title: Ceremonies at the dedication of the Bigelow Monument, Worcester, Massachusetts,
text: i \yf<^?i^/ .^/^ /O^^un^. CEREMONIES THE DEDICATION BIGELOW'" M'O'JJ-tjirENT, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, April 19, 1861. ,^%OSTQ^ WT \y BOSTON: PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SON, . 22, School Street. 1861. ^- '// /2 ■ iU/. I 7 / / ^ 1. PREFACE. TT is good to commemorate brave deeds in the cause of God, of country, or of humanity. It is a homage due to the heroic dead, and it re-acts for the benefit of the living. It is peculiarly meet in times like these. Revolutionary memories should be precious. Examples fitted to stir and re-animate the flame of patriotism have special claims to prominent remembrance. The courage and self-sacrifices of the earlier champions of our freedom and independence bequeathed lessons to their sons. What the former achieved, the latter are ex- pected to guard and maintain. The sculptured stone, which tells of the valor of the sires, is an empty honor, considered in reference to themselves. They have passed beyond the reach of human applause. Posthumous ovations avail them not. The value, the significance, is with their children. To them, indeed, monuments are silent monitors richly eloquent in the teachings of a bygone age. Too few of these have been reared to the memory of the intrepid fathers and founders of our civil liberties. May they be multiplied! May the tablets inscribed with their venerable names, their heroic deeds, or the scenes of their struggles and achievements, be reverently read and pondered ! And may the lessons conveyed be fraught with quickening incentives, ihustrated by the generous self-devotion, the constancy and courage, ■ — under the sternest calls of public exigency, — both of the present and each future generation ! By a fortunate coincidence, altogether contingent, the completion of the monument in honor of the Revolutionary services of Colonel Timothy Bigelow occurred in the month of April, this present year, — an era destined to new and momentous interest in our national annals. The ceremonies of dedication were generously undertaken by the municipal government and citizens of Worcester. It was decided that they should be celebrated on the ever- memorable Nineteenth, — the opening date of the War of Independence. Arrangements were made to such effect, and the preliminary notices sent abroad, before the outbreak of the mad and wicked Rebellion which was so soon to burst upon the land. Sumter, though besieged, had not been bombarded. It was hoped that the frenzy of the insurgents would pause — that it would stop — ere that last base outrage, content with the insult of a bare bravado. But the hope was delusive. The fort was assaulted, and its chivalrous little garrison compelled to succumb to the overwhelming odds combined against it. Washington was next threatened. An alarum sped through the land. The mighty heart of our people, — the loyal heart of the indignant North, — at length profoundly roused, fiercely burned to avenge the affront, and curb and punish such insufferable w^rong. Troops were hurried to the capital, — Massachusetts, as always, foremost in the van. ITer sons were everywhere arming. Worcester responded to the first drum-beat, — her gallant soldiery rallying promptly to the call, — their ranks daily swelling, and new companies formed, with a zeal and impetuosity almost embarrassing amidst the multifarious correspondent demands found needful at the hour. All were animated by a common impulse, — eager to battle for their country's imperilled rights, — impatiently awaiting the signal of departure for the defence of the national metropolis ; — all panting to join, nay, rather to lead, in the advancing movement. These stirring scenes and incidents occurring during the eventful week of April 12-19,* naturally so engrossed the minds and hearts of all, that the expediency was questioned of attempting any public display on an occasion of such comparatively trifling moment as that detailed in the following record. On maturer reflection, nevertheless, it was deemed so accordant with the spirit of the crisis, so intrinsically suggestive, and of such kindling, awakening influences bearing upon the juncture, that it was resolved to adhere to the arrangements previously devised, and carry out the programme, so far as practicable in the altered condition of the times. A public celebration in honor of the completion of the BiGELOW Monument was accordingly held ; and the dedica- tion of a structure to the memory of a brave Revolutionary Chief, with its formal transfer to the future guardianship of the authorities of his native town, as a beacon memorial to the present and after times, was solemnly inaugurated Avith the imposing ceremonies described in the ensuing * News of the terrible onslaught in Baltimore, at the date last named, on the Massachusetts Sixth Regiment in its struggle and triumphant passage through that city, did not reach Worcester till the afternoon of Friday, an hour or two lat"er than the close of the ceremonies of the day. Of course, no allusion could be made to the event by the speakers on the stand. 