History of Onondaga County, New York, Part 18

Author: Clayton, W.W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 840

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The first structure was meant to accommodate 150 pupils. Successive additions from time to time have now doubled its original capacity.

The buildings stand upon a bold terrace in a southwesterly direction from the city. They are just west of the city line in the town of Geddes, and about a mile and a quarter from the Syracuse Rail- road Depot. The grounds of the Asylum include about fifty-five acres.

The object and design of the Asylum is to furnish means of education or training to the idiots of the State who are of a teachable age and condition ; hence the customary age of admission is from seven to fourteen. The by-laws of the Asylum exclude applicants who are epileptic, insane or greatly deformed.

The education and training to which the pupils are submitted has reference mainly to developing in them a capacity for some useful occupation and the formation of correct habits.

The girls are trained to household occupations and the boys to farm and garden work and two or three simple trades. No inconsiderable portion of the work in the asylum and about the grounds, is done by the pupils.

The Asylum is under the general control of a Board of Trustees, eight of whom are appointed by the Governor, and the remaining five are ex officio members, consisting of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Comptroller and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Dr. H. B. Wilbur has held the office of Superin- tendent of the Asylum from its foundation.

CHAPTER XX.

ONONDAGA IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION- OUTHURST OF PATRIOTISM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR-FIRST ENLISTMENTS OF VOLUN. TEERS-CAPTAIN JOHN G. BUTLER'S COMPANY- PETTIT'S BATTERY.

T "HE late civil war, which had been threatened by the South, was precipitated by an attack upon Fort Sumpter, on Sunday, April 14, 1861. On Monday following Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebel- lion. Simultaneously war meetings were held all over the Northern States. In this county flags were raised in almost every school district. The patriotic spirit needed no urging ; such was its in- tensity that violence actually threatened the few open sympathizers with the South, who, not yet aware of the spirit of their neighbors, dared openly to express

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

sentiments of sympathy with secession. In a little while the voices of all such were hushed in the general outburst of loyalty and patriotism ; and men of all parties, with but few exceptions, forgot their political differences in view of the common danger which seemed to threaten the country. The flag of the Republic had been ruthlessly assailed and the very existence of the Nation was imperiled by armed treason and rebellion. In such a state of things the appeal made to the loyal North for de- fenders of the Union, accompanied as it was by the authentic announcement that Maj. Anderson's little garrison at Charleston had surrendered, and that a rebel flag waved from the ramparts of Fort Sump- ter, awakened the most intense excitement and called forth a response which, for promptness and alacrity, has never been equalled in the history of any nation.

The excitement in this locality was much the same as it was throughout the Northern States generally, except, perhaps, that it was more intense ; the strong anti-slavery sentiment of a large portion of the people being kindled into a flame by the first overt act of hostility on the part of the South. The county of Onondaga was behind no other portion of the Empire State in the promptness with which she furnished her quota of men and sent them for- ward to the seat of war. One company had been formed in Syracuse by Captain John G. Butler be- fore the beginning of the war, in 1860, and was sent on immediately after the attack upon Fort Sumpter and formed a part of the 3d New York regiment, which participated in the first battle fought for the defense of the Union. Immediately upon the call for the 75,000 men in April, 1861, the 12th Regiment was raised and sent to the front, to engage at once in active service. Then followed the 10Ist, a regi- ment made up partially of Onondaga men, in the fall of 1861; then the 122d Regiment in the summer of 1862 ; this was followed in less than a month by the 149th Regiment, and this again by the 185th, in the summer of 1864. The 15th and 22d Cavalry were respectively raised and sent from this county. Besides these Jenney's and Pettit's Batteries and a considerable portion of the Ist Regiment of Light Artillery were furnished from this county in 1861. The 3d New York Cavalry, mustered into the service in August, 1861; the Ioth Cavalry, December, 1861 ; the 12th Cavalry, November, 1862; the 20th Cavalry, September, 1863 ; and the 24th Cavalry, organized at Auburn and mustered in January, 1864, were in part made up by men from Onondaga county. Also part of the 9th New York Heavy Artillery. This county

