USA > Pennsylvania > History of the twenty third Pennsylvania volunteer infantry, Birney's zouaves 1861-1865; comp. by the secretary > Part 26
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For this reason my resignation severs my connection with the service, but I should trample upon the most sacred emotions did I depart from among you in silence. We began our march and have traversed our fields together ; when we lay down one sky covered,
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and one flag protected us ; and when we arose, it was to the notes of the same reveille. Your toil has been my toil, and your battles mine. To Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Williamsport and Fredericksburg, our memories revert together, as to the fields hallowed by the bravery and the blood of our Brigade. Soldiers' graves are there, filled with our dead, and we, their survivors, bear their names upon our hearts, where too, their praises are inscribed.
Soldiers, for your country have you borne all, perilled all, suffered all ; and for that country you will still bleed and endure, till you have seized from the teeth of this monstrous rebellion the dear inheritance of your children-one name, one country, one home.
I shall not be with you, nor shall I strike at your side. But whenever, in other fields, bending PHILIP STENGEL, Sergeant Co. A. beneath grievous burdens, I am weary or faint, one thought of you, brave hearts, shall revive resolu- tion and re-invigorate effort in our common cause.
You are of the Army of the Potomac. High hopes rest upon you, and fervid prayers supplicate your success. Objects of hope, and subjects of prayer, comrades in arms, your future is fraught with the destinies of the coming generations. Though sometimes checked, yet never defeated ; though sometimes baffled, yet never beaten, the victories of your past are still within hail of your victories to come ; your country's cause rests upon your arms, and your standards will yet gild the day of its success.
Soldiers-Farewell.
JOHN COCHRANE, Brig .- General, Comd'g Ist Brigade.
Remarks of WILLIAM H. REDHEFFER, Secretary of S2d Pennsyl- vania Volunteers, at the Camp-Fire.
Comrades of Shaler's Brigade :
When a proper history of the grand old Army of the Potomac, of its many severe struggles, marches and hard fought battles, to get possession of its great objective point-Richmond-and the heroic
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deeds of its valorous commanders and soldiers, shall have been written, no one name of that galaxy of heroes will stand out brighter or more prominent than that of George Gordon Meade.
That grand old army that was so often out-generaled, and whose commanders were so often out-manœuvred, but whose soldiers were never whipped. You all remember the Peninsula Campaign, under that (then) ideal of the army, McClellan, with our marches and counter-marches, fatigues, hardships and battles, and our many reverses, and yet the old army was never defeated, discomfited or dis- couraged. These to be succeeded by the Maryland Campaign, under the old commander, McClellan, with Antietam and the various other victorious battles-to be succeeded in turn by Burnside and the reverses at Fredericksburg, and the "Mud March," with the toils, hardships and privations incident to those campaigns; and then "Fighting Joe" Hooker, with Chancellorsville, Marye's Heights and Salem Church ; to be followed by the second invasion of Maryland and the penetration of the loyal soil of our own State of Pennsylvania. You, comrades of the old "Shaler's Brigade," remember how, in the latter part of June, 1863, while on the march, we were informed of the dis- placement of Hooker and the substitution of that grandest of all our commanders, General Meade, to the command of our grand old army. You remember, too, the grumblings and feelings of disappointment and distrust amongst the rank and file at the placing of, as we then thought, a new man at the head of the army, and one who was then comparatively unknown beyond the limits of his own (Fifth) Corps.
The first day's fight at Gettysburg, the fall of that gallant soldier, Reynolds, and the sending for our Division Commander Newton to go to the front, to take Reynolds' place, in command of his Corps, are still fresh in your minds. You remember, also, the night march of the first day of the fight, to reach the field of battle in time to take part therein. Wherever the nation most needed a soldier, there some of the grand old Sixth Corps were sent.
After our victory here at Gettysburg, then the charge at Funks- town, and the driving of the rebels from our soil, and the ending of the Pennsylvania Campaign. None of us who took part in that battle knew of the anxious days in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and New York, nor of the many sleepless nights passed by the people of those cities during that time ; and not until it was known by them that the grand old invincible Army of the Potomac was confronting Lee and his hosts was confidence restored.
