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Democratic Watchman August 22 1884, page 4,5
THE G. A. R. ENCAMPMENT
Over Two Thousand Soldiers Gather in Bellefonte
A RATHER BIG TIME - ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR CURTIN
"The long anticipated encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic of Pennsylvania, opened on Friday evening last with the arrival of a number of the old veterans. These were followed on Saturday morning by the influx of many more, and special and regular trains continued to bring them in all day. There were thousands of visitor, besides, and the streets were crowded with men, women and children in holiday attire, while the air was made resonant with the music of many bands, among which was the celebrated Weccacoe band of Philadelphia, the Seltzer band of Lock Haven, (to which we are indebted for a serenade,) and many others. The hotels and saloons were all crowded with guests until they could hold no more, and eating, drinking, singing, dancing and a general abandonment of all else to pleasure, was the order of the day. Booths of all sorts, for the sale of all sorts of things, had been erected on all the corners and along the road to the fair grounds, and lemonade, candies, cakes, cigars, sandwiches, watermelons, spruce beer, ice cream, &c., were exposed for sale and cried out. Dozens of hacks were continually coming and going, and a constant stream of vehicles poured in from the surrounding country. The crowd surged back and forth in all directions. Beer flowed like water, while water in most cases was let severely alone; the cars emptied their human contents into the streets and the hullabaloo, the noise, confusion and general damphoolishness were overwhelming and irresistible. Every body caught the infection. The merchant left his books, the clerk through down the yard stick ; the shoemaker abandoned his bench; the blacksmith his anvil; the druggist spilled his prescription; the clothing dealer forgot to ask a high price ; the tailor jabbed the needle into his finger, as he jumped off the board; the lawyer left the "Whereas" and the "Aforesaid" unwritten; the jeweler raised his "hands;" the printers pied their matter, while the "devil" danced and the foremen swore, the editor mean while raising his thoughts heaven-word ; - in short, everybody rushed out to see the fun.
"The dogs did bark
The children screamed,
Up flew the windows all,"
while the handkerchief man, the bootblacks, the lemonade venders and the peanut sellers piled their respective vocations.
Thus it was all day and every day during the encampment. About six o'clock on Saturday evening the grand street parade was ready to start, and the line which contained about 800 men really presented a fine appearance. A great many of the old solders, bent on having a good time, could not be gotten into the line at all it any time either in town or on the camp ground. About 700 or 800 were all that were willing to parade at all.
The route of procession was up High to Spring, out Spring to Bishop, up Bishop to Allegheny, up Allegheny to the Diamond, where a holt was called. The many flags and corps badges, the uniforms of the posts and the various bands, the music and the paraphernalia generally, made a very beautiful and enlivening scene, which was watched by thousands of spectators. The march was led by Department Commander Dyer, of Pittsburg, on horseback, attended by a large staff, also on horseback, the Commander carrying a beautiful boquet that had been presented to him. The march, as we said before, was halted in the Diamond to listen to an address of welcome from Ex-Governor Curtin.
The speech as reported in short-band by W. F. Reber, Esq., was as follows:
I am assigned the very agreeable duty of welcoming you to Bellefonte. I welcome you for Centre county; I welcome you for Pennsylvania; I welcome you, veterans of the War for the great government you saved to liberty and humanity.
Veterans of the war, we met before more than twenty years since. In my position Chief Executive of Pennsylvania. I gave you the blue uniform and the classic eagle of liberty. I handed to the regiments of Pennsylvania the flag of the State and sent you to service, to serve liberty and humanity in this country and to teach liberty to all the world.
Early in the war the government of Pennsylvania decided that the flag should have the coat of arms of this great and loyal State in the blue field and surrounded by the stars and the thirteen stripes, indicating its nationality. I gave that flag to over three hundred thousand men myself. I gave you, veterans of the war, two hundred and seventeen flags and only two were lost in the great struggle. (cheers.) You took the flag of the State and Nation and carried it through the heat of battle. Strong stalwart and patriotic men of Pennsylvania, who preserved the flag of this great State, and they are now the sacred archives of this State at Harrisburg, to be forever preserved as symbols of heroism and fidelity.
