USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 28
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Captain Robert W. Beach of the Troop resigned his commis- sion in August, and was succeeded by First Lieutenant A. B. Brinckerhoff. Captain Beach was an excellent cavalry-officer, of fine personal appearance ; a man of energy and influence, and very popular with his command. The minutes of the Board of Officers state that " the raising of the Troop was due to his persevering ex- ertions."
In the month of November it came to the knowledge of Colonel Jones that, upon application of Brigadier-Generals Hunt, Morris, and Storms, with the approval of Major-General Sandford, for the transfer of the First National Guard Troop from the First to the Sixth Brigade, an order had been issued to that effect. He has- tened to Albany and represented to the Governor that the applica- tion had been made without the knowledge or consent of the Troop or of any officer of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, and secured a countermand of the order until the subject could be thoroughly investigated. The news of this transaction produced a great commotion ; and the indignation of the officers and members of the Twenty-seventh, caused by this secret attempt to deprive it of a part of its numerical strength, was expressed in language more forcible than polite. At a meeting of the Board of Officers held December 2d, a respectful memorial to the commander-in-chief was adopted, setting forth the unfair manner in which the order for transfer had been obtained, and the great injustice done to the members of the Troop who had enlisted for the express purpose of
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
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serving with the Twenty-seventh Regiment, and had uniformed and equipped themselves to conform to its rules and regulations. Resolutions were also adopted which pronounced the conduct of General Hunt " discourteous, arbitrary, and illegal"; censured him for " permitting, if not inviting, the intermeddling of the Com- mandant of the Light Artillery with the internal affairs of the First Brigade," and closed with the statement "that, unless his conduct is satisfactorily explained, he has forfeited our confidence and destroyed our pleasure in serving under him." Copies of these fiery resolutions were ordered sent to General Hunt and to each regiment in the First Brigade. But, as often happens when men aet in haste, or from impulse or passion, or from want of complete information, the officers of the Twenty-seventh were obliged to retrace their steps. Copies of General Hunt's letters to the adju- tant-general in respect to the transfer of the Troop were received, which dissolved some illusions, and so modified adverse opinions, that at the next meeting of the Board of Officers the secretary was ordered not to issue any copies of the resolutions above referred to. But the victory was won, for the Troop remained a part of the Regiment. That the welfare of the service and the interests of the Brigade entirely justified General Hunt in wishing to transfer the Troop to a brigade in which artillery and cavalry were the control- ling elements, and to receive in exchange a fine regiment of in- fantry, the Third, commanded by Colonel William Hall, there seems to be no doubt. That military courtesy demanded that he should consult the officers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment before moving in the matter is a question upon which the military wise- acres of that day differed.
The Seventh Company was without a captain during the year, but a few of the brave spirits in its ranks struggled manfully to maintain its existence, and paraded as a company on June 28th. Its weak and helpless condition is apparent from a resolution in its minutes, that " the company be a committee of the whole to procure volunteers from the Regiment for the company parade." The Eighth Company paraded in the city on June 14th, and on the 13th day of September proceeded to Flushing for target-practice. The Fourth and Sixth Companies, Captain Conger commanding the bat- talion, proceeded to the Elysian Fields, Hoboken, on June 16th, for a day's drill and amusement. The target-excursion of the Second
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PROPOSED CHANGES IN UNIFORM.
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Company was to La Grange Place, Bull's Ferry, on June 24th ; and the Fourth Company visited the same place on the 29th day of September.
Various changes in the uniform of the Regiment were proposed and considered during the year 1841. Nearly all the companies were now in possession of fatigue jackets and caps, and on the 2d day of December Captain Shumway, of the Eighth Company, pro- posed the adoption of a blue cap and frock-coat as the fatigue uni- form of commissioned officers. The subject was referred to a spe- cial committee, and the committee was also directed to report upon a change in the uniform hat of the Regiment. A special committee was also appointed to select a pattern " camp-coat" for those com- panies wishing to supply themselves with such coats. Although the board approved a pattern overcoat made of gray cloth, the time had not arrived for its successful introduction in the Regiment.
