^ E 527 
 .5 
 
 118lh 
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 Copy 2 
 
 JTTN Address at the Unveiling of the 
 ^^m Monument erected by the Com- 
 r mercial Exchange of Philadelphia, 
 
 to Commemorate the Services of 
 the Corn Exchange Regiment, ii8th 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers, on ** Round 
 Top," the place held by the Regiment 
 at the Battle of Gettysburg. 
 
 Delivered 8th September, 1884, by 
 Alexander G. Cattell. 
 
 / 
 
I 
 
 '05 j\ 
 
AN ADDRESS 
 
 AT THE 
 
 UNVEILING OF THE MONUMENT 
 
 ERECTED IN HONOR OF 
 
 THE CORN EXCHANGE REGIMENT, 
 
 Ii8th PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS. 
 
AN ADDRESS 
 
 AT THE 
 
 UNVEILING OF THE MONUMENT 
 
 ERECTED BY 
 
 THE COMMERCIAL EXCHANGE ASSOCIATION 
 
 OF PHILADELPHIA, 
 
 (late corn exchange association,) 
 
 TO COMMEMORATE 
 
 THE HEROIC SERVICES OF THE CORN EXCHANGE 
 REGIMENT, ii8th PENN'A VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 Delivered at "Round Top," on the Gettysburg Battle-Field, 
 / September 8, 1884, 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER G. CATTELL. 
 
 '/ 
 
 DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 THE COMMERCIAL LIST PRINTING HOUSE. 
 
 1884. 
 
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 Note. 
 
 On Saturday, September 6th, A. D. 1884, the Survivors' 
 Association of the 118th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers, accompanied by a large number of the members of 
 the Commercial Exchange of Philadelphia, and a number of 
 invited guests, left the Broad Street Station of the Penn- 
 sylvania Railroad in a special train of eight cars. Their des- 
 tination was the town of Gettysburg, and their object was to 
 unveil with fitting ceremonies the monument erected by the 
 Commercial Exchange (formerly the Corn Exchange Associa- 
 tion), in honor of the heroes of the i i8th Regiment who had 
 lost their lives in the War of the Rebellion. They were 
 accompanied by Company H of the First Regiment of the 
 National Guards of Pennsylvania, as an escort. The party 
 numbered, in all, about three hundred persons. 
 
 Gettysburg was reached about nine o'clock in the evening. 
 The next day being Sunday, the afternoon was .spent in visiting 
 the battle-field. When the great wave of Southern invasion 
 swept up into our own dear State, it was on this memorable 
 field that it was met by that grand and successful resistance 
 which turned the tide of war in favor of the Federal forces. 
 Pennsylvania soldiers under Pennsylvania generals deserved 
 well of the State that day. Meade and Reynolds are great 
 names which will live with undying fame ; but many a soldier 
 lost his life that day, whose patriotism was as earnest and hi': 
 
courage as great as that of those great commanders, and to- 
 day he lies, perhaps, in a nameless grave. 
 
 Many of those who participated in this excursion had 
 been in the thick of the fight, and they recalled how fierce 
 and desperate it was. As they passed over the field, they 
 remembered with saddened hearts, and spoke in subdued 
 tones of the comrades who had lost their lives when the foe 
 came charging upon them with a grim determination to con- 
 quer, which would have been irresistible had not our soldiers 
 been fighting on their native soil in defense of their own 
 hearths and homes. 
 
 The ceremonies attending the unveiling of the monument 
 took place on Monday, September 8th, on Round Top, and 
 were conducted with commendable promptness and precision. 
 The Rev. R. F. Innes, of St. Mary's Church, in West Phila- 
 delphia, made a prayer which was both patriotic and devout. 
 Then Mr. Brice, on behalf of the Commercial Exchange, 
 tersely stated the object of the ceremonies, and introduced the 
 orator of the day, Ex-Senator Cattell, of New Jersey. 
 
 Dr. H. T. Peck, formerly adjutant of the ii8th, read an 
 account of its actions, recounting its battles and campaigns 
 from Antietam to Appomattox. Then the monument was 
 delivered into the custody of the Gettysburg Monumental 
 Association, and an address of reception was made by Hon. 
 David A. Buehler, president of that association. A salute 
 was fired, the monument was exposed to view, and will stand 
 in future time as a tribute to the courage and devotion of the 
 soldiers of the i iSth Regiment and of the loyal public spirit of 
 the Corn Exchange. 
 
 After the ceremonies were ended, a return was made to 
 Gettysburg, and from thence to Philadelphia. The party 
 throughout was one of the pleasantest character in every 
 respect ; every detail had been carefully planned and carried 
 into execution with military promptness, and all united in 
 expressions of satisfaction. C. B. McM. 
 
