and records and financial part of our Society. Let it be under their care. I care not if it be Cincinnati or Chicago. It will ultimately become a place of pilgrimage, not only to the members of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, but the men who nobly bore the musket, will repair there by thousands to worship in the years to come, when you and I are gone. [Applause.] I therefore hope that this committee will be appointed by the chair, to take into consideration the advisability of fixing a permanent location and so recommend it to this Society.

Colonel Noble:-Mr. President, I suppose the object of this discussion is to get an expression of the members. My idea is that we should have a place for headquarters, to put our trophies. in, and our relics, and have them cared for. I believe, on the second proposition, that we should not permanently locate at any one place, for the reason that many of us are getting older than we were twenty-five years ago, and we object to traveling long distances, and with many of us the matter of dollars and cents cuts some figure, and if we can sometimes go to Ohio and sometimes go to Michigan, sometimes to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and perhaps Missouri and Kansas, once in a while, it will accommodate more of our members, and be better for the organization. Those are my views about it.

Major Beardsley:-Mr. President, a suggestion merely to the committee. If this resolution is to pass, of having this historical headquarters, where an accumulation of specimens and relics shall be made, I would like to know if it would not be best to have the committee instructed to provide for transportation for the taking of these specimens to the meetings of this organization, if they are to travel over the country. If these specimens are dear to them, it appears to me it would be less expense for the members to go to one general headquarters and view them, than it would be to take them over the country.

The President:-This matter has now been discussed so that all views have been fairly and clearly expressed. Are you prepared now to act upon the resolution.

Colonel Godfrey-Mr. President, in order to get a more intelligent vote, I would call for a division of the question.

The President:-I am very anxious to obtain the full sense of the Society, well represented here now, on every branch of this

proposition. I therefore will, as the gentleman suggests, divide the subject into two propositions. I have no doubt the committee, when named, will have a great deal of correspondence with nembers of the Society, and will report to the Society upon these Avo propositions.

The President then put the question upon the first part of the esolution, providing for the appointment of the committee of five, and that that committee report as to the permanent headquarters, and the question was carried in the affirmative.

The question was then put upon the second part of the resolution, instructing the committee to report as to annual meetings, etc. General Belknap:-I am opposed to the permanent location for the meetings but I favor leaving it to a committee so that I can learn more about it than I now know.

A division being called for, the vote stood fifty-eight ayes and twenty-nine noes.

The President:--I will name the committee before we adjourn. Colonel Jacobson:-Mr. President, may I be allowed to make a suggestion that no two members of the committee shall be from any one state.

The President:-I want to get five of the oldest members, men whose hearts are in the cause.

Captain Tuthill:-Mr. President, I am sure we have all had a very pleasant reunion, and we are very much indebted to the people of Rock Island, and to our local committee, for the hospitality and kindness with which they have greeted us. I therefore move that the thanks of this Society be tendered to the local committee, and to the people of Rock Island and vicinity, for their hospitable treatment of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee during this present reunion.

The motion was unanimously carried.

General Dodge:-I wish to offer a resolution that the thanks of this Society be extended to the committee upon the Rawlin's statue for the efficient and satisfactory manner with which they performed their duty.

The resolution was unanimously adopted.

General Atkins:-Mr. President, I move that the thanks of the

Society of the Army of the Tennessee be tendered to General Chetlain for his learned and philosophical address last evening.

The motion was unanimously carried.

Captain Tuthill:-Mr. President, at previous meetings of the Society we have had obituary notices and biographical sketches of deceased members read to the Society. That is an important thing, and I do not think that it should be neglected. It seems to me some provision should be made for the preparation and reading before the Society of obituary notices of the members who have died during the year.

Colonel Dayton:-There is no question but what General Hickenlooper has that matter in hand and it will be in the printed report of the proceedings though not reported by him now.

The deaths were mentioned of the following members, General John S. Cavender, General William Rowley, and Doctor Franklin. A motion was made to adjourn.

The President:-I wish you all a happy year. I hope we will meet in Detroit in health and strength, and with clean consciences, and pure hearts, as the Tennessee army always bore, and I hope we will carry them aloft to our friends in due time. Good-by.

The motion to adjourn was carried.

BANQUET.

The banquet was held at the hour fixed, by the Local Committee, in the dining room of the Harper House.

At the upper end of the room and across it was the table for the President-at his left sat General Dodge, General Chetlain, General Brackett, General Sanders and General Smith. On his right was General Oglesby, General Tuttle, General Car, Colonel Barnum, Major Mahon and Surgeon Plummer. The remainder of the party, members, guests and ladies sat at five other tables placed lengthwise of the hall.

The company being assembled at table, by request of the President, Major Mahon asked a blessing.

The President:-Before commencing your dinner, I desire the attention of the members of the Society while I read you the names of the committee, which I was directed by a resolution this afternoon, to select. It is the committee to take into consideration the matter of having a permanent headquarters, and of holding our meetings in one place, the committee to report to our next meeting. I name as that committee General R. N. Pearson, General G. M. Dodge, Major E. C. Dawes, General John W. Noble and General W. Q. Gresham.

The dinner was discussed until 10:10 o'clock, during which the orchestra rendered several fine pieces of music, when the President requested order remarking:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

I suppose you have finished your banquet, so far as eating and drinking is concerned. I will preserve the best of order, and I promise to protect every speaker who rises to his feet, provided he will be clear, distinct and short. [Laughter.] As to the music, I want them to understand that we have had a great deal of it. We will call for what we want; and when I call for music, I beg you not to perform more than three minutes. We have now seven regular toasts, to which responses will be made.

There is one to be drunk in silence. After these regular toasts, there will be volunteer toasts, or we may call upon some of our friends who are present, who will respond in their own behalf. With these few admonitions, ladies and gentlemen, I will take the bill of fare as presented to me by your committee. They have made the toasts with a long tail of poetry. [Laughter.] Each toast has six to eight lines. The lights blind me so that I can't read the poetry, even with my glasses; and, therefore, I want each and every one of you to take the bill of fare in your hand; and after I have announced the regular toast, with the party to respond, read the poetry for yourself. [Laughter.] Now, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you will enjoy yourselves, have all the mirth and joy and gayety you please, but give attention to the speaker, because without close attention no gentleman can, address an audience. After he is through burst forth with your laughter and applause and cheer as much as you please, and I will give you breathing time between each two speeches, so that the next may start in fair. I will commence with the first regular toast on my list, without the poetry. [Laughter.]

FIRST TOAST. "Our Soldiers."

Response by Colonel J. F. How.

MR. PRESIDENT AND COMRADES:

Not alone our soldiers of our regular army; that little army, respected and feared, despite its meager size-great in everything but numbers; not alone our soldiers of our old "Army of the Tennessee," our immediate comrades-in-arms, and companions on many a hotly-contested battlefield; but our soldiers of the late war-our entire army-regulars and volunteers, members of the Armies of the Potomac, the Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee. Time, though boundless, is inadequate, words are powerless to do justice to our soldiers of the late war! How can I describe the patriotism which took from their chosen pursuits, desolating the family fireside and sundering the closest ties, the hundreds of thousands who responded to their country's call for help in the hour of its greatest need? How can I portray the unflinching endurance, the indomitable bravery displayed by our soldiers on the score or more of battlefields where their heroism was so often tried-tried and never found wanting? How can I faith