USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 31
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The Troop arrived at Albany two days after the Regiment, and was mounted upon horses hired at Albany for the occasion. As an integral part of an infantry regiment a troop of cavalry is necessarily a nuisance. But the men, if not the horses, were enthusiastically received, and faithfully performed the duties as- signed them. Upon invitation the troop visited Troy, and was hospitably enter- tained by the Troy Citizens Corps. But its crowning honor was the escort of Governor Wright and the Patroon from Albany to Camp Schuyler, on the after- noon of July 10th. In the hour of its Silas Mighty triumph, however, the gallant Troop was overwhelmed with mortification ; for, at the review by Governor Wright, the infantry companies only were reviewed, and the Troop, by inadvertence, was not awarded the usual honor. When the infantry companies wheeled into col- umn to pass in review, the Troop manifested its indignation by
318
1845
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
leaving the line and returning to its quarters, and at once com- menced preparation to depart for New York. At the conclusion of the review the commander-in-chief waited upon Captain Brinck- erhoff and apologized for the unintentional military error. Colonel Vermilye and Lieutenant-Colonel Bremner also addressed the Troop in the most conciliatory terms, and finally succeeded in restoring peace and securing forgiveness. But this circumstance if forgiven was not soon forgotten by the gallant troopers of the Twenty- seventh.
The Sixth Company, usually distinguished for its good military behavior, also contributed to the manifold troubles which charac- terized the tour of camp duty in 1845. While on guard duty at night, it was rumored that the mischievous members of the Fourth and Eighth Companies had conspired to leave the camp, and the officers of the Sixth and the entire company were on guard through- out the night without relief. On the following morning Lieuten- ant-Colonel Bremner was to drill the Regiment, and the Sixth Com- pany, having been relieved from guard duty, was ordered to take its place in the line. But at the formation the company did not make its appearance, nor were the remonstrances of the colonel and lieu- tenant-colonel successful in securing the required attendance. The extraordinary fatigues of the night was the apology for this dis- obedience of orders, and the order for the drill was countermanded.
The weather at Camp Schuyler was delightfully clear and pleas- ant, although uncomfortably warm. The military improvement from company and battalion drills was considerable, and, as the Regiment had not been in camp for many years, and the officers and men were therefore generally ignorant of the practical duties of camp, they were greatly benefited by their brief experience. The insubordinate spirit exhibited by some officers and companies was happily not universal, and the grumbling and wrangling were con- fined to the minority. Such commandants as Duryee, Riblet, Denike, and Shumway were of course faithful to military discipline, while some officers appeared to be more anxious to consult their own pleasure and to make the encampment only a grand holiday excursion. Noticeably of this class was Captain Mount, of the Third Company, who kept the camp in a turmoil by his eccentric movements. Now away at the head of his men to Troy, or some other part of the country, under a burning sun; now late at drill or
319
GREAT FIRE OF 1845.
1845
parade, and always intent upon sport and pleasure, this dashing and self-willed officer was constantly astonishing his more staid compeers by his meteoric flights. And so Camp Schuyler was never dull, and, though it was not in all respects satisfactory, there was much to be remembered with pleasure. The unexpectedly small number participating in the encampment of 1845 (about two hundred officers and men) was a serious disappointment to the colonel and to all concerned.
One of the largest and most destructive fires that ever occurred in New York commenced on the morning of July 19th, and spread with fearful violence and rapidity over a large part of the business portion of the city situated below Wall Street and east of Broad- way. Nearly three hundred large buildings, principally wholesale stores, and their valuable contents, were destroyed. In the after- noon the Troop of the Twenty-seventh Regiment was ordered out for patrol duty. On the following day (Sunday) the whole Regi- ment was on duty to guard from depredation the immense quanti- ties of goods that had been thrown into the streets from the burn- ing buildings, and was quartered at Castle Garden. Companies were detailed for guard, and were relieved regularly during the day and night, and, as the district to be patrolled and protected was large, the duty was laborious and fatiguing. On the following day the Regiment was dismissed by order of the mayor, and was pub- licly complimented for its activity and vigilance.
In September Captain Abram Duryee was elected major, vice Bremner promoted. The resignation of Colonel Vermilye was ac- cepted in September, and in November Lieutenant-Colonel Brem- ner was elected colonel, Major Duryee lieutenant-colonel, and Ad- jutant Joseph A. Divver major.