The procession having reached " Round Top," at the 
 appointed hour, eleven o'clock, the chairman called the 
 assembly to order, and introduced the Rev. R. F. Innes, of 
 St. Mary's Church, West Philadelphia, who offered a prayer : 
 
 O God, who art the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, 
 and Lord of lords, the almighty Ruler of nations, we adore and 
 magnify Thy glorious name for all the great things which Thou has 
 done for us, for the civil and religious privileges which we enjoy, and 
 for the multiplied manifestations of Thy favor towards us. Grant that 
 we may show forth our thankfulness for these Thy mercies, by living in 
 reverence of Thy almighty power and dominion, in humble reliance on 
 Thy goodness and mercy, and in holy obedience to Thy righteous laws. 
 Preserve, we beseech Thee, to our country, the blessings of peace ; restore 
 them to nations deprived of them, and secure them to all the people of 
 the earth. May the kingdom of the Prince of Peace come, and, reigning in 
 the hearts and lives of men, unite them in holy fellowship, that so their 
 only strife may be, who shall show forth, with most holy and humble 
 fervor, the praises of Him who hath loved them, and made them kings 
 and priests unto God. We implore Thy blessings on all in authority, that 
 they may have grace, wisdom and understanding, so to discharge their 
 duties as most effectually to promote Thy glory, the interest of true 
 religion and virtue, and the peace, good order and welfare of this State 
 and nation. Continue, O Lord, to prosper our institutions for the pro- 
 motion of learning, the diffusion of education, and the advancement of 
 Christian truth. Change, we beseech Thee, every evil heart of unbelief, 
 and shed the quickening influences of Thy Holy Spirit on all the people 
 of this land ; save us from the guilt of abusing the blessings of prosperity 
 to luxury and licentiousness, to irreligion and vice, lest we provoke 
 Thee, in just judgment, to visit our offenses with a rod, and our sins with 
 scourges. And while Thy goodness to us, O God of our salvation, leads 
 us to repentance, inay we offer ourselves a living sacrifice to Thee, who 
 hast preserved and redeemed us through Jesus Christ our Lord, on 
 whose merits and mediations alone we humbly rely for the forgiveness 
 of our sins and the acceptance of our services, and who liveth and 
 reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world with- 
 out end. Amen. 
 
 O Almighty God, the sovereign commander of all the world, in 
 whose hand is power and might which none is able to withstand, we 
 bless and magnify Thy great and glorious name for the victory achieved 
 
\ 
 
 8 
 
 at this place. To Thee, O Lord, be all the glory. Be with us to-day in 
 the commemoration of the event. May the remembrance of Thy great 
 mercy awaken in us a hearty desire to serve Thee faithfully all the days 
 of our life. Bless the members of this regiment, whether present or 
 absent. Look down from heaven, O Lord, behold, visit and relieve its 
 first colonel. In thy wisdom Thou hast seen fit to bring distress upon 
 him. Look upon him with the eyes of Thy mercy, comfort him with a 
 sense of Thy goodness, lift up Thy countenance upon him, and give him 
 peace. Visit a// with Thy rich blessings, grant to those that are still 
 living such good things as Thou seest to be for their good, and to those 
 who have departed this life, with the sign of faith, grant them, O Lord, 
 eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine on them. All which we ask 
 for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The following letter from General U. S. Grant was read : 
 
 Long Branch, N. J., August 26, 1884. 
 Hon. a. G. Cattell. 
 
 Dear Sir: — I am just in receipt of your letter of yesterday invit- 
 ing me to be present at the unveiling of the monument dedicated to 
 the memory of the members of the iiSth Pennsylvania Volunteers who 
 sacrificed their lives in the cause of the Union, to take place the 8th of 
 September, under the auspices of the Commercial Exchange of Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 I regret very mtich that continued lameness will prevent my accept- 
 ing this invitation. No one more than myself feels it a duty to honor 
 the dead who sacrificed their lives in the cause the Ii8th did, and no one 
 appreciates more highly the services rendered by the Union soldiers, 
 dead and alive. 
 
 Hoping the monument now erected and about to be dedicated may 
 ever serve as a reminder to the descendants of the brave soldiers who 
 fought for the preservation of the Union, the sacredness of the cause for 
 which they risked their lives, I am 
 
 Very truly, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 U. S. GRANT. 
 
Mr. William Brice, Chairman of the Committee of The 
 Commercial Exchange, which had been charged with the 
 care of erecting the monument, reported the complete fulfill- 
 ment of the duties assigned them, and said 
 
 Fellow-citizens : 
 
 We meet here to-day on this historic field, dedicated to the cause of 
 the Union and of Hberty, to perform the sacred duty of dedicating this 
 monument, erected by the Commercial Exchange of Philadelphia in 
 honor of the Corn Exchange Regiment, known in military annals as the 
 1 1 8th Pennsylvania Volunteers, — a body of men as noble and heroic, and 
 as well deserving of the honor, as any among the hundreds of thousands 
 who offered up their lives for liberty. It is not my purpose to pronounce 
 an extended eulogy on the grand achievements of this noble body of men ; 
 the orator of the day and the historian of the regiment will do that much 
 better than I can. I will merely add, that, early in 1862, — those dark 
 and gloomy days in our country's history, — the Corn Exchange of Phila- 
 delphia appointed a committee of twenty-one to raise, arm, equip, and 
 place in the field, at their own expense, a regiment to do battle for the 
 Union. This was quickly done, and the Corn Exchange Regiment was 
 the result. Of that committee of twenty-one, thirteen have crossed the 
 "bourne from Avhich no traveler returns." The honored chairman of 
 that committee, I am happy to say, still survives, and is here with us 
 to-day, — a gentleman whose patriotism, ardor, and activity in the cause 
 of the Union are so well and widely known. He will be your orator on 
 this occasion. I allude, of course, to the Hon. A. G. Cattell, ex-Senator 
 from New Jersey, whom I have great pleasure in now introducing to you. 
 
