USA > Maryland > Fifth regiment, I., M.N.G. : a history of the regiment from its first organization to the present time > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
40
where Governor Parker and staff, as well as several members of the staff of Governor Dix, had taken their positions. Besides the soldiers, there were very few people present, the great mass of them being at Freehold.
Without any preliminary addresses, Governor Parker began his speech to the soldiers of Maryland. He said :
" Officers and men of the Fifth Regiment: We are now standing on the battleground of Monmouth. On these fields, as far as the eye can reach, ninety - six years ago, the American army, under the illustrious Washington, met the British regulars, commanded by Sir Henry Clinton, and engaged in a fierce and bloody struggle which lasted the entire day. Monmouth was one of the few general engagements in an open country of that war, and a greater number of distinguished officers participated in it than in any other battle of the Revo- lution. Besides Sir Henry Clinton, there were with the enemy Generals Knyphausen, Grey, Matthews, Leslie, and Sir Wm. Erskine, while on the side of the Americans were Washington, La Fayette, Greene, Knox, Wayne, Morgan, Dickinson, Forman, with others inferior in rank but not less brave. Each of the old Thirteen was here represented. On the field of Monmouth the soldiers of Maryland bore a conspicuous part. The celebrated Maryland Line was here attached to the regulars of the Continental Army, and led by Howard, Smallwood, and Samuel Smith, three names that enrich the annals of your State.
"It may be asked how it happened that the main armies of the contending powers met in this locality. In the winter of 1777-78, the Americans were in quarters at Valley Forge, while the British occupied the city of Philadelphia. On the first day of May, 1778, the joyful intelligence reached the American camp that, on the preceding sixth day of February, France had acknowledged the independence of the United States, and had entered into a treaty of amity with them. At the same time, information was received that a French fleet was on its way to America. Fearing that the Delaware would be blockaded, and deeming Philadelphia unsafe to remain in, Sir Henry Clinton, who had succeeded Lord Howe in command of the British forces, determined to evacuate that city, and to march across the Jerseys to New York. On the eighteenth day of June he crossed the Delaware at Gloucester Point, and marched slowly, as if to invite a battle, through Haddon Field, Mt. Holly, and Allentown, towards the highlands of Neversink. On the night of the twenty-seventh of June he encamped in and around Monmouth Court House, now Freehold, his army extending from right to left a distance of three and a half miles."
Then the speaker related clearly and succinctly the progress and result of the battle which followed. He continued :
"The citizens of Freehold and vicinity, desiring to manifest the kind feeling they entertained towards you, the citizens of one of the old Thirteen, whose soldiers fought side by side with Jerseymen on the fields of Monmouth, extend to you an invitation to visit this hallowed spot. In view of the late Civil War, it is most fitting that soldiers from the North and South should meet on one of the most important battlefields of the Revolution, and with fraternal spirit pledge themselves to the cultivation of concord and harmony, without which the existence of the Union is valueless. It stirs the patriotism of every true lover of his country to witness this fraternization on a soil made sacred by the blood of their ancestors. This is a most significant circumstance in demonstration of the fact that the prejudices and animosities, so long and so recently existing,
41
are dying out, and that the brotherhood which once bound together the people of different sections will soon be completely restored. Soldiers of Maryland ! descendants of the brave and patriotic men of the Revolution ! Here, where the blood of your ancestors, freely shed, mingled with the blood of Jerseymen ! here, where the bones of those who died on that memorable day are buried ! on behalf of the people of this vicinity and of this whole State, I bid you welcome."
A storm of cheers greeted this speech. It was answered by Governor Groome, who, in reciprocating the sentiments expressed by Governor Parker, said that while during the late unhappy con- test the people of Maryland had differed widely, and many had fought on opposite sides of the line, yet there was one thing in which they always had agreed, and that was they were ready at all times to stand forth in defense of what they believed to be right. As both States, New Jersey and Maryland, had been together in defense of the right on this field of Monmouth, it was to be hoped and believed that they would evermore be united in the bonds of true brotherhood. Governor Groome spoke of the hospitalities which now on three occasions the soldiers of Maryland had received from the citizens of New Jersey, at Cape May and Monmouth, and said that he thought hereafter, when speaking of Maryland hospitality, they would always associate with it the remembrance of that of New Jersey.
