USA > New York > Erie County > Centennial history of Erie County, New York : being its annals from the earliest recorded events to the hundredth year of American independence > Part 41
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The census of 1860 showed a population of 141,971 in Erie county, of which 81,129 were in the city of Buffalo. It will be seen that there were then a trifle over 60,000, outside the city. In 1850 there were 51,224 in the country towns, aside from Black Rock, which had since been absorbed in Buffalo. The rate of increase in the city, (including Black Rock,) was sixty- three per cent .; that of the country, sixteen.
In 1860 came the great Presidential contest, the most impor- tant since the formation of the government. Of the four presi- dential tickets in the field, that headed by Mr. Breckenridge re-
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458
THE APPROACHING STORM.
ceived almost no votes in Erie county, and that by Mr. Bell very few. The vote of the county was substantially divided between Lincoln and Douglas, the former having a majority. Mr. Spauld- ing was reëlected to Congress, James Sheldon was for the third time chosen county judge, and Norman B. McNeal was elected county treasurer. The successful candidates for the assembly were S. V. R. Watson and Victor M. Rice of Buffalo, Benjamin H. Long of Tonawanda, and Zebulon Ferris of East Ham- burg. Hon. James G. Hoyt, having removed to Buffalo, was again elected a judge of the Supreme Court. The presidential elector from Erie county was John Greiner, Jr., of Buffalo. James O. Putnam was one of the electors at large, William C. Bryant, of New York city, being his associate.
Scarcely had the rejoicings of the triumphant party ceased, ere there came from the South murmurs of discontent and anger. How they swelled and increased through all that fateful winter, how State after State fell away from its allegiance, how the whole South resounded with preparations for war, need not be recounted here. It is a part of the nation's history. Here, as elsewhere throughout the North, men looked on in amaze- ment, hoping even to the last for peace, deeming it impossible that the lunacy of secession could ever ripen into the open mad- ness of armed rebellion. Few made any preparation for the event, yet nearly all were in that angry and excited condition which needs but a word to develop into the most determined action.
459
THE OUTBURST.
CHAPTER XL.
1861.
The Outburst. - Bombardment of Sumter .- The First War-meeting .- The First Volunteer Company .- The Militia Regiments .- First Troops Sent Forth .- A Difficult Task .- A Disgusted Soldier .- Organization of the First Erie Coun- ty Regiment. - The Twenty-first during the Year .- Formation of the Forty- ninth Regiment .- Its Departure, Organization, etc .- The One Hundredth Regiment .- The Springville Company .- County Officers, Supervisors, etc .- The Erie County Member of Congress .- Origin of the Greenbacks.
On the 15th of April the spark came. The Buffalo morning papers contained the news of the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter. Everywhere men were seen scanning the fateful lines with eager gaze, and denouncing to each other the inexcusable treason. All business was at a stand-still, save at the printing offices, which every hour sent out new editions con- taining the latest details, which were instantly purchased by the excited crowd.
Soon there appeared a call for a meeting at the old court- house, at 712 o'clock that evening, to organize a body of "min- ute men " for immediate service. Early in the evening great numbers came hurrying toward the venerable temple of justice. The court-room was soon filled, and Eli Cook was elected chairman of the meeting. In an eloquent speech he declared that the time for discussion had passed, and that all must now work together to save their imperiled country. But the people came surging in, in such numbers that it was found necessary to adjourn to Kremlin Hall, and still again to the street, in front of the American hotel. After fiery speeches had been made by prominent men, it was announced that a roll was at the old court-house, ready for the signatures of volunteers. Away rushed the crowd, and so great was the press that it was with difficulty men could get to the table to sign. A hundred and two names were taken that evening.
On the succeeding days there were similar scenes of excite- ment, meetings of citizens, and enrolling of volunteers. On the
460
OFF FOR THE WAR.
18th, General Scroggs called a meeting of those who had en- rolled their names. A portion of them were then organized into the first volunteer company of Erie county. They elected William H. Drew as captain, R. P. Gardner as first lieutenant, and E. R. P. Shurley as second lieutenant.
Meanwhile the news flew into every village, and hamlet, and farm house, in the county, and everywhere awakened the same feelings of indignation and patriotism. Owing, however, to the predominant influence in the affairs of Erie county, naturally obtained by the great city within its borders, separate action was not at first generally taken by the towns in organizing vol- unteers, but their young men began hurrying toward Buffalo to enroll themselves as soldiers of the Union.
The militia regiments also began to prepare for whatever ex- igencies might arise. In response to an inquiry of the gover- nor, Col. Chauncey Abbott, of the 67th, reported two hundred and fifty men ready for duty. The 74th and 65th regiments established recruiting offices in the city. The people subscribed thirty thousand dollars to provide for volunteers and their fami- lies, and the common council appropriated fifty thousand more.
