from The Webster Times, July 5, 1879 (Volume 21 #20),
Oxford

The 12th annual reunion of Co. E. Association, 15th regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, DeWitt Guards, was held on Saturday last, June 28th, and which is also the 18th anniversary of the company leaving Oxford for camp prior to being sent to the front. There was a larger number present than in former years. Among those present were Capt. Prince and Lieut. B. B Vassal, of Worcester. the towns of Auburn, Clinton, Sterling, Sutton, Charlton, Natick, and Leister ere represented by members of this company.

At the roll call at eleven o’clock the following answered to their names: Members of the company, Comrades A. D. Wood, L. E. Thayer, Geo. H. Keith, A. B. Yeomans, B. B. Vassal, Albert Prince, F. P. Murray, Loren C. Hoyle, Wm. G. Woodbury, Chas. E. Murray, Frank E. Dupre, Orlando McIntire, Thomas F. Dockham, John W. Humphrey, Chas. E. Morse, Chas. E. Mason, R. W. Cheny, Edward Cudworth, Caleb F. Dudley; A. S. Bent, of Co. C. 12h regiment; G Benway, Co. G. 51st regiment; Charles Callahan, Company H., 15th regiment, Geo. H. Stevens, Co. A, 15th regiment; Capt. Geo. H. Warner, of the 18th Conn. Volunteers. After the roll call Geo. F. Daniels in a few appropriate remarks welcomed the association, and took occasion to speak of his interest in the boys in blue and their association. The secretary L. E.. Thayer, read the minutes of the last reunion, as well as the reports of the Secretary and the Treasurer, in which the association was shown to be in a sound and thriving condition.

The chair was occupied by Mr. A. B. Yeomans as President of the association. The morning was devoted to the regular business. This company has mustered into service 143 men, 54 of whom have died; 71 are known to be living, and of 18 it is not known where they are living or dead. We give below the names of the 89 persons composing the company as on the roll call of today, and if any of the readers of the times or comrades of the regiment know of the whereabouts of persons on this list whose residences are not given, they would confer a favor on the association by sending such information to the secretary, Mr. Leonard E. Thayer, Oxford Mass.

Charles H. Watson, Westfield Mass. Lock Box 97.
Albert Prince, 46 Hermon St. Worcester.
Bernard B. Vassal, 28 West St. Worcester.
Peleg F. Murray, 50 High St. Worcester.
Geo. B. Works, Binghampton N. Y.
Andrew B. Yeomans, Oxford.
Leonard F. Thayer, Oxford.
Wm. F. Miller, 10 Sever St. Worcester.
Nathaniel A. Viall, Orange Mt. Boston.
Henry J. Ball, Webster.
Daniel Cobb, Millbury.(Bramansville)
Frank L. Curby, Brandon Vt.
Leander T. Curby, Paxton.
Frank Dupre, West Boylston. (Worcester)
George W. Gunston, Corliss Steam Engine Works, Providence R. I.
Loren C. Hoyle, Sutton.
Otis Hoyle, Worcester,
Henry Hoyle, Worcester, at City Farm.
John B. Marcy, 40 Laurel St. Germantown, Pa.
Patrick Moore.
Alonzo E. Stockwell, West Millbury.
Charles Sutton, Victoria, Ellis County Kan.
Oscar L. Guild, Lynn Mass.
Edward Lovely, 72 Southbridge St. Worcester, Mass.
Otis Coburn, Southbridge.
Edward Cudworth, North Oxford, Texas (sic).
Orlando McIntire, Sutton; P. O. Wilkinsonville.
Owen McCann, Stoneville(Auburn), works at Coe’s New Worcester.
Henry L. Berry.
Josiah M. Green, Lewiston, Maine.
James Carwin (sic) [Note: James Comrie].
John A. Thurston, Providence R. I., Wainscook Mills.
Thomas Conroy.
James Duffy.
William Ronan, Worcester, Andrews shoe shop.
Henry W. Harrold.
Charles A. Bacon, Oxford.
Pliny Allen , Charlton Depot.
Geo. W. Albee, Whitinsville, Mass.
William H. Amidon, Charlton Poor Farm, insane.
Patrick Brennan, Webster, Slaters.
Horace C. Brown, Attleboro.
Charles E. Barnard, 31 Cutler St. Worcester.
Geo. H. Carr, Brooklyn N. Y.
Simon Carson, Insane Asylum, Northampton, Mass.
Richard W. Cheny, Southbridge.
Thomas F. Dockham, Charlton; P. O. Oxford.
Caleb F. Dudley, Charlton.
Frank Eaton, New Jersey.
John Eckersley, Ashton R. I.
William H. Emerson, Auburn.
Patrick Feighan, Soldiers Home, Milwaukee, on furlough at Racine.
Horace P. Howe.
Patrick D. Kenney.
Mack Lynch, Oxford.
Charles P. Morse, Charlton.
Anthony Murphy, Putnam Conn.
Marquis E. Steere, Albany N. Y.
Thomas Thompson, Milwaukee.
Francis E. Tingley, Providence R. I.
John Tully, Pond St. Worcester.
Alonzo V. Walker, Box 105, Webster.
Simeon H. Waters, Natick Mass.
Wm. T. Woodbury, Oxford.
Leonard L. Wright, Boston.
David Craig.
Emory F. Bailey (apparently deceased).
James Clifford, Clinton Mass.
Timothy J. Crowley, Soldiers Home, Togus Maine, on furlough to Boston, where he died Jan.14, 1879.
Geo. W. Davis [deceased].
Horatio C. Dodge,County House.
Daniel Donnahue, probably Boston, Bunker Hill district [deceased 1865].
Elias B. Ellis, Oxford Poor Farm.
George W. Faulkner, Southbridge.
Peter Hanson,
Joseph E. Haskell, North Oxford, Yellow mill.
Charles Hubbard.
Archibald B. Hudson, Grafton.
John W. Humphrey, Oxford.
Bradley Reed.
Wilson B. Robbins, Sterling Mass.
Patrick Ryan.
Stephenson Sill.
Thomas B. Smith, of Webster.
Luther Stone.
Owen Toney.
Martin Welch, 21 Millbury St. Worcester.
John Fitzpatrick.
Herbert [Robert] Lusty, Duckville(Palmer).

