Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume I, Part 45

Author: White, Truman C
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Boston] : Boston History Co.
Number of Pages: 1014


USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume I > Part 45


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The 27th Light Battery was raised in Erie county and mustered into service for three years December 17, 1862. Its captain was John B. Eaton, promoted to lieutenant colonel and mustered out with the bat- tery; first lieutenant, William A. Bird; second lieutenant, Charles A. Clark, promoted to first lieutenant in February, 1863, and to captain of the 12th Battery in January, 1865. This battery joined the Army of the Potomac and gained distinguished honor for bravery in the battle of the Wilderness, at Cold Harbor, and before Petersburg. It was mustered out June 22, 1865.


The 23d Light Battery was raised in Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua counties, with Alger M. Wheeler, captain; J. D. Woods and Orville S. Dewey, first lieutenants; Otis S. Drake and William G. Burt; second


the story of its effective deeds on many fields. It is difficult to account for the attitude assumed by the government toward this branch of the service in the early months of the war; but what is still more remarkable is the fact that, under the circumstances, the mistaken policy was adhered to so long.


392


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


lieutenants. The battery served principally in the defenses of Wash- ington and was mustered into service August 31, 1863.


Three companies of the 2d Mounted Rifles were raised principally in Erie county; they were lettered D, H, and K. The regiment was organized in the summer and autumn of 1862 at Buffalo and served to the close of the war. At the time of muster the principal officers of the three Erie county companies were as follows: Co. D, Henry Wells, captain; Augustus Budd and Franklin Rogers, lieutenants. Co. H, Jams T. Hall, captain; Harlan J. Swift, second lieutenant. Co. K, Samuel D. Stevenson, captain; John V. Bedell and John F. Numan, lieutenants. The regiment became a part of the Army of the Potomac and fought at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Bethesda Church, Weldon Railroad, Hatcher's Run and Poplar Spring Church.


Early in the progress of the war there was appointed in Buffalo a Committee on the Defense of the Union, which was active and efficient in promoting enlistments. Under the midsummer call for volunteers before mentioned the State quota was more than filled. The Buffalo committee held a meeting at which were present Major F. A. Alberger, H. W. Rogers and Jason Sexton, from the citizen's branch of the com- mittee, and Aldermen A. S. Bemis, E. P. Dorr, James Adams, Ed- ward Storck, A. A. Howard and C. E. Felton, of the Common Council. The committee adopted a resolution that they would provide subsistence and other material aid toward the formation of a second regiment, and requested Major Daniel D. Bidwell to begin taking en- listments. On the 30th of July Major Bidwell' sent out his first re- cruiting papers and enlistments went rapidly forward. Early in Sep- tember the companies and parts of companies assembled in Buffalo and on the 16th, though not entirely filled, the regiment departed for New York, where a Westchester company was added and the regiment took the number 49. Following were the field and staff officers: Colonel, Daniel D. Bidwell; lieutenant colonel, William C. Alberger; major, George W. Johnson; adjutant, William D. Bullymore; quartermaster, Henry D. Tillinghast; surgeon, James A. Hall; assistant-surgeon, William W. Potter; chaplain, Rev. John Baldwin.


On the 21st of September the 49th proceeded to Washington, was assigned to the 3d Brigade in the division commanded by Gen. W. F.


1 Major Bidwell was a son of the early shipbuilder. Benjamin Bidwell, and had long been an active militia officer. His company had acquired a State reputation for its high grade of drill and discipline.


393


FROM 1850 TO 1870,


Smith, where it remained during its term of service. In March, 1862, the 49th accompanied a portion of the Army of the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, and after that date participated in the following principal en- gagements : Siege of Yorktown, Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mill, Antie- tam, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Fort Stevens, Opequan Creek, and many other engagements. During two weeks in May, 1864, the 49th lost in killed or mortally wounded its major and five captains, while the rank and file suffered in proportion. Two days after the engagement at Opequan Creek, eighty-nine men, all that were left of the original regiment who had not re-enlisted, were sent to Buffalo and discharged. An examination of the rolls on the field at that time showed that they had contained in all 1,550 names and that there were 410 men in the field; these were formed into a battalion of five companies under Lieutenant-Colonel Holt; Capt. George H. Sel- kirk, of Buffalo, was commissioned major, and the old number 49 was retained. From that time until the last shot of the war was fired this organization was engaged in the most arduous service and shared in many notable engagements. Lieutenant Colonel Holt was mortally wounded as late as the 2d of April, 1865. The battalion was mustered out on June 27 and arrived in Buffalo July 3. Out of more than 1,500 men whose names had been on the rolls, eighteen officers and 274 were mustered out. Sixteen officers had been killed or mortally wounded.


