USA > New York > Tioga County > Owego > Owego. Some account of the early settlement of the village in Tioga County, N.Y., called Ah-wa-ga by the Indians, which name was corrupted by gradual evolution into Owago, Owego, Owegy and finally Owego > Part 23
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The Military History of the Village for Sixty Years from the Organiza- tion of Tioga County in 1791 to 1850, with Some Account of the Commanding Officers from Col. Samuel Tubbs to Col. Nathaniel W. Davis, together with Notes of the Days of the Old General Trainings.
The first act creating a state militia in the state of New York was entitled an act "for the better regulating the militia of the colony of New York" and was passed by the legislature and became a law April 1, 1775. This act required all able-bodied male citizens between the ages of 16 and 50 years to be enrolled from and after the first day of the following May under pen- alty of five shillings for any person who should not be so enrolled and three shillings additional for every month such person should remain un- listed.
A New England shilling was equiva- lent in value to twelve and one-half cents. In Owego business men gener- ally kept their accounts in shillings and sixpences and marked the selling prices of their goods in this currency. This continued until the breaking out of the civil war in 1861, when the great amount of paper currency in de- nominations of fron five to seventy- five cents issued by the government placed a premium on silver causing it to be withdrawn entirely from trade and most of it went into the melting pot. In those days half dimes, dimes, and quarters were few in comparison with the sixpences, shillings, and two shilling pieces, which by continuous use had become worn so thin that the lettering, etc., on them had been ob-
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literated and they resembled small discs of white metal more than money.
The act of 1775 provided that militia companies should be ordered out for exercise once in each year, and that the number of troops to each company should be fifty. At that time much of this state had not been settled by white people and there were only sixteen counties in the state.
From 1777 until 1822 nearly every civil, military, and judicial officer of the commonwealth in this state was appointed by a body of four men. known as the Council of Appointment. This council was composed of one sen- ator from each of four districts. known, respectively, as the southern. middle, eastern, and western district. The senator from each district was openly nominated and appointed each year by the assembly, no senator be- ing eligible two years successively. The governor was a member of this council and authorized to act as gene- ral and commander-in-chief of all the militia and also as admiral of the navy. Immense power was wielded by this body and it became an irrespon- sible, powerful, and offensive political machine. It finally became so unpop- ular with the people that it was abolished in 1821 by the constitutional convention without a dissenting voice.
The rank of colonel was abolished in 1782 by act of the legislature and provision made that each regiment should be commanded by three field officers. a lieutenant-colonel com- mandant and two majors. The lieu- tenant-colonel commandant continued as the ranking officer all through the war of 1812 and until 1$16, when a new law was passed specifying that
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each regiment should be commanded by a colonel, a lieutenant-colonel, and one major. Under the new law the lieutenant-colonels became colonels, and the first majors became lieuten- ant-colonels.
The next act, passed in 1786, "to regulate the militia" provided that every able-bodied white male citizen between 16 and 45 years, with certain exceptions, should be enrolled for mili- tary duty within three months and must provide himself at his own ex- pense with "a good musket and fire- loek, a sufficient bayonet and belt, a pouch with a box therein to contain not less than twenty-four cartridges, two spare flints, a blanket, and knap- sack and shall appear so armed, ac- coutred when called out to exercise or duty, except when called out to ex- ercise only, he may appear without blanket and knapsack." Commissioned officers were required to be armed with "a sword or hanger and an espontoon."
The militia was required to rendez- vous four times a year for training and discipline, twice by companies, once by regiments and once by bri- gades. For non-appearance at a gen- eral training a non-commissioned offi- cer or private was fined twenty shil- lings for each day of neglect to appear at the brigade rendezvous, and eight shillings at a regimental or company parade, and if not armed and equipped according to law, one shilling for every deficiency, and for appearing without a musket four shillings. Quakers were exempt from military duty on payment of forty shillings a year.
The uniforms of general officers were dark blue coats with buff fac-
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ings, linings, collars, and cuffs; yel- low buttons, and buff underclothes.
Regimental officers wore dark blue coats with white linings and white buttons.
Non-commissioned officers and pri- vates wore dark blue coats with white linings, and staff officers dark blue coats with buff collars and linings and yellow buttons.
Tioga county was erected in 1791 from Montgomery county. May S, 1792, congress passed an act establish- ing a uniform militia throughout the United States for the national defence. The law provided that within one year after its passage every free able- bodied white male citizen of the sey- eral states and resident therein of the age of eighteen years and under the age of forty-five years, must be en- rolled by the commandant of the company in whose company district he might reside. The law also made it the duty of the commanding officer that every muster, whether by bat- talion, regiment, or single company, to cause the militia to be exercised and trained agreeable to the rules and dis- cipline approved and established by congress. All subsequent state militia legislation was for many years based on this act of 1792.
