28th Anniversary Roster of Buckingham Post No. 12, G.A.R. (Norwalk)

In response to ihi-- call, thirteen conn'ade> met and effectetl a tem])orary organization. The}' were encouraged in their efforts to organize a Post by the j^resence of a delegation from Douglas I'owler Post. Xo. 48. of South Xorwalk. \\hicli had been organized a >hort time |ire\iou>. Thi- meeting resulted in the a])])()intment i>\ a committee to i)erfect arrangement^^, for organ- ization, and was followed by the organization of the ])resent Post. Februare 25, 1880. in the hall of Concord l)i\i>ion. Sons of Temperance, in th.e ( lazette Pnilding. Xineteen comrades were mustered into ilu- ( i. .\. R. in the pre- scribed form, by Senior \'ice-De])t. Commander \. I'.. I'.eer-. of Bridgeport, and ("ommander I'.railley .s. Kfitli, witji ilu- oilur ofhcer>-elect. were duly Mi-talleil. It wa> >tated b\' I'a-^l 1 )epartment (dnimander t harle-- 1'.. lowlcr. who was present, that a> the original Xorwalk 1 '0--I had no other name but \o. T2. which had not >ince been approjiriated by any other 1 'o^-t oi the depart- ment, this I 'o>t Could adopt that num])(.'r, with a name. It wa> accordinglv voted to take the "Xo. 12." and n.ame the I 'o-t in honor of our great and noble war ( io\ei nor " 1 Buckingham." h'or two or three \ear> after organization, the l'o-.l. in common with many others, had a hard struggle f<ir existence, and there were many times when it seemed on the verge of following its pre<lecess()r. I'.ut change-- had taken place in the character and management of the ( )ider, .md it gradually becom- ing known to the \eterans that it was entireK wiihoiu politics as an organiza- tion, togctlu-i- with the growing spirit of conn adi'^hip and lioud of iiUi'rest which timi- alone could produce, membership began to incre.isi'. ;ind ^oon placed the I 'o-t on a lirm footing, lor several year- it increa-eil very reg 1- larl\' ni nnnibrr- and ibai;icter of it- membershiji. niuil it took rank ;nnong tlu- tir-t in the Stati'. Afte'- organization, tlu' I'o-t m.iinlaineil head<|u:irlt r- m .'^on- oi I rni- pciaini- Mall, (lazette Ihiilding. until ( )ctobei- 1. 1882. when it remo\eil to I -J r(i()m< in the 1 )aiiii I'.iiilding, Xo. 40 Wall Strccl. 1 1 rciuaiiK'd there till March 20, 1884, when chan,i;e was made to rdimi^ nn the >ec<ind tlour of Lockwood's Hall huildiny. 1 lere the r<i>t remained .dont five months, when lease was taken of the large and well-appointed hall on Wall Street known as the "Athenaeum," the name lieing changed to (jranl Army ilall. The Post held its first meeting in this hall Xovemher 12, 1S84. 1 lere the Post thrived and grew tmlil a very large percentage of the old >oldiers and >ailors of Xorwalk were taken into meml)er>hi]). 1 )m-ing the nearly seventeen years the Post occupied these headciuarter-, the most imjiortant events in its his- torv occurred. Many enjoyahle entertainments were given and associations formed which will remain pleasant memories through life. Dm'ing the term of Jame> Schotield a-- C'ommander. in 1880, the Pu.-t was fully uniformed with coats and ca])--. and the following x'ear piu'chased a full stand of colors, making a hue ap])earance on parade. A contmittee of the Po^t was appointed ( )ctol)er 12. 1887. looking to tlie organization of a Women's Relief Corps. It was organized a> "'nuckinghani W. R. C, Xo. 30," Decemher k;. 1887. and has e\er >ince remained in a tlourishing condition as a valuahle auxiliary to the l'o>t. A committee was appointed Uecemher 2S, 1887, tt) take into consideration the organization of a Camp of Sons of X'eterans. resulting in the organization, on Fehruar}- 15, 1888, of what wa> known as ""( ). S. l-'erry Camp. Sons of \'eterans."" The Cam]) continue(l in existence, however, only a few years. At the National Encam])ment of 1887. Conn-ade l^dward .\nderson of this Post, was elected Chaplain-in-Chief. and his installation to office took place Xovemher 29, 1887. It was a red-letter day for .Xorwalk. there heing prohably the largest gathering in town ever witnessed here. Several brass bands and innumerable drum corps were in attendance, and there was by far the largest ])arade of (i. .\. 1\. I'o-ts and military comiianie> ever seen in Xorwalk. The Governor, P. C. Loun>bury. and >taff. with the Ceneral of the State Militia and statT. were in attendance. The ceremonies took place in the State .\rmory. and .Ma\or .Morgan (1. Pnlklex . <if Hartford, was the installing officer. .\n elaborate collation wa^ served to the visiting guests and comrades, in Lockwood's and (1. A. I\. Malls, and in the evening a fine concert wa.s given in the ( )]iera 1 louse. .