On the 22d day of August, 1861, less than a month after enlistments began for the 49th Regiment, Gen. Gustavus A. Scroggs received authority from the War Department to raise and organize a brigade of four regiments of three years men. He immediately set about the task, but owing to the constant demand for troops and the necessity for hastening every regiment to the front as soon as it was filled, the full purpose of forming the proposed brigade was not effected. During the first half of September recruiting orders were issued to various captains and enlistments proceeded, the first company from Concord being filled by October 1. When this company appeared in Buffalo Gen- eral Scroggs established a camp at Fort Porter, named it Camp Mor- gan, in honor of the patriotic governor of New York, erected barracks and provided rations for the men. Other companies succeeded and in January, 1862, the regiment was given the number 100. On the 7th of February the regiment was so nearly filled that the officers received their commissions, the field and staff being as follows: Colonel, James M. Brown; lieutenant-colonel, Phineas Staunton; major, Calvin N.


50


394


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


Otis; adjutant, Peter R. Chadwick; quartermaster, Samuel M. Cham- berlain; surgeon, Martin S. Kittenger; assistant surgeon, William D. Murray. Many of the volunteers of this regiment were from towns in Erie county outside of Buffalo; for example, Co. A was from Concord; Co. D principally from Tonawanda and Grand Island; while nearly every other town in the county had ten or more representatives in the ranks of the 100th. The regiment left Buffalo on the 7th of March, 1862, and arrived at Washington on the 12th, where they were placed in the First Brigade of Casey's Division. Leaving Washington on the 29th, they arrived at Newport News on the 1st of April. The prin- cipal engagements in which this regiment participated were Yorktown, Fair Oaks (in which the regiment suffered severely), Malvern Hill, Charleston, Fort Wagner, Drury's Bluff, Deep Bottom, and in the ope- rations around Petersburg and Richmond and the pursuit of Lee after his evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. By the last of July, 1862, battle and disease had reduced the number of men fit for duty in this regiment to about 440 When this fact reached Buffalo and fears were expressed that the regiment might be consolidated with another and its identity lost, the Buffalo Board of Trade took the organization under its especial charge, and by its prompt and efficient action sent forward before the 1st of October, 345 recruits. Among the notable losses of the regiment was Colonel Brown, who disappeared in the heat of battle at Fair Oaks and his particular fate was never known; Lieutenant Kel- logg and Lieutenant Wilkeson, both killed in the same engagement; Adjutant Haddock and Lieutenant Runckle killed and Lieutenant Brown mortally wounded at the siege of Fort Wagner. During its period of service ten of its officers were killed in action or mortally wounded; these were Col. James M. Brown, Maj. James H. Dandy, Capt. William Richardson, Lieuts. Samuel S. Kellogg, John Wilkeson, jr., Herbert H. Haddock, Charles H. Runckle, James H. French, Azor H. Hoyt and Cyrus Brown. In July, 1865, the remnant of the 100th was con- solidated with what was left of the 148th and 158th Regiments, and this organization was mustered out at Richmond on the 28th of August.


The fall election of 1861 was an unimportant one as far as related to the character of the offices to be filled, and scarcely attracted attention from the exciting events of the war. Although the Republicans swept the State by more than 100,000 majority, the Democrats were partially successful in Erie county, and elected John Ganson State senator.


On the 7th day of July, 1862, Governor Morgan issued an order


395


FROM 1860 TO 1870.


directing the raising of a new regiment in each of the thirty-two Sena- torial Districts of the State, to aid in filling the quota under the call of the president of July 2 for 300,000 volunteers for three year's service. By this time it had become far more difficult to procure enlistments than it was in the spring of 1861; the gravity of the war and its hardships and fatalities were beginning to be appreciated, and and this State had already sent nearly 150,000 men into the field. But there remained in Erie county sufficient patriotic energy and liberality to successfully meet the emergency. A long series of war meetings was inaugurated in Buffalo and spread into all the towns, at which elo- quent speakers inspired the assembled people with military enthusiasm ; liberal bounties were provided by the State and national governments, and generous subscriptions by individuals, and in Buffalo a general aid society was formed in the summer of 1862, which gave volunteers assurance that the wants of themselves and their families would not be neglected. Among other means adopted for raising money for boun- ties and other purposes was the inauguration of a great festival at Moffitt's grove on July 25.


