" Let it be our bounded duty and work, to bind up the wounds and build up the waste of war. God has softened the hearts of those who here on both sides fought with heroic valor."
Bvt. Brig. Gen. William Noble
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - July 1, 1884
Contents
Introduction
17th Annual Reunion - 1883
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Gettysburg Reunion - 1884
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Gettysburg Reunion - 1889
Title
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Reunion Photographs
Shell Island, CT reunion
1889 Reunion Cover
1889 Reunion (continued from part one)
In the afternoon the Twenty-seventh marched to a special train, the Seventeenth acting as an escort, and proceeded to their monument. It marks their most advanced position, in one of the fiercest charges of that great battle by which Brooks' brigade, of which the Twenty-seventh was a conspicuous part in the charge, dislodging the enemy from the wheat field whence a galling fire was rained upon the troops. By the charge the enemy were forced out of the wheat field and away from the left of General Sickles' brigade, whose flank was being turned by the enemy.
The memorial of the Twenty-seventh C.V., is a handsome, solid and durable sarcophagus, seven feet in length, and of breadth and height to correspond, and is of beautiful Chester granite.
The exercises consisted of an invocation by Rev. Mr. Warner; a report by General Frank D. Sloat, of New Haven; Hon. Lynde Harrison, of New Haven, delivered an oration, and then Prof. Calvin Hamilton, as one of the directors of the Memorial Association, accepted the monument.
Hon. E. H. Carrington, President of the Twenty-seventh Regiment Association, responded to the brief report of General F. D. Sloat, Chairman of the Monumental Committee, as follows:
General Sloat and Gentlemen of the Monumental Committee:
For the second time the friends and survivors of the Twenty-seventh Regiment are assembled on this historic battle-field to accept and dedicate a monument, for which we all tender to you our sincere thanks.
The granite shaft on yonder field, marking the spot where our loved Colonel Merwin fell, and dedicated to his memory and the memory of his associates who fell on this field, and this new monument, speaks in language more eloquent than any that I can use for your zeal and fidelity in providing these mementoes to the men of the Twenty-seventh and their heroic deeds. As one of the few surviving members of this regiment whom the fortunes of war permitted to share in the glories of the battle-field of Gettysburg, let me thank you for the accuracy with which you have selected appropriate places upon which to place these monuments. As a member of the present Legislature of the State of Connecticut, which without a dissenting vote passed the appropriation for this monumental stone, I can assure you in its name, that the sum appropriated has been wisely expended, and in the same of the State, and in behalf of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, I accept the work done by you, and I think I may add in behalf of every citizen of Connecticut that your work is approved in every particular.
ORATION OF HON. LYNDE HARRISON.
Gentlemen of the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Association:
It was the battle-summer after Seven Pines and Malvern Hill. The prophecies of the brilliant Premier Secretary had not been fulfilled. The armies of Halleck in the West and McClellan in the East were resting after a series of battles full of negative results. Neither a Sherman nor a Grant had yet come to the front. The promises of hope were as illusory as the shifting colors of the rainbow.
The fiery cross of war had passed for the third time over the hills of New England and the summons had been answered with all the patriotism, and with more of the determination than when Sumter fell.
From no portion of the North was the response more ready than among the patriots who dwelt within the ancient boundaries of the little Republic founded by Eaton and Davenport. Under the elms of the University City of Connecticut there rapidly gathered the clerk from his desk, the merchant from the counter, the workman from his bench, the farmer from the hillside, and the undergraduate from the halls of recitation, to organize and to march shoulder to shoulder under the stars of the Union and the vines of the Colony.
Nearly a generation has passed since that October day of which this is the anniversary, when a brilliant autumn sun looked down upon the golden brown forests that fringed our coasts, and kissed the cheeks of the brave lads of the Twenty-seventh Connecticut as they marched forth with free step to take their places with the great host that kept watch and ward below the Potomac.
In the ranks of that regiment the grandsons, of men who had fought from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, touched elbows with the sons of blonde warriors who had paced the heights where Ehrenbreitstein guards the swiftly flowing Rhine.
The major portion of a year had passed, and this regiment which had been decimated upon the bloody slopes of Maryes Hill, and had been sacrificed in the wilderness at Chancellorsville to cover the retreat of Hooker's army, sent its torn flags and a remnant only of its brave eight hundred, to guard from the mighty invasion of Lee your glorious Commonwealth founded by Penn.
This State, upon whose soil we stand, has been more than a sister to Connecticut ever since the settlements upon the Susquehanna, founded by our kinsmen, sent their representatives to, and took their laws from, the Assemblies which gathered at Hartford and New Haven under the charter of King Charles.
