USA > New York > History of the Seventh Regiment of New York, 1806-1889 > Part 9
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Major John W. Forbes was active in organizing the company now known as the Fourth Company of the Seventh Regiment, and was its first captain. To his ability as an officer and his popularity
71.
1814
CAPTAINS ANDERAISE AND TALCOTT.
as a gentleman was due, to a considerable extent, the high position maintained by that company for a long series of years. During the military excitement in 1814, when New York was threatened by the British fleet, Major Forbes re-entered the service, and com- manded with distinction a new battalion of artillery.
Captain Barnet Anderaise, of the Second Company, was a well- known and popular man of this period. He was a prominent officer in the Masonic Order, and was an active leader in all patri- otic measures, and his name appears in the list of subscribers to the war loan of 1812. Captain Anderaise was one of the most active and influential of the founders of the Second Company, and was chosen first lieutenant in 1806, and succeeded Captain Hewitt as its com- mandant in 1810. In 1813 Captain Anderaise was transferred to the command of a company of heavy artillery in the First Battalion of the Eleventh Regiment, and he served in that position until the end of the war.
Captain George Talcott, Jr., a native of Connecticut, was en- gaged in mercantile pursuits in New York from 1805 until 1813, and enlisted in the Third Company, Captain Fleming, soon after its organization. He became a corporal and sergeant in 1809, sec- ond lieutenant in 1810, first lieutenant in 1812, and captain in 1813. In 1813 he was commissioned in the regular Army of the United States, and was soon after transferred to the Ordnance Corps. In 1832 he became lieutenant-colonel, and was made in- spector of arsenals and armories. He was in command for a long period of the armories at Springfield and Watervliet, and, at the death of Colonel Bromford, he became colonel and chief of the Ordnance Corps. He was brevetted brigadier-general in 1848, and died at Albany in 1862, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. The active and valuable services of General Talcott in the Ordnance Corps for a period of nearly forty years, and his intelligence and energy in the introduction to the United States Army of improve- ments in arms and ammunition, are a part of the history of the country. General Talcott was also a popular gentleman, and was universally beloved and respected.
In June, 1814, alarming news from Europe reached New York. The allied powers were victorious, and Great Britain could now withdraw her troops from the Continent and pursue more vigor- ously the war with the United States. Rumors that an immense
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1814
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
fleet was fitting out in the British ports to operate against New York aronsed the people and the city authorities to a consciousness of impending danger, and on the 7th of July a committee was ap- pointed by the Common Council upon the subject of city defenses, which subsequently waited upon the President of the United States to solicit the aid and co-operation of the General Government. The President immediately made a requisition upon the Governor of New York for a large number of troops, and directed them to be stationed in the fortifications already erected in and about the city, and in fortified camps to be located at Brooklyn and Harlem Heights. The commandant of the Corps of Engineers and the chief of the Ordnance Department were ordered to New York to superintend the erection of fortifications and the collection and preparation of supplies and munitions of war. The citizens of the several wards of the city were called together in public meetings, and rolls were opened and extensively signed by those willing to volunteer for service in a military capacity or to labor on the forti- fications.
Pursuant to a requisition made by Major-General Morgan Lewis upon General Stevens for three thousand troops from . his division, the First Brigade of Artillery was officially notified on the 30th of July to be in readiness for active service, and all regiments of uni- formed militia were ordered to be thoroughly inspected and their inspection and muster rolls delivered at once to the brigade majors. On the 5th of August the Eleventh Regiment was inspected at the arsenal, and numbered, present and absent, four hundred and forty- nine men. On the Sth of August an immense public meeting was held in the park, at which a Citizens' Defense Committee was ap- pointed to co-operate with the Defense Committee of the Common Council ; and the joint committee, of which Hon. Nicholas Fishi was chairman and General Jacob Morton secretary, met daily at the City Hall to receive contributions of money, to accept the serv- ices of those volunteering to work upon the fortifications, and to devise and carry into effect such measures as might be necessary for the public safety.
The immense field-works at Harlem and Brooklyn, which were designed to protect the flank and rear of the city in case the enemy should attempt to approach it by land, were commenced on the Sthi of August, and Captain Bremner's company, of the First Battal-
73
"THE PATRIOTIC DIGGERS."