This victory at Gettysburg was the first step in the disruption and downfall of the so-called Southern Confederacy. After that the old foe of our army fought on the defensive. No more offensive cam- paigns ; no more invasions of Pennsylvania or Maryland were
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attempted by them. To have lost at Gettysburg meant the imperilling and possible capture of Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore and per- haps New York City, and the reorganization of the Southern Con- federacy by Foreign Powers. These catastrophes would have pro- longed the war for years and left the end in doubt. Of course, this is mere conjecture or speculation, but it is the sort of thing indulged in in everyday life, and is pardonable here.
General Meade was, to my mind, the greatest soldier and General that ever commanded our old Army of the Potomac. He was a soldier by instinct and education ; one of sound judgment and good, hard common sense. You must remember that the battle of Gettysburg, the best fought and most decisive in results of the war, was fought within less than one week after he had assumed command of the army. We were on the march for somewhere, wherever Lee's army might be. But where were they? That was the question. Like the true soldier that he was, Meade took command, and within less than one week thereafter, fought the hardest battle of the war, with the most glorious results. General Meade was no hurrah soldier ; he was a soldier in the strongest acceptation of the term ; and I do not wish to detract from the merits of any of the other heroes of the war when I repeat that to my mind-a soldier in the ranks-he was the greatest strategist, fighter and soldier that ever com- manded our army. There have been other claimants for the honor of having selected the position for the battle of Gettysburg, and some have boldly asserted that Meade had nothing to do with it, while others, in their claim, would almost make one think that Meade wasn't in the fight at all !
When Meade took command, our army was acting on the defen- sive. We were after our old foe, Lee ; but where he was at, that time, no one knew. Therefore, Meade was obliged to move cau- tiously and feel his way gradually. CHAS. R. SLAYSMAN, Co. H. But, when Buford discovered the enemy's whereabouts, and the gallant Reynolds, soldier-like, obeyed the soldier instinct and marched his column toward the sound of the guns, and fell, covered with glory-then Meade knew where Lee was, and immediately ordered his entire army to the scene of conflict, Gettys- burg. His instructions to Hancock, of July Ist, were, "That you
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proceed to the front, and by virtue of this order, in case of Reynolds' death (as reported) you assume command of the Corps there assembled ," and he further said, "In case the ground and position are better for a fight than the one heretofore selected (Pipe Creek ), you will advise me and I will order all the troops up." Hancock re- ported, and Meade ordered all the troops up at once and arrived on the field in person shortly after midnight. Now, if General Meade did not select the site for that battle, who did? Surely, no one will argue but that as General Commanding he could, after the first day's fight, have withdrawn the army to Pipe Creek or elsewhere, if he so chose, and fought his battle. Meade's instructions to Hancock cannot be mistaken or misunderstood, read them as we will. He said, " If you think the ground and position (at Gettysburg) a better one on which to fight a battle * -X- * so advise me, and I will order all the troops up." If he had not intended to give battle to the enemy, wherever he found him, with advantages always in our favor, wouldn't he have ordered a retreat, even after Hancock's report, and fought on ground of his own selection ? Most assuredly.
Meade intended to fight, not retreat ; and he fought with results well known to us all. And the future historian, in reviewing the many battles of the Rebellion, and the soldiers that participated therein, will, I feel satisfied, accord to General Meade the full merit and praise that he earned, and to which he is so justly entitled.
I have always believed that Divine Providence had much to do with the selection of General Meade as our commander at that battle. We could have afforded and did suffer reverses in many of our other battles without serious effect, but supposing we had been defeated there ! then what?
I have no words of condemnation or censure, nor do I say it in a . spirit of fault-finding, but I think a mistake was made in not naming General Meade for the Lieutenant-Generalship. I don't say this out of . any disrespect, or to detract from the laurels of the soldier that was named for that position-for I consider him one of the ablest of our generals. That Meade was a great and safe soldier, thoroughly effi- cient and competent in every respect, was attested to by General Grant himself, in retaining him as Commander of the Army of the Potomac. He ably aided and seconded Grant in his plans and cam- paigns, which culminated in the defeat of Lee's army, and the over- throw of the Rebellion ; and if he had not been a true soldier, Grant would not have tolerated him for a moment. And the strongest argument that I can make in support of my assertion of the slight put upon Meade, is this action of Grant's in retaining him in command of our army, as he did.
