USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Nashua > History of the city of Nashua, N.H. > Part 92
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Another of the military companies of which Nashua was proud was the Lafayette Light Infantry. It had a short but brilliant career, it was organized in 1839 with George Tuttle as captain, Fordice M. Stimpson, first lieutenant, Hiram D. Leavitt, ensign. In the following year it was Captain Stimpson, Lieut. A. H. Dunlap and Ensign Nelson Tuttle. A. H. Dunlap became the successful seedsman. Nelson Tuttle acquired a large property and died in the year 1895. John H. Gage was commissioned captain in 1841. Albin Beard (see biography) was lieutenant and Samuel Wright, ensign. The uniform of this company was somewhat amazing. It was purchased of the Boston Lancers and of course was just right and up to date. The hat was of a brilliant red, shaped like a druggist's mortar, with red and white plumes; coat of sky blue with white trimmings and buttons of brass, and white pants. The guns of this company, as well as of all military companies at this time, and for some years later, were the flintlock, smooth bore musket. This company was the first to occupy the armory, so called, in the town house, now the City Hall building. The company was disbanded in 1842.
The third company, light infantry, was organized April 19, 1841, with John H. Gage as captain, Albin Beard, lieutenant, and Samuel Wright, ensign. In 1842 Lieutenant Beard resigned. Samuel F. Wright was promoted to lieutenant and Oliver Blodgett was appointed ensign. The last year of its existence Samuel Wright was commissioned captain, John H. Gage resigning, Oliver Blodgett, lieutenant, and Franklin Munroe became ensign. Of the distinguished exploits of this company, if any, history and tradition are silent.
A company known as the fourth company, light infantry, Columbian Grays, was organized May 7, 1846. Isaac Fox, captain, Albin Beard, lieutenant. January 31, 1849, Albin Beard was promoted to captain and J. Thornton Greeley appointed lieutenant. J. Thornton Greeley was the son of Col. Joseph Greeley and the donor to the city for public use of the farm on Concord street known as the Greeley farm. Benjamin T. Peaslee was clerk of the company. Mr. Peaslee then occupied the west half of the house which, at the time of writing, is the property of the Armory association, next west of the Armory, on Canal street. The armory of the Columbian Grays was in Thayers hall, a building known at the present time as the Watananock house.
In the spring of 1842, in the minds of the ambitious military men of Nashua, the public good demanded re-enforcements to the militia of the village, and authority was asked for and granted for the organization of another company and under the leadership of the irrepressible Daniel M. Fiske ;
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HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.
the company was formed and known as the eleventh company, Washington Light Guards, seventy- five men, rank and file. The armory in the attic of the town house now became a busy place. Nearly every evening in the week it was occupied by one or more of the five military companies, for drill business and fun. The officers of the company were Capt. Daniel M. Fiske, Lieut. John M. Flanders and Ensign Henry P. Adams. Lieutenant Flanders was one of Nashua's successful contractors and builders living till the year 1875. There were frequent changes among the officers of the company during the eight years of its existence. Of the officers not before named were George W. Holt, David P. Barber, Edward M. Smith, Samuel T. Sawyer, Elijah T. Page, John Baldwin, R. G. Usher, and Anthony Walker.
The "Union Artillery," a company of forty or fifty lads whose ages would average about fifteen, was organized in the spring or early summer of 1847 or 1848. Their first public parade was made in June, when their soldierly deportment and perfection in drill attracted the attention of the older military gentlemen of Nashua and Nashville, who immediately adopted the juvenile corps by taking it into and treating it as a part of the military family of the two towns. The first officers were Capt. B. F. George, First Lieutenant Hiram Smart, Ensign Charles R. McClary. Lieutenant Smart was shortly afterwards succeeded by Henry M. Davis, who is now living and engaged in the freight department of the Boston & Maine railroad.
On the fourth of July following this first parade, the corps was presented with a beautiful silk banner by the girls employed on the Nashua corporation. This banner was received at the steps of the town hall, being presented by Miss Mary Moore of Hillsborough, N. H., and accepted by the commander of the corps, after which the young ladies were escorted in a body to the Central house, in Nashville, where a collation and festivities were indulged in till the close of the day. Many of the military men of that day were guests, among whom were Adjutant-General Peasly of the state, who was so well pleased with the little corps that he privately told Captain George that he had twenty-four cadet rifles and a brass four pounder field-piece in the state arsenal, then at Portsmouth, which he could have, and gave instructions how to proceed to get them. These arms were afterwards obtained, which were a decided improvement over the small iron cannon and a few small swords with which they had been armed.
