USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 22
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217
FUNERAL OF LAFAYETTE.
1834
was Simeon Draper, long a distinguished citizen of New York, and at that time a young man and an ardent Whig, who was very active and prominent in keeping back and dispersing the crowd in front of the arsenal after its capture by his political friends. General Arcularius, not knowing his name, alluded to him repeatedly in his report as "the man with a claret-colored coat on "; and this novel and peculiar description of the popular young politician so amused his friends and the public that "the man with a claret-colored coat on " was long a familiar phrase in the political circles of New York. The general also noticed with considerable disfavor the activity and officiousness of a military gentleman who effectually applied his habits of command in restraining the crowd in the street from overt acts of violence. It was afterward ascer- tained that the ferocious gentleman referred to was none other than Captain Holt of the Sixth Company.
The death of the Marquis de Lafayette, which took place on the 20th of May, 1834, in the seventy-seventh year of his age, created a profound sensation in America. His recent visit to this country had endeared him to the generation which succeeded his Revolu- tionary compatriots, and there were still living many who had shared with him the trials and dangers of the memorable struggle of 1776. His funeral was appropriately celebrated in New York on the 26th of June by a procession, which included all the mili- tary of the city and of the neighboring towns, the State and city authorities, the civic and literary societies, the trades, and the citi- zens generally. The line was formed in Chambers and Hudson Streets, the left resting on Broadway. The Lafayette Guards were the guard of honor to the funeral urn; the pall-bearers were officers of the Revolution ; and the Veteran Corps of Artillery fired . minute-guns as the procession moved through Chatham, Bowery, Broome, and Broadway to the Battery. Places of business were closed, the streets were crowded with people, flags were at half- mast, and the public buildings were decked with emblems of sor- row. The impressive ceremonies closed with an oration by the Hon. James Talmadge, at Castle Garden.
On the 20th day of June Colonel Stevens issued orders for the encampment of the Regiment at Hamilton Square, between Sixty- sixth and Sixty-ninth Streets, Third and Fourth Avenues ; and appointed Asher Taylor military secretary, and J. C. Stoneall com-
218
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1834
missary of subsistence. On Monday, June 30th, at S A. M., the Regiment assembled at the City Hall Park, in heavy marching order, and, followed by the quartermaster's train, proceeded to Hamilton Square, via the Bowery and Third Avenue, where they pitched their tents, and quietly settled down to the routine duties of camp-life. Orders had been issued in respect to regulations and duties of camp, similar to those which governed Camps Clinton and Putnam, and complete arrangements had been made for the sub- sistence and general comfort of the Regiment. A marquee, one hundred feet in diameter, had been erected in the rear of the
KURTZ
Camp Hamilton. From a sketch by Surgeon Neely.
colonel's quarters, with tables and mess accommodations sufficient for all the members. A beautiful battery of brass (six pound) guns was posted in front of the camp, and gave it a formidable military appearance.
Tuesday and Wednesday, July 1st and od .- The usual drills and parades took place, and were witnessed by large crowds of vis- itors from the city. The heat was intense, making the guard-duty very oppressive, until Wednesday night, when relief was afforded by the sudden and unexpected appearance in camp of a severe thunder-storm, accompanied by a furious wind, which prostrated
219
CAMP HAMILTON.
1834
nearly all the tents, the colonel's marquee among the rest, gave the soldiers a good drenching, and exercised their patience and in- dustry in repairing damages and in restoring cheerfulness and com- fort to their quarters.
Thursday, July 3d .- Colonel Stevens having called for a de- tachment to man the battery of field-pieces, the Fourth Company volunteered its services, and twenty-five men were detailed for that purpose. They were drilled by the colonel in person in the artil- lery exercise, and performed their duties in a highly creditable manner. During the remainder of the encampment this detach- ment had charge of the field-pieces, and fired the salutes. The camp was visited during the day by a large number of distinguished personages, including the Mayors of New York and Brooklyn ; General Winfield Scott, and other officers of the United States Army and Navy ; and by General Morton, and the principal militia officers of the city. The evening parade and drill, and the subse- quent review by the mayor, Hon. Cornelius W. Lawrence, were remarkably fine, and the Regiment has rarely appeared to better advantage or been more rapturously applauded. Thousands of ladies and gentlemen from the city witnessed with pleasure this parade and review.
