44TH ANNUAL REUNION OF THE NINTH MICHIGAN INFANTRY JACKSON, JULY 12 and I 3, 1912 PARKHURST, THE SOLDIER _______ ASSOCIATION STAFF | Daughter of Regiment _______ | Mrs. Margaret Parkhurst Morey | Rochester, N. Y. President, Gen. H. M. Duffield. - Detroit | ________ 1st Vice-President, J. W. Fales, - Detroit | 2nd Vice-President, J. A. Sutton, Jackson | Jackson Committee on Arrangements Treasurer, Henry S. Hubbard, Toledo, O. | Vice-Pres. J. A. Sutton Sec'y and Press Cor., H. C. Rankin, | Comrades F. A. Palmer Ypsilanti | L. C. Spink Asst. Sec'y, F. A. Lester, - Mason | F. Coons Ypsilanti, Michigan, June 12, 1912. Dear Comrade: The official report of our 50th anniversary reunion, held at Fort: Wayne last September, was mailed to every ex-soldier of the 9th Mich. Infantry. Notice of the 1912 reunion at Jackson, July 12 and 13, was sent out at the same time. Enrollment blanks were mailed also to all those who did not attend the Detroit reunion. Replies were received from not a few of these promising attendance, if possible, at our Jackson meeting. Among those not present in 1911 who responded, are: Company A, Rose of Indiana, Grovenburgh of Kansas, Weldon, Crandall, VanNess, Pierce. Co. B, Nathans of Kentucky, Lovell, Decker, Hanover, Eastman, Hurlbutt, Bentley, Carley. 'Co. C, Dearing of New Jersey, Lamdin of Illinois, Dick, Bangs, Redner. Co. D, Braman of Colorado, Waters, Bennett, Hobart, Johnson, Gladden, Cunningham, Carter of South Dakota. Co. E, Hunt, Shook, Kirtland, Ridley. Co. F, Brown of Washington, wife and daughter; Harrington of Oklahoma, Roath of Illinois, Storrs, Krigger. Co. G, Collier of Washington, Peckham and Chapman of Oregon, Brown and Smith from Ohio, Loomis, Hillier, Cortright. Co. H, Henry of Louisiana, Quinn of Wisconsin, Burgess. Co. I, Van Horn, Ford, Humiston, Youngs. Co. K, 'Brink of New York, Ostrom, Taylor, Hause. What a treat it was last year to meet and greet Mott from California; Gallup and Starkweather from Minnesota; Colby from New Hampshire; Burnett from Missouri; Wallace and Kenyon from Iowa; Frain, Ingersoll, Brewster, Rabedeau, Armstrong from Illinois; Hassett of New York; Bunker of Kansas; O'Laughlin from Wisconsin; Hub- bard, Evans and Mansfield from Ohio; Perse from Oklahoma, not forgetting the hundred twenty-five Old Boys from Michigan. Won't it be great to meet these grand fellows again, at Jackson, though some of them live so far away we can scarcely expect to see them all this year. A dozen or more letters, recently, have been received from Hendershot announcing the coming of himself and son, bringing with them their unrivaled fife and drum. It goes without saying that the Hender- shots are the greatest pair in martial music in this entire country. Colby has promised an original poem for the banquet. We trust our poet will not fail to deliver it in person. Michigan's brilliant governor, the incomparable Chase S. Osborn, is to speak to the Boys at 4 P. M., the first day of the reunion. Senator Townsend, whose home is in Jackson, has been invited and is ex- pected to address us. Our honorary member, Thomas Barkworth, Esq., will give the address of welcome. There will be as many, or as few as you please, five-minute talks at the banquet. The comrades will respond. The Saturday morning program will consist in part of recalling events of fifty years ago, July 13, 1862. Capt. C. W. Bennett will give a detailed account of the first battle of Murfreesboro. Others will speak of the personal memories of what to them was a momentous occasion. Drummer Hendershot will sound the Assembly Call at 1:30 P. M. July 12, though the G. A. R. hall, our headquarters in the Court House, on West Main street, will be open all morning for the Old Boys to meet, shake hands and commence their face-to-face talks with one another. Mr. Lester, Jr., positively refusing to accept any compensation for months of activity spent in compiling the roster, there are some $100 left over from last year's receipts. Hence no dues will be called for at Jackson. Badges to wear underneath our permanent metal badges will be furnished free.' The banquet will be at 6 P. M., Friday, in the W. R. C. dining hall opposite the Post rooms. It would help materially if everybody would drop a postal to Ass't Secretary F. A. Lester, at Mason, stating for how many he desires seats reserved at the tables. The