Dedication of the Equestrian
Statue of Major -- General
CHARLES DEVENS%

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DEDICATION

OF THE

EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF

NIAJOR--GENERAL CHARLES DEVENS

AND OF THE

MONUMENT To THE SOLDIERS 0:9
WORCESTER COUNTY IN

THE WAR FOR THE UNTON,

JULY 4.TH, I 906.

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
1907.

The Commonwealth Press. Worcester. Mass.

THE STATUE COMMISSION AND
THE PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS

The Commission

It was in the fall of I 891 that the first steps were
taken in the movement to erect a statue in Worcester in
honor of Gen. Charles Devens.

The late Senator George F. Hoar was the origin-
ator of the movement; he called a meeting of gentle-
men supposed to be interested, which was presided over
by the late Josiah H. Clarke with Edwin Brown as
secretary, and the following call Was mailed to several
prominent citizens:

, Worcester, Nov. 9, 1891..
Dear Sir :

You are respectfully invited to attend a meeting to take
measures for erecting in Worcester a monument and statue
to Gen. Devens to be held at the Worcester Club House on
Elm Street, Friday, Nov. 13th, at half-past seven o’clocl<
P. M.

Josiah H. Clarke, Chairman,

Edwin Brown, Secretary.

At this meeting a committee of thirty-five gentle-
men was chosen to solicit subscriptions for the statue,
and the following circular was prepared for distribution:

To the present and former Citizens qf Worcester, and friends
of 279.9 late GENERflL CHARLES DEI/ENS:

It is proposed to erect a statue, with suitable pedestal, in
honor of our late eminent and beloved fellow citizen, GEN.

CHARLES DEVENS. It is supposed that to obtain such a
monument from a competent artist will require at least
$15,000. It is desired to raise this sum by subscription.
Our beautiful streets and squares are not ornamented by a
single statue, except those about the Soldier’s Monument,
which is the only work of art to which our citizens have con--»
tributed. The beautiful Bigelovv Monument on the Common
was the gift of a stranger. We hope you will be Willing to do
your full part toward adorning the city, which he so much
loved and for which he did so much, with a suitable memorial
of a citizen who was its ornament and pride.

The only result of the meeting at this time was a
pledge of five gentlemen to contribute three thousand
dollars towards a general subscription for the statue.

It was Very soon decided, however, that for Various
reasons the time was not a propitious one for pressing
the movement, and no further action was taken till the

fall of I901.

At a meeting of the Fifteenth Regiment Associa-
tion, held at that time, the matter was again brought
up and a committee was appointed to make an effort
to raise the necessary funds. This committee consisted
of Capt.  Evarts Greene, David M. Earle, Col. Edward
J. Russell, Capts. Amos Bartlett, Thos.  Hastings and
P. F. Murray.

This committee called a meeting of citizens which
met in March, 1902, at which a general committee
was appointed to have charge of the Whole matter
of the statute. This committee consisted of  Evarts
Greene, Emerson Stone, Chairman of the County
Commissioners, Rufus B. Dodge, Mayor of the City,
George F. Hoar, Daniel Merriman, President VVor-

cester Art Museum, Thomas C. Mendenhall, Presi-
dent of the Polytechnic Institute, and Col. Edward 
Russell.

The following Act of Incorporation, received
from the Legislature of Massachusetts, was adopted at
a meeting held April 4, I902. By-—-Laws were adopted

and the commission organized.

(flnmmnnmrelth nf fllflannarhunrita.

In #56 Year One Thousand Nine Hundred and Tqzvo.

AN ACT

To authorize Cities and Towns in Worcester County to con-—
tribute towards the Devens’ Memorial Monument, and
to incorporate the Worcester County Memorial Devens’
Statue Commission.

Be it enacted lzy the Senate and H aura of Representatives in Gen»
erczl Court zzsremlvleal, and &y If/2:3 czm‘/zorizfy of the same, as
follows:

SECTION 1. Any city or town in the county of Worces-
ter may raise and appropriate, and pay to the corporation
hereinafter created, a sum not exceeding one cent on every
one hundred dollars of its valuation, for the purpose of erect»
ing in front of the county court house in the city of Worces-
ter a monument in memory of the patriotism and valor of the

’ men of Worcester county in the war for the Union; the rnon-

urnent to be surmounted by a bronze, equestrian statue of the
late Major-General and Judge Charles Devens.

SECTION 2. George F. Hoar,  Evarts Greene, Herbert
Parker, Nathaniel Paine, Emerson Stone, Rufus B. Dodge,

Daniel l\/lerrirnan, Edward  Russell, and the mayor of the

city of Worcester for the time being, and their associates and
successors, are hereby made a corporation under the name of
the “Worcester County Memorial Devens’ Statue Commis-»
sion,” with power to cause to be erected the monument above
described and to fix the exact position thereof in front of the
Worcester county court house in the city of Worcester, and
to receive the contributions already collected for said monu-«
ment and statue and all moneys that may hereafter be contrib-
uted for that purpose, and all moneys that may be raised and
appropriated by the cities and towns of Worcester county and
by Worcester county under authority hereof.

SECTION 3. The County Commissioners of the county

of Worcester are hereby authorized to appropriate and pay to i

said corporation a sum not exceeding five thousand dollars.

SECTION 4.. Chapter five hundred and six of the Laws
of eighteen hundred and ninety-six is hereby repealed.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

Officers were elected as follows: George F . Hoar,
Chairman;  Evarts Greene, Vice--Chairman; Nathaniel
Paine, Clerk and Treasurer. An Executive Committee,
consisting of Daniel Merriman,  Evarts Greene and
Rufus B. Dodge, was appointed. Also a Finance Com-
mittee: Emerson Stone, E.  Russell and Nathaniel
Paine.

Steps were at once taken to secure the necessary
funds. The County of Worcester appropriated the
sum of $5,000 and the City of Worcester $7,500, and
the following towns of Worcester County made appro-—
priations of nearly $4,000, in sums from $25 to $450:

Auburn,
Berlin, Boylston, Brookfield,
Charlton, Clinton, Dudley,

Grafton, Harvard, Holden,

Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leicester,
Milford, Millbury, New Braintree,
Northboro, Northbridge, North Brookfield,
Oxford, Oakham, Paxton,
Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton,
Royalston, Southboro, Southbridge,
Sterling, Sturbridge, Spencer,

Sutton, Templeton, Upton,

Warren, West Boylston,Webster,

Westboro.

