USA > New York > Staten Island > History of Richmond County (Staten Island), New York : from its discovery to the present time > Part 29
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"Col. Barrett, Supervisor of Castleton, and Hon. Thomas Child, of Northfield, visited the recruiting station almost daily and remained several hours. The attention they gave to the inatter and the vigilance they exercised considerably facilitated the operations, although we understand that many men were fleeced of their money almost under their very eyes, and they were quite unable to prevent it in consequence of want of power
over the physician and the mustering officer in charge.
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"A sight of the cormorants, vultures, harpies, blacklegs, loafers and swindlers who have held high carnival in and about the recruiting station ever since there were men to be gulled and robbed, and tricks to be played, would have disgusted any one but his infernal majesty himself. Nor were these vile char- acters all imported, but some of our own citizens, slyly at first, and then more openly, indulged in similar practices, and to their lasting shame be it said, greedily grasped at and got a share of the spoils. Men of mature years, men of respectability as the world defines the term, came to look upon an association with the lowest grade of society, and the reception of a hand- ful of bank notes from unfortunate wretches whose families at that moment lacked bread, as a thing quite unobjectionable ! As there is now nothing left to pick but the bones, we trust the creatures will disperse, and that such a crew will never assem- ble again on this side of Tophet."
The various sums authorized to be raised on bonds of the county for the purposes of the war at different times were as follows, the dates given indicating when the resolutions were passed by the board of supervisors :
Aug. 22, 1862, for relief of volunteers' families $20,000
Dec. 16, "' 20,000
Aug. 25, 1863, for relief of drafted men 50,000
Sept. 9, 25,000
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY,
Dec. 29, 1863, to obtain volunteers 125,000
Feb. 13, 1864, 180,000
July 28,
bounties for volunteers 250,000
Jan, 28, 1865, for filling the quota
75,000
Feb. 16,
75,000
Feb. 25, 66 65
75,000
Total amount $895,000
Not only in the disbursement of funds for the relief of its citizens and the support of dependent families of volunteers, but in supplying the strong arm of her native citizens to fight the battles of their country, Staten Island bore her full propor- tion of the burdens of the war. Material was furnished to forty- five regiments of infantry, six regiments of artillery. and four of cavalry, besides some to the contingents of other states. The island was more especially represented in the Empire brigade. where it had nearly two companies ; in the Excelsior brigade of the army of the Potomac ; in the Eighty-second, One hun- dred and Thirty-third, One hundred and Fifty-sixth and One hundred and Seventy-fifth New York infantry ; in Serrell's famous Engineer regiment in the far West ; in the old Seventy- ninth "Highlanders " ; in the "Mounted Rifles" ; in the Fourth artillery ; and in the Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, and Fifty- third " Zouaves." According to careful estimates more than eight hundred men joined the army from this county. Of this number, who left their homes full of health and vigor, it is esti- mated that about one hundred and eighty fell on the field or died of sickness or wounds in our camps. Nearly forty were brought back here to be buried among their kindred.
The Seventy-ninth Highlanders, N. Y. S M., left New York for Washington on Sunday, June 2, 1861, having, in one company connected with it, the following men from Staten Island : John W. Morse, Herman C. Buecke, Walter N. Brown, Theodore Hall, George II. McCready, William White, J. J. Thaxter, A. Miranda, Rheinhart Snyder, Richard Wall, James Bancker, Edward Bancker, John Coughic, David Wilkins, Benjamin Wilkins. Daniel Beatty, William B. Lusch, William Simon- son, Edward Barker, James Breen, Edward Brice, Michael Kirkman, Robert Kelly, Patrick Carlin, Bernard Scanlon, Thomas McAdams, George Howarth, David Howarth, Eugene Burke, John Johnson, James Colgan, William
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
Ross, John Racey, Jolin Breen, David Sands, Peter Tushingham, William Smith, J. Smith, Richard Barrett, Charles Wilhelm, Charles Piratzki, Philip Daly.
