A majority of the members of this Commission met by appointment at Chattanooga during the month of September following and after spending several days and going carefully over the various battlefields, accompanied by the members of the National Commission, succeeded in satisfactorily locating the more important positions occupied, as well as in determining where monuments and markers might be appropriately erected. The result of their labors in this direction was made the subject of a report to His Excellency Governor Hastings, who transmitted the same to the General Assembly with the recommendation that legislation be enacted providing for the erection of monuments on the field, commemorative of the services of these organizations. The Legislature at its next session gave approval to these recommendations by passing the following two acts of Assembly: AN ACT making an appropriation for the payment of the expenses of the ChickamaugaChattanooga Battlefields Commission and the executive committee thereof. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the sum of five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be and the same is hereby specifically appropriated out of any moneys in the State Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of paying the necessary expenses of the members of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga Battlefields Commission, the executive committee thereof, and of such officers of the State of Pennsylvania as may be designated by the Secretary of War of the United States or the National Commission to represent the State in the dedicatory ceremonies; the said commission being appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth in the month of April, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four, to co-operate with the commissioners of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in correctly locating the positions of the Pennsylvania regiments and batteries in the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, including Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and the said executive committee thereof being a part of said commission provided for by an act of the present session of the legislature. The said appropriation to be paid on the warrant of the Auditor General on a settlement made by him and the State Treasurer, upon specifically itemized vouchers duly verified by the officers of said executive committee; and unexpended balances of the sum herein appropriated shall revert to the State Treasury at the close of the two fiscal years beginning June first, one thousand eight hundred and rinety-five. Approved-The 3d day of July, A. D. 1895. DANIEL H. HASTINGS. AN ACT to provide for the erection of monuments to Pennsylvania organizations engaged in the battles of Chickamauga, Wauhatchie, Brown's Ferry, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold, and making an appropriation therefor. Whereas, In the war of the rebellion seven battles were fought near Chattanooga in the States of Georgia and Tennessee, known as the battles of Chickamauga, Wauhatchie, Brown's Ferry, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold. And whereas, The Government of the United States has purchased over eleven thousand acres of this fighting ground and organized and established thereon the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, embracing the fields of the aforestated battles, and has invited all the states having troops in those battles to erect monuments to the regiments and batteries from the respective states; And whereas, Many of the states have already made appropriations and erected monuments as requested and all are expected to do so; And whereas, The Governor of Pennsylvania in the month of April in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four, responded to the call by commissioning a number of the survivors of the organizations from Pennsylvania, participating in the suid battles, to co-operate with the National Commission in correctly locating the positions of Pennsylvania regiments and batteries in the said battles; And whereas, The said commissioners, by direction of the Governor, met and organized on the fifteenth day of May, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four, in the Capitol building at Harrisburg, and in the following September proceeded to the said battlefields and in co-operation with the National Commissioners ascertained, correctly located and officially marked the positions of the Pennsylvania organizations in those battles with locations for monuments and made report thereof to the Governor, who addressed the General Assembly on the subject in his annual message at the commencement of the present session, therefore Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That immediately after the passage and approval of this act the Governor shall appoint an executive committee of seven persons from anongst those commissioned in the month of May, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four. That the said committee shall be known as "The Executive Committee of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga Battlefields Commission." That the Governor shall fill all vacancies occurring in the said committee, and it shall serve without compensation and its duties shall be to decide upon the designs, materials and inscriptions for monuments to mark the positions of each Pennsylvania command on the battlefields of Chickamauga, Wauhatchie, Brown's Ferry, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold, and to contract for the construction and erection of the said monuments. And when such monuments shall have been completed and erected at the places selected and marked by the general commission therefor, the Auditor General shall, upon properly, specifically itemized vouchers to be presented by the said executive committee, draw his warrant upon the State Treasurer for the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, for the payment of the monument of each of the seventeen Pennsylvania commands or organizations participating in the aforesaid battles, and the sum of twenty-five thousand five hundred dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby specifically appropriated for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act; and unexpended balances of the sum herein appropriated shall revert to the State Treasury at the close of the two fiscal years beginning June first, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five. Approved-The 3d day of July, A. D. 1895. DANIEL H. HASTINGS. In compliance with the provisions of these acts, the Governor, on the 9th day of July, A. D. 1895, named the following members of the Commission to be the executive committee thereof, viz: Brev. Brig.