. After a while, those who follow after us will write a correct history
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of our deeds, without fear, favor or affection and without passion or prejudice. Then I am satisfied that full justice will be done the name of General Meade, and his name will stand out boldly in the front rank with the other heroes of the Union armies that took part in the war of the Rebellion.
The gatherings of old soldiers, on old battlefields, should be encouraged. not only by the sol- diers who took part in them, but by the people at large, as they serve to keep alive the old fraternal feelings between old comrades in arms, and stimulate the rising gen- eration to emulate the example of their sires, and fosters and kindles in the breast of the young a proper spirit of patriotism and love of country ; so that in the future, should our country's life ever again be imperilled, they will spring to her defense with the same spirit and as gallantly as did their fathers before them.
Comrades, some of us who WILLIAM A. FOWLER, Co. A. met here upon this occasion may, perhaps, never attend such another gathering. We are getting old and others must take our places. Let our actions be such that we would have our children emulate them. Let us do no act or say one word the recital of which would wound the feelings of others, or cause pain to ourselves. Let our everyday lives be living examples of probity, honor and rectitude for our children and our children's children.
Comrades, I am done. That God, in His infinite wisdom, may guide us all in the future as He has in the past, is my earnest prayer. Good night!
SUE'S WEDDING.
READ AT CAMP-FIRE BY MASTER EDDIE CRAIG, OF ALLEGHENY CITY, PA.
Sue ought to have been married a long time ago. That's what everybody says who knows her. She has been engaged to Mr. Travers for over three years, and has had to refuse lots of offers to go to circuses with other young men.
I have wanted her to get married so that I could live with her and Mr. Travers, and when I think if it hadn't been for a mistake I made
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yesterday, she would have been married, I feel it awfully hard to be resigned, but we should always be resigned to anything we can't help.
Before I go any further, I want to tell you about my printing- press. It did belong to Tom Maginness, but he got tired of it and let me have it real cheap. He was going to get it exchanged for a bicycle, a St. Bernard dog and twelve good books, but he finally consented to let me have it for $1. 50. It prints beautifully, and I have made $3.75 already, printing cards for the neighbors.
I thought Tom and I might have a show some time, so I sent to town and bought some yellow paper, and some type, more than an inch high.
It was decided that Sue would be married next week, and you should have seen the state of mind her and mother were in. They did nothing but sew and buy clothes and talk about the wedding all day long. Sue said she wanted to be married in the church, and have bridesmaids and flowers and music till you couldn't rest, and the only thing that troubled her was who to invite. Mother wanted her to in- vite Mr. and Mrs. McFadden and the seven McFadden girls; but Sue said they had insulted her, and she couldn't bear the idea of inviting the McFadden tribe. All agreed that old Mr. Wilkinson, who came to a party at our house with one shoe and one slipper on, could not be invited, but that all others who were on good terms with. the family should have an invitation.
Sue counted up all she meant to invite, and there were nearly three hundred of them; and the worst of it was that Sue said I must deliver all the invitations myself. Now, you see, I couldn't do that without losing time, which is always valuable; so I thought of a plan which would save Sue the trouble of addressing three hundred invitations, and the trouble of delivering them.
I got to work, with my printing-press, and printed a dozen splendid big bills about the wedding. Then I cut some pictures of animals and ladies on horses out of some old circus bills I had and pasted them around the edge. That night I made some paste in an old tin pail and went out and pasted the bills in good places, all over the town.
The next day father came in, looking very stern, with one of the wedding bills in his hand. He handed it to Sue, and said, "Susan, what does this mean? These bills are pasted all over the town, and crowds of people are reading them." Sue read it, gave a shriek, and fainted away, and I went down to the post-office to see if there was any mail there. This was what was on the wedding bills, and I am sure it was spelled all right :
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23D P. V. CAMP GRAHAM, Company Street During the Festival Week-1861.
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MISS SUSAN BROWN announces that she will marry MR. JAMES TRAVERS, at the church, on Thursday,, at 7 o'clock. All the friends of the family with the exception of the McFadden tribe and old Mr. Wilkinson are invited. Come early and bring Lots of Flowers.
Now, what's wrong about that? I'm sure it was all spelled right, with the exception of the name of the church, and I didn't put that in because I wasn't sure how to spell it.