During the war the island was made a rendezvous for bring- ing together different parts of organizations preparatory to mov- ing forward to the seat of war. A large number of regiments were encamped here for longer or shorter periods, while awaiting more perfect organization or drill, or more definite orders for moving. No complete record of these can be given, but we have, at considerable pains, gathered fragments from which we are able to give the list of camps and many of the organizations that occenpied them, with some indication of the dates when they were so occupied, and occasionally some other information in regard to them. This information we condense in the fol- lowing paragraphs :
Camp Washington was located at the quarantine grounds, partly inside and partly outside the walled enclosure. Bar- racks were erected on the outside. Here were Wilson's Zouaves, May and June, 1861 ; Serrell's regiment of artizans and en- gineers, August and September, 1861; Yates' Rifles, August, 1861 ; the Empire Zouaves, August, 1861 ; German Rangers, September, 1861 ; Siegel Rifles, September, 1861 ; Swain's Cav alry, March, 1862 ; Colonel Tompkins' Regiment, September, 1862, whence it was moved to barracks erected for it on land of Colonel Barrett at Factoryville ; Second Duryea's Zonaves, Oc- tober, 1862 ; inside the walls were Allen's Regiment, May, 1861; Colonel Bartlett's Naval Brigade, May, 1861 ; Third Irish Vol- unteers, August, 1861 ; Union Rifles, September, 1861 ; Scott's Nine Hundred (Eleventh N. Y. Cavalry), March, 1862 ; Eighty- first N. Y., March, 1862; First National (Monitors), Angust and September, 1862.
Camp Arthur was located near the quarantine grounds. It was established in June, 1861 ; the British Volunteers and Mc- Clellan Rifles were here in August, 1861 ; and the Lancers in September, 1861.
A camp was made on the Dr. Smith farm at Old Town in May, 1861. This farm presented a level sward of about one hundred acres, giving a fine parade ground. The old stone house was occupied by the officers.
Camp Vanderbilt was near New Dorp. Here the Washington Zonaves were encamped in September, 1861.
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
Camp Yates was at New Dorp. Here were the Seventh regi- ment and the Thirty-second cavalry in May, 1861. While the latter regiment was here the ladies of Staten Island presented it with a flag. The presentation was made with appropriate ceremonies on June 5th. About seventy-five ladies were present. Dr. Ephraim Clark made the presentation with a very happy little speech, which was responded to by Mr. Matthewson, the officer in command. The flag was then raised on its staff, amid the cheers of the assembled multitude.
Camp Lafayette was at New Dorp. It was occupied by the Garde Lafayette (Fifty-fifth) in August and September, 1861 ; and by the Warren Rifles in March, 1862.
Camp Leslie, at Clifton Park, was near Fort Tompkins. Here were Col. Cone's Clinton Guard, August, 1861; and the D'Epeneuil Zouaves (Fifty third regiment), September, 1861.
Camp Mcclellan was on land of Samuel Burger, near Fac- toryville, on land lying between the Shore road and Castleton avenue. A high, board fence was built around it, and a guard house and other buildings were erected. The Mcclellan rifles were here September to November, 1861. Their departure for the front, on the twenty-second, was, according to a local paper, " to the great joy of those who resided in the vicinity of the camp. They burned four hundred feet of Mr. Edward Be- ment's fence, had a great liking for chickens, and some of them were not averse to anything that hands could carry off."
Camp Herndon was located at Stapleton flats, and here the Ira Harris cavalry was encamped in August and September, 1861.
Camp Morrison was on A. Ward's land, at the base of Pa- vilion hill. It was occupied by the Cameron light infantry in August, 1861.
Camp Low, at Elin Park, after being occupied a few weeks by the Morgan artillery, was broken up about the middle of No- vember, 1861. Of their departure it was said :
"Such a scene as ensued on Wednesday night and the suc- ceeding morning baffles description. Suffice it to say that in the afternoon, when preparations were being made for the de- parture of a portion of the regiment, a large number of men were found with their eyes in mourning, holes in their heads, bloody noses, palsied legs and tongues, torn clothes, and in a dilapidated condition generally. There were, of course, many honorable exceptions to this rule. Companies A to H left the
305
HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
camp and took their way to the shore, and were received on board of the steamboat Atlas, and thence transferred to the cars. Quite a number of men were missing. Those whose legs refused to support them were carried down in carts ; such as had only a small brick in their hats managed to get along pretty well with a comrade supporting them on either side. While waiting at the wharf the soldiers indulged in cheering."
Camp Ward was at Port Richmond. It was occupied by Colonel Donbleday's regiment while forming from November, 1861, to February 10, 1862.