 Gentlemen, — The Hon. Alexander G. Cattell. 
 
ADDRESS: 
 
 E ARE assembled to-day for a high and holy 
 purpose. The members of the Corn Exchange 
 of Philadelphia, a purely commercial organization, 
 conspicuous for its loyalty in the hour of the 
 Nation's peril, and for its patriotism at all times, are gathered 
 here on this historic and hallowed spot, in the presence of 
 this assembly, to perform their closing act in the great drama, 
 upon which the curtain rose at Sumter, wellnigh a quarter 
 of a century ago. 
 
 We come with reverence to unveil and to dedicate, with 
 appropriate and heartfelt ceremonies, the monument which we 
 have erected on this consecrated ground, to perpetuate the 
 memory of the brave soldiers of the ii8th Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers, known always as the Corn Exchange Regiment, 
 who died that the Nation might live ; and to leave inscribed 
 on the enduring granite, our high appreciation of the gallant 
 
12 
 
 services and heroic virtues, of both the Hving and the dead, 
 and our grateful recognition of the sacrifice they made for our 
 common country. May I not rightfully claim, that this is a 
 high and holy purpose ? 
 
 It is fitting, on such an occasion, that he who has been 
 chosen to voice your sentiments and feelings, should briefly 
 and tenderly as he may, recur to some of the early circum- 
 stances and incidents in the history of the transaction which 
 has led up to this supreme hour. 
 
 In the performance of the duty assigned me, I would not 
 wantonly uncover the skeleton of the Civil War, which twenty 
 years have almost buried from our sight, nor would I need- 
 lessly open afresh the wounds that time has nearly healed. 
 But standing on this historic field, whereon the most significant 
 battle of the Rebellion was fought — in view of yonder cemetery, 
 with its thousands of grassy hillocks, each one of which marks 
 the resting-place of a hero slain on this modern Marathon — in 
 the presence of these surviving veterans of the war — with the 
 surging tide of painful memories the place and the occasion 
 invoke, that "will not down at our bidding" — I should 
 be false to the dead and false to the living — false to history 
 and false to the impulse of my own heart, if I failed to speak 
 in earnest words of the righteousness of the cause for which 
 these sleeping heroes fought and died, — or hesitated to 
 denounce in unmeasured terms, the stupendous folly and 
 wickedness of those, who revolted against the most gentle 
 and beneficent government ever vouchsafed by God to man, 
 and raised the parricidal arm to destroy its life 
 
 Utterly without excuse — conceived in sin and shapen in 
 iniquity — prosecuted with malignity, and conducted with 
 
13 
 
 cruelty — with the sole object of conserving and perpetuating 
 the infamous system of human slavery, the Rebellion of 
 the Southern States, will stand out on the page of history, 
 for all time, as the darkest crime against God and humanity 
 that the world has ever witnessed. To save this glorious 
 Union, cemented by the blood of our fathers, and to pre- 
 serve for our children the priceless inheritance of our free 
 government, cost the loyal North the fearful sacrifice of five 
 hundred thousand lives, and four thousand millions of treas- 
 ure. A magnanimous people, true to their character and 
 instincts, in the hour of victory gave to their enemies such 
 generous terms — both at the surrender and afterward, as were 
 never before accorded to a conquered and prostrate foe. No 
 lives were forfeited — no person imprisoned — no property con- 
 fiscated — no dollar of indemnity demanded. On the contrary, 
 we welcomed our enemies back to the enjoyment of the bless- 
 ings of the Union they madly sought to destroy, and many of 
 them are now occupying official positions of trust and honor 
 and profit in the national government. I do not cavil at this. 
 Nay, I rejoice in it. My utterances in private life ever since 
 the close of the war, and my acts and votes in the Senate of 
 the United States during all the period of reconstruction, will 
 justify this statement. But, nevertheless, though we have so 
 largely condoned the grievous offense, and magnanimously 
 tendered the olive-branch to our foes, we are not thereby 
 estopped from our right and duty, on all proper occasions, to 
 make a frank and open declaration of our abhorrence of the 
 crime. 
 