and Cortland furnished eight companies of the 2d Regiment of Ira Harris Light Cavalry, recruited in September and October, 1864. In infantry, be- sides the full regiments, this county furnished a portion of the 44th New York, mustered in, in 1861 ; the 75th, 1861 ; the 86th, 1861; and the IOIst, 1861. The 193d Regiment was partly raised here in April, 1865, and the 194th, mustered in, the same spring.

Thus it will be seen that, besides the filling of the complete regiments made up from this county, recruiting was going on briskly here from the begin- ing to the end of the war. Indeed, it began before the war broke out, and continued so long as a man was needed to complete the last great struggle with the Rebellion in front of Richmond in 1865. We have no means of determining the exact number of men furnished to the Government, first and last, by this county, but the aggregate will no doubt ap- proximate 10,000 men. The county raised about 1,000 men over and above her quota.

CAPTAIN BUTLER'S COMPANY.

The tour of the Ellsworth Zouaves through the country in 1860, awakened an unusual degree of military enthusiasm. A Zouave company was im- mediately thereafter formed in Syracuse, of which John G. Butler was Captain, Samuel Thompson, Ist Lieutenant, and Edwin S. Jenney, 2d Lieutenant. The company was composed of about forty young men of some of the best families in the city.

Immediately after the fall of Fort Sumpter, the company tendered its services to the Government, and was at once recruited by Capt. Butler and Lieut. Jenney to the maximum number of 77, officers and men, and became Company D of the 3d regi- ment, N. Y. Vols.

Before it was mustered into the service Lieut. Jenney recruited another company in Oneida County, of which he became captain. This was or- ganized as Company I of the same regiment. The only other Onondaga County man in this company was Mr. Leon H. Ballard, its 2d Lieutenant.

Captain Butler's company was organized with John G. Butler, Captain ; C. H. Burdick, Ist Lieu- tenant ; Jay M. Wicks, 2d Lieutenant ; and was the first company organized in Central New York upon the breaking out of the rebellion.

Both Butler's and Jenney's companies proceeded about the middle of April, 1861, to the barracks at Albany, where the regimental organization was completed, thence to New York, where, after a brief encampment at the Battery, the regiment was or- dered to Fortress Monroe and incorporated with

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Gen. Butler's army. They had immediate experi- ence in active service, the famous movement on Big Bethel, the first actual battle of the war, being ordered June 9, 1861. Gen Butler had taken com- mand at Fortress Monroe at the head of 15,000 raw but gallant soldiers. It had been decided that no offensive movement should be made prior to the 24th of May ithe day after the farce of voting to ratify the ordinance of secession of the State of Virginia-the Government having apparently re- solved that no U'nion soldier should, on that day, tread the soil of Virginia, save within the narrow limits, or immediately under the frowning walls of Fortress Monroe. So Gen. Butler soon found ten or twelve thousand confederates in his front, under command of Gens. Huger and Magruder, both recently of the regular army, with earthworks and batteries, well mounted with powerful guns from the spoils of the Norfolk Navy Yard.

General Butler found his position so cramped by the proximity and audacity of the rebels, that he resolved upon enlarging his circle, and to that end seized and fortified Newport News, at the mouth of the James River. On the 9th of June he ordered a reconnaissance in force with a view of capturing the rebel position nearest to him, at Little Bethel. The camp here was found deserted, and General Pierce, in command of our force pushed on to Big Bethel, seven miles further, where they found Ma- gruder strongly posted with 1,800 rebel infantry behind his breastworks. General l'ierce, who had never seen a shot fired in actual war, planting his small arms in an open field opened an ineffectual fire, his balls burying themselves harmlessly in the rebel earthworks. This action was kept up about four hours-necessarily with considerable loss on our side and little or none on that of the enemy. Finally, a more determined assault was made by a part of our infantry led by Major Theodore Win- throp, Aid to General Butler, who was shot dead while standing on a log, cheering his men to the charge.

