USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 39
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Faneuil Hall, Boston.
409
COMPANY DESIGNATIONS,
1857
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTH,
1857.
THE battalion wing-drills of the Regiment were held at the City Arsenal in the early part of the year, and, when open to the public, attracted a large number of spectators. At the spring parade, on April 9th, the Regiment was reviewed at the City Hall Park by General Hall, and it paraded by moonlight at Washington Parade- Ground for drill, and in Fifth Avenue for street-firing, on the 2d day of September. It paraded with the First Division, on July 4th, and with the Third Brigade, at Newark, N. J., in October, and at the Battery, in November, for brigade drill.
From the organization of the Regiment the companies had been known by their numerical designations-First, Second, Third, etc. -and all attempts to substitute the letters of the alphabet for that purpose had been unsuccessful. A positive order from general headquarters on the subject was received at this time, and in April, 1857, in regimental orders, it was announced that-
to comply with the law, in all returns to General Head Quarters the companies will be designated by letter, and the several companies are hereby designated as follows : First Co., A; Second Co., B; Third Co., C; Fourth Co., D; Fifth Co., E; Sixth Co., F; Seventh Co., G ; Eighth Co., H. But this designation by letter is made only for the purpose above stated, and is not intended to do away with the present numerical arrangements of the infantry companies.
Since that date the companies have been designated by letter in all official military papers, but otherwise have retained their original numerical titles. It is not probable that the latter will ever be dis- carded, for they are traditional and historical, and are more familiar and distinctive than the letters of the alphabet.
The Broadway House was finally closed on the 1st of May, 1857, and the Second and Fourth Companies migrated to the corner of University Place and Thirteenth Street. The rooms occupied were over a stable-a drill-room, about fifty feet square, and two company rooms adjoining, for business meetings, gun-
1857
410
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
racks and lockers. To the new quarters the Second Company formally escorted the Fourth, on the evening of April 30th. A collation had been prepared in honor of the occasion; speeches were made by General Hall, Colonel Duryee, and by the officers and members of the two companies; and the inauguration of the National Drill-Room was a pleasant event of the season.
The Seventh Regiment visited Boston in June, to participate in the inauguration of the Warren Monument, upon the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill. No effort was spared to make the trip successful and creditable. After two attempts, which failed on account of the inclemency of the weather, the Regiment paraded for preparatory drill on June 11th, at Governor's Island. General Scott had accepted an invitation to accompany the Regiment to Boston, and in the order for the parade it was announced that "im- mediately after the formation the Regiment will march to the quarters of Lieutenant-General Scott, where he will be received with all the honors due to his distinguished rank, and be escorted to the boat." But the veteran general was prevented, by serious indis- position, from participating in the excursion. At 2 P. M., on June 16th, the Regiment assembled in Lafayette Place, and marched down Broadway to take the steamer at Pier 3, North River. At the City Hall Park it was halted, by order of General Hall, its services being required to aid in the suppression of a serious riot.
The police of the city of New York it was claimed had become inefficient, partisan, and corrupt, and the Legislature of the State, at its session of 1857, enacted a law, known as the " Metropolitan Police Act," which transferred the control of the police of New York and Brooklyn from the mayors to a board of commissioners, appointed by the Governor. The law was pronounced unconstitu- tional by Fernando Wood, the Mayor of New York, and he pro- claimed his intention to resist its enforcement. While a large majority of the members of the old police adhered to the opinions and fortunes of Mayor Wood, the police commissioners proceeded to organize a new force, agreeably to the provisions of the Metro- politan Police Act. Collision between the two organizations was carefully avoided while the constitutionality of the new law was being tested in the Court of Appeals. But the refusal of Mayor Wood, on the morning of June 16th, to admit to his presence an officer, who was instructed to serve him with a warrant issued by
411
THE POLICE RIOT.
