USA > New York > History of the Ninth Regiment N.Y.S.M. -- N.G.S.N.Y. (Eighty-third N. Y. Volunteers.) 1845-1888 > Part 45
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Correspondence was opened with a number of officers and men at the war, and headquarters soon became a bureau of information to those who had relatives or friends in the regiment.
The home society, by this means, rendered valuable service
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1864
THIE HOME ORGANIZATION.
503
to the anxious ones, especially after the battles in which the regiment was engaged. Headquarters also became the military home of those who were in the city on furlough, or who had been honorably discharged from the regiment.
On April 23, 1862, the Legislature passed an act changing the name of the State troops from Militia to NATIONAL GUARD.
The following orders show what official action was taken in the reorganization of the home regiment :
New York, Aug. 18th, 1862.
GENERAL ORDER, } No. -. 1
In compliance with Section 13 of the Militia Law (Col. J. W. Stiles, commanding the NINTH Regiment, being now on duty with said Regiment at the seat of war) Capt. J. W. Davis, commanding Company D of said Regiment, will, until further orders, assume command of the NINTH Regimental District, and assign such line officers of said Regiment as may be in the city, and supernumerary line officers, or non-commissioned officers, to take command of the several company districts of said Regiment, and give to them the necessary notices for the Annual Parade, and make due returns or roster thereof, pursuant to Section 13 of the Militia Law. Capt. Davis will forthwith make a return of the appointments aforesaid to the Brigadier-General at his quarters. 543 Broadway.
By order of WM. HALL, Brigadier-General. 3d Brigade. N. Y. S. Militia.
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HEADQUARTERS 9TH REGT. N. Y. N. G .. 21 West YAth Street, V. V. City, Aug . 19, 1862.
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 1.
SIR :- In obedience to above order you are appointed to the command of Company F District, bounded by 34th and 4oth streets and Lexington and Second avenues.
You will at once cause the notices enclosed to be posted up in three prominent places in the said district, and on the first Monday in September, at ten o'clock A. M., appear in uniform at the district rendezvous and take the names of such persons liable to military duty, as may appear, and send the same to these headquarters without delay. By order, CAPT. J. W. DAVIS, Commanding. HENRY S. BROOKS, Acting Adjutant.
To Lieut. CHAS. R. BRAINE, 9th Reg't. N Y. N. G.
1864
504
THE NINTH NEW YORK.
HEADQUARTERS 3D BRIG. N. Y. S. M., New York, Out. 17, 1862.
SPECIAL ORDER, ( No. -. 1
.
John W. Davis, Captain Company D, commanding 9th Regt. N. Y. N. G., is hereby directed to order such portions of the Regiment that are not away with the 83d N. Y. Vols. to parade for inspection at the Drill Room, cor. Thirteenth Street and University Place, on Thursday, 30th inst., at three o'clock P. M.
By order,
WM. HALL, Brig .- Gen. Comdg. 3d Brig.
W. PEARSALL,
A. D.C.
HEADQUARTERS 9TH REGT. N. Y. N. G., New York, Oct. 18, 1862.
GEN. ORDERS, { No. 2
SIR :-- In compliance with above order, you will assemble, without arms, such members of your company as are not on duty with the 83d Regt. N. Y. Vols .. in fatigue dress, or such portions thereof as may be in their possession, or in citizen's dress, at the place appointed at two o'clock P. M.
You will also bring a memorandum of such arms and equipments belonging to the State, as may be in possession of your Company, together with a register of your com- mand. All enrolled members unaccounted for will be considered as having left the Regiment, and their names will be handed to the Commissioner of Jurors.
By order, CAPT. JOHN W. DAVIS, Commanding. HENRY S. BROOKS, Acting Adjutant.
To Lieut. CHAS. R. BRAINE,
Comdg. Company F 9th Regt. N. V. N. G.
[CIRCULAR.] 5€
HEADQUARTERS 9TH REGT. N. Y. N. G., New York, Nov. 1, 1862.
SIR :-- The Captain commanding desires me to state to you, that he has with pleasure learned from Brig .- Gen. Hall, that he has proper authority to countersign members certificates.
Your company may therefore be filled up in accordance with the several provis- ions of the Militia Law of the State, passed April 23, 1862. In doing so you will, however, use due care that you do not infringe on the rights of any officer or mem- ber absent at the seat of war.
I am, sir, Your obedient servant. HENRY S. BROOKS, Lieut. and . let .Adjutant.
.
COLONEL JOHN W. DAVIS.
