USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 15
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Whereas, Sergeant Asher Taylor, of the Fourth Company of National Guards, having assisted the Standard Committee in giving a suitable design to be embroid- ered for the banner of this battalion, and also facilitating the duties of the com- mittee for prescribing the uniform of the corps; therefore-
Resolved, That the thanks of the officers of this battalion be presented to Ser- geant Asher Taylor, of the Fourth Company, for his skill and ingenuity exercised in sketching a suitable design for and tracing it on the silk intended for the ban- ner of the National Guards, and also for assistance rendered in furnishing the " Bill of Dress " lately adopted.
The first parade of the National Guards as the Twenty-seventh Regiment took place on the 31st of May to receive the colors above referred to. The regiment was formed in Park Place, and the colors were presented in front of the City Hall. The distinguished Mayor of New York, Hon. Philip Hone, delivered the standard to Colonel Wetmore, with an eloquent and complimentary address, in the presence of a large number of ladies . and prominent citizens. The fact, however, that the young men of the Regiment were allowed to purchase a regimental flag, and that the chief executive officer of the city should present a flag thus purchased to the Regi- ment, illustrates the economy or parsimony of the city government of that period, and is not very creditable to the public spirit of the citizens of New York, whose lives and property the Regiment was organized and sworn to defend. The flag presented on this occa- sion was made of red silk, upon which was embroidered the coat-of- arms of the Regiment on a shield, with the crest and motto, sup- ported by wreaths of oak and laurel and surrounded by golden stars.
Colonel Wetmore having received an invitation to the Regiment to witness the laying of the corner-stone of the New York (Bow- ery) Theatre by his Honor the Mayor, ordered a parade on the 17th of June for that purpose. Considerable objection was made by officers and members to parading on an occasion of this character, and the parade was countermanded.
At a meeting of the Board of Officers held on the 1st of June, a committee was appointed, consisting of Adjutant Warner, Pay- master Ingraham, and Lieutenant Holt, "to complete the State
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THE MIDDLETOWN CADETS,
1826
banner now in the hands of Mrs. Windsor, being embroidered." This flag was also purchased from the contributions for that pur- pose of the officers and members of the Regi- ment, and was embroid- ered by Mrs. Windsor with great taste and skill. It was made of blue silk, bearing the arms of the State of New York on a shield supported by wreaths of oak and laurel, with the State crest, and the EXCELSIOR. PATRIA ET OLOR. motto "Excelsior."
At the meeting of the Board of Officers in March a communication was received from John The Seventh Regiment Standards, 1826. Pintard, Esq., long a distinguished citizen of New York, favoring and urging a project for a military library. Resolutions were adopted by the board encouraging the movement, and in favor of attending a military lecture by Captain Partridge at the Mechanics' Institute, the pro- ceeds of which were to be devoted toward founding a military library. Captain Alden Partridge had been an instructor in mili- tary tactics at West Point, and was at this period the principal of a very flourishing and popular military school at Middletown, Conn. So delighted were the officers of the Regiment with this admirable lecture, that complimentary resolutions to Captain Partridge were unanimously adopted; and, although the project for a military library, after languishing for a time, finally expired, it immediately led to a most agreeable acquaintance between the officers and mem- bers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment and Captain Partridge and his cadets. On the 12th day of May a resolution was adopted in- viting the Middletown Cadets to parade with the Regiment on the 4th of July and accept its hospitalities, and the invitation was accepted.
The semi-centennial anniversary of American independence was
140
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. 1826
celebrated with great enthusiasm and display. At an early hour the Twenty-seventh Regiment paraded to receive the Middletown Cadets. After the usual reception, ceremonies at the foot of Fulton Street, East River, the National Gnards, accompanied by their guests, proceeded to Castle Garden to receive from Governor Clin- ton the State standard above referred to. As this presentation pre- ceded the general parade of the day, the attendance was unusually brilliant, including the major-general and staff, the brigadier-gen- erals and staffs, nearly all the field and line officers of the division, and a large part of the youth, beauty, and fashion of the city. The enthusiasm with which the eloquent remarks of Governor Clinton were received by citizens and soldiers, the great number and variety of elegant uniforms that graced the occasion, and the fine martial appearance of the Regiment and of the Middletown Cadets, united to render the scene particularly interesting and imposing. The division formed at the Battery at 10 A. M., was reviewed by Major- General Morton, marched through Broadway, Maiden Lane, Pearl and Chatham Streets, passed the Governor in review at the City Hall, and, after a feu-de-joie, was dismissed. The Middletown Cadets were afterward entertained by the Regiment at Morse's Hotel in Park Row, and were quartered for the night with the members at their residences.
