Source:
The Indiana County Gazette: Indiana,
Pennsylvania; 27th
August 1891 issue, page 1.
Old Soldiers by the thousands are
smoking the pipe of peace around campfires in Indiana to-night.
All day the drums have been sounding, and the silvery call of the bugle
has awakened musical echoes in the surrounding hills.
The steady tramp of an onward army makes the very earth vibrate as with
feeling, and patriotism fills the air. The
greatest crowd in the history of Indiana is surging through the streets.
The younger generations are now fully appreciating, for the first time,
what a grand body of men Indiana county turned loose at Confederacy’s throat.
There were neatly eight thousand of them – strong, able-bodied fellows
with souls fired for the cause. They
marched down into the thickest of the fight.
Hundreds fell. Hundreds
groaned upon hospital cots. Scores
fell into those Southern hell-holes--war prisons.
All stood firmly until death overtook them or the conflict was at an
end.
To-day upon the streets we see
the survivors of that host. They
are gray and bent and bullet-scarred. Let
us honor their presence as we have endorsed their deeds, and let our veneration
for their tattered flags, grow stronger and deeper as we see how the old hands
tremble that hold them. All honor
to the old soldiers in reunion here to-day!
IN
HOLIDAY ATTIRE.
The
Town Never Looked More Patriotic Than To-day.
Morning broke on a scene of patriotic splendor.
The decorators and artists have done their work well, and Indiana is
wrapped in the country’s colors. The
house decorations are too numerous to describe, and space will allow meager
mention of the streets’ gay dresses.
Coming up Philadelphia street the
first public display is seen at the intersection of Philadelphia and Fifth
streets. Here suspended across the
square is a large banner, bearing the word “Welcome” on either side, while
from its under edge hang many Japanese lanterns and streamers.
Passing through a profusion of house decorations, the Court House square
is reached. Here the decorator’s
art has been strained to its utmost. The
arch is a double one, set diagonally, with a flag pole in the center.
At either end of the arch hangs a banner bearing the word “Welcome.”
Hung at different places on the arch are paintings representing the
army, navy, cavalry, and artillery, while bunting and streamers in profusion.
These paintings, together with all the others used over town, are the
productions of Mr. Bird Sloan’s brush and pencil.
The Junior Order United American
Mechanics have a beautiful banner suspended across the street in front of their
building. It is in three parts.
In the center is a shield, a portion of the Order’s badge, with
Inscriptions on it. At either side
are streamers telling what the old soldiers did for our country from ’60 to
’65, and what the Juniors are doing now.
The square at Seventh and
Philadelphia streets is handsomely decorated same the ones at First and
(rest of paragraph unreadable)
St. Bernard’s Catholic church
is not in the shade in regard to its decorations.
Across the street in front of the church extends a large and handsome
arch, while the stars and stripes float to the breeze in front of Father
Kirner’s house. The trees around
the church are festooned with gay colored lanterns, and the fence is covered
with bunting.
THE
MORNING PROGRAM.
The 8:50 a.m. train brought an immense delegation
to add to the crush in the already overflowing town.
The crowd moved toward a common center of interest – the reviewing
stand in front of the Court House, where Judge Harry White delivered an
eloquent address of welcome. The
judge consumed about 20 minutes, and he was followed in response by Major T. D.
Cunningham of Blairsville and others.
