USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Concord > History of Concord, New Hampshire, from the original grant in seventeen hundred and twenty-five to the opening of the twentieth century, Volume I > Part 73
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Of the Guards in their brilliant uniforms it can only be said they were simply irresistible partners. Mrs. Goodwin, the wife of the governor, called them "gorgeous creatures." One fair dame said of the handsome major of the corps that he was " the belle of Con- cord."
Many were the occasions to which the Horse Guards were invited. The fame of their appearance on " Election Day " spread over the state, and some of the many invitations were accepted. The Rock- ingham Fair association invited them to Portsmouth in the year 1860, an invitation which was accepted. The weather, however, was unpropitious, rain falling all the day set for the parade. One of
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
the survivors writing of this says : "I think we did not mount." However, the reception given the Guards at Portsmouth was such as to be always remembered. There was a muster at Manchester and a gathering at Nashua which were prominent events in the life of the Guards. The parade of the full corps at Nashua in October, 1861, was at a muster of all the regular and extempore commands of the state. The Guards were three days in camp, two miles north of the city hall. They did escort duty when the First New Hampshire regiment went to the front, in April, 1861. Three months later, on the return of the regiment, another great day, the Horse Guards per- formed similar duty.
The guests of the corps at their fetes were the Amoskeag Veterans of Manchester, with whom they were always on amiable terms, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery of Boston, and the Putnam Phalanx of Hartford, Conn., by their officers, and Governor John A. Andrew and staff of Massachusetts. It was the late Colonel B. P. Cilley of the Veterans who at a banquet of the Guards to that corps gave this witty toast :
" The Governor's Horse Guards and Amoskeag Veterans; invin- cible in peace, invisible in war."
In justice to the Guards it must be said that at the outbreak of the Civil War their services were tendered to the governor, but he did not see his way clear to accept cavalry at that time. Colonel Bellows then went to Washington by vote of the corps and offered their services to the president, who referred him to General Scott. The latter declined to accept them, because, he said, the war would be so brief that cavalry would not be needed. Individuals of the Guards afterwards enlisted and did valiant service for their coun- try, as a perusal of the roster will show. Of these the following are recalled :
Joseph C. Abbott, Adjt .- Genl. of N. H., Col. 7th N. H. Vols., Brig .- Genl. U. S. V.
George Bowers (Mexican veteran), Lieut .- Col. 13th N. H. Vols.
Stillman S. Davis, Paymaster U. S. Navy.
Josiah C. Eastman, Surgeon 4th N. H. Vols.
George W. Everett, Major 9th N. H. Vols.
Frank Fuller, Paymaster U. S. Vols.
Frank S. Fiske, Lieut .- Col. 2d N. H. V., Brt. Brig .- Gen. U. S. V. Simon G. Griffin, Col. 6th N. H. V., Major-Gen. U. S. Vols.
. George H. Gillis, Adjutant 13th N. H. Vols.
James B. Greeley, Surgcon 1st N. E. Cavalry.
George P. Greeley, Surgeon 4th N. H. Vols.
Natt Head, Adjutant and Quartermaster-General N. H.
Carleton B. Hutchins, Quartermaster 9th N. H. Vols.
Henry O. Kent, Assistant Adjt .- Gen. N. H., Col. 17th N. H. Vols.
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THE GOVERNOR'S HORSE GUARDS.
Nathaniel Low, Captain 12th N. H. Vols.
Thomas P. Pierce (Mexican veteran), Col. 2d N. H. Vols.
Henry E. Parker, Chaplain 2d N. H. Vols.
Ichabod Pearl, Captain 2d N. H. Vols.
Augustus W. Rollins, Colonel 7th N. H. Vols.
George Stark, Brig .- Gen. commanding Camp Goodwin and De- fences of Portsmouth.
Mason W. Tappan, Colonel 1st N. H. Vols.
Martin W. Willis, Chaplain 4th N. H. Vols.
Charles W. Woodman, Major U. S. Vols., Paymaster.
Thomas J. Whipple (Mexican veteran), Adjt. 1st and Col. 4th N. H. Vols.
Pierce L. Wiggin, Captain 3d N. H. Vols.
Andrew H. Young, Paymaster U. S. Vols.
Companies A and B of the Guards, the Concord and Nashua companies, were always active. Company C of Portsmouth, though not so active, always paraded. Company D, from the northern part of the state, existed largely on paper, and finally was authorized to merge on parade with the other companies.
