USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 18
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1829
172
IHISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
etc., reflected " disgrace " on the colonel and the major command- ing, as well as upon the corps generally, and " that it was the duty of Colonel Hart and Major Boyd to have used the best exertions and endeavors to have brought the company officers and men, or such of them as were concerned in this transaction, to trial and punishment. Colonel Hart and Major Boyd have not produced evidence to the court of any such endeavors." In promulgating the above, the major-general concurred in the opinions of the court of inquiry, and directed Brigadier-General Manly to cause an in- quiry to be made by a brigade court-martial as to the " disgraceful and shameful " conduct of the company officers and the men of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, and expressed the determination to hotly pursue and direly punish every officer and soldier who had ignominiously fled from the field of glory on Columbia's natal day.
Many members of the Regiment had been particularly jolly over their exploits of July 4th, but the order of General Morton cansed them to realize their danger, and to seriously consider the ways and means of escape. After carefully surveying the field, it was decided that the only hope was in a bold and aggressive policy, and a meet- ing of the non-commissioned officers and privates was therefore held at the Shakespeare Tavern to organize for the campaign. The following were the proceedings of the meeting, as published in the newspapers of the day :
TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT, N. Y. STATE ARTILLERY, NATIONAL GUARD.
A meeting of the non-commissioned officers and privates of the Regiment was held at the Shakespeare, on Tuesday, October 6, 1829; Sergeant Allen M. Sniffen, of the Fifth Company, was appointed Chairman, and Sergeant Asher Taylor, of the Fourth Company, was appointed Secretary. The object of the meeting having been stated to be the consideration of the Division Orders of the 25th ult., pub- lished in the "Courier and Enquirer," a Committee of three was appointed to prepare resolutions expressing the sense and feeling of the meeting. The Com- mittee retired during the delivery of several addresses, and upon their return presented the following resolutions, which were passed unanimously :
Whereas, The publication in the newspapers of a Division Order of 25th nlt., promulgating the Report of a Court of Inquiry which had been instituted to inquire into the conduct of the field-officers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, with regard to the affair of the Fourth of July, which said report, in relating the " facts" of the case, explicitly and unqualifiedly exonerates the field-officers from a participation in the affair alluded to; and
Whereas, The said Court of Inquiry, in the expression of their " opinion," have thought proper to pass judgment upon the line-officers and privates, pronouncing them guilty of "disgraceful conduct," &c., &c .; and
.
173
1829
AN INDIGNANT MANIFESTO.
Whereas, General Morton, in promulgating the Report, repeats the assertion of " disgrace " and "guilt " on the part of the line-officers and privates, thereby tending to prejudge the case of those whom he at the same time orders to be tried ; therefore,
Resolved, That we deem it a duty to our officers, to ourselves, and to the char- acter of our corps, to express our indignation at the course pursued by General Morton, and those about him, endeavoring to disparage us in the estimation of our fellow-citizens.
Resolved, That the imputation of "disgrace," on the transactions of July 4th. we hurl with contempt at those who had command of the military celebration of the day.
Resolved, That we appreciate as highly as General Morton, or those about him, can do the importance of subordination in every rank of a military establishment ; that, under this feeling, we have endured the impositions and oppressions of Gen- eral Morton on every occasion that we have paraded under his Command, when the repeated remonstrances of our officers have been disregarded ; that on the occasion in question, we consider that the disagreeable duty imposed on the Divis- ion of Artillery was a gross outrage upon every principle of honor and respect that sustains all associations of citizen soldiers; that through the imbecility of General Morton, and those about him, nearly the whole day was consumed in ordering, counter-ordering, and rescinding orders when half executed, and in arranging and compromising difficulties thus created, while the Division was kept standing until near night, under circumstances peculiarly vexatious; that we then thought, and now think, that there is a point, even in military subordination, beyond which endurance would justly entitle men to the imputation of " shame" and " disgrace."
