of Company C were in at one of the closing struggles of the war, and shared in the glory which the fall of Petersburg secured to the Federal army. April 4 the conditions of final surrender were signed at Appomattox. The volunteers who had then developed into bronzed and victorious veterans, with work in the field completed, turned their faces homeward; and on the 2d of June the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts was discharged from the service. The men started for home without delay; and in Baltimore, where three years before they had been coldly received, they enjoyed a grand ovation. That was the beginning of a series of splendid receptions given them all along the route to New England. In the town records for the year ending Feb. 1, 1866, we find the following statement touching the preparation made for the return of the veterans: — "At a meeting of the citizens held at the Town Hall, May 17, to take measures for the suitable reception of our returning veterans, John Stetson was chosen chairman, and Parker R. Litchfield secretary. A committee consisting of Gen. Samuel C. Lawrence, Capt. Charles Currier, Capt. Benjamin F. Hayes, Joseph L. Goldthwait, Esq., and Daniel W. Lawrence, Esq., was appointed to make the necessary arrangements, and raise the requisite funds." On the 10th of June our company returned to their homes. They were received at the depot in Boston by the selectmen and a large delegation of Medford citizens, and under the escort of the Lawrence Rifles. Brig.-Gen. Samuel C. Lawrence acted as chief marshal. The company, with its escort, proceeded to the Boston and Maine Depot, where they took a special train for Medford. Arriving at Park Street, a procession of citizens was formed, under the same escort; and amidst the booming of cannon and the ringing of bells, they marched through the principal streets to West Medford, and from there to the Armory of the Lawrence Rifles, where a collation was served, and each veteran was presented with a beautiful bouquet. Along the line of the procession the citizens displayed flags and mottoes, furnished refreshments, and loudly cheered the war-worn heroes; and many a tear was shed by those, who, three years before, bade adieu to loved ones of the company, who were now sleeping in unknown graves. On the afternoon of the 13th a more extended recep tion was given to the same company, of which the following report was published in the "Boston Advertiser" of the 14th, and afterwards copied into the town records : RECEPTION IN MEDFord. Yesterday afternoon the citizens of Medford gave the veterans of the Lawrence Light Guards, Company C, Thirty-ninth Regiment, a glorious reception home. A procession was formed in front of the Town Hall in the early part of the afternoon, in order as follows:Gilmore's Band. The new Lawrence Rifles, Capt. Hayes. Body of Citizens. Army and Navy Association. The returned Veterans, Capt. Hutchins. The procession, under the chief marshalship of Brig. Gen. S. C. Lawrence, who was assisted by Capt. Charles Currier, J. L. Goldthwait, D. W. Lawrence, and Capt. B. F. Hayes, marched through the principal streets of the town to the Green Mountain Grove. As the veterans passed along, they were greeted with cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs. The houses in the streets through which they passed displayed, in very many instances, flags and streamers, with mottoes of welcome. At Green Mountain Grove -a delightful retreat - the veterans were seated, and the formal exercises of the reception began. Brig.Gen. Lawrence presided; and after prayer by Rev. George M. Preston, a choir of about five hundred fine singers from the public schools, under the lead of Mr. Henry G. Carey, sang a song of welcome, beginning, "Oh, 'twill be a happy time." Mr. Nathan W. Bridge, chairman of the board of selectmen, in behalf of the town, welcomed the veterans home in a short and touchingly eloquent address. Capt. Hutchins briefly responded. After expressing the thanks in behalf of the company, for the cordial manner in which they had been received, Capt. Hutchins stated that the company left Medford three years ago, numbering ninety-seven men and three officers; it has come home with thirty-two men and two officers. Twenty brave fellows have died, of whom eight have been killed in battle, eight have died in rebel prisons, and four have died of disease. One officer and twenty men have been discharged the service, and nine transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps. These figures show that the