Any other girl but Sue would have been grateful and thanked me for my trouble; but she began to cry, and said that she would go to New York to be married, for she couldn't be married in town after that boy's dreadful conduct.
The worst of it is, that I am to be sent to a boarding-school ; and all because I pasted up a few bills without first asking my sister how she wanted them printed.
Telegram to GENERAL PHILIP SHERIDAN.
The boys did not forget their loved "Chief"' amid the festivities, and wired the following telegram to his sick-chamber :
GETTYSBURG, June 13th, 1888.
Colonel MIKE SHERIDAN, Washington, D. C.
Shaler's Brigade, of the old Sixth Corps, in Reunion on the Gettysburg Battlefield, tender their kind regards and heartfelt sym- pathy to their old commander, General Sheridan.
WM. J. WRAY, Secretary.
Letter from Major J. B. DAVIS, 122d New York Volunteers.
HOT SPRINGS, ARK., June 6th, ISSS.
My Dear Comrade :
I sent you a telegram a few days ago, that I could not come to join with my old associates and discharge the duty assigned to me in the dedicatory exercises at Gettysburg. It was the hardest task I ever
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had imposed upon me, and nothing but my weakened physical condi- tion prevented me from going. I so long to be with you on that occa- sion and to see, perhaps for the last time, some of the dear old "twosters " who were with me in that fight ! But I shall not see them. I shall not grasp their friendly hands nor look into their kindly faces again on earth. It may be, if my health is regained, that I shall be able to see you, or some of you, at least, at the annual Re- union on August 28th-but this is in the future.
I shall be with you in spirit in all your gatherings, and go through your exercises, enjoy your sallies of wit and songs of mirth, and I desire to have you to say to all the members of my old regi- ment especially, and to all in the regiment who remember me, that my heart just* shakes hands with GOTTLIEB STAIGER, Corporal Co. C. them all. The years glide by and the last roll-call will soon come to each one of us. May your meeting be a grand success. I hope our monument stands on that big rock where the ravine begins. Please send me a map of the ground-a rough sketch, showing it all, with location of monument. Oh ! I regret that I cannot be with you on this grand occasion. It seems I must go ! but there is no use. I am so weary-I yield to the call for rest. God bless all my dear old comrades. Fraternally yours,
A, H. HUBBS, J. B. DAVIS. - President Survivors' Association, 122d N. Y. Vols.
RESOLUTION BY THE LADIES.
At a meeting of the ladies who attended the Reunion, in the par- lors of the Eagle Hotel, on Wednesday evening, Mrs. General Shaler presiding, the following resolution was unanimously adopted :
Resolved, That we unite in most heartfelt thanks our appreciation of the many courtesies extended to us by the survivors of Shaler's Bri- gade and their friends, which have made our visit with you, in your Monumental Dedication and Reunion occasion, such a pleasant and happy event. MRS. GENERAL SHALER, President,
MISS EMMA WRAY, Secretary, MRS. J. MOFFITT, Assistant Secretary.
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REUNION CLIPPINGS
FROM D
The Fayetteville "Recorder," of New York, "Truth," "Compiler," "Star" and "Sentinel," of Gettysburg,
and Individual Contributors.
The editor of The Truth, in getting out an extra edition, showed considerable enterprise. The report was quite a re- view of the Reunion. We congratulate such energy.
The Compiler and the Star and Sentinel, of Gettysburg, gave a very interesting, readable account of the Reunion.
The Eagle, McClellan, City and Globe Inn, at Gettys- burg, were used as the headquarters of the several commands. All report the accommodations par excellence.
On the arrival of the train bringing General Shaler, the following additional friends of the 122d joined the party : Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Slauson, Miss Slauson, Miss Nellie Slauson, Miss Carpenter and Mr. and Mrs. P. M. Wilson, of New York City, Mr. and Mrs. Heintz and Mr. J. L. Loomis, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Mrs. Guy Moses, Miss Gaylord and Mr. Z. Moses, of Washington, D. C.
The efficient services rendered by the Committee having charge of the selection and location of the monument of the 122d New York and the arrangements for the excursion, and especially the zeal and efficiency of Colonel O. V. Tracy, who devoted his services and money freely to promote the under- taking, are gratefully remembered by the comrades, who de- sire us to give expression to this feeling.
