USA > New York > Cayuga County > History of Cayuga County, New York > Part 6
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seemed to require legal investigation. An inquiry developed the fact that the convict had been flogged repeatedly for inability to work, yet he could not work because of sickness. The agent and two inspectors of the prison resigned and Dr. Noyes Palmer was appointed agent, May 9, 1839. The mess table was restored and humane discipline inaugurated.
It has been claimed that the controversy over the prison affairs led to the defeat of the democratic party in the county at the election in the fall of 1838. However that may have been, it certainly developed much bitter feeling and was the cause of the publication, temporarily, of The Corrector, a weekly newspaper, the mission of which was to defend the prison authorities.
Some of the warlike sons of Auburn went into a foreign land to do doughty deeds in 1838. William Lyon Mackenzie had stirred up the Patriot War in Upper Canada, and had made a trip through New York State exciting sympathy for the Revolutionary party in his country. At Auburn he succeeded in organizing a lodge of "Reubens," as they were called, the members pledging themselves to go to the assistance of the Canadian rebels. It was a secret organization and Colonel Ward was the first presiding officer. Many such lodges were formed along the northern frontier of the state, and in November, 1838, a small army of "Reubens" made an attempt to capture Prescott, opposite Ogdensburg. Several Auburnians were with the attacking party, which was driven off. About two hundred rebels and invaders then made a stand in the old windmill, a short distance below Prescott, awaiting the assistance of the Canadians, who failed to come to their aid. Four men from Auburn were in the windmill: E. P. Senter, Oliver Lawton, Asa Priest and Bernis Woodbury. The windmill was assaulted by regulars and militia and the patriots were compelled to surrender, so that the four men from Auburn became prisioners. They were tried by court martial and sentenced to death, but through the intervention of Governor Seward, Senter and Lawton
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were permitted to return home, but Woodbury and Priest were transported to Van Diemans Land for twenty-five years. Priest died on shipboard but Woodbury lived through the quarter of a century in the British penal colony and returned to Auburn in 1864.
In the fall of 1838 William H. Seward, the most notable man that Auburn ever produced was elected governor of the state of New York, by the young Whig party. In 1839 two distinguished Americans visited the village. In the month of July of that year Henry Clay was entertained by the Whigs, and shortly afterward, Martin VanBuren, then President, was entertained by the Democrats.
Auburn occupied a prominent position in the state in those days. She had bravely met the financial calamities of 1837, indicating to other communities an expeditious method of meeting the emergencies of that disastrous time; Seward, her favorite son, was in the governor's chair at Albany; national statesmen recog- nized her political importance; and in the remarkable campaign of 1840 she was one of the principal theaters where was played the strange political comedy that characterized the presidential contest between the Whigs and Democrats that year.
But, that the people were not entirely engrossed in the problems of the hard times and in politics is evidenced by the fact that the Auburn Literary Association was organized in December, 1838. The society existed until the breaking out of the War of the Re- bellion which deprived it of many of its active members.
Outside of Cayuga County, few, to-day, are aware that Auburn was once one of the centers of silk culture and manufacture in the United States. For some time prior to 1837 a man named John Morrison, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, was connected with the carpet-weaving shop in the prison. He was thoroughly acquainted with the silk industry, having served an apprenticeship therein, in England and Scotland. Upon his suggestion the cultivation of the mulberry tree was commenced in and around Auburn. David West was the first to make the venture. He purchased two
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thousand mulberry buds and planted them in the spring of 1837. Others speedily followid his example, and the trees throve. Lorenzo Pease, a missionary in Cyprus, sent his father, Erastus Pease, a few hundred eggs of the silkworm, and cocooneries were built and the infant industry fairly started. The first crop of silk proved to be of superior quality, and the silk growers, elated with success, went into the business on a larger scale.
At first the silk was reeled and spun at home, but in 1841, the manufacture of sewing silk was begun in the prison, under Henry Polhemus, who was then agent and warden. A single throwing mill was started, but, by the end of the year, five were in operation, and in 1842 the number had increased to ten, and in 1843 two more were added. Only three silk mills in the country were then employing more operatives than the prison in the manufacture of silk, and Auburn was the principal cash market in the United States for cocoons and raw silk Mr. Polhemus paid cash for all he could get, and the certainty of a market induced farmers to turn their attention from other crops to the cultivation of the mulberry tree. Cocooneries were built in and around Auburn by the principal producers, but barns, sheds, and even their houses were used by small growers for the breeding and feeding of silk worms.
