USA > New York > Wayne County > Military history of Wayne County, N.Y. : the County in the Civil War > Part 38
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456
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Had the present system been adopted earlier or more fully, and all recruiting been done through the Marshal's office, we are not sure but it would have saved the Government some expense, the soldiers much perplexity if not suffering, and their friends anxiety and trouble."
Scarcely had the cause of anxious work been removed and the people begun to rest from their labors somewhat, when another call for 200,000 volunteers was made by the Presi- dent of the United States. This required four hundred and four men from the county, and compelled immediate action by the people and by the authorities.
Accompanying this call was the notice that a draft would be made March 10th, unless the quota was filled by that date. The Supervisors took early action at a special meeting held Friday, February 6, 1864. They adopted the following resolutions :
Whereas, The President of the United States has recently called for 200,000 additional Volunteers, and at the same time given notice that unless the Volunteers are furnished on or before the 10th day of March, next, a draft will be made ; and
Whereas, It appears that Wayne county will have to fur- nish for the late call, four hundred and four (404) men,
Resolved, That Wayne county will pay the sum of Three. Hundred Dollars to each and every person who has enlisted or re-enlisted, or who may enlist or re-enlist or volunteer, since the 26th of November, 1863, for the term of three years or during the war-and who have not received a County Bounty-and be mustered into the service of the United States to the credit of the county, until the whole quota of the county is filled, or until the draft takes place.
Resolved, That the Treasurer of Wayne county be and is hereby authorized to issue the Bonds of the county from time to time, as the case may require, in sums of not less than One Hundred nor more than One Thousand Dollars, with annual interest ; said Bonds to be divided into five equal classes, payable in one, two, three, four and five years from and after the 15th day of February, 1864, for a sum not to exceed One Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand Dollars, in addition to Four Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars on hand, or so much thereof as may be needed ; that the money received for said Bonds be paid into the Treasury of said county and constitute the fund from which said Volunteers and Veterans shall be paid, and be paid out under the direc- tion of this Board. Said Bonds shall be signed by the
457
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Treasurer, and the Chairman of this Board, and no Bond shall be sold or disposed of by the Treasurer for less than its actual amount.
Resolved, That Miles S. Leach be and is hereby appointed the Committee of this Board, to direct the payment of the above specified Bounties, and that the said Committee shall not make any order or draft on the Treasurer of this county for the purpose of paying to any Volunteer or Veteran said Bounty, or any part thereof, until a certificate from the proper muster-in officer has been presented to him showing that such Volunteer is credited on the quota of Wayne county.
Resolved, That in case towns that have not filled their quota when the draft takes place, shall be drafted from to make up such deficiency in their quotas, said towns shall only be required to pay in proportion to the Volunteers raised in and credited to said towns.
Resolved, That the Treasurer of this county shall not pay out any of the money hereby provided to be raised, except upon an order duly signed by said Miles S. Leach.
A resolution was adopted to forward copies of the above resolutions to our representatives in the Legislature.
The following resolutions were also passed :
Whereas, The Legislature of the State of New York, now in session, is expected to pass a law to increase the State Bounty ; therefore,
Resolved, That the increase of the present State Bounty be deducted from the county Bounty of $300, offered by this Board at its present session ; and should the increased State Bounty amount to $300, then the county Bounty offered by this Board, at its present session, of $300, (to fill the quota of this county under the last call of the President of the United States for 200,000 men,) should and does hereby cease.
Resolved, That the Treasurer of Wayne county pay out of the Contingent Fund of the county all necessary expendi- tures of Miles S. Leach, in his business as the representative of this Board, in relation to county Bounty.
Mr. Valentine presented his resignation as Chairman of the Board, in the following communication, whereupon Mr Leach was elected Chairman of the Board :
To the Board of Supervisors of Wayne County :
GENTLEMEN-Whereas by a proposed enactment of the Legislature of this State it is required that the Chairman of the Board shall sign the Bonds issued by the county ; and whereas my place of residence is somewhat distant from the
458
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Treasurer's Office, making it inconvenient for me as Chair- man to sign said Bonds from time to time as it may be necessary ; I therefore tender to your honorable body my resignation as Chairman, thanking you for the honor con- ferred upon me in my election, and the respect shown me by the Board as such presiding officer.