Resolved, That, in reviewing the order of General Morton setting forth the Report of the Court of Inquiry, we consider that the course pursued by that Court is entirely unwarranted by the authority under which they acted, and evinced but little knowledge of the military law, or they would have known that neither General Morton, nor those about him, possess the power to order a direct inquiry into the case of any below the rank of a field-officer; and we consider that as the said Court could not have had any testimony before them showing the conduct of the line-officers and privates, their "opinion " in the premises was entirely volunteered and gratuitons, and we esteem it accordingly ; and we deem it but barely an act of justice to our cause to state to the public, that the members of the Court of Inquiry, besides the President, General Hopkins, were Alexander Ming, Jr., and A. M. C. Smith.
Resolved, That the peculiarity of the publication in the newspapers of the Division Order of the 25th ult., and that, too, before a copy had been furnished to the parties concerned, is unprecedented ; and that the evident desire of General Morton, and those about him, to create a prejudice and excitement in the public mind against the Twenty-seventh Regiment, previous to and during an investiga- tion of its conduct, reflects the highest disgrace on them as officers, as citizens, and as men of honor.
Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the chairman and secretary, and published in three of the daily papers.
174
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1829
This famous broadside demoralized the enemy, and all New York applauded the boldness of the young militiamen, and laughed at the discomfiture of the venerable general, "and those about him." No further action was taken in the matter; gradually the excitement subsided, and the hostile parties, having laid aside their arms, henceforth traveled quietly onward in the path of peace.
The Board of Officers having decided to celebrate the anniver- sary of the organization of the Regiment, Colonel Hart issued the following order :
TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT, N. Y. STATE ARTILLERY. NEW YORK, September 28, 1829.
REGIMENTAL ORDER.
This Regiment will parade, completely uniformed and equipped, on Thursday next, October 1st. The regimental line will be formed in the Park in front of the City Hall, at 2 o'eloek P. M., for the purpose of celebrating the anniversary of the day that gave birth to the National Guard.
No organized festivities followed the anniversary parade. Many contended that the 25th of August, 1824, the date of the organiza- tion of the Battalion of National Guards, at the Shakespeare Tav- ern, was the proper anniversary day instead of October 1, 1825, the date of the general order of the adjutant-general recognizing the Battalion of National Guards as a separate and independent military organization, while others contended that the anniversary of the Regiment should be celebrated on May 6th, the date of the order creating the Twenty-seventh Regiment.
The annual inspection and review took place on the 19th day of November, at Washington Parade-Ground, regimental line forming at the park. The following was the result of the inspection :
Present.
Present.
Field.
2
Fourth Company.
72
Staff.
3
Fifth
33
Non Com. Staff.
2
Sixth
48
First Company
31
Seventh
31
Second
29
Eighth 66
50
Third 66
25
Band.
Total present, 333. Present and absent, 501.
At this period it was the practice to inspect an entire brigade the same day, the different regiments appearing upon the ground at the different hours named in brigade orders.
From 1825 to 1829 no regular band was attached to the Regi- ment. A " Martial Corps," consisting of sixteen Hampford drums,
-
175
REIDEL'S MARTIAL CORPS.
1829
with an appropriate number of fifes and bugles, was organized by the Board of Officers, under a leader or drum-major. The music furnished by this martial corps was so deafening and overpowering that the officers protested that their orders could not be heard, and, during the year 1829, a new corps was organized under the direc- tion of Reidel, a famous drummer and musician of the period, which was less noisy in its character. The corps was uniformed at the expense of the Regiment. On extraordinary occasions a brass band was employed, generally from the United States forts in the vicinity of the navy-yard. The major of the Regiment was always the chairman of the music committee, and made the arrangements for music, subject to general directions from the Board of Officers. Even at this early period the Regiment was celebrated for its taste in respect to music. On one occasion the music selected for the "troop " attracted universal attention. Inquiries were made as to its name and author, but the only information obtained was that the favorite air was No. 27. It was at once adopted by the Regi- ment, and was called "The Twenty-seventh," and was for a long time a great favorite; but at length all the bands played it for other military corps, pianos retailed its notes in every direction, and the small boys whistled it in the streets, until the Twenty- seventh Regiment was. constrained to abandon its protégé to the use and possession of the general public.
During the year 1829 there was but one change among the captains of the Regiment. Captain Beach, of the Sixth Company, an able and accomplished officer, resigned his commission, and Lieutenant Thomas Postley was elected his successor.
