusion was officially confirmed from Harrisburg. as stated in a letter to the chairman of the committee. from Adju- tant-General Stewart, to the effect that " The work of recruiting under orders from the War Department at this time is in line of recruiting the present company organizations in the service up to the required number. If new companies are to be recruited and added to regiments. your suggestion as to officers of the two com- panies to be added to the First Regiment will receive the most
.
1911
RECRUITING FOR FIRST REGIMENT
645
careful consideration by the Governor and Commander-in-Chief."
But a brief interval followed, when, upon the visit of the chairman of the committee. Colonel Benson, to the camp of the Regiment, at Mount Gretna, he was instructed by Lieutenant- Colonel Good, commanding. to immediately begin recruiting, largely directed in the beginning to fill vacancies in the ranks that followed rejections under the medical examinations that preceded the regiment's muster into the United States service. To the ful- tilment of these instructions the committee promptly directed its energies with most fruitful results. A sub-committee on recruiting was appointed, with Comrade J. Campbell Gilmore as its chair- man.
The first purpose was speedily accomplished, and within twenty-four hours one hundred and fifty men were sent to Mount Gretna to fill the vacancies caused by these rejections. Posters were placed on the bulletin boards of the different newspapers, and sign boards in front of the Armory, announcing that the First Regiment wanted desirable recruits. For the next two days re- eruiting continued actively, and the first detachment of one hundred and fifty was within that time followed by two hundred and twenty-five more men. And again responsive to further in- structions and in fulfilment of additional requisitions, before the 18th of June there had been forwarded to the headquarters of the First Regiment Infantry, Pennsylvania Volunteers, respec- tively, at Camp Hastings, at Mount Gretna, and Camp Thomas, at Chickamanga, Ga., a total of seven hundred and twenty-five men, recruited for the active command.
Sixteen hundred men had offered themselves. In the pro- liminary examination, single men only were accepted whose char- aeter and qualifications met the prescribed standards. Then fol- lowed the necessary physical examinations by Majors Charles S. Turubull and J. Wilkes O'Neill, surgeons, and Assistant Surgeon Thomas C. Potter, of the Veteran Corps, conducted under all the rigorous requirements of War Department standards. It may fairly be assumed that with such close and skillful scrutiny when these seven hundred and twenty-five men, selected from the sixteen hundred, reached the front, they were passed into the ranks with- out further depletion.
A special hospital train, from the University of Pennsylvania, ยท
-
646
1911
HISTORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT, N. G. P.
with Major Charles S. Turnbull, Surgeon, as the representative of the Corps, in charge, was sent on September 11. 1898, to Camp Poland, Knoxville, Tenn .. provided with all needed appointments for the transportation of such patients as most required home attentions. The train returned with fifty-one men from the regi- ment, many of them sorely ill: the recovery of all was hastened by the removal, and in not a few instances life was saved. Major Turnbull's comprehensive special report of the expedition is a valu- able contribution to the semi-official literature of the time.
The following acknowledgment and recognition of the appre- ciation of the Corps, unanimously adopted, was forwarded to the University of Pennsylvania :
To the Provost and the Board of Managers of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania :
We tender the cordial thanks of the Corps for your great kindness and tender eare of our comrades of the First Pennsylvania Volunteers. when your sixth hospital train brought up over fifty of them from Camp Poland, the Second Division Hospital at Knoxville. Tenn., and Chickamauga, Ga. Once turned toward home, every man commenced to improve, and thanks to the skill and attention of Dr. T. Mellor Tyson and his able corps of physicians and nurses, all made a phenomenally successful trip and have since continued to do well; it is furthermore
Resolred. That we again thank you for extending to Comrade, Surgeon Charles S. Turnbull. of the Veteran Corps, the courtesy of accompanying the train as our representative and express our appreciation of your prompt and generous response to the call of Col. J. Lewis Good for suceor for his suffering men of the First Penn-ylvania Volunteers.
The following correspondence and resolution incident to the tender of a hospital train by the German Hospital to bring home patients from the First and other regiments from the hospitals at Knoxville and vicinity, and an offer to subsequently care for the sick on their return, indieated the wide-spread patriotic desire of the philanthropie to be ever helpful :
PHILA., Sept. 9th. 1898.
COL. THEO. E. WIEDERSHEIM.
Commanding the Veteran Corps, First Regiment, N. G. P.
Dear Colonel: The German Hospital fakes great pleasure in offering a fully equipped train to bring home to Philadelphia and subsequently care for the sick boys of the gallant First or any others the Chief Medical Officer in charge may designate. Awaiting your command.
I am, yours very truly, (Signed ) JJOHN D. LANKENAU. President German Hospital.
647
1911
RESOLUTIONS
To the President and Board of Trustees of the German Hospital, of Philadelphia.