Chief Marshal H. K. Sloan had
previously announced the following
|
Assignments of Marshals, Rendezvous, Etc. |
|
District |
Marshal |
Rendezvous |
| Armstrong |
Wm. Fleming |
West Indiana House |
| Shelocta
|
Wm. Fleming |
West Indiana House |
| Washington |
James M. Miller |
West
Indiana House |
| West Indiana
|
D. R. Pringle
|
West
Indiana House |
| Conemaugh
|
Samuel Nesbit
|
American House |
| Blairsville
|
E. M. Evans
|
American
House
|
| Saltsburg
|
J. C. Blakeney
|
American
House
|
| Blacklick
|
W. C. Gordon
|
American
House
|
| Banks |
Henry Prothero |
American
House
|
| Cherry Tree |
H. B. Hawes |
American
House
|
| Jacksonville
|
O. H. Scott
|
Indiana
House
|
| Young |
S. C. Kennedy
|
Indiana House |
| Brush Valley |
John McElheny
|
Indiana House
|
| Mechanicsburg
|
John McElheny
|
Indiana House
|
| Wheatfield
|
Capt. Daniel Killen
|
Indiana House
|
| Montgomery
|
David S. Ake
|
Indiana House
|
| Rayne
|
Capt John Kinter
|
Clawson
House |
| N. Mahoning
|
James Chambers
|
Clawson
House |
| Center |
B. F. Laughlin |
Clawson
House |
| E. Mahoning
|
M. T. Steele
|
Clawson
House |
| Armagh |
Capt.
Daniel Tincum |
Clawson
House |
| Grant |
James
M. McQuown |
Clawson
House |
| S. Mahoning
|
Peter Spencer
|
Schreckengost
House |
| White |
S. M. McHenry
|
Schreckengost
House |
| Smicksburg |
S. M. Cassidy
|
Schreckengost
House |
| W.
Mahoning
|
Lt. Evan Lewis
|
Schreckengost
House |
| Canoe
|
Lt. Evan Lewis
|
Schreckengost
House |
| Green |
Edward O’Neil
|
Kinter House
|
| Cherry Hill |
Joseph H. Chapman
|
Kinter House
|
| Pine |
Matthew Loughry
|
Kinter House
|
| Buffington |
John Graham
|
Kinter House
|
| Burrell |
Alex. McCune
|
Kinter House
|
| W.
Wheatfield
|
George Cribbs
|
Central
Hotel |
| Center and Homer
City
|
Martin Kier
|
Central
Hotel |
| Indiana |
John
R. Bryan |
Firemen's
Hall |
HEADQUARTERS
REGIMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
|
Post |
Commander |
Place |
| No. 28 |
G. W. Hood |
Armory Hall |
| No. 36 |
Geo. W. Reed
|
Armory Hall |
| No. 40 |
G. W. Bodenhammer
|
Armory Hall |
| No. 108 |
Henry Hargrave
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
137 |
Joseph W. Walker
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
219 |
J. W. Work
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
221 |
John Brown
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
237 |
R. W. Dinsmore
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
244 |
Wm.
Winebrenner
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
303 |
Samuel Lytle
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
321 |
John B. Shall
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
418 |
D. A. Jenkins
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
434 |
David Hoch
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
441 |
John McElhaney
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
533 |
J. Edwards
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
537 |
E. L. Buterbaugh
|
Armory Hall |
| No.
587 |
D. C. Gorman
|
Armory Hall |
RAISING
THE BIG POLE
Considerable excitement and risk attended the
raising of the 78-foot pole which now stands proudly in the center of the arch
at Philadelphia and Sixth streets. It
was composed originally of four sections of cast-iron pipe, tapering toward the
top. Two attempts were made to
raise it to position, but the pipe broke at the threaded joints from its own
weight, the pieces falling among the crowd below in a dangerous manner.
Finally the length of the pole was reduced from 1?5 to 78 feet, and the
(rest of paragraph of newsprint unreadable)
FROM
NOON TILL NIGHT.
THE
TIME DEVOTED TO PARADE AND BUSINESS.
Young again! The
old soldiers have now partaken of the rejuvenating viands of peace, and at 1:30
the column reforms for review. The
parade will go down First street to Church, out Church to Sixth up Sixth to
Philadelphia and past the reviewing stand.