When the speech-making had ended, the regiment returned to the train and proceeded up the road about one mile, to see the site of the old Tennent Church, and then went to Freehold, where the formal reception was given them by the Seventh New Jersey. The town swarmed with people. The line was ormed, and escorted by the Seventh, the Maryland Juluiers began a long march through the town. In passing Governor Parker's house, the porch of which was decorated, where he, Governor Groome, and the staff officers of Governor Dix were, a marching salute was given. The regiments continued their march to the fair grounds, one mile from the town, where a review of both regiments was held, Colonel Jenkins acting as Brigadier-General. The Seventh Regiment had three hundred men in line, and made a very fine display. A choice dinner, pro- vided by the ladies of Freehold, was served in a large tent. The men's sharp appetites made them decide this the most appropriate compliment which the ladies could have paid them at that time. At five o'clock in the afternoon the Fifth started for Long Branch, and spent the last night of the encampment in valedictory pleasures. Camp life was over for 1874.
CHAPTER X.
AN OVATION IN NEW YORK.
A RECEPTION BY GOTHAM'S CRACK REGIMENT .- THE MARYLAND- ERS ACCORDED AN ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME .- THE HIGHEST MILITARY AUTHORITY PRONOUNCES THE FIFTH THE HAND- SOMEST, BEST DRILLED AND MOST SOLDIERLY COMMAND EVER SEEN IN NEW YORK .- HOME AGAIN.
The next morning was a time of some solicitude for the officers, for it was the day on which the Fifth was to undergo the test of a comparison with the Seventh New York. The Maryland men went by rail to Sandy Hook, and then by the steamer Neversink to New York. The Seventh awaited them on Broadway, the right resting on Battery Place. The fire had prevented the Seventh from enter- taining the visitors at the armory, and Irving Hall was chosen instead. Passing Colonel Emmons Clarke's command, the Fifth rested near Bowling Green until the Seventh had taken the right of column, and then the march uptown commenced. Dense crowds lined the sidewalk, and the Fifth received an ovation distinct from any reception ever offered a visiting military body before in New York. Welcoming cheers were sent up all along the route, and while the Seventh received the usual amount of applause, it was evi- dent that all eyes that day were for the Fifth. As the houses of the Lotus and Arcadian Clubs were passed, there was a profuse waving of handkerchiefs. In Irving Hall a banquet was served. For some time the popping of corks was the chief sound heard, but when silence again prevailed, Colonel Clarke addressed the Seventh's guests :
"Colonel Jenkins and Officers of the Fifth Regiment : It is a pleasure to welcome to New York your gallant regiment, an organization whose fame is not confined to the Monumental City, but has extended to all parts of the coun- try. It is not the first time the Seventh has had the privilege of extending its hospitalities to the citizen-soldiers of Baltimore. Previous to the war the Baltimore City Guard visited this city. Among the older officers and members of this regiment, there are many who recollect with pleasure their friendly intercourse with that distinguished corps. Last Saturday there was saved from the flames which enveloped the Seventh Regiment Armory a valuable historical painting of the British attack on Fort McHenry, during the War of
--
-
43
1812, which was presented to this regiment by the Baltimore City Guard, and which has been cherished for many years as a sacred niemento of the friend- ship which existed between the two organizations. During that unhappy period, when our country was distracted with 'civil war, the Seventh Regiment was stationed for several months at Fort Federal Hill.
" Although in those days men who should have been friends were in deadly hostility; although our presence in your city was not agreeable to all its citi- zens, the fact that our lot was cast in your city for so long a period naturally creates a lasting interest in its history now that peace smiles upon a happy, united country, and now that the animosities and bitterness of the past are for- ever in oblivion buried. There is no place within the borders of the Union whose military representatives are more sure of a hearty welcome here than those who hail from the grand old city of Baltimore. I congratulate you, Colonel, upon the fine soldierly appearance of your command. Such is an honor to any city, to any State. May the good reputation you have earned by your drill and discipline be as lasting as the patriotic monuments which crown the hills of your city, and may the friendship which now exists between the Maryland Fifth and New York Seventh, which this happy occasion firmly cements, continue and strengthen so long as we march under the same dear old flag and owe allegiance and service to our common country."