Lyons, February 6, 1864. J. VALENTINE.
The Board adjourned sine die on Saturday.
The resignation of Mr. Valentine, although generally regretted by the Board, seemed to be a necessity ; his resi- dence being at a considerable distance from Lyons, rendering it very inconvenient if not impossible for him to sign the Bounty Bonds as they were issued. Mr. Valentine was a faithful officer, and presided with great acceptance to the Board.
The machinery of enlistment was again set in motion, and every attempt possible made to prevent the impending draft. The work was rapidly carried on and completed in about a month, as shown in the following newspaper article of March 1Ith :
" The quota under the two calls for 300,000 and 200,000 men, (or as it is understood the one call for 500,000,) for Wayne county, was 1,010 and this was divided among the several towns according to the number enrolled in the first class in each town. As fast as men were mustered at Auburn, they were credited to the towns from which they enlisted ; and on the 31st day of January last, the Provost-Mar- shal's books were posted, and from the quota of each town was deducted the number of men it had furnished, leaving the number 'due' as we stated ; (so that the number 'due before deducting the draft' was not the quota under the 500,000 call, but the quota less the credits for enlistments.) Then came Colonel Fry's order to deduct the avails of the draft in July, making still further reductions."
We republish the table, with some additions :
Quota of Wayne under the call for 500,000 men, I,O10 Deduct enlistments to Jan. 31, 1863 . 466
Balance due Jan. 31 . 544
This balance of 544 was due from the several towns as shown below. Then came Colonel Fry's order for credits under the July draft-the number realized from the same, in commutations, substitutes, &c., to be deducted from existing dues-as shown in the table :
459
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Due before deducting draft.
Realized from draft.
Surplus.
Deficiency.
Arcadia
IO2
59
. .
43
Butler,
19
34
15
. .
Galen
35
51
16
Huron.
23
II
. .
12
Lyons.
48
39
. .
9
Macedon
I7
30
I3
Marion
21
20
. .
I
Ontario
31
28
. .
3
Palmyra
46
39
. .
7
Rose .
I7
9
. .
8
Savannah.
I3
2I
8
. .
Sodus.
82
63
. .
19
Walworth
19
30
II
. .
Williamson
5I
23
. .
28
Wolcott.
20
22
2
. .
544
1 497
65
I 30
Deduct surplus.
65
Total deficiency 65
This is the total deficiency of the county under the call for 500,000 men-or under every call to the present time. And now for the credits since January 31st :
On Adjutant General's books (at Albany) 106
Enlisted during month of February
IO6
Twenty-Second Cavalry 65
Mounted Rifles,
49
Ninety-eighth (re-enlisted)
33
Seventy-fifth (re-enlisted)
40
Ninetieth (not known)
-
Total (ascertained)
399
Deduct deficiency (see table) 65
Total excess to February 27. 334
Since February 27th, it is believed that at least seventy men have enlisted, (we know of about forty ;) and if so, the county is already clear of draft under the forthcoming call for 200,000 men. And the County Bounty has ceased.
In the Lyons Republican of March 25th, we find another statement, showing more fully the exact condition of affairs, and giving a specimen of the debt and credit account which
. .
. .
460
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
was carefully kept in those times, an account in which every man, woman and child in Wayne county was personally interested.
HOW WAYNE COUNTY STANDS.
" Through the kindness of Supervisor Leach, we are enabled to make an authoritative statement of the position of Wayne county in reference to all the calls for men made prior to this date. It will be seen that our county receives forty-nine men from the ' credits at large '-it being our pro- portion of the 13,000 men deducted from the quota of the State, through the exertions of Governor Seymour. The account stands :
Our quota under the three calls, aggregat- ing 700,000, is . 1414
Our share of the credit at large 49
Our credit on the draft 479
Enlisted and credited before the County Bounty was offered . 106 Recruits paid to date, March 23d, 1864. . . 772 -1406
Leaving a deficiency of . 8
" To offset against this deficiency we have to credit our county with the following recruits, yet to be paid :
In the Ninety-eighth Regiment .. I
One Hundred and Forty-sixth 5
Eighth Cavalry 3
-
Total 9
Deduct deficiency 8
-
Leaving a total excess of . I
" We have also re-enlisted men reported as follows :
In Battery L, First New York Artillery 6
In Seventy-fifth Regiment .