1814
ion of the Eleventh Regiment, which was the first to volunteer, had the honor of breaking ground for the fortification at Brook- lyn Heights. So universal was the desire to serve the city with the pick-axe and the spade, that the Defense Committee found it impos- sible to give immediate employment to all, and therefore assigned to each trade and profession a particular day to labor in the in- trenchments. The lawyers and lawyers' clerks, the physicians and medical students, and the merchants and merchants' clerks mus- tered in large numbers ; the printers, the cabinet-makers, the ship- wrights, the cordwainers, the hatters, the shoemakers, the machin- ists, the 'longshoremen, the butchers, and every other branch of labor, furnished stout arms and willing hearts ; and the civic socie- ties-the Tammany, the Masons, the Hibernian Benevolent, the Mechanics and Tradesmen's-and the artillery and infantry regi- ments, each in turn contributed its labor to the patriotic cause. Even the colored population claimed the right and the privilege of devoting a day to the service of their country and for the protec- tion of their homes. Nearly all the trades, professions, societies, and regiments worked a second day upon the fortifications; and, in the latter part of October, Fort Greene, at Brooklyn Heights, and Forts Fish and Clinton, at Harlem, were completed. An editor of the period celebrated the patriotic labors of the people of New York in a song called
THE PATRIOTIC DIGGERS.
I.
Johnny Bull beware, keep at proper distance, Else we'll make you stare at our firm resistance; Let alone the lads who are freedom tasting, Recollect our dads gave you once a basting. Pickaxe, shovel, spade, crowbar, hoe, and barrow, Better not invade-Yankees have the marrow.
II.
To protect our rights 'gainst your fleets and triggers, See on Brooklyn Heights our patriotic diggers ; Men of every age, color, rank, profession, Ardently engage labor in succession. Pickaxe, etc.
III.
Grandeur leaves her towers, poverty her hovel, Here to join their powers with the hoe and shovel;
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HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
1814
Ilere the merchant toils with the patriot sawyer, There the laborer, near him sweats the lawyer.
Pickaxe, etc.
IV.
Scholars leave their school with their patriot teachers ; Farmers seize their tools, headed by their preachers. How they break the soil ! Butchers, brewers, bakers; Ilere the doctors toil, there the undertakers. Pickaxe, etc.
V.
Plumbers, founders, dyers, tinmen, turners, shavers ; Sweepers, clerks, and eriers, jewelers, engravers ; Clothiers, drapers, players, cartmen, hatters, tailors ; Gangers, sealers, weighers, carpenters, and sailors. Pickaxe, etc.
VI.
Better not invade; recollect the spirit Which our dads displayed and their sons inherit. If you still advance, friendly caution slighting, You may get, by chance, a bellyful of fighting. Pickaxe, spade, and shovel, crowbar, hoe, and barrow, Better not invade-Yankees have the marrow.
The Eleventh Regiment, New York Artillery, was among the first to volunteer its services to the Defense Committee, as will be observed from the following notiee :
ELEVENTHI REGIMENT, NEW YORK ARTILLERY, REGIMENTAL NOTICE.
NEW YORK, August 12, 1814.
The officers, non-commissioned officers, and matrosses of this Regiment will assemble to-morrow morning, the 13th inst., at seven o'clock precisely, in fatigue dress, at the foot of Beekman Slip, for one day's duty on the intrenchments at Brooklyn Heights.
By order of Colonel HARSEN : WILLIAM KUMBEL, Adjutant.
More than three hundred men responded to this eall, and worked manfully in the treneles ; and on the 6th and 19th of Sep- tember, and the 15th of October, about the same number of mem- bers of the Eleventh Regiment were voluntarily employed at Brook- lyn Heights. in the same patriotic but laborious duty.
The appearance of many hostile vessels in Long Island Sound and off the Hook during the month of August was a source of eon- stant anxiety and alarm. On the 27th of August the capture of Washington by the British was annonneed in New York, and on
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THE NORTH BATTERY.
1814
the 29th of August the commander-in-chief ordered the entire division of Major-General Stevens, comprising the uniformed and drafted militia of the eastern part of the State, to assemble at their respective rendezvous on the 2d of September for active service in the defense of the city of New York. On the 30th of August the troops that had previously arrived in New York and been mus- tered into the United States service, were paraded for inspection and review, and over six thousand men appeared under arms.