To this speech Colonel Jenkins responded in the following words :
"Colonel Clarke and Gentlemen of the Seventh Regiment : On behalf of my command, I desire to return our sincere thanks for your soldierly welcome and kind hospitality. The sentiments you so eloquently expressed are recip- rocated, not only by myself, but by every private in my command. It has long been our desire to be in friendly reunion with the Seventh New York. We look upon you as par excellence the standard to which we should strive to attain. The Seventh has always maintained a reputation for discipline and drill equal to any organization of the country, and my ambition and pride are to have my command in some measure approach yours. It has been truly said that imitation is the sincerest flattery. We have imitated you in your dress. We endeavor to imitate you in your drill. If we attain to that, my ambition will be gratified."
After the banquet, the two regiments formed again back to the North river. A chorus of cheers greeted the visitors at every point, and there was a display of fireworks, it then being evening. The march ended at the Twenty-third Street Ferry, and five minutes later the Fifth was off for Cape May, where the next day was spent, and then the homeward journey was begun.
The appearance of the Fifth in New York elicited from the Army and Navy Journal, the chief journal in the United States devoted to military affairs, an emphatic eulogium, which spread the fame of the regiment through every city and town of the country, and gained it the reputation of being at that time probably the best disciplined regiment of the National Guard. The people of Baltimore could hardly fail to be proud of their principal regiment when it returned, stamped with the seal of the unqualified approval of the most critical of military authorities. The Army and Navy Journal's account of the visit and criticism thereon, August 3, 1874, follows :
-
44
" We have delayed till the present week more than a cursory notice of this command, because we wished to do it full justice and comment on its move- ments as a whole during its encampment and its different excursions. A week or two ago we received a copy of the orders and regulations issued for the government of the regiment at Long Branch, and were very favorably im- pressed with their superiority in completeness and detail to anything we had yet seen in the militia service of any State. The selection of the camp-ground, however, had, we confess, inclined us to the opinion that the Fifth Maryland might turn out to be one of those ' fancy commands,' against which real soldiers are apt to entertain strong and just prejudices as travesties on military life, only fit for garrison duty at best. It was, therefore, with considerable curi- osity and a disposition to criticise sharply, if necessary, that we awaited the actual entrance of the Fifth Maryland to New York on Wednesday, the 28th ult. We had heard excellent accounts of the Fifth, in its camp and excursions, in its review before the President, and its fraternizations with the New Jersey troops, but these accounts came from non-professional journals, which we have found, too often, to be generally unreliable in military matters, purely technical as they are. On Wednesday evening, then, when the Fifth visited New York to be the guests of the Seventh New York, we turned out of our office, just as the sound of the bands announced the passage of the regiments by the head of Murray Street, to see what the strangers looked like. From the moment we first set eyes on their steady, solid ranks, we perceived that the men were soldiers, and, what is still rarer in militia commands, that their officers looked like real officers, superior to the men, fine as these latter really were. With a regiment like the Seventh New York in its front, marching in ten commands of eighteen files front, and marching in that style which is the especial pride of the Seventh, any visiting regiment has a hard task to per- form to come off with honor. The art of marching up Broadway in company front has been especially cultivated in the Seventh, to the exclusion of some other points, as will appear later in this account, but it is only justice to say that the Marylanders marched better and kept alignment in company fronts than even the celebrated Seventh New York. This was shown especially by one circumstance, trifling in itself to appearance, but full of meaning. In the Seventh, company commanders were constantly glancing nervously around, as if they feared that their men were not dressed, and the file-closers could be heard scolding in guarded tones. In the Fifth, the officers marched without turning right or left, with a free slashing gait, exactly imitated by the men. The latter looked far more like real soldiers than the men of the Seventh. This appear- ance was aided by the tan that their faces had acquired at Long Branch, and by their being in full marching order, but the contrast in men was very striking. The expression of face, too, was exactly that of old soldiers, a certain dogged, sullen look, as if the men were muttering, 'It's all very fine for you fellows on the sidewalk, but I wish we had you here ; you'd find it was not so pleasant.' In the Seventh, while the company fronts were very pretty, and the men, as a rule, tall, there was a paleness of face and a smirking expression visible that was by no means as imposing as the solid gravity of the Marylanders.
