RETURNED TO THE STATE. Many flags had been returned before the war ended, for Governor Andrew thus referred to them in his inaugural address to the legislature in January, 1865: "In the vestibule of the capitol of the Commonwealth you passed to this hall of your deliberations beneath a hundred battle-flags, war worn, begrimed and bloody. They are sad but proud memorials of the transcendent crime of the Rebellion, the curse of slavery, the elastic energy of a free Commonwealth, the glory and the grief of War. There has been no loyal army, the shout of whose victory has not drowned the dying sigh of a son of Massachusetts. There has been no victory gained which her blood has not helped to win." After the war was over the Government made the following provision for the preservation of the colors in the following order: WAR DEPARTMENT ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE WASHINGTON May 15, 1865. General Orders No. 94. Extracts: III. The Adjutant General of the Army will designate places of rendezvous in the respective States, to which the regiments, after muster out, will be forwarded for payment. IV. Upon arrival at the rendezvous where the musters-out are to take place, a critical examination of the regimental and company records, books, &c., will be made; and in case of omissions, the proper commanders will be made to supply them, and make all the entries as enjoined by the Army Regulations. At the same time the musterout rolls will be commenced and prepared in accordance with existing regulations, under the direction of the Assistant Commissaries of Musters of Divisions, superintended by the Corps Commissaries. Corps and Department commanders will see that the work is pushed with energy and executed promptly, using to this end Division and Brigade commanders to superintend it, and their respective staff officers, to aid the mustering officers in collecting the data for the muster-out rolls and discharge papers as well as the preparation of the same. V. So soon as the rolls of a regiment are completed, the said command, with its arms, colors, and necessary equipage, will be placed en route to its state, and to the rendezvous therein at or nearest which it was mustered in. En route, and after arrival in the State the following will be observed: I. Immediately on arrival at the State rendezvous, the regiment will be reported to, and taken control of, by the Chief Mustering Officer for the State, or his assistant at the point. 7. The Chief Mustering Officer will, under regulations to be established by himself, take possession of and carefully preserve the regimental and company records, also the colors with the respective regiments, and hold them subject to orders from the Adjutant General of the Army. 8. As soon as practicable after arrival at the state rendezvous the Chief Mustering Officer, or his assistant, will see that the arms and other public property brought to the State by the troops are turned over to the proper officer of the Supply Department thereat. VI. In preparing the muster-out rolls, Corps, Department, Division and Brigade commanders will hold regimental officers to a strict accountability, in order to insure accurate and complete records of the enlisted men, and the better to establish the just claims of the noncommissioned officers and privates who have been wounded, or of the representatives of those who have died from disease or wounds, or been killed in battle. VII. Prior to the departure of regiments from the rendezvous where mustered out, all public property,-except arms, colors, and equipage required en route,-will be turned over to, and cared for by, the proper officers of the Supply Department concerned. THE RETURN OF THE GUIDON BY CAPT. PHILLIPS. HEADQUARTERS BATTERY E. READVILLE, MASS., June 12, '65. I certify on honor that I have this day turned over to Bv't Capt. (Robert) Davis 2d U. S. Inf. and mustering officer the following articles of C. C. and G. Equipage in obedience to G. O. No. 94 War Dept. A. G. O. current series. A GUIDON. On the back of this paper is written: "No. 4. Transferred to Capt. Davis, I Guidon." In Captain Phillips' Returns of Clothing, Camp and Garrison Equipage for the month of June, 1865, there is the entry : "Transferred to Capt. Davis One Guidon." The records of the Record and Pension Office of the War Department, show by information forwarded from that office December 8, 1900, that by telegram dated War Department, Adjutant General's Office, June 13, 1865, the chief mustering officer of the State of Massachusetts was authorized to turn over all regimental colors in his charge under section 7, paragraph 5, Special Orders No. 94, War Department, Adjutant General's Office, 1865, to the Governor of the State of Massachusetts, at such time as the latter might name. RECEIVED BY THE STATE. On the 13th of December, 1865, the following General Order was issued: General Orders No. 18 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS HEAD QUARTERS, Boston. By General Order No. 94, of the War Department, issued May 15, 1865, volunteer regiments and batteries, on their return to their respective states, when mustered out and discharged, were to deposit their colors with the chief United States mustering officers, to be by them transferred to the governors of the states. Since that time the following Massachusetts regiments and batteries, having faithfully served their country to the end of the Rebellion, returned home and been discharged, their colors have been received by Brevet-Colonel F. N. Clarke U. S. A.. Chief Mustering Officer, viz. . . . . 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 11th, 15th, 16th Batteries, Light Artillery. On Friday, 22d. instant.-Forefather's Day.-the colors will be escorted from Colonel Clarke's headquarters, No. 2 Bulfinch Street, to the State House, where they will be formally received by His Excellency the Governor; and placed in the public archives of the Commonwealth, to be sacredly preserved forever as grand emblems of the heroic services and patriotic devotion to Liberty and Union of one hundred and forty thousand of her dead and living sons. The escort will be performed by the 1st Company of Cadets Lieutenant Colonel Holmes commanding, who will report to Brevet Colonel Clarke, at his headquarters, at II o'clock a. m., when the line of march will be taken up. All general, regimental and company officers, and past general, regimental and company officers of Massachusetts, and especially all officers and past officers, and all non-commissioned officers and privates of the several organizations named above, are invited to take part in the ceremony, and join in the processsion. The officers will, as far as practicable detail a color-guard for the colors of their respective late commands. The original date of musterin of each command will govern its place in the procession. Officers and enlisted men, as far as practicable, will appear in uniform. For further orders and information apply to the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth. By order of His Excellency JOHN A. ANDREW, Governor and Commander-in-Chief. WILLIAM SCHOULER, Adjutant General. The returned regiments and batteries having by their representatives signified their intention of taking part in these ceremonies, the following order was issued: COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, [General Order, No. 19.] HEAD QUARTERS, BOSTON, It having been represented at these head-quarters that the Massachusetts regiments and companies which had filled their allotted terms of service in the field prior to May 15, 1865, the colors of which are deposited in the State House, desire to take part in the flag reception on the 22d. instant, referred to in General Order No. 18, current series, the Commander-in-Chief most cordially complies with their wishes. By order of His Excellency JOHN A. ANDREW, WILLIAM SCHOULER, Adjutant General. Major Gen'l Couch accepted the command, appointed his staff, designated the Division and Brigade commanders, and made such arrangements for the order of the procession as he thought proper, announcing the same through the public press as directed by the Commander-in-Chief. Included in the regiments and batteries were those who served three months, ninety days, one hundred days, six months, nine months, one year and three years regiments and batteries, and it was decided that the organizations should take their places in line according to their numbers and not according to date of muster-in, as stated in General Order No. 18. This was to prevent confusion in the formation of the line. Meetings were at once held and colorbearers appointed by the organizations, and Brig. Gen. Edward W. Hinks was appointed Chief of Staff with headquarters at Room 10, State House. Brigadier and Brevet Major-General Joseph Hayes was appointed to the command of the Division of Artillery, which consisted of two Brigades: First, sixteen light batteries, Captain and Brevet Colonel Augustus P. Martin, commanding, and Second, four regiments and two battalions heavy artillery, Colonel Wm. S. King, commanding. The procession formed in the following order: Ist, Cavalry; 2d, Artillery; 3d, Infantry. The Cavalry formed on Park Street mall of the Common, right resting near Park Street gate, the Artillery on the |