Erie county constituted the 31st Regimental District, and the follow- ing men were appointed a committee to supervise enlistments for the new organization: Henry M. Lansing (brigadier-general of State militia), George W. Clinton, Nathan K. Hall, William G. Fargo, John Ganson, Jacob Beyer, Henry M. Kinne, John D. Deshler, Philip Dor- sheimer, Asaph S. Bemis, E. S. Warren, S. G. Austin and Alexander Harvey. The colonelcy of the regiment was tendered to John Wilke- son, Henry W. Rogers, and finally to Maj. Edward P. Chapin,1 who accepted, and at once took command at Camp Morgan and sent throughout the county the proper authority for beginning enlistments. The work was pressed forward with such energy that, notwithstanding the fact that three regiments had been raised in the county within about a year, by the 3d of September, 929 men had enlisted and the regi- ment was mustered into the service as the 116th, with the following field and staff officers: Colonel, Edward P. Chapin ; lieutenant-colonel, Robert Cottier; major, George M. Love; adjutant, John B. Weber; surgeon, C. B. Hutchins; first assistant-surgeon, Uri C. Lynde; second


1 Major Chapin was a lawyer and had practiced about nine years in Buffalo. Soon after the beginning of the war he raised a company for the 44th Regiment, and was promoted to the post of major. His presence in Buffalo at the time when the 116th was being raised was owing to a wound received by him at Hanover Court House in May of that year.


396


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


assistant-surgeon, Carey W. Howe; quartermaster, James Adams; chaplain, Welton M. Moddesit. The new regiment left Buffalo on the 5th of September, halted at Baltimore until November 7, and pro- ceeded by boat to Fortress Monroe. Thence it went early in December to join the celebrated Banks expedition and was stationed in the vicinity of New Orleans. Early in February, 1863, the 116th was transferred to Baton Rouge and assigned to the 1st Brigade of the 3d Division. There Colonel Chapin was placed in command of the new brigade, in which all the regiments excepting his own were nine months men. The principal engagements in which the 116th partici- pated were the following: Plane Store (thirteen killed, forty-four wounded); Port Hudson (106 killed and wounded, the killed including Colonel Chapin and Lieut. David Jones); Cox's Plantation (Capt. David W. Tuttle and four privates killed, and twenty-two wounded); the Red River expedition; Sabine Cross Roads and Pleasant Hill (thirty-three killed and wounded); Opequan Creek (nine killed, forty wounded); in Shenandoah Valley on the day of Sheridan's celebrated ride (fifty-one killed and wounded). After this date the 116th was employed on pro- vost guard duty near Washington until June 8, 1865, when it was mustered out, and arrived in Buffalo June 13, where they were publicly welcomed. Although the regiment did not suffer in battle so severely as many in the Army of the Potomac, yet eighty-nine of its officers and men were killed or mortally wounded, and eighty-four died of disease during its term of service; 203 officers and men were wounded in action. 1


In the work of procuring volunteers to fill the various quotas of Erie county, the supervisors were supported by their constituents in a policy so liberal that the gross sum expended for the payment of bounties was approximately $2,000,000. A considerable part of this sum was, how- ever, returned by the State. The first action taken by Erie county towards providing money to pay bounties was the adoption of a resolu- tion on October 25, 1862, by the Common Council of the city, that a committee of one from each ward be appointed to appear before the Board of Supervisors and urge the appropriation of a sufficient sum of money to pay bounties to the number of volunteers required to fill the quota under the call before mentioned for 300,000 volunteers. Under


1 A call was issued by the President on August 4, 1862, for 300,000 militia for nine months' service, under which the quota for New York was 59,705; but less than 2,000 were furnished, and only about 87,000 of the whole number were enlisted in all of the States.


397


FROM 1860 TO 1870.


that call a draft had been originally ordered to fill all deficiencies on August 15; but a postponement was subsequently ordered to September 1, and a draft was finally not necessary. A committee of the Board of Supervisors had previously been appointed, consisting of James S. Lyon, Francis Fisher, Harrison F. Foster, Seth Fenner and William King, to take charge of the bounty business; this committee, with some changes in its membership, was continued through the war and was designated as the Bounty Committee. On the 9th of October, 1862, the committee reported to the board in favor of paying $100 to " each and every volunteer enlisting in this county from and after the 28th day of October, 1862, to November 10," to which last named date the draft had been again postponed. If the quota was not filled by November 10, the committee advocated the continuation of the bounty. . A fund of $150,000 was authorized to be raised by tax to meet the payment of these bounties. This action stimulated enlist- ments and on the 1st of December the Bounty Committee reported that they had paid bounty to 441 volunteers between October 31 and November 30, 204 of whom were credited to the city and the remainder to the towns of the county.