Nearly a hundred prominent, elderly citizens enrolled them- selves as a company of " Union Continentals." The old conti- nental uniform was adopted, and ex-President Fillmore was chosen captain.
On the 3d of May four companies had been organized, which then left for Elmira. Nearly all Buffalo turned out to see them off. The Union Continentals acted as escort. These were mostly tall, hale old men, and made a remarkably fine appear- ance as they marched down the street, with the stately form of the ex-President at their head. At Niagara Square an immense assemblage greeted the departing warriors, and a fag was pre- sented to them by Miss Juha Paddock, on behalf of the Central School. Gen. Scrogys responded, and thirty-four young ladies sang tlie "Star Spangled Banner."
Then the drums rattled, the newly made soldiers with their venerable escort marched to the depot, the former embarked on the cars, ten thousand farewells were spoken, and amid cheers, and tears, and blessings unnumbered, the first body of Erie county volunteers left their homes, to defend the nation's life.
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A DIFFICULT TASK.
I will endeavor in the next few chapters to give a sketch of their course, and of that of their thousands of gallant followers, in the terrible struggle on which they were entering. Yet I must confess that this is the most difficult part of my task. One would think that it would be comparatively easy to de- scribe events of such recent occurrence. It rather seems, how- ever, as if a certain amount of distance was necessary (the same as in looking at a picture) to give clearness to the view. Had I shared the experience of the Erie county soldiers in their Vir- ginia and Carolina campaigns, memory might have aided the de- scription. But, though a native and most of my life a resident of that county, my service throughout the war was in the ranks of a Kansas regiment, in the southwestern army. So I can only hope that some general knowledge, thus gained, of the ways of war, may tend to give a little vivacity to the tale.
But it is extremely difficult to make a brief yet entertaining story out of the exploits of single and widely-separated regi- ments, surrounded by the mighty throng of their comrades, who went forth to battle for the Republic. It would be impossible to give even a sketch of the operations of our grand armies, without occupying ten times too much space, and yet without some such sketch, a condensed report of the operations of a regiment here and there will necessarily have a somewhat dry appearance. The account of the Erie county regiments is almost entirely derived from the histories of them heretofore published, respectively, by Mr. Mills of the Twenty-first, by Major Stowits of the One Hundredth, and by Captain Clark of the One Hundred and Sixteenth. Other sources of information have been utilized as far as practicable, but, after doing my best, I feel that I have only given an idea of the achievements of our Erie county soldiers. I do not pretend to have done them justice.
While the first volunteers were organizing and setting forth, the 74th militia regiment was in a state of inglorious uncer- tainty. At first its members expected to be sent to the field as a regiment, for a short term, and were eager for the fray. Then there were days of doubt. Then came an order to march, and the enthusiasm rose to fever heat. Everywhere the men of the 74th were joyously preparing for immediate departure, and their
462
THE FIRST ERIE COUNTY REGIMENT.
female friends were busily aiding their preparations. Suddenly the order was positively revoked. No militia regiments were wanted. The men of the 74th went sadly to their homes, or angrily about the streets. An amusing anecdote is told of George M. Love, afterwards General Love, then a private in Co. D, of the Seventy-fourth. Hearing of the order of revocal, he rushed home, flung himself into a chair and burst into tears.
"What is it ?" "What's the matter ?" exclaimed his alarmed sisters.
"We ain't going ; we ain't going," was the only reply.
That there was but little " buncombe " about the manifesta- tions of the 74th is shown by the subsequent facts. Immediate steps were taken to enter new organizations for a long term. Company F. numbering eighty-five men, under Captain George De Witt Clinton, at once volunteered, to a man. Five more companies of the 74th were speedily transformed into volun- teers. On the 11th of May, the six new companies left to join the other four. Similar manifestations of regard attended their departure, and Eagle hose company escorted them to Elmira.
Immediately after their arrival, the ten companies were organ- ized into a regiment. The line officers had been elected by the men, and the former in turn chose the field and staff. In those early times, the officers thus selected were commissioned without hesitation by the governor. The colonel and major had been the captains, respectively, of companies C and A.