-Gen. William A. Robinson, Lieut-Col. Seventy-seventh Infantry. Lieut.-Col. Archibald Blakeley, Seventy-eighth Infantry. Captain George W. Skinner, Seventy-seventh Infantry. Lieutenant Thomas H. Rickert, Quartermaster, Seventh Cavalry. Lieutenant Edwin McC. Boring, Seventy-ninth Infantry. At an early date after its appointment the executive committee met at Altoona, Pa., and organized by the election of Lieut.-Colonel Blakeley, as chairman; Captain Skinner, as secretary, and General Robinson, as treasurer. The committee went vigorously to work with the result that at the beginning of the legislative session of 1897, its members were able to report to His Excellency that their labors, so far as the erection of the monuments was concerned, was completed, with the exception of monuments for the Seventy-third and One hundred and ninth Infantry. The battle lines of these two regiments being outside of the limits of the National Park, their representatives upon the General Commission declined to select designs or locations within such limits, and therefore no contracts were made for the erection of their monuments, and consequently their share of the appropriation for that purpose lapsed into the State Treasury. It is to be hoped that at some future time the money for this purpose will be again appropriated in order that the two gallant regiments named may be placed upon a like footing with the other Pennsylvania regiments, which saw service in that department of the army. Report of the work of the executive committee, having been made as above stated to Gov ernor Hastings with the recommendation that an appropriation be made of a sum sufficient to transport the survivors of these regiments to the dedication of the monuments, he, in his annual message to the Legislature, on January 5, 1597, made special mention of the action of the committee, and cordially approved the recommendations made by it. As a result, the Legislature of 1897, in a spirit of generosity and patriotism, promptly enacted the following: AN ACT to provide transportation to and from Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the time of dedication of the monuments of the Pennsylvania regiments and batteries, for all surviving soldiers of those organizations which participated in the battles of Chickamadza, Wauhatchie, Brown's Ferry, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Rize and Ringgold, at ano near Chattanooga, in the States of Tennessee and G - rgia, in September and November, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and making appropriations therefor. Whereas, The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by act approved July third, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, authorized "The Executive Committee of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga Battlefields Commissions to decide upon the design, materials and inscriptions for monuments to mark the positions of each Pennsylvania emand on the battlefields of Chickamauga, Wauhatchie, Brown's Ferry, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold, and to contract for the construction and erection of the said monuments, and making an appropriation for payment therefor;" And whereas, Under the provisions of said act appropriate monuments and tablets Lave been constructed and erected under the superintendence of the said committee for the Twenty-seventh, Twenty-ninth, Forty-sixth, Seventy-fifth, Seventy-seventh, Seventy-eighth, Seventy-ninth and the One hundred and eleventh Regiments of Pennsylvania Infantry, and for the Seventh, Ninth and Fifteenth Regiments of Pennsylvania Cavalry, and (Muehler's) Independent Battery B, Pennsylvania Light Artillery, and Knap's It lopendent Battery E, Pennsylvania Light Artillery, which monuments and tablets have been accepted and paid for by the State; And whereas, The monuments and tablets for the Twenty-eighth and One hundred and forty-seventh Regiments of Pennsylvania Infantry have been constructed and are now being put in position on their respective battle lines; And whereas, The people of this Commonwealth have always venerated the patriotic and heroic deeds of her soldiers, and now desire not only to commemorate the sacrifice of the fallen heroes of the Republic, but also to honor the surviving veterans; therefore, Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the Governor of the Commonwealth shall, at such time as he shall deem best, appoint a day for the dedication of the aforesaid monuments, to be called "Pennsylvania Day." Section 2. That the said dedication shall be under the control and direction of the Executive Committee, who shall also take charge of the ceremonies on the field. Section 3. That there shall be provided and furnished at the expense of the Commonwealth to all surviving honorably discharged soldiers, resident in Pennsylvania at the date of the passage of this act and whose names were borne upon the rolls of such Pennsylvania organizations at the date on which such Pennsylvania organizations were engaged in the hereinbefore stated battles: such transportation to cover distance from the railway station in Pennsylvania at which such soldier lives or from the railroad station in Pennsylvania nearest to their places of residence, by the shortest and most convenient route to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and return, and shall be so arranged as to terms of passage that the said soldiers shall have the privilege of remaining at Chattanooga not less than five days. Section 4. That the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth be and he is hereby authorized, directed and empowered to provide transportation for said soldiers by railway, *s aforesaid, to and from Chattanooga, and for such transportation he is authorized to pay such sums of money as shall be agreed upon, not exceeding one cent per mile. And the Adjutant General is further authorized to provide such blanks and establish such rules for the reception of applications and the issuance of orders for transportation as ray he deemed proper; and he shall take the necessary means to give publicity to the provisions of this act in order that all the soldiers, entitled to transportation under the same, may avail themselves of its benefits. section 3. That any person who shall personate or attempt to personate any soldier entitled to the provisions of this act in order to secure transportation under this act, or shall use or attempt to use the transportation provided for any such soldier, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars, or be imprisoned not exceeding one month, or be both fined and imprisoned, at the discretion of the court before which conviction is had. |