" The Fifth paraded eight commands of sixteen files, behind the Marine Band of Washington. The band of the Seventh had discarded their absurd hussar jackets for the day-a vast improvement. It is to be hoped that these absurdities will never be worn on parade again, to become a laughing-stock for foreign officers, as specimens of American 'gaucherie.' During the day it had rained heavily, but the evening was very fine and clear, the mud being the only inconvenience. As the Seventh paraded in white trousers, and the strangers in gray, here again the contrast was in favor of the latter, for the em- broidery of dark brown, ranging from ankle to knee, of all the white trousers, was far from ornamental in effect. The visitors were received at the Battery at 5 P. M., and the two regiments marched straight up Broadway to Union Square, where they were reviewed by General Shaler, thence down Irving
.
-
45
Place to Irving Hall, where the Seventh entertained the Fifth at a handsome banquet. A single halt occurred on the way, a little above Canal Street, and it was in starting from this halt that the Marylanders again showed their supe- riority. Both regiments did well, better probably than any other National Guard regiments could do, but the Seventh had not got its alignments and dis- tances perfect, even at the distance of the whole length of column, the last companies wavering and trembling considerably as they passed us. The Fifth looked just the same as ever, going like clock-work, with the same steady, sullen faces, the same faultless lines, front, rear, and file-closers, as ever. The most marked difference, however, was visible at the close of the march in Irving Place. Here each regiment successively came up in columns of fours, wheeled into line to the left, and stacked arms. Then it was found that the Seventh had not been attending to business. The fours were so crowded that it took the regiment, by the watch, six minutes and a half to execute these movements, and even then the right company had not dressed when the rest had stacked. The Fifth Maryland came up in rear to form a second line, and kept their distances so correctly as to require no dressing. From their halt to their stack, by the same watch, exactly fifty-five seconds elapsed. Both regi- ments then adjourned to Irving Hall, where they enjoyed a handsome banquet, after which the visitors took their departure for home, having done them- selves great honor by their visit, and earned the praise of being, without exception, the handsomest, best drilled and most soldierly command that has yet been seen in New York."
The Sixth Regiment, commanded by Colonel Clarence Peters, which had held an encampment a few weeks before, at Point Look- out, St. Mary's County, Maryland, which had been called Camp Groome, had intended to provide the Fifth with an escort, but the uncertainty regarding the time of the latter regiment's arrival - prevented the Sixth from doing so.
-
CHAPTER XI. THE FAMOUS BOSTON TRIP.
AN EVENT OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE .- MAYOR VANSANT VETOES THE APPROPRIATION, BUT THE PEOPLE OF BALTIMORE GLADLY CONTRIBUTE THE MONEY .- THE START .- A MAGNIFICENT RE- CEPTION .- THE HIGHEST PRAISE .- BOSTON CAPTURED.
A long stride towards the gen- uine healing of sectional bitter- ness was made by the Fifth in its trip to Boston, in June, 1875, to participate in the celebration of the centenary of the battle of Bunker Hill. It was a significant event. The presence of the Balti- more regiment there, the lavish สน and cordial hospitality of the people of Boston, and the Fifth's thorough appreciation of it, were COLONEL HENRY D. LONEY. noted in every part of the Union with deep interest, and had every- where an effect in some degree which rejoiced all citizens who desired the reconciliation of North and South. It was a spontaneous effect, not one gotten up by elaborate and calculating preparations. Other Southern military organizations took part in the celebration, but the Fifth was by far the largest and most famous of them. This frater- nization of Maryland and Massachusetts soldiers from impulse, and not as a formal duty, was a spectacle which had in it the Revolutionary War spirit of unity. Bunker Hill belonged, in the best sense, to the country, not simply to Massachusetts, and the Maryland men, like others of the South, were glad to testify their pride in its history.