 I speak in behalf of the voiceless tenants of these graves — 
 of our thousands of maimed and suffering soldiers — of the 
 
H 
 
 widows and orphans, and the desolate hearthstones, all over 
 the land, when I arraign for condemnation the authors of this 
 cruel war at the bar of public opinion, not only of this land, 
 but of the whole civilized world. And I speak for all lovers 
 of freedom and friends of humanity, when I declare that the 
 Union soldiers, living or dead, who perilled their all for the 
 preservation of the Union, fought in a righteous cause, and 
 that no mortals ever gave their lives for a higher or nobler 
 purpose than the honored dead who sleep within the sacred 
 precincts of yonder enclosure — guarded by the watchful care 
 of a crrateful Nation. 
 
 fc.' 
 
 " On Fame's eternal camping-ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 And glory guards with solemn round 
 The bivouac of the dead." 
 
 And to this silent camping-ground, surviving comrades and 
 their children and their children's children — sire and son — 
 matron and maiden, shall come with each returning spring, 
 bearing their garlands of earth's choicest flowers wherewith to 
 decorate these graves; and in the ages to come, long after 
 these marble monuments shall have crumbled into dust, un- 
 numbered pilgrims, lovers of freedom and friends of humanity, 
 not only of this land but of all lands, shall tread this hallowed 
 ground, and, kneeling beside these graves, gather therefrom 
 inspiration and courage in every conflict for human rights and 
 personal freedom that shall be waged in all the wide, wide 
 world. 
 
 Illustrious heroes, hail ! and farewell ! Peace to their 
 ashes ! everlasting honor to their memory ! 
 
15 
 
 " How sleep the brave who sink to rest 
 With all their country's wishes blest ! 
 When Spring with dewy fingers cold 
 Returns to deck their hallowed mould, 
 She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
 Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 
 
 " By fairy hands their knell is rung ; 
 By forms unseen their dirge is sung ; 
 There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, 
 To bless the turf that wraps their clay ; 
 And Freedom shall awhile repair 
 To dwell a weeping hermit there." 
 
 At the outset of these remarks I made the declaration 
 that The Corn Exchange of Philadelphia, now known by the 
 more comprehensive and euphonious, but not the more loved, 
 name, of The Commercial Exchange, was conspicuous for its 
 loyalty in the hour of the Nation's peril. Let a few facts from 
 its history be my warrant for the assertion. 
 
 On the morning of April 15, 1861, the members of this 
 body had assembled at their hall, as was their daily custom, 
 to engage in their ordinary business of trade and commerce. 
 The telegraph had flashed along its lines the pregnant fact that 
 on the previous day rebel cannon had opened fire on Fort 
 Sumter, and, despite the gallant defense of Anderson and his 
 little band, the fortress had fallen. In the presence of this 
 appalling announcement, with the impending calamity of civil 
 war, thoughts of trade and commerce were altogether forgotten. 
 The usual hum of busy voices was hushed in silence; samples 
 of merchandise were left unopened ; and with one accord the 
 members gathered about the rostrum with anxious faces and 
 
i6 
 
 troubled hearts. The die was cast — the fatal blow had been struck 
 — the flag had been trailed in the dust; and the Corn Exchange, 
 composed of men of all ages, and all creeds, and all shades of 
 political opinion, recognized its duty, as it was the duty of 
 all true men in this grave emergency, to speak out, and in 
 speaking out to give no uncertain sound. After some expres- 
 sion of patriotic sentiment by various members, one of their 
 number offered a Preamble and Resolution in the following 
 words, which were unanimously adopted. 
 
 " Whereas, Armed rebellion has raised its hand against 
 the Government of the United States, and is now engaged in 
 infamous outrages upon the honor, integrity and safety of our 
 beloved country; and 
 
 " Whereas it is the duty of all true men in a crisis 
 like the present to express their devotion to the sacred cause 
 of their country, and their firm determination never to aban- 
 don her to her enemies, therefore, 
 
 " Resolved, That the Corn Exchange Association, in the 
 manifestation of their unreserved and entire sympathy with the 
 administration in this trying hour, and of their earnest desire 
 to do all that men may do in behalf of their country, do now 
 instruct their Room Committee to purchase immediately, and 
 cause to be extended, the insulted but still beloved flag of the 
 United States in front of their building before sunset, and to 
 keep it flying there under all circumstances." 
 
 Both the letter and spirit of this resolution were faithfully 
 kept. Before the sun had sunk behind the western hills, the 
 old flag was waving in the breeze, and there it continued to 
 wave, in sunshine and in storm, through summer's heat and 
 
17 
 
 winter's cold, until its honor was vindicated, and its supremacy 
 and rightful authority were recognized all over the land. In 
 all those long anxious years of conflict which followed, all 
 who passed our hall, walked beneath the shadow of that flag, 
 and caught something of the patriotic impulse which the sight 
 of its graceful folds, recalling its precious memories, always 
 inspires. And I venture to remark, in passing, that the best 
 Confederate regiment that ever stepped to the music of Dixie 
 would not readily have taken that flag down. Following 
 almost immediately on this action, a committee of the body 
 was formed, and a large fund raised to provide for the needy 
 families of the men who had gone to the front. Thousands 
 of dollars were contributed by the members, and wisely 
 expended by the committee in this beneficent work. 
 