In 1841 the Board of Officers adopted the United States Army rules and regulations for reviews. The regulations for the forma- tion and dismissal of the Regiment at parades were twice altered and amended by the Board of Officers during the year, to suit the fancy of its members.
A Revolutionary Block-House on the New York Frontier.
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND.
1842.
DURING the whole history of the Regiment no subject of that character has ever provoked so fierce and bitter a controversy as the proposed change in the uniform hat. In the month of January four of the companies voted in favor of what was known as the " Eighth Company hat," being the pattern previously adopted by that company, while four companies were as decidedly in the nega- tive. At the meeting of the Board of Officers, on February 3d, it was resolved that a general meeting of the Regiment be held to consider and decide the vexed question, and that no change in the uniform be made without a two-thirds vote. The wise precedent was thus established, and has since governed the organization, that changes in uniform shall only be made by so large a vote that the freaks and fancies of the hour can not secure frequent changes, and the consequent burdensome expense, to the great injury of the Regiment. The general meeting was held at Thompson's Hall on February 12th, and the opposing factions marshaled their forces in battle array. Amid great excitement and clamor, with no small amount of chaffing by the contestants and humorous hits at the . peculiarities of the proposed hat, the vote was recorded one hundred and seventy-four in favor of the change and eighty-seven opposed. A violent dispute arose as to the correctness of the count, the oppo- sition claiming that the vote was one hundred and seventy-three to eighty-seven, and the meeting adjourned in confusion. Protests in writing and by committees against the action of the general meet- ing followed fast, but the commandant of the Regiment settled the question by announcing in orders that the new uniform hat had been adopted by a two-thirds vote and would be worn at the spring parade. To the united efforts of the Sixth and Eighth Companies, whose members rallied with great unanimity to the support of the " new hat," its triumph was mainly due.
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The uniform hat adopted in February, 1842, was of a Russian pattern, bell-crowned, made of felt, with leather tip, bands, and visor ; with long, yellow cords on the left side, with tassels. The front of the hat was ornamented in brass with a bursting bomb, surmounted with a crescent with the raised letters, "National Guard." The pompon was of the usual form, in brass tulip. The Eighth Company voted in favor of substituting the cipher "N. G." upon the cartridge-box in place of the bursting bomb, which was subsequently approved and adopted by the Regiment.
At this period the Board of Officers and the several companies were frequently solicited to patronize the public balls given for charitable and divers other purposes, but there was a general aver- sion among officers and men to the use of the name of the Regi- ment in any such connection. An urgent request from General Sandford that the Twenty-seventh Regiment should co-operate with other regiments in a ball at the Bowery Theatre on the 22d day of February, was earnestly supported by Colonel Jones, and a resolu- tion was adopted by the Board of Officers recommending an attend- ance at the entertainment "as far as practicable." Such members as should attend the entertainment were directed to appear "in white pants and side-arms."
The committee appointed by the Board of Officers in April to select a place for business meetings was reminded, by resolution, that "the place selected should not be above Canal Street"; and the " Apollo " was engaged for that purpose. The Apollo was at that time, and for many years following, famous as the headquar- ters of the dancing public. The principal entrance was on Broad- way, between Canal and Walker Streets; the second floor was the ball-room, and the third floor was used mainly for military pur- poses, being one of the largest and most popular drill-rooms in the city. It was a highly respectable place of resort at this time, and a central location for the officers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment.
The annual spring parade took place on May 24th, and on the Sth day of June the Regiment paraded with the First Brigade for the formal reception of the Third Regiment, Colonel William Hall, transferred from the Sixth to the First Brigade. Line was formed at Washington Square, and, after receiving the Third Regiment with appropriate honors, the Brigade was reviewed by Brigadier- General Hunt and by Major-General Sandford. The 4th of July
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
and the 25th of November were celebrated as usual by parades of the First Division. On the Sth of September the Regiment pro- ceeded by steamer to the grounds near Fort Hamilton for a day's practice in street-firing. The system of street-firing, promulgated in general orders in 1842, continued in use for many years. The leading company of the column, having delivered its fire, marched by the flank to the rear of the battalion, where it reloaded and took its place as the last company in column, followed successively by the other companies. The annual inspection was held on October 6th at Tompkins Square.