Under the pressure of enlistments during the fall of 1862 companies and parts of companies were raised in Erie county, with the expecta- tion that another full regiment could be organized. As this proved to be impracticable at that time, these men were assigned to various regiments. Two companies were assigned to the 155th Regiment, raised mostly in New York city, and were lettered I and K. The regi- ment was mustered in on November 18, 1862, and mustered out July 15, 1865. Co. I was commanded by Capt. John Byrne, who rose to the rank of colonel; Co. K, by Capt. James McConvey, who was pro- moted to major. On the 19th of November, 1862, the day after the muster of the foregoing regiment, the 164th Regiment was mustered in with two companies of Erie county men; these were Co. C, Capt. Timothy W. Kelly, and Co. D, Capt. Christopher Graham. The colonel was John E. McMahon, of Buffalo; the quartermaster, Maurice Courtney; the surgeon, Matthew F. Regan; assistant-surgeon, John C. Wall; quartermaster sergeant, Stephen A. Callanan; commissary- sergeant, William Bryan, were also Erie county men. This regiment had an honorable career and suffered heavy losses.


Enlistments progressed slowly in the fall of 1862 and the early months of 1863. Dissatisfaction with the war was increasing in the


398


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


North; losses on the battlefields had been heavy and many patriotic people were becoming discouraged. These conditions were aggravated in this State by the result of the fall election of 1862, in which Horatio Seymour, whose opposition to war measures was well understood, was elected governor over James S. Wadsworth; Seymour's vote in Erie county was 11, 783, and Wadsworth's 9,642. Seymour's majority in the State was only about 10,000.


The next calls for troops were not made until October 17, 1863, and February 1, 1864, which were for 500,000 men (in the aggregate) for three years. Under these calls the quota for this State was 81,000; about 16,000 paid the commutation fee permitted by the regulations. Within the next six weeks and on March 14, another call came for 200,000 volunteers, under which the quota of New York was 32, 794. Down to the time of these calls Erie county had met with. no very great difficulty in securing enlistments as demanded, and now strenuous efforts were inaugurated to meet the existing emergency and escape a draft. The Board of Supervisors held repeated special sessions, and after the presentation of various resolutions in favor of raising money for bounties, which were tabled, a regularly appointed committee re- ported to the board in favor of authorizing the bounty committee to issue bonds to an amount not exceeding $500,000, none of which should be payable later than February 1, 1874, and to pay such bounties for volunteers as they should think best, but no more than $330 to each man; of such bounties the city was to be charged with 60 per cent. and the towns 40 per cent. This report was adopted. The bounty committee up to November 30, 1863, consisted of five members; on that date these were H. F. Foster, J. W. Smith, C. E. Young, James S. Lyon and Charles C. Grove. On the date just named the number was increased to seven. On the 1st of December the committee re- ported that they were paying a bounty of $300 and that bonds had been issued as above authorized.


On the 23d of March, a week after the call for 200,000 men, above noticed, the Board of Supervisors met in special session to further con- sider the bounty question. The bounty committee reported that up to date they had paid


$300 to 1,337 men, $416,100


15


320 (premium) 4,800


10 66 925


9,250


150 66 291 (bounty) 43,650


1


399


FROM 1860 TO 1870.


$20


to 115 (premium).


$2,300


25


176


4,400


100 66 190 (bounty)


19,000


5


777 (premium) 775


Total


$500,275


There was at this time a deficiency in the county's quota of 1,700 men. Under the call for 200,000 the quota was about 1,261. On the second day of the session the bounty committee reported in favor of authorizing the treasurer to borrow $200,000, for which bonds were to be issued payable in 1865, 1866, and 1867, on the basis before stated- 60 per cent. by the city and remainder by the towns.