company has done its duty. No man, said the speaker, ever faltered when called upon to face the enemy, and no man has tried to keep out of the fight. They have nobly fought, and performed their duty. [Cheers.] After music by the band, James M. Usher was introduced. He referred to the time when the company first went out to the war on the 15th of August, 1862. They have been, he said, through all the great trials of the war, and have borne themselves nobly. He had been informed that no man had been placed in the guard-house, or been put under arrest for improper conduct, during the whole time that the regiment had been out. He was glad, also, to state that this company was among the few that had been so fortunate as to retain its original organization throughout the whole period of the war. The children sang, "Yes, the boys are now at home," after which Private James A. Hervey of the Guards, being introduced, made a short eloquent speech. More singing was had by the children, and more patriotic speeches by Rev. Charles Brooks, Thomas S. Harlow, Esq., Hon. E. C. Baker, Rev. B. H. Davis, and Rev. Henry M. Loud; and the exercises closed with "America," in which all joined in singing, accompanied by the band, and the benediction by Rev. Mr. Hooker. The day closed with a substantial collation under the shade of the trees, served by the patriotic ladies of the town. The stores were generally closed in the village during the afternoon, and the children of the schools had a holiday. The company has been transferred to its old regiment, the Fifth, and now holds the same letter and number which it did before the war. -- The Lawrence Light Guard still retains its organization as Company E of the Fifth Regiment, and holds an honorable position in the brigade to which it is attached. It has had for its commanders since the war, Capts. I. F. R. Hosea, W. W. Manning, J. H. Whitney, Charles R. Dawson (lieutenant commanding), George L. Goodale, H. J. Newhall, and J. E. Clark. No matter how long these pleasant times of peace may last, the perpetuation of this corps should be an object of tender solicitude to our people, and our young men should consider it a duty and an honor to enroll themselves in its ranks. CHAPTER VII. MILITARY HISTORY CONTINUED. THE MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY. THE Volunteers for three years had just departed for the seat of war, when a call was made for volunteers for nine months' service. At a town-meeting, held on the 15th of August, 1862, a bounty of two hundred dollars was offered to each man who should volunteer to fill the required quota. So promptly did Medford men respond to that call, that the company was full on the 23d of September, and on that day was mustered in. It had been organized under the name of the Medford Light Infantry. The following account of the departure of the company to Camp Lander, Wenham, is copied from the town records: "The Medford Light Infantry, consisting of ninety-six men, met in the Town Hall at one o'clock P.M. on the twenty-second day of September, 1862, and subsequently in the square, where prayer was offered by Rev. George M. Preston. "At two o'clock P.M. they took up their line of march, accompanied by the Boston Brigade Band, and escorted by the selectmen, a cavalcade, and procession of citizens on foot, under the direction of Thomas S. Harlow, Esq., chief marshal, to the Eastern Railroad station in Somerville, where they took passage for Camp Lander. On their arrival there, they partook of a bountiful collation furnished by the liberality of our citizens." ROLL OF THE MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY, COMPANY F, FIFTH REGIMENT, MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS. Charles Currier, captain. James F. Ginn, 1st sergeant. 200 Francis A. Lander, sergeant. Charles H. Prentiss, musician. Currell, Eldridge G., jun. Curtin, Andrew. Denham, David A. | Hartshorn, Hollis. Riley, Michael. Rich, Stillman. Reed, Alvin R. Davis, Samuel. Darling, Theodore. Dwyer, Thomas. Farley, Thomas. Hooker, David S., jun. Smith, Frank B. Sampson, George H. Stimpson, Alden M. Stock, Henry. Walker, Judson. Wheeler, William N. After a month passed in Camp Lander, the Fifth Regiment, of which the Medford Light Infantry formed a part, was ordered to the front, and embarked on the steamer "Mississippi" for Beaufort, N.C., Oct. 22, 1862. The trip was prosperous, and the steamer reached its destination in four days. Before the regiment had been on Southern soil twenty-four hours, it was ordered to prepare to move; |