6 pages. The account is presented substantially as given in the '' Worcester Daily Spy " of Saturday, April 20, from the pen of D. A. Goddard, Esq., assistant editor; some addi- tions being made, with fuller sketches of several of the speeches than could conveniently appear in the columns of that journal. One feature, it should be added, in the pageant of the day, although not wanting, had less of the brilliancy anticipated, owing to the inexorable necessities of the times. The military — of whom a fuller display had been promised, comprising the entire elite of Worcester — were in general too busily employed in the duties of drill and equipment, under expectancy of an immediate march to the seat of war, to take part in the parade of procession. One company, enrolled in the valiant Sixth Regiment, had started two days before to aid in the defence of Washington ; and, at the very hour of the exercises in consecration of the Monument at home, were bravely fighting their way through Baltimore. They were honorably represented, notwithstanding, by the senior members of their corps ; the elder exempts of the Worcester Light Infantry alone numbering about one hundred. They made a fine appear- ance. BIGELOW MONUMENT. " Before noon, on the 19th of April, 1775, an express came to town, shouting as he passed through the street at full speed, ' To arms ! to arms ! — the war's begun!' His white horse, bloody with spurring, and dripping with sweat, fell exhausted by the church. Another was instantly procured, and the tidings went on. The bell rang out the alarm, cannon were fired, and messengers sent to every part of the town to collect the soldiery. As the news spread, the implements of husbandry were thrown by in the field; and the citizens left their homes, with no longer delay than to seize their arms. In a short time, the minute-men were paraded on the green, under Captain Timothy Bigelow. After fervent prayer by Rev. Mr. Maccarty, they took up their line of march to the scene of conflict." * The remarkable event to which the above reminiscence relates was appropriately commemorated in Worcester, yes- terday, April 19, by the dedication of an elegant and costly monument, erected to the memory of Timothy Bigelow by his great-grandson, Colonel T. Bigelow Lawrence of Bos- ton. It was the eighty-sixth anniversary of the battle of Lexington, — the opening scene of the Revolution. Our streets were early thronged with spectators. Many build- ings, private and public, were decorated with the national colors ; and every thing indicated a unanimous sentiment of devotion to the Union, and respect for the memory of its founders. The procession, preliminary to the exercises of the day, was formed at eleven o'clock, adjacent to the Central Park. Halting at the mansion of his honor Mayor Davis to receive * Lincoln's History of Worcester. 8 the invited guests and other distinguished citizens there assembled, its progress was resumed. In the first carriage were seated Mayor Davis, Colonel Lawrence, Tyler Bigelow, Esq., of Watertown (nephew and son-in-law of Colonel Timothy Bigelow), and George Tyler Bigelow, Jr., son of the Chief Justice. They were followed by a carriage con- taining Ex-Governor Lincoln, Rev. Dr. Bigelow, and Hon. John P. Bigelow, Ex-Mayor of Boston. The past Mayors of Worcester, and guests of the city, occupied the remaining carriages. The procession was arranged as follows : — National Band. Past and exempt Members of the Worcester Light Infantry, bearing the Colors of the Company; D. Waldo Lincoln, Captain. Highland Cadets. Committee of Arrangements. City Government. Invited Guests. .Toslyn's Band. Assistant Marshal. Chief-engineer Fire-department. Yankee Engine-company, No. 5. Ocean Hose-company, No. 2. Father Mathew Temperance Society. German Turners. Citizens. Altogether, the show was brilliant. Advancing through the central street, — Worcester's fair Broadway, beautifully draped, its sidewalks and houses filled with gazers, — the cortege moved on its line of march. The route was in the following order: through Main, Highland, Harvard, Chestnut, Elm, West, Pleasant Streets, to the head of Main Street again, thence to the Old Common ; completing tlie march about noon. At twelve o'clock, a salute of thirty-four guns was fired. The procession forming in a square around the stand, General George H. Ward, Chief-Marshal, announced Mayor 9 Davis as President of the day. Among the notabihties on the platform, besides the gentlemen elsewhere named, were the Hon. Rejoice Newton, Stephen Salisbury, Esq!, Hon. Dwight Foster, Hon. George F. Hoar, Major-General Hobbs, Colonel Stoddard, Charles Hersey, Esq., Walter Bigelow, Esq., Abbott Lawrence, Esq., with others. After a voluntary performed by Joslyn's Cornet Band, an appro- priate and impressive prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Hill. The following song, written for the occasion by C. Jillson, Esq., was next sung by the Glee Club, under the direction of Albert S. Allen, by whom the music was composed : — We come to-day, with solemn tread, To consecrate an earthly shrine. And raise this column o'er the head Of hero, patriot, and divine, — A hero in his country's cause ; A patriot on the lists of fame ; Divine, because an honest man Can justly own no other name. A thousand other men have died. Who toiled for fame, and sought renown ; But no