General Howell's division headquarters. There I met the courtly general, and Lieutenant-Colonel Weld of his staff, and from them I learned that my loved brother, Lieutenant-Colonel Trumbull, had just left their quarters for Broadway Landing. It seemed but a few days the time was indeed brief-before Major Camp, for whom I bore that message, was dead; General Howell, to whose quarters I took it, was dead; Colonel Weld, whom I met there, was dead; my loved brother, of whom we talked, was dead; and I stood alone among the dead, of that well-remembered group.

But it is not alone in the starred names of the gallant officers, that the dead of the Army of the James are to be remembered and honored. In the mass of the dead enlisted men of our army, we find the embodiment of every virtue we would praise, and every trait we could commend. Ah, the dear, brave soldier boys, who so cheerfully laid down their lives, with no inspiring hope of earthly gain or posthumous fame, dying as they had lived, in obedience to the demands of their country and the call of God. How can we ever sufficiently honor the memory of those most uncommon common-soldiers, who died for the government in our recent war with rebellion. That boy of General Plaisted's and Major Adams' regiment, who fell in the skirmish line in that fight -which General Foster and others will remember-of the 27th July, 1864, on the north bank of the James-Strawberry Plains we called the place! Every man of our handful counted then as ten, and our brave boys knew it. One of them fell mortally wounded, and as General (then Colonel) Plaisted saw him, lying gasping for breath under the burning rays of that midsummer sun, he said to those near him, "Take up Toothaker and carry him back to the hospital."—"No, no," said the dear soldier, "that would only take two men away from the front where every man is needed now. I can just as well die here." And there he died. Can we forget him?

It was about that time that on a Sunday, as I was moving among the company tents of my regiment, I found a soldier boy crying in homesickness for lack of a letter from mother or sister. He seemed too boyish for a place in the ranks of a regiment in the field. But only a few weeks went by before our regiment stood in battle line, on the 7th of October, the fight in which

General Birney spent his last strength, and as the enemy was pouring his fire directly in our faces at scarce a pistol-shot distance, that frail boy, just in from a night of severe picket duty, while fighting manfully, was shot directly through his body and fell in his tracks. Lifting himself up, with full consciousness of his mortal wound, he uttered never a whimper or a groan, but, tearing off his equipments to gain the breath he struggled for, he looked along the line of unwavering veterans and called out in cheering, inspiriting tones:-" Fire away, boys! Fire away!" and then dropped back to die-his mission accomplished, his last strength used for his imperilled country. Shall not such a man's memory be honored?

Ah! my friends, I have seen our comrades die. I have leaned over them on the beach or in the trench. They have fallen by my side at the battle's front. I have been by them in their last hours in the gloomy prison hospital. I have taken many a dying message from them to those whom they loved, and I can bear hearty and intelligent testimony to their bravery, their patriotism, their unselfishness and their worth. God knows I honor their memories. My best words in their praise must be feeble and insufficient. But it behooves us not to be gloomy over the graves of our fellows. They were willing to die. They fell that the race might rise. But we must remember their mission and be mindful of their dying desires. They finished their part in the contest; but they left work for us, their survivors, to perform. Let us not neglect or ignore it. What they fought for, we must consider sacred as their memories. In all our love for, or service of, the country to which they gave their energies and their lives, we must consider their purposes, and think and speak and act as we believe they would, and would have us to, were they still by our sides.

And of their unflinching loyalty, their self-forgetful patriotism, their zeal and gallantry and faithfulness, their nobility of soul, and their every personal virtue, "Lord, keep our memories green.'

The President then presented a private letter from Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, in which he stated that he had started for Boston to attend the reunion, when he was called away by important business.

He sent his warmest wishes to all his comrades-in-arms. The letter was received with applause, after which the Chairman expressed his regrets also, at the absence of Gen. Weitzel, and called upon Col. Graves, of his staff, who was heartily greeted and who read the following letter :—

LETTER FROM GEN. GODFREY WEITZEL.

“CINCINNATI, OHIO, Aug. 29, 1869.

To the Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the James:

DEAR COMRADES-I regret to be compelled at the last moment to inform you, that it will be impossible for me to attend your reunion on Wednesday next.

