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No. 18.

IN SENATE

JANUARY 2, 1918.

Report of the New York Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg, Chattanooga

and Antietam for the Year 1917

To the Governor and Legislature:

I have the honor to submit the following report, for the year 1917, of the New York Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg, Chattanooga and Antietam, authorized by the act instituting it to determine the positions and movements of the New York organizations engaged in battlefields of the Civil War, and to erect such memorials, monuments and markers on those battlefields, in commenoration of their services, as may be required from time to time, pursuant to acts of the Legislature of this State.

The present members of the Commission are: Clinton Beckwith, Lewis R. Stegman, Horatio C. King (Civil War veterans) and Charles H. Sherrill, The Adjutant General of the State of New York. Lewis R. Stegman, chairman; J. W. Lynch, secretary.

On May 1, 1917, the office of the Commission was transferred from the Morton Building, in Nassau street, to the Hall of Records, Chambers street.

With several other States as well as New York, 1917 was an unusual year for widespread commemorative events in battlefields of the Civil War; and the national government also undertook large activity in helping veteran organizations make preparations for their celebrations and in conducting them.

DEDICATION OF NEW YORK STATE MONUMENT AT VICKSBURG.

Chief among these celebrations was the National Memorial Reunion and Peace Jubilee held at Vicksburg, Miss., October 16-19, 1917. Congress appropriated $150,000 to provide camp and rations for the veterans attending this reunion, estimated at about 9,000, and including survivors of the Confederate as well as Federal forces. Though not near as large as the Gettysburg semi-centennial celebration of 1913, when more than 53,000 veterans were assembled, the peace jubilee at Vicksburg was a remarkable, and, in a sense, historic event. Throughout, during those four days, it was love and joy for the Blue, joy and love for the Gray. Hundreds and hundreds of them had not met since the journeying home for the spring plowing and the adieus that followed quickly after General Grant and General Lee exchanged those famous scraps of paper at Appomattox in April, 1865. Vicksburg having a large training camp then, there was witnessed the spectacle of the boys of 1917 in khaki — thousands of them -camping close to thousands of their elders in uniform who were in evidence in the early sixties.

Advantage was taken of this celebration to dedicate and formally transfer to the United States government three of the monuments erected in the Vicksburg National Military Park, the New York and Missouri memorials and the Union naval monument. Only a small delegation from this State was at Vicksburg last October. Through this Commission the State furnished their transportation. They are survivors of the four New York organizations that took part in the siege there, June 14 to July 4, 1863: The 46th (Fremont Rifles), 51st (Shepard's Rifles) and 79th (Highlanders) regiments of infantry and Battery L, Second New York Light Artillery (Roemer's). The New York memorial was dedicated October 17th, with brief but brilliant ceremonies, and attended by a large number of veterans. Music

was furnished by the United States military band and a salute was fired by the light artillery. Brig. Gen. H. H. Whitney, N. A., who was commanding general at the peace jubilee, contributed much toward making the dedicatory exercises both interesting and impressive by this assignment of the troops for helping conduct them. Colonel Andrew D. Baird, of Brooklyn (president of the Williamsburg Savings Bank), a veteran of the 79th Regiment, had charge of the exercises. Being a participant in the operations of the siege, his remarks and recollections were heard with reverent interest. Dignifiedly, and in appropriate words, he presented, in behalf of his State, the memorial to the government, and Captain Wm. T. Rigby, chairman of the Vicksburg National Military Park, made cordial and fitting response in accepting it for the government. P. S. M. Munro, of Roemer's Battery, delivered the oration, fully worthy of the occasion.

This memorial was erected in 1908 by the New York Monuments Commission. It is constructed in obelisk style, standing to a height of forty-three feet on an elevated mound near General Grant's headquarters. It has two bronze tablets, one showing the names of the four organizations from this State that were at the siege and the other recording, in outline, the operations ending with the capture of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863, and Jackson two weeks after. It is constructed of Mt. Airy (N. C.) granite, and cost $11,600.

PROPOSED MONUMENT TO 79TII NEW YORK REGIMENT (HIGHLANDERS) AT KNOXVILLE.

Returning from the Vicksburg reunion, Colonel Baird, with his comrades of the 79th, and accompanied by members of this Commission, spent a day at Knoxville, Tenn., for the purpose of investigating the matter of an appropriate site for the monument they propose erecting, in co-operation with this Commission, to their regiment at or in the vicinity of Fort Sanders. The appropriation for this, $5,000, was allowed by the Legislature of 1917. The preparatory construction work is already in progress, and the dedication, it is expected, will take place early next fall. The Knoxville City Commissioners, with commendable willingness and generosity, donated a site for this monument.

The 79th, commanded by Captain Wm. S. Montgomery, took a prominent part in the siege of Knoxville, and was strenuously engaged in the defense of Fort Sanders, holding the northwest bastion, November 29, 1863. It belonged to the First Brigade (Morrison's), First Division (Ferrero's), Ninth Corps (Potter's), of the Army of the Ohio, General Burnside's command.

MONUMENTS TO GENERAL DOUBLEDAY AND GENERAL ROBINSON AT GETTYSBURG.

The monuments constituting New York's most recent contributions to the Gettysburg national military park are the statues to Major-General Abner Doubleday and Brevet Major-General John Cleveland Robinson. General Doubleday, born at Ballston Spa, June 26, 1819, by reason of his splendid achievement, sterling ability and intrepid gallantry, displayed on Seminary Ridge, the scene of the opening conflict at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, where, just as the combat commenced, he succeeded General Reynolds, who was mortally wounded, as commander of the First Army Corps, won undying renown. It was mainly owing to his genius and pluck and dogged determination, battling bravely for seven arduous hours against overwhelming odds and a constantly increasing enemy, that that invaluable vantage ground, Cemetery Hill, was saved for the Union army when the evening reinforcements completed their march to the field. The possession of this hill at the start and the ridge south of it, as well as Culp's Hill, in the vicinity, helped General Meade materially in defeating General Lee in the final and famous melee at the Angle, the third day, popularly known as Pickett's charge, and in which, by the way, General Doubleday also took a prominent and effective part. It is stoutly maintained by many recognized authorities on Gettysburg that General Doubleday contributed as much, if indirectly, to the final result on that field as any other commander in the engagement-some going to the extent of saying that if it were not for him there would have been no battle of Gettysburg, properly so called. It was General Doubleday as well who fired the first shot in response to the bombardment of Fort Sumter, which became the signal for the long and widespread (and as he himself says inevitable) operations that ensued. At

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