Camp Scott, one of the most notable camps of the period, was at Stapleton. Here were the Excelsior Brigade, May, 1861; Tra Harris Guards, September. 1861 ; Second Tra Harris Cavalry (Sixth N. Y.), December, 1861 ; and Corcoran's Irish Legion, September to November, 1862. While it was occupied by the Excelsior Brigade it was under the command of Col Don. Wil- liamson. In order to preserve the peace and security of the neighboring inhabitants an order given by General Sickles was promulgated throughout the camp on the 30th of May, requiring field officers to be present with their regiments in camp, forbid- ding officers or privates leaving camp without the permission of specified officers and in accordance with certain restrictions, requiring a regular system of drill, directing the severe punish- ment of trespassing on or interference with the property or per- sons of citizens, forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquors in or about the encampment, and calling upon the local authori- ties to withhold licenses from taverns in the neighborhood. By the enforcement of these orders and improved discipline, the annoyances of drunken and marauding bands of men from the encampments were in a measure obviated. A picket was placed at the door of every open liquor saloon in the neighborhood to prevent the men from the camp getting liquor. The following description of the camp was given in Jnne, 1861 :
" Camp Scott wears a beautiful and picturesque appearance. Across the broad plateau selected for the encampment, large numbers of white tents gleam in the sunshine. Among them are broad streets and avenues, and with their four thousand ten- ants the place seems the site of some bustling city sprung into existence in a night. Stricter discipline prevails than in most of the camps we have seen. Around the edge, but in no in- stance inside of the lines, men and women with apples, candies,
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
oranges, nuts and various tempting articles, ply their trade, and do a good business. On Sunday afternoon, in the expec- tation of seeing a full dress parade, great numbers of visitors were upon the ground. Carriages, carts, and jannting cars of all sorts and sizes ; men, women, children and babies of all kinds and degrees were there."
The condition of this camp and its surroundings in the latter part of 1861 are set forth in the published diary of an army surgeon (Thomas I. Ellis, M. D.) who had medical supervision over it for a while, and who writes as follows.
"The wooden building used as a guard house I found one of the most wretched and filthy holes imaginable ; the roof leaky, the boarded floors had been torn up and used for kindling wood by the prisoners confined in it, and all those who for weeks had been locked up there had accumulated a heap of filth, composed of the rejected food and offal of every kind, which sent forth an intolerable and nnhealthy stench. I at once determined on the removal of the prisoners to better quar- ters, and on examining the dozen or more unfortunates, ordered four to the hospital, and recommended to the commandant of the post, who accompanied me, the discharge of four others. The remainder being deserters, confined under written charges ' preferred against them, who, at great trouble and expense, had been brought back from Boston, he had no authority or desire to liberate. To obtain a suitable building to use for a guard house was a matter of no small difficulty, there being but three others near the camp : one, the hospital, I had nearly full of patients ; another, the post sutler's establishment, was too large, and was indispensable to the camp, as most of the officers' and all the hospital food was cooked in it. I found, however, a smaller wooden building which belonged to the former sutler of the Sickles Brigade and recommended the command ant of the post to take possession of it and make the necessary changes to adapt it for use as a guard house.
" Having made these arrangements, and having had the hospi- tal building repaired and heated with large stoves, and the bed- ding properly cared for, I was able to control the epidemic then raging ; and, before two weeks had expired, the sick report de- creased from one hundred and six to sixty-four. There was still another fruitful source of disorder and disease, which, though not in the camp, exercised a wonderful and pernicious
307
HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
influence on the men. On the roadside which led to the steam- boat landing, and within an eighth of a mile, there stood a frame cottage in which the vilest liquor was sold, and from whence it was daily smuggled into camp, cansing drunkenness with all its attendant ill consequences, and sickness from ex- posure, as the men, on getting intoxicated, would ramble off into the adjoining woods, and there lie down on the damp ground, certain to awake in the morning with a violent cold or the prevalent sore throat ; besides these ill effects the officers found this place a source of great annoyance, and I was not at all grieved on passing the place one day where this rum-mill had stood, to find it torn down. On inquiry, I learned that the evening previous a fight occurred between the keeper of the place and some of the soldiers, who, maddened with the vile stuff drank on the premises, proceeded to blows, and in the melee which followed, the cottage was entirely gutted, and then levelled to the ground. Several of the men who participated in this affair were, I found, on my daily visit to the guard house, doing penance for it ; but, as a few days showed that the removal of the groggery was a blessing to the camp, they were let off with a lighter punishment than would otherwise have been their lot. [This groggery was familiarly known as " THE CANTEEN."]
