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A BRIEF JMEMORIAI 



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BRIEF MEMORIAL ^\ 



LIEUT. P. MARION HOLMES, 



36th Reg. iriass. Vols. 



PREPARED BY 



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1864. 



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SERVICES AT THE FUNERAL OF LT. P. MARION HOLMES. 



The funeral of the late Lieut. P. Marion Holmes, of Co. B. 36th 
Regt., who was killed at CampbcH's Station, Tenn., in connection with that 
of his little sister, Sarah E. Holmes, (a remarkably lovely child, aged 
three and a half years, who died suddenly a few days nefore the remains of 
her brother were brought honie,j was attended in Charlestown on Monday, 
Jan. 18th, 1864. At ten o'clock, A. M., services, at which Rev. J. B. Miles 
officiated, were held at the residence of their father, P. Holmes, Esq., on 
Adams Street. At the conclusion of the exercises at the house, the remains, 
followed by a large cortege of relatives and their sympathizing friends, Averc 
conveyed to the First Parish Cliurch on Harvard Hill. The escort duty was 
performed by the Charlestown City Guard, Capt. Caleb Drew, of which 
Lieut. Holmes was formerly a member, attended by Bond's Band, wliich per- 
formed a solemn dirge as the procession marched from the residence of Mr. 
Holmes to the church. The bodies of the patriot son and brother, and of 
the cherished daughter and sister, were placed side by side, in front of the 
pulpit, which was draped by the American flag and emblems of mourning. 
The large church edifice was filled to its utmost capacity, and many who 
came were unable to obtain admission. Among those in attendance were 
His Honor Mayor Stone and the members of the City Government, quite a 
large delegation of naval officers in full uniform ; also the members of the 
Bunker Hill Club, of which Lieut. Holmes was a member, and the returned 
members of the Warren Plialanx. The exercises at the church consisted of 
an appropriate voluntary on the organ by Mr. Wm. H. Goodwin, organist of 
the First Parish, introductory prayer by Rev. J. B. Miles, pastor, a dirge by 
the Band, the reading of selections of Scripture by Rev. Mr. Miles ; after 
which the choir of the First Church chanted a funeral anthem.* Tiie Rev. 
Mr. Silloway of Boston, pastor of the church with Avhich Mr. Holmes' fam- 
ily is connected, then followed with a short discourse befitting the occasion ; 
after which an address, having reference to the military career of the deceased 
hero, was given by Rev. Mr. Miles. At the conclusion of Mr. Miles' ad- 
dress, prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Silloway, after which the choir sang, 
in a very pathetic and impressive manner, the touching and beautiful stanzas 
commencing, "Beloved, it is well," &c. The benediction, pronounced by 
Mr. Miles, closed the services. The bodies were then placed in one hearse, 
and escorted in the same order in which they arrived at the church, to the 
Old Colony Depot in Boston, to be conveyed to the family tomb in Kings- 
ton, Mass. The members of the Bunker Hill Club, as also those of the War- 
ren Phalanx, and the naval officers and citizens, followed the body to the cars. 
Lieutenants G. H. Marden, B. F. Hatch, Charles (J. Pease, John McGrath, 
Alonzo S. Ranlett, and Henry L. Swords, served as Pall Bearers. The cer- 
emonies throughout were of an unusually imposing and solemn character. 



ADDRESS, 



BY EEV. J. B. MILES. 



Note. The remarks of Rev. Mr. Miles were extemporaneous, but so far 
as his memory recalls them, were, in substance, as follows. 

The sensibilities of our deeply afflicted friends have been 
so severely taxed the past weeks, and are so tenderly touched 
at this hour, and such are the further demands to be made 
upon their strength to-day, that I cannot think of entering 
upon any protracted remarks. This occasion, however, seems 
to demand, at least, a few brief words in reference to the 
prominent events of the short, and yet, I may say, brilliant 
mihtary career of the young hero, who nobly gave up his life 
for his country, at Campbell's Station, Tenn., on the 16th of 
November last, and to whose mortal remains, now before us, 
we have assembled to pay the last rites of respect and affec- 
tion. Our lamented friend, some years since, became a mem- 
ber of that honored and cherished military company of which 
our city is justly proud, " The Charlestown City Guard," 
which is connected with the 5th Mass. Reg't Infantry. And 
at the breaking out of the Rebellion, in April, 1861, a day 
that we cannot think of without a shudder, a day emphatically 
of darkness and gloominess, a day like that depicted by the 