I had looked forward with anticipations of the greatest pleasure to this meeting, and my disappointment is now correspondingly great.

I hope that you will have so much pleasure on this occasion, that these meetings will be repeated, and that at the next one it will be my good fortune to be present.

Major of Engineers and Brev. Maj. Gen. U. S. A.”

The President then alluded with regrets to the absence of Gen. Gibbon, and called upon a member of his staff, Capt. Male, formerly an officer of the Army of the James, who had come from five hundred miles beyond the Mississippi to attend the reunion, to respond to the following toast:

"The late Commander of the Twenty-fourth Army Corps, MajorGeneral John Gibbon."

RESPONSE OF BREVET MAJOR WILLIAM H. MALE.

I am indeed deeply sensible of the great honor conferred, in being called upon to respond to this toast; we all know and love so well the splendid soldier late commanding the Twenty-fourth Army Corps, that words of mine could add nothing to our happy remem

brances of him. A few days ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Gen. Gibbon at his home in Dakotah. In parting from him to attend this meeting, he said: "Express to all those dear friends my sincere regrets at not being able to meet with them this time. Give to them my kindest regards (applause), my best wishes for the perfect success of the reunion." Gen. Sherman, at the same time and place, expressed gratification that the "Army of the James "was to have a reunion; adding the hope that at some time, not far distant, all the armies of the Union might meet together in this social, happy manner. (Applause.)

The President then said that they had with them one of their own number, who, since the war had been honored as Governor of his native State, but whose patriotism was broad enough to embrace every State, and every citizen of the Union, and called upon Major-General Hawley, of Connecticut, to respond to the

FIFTH SENTIMENT-" The Officers and Soldiers of all the Armies of the Union, who have done faithful service in her cause." General Hawley was received with enthusiastic cheering.

RESPONSE OF BREV. MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH R. HAWLEY.

General Hawley said it was perhaps not quite proper for him to tell them why he was so abominably hoarse. He should address them with considerable difficulty; but if they could endure it, he could assure them it was not painful to him. He was surprised in the afternoon to learn that he must respond to this toast. He had just come away from a superfluity of speaking, and was surfeited with it, and certainly did not wish to make another speech that day, to his brothers of the Army of the James.

He recognized all who fought under the flag of our Union as his comrades, whether they belonged to the Army of the Cumberland, the Tennessee, or the James. It was all our fight and our glory. We love all who fought for the good cause, and we love the flag we fought under. We are willing to die for it; thousands have died for it; and, God helping, we will die for it in the future if need be. (Applause.) All who fought for the one old flag, one

country and one Union, one cause of liberty, are our comrades, and we welcome them as such.

He spoke of the disbanding of the large army, how it was subdivided into corps and posts and subdivisions and brigades, of how meetings were called for the purpose. He also reviewed the course of the army under the different Generals, from Bull Run down to the closing act at Appomattox Court House; all the men who had fought for the dear old flag, for the one country, the one Union, and the one cause of liberty, he called his comrades and brothers. Would to God, he added, that all those men could be got together within the sound of one man's voice, to send up their prayers of thankfulness for the victories they had gained. All honor to the men who had fought for their country. All honor to the men who had died for the Republican cause, who had fought for it, or were still working for it, wherever they came, whatever their nationality or color. (Cheers.) We honor them all, and we feel proud ourselves. All who now work for the perpetuation of our republican government, whatever their creed, color, or nationality, he recognized as his comrades. Thousands had died that our country might live, and we should be true to their memories. They helped carry us through our greatest struggle, and now we must make sure the fruits of their sacrifice. Our greatest work is over, and now we must encounter the minor difficulties in the way. People talk of the burden of our taxes, and of the national debt. We shall shoulder the latter as easily as our soldiers shouldered their knapsacks. People talk about little troubles and annoyances, but what were they, compared to the great trouble the nation had gone through! They had fought for the liberty of all men, and they would fight for it yet. Gen. Hawley concluded his speech by a remark, that in the reunion then being held, they were renewing their fidelity to the Union and to liberty.

At the close of General Hawley's remarks, which were loudly applauded, the band played the "Red, White, and Blue," after which the President proposed the

SIXTH SENTIMENT-"The Division whose gleaming lines barred the last avenue for the escape of Lee,"