USA > Virginia > Post-bellum campaigns of the blue and gray, 1881-1882 > Part 5
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Major Robert Stiles, on behalf of the Richmond associations, received the bowls in an eloquent response.
Addresses were also made by Hon. J. Hart Brewer, General Peyton Wise and Colonel Thomas J. Evans. They were brief, but timely and whole- souled remarks, that betokened, in the manner of their delivery, far better than their appearance in cold ink and paper, the earnestness of the speakers.
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This closed the presentation, and next day the committee, bearing with it an assurance that the Boys. in Gray would make a campaign to New Jersey, left for home, carrying greetings and good wishes to their fellow veterans who wore the blue.
BOOK THIRD.
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POST-BELLUM CAMPAIGN OF THE GRAY.
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CHAPTER I.
His marches are expedient to this town, His forces strong, his soldiers confident .- Shakspeare.
Trenton, like Richmond, has battles of which it can boast. Over one hundred and six years ago, upon the very thoroughfares in which the hum and bustle of business is heard, one frosty morning-the one succeeding Christmas, while the Hessian troops were sleeping off the effects of their celebration of the Christmas festival-the advance guard of Washington's Army surprised the pickets on the northern limits of the town, took the garrison by surprise, and, after a short, sharp and decisive engagement, put the hireling mercenaries of Great Britain to flight, and killed their brave commander, Colonel Rahl, as well as a large number of his men, captured the greater portion of the command, and won the battle of Trenton. The result of that battle was to bid the tide of disaster, which was, to all appearances,
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flowing with relentlessness over and upon the hopes and efforts of American freemen, " thus far shalt thou go and no farther." Unlike the tide which was forbidden to wet the feet of a Saxon monarch, the tide of defeat was stayed, and it has been conceded by historians that the battle of Trenton was the turning point of the Revolution.
At Trenton, a century since, the troops of New Jersey and Virginia fought side by side, under the same flag, and nobly did both play their respec- tive parts. The Jersey line aided in driving the British from their position in the centre of the town, or rather village, as it then was, and when the flying Hessians made an attempt to escape in the direction of Princeton, "Hand's regiment of riflemen was thrown, by General Washington, in front of them, and a body of Virginia troops was dispatched to gain the left." On this occasion one of the aides-de-camp of General Washington was Colonel George Baylor, who was born in Hanover county, Virginia, and it must not be forgotten that the great general, the father of his country, the hero of Trenton, was also a native Virginian. The glory of the one was the glory of the other. It was a common glory, and the events which are to be related in this account of the " Campaign of the Gray " are likewise a halo of glory cast around the escutcheon of both States, around the memory of the men who, like their ancestors, marched side
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by side upon the battle field of Trenton-the men of New Jersey and Virginia.
The invitations extended by Aaron Wilkes Post to the Old First Virginia Infantry, the Otey Battery and the Richmond Howitzer Associations were accepted, and preparations were made to visit Trenton, in accordance therewith. Accord- ingly the Ex-Confederates made preparation for a northern campaign, and determined to leave Richmond at five o'clock on the morning of Wed- nesday, April twelfth.
On the previous day the following order was issued :
HEADQUARTERS VETERAN CORPS, A. N. V., FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT, HOWITZER, AND OTEY BATTERY ASSOCIATIONS. RICHMOND, VA., April 11th, 1882.
Special Order No .--:
In obedience to orders, the "Officer in Charge" hereby assumes command of the forces about to move on Trenton to visit the noble veterans of Wilkes Post, of the "Grand Army of the Republic."
The following appointments are announced : Adjutant, H. T. Miller; Quartermaster, Polk Miller; Aids, A. R. Woodson, James T. Gray.
The following committees are hereby vested with full authority to act on behalf of their respective organizations in making our proposed visit as pleasant and agreeable to our friends and our- selves as possible :
For the First Virginia Association-A. R. Woodson, C. T. Loehr, E. Chalkley.
For Howitzer Association-Polk Miller, G. H. Poindexter, J. B. Lambert.
For Otey Battery 'Association-M. West, Watt Taylor, C. C. Bridges.
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The command will assemble at Elba station, provided with proper tickets, on Wednesday, April 12th, at 5 A. M.