Butler's and Jenney's companies, composing the second division of the regiment, and being the fourth and ninth in rank, volunteered and were sent forward as part of the storming party in this first engagement of the war, and lost in proportion to any other troops engaged in the battle. They are mentioned in the reports for gallant conduct. The enemy's position was protected in front by a stream of water which made a successful assault impossible. Our total losses in the advance and attack were about 100 men, while the rebels report their loss at one killed and seven wounded.

Succeeding the battle of Big Bethel the compa- nies were kept at Fortress Monroe till after the battle of Bull Run, when the regiment was ordered to the Army of the l'otomac, but was, however, stopped at Baltimore and assigned to garrison duty at Fort McHenry.

In October, 1861, Captain Jenney, being author- ized to recruit a battery of light artillery, left the regiment.

On the 4th of February, 1863, Captain Butler was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the 147th New York Volunteers, organized at Oswego in September, 1862, of which Andrew S. Warner was Colonel. On the 24th of February, 1863, Lieutenant-Colonel Butler was promoted to the rank of Colonel of the regiment, which he com- manded in the field with distinction till failing health compelled him to leave the army. He was discharged on surgeon's certificate of disability, November 5, 1863.

The Adjutant-General's report says of the 3d regiment : "This regiment was organized at Al- bany, N. Y., for two years. It was mustered into the service of the United States May 14, 1861. The original members were mustered out on the expiration of their term of service, May 21, 1863. The regiment was reorganized in May, 1863, for three years, and finally mustered out in accordance with orders from the War Department, August 18, 1865.'

They were engaged in the following battles : BIG BETHEL, FORT WAGNER, BERMUDA HUNDREDS, PETERSBURG, FORT GILMER, CHAPIN'S FARM, FORT FISHER, WILMINGTON, N. C.

Jay M. Wicks, who went out as 2d Lieutenant, was promoted to ist Lieutenant February 26, 1862, and to Captain, October 4, 1862. He died, of wounds received in action, October 27, 1864.

Charles H. Burdick, ist Lieutenant of same coin- pany, resigned February 4, 1862.

Leon H. Ballard, 2d Lieutenant in Capt. Jenney's company, resigned September 25. 1861.

BATTERY B, FIRST REGIMENT NEW YORK LIGHT ARTILLERY, known as l'ettit's Battery, was raised at Baldwinsville and composed chiefly of Onondaga county men. It was mustered into the State ser- vice at Baldwinsville, August 24. 1861, and into the service of the United States at Elmira, August 31, 861.

On its arrival in Washington it was the first bat- tery to be fully mounted, and remained in camp in the vicinity of Washington till the spring of 1862. The record of its engagements during the war is as follows :

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Warrenton Function, Va., March 28, 1862. Fair Oaks, Va., June 1-28, 1862.

Peach Orchard, Va., June 29, A. M., 1862. Savage Station, Va., June 29, P. M., 1862. White Oak Swamp, Va., June 30, 1862. Malvern Hill, Va., July 1, 1862. Centerville, Va., September 1, 1862. Antietam, Md., September 15-17, 1862. Charlestown, Va., October 19, 1862.

Snicker's Gap, Va., November 3, 1862. Falmouth, I'a., November 17, 1862. Fredericksburg, Va., December 12-17, 1862. Chancellorsville, Va., May 1-3, 1863. United States Ford, Va., May 6, 1863. Gettysburg, Pa., July 2-3, 1863. Mine Run, Va., November 30, 1863. Spottsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864. North Anna, T'a., May 23, 1864. Tolopotomoy, Va., May 29, 1864. Bethesda Church, T'a., June 2-3, 1864.