It was a fateful irony for the Confederate cause that the pivotal battle of the war for the Union should have been fought on the soil of the State whose poetic name in the Old Union told the story of an unbroken arch.
As Saratoga was the forerunner of Yorktown, Gettysburg was the promise of Appomattox. The triumph of Burgoyne would have made the surrender of Cornwallis an impossibility. The overthrow of Meade at Gettysburg would have transferred the seat of war permanently to a point North of the line of Mason and Dixon.
As we follow the wayward fortunes of the great contest from the hour the gallant and unfortunate Reynolds led his corps against the advance of Hill, down to that glorious moment when Pickett's Virginians were thrown back from the batteries of Cemetery Hill in a disorder as wild as the waves of the Atlantic, when dashed from the granite coasts of New England, no hour was so pivotal, for disaster or triumph, as that which followed the desperate attempt of Longstreet to flank Sickles, and capture Little Round Top.
With Little Round Top held by Lee when the sun of July 2d, set, the hands of the dial of time would have been turned backward for the Western continent, as surely as the history of human events would have been changed if Blucher had failed to reach Waterloo.
The clear perception of Warren, the desperate bravery of Sickles, and the grand courage of the brigades that rushed to the protection of his corps saved Little Round Top to the Stars and Stripes. Far, far, to the front, and beyond all others, on that fateful day charged the regiments of Brooks' brigade, and foremost among them was the Twenty-seventh Connecticut.
Through the famous Wheatfield, led by the whole-souled Merwin and the faithful Chapman, they charged up this ridge, performing deeds of valor which might furnish a canto for another Homer to write another Iliad. Upon this hallowed spot the men of Connecticut, New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania, performed with steady courage the acts that, "Held the fort;" and Gettysburg was won.
The State of Connecticut to commemorate what her sons did, places this memorial here. It is composed of granite from the hills of New England which the glaciers barely scratched, and the storms of centuries will beat upon it in vain.
The student of history and of military science, a thousand years from now will read upon the myriad stones that mark this battle-field the story of a nation's triumph. Solferino was the initial point of Italian unity, and Sadowa marks the beginning of the great struggles that made Germany one people, but Solferino is not, and Sadowa cannot be marked by these symbols of a nation's gratitude. The historian of future generations will tell them that the war for the Union stands out in the history of mankind, among all those of modern times, because it stood for the emancipation of a race, as well as the solidification of a nation, and demonstrated in its results the capacity of men for self-government. In the same degree because Gettysburg broke forever the ambitious hopes of those who sought to destroy the Union, in that war, it is pre-eminently the famous battle-field of the world.
This great loyal Commonwealth, has the thanks of all its sister States for creating your Association and putting in your hands the custody of these historic fields. In your hands Connecticut, and the friends and survivors of the Twenty-seventh Regiment leave this memorial stone.
Here the blood of Pennsylvania and Connecticut cemented forever the arch of an indestructible Union whose foundations are to-day as firmly resting upon the shores of the Gulf as by the waters of the Great Lakes. While the memories of what was accomplished here in the three burning days of 1863 are fondly cherished forever in the hearts of all the sons and daughters of this Union, Pennsylvania enjoys the sacred trust of guarding all these outward symbols, and in her hands we gladly leave them.
On the close of the exercises the visitors took at the various monuments in that locality, until warned by approaching rain, which arrived and drove them to headquarters between four and five o'clock.
During the evening the members of the regiments and their friends assembled at the Opera House, adjoining the McClellan House, when the meeting was called to order by Colonel Henry Huss, of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., who announced General Noble as the president of the meeting. On the platform were Rev. Mr. Warner, Rev. Dr. Thompson, General F. D. Sloat, Past Department Commander I. B. Hyatt, Major Doty, Sergeant Wade, Colonel George M. White, George C. Waldo and others.
Colonel Huss acted as Master of Ceremonies, and General Noble presented Mr. Blocher, of Gettysburg, (whose residence is near the first Seventeenth Regiment Monument, and who had for the past five years attended to the raising of the National Colors on the flag staff at Barlow's Knoll) with a handsomely framed set of engrossed resolutions. Owing to the feebleness of Mr. Blocher, the response was made in his behalf by Rev. Mr.Warner.
Colonel Huss then called Sergeant Wade to the front and addressed him as follows:
COMRADE WADE: I HAVE BEEN CALLED UPON TO PERFORM A VERY PLEASANT DUTY. The only regret in the matter I have, is my inability to command language fitted for the occasion. At our last re-union at Noroton, Dr. Munson handed me a letter. It contained a five dollar bank note, and highly complimented Comrade Wade for his efforts in helping his comrades, and expressed the wish that he might be presented with a testimonial and the presentation to take place at the unveiling of our monument at Gettysburg, and as the writer signs a Veteran's wife, the request was cheerfully granted.
