REPORT OF THE Committee of Arrangements. Cincinnati, Thursday, February 6, 1868. The committee appointed to make the necessary arrangements for a meeting of the officers of the late Army of the Cumberland, called for February 6, 1868, at Cincinnati, would respectfully submit the following report: In the early part of the month of December, 1867, the following address was issued from Louisville by the officers whose names are attached: To the Officers of the late Army of the Cumberland GENTLEMEN: Having been addressed by many of our former comrades from all portions of the country, in relation to the formation of an organization to be known as the "SOCIETY OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND," we have finally deemed it best to issue a circular, suggesting that immediate action be taken for the speedy consummation of this most honorable and desirable project. We owe it to ourselves-to the country at large-to the truths of history-to the memories of the dead heroes who went down at our sides on every stricken field where the banners of the "Army of the Cumberland" waved in the forefront of the battle-to the maimed veterans all over the land-to the sanctified ties formed in those bitter days which brought out the manhood and stern metal of the nation, that we no longer neglect so imperative a duty, and one that our noble twin "Army of the Tennessee" has long since performed in a manner so creditable to its own proud record. Not only the historic past, with its blended memories of exultant triumph and hallowed sadness, but the vital interest of the present and the coming future, which "no man may know," every impulse of the heart, every sentiment of patriotism, every principle of wisdom and of manhood, make it incumbent upon us that this matter be no longer deferred. It is needless, however, to multiply words on this subject. The lustrous remembrances of Chickamauga, Stone River, Franklin, Perryville, Nashville, and other fields of glory where our columns faced the horrors of a rebellious war, speak for it most forcefully. Your own memories, your own hearts, will plead most eloquently and effectively in its behalf. In the furtherance of this object, therefore, we respectfully suggest that all officers of the late "Army of the Cumberland," wherever they are, and whatever their occupation, who can possibly do so, will meet in convention, at Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 6th day of February, 1868. Let us be laggards no longer. Our path is clear, and honor and duty alike beckon us to follow it. WM. D. WHIPPLE, Brevet Major General. R. W. JOHNSON, Major General. W. T. WARD, Brevet Major General. G. P. THRUSTON, Brevet Brigadier General. |