told stories, and we didn't debate any questions except those that pertained to the welfare of our Society, and we always had glorious good times. We have had a glorious good time here. Comrades, we went out riding to-day. We went up to Black Hawk's Lookout, and we looked over that beautiful and picturesque landscape there that is pictured upon my mind forever, and as I sat there, I thought, this is but a mere patch of our great country, and I looked over here where lies this great manufacturing city, and just beyond the river where lies another city; I looked out over that scene, and in my mind away beyond, down into the great State of Illinois, where lie the great coal fields, and up in this direction, where spreads out illimitable its grand prairies, and in my mind took in, in one grand swoop, this great agricultural country, extending over this northwestern region, susceptible of sustaining twice the population of the whole United States to-day. I looked over this region of country which is embraced now in this grand Republic of ours, and in my mind I beheld not only the navigation of the great rivers, not only the means of transportation which nature has provided in every direction, but bethought me of these lines of communication, over a hundred thousand miles of railroad connecting every part of the country with every other part. I thought of the sixty million of people who were happily engaged in all the useful avocations of life in this great Republic. I bethought me of the fact that we could send two hundred millions of bushels of wheat per annum, if necessary, to foreign countries, to feed the nations. of the earth, and I thought of the greatness and the glory and the grandeur of this nation, and I was proud that I was a member of the Army of the Tennessee, and had thereby helped to make it what it is to-day, the grandest country that the light of the sun shines upon. [Applause.] Comrades, when we come together on these occasions, we renew our patriotism, we swear again allegiance to the old flag, and swear that we will support it as the emblem of liberty, equal rights, and national unity, and we feel that we have done our duty in the past, as citizens of this great Republic, in preserving, in upholding, in vindicating, in establishing forever the national authority in this land, and we are happy in the fact that these millions of people are happy every where through

out the length and breadth of the land, and the consolation that we carry away with us, is that we did our part in bringing about this grand condition of things.

Comrades, it is said our numbers are growing less. It is true many of those who marched and camped with us, have now marched away unto the shadowy land that lies beyond the river of life, and are bivouacing on the other side. In the process of time, we too will march over and join them there; but comrades, while we do live, let us live proud of the fact that we helped to uphold this national authority; proud of the part which we bore in bringing about a condition of things by which this Republic of ours stands up now one among the grandest nations on the face of the earth, and we will take with us when we go hence, the proud recollection that we did something for God and humanity. [Applause.]

The President:-Comrades, ladies and gentlemen: We have now been here for two hours and a half, according to my watch. I will bring the proceedings to a close, with a benediction, as we always do. Before we part I want to say a few words to my old comrades. I have recently traveled about eight thousand miles, and everywhere I went I found some old comrade of the Army of the Tennessee, the Army of the Potomac, the Army of the Cumberland and other armies; all along the Pacific Coast, away up in Canada, and everywhere I found our comrades, and they are the most respectable, quiet and orderly citizens of the whole. land. They are an honor to us as comrades, and everywhere they greeted us heartily, and with good feeling. Many of them are judges, some governors, some of them lawyers, some physicians, and of every trade and profession, and all doing well. I think that the war made better citizens, by reason of the discipline it taught, and I hope none of our people will be alarmed at the great dangers which stare us in the face. The best way is to wait until we get to the river, and I guess we will manage to get across. The Society of the Army of the Tennessee is not responsible for anything spoken upon this platform. Each person has his own opinion. It is not the voice of the Army of the Tennessee unless we have a vote. Opinions differ with us as with all honest people. Soldiers differ in opinion. and we have a right to differ

in opinion, but we have a charity, each for the other, greater and better and stronger than the average class. We are common men, but we were improved by the war in discipline, submission to authority and veneration, even to idolatry of our country's flag. Now, I will call upon the same gentleman who opened the proceedings, to offer a benediction, when the Society will stand adjourned until to-morrow at 10 o'clock.

The Reverend Mr. Marquis then pronounced the benediction.

September 16th.

The Society met at ten o'clock A. M., at the Opera House. The President:-The Society will come to order. I compliment you on your punctuality. This is again a business meeting. Yesterday we appointed some committees. Their reports will be the first business before us, and are now in order. The Committee on time and place of our next annual meeting is ready to report.

Captain Everest read the report of the committee as follows: ROCK ISLAND, September 16, 1886.

MR. PRESIDENT:

Your committee, appointed for the purpose of designating the time and place of our next annual meeting, have the honor to report recommending Detroit, Michigan, as the place, and the first Wednesday in September as the time of such meeting.

JAS. G. EVEREST, Chairman of Committee.

Captain Busse moved that the report be received and adopted. Surgeon Kittoe:-Mr. President, I desire to suggest that, in place of September, the month of October be substituted.

The President:-That may be treated as a motion, if there is a second.

Major Towne:-I second the amendment of Dr. Kittoe.

Colonel Fletcher:-Mr. President, for one I hope that that amendment will not prevail. The early part of September is a delightful time to visit Detroit, and the first of October is, with a great many of us, a time that we could not go at all. In my city, all the courts begin the first Monday in October, and it is impossible for any of the attorneys to attend the meeting. The elections come on the first Tuesday in October, and there are a great many reasons why October is too late. September would be, in my judgment, a better time.

The President:-The whole question of time and place may be discussed under the motion to substitute October for September, and we will be pleased to hear from any other member.

General Bane:-Mr. President, it seems to me it is always too warm during the first week or two of September. If we suffer from anything at all during these meetings, it is from the heat and dust. If it possibly could be put over three weeks or four, we would get rid mainly of that objection. It might be held the last of September, to avoid the objection that Governor Fletcher makes.

General Sanders:-Mr. President, I was going to suggest that, as a great many of us are from the Northwest, who attend these reunions, the time mentioned in the report is just about the time of our State Fairs, and it will keep a good many away. An objection is made to October, the meeting of courts, etc., and I think a compromise between those times would probably be better, say the third Wednesday in September. I merely make that as a suggestion.

The President:-The first motion is to substitute October for September. After we dispose of that, any other amendment will be in order-second, third or fourth week. I think we had better dispose of the first motion made by Dr. Kittoe, to substitute October for September.

Doctor Kittoe:-Mr. President, I desire to withdraw my motion. General Belknap:-Mr. President, I wish to call attention to the fact that Crocker's Iowa Brigade, a society composed of seven hundred men, meets in General Sanders' own city of Davenport, on the third Wednesday of September, the day he designates. General Sanders:-I had forgotten that.

Captain B. R. Sherman:-Mr. President, it appears to me that there should be an amendment to the original motion. The first Wednesday in September is a little early for us, for as General Sanders says, it would interfere with the State Fair in Iowa, and other meetings of like character.

The President:-Will you make a suggestion of some date?

Capain Sherman:-I was going to move to amend by substituting the second Wednesday in September. I think that would meet the case pretty well, and it would certainly be pleasant in Detroit at that time.

The amendment was duly seconded, and was adopted; and on motion of Major Towne, the report of the committee as so amended was adopted.