Now, we are well aware that comrade Wade is partial to the ladies, and whenever in their presence he always "takes the cake," and I have not the slightest doubt but that he will take it upon this occasion. We can with good grace endorse all the excellent sayings the good lady writes, and properly add that he at all times, is not only the friend to the soldier but to any and all who may need his advice and services, and any reasonable request made and it lay in his power, we can feel assured that it will be granted. We might quote many cases, but this would not be news to you, as you all know comrade Wade. The faithful friend to our lamented late comrade George W. Keeler, was an example worthy of commendation. How many letters he wrote and sent, and when the indications were favorable he sent the joyous tidings broadcast to his friends and comrades with the sincere wish that he might soon recover his good health and be with us in our daily walks of life.
No brother could be more mindful of the slightest wish nor more willing to endure hardships or sacrifice comforts for a needy comrade, and many who have pitched their tents on the Eternal camping ground, had good cause to bless comrade Wade for the sunlight he brought when everything seemed dark and dismal.
Who was the life of Company K? The answer echoes back, Sergeant Wade. We might fill volumes with his good deeds.
Comrade Wade, your many friends have taken this method of expressing to you their respect and esteem, and it gives me great pleasure to present to you this testimonial, with the sincere wish that good health and prosperity be your constant companion through life, and when you look upon this dial you may be reminded that your many friends have honored themselves by honoring you. God bless you.
The present consisted of a magnificent gold watch and chain.
Comrade Wade was completely taken by surprise, but instead of retreating he pressed forward to the front and received the gifts in a few appropriate remarks, at the close of which the "4.30 McDonald," who was in the audience, had to ask what time it was, and he got the answer.
The Rev. Dr. Thompson then presented General Noble, and wife, each with a watch charm, in the form of miniature drums, made from the root of the old oak tree on Barlow's Knoll. The gifts were received and responded to by the General whose white flowing locks "brought down the house" every time the old soldier came to the front, notwithstanding the fact that the members of the Regiment made some fun of the General's penmanship.
General Sloat, of New Haven, then made a pleasant speech closing with the recital of some verses in honor of woman. Remarks were then made by Colonel White, Comrade Wells, Captain Wilson of the New York Zouaves, Mayor Miles, of Meriden. The exercises were then closed by singing "Marching through Georgia," and "America," led by Comrade Hyatt, of Meriden, while the entire audience joined in the chorus.
When the visitors arose Wednesday morning they found the ground white and the snow falling fast, which continued the greater part of the forenoon, but for all that many of them improved the time in viewing the monuments and other historic points and places of interest on the great battle-field, although the weather was quite cold and large icicles could be seen hanging on the trees and fences until noon. At our visit in July, 1884, there were but few monuments on the battlefield, now there are two hundred and eighty-seven all of which are Union except one, that one being Confederate representing a Maryland regiment, and is placed within four feet of the Union breastwork on Culp's Hill. Many of the monuments are very handsome and on the entire field there cannot be found two alike. The plainest one we remember of seeing, (we are sorry to say) is that of the gallant Fifth Connecticut, and we hope the day is not far distant when that regiment may have another and a handsomer monument. They deserve it. Connecticut evidently did her share in the terrible three days' struggle, as she was represented on the memorable battle-field by the Fifth, Fourteenth, Seventeenth, Twentieth, Twenty-seventh Regiments of Infantry, and also the Second Connecticut Battery.
Evidently the center of interest to the majority of visitors to Gettysburg is the National Cemetery which embraces seventeen acres of ground, the highest point of which overlooks nearly the whole battle-field. The grounds were consecrated on the 19th of November, 1863, when President Lincoln standing on the spot now crowned by the National Monument delivered his immortal speech. The dead of each State, and of the regular army, also of the unknown dead are buried in separate plots, arranged in rows in a semi-circle, in the center of which stands the National Monument, erected to commemorate their heroic deeds. Three thousand five hundred and eighty Union soldiers are entombed within its borders.
Our readers, however, do not want to get the idea that all of the Gettysburg interest is embraced within the walls of the cemetery, but to go out to the great battle field and view "Little Round Top," the "Devil's Den," the "Valley of Death," the "Bloody Angle" and the "Wheat Field," where the rebel Picket charged our line on July 3d, only to be repulsed and leave the ground covered with his dead braves.
Our party left Gettysburg at seven o'clock Thursday morning, and arrived at the Grand Central Depot, N.Y., in time to take the four o'clock P.M. train for home, and we doubt if there was a single person but who was pleased with the trip.