1857
the recorder, was the immediate cause of a fierce conflict. The "Municipal " force on duty at the City Hall forcibly resisted and ejected the " Metropolitan " officers, and both parties having been strongly re-enforced, a bloody and desperate contest followed, which resulted in the discomfiture of the Metropolitans. This public defiance of a legal tribunal could not be tolerated, and Major-Gen- eral Sandford was called upon to aid with military power in assert- ing the majesty of the law, as well as preserving the peace of the city, now seriously endangered by these revolutionary proceedings. Meanwhile Mayor Wood gathered his trusty forces at the City Hall, to resist all efforts for his arrest, and, with the entrances well secured, his armed followers prepared for an attack or a siege. The news of the events of the day had spread through the city, and the disorderly classes assembled in large force in the Park and the neighboring streets, to watch the progress of affairs and partici- pate in any disturbance that might occur. A more noisy, riotous, and desperate mob has rarely been seen in the city of New York.
Such was the state of affairs as the Seventh Regiment passed down Broadway, en route to Boston. By order of General Hall, it marched by the flank into the Park, and soon forced its way though the mob to the steps of the City Hall. A space was cleared in front of the building, knapsacks were unslung, a strong guard was mounted, and the Regiment quietly awaited orders. From the windows of the City Hall policemen frowned upon the soldiers, and the mob in the Park stood ready to co-operate in the expected conflict. Curses, threats, and vulgar abuse greeted the members of the Regiment from every side, but it was evident that there existed a wholesome fear of the bright and bristling bayonets, and that the lesson taught the mob at Astor Place, in 1849, had not been forgot- ten. At length General Sandford appeared, and, accompanied by the sheriff and coroner, entered the City Hall, to remonstrate, for the last time, with Mayor Wood upon his revolutionary conduct. General Sandford stated to the mayor that " the Seventh Regi- ment was at hand to assist in his arrest, that other regiments were on the march to its support, that artillery would soon arrive, and that unless he submitted to the process of the court the whole military force would be used to secure his arrest." He urged him " to spare the blood which must necessarily be shed if he remained obstinate, and, for the sake of humanity, to yield quietly to the
412
1857
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
law, which would be enforced at all hazards." After reflection and consultation with his friends, Mayor Wood formally submitted to arrest, and the danger which threatened the peace and fair fame of the city was over. The Seventh Regiment, having been relieved from further duty, proceeded to the steamer Plymouth Rock, and at 7 r. M. embarked for Boston.
At 2 A. M., June 17th, the Regiment reached Stonington, and took the cars for Boston. At Providence a salute was fired by the Providence Light Artillery, and an accident occurred by the prema- ture discharge of a cannon, by which a member of that corps was seriously injured. At 7 A. M. the Regiment reached Boston, and, escorted by the Boston Lancers, marched to the Revere House. At 9 A. M. line was formed, and escorted by the Lancers and the Second Massachusetts Regiment, it proceeded to the State-House, and, having taken the position assigned it in the procession, paraded in the principal streets of the city and then marched away to Bun- ker Hill. The day was bright and beautiful ; business was entirely suspended ; and the patriotic Bostonians thronged the streets on this their favorite holiday. The Seventh Regiment was received at all points with great enthusiasm, and never appeared to better advantage. The procession had arrived at Bunker Hill, and the inauguration ceremonies had commenced, when a dispatch was received from General Hall requesting the immediate return of the Seventh Regiment to New York, on account of a renewal of the disturbances of the preceding day. It therefore hastened back to the Revere House, and was preparing to leave for home, when an- other dispatch arrived, stating that affairs were more quiet, and that the immediate return of the Regiment was unnecessary. In the evening the members enjoyed the hospitality of the citizens and of the military, and attended the places of amusement.
The following morning, June 18th, was dark, cloudy, and un- promising ; but at eleven o'clock the Regiment marched to the Common, and was reviewed by the Governor and the mayor. The review was splendid, but the battalion drill was interrupted by a violent shower, much to the disappointment of Governor Gardner and the large concourse of spectators. The day continued unpleas- ant, and in the afternoon the members visited the armories of the various military companies, or amused themselves at the hotel with music, dancing, and gymnastics. At 7 P. M. the Regiment bade
413.
1857
THE "DEAD RABBIT " RIOT.
adieu to the fine old city of Boston and its hospitable people, and departed for New York. Upon its arrival in the morning, June 19th, it was escorted by the Fifty-fifth Regiment, through a drenchi- ing rain-storm, to Lafayette Hall. The excursion to Boston in 1857 was one of the most satisfactory in the whole history of the Regiment. The arrangements were perfect, the hotel and steam- boat accommodations were excellent, and the enthusiastic reception and hospitable entertainment of the Regiment and its members by the people of Boston was memorable.