Petersburg, Va., June 16-20, 1864.

Hatcher's Run, Va., October 27, 1864.

On the expiration of its term of service the original number, except the veterans, were mustered out, and the organization composed of veterans and recruits retained in the service. The regiment was finally mustered out by batteries in accordance with an order from the War Department, Battery B be- ing mustered out June 18, 1865.

The following were the officers of Pettit's Battery, with the record of promotions, &c. :

Captain, Rufus D. Pettit, rank from August 29, 1861, resigned May 30, 1863.

Captain, J. M. Rority, temporarily assigned to command July 2, 1863, killed at Gettysburg.

First-Lieutenant, Albert S. Sheldon, rank from August 29, 1861, promoted to Captain, July 27, 1863, wounded at Gettysburg, discharged December 16, 1864.

First-Lieutenant, Thomas O'Shea, not commis- sioned, resigned October 17, 1862.

Second-Lieutenant, Walter D. Pettit, rank from August 29, 1861, promoted to First-Lieutenant February 27, 1862, discharged April 29, 1863.

Second-Lieutenant, Robert E. Rogers, rank from November 12, 1861, promoted to First-Lieutenant March 6, 1863, promoted to Captain, December 30, 1864, mustered out with battery June IS, 1865.

Second-Lieutenant, Isaac B. Hall, rank from April 1, 1862 ; assigned to Battery A, December 24, 1862 ; promoted to First-Lieutenant, February 23, 1864 ; mustered out on expiration of term of service, October 31, 1864.

Second-Lieutenant, Edward H. Underhill, rank from January 4, 1862 ; assigned to Battery B, June 9, 1863 ; promoted to First-Lieutenant, August 26, 1863 ; assigned to Battery A, September 18, 1863 ;

promoted to Captain, December 9, 1864 ; mustered out with Battery, June 23, 1865.

Second-Lieutenant, John Gibson, rank from Oc- tober 14, 1863 ; assigned from Battery H, Decem- ber 15, 1863 ; promoted to First-Lieutenant, Sep- tember 27, 1864 ; mustered out on expiration of term of service, November 16, 1864.

First-Sergeant, Joseph B. Slauson, promoted to Second-Lieutenant, September 10, 1862 ; First- Lieutenant, April 29, 1863 ; wounded at Chancel- lorsville ; mustered out on the expiration of term of service, September 27. 1 864.

Quartermaster, Joel B. Frisbie, returned to ranks, December 3, 1861 : discharged, August 12, 1862.

Sergeant, DeWitt M. Perine, promoted to Second Lieutenant, October 20, 1864 ; First-Lieutenant, February 28, 1865 ; wounded at Gettysburg ; mus- tered out with Battery, June 17, 1865.

SERGEANTS-John M. Stephens, died, date un- known ; Harvey Cox, wounded at Chancellorsville, fate unknown ; Rufus B. Freeman, died July 25, 1862; Guy W. Plumley, died March 2, 1862 ; Charles H. Gates, wounded at Chancellorsville ; transferred to I. C .; Thomas Coyne, wounded at Chancellorsville ; taken prisoner and paroled ; Robert Maitland, returned to ranks January 31, 1863.

CORPORALS-James A. Skinner, promoted to Quartermaster-Sergeant April 26, 1862 ; declined commission as Second-Lieutenant August 12, 1864, with rank from May 1, 1864 ; discharged at the expiration of service.

Anthony Huyck, promoted to Sergeant, Decem- ber 14, 1862 ; First-Sergeant, December 24, 1862 ; discharged at the expiration of service.

Abram S. Attix,* promoted to Sergeant, Septem- ber 1, 1862.

Andrew J. Hooker, hurt by carriage at Gettys- burg, returned to ranks November 1, 1863.

Edward P. Lockwood,“ returned to ranks October 19, 1862.

Abiram W. Mathews, died at home.

Stephen Barber, died May 4, 1862.