 A year of conflict passed, with the varying fortunes of 
 war, and, encouraged by some temporary success, the Rebellion 
 had assumed formidable proportions, and was seriously 
 threatening the life of the nation, when, in the summer of 1862, 
 the President issued his memorable call for a large number of 
 additional troops. In response to this call, the Corn Exchange, 
 taking another step forward, determined to recruit, under its 
 auspices, a full regiment that should join in the grand chorus 
 which was swelling up from all parts of the land : " We're 
 coming. Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more." 
 
 At a meeting of the Association held July 24, 1862, 
 the following action was taken, as appears by the minutes of 
 that day. " Mr. Cattell offered the following : 
 
 " 'Whereas, Some of the members have taken the pre- 
 paratory steps toward the organization of a regiment, under 
 
i8 
 
 the auspices of this Association, and have indicated for the 
 colonel of said regiment, Captain C. M. Prevost, a gentle- 
 man and a soldier; and 
 
 " ' Whereas, The Governor of the Commonwealth has 
 signified his great pleasure in view of our proposed action, 
 therefore be it 
 
 " 'Resolved, That this Association, declaring their undying 
 devotion to the country, and their willingness to bear their 
 full proportion of the duties which now devolve on every 
 good citizen, hereby pledge themselves to give their sympathy 
 aid and co-operation to the prompt formation of a regiment 
 to be commanded by Captain C. M. Prevost. 
 
 " 'Resolved, That to carry out this purpose a committee of 
 twenty-one be appointed by the chairman to collect, by volun- 
 tary subscription, the amount of means necessary to organize 
 said regiment, and to consult with and aid in all proper ways 
 the officers that may be selected to put the regiment in 
 fighting trim. 
 
 " 'Resolved, That it is the sense of this meeting, that the 
 duty of the hour requires of all loyal and true men to aid, by 
 their influence, their counsel and means, the prompt enlistment 
 of Pennsylvania's proportion of the new call for troops.' 
 
 " The Preamble and Resolutions, as read, were unani- 
 mously adopted. 
 
 " It was also moved by Mr. James, and seconded by Mr. 
 Budd, that the funds in the hands of the treasurer of the 
 Association be contributed to the above object, which was 
 also adopted unanimously." 
 
 In accordance with these Resolutions, a committee of 
 twenty-one was appointed, of which 1 had the distinguished 
 
19 
 
 honor of being made chairman, charged with the duty of 
 recruiting promptly at least one full regiment of volunteers. 
 The necessary means for the payment of a large special 
 bounty, in addition to that offered by the Government, and for 
 providing unusual equipments, was raised by voluntary con- 
 tribution. More than one hundred thousand dollars was sub- 
 scribed and expended for this, and the collateral purpose, of 
 providing for the needy families of the men who composed 
 the regiment. 
 
 As was foreshadowed by the Resolution I have read in 
 your hearing, the accomplished gentleman and brave soldier, 
 Captain Charles M. Prevost, who had seen service during 
 McClellan's Peninsular campaign on the staff of General Frank 
 Patterson, was chosen to be our colonel. Under his super- 
 vision, aided by the committee, in the incredibly short space 
 of twenty days, a regiment of nine hundred and sixty men was 
 recruited, equipped, and encamped at Camp Union, on the 
 banks of the Schuylkill ; and I venture to say that no finer 
 body of undisciplined troops, physically and morally, both 
 men and officers, were ever mustered into the Union service. 
 Of course, the men were recruited from civil life, and were 
 altogether without military education or experience; and it 
 was their officers' hope and expectation, as it was ours, that they 
 would remain for at least a couple of months in camp for dis- 
 cipline and drill. But the exigencies of the war forbade even 
 this, and in a brief fortnight the orders came for their muster 
 into service, and their immediate departure for the seat of war. 
 I shall never forget that beautiful Sabbath morning on 
 which I visited them in camp for the last time, and joined with 
 our brave men, many of them accompanied by their wives and 
 
20 
 
 children, in attending divine service, conducted by that distin- 
 guished patriot and preacher known all over the land — Parson 
 Brownlow. For many of these soldier boys that Sabbath day 
 was the last meeting with their loved ones, until they shall 
 meet them in the eternal Sabbath of the Beyond. 
 
 At a late hour of that Sunday night, Colonel Provost was 
 awakened from his slumbers with orders to have his regiment 
 mustered into the service, and at the Baltimore Depot by day- 
 light in the morning. So on the morning of September i, 
 1862, in five weeks from the date of the Committee's appoint- 
 ment, this splendid and elegantly equipped regiment was 
 en route to join the Army of the Potomac. From that hour 
 the Corn Exchange followed the boys of their adoption through- 
 out their entire service, not only with their prayers and good 
 wishes, but also by frequent visits, on the tented field, of 
 
 I 
 
 committees bearing to them words of affection and encourage- 
 ment, and gifts for their comfort. I pause to inquire whether. 
 in the light of these facts, I am not justified in claiming that 
 the Corn Exchange was conspicuous for its loyalty and fidelity 
 to the Union. 
 