40
Total. 46
Add excess above I
Total excess. . 47
" It is reported that our quota may be changed somewhat, as we understand it will be made on the basis of the con- solidation of the Ist and 2d class of enrolled men, whereas the former ones were based upon the Ist class. At any rate we have a surplus that will more than cover any contin- gency.
461
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
" The resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors at their late meeting authorizing the payment of bounties to fifty men has become inoperative in consequence of our share of the 'credits at large.' At the time of the adoption of the resolution. it was supposed, and it has been so stated, that the deduction of the State quota would only affect the counties of New York and Kings, but subsequently it was apportioned pro rata among all the counties. In case we should have a similar 'credit' upon our quota under the present call, we shall then have a surplus of over eighty men !
" The question which remains then, to be decided, is Shall the forty-seven men who have received no County Bounty, be paid ? For one, we answer Yes. Every one of these men, enlisted in good faith, and in good time, prob- ably before the Ist of December, and the reason they were not paid is to be found in the delay occasioned by the negli- gence of the officers in transmitting the necessary papers to the Adjutant-General's office, at Albany. No doubt there will be further calls for men during the season, as there is no very flattering prospect of the war being closed right away, and we advise the payment of the re-enlisted men of the Seventy-fifth.
In the early spring the citizens of the county had the plea sure of greeting a portion of the veterans who had been serving for more than two years in the Ninety-eighth Infantry.
The Wayne county (re-enlisted) portion of that Regi- ment-about one hundred men, portions of three Compan- ies arrived at Lyons on Saturday evening, under command of Captain W. H. Rogers. The soldiers were met at the depot by a deputation of citizens, and escorted to the Court House, preceded by the Cornet Band. Here they were welcomed home in a neat address by Rev. Mr. Jervis, and were presented by Misses Cramer and Holley (on behalf of the ladies) with the banner which was gotten up for the Regiment nearly two years ago. Captain Rogers respond- ing, and promising that the banner should never be disgraced. After this the soldiers were marched to Graham's Hotel, where a plentiful entertainment awaited them,-the tables being loaded with good things contributed by the citizens,- the ladies acting as waiters, and anticipating their every want.
462
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
The men were furloughed until the first of April, when they re-entered the service for the period of three years, " unless sooner discharged." They were a sturdy, determ- ined-looking set of men, and they, in the future (as they had in the past) earned an honorable record. The Regiment was filled up, and retained its former designation and organization. Lieutenant-Colonel Weed was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
And now the country had reached the opening of the great campaign of 1864. The movement commencing about the first of May was speedily followed by a series of battles bloody and terrible in their character. It was the inevitable necessity of the situation that compelled the occurrence of those battles and the destruction of life involved. War means destruction and death. The supreme question whether the Government should stand or fall could not be settled by negotiation, by compromise, nor by any easy mode of war -: fare. It was only hard, steady, persistent fighting that was to determine the result for which the world waited. Three years of war had completed its fearful record. General Grant summoned from his theatre of magnificent victories in the West, was now in absolute command of the armies of the Union, having his headquarters and his direct field of labor with the army of the Potomac. No speedy victory, however, awaited the intrepid leader or the brave men under his command.
The people knew but little of the great plan formed in the celebrated council of war that was held by Generals Grant and Sherman, at Cincinnati, at which only a small number of others were present. The plan contemplated the move- ment South and southeast, afterwards known as " Sherman's March to the Sea," and the direct movement south ward from Washington toward the rebel strongholds at Petersburgh and Richmond.
Neither did the people know in full the immense losses that occurred as those movements proceeded. They could read of each battle by itself, but how far it was a part of the general plan, and how costly the sacrifice by which it was fought, were not fully known till weeks and months afterwards.
463
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
With bated breaths, with heart-sickening fear, and yet with patriotic hope intermingled, the people read day after day, week after week, month after month, and wondered still when all this was to end, or how.
It was a campaign that was to be pushed "if it took all summer;" it was a campaign that must necessarily be fought out to its end, no matter how long a time should be required nor how great the losses incurred. The fate of the Republic was involved in that campaign. The Government was to live or die, as that campaign should be decided.
Ere long, however, the people learned by the action of the Government calling for additional forces that immense losses were being sustained.