The product of the prison spindles was a soft, but strong and brilliant silk, which sold at seven dollars per pound. In comparison with foreign silk it did not suffer, even though it was manufactured on imperfect machinery by the inexperienced hands of convicts. Notwithstanding the quality of the silk, the industry was short lived in Auburn, and its downfall came from a peculiar cause. The merchants of New York City, interested in the import trade, fostered a prejudice against it, and the fact of its being manufactured by untrained and perhaps careless convicts militated against the best results in the manufactured products. At all events it lost prestige on the market, and in 1845 the price fell from seven to five dollars a pound.
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A blow was also given to the industry from another quarter- one recalling the story of the wooden nutmegs. When the demand for mulberry trees became so enormous as to tax the sources of supply, some Eastern speculators procured great quantities of slips from forests trees and sold them for mulberry sprouts to the unsus- pecting growers.
The purchase of cocoons and reeled silk was discontinued by the prison authorities, the spindles within the walls were stopped, and producers abandoned the culture of the crop. So, within five years after its inception, the industry died out in Auburn, and the best cash market for silk in the northern states was demolished.
In 1841 a notable movement was started in Auburn and Cayuga County, for the abatement of the intemperate use of intoxicating liquors. Distilling had long been one of the best paying branches of business in the village, but societies were formed which undertook with great earnestness to arrest its growth and at the same time reform inebriates. The aid of the law was invoked, and the courts, the trustees of the village and the poormaster joined with the temperance people to effect reforms. A notable society which took a prominent part in this crusade was "The Washingtonians" which gathered into its ranks all the temperance people and did effective work.
When Congress, in 1842, placed a tariff on woolen goods of foreign manufacture, an impetus was given to that industry in America. Then it was that some enterprising men in Auburn began to consider the proposition of establishing a woolen mill. The Outlet was ready with superabundance of power and the village lay in the center of a wool-growing district. In March, 1844, the matter was laid before a few prominent Auburnians by William H. Seward and others, with the result that it was decided to take immediate steps to start a woolen factory. William H. Seward Amos Underwood and Eleazer Hills were deputed to prepare articles of association for a manufacturing company with a capital of
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$100,000, and the corporation known as the Cayuga Factory was formed on April 1, 1844. The capital required seemed large for those stringent times, but the citizens viewed the project favorably and the necessary capital was subscribed in the belief that the enterprise would prove of great benefit to Auburn and Cayuga County, which produced annually about four hundred thousand pounds of wool. The company, however, did not progress, and the matter lay in abeyance until 1847. In January of that year, Harvey Baldwin, of Syracuse and Doctor C. D. McIntyre of Albany, both of whom were large stockholders in the big dam and contiguous property, offered to sell a mill site at a nominal price and also to subscribe $20,000 towards the stock of the company, if Auburn people would go ahead and build a mill. Then the Auburn Woolen Company was organized with a capital of $100,000. A site was purchased from the Auburn & Owasco Canal Company with one- third of the hydraulic power of the dam, and the erection of a mill was commenced the same year. But, when the building was completed there was no money left with which to purchase ma- chinery, so the capital stock was increased to $158,000. The mill began operations at once and for a time, was successful, but times changed and it passed into the hands of Philadelphia parties who then sold it to Bush & Munkittrick, who transferred it to C. N. Fearing in 1859. He operated the mill until 1863, and then organized the second Auburn Woolen Company with a capital of $100,000, which was subsequently increased to $200,000. Fearing was president of the corporation, and Wm. G. Wise was superinten- dent until 1868 when he was succeeded by Samuel Laurie. T. M. Clark is now superintendent of the mill which is owned by Eastern capitalists.
When the telegraph became an assured success a great impetus was given to journalism. In the month of May, 1846, telegraph lines reached Auburn and in that year two daily papers were started; one was the Cayuga Patriot and the other The Auburn Advertiser.
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In 1816 the Western Federalist, of which mention has already been made, passed into the possession of T. M. Skinner and William Crosby. They changed the name to the Auburn Gazette which was a well-edited paper, devoted to the policy of DeWitt Clinton. In 1819 the name was again changed and it became the Republican.