I saw you all once before and you saw me. I gave you the flag, the emblem of our nationality, power and liberty and thanks be to God, it was never stained by cowardice. (Three cheers and a tiger.) We met many years since when you were younger than you are now and so was I.
We met in victory and defeat; success an disaster; in the camp and in the hospital.
And when Pennsylvania decreed beneficently that the orphans of the soldier should be maintained and educated, I united cheerfully in that great benevolence and justice. (Cheers)
My heart is filled with emotions of gratitude to you to-day, and my memory with recollections of the past twenty-two years.
Why, you are old veterans now. (Laughter)
Then you had the flush of youth on your cheeks, and your hair was brown, or black, or red, but now it is gray or you are bald. (Prolonged laughter and applause)
It is a long time since I saw you before. Pardon my emotions, my friends, but I have to meet with you today after long recollections with the pleasure of memory of thousands of you who went forth to save the government from destruction, and your presence to-day brings to my mind vivid recollections of those stirring times and fills my heart with the deepest gratitude.
Every spring when the earth is loosened from ice bound winter and smiling in flowers, you gather her first smiles and put them on the graves of your heroic comrades. Who can calculate the value to this great country of your services to it ? Who can estimate to all humanity what you owe to your comrades in the war ? Who can value the homage due to the graves of the heroic dead ?
In my presence are many to-day who saw me twenty-two years ago; many to whom I delivered the flag of the nation - many to whom I said: "Go forth and battle for freedom, equality, and liberty and bring back the flag unstained, or don't come back at all." (Cheers and applause) But you brought the flag back (some veteran - "You are right, Mr. Curtin,") and restored them without dishonor to the state, or your individual courage and patriotism.
Why old veterans, you don't know how grateful I am to you today as an American citizen. You have made this country; you have made the country and its government, with your comrades the living the dead, strong to the affection of the American people and far reaching In Its example to all the people of the earth, and demonstrated that man in equal to self-government, and that a government of the people can compel obedience to the law.
But now, my friends the war is over, our country has returned ho peace, beautiful peace within all our borders there is peace.
You can say to men who struggles in battle against you - Now, as peace is restored, you too are an American citizen, and will be protected by the strong arm of our government if you obey the law; and you can say to all the people in the north or in the south the east or the west that the government of this country will compel obedience to the law accompanying that declaration (cheer.) With the blessings and benefits of our national constitution and the sovereignty of the states, and that failing to obey the law you have upon your person to-day the blue and the eagle, and carry the flag which symbolizes that obedience will be compelled. But in all my participation in that unhappy war, nothing went stronger to my heart to convince me of the future of our country and the stability of our government than when I found the gray and the blue on the battle ground at Gettysburg, brave men who had struggled there in battle; heroic men,' American citizens, in friendly fraternal relations and for all future time devoting their lives to the perpetuity of the great liberty or this wonderful people. I do not deal to-day with the men who fomented and excited the passions which led to the war in which you bore an honorable part, nor do I refer to the insane ambition which led so many eminent men into rebellion against the government, We will draw the mantle of charity, over those who are dead and leave to the truth of history those who are living.
But I tell you, my friends, there is inspiration in the heart of every true man, patriot and soldier to forgive the men who fought against him in battle, while he may not forgive the men who induced the soldiers to go into battle against you (cheers--cries of ''That is so" - Another one "That is right Governor")
Right ! It is right, my friends, for it gives to our country peace within our whole borders and allegiance to our government; and shows to the world that we give gratitude to the living and pay homage to the memory of the heroic dead. It makes us a great American nation; honored with confidence here, and respect throughout the world as a nation of freedom. We draw our ideas of a representative form of government from ancient government. History teaches by example. In ancient Greece, when the states of Greece went to war with each other, "When Creek met Greek, then comes the tug of war." That is the true rendering of the poetry of Greece. When. Greek met Greek they put up monuments to the heroic men in their temples, in their streets and their classic academic groves; they commemorated in poetry and song the memory of those who fell on the field of battle.
