USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 30
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
1
306
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1844
The annual inspection was held at Tompkins Square on the 17th of October. The result of the inspection was as follows :
Present.
Present.
Field and Staff
1
Third Company. 43
Non Com. Staff.
3
Fourth
25
Musicians.
18
Fifth 66
34
Troop.
35
Sixth
43
First Company
24
Seventh 66
35
Second
32
Eighth 66
41
Total present, 340.
The Boston City Grays passed through New York, on their re- turn from Baltimore, on July 24th, and were received by the Eighth Company, and escorted to the United States Hotel. The two com- mands stacked their arms on the roof of the hotel, and at 2 P. M. sat down to dinner. Speeches and toasts from officers and members and invited guests followed, and after the entertainment the Boston City Grays were escorted to the steamer.
The Second Company visited Tarrytown on July 23d, and was quartered for three days at a hotel in that delightful locality. The only circumstance to mar the pleasure of the excursion was the hostility of the young men of the village, who were jealous of the attentions of the New York soldiers to the fair damsels of the neighborhood, and the kindly manner in which they were recipro- cated. A ball given by the Second Company, on the evening of the 24th, was materially interfered with by their noisy demonstra- tions, and they instigated the urchins of the village to a mock parade in paper hats and epaulets, with wooden guns, to annoy the unwelcome visitors. The earnest remonstranees of the officers of the company only prevented its members from giving the whole party of riotous Tarrytowners a sound beating. The Troop went on an exenrsion for target-practice to the Abbey Hotel, on the Bloomingdale Road, and the Fifth Company proceeded to Nyack for the same purpose in August. The target-excursion of the Sixth Company was to Jamaica, and of the Seventh Company to Paterson, in September.
The strength and prosperity of the several companies at this period were more equal than for many years, and nearly all were led by ambitions and able officers. The Third, Sixth, and Eighth Companies were considered the leading companies, although the Second. Fourth, and Seventh Companies were striving vigorously
307
1844
CAPTAIN WRIGHT F. CONGER.
for equality in numbers, and in drill and discipline. The Fourth Company lost the valuable services of Captain Bremner by promo- tion, and the Sixth Company with great reluctance consented to the resignation of Captain Conger. Lieutenant William H. Riblet was elected captain of the Fourth Company; Lieutenant John Gould, captain of the Sixth Company; and the vacancy in the Fifth Company, caused by the resignation of Captain George Will- iam Smith, was filled by the election of James L. Waugh, who had been a lieutenant in the Ninth Regiment.
Captain Wright F. Conger ranks among the most distinguished officers of this period. He enlisted in the Fourth Company in 1829, was elected corporal of the Sixth Company at its reorgani- zation in 1834; first lieutenant in 1835, and captain in 1839. He was an excellent military in- structor and a strict disciplina- rian, was thoroughly devoted to his command, and was ambi- tious that it should be second to none in every particular. Un- der his administration the Sixth Company achieved great dis- tinction, and was a rival to the Eighth in numbers, social stand- ing, and military accomplish- ments ; and the energy, activity, and popularity of Captain Con- Fright F. borgen ger contributed largely to its prosperity. In addition to his abilities as an officer, Captain From a photograph, 1870. Conger was distinguished for his fine personal appearance and sol- dierly bearing. Straight and muscular, with a handsome face and figure, and a prompt and decisive manner, he was the beau-idéal of the citizen soldier. Though hasty and impetuous in character, he was equally ready to retract or recede when his views or actions proved to be erroneous. Captain Conger was born in New York in 1812, and was an active and prominent merchant. He was suc- cessfully engaged in the dry-goods trade, in the manufacture of
1844
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
308
paper. and in the storage-warehouse business, and was uniformly successful and prosperous. He died in 1880.
At this period all the companies occupied the Central Drill- Rooms over Centre Market for military purposes, on such evenings as they were assigned to the Regiment by the major-general. For additional drills and for business meetings the most prominent and popular quarters were St. John's Hall, the Mercer House, the Broadway House, Military Hall, and Lafayette Hall. Many other places were engaged, from time to time and for brief periods, for the accommodation of the several companies, but the above named are so intimately associated with the history of the Regiment at this time, and from 1845 to 1860, that they deserve a brief descrip- tion in these pages.