 Pardon me for a moment's digression, and for any appa- 
 rent egotism, while I say, that after the regiment had gone to 
 the field, the Committee, kindly recognizing, and overestimat- 
 ing, as I think, my. services as chairman, did me the honor 
 to remove the flagstaff around which the regiment had been 
 gathered at Camp Union, and plant it with the most flattering 
 ceremonies on the lawn of my home in New Jersey — unfurling 
 from its lofty peak the full garrison flag that had shaded our 
 boys in camp. There it stands to-day a loved and valued 
 decoration of my grounds, which will link together in grateful 
 
21 
 
 remembrance, while life shall last, the honor and glory of the 
 Corn Exchange Regiment, — and the matchless loyalty of its 
 promoter and patron, the Corn Exchange Association. 
 
 A brief history of the heroic deeds and gallant services of 
 this regiment has been prepared by one of their number, and 
 will be read in your hearing to-day. There is, therefore, little 
 need for me to speak in detail of its career. Suffice it to say, 
 that, in less than a fortnight from the breaking of camp, the 
 regiment had joined the Army of the Potomac and was 
 assigned to the First Brigade, First Division, Fifth Army 
 Corps. It was with the army in its pursuit of the enemy at 
 the time of their audacious invasion of Pennsylvania, and on 
 the 20th of September, just twenty days after leaving Phila- 
 delphia, was engaged in the battle of Antietam, and on that 
 memorable field shed its first blood. Three days afterward 
 came the terrific slaughter of the never-to-be-forgotten field of 
 Sheppardstown, where our boys received their fearful baptism 
 of fire. 
 
 In that brief engagement, which lasted less than thirty 
 minutes, the casualties of the regiment were two hundred and 
 seventy killed, wounded and missing, being more than one- 
 fourth of their entire number, including eleven officers. 
 Where all were so brave, privates as well as officers, it would 
 seem invidious to speak of individuals. But I may mention 
 that among the killed on that fatal day were four as brave and 
 noble young officers as ever trod the field of battle. Captains 
 Rickets and Saunders, Moore and White, who fell while 
 bravely leading their companies, are names that will never be 
 forgotten by their comrades, or their friends, or the association 
 for which I have the honor to speak to-day. Among the 
 
22 
 
 wounded was Colonel Prevost, the severity of whose wound 
 incapacitated him ever after for field duty, save for the 
 brief period when he assumed his command during the 
 Chancellorville campaign ; a calamity not only to himself, his 
 family and his regiment, but also to the nation, for otherwise, 
 I am sure, his talents and his bravery would have won for him 
 marked distinction among the conspicuous chieftains of the 
 Union Army. 
 
 It has never been satisfactorily explained, perhaps never 
 will be, how it came that this particular regiment, new and 
 undisciplined, that had never been under fire save once, was 
 on that fatal day thrust into the very jaws of death. There 
 was fault — or, to say the least, mistake somewhere. 
 
 " Some one had blundered." 
 
 This is neither the time nor the place to enter into the 
 question of who was responsible for this blunder. Neverthe- 
 less, the fact remains that the two veteran regiments that had 
 on that eventful day crossed the Potomac with our men at 
 Blackford's ford, were withdrawn without the loss of a single 
 man ; while by the unexplained failure to reach them of 
 the order to retreat, the newly recruited 1 1 8th were left to 
 encounter, single-handed and alone, the veterans of Stonewall 
 Jackson's brigade, and to fall under the galling fire of three 
 times their own number. It was a sad day for the regiment, 
 and a sad day for the Corn Exchange Association. A single 
 incident will close my allusion to this battle. The Ii8th, 
 in obedience to their orders, had crossed the Potomac, and 
 passing along a ravine between two abrupt and almost per- 
 pendicular hills that skirted the river, had made their way to 
 
23 
 
 the top of the second bluff, when, before even their hnes could 
 be formed, the enemy, in superior numbers, with advantage of 
 position, and well in line of battle, opened fire upon them. It 
 was a fearful trial for a new and untried regiment, — and, grasp- 
 ing the situation, the gallant Colonel saw at a glance that the 
 only possible salvation from confusion and disorder was to 
 rally his men by an order to advance. Seizing the colors of 
 the regiment from the hands of the color-bearer, and bearing 
 them aloft, he strode to the front, and gave the order to 
 charge in the face of the murderous fire of the enemy. It 
 was then that he received in his shoulder the Rebel bullet 
 which he carries to this day, and which has brought him many 
 a weary year of suffering — borne with the bravery of a soldier 
 and the fortitude of a Christian. 
 
 It was but the other day I had the pleasure of an inter- 
 view with him, and as I looked into his classic face, and noticed 
 his almost total loss of vision, and saw by his side the crutches 
 upon which he was obliged to depend for support — all the 
 result of that cruel bullet, my eyes were dimmed with tears. 
 and my heart was drawn to him still closer than ever before. 
 He was succeeded in command by good and brave men. First 
 by Colonel Gwyn, who was wounded at the battle of the 
 Wilderness, and afterward by my gallant friend, then Colonel 
 now General Herring, who lost a leg at Dabney's Mills, and 
 who, if need be, would peril the other in defense of his 
 country, — men whom we honor and respect; but I know no 
 tinge of jealousy will come to them when I say, that we cling 
 with undying affection to General Prevost as our first colonel 
 and our first love. May God bless him ! 
 