On the 26th day of July, at 5 A. M., the Second and Fourth Companies, Captain Bremner commanding, received the Albany Republican Artillery at Peck Slip, and escorted the corps to the Northern Hotel, foot of Cortlandt Street, to breakfast. The two commands then proceeded to the arsenal-yard, where they were reviewed by Commissary-General Storms, and were hospitably en- tertained by that officer. A review at the City Hall by Mayor Morris was followed by an entertainment in the "Tea-Room," pro- vided by the city fathers. Thence the two commands proceeded to Brooklyn, and were reviewed at the navy-yard by Commodore Perry. Returning to New York at sundown, the Albany Republi- can Artillery was escorted to its quarters, and the day ended with a visit to the Bowery Theatre upon invitation of the manager. On the following day the Republican Artillery departed for Albany.
The Croton water-works having been completed, a grand cele- bration of the introduction of the Croton water to the city took place on the 14th of October. An event of such vast importance to the health and happiness of the people excited the liveliest inter- est among all classes of the community, and its celebration called forth an immense multitude of men, women, and children. At daylight one hundred guns were fired, and the fountains in the parks commenced to play. At nine o'clock the military, under General Sandford, formed at the Battery, and at the head of a vast procession moved up Broadway to Union Square and through the Bowery, East Broadway, and Chatham Street to the City Hall. The Fire Department, having a peculiar interest in the successful enterprise, made an imposing display ; all the civic and political societies and the trade associations paraded with full ranks ; and the procession occupied two hours and a half in passing Union Square,
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where it was reviewed by the Hon. William H. Seward, the Gov- ernor of the State. The buildings along the route were ornamented with pictures and devices appropriate to the occasion, and at the street-cor- ners the water was allowed to flow from the hydrants in honor of the day. The procession was reviewed by the mayor at the City Hall, and the ceremonies of the day terminated with an address by Samuel Stevens, Esq., President of the Croton Water Commission, and an ode composed by General George P. Morris, and sung by the New York Sacred Music Society. In the evening the public buildings, the hotels and thea- tres, and many private residences were Willen 18 Leund. illuminated. In the whole history of the city no gala-day is more memorable than this, for the occasion was one which touched the heart of every New-Yorker, whether of high or low degree.
The Fourth Company became the subject of admiration, if not of envy, by leasing a large room for its quarters over the Arcade Baths, in Chambers Street, which its members fitted up and fur- nished with taste and elegance, and at a large expense. The other companies met for business and drill at a variety of places, the most notable being the Fusileers' Armory, at No. 360 Broadway, Thompson's National Hall, and the Apollo. The only target-excur- sion of the year was by the Eighth Company to Staten Island, on the 20th day of September. The Seventh Company, which had been a long time without a captain, elected Abram Denike, of the President's Guard, to that office in June, and commenced a new career of activity and prosperity.
Although the Regiment was weak in numbers during the year 1842, its discipline was good, harmony prevailed, and there was no want of spirit, energy, and activity. A special committee was ap- pointed by the Board of Officers in September "to make inquiries into the condition and prospects of the Regiment and to devise a plan for stimulating the enlistment of recruits." Upon the report of this committee a memorial to the Legislature was prepared, urg-
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ing the repeal of the law by which, upon the payment of five dol- lars, exemption was secured from all military duty. The attention of the adjutant-general was also called to the practice of comman- dants of infantry companies of issuing certificates of military service to persons who perform no duty, and the commander-in-chief was petitioned to organize no new military companies while the ranks of the organizations already in existence were not full.
At various times in the history of the Regiment efforts had been made to organize social and literary clubs, to be composed exclu- sively of its officers and members. Without exception the exist- ence of such organizations had been brief and unsatisfactory. Hav- ing enlisted for military purposes, it was found impossible to secure a permanent interest of the members of the Regiment as such in any subordinate association, literary or social. The " National Club " organized about this time, after a brief and varied career, expired under a cloud. The "Eighth National Guard Lyceum," composed of members of the Eighth Company, had rooms at No. 115 Franklin Street at this period, which were open four evenings in each week, and were enlivened by lectures and other literary exercises, but it shared the sad fate of its predecessors.
