USA > Maryland > Fifth regiment, I., M.N.G. : a history of the regiment from its first organization to the present time > Part 9
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The success of this trip gave a great stimulus to the regiment.
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The people of Baltimore had watched and enjoyed the ovation that it had received, and had added their congratulations to the thousands that had been bestowed in the South. The fact that the regiment received in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and the Southern cities the heartiest receptions that had ever been given a visiting military organization, speaks in no uncertain tones of its undoubted excellence.
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CHAPTER XIX.
WESTMINSTER AND ATLANTIC CITY.
THE MAIN FEATURES OF A SUCCESSFUL CARNIVAL .- THE BAZAR FOR THE RELIEF OF EX-CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS .- THE MOB DRILL. - CAMP MCCLELLAN. - DISTINGUISHED VISITORS .- RE- VIEWED BY THE GOVERNOR AND HIS STAFF .- AN EXCELLENT SHOWING .- NOCTURNAL SURPRISES .- A MONUMENT DEDICATED AT GETTYSBURG .- COLONEL BROWN ELECTED BRIGADIER-GEN- ERAL.
Westminster, the county seat of Carroll County, on April 14, 1885, following the example of more pretentious places, held a carnival, which, for a town of its size, was a brilliant success, due in a certain degree to the presence of the Fifth. The fact that their little carnival came after Lent made no difference to the people of Westminster; to hold it was the main thing. Besides, Hagerstown was getting a name for enterprise and demonstrations which Westminster did not intend that that town should monopolize. Westminster wanted the Fifth to come and help in making its carnival imposing, and so the regiment went. As a matter of course, the whole town was given up to the excitement of the occasion. Churches were the only buildings not decorated. Even the shop of the undertaker was in sympathy with the festival, and kept up the traditions of the people in that business by excelling in gay decorations. The chief feature of the carnival was a procession, which included the State militia and a trades display. Ten thousand people, representing nearly or quite every farm in Carroll, as well as other places, witnessed the parade. Fine weather lent its aid, and the residents of Westminster kept open house. Sociability and hospitality were the universal rule. Colonel Wm. P. Maulsby was the chief marshal, and the Fifth's band led the procession. The regiment had the right of the line, and numbered about three hundred men. Colonel Brown, Lieutenant-Colonel Lips- comb, Adjutant Whiting, and Quartermaster Miller were mounted.
The companies were commanded by Captains Robert P. Brown, Chas. D. Gaither, C. F. Albers, Geo. C. Cole, W. A. Boykin, N. Lee
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Goldsborough, and the late W. S. Anderson; Lieutenants Thos. D. Harrison, Geo. F. Search, James P. Reese, and Hamilton. A bat- talion of the First Regiment, headed by the Frederick City Cornet Band, was commanded by Colonel H. Kyd Douglas. The trades display followed. A dozen or more bands furnished the music. Colonel Wm. A. McKellip dined the staff of the Fifth at his resi- dence. It was a gala day of the first order for Westminster, and showed the enterprising little town at its best.
In the spring of 1885 a movement was started in Baltimore for the relief of ex-Confederate soldiers who were in need; and of these it was known that there was a large number. The project was started by the Ladies' Confederate Memorial Society, but nearly all the women of Baltimore whose fathers, husbands or brothers had taken the Southern side during the war between the States contributed their help and sympathy. The public at once became interested in the movement, and when the managers of the bazar-for such was the shape which the plan took-asked for donations, their requests met with hearty responses. The greatest gift was that of the Fifth Regiment, which gave the use of the armory, the most suitable place in the city, to the managers for as long a time as they needed it. During the time in which the bazar was held the armory was radiant with the handsomest decorations that ever adorned it. The appeal for destitute soldiers of the old Confederacy struck home. Crowds of thousands thronged the rooms nightly, and they did not come simply to look. Liberally money flowed in, and when the bazar closed, over thirty thousand dollars had been realized.
The "mob drill " was practiced in public on March 12, 1886, for the purpose of making the men familiar with the tactics devised to disperse riotous crowds. Sensational reports were set afloat, there being a strike in progress in the western part of the State. When the regiment left the armory and marched to Eutaw Street, a large crowd accompanied it, and grew rapidly in size when the regiment reached Eutaw Place, where the mob drill was performed, with enough people as spectators to have answered the purpose of a mob if desired. The manual used was one which had been introduced in various Northern cities, different from the ordinary one for field use. There were three hundred and twenty-five men in line, and they performed the novel and difficult evolutions very creditably. In one of these the regiment was formed so as to show three sides, with muskets pointing in all directions except that from which the regi-
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ment came, and the orders to load, aim and fire were rapidly given for a few minutes. After the drill the regiment returned to the armory, to the surprise and indignation of a small army of boys, who had been cherishing the hope that they were to have the pleasure of seeing a general massacre.