1864
ORDERS. 505
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HEADQUARTERS 9TH REGT. N. Y. N. G., New York, Oct. 31. 1862.
SPECIAL ORDER, No. 1.
A meeting of the Commissioned Officers of this Regiment will be held at the Armory, corner of University Place and Thirteenth Street, on Friday evening, Nov- ember 7th, at eight o'clock, to take measures for the welfare of that part of the com- mand remaining in the city.
By order, CAPT. JOHN W. DAVIS, Commanding .
HENRY S BROOKS,
Lieut. and Actg. Adjt.
Early in 1863 four more companies, A, D, E and F, had been partially formed. In July, during the draft riots, a detachment of the NINTH VETERANS, under the command of cx-Lieutenant-Colonel Rutherford, guarded the property of the U. S. Government stores at Nos. 90 and 108 Franklin Street :
In the following Order the Adjutant-General directed the election of field officers, etc:
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS STATE OF NEW YORK, Adjutant-General's Office, Albany, July 27th, 1863.
SPECIAL ORDERS, ? No. 443.
Major-General Charles W. Sanford, commanding First Division, National Guard of the State of New York, is hereby directed to fill up all vacancies in the NINTH Regi- ment N. G. S. N. Y.
He will direct an election to be held for field officers, and report the same to this de- partment.
By order of the Commander-in-Chief, JOHN T. SPRAGUE, Adjutant-General.
Above Order was promulgated from First Division Head- quarters July 29, 1863, and by Gen Order, No. 2, from Head- quarters of the NINTH Regiment on July 30, 1863.
The election was held on Friday, Aug. 7, 1863, at the Division Armory, corner White and Elm Streets, at four o'clock P. M .; resulting in the choice of Capt. John W. Davis for Colonel ; ex-Lieut .- Colonel Allan Rutherford for Lieut .-
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1864
THE NINTH NEW YORK.
Colonel ; Lieut. Charles R. Braine for Major. Henry S. Brooks was appointed Adjutant, and Abner Mellen, Quartermaster. The line officers were :
Company A, Captain Wm. J. Vredenburgh ; First Lieu- tenant, Alexander McCook; Second Lieutenant, Charles C. Reed. Company C, Captain, John P. Newkirk; First Lieu- tenant, David Banks, Jr .; Second Lieutenant, Henry C. Jones. Company D, Captain Ralph A. Lanning. Company E, Captain Henry C. Smith ; First Lieutenant, John Meeks, Jr. Company F, Captain Charles S. Strong.
Several of the line officers held commissions issued previous to the war, but the others -- and the entire field and staff -were not commissioned, because of the fact that the register of the NINTH Regiment was already filled by the officers in the field. The headquarters of the regiment was established in the rooms of Company C. 654 Broadway. It would be difficult to determine the exact status of this home organization, but in its semi-official condition it existed until the return of the regiment, when a thorough reorganization was effected.
On the 5th of February, 1864, Colonel Davis withdrew as Colonel elect, and on March 19th an election was held to fill the vacancy, resulting in the choice of John H. Wilcox, then Colonel and Inspector-General of the First division, N. G., S. N. Y. On June 13th Orders, No 10, from brigade head- quarters formally announced the result.
When the "war" regiment returned enough of the vet- erans were found willing to form another company-G-which was soon increased by the enlistment of others, and ex-Major Dabney W. Diggs was elected Captain, Gilbert S. King First Lieutenant, and Benjamin F. Martin Second Lieutenant, on July 27th.
During the Summer and Fall the matter of reorganizing the regiment, and having it again resume a position among the regiments of the National Guard was industriously canvassed. Neither uniforms, arms nor equipments had been furnished to but few of the members, and when, on October 24th, the
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COL. AND B'V'T BRIG .- GEN. JOHN H. WILCOX.
1865
ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN.
507
battalion appeared for inspection they mostly wore citizen's clothes; only one hundred and five, out of a total of two hundred and eleven, were even present. On the 14th of December Company B was reorganized, and elected James R. Hitchcock, Captain, William Farrell, First, and Robert B. Martin, Second Lieutenant.
On the 16th of the month Company A of the Eighth regi- ment (organized in 1812, and known as the State Fencibles). commanded by Captain James O. Johnston, was, by Special Order, No. 598, A. G. O., transferred to the NINTH, and lettered H. This company was a valuable addition. The Lieutenants were Henry C. Barwis and Robert B. Young.
On February 15th, 1865, by virtue of General Order, No. I, of that date, Morris' (Brig .- Gen. Wm. H.) tactics were adopted for the National Guard.