Friday, July 4th. - At 10 A. M. the Regiment paraded and marched to the mess-tent, which had been tastefully decorated with flags, flowers, and evergreens, in honor of the anniversary of Amer- ican Independence. The Declaration of Independence was read by Asher Taylor, the military secretary ; an oration was delivered by Major Catlin ; and at 12 M. the national salute was fired. At 1 P. M. the Regiment dined in the large pavilion, and dinner was followed by speeches, toasts, and songs. The afternoon was spent in receiving and entertaining a vast concourse of visitors, estimated to number not less than twenty-five thousand persons. The even- ing was devoted to general amusement and hilarity; the camp was illuminated, and the regular festivities ended with a display of fire- works. But the dancing in the pavilion continued, the ladies in large numbers having enlisted for the night, and daylight appeared before the camp was finally closed to visitors.
At 5 A. M., July 4th, the Eighth Company, by permission, left Camp Hamilton and proceeded on a target-excursion to Fort Ste- phens (Hallett Cove). During the day Hon. Aaron Clark extended
*
1834
220
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
to the company the hospitalities of his house in that vicinity, and entertained its members in an elegant manner.
Saturday, July 5th .- At 3 P. M. tents were struck, and the Regi- ment marched to the city and was dismissed at the park at sunset. The camp flag-staff, which was left by order of Colonel Stevens at Hamilton Square, remained standing for many years as a memorial of Camp Hamilton. The military improvement of the Regiment at Camp Hamilton was seriously interfered with by its proximity to the city, and the alternate and repeated absence of the members on furlongh, but in all other respects the encampment was a complete success. The weather was on the whole delightful ; the camp pleas- ant and comfortable; the culinary arrangements, in charge of the famous Stoneall, complete ; the attention to duty commendable, and the harmony and good feeling among officers and members perfect.
During the spring and summer of 1834 the abolition of slavery became a prominent subject of agitation and discussion, and meet- ings were held at several churches, to which the colored people of the city were naturally attracted. The friends of slavery claimed that amalgamation and negro equality were advocated at these meetings ; and by incendiary language they aroused the passions of the lower and more ignorant classes, and incited them to various riotous demonstrations. Arthur Tappan, his brother Lewis, Dr. Cox, and other leading abolitionists, as well as the negro population of the city, became objects of popular animosity ; and in the months of May and June their persons and property were frequently threat- ened and endangered. The civil authorities and the public gener- erally had no sympathy with the abolitionists, and made no attempts to suppress these ontrages, but the occurrences of July 9th aroused them to the dangers which had been gradually accumulating, and which now threatened the peace and order of the city.
Wednesday, July 9th .- Early in the evening a mob assembled in front of the Chatham Street Chapel, where it was understood that an abolition meeting was to be held, forced the gate and doors, filled the church to overflowing, and listened for an hour to violent harangues against negroes, abolitionists, and amalgamationists. The mob then adjourned to the Bowery Theatre to attend the benefit of Farren, an English actor, who was reported to have spoken dispar- agingly of America and its people. Having forced its way into
1834
221
THE ABOLITION RIOT.
the theatre, and crowded it from pit to dome, the voices of the act- ors were soon drowned by groans for Farren and imprecations upon Englishmen and English aristocrats. Hamblin, the manager, pleaded in vain to be heard, and quiet was not restored until Forrest, the popular American tragedian, who was playing for Farren's benefit, advanced to the foot-lights, and assured the uninvited audience that the obnoxious actor had left the theatre. The mob next proceeded to the residence of Lewis Tappan, in Rose Street, demolished the doors and windows, threw the furniture into the street, and set the house on fire ; but the prompt arrival of the firemen checked the conflagration, and at a late hour of the night the riotous crowd dis- persed.
Thursday, July 10th .- It was not yet dark, when the mob again commenced its depredations, and during the night at least a dozen different buildings were attacked and injured. The mayor had taken the precaution to call out two squadrons of cavalry, which he accompanied from place to place, but when driven from one street, the rioters rushed with demoniacal yells to another of the offensive localities. Want of energy and earnestness on the part of the authorities gave the mob strength, courage, and increased num- bers, and it did not disperse until fatigued and exhausted by its own violence.