At a meeting of the Commission, held July 12,
1902, it was Voted to contract with Daniel C. French
and E. C. Potter for an equestrian statue of Gen. Dev-—
ens for a sum not exceeding $30,000, which contract
was duly executed, and on November 27, 190 3, a
model of the statue, submitted by the artists, was
formally accepted. Robert D. Andrews, architect, of
Boston, was employed to design the pedestal for the
statue.

In June, 1904, the Commission voted “that it is
expedient that the monument bear an inscription setting
forth in substance that the monument surmounted by
the statue of their beloved comrade, Maj. Gen. Charles
Devens, be dedicated to the patriotism and Valor of the
men of Worcester County, who fought for their
country in the war for the Union.”

At a meeting of the Commission, held November
12, 1904., Gen. William F. Draper was chosen Chair-
man and Daniel Merriman, D. D., Vice—-Chairman, to
fill the vacancies caused by the deaths of Senator Hoar

OF NORTH SIDE OF SI, f~&’J.‘I; E.

 

and  Evarts Greene. Maj. Edward T. Raymond was
elected a member of the Commission in place of
Evarts Greene, deceased. *
In May, 1905, the following vote was passed by
the Commission in relation to the inscriptions to be

, placed on the pedestal: “That on the south side of the

base the several organizations known as Worcester
County Regiments, Battalions and Companies be placed,
and on the north side of the base the names of the
several cities and towns, with the number of men
furnished by each.”

In October, 1905, G. W. Cook, Chairman of the
County Commissioners, was made a member of the
Commission to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Capt. Emerson Stone.

In October, 1905, a contract was made with the
George D. Webb Granite and Construction Co. for the
making of the granite pedesdal in front of the Court

I‘-louse, to receive the statue, and with ]no. Williams,

Inc., of New York, for the bronze lettering and tablets
to be placed on the pedestal.

In September, I 903, several members of the Com»
mission visited the studio of Messrs. French and Potter,
at Glendale, Mass., and inspected the final model of
the statue, which was approved and accepted at a meet-—
ing of the Commissioners held October 17.

The model was soon after sent to the works of
the Gotham Manufacturing Co., at Providence, to be
cast in bronze.  

It should be mentioned that through the efforts
of Senator Hoar, Congress had appropriated certain
condemned bronze cannon to be used in making the

casting. These cannon received by the Commission
from the government were sold for over $2,000..

It was also voted by the Commission that the
following inscription should be put on the bronze tab-
let to be placed on the pedestal on the West end.

CHARLES DEVENS
SOLDIER, ORATOR, JURIST
I820-1891

 

MAJOR. ‘THIRD BATTALIGN MASS. RIFLES
APRIL. 1861

COLONEL, FIFTEEINTH REGIMENT MASS. VOL. INFANTRY
JULY, 1863’!

BRIGADIER GENERAL. UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS
‘I862.

BREVET MAJOR GENERAL. UNITED STATES VOLUNTEERS
1865

ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPERIOR COURT OF‘ MASS.
APRIL, 1867

ASSOCIATE JUSTICE. SUPREME COURT OF MASS.

1873
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF‘ THE nmrrao STATES

1377

Assoczmm-:-: JUSTICE, SUPREME coum‘ or MASS.

1881-‘£891

On the east end:

TO

GENERAL DEIVEINS
AND THE:
MEN OF WORCESTER COUNTY
IN THE: WAR FOR THE UNION
ii 1861-1865.

In December, 1905, the Work of the sculptors
Was so near completion that a committee was appointed

to have in charge the dedication of the statue and
memorial pedestal, to take place July 4, 1906.

This committee consisted of Rufus B. Dodge,
Edward T. Raymond, Daniel Merriman, and Edward 
Russell, and they were given authority to make all
necessary arrangements.

. This committee reported later recommendations
for the dedication exercises which were adopted, and
Major Edward T. Raymond was chosen Chief Marshal.

Mr. Paine, the secretary of the Commission, was
instructed to petition the City Council of Worcester
for permission to place the memorial on land belonging
to the city in front of the County Court House. He
was also requested to notify the County Commissioners
for the County of Worcester that it is proposed to
transfer to the custody of the county, on the fourth
day of July, 1906, the Worcester County Memorial
Devens Statue.

The statue and pedestal were in place in ample
season, and the dedication exercises took place on the
fourth of July, as originally intended. A full account

of the ceremonies at the dedication appears in another  

part of this publication.
The Commission at the date of the dedication of
the Statue consisted of

General William F. Draper, Chairman,
Rev. Daniel Merriman, D. D..,
Hon. Rufus B. Dodge,
Col. Edward  Russell,
Hon. Herbert Parker,  
Maj. Edward T. Raymond,
Hon. George W. Cook,
Chairman County Commissioners,
Hon. john T. Duggan,
Mayor of the City, EX--oflicio,
Nathaniel Paine, A. M., Secretary.

BRIEF MEMOIR OF GENERAL DEVENS

Maj. Gen. Charles Devens

The subject of this notice is so Well known to the
citizens of Worcester that only a brief sketch of the
prominent events in his life will be given here.

The late Senator Hoar, who was so much inter-—
ested in procuring the statue of Gen. Devens, Well said
in a memoir of Gen. Devens that “To draw an ade--
quate portraiture of Charles Devens would require the
noble touch of the old masters of painting or the lofty
stroke of the dramatists of Queen Elizabeth’s day.”

Charles Devens was born in Charlestovvn, Mass.,

April 4, 1820. He was the son of Charles and Mary
(Lithgow) Devens, and a great-grandson of Richard
Devens, who was a member of the Committee of Safety
and Commissary General of Massachusetts during the
Revolutionary War, from Whom he very likely inher-~
ited some of the military ability that came in later
years. He was a member of the Boston Latin School,
from which he entered Harvard College in the Class of
1838, having among his classmates James Russell
Lowell, and William W. Story the noted sculptor.