 In regard to the further services of the ii8th I have onlv 
 
24 
 
 time to add, that from the day of their baptism of fire at Shep- 
 pardstown, throughout all the long and arduous years of the 
 war, until the day of Appomatox dawned in resplendent glory 
 on the Union arms, it made a part of the victorious army of 
 the Potomac, and is entitled to a share of its renown. At the 
 battle of Gettysburg, which has made the ground on which 
 we stand, and these surrounding hillsides and valleys, to be 
 forever famous in the history and literature of the world, 
 the regiment reached the vicinity of the town, after a 
 wearisome night's march, at three o'clock in the morning of 
 July 2, 1863; and at 4 P. M., in support of Bigelow's guns, 
 became engaged with Kershaw's Brigade, Hood's Division, of 
 Longstreet's Corps, in advance of the " Wheat Fields ;" on the 
 third — and on the fourth, the glorious anniversary of our 
 nation's birth, I speak it with pride, they occupied and held 
 " Round Top," the very spot where we are now assembled, 
 which has been fitly chosen as the location for this monument. 
 Memorable day! Historic spot! Hallowed ground! "Put 
 off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou 
 standest is holy ground." 
 
 Let me add in a word, that the regiment which we honor 
 to-day participated in thirty-four battles and skirmishes, many 
 of them conspicuous battles of the war ; that they bravely 
 endured the hardships of the tented field, — the weary march, — 
 and the fire and smoke and carnage of the battle-field to the 
 end of the conflict, and were present in the closing hours at 
 Appomattox, when General Lee surrendered to the invincible 
 chieftain, General Grant, composing part of the brigade that 
 had the distinguished honor of being detailed to receive 
 the surrendered arms and colors of the enemy. 
 
, 25 
 
 Near the close of the diary kept by General Herring this 
 brief but significant sentence is found : 
 
 "April 12, 1865. At 5 A. M. moved out to receive the 
 rebel arms and colors, occupied until i P. M. 84 battle-flags 
 and 15,000 muskets were laid down in front of our brigade, 
 which had the honor of receiving them." 
 
 The regiment afterwards participated in the final review 
 of the army at Washington, May 23, 1865 — the grandest 
 spectacle in the world's history — a majestic column of citizen 
 soldiers outnumbering the combined forces of Napoleon and 
 Wellington at Waterloo, returning from the victorious battle- 
 field, whereon the imperiled life of the Nation was saved by 
 their valor, to receive the welcome plaudits and glad acclaim 
 of a grateful people, there to " beat their swords into plough- 
 shares, and their spears into pruning hooks," and enter again 
 into the peaceful pursuits of civil life without even so much as 
 a jar to the machinery of government, or a ripple of disturb- 
 ance on the placid surface of society. Sublimity of grandeur! 
 Point me to the page of history that records anything approach- 
 ing a parallel. The regiment was mustered out of the service 
 June I , following. Of the 960 men originally mustered into the 
 the service, — my heart saddens at the statement, — but 139 
 reported for mustering out. In addition to the original num- 
 ber, there were added to the regiment 456 recruits, making the 
 total of 1,416 men. Of these there were killed and died 
 in the service 205, wounded and disabled 500, missing in 
 action 273. A regiment that numbered 978 among its killed, 
 wounded and missing in battle, out of a total of 1,416, must 
 
26 
 
 often have held the post of danger, which, it has been well said, 
 is the post of honor. 
 
 But enough ; I will only add that the members of the 
 Association for which I speak to-day are proud of their con- 
 nection with the regiment that bore their name, and of the 
 reflected honor which comes to them from its glorious record. 
 At the close of the war the survivors of the regiment deposited 
 with the Corn Exchange, the worn and tattered battle-flag 
 carried at Sheppardstown, and from there to Appomattox, 
 which was afterwards presented by the Association to General 
 Prevost, as its rightful custodian and guardian. In the course 
 of his graceful speech of acceptance, in reply to the presen- 
 tation remarks of President Hinchman, he did us the honor 
 to say : " It is my duty, as well as pleasure, to say for myself 
 and for my brother officers, that we feel that whatever char- 
 acter we have made as soldiers, whatever distinction we have 
 earned, we are largely indebted to this Association for giving 
 us the opportunity. It was your patriotism and liberality that 
 placed the Corn Exchange Regiment in the field ; and you 
 gentlemen are sharers in the glory it earned. Nor did your 
 liberality end here. Your donations were placed in the hands 
 of such devoted men as Hoffman, Ward, Knecht, Hartranft, 
 and others who were untiring in their devotion to the wounded 
 and dying, and smoothed the path of many a brave fellow to 
 the grave ; and widows and orphans have reason to bless the 
 Corn Exchange Association for your liberal donations dis- 
 pensed by these gentlemen." 
 