C. C. Danforth succeeded Captain George to the command of the company, E. P. Copp succeeding Davis as first lieutenant. Captain Danforth subsequently became one of the leading citizens of Concord, where he resides at the present time. Lieutenant Copp was brother of Col. E. J. Copp. He removed early in the fifties to Madison, Wis., where he is now one of its oldest and most respected citizens.
The company in its early experience was indebted to Capt. Thomas Banks, Jr., for his services a drill master and instructor. This company existed about three years.
A cavalry company known as the Granite State Lancers was organized in the fall of 1850, led by. the intrepid Thomas G. Banks and the enthusiastic Daniel M. Fiske. All that is known of its history is soon told. We know that it lived, and in a few short weeks it died. Why its career was so short we know not. Probably, from the dying out of the military spirit of the public, the necessary support was not forthcoming. From 1850 to 1856 the military ardor of Nashua seems to have been at a low ebb. The following is from the Nashua Telegraph of Jan. 5, 1856:
"Capt. Thomas G. Banks has been appointed colonel of the bloody Fifth regiment, New Hampshire militia. The martial spirit has died out almost entirely among our young men. There is not, to our knowledge, a company in the state possessing real efficiency and discipline. All that remains of the military spirit is to be found in the bosom of the veterans like Captain Banks. We almost have some hope of the militia of the state; if there is a spark of life in it he would kindle it to a flame, and we don't know but he will galvanize the defunct institution into life."
The field and staff officers and non-commissioned staff of the Fifth regiment under the organiza- tion made in April, 1856, were all Nashua men. Colonel, Thomas G. Banks; lieutenant-colonel, Daniel M. Fiske; major, John H. Gage; adjutant, Samuel Tuck; quartermaster, A. H. Dunlap; paymaster, George H. Whitney ; quartermaster-sergeant, Samuel F. Crombie; sergeant-major, Joseph Andrews; drum major, Franklin Munroe; fife major, Silas Brackett; surgeon, Dr. W. A. Tracy; surgeon's mate, Dr. E. Colburn; chaplain, N. W. Willis.
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HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.
Mention has already been made of many of the above-mentioned officers. Paymaster George H. Whitney (see biography) has but recently died. Joseph F. Andrews, the sergeant-major of the regiment, was a contractor and builder. He built and lived until his decease in 1885, in the brick house on Main street next south of Holman's block. The house was recently purchased and torn down by S. D. Chandler. Major Andrews' reputation as a skillful builder was well-known throughout the state. He was for some years successful, but in building the state house at Concord the contract price was his ruin. Under a high sense of honor, which was ever characteristic of him, he deter- mined to fulfill his contract, and it was done, but under great financial pressure, borrowing many thousands of dollars to complete the work. This laid upon him a load under which he struggled for the remainder of his life. Entering the war in 1862, he was commissioned major of the New Hamp- shire cavalry and proved himself as brave in war as he was in peace. Through three years of war, fighting the battles of his country, he showed the heroism born of true patriotism in the struggle for the right. Although he died without wealth, who shall say that his life was not a success in the highest sense?
A company that became famous for the number of its members who went into the War of the Rebellion was the Granite State Cadets, organized in 1860. The uniform was cadet gray with black trimmings and white epaulets, Russian dogskin hat trimmed with braided white cord and white pompon with red top.
The first officers were George Bowers, captain; George H. Whitney and Jonathan Parkhurst, first lieutenants; B. Frank Kendrick and Otis Munroe, second lieutenants; Luther M. Wright, orderly sergeant.
On the departure of Captain Bowers for the seat of war, Captain Wright was commissioned to the command of the company. Among the members of the company were C. D. Copp, D. W. King, R. O. Greenleaf, J. Q. A. Warren, Tyler M. Shattuck, Q. A. Woodward, George S. Eayers, George H. Whitney, J. H. Dunlap, Edward Parker, M. A. Taylor, W. F. York, T. H. Wood, Charles Burnham, J. B. White, D. J. Flanders, E. P. Brown, C. A. Hall, J. M. Sanborn, L. W. Hall, J. M. Adams, John Spalding, Alfred Beard, H. M. Blake, A. B. Buswell, Julius F. Gage, W. M. Bowman, L. W. Goodrich, B. C. Buttrick, Wilder M. Gates, Thomas Nottage, E. B. Plummer, George D. Verder, J. G. Fifield, C. A. Hutchinson, A. W. Shepard, W. S. Richardson, Jack Willard, George Stearns, George Edgecomb, George H. Taggart, A. T. Young, C. W. Spalding, E. P. McIntire, M. H. Farnsworth, L. B. Ball, Silas Brackett, J. B. Eaton, C. C. Gove, Charles Lund, J. J. Shattuck.