"The isolated position of the camp was one of its strongest recommendations, and went far in influencing the selection, in spite of the soft, muddy nature of the ground, and the difficulty in guarding it against desertion by the men, and thieving by the Staten Islanders-a nest of whom from Rocky Hollow made nightly visits, and generally succeeded in carrying off some booty. One night it would be a government saddle ; another, a sack of oats, or even a horse ; the aggregate loss to the govern- ment, by these depredations, was considerable, nor could the utmost vigilance of the officers prevent it."
Late in December, 1861, Camp Scott was vacated, and it was not again occupied until the Corcoran Legion occupied it in the summer of 1862. They remained until the early part of Novem- ber, and when they left, the following article was printed in a local paper, giving us a glimpse of the estimation in which they were held by the community in whose neighborhood they had been encamped.
"The Corcoran Legion has departed, and who is sorry : Not
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
the farmer whose hen roosts were robbed and whose fences were carried away for camp fires-not the peaceable citizen who found his safest place to be within his own house after night- fall, nor his wife and daughters who were insulted in broad day and jeered at with foulest language by the ruffian soldiery-not the public officers of the county whose writs were disobeyed and who dare not arrest a man of their number unless they run the risk of having daylight let through their unfortunate bodies by bayonet thrusts-not the city police who were paid for re- turning deserters by a volley of stones at their heads, and con- sidered themselves lucky in escaping with whole bones. We trust that the quiet of Camp Scott may never again be disturbed, and night made hideous by such a collection of barbarians as the Corcoran Legion for the most part were. There were good men among them, but they were rare. Should we relate all the well authenticated tales of horrible things connected with this camp from its organization to its breaking up we would scarce be believed.
"Men have been kidnapped and taken to the camp and made to serve against their will-their calls for help wasted upon the wind, and the efforts of their friends for their release found to be useless. Young boys and others, many of them sickly and unfit for duty, have been seduced by the wiles of the recruiting officers from homes where they were tenderly reared and where affectionate parents, when they learned their loss, mourned their children as dead. Some rushed to the courts and judges for aid for relatives and friends, only to learn with dismay that even the ragged sentries who guarded the camp were more pow- erful than the learned judge upon the bench, and that the colonels and captains defied the process of the courts and cursed all who interfered with military rule.
" A gentleman informed us last week that he saw one of the officers strike an unoffending drummer boy in the face with his sword, cutting him through the cheek to the bone, and break- ing loose several teetli, so that the boy spit them out of his mouth with the blood! The boy was at a distance from an affray which was taking place, and neither spoke nor acted with regard to it, and the blow could only have been caused by the desire of the officer to vent his brutality upon some one, it mat- tered not whom."
Camp Decker was the camping ground of the Second regi-
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
ment of Fire Zouaves in August, 1861; and of the Governor's Guard in September, 1861. At Tompkinsville were also en- camped the Second light artillery in December, 1861; and the Seventy-eighth regiment in March, 1862. At New Dorp the Thirteenth Brooklyn regiment was encamped in September, 1861; the Stanton Legion, July to September, 1862; the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth N. Y., October, 1863; and the One Hundred and Fifty-ninth, November, 1862.
Camp Sprague was located at New Dorp. The following de- scription of it by a visitor in May, 1863, will be interesting to many:
"It consists of a row of barracks upon three sides of an ex- tensive field, capable, it is said, of accommodating ten thousand men. On the fourth side it is protected by a high board fence, through which is the entrance to the camp. This fence is erected not so much to keep outsiders from going in as to pre- vent insiders from coming out; and though easily scaled from the outside, presents an insurmountable barrier to the poor skedaddler within. After considerable parleying at the gate. and a severe scrutiny of our countenance, and the summoning of the officer of the guard, and the officer of the day, until we were thoroughly impressed with our utter insignificance, we were finally admitted, but having entered, we were at liberty to go whither the spirit moved us.
