USA > New York > History of the Twenty-second regiment of the National guard of the state of New York; from its organization to 1895, pt 2 > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21
At 5.30 A. M. the march was resumed, with occasional short rests, and the Croton River was soon reached, where a halt was ordered. The intention was to remain there until 5.30 P. M., when the heat of the day would be past. The men therefore rested, bathing and amusing themselves as best they could. Up to this point every- thing had progressed smoothly and satisfactorily. But the good fortune of the regiment now seemed to desert it. The weather changed and turned what would other- wise have been an enjoyable and instructive excursion into a severe task. About 3 P. M. one of those sudden and violent thunder-storms which are peculiar to the hills of the Hudson sprang up. The wind blew heavily and the rain fell in torrents. In a short time the offi- cers and men were all soaked to the skin, and Col. Camp came to the wise conclusion that it was better for them to be marching than to wait in their wet clothes until 5.30 P. M., the hour fixed for proceeding. The regiment was accordingly formed at 4.40 and started for Peekskill.
€
.
-
STATE HISTORIAN'S OFFICE, ALBANY, N. Y.
475
THE MARCH TO PEEKSKILL, 1887.
- --------
--
477
History of the twenty: Second Regiment
about thirteen or fourteen miles distant. The thunder- storm continued through this portion of the march with redoubled violence. On three different occasions it seemed to have passed away, but only to return with apparently greater torrents of wind and rain, so that when Peekskill was reached, at 8.55 P. M., everybody was dripping. The storm also made the roads very muddy and in places almost impassable, so that considerable straggling was inevitable. At this juncture it became an important question of what should be done with the command during the night. The State Camp was occupied by the Seventy-first Regiment, and no accom- modations could have been obtained there, if the regi- ment had continued its march to that point. The ground was drenched with water, and it was impossible to find a suitable place where the men could bivouac. If it had not been for Capt. Finch of the Twenty- second, who owned a large unoccupied house at Peeks- kill, the regiment would have been compelled to sleep on the wet ground without shelter. Capt. Finch, how- ever, rode forward to Peekskill, and by indefatigable exertions put his house in as comfortable order as was possible on so short notice, and placed it at the disposal of the regiment, and by close packing Col. Camp was able to get his command all into it. Probably as many men were never stored away in the same space within many miles of Peekskill as were in that house that night. The parlor was appropriated for regimental headquarters, the non-commissioned staff and some others occupied the dining-room, and the regiment was distributed among the rooms of the house. The rear guard brought up the stragglers, so that only eight of
478
history of the twenty: Second Regiment
the regiment were actually missing, a fact which speaks strongly for the spirit of the men.
As the Commissary was not provided with sufficient food for breakfast, Col. Camp telegraphed to the State camp asking that breakfast be provided, and at 8.30 the next morning the regiment "fell in" to resume and com- plete its march with 426 men present, a loss.of but five men and with none in the ambulance. The distance to be marched was only three miles, but the road was nearly as bad as any the men had previously passed over in their march from New York. The sultry heat had again become intense, and this, with the fatigue and poor food of the previous day, coupled with the exertion of marching with empty stomachs over a muddy and slippery road, made the tramp up to the camp hill harder than any other part of the trip, and two or three of the men were in the ambulance before the camp was reached.
The regiment was met on the road to the camp by Adjt .- Gen. Porter, who had read, with many misgivings, the reports in the newspapers "that the march was a failure," "that 150 men had dropped out," and similar sensational stories concerning his old command; but a gleam of satisfaction overspread his face when he learned the true state of affairs and found that the regiment had maintained its reputation and credit. A number of the Seventy-first gathered at the top of the hill to cheer the regiment as it came up. and they had good cause for doing so. The men of the Twenty-second looked well, and, in spite of the fatigue they had undergone and their half-fed condition, marched well closed up, and with their customary spring and swing. It was said by
---
.
-------
-- -
£
£
479
History of the twenty: Second Regiment
the camp critics that no more military-looking body had appeared in camp that season.
The regiment reached camp just one hour and twenty minutes after leaving Peekskill, which was good time when the character of the roads they had to traverse is considered. On arriving they marched across the camp ground, halted, stacked arms and placed a proper guard over them, and it was not until then that the col- onel gave the order to break ranks. Ranks were broken, and, with a sigh of relief, the men threw them- selves down in the shade and the march of the Twenty- second into camp was over.