A large proportion of the company enlisted for the war and did gallant service in the defense of their country, many of them holding commissions of various rank. Capt. George Bowers became the popular Colonel Bowers of the Thirteenth New Hampshire regiment. D. W. King, commissioned as first lieutenant in the Eighth New Hampshire volunteers, was promoted for gallantry to lieutenant- colonel of his regiment. C. D. Copp did gallant service in the Ninth New Hampshire regiment, first as lieutenant and the last two years as captain in command of the color company of his regiment. For deeds of special bravery few if any during the entire war excelled those for which he received from congress a medal of honor. J. Q. A. Warren was a captain in the Eighth regiment and fell upon one of the battlefields of Louisiana. Capt. T. M. Shattuck was also a brave soldier of the same regiment. Charles Burnham and D. J. Flanders both served in the Third regiment as com- missioned officers. L. M. Wright, George Eayrs and Edward Parker all served with credit.
The Nashua Telegraph of Oct. 13, 1860, has the following notice of the company's first appearance :
"No company ever made a more successful first appearance than the Granite State Cadets on Saturday last (Oct. 6, 1860). When it is considered that there has been no military here for these many years, and the spirit that used to keep alive four or five military companies in this city had entirely died out, their success is remarkable. They appeared with full ranks and acquitted them- selves like old soldiers; their marching would have done credit to an old company. Captain Bowers has attended most assiduously to their drill, and his zeal has been seconded not only by his associate officers but every member of the company has exhibited a determination to make a company which should be an honor to the city. The company is composed of men that will do honor to any station, and becoming soldiers, they are in no danger of forgetting that a true soldier is a true gentleman.
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They were accompanied by the Germania band of Boston, whose charming music excited the admiration of all listeners.
"The company dined at the Pearl Street house with a few invited guests among our citizens from whom they received the heartiest encomiums for their success in organizing so fine a corps, as well as for their fine appearance and excellent drill. In point of beauty and completeness of uniform and equipment, they rival the best companies in the large cities, and will equal them in discipline at an early day." The company continued its organization until 1865, taking part in the President Lin- coln funeral ceremonies at Concord. Soon after this the company was disbanded.
On Thursday, Oct. 11, 1860, the militia of the state went into camp at Nashua on the grounds of the Greeley farm on the Concord road about one mile from the city. The field was on the level green near the Concord railroad. The Telegraph of Oct. 13, 1860, has the following report of the muster :
"Thursday, the first day of the state encampment, 'Camp Goodwin,' dawned bright and beauti- ful, and after the stir of the day before, the streets appeared unusually quiet, until the trains begun to bring in the militia and their attendant hosts, and the noise of sonorous bands breathing martial sounds awaked the stillness of the hour. The scene reminded us of a muster morning in the palmy days of the ' Bloody Fifth.' The troops were ordered to appear on Railroad square but the line was formed at the camp by Adjt. C. E. Paige with promptness and put in working trim. The command was assumed by Col. John H. Gage and the business of the day proceeded with at once. The line consisted of the following corps :
"The battalian of Amoskeag Veterans, Col. T. T. Abbott, with Dignam's cornet band, with one hundred guns, occupied the right of the line and made a splendid display.
" The Mccutcheon Guards of New London, Capt. A. J. Sargent, with field music, thirty-three rifles, was a well disciplined corps. Captain Sargent was an officer in the Mexican War.
" The Minute Guard of Manchester, Capt. J. M. Bruce, with Barwick's drum corps, thirty-six guns.
"The Granite State Cadets of Nashua, Capt. George Bowers, with Baldwin's cornet band of Manchester, forty-two guns. Of the elegance and excellence of this company we have spoken else- where.
" The Lafayette Artillery of Lyndeborough, Capt. J. H. Tarbell, with field music, forty swords. This company is the only company in the state which has maintained its organization ever since the disbandment of the militia and it consequently has advantages over all others.