 In the course of a long and busy life, now drawing to its 
 close, I have been honored by my friends and countrymen 
 with positions of distinction and honor, for which I am pro- 
 
27 
 
 foundly grateful ; but I do not hesitate to say here and now, 
 that I am prouder of my long connection with the Corn Exchange 
 Association, because of its unwavering devotion to the country 
 in its hour of peril, and its broad and comprehensive charities 
 then, and at all times, than of any other association of my life. 
 May it ever maintain its exalted reputation for these sublime 
 virtues. 
 
 I have already intimated, that while speaking, as it seems 
 necessary on this occasion, of the wickedness of the Rebellion, 
 I have no desire to revive the bitterness born of the conflict. 
 I would " let the dead past bury its dead " — but there is one 
 root of discord remaining of which I needs must speak. 
 There is still a skeleton in the national closet that must be 
 removed, before the work for which we sacrificed a half a mil- 
 lion of lives will be fully accomplished. 
 
 I have spoken of the generous terms accorded to the con- 
 quered South; they are known and read of all men. When the 
 question of the re-habilitation of the rebellious States was dis- 
 cussed and determined upon by Congress, they were invited 
 back to their normal condition of States in the Union, with the 
 one single new condition that the freedom and manhood and 
 citizenship and civil rights of the colored race, as provided 
 for by the constitutional amendments, should be recognized, 
 accorded and fairly carried out. This was a condition prece- 
 dent to their resuming and enjoying their former rights and 
 privileges of States in the Union, which had been forfeited by 
 rebellion, and to this proposition every southern State by 
 formal and solemn compact agreed. It was in the nature of 
 a treaty stipulation, and I arraign the boasted chivalry of the 
 South as recreant and unfaithful to their part of this solemn 
 
28 
 
 and well-understood contract. The shot-gun policy of 
 the South is matter of public notoriety. I do not claim 
 that this is universal, I frankly and gladly admit that it is 
 not. But the terrible scenes of Copiah and Danville are 
 still altogether too common to be borne in patience. The 
 fact is established beyond dispute, that in many localities the 
 colored race are virtually deprived of their constitutional right 
 of suffrage, by intimidation and violence — and the people of 
 the South may be assured, that the liberty-loving men of 
 the nation, friends of fair play and equal rights, will never 
 be content until the full rights of all citizens, " without dis- 
 tinction of race, color, or previous condition of servitude," 
 are recognized and accorded — and that in electing our 
 rulers, there shall be as free a ballot and as fair a count in 
 South Carolina and Mississippi, as there is in Pennsylvania 
 and New Jersey. I speak it in no partisan spirit, but as a 
 lover of my country, desiring concord and harmony, when I 
 say that, however much this may be resisted and however long 
 delayed to the damage of the honor, and the detriment of the 
 material interest of the South, " to this complexion they must 
 come at last" — peaceably if they will, — forcibly if we must. 
 
 " Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war." 
 God grant that the gentle goddess may preside over the 
 solution of this menacing problem, evolving harmony out of 
 the discordant notes that now fill the air, by the removal of 
 this, the only remaining obstacle to the return of fraternal 
 relations throughout the length and breadth of the land. 
 When that glad day shall dawn, then in all coming time, 
 whatever complications may arise or whatever dangers 
 threaten to disturb the tranquillity of the nation, we may trust- 
 
29 
 
 ingly say, in the words which Bulwer puts in the mouth of 
 the old Cardinal Richelieu : 
 
 " Take away the sword, 
 States can be saved without it. 
 Beneath the rule of men entirely great, 
 The pen is mightier than the sword." 
 
 And now, friends and fellow-citizens, let the purpose for 
 which we have assembled be accomplished — let the veil be 
 lifted from the monument, and as your eyes rest upon its 
 graceful lines, and you read the inscription which tells its 
 meaning and its purpose, let it kindle anew your grateful 
 remembrance of the heroic dead, and your high appreciation 
 of the work which they and their comrades accomplished. 
 
 And here and now, on this sacred ground, gathering 
 inspiration from the scene and the occasion, and the memories 
 they invoke, let us renew our vows of fidelity to the principles 
 of free government — the fatherhood of God and the brother- 
 hood of man — and catching the spirit of the martyred Lincoln, 
 " the noblest Roman of them all," join in the memorable and 
 classic words uttered by him at the consecration of this 
 national cemetery : " That from these honored dead we take 
 increased devotion to the cause for which they here gave the 
 last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that 
 the dead shall not have died in vain ; that the nation shall, under 
 God, have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of 
 the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish 
 from the earth." 
 
 With faith in God and trust in the virtue and intelligence 
 of the people, believing in the onward and upward progress 
 
30 
 
 of humanity, let us cherish high hopes of the stability of our 
 free institutions and the future glory of our country, and, 
 casting to the winds all doubts and fears, 
 
 " Believe with courage firm and faith sublime, 
 That it shall stand, until the eternal morning 
 Pales in its glories all the lights of time." 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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