Friday, July 11th .- On the morning of July 11th the mayor issued a proclamation, calling upon all peaceable and law-abiding citizens to remain in their houses or to enroll for the defense and protection of the city. The authorities and citizens were now thor- oughly alarmed, a large number of special policemen were ap- pointed, and the entire military force of the city was ordered under arms. At 2 P. M. the services of the Twenty-seventh Regiment were called for. At 5 P. M. over three hundred of its members were assembled at the arsenal, and, while waiting further orders, were drilled by Colonel Stevens in the use of the bayonet and in loading and firing. Meantime, as night approached, the streets were filled with excited people, and the disturbances promised to surpass all former ones in extent and violence. Tappan's store was again attacked, the African Church in Centre Street was violently assailed, and the church of Dr. Ludlow in Spring Street was broken open and its contents thrown into the street. The houses and quarters of the colored people were stoned, and in some cases de-
1834
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
222
molished ; and the negroes, as they made their appearance, were assaulted, tossed, and beaten, until they could make their escape and reach a place of safety. At the church in Spring Street the mob assembled in great force, and behaved in the most violent and extravagant manner. The bell of the church was rung, the win- dows, doors, and furniture were knocked to pieces, and two barri- cades, composed of wagons, carts, ladders, and wheelbarrows, were erected in Spring Street near the church, behind which the mob rallied to resist the civil authorities and the military. Early in the evening a large body of cavalry was sent to Spring Street, and suc- ceeded in breaking through the first barricade, but was obliged to retire before a shower of missiles. A small force of infantry was then ordered to the scene of the riot, but the leaders of the mob assured the authorities that the crowd would not disperse until the military was withdrawn ; and when their threats and promises had been yielded to, they asserted with increased boldness and despera- tion that there was not enough military power in New York to compel them to retire.
Late in the afternoon the mayor and a committee of aldermen appeared at the arsenal, and ordered Colonel Stevens to move his Regiment to the City Hall, but he positively refused to leave the arsenal, or to make any attempt to suppress the riot, until his men were supplied with ball-cartridges. After a consultation between the mayor and the aldermen, who were evidently suspicious that Colonel Stevens was desperately in earnest, the ball-cartridges were served out, and the Regiment marched to the City Hall. All con- ciliatory measures having failed, the Twenty-seventh Regiment was ordered at 11 P. M. to march to Spring Street, and was accompanied by the magistrates, and followed by an immense crowd of disorderly persons, who made night hideous with yells, groans, and impreca- tions. When it reached the corner of Spring and Sullivan Streets, it was saluted by stones and brickbats from attics and house-tops. A few were bruised and disabled ; and, though all were deeply ex- asperated and desired to immediately retaliate upon their assailants, they marched bravely forward and waited patiently the order to fire. The mob sullenly retired before the advancing column, until the Regiment was halted by the barricades near Varick Street. The magistrates, amazed and alarmed at the immense number and the violence of the rioters, suggested to Colonel Stevens that it was
223
THE ABOLITION RIOT.
1834
folly to attempt to disperse them with so small a force, and advised him to retire with his Regiment, but he politely and positively de- clined to follow their advice. A notorious political character had mounted the barricade and commenced addressing the mob with the most incendiary language, when Colonel Stevens caused his arrest and placed him under a guard, from which an officious alder- man and the political friends of the desperado tried in vain to re- lease him. Having partially removed the barricades, the Regiment in column by division, at half distance, marched rapidly forward, and with the point of the bayonet drove back the rioters in confu- sion. Arriving at the intersection of Varick with Spring Street, the column was halted, and a square was rapidly formed ; the mob divided by this simple, yet effective movement, was at once thor- oughly disorganized, and when charged upon with the bayonet the terror-stricken rioters scampered away in every direction, leaving the Twenty-seventh Regiment in quiet possession of the battle- ground. At a later hour of the night, the Regiment was ordered to disperse a mob that had gathered at St. Philip's Church in Centre Street, which it accomplished without much difficulty, and at daylight the weary and exhausted soldiers were dismissed.
