USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
On the 24th of July it was officially announced that the Mar- quis de Lafayette was to visit America. His valuable services in the Revolutionary War had endeared him to the American people, and he came at the invitation of the President and Congress to witness the prosperity and receive the blessings of a free people. Prepara- tions were at once made for his public reception, and the military of the city were ordered to parade upon his arrival. At a signal from Sandy Hook that the ship Cadmus (in which Lafayette had embarked) had arrived, it was ordered that flags be hoisted at the City Hall and at the Battery, and that the troops assemble for pa- rade at "the sounding of a bugle through the principal streets of the city." The Eleventh Regiment was directed to assemble in Chatham Square, "the right resting on the Old Watch-House."
On Sunday morning, August 15th, Fort Lafayette announced the arrival of the nation's guest by a salute of thirteen guns, but the public reception was postponed until the following day. At 1 P. M., on Monday, he embarked at Staten Island on the steamer Chancellor Livingston for the city, and was escorted by an immense number of steamers and small craft, all crowded with enthusiastic citizens and gayly decorated with flags and banners. On board the Chancellor Livingston were the Mayor and Common Council of New York and a large number of Lafayette's personal friends and Revolutionary compatriots, conspicuous among whom were Colonel Marinus Willett (at that time eighty-five years old), Gen- eral Van Courtlandt, and General Clarkson. At 2 P. M. he reached the Battery, where an immense crowd of people had gathered to bid him welcome, and, amid the thunder of artillery, the ringing of bells, and the cheers and shouts of the populace, the hero of two revolutions landed in New York. He at once proceeded to review the troops at the Battery. As the commandant of the National Guard of France passed down the line, every eye of the vast throng followed him, and he was everywhere greeted with expressions of profound respect and sincere affection. The review ended, La- fayette proceeded up Broadway to the City Hall, enthusiastically welcomed on all sides by the immense concourse of citizens. At
105
THE NAME "NATIONAL GUARD."
1824
the City Hall he received the marching salute of the troops, and was officially welcomed to the city by the corporate authorities. A noticeable circumstance was the selection and detail of the Fourth Company as the guard of honor to Lafayette on this memorable day.
To that remarkable body of citizen soldiers, the National Guard of Paris, the Seventh Regiment was indebted for its original name, and the reception of Lafayette in New York, on the 16th day of August, 1824, suggested and secured its adoption. While the troops were at the Battery, awaiting the arrival of Lafayette at Castle Garden, a group of officers of the Eleventh Regiment, who were interested in the proposed new organization, stood under the shade of a tree in front of the line, in earnest conversation. Promi- nent in the group was Major Wilson, who with some of the line officers of the Second Battalion, Captain Stevens of the First Battalion, and Oliver M. Lownds, a popular young citizen, and a personal friend of most of the officers present, awaited the arrival of the distinguished stranger, and discussed the affairs of the pro- posed new battalion. Major Wilson, in the course of the conversa- tion, alluded to the connection of Lafayette with the celebrated " National Guard " of Paris, and exclaimed, " Why not call our new corps the National Guards ?" The remark was electric ; the name was unanimously approved by all present; and, when the officers returned to their posts and made known to the men the proposed name, it was greeted with acclamation. At the meeting of the officers, held at the Shakespeare Tavern, on the 25th of August, the name "National Guard " was unanimously adopted, and it belonged exclusively to the new organization (subsequently the Twenty-seventh and now the Seventh Regiment) from 1824 to 1862, when the Legislature of New York adopted it as a suitable title for the entire militia of the State.
On the morning of the parade for the reception of Lafayette, Sergeant Philetus H. Holt, of the Fourth Company, left his resi- dence in Beaver Street and proceeded through Pearl Street to pro- cure his uniform coat which had been sent on the previous day for some alteration or repair to his tailor in Franklin Square. He was dressed for the parade, and, with the exception of the coat, wore the full uniform of the Eleventh Regiment (white trousers, white cross-belts, cap, and plume), and upon his shoulder he carried his
1824
106
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
musket. Young Holt was a flour-merchant, and the business-coat which he wore on this occasion, intending to exchange it for his military coat, upon arriving in Franklin Square, was of gray cloth, with metal buttons, and short skirts, and was made to fit closely and button high, being in all respects admirably adapted to his business pursuits. As he passed the store of Brigade-Major Prosper M. Wetmore (No. 244 Pearl Street), he encountered that gentleman in company with Major John D. Wilson, who were at once attracted by the neat and novel appearance of the garment, which the fine figure and soldierly bearing of young Holt displayed to so good advantage. He was halted, his coat underwent a most rigid and critical inspection, and he was not permitted to pass on until the officers had decided in their own minds the color and style of the new uniform of the new battalion. With Holt's business-coat as a pattern, Major Wilson caused a gray military coat to be made, and equipped as a private he attended the meetings of the four com- panies interested in the new battalion, held at the Shakespeare Tavern on the 30th of August, exhibited it to the members, and urged its adoption. It was received with favor, was greatly ad- mired, and with hardly a dissenting voice, was adopted as the future uniform of the Twenty-seventh, now the Seventh Regiment.
