CHAPTER XX.

Change in Savannah—Southern Ladies and Clergy—Portion of the Brigade goes to Augusta—Habits of the Country People—Jeff. Davis—Cos. C and G go to Darien—Arrival of First Division—Scarcity of Muster Rolls—Want of Transportation—Start for Home—Gallop’s Island—Reception in Cambridge.

letter S

SAVANNAH had changed essentially within the past two months. By the surrender of Lee and Johnston, all hopes of establishing Southern independence were at an end; and the people were evidently about to submit quietly, and make the best of their situation. The streets swarmed with paroled rebels; and the gold stripes and fine uniforms of the Union staff-officers had no attractions in the eyes of the ladies, compared with the simple gray jackets of those they had sent into the field, and whom they now warmly welcomed home, notwithstanding the failure of their arms. The tenacity with which the females of the Southern States clung to their cause, and the great sacrifices which they made for it, could not but win the respect of those who witnessed it; and seldom did a Union soldier,no matter what might be the provocation, treat them with other than the most respectful courtesy. But no such feelings were felt for the clergy, who were equally devoted to the rebel cause. Preachers of the gospel of peace, they had been foremost in fomenting the rebellion; they had never lifted their voices against the cruelties of the prisons,—which exceeded those of Morocco in her worst days,—or tried in the least to soften the barbarities of war; and now, when all hope of Southern success was at an end, and resistance to the government, either active or passive, a crime, they yielded a sullen submission, or opposed a petty resistance to the acts of the military rulers. And it is a strange fact, that, even in the Northern pulpit, the demands for vengeance against the military leaders of the Confederacy were greater than any that proceeded from the army; and more than one minister advocated the breaking of the agreement on the faith of which Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant,—a proceeding which would have been looked upon with disgust by every soldier in the army, as much as they detested Lee and his treason. As the Thirty Eighth Regiment never had the services of a chaplain, even to give their dead comrades a Christian burial, perhaps they were not properly instructed.

Not only in the appearance and sentiments of the citizens had a change taken place in Savannah; but the city itself had greatly improved under the auspices of Gen. Grover, and it had become one of the most desirable places in which to do garrison duty in the South. Time hung heavily, however, on the hands of the men of the Thirty Eighth. The war was over; the object for which they had volunteered was accomplished; and now they wished to lay aside their uniforms, and resume their citizenship. Beside, every mail from the North brought accounts of the mustering out of troops, and of the reduction of the army.

On the 11th of May, the second brigade and the Twenty Fourth Iowa and the One Hundred and Twenty Eighth New York broke camp, to march to Augusta, leaving the remaining regiments of the third brigade to do the light picket-duty, which was now merely nominal, and which was kept up chiefly to prevent an illicit trade between the city and the country before proper regulations were established.

The appearance and habits of the country people, who daily passed out and in the lines, were amusing to men who had been accustomed to the New England way of doing things. Some of themcame thirty miles to market, with a dozen or two of eggs, a pair of chickens, and a few vegetables. It took them one day to come, another to do their business, and a third to return. And then such vehicles were never seen north of Mason and Dixon’s line. The women generally accompanied their husbands, and rode on the mule attached to the wagon, with a snuff-stick or a pipe in their mouth. Sometimes, on reaching the picket-fire, they would take the snuff-stick out, and get one of the pickets to light their pipe; and, if reports were true, when the pipe went out, a quid of tobacco would take its place. This custom of snuff-dipping appeared to be practised chiefly in Georgia and North Carolina,—in the latter State, ladies of intelligence and refinement indulging in the habit: it was not observed in Louisiana.

Little occurred during the remainder of the stay in Savannah to break the monotony of camp-life, or which is deserving of record. The regiment daily looked for orders which would send them home, and all the conversation and thought of the men turned to that theme. On the 16th, Jeff. Davis passed down the river, on the way to Hilton Head. A portion of the Sixth U. S. Regulars arrived on the 21st, and quartered in the town,—allbranches of the service being now represented, regulars, volunteers, and colored troops. The dress-parades of the latter were attended by almost the entire colored population, who, upon the close of the parade, swarmed through the principal avenues, monopolizing the sidewalks, to the annoyance of the white citizens, and the amusement of the soldiers.

Thursday, June 1, Cos. C and G, under command of Capt. Bennett, started for Darien, Ga., with twenty days’ rations; and the regiment gave up all hope of getting home before their full time was served. The picket was taken off on the 2d, and restrictions to trade removed; and the only duty to be done consisted in furnishing a few guards to watch the breastworks.

The re-enlisted regiments of the first division of the Nineteenth Corps began to arrive in Savannah on the 5th of June, for the purpose of relieving those troops whose time would expire before the 1st of November; and the hopes of getting home in a few days arose again. On the 7th, the first brigade reached the city from Augusta; and, on the 9th, the Twenty Fourth Iowa, and the One Hundred and Fifty Sixth, the One Hundred and Seventy Fifth, and One Hundred and SeventySixth New York began the march for that place.