As this is a mission of peace and good-will to meet a once brave and honorable foe, now our generous friends, the "Officer in Charge" is of the opinion that the whole party should be breveted "colonels," and to prevent any embarrassment on the part of our friends in giving us appropriate titles, any one desiring to assume that title is at liberty to do so.
D. N. WALKER,
Officer in Charge.
HENRY T. MILLER,
Adjutant.
Like good soldiers, at the appointed hour every man had reported at the rendezvous -- the Elba Station-and upon the arrival of the train, when the command had boarded it, the "Campaign of the Gray " was commenced, and the movement upon Trenton was begun. The vicissitudes of the journey were many and dangerous, but all of them-collisions, smash-ups and the thousand and one incidents which go to make up the excitement of a railroad journey-were, happily, safely passed over. It would be a task too herculean for the fee- ble pen of the writer to describe the occurrences-
the stories told, the plans and plots formed-upon that memorable day. It will do, however, to say, that the flying column met with no obstruction until it reached Philadelphia. Now, Philadelphia is opposite New Jersey, and as it has been chron- cled (history does not say by whom) that New Jersey is out of the Union, and is a kingdom unto herself, some, unkindly, saying that it was the
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Kingdom of Camden and Amboy, but is now a conquered province and is annexed to Pennsyl- vania, here the defenders of the "Sacred Sand " intercepted the invaders from the " Sacred Soil," and demanded an unconditional surrender. These defenders had learned how the campaigners of the Blue had been captured in Richmond, and a full retaliation had been decided upon. There was no help for the campaigners of the Gray, they were surrounded, to resist would have been folly, and believing the old maxim, "discretion is the better part of valor," to be both wise and true, they submitted with good grace. After a journey of some thirty miles through the fertile fields of the Land of Penn, the Delaware river was reached and crossed, and the train arrived in Trenton. On its approaching the depot the booming of can- non is heard, and it is continued during the time the captors and captives alight from the train and form upon the station platform. At the station the Commander of the Post, members of the com- mittee and a number of Trenton's most prominent citizens, greeted the visitors, and assured them that, although they were captives, yet they might rest assured they would be treated with all the consideration due their unfortunate position. One of the unfortunates, a member of the legal pro- fession, with a sigh of patient resignation, and in no Savage tone, was heard to ejaculate " Necessitas non habet legem."
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CHAPTER II.
" You would have thought the very windows spake, So many greedy looks of young and old Through casements darted their desiring eyes Upon his visage; and that all the walls,
With painted imag'ry, had said at once,- Jesu preserve thee, welcome."-Shakspeare.
Thousands had congregated on Clinton avenue in the vicinity of the Pennsylvania railroad sta- tion, and long before the arrival of the train which bore the guests of Trenton's Veterans arrived, the scene was an animated one. A section of ar- tillery from the State Arsenal, which was posted upon the eminence at the northerly side of the station, was ready to fire a salute in honor of the Campaigners of the Gray. Citizens, old and young, rich and poor, of both sexes, on foot and in carriages, crowded the approach to the station and lined the sidewalks. Both posts of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Trenton Battalion of the Seventh Regiment, National Guard, a detachment of police officers, and Winkler's Seventh Regiment N. G. N. J. Band were formed on Clinton avenue, and Trenton was ready to welcome, heartily welcome, the brave Virginians.
Suddenly, from the artillery, came a flash, a volume of smoke, and the loud, familiar report
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of a cannon which, followed by others in quick succession, informed the anxious multitude that the committee, with the guests, had arrived. A salute of thirty-eight guns was fired. It was a national salute, a gun for every State in the Union, and all of them for Virginia, on this occasion. But little time was spent upon the station plat- form, for the old soldiers of the south had not for- gotten that promptness in the execution of orders is one of the characteristics of the true soldier, and the order to "fall in " was obeyed with alacrity. Headed by Winkler's Band, the Reception Com- mittee and the members of the Old First Virginia Infantry, Otey Battery and the Richmond Howit- zers, late Confederate States Army, marched out on Clinton avenue, and were greeted with cheer after cheer from the assembled citizens. On they marched, past the organizations which were drawn up in line, receiving a salute-the military being at "present arms," and the veterans with hands to the visors of their caps, and cheers. At the end of the line the Boys of the Gray halted and formed line, while the home organizations march- ed past, the Boys in Blue, receiving, in addition to a salute, an old time Confederate yell. There have been grander and more imposing spectacles, but none more touching or more soul-stirring to the parties most concerned than was that simple ex- change of compliments-the loud, boisterous north- ern cheer, and the shrill, piercing southern yell.
