DELIVERED BY 
 
 BREVET BRIGHDIER GENERSL 
 
 milim H0FM?1NN, U, S, ¥01S, 
 
 (Late Colonel 56th Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry,) 
 
 !^T THE Dedication of the Regimental Memorul erected 
 THE Field of Gettysburg, by the the liberality of 
 THE Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
 
 September 11th, 1889. 
 
 ff 
 

ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVERED BY 
 
 BREVET BRIGHDIER GENERAL 
 
 J. WILLIUM HOFMSNN, U. S. YOLS, 
 
 (Late Colonel 56th Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry,) 
 
 AT THE Dedication of the Regimental Memorial erected upon 
 
 THE Field of Gettysburg, by the the liberality of 
 
 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
 
 September 11th, 1889. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 A. W. AUNER, printer, tenth & RACE STREETS. 
 
 1890 
 

 

 >:> 
 
 Surviving Comrades of the 5Qth Regiment Pennsylvania 
 Veteran Volunteers — / greet you 
 
 We are assembled to-day, to dedicate the memorial erected 
 by the liberality of our great commonwealth in, appreciation of 
 your services upon this field. The memorial tnarks the ground 
 whereon you stood, twenty-five years ago, as the representative 
 of her Infantry regiments, at the opening of the great battle 
 which here took place. One of the long series of battles fought 
 during the great struggle for the preservation and perpetuation of 
 the Union, and its beneficent government, under which its people 
 had made such rapid and unprecedented progress in all that 
 tends to the elevation and happiness of man. In fact a struggle 
 the most momentous and far reaching in its character and in its 
 results, of any that ever devolved upon man to determine. A 
 struggle during which the patriotism and devotion of the people 
 of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the cause of liberty 
 and human freedom, was voiced in her contributions of treasure, 
 and the lives and services of her sons. 
 
 Owing to her geographical position at the time of the adop- 
 tion of the Constitution of the United States — having six states 
 upon her right, and six upon her left, Pennsylvania was accorded 
 the honorary title of the "Keystone State'' of the Federal Arch. 
 And, although no longer, geographically, the centre of the Arch, 
 which for many years has spanned the Continent frqm ocean to 
 ocean, yet when the Grand Arch was trembling, trembling under 
 the measured tramp of a mighty host organized and marshalled 
 for its destruction ; then the grand old Commonwealth proved 
 worthy of the mission implied by her title. 
 
 The memorial marks the ground whereon you stood, on the 
 morning of July 1st, 1863, 'ere the sun had reached the meridian. 
 It stands within forty miles of the Capital of our State, to which 
 point you came from its most distant parts in response to the 
 
call of the President of the United States for volunteers, for three 
 years service in the field, in defence of our Country's flag. There, 
 in Camp Curtin — so named in honor of the patriotic, zealous and 
 efficient War Governor — you were organized into a regiment, 
 and instructed in the duties of the soldier. Thus the regiment 
 was pre-eminently a state organization, and as a unit, was with- 
 out any local ties, a fitting circumstance to precede its distin- 
 guished services upon this memorable field. And no less was it 
 pre-eminently, a volunteer organization. 
 
 On the morning of March 8th, 1862, the regiment, under 
 command of Colonel S. A. Meredith, moved from Camp Curtin 
 with nearly eight hundred officers and men destined for the Army 
 of the Potomac, then at Washington. Sixteen months of active 
 field service and the sun of that July morning shone down upon 
 the regiment as it came upon this field with its effective force 
 reduced to seventeen officers, two hundred and thirty-five men; 
 and true is it also, that the regiment was back within the borders 
 of our state, and within so short a distance from the camp of ren- 
 devous, and that the great struggle in which it had been engaged 
 was still undecided. If we follow the track of the regiment's 
 march, we shall find, however, that it had already marched a 
 great distance, that it had already crossed many fields of battle, 
 had moved over roads covered with stifling dust, or bottomless 
 mud, through exhausting heat, through biting cold, through rain 
 and hail and snow, had forded rapid streams and crossed rugged 
 mountains. The exposure incidental to these marches had 
 brought many a stout hearted comrade to the hospital cot, to rise 
 only after months of agonizing pain, and perhaps with health 
 irreparably shattered, or there to end his days upon earth. Add 
 to these cases, the long list of comrades killed and wounded in 
 the battles, and the absent at that morning's roll call are 
 accounted for. 
 