On the 2d of September the uniformed and drafted militia of New York city, consisting of four brigades, was mustered into the service of the United States. General Morton's brigade of artil- lery assembled at the Battery at 7.30 A. M., and, after the rolls were called and the usual oath administered, the several regiments were dismissed by the following order :
FIRST BRIGADE, NEW YORK ARTILLERY, BRIGADE ORDERS.
NEW YORK, September 2, 1814.
In pursuance of Division Orders of this date, the troops will be dismissed and the officers and men will be permitted to return to their respective homes. The commandants of regiments will direct their respective commands to be drilled by company, at such places as may be convenient, to-morrow morning, from six to eight o'clock, and in the afternoon from four to six o'clock; and this to be con- tinued daily until further notice. The field-officers will visit the company pa- rades and render every assistance in their power to the discipline of the men. All firing of cannon or small-arms is strictly forbidden.
The general can not dismiss the troops without expressing his high satisfaction with their appearance to-day. He is proud to find that the call to duty and for the defense of our country has increased the First Brigade of Artillery.
By order of Brigadier-General MORTON : JEREMIAH VANDERBILT, Aide-de-camp.
The Eleventh Regiment mustered, on the 2d of September, three hundred and thirty-three present (ninety-one absent), including officers, non-commissioned officers, privates, and musicians. When it became publicly known that the members of the Eleventh Regi- ment were to be quartered at their own houses, and that their ordinary duties were to be morning and evening drills and guard duty, there was a host of applicants for admission to its ranks ; but Colonel Harsen positively refused to receive any recruits on and after the 2d of September.
On the 5th of September, the Eleventh Regiment took charge of the North Battery, and of a battery of light artillery stationed
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1814
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
at the corner of Sixth Street and Broadway. There were three principal batteries or fortifications in the city of New York-the West Battery (Castle Garden), at the extreme southern part of the city ; the North Battery, on the North River, near the foot of Hubert Street ; and the Gansevoort Battery, about a mile farther north, beyond Greenwich village. The North Battery mounted sixteen heavy guns (thirty-two-pounders), and was a creditable speci- men of the fortifications of that period. It was occupied on the morning of September 5th, by Captain Bremner's company of the Eleventh Regiment; and Thomas R. Mercein, first major of the
The North Battery, New York, 1814
Eleventh Regiment, was detailed as commandant of the post. To each gun in the battery was assigned a detachment of eight ma- trosses and two gunners, and a non-commissioned officer to each arcade of two guns. The punishments at North Battery for neglect of duty were forfeiture of pay, confinement in the garrison, and extra guard duty ; and a court-martial for the trial of all delinquents was active and efficient in enforcing the military regulations and in maintaining discipline in the regiment. Guard was mounted daily, at 8 o'clock A. M., and the several companies of the Eleventh Regi- ment performed guard duty alternately for twenty-four hours.
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THE NORTHI BATTERY.
1814
The guard report for one day affords a general idea of the character of the service.
GUARD REPORT.
NORTH BATTERY, September 25, 1814.
In compliance with Garrison Order of the 24 inst., Captain Rockwell's com- pany, under my command (Captain Rockwell being sick), relieved the detachment from Captain Forman's company, under the command of Lieutenant Benedict, at 8 o'clock A. M., and detailed a guard of three sergeants, one corporal, and twenty- one privates.
At 9} A. M., was visited by Major Mercein ; at 10 A. M., detailed a fatigue party of eight men to collect the straw which had been scattered throughout the garri- son during the late storm, piled up the wads, etc., etc., which duty was performed with promptitude and cheerfulness. Major Hodgson, Captains Bremner, Anderaise, Brown, and several other officers of the regiment visited the garrison through the day. At 4 P. M., paraded the guard and drilled one hour. At 5} P. M., was visited by the officer of the day (Major Purdy) and suite, who were received on the right of the guard with presented arms. Major Purdy (in direct contradiction of what is believed to be the uniform practice of this regiment) ordered the guard to be countermarched, so that he might advance upon its left-which order being repeated, was obeyed. The roll was then called. and the arms and accoutrements of the guard inspected. At 11} P. M., was visited by the Grand Rounds, who were received in due order, examined the several posts, and were apparently pleased with their reception.