The Eighth Company in March adopted a belt-plate, and pur- chased thirty plates, for the use of its members, at a cost of one dollar each, upon which the initials "N. G. Eighth " were in- scribed. This style of plate was subsequently adopted by the other companies, and was worn until, by the adoption of the name "Na- tional Guard " for the entire militia of the State of New York in 1862, it became necessary to substitute the letter of the company upon the belt-plate. In the various changes in the uniform and equipments of the Regiment, the Eighth Company at this period was foremost both in originating and adopting all improvements. On the 1st day of December, 1829, the Eighth Company adopted the following resolution :
13
176
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. 1829
" Resolved, That we adopt gray pantaloons as a part of the uni- form of our company."
Several of the companies of the Regiment indulged in target- excursions during the year 1829. In later days of extravagance, it may not be uninteresting to notice the comparative economy which wisely characterized all affairs of this kind. From the minutes of the Eighth Company it appears that the expenses of its target- excursion, June 16, 1829, thirty-seven members participating, were as follows :
Prize Musket.
$25.00
Expenses to Elizabeth, N. J.
6.75
Target and Ornament. 8.75
Bill for Dinners 54.00
Musicians
19.00
Steamboat Bellona Passages 15.00
Waiters
2.00
Refreshments for Musicians 1.50
Bill of Wine.
16.50
Total
$148.50
In apologizing for the fact that the expenses as above exceeded the estimates, the committee stated that "they could not have made them less and have shown a proper degree of spirit for the honor of the Eighth Company or the convenience of its members."
From the minutes of the Second Company it appears that the expenses of its target-excursion to Bull's Ferry, June 12, 1834, thirty-seven members participating, were as follows :
Ferriage for 37 men, 8 musicians, and 5 guests. $12.50
Dinner at 50 cents 25.00
Wine, 20 bottles at 87} cents. 17.50
Eight musicians at $2. 16.00
Target and Contingencies.
3.00
Total
$74.00
At this period the members purchased their own muskets, gen- erally at Moore's, in Broadway, between Fulton and John Streets, which was then the leading establishment for the sale of arms and ammunition. They were of the fowling-piece pattern, small, with small flint-lock, light stock, the stocks varying in style, some being very crooked and some almost straight, and generally very badly balanced and quite unsuited for purposes of uniform military drill.
1829
THE ARMS OF THE REGIMENT.
177
The barrels were polished and the bayonets triangular, and about the same length and style as those in use upon the regulation Springfield musket, previous to the introduction of breech-loading arms. The sling was made of webbing with buttons for fastening. The members kept their muskets at their own homes, and were held responsible for their proper order and cleanliness on parade.
TO YORKTOWN
*
Uniform of French Soldiers in America, 1780.
178
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1830
CHAPTER TENTH.
1830.
COLONEL HART and Major Boyd resigned their commissions in January, and Captain Holt, the senior officer, was in brigade orders designated to command the Regiment until further orders. On the 25th day of January the officers assembled at Stoneall's for the election of field-officers, General Manly presiding, and unanimously elected ex-Colonel Linus W. Stevens colonel of the Regiment. At a special meeting held on the 28th a communication was received from Colonel Stevens, conditionally accepting the office, as follows:
I will accept your invitation to resume the command of your Regiment, but as it must be our mutual wish to provide for the future as well as the present interest of the Corps that the following shall be the basis of such acceptance :
First, that the subordinate stations in the Field shall be filled by good and approved men, such as shall be calculated to succeed to the command of the Regi- ment whenever the same shall be vacated.
Second, that whenever the time shall have arrived, when I may deem it ex- pedient to retire from command, that I have full liberty to resign the same, and that no measures shall be taken to prevent my intentions being carried into effect.
The Board of Officers accepted these conditions, and appointed a committee of five to take measures in conjunction with Colonel Stevens to select suitable candidates to fill the vacancies in the field. An informal ballot for lieutenant-colonel was taken, and a majority of the votes were east for ex-Major Robert B. Boyd, and Captain Holt was the unanimous choice for major, but both positively refused to accept. On the 19th of February, the committee on candidates reported in favor of George Dixey for lieutenant-colonel, and stated that "Colonel Stevens was perfectly satisfied with the nomi- nation." On the 1st day of March Colonel Stevens took command of the Regiment, and on the 22d George Dixey was elected lieu- tenant-colonel, and Morgan L. Smith major. Neither of these
179
COLONEL LEVI HART.