The disorganized condition of the police department of the city encouraged the disorderly classes to indulge in various acts of vio- lence and lawlessness. On the 4th of July a fierce combat took place in Mulberry and Bayard Streets and the Bowery between two desperate factions known as the "Dead Rabbits" and the "Bow- ery Boys." No particular cause was assigned for this outbreak, except the absence of the usual police restraint, which afforded a favorable opportunity for the denizens of the Sixth Ward and the neighboring districts to settle their old grudges and disputes by force of arms. With stones, clubs, and fire-arms of every descrip- tion the two parties rushed to the encounter, and, the police failing to restore order, the fight ended by mutual consent or from physi- cal exhaustion. No record was preserved of the killed, wounded, and missing; but those who visited the seat of war after the battle discovered ample evidence of the severity of the conflict. On Sun- day, July 5th, the contest was renewed with increased violence, and the famous locality known as the "Five Points " was the scene of the riot. All attempts of the police to quell the disturbance were in vain. Desperate characters from all parts of the city hastened to the Sixth Ward, and, without any apparent cause or provocation, participated in the conflict. Fire-arms were freely and effectually used, and the wounds and bruises from clubs and stones were too numerous to attract attention. At 4 P. M. orders were issued for the Seventh Regiment to assemble, and at seven o'clock the several companies were at their armories. At eight o'clock line was formed at Lafayette Hall, and the Regiment marched to the City Arsenal in Elm Street; but the riotous belligerents had either completed the performances of the day to their mutual satisfaction, or had taken advantage of a timely notice of the preparations to curtail their amusements ; for, when the Seventh Regiment reached the
414
1857
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTHI REGIMENT.
arsenal, the " Dead Rabbits " had disappeared, and the streets had assumed their usual quiet appearance.
In the evening of July 13th the Regiment was called upon to aid in the suppression of a riot at Mackerelville, in the Seventeenth Ward. A desperate attack had been made upon the Metropolitan Police, and several lives had been lost and many persons had been seriously injured. At 10 p. M. the Regiment assembled at La- fayette Hall, but, its services not being needed, it was dismissed soon after midnight. On the 14th of July the Regiment was again ordered to be in readiness to suppress an anticipated disturbance, and the companies assembled at their armories; but they were dis- missed at a late hour of the night, without having left their quar- ters. The Court of Appeals having decided in favor of the consti- tutionality of the Metropolitan Police Act, quiet was gradually restored in the disorderly districts of the city, and from 1857 to 1863 military assistance was not required in preserving the public peace.
The last will and testament of General Andrew Jackson directed that a gold snuff-box, which had been received from the Corpora- tion of the City of New York, should be presented to the officer or soldier of the New York Volunteers who was most distinguished for bravery during the Mexican War. The Common Council hav- ing decided to award the snuff-box to Major Dyckman. a commit- tee was dispatched to Tennessee to procure the valuable relic. Dur- ing the absence of the committee a violent personal controversy arose among the officers and soldiers of the New York Volunteers as to the justice of the decision of the Common Council ; and when the committee, accompanied by Andrew Jackson, Jr., returned to New York, the excitement in circles immediately interested was at its height. Arrangements had been made for the presentation to take place on September 15th, the anniversary of the capture of the city of Mexico, and the Seventh Regiment, in compliance with division and brigade orders, paraded in honor of the occasion. At the appointed hour it appeared at the City Hall, but was informed that the ceremonies had been indefinitely postponed. Mr. Jackson, having learned that great dissatisfaction existed in respect to the award of the Common Council, had regained possession of the snuff-box, secured it carefully in his vest-pocket, and departed for his home in Tennessee. The Regiment was reviewed by the mayor
415
REBUILDING OF TOMPKINS MARKET.
1857
in the Park, and, not being able to appreciate the honor of being connected with this ludicrous affair, hastened to its quarters and was dismissed. The newspapers ridiculed the whole transaction, and a broad smile illumined the visage of the public at the serio- comic termination of the presentation by the Common Council of the Jackson snuff-box to "the bravest of the brave."