THE DRILL ROOM.
Atlantic City, of late years, has been a pronounced favorite as the place for the summer encampment among the men of the Fifth. The officers, in 1886 at least, might have chosen some other place, but the strong preference of the men for Atlantic City decided the ques- tion in that place's favor. For the men, Atlantic City had all the advantages of Cape May and the extra attractions of greater size and numbers. So in 1886 the Fifth repeated its visit of 1885, and right glad were the inhabitants of the city by the sea to welcome the regiment. The train with the Fifth on board left Baltimore shortly before midnight on July 14, and the regiment the next morning was in possession of Camp McClellan, where the ten days of encampment
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were to be spent. The grounds were situated near the Haddon Hotel, and a very short distance from the ocean. The Fifth was lucky in not going into camp twenty-four hours sooner, or the mem- bers might have thought that their tents had been pitched at low tide within reach of the surf, so heavy was the down-pour of rain the night before the regiment's arrival. The name of the camp, McClellan, was given in honor of the famous soldier of the late war.
The first day was one of rest and settling down in the new quarters. A committee of citizens, headed by Mr. Albertson as marshal, the Seacoast Artillery, commanded by Colonel Brady, and the Atlantic . City Cadets, commanded by Major Engeham, met the regiment at the depot. Among the events of the encampment were visits by Governor Lloyd and Mayor Hodges. The latter arrived soon after the Fifth did. Colonel Brown had detailed two officers to act as an escort to the Mayor from Philadelphia. He was accompanied by a large party of prominent Baltimoreans. The second day in camp was a very rainy one, but a military ball in honor of the Fifth was held at the United States Hotel, which was attended by at least five thousand people. Being the first ball held during the encampment, it was a particularly welcome event to the dancing members of the regiment. Following a rainy day which had been very quiet, came one which was quite memorable, and the most important one of the encampment. It was the day set for a review by Governor Lloyd, and the regiment was to see to it that the command looked its best. The men gave no cause for complaint about their appearance. At ten o'clock in the morning the regiment drew up on its parade ground and marched down to the depot as an escort to the Gov- ernor. The latter came an hour afterwards, having been at Cape May, and with him came his staff. They were received by a citizens' committee and escorted to the hotel where the ball had been held. Governor Lloyd and his party visited the camp in the afternoon and dined with the officers. The regiment was reviewed by the Gov- ernor as a brigade, and the general verdict declared that the regiment had rarely looked better, and that each man carried himself as if the credit of the command depended on himself alone. The great gathering of ladies showed their interest and pleasure in the drilling unreservedly. A dress parade followed the review, and the Governor made a speech to the regiment, saying that the reputation of the State was in its hands, and that the members should guard it sacredly ; that the military was subordinate to the civil law, and that it was only
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in cases of great emergency that the aid of the military should be invoked. After the public scenes of the day, the Governor and his party went to Colonel Brown's tent, where the band serenaded them. Although the inen were tired at night, their fatigue did not prevent about one hundred of them from doing volunteer artillery drilling with a gun about thirty feet long-a wooden one. It was a gift to the people of Atlantic City by individual members of the regiment. It was a wooden gun, but it had a mighty iron touch-hole, and in the procession it was made to hold colossal fire-crackers, which when they exploded made almost enough noise to startle all the clams of the island. Blue lights, red lights and Roman candles made the march lurid, and the majority of the residents of Atlantic City came to see the fun.
Duty during the day and unlimited pleasure at night had prepared the regiment for the next day's comparative quiet. It was Sunday, and there was no battalion drill, for which the men were thankful. Religious exercises were held in camp, and there were a few gray military coats at all of the churches. In Camp Mcclellan there was a greater appearance of Sunday than anywhere else about the city. Sacred inusic was played at guard-mount. The special military service by the chaplain, Rev. Joseph Reynolds, Jr., was opened with the processional hymn, "Onward, Christian Soldier," followed by alternate readings from the Psalms. Another hymn was sung, and then the Creed, the Collects, and the Ten Commandments were recited according to the Protestant Episcopal service. A sermon by the chaplain and the singing of "God Bless. Our Native Land" closed the exercises. The dress-parade was held at seven o'clock in the evening.