On the 6th of March the First division paraded in celebration of the Union victories at Fort McAllister ; Savannah ; Fort Sumter ; Charleston ; Fort Fisher ; Wilming- ton ; and Columbia. The glorious news from Appomattox in April stirred the hearts of the men of the NINTH, and when, a few days later, came the terrible announcement of Lincoln's assassination and death, they, in common with the whole country, mourned the Nation's loss.
The following Order was issued to the Army of the Potomac :
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, April 16th, 1865.
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 15.
The Major-General Commanding announces to the Army that official intelligence has been received of the death, by assassination, of the President of the United States. The President died at 7.22, on the morning of the 15th instant.
By this Army, this announcement will be received with profound sorrow, and deep horror and indignation. The President by the active interest he ever took in the welfare of this Army, and by his presence in frequent visits, especially during the recent operations, had particularly endeared himself to both officers and soldiers, all of whom regarded him as a generous friend.
An honest man, a noble patriot, and sagacious statesman has fallen ! No greater loss, at this particular moment, could have befallen our country. Whilst we bow with sub- mission to the unfathomable and inscrutable decrees of Divine Providence, let us
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THE NINTH NEW YORK. 1865
earnestly pray that God, in his infinite mercy, will so order, that this terrible calamity shall not interfere with the prosperity and happiness of our beloved country!
GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General, Commanding.
On the 25th of April the regiment (eight companies) participated in the funeral parade in honor of the dead President. All the officers managed to appear in uniform, but Company Il was the only one in which the rank and file so appeared, and to that company was assigned the honor of guarding the colors. This was the first parade of the regi- ment since its return from the war the previous year.
During the summer some four hundred uniforms, together with arms and equipments were issued by the State, and the members of the NINTH once more appeared "clothed and in their right mind." On September 22nd, Company E under- went another reorganization, electing John T. Gaffney Captain, and Joseph MeDonald First Lieutenant. On the 25th of October the first muster and inspection in dress uniform, since 1861, was held at the State Arsenal ; three hundred and fifty- six being present and only sixty-four absent. The 24th of November was "Governor's Day," Governor Reuben E. Fen- ton reviewing the First division from the balcony of the Fifth Avenue Hotel. A number of the war veterans having joined Company D, ex-Colonel John W. Davis was induced to again accept the Captaincy, while Daniel W. Lee and John S. Stryker were elected Lieutenants, on December 12th.
The military year of 1866 opened with a drill on the evening of January 25th, and on the 16th of April the NINTHI occupied its new armory on West Twenty-sixth Street. On Monday, May 2Sth, the fifth anniversary of the departure for the war was celebrated by a parade, eight companies of four- teen files being in line. The column was reviewed at the City Hall by Mayor John T. Hoffman. In the evening a concert was given by the Veterans, at which the officers of the regi- ment presented Colonel Wilcox and wife with an elegant floral piece-the figure 9 encircled with twenty-seven rosebuds.
On June 13th the Third brigade, General William Hall
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PRESIDENT ANDREW JOHNSON. 509
commanding, proceeded to East New York for inspection and drill. The NINTH turned out three hundred muskets, and arrived upon the ground at ten o'clock-the first regiment to appear. At noon the officers were driven to Snedecor's Hotel, Jamaica, for dinner. Upon reassembling ac half-past one, on account of a rain-storm, the drill was postponed till about three o'clock, when the movements were executed and witnessed by a concourse of nearly four thousand people.
On the 24th of the month Captain Gaffney, late of Com- pany E, was buried, Companies E and H turning out as escort.
The 4th of July was duly celebrated by the usual parade of the First division, and as was general on such occasions, the regiments most prompt at the rendezvous had to do a great deal of waiting before the line was put in motion. Major Ralph A. Lanning was in command of the NINTH. During the visit of President Andrew Johnson to the city the regiment paraded on August 29th to do honor to the Chief Magistrate. In September orders were issued from the Adjutant-General's office, placing upon the supernumerary list Major-General San- ford, who had served since April 24th, 1818, and Brigadier-Gen- eral Hall, whose service dated from June 14th, 1827.
On the 5th of October the regiment was inspected. On the roth Company I, " Veterans," composed wholly of those " who held discharges from the U. S. Volunteer Service, was organized-or reorganized -- with John Dalrymple as Captain. and John I. Van Alst, Jr., and Eugene Durnin, Lieutenants.