The rebuilding of Tompkins Market commenced in the summer of 1857. About the same time the Seventh Regiment was astounded by the information that Colonel Coeks, commanding the Twelfth Regiment, had petitioned the Common Council for a part of the new building for that organization, and was making a vigorous effort to accomplish that result. Neither time nor labor was spared to defeat this unexpected attack and unwarrantable intrusion. On the 10th of September the regimental committee submitted to the Board of Aldermen a complete statement of the reasons why the upper part of Tompkins Market should be devoted exclusively to the use of the Seventh Regiment ; a petition signed by Generals Sandford, Hall, Spicer, and Yates, and all the colonels of the city regiments, except the Second, Tenth, and Twelfth, in support of its claim ; and a letter from the architect, against the alterations in the plans of the building, which would be necessary in case it should be occupied by more than one regiment. After a vigorous and protracted contest, the city authorities decided to make no change in the plans of the building or in its use and occupation. The courtesy and fairness of nearly all the city regiments in this matter were greatly appreciated. Jealousy of the Seventh Regiment among the military organizations of New York has always been exceptional, and they have generally manifested interest and pride in its fame and its prosperity.
The annual inspection took place on the 19th day of October at Tompkins Square, with the following result :
Present.
Present.
Field and Staff ..
10|
Fifth Company
73
Non Com. Staff and Color Guard .. .
20
Sixth
115
Band.
39
Seventh 88
First Company
70
Eighth
108
Second
101
Troop.
34
Third
.
98
Engineers
18
Fourth .6
76
Total present, 850.
28
1857
416
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
The increase in the apparent strength of all the companies as exhibited by this inspection was remarkable. But, exclusive of the large number of exempt and honorary members in the ranks on this occasion, the real active strength of the Regiment at this period was about seven hundred men. This fact is established by the amount (one dollar per man) paid to the Divver fund in 1857, and by the number reported to the colonel at the end of the year by the captains of the several companies.
The serious accident to Charles E. Lincoln, a gunner of the Marine Corps of Artillery of Providence, R. I., while engaged in firing a salute in honor of the Seventh Regiment as it passed through that city in June, was not forgotten by the officers and members of the Regiment. Upon its return to New York a com- mittee was appointed to ascertain the extent and nature of the in- juries and the circumstances of the unfortunate young man, and, if necessary, to afford him relief. The result was a subscription in the several companies in behalf of young Lincoln, and a purse of one thousand dollars, which was presented to him at Providence, on November 9th, by a committee, of which Lieutenant-Colonel Lefferts was chairman. The committee was entertained by the officers of the Marine Artillery in an elegant manner at the City Hotel, and Governor Dyer, Mayor Rodman, and other distinguished citizens of Rhode Island were present.
John H. Brower, formerly captain of the Eighth Company, and at this period a prominent and successful shipping-merchant, had named a fine new ship the "National Guard," in honor of the Seventh Regiment. The necessary amount was raised by subscrip- tion in the several companies to present the ship a set of colors, and on the 25th of November a committee from the Regiment per- formed that agreeable duty. Sergeant Dunning, of the Fourth Company, presented the colors with an appropriate speech, and they were received by Captain Brower, and the ceremony terminated with an entertainment in the cabin of the vessel. The flags were nineteen in number, and no ship in the harbor of New York could make a more elegant display of bunting. During the great rebell- ion the ship was purchased by the Government and used as an armed transport.
A monument having been erected at the corner of Twenty-fifth Street and Fifth Avenue to Major-General Worth, the remains of
417
THE WORTH MONUMENT.
1857
that gallant soldier were removed from Greenwood on November 24th and deposited in the Governor's Room at the City Hall. On the following day the monument was inaugurated, and the remains were escorted from the City Hall to their last resting-place. At an early hour the First Division assembled at the Battery, and were reviewed by Governor King. The weather was bitterly cold, and the wind was strong and piercing, and during the long delays at the Battery and the City Hall and on the march to Twenty-fifth Street the soldiers suffered severely. The procession was large and the military display imposing, and the streets were crowded with interested spectators.