Indeed these facts were touching the hearts and homes of every locality. The roll of the heroic dead lengthened, and the horrors of southern prisons began to be known during this year as never before.
The Ninth Heavy Artillery met its first great battle at Cold Harbor. Of this Major Taft wrote :
" Our line of battle was formed at about 2 P. M. After a heavy artillery duel in which the rebel batteries were nearly silenced, we were ordered to charge upon their breastworks, which was done in gallant style. We first charged across an open field under their fire; re-formed the line and from the top of a densely wooded hill charged through a swamp directly upon the rebel works.
" There was no stop, no hesitation. Every man went in with a will, and we drove directly through their works tak- ing prisoners, probably to the number of eight hundred so far. The firing still continues, and we shall probably have an assault upon the works we now hold during the day. Our men are in good spirits and proud of our success. Our Division has been complimented in an order by General Meade, and we have received the thanks of our Brigade Commander, Colonel Smith.
" From the 600 or 700 men (six companies) of our Regiment engaged yesterday, we lost probably 100 killed and wounded. It is impossible at present to give anything like a correct list. I will endeavor to keep one as fast as I can ascertain names, and send them to you."
The call of the President for 200,000 men made in July, fell with something of a shock upon the people already
464
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
wearied with the labor of responding to the repeated calls of the year before.
The Supervisors promptly took action, even before the call was officially promulgated.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS-SPECIAL MEETING.
At a Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Wayne county, held at the Court House, in the village of Lyons, on Thursday, June 23d, 1864, the several towns were represented as follows, viz :
Arcadia-A. W. Hyde.
Butler-B. S. Wood.
Galen-P. G. Dennison.
Huron-R. B. Sours.
Lyons-M. S. Leach.
Macedon-Robert H. Jones.
Marion-Orville Lewis.
Ontario-A. J. Bixby.
Palmyra-H. S. Flower.
Rose-J. Valentine. Savannah -- William G. Soule.
Sodus-Durfee Wilcox.
Walworth-John Everett.
Williamson-B. J. Hance.
Wolcott-William O. Wood.
Members all present except Messrs. Flower and Hyde.
On motion of Mr. Hance, M. S. Leach was elected Chairman, pro tem.
On motion of Mr. Valentine,
Resolved, That the Chairman appoint a Committee of three, to draft Resolutions.
The Chair appointed as such Committee, Messrs. Valen- tine, Wood and Hance.
The Committee, after consultation, reported the following Preamble and Resolutions, which were unanimously adopted :
WHEREAS, It is expected that the President is about to call for 200,000 more men ; and, whereas, it is expected that unless the men are furnished by voluntary enlistments, a Draft will be ordered for that purpose ; therefore,
Resolved, That Wayne county will pay the sum of $300 to each and every person, who may, from and after the 23d day of June, 1864, volunteer into the service of the United States, for the term of three years or during the war, and
465
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
be mustered into the service, to the credit of Wayne county, until the whole quota of the county (under the expected call) is filled, or until the Draft takes place.
Resolved, That the Treasurer of Wayne county be, and he is hereby authorized to issue the Bonds of the county, from time to time, as the case may require, in sums of not less than $1,000, with annual interest; said Bonds to be divided into five equal classes, payable in one, two, three, four and five years, from and after the 15th day of February, 1864, for a sum not to exeeed $100,000 dollars ; that the money received for said Bonds be paid into the Treasury of said county, and constitute the fund from which said volunteers shall be paid, and be paid out under the direction of this Board; and that no Bond shall be sold or disposed of by the Treasurer for less than its actual amount.
Resolved, That Miles S. Leach be, and he is hereby appointed the Committee of this Board, to direct the pay- ment of the above specified Bounties, and that said Com- mittee shall not make any order or draft upon the Treasurer of this county for the purpose of paying to any volunteer said Bounty, or any part thereof, until a certificate from the proper officer has been presented to him, showing that such volunteer has been accepted and mustered into the service of the United States as a volunteer from Wayne county, and credited to said county as forming part of its quota under the said call.
Resolved, That the Bonds shall be signed by the County Treasurer and the acting Chairman of this Board.
