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[72] and affection for their beloved commander. It was but a well-merited tribute to sterling worth. This splendid sword was manufactured by Tiffany & Co., of New York, and is one of the finest ever got up by that firm. The presentation speech, made by Joshua F. Robertson, was as follows:

Captain, I have been requested by the members of this command to say a few words on presenting you this token of our high esteem. It is now nearly three years since you took command of this battery, and I am confident, sir, that I express the sentiments of us all when I say that we have never had cause to regret, but much rather to rejoice, that you have commanded the 2d Massachusetts Battery. Your example as a soldier and a gentleman, your example on the battlefield and in camp, your forbearance and leniency towards us, your kind attention to many of us during the long and tedious hours of sickness, have endeared you to us by ties of friendship which we trust may never be forgotten. Those members of the battery who, in the first campaign in this Department, fell victims to disease contracted in the swamps opposite Vicksburg, and who now sleep beside the honored dead at Baton Rouge and in the cemeteries of this city—methinks that if our shrill morning reveille could but awake them, they would reiterate what I now say, that you, by your constant watchfulness, kindness and attention, did all that lay in human power to alleviate their sufferings. In asking you to accept this sword, we know that it will never be drawn but in the cause of freedom, in which we are all battling, and never will be sheathed in disgrace. In after years, when this wicked rebellion shall have been crushed, and should it be our good fortune to return with you to our fair New England homes, we hope this memento we now present you will at least serve to remind you of the pleasant associations and the many trying scenes through which we have passed. In conclusion, let me say, sir, that you will ever bear with you the best wishes of every man under your ’

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