The uniform as adopted consisted of a short, single-breasted coat of cadet mixed cloth ; square standing collar; three rows of buttons in front ; black braid running back from each button across the breast ; buttons and braid on the collar and cuffs; wings or shoulder-caps with black tufts ; white trousers ; glazed leather hat, with bell crown, trimmed with gold and silver tassels ; brass initials "N G" in cipher on front ; white pompon; white body-belt of webbing, with cartridge-box and bayonet-sheath suspended there- from ; on the cartridge-box the cipher "N G " in brass.
The Battalion of National Guards was the first militia organiza- tion in the United States to adopt the gray for a permanent uni- form. It had been worn by the brigade commanded by General Winfield Scott on the Niagara frontier during the War of 1812 and by the United States cadets at West Point since 1815, but its in- troduction into the militia was an innovation which attracted atten- tion and invited criticism. It soon, however, secured the popular favor, and has maintained it through many generations of National Guardsmen.
107
THE COMPANIES NUMBERED.
1824
It was understood that the changes were not to be made until the following year, but so ardent and enthusiastic were many of the young men that they immediately ordered the new uniform and equipments. The officers encouraged this promptness on the part of the men, and in some cases advanced considerable amounts of money to hasten the complete equipment of their commands. At the annual inspection on the 12th day of October, Sergeant Asher Taylor, of the Fourth Company, then acting as secretary to the brigade inspector, appeared on parade in the new uniform, and was the subject of considerable attention and admiration. Asher Tay- lor is entitled to the honor of having first worn on parade the gray uniform of the Seventh Regiment.
During the summer of 1824, the officers of the companies of the Second Battalion of the Eleventh Regiment organized a pro- visional board, and held frequent meetings to consider various sub- jects of interest to the battalion. At a meeting of the Board of Officers held at the Shakespeare Tavern on Wednesday, the 25th day of August, 1824, the resolution instituting and organizing the corps now known as the Seventh Regiment, National Guard, State of New York, was adopted as follows :
Resolved, That the Battalion of Infantry attached to the Eleventh Regiment, N. Y. S. Artillery, be hereafter known and distinguished by the name of National Guards.
At one of the preliminary meetings of the board it was resolved that the companies should in future be designated by numbers, and that the absurd practice of distinguishing companies by the name of their captains, and of numbering them according to the rank of their respective commanding officers, should be abandoned. That there might be no dissatisfaction in the matter, the captains cast lots for the numerical designations, and Captain Hawley's company became the First, Captain Telfair's the Second, Captain Curtis's the Third, and Captain Simons's the Fourth, with rank in the order named. The names of the officers constituting the board at this period, and officially concerned in the organization of the Battalion of the National Guard, were :
First Company : IRAD HAWLEY, Captain. AUGUSTUS H. SANDS, First Lieutenant. JAMES FLYNN, JR., Second Lieutenant.
108
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1824
Second Company : JOHN TELFAIR, Captain. PETER W. COLE, First Lieutenant. GEORGE WETSEL, Second Lientenant.
Third Company : WILLIAM B. CURTIS, Captain. DAVID T. VALENTINE, First Lieutenant. BENJAMIN H. ROACH, Second Lieutenant.
Fourth Company : HOWARD A. SIMONS, Captain. JAMES A. MINARD, First Lieutenant. WILLIAM R. WHITNEY, Second Lieutenant.