The following is a list of the officers :
Colonel. William F. Rogers; lieutenant-colonel. Adrian R. Root: major. William H. Drew: adjutant. C. W. Sternberg : surgeon. H. P. Clinton : assistant surgeon. J. A. Peters : chaplain. John E. Robie. Co. A. captain. Robert P. Gardner : lieutenants, Levi Vallier and Charles S. McBean. Co. B. captain. Henry M. Gaylord : lieutenants. Algar M. Wheeler and James J. McLeish. Co. C. captain. J. P. Wash- burn : lieutenants, Allen M. Adams and John H. Canfield. Co. D. captain. William C. Alberger: lieutenants, George M. Baker and Wil- liam F. Wheeler. Co. E. captain. James C. Strong : lieutenants. Charles E. Efner and Thomas Sloan. Co. F. captain. George De Witt Clinton : lieutenants. Thomas B. Wright and Charles B. Darrow. Co. G. cap- tain. Edward L. Lee : lieutenants, Daniel Meyers, Jr .. and J. E. Berg- told. Co. H. captain. Elisha L. Hayward : lieutenants. Samuel Wilke- son and Hugh Johnson. Co. I. captain, Horace G. Thomas : lieuten- ants. Abbott C. Calkins and William O. Brown. Ir. Co. K. captain. John M. Layton : lieutenants. Augustus N. Gillett and John Nicholson.
·
463
THE TWENTY-FIRST DURING THE YEAR.
The regiment then numbered 791, all told, and probably every man was from Erie county. After organizing, they were mus- tered into the United States service for two years. They had enlisted for that time. but some of them had since imbibed the idea that, they were to serve for only three months. Conse- quently there was some dissatisfaction, which showed itself more strongly at a later date.
The regiment remained at Elmira till the ISth of June, when it was sent to Washington. In July it was stationed at Fort Runyon, on the Virginia side of the Potomac, and was there when the battle of Bull Run gave the Union soldiers their first taste of real war.
When three months from the time of enlistment had expired, a portion of the men, for whom war had lost its romance, were unwilling to continue in the service. When it came to the test. however, only forty-one refused to do duty. These were arrested. permanently separated from the regiment, and sent to Fort- ress Monroe. Some time later they unanimously consented to return to duty, but were assigned to another regiment.
The last of August, the 2Ist was assigned to Wadsworth's bri- gade, McDowell's division, and during the rest of the year con- tinued in the vicinity of Washington, preparing under the eyes of Mcclellan for the hour of deadly strife. Eighty-four men died or were discharged before the end of the year, and sixty- four recruits took their places.
Several changes took place among the officers. Capt. Alber- ger and Lt. Wheeler were transferred to the 49th New York. Lts. Gillett and McBean resigned. Lt. Baker was made captain of Co. C. Sergeant James S. Mulligan 2d lieutenant of Co. K. Sergeant George L. Remington 2d lieutenant of Co. C, (vice Canfield transferred,) and Sergeants Byron Schermerhorn and Henry C. Beebee, lieutenants of Co. D. Sergeant-major George M. Love was transferred to another regiment as Ist lieutenant.
Meanwhile Erie county was sending forth other gallant bands to maintain the honor and preserve the existence of their country. In the month of July Daniel D. Bidwell, long known as the commander of Buffalo's pet militia corps, Co. " D." obtained au- thority to raise another regiment. On the 30th of that month
464
THE FORTY-NINTH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
he issued his first recruiting commissions. Others were soon sent out, several being furnished to citizens of Chautauqua county.
By the 16th of September, though the new regiment was not quite full, it had enough men so that it was ordered to New York. "Captain " Fillmore's continentals again acted as escort, assisted by other military organizations, and the people again assembled in crowds to bid their defenders enthusiastic adieu. Arriving at New York, some detachments were consolidated, a Westchester county company was added, the officers were com- missioned, and the regiment was ready for the field, under the name of the Forty-ninth New York volunteers. Daniel D. Bid- well was colonel, and William C. Alberger lieutenant-colonel. The major was George W. Johnson, a veteran of the Mexican war, and latterly adjutant of the 74th militia. The staff con- sisted of Henry D. Tillinghast, quartermaster ; William D. Bullymore, adjutant; James A. Hall, surgeon; William W. Pot- ter, assistant surgeon ; and Rev. John Bowman, chaplain.
Of the companies, four were from Erie county, four from Chautauqua, one from Niagara, and one from Westchester. The officers of the Erie county companies were as follows :
Co. B, captain, J. F. E. Plogsted ; lieutenants, Frederick Von Gayl and William Würtz. Co. D, captain, William F. Wheeler ; lieutenants, George H. Selkirk and Peter A. Taylor. Co. E, captain, Reuben B. Heacock (son of the pioneer merchant) ; lieutenants, George W. Gil- man and William Ellis. Co. F, captain, Erasmus W. Haines ; lieuten- ants, Charles H. Bidwell and Charles H. Hickmott.