\utograph letters of regret were received bv Chaplain .\nderson from l"x-i 'resident Rutherford P.. Hayes. Gen. William T. Sherman and Major-(ien. J. M. Schotield, and now form part of the Post records. General Darius X. Couch, a i)roniinent Corps Commander of the .\rmy. became a resident of Xorwalk after the war. and althought never becoming a member of the Post — not wishing to sever comiection with his home Post in Taunton, ]\Iass. — he frequently met with the Post and took part in .ill its public functions. Mrs. Couch took :m acti\e interest in the work of (h.: 18 Woman's Relief Corps, and was its first president. General Couch died February 12, 1897, the lV)^t attendini;- his funeral in St Paul's Church in a body, and a guard of honor accompanied h\> rcniain> to Taunton. }^lass.. where the interment took ])lace. The Post has held two successful Fairs, the first in the ( )])era House, October 8 to 11. 1884. from which was realized a gii,„l sum. forming' the nucleus of the Po>l Kehef l-uiid. The >econd l-"air wa> held in the State Armorv. in connection with Company "F" of the State ( luard. I-'ehruary iS to 2^, 1889. and was very successful, netting a >um ^ufiicient to erect the Post monument in Riverside Cemetery. A fine'h' located plot in Riverside Cemeter\ \\a> deeded to the Post for the free burial of deceased soldiers and -;iilor- of Xm-walk. on wliich thj Post erected a handsome monument, dedicaieil with ajjpropriale ceremonie>. in the presence of a large gathering. Memorial l)ay. 1889. Ind'cati\"e of the character of tlie monument, ihe C'ommander in lii'- ad(h-e-s ^aid: 'Tt was the wish of the I 'o>t that the nionumenl wa-^ not to he of an elaborate or exi)ensi\e character. l)ut >uch a> \\(/uld lionor the hallowed .spot, and mark it for future generation^ a> the re-ting i)lace of those who fought to save the L nion in it- Iiour of peril, i'.nt the memorial wdiich we to-day dedicate is something e\en more than in honor of our dead conu'ades. In the nattu"al course of events, those solid l)locks of granite will stand for ages — even long after the statue which surmounts them — and to the fmure generation-, to wliom tlie ( Irand Army of tlie Rei)ublic i> unknown, or l)Ut a faint and di-tant UKinory. and when this cemeterv shall ha\e become a beautifnl cit\ of the tkad. the inscription on yonder stone wiU ]»oiiU to the fact that in the }ear of ()ur Lord i88(). there existed in the town of Xorwalk. a rehc of the great War of the Rebellion, known as lUickingliam 1 'o-t No. i_>. |)e])ariment of Connecti- ciU (Irand Army of the Republic. The moiuunent is therefore a memorial of the l'(.-t." The Post has al-o procurecl State headstone- fur tlu' i^raws of all de- ceased soldiers and sailor-, not otherwi-e proxided for, when in conformitx with the wishes of relati\e-. I )m-ing till- third Meniori.il I )a\ -erxices held h\ the I'o-t in iSnj. in the I'ir.si Ciunxh. an incident occurred worthy of record. Re\ . William II. Thomas, then pastor of the .'second .Methodi-t I'.pi-copal t hnich in hi- ad- ^Iress gave an ejoinu-iu de-eiiptii m i>\ the I'.altle of (iettxshmg and told hou . when the light was i-aging liercely .and \ ietory trembled in the balance, a small Hag was si-i-ii to d;irt toward- the rebel lines and alnio-i insianlb dis- .'ippcar, ibe Iii'arer nndonbledly goim.^ down inider the leiiitii' shi.wei- of bnl lets. The sj^hi (if tile llag ga\e tile I iiidu foiees Impe. bnwiver. and from that nionieiit tliey wt-re imbued wiiii fre-li conr;ii^e .in<l ullimati-l\ won llu- victory, .\fter tlu' li;.^lit llie -pe.iker. who wa- ;il thai linii' a cb.ipl.iin. .iccom- panii'd by -everal officer-, ninnied ic> tlu' -jxit u beie llu- \\a'^ bad been s^en 14 intent on solving- the mystery. After rfni(i\in,n- ^ix-at heaps of dead h. >(he>, tlie\- came acro^^ the flag tightly gra>i)ed in the lift'lc'-- lingers of a ne\v>boy who had followed the army into battle. At lhi> ])iiint the speaker drew from hi> pocket the identical llag. he having treasured it a> one n{ the grandest relio of the war. The description of the battle and the finding of the flag was so pathetic that there wa> hardl_\- a dry eye in the congrega- . tion. On October 20, 1900, the i'ost united with Dongla-^s l'^)wler To-i. Xo. 48. of South Xorwalk, in the dedication of a Soldier-" .Monument in South Xor- walk. The most friendK' relations ha\e alwa_\> exi>ted between the two ,--i.->ter lV)-ts of the town, each taking i)art in the other"- entertainments and public functions. Douglass b'owler Tost ha- attended to the decoration of graves in the southern part of the town on Meiuorial Da}, and Buckingham I o-i those in. the northern part.