USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 36
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374
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1851
in Lafayette Place, and the locality was found so clean, quiet, and convenient that it henceforth became the established and accepted place for the companies to meet and regimental line to form when- ever the brigade or division line formed in the upper part of the city. The inspection at Tompkins Square in the forenoon was fol- lowed in the afternoon by a parade of the First Division and a review by Governor Hunt. The result of the inspection of the Seventh Regiment was as follows :
Present.
Present.
Field and Staff.
Fourth Company 36
Non Com. Staff.
8
Fifth
6.
66
Band.
21
Sixth
49
First Company ..
25
Seventh
57
Second
44 Eighth 60
67
Third
53
Troop .
37
Total present, 470.
Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian patriot, reached New York on December 6th, and was publicly received by the city authorities at Castle Garden amid a throng so dense and an enthusiasm so intense that it was impossible to complete the programme of arrangements for his reception. Escorted by the First Division, he proceeded to the City Hall, and at every step was greeted with deafening applause and with the most extravagant expressions of welcome. At the City Hall the division passed in review before the distin- guished guest of the city. The Seventh Regiment paraded in over- coats, and on this occasion excelled itself. Its splendid marching and magnificent appearance drew from Kossuth the most compli- mentary remarks, and Colonel Pulzsky and other members of his staff clapped their hands with delight and admiration. When the review was ended, the noise, confusion, and mad excitement were so overwhelming in extent and character that all further ceremony was dispensed with, and Kossuth, weary and almost bewildered, retired to his quarters at the Irving Honse. If ever New York was crazy upon any subject, it was upon the wrongs of Hungary and of its fugitive governor.
The great Kossuth meeting took place at Castle Garden, on De- cember 16th, and was attended by the First Division in full uni- form, and by the leading citizens of New York, Mayor Kingsland presiding. In compliance with division and brigade orders, the Seventh Regiment assembled in the Park in full uniform, with side-
375
1851
THE KOSSUTH EXCITEMENT.
arms, at 7 P. M., and marched to Castle Garden. The scene within the walls of that famous old building was beyond description. The immense amphitheatre was profusely and tastefully decorated, and was crowded ahnost to suffocation by an excited multitude; and when Kossuth appeared upon the stage the tremendous cheers and other demonstrations of enthusiasm threatened to shake the walls from their firm foundations. The regiments were severally intro- duced to Kossuth by their brigadier-generals, each regiment rising and saluting. When the Seventh Regiment was presented, Kossuth led in the hearty applause. The speech of Kossuth was a master- piece of oratory, and his eloquent prayer for American interference in behalf of his native land was received with great applause. His appeal to the citizen soldiers of New York overflowed with compliments, and the fine appearance of the Seventh Regiment on the day of his public reception and its distinguished services at the Astor Place Riot were particularly noticed. At the conclusion of the speech resolutions of sympathy with Hungary were adopted, and a committee was appointed to raise money in aid of the patri- otic cause. The meeting was in all respects one of the most re- markable ever witnessed in the United States.
While all New York seemed to be crazy over Kossuth, there was a sober and conservative element in the community that neither by thought, word, or deed encouraged the great commotion. In some of the public journals, and in not a few military and private circles, the action of General Sandford in ordering the First Division to attend the Kossuth meeting at Castle Garden was indignantly condemned. It was claimed to be an unwarrantable attempt to commit an important military organization to the interest of one of the parties in a foreign controversy, and that to encour- age any interference in foreign affairs was unjustifiable and danger- ous. In the Eighth Company of the Seventh Regiment there was a long and animated discussion upon the subject, the members protesting against being used for purposes political, either foreign or domestic, and resolutions censuring the officer who had ordered the First Division to attend the meeting at Castle Garden were only lost by a small majority. The great Kossuth excitement was too violent to be lasting and rapidly disappeared, with no important or practical result in aid of the eloquent exile or his suffering country.
376
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTII REGIMENT.