After each regiment has passed the reviewing stand it will be conducted
to the place appointed for regimental business meeting as follows:
Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteers and Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserve
Corps, Court House; Fifty-fifth
Pennsylvania Volunteers, J. S. Nesbit’s Hall;
Sixty-First Pennsylvania Volunteers, Lutheran church;
Seventy-Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, J. D. Patton’s storeroom;
One Hundred and First and One Hundred and Third, Fireman’s Hall’
One Hundred and Fifth, Mechanics’ Hall and One Hundred and
Forty-Eighth, Odd Fellows’ Hall.
These meeting will continue in
session until 3 p.m., when all the old soldiers will repair to Library Hall to
attend the business meeting of the soldiers’ organization.
This meeting will be in session until 5 o’clock.
At that time the line of march will again be taken up, and the soldiers
will proceed to the Fair grounds for evening mess.
This over, the veterans will
quickly form. They will march down
Philadelphia street to the Court House, and there reform for dress parade.
At the conclusion of this they will break ranks for Library Hall to join
in the camp fire of the evening.
A
GRAND MILITARY CORTEGE
THE
OLD VETERANS AGAIN MARCH TO THE NATIONAL AIRS.
Shouts of applause had hardly died away after the
last speaker had finished his address when the order was given to form for
parade. The column quickly fell in,
with the right resting on Fifth street and extending up Church street.
The formation was as follows: Chief
Marshall H. K. Sloan and Adjutant John H. Hill, with their staff consisting of
Major T. D. Cunningham, John McLanahan, M. C. Woodward, John M. Ray, L. A.
Hollister, Rev. B. B. Henshey, Captain
D. J. Weaver, (rest
unreadable bottom of page of newsprint…..top of next column)
Esq., A. H. Apple, W. T. Wilson, J. G. Fleming, W. F. Hays, A. C. Rankin
and W. P. Altman.
The staff was followed by the Huzzar band of
Johnstown, numbering 25 pieces.
Then came the military escort, regimental
organizations, G. A. R. Posts, U. V. L. Encampments, district delegations,
cavalry and artillery. At regular
points in the column brass and martial bands were placed.
Soon after 12 o’clock the Huzzar’s struck up
“Marching Through Georgia,” and the old veterans started on their tramp up
Philadelphia street to Second street and thence to the Fair grounds.
At the gate the escort halted and opened ranks, while the column filed
through and were marched to dinner.
THE
SOLDIERS’ MESS.
The
Well-Arranged Plans – To-day’s Menu.
No coffee pot ever boiled more merrily than did
the half-dozen monsters at the Fair Grounds this morning.
the round house and machinery hall are fitted up with tables, having a
seating capacity of 950. Along the
front of the round house and machinery hall a shed has been built containing
two tables, each 186 feet long. In
this building 375 soldiers can be fed. Below
machinery hall 10 tables 96 feet long have been built.
They are under cover, and will seat 1,000 men.
Just opposite, below the round house, are five more tables accommodating
300 people.
The cook house, between the two rows of tables,
below the buildings, is well arranged. The
water supply is provided through pipes from the Normal school.
The subsistence committee had everything in
readiness when dinner time came, and the 100 young men and ladies served in
elegant style the following menu: Bread,
pies, coffee, corn beef, cold ham, cheese and cakes.
This menu, with some slight changes, will be
served for supper.
Love
of the Old Soldiers, Licked Him.
Hon. Giles D. Price, of Erie, in speaking of his
defeat for the nomination for Auditor General in the Republican convention at
Harrisburg, says that the love of the delegates for old soldier did it, and
says the ticket nominated is a good one, and shall have his earnest support.
The
Camp Fire for Night.
To-night the old veterans will meet in Library
Hall, and, throwing all formality aside, will enter into the enjoyment of the
evening with a vim only known to soldiers.
The program will be for the most part an impromptu one, and will consist
of speeches, songs and recitations.
A
Train to Allegheny.
The camp fire will close to-days reunion,
(rest of paragraph unreadable, bottom of page).