He studied at the Harvard Law School, receiving
the degree of LL. B. in 184.0. He studied his pro-~
fession in the ofiice of Hubbard 82: Watts, of Boston,
and was admitted to the bar in I 844. He practiced

for some time in Northfield, and later at Greenfield in

Franklin County, and in 1848-49 was a state senator
from that County.

In 1849 President Taylor appointed him United

States Marshal of the District of Massachusetts, which
ofiice he held for four years. These proved to be
among the most trying and eventful years of his life,
for it was during this time that the Fugitive Slave Act
was passed and it became the duty of Gen. Devens to
return to slavery one Sims who had escaped from
Georgia.

Repugnant as this was to him, he believed it was
his duty to carry out the law, even if by so doing he
was acting against his private views and feelings. Gen.
Devens, however, made a great efibrt to secure the
freedom of Sims, and raised the money for his pur-
chase, but circumstances beyond his control prevented
his carrying out his intentions. Later he furnished
the Whole sum necessary to free Sims, but the condition
of the country at the time rendered his aid unnecessary.

Gen. Devens removed to Worcester in 1854. and
soon after formed a partnership with George F. Hoar
and  Henry Hill and did an extensive law business.
In 1856 he was made  City Solicitor of Worcester,
holding the oflice for about three years.

On the breaking out of the Civil War, in April,
1861, when the call for troops came from President
Lincoln, Gen. Devens Was trying a case in court. He
at once asked another lawyer to take charge of it and
ofliered his services in defence of the government.

The Third Battalion of Rifles, composed mostly
of Worcester men, were making preparations to start
for the seat of War, and Devens was chosen its Major
and in a few days went with his command to Fort
lV.[cHenry, lVId., where they were stationed for a short
time.

July 24 he was appointed by Governor Andrew to
the command of the Fifteenth Regiment of lV.[assachu—--
setts Volunteers and with them Went into camp at Pooles-~

ville, Md., as a part of the Army of the Potomac. His

regiment took part in the unfortunate affair at Ball’s
Bluff, in which fight he was distinguished for his cour-
age and coolness under fire, for although Wounded he
conducted himself in such a manner as to receive high
praise from Gen. McClellan.

Shortly after Devens was made a brigadier general
of volunteers, his brigade being part of the Fourth
Army Corps under Gen. Couch. With his command
he was in the desperate fight near the Chickahorniny
Bridge, where he was again wounded. Gen. Couch,
in his report of this engagement, said of Devens, “He
held his own firmly. . . . . Severely wounded he
remained bravely on the field until the last gun was
fired.”

In July, 1862, his division was assigned to the
Sixth Corps under Gen. Franklin and later under Gen.
John Newton.

In the movement against Fredericksburg, in De-
cember, Devens’ command was in the advance and also
covered the retreat. The commanding oflicer, in mak-
ing his report, said, “My obligations are due especially
to Brigadier--General Charles Devens, who commanded
the advance and rear guard in crossing and re-crossing
of the river.”

Gen. Devens was later appointed to the command
of a division in the Eleventh Corps, under Gen. Han»
cock, and took part in the disastrous battle of Chancel»
lorsville, Where he was severely Wounded. At the
battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864, he was disabled
by rheumatism, but remained on duty during the fight,
being carried about on a stretcher, but wasobliged to
leave his command the next day on account of his
illness.

He was able, however, to return to take part in
the great campaign of Gen. Grant against Richmond.

He was in command of the Third Division of the

%’X~,‘

4:

Twenty--Fourth Corps, andhad the great honor of
leading the first Federal troops into the capital of the
Confederacy and was placed in command of the city
after the surrender. Later he was for some time in
command in South Carolina.

Gen. Devens was mustered out of service in 1866
and returned to Boston to resume the practice of his
profession. He was soon after appointed by Governor
Alexander H. Bullock to the bench of the Superior
Court of Massachusetts, serving in that capacity for
about six years, when he was promoted to the bench of
the Supreme Judicial Court by Governor Washburn.

  For four years he remained on the bench to the great

satisfaction of the bar and of the community generally.

In I 877 he was offered a position in the Cabinet
of President Hayes as Attorney General which he was
at first disposed to decline but finally accepted and
retained the office till the close of the administration
of Hayes.  

In 1877 judge Devens received the degree of
LL. D. from Harvard College, at the same time hon»
orary degrees vvere conferred upon President Hayes and
Phillips Brooks.  

At the close of President Hayes’ administration
Devens returned to  Massachusetts and was soon after
appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of the
State.

Eminent as Gen. Devens had been in military life,
he was still more so in civil life, and attained a high
rank as a judge and as a member of the bar. As an
orator, too, he achieved distinction, standing in the
front rank of the public speakers of his day.

His oration on Gen. Meade, before the Society of A

the Army of the Potomac at New Haven, in 1873,
and that at the dedication of the Soldiers’ Monument
at Worcester, in I 874, were most eloquent and schol-~

arly, and show that he was a man of genuine patriotic
impulses.

His brilliant address, June 17, 1875, on the
occasion of the centennial anniversary of the battle of
Bunker Hill will be long remembered by those privi-
leged to have heard it as marked by strong and
felicitous language, most suitable for the occasion.

Other orations worthy of mention were that on
Gen. Grant, at Worcester, in August, 188 5, and that,
as president of the Harvard College Alumni, on the
two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding
of the college, both of them being unsurpassed in senw
tirnent and in their courtly and polished delivery.

Mention should also be made of the very graphic
and appropriate address made to his comrades on the
battlefield at Gettysburg, in June, 1886, on the occa-—
sion of the dedication of the monument to the Fif-—
teenth Massachusetts Regiment.

judge Devens was always a gentleman, treating
all with whom he came in contact, with courtesy, and
in such a manner as to command their respect.

He was especially considerate of the men under
his command, and while in the field, as the writer of
this well knows, was often sending, not only words of
friendship, but material aid to comrades in arms whom
he thought in need.

To his intimate friends he was always most cor-~
dial, kind and thoughtful, and they felt sure that the
friendship they so much prized was steadfast and sincere.

Gen. Devens’ death occurred January 7, 1891:,
very suddenly after a brief illness, surrounded by his
immediate relatives.

His funeral was from Trinity Church, Boston,
January to, 1891. The services were conducted by

Rev. Phillips Brooks, LL. D. The remains were

interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery with military
honors.