1851
The Eighth Company celebrated, on July 17th, the anniversary of the enlistment in 1829 of its veteran commandant Captain Shum- way, and continued for many succeeding years to commemorate the event by a dinner, a parade, an excursion, or in some other ap- propriate manner. The fifth and last annnal soirée of the Second Company took place at Tripler Hall in January, and was a success- ful affair. But entertainments of this kind were expensive; they were becoming unfashionable and common; and the time had arrived for the " grand annual soirées" to disappear from the cata- logue of amusements of the companies of the Seventh Regiment. In June the Sixth Company proceeded to Bath, L. I., for a day's target-practice, and on the 19th day of September the Fifth Com- pany marched through the streets with its target, its prizes, and all the paraphernalia of the target-excursion of the olden time, and proceeded to Snediker's on Long Island for a day's amusement. The Fifth Company is entitled to all the honors of the very last target-excursion of the Seventh Regiment. At the close of the year the First, Third, Sixth, and Eighth Companies were quartered at Lafayette Hall, the Second and Fourth at the Broadway House, the Fifth at the Mercer House, and the Seventh at American Hall.
American Flag between 1795 and 1818.
-
1852
A RIOT THREATENED.
377
CHAPTER THIRTY-SECOND.
1852.
THE memorable divorce case of Forrest vs. Forrest, resulting in a verdict against the distinguished American tragedian, created a great excitement among all classes of the community. Upon the announcement that Mrs. Forrest would make her début upon the stage of Brougham's Lyceum on February 2d, fears were entertained that the friends of Forrest would create a disturbance, and possibly a riot. Great care was taken to prevent the tickets of admission from falling into the hands of the opponents of Mrs. Forrest ; a strong police force was detailed for the occasion ; and the Seventh Regiment was ordered to assemble and be in readiness for any emergency. At 6 P. M. the companies assembled at their armories, were supplied with ball-cartridges, and awaited further orders. At an early hour the theatre and the streets in its vicinity were crowded. The début of Mrs. Forrest was a great success, and while her friends, who were in a large majority, were able to drown all opposition, the police roughly handled those who were disposed to create a disturbance. Happily, the services of the Regiment were not required, and after the danger was over it was dismissed, with the thanks of General Sandford for its promptness in respond- ing to the call of the authorities.
The Seventh Regiment paraded in honor of the birthday of Washington, February 22d, and, after a review by the mayor at the City Hall, proceeded by invitation to Governor's Island, where it was received with a salute of twenty-one guns, and was reviewed by Colonel Gardner. The review was memorable, from the fact that the snow and water were at least a foot deep. The officers were invited to a collation by the officers of the Fourth Artillery, stationed at Governor's Island. Upon returning to the city, the Regiment proceeded to the City Assembly Rooms, where it was entertained by the Second Company. The day was very stormy,
378
1852
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
the streets were filled with melting snow, and the march was un- usually fatiguing.
In May Lieutenant-Colonel Brinckerhoff resigned his com- mission, and in June Major Lefferts was elected lieutenant-colonel. The majority remained vacant until 1856. Captain Watts, of the Troop, resigned in June, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Isaac Tomlinson. Ex-Captain William A. Pond was appointed adjutant, vice Divver deceased ; and Aaron Kemp was promoted to quartermaster, vice Allen re- signed. Quartermaster John T. Allen served with distinction up- on the staff for a period of twelve years. He was indefati- gable in the performance of the duties of his important office, was ardently devoted to the interests of the Regiment, and was a thorough business man. His great decision of character and strong self-will occasionally brought him into conflict with the company officers, who are proverbially jealous of unauthorized ac- tion and assumption of power by the regimental staff.
Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew B. Brinckerhoff was born in the city of New York in 1815. He first enlisted in the Cadet Lancers attached to the Ninth Regiment, and with twenty other members of that corps organized the First National Guard Troop, now the Ninth Company of the Seventh Regiment. He was elected cornet of the Troop in 1839, second lieutenant in 1840, first lieutenant in 1841, and captain in 1842. In 1848 he was elected major of the Regiment, and in 1849 lieutenant-colonel. In announcing his resig- nation, Colonel Duryee noticed "his long and faithful service, his promptness on duty, and his prudence and moderation in council, and the sincere and deep regret of all at his withdrawal from the Regiment." Colonel Brinckerhoff was a fine cavalry-officer, of commanding presence and soldierly bearing, and the Troop during
379
THE NEW SEVENTH REGIMENT BAND.