1830
gentlemen had ever been connected with the Regiment, but the powerful influence of Colonel Stevens and the reluctance of the prominent officers of the line to accept promotion, secured in this instance the adoption of the doubtful policy of electing to promi- nent positions officers not identified by past service with the for- tunes of the Regiment. At the time of their election Dixey was an officer in another militia regiment, and Smith was adjutant of the Washington Guards. To the surprise and indignation of the officers of the Regiment, Dixey declined the honor, and on the 1st day of April they adopted the following preamble and resolutions:
Whereas, Lieutenant-Colonel George Dixey on being waited upon by a Com- mittee of the officers of this Regiment did consent to take the Lieutenant-Colo- nelcy of the 27th Regiment in case he was elected thereto, and he having been elected thereto with one dissenting voice, and since his election having by a com- munication to Colonel Stevens, which he this evening laid before the officers, in substance declined to take his post in our corps ; therefore
Resolved, that Lieutenant-Colonel George Dixey be no longer considered worthy of our association, and that the Lieutenant-Colonelcy be considered vacant.
Resolved, that the Commandant be requested to allow the communication from Lieutenant-Colonel Dixey to be resealed, redirected, and returned to Lieu- tenant-Colonel Dixey through the Post-Office.
Colonel Stevens, however, declined to allow the communication of Dixey to be treated so ignominiously, and so far as the Seventh Regiment is concerned Dixey passed into oblivion. On the first day of July Major Smith was elected lieutenant-colonel and John M. Catlin was elected major of the Regiment.
Colonel Levi Hart enlisted in 1819 in Captain Hopkins's com- pany of the Eleventh Regiment, New York Artillery, which sub- sequently became the First Company of the Twenty-seventh Regi- ment. Having served as a corporal and sergeant, he was elected second lieutenant in 1824, first lieutenant in 1825, and captain of the First Company in 1826. So rapid were the changes in the officers of the line, that in 1828, when Colonel Stevens resigned, and Colonel Manning, after a very brief term of office, retired, Cap- tain Hart was elected colonel without material opposition, and he performed the duties of the office for fifteen months, when he resigned and retired from the service.
Colonel Hart, though not distinguished as an officer, was by no means deficient in soldierly acquirements, and at drill and parade
180
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. 1830
creditably performed every military duty. He was a man of quiet and unassuming manners, and had not the peculiar qualities which inspire subordinates to activity and enthusiasm. But he was uni- versally respected by officers and men, and his devotion to the interests of the Regiment in a critical period of its existence won the affection of his associates and entitled him to a prominent place in the early history of the Seventh Regiment.
Colonel Hart was in person small, erect, and soldierly, with frank and pleasing face, modest in manner, and slow and deliberate in his movements. He was social and genial, and generous to a fault. At the time of his connection with the Regiment he was in the clothing business, and afterward for many years was a real-estate broker, and was always successful in his business pursuits. He was an active politician in the Whig party from 1836 to 1848, a warm partisan of Henry Clay, and a personal friend and supporter of William H. Seward, Hamilton Fish, and other prominent men of the party. Colonel Hart was born in Monmouth County, N. J., in 1796, and died in New York in 1874.
Major Robert B. Boyd was elected captain of the Fifth Com- pany in 1826, having previously served with distinction for a con- siderable period in another military organization. In 1828 he was elected major, and in 1830 he was chosen lieutenant-colonel ; but he declined the honor on account of business engagements, and retired from the service. Major Boyd was a successful merchant, and a popular and highly respected gentleman. He was a good military officer, and was distinguished for his very fine personal appearance upon parade.
On the 3d of June the Board of Officers appointed a committee to ascertain and report upon the practicability of performing a tour of camp duty in July. This committee, after visiting several im- portant towns, decided upon Poughkeepsie as the most desirable location for the proposed camp, and recommended that the Regi- ment leave New York on Saturday, July 3d, and return on the following Tuesday. The companies generally approved the project, but upon application to general headquarters for a supply of tents and knapsacks from the State Arsenal a reply was received, inclos- ing an order for the camp equipage, but refusing, " for the want of precedent," the use of the knapsacks belonging to the State. As it was impossible to have knapsacks manufactured by the appointed
11
Colonel Seventh Regiment, 1828 -1830.