St. John's Hall was situated in Frankfort Street, near the City Hall Park, upon the ground now occupied by the " World " build- ing. During the first years of the present century it was the Masonic headquarters of the city of New York as well as a famous military rendezvous. The lower part of the building was occupied as a public house, the upper rooms by Masonic lodges, and its large hall was used for public meetings and as a drill-room. It contimed to be occupied for these purposes, without change or interruption, until the building yielded to the march of improvement in 1848. St John's Hall was also a 'noted resort for politicians during the early part of the nineteenth century, and so continued until the more democratic Pewter Mug supplanted it in the affections of the people, and its fame was overshadowed by the magnificence and popularity of Tammany Hall, both located in that part of the city now famous as Printing-House Square.
For a period of nearly twenty years (1840-1860) the Mercer House, corner of Mercer and Broome Streets, was a popular mili- tary headquarters. The drill-rooms were on the second and third floors, and a small room on the second floor over the bar-room was used for business meetings. In the bar-room might be found at all hours of the evening the military loungers and gossips of the town, discussing the military topics and politics of the day.
The Broadway House, a three-story building, on the corner of Broadway and Grand Street, was distinguished for a long period as the headquarters of the old Whig party. The drill-room was on the second floor, with an entrance on Grand Street, and was about
309
LAFAYETTE HALL.
1844
fifty feet square. It was a popular ball-room, and was used for political and religious meetings. The front room on the second floor was used by military companies for business meetings, except during the active part of a political campaign, when it was occupied by the Whig General Committee, and the military was sent to a dreary room on the floor above. The first floor front was a bar- room, and a too convenient place to lounge before and after drill. Such was the famous Broadway House from this period until it was demolished, about the year 1857.
Military Hall, No. 193 Bowery, had been occupied by com- panies of the Twenty-seventh Regiment from time to time since its organization, and from 1835 to 1855 was a popular military rendez- vous. The drill-room was plain and unornamented, but spacious, and one of the best in the city. The lower floor was a drinking- place of the ordinary style and character. Military Hall has main- tained its name and number without a change for more than half a century, and at this period (1889) is a landmark of veteran militia- men.
Lafayette Hall was a large two-story building in Broadway, be- tween Prince and Houston Streets, extending through to Mercer Street. The lower floor was occupied as a bar-room, with a large billiard-saloon in the rear. The drill-room on the second floor, about fifty by seventy feet, was on the Broadway front, and in the rear were several commodious rooms for company meetings and for the storage of arms and uniforms. From this period until the oc- cupation of the Tompkins Market Armory, in 1860, Lafayette Hall was the most central and convenient location for military companies in the city of New York. It was the scene of many military fes- tivities and a favorite resort for all interested in local military affairs. To all such it was a substitute for the clubs of modern days, and veteran members of the Third, Sixth, and Eighth Com- panies have many pleasant recollections of the happy hours spent within the walls of Lafayette Hall between 1845 and 1860. The building was demolished about 1867, and a part of the site is now occupied by a more imposing structure which bore the old familiar name until 1876.
The era of company festivities or balls, popularly known as " soirées," had now commenced, and these agreeable entertainments were an important feature in the social history of several of the
1844
310
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
companies during the following years. They were not public balls, for the expenses were paid by subscription or assessment, and the tickets were distributed by officers and members among their friends and acquaintances. No effort was made for elegant or fashionable display, but the committees in charge were successful in making these entertainments memorably social and agreeable. A supper at eleven o'clock was invariably a part of the programme, and the dancing was not continned to an unreasonable hour of the night. Niblo's Saloon, the Apollo Rooms, and the Chinese and the City Assembly Rooms were the more prominent places for the company soirées of the Regiment. In 1844, the soirée of the Third Com- pany was at Tammany Hall in February, and of the Fifth Company at Niblo's Saloon in December. The New York Brass Band gave a public ball at the Apollo Rooms in March, under the patronage of the Regiment, being the first of many elegant and successful entertainments of this character.
Some important changes were made during the year 1844 in the uniform of the officers of the Regiment. The gray fatigue- jacket was discarded, and in its place was substituted a blue frock- coat of the United States Army pattern, with National Guard but- tons. A uniform hat and trimmings similar in style to those worn by the men were adopted for both field and line officers, while the staff (except the adjutant) retained the chapeau. Upon the fatigue- cap was ordered to be placed the figures "27," embroidered in gold on a piece of black cloth surrounded by a wreath. The service chevrons of officers were ordered to be made of double gold-lace instead of black silk ferreting.