Colonel Washington R. Vermilye enlisted in the Eighth Com- pany in 1830, was elected first lieutenant of the Fifth Company in 1832, and captain in 1833. In 1834 he resigned his commission, but in the latter part of the year was induced to accept the first lieutenancy, and in 1837 was again elected captain. In 1840 he was elected major, in 1843 lieutenant-colonel, and in 1844 colonel of the Regiment. Colonel Vermilye was not distinguished as a military instructor or as a disciplinarian, but he was thoroughly familiar with military tactics, and faithfully and creditably per- formed his duties both as a company and a field officer. His fine 22
320
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1845
personal appearance upon parade was noticeable, and he admirably represented the Regiment on public occasions. He was heartily devoted to the interests of the organization, and labored earnestly and successfully for its welfare. No colonel of the Regiment has been held in higher estimation by its officers and members, or has enjoyed a more general and deserved personal popularity. As a thorough gentleman, as a respected and public-spirited citizen, and as a man of probity and honor, he had no superior. His patriotism was earnest and practical, and during the War for the Union he not only contributed liberally from his large fortune, but he shoul- dered a musket and in the ranks of the Seventh Regiment faith- fully performed a soldier's duty in the campaign of 1862. In per- son Colonel Vermilye was tall and well-proportioned, with a hand- some face and soldierly figure ; in manner he was frank, courteous, and attractive ; and in disposition he was kind, considerate, gener- ous, and confiding.
Colonel Vermilye was born in the city of New York in 1810. His career as a banker and broker is a part of the financial history of the country, and the name of Vermilye & Co. has been long and widely known and respected. His liberality always kept full pace with his fortune, and to all objects which commended themselves to the charitable and public-spirited he was a liberal contributor. His devotion to the Seventh Regiment never wavered; to such en- terprises as the Seventh Regiment Monument in Central Park and the new Seventh Regiment Armory he gave a generous pecuniary support; and in divers other ways he manifested an earnest and abiding interest in its welfare. Colonel Vermilye died in Decem- ber, 1876, and his funeral at Englewood, N. J., was numerously attended by distinguished officers and members, active and exempt, of the Seventh Regiment, and by prominent citizens of New York.
The annual inspection and review of the Regiment took place at Tompkins Square on October 27th, with the following result :
Present.
Present.
Field and Staff.
G | Fifth Company
68
Non Com. Staff.
3
Sixth
46
First Company
27
Seventh
31
Second
33
Eighth 43
Third
36
Troop. 44
Fourth
25
Total present, 362.
MRVamille
Colonel Seventh Regiment 1844 1845.
321
RETREAT OF GENERAL HALL'S BRIGADE.
1845
The postponement on account of the inclemency of the weather of a brigade parade ordered by General Hall for October 7th sug- gested the following article in "The New York Herald," from the pen of A. Oakey Hall, Esq., at that time a brilliant young para- graphist, although unknown to fame :
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
Latest from the Seat of War .- Retreat of General Hall's Brigade.
We regret to state that one of the most disastrous and sudden retreats re- corded in the annals of our citizen-soldiery took place yesterday. The splendid brigade of General Hall, numbering upwards of six hundred able-bodied men, armed and equipped as the law directs, and including that world-renowned corps, the Twenty-seventh Regiment or National Guard, was ordered out yesterday. At an early hour every man was ready to march, all supplied with blank cartridges, blankets, cheese and crackers, and many of them fortified by a strong dose of Gough's Tonic Mixture, when the heavens suddenly assumed a threatening aspect, and General Hall, who had just pulled on one of his boots, happening to look out of the window, and perceiving the alarming prospect, with that humane consid- eration for the safety of his troops, and cool appreciation of the duties devolving upon him in such a trying emergency, which evinces the highest degree of mili- tary genius, immediately countermanded his orders, thus completely cheating the hostile elements, and sinking to the very depths of agonized disappointment forty-three chivalric urchins and seventeen Irish chambermaids in the immediate vicinity of Tompkins Square.
We trust that the signal success of this brilliant maneuvre will not be lost upon the renowned General George P. Morris, the warrior bard. How often has that intrepid but too impulsive commander withstood for hours the pelting of the pitiless storm, as he inducted his brigade, by a process entirely his own, into the sublime mysteries of "the school of the battalion "! How often has he left his wife and little ones, the cheerful hearth, the fragrant steaming jug, and the mild Havana, to lead his invincible troops on that perilous march from the Battery to Union Square ! Let him take example from General Hall, and in all time coming act under the conviction that " discretion is the better part of valor."