The occupation of the camp by the Seventy-first in- terfered with the service of a regular breakfast to the Twenty-second, but pails of coffee and great baskets of bread and meat were brought out and distributed among the regiment, and in a short time the officers and men were quite refreshed and ready for work. The Seventy-first marched out of camp soon after noon, after which the tents were occupied by the Twenty-second and the duties of camp life promptly entered upon and carried out during the remainder of the week in the usual manner.
While the regiment learned a good deal from the experiences of this march, the duty was too severe to be undertaken by men unaccustomed to exposure, and was rendered doubly so by the severity of the weather and the bad condition of the roads. If it had not been for the terrible storm the experience would have been much more valuable, and everybody connected with the regi- ment would have been pleased. This occasion also fur- nished another of the many lessons that have fallen to
٠
1
480
history of the twenty- Second Regiment
the lot of the Twenty-second (lessons which are ap- parently seldom long remembered in the National Guard), that the commissary department ought to be always kept in the most efficient condition, and that it needs experience, forethought and good executive ability to administer it properly. It is doubtful if any occasion is known in the history of the regiment, except, perhaps, in Brooklyn, when it has been suddenly called into ser -. vice (and its calls to duty have always been sudden) that great difficulty has not been experienced and a good deal of suffering caused to the men during the first few days, from a deficiency in the supply of proper rations. These incidents should induce the adoption of a well- regulated system which will insure the preparation and issue to the regiment, in times of emergency, of at least two days' rations of plain, wholesome food which will not spoil by heat or rain, and which the regiment may always take with it as it does its rifles. The Brook- lyn trolley duty showed that the regiment had learned a great deal in this important particular.
As far as can be ascertained from the official rec- ords, the following is the percentage of attendance of the Twenty-second Regiment at the camp of instruc- tion in different years :
YEAR.
Highest num- ber present.
Lowest num- ber present.
Average num- Avge. per ct.
ber present.
of present.
1882
488
445
460
SO.01
1885
557
542
540
87.69
1887
505
474
487
83. 10
1889
568
530
546
79 07
1891
561
520
536
85.21
1893
654
· 626
636
SS. 10
1895
633
613
623
89.80
.
481
history of the twenty- Second Regiment
The Twenty-second during 1893 had the highest percentage of attendance of any regiment in camp.
The tour of duty performed in the camp by the Twenty-second between July 27 and August 3, 1895, was fully up to the record of the regiment in the pre- ceding years, and sustained the reputation which it had previously established .*
During its first few days a marked depression ex- isted among the officers and men, resulting from the sudden death of Maj. George E. B. Hart, who died on July 21, 1895, of typhoid fever. Maj. Hart had been not only an efficient officer, but an extremely popular one, and his loss was felt greatly by his comrades. He was given a military funeral by the regiment on July 24, 1895, Col. Camp and the officers attending, the First Battalion parading under Maj. Franklin Bartlett as an escort, and the Second Battalion parading unarmed as mourners. Company K, of which Maj. Hart was cap- tain for several years, fired the last salute over his grave at Woodlawn, and the buglers sounded " taps."
When, on the first evening of the camp, the same bugle call was sounded, it vividly brought back to Maj. Hart's many friends in the regiment the recollection of his recent funeral, and the fact that he would never again be with them.
* Gen. Guy V. Henry, U. S. A., the officer detailed by the War Depart- ment to inspect the State camp of 1895, spoke in high praise of the Twenty- second in his report. A copy of this report cannot be obtained in time to make any extracts from it.
CHAPTER XLII.
THE FIGHT FOR A NEW ARMORY.
1
-
TN 1865 the Twenty-second went to considerable ex- pense in fitting up as a gymnasium the room on the west side of the Fourteenth Street armory, which ex- tended through to Fifteenth Street, and constituted the original " Palace Garden."