Plans for a regimental armory made their appearance from time to time. In May the proprietors of the building long known as the City Assembly Rooms, then erecting in Broadway near Grand Street, submitted to the Board of Officers plans of the building, and proposed to lease to the Regiment the entire third story for military purposes at an annual rent of twelve hundred and fifty dollars. Several of the companies approved of the proposal, but- after considerable discussion it was decided to be inexpedient to lease the premises.
The excitement which attended the great contest between the supporters of Henry Clay and James K. Polk for the presidency in 1844 is memorable in the political annals of New York city.
311
THE ANTI-RENT WAR.
1844
Prominent in the political machinery of the day for influencing and controlling the election were the fighting-clubs, composed of the most desperate and notorious characters of the period. Mur- derous weapons were not then in popular use, but muscle com- manded a premium ; and men of courage and physical power, like Isaiah Rynders, William Poole, and Thomas Hyer, came to the front and assumed a prominence in politics unknown before or since. A collision between the organized bands of the fighting-men of the two parties on election-day seemed to be certain, and the Twenty- seventh Regiment was notified on the morning of November 5th to be in readiness to turn out with ball-cartridges to preserve the public peace. But the election passed off without the necessity of bringing the Regiment into conflict with the political fighting- clubs.
The violent outbreak in Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, known as the Anti-Rent War, compelled the State authorities to call upon the militia to aid in the enforcement of the laws. In December two companies of cavalry were sent from New York and several companies of infantry from Albany to the seat of war, and the Twenty-seventh Regiment was ordered to be in readiness to move, at short notice, against the insurgents. But the leading anti-renters having been arrested, the excitement subsided, and the Regiment was spared the doubtful honor of a campaign among the misguided citizens of the infected district.
312
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. .
1845
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH.
1845.
FOR many years the New York Brass Band, under the leader- ship of Lothian, had furnished music for the Regiment at its pa- rades, and was regarded as the leading military band of the city. But Lothian had become careless, and it was claimed that he did not keep pace with the musical progress of the period, and a change was demanded. At the meeting of the Board of Officers held in December, 1844, a proposition was received from thirteen members of the New York Brass Band to organize under a new leader, and asking for the patronage and influence of the Regiment. The music committee did not approve of the proposition, and an engage- ment was made with Dodworth's Cornet Band to furnish the regi- mental music for the year 1845, at about seventy dollars per day or parade. But the music of Dodworth's Band was not adapted to military purposes and was unsatisfactory, and in the following year, though strongly opposed by many officers, Lothian was restored to favor and to the musical leadership, which he retained until the year 1848. The number of musicians usually parading with the Regiment in Lothian's Band was seventeen.
The Second Company gave an exhibition drill at the Apollo Rooms on March 6th, which was attended by a large number of invited guests. It was a great success, and established the reputa- tion of Captain Duryee as one of the most brilliant military in- structors in the city. At the conclusion of the drill a collation was served, and was followed by dancing. The only circumstance to mar the pleasure of the evening was a difficulty at the supper-table between Colonel Vermilye and Captain Waugh, of the Fifth Com- pany, which originated from the latter taking exceptions to a toast offered in the course of the entertainment. The Fifth Company, by resolution, cordially approved the action of Captain Waugh in the matter, and the difficulty was referred by the Board of Officers to the "Board of Honor" for adjustment. The Board of Honor
1845
313
FUNERAL OF GENERAL JACKSON.
consisted of the major of the Regiment as president, and the com- mandants of companies as members, and its most important duty was to decide all disputes that should occur among the officers of the Regiment. Its peaceful mission was successful in this case, and Captain Waugh announced to his company on April 18th that the difficulty between himself and the colonel had been amicably and satisfactorily adjusted. The Board of Honor was not idle during this year, so famous for wrangling, quarreling, and insubordination. In April a difficulty between Captains Brinckerhoff and Duryee was before the board for settlement, but was soon amicably disposed of ; and during the latter part of the year its sessions were frequent and protracted. It is but justice, however, to the officers of the Regiment at this period to say that to Captain Waugh, of the Fifth Company, the Board of Honor was mainly indebted for its large amount of business in 1845.