NATIONAL GUARD
The Uniform Hat, 1842-1853.
1843
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL BACKHOUSE.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD.
1843.
IN April Lieutenant-Colonel Backhouse resigned his commission, and Major Vermilye was elected his successor, and Captain George G. Waters of the Fifth Company was chosen major. Adjutant McAllister and Surgeon Leeds, veteran staff-officers, also resigned their commissions during the year.
Lieutenant-Colonel Edward T. Backhouse was a gentleman of intelligence and talent, of extensive travel and obser- vation, of considerable influ- ence in public and political affairs, and was enterprising and successful in business. He was for a long time a dealer in foreign fruits in Fulton Street, operated largely and successfully in real estate in Brooklyn, and was for many years Presi- dent of the Kings County Fire - Insurance Company. He was a member of the State Legislature ; an alder- man of the city of Brooklyn, and president of the board ; Edu / Bahrause secretary of the Whig Gen- eral Committee previous to From a photograph, 1879. 1844 ; treasurer for twenty years of the American Institute, and held many other offices of honor and trust. He was a prominent leader in Brooklyn in the great reform movement in municipal affairs in 1871, and was chair- man of the Committee of Fifty, and in 1875 was chairman of the
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
Tax-payers' Association. He was born in New York in 1806, of an English family distinguished for service in the British army, and he died in Brooklyn in 1884.
Lieutenant-Colonel Backhouse enlisted in the Fourth Company and was elected second lieutenant in 1833, and in 1835 was chosen captain of the Sixth Company. In 1839 he was elected major of the Regiment, and in November of the same year was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy. A slight and rather unsoldierly figure and a feeble voice prevented his achieving great distinction as an officer, but he thoroughly understood his military duties and was prompt in their performance. In the Board of Officers and in the affairs of the Regiment generally he was an officer of great influ- ence, and his decision of character and his ability to forcibly express his opinion on all occasions gave him a prominent position in the Regiment. He was universally respected, and to personal friends and acquaintances he was a very genial and pleasant companion.
Adjutant Samuel McAllister was elected second lieutenant of the Fourth Company in 1831, first lieutenant in 1833, and was ap- pointed adjutant in 1838. He performed the duties of adjutant with great distinction, being remarkably active, prompt, rapid, and correct. His handsome and soldierly figure, his elegant military carriage, his authoritative and decided manner, and his rapidity in the performance of his important duties upon parade, combined to give him an enviable reputation among the citizen soldiers of the period. Although remarkably brusque at drill and parade, he was social and agreeable in private life and popular among the officers of the Regiment. The aid, consideration, and encouragement which he extended to young officers in obtaining a practical knowl- edge of their duties secured him many steadfast friends. No officer of the Regiment has ever performed his duties with more pride and spirit than did Adjutant McAllister.
Surgeon Gurdon J. Leeds was distinguished for his long and faithful service and for his remarkable devotion to the interests and welfare of the Regiment. He was active and energetic, and re- markably social and genial; and he was such an inveterate talker and uncompromising admirer of the Twenty-seventh Regiment that his interest in its affairs was widely known and proverbial. Sur- geon Leeds was a druggist by profession, and was appointed assist- ant surgeon of the Regiment in 1832 and surgeon in 1835. He
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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.
vacated his office to accept the position of hospital surgeon upon the brigade staff.
On the 12th of June, John Tyler, President of the United States, reached New York en route to Boston, to attend the inaugu- ration of the Bunker Hill Monument. He was received at Castle Garden by the city authorities, and, having reviewed the troops at the Battery in a barouche, was escorted up Broadway, Chatham Street, and the Bowery, to Union Square, and down Broadway to the City Hall. The people crowded the streets and public places as usual, but on this occasion they honored the Chief Magistrate only by their presence and respectful silence. The total absence of enthusiasm was without a parallel, and was positively chilling. John Tyler had the reputation of having proved faithless to his political friends, the highest crime of an American politician, and, while the people paid due respect to his official position, he received favorable consideration only from those who enjoyed his patronage. The Twenty-seventh Regiment appeared on this occasion with un- usually small numbers, and the parade was a very fatiguing one. Besides the long march, the Regiment was under arms at the Bat- tery four hours without intermission, and during the long delay it was, for once, a relief and a pleasure to be reviewed by Major- General Sandford and by Brigadier-General Hall.