The Shakespeare Tavern, where the Battalion of National Guards was organized, was situated on the southwest corner of Fulton and Nassau Streets. It was built before the Revolutionary War, and was an old-fashioned edifice constructed of small, yellow
The Shaks peine
(SHAKESPEARE. TAVERN)
The Shakespeare Tavern, 1824.
bricks, two stories high, with dormer-windows on the roof. In 1822 an extension, three stories high, was built on Fulton Street, with a room for public meetings and military drills on the second floor, and an arched room in the third story for balls and concerts as well as military purposes. From 1808 to 1824 it was kept by an Englishman named Thomas Hodgkinson, a brother of the cele- brated comedian and vocalist John Hodgkinson, who was at one time a manager of the Park Theatre. Thomas Hodgkinson was an officer in the Second Regiment of the New York State Artillery,
109
THE COAT-OF-ARMS.
1824
and was distinguished for his activity and patriotism during the War of 1812. He died on the day of the reception of Lafayette. His famous establishment passed into the hands of his relative James C. Stoneall, by whom the interior was remodeled and mod- ernized, and it continued to maintain its wonderful reputation and popularity until the building was demolished by the widening of Fulton Street in the year 1836. For more than a quarter of a century the Shakespeare Tavern was a favorite place of resort of the first citizens of the city, and was distinguished for the superior character of its refreshments and the quiet comfort which pervaded the entire establishment. Merchants, politicians, and artists of dis- tinction gathered, by day and by night, beneath its hospitable roof, and it was the acknowledged military headquarters of all the lead- ing organizations in the city. Old New-Yorkers long recollected with pleasure the hospitality, the good cheer, and the good-natured publican of the Shakespeare Tavern.
The coat-of-arms of the Seventh Regiment was devised and designed by Sergeant Asher Taylor, of the Fourth Company, immediately after the adoption of the name and the inauguration of measures insuring the success of the Battalion of National Guards. The design was en- graved by A. Ander- PRO PATRIA ET GLORIA son, one of the pioneers in the art of wood-en- NATIONAL GUARDS graving in this country, The Coat-of-Arms, 1824. by order of Captain Prosper M. Wetmore, who presented it to the Board of Officers; and it was unanimously approved and adopted. The coat-of-arms consisted of a shield, quarterly ; the first grand quarter, the shield of the United States; the second, the shield of the State of New York; the third, the shield of the city of New York; the fourth, the initials "N. Y. S. A.," on a red ground, for the corps of artil- lery ; on an inescutcheon of gold the cipher of the corps, "N. G." Crest, an American eagle displayed, proper motto, " Pro patria et gloria." An alteration was made in the fourth quarter in 1835.
110
1824
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
by substituting two cannons crossed saltierwise, and in chief a blaz- ing bomb, the insignia of artillery.
At the reception of Lafayette at the Battery, on the 16th day of August, when Major Wilson suggested the name of National Guard for the infantry companies of the Eleventh Regiment, Cap- tain Linus W. Stevens, who commanded a company of heavy artil- lery in the First Battalion of the Eleventh Regiment, proposed to Oliver M. Lownds, Esq., to raise a new (Fifth) Company for the National Guards, and promised to secure the transfer of his own company from the First to the Second Battalion. To this propo- sition Lownds promptly assented, and proceeded at once to enlist recruits for the new company. Meantime Captain Stevens, who had intended to retire from the militia service on account of the neglect of his superior officers to provide his command with guns for artillery practice, took the necessary measures to procure the transfer of his company to the National Guard Battalion.
On the 1st day of November the resignation of Major John D. Wilson was announced in regimental orders. The announcement was received by the officers and members of the National Guard Battalion with sincere sorrow, but all efforts to retain the valuable services of Major Wilson were unavailing, as failing health admon- ished him of the necessity of withdrawing from the military service. At an election held at the Shakespeare Tavern, on the 11th of November, Captain Irad Hawley, of the First Company, was elected major of the Eleventh Regiment, and was in General Orders as- signed to the command of its Second Battalion.
The first parade in the gray uniform of the Seventh Regiment took place on the 25th day of November, the anniversary of the evacuation of New York by the British troops at the close of the Revolutionary War. Such members of the several companies as were fully equipped were allowed to parade in the new uniform and equipments, and were consolidated on the right of the National Guard Battalion under the command of Captain Telfair, of the Second Company. About fifty men appeared in the ranks; the neatness and novelty of the uniform attracted general attention, and the parade was a complete success. The parade having been dismissed, Captain Telfair marched his command up Broadway to his residence in Spring Street, where he had prepared a splendid collation for its entertainment. The hospitality for which Captain
111
ANNUAL INSPECTION.