In May Lieutenant-Colonel Waters resigned his commission, and in June Major Bremner was elected his successor. Lieutenant- Colonel George G. Waters was elected captain of the Fifth Com- pany in 1840, major in 1843, and lieutenant-colonel in 1844. He had not passed through the inferior military grades, and therefore failed to secure distinction as a practical soldier ; but he was a man of talent, intelligence, and good judgment; was devoted to the in- terests of the Regiment, and was influential in the Board of Officers. He was a lawyer by profession, and as a gentleman commanded tlie respect of his military associates.
The public funeral in honor of ex-President Andrew Jackson, on June 24th, was in charge of the city corporation, and the streets were crowded with people. The procession was very large, and consisted of thirteen grand divisions, of which the militia was the first. The troops formed at the Battery, and the route of the pro- cession was through Broadway to Union Square, and by the Bow- ery to the City Hall. The extreme heat of the day made tlie parade the most severe and oppressive within the recollection of the oldest soldier, and many were obliged to leave the ranks completely ex- hausted. Flags were at half-mast, bells were tolled, minute-guns were fired, and none of the emblems of mourning, usual on such occasions, were wanting. At the City Hall a funeral oration was delivered by Benjamin F. Butler, and a requiem was performed by the New York Sacred Music Society.
1845
314
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
The Secretary of War, William L. Marcy, visited New York on June 26th, and the First Division paraded at the Battery for his reception. After reviewing the troops, the Secretary of War pro- ceeded by steamer to inspect the fortifications in the harbor, accom- panied by many of the officers of the Division. The adjutant's record for this parade makes the strength of the Twenty-seventh Regiment present, including officers and musicians, two hundred and ninety-three, which was about the average number of men present at the parades at this period, except at the annual inspec- tion.
The regimental order for an encampment near Albany, to be known as Camp Schuyler, directed that those members who did not accompany the Regiment should parade at Tompkins Square, at 10 A. M. on each day of the week, ending July 26th. The Regiment made the usual parade with the First Division on July 4th, and at 4 p. M. embarked on the steamer New Jersey for Albany. The weather was pleasant, and the passage up the river delightful. At an early hour in the morning the machinery of the steamer was disabled, and the Regiment was transferred to the steamer Roches- ter. The Rochester was crowded with German immigrants, and the sleepy soldiers, hastily turned out of comfortable quarters at an un- seasonable hour, did not fancy their new and not very cleanly com- panions, and were happy to reach Albany soon after sunrise. Hastily disembarking, the Regiment was received by the Albany Republi- can Artillery, the Van Rensselaer Guard, and the Rifle Corps, and was escorted to the camp-ground. Camp Schuyler was situated on the Albany and Troy road, at an equal distance from the two cities. The place was popularly known as "Bull's Head," or "The Race- Course," and afforded ample room for the camp, and for a large and excellent parade-ground. The location was dry, healthy, and pleasant. On one side was a small grove, which furnished an agree- able shade, and, on the other, a hotel for refreshments and the accommodation of the visitors to the camp.
Sunday, July 6th .- The camp was thronged with visitors from Troy and Albany. A military encampment was a great novelty in that section of the country, and excited universal curiosity, and the evening parade was witnessed with wondering admiration. Such of the officers and members as desired to attend church in Albany and Troy were excused for the day.
(From an old lithograph.) CAMP SCHUYLER. ALBANY, 1845.
-
-----
315
CAMP SCHUYLER.
1845
Monday, July 7th .- The regular routine of camp duty com- menced. At sunrise, reveillé and company drill ; after breakfast, guard-mounting and battalion drill; at 6 P. M., dress parade and guard-mounting ; and tattoo at 10 P. M. The amusements of the day were limited to visits to Albany and Troy, and to riding in the surrounding country, and in the evening to music, social visits, and the pleasures usual and peculiar to a volunteer military camp in fine weather. The Troop arrived from New York in the after- noon, and the Regiment paraded for its reception.
Tuesday, July 8th .- Many invitations from leading citizens to visit their residences were received by the officers and members of the Regiment, and the hospitality universally exhibited by the peo- ple of the two cities was a pleasing and memorable feature of life at Camp Schuyler. In the afternoon the officers were elegantly entertained by General Stephen Van Rensselaer, at the Manor House. The dinner was superb; the fine house and extensive grounds were thrown open for inspection ; and no effort was spared by the Patroon in person to render the entertainment agreeable and attractive.