There was work for the men to do as well as play while tent life lasted, and so those who had never been in camp before discovered. With battalion drill at 5.40 o'clock, guard-mount at 9 o'clock and company drill at 9.30 o'clock, besides other duties, the men had no time to hang heavy on their hands. If, however, the company-drill, in which skirmish lines were thrown out, deploys made, and a sham battle occasionally took place, was held, as some of the ladies at the Haddon stated, in order to have the men tired out at night, it did not have that effect on many of them. They had a lively time. It was not winter time, but there were blankets in camp. A funereal-looking party marched out of camp one morning with drums and fifes playing a hideous dirge. One of the men was to undergo the death penalty
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for stealing a chicken. The party having the melancholy ceremony in hand took the culprit some distance up the beach, read the death- warrant over him, and then banged away at him with muskets until he was supposed to be thoroughly dead. Then they carried his body back to camp and held a wake over it.
The whole command was ordered out of bed at twelve o'clock one night and drilled, as the result of the wakefulness of a party of the men, who, being unable to sleep, resolved that no one else should. By the aid of the bass-drum and a few bugles they made such pan- demonium that the whole camp was in an uproar. The long roll was sounded and the regiment formed in line on the parade-ground. The people of the city were very much astonished a day or two later by a parade of about one hundred persons, whose sex was not to be distinguished by their costumes, but they betrayed the fact that they were men by the circumstance that the inscriptions on the banners which they bore referred to eating. " We Must Have Chicken " was the legend on one of them. The last day in camp was spent chiefly in getting ready for departure for home, but I Company gave an Indian show, which the guests at the neighboring hotel watched with a great deal of interest. A few hastily gotten-up cowboys appeared on the parade-ground, and were speedily followed by a band of Indians, who made the lot of the cowboys a very hard one and perilous to scalps, until a body of soldiers appeared and went to work on the Indians in deadly manner. When all the Indians had been killed off there were general rejoicings. During the last night in camp the reins were loosened somewhat, and the last chance was used for its full value. The place was illuminated with fire-works, and the crackers sounded like a colossal watchman's rattle. Com- pany I, as usual, made most of the confusion, but they generously shared the credit by starting the rattling of fire-crackers in the other companies' streets. As the regiment marched through the streets for the last time in 1886, at Atlantic City, it received all of the dem- onstrations of regard which the people knew how to bestow upon it. Arriving at home, the Baltimore Light Infantry furnished an escort from the depot to the armory.
On August 16, 1886, the Fifth took a prominent part in the un- veiling ceremonies of the DeKalb Monument at Annapolis.
The monument to the Second Maryland (Confederate) Infantry, which was erected on Culp's Hill, Gettysburg, was dedicated Novem- ber 19, 1886, by the survivors of that command. The Fifth was
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present at the dedication. The regiment with about 250 men arrived at Gettysburg shortly before noon on that day. Colonel Stewart Brown commanded. A line of coaches conveyed the sol- diers to Culp's Hill. Among them were Brigadier-General George H. Stewart and staff; Company C, First Maryland Cavalry, com- manded by Colonel R. Carter Smith ; the Maryland Line, commanded by Captain George W. Booth ; and the Society of the Army and Navy. At the monument, prayer was offered by Rev. Randolph H. McKim, and the oration was made by Captain Thomas. The monu- ment is the first Confederate one erected at Gettysburg.
On March 4, 1887, at an election held at the Fifth's armory, Colonel Stewart Brown was elected Brigadier-General of the State militia, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of General James R. Herbert. The electors were Colonel H. Kyd Douglas, of Hagers- town, commanding the First Regiment; Lieutenant-Colonel H. A. Barry, of the Baltimore Light Infantry; Lieutenant-Colonel C. H. Wardwell, of the Second Battalion, and Colonel Brown himself. Six- teen ballots were cast. General Clinton P. Paine, of the Governor's staff, presided at the meeting in place of Adjutant-General Howard, who was absent in Washington. A number of complimentary votes were cast ; Generals Paine, Bradley T. Johnson, Shryock, and Colonels Gaither, Wardwell, Dulin, Douglas and others receiving them. General Brown, through seniority, had been the commanding officer of the State militia since General Herbert's death.