"The camp is under the command of Colonel Lansing, but under the immediate charge of Lieutenant Colonel Love, a very pleasant and gentlemanly officer, with considerable bon hom- mie expressed in his countenance. His headquarters are very tastefully decorated in front with grass plats and flower beds, and pleasantly shaded by three or four pear trees in full bloom.
"We next visited the hospital, which is under the charge of Dr. Ephraim Clark, of our island, who was recently appointed to the post by General Wool. We are informed that when the Doctor first took charge of the hospital, nothing could exceed the filthy and comfortless condition of the place-now it is a model of neatness and comfort, with a complete assortment of medical stores and surgical instruments. The ladies of the neighborhood, whose sympathies he has enlisted in behalf of the camp, have kindly presented the Doctor with jellies and domestic wines for the use of the sick. There are but few con-
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
fined in the hospital at present. We noticed one poor fellow suffering from a pistol shot wound in the arm received some time since while insubordinate. He showed us the ball, which was completely flattened in its passage through the bone.
"From the hospital we visited the gardens in front of the men's barracks, which we had heard highly spoken of. They certainly exhibited a great deal of taste and skill, and would do credit to any landscape gardener. Here was a beautiful Union shield blooming in green sod and moss, with the word ' LIBERTY ' engraven in evergreen upon it-there an Emerald Harp from the Emerald Isle, in a soft bed of white sand-and beside it a full spread eagle with a shield on his breast, and a streamer with the motto ' E Pluribus Unum.' A little further on, a mortar of sod mounted on a little bank threatened hourly destruction to a little band of flowers who were endeavoring to scale the bank and take possession. Still further on, the en- gineers had erected beautiful models in sod of rifle pits and earthworks, like Lilliputian forts. There were many other pretty designs, and the lettering in all cases was particularly well done. In the center of this camp ground a large flag staff is about being erected, which will add greatly to the beauty of the camp.
" There are about eleven hundred men at present in camp, although we believe the roll calls for over fourteen hundred. There are regiments and parts of regiments among them-the ' Seymour Cavalry,' 'Les Enfants Perdus' or ' Lost Children' (a French Regiment), and a corps of engineers. There are, we are informed, representatives from almost every European na- tion-English, Irish, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Swede, Dane, Russian and even John Chinaman. It is quite a little world in itself, and one is forcibly reminded in visiting it, of the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel.
" The Rev. Dr. Irving, we understand, is laboring earnestly among them, and has already effected much good. Bibles and tracts in different languages have already been largely circu- lated among them."
A serious riot took place at this camp on the 13th of May, 1863, which resulted in the death of one soldier and the wound- ing of two others. Some of the troops quartered here had been in camp for several months without receiving any of the bounty money which was due them. This fact had given rise to great
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
discontent on the part of those who had been thus slighted. Desertions from camp were taking place every night, so that the ranks were filling up very slowly. On the morning of the day above referred to groups of men could be seen collecting in different parts of the parade ground discussing with vehemence and indignation the subject of their complaint and declaiming bitterly against the deception which had been practiced upon them. In vain did several officers try to appease their wrath with the oft repeated story that their grievances would shortly be adjusted. They determined to take matters into their own hands. and leave the camp.
Accordingly, about noon the Burnside Rifles armed them- selves with clubs, axes and stones, and headed by two drum- mers, marched defiantly toward the main entrance of the camp. Here, however, they were met by Colonel Love, who had been informed of the threatened movement and had provided a strong guard of picked men for the emergency. Upon being ordered by the colonel to return to their quarters, the men set up a yell of defiance, one of them hurling a large stone which struck the colonel a violent blow on the side. As soon as he recovered from the shock he sprang into the midst of the mob and ar- rested the man who threw the stone; the others, being cowed by his resolute action, offered meanwhile no resistance.
The mutineers now turned in another direction. Marching directly to the south side of the barracks they determined to eut their way out. and about twenty-eight men actually suc- ceeded in doing so before their progress could be stopped. The "Enfants Perdus" were marched to the scene of action and ordered to fire upon them, which they did, resulting in the death of one man and the supposed mortally wounding of an- other. The twenty-eight who had escaped were subsequently captured by a revenne cutter while attempting to cross over to Jersey in a boat which they had taken for the purpose. They were subsequently conveyed to Governor's island, where they were put in irons.
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