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When the Trenton associations had passed their guests the line of march was taken up in the fol- lowing order :
Detachment of Police, Chief McChesney com-
manding.
Captain Uriel B. Titus, Commander Aaron Wilkes Post No. 23, G. A. R., Marshal, and Captain W. H. Bilbee, Company B, Seventh Regi- ment, N. G. N. J., Assistant Marshal.
Winkler's Seventh Regiment N. G. N. J. Band. Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin F. Chambers, com- manding Seventh Regiment N. G. N. J., and Staff.
Company D, Seventh Regiment N. G. N. J., Cap- tain M. Hurley commanding.
Company B, Seventh Regiment N. G. N. J., Lieu- tenant G. Forman commanding.
Company A, Seventh Regiment N. G. N. J., Cap- tain W. H. Skirm commanding.
Bayard Post No. 8, Grand Army of the Republic. McClurg's Drum and Flute Corps.
Aaron Wilkes Post No. 23, Grand Army of the Republic. The Reception Committee.
Old First Virginia Infantry, Otey Battery and Richmond Howitzer Associations. Citizens. Carriages containing Citizens.
The sidewalks were lined with citizens, and as the procession passed there were cheers from the
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men and smiles and waving of handkerchiefs by the ladies. Flags and mottoes met the eye at almost every step. Among the many mottoes were " Welcome! Virginians," "Welcome ! Blue and Gray ; Peace and Reconciliation," " Welcome Heroes," and others too numerous to mention, but all expressive of honor to the soldiers of the Blue and Gray, and welcome to the guests.
The route of the parade was: Up Clinton to Perry, Perry to Southard, Southard to Ewing, Ewing to State, to City Hall, up Greene to Five Points, down Warren to State, to Calhoun and countermarch on State to Greene, through Greene to Bridge, through Bridge to Warren, to the Tren- ton House.
The very air was laden with expressions of good will, and the visitors could not but be touched with the warm-hearted and most affectionate re- ception accorded them. As the parade passed the State Normal and Model Schools it was saluted by the young lady students with waving hand- kerchiefs and the salute was acknowledged by cheering all along the column. The "Swamp Angel," which had hurled destruction into Charles- ton from the swamps on Morris Island, but which had burst in its work of carnage, lay silent and harmless upon its pedestal, and was pointed out to the " Campaigners of the Gray," several of whom had heard it speak in the days gone by forever. The America Fire Company had run its engine
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out upon the sidewalk, and saluted the procession by ringing its fire bell as well as the bells on the hose carriage. At the railroad crossing on State street were two locomotives, decked with bunting, which saluted the parade by ringing their bells- It was near this spot that, at the battle of Tren- ton, the body of Virginia troops had flanked the flying Hessians. Senator Taylor's (the Chairman of the Reception Committee) residence on East State street was noticeable for its decorations. In fact, all along the route the exception was to see an undecorated house.
An immense throng had assembled at the City Hall, and it was with difficulty that the several organizations were moved into close column in front of that building. The visitors were in front, nearest the steps. The cheering of the multitude attested how welcome were the "Boys in Gray." After quiet had been, in a measure, restored, Hon. John Taylor, Chairman of the Reception Commit- tee, introduced the guests to Ex-Mayor Wesley Creveling, to whom the pleasant duty of bidding them welcome had been entrusted by the Mayor- Hon. G. D. W. Vroom-whom business had called away from the city.
Senator Taylor said :
" Mayor Creveling: I have the pleasure to present to you the guests from the city of Richmond. These guests are old soldiers, paying a return visit to Wilkes Post, of the Grand Army of the Republic."
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Ex-Mayor Creveling welcomed the guests as follows :
" GENTLEMEN OF RICHMOND : .