 Moving by rail, that factor so essential to success in modern 
 warfare, the regiment arrived at Washington on the morning of 
 March 9th, and encamped on Kalorama Heights. Then moved 
 to Fort Albany, west of the Potomac River. April 4th, it moved 
 by boat to the "Lower Potomac" to guard government stores 
 left there by Hooker's division, which had gone to the Peninsula. 
 On the 24th, the regiment was carried to Aquia Landing, then the 
 
northern terminus of the Richmond and Washington railroad. 
 There the regiment was engaged for some time in repairing the 
 wharf, rebuilding the railroad, cutting wood and other uncongenial 
 duties; uncongenial, because at the time deemed to be unsol- 
 dierly duties ! Long before the war had been brought to a close, 
 it was learned that destroying and rebuilding railroads, and the 
 general use of the pick, and the spade, and the axe, formed in fact 
 a legitimate part of a soldier's duty. May 7th, found the regiment 
 at the Rappahannock River, engaged in guarding the railroad 
 back to the Potomac creek bridge. It was now assigned to the 
 Brigade commanded by Genl. A. Doubleday, and known as the 
 2d Brigade, 1st Divison (King's), 1st Corps (McDowell's). On the 
 afternoon of August 9th, the regiment joined the brigade column, 
 crossed the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, and entered upon 
 the march that led to Cedar Mountain, thence to the battle-fields 
 of Rappahannock Station, to Sulphur Spring, then to Gainsville, 
 where Captain Corman gave his life to his country ; and where 
 Col. Meredith was severely wounded, and for his gallantry here, 
 was promoted to Brigadier General. — Then to Groveton, and to 
 Manassas, each of these m turn claiming a sanguinary tribute 
 from the regiment. Then recrossing the Potomac river at 
 Washington, the march led through Frederick city and Middle- 
 ton to the foot of the eastern slope of the South Mountain, about 
 a mile north of Turner's Gap, the crest of the mountain at the 
 time glittering with the arms of the enemy. A gallant ascent of the 
 steep slope, in line of battle, a four hours fight, and the victory was 
 won. Under cover of the night the enemy retreated. Early in 
 the battle Genl. Hatch, commanding the division was wounded, 
 and was succeeded by Genl. Doubleday, the command of the 
 brigade then devolved upon your Lieutenant Colonel, and re- 
 mained in my hands until the early part of November; the com- 
 mand of the regiment devolved upon Capt. F. Williams. This, 
 as an index of the severity of our losses in a campaign then ex- 
 tending not over five weeks ; for on leaving Fredericksburg my 
 name stood only number seven, in the order of seniority upon 
 the brigade roster. I pause a moment in the narration, to pay 
 a well earned tribute to two officers whom it became necessary 
 now to detach from their company for duty upon my improvised 
 staff, Lieut, (now Colonel) Laycock, and his friend Lieut. Sam'l 
 Healy. Although new to the duties that now devolved upon 
 
6 
 
 them, the energy, zeal and efficiency with which these were per- 
 formed, confirmed my admiration for them awakened in the 
 night battles at Gainsville and at Groveton, and which was never 
 lessened thereafter whether, in the many changes which followed, 
 they served in the line or on the staff. Next morning, Sept. 15th, 
 the road was again open for the march that now led to the field, 
 memorable in the annals of warfare, as the battle of Antietam. 
 A battle of charges and counter-charges, but a victory so fruitful 
 in its results ! The enemy was driven back into Virginia, Mary- 
 land was saved to the Union! The intense anxiety of the peo- 
 ple of the North for the safety of the National Capital was relieved! 
 President Lincoln utilized the victory as a fulcrum for his pen, 
 and sent forth the edict, one of the mightiest, most just, most 
 humane of any issued by a ruler during historic times — the edict 
 that expunged for all time the word slave, from our statue 
 book. Thenceforth all who stood beneath our Country's flag 
 stood there as freemen. Such were the results that were wrought 
 by the victory, achieved by the valor of the Army of the Potomac 
 upon the field of Antietam. 
 