Time had never passed so slowly with the regiment before, as during this month of June, when there was nothing to do but to talk of home all the long summer-day. Some tried to pass the time in picking blackberries; some in manufacturing bone rings, corps badges, and other trinkets; while others, and in the afternoon this class included nearly the whole regiment, sought refuge in sleep. The occasional arrival of a mail brought a little change; but then the letters and papers were all filled with accounts of the return home of regiments, and with the anxiety with which friends awaited the Thirty Eighth. Attempts were made to excite an interest in drilling; but it was up-hill work, and officers and men alike soon tired of it.

Orders, at last, came from department head-quarters to muster out the regiment; and on the 9th, the officers began to work on a few copies of blank rolls that had been received; but Cos C and G were still absent, and delegations from the camp hourly visited the wharves, and closely scanned every approaching steamer, to be the first to herald their arrival. The first question upon awaking in the morning was, “Have C and G gotback yet?” At length, the well known beat of drummer Howe was heard in the camp, and the men rushed out of their tents to greet their comrades, who were never so welcome before. Major Allen, who had been acting as provost marshal at Augusta, joined the regiment the same day, and other detailed men were returned to their commands.

By some oversight in the chief mustering officers’ department, there were no blank-rolls on hand, and none arrived until the 23d; but then all other duties were at once suspended, including an inspection which was to have taken place, and the officers worked night and day on the rolls. On the 26th, the recruits, and the colored under-cooks who had been enlisted at Baton Rouge, less than thirty in all, were transferred to the Twenty Sixth Massachusetts, leaving the regiment with less than three hundred of the ten hundred and forty who had left the State three summers previously.

Finally, the papers were all completed; but there was no transportation. It seemed to be the fate of the regiment toserve its full timeout. Every other regiment organized under the call of 1862 had already reached home; and, on account of their being a greater portion of their time ina distant department, probably fewer men of the Thirty Eighth had ever received furloughs than those of any other command. Ill feeling began to arise between the men and the officers, the former, in their nervous, excited state, charging their officers with not using proper exertions to get home. A few words, however, from the lieut.-colonel, at the close of the last dress-parade that took place, on the evening of the 29th, cleared away the cloud and restored good feeling.

In the forenoon of June 30, the welcome orders came, “strike tents, to go home.” The orders had scarcely left the mouths of the orderlies, before the men were swarming on the roofs of the shebangs.

The shelter-tents and mosquito-nets, with all property belonging to the government, except guns and equipments, were at once turned in, and the knapsacks packed ready to start.

An order had been issued by the war department, a short time previously, allowing the soldiers to keep their guns and equipments by paying six dollars each for them,—about the price they would bring at a public sale; nearly all the men in the Thirty Eighth had concluded to take them, and for several days previous to this had been busily at work, polishing the barrels, varnishingthe stocks, and making covers to keep them in good order on the passage home.

At five o’clock, the assembly was blown, the regimental line formed, and, escorted by the drum-corps of the One Hundred and Twenty Eighth New York, the regiment marched through the city, with muzzled guns, and embarked on the steamer Fairbanks,—a small blockade-runner, barely large enough to accommodate the reduced command.

The boat left the wharf at eleven o’clock, and proceeded down the river, anchoring at the mouth until daylight, when she steamed up to Hilton Head, to land a portion of the cargo. At two,P. M., she left Hilton Head, and steered north. It was the general desire to reach home before the 4th of July, but the sailing qualities displayed by the transport during the first two days dispelled that hope. On the afternoon of Wednesday, Gay’s Head was made,—the first New England land the majority of the regiment had seen for three years. A pilot was taken off Holmes’s Hole, and the men retired to their quarters with the expectation of being in Boston Bay before morning. But it was the day after the Fourth, and the lights looked hazy to the eyes of the oldpilot; so he concluded to anchor back of Cape Cod until morning. The cool northern breeze was in striking contrast to the soft summer airs of Savannah; and the men shivered under the slight clothing they had brought.

In the morning, the ship weighed anchor, and continued the voyage. It seemed as if Cape Cod would never be doubled: headland succeeded headland, until, finally, the point was passed, and the bay entered. As the towns and villages on the South Shore came in sight, eager eyes were strained to catch a glimpse of the one spot so long the object of thought. The luxuriant banks of the Mississippi, or the historical ones of the Potomac, had no charms compared with the dwarfed shrubbery of Cohasset, of Scituate, of Marshfield, and of Plymouth.