1852
his administration was a large and well-disciplined military organi- zation. His election as a field-officer of infantry was due to his general popularity, genial disposition, and urbanity of manner, but he creditably maintained his position, and performed his new duties satisfactorily. At the Astor Place Riot he received serious inju- ries, from which he never entirely recovered. Colonel Brinckerhoff was a successful merchant, but on account of poor health was obliged to retire from business in 1852. He lived a respected citi- zen of New York until 1877, the date of his deatlı.
In January, 1852, the engagement of Adkins's Washington Brass Band with the Seventh Regiment expired, and was not re- newed. As there was no band in the city entirely satisfactory to the Regiment, it was proposed to organize a new military band, which should be furnished with a complete and appropriate uni- form, and should play for no other military organization. Fortu- nately, the very best material for the purpose was to be found among the professional musicians of the German Musical Society, and at a meeting of the Board of Officers in March the captains were directed to ascertain whether their companies .favored the project, and were willing to pay pro rata the expense of new uni- forms and equipments. In April it was reported that all the com- panies except the Fifth had pledged their proportion of the neces- sary expense, and the music committee was authorized and directed to make arrangements for a new band of forty-two musicians, and to contract for suitable uniforms and equipments. Thus originated the famous Seventh Regiment Band, the only band exclusively regimental at that period in the country. The leader and musical director was Noll, a distinguished musician, and the members were professional musicians carefully selected, and the new band used both brass and reed instruments in due proportion, and performed only modern and popular music of the highest order. The uniform of the new band was blue with red facings, but, to identify the organization more closely with the Regiment, it was afterward changed to gray. The Seventh Regiment Band at once secured fame and popularity, and held the first place among musical organi- zations of the city.
When the Fifth Company learned that the Board of Officers had contracted for uniforms for the new band without its consent, it was very indignant and voted not to pay its proportion of the
1852
380
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
expense, and appointed a committee to draft a memorial to the Board of Officers on the subject of "taxation for the band, and taxation for collation to Boston Lancers, and various other taxa- tion." At a meeting of the Board of Officers, in May, it was reported that all the companies except the Fifth had paid their assessments for uniforming the band, and the Board voted to assess the amount due from the Fifth Company upon the officers of the Regiment, the officers of the Fifth Company excepted. This action of the Board increased rather than mitigated the indigna- tion of the Fifth Company, which claimed throughout that the amount of money was no consideration, but that an important prin- ciple was involved. At a meeting of the Fifth Company in June, resolutions on the subject were submitted, which were so violent and denunciatory in their character that they were only adopted by two majority, and Captain Creighton positively refused to present them to the Board of Officers. But they reached their destination through another channel, and the Board appointed a committee, of which Lieutenant-Colonel Lefferts was chairman, to confer with the Fifth Company upon the subject-matter of the resolutions. A protracted interview and conciliatory counsels were without re- sult ; the Fifth Company adhered to its resolutions and refused to pay the assessment. That the Board of Officers acted with wis- dom and discretion in respect to the uniforming of the band, and that the Fifth Company was unreasonable, willful, and obstinate beyond endurance, there can be no doubt; for, without modera- tion, concession, and acquiescence on the part of minorities in matters of this kind the Seventh Regiment could not successfully exist.
The wing-drills of the Regiment took place at the City Assem- bly Rooms, and it drilled in May at the Elysian Fields, Hoboken. On the 15th day of June it assembled at the City Hall Park, and was reviewed by Mayor Kingsland. The City Hall plaza had re- cently been widened, upon petition of the Seventh Regiment, and corresponding entrances to the Park made on Broadway and Chat- ham Street. Each company for the first time marched from its armory to the parade-ground with a drummer at its head, and the review was distinguished by the first appearance of the new regi- mental band, which attracted great attention. After the review the Regiment joined the Third Brigade at the Battery, and was
381
CAMP TRUMBULL.
1852
reviewed by General Hall and by General Sandford. There was a parade of the First Division on the 21st day of October.