A full set of apparatus was purchased and erected under the supervision of the writer (who was then the chairman of the regimental Armory Committee), and lockers put up. This was finished in May, 1866, at a cost of $968.99, all subscribed by the companies excepting $100 that had been raised through a min- strel concert. The experiment was, however, a failure, although a class was formed and every endeavor made to induce the men to exercise. The number of those then interested in athletics was relatively small. The funds raised were insufficient to put up proper dressing- rooms, and the few enthusiasts who exercised in the gymnasium soon tired of it. A few of the members of the different companies would occasionally come into the gymnasium after a drill and exercise in their ordinary clothes for a short time. But even this stopped after the novelty had worn. off, and the gymnasium then became
482
-------
-
1
483
History of the twenty: Second Regiment
deserted. Finally, in 1870, the apparatus was removed
and sold. The room then became exceedingly useful as a squad drill-room, and in it the regimental recruit classes just then established were instructed and drilled for many years by Adjt. Harding and his corps of assistants. Eventually, however, its floor gradually decayed and its roof became leaky, and, as these were not repaired by the city authorities, the use of the room was no longer practicable, even as a firing point for armory target practice. Finally the roof fell in and the place became a heap of ruins.
In March, 1872, the armory then used by the Seventh being unfit for use, the Twenty-second tendered the use of its own to that regiment for wing drills, which offer was, however, declined with thanks.
The Twenty-second experienced a great deal of trouble at different times in regard to the lease of its Fourteenth Street armory. Upon several occasions the city authorities were unable to agree with the owners of the building as to the terms of a renewal of the existing lease, and it sometimes seemed probable that the regiment might be turned homeless into the street. These difficulties were, however, always reconciled, in one way or another, and the threatened danger happily averted. Each recurrence, however, intensified the feel- ing in the Twenty-second in regard to the necessity of its having a home of its own. But many years elapsed before this could be accomplished.
On January 20, 1872, a fire occurred in the armory, which destroyed part of the regimental papers, a fact which has largely added to the difficulty of preparing ' this history. The same fire also destroyed many uni-
-----------
:
484
History of the twenty- Second Regiment
forms in companies B and D, and a pro rata assessment was subsequently imposed upon the other companies, to aid the members of those companies in replacing their losses.
In 1876 a law was passed prohibiting the use of intoxicating liquors in buildings used for State purposes, which put all the armories upon a temperance basis. Upon the whole, this was beneficial, as sometimes there was more indulgence at the various regimental and company entertainments than was advisable.
In January, 1868, the drill-room of the armory was greatly improved by the erection of two long galleries upon the north and south sides, at the expense of the American Institute, to whom the room had been leased for a week for the purposes of its Annual Fair. This was a much-needed improvement, as it provided a place for spectators and left the floor clear for battalion movements. The heating arrangements of the armory were always very inferior and consisted merely of a few large stoves. In very cold weather these were wholly insufficient, and every winter many of the officers and men suffered severely from cold. Col. Remmey's illness and subsequent death were traceable to colds contracted while drilling the regiment when the drill-hall was insufficiently heated, and Col. Porter's se- vere, and almost fatal attack of pneumonia, in 1884, was attributable to the same cause. In addition, constant trouble was experienced with the roof, which, instead of being made with a single arch, was built with several peaks. This mode of construction necessitated a num- ber of joints, which expanded and contracted with the varying temperature, forming cracks. The angles
إسلام
485
history of the twenty- Second Regiment
between the peaks held the rain and snow in such man- ner that a heavy rain or snow-fall or a sudden thaw forced apart the beams, twisted the angles and opened the joints. The result was that a flood of water or half-melted snow fell upon the drill-floor, frequently when it was occupied for drill, forming pools of water in which the men had to stand, or through which they were obliged to wade. Several times the leaks were so great that the water penetrated the company rooms and greatly damaged the handsome frescoing and fur- niture which the companies had provided at the individual expense of their members. Many attempts were made to repair these defects, but they were found to be structural and incapable of permanent repair. This state of things being detrimental to health and to recruiting, the Board of Officers, in 1882, determined to make a vigorous effort to secure a new armory. In February of that year a committee was formed, with Col. Josiah Porter at its head, consisting of five representatives from each company, the field and staff, three from the Veteran Corps at large and three from each veteran company, making in all a " Committee of Seventy."
From that time until April 11, 1890, when the new armory was completed, the Twenty-second worked steadily and persistently to secure its object. Much hard work was done and many disappointments experienced, but success was finally achieved, although not as fully as was desired.