* The Division parade, November 25th, was dispensed with at the request of a large majority of the officers of the Division on account of the inclemency of the weather on that day. But several of the military organizations of the city were disgusted by this exhibition of lack of patriotism, and made independent parades in honor of the day. Among these patriotic organizations appeared the Third and Sixth Companies of the Twenty-seventh Regiment.
Captain John S. Cocks resigned the captaincy of the First Com- pany during the year, and was succeeded by Thomas Morton, a member of the Fourth Company. The Second Company, under the command of Captain Duryee, had increased in strength and
1845
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
322
made rapid strides in military improvement; the vacancy caused by his promotion to the majority was filled by the election of Lieu- tenant William H. Williams. The Fourth Company was deprived for a period of the valuable services of Captain Riblet by his re- moval to Troy, and elected Charles W. Smith his successor. The Fifth Company increased in numbers with great rapidity under Captain Waugh, and was at this period much the largest company in the Regiment. On the 10th day of October it proceeded to Nyack with the State Fencibles for target-practice.
Captain Abraham Denike, of the Seventh Company, resigned his commission, and was succeeded by Lieutenant William H. Un- derhill. Captain Denike resumed his connection with the Seventh Company in 1851 by accepting the first lieutenancy, and finally retired from the Regiment in 1855. He was a man of good judg- ment, thoroughly devoted to the Regiment, successful in business, and universally respected. In 1861 he accepted a commission as captain in Duryee's Zouaves, and actively served with that organi- zation during the summer of that year, and was commissioned lieu- tenant-colonel of the Fifty-third New York Volunteers, which office he resigned in 1862. Captain Denike was born in New York in 1809, and was a spar-maker by trade. He died in New York in 1SS0.
Captain John S. Cocks, long a prominent character in the mili- tary affairs of New York, was elected captain of the First Company in 1838, and was an active, intelligent, and energetic officer. He was an excellent military instructor, passionately fond of the service, and ambitious to excel in every particular. But his self-will and obstinacy, and his peculiarly nervous and excitable temperament, constantly led him into difficulties, and his controversies with other officers of the militia are memorable in the military history of the period. After retiring from the Twenty-seventh Regiment, he be- came brigade inspector and brigade major of the Third Brigade, where he was in frequent conflict with Colonel Duryee and with Colonel Lyons of the Eighth Regiment. A warm and protracted contest with General Hall ended in his discomfiture, and terminated in 1837 his connection with the staff of the Third Brigade. While a member of the State Legislature he was distinguished as the ad- vocate of several new and novel amendments to the military code. Colonel Cocks was born in New York in 1813, was successful in his business as a manufacturer, and died in Brooklyn in 1868.
323
FIRST SERGEANTS INDIGNANT.
1846
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH.
1846.
THE Bill of Dress was amended in the spring of 1846 and or- dered to be reprinted. As amended, commissioned staff-officers, with the exception of the surgeons, were directed to wear the same uniform hat as line-officers. It was also prescribed that the sash and a black belt should be worn by officers when in fatigue ; that mounted officers should wear a body-belt instead of shoulder-belt ; and that field-officers and adjutant be allowed to wear a saber and buff belt instead of the sword and belt as then worn. The non- commissioned staff was directed in future to wear worsted epaulets, to conform with those worn by sergeants, with a gold bullion figure "27" upon the same, and all sergeants were directed to appear upon parade with musket, bayonet, and belt.
The first sergeants or orderlies of companies, when informed of the action of the Board of Officers compelling them to appear on parade with muskets instead of swords, were filled with indignation. They went vigorously to work, however, and after petitioning the colonel to withhold the expected order, they canvassed thoroughly and successfully the several companies in opposition to the measure. Many officers gave them their support, and the men generally en- listed upon the side of the first sergeants. The result was that at the May meeting the Board of Officers receded from its position, and the first sergeants came out of the contest with flying colors.