GENTLEMEN : At a stated meeting of the Veteran Corps of the First Regiment, N. G. Pa., held October 14th. it was unanimously
Resolved, We tender the thanks of the Corps not only for the great care of so many of our comrades who have been so successfully treated at your institution, but also for the generous offer of your President of a special German Hospital train to bring home from Knoxville, Tenn., the ill men of the First Pennsylvania Volunteers; it was further
Resolved, That we would express our thanks to the resident physicians and sisters of the German Hospital for their untiring devotion to, and cheer- ful nursing of, our siek soldier boys, and in assuring you of our appreciation wish to especially mention Drs. J. Allen and C. Wille. who, with the sisters, must be congratulated upon the happy results of the judicious management of their universally grateful patients.
The reception and escort furnished by the Corps upon the return of the regiment from its volunteer duty in the field, on September 18, was most memorable and successful. The appear- ance of both the uniformed and non-uniformned battalions; the character of the men parading, many of our leading citizens prominent in finance, law, mercantile and manufacturing pursuits, marched side by side, and showed the people of Philadelphia that the old-time members of the First Regiment, ever ready to give countenance, lend aid, and furnish support to the parent organization, now distinctively emphasized their purpose when it was in the service of the country as a body of United States Volunteers.
This briefly told story of the Veteran Corps' activities in the war with Spain appropriately concludes with the expression of appreciation and recognition by the First Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, United States Volunteers, of the Corps' services in its behalf, made manifest by the action of the Board of Officers just prior to the regiment's muster out of service.
HEADQUARTERS FIRST REGIMENT, PENNSYLVANIAA INFANTRY, U. S. VOLUNTEERS, Camp, Philadelphia, Pa., October 12, 1898.
At a meeting of the Officers of the First Regiment Infantry. U. S., Penna. Vols., held at the armory on the above date, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted :
Resolved, That the thanks of the officers be and are hereby extended, on behalf of the regiment, to the Veteran Corps of the First Regiment, N. G. P .. for the many kindnesses shown by them to the regiment while in the field, and for the escort upon the return of the regiment to its home station.
Resolred, That a copy of these resolution- be sent to the Veteran Corps, First Regiment, N. G. P.
-
618
1911
HISTORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT, N. G. P.
The Veteran Corps, by invitation of the Board of Directors, participated in the Union League's reception to President William McKinley and the officers of the Army and Navy of the United States, on the evening of Wednesday, October 26, 189>. the occasion of the great Peace JJubilee celebration, rendering such efficient service that the Board subsequently thanked the Corps by letter for its attentions.
Again, on April 27, 1899, the Veteran Corps, on the invitation of the Fairmount Park Art Association, acted as the escort of President William MeKinley from the Union League to the Academy of Music, to participate in the ceremonies there in con- nection with the unveiling of the General Ulysses S. Grant Equestrian Statue in Fairmount Park.
The distinguished guest of the evening at the Veteran Corps Union League Banquet, commemorative of the Regiment's Thirty- eighth Anniversary, April 19, 1899, was Captain, afterwards Rear-Admiral, Charles E. Clark, U. S. N. Captain Clark com- manded the U. S. S. Oregon on her famous voyage of unprec- edented speed from San Francisco through the Magellan Straits to the Florida coast. where, after joining the Atlantic Squadron. he put his ship into action, with telling effect in the Santiago sea fight, a few weeks later. Among other notables present on this occasion were the Honorable Wayne MacVeagh, ex-Minister to Italy, and ex-Attorney General of the United States, and former Mayors Edwin S. Stuart and Charles F. Warwick.
Mr. Charles J. Field, among the best remembered men for his continuous activities, died in full membership of the Veteran Corps, April 3, 1899. Mr. Field, a well-established business man of the prominent firm of Field & Hardie, beginning with the organization of the Regiment, faithful and efficient in all its campaigns, enterprises and undertakings, of conspicuous impor- tance in the Veteran Corps, a leader in commercial affairs, his advice asked, his aid sought, whenever patriotic purpose was to be accomplished or public service performed, his usefulness was universally recognized, and so testified the Veteran Corps in the testimonial adopted at the time of his decease.
On October 2. 1899, the Corps received the Ancient and Hon- orable Artillery Company, of Massachusetts, at the Reading Terminal. and escorted them to their quarters at the Continental Hotel. Upon their departure on the afternoon of the 4th. a
1911
SPEECH OF ADMIRAL SCHLEY
649
detachment of the Corps, with Captain Conrad in command, furnished the escort from the hotel to the Terminal.
At the quarterly meeting, October 13, 1899, Col. Robert B. Beath delivered a descriptive and instructive illustrated lecture on " Scotland, Its History and Romance."