The anniversary of American Independence was celebrated on Monday, July 5th, and it had been arranged that the Seventh Regi- ment should leave for New Haven, for a week of camp duty, im- mediately after the parade. The small number that reported at the hour of departure caused considerable surprise and disappoint- ment. The First Company, being in a chronic state of weakness, was absent; the Second was represented by only thirteen men ; and the Fifth Company, besides being in an angry and mutinous mood, had early in the year made arrangements for an excursion to Boston, and wholly ignored the encampment. The six compa- nies, exclusive of the troop, averaged only about twenty men ; but they pluckily slung their knapsacks and shouldered their muskets and marched away to the steamer. After a delightful sail the Regiment reached New Haven at 5 P. M., and was enthusiastically welcomed by the immense crowd assembled to witness its arrival. The New Haven Grays and National Blues received the Regiment and escorted it through the principal streets of the city and to the camp-ground. Camp Trumbull was beautifully situated about a mile from the city of New Haven. In front of the encampment was a splendid carriage-road, with a row of fine old poplars on either side, and in the rear was the Bay of New Haven. Extensive and level grounds afforded an excellent parade; facilities for bathing and fishing were abundant ; and the highly cultivated surrounding country, and the fine, prosperous city adjacent, with its public- spirited and hospitable citizens, were attractive features of this encampment of the Seventh Regiment.
Tuesday, July 6th .- The regular routine of camp duty com- menced and was uniform throughout the week. Guard was mount- ed twice a day ; in the morning, battalion and company drills, and at 6 p. M. the dress-parade. The afternoons were spent in riding about the country, visiting the city, or in aquatic amusements upon the neighboring waters. At evening parades the grounds were thronged by ladies, who were delighted with the elegant and mar- tial appearance of the young soldiers. A large party of officers and members of the Regiment were hospitably entertained in the evening of Tuesday, at the armory of the New Haven Grays.
Wednesday, July 7th .- The event of interest was a review of
382
1852
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
the Regiment by ex-Colonel Stevens and by the Mayor of New Haven. The extreme heat rendered the duties of the day exceed- ingly severe and fatiguing, and from the burning sun many mem- bers carried to New York unmistakable evidence of their service in camp.
Thursday, July 8th .- In the afternoon the Regiment paraded in New Haven, and a review upon the Green by General King, commanding the Connecticut militia, was witnessed by a large num- ber of spectators. At its conclusion arms were stacked at the armory of the National Blues, and the members attended a concert of the Seventh Regiment Band at Brewster's Hall, which was a great success, and was liberally patronized by the fashionable peo- ple of the town. The Regiment welcomed to Camp Trumbull in the evening a number of its members from New York under the command of Captain Pressinger, of the First Company.
Friday, July 9th .- The camp was thronged from morning until night with the friends of the Regiment from New York and visitors from New Haven and the neighboring towns. At 6 P. M. the arrival of Governor Seymour, of Connecticut, was announced by a salute fired by a detachment of the Second Company, and a review and battalion drill completed the military exercises at Camp Trumbull. The tents had been neatly decorated during the day, and in the evening the camp was brilliantly illuminated. The main avenue, leading to the colonel's marquee, blazed with light, and was the scene of a grand ball, at which Governor Seymour, General Hall, ex-Colonels Stevens, Vermilye, and Bremner, and the first ladies and gentlemen of New Haven, were present.
Saturday, July 10th .- Tents were struck at 10 A. M., and the Regiment marched under a burning sun and through clouds of dust to the city, and, having paraded through the principal streets, em- barked for New York. Camp Trumbull would have been one of the most successful encampments of the Seventh Regiment had the officers and members given it a united support. Those present were active and enthusiastic; the week was one of genuine pleas- ure, and the military improvement was entirely satisfactory.
The Fifth Company left New York, on July 12th, for Boston, and numbered seventy-two men, including musicians. It was re- ceived and entertained by the Boston National Lancers, and various courtesies were extended to the company by other organizations.
KÜRTA
CAMP TRUMBULL. NEW HAVEN, 1852. (From an old lithograph.)
383
FUNERALS OF CLAY AND WEBSTER.
1852
The excursion was claimed to be a very pleasant and successful one ; but the company received neither notice nor approbation from the Regiment upon its departure or return. The opinion was general that the Fifth Company, by its absence from Camp Trumbull and by its excursion to Boston, had shown a selfish disregard of the in- terests and welfare of the Regiment, and a spirit hostile and dan- gerous to its harmony.