The Legislature of the State of New York passed a new militia law in May, which caused great excitement and dissatisfaction. By its provisions the uniformed militia was virtually disbanded ; for the city and State were divided into military districts, and all per- sons liable to military duty were attached to the company or regi- ment of their respective districts. So impracticable and unpopular was the law that Governor Wright delayed its enforcement, and, in a proclamation on the subject dated October 17th, stated that addi-
324
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1846
tional legislation was necessary to supply the imperfections of the law, and to preserve the military organizations already in existence. Meanwhile the Board of Officers of the Twenty-seventh Regiment was discussing measures "to prevent the disbanding of the Regi- ment." It was admitted that drills and parades of the Regiment under the new law were voluntary, and that no penalties could be enforced for non-attendance. To make as few parades as possible, and to secure brigade or division orders for the same seemed to be the wise policy, and was therefore adopted. The board appointed a committee on December 3d to represent the Regiment in an ap- plication to the Legislature for the necessary alterations and modifi- cations of the military code of the State.
The spring parade was ordered for May 18th, but a heavy shower. of rain compelled the Regiment to take refuge in the City Hall, and the parade was informally dismissed. The Regiment drilled at Tompkins Square on June 2d, and there was a brigade drill at the same place June 10th. The usual division parade oc- curred on July 4th, the Troop of the Twenty-seventh Regiment on this, a's on many other occasions, reporting to Brigadier-General Hall as his escort. The Regiment proceeded to the Elysian Fields near Hoboken for battalion drill on July 27th, and paraded for the last time in 1846 on the 25th day of November.
The annual inspection of the Regiment at Tompkins Square on the 19th of October resulted as follows :
Present.
Present.
Field and Staff.
8
|Fifth Company
76
Non Com. Staff.
3
Sixth
51
First Company
23
Seventh 66
39
Second 66
28
Eighth
35
Third
25
Troop.
51
Fourth
31
Total present, 370.
Target-excursions were a prominent military feature of the year. The First Company visited Palmo's Hotel on the Bloomingdale Road in October ; the Second Company went to Flushing in July ; the Third Company to the Highlands of Navesink in September ; the Fourth Company to Middletown Point, N. J., in September ; the Fifth Company to Bull's Ferry in July ; the Sixth Company to Flushing in August ; and the Troop visited Macomb's Dam in Au- gust. There were also several company parades in the city during
325
1846
CAPTAIN HENRY R. MOUNT.
the year, among which may be noticed a parade of the Seventh Company on September 22d, and of the Fifth Company as an escort to the remains of Francis B. Tilyou, a Revolutionary soldier. The Fifth Company distinguished itself by giving two balls during the year, one called a "soirée," at Niblo's Garden in January, and the other a "fête," at the Coliseum in December.
Captain Mount, of the Third Company, resigned his commis- sion, and the Third Company during the next two years was under the command of First Lieutenant Edgar M. Crawford, who declined promotion. Captain Gould, of the Sixth Company, resigned, and Orderly Sergeant Cyrus H. Loutrel was elected his successor. Cap- tain John Gould was an amiable, refined, and intelligent gentleman, and was universally respected and esteemed.
Captain Henry R. Mount was elected captain of the Third Com- pany in 1843, and served in that capacity for three years, with con- siderable distinction. He was an excellent drill-officer, a thorough tactician, and a strict disciplinarian. But while he exacted the most implicit obedience from his subordinates, who followed him without a murmur, whatever the fatigue or hardship, he was distin- guished for a bluff and defiant self-will bordering on insubordina- tion, which was sometimes not particularly agreeable to his superior officers. His dashing way and hearty manners, however, made him a great favorite with his comrades, and under his active and ener- getic administration the Third Company continued to prosper. He was a man of great physical powers of endurance, and his appear- ance in uniform was soldierly and imposing. Captain Mount was a manufacturer of brushes, and was successful in business. He died at Stamford, Conn., in 1880.
Disorganization of the uniformed militia was a natural result of the legislation of 1846. But the officers and members of the Twenty-seventh Regiment stood gallantly to its colors and fought manfully for its continued existence. Its numerical strength main- tained, its drill and discipline improved, and its activity and energy renewed, the Regiment seemed to thrive under adverse circum- stances, and promised to live with or without and in spite of militia laws. The new administration was able and active, and more strictly military than its predecessors, and received a hearty support from the several companies. During the year 1846 the meetings of the Board of Officers were held at the Mercer House.
326
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1847
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH.
1847.