Colonel John F. Glenn, of Philadelphia, the Grand Con- ductor of the Ball, knows when he has good music, and quick- ly decided to swap bands, in order that the dancers could enjoy the maze.
The 122d New York were drawn up in line on arrival of the other regiments of the brigade, under the command of Colonel Silas Titus, and as the column passed by, with ladies on their arms and gripsack in hand, gave them a marching salute.
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Captain R. H. Moses, of New York City, who has acted as the representative of the 122d on the committee of arrange- ments for the brigade Reunion, devoted much time to the affair, earning the congratulations of his comrades for the suc- cessful result. His interest in the old regiment and all that concerns it seems to increase with the advance of time.
Two new faces, which have been missing from our annual reunions, were seen at Gettysburg, and the cordial welcome they received must convince them that the fraternal feelings engendered by the experiences of army life grow stronger as years go by. We refer to Captain Lucius Moses and Ser- geant Charles Eldridge.
William J. Wray, the efficient Secretary of the Brigade Association, was the leading spirit of the Reunion, and the success of the reunion is largely due to his efforts, both in the work of preparation and in the subsequent supervision of the same. The 122d boys were shown many favors by him and his associates, which they will remember with grati- tude.
The popular President of the 82d Pennsylvania Asso- ciation, Colonel John M. Wetherill, of Pottsville, and their energetic Secretary, Wil- liam H. Redheffer, of Phila- delphia, were each presented with a handsome Sixth Corps badge -- red enamel, with words, "82d P. V."-by the Survivors' Association, 82d Pennsylvania Volunteers ; a most deserving tribute, as both worked very hard in their efforts to make the Re- union a success.
ROBT. C. NEWBURG, Sergt .- Major Ist Battalion, Ist New Jersey Cavalry. Co. B 23d P. V. Three months' service.
General Shaler must have been touched with the hearty reception accorded him by the members of his old command. Every mention of his name was greeted with hearty cheers, and whenever he appeared he was tendered a perfect ova-
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tion. He will always be regarded with respect and esteem by the veterans of his old brigade, who always admired and trusted him. He was to them an ideal hero and com- mander.
The members of the 122d were, during their stay at Get- tysburg, the recipients of many courtesies and attentions from the 23d Pennsylvania, which they desire to gratefully acknowl- edge.
It was indeed a very happy thought of General Shaler to suggest a Reunion of the old Brigade, and the spirit in which the reorganization of the old commands began demonstrated how strong the ties of comradeship existed these many years ; for, within ten months after the call was sounded, the com- rades were brought into their several regimental associa- tions. Many were found residing in nearly all the States, and on June 12th, the monuments were erected, ready for the dedi- cation.
The elements were even with us in the celebration, as three more desirable days could not have been selected if the committee had been given the entire calendar to choose from.
It was a great disappointment to all who were present at the Reunion, that Major J. B. Davis, of the 122d, who was severely wounded at Culp's Hill, was unable to come on account of illness. How sadly disappointed the Major was himself is told in his letter, which we take great pleasure in publishing ..
Colonel John F. Glenn, of the 23d Pennsylvania Volun- teers, with about fifty of the survivors of the regiment with their wives, on Wednesday made a special tour of five hours over the battle field, under the guidance of that popular and efficient guide, Captain James T. Long, who gave them a general description of the three days' battle from three dif- ferent points, namely, Cemetery Hill, Round Top and the Bloody Angle.
Among the visitors that we met in Gettysburg this week were H. Willis Bland, Esq., a well-known Reading lawyer, and a member of the 82d Pennsylvania Regiment, and Mr. J. C. Aitken, of Philadelphia.
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A party of eight, belonging to the Reunion visitors, met with an accident that might have been serious, on Wednesday evening, while returning from a trip over the field. As the two-horse vehicle in which they were seated arrived on the top of Baltimore Hill, the right hand spindle on the rear axle broke. Down went the con- veyance, turning completely over, and throwing all the oc- cupants out on the street. Strange to say, all escaped un- hurt, with the exception of one, whose shoulder was pain- fully bruised. The latter was Comrade George Slaysman, a member of the 23d Pennsyl- vania Regiment.
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