one knows their resting-place, On hill, in valley, or the town. But here the humblest of them all Beneath this beauteous column lies : His dust has unto dust returned ; His spirit, to the upper skies. • Here, ages hence, when Spring-tiine comes AVith laughing footstep o'er the hills ; When Nature lifts her wintry hand From all the valleys and the rills, — Shall generations yet unborn Beside this marble column stand, And mingle with the dust their tears For one who loved his native land. 2 10 Colonel Lawrence was then introduced, and spoke as follows : — Mat it please your Honor, — Actuated by the wish to per- petuate, in a suitable manner, the memory of one whose name has ever been reverently cherished by his descendants, I informed your Municipal Government a year and a half ago of my desire to erect a monument, upon your Central Park, over the remains of Colonel Timothy Bigelow. That desire Avas recognized in the kind- est manner by the prompt passage of a resolve authorizing the Mayor to set apart the lot in question, and to dedicate it for ever to this purpose. For the cordial response thus given, permit me now to return my most sincere thanks. The work is completed ; and, at the request of your citizens, I am here to consign it, in a formal manner, to the custody and safe-keeping of yourself and your successors. Little did I expect, however, to Avitness this imposing civic ceremonial, and the vast assemblage here collected. But I can- not be surprised, Avhen I remember that the regiment commanded by Colonel Bigelow, so distinguished for its gallantry and prowess on many of the hardest-fought fields of the Revolution, was re- cruited solely from the yeomanry of the county of Worcester ; and seeing as I do around me the descendants of the men who followed him to Cambridge, fought by his side under the walls of Quebec and on the plains of Saratoga and Monmouth, endured with him the trials and terrible sufferings of Valley Forge, and participated with him in the crowning glories of Yorktown. I feel that the tribute paid to-day, and on this anniversary, is not to the memory of one man alone, but to the Revolutionary sires of Worcester, — an ancestry of which Ave may Avell be proud. May I A^enture to hope, that, in the present dark and trying hour of our country's life, this monument may serAC to sustain and stimulate our patriotism, by recalling to memory the public spirit, the courage and the sacrifices, so nobly displayed for the cause of liberty during the Revolution, I)y the soldiers of the gallant old Fifteenth Regiment of the Continental Line ! 11 Mayor Davis responded as follows : — Colonel Timothy Bigelow Lawrence : Sir, — You have caused to be erected on our Central Park a monument to the memory of one who was foremost among the c/tizens of this place in the great acts of the American Revolution. This civic procession, this large concourse of people, are as- sembled here to commemorate your generosity to the memory of one of those heroes of the American Revolution. This very moment — as you have well said, sir — and this very occasion should admonish us to rally in support of the principles, to express anew our admiration of the character, and our gratitude for the lessons of wisdom and patriotism, bequeathed to us by those who fought the battles of the Revolution, and laid the foundation of our liberties. They are fixed stars in the firma- ment of great names ; shining, without twinkling, with a clear and beneficent light. Sir, allow me, as the chief executive officer of this city, in behalf of all its citizens, to thank you sincerely for this splendid tribute to the memory of one of our bravest and most cherished citizens. With great pleasure, I accept, in behalf of the city, the custody of this chaste and magnificent monument, which will for ever mark the spot where repose the remains of Colonel Timo- thy Bigelow. To him and his associates — who, at the expense of treasure, a contempt for peril, a prodigality of blood as pure as ever flowed from mortals, of which we can form no adequate conception — we owe a debt of gratitude for giving liberty and equality to this nation. You, sir, with a noble liberality, have placed over the grave of your ancestor a memorial which will commemorate his heroic virtues till the last succession of earth's inhabitants. My poor thanks for this act of your munificence are weak and feeble when compared Avith the untold thousands who shall here- after gaze upon this structure, and breathe forth their thankful- ness to him who so nobly commemorated the deeds of the mighty dead. 12 Eighty-six years ago this day, news reached this place that the British were on their march to Concord to destroy the military stores in that place. Captain Timothy Bigelow instantly assem- bled his company near the spot where Ave are now standing, and marched with all possible .despatcli to meet the enemy. This was the beginning of the Kevolution. When Washington, the Father of liis Country, arrived at Cam- bridge, and took the command of the American troops, he re- vicAved them by companies. Having reviewed the company of Captain BigeloAv, he remarked to him, " This is discipline indeed." In 1775-6, he was Major under General Arnold in the expedition against Quebec, in Avhich the hardships