1824
Telfair was so distinguished was, on this occasion, most bountifully dispensed. The long life and prosperity of the new organization were toasted again and again ; congratulatory speeches were enthu- siastically delivered, and as enthusiastically received; and it was not until a late hour that those who participated in the first National Guard parade could tear themselves away from the festivities of the evening.
The annual inspection of the Eleventh Regiment occurred on the 12th day of October. The strength of the four companies of National Guards, as officially reported by the brigade-major and inspector, was as follows :
OFFICERS.
NON-COMS.
MUSIC.
MATROSSES
TOTAL.
Pres- ent.
Ab- sent.
Pres- ent.
Ab- sent.
Pres- ent.
Ab- sent.
Pres- ent.
Ab- Total sent. present.
Grand total.
First Co., Capt. HAWLEY ... Second Co., Capt. TELFAIR.
2
8
1
2
50
8
62
71
3
5
1
27
24
35
60
Third Co., Capt. CURTIS . .
3
5
1
1
15
28
24
53
Fourth Co., CAPT. SIMONS ..
1
2
7
1
2
31
23
41
67
Total
9
2
25
4
5
123
83
162
251
. .
. .
. .
.
ยท
The activity and popularity of Oliver M. Lownds secured the rapid organization of a new company, which was admitted to the Eleventh Regiment as the "Fifth Company of National Guards," by regimental order of the 25th day of December, as follows :
ELEVENTH REGIMENT, N. Y. STATE ARTILLERY. NEW YORK, December 25, 1824.
REGIMENTAL ORDERS.
The following officers of a company, to be recognized as the Fifth Company of National Guards, having been admitted into this regiment, they will be respected accordingly :
Mr. O. M. LOWNDS, Captain. C. B. SPICER, First Lieutenant. W. H. INSLEY, Second Lieutenant. By order of P. W. SPICER, Colonel : G. F. EVERSON, Adjutant.
Captain Linus W. Stevens did not meet the expected success in securing the transfer of his company from the First Battalion of the Eleventh Regiment to the Battalion of National Guards. A majority of its members strenuously opposed the movement, and Captain Stevens tendered his resignation. Although approved by
9
112
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1824
Colonel Spicer, the resignation was not accepted by the commandant of the brigade, thirty-two members of the company having pro- tested against its acceptance. Finally, a compromise was effected, by which Captain Stevens was allowed to detail from his command such members as desired to connect themselves with the National Guard Battalion ; and the necessary regimental order was issued as follows :
ELEVENTH REGIMENT, N. Y. STATE ARTILLERY. NEW YORK, December 27, 1824.
Captain L. W. Stevens, now doing duty in the First Battalion of this regiment, is hereby directed to detach forthwith one lieutenant and any number of men, not to exceed twenty-five, from the company now under his command, and organize the same to perform duty as infantry, in the Second Battalion, and to assume command of the same, and report himself and officers so detached to the com- mandant of the said battalion. He is also directed to assume the name and uni- form of the National Guards.
By order of P. W. SPICER, Colonel : G. F. EVERSON, Adjutant.
In compliance with the above order, Captain Stevens, in com- pany order dated December 29, 1824, detached from his old com- pany, in the First Battalion of the Eleventh Regiment, one lieuten- ant (John H. Williams), five sergeants, two corporals, and eighteen privates, to be called the Sixth Company of National Guards. The first meeting of the Sixth Company was held for organization at Dooley's, on the 4th day of January, 1825.
The year 1824 closed brilliantly for the National Guard Bat- talion. Six companies were already completely organized, and their equipment was rapidly progressing. The talents and energies of its officers and members were fully enlisted ; time, labor, and money were lavishly expended in advancing its interests, and its future was full of hope and promise. Although a large number of active and talented young men were earnestly engaged during the year 1824 in the organization of the Battalion of National Guards (sub- sequently the Seventh Regiment), the following-named officers are conceded to be its fathers and founders :
.
Captain PROSPER M. WETMORE, Captain IRAD HAWLEY, Captain WILLIAM B. CURTIS,
Major JOHN D. WILSON, Captain JOHN TELFAIR, Captain HOWARD A. SIMONS,
Captain LINUS W. STEVENS,
Captain OLIVER M. LOWNDS,
Sergeant ASHER TAYLOR.
113
THE FATHERS OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1824
Of the officers above named, Captains Wetmore, Hawley, Tel- fair, Stevens, and Simons were subsequently field-officers of the new organization, and their services are noticed in these pages at the period they terminated their connection with the regiment.