 October 30th, found the regiment again crossing the Poto- 
 mac river into Virginia, now by a ponton bridge laid at Berhn. 
 The Army of Northern Virginia, under Genl. Lee, was retreating 
 southward in the Valley of the Shenandoah. The Army of the 
 Potomac, under Genl. McClennan, was pursuing in the Lo;?fdon 
 Valley. The First Corps, under Genl. Reynolds, with our Divi- 
 sion under Genl. Doubleday leading, was in the advance-, our 
 cavalry under Genl. Pleasonton was in front, engaged in driving 
 the enemy's cavalry under Genl. Stuart, into the Gaps of the 
 mountain that forms the wall dividing the two valleys. When in 
 front of Philemont Genl. Pleasonton recfuested an infantry sup- 
 port. Our brigade was honored by being detailed for this special 
 duty, and on the morning of November 2d, it was reported to 
 him while in front of the town of Union, and at the time sharply 
 engaged with the enemy. In conformity with his directions the 
 brigade was formed in line of battle, and then advanced steadily 
 from point to point throughout the day, and steadily the enemy 
 was driven back. The next day the brigade held the ground 
 that had been gained, and the cavalry aided by the First New 
 Hampshire Battery, then forming part of the brigade, drove the 
 enemy through Upperville into Ashby's Gap. Genl. Pleasonton, 
 
in his note from Upperville, on the evening of November 3, in- 
 forming Genl. Doubleday that he will not need the services of the 
 brigade any further, pays a well-earned tribute to your gallantry 
 on the preeeeding day. Gratifying to the soldier as is the com- 
 mendation of his commanding officer, no less so is that extorted 
 from his enemy. Since the close of the war, a number of those 
 who were arrainged against you in battle on that day, have placed 
 themselves upon record, freely according you gallantry and success 
 in your several attacks upon them. 
 
 Rejoining the division at Rectortown on the evening of the 
 5th, the march led to Warrenton, where Genl. McClellan was 
 relieved, and Genl. Burnside was placed in command of the army. 
 Then the march led back to Arjuia Landing. Then to the bat- 
 tle-field of Fredericksburg ; and after the sanguinary repulse the 
 army met with on the right — to the winter's camp, near Belle 
 Plain on the Potomac river, where it rested till the close of 
 April. During the battle of Fredericksburg the division, under 
 Genl. Doubleday was in line along the Bowling Green road, on 
 the left of the army, ready to advance. When the army with- 
 drew on the night of the 15th December, although you were not 
 the extreme left, you had gained the confidence of General 
 Reynolds so fully, that by his direct order, you were detailed to 
 cover the withdrawing of the troops from that part of the field, 
 and were the last regiment to leave it. 
 
 The only incident of special note during the camp life that 
 now followed being that known, and vividly remembered by those 
 who participated, as the "mud march," and another change in 
 commanding officers; Genl. Hooker assuming command of the 
 army, Genl. Wadsworth that of the division and Genl. Cutler that 
 of the brigade. Then followed the second Fredericksburg. Then 
 Chancellorsville, with humihating and depressing results. Then 
 the regiment rested again in camp for a few w^eeks, now near 
 the Fitzhugh house on the left bank of the Rappahannock, a few 
 miles below Fredericksburg. 
 
 Late on the afternoon of June 7th, the regiment entered 
 upon the Gettysburg campaign; again honored by special detail. 
 Some days previous our cavalry had gone a reconnoissance in 
 force in the direction of Culpepper. An infantry force was now ^_ 
 
 sent to its support. The Sixth Corps and the ,Sevmtti Corps^^e/ffta/tt/cT 
 each furnished a brigade. The First Corps furnishing a provi- 
 
sional brigade, consisting of the Fifty-sixth Penna. and the 
 Seventh Regiment and tw© companies of the Second Regiment 
 Wisconsin Volunteers. The whole of the infantry assembled, 
 about midnight, at Hartwood Church, under command of Genl. 
 Russell of the Sixth Corps. On the morning of the 8th the 
 detail from the First Corps moved to Kelley's Ford on the Rap- 
 pahannock river, and on the morning of the 9th, when the 
 cavalry under Genl. Gregg had crossed, forded the river and 
 moved to near Brandy Station. At noon the 56th was detached, 
 and moved to Beverly Ford, where it covered the recrossing of 
 a part of our cavalry. The regiment recrossing at dark, and be- 
 ing the last of our troops to recross at that point. On the 13th 
 the regiment rejoined the brigade at Bealton, the whole division 
 having arrived there. Then the march led to Centreville, then 
 to near Leesburg. 
 