At nine o’clock, the steamer cast anchor off Deer Island. The pilot objected to taking her up to the wharf without a permit from the health officers; and the lieut.-colonel and Surgeon Ward went on shore, and procured the necessary papers. But the regiment was not allowed to get home so easily. Just as the mouth of the harbor was entered, a sputtering little quartermaster’s boat came alongside and ordered the captain to land thetroops at Gallop’s Island. The lieutenant-colonel, however, had been too long in the field to take orders from every boy who talked loudly, and directed the captain to proceed to the wharf. When off Long Wharf, the tug-boat again came alongside, and the officer, in a more respectful tone, informed the commander of the regiment that the order for the troops to land on the island was from head-quarters, and, at the same time, offered to take him on shore to report. It was now midnight; and there being no hope of landing, the men left the decks and retired.

The morning opened with a cold rain; and at nine o’clock, the steamer proceeded to Gallop’s Island, where the regiment landed, and went into quarters in barracks. Here, in sight of the homes from which most of them had been absent for three years, the men remained while the muster-out rolls were being examined, and preparations made to pay them. Three passes to each company were allowed for twenty-four hours; but a majority of the men lived at such a distance that they were of no avail.

In the meantime, the City of Cambridge had been making great preparations to give the entire regiment a reception; and the furloughed soldierswere everywhere questioned in the streets by the school-children as to their discharge.

The rolls were at last pronounced correct; and on the evening of the 12th, the paymaster announced his intention of coming to the island the next morning. A grand illumination of the barracks took place that night, while the rolls were being signed; and the officers on duty on the island found it difficult to enforce the order in regard to putting out the lights at taps. Early on the morning of the 13th, the companies formed in line, marched to the office of the paymaster, signed the rolls for eleven months’ pay, and received the honorable discharge so eagerly looked forward to. Then, taking passage on the ferry-boat the regiment landed on Commercial Wharf, where it was met by the Committee of Reception from Cambridge, who had provided teams to carry the knapsacks.

Headed by Gilmore’s band, the regiment marched through Boston to Craigie’s Bridge, where its arrival was announced by a salute, and by the ringing of bells. A long procession here awaited to escort it through East and Old Cambridge to the pavilion erected at Cambridgeport. The military companies appeared with full members; the ReserveGuard,—in whose ranks were noticed old friends who had visited the regiment in field and camp,—had left their business to welcome the returned volunteers; the firemen had decorated and polished their engines until they looked like elaborate pieces of ornamental work; a cavalcade of ladies, dressed with exquisite taste and with cheeks freshened by the spirited exercise, graced the occasion with their presence; while thousands of school-children, bubbling over with joy, lined the streets.

And in addition to all, there were old comrades-in-arms,—some who had been stricken down by the storm of lead that filled the air on that June Sunday at Port Hudson; others who, wounded and faint, had anxiously watched the ebb and flow of victory at the Opequan; still others who had experienced the horrors of Salisbury, after the surprise at Cedar Creek. Not until then did the men know how close were the ties that bound those together who for months or years had shared a common lot. But the regiment was now in the hands of its friends; and the account of its reception will be told in the words of the “Cambridge Chronicle” of the following Saturday, greatly condensed, however:—