and sufferings of the army mock all description. He commanded the Fifteenth Continental Regiment at the capture of Burgoyne and other battles. He was a member of the Provincial Congress. He continued in the public service till the independence of the Colonies Avas established. He returned to his native place, poor in property, but ricli in honor. His descendants have done much to sustain and perpetu- ate the liberties he fought to establish ; and noAV, after more than seven decades of years since his death, a great-grandson of the deceased, prompted by noble feelings of patriotism, Avith princely liberality, has erected o\er the remains of his heroic and patri- otic ancestor a monument Avorthy of the good and great man. As the friends of liberty in all coming time shall look on it and read its inscriptions, it Avill call to their minds a genoratiou of heroic, brave, and noble men, avIio pledged their lives, their for- tunes, and their sacred honor, in the great cause of freedom, equality, and brotherhood. In behalf of all the friends of liberty, I again thank you for this act of your munificence. The venerable Ex-Governor Lincoln was next intro- duced, as one who had a distinct personal recollection of Colonel Bigelow. He said, — Mr. Mayor, — In respectful submission to your authority, I ansAver to your call, that I may sIioav by my presence here, ratlier i: than by any speech, the deep personal interest which I feel in this occasion, and my respect and reverence for the character of him, whose public services this costly and beautiful structure, before which we now stand, and these imposing observances in which Ave have engaged, are designed to commemorate. In the dedication of the monument by fervent prayer and thanksgiving ; by the ex- pressive and touching address of our noble friend, whose abounding munificence, prompted by a sense of filial duty, and a just pride of ancestry, has placed it upon these consecrated grounds, commit- ting it forever, for preservation and care, to the gratitude of the city ; and with your ofiicial response, so appropriate and so eloquent, in behalf of your fellow-citizens, and as their authorized representa- tive, gracefully acknowledging the benefaction and accepting the trust, — the purpose for which we assembled, seems to me, to have been most fully and happily accomplished. I know not what more the proprieties of the occasion could demand. For myself, I have nothing, of word or of thought, which can add to the satisfactions of the hour ; nor, if I would, have I the strength, or the voice, to reach the listening ear of this thronging multitude. And yet, sir, as you have kindly said, it may be expected of me — one of the few, the very few, of the living, who have ever looked upon the person of Colonel Bigelow — that I should give such reminiscences of him as I have, imperfect and unimportant though they be. A little longer, and there will be none to utter these personal remem- brances. My impressions of Colonel Bigelow are such only, as are made upon the mind of a child, in the presence of mature and perfect manhood. From family connection, there was frequent inter- course and association between him and those of my own kindred ; and I well recollect, as though it were of yesterday, his general appearance, — his tall, erect, and commanding figure, his martial air, his grave and rather severe countenance, his dignified and earnest address. I cannot doubt the respect and deference with which he was universally regarded ; for it was among the most positive injunctions of the antiquated district schoolmistress to the boys of my day, enforced even by the fear of the rod, that we 14 should always " pull off our hats to Parson Bancroft and Colonel Bigelow." At the time of his death,, and for many years after, I often heard him spoken of as the gallant old soldier, and the thoroughly accomplished officer ; and now, after the lapse of seventy-one years from his burial, in the same vernal season of the fragrance of the budding tlower, and the gushing melody of birds, I stand, an aged man, again at his grave, to remember and to honor him. I know of no record of the life of Colonel Bigelow which even approaches the character of a biography. In Lincoln's " History of "Worcester " is contained, probably, the best notice of him which can be found ; but this, from the more general object of the work, and the time when it was prepared, is necessarily stinted and meagre. It is there related, that, " with a taste for military life, he was deeply skilled in the science of war ; " that " the troops under his command and instruction, exhibited the highest condition of discipline ; " and of his regiment, that " a braver band never took the field, or mustered to battle. High character for intre- pidity and discipline, early acquired, was maintained unsullied to the close of their service ;" and, " when Colonel Bigelow left mili- tary life, it was with the reputation of a meritorious officer." The accomplished and eminent historian Bancroft, in enume- rating the forces sent against Quebec in the autumn of 1775, names among the officers of rank "■ Timothy Bigelow, the early patriot of Worcester." These testimonials to the merits and services of Colonel Bigelow have the singular and affecting