The military ceremonies concluded, the Governor and Mayor and the officers of the Division repaired to Washington Parade- Ground, where a public feast had been prepared by the city corpora- tion. Immense awnings had been erected, beneath which two tables, each four hundred and fifty feet long, groaned under vast quantities of substantial viands. Two oxen, roasted whole ; two hundred hams, with a carver at each; immense piles of bread and innumerable barrels of beer, were the chief features of this wonderful entertain- ment. The mayor having officially inaugurated the public feast, the oxen, hams, bread, and beer soon disappeared among the hungry and thirsty people, while the mayor and city officials, the Governor and suite, and the officers of the division, dined together more sumptuously at the City Hall. In describing the events of the day, Colonel William L. Stone, of the " Commercial Advertiser," alluded to the corporation dinner as follows :
The regular before-dinner proceedings of the day having been thus happily ended; the Governor having presented a banner, reviewed the troops and been
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WASHINGTON PARADE GROUND.
1826
saluted by them ; the officers having shown their fine coats and epaulets to the public in general, and to their wives and sweethearts at the windows in particular, and the soldiers fired away the powder-the societies having paraded, and the Tammanies exhibited their bucktails-the rabble around the park having swallowed all the pigs, puddings, and punch from those elegant restorateurs, the booths, which they could procure for cash or credit-the "up-town boys " having ate a yoke of oxen and picked their teeth with the horns, and the committee of arrange- ments having closed the doors of the banqueting-hall, so that the multitude could no longer see or smell what their betters were about to taste-we retired to our domicile to partake of an independent and solitary dinner, not so rich and varied by half as the corporation dinner-for who but aldermen dare dine upon turtle . and champagne ?- but good enough for all that, and well seasoned with Spartan sauce. The truth is, our knowledge of dinatory tactics teaches us to dislike a corporation feast excessively, when we happen not to have an invitation. And even occasionally, when we do arrive at that high distinction, there are so many drawbacks upon one's comfort, that ten to one, were it not for the name of the thing, a domestic man, who has not a smoky house and the usual con- comitant (a scolding wife) at home, would find more substantial pleasure, ay, a more substantial dinner, at his own fireside. In the latter particular, how- ever, we expect to make no converts among the worshipful "fathers" of the city ; for, as the poet says :
" Wretches hang, that aldermen may dine !"
In short, we have high authority for saying that a coquette would rather renounce the pleasure of being admired ; a poet that of being praised ; a tailor that of cheating, or a dandy that of getting into his debt ; and lawyers and doctors would sooner abandon their fees; nay, a bailiff sooner let you out of his clutches without a bribe, than an alderman would forego a good dinner. How many city improve- ments have been arranged while the committee were swallowing their beefsteak and oysters ! And how many schemes of retrenchment planned over a dinner of three courses with Burgundy to boot !
In the evening there was a grand display of fire-works in the park. The front of the City Hall was adorned with illuminated paintings and transparencies, and an immense illuminated globe suspended in the park attracted great attention and was universally admired.
The following extract from division orders, dated June 27, 1826, is historically interesting :
The corporation of the city have been pleased to set apart a piece of ground for a military parade on Fourth Street near MeDougall Street, and have di- rected it to be called " Washington Military Parade-Ground." For the purpose of honoring its first occupation as a military parade, Colonel Arcularius will order a detachment from his regiment, with field-pieces, to parade' on the ground on the morning of the 4th of July next. He shall fire a national salute and proclaim the name of the parade-ground, with such ceremonies as he shall see fit.
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1826
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
On the 4th of July, Colonel Wetmore presented to Governor De Witt Clinton, Mayor Philip Hone, John Pintard, Esq., and other very distinguished citizens, medals bearing the arms of the Regiment, which were acknowledged in the most complimentary terms. Mayor Hone wrote as follows :
The Mayor presents his respects to Colonel Wetmore and accepts with great pleasure the beautiful medal bearing the arms of the Corps of National Guards. Nothing could be more grateful to his feelings than to receive this compliment from his favorite regiment, and he hopes they will consider themselves under his peculiar patronage.