CHAPTER XX.
CAMP LLOYD AND CAMP ANDERSON,
THE FIRST BRIGADE ENCAMPMENT UNDER THE NEW MILITARY LAW. -THE FIFTH'S SUPERIOR WORK .- AN UNEXPECTED ACCIDENT. -BALLS AND RECEPTIONS .- AT ATLANTIC CITY AGAIN .- MORE RAIN .- A GREAT BEACH SCENE .- MORE HOSPITALITIES .- THE DEDICATION OF GETTYSBURG MONUMENTS .- A TRIP TO PHILA- DELPHIA .- THE ELECTION OF COLONEL GAITHER AND LIEUTEN- ANT-COLONEL BOYKIN .- A PLEASANT HOP.
The first brigade encampment under the new military law sup- planted the usual independent camp of the Fifth Regiment for 1887. It was held on the Washington County Fair Grounds, a short distance from Hagerstown. It commenced on August 2, and continued six days. It was a pronounced success, and the training which the soldiers received was in the highest degree beneficial to the discipline of the Maryland National Guard. Although the men had a very pleasant time, and the experience of the camp is recalled with pleasure, the primary object was work, and that object was accomplished. One of the effects of the encampment was to make the various military organizations of the State far more homogeneous than they had been before. There were 1172 soldiers in camp, and included the First Regiment, Colonel Hy. Kyd Douglas ; the Fifth Regiment, Colonel Charles D. Gaither ; the Second Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel E. H. Wardwell; the Baltimore Light Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel H. A. Barry ; the Third Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel James L. Woolford, and Captain L. Allison Wilmer's company of the Fourth Battalion, which was incorporated with the First Regiment. Brigadier-General Stewart Brown was in command, and his staff consisted of Colonel Frederick W. Brune, Assistant Adjutant-General; Colonel John S. Saunders, Brigade Inspector ; Major Clayton C. Hall, Major Robert A. Selden, Major Samuel H. Lyon, Major E. Calvin Williams, Cap- tain George W. Wood and Captain Chauncey Brooks. In camp, the Fifth Regiment was stationed to the left of the entrance to the ground inside the race track. The headquarters of Governor Lloyd and
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Brigadier-General Brown were on a high bluff adjacent to the grand stand. Adjoining the fair grounds was a field of fifteen or twenty acres, which was used for drilling. All of the arrangements for trans- portation were made by General E. Law Rogers, of the Governor's staff. After some consideration, each command was given charge of its own camp, for guard duty, and such portions of the general grounds as were from time to time designated, while a special brigade guard, in addition to the regimental and battalion guard, was detailed.
All of the various commands were prompt in arriving. The first evening in camp was rather quiet, owing to rainy weather. For use during the encampment, 14,000 rounds of ammunition, half of the cart- ridges being blank, were provided. On the second day, reports from the various battalions were made at seven o'clock, to enable the details of guard mounting to be arranged. Battalion drill call followed, and the entire brigade went into the different fields to drill. The men had settled down to earnest camp duty. At 7 P. M. on Wednesday, August 3, the first dress parade was held. On this day the various companies of the First Regiment were brought together for the first time. They made a good appearance, though not of course as good as that of the handsomely uniformed Fifth. The people of Hagers- town, and in fact of .Washington County generally, regarded the encampment as the most interesting event of the year, and there were at all available times a great number of visitors to the city of 500 tents. Rifle practice began on Wednesday.