George L. Elliot, returned to ranks May I, 1 862.

Robert R. Ramsey .*

James Galligher.

Michael Galligher,* returned to ranks.

John McSorley,* returned to ranks January I, I 863.

Allen F. Mallory,* bugler, returned to ranks January 1, 1863 : wounded at Gettysburg. ,

Thomas Mclaughlin,* bugler.

* Veterans retained in the service.

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Hendrick S. Wheeler," artificer. Alonzo C. Ketchum, artificer, returned to ranks. Sylvester P. Slade," wagoner.t

CHAPTER XXI.

" JENNEY'S BATTERY," - ITS ORGANIZATION WITHI THE THIRD NEW YORK ARTILLERY-SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY.

T HE Tenth New York Independent Battery, popularly known as " Jenney's Battery," was raised and organized in Syracuse by Capt. Edwin S. Jenney in the fall of 1861. Captain Jenney had entered the service at the very outbreak of the war ; he and Captain John G. Butler being the first to organize companies in Central New York immedi- ately after the fall of Fort Sumpter. As Captain of Company 1, 3d Regiment, New York Volunteers, he had seen enough of war to induce a decided preference for the light artillery branch of the ser- vice ; and becoming weary of the inactivity of gar- rison duty at Fort Mchenry, to which his regi- ment had been assigned after the battle of Big Bethel, he obtained leave of absence, returned to New York and received authority from the Gov- ernor to raise a battery of light artillery. He soon succeeded in raising the minimum number, and his command was mustered into the United States ser- vice as " The 10th New York Independent Bat- tery."

In Hall's " Cayuga in the Field " this organiza- tion is spoken of as follows :

" Of this number a full battery of 142 men was raised through the patriotic and vigorous efforts of Captain Edwin S. Jenney, a young lawyer in Syracuse, whose private purse furnished hundreds of dollars for the work. The Captain rented the upper stories of a large building on Salina street. He made Syracuse blaze with his banners and placards, and quickly gathered a band of the very best intelligence and blood. It was his intention to go into the army of the West, into which he had been led by friends to suppose he could be sent. He found, however, that he was required for the army of the Potomac, where, at that time, a rule existed that light artillery should be united into battalions, consisting of one regular and three volunteer batteries, commanded by the Captain of the regular battery. This entailed a sacrifice of independence and gave no chance of promotion. He consented, therefore, to an order of the State authorities to attach him to the 3d New York Artillery, as Battery ' F.' As such he was mustered in, December 18th, 1861, by Lieutenant J. R. Brinkle, 5th United States Artillery, at Syracuse.

Shortly after, he repaired to New York and lay at l'alace Garden Barracks some weeks, previous to going to the front. The Lieutenants of the com- pany were Alex. H. Davis, Gustavus F. Merriam, Paul Birchmeyer and James D. Outwater."

While at Palace Garden Barracks the battery was uniformed and furnished with rifles and the men were thoroughly drilled in infantry tactics, in order that, if necessary, they could perform such service until the battery should be equipped.

On the 21st of February, 1862, the Battery pro- ceeded to Washington, D. C., and the next day, with the rest of the regiment, which it had now joined, marched across the Potomac to Fort Cor- coran on Arlington Heights.

Here the battery remained with the regiment encamped, doing garrison duty and constantly drilling in infantry and heavy artillery tactics, until March 25th, 1862, when orders came to march to join Burnside's expeditionary army. They ar- rived at Annapolis the next day, and, on the 28th, embarked on the steamer Fulton for Hatteras In- let, where they arrived, joining Burnside's fleet on the 30th, and landing at Newbern, North Carolina, on the 2d of April, 1862. For some time Captain Jenney and Captain Morrison, of Battery B, were engaged in equipping and drilling their respective Batteries.