 The army under Genl. Lee having again crossed the Poto- 
 mac, was now moving on Harrisburg, via. the Cumberland Valley. 
 
 The army of the Potomac pursued, the First Corps crossed 
 the river, over a ponton bridge laid at the mouth of Goose Creek, 
 on the 25th, then moved via. Jefferson, the Catoctin Mountain 
 and Middleton, to Frederick City. Genl. Hooker having asked to 
 be relieved from the command of the army, Genl. Meade, then 
 commanding the Fifth Corps, was assigned to the command and 
 entered upon his new duties by issuing the following modestly- 
 worded, soldierly and effective order: 
 
 " By direction of the President of the United States I hereby assume command 
 of the Army of the Potomac. As a soldier, in obeying this order, an order totally 
 unexpected and unsolicited, I have no promises or pledges to make- The country 
 looks to this army to relieve it from the devastation and disgrace of a hostile 
 invasion. Whatever fatigue and sacrifices we may be called on to undergo, let us 
 have in view constantly the magnitude of the interests involved, and let each man 
 determine to do his duty, leaving to an all controlling Providence the decision of 
 the contest. It is with just diflSdence that I relieve in the command of this army 
 an eminent and accomplished soldier, whose name must ever appear conspicous 
 in the history of its achievements , but I rely upon the hearty support of my com- 
 panions in arms to assist me in the discharge of the duties of the important trust 
 that has been confided to me." 
 
 Signed, Geobge G. Meade, 
 
 Major General Commanding, 
 
 On the 29th our brigade was detailed for duty as the rear- 
 guard of the Corps. The regiment — which had been on picket 
 duty during the night under Lt. Col. Osborne, as gallant an officer 
 
9 
 
 as ever drew sword, and as efficjont as he was gallant — came in 
 about 5 A. M., and was soon formed in column ready for the 
 march. But a long wagon train was passing, and there was a 
 long tedious delay; it was after 9 A. M. when the column was 
 put in motion, and then kept in rapid motion, with but two short 
 rests, until after midnight ; when it went into bivouac near the 
 southern end of Emmittsburg. At a very early hour on the 30th 
 it was in line of battle in front of the town, and at noon went 
 into bivouac on the south bank of Marsh Creek, near where it 
 crossed by the bridge on the Emmittsburg-Gettysburg Pike. 
 During the afternoon there was the usual bi-monthly muster for 
 pay, then a formation in line of battle to resist an apprehended 
 attack by the enemy, then came Tattoo, with its roll call. How 
 many brave comrades answered that roll call '"Here" for the 
 last time! Then came "Taps," and the regiment slept, slept all 
 the more soundly because of the brief, early broken rest of the 
 previous night; and all unconscious of the momentous events- 
 that the morrow had in store for it. 
 
 On the morning of July 1st, the brigade moved out at about 
 8 o'clock, crossed the creek by the bridge on the pike, and moved 
 on Gettysburg, distant about four miles. The 76th New York 
 led the brigade, the 56th Penna. followed, and was itself followed 
 by the 147th N. Y., 95th N. Y., and the 14th Brooklyn. The 
 7th Indiana was detailed for special duty. In rear of the brigade 
 followed Hall's Battery. In front of the brigade rode Genl. Cutler 
 and Staff, in front of him, Genl. Wadsworth and staff, in the 
 advance rode Genl. Reynolds and staff. At the farm, now known 
 historically as the Codori farm, the column left the pike, inclined to 
 the left and crossed the Seminary Ridge near the seminary build- 
 ing, descended into the swale in front of it ; then the 76th, 56th 
 and 147th were moved north across the Gettysburg-Chambers- 
 burg pike, and beyond the railroad grading, and were then formed 
 in line of battle near the gentle elevation upon which you now 
 stand. The regiment was then moved forward a short distance. 
 As the horizon opened, a line of battle was seen approaching to the 
 right and front, Genl. Cutler being in your immediate rear, having 
 decided that the line was a line of the enemy, you received the 
 command to aim to the "right oblique," and then the command 
 to "Fire," when you delivered opening fire of the Infantry, 
 in the great and decisive battle of Gettysburg. Thus the honor 
 
