Massachusetts—response by Captain Marland.
Nims' Battery—response letter from Col. H. E. Paine, etc.
Another interesting meeting was held on December 12, 1879. "It was the first gathering of the old organization which had occurred for five years and fully 40 members were present accompanied by several of the 13th Battery. The early part of the evening was spent in social intercourse, singing of songs, and the election of officers. The after dinner exercises included speeches, reminiscences of camp life and interesting facts concerning the association since the close of the war. Letters of regret were received from many prominent members of the old battery and from Col. H. E. Paine of the 4th Wisconsin Regiment."
Other notable occasions were the reunion at the home of Comrade John G. Dimick, Worcester, where the hospitality of the host and his wife made the meeting especially delightful, and the 25th anniversary in 1890 when nearly fifty of the boys together with Generals Dudley and Kimball and Past Deputy Commander Billings as guests gathered at the call of the bugler to a feast of good things and an evening of fellowship and army stories.
In 1888 the Nims' Battery Ladies' Social Club was organized and since that date has held its meetings annually at the time of the battery reunion. Its members are the mothers, wives, and daughters or indeed any relative of the men of the battery and its purpose is not solely social but mutually helpful as well. It aims to visit the sick among the members, to give material aid if necessary and in any way possible assist the organization to which it is auxiliary.
The annual reunions were at first held on February 22, but in recent years this date has been changed to April 19.
As the years have passed the grim reaper Death has appeared more and more often and the ranks have gradually thinned until in 1912 only 14 of the regular members were present at the annual reunion.
To those who remain, however, the memories and associations of more than a half century ago are still precious, and form a bond which will be broken only when life itself shall cease.
LIFE OF COL. ORMAND F. NIMS
A history of the 2d Massachusetts Light Artillery will hardly be regarded as complete unless it contains a sketch of the life of its commander, Capt. Ormand F. Nims.[[18]]