" On behalf of the Mayor, who is unavoidably absent, it becomes my privilege and pleasure to extend to you the hospitalities of the city of Trenton. The fraternal feeling which has brought you hither is sufficient to insure from us a fraternal greeting. We cordially bid you welcome. There is something in the fact of your presence here to-day-in this meeting of the Blue and the Gray- which touches our hearts most deeply. We are pained-and we know you reciprocate this feeling-we are pained to reflect that we were once enemies, but we rejoice most heartily to know that we are again friends and brethren. Gentlemen, the veterans of the recent war, whose especial guests you are, will be warmly seconded by the citizens of 'Trenton in every endeavor to make your visit a pleasant one. We have no beautiful works of art, gorgeous palaces or magnificent public buildings to delight your gaze or gratify your taste, but let me assure you that so long as you remain within our borders our homes and our hearts are open to you."
Mayor Creveling's address was received with an outburst of applause by those to whom it was ad- dressed, and the welcome extended, and the sen- timents expressed, were endorsed by the enthusi- astic cheering from the assembled citizens.
Major Charles S. Stringfellow, of the Richmond Howitzer Association, replied on behalf of the " Boys in Gray." His remarks were substantially as follows :
" On behalf of the several whilom Confederate organizations who are represented here to-day, I beg leave to thank you most heart- ily for the cordial welcome you have given us to your beautiful city, and to the homes and hospitality of its good people. We
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those words, so full of loyalty, good will and fra- ternal affection, came direct from the heart, not his and his companions alone, but that they are the sentiments of the large majority, aye, almost the entire people of the South.
The parade was resumed. At the Children's Home the little ones crowded to the gate of the institution, and, with their infantile voices, wel- comed the visitors. The Harmony Engine Com- pany manned their engine and saluted the proces- sion by ringing their bells. The American House was tastefully decorated. The Trenton House, the headquarters of the "Boys of the Gray," dis- played the motto, " Welcome ! Virginians," as well as National flags and the well-known State flag of Virginia, with its motto "Sic Semper Tyrannus." The State Capitol, too, was handsomely decorated with bunting. The Good Will Fire Company fired a salute from a small piece of ordnance placed upon the roof, and had its flag, with the words " Good Will," stretched across the street. The Delaware Engine and Washington Hook and Ladder Companies' houses were also decorated, and rang their bells as the procession passed. The residences of Ex-Mayor Rice, Adam Exton, Esq., the hotel of Comrade William Mendham and other citizens were decorated with much taste, but space will not admit of a description ; there were so many decorations worthy of special notice
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that it would fill more pages than there are to spare to describe them.
The march was a long one, and some of the members of Wilkes Post said that they were re- venged, in that particular, at least. Upon arriv- ing at the Trenton House the guests partook of supper. . After supper a visit was paid to the Ex- position of Aaron Wilkes Post, in Taylor Hall Assembly Rooms. Here the campaigners of the Gray and those of the Blue mingled with the fair ladies and friends of the sterner sex, but the lions of the evening were the boys who wore the Gray. After a couple of hours spent in interchange of civilities, renewing the friendships made at Rich- mond, and enjoying themselves thoroughly, the Southern soldier boys were once more reminded that they were captives, and after ascertaining that none of them had escaped, they were conveyed under guard, headed by Winkler's Band, to the Trenton House.
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warmly reciprocate the kind sentiments you have been pleased to express, and earnestly hope that this occasion may be so improved in the cultivation of mutual respect and good will that it may long be remembered with pleasure by us all.
"Certainly, the distinguished consideration we have received at your hands, adds no little to the significance of the kind and graceful invitation extended to us by the Aaron Wilkes Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and we feel, sir, that "it is good for us to be here." It is good to lay aside the jealousies, the bickerings and selfish feelings which more or less mark the daily routine of business life, and attend the struggle for wealth and power and place-for the enjoyment of the many pleasures of eye and ear and taste, provided for us by the generous hospitality of our fellow citizens of Trenton. It is better that those of us who have recently met in Virginia shall have another opportunity to let acquaintance ripen into the full fruit of lasting friendship. It is best of all, that the unaffected kindness and fraternal regard which have greeted our arrival in your historic capital, should give to the good people of New Jersey and Virginia, and our fel- low citizens everywhere, another assurance that there is no longer any cause of quarrel between those who have triumphed with the Blue, and those who went down in defeat with the Gray; that the bitter passions and prejudices born in the gloom of our unhappy civil war, have at last withered under the bright, warm rays of a genuine, and I trust, a lasting Peace. The season of doubt and distrust, and unkindness, has been long, and dark, and dreary, but at last we can, this evening, rejoice together, and say, in the beautiful words of the song of songs: "Lo, the winter is past : the rain is over and gone: the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." And nowhere, in this favored land of ours, could the sons of the North and the South more appropriately meet to bury the resentments and the heart-burnings of the past, in a joyful recognition of the honest good will and kind fellow- ship that gladden the present, than here, right here, where, little over a century since, under the lead of the great Father of his country, your Washington, as well as ours, your forefathers and
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ours, in the gloom of that December day, struck such a splendid blow for liberty and right, in that grand struggle for constitutional freedom, upheld by constitutional law.