September 26, at 8 A. M., paraded the guard and drilled one hour. At 9 A. M., the guard was relieved by a detachment from Captain Anderaise's company of the Eleventh Regiment.
CHRISTOPHER WOLFE, Lieutenant, Second Company,
Second Battalion, Eleventh Regiment, N. Y. S. A.
During the three months' service of the Eleventh Regiment, the companies not on duty at the North Battery were drilled every morning with muskets, field-pieces, or the heavy guns of the fort. Its evening parades proved a great attraction to the ladies of the town, and were attended by large numbers of citizens and strangers, and the neat and soldierly appearance of its members, its excellent drill, and the fine music of its martial corps, were always subjects of favorable comment with the public. The martial corps or band was under the instruction and leadership of Fife-Major Cochran. His fame as a musician extended to every household in New York ; the clear notes of his fife were always listened to with admiration and delight, and the music at the North Battery in 1814 was, for years, associated with many pleasant reminiscences of the war. In addition to its duties at the North Battery, at its cantonment on Broadway, and in the intrenchments at Brooklyn, the Eleventh
1814
78
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
Regiment attended weekly a brigade drill in the open fields near Bellevue. Details were also made weekly from each company for guard duty at the United States Arsenal and Laboratory at the junetion of the Bowery and Bloomingdale Road. Apart from the garrison duty at the North Battery the time devoted to military duty by the members of the Eleventh Regiment averaged over three hours daily. All were able, however, to give some attention to their domestic affairs and ordinary business pursuits. Trade and commerce were completely prostrated, and for that reason the tour of duty in 1814 was not a heavy tax upon the time and means of the rank and file. To insure uniformity of appearance, and to mark the distinction between the two battalions of the Eleventh Regiment, it was ordered, on the 12st of October, that "in future at all full-dress parades the battalion with field pieces (the First) will appear with blue pantaloons, the artillery coat, hat, and plume, and the battalion with small-arms (the Second), with white panta- leons, and coat, hat, and plume as above." The Second Battalion, composed of the companies now known as the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Companies of the Seventh Regiment, although appear- ing on parade with muskets, was drilled as carefully and was as ex- pert in artillery tactics as the heavy artillery companies of the First Battalion. During the three months' tour of duty in 1814 these companies were distinguished for their activity, faithfulness to duty, and their gentlemanly and soldierly conduct.
Early in September a large number of troops arrived in New York from the rural districts, and on the 10th of that month it was estimated that there were twenty-five thousand armed men in the city and its immediate vicinity. Although this force was mostly composed of undisciplined volunteers and militia, its large number gave confidence to the people, and promised, with the extensive fortifications, a stubborn defense of the city. The immense British fleet, which was known to have sailed for some important point in the United States, was daily expected to appear at Sandy Hook or in Long Island Sound ; but in October doubts began to be expressed as to its destination, and in November it was satisfactorily ascer- tained that New Orleans was the object of attack.
On Sunday, November 13th, there was a grand parade of all the troops stationed in New York and its vicinity, and a review by Governor Tompkins ; and on the 25th of November the evacuation
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1815
THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT MUSTERED OUT.
of New York by the British, in 1783, was celebrated by a parade of equal magnitude. Over twenty-five thousand troops marched in column through Broadway on these occasions, and New York never witnessed so large and imposing a military parade until the Centennial Celebration of the Inauguration of Washington in 1889. Colonel Harsen urged upon the officers and members of the Elev- enth Regiment "to do their very best on this parade " of the 25th of November, as they "are to vie with regulars," and must "not allow their brilliant reputation to suffer." By General Orders of Governor Tompkins, dated November 29th, all the militia in the service of the United States in the vicinity of New York were ordered to be mustered out and discharged-the progress of the negotiations at Ghent between the American and British commis- sioners rendering it almost certain that peace was not far distant.
On the 2d day of December the Eleventh Regiment of Artil- lery was mustered out of the United States service at its parade- ground near the North Battery. Two companies of artillery being required temporarily by the Governor "to act as videtté," the Eleventh Regiment patriotically furnished one of them by volun- teers from its ranks, and this company under the command of the gallant Captain Bremner, of the First Battalion, marched away on the afternoon of the 2d of December to Harlem Heights to relieve the troops there stationed, and waiting for muster and discharge.