prophet, when all hands fell down, and all hearts melted, 
when people were afraid, and pangs and sorrows took hold of 
them ; when men were amazed at one another and their faces 
were as flames, a day cruel both with wrath and fierce anger ; 
that day when came to us through the startled air intelligence 
that some of the sons of Massachusetts, soldiers of the gallant 
6th Regiment, in the streets of Baltimore, had fallen victims to 
the rage of a traitorous mob, while, in obedience to the call of 
our Chief Magistrate, thej were hastening to defend our cap- 
ital, public buildings and archives from destruction, threat- 
ened by armed rebels. In that hour of excitement and ter- 
ror, our young friend, together v^'ith his brave comrades, heard 
the call of his imperiled country. Hardly waiting to say, 
farewell to friends at home, they rushed to the rescue. 
They had every reason to expect they would confront the 
foe, in battle array, in a few hours. On reaching Washing- 
ton, they received no slight compliment in being ordered to 
join the troops to whom was assigned the duty of guarding 
the United States Treasury. Soon, however, came the word, 
" Advance to the front !" and at the disastrous engagement 
of Bull Run their heroism was, for the first time, put to the 
test of actual battle. It is but just to say, it was no fault of 
theirs that the result of that engagement was not a complete 
victory. 

At the expiration of three months, the term embraced in 
the call, the company returned to our cit^^, and our departed 
friend resumed business. But the wicked Rebellion had not 
been crushed. Treason waxed stron;:; and defiant. It was 



striking down our young men bj thousands in its high-handed 
endeavor to overturn the Government. Such being the state 
of things, young Holmes could not remain quietly at home. 
His heart, like the hearts of a host of youthful patriots, was 
fired with an invincible desire for- the salvation of the country. 
Accordingly, in the spring of 1862, he relinquished business 
and devoted himself, with indefatigable perseverance, to efforts 
for recruiting the company to which was given the honorable 
title, '' Warren Phalanx," a band of men, whose deeds have 
shown them worthy to bear the name of that immortal hero. 
He was commissioned as 2d Lieut, of thi scompany, and on the 
2d of September, in connection with the 36th Regiment, to 
which the Phalanx had been assigned, sailed for Washington 
in the steamer Merrimac. Through the autumn and winter 
he was constantly on duty as a member of the Army of the 
Potomac, cheerfully sharing all its fatigues, the hardships of 
its marches and countermarches, and acting with his com- 
pany as the support of a battery in one of the battles at Fred- 
ericksburg. In April they were transferred, with the 9th 
Army Corps, to Kentucky, and were for a time encamped at 
Lexington, hard by the spot where repose the ashes of the 
patriot Clay, a spot, the sight of which awakened in our Union 
soldiers no ordinary emotions. But our youthful hero and his 
companions were not allowed a long rest. They were soon 
called to encounter the rebels in a severe skirmish at James - 
town, Ky. ; and were thence sent to reinforce the troops, that 
under command of the illustrious Gen. Grant, were attempt- 
ing to capture Vicksburg. They reached Vicksburg June 



6 

19th, and were present at the surrender, — that event which 
sent consternation and dismay to the hearts of rebels, and in- 
spired all loyal people -with new hope and courage. On the 
very day of the surrender, July 4th, they were ordered to 
march to Jackson, Miss., a place some forty miles to the east 
of Vicksburg. This march was very severe ; the weather 
intensely hot, the roads dusty, and a scarcity of water. They 
participated in the attack upon Jackson, which lasted three 
days. In this terrible conflict many of our brave boys be- 
came exhausted and were obliged to be sent to the hospital ; 
but Lieut. Holmes was not one of that number. He contin- 
ued well, and was not absent from his post of duty for a day. 
On the first of August the troops with whom he served 
were returned to Kentucky, and there, for his gallantry hav- 
ing been previously promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant, 
he assumed command of the Warren Phalanx. In this posi- 
tion of increased responsibihty, he acted with signal efficiency 
and acceptableness to his superior officers, and became a fa- 
vorite with, almost the idol of, the men under his command. 
As acting Captain at the battle of Blue Springs, Tenn., Oct. 
10th, he greatly distinguished himself, and although he was 
severely wounded by a ball in the ankle, he refused to leave 
the field until the battle was over. He was then taken to 
the hospital, where with good reason he might have remained 
perhaps for weeks ; but such was his fortitude that he re- 
turned to duty when, as yet, he could walk with difficulty. 
His next place of destination Avas Lenoirs, on the Tennessee 
River, some thirty miles below Knoxville, where it was thought 