10 
 
 of having delivered the opening fire of the Infantry, belongs to no 
 individual officer or man, but to the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers as a unit. And it is doing you but simple justice to 
 state, as an indication of the coolness and steadiness of the offi- 
 cers and men under the exciting circumstances, that a more solid 
 volley, "By Battalion," has seldom been heard. Genl. Cutler, 
 a few months afterwards, deemed the event so well worthy of 
 note, that he wrote to Gov. Curtin, setting forth the fact that it 
 was the 56th Penna. Vols., that opened tlie battle, and requested 
 him to have it so recorded in the Archives of the Commonwealth 
 as an act of justice to the regiment. And so it has been done, 
 and so it now appears to your honor, in the enduring bronze 
 memorial now before you. The event can not be relegated to 
 the chapter of accidents. You were not the leading regiment 
 that morning, the result Avas owing in fact to long persistent 
 efforts, to cheerful compliance with all orders, many involving 
 great sacrifice of personal comforts. Comrades, this it was, con- 
 stant cheerful obedience to all orders, that enabled you to give 
 prompt response to commands when the instant for action 
 arrived; and it has therefore, been deemed proper that the event 
 should be, as stated, so recorded in the enduring bronze: together 
 with the long list of battles before and since the battle of Gettys- 
 burg in wliich the regiment bore an honorable part. There is 
 also recorded in the bronze the fact that the regiment re-enlisted 
 and became a veteran regiment serving until the close of the war. 
 
 The severe losses sustained on this ground by the three 
 regiments, caused Genl. Wadsworth to order them to retire for 
 a time. Genl. Cutler then moved the 56th and the 76th to the 
 railroad embankment east of the Seminary Ridge ; but when they 
 were rejoined there by the 147th, which had not received the 
 order at once, by reason of Col. Miller being wounded, and had 
 held on to its ground heroically, as the other two regiments had 
 done until the order was received — the three regiments were at 
 once moved forward and again occupied their original ground. 
 In the meantime, the 14th Brooklyn and the 95th N. Y., which 
 had been detached after having crossed the Seminary Ridge, and 
 sent westward, under Col. Fowler, to support HalPs Battery 
 which went into position near the McPherson barn — being joined 
 by the 6th Wisconsin under Lt. Col Daws, of the First Brigade, 
 that had now arrived upon the field — had captured a large num- 
 
11 
 
 ber of the enemy who had taken shelter in the railroad cut upon 
 their approach. The First Brigade, upon its arrival, charged into 
 the woods, south of the pike, and met with a brilliant success, 
 capturing a general officer and a large part of his brigade. It is 
 deserving of note, to state, that in this first onset with the enemy, 
 Wadsworth's division, which consisted of only the two brigades, 
 and also the division of Heth's with which it was then engaged, 
 both lost a greater percentage, in killed and wounded than was 
 sustained by the column of the enemy that made the charge on 
 the afternoon of the third day of the battle, and whicli has com- 
 manded so much attention as a grand exhibition of valor. Early 
 in this onset an irreparable loss had befallen us, the army and 
 the country ! Genl. Reynolds, then commanding the First, the 
 Third, and the Eleventh Corps, constituting the left wing of the 
 army, had fallen. Among those of the regiment who had fallen, 
 was Lieut. Gordon, who had earned his commission by brave 
 and faithful service in the ranks. Genl. Doubleday, our former 
 brigade and division commander, now commanding the corps, 
 directed the movements after the fall of Reynobis. Subsequently 
 Genl. Howard arrived, and by virtue of seniority, assumed com- 
 mand of the left wir]g of the army. A lull in the battle now fol- 
 lowed. It lasted for over an hour. Additional forces of the 
 enemy came from Cashtown on the west, from Carlisle on the 
 north, and from York on the east. The second and the third 
 divisions of our corps also arrived, and later, the Eleventh Corps. 
 
 The three right regiments of Cutler's were now moved to the 
 north end of the wood on Seminary Ridge, in front of which was 
 a field of grain, in full ear, here they became immediately en- 
 gaged with Iverson's brigade of Rhode's division, they were now 
 soon joined by the 14th and 95th, and then supported on the 
 right by Baxter's brigade of Robinson's division of our Corps, 
 and by joint action, a large part of what was then left of Iverson's 
 brigade was then captured. The amnfunition of Cutler's brigade 
 was now expended, and it was relieved by Paul's brigade and 
 moved to the east slope of the ridge, but while here, it was enfi- 
 laded by a battery that the enemy had placed in position on Oak 
 Hill. The extreme right of our Corps was at this time, gallantly 
 held by the 90th Penna. of Baxter's brigade. The Eleventh Corps 
 was then formed nearly at right angles with the general direc- 
 tion of our corps ; but an opening was left on our right, and into 
 