Thursday last (the day of the reception of the gallant Thirty Eighth regiment, three full companies of which were recruited from this city) was the greatest day Cambridge has ever known. Every heart beat high with exultant joy and pride, for there was not a citizen, young or old, who did not have a special interest in the patriot soldiers whose return has made us all so happy in the repossession of our brave soldier sons, brothers, husbands, and friends.The reception was a magnificent testimonial of the esteem in which the services of our soldiers are held by a grateful people. It was an ovation, wherein the whole people, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, united together to do honor to the citizen soldiers who went forth to secure the blessings of Liberty, Union, and Peace to a distracted country. Right nobly have they accomplished their holy work! After many weary marches, through many a battle and skirmish, their patient endurance has been rewarded by victory so complete, that it would seem to be the termination of rebellion in this country forever, and of the foul spirit that inaugurated and controlled it.Never has our city worn a happier, a more brilliant, or a more social aspect. The streets were thronged with the people, who seemed anxious to express by their presence, their joy at the return of our volunteers. Their lively holiday attire added largely to the gay appearance, which the decorations that met the eye on every hand, gave to the streets through which the procession marched.The reception was as honorable to the city as it was creditable to the feelings that prompted it, and must have been particularly gratifying to the regiment, from the fact that it has had no trumpeter to blazon forth its every act, and to continually reiterate the assertion that in the prosecution of the holy war it has excelled all other regiments. The universality of the demonstrations of “Welcome Home,”—the approving cheers, the cordial grasping of hands, the thanks beaming from every eye attested that its course had beenanxiously marked and highly approved,—that, having enlisted for the war, they realized that their duty was plain:“Theirs not to reason why,Theirs but to do or die.”THE RECEPTION.The morning of the 13th dawned, but no bright sunlight gave promise of a pleasant day; many forebodings of rain, troubled the good citizens of Cambridge, which, as the day progressed, were banished by the dispersion of threatening clouds, and nature exhibited as magnificent a day as the most critical could desire for the reception of the gallant heroes of the Thirty Eighth.The regiment arrived at Cragie’s Bridge about half past twelve,—when the Cambridge Light Battery, Capt. Adams, consisting of ex-members of the Ninth and Eleventh Batteries thundered forth the loud welcoming notes, which proclaimed to the anxiously awaiting citizens that the hour of doubt had passed; that Cambridge had at last received her noble heroes within her own borders.Warm, indeed, was the reception at the bridge; great, indeed, was the temptation to break ranks, but discipline overcame the waverings of affection toward relations and friends long separated, and with firm, elastic step, and with joyous smiles, the veterans, headed by their loved lieutenant-colonel, who has been acting colonel nearly all the time they have been in service, passed through the open ranks of the thousands who had assembled to do them honor. On—on through the long line they passed, greeted by cheers which can only be given when the heart is in full sympathy with its object. The gallant colonel, bareheaded, bowed his head on either side in acknowledgment of the tokens of regard, and so they passed to Cambridge Street. Here the procession was formed as follows:—ORDER OF PROCESSION.A Detachment of Police, under the command of Chief Stimpson.Morse’s Brass Band, twenty-one pieces.MILITARY.31st Unattached Co. M. V. M., Capt. Torrey, sixty-eight men.34th Unattached Co. M. V. M., Capt. Harrington, seventy-one men.12th Unattached Co. M. V. M., Lieut. Leland, seventy-five men.Under command of Capt. Meacham.Cambridge Reserve Guard, Capt. Bullard, seventy-five men.Cambridge Cadets, Capt. Beach, numbering thirty-eight.FIRE DEPARTMENT.Steam Fire Engine, No. 1, Capt. Rollins, eighteen men.Steam Fire Engine, No. 2, Capt. Cade, twenty-two men.Steam Fire Engine, No. 3, Capt. Murphy, twenty-one men.Franklin Hook and Ladder Co., Capt. Frazer, twenty-four men.Hydrant Engine Co. No. 4, Capt. Parker, forty-five men.Daniel Webster Engine Co. No. 5, Capt. Marston, thirty-five men.Under command of Capt. George B. Eaton, Chief Engineer.Aid.Chief Marshal, MajorGeorge E. Richardson. Aid.Cambridge Brass Band, twenty pieces.COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.George P. Carter, Alpheus Mead, John S. Sawyer, Nathan G. Gooch, William Daily.Returned Officers of the United States Army, mounted and in uniform.Returned soldiers and past members of the Thirty Eighth, and otherRegiments, under the command of Capt. Wyman, 120 men.Wounded andDisabled Soldiersin Carriages.Gilmore’s Band, twenty-four pieces.THIRTY EIGHTH MASS. REGIMENT,Under command of Col.James P. Richardson.Car, with thirty-six young ladies, dressed in white, with appropriatebadges, representing the different States of the Union,under the direction of J. W. Whittier.Mounted Cavalry Band, ten pieces.Cavalcade—finely mounted and caparisoned—consisting of thirty-fiveyoung ladies and upwards of two hundred gentlemen, underthe command of John C. Stiles, Esq., assisted byO. G. Jones and W. A. Ward.MOVING OF THE PROCESSION—DECORATIONS, &C.The procession moved from Cragie’s Bridge under a line of flags and streamers,—upon which appeared the mottoes, “Heroes of 1862, worthy sons of the heroes of 1776. We welcome our brave defenders.”The procession passed up Cambridge Street under a line of flags and streamers, and a large shield bearing the inscriptions, “All hail to the Stars and Stripes.” “Honor to the brave defenders of the Star-Spangled Banner.”The grand feature of the reception in East Cambridge was presented between Fourth and Fifth Streets. Here ropes had been drawn along each side of Cambridge Street, and on the south side were ranged about eight hundred children from the public schools in East Cambridge, bearing small flags and bouquets in their hands. The Putnam and Thorndike Grammar Schools were designated by shield-like bannerets, bearing the names of the schools. On the opposite side of the street, a long table was spread with a bounteous supply of cake, pies, sandwiches, and other tempting baits to hungry men, to appease their appetites. This pleasing feature was an impromptu one, conceived by the ladies on the evening previous, and executed in good taste.As the procession passed this point, the school-children sang patriot songs of welcome. When the veterans reached it they were halted for a few minutes, and partook of a light collation provided for them, washing it down with tea or coffee as they preferred. This being accomplished, it was the children’s turn at presentation. They presented their bouquets to the soldiers, who then took up the line of march, when all the scholars partook of a bountiful collation from the same table.The procession passed on through Cambridge and Winsor streets to Broadway, along which it passed under flags and streamers, bearing mottoes of welcome, and acknowledgments of thanks, passing houses appropriately decorated,—among which was a beautifully draped portrait of the martyr president,—toProspect Street. Here a line of flags and streamers was pendent, and a motto, “Death to Treason.”On Prospect Street, at the residence of J. C. Wellington, Esq., sixteen beautiful young ladies, dressed alike, in white waists and black skirts, trimmed with national colors, emblems of Love and Hope and Faith, were ranged. Each held in her hand a splendid bouquet, which they presented to the veterans as they passed. The decorations in this vicinity were superb; among which was an elegantly mounted full-length painting of the Father of his country. Among the mottoes here were, “You left your homes at the call of duty. You return victorious, the nation saved.” “1776. Liberty. 