our soldiers were to go into winter quarters. But, unexpect- 
edly, they were attacked by the rebels in superior numbers 
and compelled to retreat towards Knoxville. It was during 
this retreat, at a place called Campbell's Station, that a mus- 
ket ball, fired by a rebel, pierced the head of our beloved, 
heroic young officer, and laid him low in death. His com- 
rades tried immediately, not without great risk, but in vain, 
to rescue his body. But with gratitude are we permitted to 
refer to two of our fellow-citizens, through whose success- 
ful efforts the sacred remains have been brought home for 
interment. 

Such is a hasty notice of the prominent events in the mili- 
tary hfe of the lamented P. Marion Holmes. Let no words 
of mine dim the glory with which his deeds invest his name. 
The facts to which I have briefly adverted, are his most fitting 
and eloquent eulogy. How cheerfully he bore the hardships of 
the soldier's lot, how nobly he acquitted himself on the battle- 
field, these facts sufficiently declare. How tender and vigilant 
he was in his care for the men under his command, let their 
glowing, affectionate words bear witness. One writes, " I 
am just informed of the death of Lieut. Holmes. I feel as 
though I had lost a brother." Another says, " He was 
hardly fit to have been with his company, on account of the 
wound on his foot, received at the battle of Blue Springs. 
But his motto was, ' Where my company goes I go.' He has 
bravely died a soldier's death." Still another writes, " He 
has done his duty nobly." Another still, " Our brave and 
good Lieut. Holmes was wounded in the foot, but he refused 



8 

to leave the field until the battle was over, and would not stay 
In the hospital, not being willing to be away from his com- 
pany." And yet another, a commissioned officer of the 36th 
Regiment, writes, " I learn, with deep feelings of pain and 
regret, that Lieut. P. M. Holmes was killed in the fight at 
Campbell's Station. Poor Marion ! He was a splendid man, 
a good soldier, kind and attentive ever to the wants and con- 
dition of his men. He died a noble death. May his memory 
long endure." Surely we need not, although, did timxB per- 
mit, we might give additional testimony to the faithfulness, 
•the courage, and noble qualities of the young soldier whose 
untimely death we mourn. It is, to my mind, a fact of touch- 
ing interest, that he was accustomed to wear, and at the time 
he fell wore, upon his breast a golden design of the Monu- 
ment, around which was inscribed the classic, patriotic motto, 
*' Didce est j?ro patria mori^^'' — Sweet is it to die for one's 
country. Beautifully appropriate as a badge for him who 
heroically suffered and gave his youthful blood, to peyyetaate 
our independence, was the design of that granite shaft which 
commemorates the deeds of the heroes who achieved our inde- 
pendence. Truly the spirit of 177G revived in this young 
hero of 1863. And now, shall we, looking upon the lifeless, 
mangled remains of one, who, less than two years ago, went 
forth from our midst in all the beauty and nobleness of his 
young manhood, say that he has died in vain ! Far be it from 
us to say that. He has given his precious life, as a noble 
host of the choicest sons of Massachusetts have given theirs, 
to crush a foul and wicked rebellion. He has died in defence 



of the priceless legacy left to us by the Fathers. He has died 
to perpetuate our Republican Government, our incomparable 
civil, political and religious institutions. He has died in the 
defence of freedom and the rights of man. On this account 
the Mayor and the gentlemen of the City Government, these 
military organizations and these thousands of our citizens 
crowd this sanctuary of God, to manifest their profound appre- 
ciation of the service he has rendered. I need not say, that 
by us all, the memory of P. Marion Holmes will ever be held 
dear. His name is now enrolled with the noble dead. With 
emotions of esteem and affection will it be spoken by the in- 
creasing millions of freemen that in coming generations are to 
inhabit this great and rich land. Indeed his name, and the 
names of his brave comrades, and the names of the great 
army of the martyrs of libertj^, arc destined to be known and 
cherished by the lovers of freedom in all lands, through all 
time. 