The inauguration of the Bunker Hill Monument took place at Boston on the 17th of June, and a battalion of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, the Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Compa- nies, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Vermilye, left New York on the afternoon of June 15th to participate in the ceremo- nies. As the steamer New Haven passed the Brooklyn Navy-Yard, it was greeted by cheers from the receiving-ship North Carolina, whose yards were manned in honor of the battalion. Arriving at Norwich at 4 A. M., the battalion was received by a heavy shower and by a military company of ten men, and escorted to the railroad depot. A variety of vexatious delays prevented the arrival at Bos- ton until noon, and as a most violent storm was raging at the time, every man was thoroughly drenched when the battalion reached its quarters at the Pemberton House. The accommodations at this hotel were not satisfactory, but the kindness of the Hancock Light Infantry and the liberality of the Boston merchants, who sent bales of blankets and other necessary articles from their stores to the
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members, rendered the limited quarters tolerably comfortable. In the evening the officers and members were elegantly entertained by the National Lancers.
Saturday, June 17th .- The morning was clear, cool, and de- lightful. At an early hour the military part of the procession, which consisted of four grand divisions, was formed on Boston Common, and to the Twenty-seventh Regiment battalion was as- signed the post of honor in the second division. As the procession moved toward Bunker Hill, the battalion compared favorably with the military organizations from the New England cities, and at- tracted universal attention and admiration. The enthusiasm which its appearance produced at all points along the route was only equaled by that which greeted the distinguished Webster, the gifted orator of the day ; while President Tyler, in melancholy contrast, was received with the same ominous silence and coolness which characterized his reception in New York. While Webster was deliv- ering his celebrated oration at Bunker Hill, the New York soldiers were far beyond the sound of his voice, and, although greatly disap- pointed at this unexpected circumstance, they were somewhat con- soled by the generous hospitalities of the Hancock Light Infantry. The inauguration ceremonies completed, the procession returned to Boston, and the troops were reviewed by the President at the State- House. In the evening the members of the Twenty-seventh Regi- ment battalion were entertained in divers ways. Some were dragged away to the den of the Boston Tigers, some rode out to Bunker Hill to witness the fire-works, some visited the theatres, and some, yielding to the fatigues of the day, went early to bed.
Sunday, June 18th .- In the forenoon the Twenty-seventh Regiment battalion attended divine service at the famous " Old South Church"; and in the afternoon, by invitation of the members of the Hancock Light Infantry, visited Mount Auburn and other interesting localities in the vicinity of Boston.
Monday, June 19th. - The battalion paraded and marched through the principal streets of Boston, escorted by the Hancock Light Infantry, and dined at Faneuil Hall. The entertainment was elegant, and the extravagant hospitality of the military and citizens of Boston, on this occasion, was a memorable feature of the excursion. In the afternoon the battalion left Boston, and arrived at New York on the following morning; was received by those
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BILL OF DRESS.
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companies of the Regiment that had remained at home; was re- viewed by Colonel Jones at the Battery, and was escorted to La- fayette Hall to breakfast.
The Regiment made the usual anniversary parades, July 4th and November 25th, line forming at the City Hall, and reviews at the Battery by Generals Hall and Sandford. The troops were also reviewed at the City Hall, November 25th, by Marshal Bertrand, of the army of Napoleon the Great. The National Guard of Easton, Pa., visited New York on October 17th, and was received by the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Companies. After a parade through the principal streets of the city, the visiting military was enter- tained at the Apollo Rooms. The annual inspection took place in October, at Tompkins Square, and the Regiment was reviewed by Brigadier-General Hall and by Major-General Sandford.
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