The death of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on the fiftieth anniversary of American independence was a remarkable coinci- dence, and the whole country united in testifying respect to their memory. On the 12th of July the obsequies were celebrated by the city authorities of New York, and the funeral services took place at the Middle Dutch Church. The officers of the Twenty- seventh Regiment National Guards met at the City Coffee-House, 31 Park Row, to join the procession. The public buildings were draped in mourning ; the city bells were tolled ; a salute of one hundred and seventy-five guns, that being the united ages of the deceased Presidents, was fired at the Battery by the Eleventh Regi- ment, New York Artillery ; all places of business were closed ; and the entire community participated in the solemnities in honor of the departed statesmen and patriots of the Revolution.
At the end of the first half of the year 1826 the Regiment had made considerable progress in the new and improved system of in- fantry tacties. Officers had been drilled twice a month with the musket, and the drills by company had been more frequent and thorough than under the old regime. New members were admitted to the Regiment and were promptly equipped, and in every depart- ment of the organization activity and harmony prevailed.
Target-firing was the popular military amusement of this season, and every company of the Regiment, except the Eighth, devoted a day to target-practice. Considerable military instruction and im- provement were the result of these target excursions, and they were a source of great pleasure to the members and their friends. Among the invited guests were usually the editors of the city newspapers and the prominent officers of the militia, and some- times ladies graced these occasions with their presence. A good
1826
ANNUAL INSPECTION.
143
dinner after the fatigues and amusements of the day, and the usually lively and sometimes brilliant after-dinner exercises, were always attractive features ; and the prizes, which were generally a musket, a brace of pistols, and a piece of plate, were cherished by the champions of the target, as valued mementos of these days of pleasure. The scene of these pleasant and instructive entertain- ments in 1826 was Mersereau's Ferry, Staten Island, a delightful rural resort upon New York Bay.
On the 9th of August the non-commissioned officers of the Regi- ment, under command of Adjutant Warner, proceeded to Stuy- vesant Creek for target-practice. The detachment was accompanied by the commissioned officers, who appeared on this occasion, by order, in "undress gray caps, white pantaloons and vest, and white roundabout." The field and staff officers fired at the target with pistols for a pair of prize pistols, and the company officers fired with muskets for a prize sword, using for that purpose the muskets of the non-commissioned officers. The prizes for the best marks- men among the non-commissioned officers were presented by the field and staff officers. It is related that on this occasion Colonel Stone, of the "Commercial Advertiser," who was a great friend of the Regiment and a universal favorite with its members, was in- duced to try his skill with a musket; and, as with closed eyes he blazed away, an officer standing two or three rods from the target was seen to fall. The colonel was struck with horror at the thought that he had caused the death of a friend, and was corre- spondingly elated when he discoverd that it was only a practical joke upon his unskillful marksmanship. He abjured target-firing, however, from that day forward.
4
The annual inspection and review took place at the Battery on the 18th of October, regimental line forming in Park Place. All members, whether uniformed or ununiformed, were ordered to parade for inspection, and all " warrant officers," except the sergeant- major, were directed to appear with musket, bayonet, belt, and cartouch-box. The sergeant-major was directed, "for the purpose of having a correct understanding in the music department," to call the roll of musicians precisely at the commencement of the formation of the line, and immediately report the delinquencies to the senior officer of the music committee present, to whom the leader was to report the cause of each delinquency for final refer-
11
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1826
ence to the Board of Officers. The following is an abstract of the inspection of the First Brigade of New York State Artillery, held on the 18th of October, 1826 :
REGIMENTS.
Commandants.
Number Ma- of com- trosses panies. present.
Total present.
Grand total.
Second Regiment
Colonel J. A. MOORE. ...
8
193
289
472
Twenty-Seventh Regt ...
P. M. WETMORE.
189
277
437
Fourteenth Regiment ...
M. CLARKE.
9
177
276
529
Ninth Regiment ..
S. I. IFUNT.
8
178
272
472
Brig .- General and Staff ..
. .
5
1
Total force of the brigade
32
737
1,119
1,917
NEW YORK, December 1, 1826.