The last of September, the 49th went into camp near Lewins- ville, Virginia, where they remained till the next spring, engaged in making the usual preparations for the time of trial.
In August, 1861, steps were taken to raise still another Erie county regiment. On the 19th of that month, Gen. Scroggs re- ceived authority to enlist four regiments. Of these he intended that one should have its recruiting headquarters at Buffalo, and the others in the eastern part of the State. The general named them the "Eagle Brigade," but they were never actually bri- gaded together.
On the second of September General Scroggs issued the first recruiting-order to Capt. Moore, of Genesee county. During that month and the next he issued nine more recruiting-orders, all to residents of Buffalo, except one to Capt. Payne, of North
465
STILL ANOTHER REGIMENT.
Tonawanda, and one to Capt. Nash, of Springville The au- thority was given to the latter (and several others) on the 18th of September. The captain was a young law-student of Spring- ville, only twenty-two years of age, but stalwart of form and prompt in action. That pleasant little rural village, and the towns of Concord and Sardinia, sprang energetically to the work of filling up this company of their own, and on the 25th of Sep- tember, just a week after Captain Nash received his authority, his company, with full ranks, attended by the cheers of men and tears of women, marched out of Springville for Buffalo. It was the first company filled up in the new regiment, and its young commander was, therefore, the ranking captain. It was, also, the first of the few Erie county companies entirely enlisted outside of the city, and the ease with which it was raised tends to show that good effects would have resulted, if more recruit- ing-orders had been issued to men in the country towns.
James M. Brown, a Scotchman by birth, a lawyer of James- town, who had served through the Mexican war, and had raised the first company enlisted in Chautauqua county, was selected by General Scroggs as colonel of the new command. Phineas Staunton, then an artist of New York city, but originally from Genesee county, and a son of the gallant soldier whose services in the war of 1812 will be remembered by my readers, was se- lected as lieutenant-colonel, and Calvin N. Otis, an architect of Buffalo, as major. The regiment, however, was not filled up and its officers mustered into service, till the next year.
One of the most famous of Erie county organizations was " Wiedrich's Battery." It was formed in August, 1861, as Bat- tery I, of the First New York artillery, but acted as a separate organization during the greater part of the war. It had a hun- dred and forty men and the following officers : Captain, Michael Wiedrich ; first lieutenants, Nicholas Sahm and Diedrich Erd- mann ; second lieutenants, Christopher Schmidt and Jacob Schenkelberger. It was composed entirely of Germans, and, on many a hard fought field, well maintained the reputation for stubborn courage of men of that nationality. The battery left Buffalo for the front on the 16th of October. Arriving in Vir- ginia, it was attached to Blenker's division, but remained mostly in camp during the winter of 1861-2.
466
VARIOUS COMPANIES.
Besides these commands, there were several separate compa- nies raised in Erie county, for regiments whose headquarters were elsewhere. Among these was Co. A, of the 44th New York volunteers, commonly called the "Ellsworth" regiment. Edward P. Chapin, a young lawyer of Buffalo, was captain, George M. Love first lieutenant, and Benjamin Kimberly second lieutenant. Its members were scattered through the county, and I have no special record regarding it.
Co. A, of the 64th New York volunteers, was almost entirely raised in Collins, Erie county, and Persia, Cattaraugus county, the major portion coming from the former town. Rufus P. Washburn was captain, and Albert Darby and James M. Pettit lieutenants. Four companies of the Tenth New York cavalry were also partially recruited in Erie county. Their captains were Norris Morey, Albert H. Jarvis, John Ordner, and Wilkin- son W. Paige. Among the multifarious calls upon my time, I have been able to learn little regarding those companies that were attached to outside regiments. All that I know of the Tenth cavalry is that it fought in the army of the East, and at one time suffered severely. I am informed that there is more than one family in the south towns which has lost three mem- bers in the Tenth New York cavalry. Co. M, of the Eleventh cavalry, was also raised in Erie county. It went to the front under Captain John Norris, (who was discharged for wounds,) and was mustered out under Lieutenant Thomas Mitchell.
There was but little talked of, or thought of, during that first war-summer, save the news from the front and the raising of troops to go there. As the fall election approached, the issue was distinct between the Republican and Democratic parties.
Notwithstanding that the Republicans swept the State by over a hundred thousand majority, and although they had carried the county the two previous years, yet this time the Democrats were at least partially successful. John Ganson was elected State senator, Robert H. Best sheriff, and Charles R. Durkee, of Alden, county clerk. The assemblymen chosen at the same time were John W. Murphy and Horatio Seymour of Buffalo, Ezra P. Goslin of Newstead, and John A. Case of Holland. The following is a list of the supervisors :
Amherst, Charles C. Grove; Aurora, Seth Fenner ; Alden, Andrew
467
ORIGIN OF THE GREENBACKS.