In 1824 the Free Press was started by Richard Oliphant, and was at that time the largest sheet published in the state west of Albany. It was in reality a Whig sheet, although that party had not yet come into existence, but it advocated the principles subse- quently adopted by the Whigs and later by the Republicans. It supported John Quincy Adams for president in 1828, and Henry Clay in 1832. The Cayuga Patriot was the Democratic organ and represented the leading politicians of Auburn who were then of that political faith.
In 1833 the Free Press and Republican united under the name of the Auburn Journal.
In that year also the Cayuga Democratic began its brief career, edited by Frederick Prince.
All of these were weekly publications, at first, but about the year 1838 semi-weeklies and extra editions began to make their appearance. It was not until 1846, however, that local daily papers were seen upon the streets of Auburn.
For a decade after the financial panic of 1837, Auburn, like the country at large, endured hard times, yet during all those years the village continued to grow. In 1835 the population was 5,368; in 1845 it had increased to 6,000; and in 1848 the estimate was 8,500. In the last named year the village received its city charter.
The first charter election was held on the first Tuesday in April, 1848, and Cyrus C. Dennis was elected the first mayor.
At the time of incorporation the city consisted of four wards, which were subsequently increased to seven and still later to ten. The charter has been revised several times.
GEN. WILLIAM H. SEWARD
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CHAPTER VII.
AUBURN AND THE CIVIL WAR.
It is not within the scope of this work to discuss the causes that led to the Civil War, nor to record the national events that char- acterized the four years' conflict. The story has been written more thoroughly and exhaustively than that of any war in the world's history. Every state in the Union has in its archives complete records concerning every regiment, company and soldier. They contain reliable information relating to all matters regarding the army and navy. The innumerable military organizations through- out the country have preserved the experiences of their members, and the thrilling stories of camp and field. These, with the official documents and records in the possession of the National Government form a vast treasure house of historic material relating to the Civil War. The province of this work is to briefly enumerate the organiza- tions from Cayuga County that, one after another, responded to the nation's call for defenders, and to note the more prominent local events related to the great rebellion. Auburn was the center from which regiment after regiment was recruited and sent to the front.
The echoes of the enemy's guns fired against Fort Sumter were heard all over the land and roused the patriotism of every loyal heart. The call to arms was promptly responded to by thousands of citizens who were ready and anxious to render service to their country. The Empire state, true to her record in the past, stood in the front rank with the loyal states in furnishing her quota of the 75,000 volunteers first called for by Abraham Lincoln.
Cayuga County acted promptly. One of her citizens, Captain T. J. Kennedy, had in fact anticipated this action of the Govern- ment by several months, and had written to Governor Morgan as early as January 6, 1861, for permission to raise troops. The
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Governor replied on the 17th of that month that, "If the necessity arises your services will be accepted." Captain Kennedy's was, undoubtedly, the first offer of military service from this section. The Captain, anticipating action, sent out at his own personal cost recruiting agents to the different villages in this vicinity-Aurora, Springport, Jordan, Seneca Falls, Skaneateles-and opened a re- cruiting office in Auburn, and he exerted every effort in his power to impress his fellow citizens with the existing danger.
Our citizens were slow, however, to believe that the rash act of secession would be followed by war, and Captain Kennedy was considered by some as too enthusiastic. He, however, proceeded in his work and on the day of the attack upon Fort Sumter had one hundred and seventy-five recruits drilling in an open field near the city. The events thus justified his sagacity, and wisdom, and he immediately applied to the Governor for arms and equipments; but they were not ready. The South had been actively preparing for war for over six months, while the North had remained idle, in fancied security. There were no guns, no harness, no general equipments for Kennedy's fine company of recruits. The Governor stated these facts and inquired if the men would accept rifles and go out as infantry. To this forty consented, and by energetic efforts on the part of the captain and his assistants, a full infantry company was enrolled which joined the Nineteenth Regiment at Elmira.
Efforts were made to recruit the Forty-Ninth Regiment to ten full companies, pending which the Legislature authorized the enlist- ment of twenty thousand volunteers and voted three million dollars to arm and equip them. This compelled the abandonment of the plan to fill up the old regiment, and efforts were at once directed to perfect organization under the State call.