In their intestine wars, they put monuments of wood on the battle fields where "Greek met Greek,' so that the monument might perish with time; but they put monuments of marble, stone and brass where they fought foreign enemies. Let us intimate the example of those wise and wonderful people. Place monuments in the cities and the villages to commemorate the memories of the heroic men whose lives were sacrificed to preserve the government. The admiration and respect and gratitude which is natural to brave men who struggle in battle cannot or should not be forgotten, as it is one of the instincts of the human heart. But now an that terrible war is over and all this great people have returned to fraternal relations, let the earthworks which mark the terrible struggle moulder away under the heat and the cold, the wet and dry, and wheat man's food and nature's crowd, grow over the graves of the heroic dead, and remind the living that as God in his mercy teaches forgiveness that a tribute is in the heart of the American people.
Now let me say to you, you are no longer young and I am not as young as I was when I visited your camps and saw you before you went to battle and after battle, and when I tried to do my duty to you after the battles; that every year you will have flowers to put on more graves of your comrades as they fall one by one and twenty years more will make quit a change on such a scene and the performance of a duty so pious, and I ask when this old fellow dies put flowers on his grave and he will be satisfied. (Voices "We will," and prolonged cheers)
Commander Dyer responded to this eloquent greeting as follows:
Citizens of Bellefonte, Ex-Governor Curtin and Members of the Grand Army: I regret exceedingly that I am not able to reply in a fit and proper manner to the eloquent address of the old War Governor, Andrew G. Curtis, but let me say to you, sir, we appreciate most fully the cordial welcome you have extended to us. We come here, sir, as comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic to your fine town for a week of pleasure and recreation; we come together to see each other and talk over events that took place over twenty years ago and renew the friendships formed during more than four years of strife, carnage and bloodshed. We believe, sir, the men who helped save the nation and won for themselves the name and place in history, which the Pennsylvania soldier occupies, have a right to enjoy this name they have won on hard fought battlefields in their own way. We trust, however, that when we come to take our departure from your town we shall have done nothing to forfeit or reflect upon the honor or credit of a single member or the Grand Army of the Republic and that we will continue worthy of the confidence and trust reposed to us by this great state and nation. I thank you, sir, again, for the kind and hearty welcome given us, and extend to you all a cordial invitation to visit us in our camp and enjoy your selves.
The parade was then resumed and marched down Allegheny to Howard Street, out Howard to Presbyterian Church, thence down Spring street to Linn, out Linn east to Allegheny, then down Allegheny again to the Diamond, and down High to the camp. Among the posts, we noticed particularly the Lock Haven post, headed by the Seltzer band, with John McKee as drum major. This post turned out 122 men in uniform. Fine looking men they were, too. The Pittsburg posts said if the distance had not been so far, they would have turned out 300 men as it was they numbered 200. At this writing we do not know the number of men here from Philadelphia and other points. There was one man in one of the Williamsport posts, remarkable for his great beard. He divided it in the middle, threw an end over each shoulder, and carried the flag. His name we have been unable to discover. Nothing of special importance occurred during Saturday evening. The posts were occupied in getting settled down in their various quarters, and preparing to spend the week to the best advantage.
On Sunday, at Camp, religious services were held in the big tent. The day was passed quietly. In the evening at six o'clock there was the usual dress parade, which attracted an immense throng of visitors. The Weccacoe band was a feature of the entertainment that was much enjoyed. At this time an order from Commander Dyer was read, enjoining good order and discipline for the week, and counseling the members of the Grand Army to behave themselves like gentlemen, &c. The night was spent in quietness, with nothing to disturb save the firing of minute guns during the earlier part of the evening.
The weather all along has been superb, although rather warm, but the mornings and evenings have been cool and pleasant. On
MONDAY MORNING
the fun began as usual, with the parading of the streets by squads of men singing, blowing on tin horns, &c. Bands played their best airs, and soon the whole populace was astir. There was not quite so large a crowd as on Saturday, but still there were enough to keep things lively. The blowing of tin horns seemed to be a specialty on this day, and in the evening there was considerable singing in the saloons of sentimental and old war songs. Each "nightingale" had his coterie of admirers, and for the time being he supposed he was the "observed of all observers." The usual dress parade took place in the evening, about 700 men in line, Gov. Curtin and Gen. Beaver re viewing.