The bench and bar were represented in large
numbers, and the Order of the Loyal Legion, of which

he had been president for several years, was out in

full force.

Action of Post Io, Grand Army of the Republic,
on the death of Gen. Devens.

To the muster-out roll of George H. Ward Post 10, Grand
Army of the Republic, has been added the illustrious name of
Charles Devens, and we his surviving cornrades,desire to express
and place upon record our appreciation of his noble life.

Here in the “Heart of the Commonwealth” his name is a
household word, from it he Went to the war and to it he turned
as his home.

By his long connection with this Post and his cornradeship
with its members, he had endeared himself to us by the strong
ties of affection and esteem. The bench justly praises his up-
rightness, the bar his impartiality, the soldier his bravery, and to
the common praise that comes from all who knew him we would
add the more tender tribute that friend gives to friend.

A life has ended which was an inspiration on the field of
battle, and in peace an example of the highest type of American
Citizenship.

As a field officer in the war of the rebellion, as commander
in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, as Attorney General
of the United States, as a judge of the Supreme Court of
Massachusetts he was the soul of honor and won the affection
and confidence of all by his magnetic courtesy, dignity and spot-
less integrity.

We are grateful that this life, so much above our ordinary
lives, was lived where we could share it; grateful for its rounded
period and for its memory that shall inspire us in the future as
did his voice and presence in the past.

To him we justly apply the words that fell from his lips in
closing the eulogy of one of the distinguished Commanders of
the Army of the Potomac. He was

“ Mild in manner, fair in favor

Kind in temper, fierce in fight,

Warrior nobler, gentler, braver
Never will behold the light.”

WORCESTER, January 22, 1891.

A. B. R. SPRAGUE,
JOSIAH PICKETT,

WILLIAM A. GILE,
HENRY E. SMITH,
E. T. RAYMOND.

DEDICATION OF THE STATUE.

Dedication of the Statue

The Statute of General Devens was formally un-
veiled in front of the Court House in Worcester in the
forenoon of Wednesday, July Fourth. Very careful
arrangements were made for every detail of the ceremow
nies which were carried out free from difliculty or
accident.

In spite of the threatening skies and occasional
showers a body of about two hundred and fifty mem--
bers of the various militia organizations of Worcester,

and more than a thousand veterans from different or-- ‘

ganizations serving in the civil war, assembled near the
city hall for the parade. At this point His Excel-
lency Governor Guild and His Honor Mayor Duggan
were received.

Conspicuous among the veterans were the sur--

i vivors of the various organizations which General

Devens had commanded»-w-notably the members of
the old Fifteenth Regiment. The state colors of this
regiment had been taken from their cabinet in the
City Hall, with the consent of Mayor Duggan, and
by him were turned over for this occasion to Col. H.
E. Smith to be borne by him in the parade. He, as
color sergeant of the regiment, had carried the same
colors at the battle of Antietam.  

The parade, under the command of Major E. T.
Raymond, assisted by a numerous stat}; marched
promptly on time down Main Street and was com-

posed of the following organizations of militia and
veterans in the following order:

, FIRST DIVISION.

Platoon of police, under Sergt. George H. Hill.

Chief Marshal Maj. Edward T. Raymond and staff.

Chief of staff Capt. Charles H. Pinkham; aids, Maj. Levis
G. White, Capt. B. W. Potter, Capt. David A. Matthews, Charles
H. Benchley, Charles M. Smith, Capt. William Bixby, George W.
Mirick, Comdr. John J. Corless ; Orderly, Edward M. Dodge.

Lieut.-Col. Harry B. Fairbanks, commander of 1st division.

Staff: Col. Edwin R. Shumway, Maj. James E. McGourty,
Lient. Delevan R. Nichols, Lieut. Perley P. Comey, M. D., Lieut.
Charles S. Longley, Capt. Frank L. Allen.

Worcester Brass Band, 24 Pieces; leader, Frederick W.
Clement.

Maj. Phineas L. Rider, commander of provisional battalion
of infantry.

Worcester City Guards, A .Co., 2d regiment infantry, 36 men,
Capt. Edwin G. Barrett commanding, Lieuts. Moses H. Tisdell
and Frederick H. Lucke.

Wellington Rifles, H Co., 2d regiment infantry, 45 men, Capt.
Harry C. Young commanding, Lieuts. Clarence E. Smith and Fred
A. Quigley.

Worcester Light Infantry, C Co., 2d regiment infantry, 55 men,
Capt. Herbert H. Warren commanding, Lieuts. William Stevenson
and Lewis M. McCallum.  

Emmet Guards, G Co., 9th regiment infantry, 50 men, Capt.
John F. Hurley, Lieut. Matthew E. Hines.

B Battery 1st battalion Massachusetts field artillery, 65 men,
Capt. Edward I W. Wheeler commanding, Lieuts Nicholas J.
Smith, Walter J. Cookson.

SECOND DIVISION.
This second (Veteran) division in the parade was
made up entirely of veterans of the civil war includ-
ing members of the several commands of Gen. Devens,

the 3d Battalion of Rifles--—-the 15th Mass. Regt. of

Vol. Infty.-——---«and his first «brigade composed of the 7th,
Ioth and 37th Mass. Regts. and the 2d Rhode Island.

.ZQHmH.?HQ Z<mm.wm: Mme W0 Q<mm was 84 m._zm25mm .mm5.,M mama mmfl. R0 wzHmw§,. mmm.

Nearly I, 3oo of these old veterans were in line,
representing all the Grand Army Posts in the County,
and by their presence testified to their love and esteem
for Gen. Devens. Although the line of march did
not exceed one mile, yet so infirm were many of the
veterans that the hospital stations established by the
Worcester City Guards along the line at frequent inter»
vals, had many calls for assistance and temporary
relief, and no less than eleven ambulance calls Were
necessary.

In the line could be seen the aged veterans
accompanied by their daughters or other members of
their families upon whom they leaned heavily for
support.