At an inspection of the division, held on the 19th at Tomp- kins Square, there were present with the regiment four hundred and eighty-four men, out of a total enrollment of six hundred and eighty-five. According to the report of the Inspector-General, there were at this time, twenty-four regi- ments of infantry in the First division, divided into four bri- gades, and at this inspection there was present eight hundred and twenty-seven officers, and nine thousand five hundred and sixty-eight rank and file; the absentees numbered two hundred and forty-six officers and three thousand eight hundred and seventy-one men ; total, fourteen thousand five hundred and
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1866
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THE NINTH NEW YORK.
twelve. Brigadier-General Lloyd Aspinwall was in command of the division at this time, and Colonel Joshua M. Varian, of the Eighth regiment, was in command of the brigade.
Below is the report of Colonel J. H. Liebenau, the A. A. I. G., of the condition of the NINTH :
Reviewed and inspected this regiment at Tompkins Square. They turned out with full ranks, and made a fine appearance, showing, as they do, a much more decided im- provement in numbers over last year's inspection, than any other regiment of the divi- sion; this fact is largely to the credit of officers and men.
The material of the regiment is equal to any, and is in the hands of good field and company officers, who seem to fully realize the responsibility of their several positions, and who express a determination to relax no effort to bring the command up equat in drill to any in the division.
The regiment is handsomely uniformed, and were accompanied by their regimental band, an entirely new organization, who gave evidence that a very short time would elapse before they assumed a position second to none of the regimental bands of the division.
Too much honor cannot be awarded the field and company officers for the untiring exertions made by them to build up this regiment, and I heartily congratulate them upon the success which has attended these efforts. The arms are in good order and are properly cared for.
On the 29th of the month the NINTH paraded nine com- panies of seventeen files, at the State Arsenal, to receive a stand of colors from the State. The building was crowded with the friends of the regiment, and when line was formed, it occupied nearly the whole of the four sides of the drill-room. Colonel Gebhard of the Governor's staff presented the colors, upon receiving which Colonel Wilcox made the following -- reply :
SIR :- Permit me, on behalf of the NINTH Regiment, in receiving this beautiful stand of colors from the State authorities to-night, to express through you their appreciation of these honorable tokens, accompanied by sentiments of grateful appreciation of their services in defending the nation's honor upon the battle-field. The Veterans of the NINTH regiment are here to-night, still identified with this organization, and hear your words of gratitude with joy; and they, with the recruits, and every member of this organization, thank you for these memorials of what they have done in the past, and they will ever prize this generous recognition of their services by the State for whom they fought and their comrades fell. We accept, Sir, these colors in sacred trust. In our hands those emblematic Stars and Stripes, crossed with the inscriptions of battle- fields, shall remain sacred and inviolate. A regimental organization which sent into the service at the outbreak of war 1,000 men, and at its close mustered out less than
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1867
RECEPTION AND LECTURE.
51I
100 men, need not these battle-inscriptions upon their banners to remind them of duty nobly done in the past, or to inspire them to heroism in the future. Bloody scenes of strife for duty at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Laurel Hill, and Spottsylvania, are engraved on their hearts, and their strong arms are as ready now as then to defend the nation's honor under this glorious standard and their old regimental motto, " Ratione aut vi."
Governor's Day was on the 26th of November, and the di- vision, under command of General Aspinwall, was reviewed at the Worth Monument on Broadway. On December 6th, by Special Orders, No. 353, A. G. O., Company F, of the Thirty- seventh regiment, was transferred to the NINTH and lettered K. The officers were : Captain George W. Lyon, and Lieu- tenants Charles O. Terry and Francis F. Stone. The NINTH now had ten good companies and recruiting was constantly going on to fill them to the maximum.
1867.
Company G's reception on the 22nd of January opened the year's round of work and festivity. In the early part of the evening Colonel Wilcox, on behalf of Mrs. Diggs, wife of the Captain, presented the company with a handsome flag ; then followed a drill, after which music and dancing kept the members and their friends busy till four o'clock in the morning. It was a most enjoyable affair. On the evening of Washing- tion's birthday, the Chaplain of the regiment, E. H. Chapin, D. D., delivered a lecture at the Cooper Institute ; the sub- ject, " Roll of Honor ; or, The Citizen Soldier," was ably handled, and the eloquent divine was listened to by a large and appreciative audience, composed mainly of members of the NINTH and their friends.
A battalion drill took place in April, and the next im- portant event was the sixth anniversary of the departure for the war. The regiment turned out ten companies of twenty- two files, and marched to the City Hall, passing in review before Mayor Hoffman, first in common time, and on the return, at a quick step.
The Mayor then, on behalf of the city and county, pre- sented the regiment with a stand of colors.