-
On May 5 of that year, the City Council of Baltimore passed an ordinance to appropriate the sum of $6000 to defray the regiment's . expenses to Boston. In the First Branch the matter was brought up by Otis Keilholtz, then the president of the branch, and the
47
captain of one of the companies of the Fifth. He laid the subject before the Council by presenting a petition, signed by a number of merchants and other taxpayers, asking that the appropriation might be made, as the petitioners regarded it as a good business invest- ment. Similar appropriations had been made by other cities to aid their military organizations in having a part in the celebration, as it was a national occasion. The board of officers of the Fifth held a meeting on May 8, and Lieutenant-Colonel Loney, Captain Keilholtz and Quartermaster Pontier were appointed as a committee to prepare for the Fifth's trip. A dispatch was received from Colonel C. J. Trull, of the Fifth Massachusetts Volunteers, offering Baltimore men an escort and a special welcome. Quartermaster Pontier and Lieutenant William K. Rogers were sent to Boston a few days later.
As the time for the celebration approached, the interest in it in Baltimore increased. On May 12 a large meeting of officers and men of the Fifth was held, and it was unanimously decided to go. The appropriation ordinance had passed the City Council by a large majority, and while it was far from certain that Mayor Vansant would sign it, the regiment was none the less determined to go, appropriation or no appropriation, although it was announced that the cost of the trip would be $12,000. With it came another announcement that, if the Mayor should interpose his veto, the mer- chants of the city would come down handsomely. The Fifth had at first expected to escort President Grant from Baltimore to Boston, but it was found a month before the celebration that the President did not expect to go to Boston at all. He had been at the Concord celebration, and there had been urged to make a speech, a task for which he had an aversion. A battalion drill was held on May 15, to improve the men in drilling, and it was followed by several others. Colonel Jenkins was absent on a furlough at the time, but it expired before the regiment left Baltimore. He was suffering then from the ill-health which, less than a year after, resulted in his death. The regiment's committee of arrangements arrived in Boston, May 18, and were waited upon at the Parker House by Colonel Trull, of the Fifth Massachusetts, Adjutant Jordan, Captains Cutter and Fay, of the Charlestown Cadets, members of the Boston City Council, and various committees. The Baltimore visitors were introduced to Mayor Cobb. They received the assurance from him of his hearty co-operation. The Massachusetts Legislature was then in session, and the committee received an invitation to go upon the floor, as a
i
1
48
mark of courteous consideration. At the Parker House, the next day, all of the arrangements for the Fifth's visit were completed, and the representatives of the regiment were entertained in the evening by the officers of the Fifth Massachusetts. The people of Boston generally manifested an enthusiastic interest in the visitors, seeming determined that the impression they carried away with them should be a highly favorable one. Mayor Vansant received a personal invitation from Mayor Cobb to visit Boston during the celebration.
Naturally, when the committee returned to Baltimore, the mem- bers gave a glowing account of the prospect. Sleeping quarters had been provided for at the Institute of Technology, and meals were to be served in a large tent near that place. "Camp Lexington " was the name selected for the regiment's quarters, and it was to take the place of the regular summer encampment for the year. Lieutenant Zalinski, who had charge of the Institute of Technology, was to have charge also of the arrangements for the comfort of the visitors from Baltimore. The law parade of the year was held on May 24, in Druid Hill Park, with a review by Governor Groome, and spectator as well as soldiers agreed that if the Fifth made as soldierly an appearance in Boston, the people of Baltimore could take pride in having it compared with the other crack organizations to appear in that New England city. As a matter of fact, there were three regiments in Boston during the celebration which stood high above all the other battalions in numbers, appearance and discipline. These three were the Seventh New York, the First Massachusetts, and the Fifth Maryland.
Mayor Vansant vetoed the appropriation of $6000, and on May 25 sent a communication to the City Council, in which he stated that the measure was an extraordinary one, not warranted by any act of legis- lative authority. The ordinance lacked one or two votes necessary to pass it over the Mayor's veto. Dr. Chancellor obliterated all the force there was in the Mayor's statement that the appropriation was an extraordinary one, by calling attention to the fact that the City Coun- cil had appropriated $100,000 for the Boston conflagration sufferers, $20,000 for the entertainment of the Pittsburgh authorities, $10,000 for the National Commercial Convention, and $5000 for the Knights Templar Convention. However, the regiment was not depending upon a city appropriation to pay the expenses of the Boston trip. Mr. George H. C. Neal, an honorary member, and Quartermaster Pontier began to take subscriptions from merchants and other public-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.