Gen. Charles W. Wood, commander of division and staff, H.
F. Rice, Sutton, Post 70; E. P. Morton, Webster, Post 61; Lewis
L. Stone, Clinton, Post 64 ; Edward Lovell, West Boylston, Post
28; T. W. Munroe, Milford, Post 22; Robert S. Bryson, Worces-
ter, Post 10; C. A. Wesson, Southbridge, Post 168; W. H. Moody,
Grafton, Post 24; F. R. Doane, North Brookfield, Post 51; Ralph
Dudley, Douglas, Post 137; J. C. McMullen, Fitchburg, S. of V.,
Camp 28; C. Newton Prouty, Spencer, Post 37; Frank Miles,
Holden, Post 77; Lucius Field, Clinton, Post 64; James Early,
Thomas H. Burton, Worcester, 8. of V., Camp 25; Lieut. Harry
L. Doane, E Co., 2d regiment infantry, Orange, S. of V., Camp
23, Athol; B. A. Bishop, E. P. Morton Camp 85, S. of V., Webster.
Lucius Field was chief of staff and the orderlies were C. Newton
Prouty, Frank Miles, B. A. Bishop, J. C. McMu1le:n, Edward
Lovell and Thomas H. Burton.

B Battery Band, 26 pieces, Emery D. Ingraham, leader.

15th Massachusetts Regiment, 140 men, Gen. John W. Kim-
ball, Fitchburg, commanding. Devens’ old brigade, Worcester
County, Col. M. W. Tyler, Plainfield, N. J ., commanding, 190
men.

Lyman Industrial School Band.

George H. Ward Post, G. A. R., 250 men, Corndr. Fordis O.
Bushnell, commanding.

Gen. Devens Post, Oxford, 85 men with drum corps. Position
in line at request of Post.

Nathaniel Lyon Post, G. A. R., Webster, Comdr. Henry
Bandis, 35 men.

Joe Johnson Post, G. A. R., N orthboro, Comdr. F. M. Harring-
ton, 18 men. A

Gilrnan C. Parker Post, G. A. R., Winchendon, Comdr.
George M. Stearns, 12 men.

Malcolm Ammidown Post, G. A. R., Southbridge, Comdr. A.
F. Sibley, 25 men.

D. G. Farragut Post, G. A. R., Gardner, Corndr. Jerome B.
Smith, 32 men.

J. P. Rice Corps, G. A. R., Westminster, Comdr. C. W.
Barnes, 16 men and J ohnson’s Drum Corps.

Hubbard V. Smith Post, G. A. R., and Parker Post, G. A.
R., Athol and Athol Center... Comdr. Henry Brown and Corndr.
E. J. Eddy in the ranks, 50 men.

P. A. Stearns Post, G. A. R., Spencer, Corndr. George P.
Clark, 25 men and 10 from George H. Thomas Post, G. A. R.,
Leicester.

Ezra Batcheller Post, G.‘A. R., North Brookfield, Corndr.
Sumner Holmes, 20 men.  

Theron E. Hall Post, G. A. R., §:Holden, Comdr. George
Bascom, 12 men.

Arthur G. Bisco Post, G. A. R., Westboro, Comdr. J. W.
Fairbanks, 14 men.

George A. Custer Post, G. A. R. Millbury, Corndr. A. H.
Batchelder, 20 men.

Charles H. Stevens Post, G. A. R., Leominstor, Comdr. O.
J. Putnam, 45 men.  

Edwin V. Sumner Post, G. A. R., Fitchburg, Comdr. Edward
W. Ackley, 60 men and 6th regiment drum corps, 16 pieces.

Maj. J. A. Pratt Post, G. A. R., Sterling, Comdr. W. S.
Walker, 14: men.

J H. H. Legge Post, G. A. R., Uxbridge, Corndr. Joseph N.
Buckley, 18 men.

A. B. R. Sprague Post, G. A. R., Grafton, Corndr. E. A.
Howe, S. V. C. 25 men.

J. Oren Fiske Post, G. A. R., Upton, Comdr. C. W. Com»
stock, 12 men.  
  Maj. E. E. Fletcher Post, G. A. R., Milford, Comclr. Edward
E. Cook, 50 men and Carnbridge’s band, Franklin, 24: pieces.

Seats were arranged on each side of the Statue
for the veteran soldiers, and on each side of the steps
of the Court House, for invited guests. On the
upper steps of the Court House a covered platform
for the speakers and others, was erected, and this and
the front of the building were handsomely decorated
with flags. An able corps of ushers under charge of
Daniel E. Denny was in attendance and the seats were
early filled with a great concourse of people; while
the opposite sidewalks and the street below, from
which all traflic was excluded, were crowded with
spectators.

It was shortly after ten o’clock when the parade
arrived at the monument and by half past ten the
veterans were seated about the statue.

Upon the speal<er’s platform there were, in addi-
tion to the presiding oflicer, the orator and chaplain,
His Excellency Governor Guild, His Honor Mayor
Duggan, Lieut. Governor Draper, Hon. William H.
Taft, Secretary of rWar, Chief justice Knowlton and
justice Braley of the Supreme Court, Gen. E. H.
Ripley, who commanded a brigade in Gen Deven’s
division, Hon. Rockvvood Hoar, and many other in-
vited guests both ladies and gentlemen.

The morning which had been cloudy and showery
cleared up soon after the exercises began.

At twenty minutes before eleven Gen. Wm. F.
Draper, Chairman of the Commission, called the
assembly to order and asked Rev. Daniel Merriman,
D. D., to offer prayer, which he did as follows:

Lord, God Almighty, God of our fathers and our God:
dweller in the sunshine and the storm ; ruler in peace and in war;

revealer of justice and judgment; inspirer of wisdom, courage,
piety, truth and high endeavor in the beating hearts of men; we
glorify Thy Holy N arne as our Father, our Saviour, our Comforter.

We praise thee that thou has written thy law upon the face and
in the secret chambers of nature; in the bodies, minds and con-
sciences of men, and that thou has revealed it in the long and slow
effort upward toward the light, of the struggling race from the
beginning.

We bless thee that thou hast always from of old been found
of those who sought thee, whether on the mountain top or
in the valley; whether by the fireside or in stormy parliaments;
in the great cathedral or on the tented field.

We praise thee for thy commandments and for the great
unfolding of thy forgiving love in the life and character of thy
Son. our Lord.