The citizens of Auburn met at the Court House to devise plans in aid of enlistments, April 20, 1861, and while they were assembling the news reached them of the attack upon the Massachusetts troops
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in their passage through the city of Baltimore. The effect upon the people was electrical. General Jesse Segoine, C. S. Burtis, C. C. Dennis, T. M. Pomeroy, S. Willard, Richard Steel, Reverend D. K. Lee, E. B. Lansing, and others addressed the assembly, and their impassioned utterances aroused the people. They resolved to maintain the Union and give it every possible support. An im- promptu fund of four thousand dollars was raised for the support of the families of the volunteers, and its distribution was entrusted to Charles P. Wood, John H. Chedell, and the mayor of the city, George Humphrey.
The following Sunday, Auburn presented a scene of patriotic enthusiasm. At the several recruiting stations, large crowds assembled and many enlisted. The streets were filled with squads of soldiers under drill. Patriotic discourses were delivered in the churches and in one (the Catholic) sixty recruits left in a body and enlisted under Captain Gavigan. Three full companies were that day completed. Captain Kennedy had a surplus of fifty-six men who were transferred to a company being organized by Captain Theodore H. Schenck. Captain Charles H. Stewart in a single day, April 24th, recruited his company to the maximum strength. Captains Solomon Giles of Weedsport, James E. Ashcroft of Seneca Falls, Nelson T. Stephens of Moravia and James R. Angel of Union Springs were each at the time recruiting a company for the regiment then organizing.
The popular sympathy for the volunteers found expression in various ways; banners, swords, books, flags and pistols were presented with formal ceremonies to the several officers. The Sons of Tem- perance placed a splendid brace of pistols, with rosewood cases, in the hands of Captain Baker on the 22nd and on the same day, that officer was publicly presented with a sword. Captain Kennedy was presented with a brace of pistols, at the armory, on the 23rd. Cap- tain Gavigan, Captain Schenck and their lieutenants and under officers all were furnished with swords and revolvers by their
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admirers and friends. Captain Kennedy received a magnificent Bible from the Board of Education of Auburn, of which he had been a member, and his men were given one each. Captain Stewart was presented publicly with a handsome copy of the Book. Five companies had been mustered into the service and were awaiting orders to move. The movement began April 24th.
Fully eight thousand spectators witnessed the departure of the first battalion from Cayuga County for the seat of war. The com- panies that composed the battalion were those of Captains Baker, Kennedy, Schenck, Gavigan and Ashcroft, and their first destina- tion was the military depot at Elmira. The companies of Captain Stewart and Ammon were mustered into the service, May 6th, and proceeded also to Elmira.
The Nineteenth Regiment comprising the foregoing companies, was mustered into the United States service on the twenty-second day of May, as the Nineteenth New York volunteers, and was officered as follows:
Colonel, John S. Clark; Lieutenant-Colonel, Clarence A. Seward; Major, James H. Ledley; Adjutant, Henry M. Stone; Surgeon, Theodore Dimon; Quartermaster, John Chedell; Quartermaster- Sergeant, Dennis Scheil; Sergeant-Major, Charles Tomlinson.
The company officers were :
Company A-Captain, John T. Baker; Lieutenant, Charles White; Ensign, Martin Laughlin; Sergeants, Charles Tomlinson, John T. Potter, David McCreary, Barnett Nagle.
Company B-Captain, T. J. Kennedy ; Lieutenant, John Polson ; Ensign, Henry C. Day; Sergeants, Andrew Cowan, William H. Genett, David C. Hutchinson and William H. Barnes.
Company C-Captain, James E. Ashcroft; Lieutenant, Samuel C. Day ; Ensign, Charles B. Randolph ; Sergeants Charles C. Graves, Adolphus W. Newton, Alonzo Jordon, and Edward Manning.
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Company D-Captain, Owen Gavigan; Lieutenant, William Boyle; Ensign, Luke Bannock; Sergeants, Patrick Dwyer, and Daniel Downing, Patrick Handlan and Daniel McCarten.
Company E-Captain, Theodore H. Schenck; Lieutenant, David A. Taylor; Ensign, Edward C. Burtis; Sergeants, Henry F. Rider, Austin Haynes, Charles A. Henry and James Harris.
Company F-Captain, Nelson T. Stephens; Lieutenant, Watson C. Squire ; Ensign, Edward D. Parker; Sergeants, Edward B. Warren, David F. Bothwell, Barna C. Goodrich and Robert Haynes.
Company-G-Captain, Charles H. Stewart; Lieutenant, John Wall; Ensign, Antonio E. Robinson; Sergeants Lewis Manders, John White, Charles B. Quick and George E. Sherwood.