J. D. EVERSON, Brigade Inspector.
The year closed with the usual parade on the anniversary of the evacuation of New York, November 25th. On the 13th of November, the First Brigade proceeded, by order of General Manly, to the " village of Brooklyn," for exercise in the evolu- tions of the line. As a parade of this character was a novelty in military circles, crowds of people crossed the Fulton Ferry and proceeded to the open fields near Red Hook to witness the unusual display. In general orders, both General Manly and Colonel Wet- more expressed great satisfaction at the rapid improvement in the drill and discipline of their commands. There had certainly been a general revival of military spirit in New York, and the Twenty- seventh Regiment had led the advance. To the frequent meetings of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and the several companies for military instruction was due the reputation which the Regiment so rapidly acquired in the year 1826.
The changes in company officers during the year were numerous and important. In the First Company, Captain Flinn retired, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Levi Hart; in the Second Company, Lieutenant Ingraham succeeded Captain Telfair, but continued to aet as paymaster upon the staff of Colonel Wetmore; in the Fifth Company, Robert B. Boyd, Esq., succeeded Captain Lownds, the company having been for a long time in charge of Lieutenant Spicer ; in the Seventh Company, Lieutenant Spicer, of the Fifth Company, was elected captain, and may be properly regarded as
145
CHANGES AND PROMOTIONS.
-1826
the first captain of that company, as the company since its organi- zation had been in charge of Lieutenant Allen. Captain Andrew Warner was commissioned as the first captain of the Eighth Com- pany, but continued to perform the duties of adjutant during the year.
American Rifleman. From a print about 1776.
146
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1827
CHAPTER SEVENTH.
1827.
THE harmony which had prevailed in the Regiment was sud- denly terminated by a contest among its officers, which threat- cned the existence of the organization. The failure of the Lom- bard Association, a loan and trust company, of which Colonel Wetmore was a prominent officer, was the immediate cause of the outbreak. When the public suffers by the failure of finan- cial institutions, charges of fraud are generally visited upon the unfortunate officers ; a shadow is often cast upon their good names, and time alone can vindicate those who are supposed to be the authors of misfortune. So, in this case, the public and the press were not slow in circulating reports unfavorable to the integrity and honor of Colonel Wetmore and his associates in business. An event of this character was, of course, the subject of anxious consid- eration among the officers and members of the Regiment. Colonel Wetmore had enjoyed an enviable popularity ; he was the most act- ive and influential among the founders of the Regiment, and, under his administration as its chief officer, it had eclipsed other organiza- tions in prosperity and in the struggle for public favor. All were deeply chagrined that any charges whatsoever should be made which reflected upon the good name of their popular colonel, and many were alarmed lest the reputation and prosperity of the Regi- ment should suffer thereby. The great questions were for the first time agitated in the Regiment, how far a military organization should allow its prosperity to be jeopardized by any odium which its officers may incur, whether merited or unmerited, and whether it is or is not the duty of an officer who is for the time being under a cloud to sever his military connections without regard to his own guilt or innocence. Upon both of these questions a diversity of opinion existed, and no settled policy has ever been adopted which
147
THE WETMORE IMBROGLIO.
1827
can govern the occasional cases of this kind which occur under a variety of circumstances in a popular military body.
On the 22d day of December, 1826, an informal meeting of the officers was held, pursuant to the following notice :
Friday, December 22, 1826.
You are requested to attend a meeting of the officers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, at Stoneall's, this evening, at seven o'clock, on business of importance.
By request of officers : L. W. STEVENS, Lieutenant-Colonel.