Thursday, July 10th .- As this was the last day at Camp Schuyler, the regular military duties were omitted. The Eighth Company was detailed to receive the Troy Citizen Corps and the Emmet Guard of Albany, and these companies mounted guard during the military exercises of the afternoon. The first review of the afternoon was by Brigadier-General Hall and the Mayors of Albany and Troy. The next review was by General Wool, of the United States Army, which was hardly concluded when the arrival of Hon. Silas Wright, Governor of the State, was announced by a salute of seventeen guns, fired by the Eighth Company. The mili- tary exercises closed with a drill of the Regiment. The number of visitors from the adjacent cities and from New York was immense. The camp was handsomely decorated with evergreens, flowers, and bunting, and throughout the day the scene was gay and animating. In the evening the camp was illuminated, and the display of fire- works was witnessed by a multitude of people, variously estimated from fifteen to twenty thousand in number.
Friday, July 11th .- At 11 A. M. tents were struck, a salute of twenty-eight guns in honor of Camp Schuyler was fired by the Eighth Company, and the Regiment marched away to Albany.
1845
316
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
The day was intensely hot and oppressive, the roads exceedingly dusty, and the march remarkably severe and fatiguing. With scarcely a breath of air, blinded and suffocated by the dust, under a broiling sun, and overloaded by their knapsacks, many left the ranks from exhaustion, and reached the town in carriages. At the Manor House the Regiment was met by the Burgess Corps, the Van Rensselaer Guard, the Emmet Guard, and the Rifle Corps, and was escorted to the City Hall, where arms were stacked at 2 P. M. Officers and men were very tired and hungry, but the elegant din- ner prepared by the City Corporation of Albany, at Stanwix Hall, was not ready until five o'clock. It proved, however, to be a sumpt- uous entertainment, was enlivened by speeches and toasts, and was a very gay and pleasant termination of a memorably fatiguing day. At 8 P. M. the Regiment embarked upon the steamer Knick- erbocker, the hospitable Albanians crowding the wharf to give it an enthusiastic farewell, and Captain Strain, of the State Arsenal, firing a parting salute. Without accident or notable incident the Regiment reached New York at 5 A. M., and was dismissed.
When the Twenty-seventh Regiment arrived at the Albany City Hall, its officers and members tired, hungry, overheated, foot- sore, and generally disgusted, Captain Waugh, of the Fifth Com- pany, refused to await the hospitalities of the Common Council at Stanwix Hall, and marched his company to another hotel to dinner. For such discourteous, insubordinate, and unsoldierly conduct he was severely reprimanded by Colonel Vermilye, and the whole Regiment was mortified and indignant. The Fifth Company, how- ever, by resolution approved of "the conduct of Captain Waugh during the excursion to Albany and Troy, and particularly during the parade at Albany, which conduct was censured by Colonel Ver- milye." The Board of Honor gave the subject due consideration, and upon its recommendation the Board of Officers, at a. meeting held in October, adopted a resolution calling upon Captain Waugh "to apologize to the Board for the course of conduct pursued by him in reference to the public dinner at Albany, and, failing to do so, that the Board of Officers censure him at the next meeting, and that he be reprimanded by the presiding officer." In due time the apology was received and accepted, and the board ordered the above resolution to be expunged from its minutes.
The conduct of Captain Waugh at Albany was, of course, well
317
CAMP SCHUYLER.
1845
known to the people of that city, and was naturally regarded as a reflection upon their hospitality. To demonstrate that the Regi- ment appreciated and valued the attentions received from that city, cards of thanks were published in the newspapers of New York and Albany by the Board of Officers and by several of the compa- nies. Among the parties gratefully remembered by the Regiment, while in this thankful mood, were the people of Albany and Troy for divers courtesies ; the Common Council of Albany for elegant entertainment at Stanwix Hall; the Albany Republican Artillery, Van Rensselaer Guard, Rifle Corps, Burgess Corps, Emmet Guard, and Troy Citizen Corps, for escort and other military attentions and services ; General Stephen Van Rensselaer, for an elegant enter- tainment to the officers at the Manor House; Dr. Green, of Albany, for valuable medical services ; Captain Hulse, of the steamer Roch- ester ; Commissary-General Storms and his assistant at Albany, and Captain John F. Strain. To the last-named officer the board also voted a gold medal, as an evidence of their appreciation of his " efficient and valuable services preparatory to and during the en- campment."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.