Saturday, July 12th .- During the night of July 12th the Regi- ment was again under arms. Four companies were sent to Hanover Square to protect the store of Arthur Tappan, which was threat- ened with destruction, and the other companies were employed in dispersing a riotous assemblage in Chatham Square, and in preserv- ing order in that vicinity. With the trifling disturbances of the night, ended one of the most extensive and dangerous riots that New York has ever witnessed. To the firmness and ability of Colonel Stevens, and to the bravery of the officers and members of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, the city was largely indebted for the restoration of order; and the gratitude of the authorities and their appreciation of its services is evinced in the following extract from an official letter of Mayor Lawrence to Major-General Mor- ton, which letter also accompanied his special message to the Com- mon Council :
On the succeeding night a large force was deemed necessary, and the 27th Regiment, National Guard, commanded by Colonel Stevens, was put in requisi- tion. I consider the conduct of the troops deserving of great commendation. This Regiment was charged with the duty of removing the rioters from a section of the city where the most violent outrages had been committed, and in the per-
16
1834
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
224
formance of this service, while assailed by the missiles of the mob, evinced a forbearance commendable in the citizen, united with a determination which be- longs to the character of the soldier.
In this brilliant victory of the Regiment over the mob several of its officers and members were seriously though not dangerously injured by blows from elubs, stones, and other missiles. The events of the day were for a long time a popular subject of discus- sion and comment in the drill-rooms of the various companies, and for many years those who had participated in the riots of July, 1834, were regarded by the younger members as veterans in the service, and were duly admired and honored.
The stirring events of the year, and the admirable behavior of the Twenty-seventh Regiment under the most trying circumstances, compelled all intelligent and conservative citizens to more fully appreciate the value and importance of a well-organized militia ; and, although the Regiment had since its organization maintained a high place in public favor, its bravery, steadiness, and discipline, and its valuable services in April and July, 1834, secured for the organization a more extended reputation and increased popularity.
The riots of 1834 demonstrated the necessity of signals by which the militia might be notified to assemble whenever its services were needed to preserve the peace and order of the city. On the 12th of July Brigadier-General Hunt issued an order directing the regi- ments of the First Brigade, New York State Artillery, to assemble at the Park for immediate service, " on the tolling of the bell at the City Hall of three strokes at intervals of a few minutes." In ad- dition to this notice, the Board of Officers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment adopted as its alarm-signal a white flag, with a black cross, to be displayed at the headquarters of the several companies. On the 2d day of October these signal-flags were ready for distri- bution, and the Board of Officers designated the following places at which they should be hoisted when necessary :
Third Company, Capt. JONES, at Military Hall, Bowery.
Seventh CAIRNS, at Niblo's Garden, Broadway.
Fourth 66 ROOME, at Howard's Broad Street House.
Eighth .. DENISON, at Webb's Congress Hall, Broadway. ..
Second
.. TELFAIR, at Seventh Ward Hotel.
First ..
TELLER, at Ninth Ward Hotel, Bleecker St.
Sixth 66 .. HOLT, at Holt's Building.
Fifth
6. BURT, at Washington Hotel.
.
225
COLONEL LINUS W. STEVENS.
1834
During the year 1834 the Regiment was agitated by the deter- mined effort of some of its active and influential officers and mem- bers to secure certain changes and improvements in its uniform. The Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Companies were the most active in this movement. In June the Fourth Company adopted a " droop- ing white plume" for company parades, and a gray fatigue-cap. This cap was made from a pattern obtained from an officer in the French service, and the Fourth Company was the first military organization in the country to adopt it. The result of the agita- tion was the appointment, at the request of the Sixth Company, of a general committee of conference on the subject of change in the Bill of Dress, consisting of three delegates from each company, and including the committee of the Board of Officers on the same subject. The committee met at Stoneall's Shakespeare Tavern on the 23d day of August, and at various times in September, but its meetings were far from harmonious. Some companies were op- posed to any change whatsoever, some to the changes proposed, and others desired a general and thorough improvement. Among the latter was the Eighth Company, which in November forwarded to the Board of Officers a series of resolutions, of which the third was as follows :
Resolved, The present uniform of the corps having, with a very few unimpor- tant improvements, been the most popular in the city for ten years past, we con- sider it of primary importance that when a change (which has now become neces- sary) is effected, it be done so effectually as to be equally durable as has been the case with the present.