"The City Phalanx of Portsmouth, Capt. W. O. Sides, with the Portsmouth cornet band, forty guns. This company with their handsome uniform and bearskins, under an efficient officer, made a very fine appearance.
"The Sullivan Guards of Exeter, Capt. Charles H. Bell, with the Exeter cornet band, forty mus- kets. Captain Bell was an excellent officer and the company was well drilled. Their uniform was of cadet grey, very like the cadets.
"The Abbott Guards of Manchester, Capt. William Knowlton, field music, thirty-four guns.
"Hollis Phalanx, Capt. George P. Greeley, Brookline brass band, forty-two guns, grey coats, black pants. Considering its brief organization it appeared remarkably well.
" The Canaan Grenadiers of Canaan, Capt. Jacob Peters, field music, thirty-two guns. This com- pany has also been organized several years and was well drilled.
" The Union Volunteers of Danville, Capt. D. D. Currier, with field music, thirty-two guns.
" The Peterborough Light Infantry, Capt. C. A. Wheeler.
" The regiment of Governor's Horse Guards, Col. George Stark, commander, with Hall's band of Boston, on their fine stud of white horses, closed the line on the left. They mustered one hundred sabres and made a splendid appearance. Company A, Col. John H. George ; company B, Lieut. J. F. Andrews, commanding. The regimental officers were as follows: Colonel, John H. Gage of Nashua ; lieutenant-colonel, A. F. Stevens of Nashua ; major, Gilbert Wadleigh of Milford ; adju- tant, Charles E. Paige of Nashua ; quartermaster, William P. Ainsworth of Nashua ; paymaster, W. R. Wallace of Milford ; sergeant-major, William Barrett of Nashua ; quartermaster-sergeant. D. B. Fiske of Nashua.
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"In the afternoon the troops were inspected by Adjutant-General J. C. Abbott. General Abbott was accompanied by a staff appointed for the occasion consisting of Col. Otis Wright of Nashua, Col. Gilbert Hills of Amherst and Col. I. W. Farmer of Manchester.
"The first day's exercises closed to the entire satisfaction of all concerned and it may be set down as a perfect success. The most perfect order prevailed in the encampment during the day and night. The crowd in attendance was very large but generally very orderly.
" It may seem strange but it is true that the companies exhibited a far better degree of drill than was seen on the New Hampshire line in its palmiest military days. Then, when everybody trained, the drill was a kind of traditionary concern, some smart fellow, with a showy, dashing style, at the head of a company, was copied by all other companies in his neighborhood, and so we had a drill that had not the first principle of military science about it. This all died out with the militia itself and when it was revived the officers had to go to the books and none of the ridiculous nonsense of the old times has come up with it.
" The performances of the muster closed last (Friday) evening and all that we could say of the first day is to be more than said of the second. The muster has been a perfect success throughout. The general orders of the day were fully and most successfully carried out. The governor, attended by his suite, Brigadier-General Butler of the Massachusetts volunteer militia and his staff, Adjutant- General Schouler of Massachusetts, and Adjutant-General Abbott of this city, with his staff reviewed the troops. We repeat what we said in our first edition that we never saw so fine a military display in the state in the palmiest days of the militia. The drill was generally excellent and the marching in review was as steady as that of veterans. The Boston Ancient and Honorable Artillery and the Lowell Mechanics' Phalanx were a pleasant feature of the day and including them there were probably more than a thousand men under arms. They were received on Railroad square by a detachment consisting of the Amoskeag Veterans and Granite State Cadets and escorted to the encampment. It would be impossible to select one company for special commendation when all did so well. We can- not, however, help saying that the Amoskeag Veterans attracted great attention for their large num- bers, their discipline and the peculiarity and richness of their uniform. The Cadets of this city excited the admiration of all military men for the perfection of their drill. The Horse Guards, per- haps it is not too much to say, was the most prominent point of attraction and elicited the praise of all.
"During the encampment Governor Goodwin has made his quarters at the residence of General Stark, who on Thursday evening threw open his doors and a very large number of our citizens paid their respects to our excellent governor and his family; Major Reynolds of the navy yard, with his lady, Captain Winder of the United States army, with his lady, and Captain Tracy, who has recently returned from long service in Utah, with his lady, Mr. Dwight and his family, were also among the distinguished persons who honored the occasion with their presence besides very large numbers of distinguished gentlemen in political and social life.