Resolved, that in case towns that have not filled their quota when the Draft takes place, shall be drafted from to make up such deficiency in their quotas, said towns shall only be required to pay in proportion to the volunteers raised in and accredited to said town.
Resolved, That the Treasurer shall not pay out any of the moneys hereby provided to be raised, except upon an order duly signed by said Miles S. Leach.
Resolved, That volunteers so entering the service of the United States as aforesaid, shall be credited to the several sub-districts of said county in proportion to the number of men required from such sub-districts, pro rata.
Resolved, That the Treasurer be, and he is hereby authorized to pay the Bounty of Three Hundred Dollars to such as have heretofore re-enlisted and have not received their Bounty in consequence of their enlistment papers not being received in time.
466
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
On motion of Mr. Everett,
Resolved, That the proceedings of this Board be published in all of the newspapers in the county, at a cost not to exceed three dollars to each.
On motion of Mr. Valentine,
Resolved, That the Board adjourn until the next Annual Meeting.
E. W. SHERMAN, Clerk.
Prior to the enlistments under the new call, there had been made a new enrollment of the men liable to bear arms ; the enrolling officers for the several towns being as follows :
Savannah-Benjamin Q. Servis.
Butler-Samuel Miller.
Wolcott-George H. Brown.
Ontario-Alexander Sands.
Williamson-Ledyard S. Cuyler.
Marion-Amasa Stanton.
Walworth-Philip Lawrence.
Macedon-Charles P. Hurlburt.
Palmyra-George N. Williams, Jr.
Arcadia -- Joel Soverhill.
Lyons-George Carver.
Sodus -- George S. Putnam.
Huron-Correll H. Upson.
Rose-William W. Thomas.
Galen-Charles H. Reed.
At this time we note two or three personals :
RELIGIOUS SERVICES.
"Funeral services commemorative of the death of Sergeant Charles L. 'Cookingham, late of the One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment, killed in one of the Wilderness battles,) will take place in the M. E. Church, in Lock Berlin, on Sun- day next, at two o'clock, P. M. The services will be con- ducted by Rev. William Putnam, of Lyons."
RETURNED TO LYONS.
" Mr. Judson Blakely, formerly of this village, returned to Lyons from Virginia on Wednesday, having been sixteen days on the road-the place of his residence in Virginia being in possession of the rebels. Mr. B. has been compelled to resort to all kinds of expedients to save himself from the rebel conscription, and as a last resort left his home, in company with others, for the North, leaving his family behind."
467
MILITARY HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
DEATH OF CAPTAIN GREGORY.
" We learn from the Palmyra Courier that this gallant officer died at his home in Ontario, on the 22d of June, from the effects of wounds received in one of the recent battles. Capt. G. was a clergyman, and for several years had officiated as pastor of the Baptist Church in Ontario. In the summer of '62 he threw aside his clerical robes, and entered the Army of the Union. Being wounded as stated above, he was con- veyed to his home in Ontario, where he died, surrounded by kind friends who mourn his loss with unfeigned sorrow."
The draft being expected and energetic efforts being made to fill the quotas, there arose a method of aid in this direction which had not before been attempted. Here and there a few persons of abundant means had hired substitutes, with the simple patriotic desire of being represented in the Union army. This principle was now extended. The Government offered to grant to any man liable to draft, a full discharge, provided he furnished an accepted substitute. This led to a large number of substitutes being offered by citizens in anticipation of draft. This relieved the citizen who furnished the substitute from danger of draft for three years ; but the act had also a public character, for it diminished the quota of the town by one, and to that extent relieved everybody else from liability, at least to the present draft. If the citizens who furnished substitutes were equal in number to the quota of the town, then the quota was entirely filled. It seemed right then for the whole people to aid those who chose to be at the trouble of looking up substitutes. Hence arose the town meetings that were held all over the county. Bounties were voted in a liberal manner. These Bounties were paid by both town and county. They were available to men who enlisted, and to men who hired substitutes.
That some corrupt transactions arose in these proceed- ings was doubtless true. The temptation to make money out of men's necessities never yet failed to find shysters and brokers ready for the work. The price of substitutes was enormously advanced. Combinations were undoubtedly formed to coerce towns into voting larger sums than were really necessary. The high prices probably in hundreds of cases never came into the hands of the men who hired them- selves out as substitutes. A large share of the price paid
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