The Camp looked very enticing, and crowds of spectators thronged it until a late hour. At night they had what is called a regular
CAMP FIRE,
at which there was a good deal of fun. Even Bob Cassiday had hard work to repel glass of beer and we believe they did force him to make a speech. During the day excursions to Point McCoy, and other places.
ON TUESDAY
there was a great crowd in town, as many, if not more, than on Saturday. This day there were excursions to Snow Shoe over the Switchback and to the Pennsvalley caves. Many availed themselves of this opportunity. There was the usual dress parade in the evening, and at night the
SHAM BATTLE.
Thousands of spectators were on the ground, probably six thousands but the battle did not amount to much, as there were no guns. The engagement was fought with fire works and a couple of pieces of artillery. However the explosions were very considerable and soon the atmosphere was so full of the sulphurous essence that made breathing unpleasant and the smoke became so dense that one could see nothing. Nevertheless some idea of what a battle really is could be gathered from this specimen. Before it commenced three balloons were sent up, all of which sailed gracefully away until they became lost to sight in the blue above.
After the battle, the vast crowd started for town, and the road was literally packed with people, hacks and carriages. By all odds, is was the greatest crowd of people ever seen in Bellefonte. Dancing, &c,, was carried on at the Camp and at the glassworks until a late hour. In town but very few soldiers were seen. They seemed to be played out, many bad gone home, and the others were too tired to carry on the usual jollifications. The fellows in citizen dress had the night pretty much to themselves, and they kept the "fun" up until the "wee sma hours ayant the twal."
ON WEDNESDAY
the crowd was small. Some of the bands had gone home and there was but little excitement. Everybody was tired out. The hacks and carriages drove around comparatively empty, and both soldiers and citizens seemed to be glad that "the cruel war," was so nearly over. The Forty-fifth regiment had their reunion, and a general good time. At night there was a grand "Camp Fire," and a good deal of fun, but the spirit of the encampment was about played out, and everybody felt ready to go home.
ON THURSDAY
there was no regular programme, and soldiers and people spent the time as best pleased them. Militarily there was nothing of importance transpired.
Thursday ended the encampment. This Friday morning the tents will be struck, and thus will be terminated the annual encampment of the G. A. R., the first ever held, in Bellefonte. By this evening the Camp will be but a memory - a thing of the past.
NOTES
Really business was not much benefited, notwithstanding the vast crowds. The hotels and saloons had a boost, but dealers generally say they were helped but little.
Commander Dyer, Adjutant Stewart, General Elliott and Major Tyson seem to have been the big guns present.
We noticed town with one shoe blacked and the other the color of the dust in the road. He said he only had five cents, and they charged ten in Bellefonte, so he only got one shoe polished.
Cricketly, but wasn't it hot enough ? The glare of the sun makes us fairly shiver yet.
Bellefonte was beautifully decorated for the encampment, the ornamentations displaying much taste and skill.
Harry Williams, of the Philipsburg Ledger, arrived on Tuesday and took in the battle. He considered the display a fine one.
Davy Glenn was presented with the gold-headed cane he won, at the Camp on Tuesday.
Centre county's pretty women could be seen to advantage at the Camp. There were just lots of them.
The tin horn nuisance prevailed to some extent.
It must be said for the "old veterans" that they are a very well behaved set of men, and we are glad they had so much fun and such a good time in Bellefonte.
The telephone wires were extended to the Camp ground, and headquarters and the boarding house were thus connected with town.
Among the Posts present at the encampment was the "Colonel Fribley Post No. 390, of Williamsport, under the leadership of Commander S. C. Collins. This Post is composed of colored veterans entirely, fine-looking men, and their marching and general conduct here were highly commended. They were a credit not only to their race, but to the city from which they came.
There were quite a number of scenes and incidents that created considerable amusement but our space is full, and we must forbear."
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