W. R. C. would know so much better how to provide dinner. This is a little thing to ask for, yet few of us ever respond to this request. Please do so. The G. A. R. hall will be headquarters also for procuring lodgings, caring for baggage, etc. Make a bee line for the Post room on West Main street. Take the elevator and call for Comrade Sutton or Palmer, Spink or Coons. Any of these comrades will be at your service. They have promised us a home-coming and will do their utmost to entertain us royally. How it would help out if every ex-soldier would write Comrade Sutton to engage lodgings for him if he wants them and drop a postal to Lester as to banquet tickets wanted! Jackson, you will remember, was the home of Company C:. Capt. DeLand's and John Blessing's sons live there, Mrs. Cyrus Smith, Mrs. T. J. Conely also. These wil1 all be invited to the banquet and to the Friday afternoon reception to meet Governor Osborn and Senator Townsend. Capt. Marble, 86, expresses a very strong desire, though too feeble in body, to come to Jackson. Never beat a more loyal heart in any human bosom, than in Capt. Marble's, never a spirit of .patriotism and friendship more ideal than his. The daughter of the regiment, Mrs. Morey, has been strongly urged to enliven the occasion with her presence to recall more vividly the Old Days we spent with Parkhurst. We have many things in common, comrades, many things to· talk about. We shall be comfortable in Jackson. There will be abundance of opportunities to gather in little knots in the G. A. R. hall or in the park across the street during the 12th and 13th, to rehearse what is always new to those of us who have kept in touch with the spirit of '76 and '61. We can extend our expense account slightly, if necessary, having the security of the new pension fund which is accumulating for us at Washington to meet expenses to and from and at Jackson. We shall have but few opportunities to meet in reunions. Inger- soll writes that, between May 1 and 21, six of his Post in Chicago answered the final roll call. Our morning and evening dailies chronicle requiems sounding for a hundred ex-soldiers every 24 hours. The mightiest loyal force ever gathered for the defence of the greatest principle is melting away like the snows of midsummer. When the survivors of our regiment meet for the fiftieth anniversary reunion of decisive Chicamauga in September, 1913, fifty more of our members shall have passed into history. Others will be too enfeebled to come. There were six of the 9th living in Ypsilanti in May, 1911. Only two survive today. A decade hence the Grand Army of the Republic will be little more than a memory. Now is the time for action. Why should the cost of coming trouble us? No fear of old age with its dependence need alarm us. A loyal, generous people will increase our pensions .again if necessary. No worthy ex-soldier will be necessarily homeless in his declining years. A grateful Nation will provide bountifully for all our just needs. The imperishability of Great Examples will not fail in continuing to impress the American people with an ever increasing sense of obligations to the Union soldiers, a debt which can never be paid. Let the Old Spirit of '61 to '65 reawaken us and urge us all to attend in person the Jackson reunion. Will you not moreover write to your company comrades whom you long to see again, to meet you at Jackson, that we may all once more clasp hands? Your wives, your sons, your daughters and intimate friends are especially invited to come too. Special entertainment will be provided for the ladies. Those living outside of Michigan will do well to look up summer tourists' rates to Jackson. Of 600 survivors who were once enrolled in the Ninth Michigan Infantry, one hundred fifty reside in Jackson and adjoining counties. We ought to have at least 250 ex-soldiers of our old regiment present next month. Set these two days ·aside for Auld Lang Syne, comrades. Wear your metal badges, blue suits and bronze buttons and meet us at Jackson. Yours in F. C. & L., FRANK A. LESTER, H. G. RANKIN, Ass't Secretary. Secretary. N. B.—A goodly number since last September have written for rosters. Others sent for badges. Some for both. If either has not been received please drop a postal or letter to F. A. Lester or Secretary Rankin that the matter may have prompt attention.