12 
 
 this the enemy penetrated, and our line then became untenable. 
 Tlien came the order to retire, but it came late, so that while 
 passing through the tlironged streets of the town the brigade lost 
 heavily by capture. It reformed in the Cemetery, and was there 
 rejoined by the 7th Indiana. But that regiment was at once sent 
 to Gulp's Hill, by order of Genl. Hancock, who had been sent 
 forward by Genl. Meade to assume command of all the forces then 
 present; there that regiment, under Col. Grover, rendered invalu- 
 able services, in capturing a scouting party, or rather a part of 
 it, for some escaped and the report which these made influenced 
 Genl. Ewell in postponing the attack on the Hill which he had 
 proposed to make that evening, until next day. Never was delay 
 more fatal ! A short time sufficed to reinforce the thin line of 
 the 7th by the remnant left of Wadsworth's division, and then 
 came shortly, a division, of the Twelfth Corps, having upon its 
 battle flag a silver star. And when EwelFs corps made the 
 attack on the following evening, you had the honor of aiding in 
 inflicting the sanguinary repulse that it then met with. During 
 the afternoon of that day the enemy had made a vigorous and 
 persistent attack on the left of our lines then resting far out in 
 front of the Round Tops ; and at first gained some ground; press- 
 ing our troops back to the general line ; but there, they met with 
 a sanguinary repulse. On the afternoon of the third day of the 
 battle, the enemy opened a cannonade from his guns stationed 
 along the Seminary Ridge, and directed against our troops hold- 
 ing the Cemetery Ridge, hoping to shake the morale of our 
 troops, then penetrate there and cut our army in two ! The can- 
 nonade lasted for two hours, during which the very hills seemed 
 to be shaken by the roar of the two hundred guns that were 
 brought into action. But the cannonade failed in its object; the 
 morale of our troops remained unshaken, as the enemy dis- 
 covered, when, allowing his overheated guns to cool, he launched 
 forth that great column of Infantry in which he had placed his 
 last hopes for success, and he saw that great column torn, bro- 
 ken and shattered to pieces. Thus upon its left, upon its right, 
 and at the centre, the army had in turn been attacked ; and at 
 the left, at the right and at the centre, it had inflicted a san- 
 guinary repulse upon the assailant, and had thus proved itself 
 worthy of the confidence that was reposed in it by it new com- 
 mander, the illustrious Meade. 
 
13 
 
 Late on the afternoon of this day, the 56th, 7th, and the 
 95th, were detached from the brigade and moved to the foot of 
 the eastern slope of Cemetery Ridge, to support the batteries 
 upon the crest, and within the Cemetery grounds, and remained 
 in support of the these during the night. Next morning (July 
 4th), the 56th and the 7th were moved through the town to the 
 north-east angle, with the view of bringing in the wounded that 
 might be found on the field in that direction; but after some 
 delay after having arrived at that point, the movement was sus- 
 pended, and the two regiments rejoined the brigade then still 
 upon Culp's Hill. 
 
 On the morning of the 5th, the brigade moved to the western 
 slope of Cemetery Ridge, and bivouaced near the ground charged 
 over by the enemy on the afternoon of the 3d day of the battle, 
 and remained there until the morning of the 6th. The Field 
 R.eturn of the regiment for that day, shows "present for duty" 
 eleven officers, one hundred and eleven men. Of the losses, 
 one hundred and twenty occured on the first day of the battle. 
 A terrible loss ; but the victory was won ! And the army of 
 Nothern Virginia under Genl. Lee, was again moving rapidly for 
 the Potomac river. 
 
 Comrades, the great losses sustained on this field by the army 
 of the Potomac, and by its adversary, would alone cause the 
 battle of Gettysburg to rank as one of the greatest battles of the 
 world ; but beyond, are potent reasons why it will be so classed. 
 