Under this call a draft was ordered for all deficiencies found on April 15, but it did not take place in this county until June 9. On that date deficiencies were reported of 292 men. There was much suppressed excitement in the city, but the majority of the people philosophically accepted the situation and peacefully prepared to take their chances with their neighbors. The draft took place in the main hall of the Arcade building, under supervision of a committee consisting of Alden Fitzgerald, Edward Slater and Jeremiah Mahoney. On the first day the draft was made for the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth wards-21 men from the First; 19 from the Second; 14 from the Third; 15 from the Fourth, and 23 from the Fifth. Continuing the next day there were drafted from the Sixth ward, 20; Seventh, 18; Eighth, 15; Ninth, 9; Tenth, 10; Eleventh, 9; Twelfth, 8; Thirteenth 3. The draft from the towns was as follows: Alden, 5; Amherst, 7; Aurora, 4; Boston, 2; Brant, 2; Cheektowaga, 4; Clarence, 6; Colden, 3; Col- lins, 4; Concord, 5; East Hamburg, 4; Eden, 4; Elma, 6; Evans, 4; Grand Island, 4; Hamburg, 5; Holland, 3; Lancaster, 8; Marilla, 3; Newstead, 6; North Collins, 3; Sardinia, 4; Tonawanda, 6; Wales, 2; West Seneca, 5.


By this time it was well known that another call for troops was im- minent, while the county was still somewhat in arrears on its former quotas. Another special session was, therefore, called on June 22. A resolution was promptly adopted directing the issue of bonds to the amount of $600,000, under supervision of a committee of nine, to be used by such committee in payment of bounties sufficient to secure en- listments to meet all deficiencies. The committee consisted of Joseph H. Plumb, Philip D. Riley, William Ring, Henry Moshel, H. F. Fos- ter, Benjamin Miller, Hugh Webster and P. A. Matteson. The call


400


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


came on July 18 for 500,000 men, the quota for Erie county being 3,004. This quota was filled by energetic work and the payment of further large bounties. The average cost of about 1,000 of the recruits was $565 each; the remainder somewhat less; the total paid out for the quota was $652,477.19. On this quota was credited 150 substitutes pro- cured by the committee for men liable to draft, at an average cost of $158 each. Other expenditures raised the amount paid out at that time to about $800,000. Little farther action on the part of the authorities was necessary during the year 1864.


In the mean time, and as one method of raising funds for volunteer purposes, a great Central Fair, as it was termed, was opened in Buffalo February 22, 1864, under the presidency of Mrs. William G. Fargo, and directed by a committee of one hundred persons. It continued about nine days and produced about $30,000 for the cause.


About the middle of August, 1864, exciting rumors of a rebel inva- sion from Canada caused much excitement in this county, as well as elsewhere along the frontier. A messenger was sent from Buffalo to confer with General Dix on the subject, and it was there learned that there was an undoubted plot in progress in Canada for the destruction of cities and villages near the northern boundary of the State. A guard was placed over the arsenal in Buffalo and other protective measures were adopted, but happily the plans of the enemy were abandoned.


With the successful filling of the last quota in this county, as before described, enlistments languished and war topics as subjects of dis- cussion gave way to some extent for the engrossing scenes of presi- dential election, upon the issue of which it was felt depended the most important consequences. Gen. George B. McClellan was the candidate for the presidency against the sorely tried Lincoln, while Horatio Sey- mour was re-nominated by the Democrats against Reuben E. Fenton for governor of New York. Lincoln, as is well remembered, was triumphantly elected, while Fenton received a small majority over Sey- mour. For the fourth time the Democrats carried Erie county by small majorities.


When in the fall of 1864 it became known that another call for troops would soon be made, the county Bounty Committee announced on No- vember 3 that they would begin paying $150 bounty and $25 premium for one-year volunteers, and $200 and $50 premium for three-year men. To escape a draft under this call recruiting had been prosecuted during the preceding month, but with indifferent success; it was be-


401


FROM 1860 TO 1870.


coming more and more difficult, as the war progressed, to obtain vol- unteers. A persistent effort was made at this time to raise another full regiment in Erie county, to be composed chiefly of Germans; many were enlisted in it who had been members of the 65th Militia. It was found impossible to complete a full regimental organization, and in October six companies were mustered into the service for two years, under the number 187. The field and staff officers were as follows: Lieutenant colonel, Daniel Meyers; major, Conrad Sieber; adjutant, Carl Zeny; surgeon, Peter L. Sonnick; assistant-surgeon, E. William Wachter. The organization was sent directly to the front, and became a part of the Army of the Potomac, in front of Petersburg. It par- ticipated in the operations which resulted in driving Lee out of Petersburg and Richmond, and in the battle of Hatcher's Run lost about sixty men killed and wounded. It was mustered out on the 1st of July, 1865.




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