181
FUNERAL OF COLONEL WILLETT.
1830
time, and as a later day of departure was deemed inadvisable, the encampment was reluctantly postponed until the following year.
The failure of the project for an encampment in 1830, being due principally to the want of knapsacks, the regiment at once inaugurated measures for procuring this important part of the equipments of the soldier. At a meeting of the Board of Officers, in August, a committee was appointed to select a pattern knapsack, and captains were directed to procure the appointment of commit- tees from their companies to consider the subject. The joint con- mittee met on the 13th day of September at Stoneall's Shakespeare Tavern, and after due consideration the pattern which had been approved by the Board of Officers was adopted as a part of the uni- form of the Regiment, six of the eight companies having voted in its favor. The Sixth Company approved of a pattern somewhat similar to the one adopted by the six companies, while the Second Company with great unanimity voted against the adoption of the knapsack. The opposition to the adoption of the knapsack as a part of the uniform of the Regiment was mainly because it was believed that the expense of that part of the equipment of the militia was properly chargeable to the State military fund. It is due to the Fourth Company to state that on the 19th day of Sep- tember, 1827, it resolved "to adopt knapsack, whenever the same shall be generally adopted and become a part of the Bill of Dress, the style and pattern to be agreed upon by the Regiment." And at a meeting held in June, 1830, and previous to any regimental action upon the subject, the Fourth adopted knapsacks for company parades.
The funeral of Colonel Marinus Willett, of Revolutionary renown, was a notable military event of the year. He died at his residence in Broome Street, in August, at the age of ninety years, and a vast concourse of distinguished citizens, veterans of the Revolutionary War, and officers of the army and navy and of the militia, attended the funeral. A newspaper of the period states that-
The corpse, in compliance with the written request of the deceased, was hab- ited in a complete suit of ancient citizens' apparel, including an old-fashioned three-cornered hat, which had been preserved for that purpose. The coffin was made of pieces of wood collected, as we have understood, by himself, many years ago, from the scenes of different revolutionary battles.
1830
182
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
By Division order the Twenty-seventh Regiment was detailed as special escort to the remains of Major James Fairlie, a distin- guished officer during the Revolutionary War, and a well-known and popular citizen of New York. The funeral was attended at No. 41 Cortlandt Street, on the 12th day of October, and the fine appearance of the Regiment on this occasion was universally noticed and commended. Major-General Morton, in division orders, ex- pressed "his great satisfaction with the soldierly manner in which the Regiment yesterday performed the obsequies at the interment of Major Fairlic."
The French Revolution of 1830, resulting in the elevation of Louis Philippe to the throne of France, was hailed in this country as an important step in the progress of free institutions and popular government. Arrangements were made to celebrate the event on the anniversary of the evacuation of New York by the British, but on account of the inclemency of the weather the ceremonies were postponed until the following day. At sunrise, on the 26th of November, the celebration commenced with a salute at the Battery by the Veteran Corps of Artillery. French and American flags were displayed from the hotels and public buildings, and from many private residences ; and the people, who at an early hour thronged the streets, were decorated with tricolored badges and rosettes, and other national emblems. The procession-which in- cluded the military, the civic societies, the associations and trades, the firemen, and the citizens generally-formed in Canal Street, at 11 A. M., and marched through Broadway to the Park, Chatham Street, Bowery, Broome Street, and Broadway to Washington Pa- rade-Ground. So immense were the numbers participating, and so great the length of the procession, that its right reached Washing- ton Square before the left had moved from Canal Street. A plat- form had been erected in the Square, around which the civic soci- eties and the citizens assembled in such vast numbers that the military was obliged to remain in the adjacent streets during the exercises. The oration was delivered by Samuel L. Gouverneur, the " Marseillaise " was sung with great enthusiasm, the bands per- formed the French and American national airs, and the exercises closed with repeated discharges of artillery and volleys of musketry. It was estimated that thirty thousand people were assembled in Washington Parade-Ground, and the principal streets of the city
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