P. Vandervoort ; Boston, George Brinley ; Brant, Thomas Judson. Buffalo, Ist ward, John O'Donnell; 2d ward, J. K. Tyler ; 3d ward, Joshua Barnes ; 4th ward, -; 5th ward, Orrin Lockwood; 6th ward, Joseph Davis; 7th ward, George Reichert ; 8th ward, James Ryan; 9th ward, Albert Sawin; toth ward, Joseph Candee ; 11th ward, Thos. R. Stocking ; 12th ward, Jacob Reichert ; 13th ward, Aaron Martin. Cheektowaga, Eldridge Farwell ; Clarence, David Woodward ; Colden, Nathan C. Francis ; Collins, Elisha W. Henry ; Concord, S. W. God- dard ; East Hamburg, Ivory H. Hawkins ; Eden, Lyman Pratt ; Elma, Zina A. Hemstreet ; Evans, James Ayer ; Grand Island, Ossian Bedell ; Hamburg, Hoel White; Holland, Nathan Morey ; Lancaster, Newstead, Ezra P. Goslin ; Marilla, Harrison T. Foster ; North Collins, Wilson Rogers ; Sardinia, James Rider ; Tonawanda, Emanuel Hens- ler ; Wales, John McBeth ; West Seneca, J. C. Langner.
On the assembling of Congress in December, the member from Erie county, Mr. Elbridge G. Spaulding, was placed on the most important committee of the house, that of ways and means, of which Thaddeus Stevens was chairman. That committee soon constituted two sub-committees from among its members, to one of which all subjects were referred relating to the making of loans, the issuing of treasury-notes and the creation of a currency. Of the latter Mr. Spaulding was chairman.
The secretary of the treasury had, in his report, opposed the issuing of treasury-notes, and had recommended that the entire money of the country, aside from coin, should be furnished by national banks. At the request of the secretary, Mr. Spaulding drew up a bill embodying these views, but, while doing so, be- came convinced that such a currency could not be made availa- ble quick enough to meet the enormous and pressing demand for money. He therefore drafted a legal-tender, treasury-note section, which the urgency of the case soon caused him to change into a separate bill, which he introduced into the house of repre- sentatives on his own motion, on the 30th of December, 1861. It provided that, for temporary purposes, the secretary of the treasury was authorized to issue $50,000,000 of treasury-notes, payable on demand, of denominations not less than five dollars, which should be a legal tender for all debts public or private, and which should be exchangeable for the bonds of the govern- ment at par. This was the germ of the vast "greenback " currency of the United States.
468
MR. SPAULDING'S TREASURY-NOTE ACT.
CHAPTER XLI.
1862.
Establishment of the Treasury-Note System .- The Twenty-first Regiment. - Its First Battle .- A Glowing Description. - Severe Loss .- South Mountain and Antietam .- The Twenty-first at Fredericksburg .- The Forty-ninth on the Peninsula. - In Battle at Antietam .- Alberger and Ellis .- Roster of the One Hundredth. - It goes to the Front. -- The Regiment at Seven Pines. - " Charge. the One Hundredth."-Severe Loss .- Death of Col. Brown .- Action of the Board of Trade .- Record of the One Hundredth during the rest of the Year. -Organization of the One Hundred and Sixteenth .-- Its Officers .- Wiedrich's Battery at Cross Keys .- Its Gallantry at Bull Run. - Political Matters .- A Democratie Victory .- County Officers, etc .- The Buffalo Historical Society.
I will devote a little more space to the financial system which, whatever its defects, carried the country through the war, and in the adoption of which the representative of Erie county bore so important a part. The committee of ways and means was about equally divided in regard to it, and it was severely criticised by some financiers. To such critics Mr. Spaulding had, in substance, but one reply :
" Show us a better way. We shall be out of money in a very brief period. Taxes cannot be raised in time. A national-bank act cannot be put in operation in time. What is to be done ?"
Most of those who were in earnest in support of the govern- ment either favored the bill from the first, or were convinced by Mr. Spaulding's cogent statement of the case. After considera- ble hesitation, the secretary of the treasury gave his assent to it, and a majority of the committee of ways and means reported it to the house. There it was strongly opposed, not only by lead- ing Democrats but by a few Republicans. While it was under discussion, Secretary Chase became urgent in its favor, as he found he had no other means to carry on the government. The amount of currency provided for was changed to $150,000,000, and a section was added providing for $500,000,000 of Unit- ed States bonds, in which these legal-tender notes should be fundable.
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