With the large accessions to the . Regiment at this period came also applications from organized military bodies for admission. In November the State Guard, an old and respectable company, at this time attached to the Fifty-fifth Regiment, applied for admission in a body. At the same time an application was received from Lieutenant Feely and associates for permission to be attached to the Regiment as an artillery company. The Board of Officers was unanimous in the opinion that the Regiment would not be strength- ยท ened or its harmony promoted by the admission of military bodies already organized, and the applications were denied. Recognizing, however, the importance of an artillery corps to the Regiment, the Board of Officers in December resolved " to organize as a part of the Regiment an artillery corps for the use and practice of the mountain howitzer, to be called the 'National Guard Light Artil- lery.'" The artillery corps was not organized, but the Engineer Corps of the Regiment was instructed and exercised in the use of the howitzer.
A most earnest and persistent effort was made by the managers of the ball in December in aid of the Nursery and Child's Hospital to secure the patronage of the Seventh Regiment and the official support and aid of its officers and members. The Board of Officers resolved to attend the ball in full uniform ; but, when the attention of the several companies was called to the subject, it was ascertained that there was an overpowering conservative element in the Regi- ment which protested against the use of its name in favor of any particular charitable object. It argued that the Regiment could not afford to be partial or invidious in its favors; that, if it officially supported one good charitable institution, it could not refuse its
418
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1857
patronage to others; and that, by lending its name for purposes entirely foreign to the objects of its organization, the welfare of the Regiment would be more or less endangered. While all the companies recommended their members to support the great Charity Ball of 1857, none were willing to give it official support, and some companies protested against their members attending the ball in the uniform of the Regiment.
At the celebration of the anniversary of the Fourth Company, on the 25th day of June, a testimonial was presented to its veteran member, William H. Curtis, who had completed his thirty-fifth year of active service. So long a period of faithful and devoted service was rare in any military organization at this period.
The Worth Monument.
419
HARDEE'S TACTICS.
1858
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTH.
1858.
IN compliance with regimental orders, the instruction of com- panies was commenced, in January, in Hardee's Light-Infantry Tactics. The new drill was attractive and popular, and as there was no change in the manual of arms, as taught in Scott's Infantry Tactics, the members soon acquired a more than respectable pro- ficiency. The book known as "Hardee's Tactics " was an indif- ferent translation from the French, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hardee, at that time Commandant of Cadets at West Point, gained considerable reputation by connecting his name so prominently with the introduction of light-infantry tactics in the United States Army. He visited New York in March to witness a battalion drill of the Seventh Regiment, and was delighted with its perform- ance in the new tactics. During the War for the Union, Hardee became a major-general in the Confederate service, but failed to secure a remarkable reputation as an officer.
The Regiment paraded through snow, mud, and water, Feb- ruary 22d, and was reviewed by Mayor Tiemann at the City Hall, and in March it paraded as funeral escort to the remains of Com- modore Matthew C. Perry, from Thirty-second Street to St. Mark's Church. In May there was a regimental field-day at Fashion Course, Long Island ; in June, a brigade drill at Hamilton Square, and a review by Adjutant-General Frederick Townsend ; and in October a regimental drill at Hamilton Square. The' right wing, under Lieutenant-Colonel Lefferts, paraded on November 9th, to receive a detachment of the Fifty-fifth Regiment returning from guard duty at Quarantine, Staten Island; and the left wing No- vember 15th, to receive another detachment of the same regiment. On the 25th of November the First Division paraded in honor of the day, and was reviewed by Governor King in Fourteenth Street, and passed in review before the Governor and mayor at the City Hall.
420
1858.
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
On Saturday, the 12th of June, the Boston Light Infantry ar- rived in New York, and on Monday was entertained by a detach- ment of eight files from each company detailed to represent the Regiment. At 10 A. M. the company was escorted to the City Hall, where it witnessed the presentation by General Sandford of an elegant stand of colors to the Scott Life Guard. After a review by Mayor Tiemann, which attracted great attention, the Seventh Regiment battalion entertained the Light Infantry at the Lafarge House, and on the following day escorted its guests to the Boston steamer.
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