On Thursday the shooting for the Gorman prize, a silver goblet, took place. A team of eight from the Second Battalion, headed by State Senator R. T. Browning, won the goblet, the score of the winning team being 221 out of a possible 280. The arrival of Gov- ernor Lloyd was the occasion of a military pageant, which the resi- dents of Hagerstown and vicinity, as well as many of the guests at the Blue Mountain House, witnessed with pleasure. The brigade received the Governor at the Western Maryland Railroad depot, and escorted him to the camp grounds. The procession was the most imposing seen in Western Maryland since the war. The First Regiment wore dark blue coats and light blue pantaloons. The Second Battalion wore the same, with the addition of white cross belts, and to both the Fifth made a brilliant contrast in its uniform of elegant gray and shining helmets. Mayor Hahn, of Hagerstown, made a speech of welcome to Governor Lloyd, to which the latter responded. The Governor remained two days in camp, inspecting
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the troops, and expressed his great satisfaction at seeing that the State had a militia force of which it might well be proud, and on which it could rely in time of need. In the attentions paid the Gov- ernor the Fifth naturally took the lead, as well as in the brilliant reception and ball held on Friday evening at the Baldwin House in his honor. The routine work of the camp went steadily on, and Colonel John S. Saunders, the brigade inspector, was kept very busy. On Friday morning the Fifth had a spirited drill on Cost's Hill. Colonel Gaither was in command, and in leading a headlong charge up the hill against a mythical foe, with the command of "forward, guide center," an amusing incident occurred. Colonel Gaither was facing the command and steadily backing and waving his sword, and very soon he was taking an aerial flight over a big boulder. As he was going over he commanded, in stentorian tone, " Charge, Boykin, charge!" Major Boykin took command and charged right ahead, and there was not the slightest confusion. A brigade dress parade and review took place in the afternoon, in a large field owned by the late Hon. Wm. T. Hamilton. It was headed by the Fifth, and the evolutions of the troops showed a high degree of discipline. On Saturday evening, August 6, the Line Officers of the Fifth met and elected by acclamation Colonel Charles D. Gaither and Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. A. Boykin to their present offices. It was a step which everybody had expected and of which all cordially approved, both as a duty which the regiment owed itself and as a token of its appreciation of the services of Colonel Gaither and Lieutenant-Colonel Boykin. On August 7 the Fifth's officers gave a ladies' dinner. Camp was broken on August 8. On that morning the Fifth had a sham battle on Cost's Hill. Colonel Gaither was in command, with Lieutenant-Colonel Boykin in com- mand of the reserves. One thousand blank cartridges were fired, and the men were enthusiastic. Their yells could be heard a mile. The fire was fast and furious, and the ridge was taken without blood- ยท shed. After serenading General Brown, the Fifth broke camp at four o'clock and marched triumphantly through Hagerstown and took the train for home.
An event of national interest was the celebration in Philadelphia, on September 15-17, of the centenary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, and the Fifth, as the chief regi- ment of one of the thirteen original States, took a prominent and highly creditable part in it. General Clinton P. Paine, Maryland's
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THE FIFTH MARYLAND IN PHILADELPHIA,
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Commissioner, had made all necessary arrangements for the Maryland National Guard, and most of the brigade was there in command of Brigadier-General Stewart Brown. Governor Lloyd and his staff were also present. The Fifth left Baltimore on Thursday evening, arriving in Philadelphia shortly after midnight. In the parade of 30,000 men which took place on Friday, Maryland was well represented by 1400 soldiers, especially by the Fifth, which had the honor of "special mention " at a time when such distinction was not easily won. The army and navy had a large force in the parade. So had the local posts of the Grand Army of the Republic. President Cleve- land and his wife, Cardinal Gibbons, and many other celebrities helped to make the occasion successful. The Fifth and the other Maryland troops returned to Baltimore on Friday night.
The summer of 1888 found the regiment at Atlantic City for the third time. It left Baltimore on the evening of Wednesday, July II, going as far as Philadelphia over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's new extension. The regimental train arrived at the city by the sea at six o'clock on the following morning, and it was made the occasion of a big demonstration. The official and public welcome awaiting the command was significant of the records made by the Fifth in the encampments of '85 and '86. Camp Anderson, the name given to the camp, was in honor of the late and deservedly lamented Captain Winfield S. Anderson. Continuous rains had flooded the first location, and the tents had to be moved by the regiment upon its arrival to a higher location. The old location was dubbed Lake Anderson, and when pumped and dried out was used for a drill ground. All of the honors, pleasures and duties incidental to Camp Herbert and Camp McClellan were repeated. Governor Jackson, accompanied by Adjutant-General Howard and his staff, arrived on July 17, and was received by the regiment at the depot and escorted to the Mansion House. Col. John S. Saunders, the brigade inspector, accompanied the Governor, and with him inspected the camp. On the 18th there was a dress parade and review on the Brighton Hotel lawn. The regiment passed in review at double quick time, a move- ment it had not executed for fourteen years. Governor Jackson highly complimented the men on their handsome appearance and military bearing. He said the Fifth was a great credit to the State of Maryland, and that Colonel Gaither was a fitting officer to be at its head. On the same evening Governor Jackson, Colonel Saunders, and a few others were dined at camp by the officers. The ludicrous
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