The war made inroads in the ranks of the Guards, and at the last parade, at the inauguration of Governor Smyth in 1865, not over half of the corps were in line. But it was the expense incident to their entertainments and the failure of the state to contribute to their services which led to the discontinuance of their parades. For six years the Guards had borne all expenses incident to the reception and entertainment of the governor and invited guests at inauguration, and at a meeting after the inauguration of Governor Smyth it was voted to suspend parades except by special order of the commander- in-chief, and to give no further levees until such time as suitable measures were taken guaranteeing payment for military services.
In 1879 an attempt was made to muster the Guards for escort duty at the inauguration of Governor-elect Natt Head, and for the purpose of consultation a general order assembling the members at the Eagle hotel at Concord, Thursday, April 24, was issued by the commander, Colonel Henry O. Kent.
This was the last official act of the corps commander. A few of the members met according to call at the Eagle hotel. The record closes with these words :
That the corps approve the action of the colonel in calling this meeting.
That in view of the present condition of the corps, lack of uni- forms, and the short time intervening between this date and election day, it is inexpedient to order a parade the present year.
Adjourned to call of the commanding officer.
Thus, after the last call, was the curtain ring down on as brilliant
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
a pageant as was ever witnessed in New Hampshire. Few of the distinguished company now survive. To them and to their con- temporaries now living, who enjoyed the festive occasions of which the Governor's Horse Guards were the inspiration, this brief story may recall pleasant memories.
The following is the roster of members, as shown by the records of the corps :
ANTRIM .- Lemuel N. Pattee.
BATH .- Carleton B. Hutchins.
BRADFORD .- Mason W. Tappan.
BOSCAWEN .- Calvin Gage.
CANTERBURY .- Jed L. Clough, Henry L. Clough.
CHICHESTER .- Charles H. Carpenter.
CONCORD .- Edward A. Abbot, Joseph H. Abbot, J. Stephens Abbot, J. S. Appleton, Richard H. Ayer, John V. Barron, A. Her- bert Bellows, John Brown, Gilbert Bullock, Charles H. Butters, Dexter Chase, N. W. Churchill, Warren Clark, Isaac Clement, B. B. Clifford, Moses H. Clough, Robert N. Corning, Lewis Downing, Jr., Albert H. Drown, Peter Dudley, S. H. Dumas, B. F. Dunklee, Frank Eastman, George W. Ela, Isaac N. Elwell, F. A. Fiske, George G. Fogg, T. H. Ford, Charles P. Gage, John H. George, Joseph A. Gilmore, W. G. Gould, S. G. Griffin, Benjamin Grover, George Grover, Carr B. Haynes, Charles H. Herbert, Cyrus Hill, J. C. A. Hill, James R. Hill, J. T. Hoit, Sewell Hoit, A. B. Holt, Moses Humphrey, Ephraim Hutchins, George H. Hutchins, Eleazer Jackson, Frank Jones, J. D. Kelley, John Kimball, John A. Kilburn, J. E. Lang, C. J. Lane, J. W. Little, Anson S. Marshall, Asa McFar- land, J. S. McFarland, George Mellen, George Minot, Ezekiel Mor- rill, Charles H. Norton, Nehemiah G. Ordway, Henry E. Parker, William M. Parker, Charles H. Peaslee, R. E. Pecker, Hamilton E. Perkins, R. N. Philbrick, George A. Pillsbury, C. S. Piper, A. J. Prescott, B. F. Prescott, Harvey Rice, J. W. Robinson, Abiel Rolfe, Edward H. Rollins, Charles P. Sanborn, Heman Sanborn, Josiah B. Sanborn, Peter Sanborn, Ezekiel Sawyer, George A. Sawyer, W. G. Shaw, H. S. Shattuck, Jonas D. Sleeper, Richmond Smith, Onslow Stearns, Sylvester Stevens, J. H. Stewart, Joseph P. Stickney, S. G. Sylvester, J. P. Tucker, Gust Walker, William Walker, David A. Warde, C. C. Webster, J. A. West, Richard West, Nathaniel White, B: Plummer Whipple, Moses T. Willard, R. G. Wyman, William C. Wyman.
DOVER .- Charles A. Tufts, John P. Hale, Nathaniel Lowe, C. W. Woodman, A. W. Rollins, George F. Rollins, Andrew H. Young, Albert Blaisdell, Marcus Marx, George H. Pierce, Russell Wiggin, Samuel M. Wheeler.
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THE GOVERNOR'S HORSE GUARDS.
ENFIELD .- Jacob C. Bean.
EPPING .- Nathaniel Batchelder.
EXETER .- James M. Lovering, John P. P. Kelley, Joseph H. Hilliard.
FRANKLIN .- Daniel Barnard, Warren F. Daniell, George W. Nes- mith, James L. Peabody.
GREENLAND .- William A. Pierce.
HAMPSTEAD .- Josiah C. Eastman.