1865. May we never forget your comrades who sacrificed their lives on the altar of liberty.”From Prospect Street the procession moved on through Harvard Street to Quincy. Lines of flags and streamers crossed Harvard Street at different points; nearly every house exhibited, by flags, drapery, or mottoes, the thanks and esteem of the residents. The Mayor’s residence was very elegantly decorated, and bore the mottoes, “All hail to the Stars and Stripes.” “Welcome!” “One Flag—One Country—One Constitution,”—“Welcome Veterans.”On the south side of Harvard Street, near the Mayor’s residence, fifteen hundred scholars of the different schools of Old Cambridge and Cambridgeport were stationed to do their part in the outpouring of welcome home to the veterans. It was the most pleasing feature of the day. The hundreds of happy children, bearing flowers and flags, singing songs of welcome home, waving their tiny flags, and swelling the pæans of praise and welcome to the returned braves, was indeed well calculated to please, and will doubtless remain vividly impressed on the memories of the beholders, until long after those little ones have become actively engaged in the manifold cares and duties, joys, sorrows, frivolities, and responsibilities of adult life. Bannerets were distributed through the ranks of the scholars bearing the inscriptions, “Cambridge High School”—“HarvardGrammar School”—“Webster Grammar School”—“Allston Grammar School”—“Washington Grammar School”—“Shepard Grammar School.” As the veterans passed the scholars, they were made the recipients of so many flowers, that some difficulty was experienced as to the disposition they should make of them.The procession passed on through Harvard and Quincy Streets to Broadway; thence to North Avenue, and to Harvard Square, amid the shouts of welcome from the hosts that were assembled in the front of “Old Harvard.” As the procession passed from Broadway, through Harvard Square to Main Street, an opportunity was afforded to take something like a full view of the whole.It was a magnificent scene as the procession passed from Broadway to North Avenue, and through the Square. The profusion of flowers among the military escort, and veterans, the gayly caparisoned horses of the marshaland his aides, the tall figure of Col. Richardson, mounted on a splendid charger bowing his acknowledgments on either hand, the proud bearing of the veterans, their torn and shot-riddled colors, the throng of cheering welcomes, the glittering polish of the steam fire apparatus, decorated with choice flowers, the uniform of the Fire Department, the larger part wearing scarlet jackets, the long line of Cavalcade, with their banners,—all combined to make a display worthy of transfer to canvas as a memorial of the happy day. Here were seen to great advantage the banners, mottoes, and inscriptions borne in the procession.The procession continued through Main Street, toward the City Hall, passing many elegantly decorated residences, among which that of the Hon. J. M. S. Williams called forth praise from all observers. The City Hall was tastefully decorated with bunting. In the centre of the Main Street front was an architectural display, representing a Temple, consisting of an arch springing from pillars, on which were the figures of Victory and Peace. In the arch was the motto “Emancipation;”and the inscription, “The sun will never rise over a nation more glorious than ours.” The lower part of the temple was filled in with blue silk, on which, in letters of gold, was inscribed “One Country, one Constitution, one Destiny.” Across the street a line of flags and streamers was suspended.The members of the City Government and invited guests here took up their places in the procession, which moved on toward the Universalist Church. At this point, clouds which for the past half hour had been gathering overhead, and which it had been hoped would pass over, and away, commenced to discharge their contents. Many of the spectators, who had thronged in the vicinity to witness the countermarch from Columbia to Magazine Street, sought refuge in the houses and stores, which were thrown open for shelter. With every minute the violence of the storm increased, drenching every one.The children, representing the States, were taken for shelter into Williams Hall, but not before some of them were wet through; and thereby prevented from fulfilling their part of the programme of the exercises in the tent,—among which was to have been the deliveryof a beautiful addressto the veterans by Miss Nettie Blake. Mrs. Peters, under whose direction, and by whose patriotic labors, the design was so far carried out, was deprived of the reward of her labors in the successful consummation of her designs. She will doubtless feel compensated in part by the great applause her troops of pretty ones elicited on the route.Although the rain poured in torrents, the procession moved on, and countermarched at Columbia Street up Main Street. Through Magazine Street passed the procession, the rain still pouring in torrents, until the head of it reached the tent. The rain gradually ceased, and before the procession commenced to file into the tent, the sun came forth in its splendor.The procession marched around the tent, and entered it at the north end. Here the selected scholars were seated on raised seats on the west side, wet through, for the tent had been a poor shelter from the heavy rain which had fallen.As the veterans entered, they were received, as elsewhere, with shouts and songs of welcome. Plates were laid for fourteen hundred guests, and were speedily turned by that number.The tent, notwithstanding the rain, presented a cheerful aspect to the wet and hungry guests. A large tablet presented on one side the list of twenty-two battles from Fort Sumter to Gettysburg. On the reverse, another list of twenty-two, from Fort Donaldson to Richmond. Along the sides, and at the end of the tent, were mottoes of welcome, and scrolls with the words, “Bisland”—“Cane River”—“Port Hudson”—“Opequan”—“Winchester”—“Fisher’s Hill,” and “Cedar Creek,” which recalled the deeds in arms of the gallant Thirty Eighth.