On the 8th of January, 1815, was fought the decisive battle of New Orleans. Although it was generally supposed that a treaty of peace had been already signed by the commissioners, it was gratifying to American pride that the last great battle of the war should crown with honor the arms of the republic. While the people were celebrating the glorious success of our army, the news arrived that a treaty of peace had been signed at Ghent on the 24th of December, 1814. The 11th of February, 1815, was a bright and happy day in New York. The cry of "Peace ! peace ! peace !" rang through the streets, and passed from mouth to mouth -citizens rushed to the public places to congratulate each other upon the great event-bells were rung, cannon were fired, and flags innumerable were displayed throughout the city. In the evening public and private buildings were illuminated, the streets were brilliant with bonfires and fire-works, and a feeling of security 7
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1815
HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT.
and happiness, such as had been long unknown, prevailed in all classes of the community. Arrangements for a grand peace cele- bration were at once made by the Common Council for the evening of the 22d of February, which, however, was postponed until the 27th, on account of the inclemency of the weather. New York had never witnessed so magnificent a demonstration. The illu- mination was general; the stores and dwellings in the principal streets were ornamented with transparencies and appropriate mot- toes and devices, and a grand display of fire-works took place at the Battery and the City Hall. The streets were crowded to over- flowing with people, and the entire community united in celebrat- ing the event which brought peace and security to every house- hold. The volunteers and militia yet remaining in the fortifications were at once discharged, and gayly departed for their homes. Trade and commerce revived, and the hum of peaceful industry was heard once more throughout the land.
The Eleventh Regiment, which was indebted for its origin and existence to the War of 1812 and the troubles which immediately preceded it, was not benefited as a military organization by the restoration of peace. Many of its most valuable officers and men, who had enlisted solely from patriotic motives, retired at the close of the war, and the following year was a critical period in its his- tory. So weary were all of war and of martial exercises, and so great the aversion to military duty among the young men of the city, that it was found impossible to procure recruits for the de- pleted ranks of the regiment. But on the 4th of July and the 25th of November its appearance was exceedingly creditable, and in all its movements the regiment exhibited the effect of its thor- ough instruction during the previous years. The "Evening Post," in describing the review of the First Brigade of Artillery on the 25th of November, notices the Eleventh Regiment as follows : "The troops made a splendid appearance, and the regiment com- manded by Colonel Mercein attracted particular attention."
The changes in the field and staff of the Eleventh Regiment at this period were important. Lieutenant-Colonel Harsen resigned his commission at the close of the war, and First Major Thomas R. Mercein was appointed lieutenant-colonel in April, 1815. Second Major George Hodgson was appointed first major, vice Mercein promoted, and Captain Andrew Bremner, of the First Battalion, was
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COLONEL CORNELIUS HARSEN.
1815
appointed second major. Major Hodgson retired from the regi- ment in May, and was succeeded by Major Bremner; and Captain Aaron Forman, of the First Company of the Second Battalion, was appointed second major.
Lieutenant-Colonel Cornelius Harsen was born in the city of New York in 1783, and was a member of one of the oldest Dutch families. The hamlet on the old Bloomingdale Road, formerly known as " Harsenville," took its name from the family, and the " Harsen farm," situated between Sixtieth and Seventieth Streets, Central Park and North River, was the country-seat of Colonel Harsen and his ancestors. At the age of twenty years Cornelius Harsen became an ensign in the Fifth Regiment of Infantry. He was soon transferred to the artillery, and his talents, wealth, and social position secured his rapid promotion. At the age of twenty- nine he was commissioned lieutenant - colonel, commanding the Eleventh Regiment of New York Artillery, which position he held with distinction during the War of 1812. In all that concerned the defense of New York during the war Colonel Harsen was an active and popular leader, and the proud position occupied by the Eleventh Regiment was due in no small degree to his energy, abil- ity, and patriotism. At the close of the war (1815) Colonel Har- sen resigned his commission, and he remained a prominent and dis- tinguished citizen of New York until his death, which occurred in 1838.
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