The Committee of Seventy proceeded vigorously to the work of soliciting subscriptions, dividing itself into sub-committees to canvass the different branches of
486
history of the twenty- Second Regiment
business. But, unfortunately, the Seventh Regiment had been over the ground before them and had prac- tically exhausted the field. Some few subscriptions were gathered in, and these, with the proceeds of various balls and other entertainments, were set apart towards the new Armory Fund. But these sums amounted to little more than enough for the current expenses of the committee.
Finding that the opinion of the community was that an armory for a National Guard regiment should be a public work which it was the duty of the public au- thorities and not of private individuals to provide, the Twenty-second changed its plan of operations and set to work to procure legislation to authorize its construc- tion at the expense of the city and county. This was simply common sense, as the sum paid by the county, by way of rent, for the armory then in use represented the interest upon a larger sum than a new one could be built for. The Committee of Seventy proving more cumbersome than efficient (as is apt to be the case with large committees), a special committee, consisting of Capt. Geo. A. Miller and Sergt. James O'Neil, appeared before the Finance Committee of the State Senate in 1883 and urged the passage of a bill to authorize the construction of armories in New York. This having failed, a new general committee was formed on Novem- ber 9, 1883, consisting of Col. Josiah Porter, Adjt. Wil- liam J. Harding, Capt. George A. Miller, Inspector of Rifle Practice Browning (who was at the time a mem- ber of the New York Senate), Sergt. James O'Ncil, from the enlisted men, and Gen. George W. Wingate and Col. George Laird, from the Veteran Corps. This
487
history of the twenty: Second Regiment
committee was directed to prepare a bill for presenta- tion to the Legislature of the State, authorizing the construction of the desired armory, and to do what they could do to secure its passage.
The committee entered upon its duties with vigor. Having prepared a carefully-drawn bill, they went to Albany on February 8, 1884, and urged its passage be- fore the committees on Military Affairs of the Senate and Assembly. They also supplemented their efforts by securing letters and the active personal in- terest of influential veterans and other prominent friends of the regiment in aid of the passage of the bill. They also called upon Gov. Grover Cleveland at the Capitol and explained to him their object. He listened to their application with manifest approval and interest, being evidently impressed by the statement of the chair- man, that "they were seeking shelter for the troops under his command and adequate protection for the property of the State in the custody of the regiment."
The efforts of the committee were successful and the bill became a law. But this was merely one step towards obtaining the armory. The law had not been passed as originally drawn, but in its altered form appointed an Armory Board, and authorized it to determine which of the New York regiments was in need of an armory, and to build one for that organization only.
As there were several regiments in need of armories, the strife to secure the one authorized by this law was keen. The Twenty-second at once set vigorously to work to secure the coveted building.
It immediately made application to every official having, or who could be supposed to have, any authority
In
IT
488
history of the twenty- Second Regiment
in the matter, including the governor of the State, the mayor of the city, the supervisors and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the application so made being the first that was presented.
The officers of the regiment divided themselves up in groups and " deployed themselves as skirmishers " among the different branches of business professions and corporations of the city, to induce them to favor the application in behalf of the Twenty-second.
The following is a list of these committees, the names of the chairmen only being given :
Clergy, Chaplain W. N. Dunnell; Medical Pro- fession, Surg. W. F. Duncan ; Heads of Depart- ments, City Members of Legislature, prominent poli- ticians, etc., Inspector of Rifle Practice John W. Brown- ing; Wholesale Dry Goods, Maj. Thomas H. Cullen ; Uptown Dry Goods, Lieut .- Col. John T. Camp; E.x- changes, Capt. Wm. V. King; Banks, Capt. Hy. M. Knapp; Insurance, Lieut. John W. Jenkins; Hotels and Wholesale Grocers, Lieut. A. E. Dick; Legal Fra- ternity, Capt. George A. Miller; Press, Lieut. Fleming; Furniture, Capt. Geo. P. Freeman; Manufacturers and Gas Fixtures, Lieut. Macdonald; Real Estate Owners, Capt. George F. Demarest; Drugs, Capt. Clifford M. DeMott; Telegraph, Railroad and Steamboat Com- panies, Adjt. Wm. J. Harding.
These committees performed their duties energeti- cally and were ably seconded in their efforts by Gen. Alex- ander Shaler, commanding the First Division. Many important and influential signatures were obtained by the committees, which were then classified and tabulatt d by Adjt. Harding into one great consolidated petition
.