The reception was a magnificent testimonial of the esteem in which the services of our soldiers are held by a grateful people. It was an ovation, wherein the whole people, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, united together to do honor to the citizen soldiers who went forth to secure the blessings of Liberty, Union, and Peace to a distracted country. Right nobly have they accomplished their holy work! After many weary marches, through many a battle and skirmish, their patient endurance has been rewarded by victory so complete, that it would seem to be the termination of rebellion in this country forever, and of the foul spirit that inaugurated and controlled it.

Never has our city worn a happier, a more brilliant, or a more social aspect. The streets were thronged with the people, who seemed anxious to express by their presence, their joy at the return of our volunteers. Their lively holiday attire added largely to the gay appearance, which the decorations that met the eye on every hand, gave to the streets through which the procession marched.

The reception was as honorable to the city as it was creditable to the feelings that prompted it, and must have been particularly gratifying to the regiment, from the fact that it has had no trumpeter to blazon forth its every act, and to continually reiterate the assertion that in the prosecution of the holy war it has excelled all other regiments. The universality of the demonstrations of “Welcome Home,”—the approving cheers, the cordial grasping of hands, the thanks beaming from every eye attested that its course had beenanxiously marked and highly approved,—that, having enlisted for the war, they realized that their duty was plain:

“Theirs not to reason why,Theirs but to do or die.”

“Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do or die.”

THE RECEPTION.

The morning of the 13th dawned, but no bright sunlight gave promise of a pleasant day; many forebodings of rain, troubled the good citizens of Cambridge, which, as the day progressed, were banished by the dispersion of threatening clouds, and nature exhibited as magnificent a day as the most critical could desire for the reception of the gallant heroes of the Thirty Eighth.

The regiment arrived at Cragie’s Bridge about half past twelve,—when the Cambridge Light Battery, Capt. Adams, consisting of ex-members of the Ninth and Eleventh Batteries thundered forth the loud welcoming notes, which proclaimed to the anxiously awaiting citizens that the hour of doubt had passed; that Cambridge had at last received her noble heroes within her own borders.

Warm, indeed, was the reception at the bridge; great, indeed, was the temptation to break ranks, but discipline overcame the waverings of affection toward relations and friends long separated, and with firm, elastic step, and with joyous smiles, the veterans, headed by their loved lieutenant-colonel, who has been acting colonel nearly all the time they have been in service, passed through the open ranks of the thousands who had assembled to do them honor. On—on through the long line they passed, greeted by cheers which can only be given when the heart is in full sympathy with its object. The gallant colonel, bareheaded, bowed his head on either side in acknowledgment of the tokens of regard, and so they passed to Cambridge Street. Here the procession was formed as follows:—

ORDER OF PROCESSION.

A Detachment of Police, under the command of Chief Stimpson.

Morse’s Brass Band, twenty-one pieces.

MILITARY.

31st Unattached Co. M. V. M., Capt. Torrey, sixty-eight men.34th Unattached Co. M. V. M., Capt. Harrington, seventy-one men.12th Unattached Co. M. V. M., Lieut. Leland, seventy-five men.Under command of Capt. Meacham.

Cambridge Reserve Guard, Capt. Bullard, seventy-five men.Cambridge Cadets, Capt. Beach, numbering thirty-eight.

FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Steam Fire Engine, No. 1, Capt. Rollins, eighteen men.Steam Fire Engine, No. 2, Capt. Cade, twenty-two men.Steam Fire Engine, No. 3, Capt. Murphy, twenty-one men.Franklin Hook and Ladder Co., Capt. Frazer, twenty-four men.Hydrant Engine Co. No. 4, Capt. Parker, forty-five men.Daniel Webster Engine Co. No. 5, Capt. Marston, thirty-five men.Under command of Capt. George B. Eaton, Chief Engineer.

Aid.Chief Marshal, MajorGeorge E. Richardson. Aid.

Cambridge Brass Band, twenty pieces.

COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.

George P. Carter, Alpheus Mead, John S. Sawyer, Nathan G. Gooch, William Daily.

Returned Officers of the United States Army, mounted and in uniform.Returned soldiers and past members of the Thirty Eighth, and otherRegiments, under the command of Capt. Wyman, 120 men.

Wounded andDisabled Soldiersin Carriages.

Gilmore’s Band, twenty-four pieces.

THIRTY EIGHTH MASS. REGIMENT,

Under command of Col.James P. Richardson.

Car, with thirty-six young ladies, dressed in white, with appropriatebadges, representing the different States of the Union,under the direction of J. W. Whittier.

Mounted Cavalry Band, ten pieces.

Cavalcade—finely mounted and caparisoned—consisting of thirty-fiveyoung ladies and upwards of two hundred gentlemen, underthe command of John C. Stiles, Esq., assisted byO. G. Jones and W. A. Ward.

MOVING OF THE PROCESSION—DECORATIONS, &C.

The procession moved from Cragie’s Bridge under a line of flags and streamers,—upon which appeared the mottoes, “Heroes of 1862, worthy sons of the heroes of 1776. We welcome our brave defenders.”

The procession passed up Cambridge Street under a line of flags and streamers, and a large shield bearing the inscriptions, “All hail to the Stars and Stripes.” “Honor to the brave defenders of the Star-Spangled Banner.”

The grand feature of the reception in East Cambridge was presented between Fourth and Fifth Streets. Here ropes had been drawn along each side of Cambridge Street, and on the south side were ranged about eight hundred children from the public schools in East Cambridge, bearing small flags and bouquets in their hands. The Putnam and Thorndike Grammar Schools were designated by shield-like bannerets, bearing the names of the schools. On the opposite side of the street, a long table was spread with a bounteous supply of cake, pies, sandwiches, and other tempting baits to hungry men, to appease their appetites. This pleasing feature was an impromptu one, conceived by the ladies on the evening previous, and executed in good taste.

As the procession passed this point, the school-children sang patriot songs of welcome. When the veterans reached it they were halted for a few minutes, and partook of a light collation provided for them, washing it down with tea or coffee as they preferred. This being accomplished, it was the children’s turn at presentation. They presented their bouquets to the soldiers, who then took up the line of march, when all the scholars partook of a bountiful collation from the same table.

The procession passed on through Cambridge and Winsor streets to Broadway, along which it passed under flags and streamers, bearing mottoes of welcome, and acknowledgments of thanks, passing houses appropriately decorated,—among which was a beautifully draped portrait of the martyr president,—toProspect Street. Here a line of flags and streamers was pendent, and a motto, “Death to Treason.”

On Prospect Street, at the residence of J. C. Wellington, Esq., sixteen beautiful young ladies, dressed alike, in white waists and black skirts, trimmed with national colors, emblems of Love and Hope and Faith, were ranged. Each held in her hand a splendid bouquet, which they presented to the veterans as they passed. The decorations in this vicinity were superb; among which was an elegantly mounted full-length painting of the Father of his country. Among the mottoes here were, “You left your homes at the call of duty. You return victorious, the nation saved.” “1776. Liberty. 1865. May we never forget your comrades who sacrificed their lives on the altar of liberty.”

From Prospect Street the procession moved on through Harvard Street to Quincy. Lines of flags and streamers crossed Harvard Street at different points; nearly every house exhibited, by flags, drapery, or mottoes, the thanks and esteem of the residents. The Mayor’s residence was very elegantly decorated, and bore the mottoes, “All hail to the Stars and Stripes.” “Welcome!” “One Flag—One Country—One Constitution,”—“Welcome Veterans.”

On the south side of Harvard Street, near the Mayor’s residence, fifteen hundred scholars of the different schools of Old Cambridge and Cambridgeport were stationed to do their part in the outpouring of welcome home to the veterans. It was the most pleasing feature of the day. The hundreds of happy children, bearing flowers and flags, singing songs of welcome home, waving their tiny flags, and swelling the pæans of praise and welcome to the returned braves, was indeed well calculated to please, and will doubtless remain vividly impressed on the memories of the beholders, until long after those little ones have become actively engaged in the manifold cares and duties, joys, sorrows, frivolities, and responsibilities of adult life. Bannerets were distributed through the ranks of the scholars bearing the inscriptions, “Cambridge High School”—“HarvardGrammar School”—“Webster Grammar School”—“Allston Grammar School”—“Washington Grammar School”—“Shepard Grammar School.” As the veterans passed the scholars, they were made the recipients of so many flowers, that some difficulty was experienced as to the disposition they should make of them.

The procession passed on through Harvard and Quincy Streets to Broadway; thence to North Avenue, and to Harvard Square, amid the shouts of welcome from the hosts that were assembled in the front of “Old Harvard.” As the procession passed from Broadway, through Harvard Square to Main Street, an opportunity was afforded to take something like a full view of the whole.