Company H-Captain, Solomon Giles; Lieutenant, Augustus Field; Ensign, Marquis D. Nichols; Sergeants, Chas. M. Whiteside, William A. Hedges, Willis Watson and Montraville M. Hedges.
Company I-Captain, John H. Ammon; Lieutenant, George W. Thomas; Ensign, Randolph B. Kimberly; Sergeants, Horace Silsby, William A. Kelsy, Thomas J. Lomore and James S. Fuller.
Company K-Captain, James R. Angel; Lieutenant, A. H. Carr; Ensign, Lester W. Forting.
The uniforms supplied to this regiment were made from cheap shoddy and called forth such a storm of protest from indignant citizens as led to a correction of this shameful attempt on the part of the manufacturers to make large profits at the expense of the soldiers.
At Elmira the regiment was presented with handsome regimental and national flags, sent by the the ladies of Auburn in care of Charles C. Dwight and B. F. Hall.
Northern people, generally, thought the war would be a trifling affair of short duration, and the first seventy-five thousand men were enlisted for only three months. It speedily became apparent
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that time would be consumed in recruiting, equipping and transport- ing the regiments to the field. So, on May 4th, President Lincoln issued a call for volunteers to serve for three years. The quota of New York State under this call, was 25,000 men, but they were not called for until July 25th, after the first battle of Bull Run.
On September 2nd, a public meeting was held in Auburn, at which Colonel John A. Dodge proposed a plan to establish a military depot in the city, and to arm, equip and drill soldiers here, and thus protect subsequent volunteers from such impositions by contractors as the Nineteenth Regiment had been forced to endure. The propo- sition was laid before Governor Morgan by Doctor Willard, T. M. Pomeroy; William C. Beardsley and Colonel Dodge, and the Governor authorized Colonel Dodge to carry out his plan.
These proceedings greatly accelerated the work of enlisting the required volunteers, as confidence was restored regarding the treat- ment the soldiers should receive.
Then the Seventy-Fifth New York Volunteers was raised. It mustered 900 men and, on November 30th left Auburn for New York City to report for active service.
The Field and Staff officers were:
Colonel, John A. Dodge; Lieutenant-Colonel, Robert B. Merritt ; Adjutant, E. B. Lansing; Surgeon, Michael D. Benedict; Quarter- master, Lewis E. Carpenter; Chaplain, Thomas B. Hudson.
The Company officers were:
Company A-Captain, Clinton D. MacDougall; Lieutenants, Robert B. Merritt, James H. Hinman; Second Lieutenants, Erastus E. Brown and B. F. Thurber.
Company B-Captain, Truman K. Fuller; First Lieutenant, Wm. H. Stevenson; Second Lieutenant, Anson Tuller.
Company C-Captain, Wm. H. Cray; First Lieutenant, Chas. Wilson Drew; Second Lieutenant, Augustus W. Benedict.
Company D-Captain, Chas. C. Dwight; First Lieutenant, Andrew S. Corning; Second Lieutenant, George D. Robinson.
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Company E-Captain, Luther Goodrich; First Lieutenant, Wm. L. Stanford; Second Lieutenant, Francis A. Hopping.
Company F-Captain, Henry Bates Fitch; First Lieutenant, William Ellis Avery; Second Lieutenant, Horace B. Fitch.
Company G-Captain, John E. Savery; First Lieutenant, Lewis E. Carpenter; Second Lieutenant, William D. Hamilton.
Company H-Captain, John Choate; First Lieutenant, Elbridge C. Miles; Second Lieutenant, James E. Whiteside.
Company I-Captain, Lansing Porter; First Lieutenant, E. B. Lansing; Second Lieutenant, William H. Hosmer.
The regiment was assigned to duty in the Department of the South.
Kennedy's Independent Battery was raised at the same time as the Seventy-Fifth. Captain, T. J. Kennedy received permission to raise the battery and had one hundred and twenty-five enrolled inside of sixty days. The organization was named "Kennedy's First Light Battery, N. Y. S. Volunteers," and was mustered into service for three years on November 23, 1861. Its officers were: Captain, T. J. Kennedy; First Lieutenants, Andrew Cowan and William P. Wright; Second Lieutenant, James A. Woodruff; Ser- geants, H. C. Vaughn, Nathaniel Thompson, O. Van Etten, James B. Wood, John E. Johnson and H. S. Steele. The battery left for the front on December 2nd.
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