We adore thee for the great charters of human liberty and
law painfully wrought out through the labors and sacrifices of
countless generations; for the costly institutions of government,
education and religion; and especially for the priceless foundations
and securities of this ancient and beloved commonwealth and of
the great republic of which it is a part.

We give thanks to thee for the long and splendid roll of the
prophets, teachers, lawgivers, martyrs, men of science, judges,
leaders, soldiers, statesmenmheroic and patriotic---whorn thou
hast raised up and trained in all times and nations, to illustrate
and set forward the principles of thy kingdom; for those whom,
at every crisis, from the earliest times to this very hour, thou
has selected and ordained in this town, this state, this nation, to
show forth thy power, thy wisdom, thy grace, by working right-
eousness and establishing truth, justice and freedom in the land.

In particular we are profoundly grateful to thee, today, for
the noble character and achievements of the citizen soldier whose
image we here set up and dedicate; for his sagacity, patience and
valor on the field of battle; for his wise statesmanship in council;
for his highmindedness and purity on the bench; and for the spot-
less example as a patriot and a man, which he left for our youth.

May this statue which we here dedicate in faith and rever-
ence, abide in unsullied beauty and dignity, through long
succeeding generations, to tell the inspiring lessons of his life to
thousands of young men and to kindle in them a like respect for
law, a kindred zeal for liberty and a similar consecration of ser-
vice for their country and their God.

We also bless thee for the high patriotism, courage and
self-sacrifice, in the dark hours of civil warfare, of the men of
Worcester County of whom this stone is a memorial; and we
pray that, inspired by the record which they made—--here briefly
inscribed--there may never be lacking to the commonwealth and
the nation men of like splendid patriotism for every issue,
whether of peace or of war, which the future may disclose.

Lord, God of hosts, without whom nothing is strong, nothing
is holy, let thy blessing be upon the chief magistrates of our
great nation, our commonwealth, our city, and upon the whole
body of the people.

Give peace in our time, 0 Lord. Defend us from the  

dangers of our prosperity. Bring to naught the devices of those
who would work us evil. Make us vigilant to preserve from cor-
ruption the immeasurably precious inheritance which we have
received from our fathers. Save us from forgetting thee and
from dishonoring thy name and commandments.

Remember, not against us our sins. Write thy laws upon
our hearts and put thy Holy Spirit within us we beseech thee, to
the end that those who come after us may rise up to call us
blessed, that liberty guarded by law may not perish in our land,
and that thy kingdom may come in all the earth to the glory of
thy holy name through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

At the conclusion of the prayer, His Excellency
Governor Guild was introduced and spoke as follows:

It is my high privilege to-day to bring you the greetings
of the Commonwealth.

This statue of a soldier is appropriately placed before a
temple of justice. The motto of Massachusetts as placed be-
neath the arms of the Commonwealth declares that in the mainte-
nance of peace, order and liberty Massachusetts does not hesitate
to draw the sword. Such is the spirit of Massachusetts. Such
was the life of Devens.

A marshal in the times when the odious Fugitive Slave
Act was law, he executed the law as he found it, and then not
only rescued the unhappy victim, Thomas Sims, from slavery, but
as attorney-general secured him employment in the department
of justice.

A man of peace, he did not hesitate to do his stern duty in

time of war. A Minute Man of ’61, commissioned on the his-
toric 19th of April in that year, wounded at Ball’s Blufl and at Fair

Oaks, promoted and brevetted for conspicuous gallantry, his
division was the first to occupy the Confederate capital where the
first duty of the victorious troops was the extinguishing of fires
and the relief of sufiering.

Massachusetts senator, justice of our Superior Court, justice
of our Supreme Court, attorney-general of the United States, he
embodied the intelligent courage in defense of ordered liberty
under the law which is the corner stone of any durable republic.
In him Massachusetts salutes a son who gave in peace his labor
and in war his blood to prove the truth of the noble words that
might Well grace his monument as well as the entrance to your
courts, “ Obedience to law is liberty.”

Hearty applause accompanied and followed the
Governor’s address, and at its conclusion General
Draper formally presented the statue to the County of
Worcester in these words:

Fellow citizens, the duty of presenting this statute to the
board of County Commissioners has been assigned to me by the
committee. Before doing so formally, I will briefly recapitulate
the history of the movement which has resulted in this beautiful
memorial.

In 1892 a meeting of prominent gentlemen was called at the
Worcester Club, at the suggestion of our honored senator, George
F. Hoar, to consider the erection of a monument to General
Charles Devens. A committee was appointed to raise funds, but
owing to questions of location, a sufficient arnoant was not real-
ized at that time.

In 1902, again atthe request of Senator Hoar, an act of the
legislature was passed, authorizing the cities and towns of this
county to contribute money for erecting in front of the county
court house a monument in memory of the patriotism and valor
of the men of Worcester County who served in the war for the
Union; the monument to be surmounted by a bronze equestrian
statue of the late Major General and Judge Charles Devens.

The original Commission under this act was George F. Hoar,
J. Evarts Greene, Herbert Parker, Nathaniel Paine, Emerson
Stone, Rufus B. Dodge, Daniel Merriman and Edward J. Russell.

The Commission has met with the loss of three members by
death : Senator Hoar, whose place has been filled by the election
of General William F. Draper; J .. Evarts Greene, Whose place

has been filled by the election of Major Edward T. Raymond;
Emerson Stone, whose place has been filled by the election of
George W. Cook.

The county of Worcester gave $5,000 toward the cost of the
monument; the city of Worcester $7,500 and a majority of the
towns of the county have contributed. Large sums have also
been given by prominent residents of the county and elsewhere,
and smaller contributions from thousands of citizens have swelled
the total.

When a sum large enough to warrant a beginning was raised,
contracts were made with Messrs. French and Potter for $30,000
for the statue, and with George D. Webb for the base at about
$5,800. Other necessary expenses will bring the total to about
$40,000.

The undertaking was a great one, and could never have suc-
ceeded without the personal initiative of Senator Hoar. His
interest was so great in the Work that during his final sickness,
when confined to his bed in great pain, he sent fonsome of the
Commission to talk over the details of the statue. He said to me
personally, when the question of funds was under consideration,
that if enough could not be raised otherwise, he would mortgage
his house to make up the deficiency.