"New Jersey and Virginia, Trenton and Yorktown, 1776 and 1781. The Declaration of Independence and the seal of its accomplishment ! Mr. Mayor, in the presence of such associ- ations I cannot feel that we are altogether strangers, I desire to forget the differences we have had, and remember only that we are Americans all, bound together in the bonds of an indissoluble union of indestructible States, represented abroad by one glorious flag, which, on behalf of myself and those old Confederate soldiers, I now salute as the flag of our country, protected at home by one constitution and one law, bearing the same political burdens and sharing the same political privileges, speaking one language, acknowledging one God, partakers in a common heritage of glory, and animated by one common hope for the greatness, prosperity and happiness of our common country. Mr. Mayor, if we have not been friends before, we wish to be friends hereafter. Again, sir, I thank you for your cordial greeting."
The large concourse of citizens listened to Major Strongfellow's address with an attention that was re- markable for so large an audience, and that, too, upon the street. At times, to use a common meta- phor, a pin might be heard to drop, and at others, the applause, loud, excited cheering, compelled the speaker to pause. Tears, too, filled many an eye, and there was scarcely a heart in that vast throng that did not say, Amen, to the sentiments so elo- quently and so fearlessly expressed. It has been beautifully said, that words fitly spoken are like apples of gold in pictures of silver. The words of this brave Virginian, Ex-Confederate soldier, are just such apples of gold. No one can doubt that
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CHAPTER III.
"The banquet waits our presence, festal joy Laughs in the mantling goblet, and the night Illume'd by the taper's dazzling beam, Rivals departed day."-Brown.
The commodious dining-room of the Trenton House, " Ye famous hostelrie," of "mine host," Katzenbach, presented a most inviting appearance as the visitors from Richmond and their captors entered. There was a hollow square of tables, and although those who were destined to charge thereon were not cavalry, the square bristled with flashing steel, guarding, as it were, the treasures it contained. The attacking party was ready, and only waited the order of "General " Taylor-who was commander-in-chief for the occasion-" Down guards and at 'em." The order was somewhat delayed by the tardiness of some of the forces getting into position upon the right centre. All, at last, was ready ; and, having kept the reader in suspense, it is time we should deal with facts. There were facts, real, palpable facts, before the veterans.
Rations to right of them, Rations to left of them, Rations behind them In plenty, unnumbered.
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The room was elaborately decorated for the oc- casion. At either end of it was the motto " Wel- come ! Virginians." Around the wall, at the top, was a wide border of red, from which were fes- tooned United States flags. On the southern side of the apartment was the state flag of Virginia; while on the northern side was the stars and stripes. In the spaces between the doors and windows were shields, having on their faces the names of the original thirteen States, while over the place occupied by the master of ceremonies was the picture of the great Virginian-the father . of his country-Washington.
Hon. John Taylor, previous to giving the ex- pected order, addressed the old soldiers as follows :
" GENTLEMEN OF RICHMOND :
" As Chairman of the Committee on Reception, it is my duty and pleasure to welcome you to the city of Trenton and the hos- pitality of Wilkes Post, and while I am deeply impressed with the public interest manifested in your visit to us, and the desire to give it voice, yet, with a light heart for a pleasing duty, I find myself unable to command words and fitly arrange them to give a proper expression of the citizen and soldier in this respect. How- ever, gentlemen, let me assure you that never before was this com- munity so kindly and hospitably moved as on this occasion. Re- membering that there was a time when lines of batteries and forests of gleaming bayonets divided us, and our pathway to your capital was beset with difficulties and dangers, and your latch string was not out. This was the reign of distraction and mad- ness. But, thank God, other and better days are upon us, and Virginia and New Jersey are conspicuous in brotherly and fra- ternal relations, and we thank you for this opportunity of attesting that not a trace of sectional hate lingers about this capital.
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