-
489
history of the twenty: Second Regiment
which was formally presented. to the newly-created Board of Armory Commissioners by a special committee from the Twenty-second, consisting of Col. Porter, Maj. Cullen, Adjt. Harding, Capt. King and Lieut. Thurston.
As an object lesson to show the character of the organization that needed the armory, the regiment, on May 15, 1884, paraded in fatigue uniform with knap- sacks, and was reviewed by Mayor Grace and the Board of Armory Commissioners at the Plaza, in Union Square, and from thence marched to Governor's Island for a field day, receiving high commendation from Gen. W. S. Hancock for its soldierly appearance and efficiency.
Finally, after hard work and persistent efforts, the Armory Commissioners officially decided that the armory authorized by law should, when built, be awarded to the Twenty-second. The next thing was to secure a site and an adequate appropriation to purchase the land and to construct the building. The location was a matter of much controversy and difficulty. Objection was made to locating armories up-town, on the ground that it would leave the lower part of the city comparatively undefended. But the enormous value of land down- town rendered it impossible to procure the area needed at a price which would be within any reasonable appro- priation, so that an up-town site became a necessity. Ultimately Gen. Shaler, with whom the decision was left by the Board, selected as the site the block between West Sixty-seventh and Sixty-eighth Streets, Columbus Avenue and the Western Boulevard. At this point, however, the difficulties recommenced with redoubled persistence. . Gen. Shaler insisted that the new building
490
history of the twenty: Second Regiment
should be so planned as to contain accommodations for Division and Brigade headquarters, and a staff riding. school was even talked of and a space set apart for it. Against this the regiment vigorously protested, as these schemes, besides being regarded as objectionable, would have encroached too much upon the space required for the drill floor. Finally, after much discussion and in- dications of ill-feeling, these projects were abandoned.
And now came the struggle for the appropriation for construction. Naturally, the regiment desired that this should be adequate and liberal, and just as naturally the commissioners were influenced by the necessity of ex- pending no more of the public monies than was ab- solutely required. Moreover, Mr. Abram S. Hewitt had become mayor of the city, and he had the reputa- tion of being a stern and rigid economist. So the re- mainder of 1884 and the following year were spent in procuring plans and in endeavoring to obtain an appro- priation sufficiently generous to enable an armory to be constructed such as the regiment needed and was entitled to have.
An appropriation of $300,000 was finally made. But it proved almost impossible to procure for that sum of money the construction of a building which would be satisfactory. Plans were submitted by several archi- tects, and a full set of drawings was also put in by the regiment itself. The preparation of these plans was entrusted to Adjt. Harding by resolution of the Board of Officers, it being the intention of the officers to ex- hibit to the Armory Board the regiment's own special ideas of the military requirements of a modern armory. In formulating these designs Adjt Harding utilized the
100
491
History of the twenty- Second Regiment
professional assistance of Sergt. John Buckingham, of the non-commissioned staff, a skilful draughtsman, with considerable knowledge of architectural designing. The regimental plans thus drawn up were regarded with favor, and, by a singular coincidence, contained certain interior arrangements corresponding in many respects · to Col. Post's drawings. Col. George B. Post, the for- mer commander of the Twenty-second, prepared a beau- tiful set of plans, which were approved by the officers of the regiment. These plans and designs provided for a public building that would, when erected, have been an ornament and a credit to the city; but, on calling for estimates, the cost was, unfortunately, found to ex- ceed the appropriation. Every honorable effort was used to induce the Board of Estimate and Apportion- ment to increase the appropriation, so as to cover the cost of Col. Post's design. The officers of the regiment for this purpose entertained the Board at an elab- orate dinner given in their honor at Delmonico's on the night of December 19, 1885, at which were present, be- sides the members of the Board, representatives of the Regular Army and National Guard, the State and city governments, and the press (not, of course, with any thought of bribery, but merely to render the Treasury watchdogs amenable to reason). Mayor Hewitt was, however, quite inflexible, even compelling the officers of the regiment to sign a stipulation that they would not ask a dollar more than the $300,000 before he would even sign the warrant for its payment. The regiment was therefore compelled, most reluctantly, to abandon all hope of acquiring the handsome armory de- signed by Col. Post; and invitations to architects were
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.