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THE NINTH NEW YORK. 1867
From the reply of Colonel Wilcox, the following extract, copied from the Mercury, is given :
This regiment, assembled to-day to celebrate the anniversary of its departure for Washington, to take part in defending the nation's honor during the late rebellion, appreciates this suggestive incident of an occasion which generously recognizes a dis- charge of duty in the past. On behalf of the veterans whose hearts you have warmed by your eloquent expressions of sympathy and encouragement, and the members of this present command, present to express their appreciation of these memorials, and in thanking the Mayor and Commonalty of the city and the Board of Supervisors of the county, allow me to say that these flags will inspire us with memories of the past, and strengthen our hands for future duty. We accept these tokens of honor, and shall guard them vigilantly and faithfully.
In the evening a reception was given at the armory, the occasion being graced by the presence of many prominent military men, among whom were General Aspinwall and staff, General Varian and staff, General Hall, Mayor Hoffman, Commander Braine, U. S. N., and representatives from other regiments of the National Guard.
On June 5th a brigade drill was held in Tompkins Square, and the regiments were exercised in percussion cap firing.
The NINTH turned out four hundred and sixty-seven, officers and men.
Major-General Alexander Shaler had been appointed to the command of the First division of the National Guard, an appointment which was well merited, as the General had been in active service during the entire war ; first as Lieutenant- Colonel, and then Colonel of the Sixty-fifth New York volun- teers ; he was made a Brigadier-General in 1863, and brevetted Major-General at the close of the war, for " gallant and merito- rious services." The parade of the division on the 4th of July was the General's first appearance at the head of his new command. The NINTH, under command of Lieutenant-Col- onel Braine, assembled at the armory before six o'clock in the morning, and paraded with ten companies of fifteen files each. The brigades formed on the streets between Twelfth and Sixteenth Streets, with the right resting on Fifth Avenue, each falling into line in turn. The parade was a masterly success, each command being prompt in responding to the orders.
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MILITIA SUBDUED THE REBELLION.
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The regiment was not called out again until October, when an inspection took place, at which three hundred and ninety- two, out of a total of five hundred and forty-one, were present. Governor's Day, in November, was duly celebrated, the Brook- lyn regiments joining their New York comrades in the parade. The following extract from the report of the State Adjutant- General, Selden E. Marvin, dated December 31st, is worthy of insertion here :
RELATION OF THE MILITIA TO THE UNITED STATES.
The relations of the former are always important. No war has thus far been carried on except by means of the militia, either through primitive organizations, or by volunteers from the great body. That great rebellion, which so recently threatened the national life, was subdued by the militia, and at what cost, not only the stately monuments in national cemeteries proclaim, but also the thousands of solitary and unnoticed hillocks, beneath which rest the remains of armies of citizen soldiers, who poured out their life blood to save their country. How many of these lives might have been saved, had there existed a more perfect organization at the outset, cannot be determined; but all confess that tens of thousands of lives, and millons on millions of treasure, were use- lessly lost, because our citizens had forgotten that, in a great and noble sense, they were also soldiers ; and thus forgetful, had despised the warnings and derided the efforts of those who had attempted to secure even a scanty organization and encourage a mili- tary zeal.
This prolongation of the war, with all its vast and incalculable sacrifices and losses, was one lesson, apparently too sad, too mournful, too heavily burdened with remorse, to be readily forgotten ; and if forgotten, then experience is indeed worthless, and history repeats itself in errors only because a stolid world refuses to learn from the past.
1868.
During the month of January division drills were held nightly at the armory. Washington's birthday was celebrated by a Soirce Dansante at the armory, which was largely attended, and among the invited guests were several officers from the Spanish war vessel Tetuan. During the month of March, several wing drills were held. At a meeting on the 20th of April, the matter of a uniform was discussed, the majority voting in favor of dress coats. On the 27th a battalion drill was held. On the afternoon of May 22nd the regiment was drilled in Tompkins Square.
The 27th of the month was duly celebrated at the armory, it being the seventh anniversary of the departure for the war.
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1868
On the Sth of June Major Strong resigned, and upon bal- loting for his successor, Adjutant William Seward, Jr., was unanimously elected. On the 22nd a brigade drill was held in Tompkins Square.
On July 4th the regiment assembled at six A. M. and par- ticipated in the parade in honor of the day. In order to fill the vacancy caused by the promotion of Adjutant Seward, Adjutant Edgar S. Allien, of the Fifty-fifth regiment, was transferred to that position in the NINTH on the 15th of August.
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