"Most sincerely do we congratulate the military men who have spent their time and money so freely to get up this display, upon their perfect success not only as a military display but for the perfection of the arrangements for its successful carrying out, in all respects. We know that many people, who remember the disgraceful scenes of by-gone days, had misgivings in relation to it. But the men who controlled it determined that no such scenes should be present here, and aided by Colonel Banks, our chief of police, they were eminently successful. In the first place, all ardent spirits were excluded from the quarters and nobody was allowed to sell the stuff near the field. The result was that, although the crowd in attendance exceeded all previous occasions in Nashua, it is the testimony of all that a more orderly crowd was never seen. The police department had taken the pains to have present detachments of the detective force from Boston and other cities, but we are gratified to know that there was so little occasion for their services.
" We believe gambling was well suppressed in the neighborhood, though we understand that in the city there were some arrangements made for it.
"We were gratified to notice the interest taken in the encampment by all classes of our citizens without exception, and are tenfold more gratified that there was so little to offend the taste or senti- ments of anyone. The exercises closed by a grand ball of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery
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at Franklin hall. The hall had been very elegantly decorated for the occasion by some of our citizens."
The military chapter of this history would be incomplete without a reference to the Governor's Horse Guards, for no military organization in this or any other state embraced so large a portion of the most prominent men in the professional as well as the business life and activities throughout the entire state, and none ever came into notoriety with such a bound and attained such a reputation during the brief term of its existence.
The Governor's Horse Guards were incorporated in 1859. The first meeting of the grantees was held in the council chamber in Concord Nov. 10, 1859. There were present the following grantees : John H. George, A. Herbert Bellows, Benjamin Grover, William Walker, Josiah B. Sanborn and Edward H. Rollins of Concord, Adjt .- Gen. Joseph C. Abbott of Manchester and George Stark of Nashua. Thirty associates were elected at this meeting, among whom were John H. Gage, William P. Ainsworth, William F. Greeley and Dr. James B. Greeley of Nashua. Subsequently the following from Nashua were elected : H. T. Morrill, V. C. Gilman, J. F. Andrews, George W. Underhill, Rev. Martin W. Willis, Charles P. Gage, Samuel Tuck, Thomas P. Pierce, Norman Fuller, George H. Gillis, Samuel C. Crombie, John N. Ball, Samuel Chase, Samuel F. Wright, Gilman Scripture, George Bowers, Charles Williams, Charles E. Paige, Luther H. Clement, William Barrett, Thomas G. Banks, Isaac H. Marshall, Isaac Eaton, Frank A. McKean, Alford Fisher, Henry Parkinson, S. S. Davis and O. A. Woodbury. At the next meeting, the battalion was increased by seventy-seven accessions, among whom were David Gillis and Dr. J. G. Graves of Nashua. Jan. II, 1860, George Stark was elected colonel. The battalion was divided into four companies, A, B, C and D. Company B, composed mostly of Nashua men, as it was first organized, was officered as follows: captain, John H. Gage; first lieutenant, Bainbridge Wadleigh, Milford; second lieutenant, Joseph F. Andrews.
The first escort duty was performed June 7, 1860, at the inauguration of Gov. Ichabod Goodwin ; and the well known character of the men composing the guards as well as their elegant uniforms and equipments, contributed to make it an occasion of more than ordinary interest. Hall's band of Boston furnished the music. A fine picture of the event appeared in Frank Leslie's paper.
The next event of special interest occurred at Nashua, and is explained by the following order :
L. S. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, CONCORD, SEPT. 1, 1860. 1
GENERAL ORDER NO. 4.
TO COLONEL GEORGE STARK, Commander of the Governor's Horse Guards.
The commander-in-chief, with a view to promote improvement in the military of the state, has ordered an encampment at Nashua on the eleventh and twelfth of October next. He hereby orders that your corps parade on Railroad square in Nashua at ten o'clock A. M., on the eleventh day of October, and there await further orders.
The corps will appear fully armed and equipped, as required by law.
By command of His Excellency,
ICHABOD GOODWIN, Governor and Commander-in-Chief. JOSEPH C. ABBOTT, Adjutant General.
The Guards met in accordance with this order and performed escort duty for the governor and staff, during the encampment of the state militia on the grounds of the Greeley farm on Concord street, as has been elsewhere described in this work. Among its Nashua officers on this occasion were Dr. James B. Greeley, surgeon, and Franklin Munroe, drum major.
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