To you, my sorely afflicted friends, parents, sisters and bro- 
thers of the deceased, how shall I venture to speak. How 
shall I hope to command vrords gentle enough, tender enough 
to soothe the anguish of your bleeding hearts. Verily you 
can say, " God moves in a mysterious way ;" his judgments 
are a great deep, and his ways past finding out. " All thy 
waves and thy billows have gone over me." While your 
hearts were torn by the intelligence that your first born, your 
strong staff and beautiful rod had been slain upon a distant 
battle field, and you were in daily expectation of his lifeless 
remains, death entered your quiet, peaceful dwelhng, and sud- 



10 

denly cut down your youngest in all the sweetness and beauty 
of her opening childhood. Transfigured by death how peace- 
fully she sleeps beside the loving brother. But oh, say not 
this charming flower has been nipped by an untimely frost. 
This flower, which had begun to open in such loveliness in 
your earthly home, has been transferred to the paradise above ; 
in that more congenial soil and clime to flourish and bloom 
with a diviner lovehness. Say not this light, which had begun 
in a manner so pleasing, to illumine your dwelling, has been 
quenched. It has only been transferred to the celestial 
world, there to shine with an ever increasing glory. Look 
not for your darling Sarah in this casket. Look upward 
rather, and by faith behold your angel child, her sweet face 
beaming with the white radiance of Heaven, her little hands 
extended, beckoning you up to our Father's home on high. 
Blessed be God, there are consolations sufficient for you. 
Let your faith take firm hold of the truth that " God is love." 

" Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 

But trust him for his grace ; 
Behind a frowning providence 

He hides a smiling face." 

Painful, almost crushing as your sorrows are. Love has sent 
them, oh yes, a love tenderer than is the love of an earthly 
father or an earthly mother. The heartiest and warmest 
sympathy of human friends is yours. But a sympathy and 
solace more effectual than all earthly friends can give, you 
now demand. With joy, I, therefore, commend you to Ilim, 



11 

who has revealed himself to us as the Father of mercies and 
the Crod of all comfort. Oh, my afflicted friends, to Him bring 
your wounded hearts ; to Him tell your anguish. 

" Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal." 

May God, without whose gracious providence, not even a 
sparrow falls, abundantly support and comfort your hearts, 
and so sanctify unto you this and all 3''our sorrows, that when 
on earth your labors are done, and your trials ended, you 
may all be prepared for that bright v^orld, where God shall 
wipe away all tears from all eyes ; where there shall be no 
more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be 
any more pain. Into that blessed home above may you all, 
at last, be gathered, an unbroken family in Heaven. 



12 



Charlestown, Jan. 4, 1864. 

At a regular meeting of the Bunkek Hill Club, holden this 

evening, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted : — 

i| 
Whereas^ by the death of Lieut. P. Marion Holmes, (who fell 
while gallantly defending his country on the field of battle,) the mem- | 
bers of this Club have to lament the loss of one of its most valued 
members, they cannot willingly consent to this separation from their | 
beloved companion, without paying that deserved tribute, which words 
can but feebly express, to the noble and generous qualities, manly ' 
bearing, and devoted patriotism, which won for him the love and 'g; 
respect of all associated with him in civil life, and endeared him to ^ 
those brave comrades in arms, who, like him, were ready to give up I 
all, even life itself, to support the Constitution and Laws of the nation, 

r 

maintain its existence, and sustain the supremacy of its glorious flag. | 

Resolved, That while we feel inadequate to offer ^vords of consola- J 
tion to the bereaved parents, brother and sisters of our deceased 
friend in this irreparable loss, we cannot refrain from tendering our 
most heartfelt sympathy to them, and to bear most cordial testimony 
to his moral worth, and to the esteem in which he was held by all v,^ho 
had the good fortune of his acquaintance. His memory will ever be 
cherished by us, and his name forever engraved upon the roll of 
American Patriots, a lasting monument for the admiration and grati- 
tude of generations yet to follow. 

Voted, That these resolutions be entered upon tlie records, and a 
copy forwarded to the parents of Lieut. Holmes. " / \