" By the ist of July, these Batteries had re- ceived their full armament. Both had a mixed lot of guns : B had two twenty-four pound howitzers, (brass), two twelve pound howitzers, (brass,) and two twelve pound Wiards, ( cannon and rifled ) ; F had two iron six pounders, two iron twelve pound- ers, and two howitzers. Horses were obtained principally from the baggage wagons of Massa- chusetts regiments. The old Bay State sent her regiments into the field with everything complete. A large number of her troops were in Burnside's army and their splendid teams were appropriated, as the emergency requiring them arose, to the use of the 3d artillery. By the first of November, however, Battery F was fully equipped with a complete armament of six Wiard rifled twelve pounder guns.

" The summer and fall of 1862 were spent in drill- ing the several companies in their respective roles as light and heavy artillery, in the perfection of the line of fortifications and in the ordinary routine of camp duties. *

" With only an occasional skirmish with the enemy until November of that year.""

From that time during most of its service the battery was kept actively at work. From the 3d to the 10th of that month it was with the army in its march upon Tarboro. While no battle occurred during this march, the discipline and fortitude of

* Veterans retained in the service.

t For roster of Enlisted Men See Appendix.

* Cayuga in the Field.

HISTORY OF ONONDAGA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

the command were constantly tried by the severity of the march, frequent skirmishes and the constant alertness necessary in the near presence of the enemy. If nothing else was accomplished by this expedition, it was of great educational advantage to the troops, for they were veterans ever after.

After this, until December IIth, the command had a resting spell. On that day, leaving only a small garrison at Newbern, the army began the march on Goldsboro. This expedition was planned in aid of the Army of the Potomac. General Hal- leck ordered that simultaneously with Burnside's crossing the Rappahannock, all the available forces at Newbern, should advance to Goldsboro, N. C., destroy the railroads and bridges, and so far as pos- sible, create a diversion in favor of General Burn- side. If it was supposed that this expedition would fight in three successive days three battles and two of them among the severest of the war, considering the number of men engaged, no mistake was made, for the battles of Kinston, Whitehall and Goldsboro are its history. It is not within the scope of our history to give the details of this march nor of these battles. The first two were the severe ones, and in both of them Jenney's Battery distinguished itself. At Kinston the point of our attack was the bridge crossing the river, and owing to the long range of its guns, this battery was at first placed upon a hill in the rear of our advancing troops, to fire over them and thus aid their advance. The enemy held their ground, however, with terrible stubbornness ; an almost hand to hand fight raged for hours ; when it was discovered that the enemy was being rëenforced by troops coming to their left flank, Jenney's Battery with two infantry regiments was ordered to hastily proceed to our right and cut off such rëenforcements if possible. Passing through thick woods they came into the open country too late to effect their object, but with the bridge and enemy full in view. The intermediate country had been drained by large trenches which seemed im- passable to a battery, but after a moments confer- ence between Gen. Hickman, who commanded the flanking brigade, and Capt. Jenney, the order to advance was given, and the Brigade in two parallel columns (the infantry in one and the battery in the other) moved at double quick and gallop through the trenches and across the field. No halt was made until the battery was within cannister range of the enemy. The report of the Wiard guns was well known to our army. The position of the field was such that this movement upon the flank was not known to our troops until the Wiard guns rang

out in quick succession, and a new musketry fire in the same locality told them the story. There was a momentary lull ; then a cheer rang along the line, an advancing shout, and the enemy's lines wavered and in a moment gave way and every man sought his own safety in flight ; while the battery turned its fire upon the bridge, now crowded by the retreating enemy, with fearful effect. Several hun- dred of the enemy sheltered themselves below the river bank and were captured. The enemy in re- treating, for the purpose of delaying our pursuit, fired the bridge with turpentine thus torturing to death many of their unfortunate wounded. The work of removing their charred remains occasioned more delay than extinguishing the flames, which was quickly done with the artillery buckets.

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History of Onondaga County, New York, Part 18

Author: Clayton, W.W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 840

Author: Clayton, W.W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 840