Now, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen of the Board, I have the
honor of presenting to you in the name of the Commission this
monument to the patriotism and devotion of our Worcester
County Volunteers in the War for the Union, as exemplified by
the high military and civic qualities of the hero Whose statue it
bears,---GENERAL DEVENS.

As General Draper uttered these last words, Mr.
Charles Devens Osborne, a grandnephew of General
Devens, pulled the cord that released the canvas and
flags which up to that moment had covered the statue
and its pedestal, which were thus displayed in their
fine proportions and beauty. Loud cheers followed,
and the bands played the “Star Spangled Banner”
while the whole vast assembly stood up and uncovered.
Warren Goodale, Esq., of the County Commissioners,
then formally accepted the Statue on behalf of the
County of Worcester in the following speech:

Mr. President, and Members of the Worcester County
Memorial-Devens Statue Commission : W

Your work has been well done. You honor Worcester
County to-—day and you honor her own. The gift you bring today
in remembrance of him, a leader, a scholar, a jurist, and to those
in numbers inscribed thereon who responded to the call to arms
in 1861 from Worcester County, is accepted by a grateful and
loving community. In no placemore fitting than here in the
heart of the county could it stand an inspiration for future genera-
tions, a lasting memorial until the devouring hand of time shall
have done its work.  

This memorial we dedicate to--day chiseled in stone and
wrought in bronze bears testimony of a grateful people. Each city
and town throughout the county gave willingly of its best to the
cause of freedom, and their gift of boys who wore the blue and
carried musket or sword stands for all time recorded here today.

And now Mr. President, and members of your Commission,
on behalf of Worcester County, as its representative, I accept
this beautiful memorial.

After the applause which followed Mr. Goodale’s
remarks had ceased, General Draper introduced the
orator of the day, Gen. Steward L. Woodford, of New
York, who served with General Devens in the war,
and was also for four years, as District Attorney for
New York, under General Devens’ direction as Attor-
ney General.

Just before General Woodford was introduced
the rain, which had been falling, ceased and the sun
came out. He was received with cheers and spoke

  as follows:

l\/Ir. Chairman, and women and men of Worcester:

The summer rains have fallen like a benediction on the
monument we dedicate to-«day. They have made the earth green
and glad and will return in harvest and in fruitage. So the
memory and the influence of the leader and the soldiers to whom
we dedicate this monument will return in the harvest of better
living and higher citizenship and in the fruitage of a stronger and
more enduring Union.

UNVVEILING OF STATFE ACE‘ DEDICATION EXERCISES.

It was my peculiar personal privilege to receive and my duty
to promptly accept your generous invitation to be here and share
with you in these services. For a little time I served in the same
army corps with General Devens----the old Eleventh of the Army
of the Potomac. It fell to my lot to be the Military Governor of
Charleston, before he came to assume that command. For four
years I served as the law oficer of the United States at New
York under his Wise leadership as the Attorney General of the
United States, and I am grateful that I was honored by his friend-—
ship until his death.

Brief shall be my story of his work and Worth.

At forty—~one years of age he was here in Worcester, a sac»
cessfnl lawyer and respected citizen, courtly in manner and up»
right in life. On that quiet Sunday morning in April, 1861, which
some of yon so well remember, the telegraph flashed into your
homes and churches the tidings that Sumter had been fired on.
The next morning, April 15th, he Was trying a case in your old
court house. The confirmation of the attack on Sumter came.

  He turned to his assistant in the trial and simply said: “You

must take this brief, I must go to the armory.”

He telegraphed to the Governor of your Commonwealth,
offering his ‘services. The 3d battalion of rifles was at once
organized and he was chosen major. On the nesztnight, the sixteenth,
he spoke in old Mechanics Hall, pleading in words, Whose thrilling

echoes linger still in your old rnen’s memories, to the young men

of Worcester to enlist and to give themselves and if need be

their lives to country and to flag. These responded promptly

and loyally. Within two weeks Charles Devens and your Worces-
ter rifles were entrained for Baltimore. .,
In.Jnly of that year he was made Colonel of your Fifteenth

  iMassachnsetts Regiment. Historic and fateful number, for the

old Worcester regiment in the Continental Army bore on its flags
that same. proud number.  
In the autumn of that year he led   you at Ball’s Bled and in

his first fight was wounded. Gallant as was your service and

steady as was your stand that day you were forced back.
Some of you old rnen swell remember that   awful afternoon and

how your broken ranks recrossed the river, your Colonel by your  

side, steadying your lines and sustaining your courage.

In the spring of 1862 he was madeBrigadier General. At  
Fair Oaks he was one of the three or four brigade commtidhders

who held and re-termed our lines until reserves came up A and
saved the day.

At Fredericksburg he led your advance across the Potomac
and after that disastrous engagement he had the distinction of

. commanding your vanguard when you recrossed the river.

At Chancellorsville it fell to his lot to attempt resistance to
the onslaught of Stonewall Jackson. He did his best. None
could have done more. The right of our line was forced back in
inextricable confusion. Wounded early in the day, he remounted
his horse, stayed with his command and Was with them to the end.
He did not go to the hospital until his men had bivouacked in
safety.  
Absent for four months with lingering, dangerous Wound, he
came back to the Army of the Potomac, when it was reorganized
under Grant. He was with that army in its marvellous campaign
“ by the left flank forward,” in battle after battle until that horrible
day at Cold Harbor. There your beloved leader, unable to sit
his horse, unableto stand, was carried in his litter up and down
your ranks, sustaining, cheering, holding his men up to their
Work. At Cold Harbor, with its nnrnatched record of dead no
braver man fought beneath the flag than Charles Devens of the
Massachusetts Fifteenth. .

When at the last the end came and victory bent from the arch--

  ing skies to place its wreath upon the brows of the Army of the

Potomac. you are reverently glad that Charles Devens, with
General Ripley (who is with us to--day) went over the Confederate
earthworks in the van. It was fitting reward for his services that
Charles Devens was the first Military Governor of Richmond.
And his first service was such as this great hearted soldier
and gentle hearted man rnnst have been glad to render. It
was not a service as conqueror hot as friend, for he kept the city
from riot and disorder and saved it from confiagration. (Applause)
Then came his memorable work as Corarnandant at Charles»
ton, where he assisted in rebuilding the Civil Authority so nearly
torn down in 1861.        
Then the War ended and its results of a restored Union having

  been assured, in 1866 he resigned from the army, returned to

Worcester and resumed the practice of the law.   s

In 1867 he was made judge of the Superior Court and in
1873 he was promoted to the Supreme Bench of your Comn:1on~
wealth.       