coincidence of having been rendered by the sons of two of his most distinguished fellow-townsmen, associates, and friends, — the elder Lincoln, and the elder Ban- croft. How simple and appropriate these tributes to his worth ! how beautiful this brief summary of his character ! how suggestive of the virtues alike of the civilian and the soldier ! Timothy Bigelow, the early patriot of Worcester, — a braver man never took the field, or mustered to battle. High character for intrepidity and discipline early acquired, and maintained unsullied through seven years' militai-y service, — what more pertinent inscription 15 for his tombstone? — tributes of cotemporaneous renown, trans- ferred from " the fleshly tables of the heart" to the ever-enduring marble of the monument. Colonel Bigelow was a type of a generation, now passed away. Of such, in patriotism and valor, were the corps of Minute Men under his command, and the Train Band of the brave Capt. Ben- jamin Flagg, who alike, on the 19th of April, 1775, of which this day is the anniversary, at the horseman's cry, " To arms ! " hastened, with no delay but for prayer and a benediction, to join their brethren of Lexington and Concord in resistance to tyranny and the oppressor's sword. Such was the townsman and friend of Bigelow, the intrepid and beloved Capt. Jonas Hubbard, his inferior only in rank, his companion and comrade in the dreadful winter's march through the wilderness to the siege of Quebec ; who, in the midst of hardships and privations almost unequalled in the experience of human suffering, uttered the noble declara- tion, " I do not value life or property, if I may secure liberty for my children ; " and who, when mortally wounded, at the foot of the ramparts, in the storming of the fortress, said to his men who sought to remove him from the field, " I came to fight with you : I will stay here to die with you." Such too, at this time, are the gallant young men of our own city and state, who, with alacrity, on the first summons, have buckled on the armor, in defence of all which is dear to freemen. Oh, that now — now, in this most poi-- tentous and perilous crisis of our country's destiny — there were men like these, in all ixtrts of this land, to uphold this nation ; to defend and protect the Government and its institutions ; to pre- serve, and transmit to posterity, those great political, civil, and social privileges and blessings which the present generation re- ceived and have enjoyed, as an inheritance, through the wisdom, and patriotism, and valor, of the founders of the Republic ! They were, indeed, men of stern integrity and public virtue, of elevated aim and lofty principle, unselfish and self-sacrificing ; with whom, a sense of honor was not lost in personal ambition, nor fidelity to duty sunk in subservience to party ; men devoted to the people's service, and the country's welfare. 16 May this monument, erected to the honor of one of Liberty's noblest sons, instruct us in the priceless value of the glorious achievements of our ancestors ! May it be made admonitory to our own high duties and momentous responsibilities ! — so that the disruption of our national Union, if dissevered it must be, shall never become a reproach to our supineaess or indifference, nor the destruction of our liberties be brought about, by our de- basement, or our follies. At the close of Governor Lincoln's address, the chairman called for a speech from the Rev. Andrew Bigelow, D.D., of Boston, grandson of the old Colonel. Dr. Bigelow rose, and said, — Mr. Mayok and Gentlemen, — In compliance Avith your call, I cannot Avithhold a word, chiefly to express the emotions of gratitude shared by me in common with other descendants of an ancestor whose monument is this day publicly dedicated, in view of the honors paid to his memory by yourselves in your official capacity, and the citizens at large of this great outpouring com- munity. I am touched, profoundly touched, by such tokens of respect to the name and character of one, who, distinguished as he w^as in his day, has been separated from the present living age by the space of two entire generations. Threescore years and ten — nay, eleven — have passed away since his ashes were laid to rest where they have quietly rejiosed in their late humble but not forgotten sepulchre ; during which period, new races have sprung into active and stirring life, and Worcester, the beautiful village of his time, has grown up to its present expansion, — a teeming hive of Avealth and industry, — a fair and flourishing, a rich and populous city.* But the demonstra- tions of this day, this hour, attest that his memory still lives, — green in the hearts of a people who have come after, and that it is still cherished with filial and affectionate veneration. * lliitre pulcliia Filia pulclirioi-. 