It was a magnificent scene as the procession passed from Broadway to North Avenue, and through the Square. The profusion of flowers among the military escort, and veterans, the gayly caparisoned horses of the marshaland his aides, the tall figure of Col. Richardson, mounted on a splendid charger bowing his acknowledgments on either hand, the proud bearing of the veterans, their torn and shot-riddled colors, the throng of cheering welcomes, the glittering polish of the steam fire apparatus, decorated with choice flowers, the uniform of the Fire Department, the larger part wearing scarlet jackets, the long line of Cavalcade, with their banners,—all combined to make a display worthy of transfer to canvas as a memorial of the happy day. Here were seen to great advantage the banners, mottoes, and inscriptions borne in the procession.

The procession continued through Main Street, toward the City Hall, passing many elegantly decorated residences, among which that of the Hon. J. M. S. Williams called forth praise from all observers. The City Hall was tastefully decorated with bunting. In the centre of the Main Street front was an architectural display, representing a Temple, consisting of an arch springing from pillars, on which were the figures of Victory and Peace. In the arch was the motto “Emancipation;”and the inscription, “The sun will never rise over a nation more glorious than ours.” The lower part of the temple was filled in with blue silk, on which, in letters of gold, was inscribed “One Country, one Constitution, one Destiny.” Across the street a line of flags and streamers was suspended.

The members of the City Government and invited guests here took up their places in the procession, which moved on toward the Universalist Church. At this point, clouds which for the past half hour had been gathering overhead, and which it had been hoped would pass over, and away, commenced to discharge their contents. Many of the spectators, who had thronged in the vicinity to witness the countermarch from Columbia to Magazine Street, sought refuge in the houses and stores, which were thrown open for shelter. With every minute the violence of the storm increased, drenching every one.

The children, representing the States, were taken for shelter into Williams Hall, but not before some of them were wet through; and thereby prevented from fulfilling their part of the programme of the exercises in the tent,—among which was to have been the deliveryof a beautiful addressto the veterans by Miss Nettie Blake. Mrs. Peters, under whose direction, and by whose patriotic labors, the design was so far carried out, was deprived of the reward of her labors in the successful consummation of her designs. She will doubtless feel compensated in part by the great applause her troops of pretty ones elicited on the route.

Although the rain poured in torrents, the procession moved on, and countermarched at Columbia Street up Main Street. Through Magazine Street passed the procession, the rain still pouring in torrents, until the head of it reached the tent. The rain gradually ceased, and before the procession commenced to file into the tent, the sun came forth in its splendor.

The procession marched around the tent, and entered it at the north end. Here the selected scholars were seated on raised seats on the west side, wet through, for the tent had been a poor shelter from the heavy rain which had fallen.As the veterans entered, they were received, as elsewhere, with shouts and songs of welcome. Plates were laid for fourteen hundred guests, and were speedily turned by that number.

The tent, notwithstanding the rain, presented a cheerful aspect to the wet and hungry guests. A large tablet presented on one side the list of twenty-two battles from Fort Sumter to Gettysburg. On the reverse, another list of twenty-two, from Fort Donaldson to Richmond. Along the sides, and at the end of the tent, were mottoes of welcome, and scrolls with the words, “Bisland”—“Cane River”—“Port Hudson”—“Opequan”—“Winchester”—“Fisher’s Hill,” and “Cedar Creek,” which recalled the deeds in arms of the gallant Thirty Eighth.

In obedience to the order of the Mayor, the regiment made an attack on the refreshment tables, and achieved a complete victory. The assembly was then called to order, and an eloquent address of welcome made by Mayor Merrill, which was appropriately responded to by Lieut.-Col. Richardson. Addresses were also made by ex-Governor Washburn, ex-Mayor Russell, and Gen. Hincks. But the volunteers, many of whom lived at a distance, were anxious to reach the homes where their presence was so eagerly awaited, and the majority took their leave as soon as the repast was ended. A display of fireworks in the evening closed the ceremonies of the day.

All honor to Cambridge, who never forgot her soldiers in the field, and who welcomed them homemore warmly than she sent them away. Many whose citizenship is in other portions of the State will long remember her deeds, and rejoice at her prosperity.

Warm welcomes were extended to the men from New Bedford, Lynn, Abington, and other towns, upon their arrival home. Company E was tendered a public reception by the city authorities of Lynn, but declined the honor. Abington gave a fine reception to all her returned soldiers, including those belonging to the Thirty Eighth.

Four months have now passed since the members of the Thirty Eighth Massachusetts Regiment resumed their duties as citizens. They have settled in different portions of the country, and are engaged in all the various branches of civil industry; but not one has brought discredit upon the fair fame of the regiment, or proved that he is less capable of being a good citizen because he became a soldier at the call of the country.

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