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, the great statesmen and ora- tors of the generation which succeeded the founders of the Ameri- can Republic, both departed this life in 1852. They were favorites of the literary, professional, and mercantile classes of New York, and in no part of the country did the announcement of their de- cease produce a more profound sensation or more universal expres- sions of sorrow. Arrangements for the obsequies of the lamented dead were made by the Common Council of the city.
The funeral ceremonies in honor of Henry Clay took place on July 20th, and were very imposing. The procession consisted of fifteen grand divisions, of which the First Division and the military from neighboring cities were the first. Long before the left of the procession could leave the Park the right had passed through the Bowery, Union Square, and Broadway, and returned to the City Hall. The whole front of the City Hall was draped with mourning, and stores and dwellings along the route exhibited in profusion the same symbols of sorrow. The solemnity which prevailed among the people was a remarkable feature of the day, and respect for the memory of the great orator and statesman was the universal senti- ment. The ceremonies concluded with an oration by Hon. Nathan- iel B. Blunt, delivered to an immense assemblage in front of the City Hall.
The funeral of Daniel Webster, on November 16th, was similar in character though not equal in extent to that of Henry Clay-the same military display, the same symbols of sorrow, and a vast pro- cession ; but the public heart did not respond so earnestly in honor of the great statesman of the East as to the memory of the brilliant and favorite orator of the West. An oration by Hon. James T. Brady, at Metropolitan Hall, concluded the ceremonies of the day.
The annual inspection of the Seventh Regiment took place on October 12th at Tompkins Square. After the usual review by Gen- eral Hall, the Regiment escorted the Boston Light Artillery to the 26
-
384
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1852
City Hall, where the two commands were reviewed by Mayor Kingsland. The Regiment was detained by the mayor for nearly two hours, in anticipation of its services being needed to assist the police in quelling a riot among the riggers and stevedores in South Street, and was dismissed with orders to be in readiness for active service at a signal of twelve strokes of the City Hall bell. The re- sult of the annual inspection was as follows :
Present.
Present.
Field and Staff.
5 |
Fourth Company
36
Non Com. Staff.
4
Fifth
66
64
Musicians .
45
Sixth
63
First Company
32
Seventh "
45
Second 65
46
Eighth
62
Third 66
59
Troop
40
Total present, 501.
This was the first time in its history that the Regiment had paraded five hundred men for inspection or on any other occasion, and was a subject of general congratulation. The Fifth Company was jubilant over the fact that it paraded the largest number of men, thereby demonstrating its importance to the Regiment, and apologizing for its vagaries.
The expenses of the Regiment during the year were unusually large. In addition to the assessment upon the several companies for uniforming the band, there was collected, on account of the en- campment at New Haven, the sum of $2,823.75. The receipts of the regimental paymaster from all other sources during the year were $2,142.22, and the expenditures were $1,961.62. The expense of music for parades materially increased at this period, the amount paid to Noll and Reitzel for the services of the regimental band and drummers on each parade in 1852 and in the following years averaging about one hundred and eighty dollars.
1853
THE NEW CITY ARSENAL.
385
CHAPTER THIRTY-THIRD.
1853.
IN March the Seventh Regiment drilled for the first time at the New City Arsenal, corner of Elm and White Streets. The drill- room on the second floor was the largest and most commodious in the city, and accommodated the whole Regiment, and drills by
The New City Arsenal, 1852.
wing were unnecessary for a brief period. It was a cold and cheer- less room, dimly lighted, and destitute of the most common orna- mentation. The City Arsenal continued to be the favorite rendez- vous of the Seventh Regiment until the completion in 1859 of the New State Arsenal, Seventh Avenue and Thirty-fifth Street, and was the scene of many interesting events in its history.
At the regimental drill of March 24th, at the New City Arsenal, Colonel Duryee introduced the "Daughter of the Regiment," this
386
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1853
being her first appearance since her adoption. She was dressed à la militaire, in a dark-green habit, with black buttons, arranged
Mary Divver, the Daughter of the Regiment.
in the same style as upon the uniform coat of the Regiment, but- toned high in the neck, with small white standing collar. The dash- ing and jaunty costume, modest manners, intelligent face, and hand- some figure of the petite young girl took the Regiment by storm. After a few appropriate remarks by Colonel Duryee, Miss Divver passed down the line from right to left, taking the hand of each officer and member, and receiving a kindly and hearty welcome.
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