17 Yet, in honoring liim, the heroic dead, Worcester, though un- consciously, honors herself. He, Colonel Bigelow, was her own child. Here he was born and bred ; here he lived and moved and wrought, — never absent from his native precincts, save at his country's call to other fields and less lovely scenes ; and here, at length, he died, — bowed not so much by the weight of years, as the waste and wear, the toils, hardships, and suiferiugs, endured in the same sacred cause. He was a type, a noble type indeed, of the gallant spirits here in Worcester who rose cotemporaneously with himself. Sparta, we forget not, had other sons than he ; but none, — I dare hope for your ready assent in claiming, — none more worthy than himself. His enthusiasm — springing from the impulses of a warm, generous nature, dauntless as it was wise, thoughtful, and prescient — quickened, no doubt, to a brighter glow the flame of patriotism in many sympathetic breasts ; and, whilst firing the brave, it roused the torpid, nerved the weak, and embold- ened the timid. The force of his character — from all which I have heard and have been able to learn of its weight and influence, confirmed by the testimonies so emphatically and eloquently borne by my honored friend, the Nestor who has last addressed you — was such as could not fail to impress itself upon all within the reach of its spell. What was achieved by the stormy and victorious struggles of the Kevolutiou now remains to be preserved and defended. We have an enemy almost at our gates, an enemy crowding to our very borders, — a crafty and unscrupulous, a treacherous and insolent foe, — led on by a band of rebels and conspirators ; men false to their duty, their country, and to God, yet true to their traditions, the hereditary counterparts (worthy legatees) of the old toryism of 1775-6 ; men whose fields and broad acres, whose fair plantations, were scoured and rid of a foreign oppressor by the bayonets of Northern men and Northern regiments. Yes, alas ! Ave have such an adversary at this hour to cope with, threatening not only our national liberty, but our national existence. Our country, mother of us all ; our country, dear weeping form, — daughter of strug- gle, born amidst conflicts, rocked by the storms and tempests of Revolutionary battle, — our Country turns, Avith anxious eye, to her offspring for help and succor in this dark hour of her un- looked-for extremity. And shall she turn and look to them in vain ? No, not here : no, not to Worcester. By the memories of the past, by the bones of her fathers, by the precious relics of the Chief Avhose valor is this day recalled, again do I say, No ! Let all other hearts faint and falter, those of Worcester Avill never droop nor quail. Her sons will be faithful and true. Al- ready she has sent forth an advance, now moving to the fight ; and others, all emulous, are eagerly mustering. A thousand SAvords are leaping from their scabbards. A thousand muskets are ready to be shouldered by her chivalrous youth, and borne to the embattled field, for their country's honor and avengement ; — never to be laid doAvn till the land itself shall be purged from the foul viperous brood too long and too indulgently hugged to its 19 bosom ; never to be laid doAvn till the black war-cloud now lower- ing upon onr land shall be triumphantly dispersed ; never to be laid down till not only Worcester, but Boston and Washington alike, with all the other aggrieved and insulted cities of our land, shall be shielded from the hazard of future menace and aggression. And then, but not till then, will Worcester's gallant sons again sit down beneath the laurels of a final and crowning victory. The Hon. John P. Bigelow, Ex-Mayor of Boston, another grandson of Colonel Timothy Bigelow, was next called up. He declined making a speech ; but, after some amusing and piquant remarks (roundly applauded), he presented to Mayor Davis, in behalf of the city, a package of a dozen ball-cartridges made for the regiment from Worcester and vicinity in the Revolutionary War, being a sample of those used at Still Water and Saratoga. He said he had tried some of the powder that very morning ; and it flashed brightly, after being kept eighty-four years. He knew of no more appropriate place of deposit for this Revolutionary relic than Worcester, so renowned for its patriotic and firm devotion to the principles of liberty and union. Hon. Benjamin F. Thomas was introduced as a grand- son of the political associate, cotemporary, and friend of Colonel Timothy Bigelow, Isaiah Thomas, senior. He spoke in substance as follows : — I thank you, Mr. Mayor and fellow-citizens, for this kindly greeting and welcome. I rejoice to look again on these familiar faces, and to hear once more the voices that stirred the blood of my early manhood. Mr. Mayor, it is good for us to be here. The place and the day are full of blessed memories. The noblest lessons of wisdom, of self-denial, and of self-sacrifice, come to lis from the grave of this " village blacksmith," sagacious statesman, prudent and gallant 20 commander, devoted patriot, — chevalier of nature, whose chivalry was illustrated in breaking, and not in forging, the chains of human bondage. Well may this beautiful monument crown his resting-place. Well may the gratitude, the mimificence, and the eloquence of his descendant, and the sympathies of this thronging multitude, unite to do him honor. Three generations come up to bless him. " How sleep the brave, who sink to rest With all their country's wishes blest! " Fellow-citizens, it is good for us to be here ; and here, by the graves of our fathers, — with their spirits hovering around us, a cloud of witnesses, — to give ourselves anew to the cause and to