People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 September 1895 — VETERANS PARADE. [ARTICLE]

VETERANS PARADE.

THE EVENT OF YESTERDAY AT LOUISVILLE. The Line Becoming Sadly Thinner at Each Successive Encampment The Entire City Turns Ont to Welcome Its Northern Visitors. Louisville, Ky., Sept. 12. —After all the demonstrations of the week, the parade yesterday was the event of the twenty-ninth annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, as It has been of all former encampments. The air was full of patriotic music and the streets were carnivals of richness in designs and profusion of the red, white and blue. Along miles of bunting and amid hundreds of thousands of cheering citizens the comrades once more marched on southern soil. The veterans showed the weight of years and the effects of service while marching. It was the general remark that there were never so many old, lame and feeble men in line, but they proudly kept step and “tramped, tramped, tramped,” just as if they were boys still, “marching through Georgia.” None of the old union generals about whom they gathered so fondly at former encampments, and whose carriages they cheered so lustily in former parades, were here. Their portraits were seen along the line of march, but they are bivouacking where most of the comrades will soon join them. And in that silent majority Grant, Lee, Sherman, Johnson, Sheridan, Jackson and other leaders could have been no more at peace or have no more good will to man than was felt and sincerely expressed here, amid scenes that beggar all descriptions and wipe out the last vestiges of sectional feeling. Under a proclamation of the mayor, the streets were, where the division formed and the entire line of march, cleared of everything, while the Louisville legion, the cadets and Kentucky national guard patrolled and there was no delay. Mounted police first cleared the way. The parade was headed in front of the first division, by two distinguished ex-confederates on horseback, Capt. John H. Weller and Capt. William H. Harrison. Capt. Weller carried a very large flag and the stars and stripes were proudly borne by him. Capt. Harrison carried a very large white banner of peace mounted on a staff like the stars and stripes carried by his confederate comrade. The two flags were alike in every respect except in the colors, one being all pure white. In place of the eagle on the top of the staff the white banner had a dove carrying an olive twig, designating peace and good-will. Following these new participants, who were the striking feature of the parade, the divisions lined up as follows: Drum corps—Louisville Legion. Grand Army Band of Canton, Ohio. Colonel Henry S. Cohn, chairman committee on parade and reveiw. Thomas Satterwhite, Jr., and Captain C. E. Hordstron, adjutants. Special citizen aids. Citizens’ committee on parade and review, 100 members. Carriage No. I—The1 —The Governor of Kentucky and staff. Carriage 2—The mayors of Louisville, New Albany and Jeffersonville, and Colonel Thomas H. Sherley. President citizens’ committee, the board of managers and invited guests; Chicago Military Band. Columbia Post of Chicago as Grand Army escort to commander-in-chief. Commander-in-chief General Thomas G. Lawler and staff. Members of the council of administration, aid-de-camp to commander-in-ch ief.

First grand division —Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Second grand (Ijvision—Ohio and New York. Third grand division—Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, California, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Potomac, Virginia and North Carolina. Fourth grand division—Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan, lowa and Indiana. Fifth grand division Colorado, Kansas, Delaware, Minnesota, Missouri and Oregon. Sixth grand division —West Virginia, South Dakota, Washington and Alaska. Seventh grand division —Arkansas, New Mexico, Utah and Tennessee. Eighth grand division—Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Montana, Texas and Idaho. Ninth grand division Arizona. Georgia, Alabama, Nortn Dakota, Oklahoma and Indian Territory. Tenth grand division —Kentucky and battle-flags of Kentucky regiments in charge of guard of honor. Among the features of the parade was old Ned, the warhorse, over forty years old, that has heretofore tramped with the boys along the line of march. Old Ned is now so feeble that he rode on a float. The New Hampshire department carried a large eagle. The Ohio boys all wore buck-eyes, the Kentuckians had corn and crackers and others bore the emblems of their states. The line of march was from Shelby and Broadway, west on Broadway to Fourth street, north on Fourth to Jefferson, west on Jefferson to Eighth street, north on Eighth to Market, and east on Market to First street. When the reviewing-stand in front of the courthouse was reached, Commander-in-Chief Lawler and the distinguished guests in advance of the first division took their places upon it and watched the long line of veterans pass by. Grand Army veterans and their friends to the number of 4,000 attended the grand campfire at Music hall last night. The campfire opened with “Marching Through Georgia,” played by a military band. Henry Watterson.

editor of the Louisville Courier-Jour-nal, then made the welcoming address tn behalf of the citizens’ committee. General Lawler followed him. Before the General came upon the platform he was addressed by Mayor Tyler, who, in a short informal speech, presented him with the keys of the city. Loud and prolonged applause greeted General Lawler when he came forward. Many other campfires were held, and all were well attended. Some cases of sunstroke and minor casualties are reported.