FROM the battle-fields in Mexico now began to arrive the re- mains of fallen heroes, and the city corporation, the military, and the citizens united in honoring the distinguished dead. In Febru- ary detachments from the several brigades paraded as escort to the remains of Captains Morris, Field, and Williams, who fell at Mon- terey. A volunteer detachment of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Duryee, paraded and fired minute-guns from the Battery during the procession. The Sixth Company paraded in March as funeral escort to the remains of Lieutenant Blake, of Philadelphia, who died at Monterey. The Regiment paraded on May 7th to celebrate the recent brilliant victories which had crowned the American arms in the war between the United States and Mexico. The Division formed at the Battery and marched through Broadway, West Broadway, Canal Street, and the Bowery, to the City Hall, and, after a marching salute to the mayor and Common Council, was dismissed. The streets were crowded, and great enthusiasm prevailed. In the evening the hotels and public buildings were illuminated, and many transparencies, with a variety of ingenious devices, displayed the names, recently made historical, of "Palo Alto," "Resaca de la Palma," "Monterey," " Vera Cruz," and " Buena Vista."
The war with Mexico created considerable excitement in mili- tary circles in the city of New York, and many prominent officers and ex-officers of the militia actively engaged in raising companies and regiments of volunteers. The men enlisted were generally from that class of the city population which could well be spared, while the officers with some exceptions secured their commissions through political influences. Of the companies and regiments or- ganized in New York only a few were accepted and mustered into the service, and many who had expended much time and money in
1847
RECEPTION OF PRESIDENT POLK.
327
enlisting volunteers were compelled to remain at home. Among those who secured commissions was Major Divver, of the Twenty- seventh Regiment.
President James K. Polk visited New York on June 25th, and was received by the city corporation with the usual formalities and ceremonies. The military paraded at the Battery, and, having been reviewed by the President, es- corted him up Broadway to Union Square, and down the . Bowery to the City Hall. The day was very hot and oppressive, yet thousands of people crowded the streets, and the President was greeted with the usual ex- pressions of respect and enthu- siasm. On the following day he visited the navy-yard, the public institutions, Wall Street, High Bridge, and other noted localities, and was everywhere received with the attention due to the Chief Magistrate of the James De Folk Republic.
The Legislature of the State in 1847 was flooded with petitions from New York city for the repeal or modification of the militia law of 1846. The Twenty-seventh Regiment actively enlisted in the movement, and its Board of Officers delegated Colonel Bremner to proceed to Albany to protect its interests and to secure the neces- sary legislation. The difficulty of procuring any military law which would be acceptable to both the city and the rural districts was ap- parent from the complete failure of the act of 1846 in its applica- tion to the city of New York. The efforts of the city militia for relief were crowned with success by the passage on May 6th, of an act entitled " An Act for the Organization of the First Division of the New York State Militia." The first section of this act made the counties of New York and Richmond the "First Division District," and gave to the uniformed corps therein all the rights and privi- leges they had ever before enjoyed. The second section provided for the equalization of the several brigades of the "First Division
1847
328
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
of Artillery," and formed a new brigade of several uniformed corps of infantry, the whole to be known as the " First Division of the New York State Militia." The fourth section gave the command of the new "First Division" to the major-general of the "First Division of Artillery," General Sandford. Subsequent sections provided that the brigades should be numbered from one to four, and that the regiments should be renumbered. New York city was divided into brigade, regimental, and company districts, all persons therein liable to military duty to be enrolled as the ununi- formed militia. The annual number of the parades of the uni- formed militia was fixed at not more than twelve and not less than eight. The first Monday in October was named for the annual parade of the ununiformed militia, and exemption from the same was provided for by a commutation fee of seventy-five cents, the funds collected from this source to be used for the benefit and sup- port of the uniformed militia. The term of service was fixed at seven years, and the minimum number of men in any company was fifty, the maximum one hundred. The law contained the usual provisions for the punishment of delinquents and the collection of fines, but imprisonment for non-payment of fines was expressly prohibited. Violation of company by-laws was punishable by ex- pulsion. Such were the prominent features of the military law as enacted in 1847 for the government of the First Division. Its pro- visions proved generally satisfactory, and it was not materially amended until 1862, when the great rebellion made it necessary to adapt the military code of the State to the circumstances and emer- gencies of that eventful period.
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