the country for which they nobly lived or nobly died. The day of trial has come again : it may be of darker, sterner, severer trial than that of our fathers. We are to save for our children what our fathers bought for us, and at the same price of toil, of treasure, and of blood. The cry to-day, in the streets of this beautiful city, is that which, eighty-six years ago, startled the quiet village, — " To arms ! " So be it. To arms ! The leaders of this accursed rebellion have appealed to the last arbitrament of States. It is Avell for us. The first gun that boomed against Sumter startled a great people from the grave of its lethargy as Avith the trump of the archangel. It was the beginning of the end. The bells that pealed in Charleston over the lowering of the Stars and Stripes rang out the death-knell of the " Southern Confederacy." It will cost us a long, severe, and bitter struggle ; but this rebellion must be utterly crushed out. There is for us no hope of freedom, of peace, of safety even, till this work is fully done. Seven years of Avar Avere spent in the purchase of our freedom ; seven more of toil in giving it organic and national life. If seven years of toil and blood are spent in securing it, — in our national redemption, — they Avill be wisely, divinely spent, Avith the blessing of God and all coming generations of men. Let us to-day, in God's name and in the name of humanity, dcA'ote ourselves to the Avork. 21 Judge Thomas having concluded, Tyler Bigelow, Esq., of Watertown, nephew of the Eevolutionary colonel, was last presented. His appearance produced a sensation. With the weight of eighty-three years upon his shoulders, he stood firm and erect as in manhood's early prime. His remarks, delivered with great energy, were feAv and pithy. He said, that, — So late was the hour, so fully had the exigencies of the occasion been met by the able and eloquent remarks and addresses of the gentlemen who had preceded him, he would not further exhaust the patience of his fellow-citizens, but forego any extended remarks he had contemplated. He wished simply to relate an interesting reminiscence, or anecdote, of his late uncle, which he had received many years since from a member of his family, .that would illustrate his character, and exhibit the spirit and ardor with which he entered upon and persevered in the great drama of the Revolution. When the news of the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor reached Colonel Bigelow, he was at work in his blacksmith's shop, near the spot now called Lincoln Square. He immediately laid aside his tools, proceeded directly to his house, opened the closet, and took from it a canister of tea, went to the fireplace, and poured the contents thereof into the flames. As if feeling that every thing which had come in contact with British legislative tyranny should be purified by fire, the canister followed the tea ; and then he covered both with coals. So well known and determined were his opinions on the great questions of the day, he returned to his la- bors without deigning a word of explanation or apology to any one. — Such, also, was his zeal and ardor in the great cause of the times, that he appeared, on the morning following the battle of Lexington, at the head of his company of minute-men, on the public square in Wutertown, April 20 ; having marched them there, upwards of thirty miles, during the evening and night subsequent to that event. 22 Music by the band succeeded the address of the last- named speaker, — the Marseillaise being performed with admirable skill and effect. A benediction by the Rev. Dr. Hill concluded the public exercises of the day. The gentlemen specially invited to the dedication of the Monument were recipients in the morning of the hospitali- ties of His Honor Mayor Davis ; and, after the close of the ceremonies, were entertained at an elegant banquet given by Governor Lincoln. APPENDIX. APPENDIX. The Monument itself, of which the dedicatory ceremonial is re- corded in the foregoing pages, claims a notice. It occupies a conspicuous position at the northerly front of the ancient cemetery, — an inconsiderable but beautiful elevation, planted by trees, overlooking and now forming a part of the Cen- tral Park, better known as the Old Common, of Worcester. The spot of the original grave of Colonel Bigelow is included within the area allotted to the structure, some two or three yards to the right of the centre. It was necessarily disturbed by the alterations requisite in preparing and shaping the ground-plot for the edifice. The remains were carefully exhumed, incased in a metallic casket, and removed to their new receptacle beneath the base of the monument. They were found remarkably well preserved, considering the long period of their interment ; the hair, which was abundant, being in singular freshness. They indicated a tall and robust frame, above the average stature, correspondent with the tradi- tionary reports of the person of Colonel Bigelow, as having ex- ceeded six feet in height.