 It culminated in defeating a great and powerful host, one of 
 a number that had been organized and marshalled to destroy 
 that, which in the language of the immortal Lincoln was — and 
 let us thank Providence that it still is — "a government of the peo- 
 ple, for the people, and by the people," it was upon this field 
 that that great host which you had met on so many fields of 
 battle, was defeated and turned back upon the march that there- 
 after ever led Southward ; and although at times standing at bay, 
 and obstinately fighting, still, ever thereafter marched Southward, 
 until at Appomattox it finally surrendered its colors to the grand, 
 undaunted, indestructible Army of the Potomac. 
 
 Comrades, when the grand master of the art of warfare had 
 carried his army to the foot of the Pyramids, and was surrounded 
 by an active, vigilant foe, desiring to animate his troops to renewed 
 
14 
 
 deeds of valor in the impending battle, he turned to them, and 
 pointing to the Pyramids, exclaimed, "Soldiers! Forty centuries 
 are looking down upon you ! '' Comrades, no voice calls upon you 
 to-day for renewed deeds of valor! Your work is done, your 
 arms are stacked, and your battle flag, rent and torn so oft by 
 shot and shell, is furled. Ten times forty centuries will not 
 obliterate from the pages of the world's history, the deeds of 
 valor which you and your comrades of the Army of the Potomac, 
 performed on the many battle-fields whose names cluster around 
 that of Gettysburg. 
 
 But hark ! There come a voice, softly, calling to you ! It 
 comes from yonder slope where victory on high tenders the 
 wreath ot laurel. It comes from the many battle-fields that bor- 
 der the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the Rapidan, the North 
 Anna, the Totopotomoy, the Chickahominy, the James, and the 
 Appomattox rivers. It comes from the graves of comrades who 
 fought at your side, and who, while gallantly fighting — fell. It 
 asks a kind recognition at this hour for those who sleep in a 
 patriot-soldier's grave! Comrades, in appreciation of their gal- 
 lant deeds, in the appreciation of the sacrifice which they made, 
 and all that these have brought to their surviving comrades and 
 to all who dwell in the land, let us respond by embalming their 
 memory sacredly within our hearts. And let us thank Provi- 
 dence, that in taking a retrospective view from this field to-day, 
 that there comes, irresistbly, the conviction, that the great and 
 incomputable expenditure of treasure and of life, and incidentally, 
 the untold suffering and distress extending far beyond the lines 
 where the hosts were contending, that the sacrifice has not been 
 in vain ; that the victory will redound to the happiness of millions 
 who .will follow us in the distant future : that already a quarter 
 of a century has passed since the last Confederate banner disap- 
 peared from the land ; that upon this very field, the survivors of 
 the Army of the Potomac have extended, in amity, the fraternal 
 hand to those who were their adversaries on so many fields of 
 battle ; that again the flag of the Republic, with its Union glittering 
 with an intensified lustre, waves unchallenged and gracefully, 
 over all the land, from the pine-crested hills of Maine southward 
 to the Rio Grande, and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 
 Golden Gate, the symbol of a free, and re-united people. 
 
 J. w. H. 
 
"^EXERCISES^ 
 
 — AT — 
 — OF THE — 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA VETERAN VOLUNTEERS, 
 
 greeted by the liberality of the iCommoawealth on the ground occupied by the 
 
 Regiment when it delivered the opening fire of the §nfantry in the 
 
 Battle of iGettysburg, now known as Reynolds avenue, 
 
 WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 1889. 
 
 -« — m » m — »-»J< % m • ^ » 
 
 1. — Call to Ordek, by Lieut. T. D. Cunningham, 
 
 President of the Regimental Association. 
 
 2.— Prayer, by Kev. Dr. H. W. McKnight*, 
 
 President of Pennsylvania College. 
 
 3. — Singing, ''America," .... By the Association. 
 
 4. — Address, By Genl. J. W. Hofmann. 
 
 5. — SiNGiKG, " Ftcfory at Last," . . . By the Association. 
 
 6. — Benediction, . , . By Rev. Br. H. W. McKnight. 
 
 The comrades will assemble at 9 a. m. September 11th, at the rooms 
 
 of Corporal Skelly Post, No. 9, G. A. R., to proceed to the grounds where 
 
 the memorial has been erected. 
 
 H. A. LAYCOCK, 
 
 Late Colonel of the Regiment. 
 
 Marshal. 
 
 *The Rev. Dr. H. W. McKnight having been unavoidably detained, was 
 represented by tbL- Rev. Philip M. Bikle, of the Pennsylvania College. 
 

 Hiiii:iiii III mil i 
 
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