At one o’clock the comrades sat down to a good dinner provided by George Hodges Esq., at the hotel of A. J. Whiting, which was done ample justice to by all. After dinner the company again assembled in Memorial hall, and speeches were made by Mr. George Hodges, John Cort and B. B. Vassal. A vote of thanks was tended to Mr. Hodges for his kindness in furnishing the company with so excellent a repast and for his interest in the association. The company also gave an unrecorded testimonial of regret for the death of Col. Alex. DeWitt, who for so long a time had been their friend and benefactor. A invitation was extended to his widow to join the company at dinner, which was sympathetically declined. The rest of the afternoon was spent in reading letters of regret from members of the company and others, and reading the company’s history as written by Comrade Yeomans. The following from the Rev. E. R. Emmons and the poem contributed by a member for the occasion we give room for:

The following were reported dead:
Timothy J. Crowley, died in Boston, Jan. 14, 1879;
James M. Snow, died in Athol, Mass. Nov. 30, 1874.

The officers chosen for the year were as follows:
President, A. B. Yeomans;
Vice President, Wm. Woodbury,:
Secretary and Treasurer, L. E. Thayer;
Directors Chas. A. Bacon, Loren C. Hoyle, Edward Cudworth. Adjourned to June 28, 1880.

Oxford Mass., June 26th, 1879
Dear Sir, I regret that a previous engagement, requiring my absence from home will prevent my attendance upon the annual meeting of the Co. E Association. I should be happy to respond in person, but as this is impossible please accept my thanks for your kind remembrance, and allow me to tender to yourselves and your comrades my congratulations; and, also, to express my gratitude for the noble and heroic service rendered by all …….in the time of the nation’s peril. I hope that you will have a pleasant reunion, as you meet again and look into each others faces, and talk of the past, and recall the scenes and incidents of army life. In that bitter struggle in which you bore a part, while the world was looking upon you, it was shown that heroes still lived upon the earth. But while it is a great thing to be brave in war, let us be careful to remember that it is not less noble to be manly and true in time of peace. men are wanted today, as ever, and common life may be glorified by heroic action. May you all be spared to come together many times on anniversary occasions, and be enabled to live right lives, doing good service on the farm and in the shop, or wherever you may toil, always ready to respond to duty’s call, though that call may summon you again to rally around the flag of an imperiled Union. god grant that that time may never come! Let us all do the work of peace; and whether life is long or short, may we not forget that every true life is measured by deeds and not by years. There is truth in the words of the poet
“He liveth long who liveth well,”
I remain , gratefully yours.
A. B. Emmons.

To A. B. Yeomans, President of the Co. E. Association, 15th Regiment Mass Vols.

Boys, I remember well the day
When we from Oxford marched away
To save our county’s honor;
We would not have that rebel rag
float above our own dear flag,
And off we marched to save it.

To home and friends we said goodbye,
Bound to conquer, live or die
Those rebellious traitors;
And when the battle raged around
Not one coward could be found
Among our ranks so noble.

No matter where we chanced to be
The 15th boys you could see
Amidst the thickest fighting,
And tho the shot might fall like rain,
the ground be covered with our slain,
Not one forgot the cause of liberty.

No matter what they have to do,
he 15th boys are staunch and true
In friendship or in battle.
When I sit down and think of you,
And all the battles we went through,
Tears fall while meditating.

For many of our noble band
Are sleeping in that southern land,
With the royal blue around them
Altho' we are parted here below,
We’ll not forget where’er we go,
The days the days when camp fires blazed.

In battle brave, in friendship true,
No matter what we have to do,
We’ll not forget we’re brothers,
And when life’s battle here is done;
And we march to that sweet home;
In heaven we’ll meet the others.