* The site of the monument is a space of twenty feet to a side, enclosed with a light iron fence, on a granite plinth with trefoiled piers. From this, a slope of grass is formed to a solid block of granite, nine feet square, upon which the monument is erected. The design is in the style of the English Gothic of the thirteenth century, and the material is white Italian marble. The pedestal is ornamented at its angles with carvings of rams'-heads, and bears on its sides the following inscriptions : — * It has been described as six feet and two inches. 26 On the front, in raised capital letters, — TIMOTHY BIGELOW. On the right fiice, in sunken letters, — Born Aug. 12, 1730. Died Marcli 31, 17'JO. On the rear, — In memory of The Colonel of the 15th Massachusetts Reghnent Of the Continental Army In the War of Independence, This monument Is erected by his great-grandson, Timothy Bigelow Lawrence, Anno Domini 1861. On the left face are the words, — Quebec. Saratoga. Vaixey Forge. Monmouth. Verplanck's Point, yorktown. Above the pedestal, the monument diminishes in size ; but from each of its four sides trefoiled canopies project, supported on co- lumns whose capitals are elaborately carved with various designs, their bases resting on the shelving top of the pedestal. Above the canopies, the shaft again diminishes in size. It assumes an octa- gonal figure, and is surmounted with a foliated cross ; the total height being thirty feet. The monument was designed and superintended by George Snell, Esq., architect, of Boston. The granite work was executed by the Granite Railway Company ; and the marble, imported from Tuscany, was chiselled by Messrs. "Wentworth and Co., Boston. Such a structure, though a memorial of the past, is usually a custodian for the future. On the Friday previous to the celebra- tion (April 12), the customary formality took place of depositing sundry articles and documents, of more or less value, in the Bigelow Monument. It Avas performed in the presence of Mayor Davis and other city officials, of Ex-Governor Lincoln and distinguished 2T citizens, besides several members of the Bigelow Family, specially represented in the lineal descent by Messrs. Andrew and John P. Bigelow, and Colonel Lawrence. The articles consigned were enclosed in a pair of strong, double boxes of tin and copper, firmly soldered, and placed beneath the marble base of the monu- ment. The latter (the base) is composed of four massive pieces, so constructed as to leave a central space between the block of granite on which the structure stands and the die of the pedestal surmounting it above. Within the cavity, the boxes were stored. Appended is a list of their contents : — A parchment containing the following i-ecord: "This monument, to the memory of Colonel Timothy Bigelow, a hero of the American Revolution, was erected by his great-grandson. Colonel Timothj' Bigelow Lawrence, of Boston, A.D. 1861. Isaac Davis, Mayor of the city of Woi-cester; John A. Andrew, Governor of Massachusetts ; Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States. — George Snell, architect, Boston." History of Worcester. By William Lincoln. Published by Moses D. Phillips & Co., 1837. Reminiscences of the Military Life and Sufferings of Colonel Timothy Bigelow. By Charles Hersey. A plan of the old cemetery upon which the Bigelow Monument is erected. By Gill Valentine. History of the First Church (Old South) in the city of Worcester, this eleventh day of April, A.D. 1861; with its pastors and officers from its organization in 1716, and a catalogue of its members at the present time. By Caleb Dana. l^Lassachusetts Weekly Spy, vol. 90, No. 15, April 10, 1861. Three Daily Spys, vol. 16, Nos. 85, 86, 87, April 10, 11, 12. By J. D. Baldwin & Co., proprietors. M^\s and Transcript, vol. 24, No. 14. Daily Transcript, vol. 11, Nos. 81, 82, 83, April 9, 10, 11. By W. R. Hooper. Worcester Palladium, vol. 28, No. 15, April 10, 1861; and vol. 25, No. 51, con- taining interesting matter. By J. S. C. Knowlton. Worcester-County Democrat, vol. 1, No. 37, March 30, 1861. Worcester Daily Times, vol. 2, No. 60, April 3, 1861. By Moses Bates. Franklin Advertiser, vol. 1, No. 1, 1861, with specimens of beautiful cards. Worcester Directory for 1861. By Henry J. Howland. The Heai't of the Commonwealth. By Henry J. Howland. Daily Spy, Aug. 31, 1860; Home Statistics. By Samuel Smith. Massachusetts Spy, Sept. 26, 1860, containing the valuation and taxation of Worcester; census statistics of Worcester by wards; number of inhabitants, dwellings, and families; by Samuel Smith. A piece of the Charter Oak. Daily Spy of Feb. 12, 1861; Birth Statistics, containing the total number of births, number in each month, number of males and females, number of American and of foreign origin, with full particulars. By W. A. Brigham. 28 A package of ancient and modern relics; viz., the New-England-States cents, United-States cents and half-cents, Washington medals, Washington button, Massachusetts volunteer militia and infantry buttons. By W. A. Brigham. Medal of President Lincoln, and one of Hon. John Davis. City Document, No. 14: Inaugural Address of Hon. W. W. Rice, Mayor of the city of Worcester, Jan. 2, 1860; with the annual reports of the several city officers for the municipal year ending Jan. 2, 1861. Inaugural Address of Hon. Isaac Davis, Mayor of the city of Worcester, to the City Council, Jan. 1, 1861. Report of the School Committee of the city of Worcester for the year 1860. By Rev. J. D. E. Jones, superintendent of schools. 