The Annual Banquet of the Corps, April 19, 1900, the Thirty- ninth Anniversary of the Regiment, bears a conspicuous signiti- canee as commemorative of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the organization of the Veteran Corps. Initiative preparation had for something over a year preceded this event. Among other dis- tinetive features, a souvenir programme of ornate, costly, and appropriate design, containing in colors photographs of prominent officers, perpetuates its memory.
Col. John P. Nicholson, at the quarterly meeting, October 11. 1901, read his " Battle of Gettysburg," recognized and so men- tioned by Col. R. Dale Benson, himself a participant in the action. when he spoke to Comrade Hogan's motion proposing a vote of thanks as a production of eminent literary and historic value.
Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, U. S. N., renowned for his great sea fight at Santiago, that extinguished the fleet of his adversary, was received at the Pennsylvania Railroad Station on his arrival in the city, on the morning of April 19, 1902, by a committee of the Veteran Corps, lunched by the committee at the Union League; in the evening was the Corps' distinguished guest at its annual Union League banquet, commemorative of the regi- ment's forty-first anniversary. Admiral Schley's speech on that occasion, so appropriate, well timed, and felicitous, deserves a reproduction.
I have many, many pleasant memories of delightful Philadelphia. I11 your great and historic Commonwealth there is much to admire and applaud. The great names of your State from the earliest to the latest days of the Republic, in war and in peace, are ineffaceable in our history.
In forum or in field her sons will compare with the best anywhere. In business her citizens are progressive and prosperons. In the arts and sciences they are liberal, broad and up-to-date. In all professions her citizens from time immemorial have been famed, distinguished and learned.
The hospitality of her people is as wide as the borders of her State, and is limited only by the endurance of her guests. In war her people are quick to respond to the demands of duty, and on the battlefield her sons have ever been conspicnous. Her roll of honor will live always in the halls of fame.
Her National Guard is a eredit to her citizenry. The quality of its personnel is comparable to the best of European services in physique, and
650
HISTORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT. N. G. P.
1911
superior to most in intelligence. Your traditions are high and reach back in honorable connection to the earliest days of this grand Commonwealth.
So much is preserved here that is sacred in our history, I do not wonder at your patriotism. With such historical monuments as are reverenced here there is no lack of object lessons to the younger generations to follow the illustrious deeds of those who have gone before in the paths of duty and honor.
The worthy and dutifn! contribution of your regiment to the fame and glory of your State, and as well to the Republic, will always endure in the affectionate regard of our people. In your time and turn you have loyally fulfilled the highest and noblest tradition of our citizenry.
While such spirit prevails among our people, as I pray God it ever mny, the liberty of our people, as vouchsafed and declared by our fathers and defended with their life's blood, is secure forever to our blessed country.
Historical papers were read, respectively, at the October quarterly of 1902, by Past Commander John A. Wiedersheim, on " The Raid on Washington, D. C., by the Confederates Under General Jubal A. Early, in the Summer of 1864," and at the October quarterly of 1903. by Past Commander James W. Latta, on " An Uncut Leaf of Civil War Reminiscences."
In the fire at the armory building in May, of 1903, the damage to the property of the Veteran Corps was not serious, nor the loss heavy, adjusted by the insurance companies, and settled by the payment of the sum of $298.00.
The Veteran Corps' commemorative forty-third regimental anniversary banquet, April 19, 1904, had its significance in the presence on that occasion, as the distinguished guest, of Licut .- Gen. Adna R. Chaffee, commanding the Army of the United States.
It seems to have been a well accredited concession that much of the success that attended the Santiago Battle of July, 1898, a success that eventually forced the surrender of the Spanish Army, was due to the skill. strategy, tacties and tenacity of Maj .- Gen. Adna R. Chaffee. at that time a subordinate commander. General Chaffee, at the beginning of the Civil War, on his way to Columbus, Ohio, to enlist in a volunteer infantry regiment, whilst delayed by a change of train in an interior Ohio town, over-persuaded by the facile speech of a dapper young second lieutenant. a recruiting officer for the Sixth United States Cavalry, changed his purpose, went no farther, and promptly enrolled himself as a private soldier in the young lieutenant's regiment. Fortunate it was for the country, and for him too, that for a soldier of such vast pos- sibilities there had opened the far wider field for a demonstration of his capacity than could ever have followed a career in a regiment
-
651
FORTY-THIRD ANNIVERSARY BANQUET
1911
of volunteer infantry. His work was all his own, and from a private soldier in the ranks of the Sixth United States Cavalry, July 22, 1861, twenty-seven years in the same regiment, he was now, April 19. 1904. forty-three years afterwards, having passed through every grade and rank known to the service, the Lieutenant- General of the Army of the United States.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.