On April 5th, 1877, President Hayes offered him the Secre-
taryship of War. This he declined. The nest day he was odered
and accepted the Plttorney Generalship of the United States-

When Judge Shipley died General Devens was ofiered the Judge»
ship of the Eastern Federal Circuit of New England. He wished
to accept, for his tastes were distinctly judicial. But he had under-
taken executive duties as the legal adviser to the President and
stood by his post of duty, reluctantly but firmly putting aside the
courted work of the Bench.  

(Here General Woodford turned to Secretary Taft of President  

Roosevelt’s cabinet, who was sitting on the platform, and continued)
And there are some of us who hope and trust that some of
General Devens’ sttxccessors in csabinett honors and cabinet work
will not be tempted by the great honors and congenial employ-

ment of high judicial place, to lay down that ditty wherein they
have done and still must surely do large and enduring work in aid  

of the President and for thelasting good of the nation. (This
expression so evidently directed to Secretary Taft, was received
with hearty and continued applause.)

When his service as Attorney General ended, he returned to
Massachusetts and Governor Long appointed mm judge of your
Supreme Court.  

For ten years he served in that highsplace, serene inthe
simple dignity of his citizenship, beloved by the people of this
Commonwealth, honored by the entire nation.    

In January, 1891, he fell on sleep among those he had served
so long, so bravely and so well.     1  

How shall we venture to sum up and state the life, the worth,
the essential manhood of this man?    

He was a citizen in all that citizenship means and implies.

     was a jurist izathe large and true sense of the word. He was
  a Wise, 2: abroad, a great lawyer. He was an orator whose full,

   a:od classic eloquence lives on the prsizoteld page as it eh»  

       chained oer ettraptured sense when spoken. But above all
  Charles Deyens Was, as no man whom  have known, the essential
 of the   citizen soldier and the soldier gentleman- (Hearty

    Like

  Advocate before the Supreme Court at Vvashiogtoh; mingling

 coartiers, cliplomatists and soldiers; sittix1g* on   the highelst

  Bench of the yCommonWealth, he was alwaysoree whom any

    ayardhe was Without fear and withotitlreptoach ;   simple  
    yetdignified; everywhere and at all times areal man. Setaading as

drommer boy in his old regiment could   have gox::.estofo1' sym-»  
 ad help. _ ( Long ecoiotimttsed applatme.)        ;        

    Could ChatlesDeyet1she with us in the flesh as: feel

that he is with us in the spirit, he would be glad, yes, grateful

that the monument Worcester consecrates to-day is not only for
him, but for every Worcester County soldier, whatever his rank
or service.

For what did he and they and you, who still remain, become
soldiers? Not for glory. Not that names like Marengo and
Wagram might be blazoned on your flags. You fought that the
Nation might live. You fought that liberty might go with our
flag wherever that flag goes over land and sea. Equal courage
and equal sincerity I concede to those against whom you fought.
But history must forever record that service for the Union was
eternally right and service for secession eterally wrong. (Applause)

We have saved the nation. We have kept the flag. Our
children have it in solemn charge to keep what we have won.
Corrupt as politics sometimes may be; unjust as wealth some-
times is; blind and wrong as corporations and labor unions
sometimes are; still on this our nation’s birthday and in the
presence of this heroic statue, facing towards Plymouth Rock
and Bunker Hill, I believe and you believe that this nation, under
equal laws and guided by God, shall long be kept secure in Union
and freedom. (Applause.)

Memories of the past crowd thick around us. Into those
eyes of bronze comes the light of the other life. The shadows
of the old flags are bending above us. Comrades, living and
dead, are touching elbows here to-day. Let us here and now
highly resolve that we and our children do our duty as citizens in
years to come.

As our fathers kept, so may we keep, the land of the Puritan
and the Pilgrim; of Plymouth Rock and Lexington and Concord
and Bunker Hill. May God save the Commonwealth of Mass»

 achusetts.

Long and vigorous applause followed the address
of General Woodford, and then General Draper asked
all to rise and sing two stanzes of “America” while
the band played the air.

With this the formal exercises of the dedication
of the statue and monument were concluded.

The veterans marched to the armory where they,
to the number of about a thousand, were served with

luncheon. About one hundred persons including the
members of the Commission, the GoVernor’s party,
relatives of General wDevens, oflicers of the Grand
Army and of the Loyal Legion, took dinner at the
rooms of the Commonwealth Club.

It was estimated that upwards of ten thousand
people witnessed the unveiling of the statue and heard
the speakers. 

STATEMENT

Nathaniel Paine, Treasurer
MAY 1st, 1907

 

DR.
Total subscriptions to date, . . . . . $34,568.01
Received from sale of bronze cannon, . . . 2,088.10
Income from investments to date, . . . 5,221.58
$41,877.69
CR.

Paid French & Potter, for statue, . . . $30,000.00
“ Geo. D. Webb Granite Co., for pedestal, . 5,759.80

“ John Williams & Co., Inc., for bronze letters, 655.00

“ Andrews, Jaqnes & Rantonl, architects, . 538.79

“ for printing; and engravings, . . . . 339.98

“ premium and interest on securities bought, . 907.26

“ on account of expenses of dedication of statue, 1,652.67

” Woodbury-Carlton Co., for halftones, . . 49.75
“ incidental expenses, . . . . . 572.60
$40,475.85

Balance, . . . . . . 1,401.84
$41,877.69

Estimated expense of this publication and mailing, 200.00

I have examined the above statement and believe it to be cor»
rectly stated and the cash balance is duly accounted for.

HENRY A. MARSH,
Auditor.

After all charges are paid it is estimated that about $1,200
will be left in the hands of the Commission, and it is proposed to
turn this balance over to the County of Worcester, to be in
charge of the County Commissioners, as a permanent fund, the
income of the fund to be used in keeping the statue and pedestal
in good order, and for the decoration of the same on Memorial
days.