Major John D. Wilson was born in the city of New York in 1797, and in 1814 became a member of a celebrated company called the "Iron Grays," which was organized for the defense of the city, then threatened by the British. Although but seventeen years of age, young Wilson was so distinguished for his proficiency in the manual of arms that he was selected as the "fugleman " of his company. Soon after the termination of the war he enlisted in the Eleventh Regiment, in the company now known as the Third of the Seventh Regiment, and passed through the various grades with distinction until he was elected captain, in the year 1819. In 1823 he was elected major of the Eleventh Regiment of New York Ar- tillery, and assigned to the battalion which, in 1824, became the "Battalion of National Guards." Major Wilson was active and enthusiastic in the movement which resulted in the organization now known as the Seventh Regiment, but failing health compelled his retirement from the service, and prevented his assuming the prominent place in the new organization to which he was entitled by his rank, talents, and popularity. He was subsequently induced by Major-General Benedict to accept the position of division in- spector, which office he held until his death, which occurred on the 10th day of October, 1827. The funeral of Major Wilson was at- tended at the old John Street Methodist Church by an immense concourse of his friends and military associates. A thorough sol- dier, an accomplished musician, a genial companion, a faithful friend, and a true gentleman, Major Wilson enjoyed an enviable popularity, and was universally respected.
Captain William B. Curtis, a native of New York city, enlisted at an early age in the Eleventh Regiment of Artillery, and was ap- pointed paymaster of the regiment in 1820. He was appointed adjutant in 1822, and elected second lieutenant of the Third Com- pany in the same year. In 1823 he was successively promoted as first lieutenant and captain of his company. No officer was more active, energetic, and influential in the organization of the new bat- talion than Captain Curtis, and he was a popular leader in every movement and project to that end. His military tastes led him to
1824
114
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
prefer a staff position rather than the line, and in 1825 he received the appointment of brigade-major and inspector, which position he held until 1826, when he retired from the service. He died in the prime of life, about the year 1830. Captain Curtis was a brilliant and popular young man, of fine person and captivating manners. He was, at the time of his connection with the regiment, a partner in a large dry-goods house in Pearl Street.
Captain Oliver M. Lownds, being an intimate friend of Wilson, Wetmore, Stevens, and other founders of the Seventh Regiment, was induced to undertake the raising of a company for the new organization, in which he was eminently successful, and his valuable services were universally recognized and appreciated ; but, having no military experience or particular taste for the service, he soon re- signed his commission to accept the position of High-Sheriff of the City of New York. Captain Lownds was a popular and influential gentleman, and a favorite and successful politician of the period.
Sergeant Asher Taylor was born in Middletown, Conn., in the year 1800, and enlisted in the Fourth Company in 1822. He was elected orderly sergeant in 1826, and, al- though frequently elected lieuten- ant, he positively declined further promotion. He was active and in- fluential in the organization of the National Guard in 1824, and de- signed the regimental coat-of-arms, and in 1826 he furnished the de- signs and drawings for the colors of the new regiment. As secretary to the brigade inspector he was the first to wear the gray uniform of the Seventh Regiment on duty in From a photograph, 1872. 1824 ; a distinction of which he was always proud. In 1830 Ser- geant Taylor resigned his warrant; but he remained active in the service of the Regiment and influential in its councils until he removed from the city in 1840. At Camp Clinton, in 1831, he acted as assistant quartermaster, and he was in the ranks of the
1824
SERGEANT ASHER TAYLOR.
115
regiment on the several occasions between 1834 and 1837 when it was called upon to preserve the peace and order of the city. In 1838 he was commissioned as chaplain of the regiment. A man of decided talent and strong common sense, with a full measure of Yankee wit and shrewdness, genial, social, and agreeably eccentric, Asher Taylor is a prominent figure in the early history of the Seventh Regiment. His time and talents were enthusiastically devoted to the regiment, and his valuable services should be ever held in grateful remembrance. His interesting and valuable pub- lications, the "Notes on the Colors" and "Recollections of the Seventh Regiment," and his remarkable illustrated volume entitled " A Tribute to the Seventh Regiment," are evidences of his devo- tion to the corps. Asher Taylor was in early life engaged in mer- cantile pursuits, and for many years he was President of the Market Fire-Insurance Company. The great fires in Chicago and Boston (1871 and 1872) irretrievably ruined that company and impaired his private fortune, and he subsequently accepted the position of Vice- President of the Exchange Insurance Company, which he held until his death, which occurred in 1878.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.