HILLSBOROUGH .- Henry D. Pierce, Chandler E. Potter.
HOLLIS .- John H. Cutter, George P. Greeley, W. N. Tenney.
HOOKSETT .- Natt Head.
HOPKINTON .- Paul R. George, James M. Burnham, Herman W. Greene, Harvey Chandler.
KEENE .- Frank S. Fiske, William Dinsmore.
LANCASTER .- Henry O. Kent, Enoch L. Colby.
LACONIA .- Thomas J. Whipple, J. S. Thompson, Charles Lane, Charles J. Appleton.
LEBANON .- Aaron . H. Cragin.
LITTLETON. - L. A. Russell, Joseph L. Gibb, Cyrus Eastman, Cephas Brackett.
MADBURY .- Henry Austin.
MANCHESTER .- Joseph C. Abbott, Thomas P. Pierce, Samuel Web- ber, Ezekiel A. Straw, Phineas Adams, Waterman Smith, J. T. P. Hunt, J. A. Haines, G. H. Kimball, William Stark.
MASON .- George Taft, James L. Chamberlain, Fred A. Brooks, G. E. Wyman, Lewis T. Sampson.
MEREDITH .- D. S. Beede.
MILFORD .- Bainbridge Wadleigh, George H. Gillis, William Lane.
NASHUA .- George Stark, John H. Gage, William P. Ainsworth, William F. Greeley, James B. Greeley, M. W. Willis, Virgil C. Gilman, John II. Andrews, George W. Underhill, Charles P. Gage, H. T. Morrill, Norman Fuller, S. C. Crombia, J. N. Ball, Samuel Chase, S. F. Wright, Gilman Scripture, George Bowers, Charles Williams, C. E. Page, L. H. Clement, W. M. Barrett, T. G. Banks, Isaac Marshall, Isaac Eaton, David Gillis, S. S. Davis, Frank A. MeKean, O. H. Woodbury, William Barrett, H. D. F. Young, James D). Folsom, Julius F. Gage, Edward Parker.
NEW LONDON .- G. W. Everett, J. C. Greenwood.
NEWMARKET .- Samnel P. Dow, S. A. Haley.
NOTTINGHAM .- James H. Butler, Joseph ('illey.
OSSIPEE .- Pierce L. Wiggin.
PEMBROKE .- Aaron Whittemore.
PETERBOROUGH .- JJohn B. Dane, Samuel J. Vose.
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
PITTSFIELD .- True Garland, R. P. J. Tenney, Lewis W. Clark, R. L. French, John Wheeler.
PLYMOUTH .- C. J. Stone.
PORTSMOUTH .- Frank Fuller, F. W. Miller, Clement March, Daniel Marcy, John E. Ryder, William Sawyer, M. Holmes, A. L. Bennett, N. F. Mathes, James A. Blaisdell, William Rand, Marcellus Eldredge, Heman Eldredge, Josiah E. Eldredge, Joseph Parry, Henry Peyser, Michael Fisher, Frank Jones, G. V. Rowe, T. B. Hoit, W. E. Hadley.
RAYMOND .- J. S. James, William B. Blake.
RUMNEY .- Josiah Quincy.
SOMERSWORTH .- M. C. Burleigh, George W. Burleigh, Benjamin Haley, Thomas G. Jameson, Jacob Morrill, Rufus W. Stevens, Stephen S. Chick, Eben A. Tibbetts, Ichabod Pearl, George W. Han- son, Charles S. Jones, II. B. Davis, E. A. Smith, Alanson A. Hatch, Frank Tuttle, Owen W. Davis, S. B. Cole, William N. Nason, Edward A. Rollins, John S. Haynes, S. A. Collins, Joseph Hanson, Jonathan Bliss, Otis A. Frost, John Bates, Charles S. Dinsmore.
SOUTH HAMPTON .- Rufus Dow, Moses Eaton, Jr.
SUNCOOK .- James Osgood.
SANDWICH .- Joseph Wentworth, William M. Weed.
TAMWORTH .- Natt Hubbard.
TEMPLE .- D. L. Barton.
WHITEFIELD .- Aurin M. Chase.
HONORARY . MEMBERS .- Franklin Pierce, Matthew Harvey, John Page, John H. Steele, Jared W. Williams, Anthony Colby, Samuel Dinsmore, Noah Martin, Nathaniel B. Baker, William Haile, Ichabod Goodwin.
MASSACHUSETTS MEMBERS .- Charles W. Webster, Boston ; Seth E. Pecker, Boston; Christopher Roby, Chelmsford; E. A. Larkin, Townsend.
Master George Washington Nutt of Manchester was made an hon- orary member and a uniform provided for him at the expense of the Guards.
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