There was a full attendance of officers, and the reports in respect to the financial operations of Colonel Wetmore were freelly discussed with reference particularly to the probable influence of such reports upon the interests of the Regiment. A memorial to Colonel Wet- more on the subject was prepared and adopted, recounting the un- favorable rumors in public circulation, and asking for a statement of the facts in the case. At a meeting held on the 27th day of December, a letter was received from Colonel Wetmore, promising at the earliest opportunity to communicate with the Board of Offi- cers upon the subject. At a special meeting of the officers con- vened by the commandant on the 11th of January, 1827, Colonel Wetmore appeared in his own defense, pronounced the charges unfavorable to his character to be false, denied the right of his offi- cers to directly or indirectly sit in judgment upon his private and business transactions, and intimated that those officers who had been most active in agitating the subject within the Regiment were actu- ated by selfish and personal motives. At the conclusion of his address the colonel retired, and the Board of Officers, without discussion, by a vote of sixteen to eight, declared that the defense of Colonel Wetmore was unsatisfactory. For more than two weeks this sub- ject had been an exciting topic of conversation among officers and men ; gradually the discussion had become bitter and personal, and now open war was declared between the partisans of Colonel Wet- more and his opponents. Officers publicly declared that they would obey no orders issued by the commandant ; threats of arrest and of courts-martial were hurled back and forth ; some of the companies ventilated their sentiments in resolutions, and throughout the entire Regiment the conflict waxed fierce and furious.
The war did not end in words, for, on the 13th day of January, Colonel Wetmore tested the obedience of his more violent oppo-
148
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1827
nents by an order directing each commissioned officer to report to him in writing the date of his commission, on or before the 15th, at 2 P. M., and, on the 20th of January, he announced that four officers had been placed under arrest for disobedience of orders. Meantime, the opposition had not been idle. A petition to Gov- ernor De Witt Clinton had been prepared and was presented at headquarters, Albany, by Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens, praying for the removal of Colonel Wetmore from the office of colonel, and, on the 20th of January, by general orders, a court of inquiry was organized for the purpose of examining into the facts set forth in said petition. Upon the receipt of this order, Colonel Wetmore issued the following order :
TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT, N. Y. STATE ARTILLERY. NATIONAL GUARDS. NEW YORK, January 24, 1827.
REGIMENTAL ORDERS.
The commandant of the Regiment, having received an order from his Excel- lency the commander-in-chief, has great pleasure in announcing, for the informa- tion of the officers and privates of the corps, that a general court of inquiry has been instituted on the subject of the charges which have been alleged against him ; and, in order that the officers who have preferred the charges may have all the advantages which may arise from their official character and from the exercise of their official duties, the commandant has determined not to take any further measures in relation to the disobedience of the late order issued by him, until after the decision of the court of inquiry is made known; and, in the furtherance of this object. he has requested the major-general (to whom he had preferred charges and requested the arrest of Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens) to stay all proceedings in the premises.
PROSPER M. WETMORE, Colonel Twenty-seventh Regiment.
By order : ANDREW WARNER, Adjutant.
The combatants now rested on their arms, and all eyes were anxiously turned to the court of inquiry which convened at the Shakespeare Tavern, and through several succeeding weeks dragged its slow length along. Every point in the case was ably contested by eminent counsel, and no effort was spared by either party to secure a favorable verdict. The decision of the court of inquiry, if any was arrived at, was never known; for, on the 6th day of April, Colonel Wetmore announced in regimental orders that he had forwarded the resignation of his commission, and on the 9th day of April the fact was promulgated, in brigade orders, that the
149
COLONEL PROSPER M. WETMORE.
1827
resignation of Colonel Wetmore had been accepted by the com- mander-in-chief.
It is not deemed proper to express in this place any opinion upon the origin or the merits of this unfortunate controversy, or to engage in the defense or condemnation of any of the chief actors, but simply to record the undisputed facts as gleaned from official documents and other reliable sources. The prominent actors in this eventful contest have passed away, and the bitterness and per- sonal enmities resulting from it, which were carefully nursed for many years, are at last buried forever.
Colonel Prosper Montgomery Wetmore was born in Stratford, Conn., in 1798. In 1816 he enlisted in the Eleventh Regiment, New York Artillery, in the company commanded by Captain Kumbel, and since known as the Fourth Company of the Seventh Regiment. His activity and talents secured him rapid promotion. In 1819 he was elected second lieutenant, and in 1821 first lieu- tenant, and from 1819 to 1822 he was also adjutant of the Regi- ment. In 1822 he was elected captain of the Fourth Company, but soon vacated that position, having been appointed brigade-major. He continued in this position until the organization of the Battalion of National Guards, of which he was elected major and lieutenant- colonel in 1825, and in 1826 was elected the first colonel of the Regiment. The honor of being the first colonel of an organization since so distinguished was well deserved, for he was one of the originators of the project, and its most active and influential sup- porter and advocate.
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