The changes and improvements in the uniform of the Regiment were not accomplished until the year 1835. On the 2d of Decem- ber the Seventh Company voted to adopt a gray fatigue-jacket.
The annual inspection and review of the Regiment took place at Washington Parade-Ground on the 21st day of October. The usual parade occurred on the 25th day of November, in honor of the evacuation of the city of New York by the British in 1783. The colors of the Regiment were lost in December by the destruc- tion by fire of the dwelling of Colonel Stevens, in Chatham Street. Brigade orders, dated December 31, 1834, announced the acceptance of the resignation of Colonel Stevens.
Linus W. Stevens was born at Orwell, Vt., June 16, 1793, and was a cabinet-maker by trade. In 1814 he enlisted as a private in
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226
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
the Eleventh Regiment, New York State Artillery, and was imme- diately mustered for a period of three months into the service of the United States for the defense of the city of New York. In 1815 he was appointed a sergeant, in 1820 was elected second lieu- tenant, in 1821 first lieutenant, and in 1822 he was commissioned as captain. Upon the organization of the " Battalion of National Guards," in 1824, by the four companies drilling as infantry, Cap- tain Stevens procured the transfer of a part of his company of heavy artillery to the new battalion, and formed the Sixth Com- pany. In 1825 he was elected major of the battalion, and in 1826 lieutenant-colonel of the Twenty-seventh Regiment. In April, 1827, Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens was promoted to the colonelcy, and he held that office, except for a brief interval, until his final retirement from military life in 1834.
Colonel Stevens ranks as one of the most able, valuable, and distinguished commandants of the Regiment, and by his long and faithful service fairly earned the title by which for many years he was familiarly known-" the Father of the Regiment." He was modest and unassuming, yet born to command ; quiet and self- possessed amid opposition and excitement ; earnest for the right, and rarely wrong; firm and decided, yet always conciliatory ; in- variably kind and courteous to men equal or inferior in rank; a genial companion, a thorough disciplinarian, and an accomplished soldier. In projecting, arranging, and conducting several encamp- ments, and in all his acts as an executive officer, he displayed talents of a high order, while his modesty, suavity, and rectitude secured for him the affection and respect of those who unselfishly adhered to the fortunes of the Regiment. On several occasions he received from his comrades testimonials of their appreciation. Time did not weaken his affection for his favorite Regiment, and in his vigorous old age and to the day of his death, which occurred at Stamford, Conn., in 1863, he manifested the same interest in its movements, and the same pride in its prosperity, as when in his youth and its infancy he marched proudly at its head.
Colonel Stevens was below the medium height, possessed a fine, athletic, and soldierly figure and a handsome, intelligent, grave, but pleasing countenance. At the time of his connection with the Regiment he was in the retail fancy-goods business in Chatham Street, but he was afterward a member of the house of Williams
227
MUSKET RACKS OR "ARMORIES."
1834
and Stevens in Broadway, famous as dealers in looking-glass and picture frames and works of art. He was not a man of large for- tune, but was active in promoting many of the charitable and benevolent objects of the day. He was also active in politics, and was an unsuccessful candidate of the Whig party for the office of sheriff of the city and county of New York. In 1835 he was ap- pointed to the responsible position of Superintendent of the Alms- House ; in 1847 was elected an assistant alderman and was presi- dent of the board, and in 1848 was alderman of the Fifteenth Ward. He was also for many years a trustee of the Mechanics and Tradesmen's Society.
About this time the practice was introduced in several com- panies of keeping the arms in racks, or "armories " as they were called, at their drill-rooms, and the good, old-fashioned, and primi- tive custom of each citizen soldier taking care of his own musket, carrying it in full uniform upon his shoulder to and from the par- ticular place in the Park where his company had been ordered to assemble, was gradually abandoned. The Fourth Company is be- lieved to have introduced this aristocratic innovation, which was soon adopted by the other companies of the Regiment, and finally by all the militia of the city. The storage of arms in these armories or racks erected in the drill-rooms also involved the additional luxury and expense of a person to care for and clean the muskets. To the armorer employed for the purpose the sum usually paid by the several companies at this period was two dollars per annum for each musket.
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