Soon after the passage of this act Gov. George Clinton formed the mi- litia of Tioga county into one regiment and two battalions and appointed Sam- uel Tubbs lieutenant-colonel COIII- mandant. Col. Tubbs had in 1789 been major of three companies of mi- litia in the town of Chemung, then in Montgomery county and in 1791 in Tioga county.
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Oringh Stoddard, of the town of Union, Broome county, was appointed major commandant of one of the bat- talions and Benjamin Hovey of the other. In major Stoddard's battalion one of the companies was composed of Owego men under captain Luke Bates and another of residents of the town of Tioga under captain Samuel Ransom.
In 1793 major Hovey's battalion was formed into a regiment, compris- ing the militia residing easterly of the Chenango river and the Tioughnioga branch thereof north of the town of Chenango. Major Hovey was pro- moted to lieutenant-colonel command- ant of the new regiment.
In 1797 the militia of Tioga county was formed into a brigade, of which Col. Oringh Stoddard was appointed brigadier-general. David Pixley, of the town of Tioga,succeeded Col. Stod- dard as lieutenant-colonel command- ant of Stoddard's regiment.
In 1802 Col. Pixley resigned his con- mission and Samuel Seymour was ap- pointed lieutenant-colonel command- ant in his place.
In 1807 Col. Seymour resigned and was succeeded by Asa Camp, of Camp- ville. In 1809 Col. Camp resigned and Jacob Swartwood was appointed his successor.
This regiment was in 1812 known as the 95th regiment. Col. Swartwood was promoted to brigadier-general of the 18th brigade of infantry in 1819 to succeed Matthew Carpenter, who had been promoted to major general of the 20th division, composed of the 50th and 18th brigades. George Fisher, of Spencer, succeeded Col.
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Swartwood as colonel of the 95th regi- ment.
Col. Asa Camp. in whose honor Campville was named, was born in Rhode Island and came from Columbia county, N. Y., in 1789 to the town of Vestal, Broome county, and in 1792 removed to . Apalachin. Thence he went to Campville, where he built the first tavern in 1800. He was a ser- geant in the revolutionary war, and is said to have been a witness to Andre's execution and to have assisted in dig- ging his grave. Wilkinson's "Annals of Binghamton," published in 1840 mentions Col. Camp as one of the first settlers between Union and Owego. It says:
"Asa Camp is still living, where, it is believed, he first settled; now very aged. He served in the revolutionary war, in the capacity of sergeant, four years; commanded at Fort Frederick. on the Mohawk; and with fifteen men in the fort effectually repelled two hundred Indians and tories. When a flag was sent in for them to surrender, sergeant Camp sent word back, that Yankees lived there, and if they got the fort they must get it by the hard- est. He was in the battle at White Plains; was in one battle on the sea, near the banks of Newfoundland, and was also at Valley Forge."
In "New York in the Revolution," Asa Camp's name appears in the list of men in Col. Philip VanCortland's 2d regiment and also in Col. James Holmes's 4th regiment.
Col. Camp was supervisor of the town of Owego in 1817 and 1818 and held the office of justice of the peace and other town offices. He died at Campville July 17, 1848.
In 1821 a new regiment was organ- ized from the 95th regiment. In March, 1810, Oliver Huntington, of
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Owego, who had been quartermaster and afterward second major in Col. Asa Camp's regiment, was appointed lieutenant-colonel commandant of a new regiment. This regiment was known as the 53d regiment and was commanded by Tioga county men du- ring its existence. It was a part of the 41st brigade in the 19th division, state infantry.
In 1812 Col. Huntington was pro- moted to brigadier-general of this bri- gade, and lieutenant-colonel Ansel Goodrich, of Owego, was promoted to succeed him as colonel. In 1816 Gen. Huntington was appointed sheriff of Tioga county and resigned his com- mission, and Col. Goodrich was ap- pointed to succeed him as brigadier- general of the 41st brigade. Gen. Goodrich was in 1818 promoted to ma- jor general of the 19th division, which was composed of the 36th and 41st bri- gades, and served until his death in 1820.
John Laning, of Owego, succeeded Gen. Goodrich as colonel of the 53d regiment, and Anson Camp, also of Owego, was appointed lieutenant- colonel. In 1819 Col. Laning was pro- moted to brigadier-general of the 41st brigade, to succeed Gen. Goodrich, and Elijah Shoemaker, of Nichols, became colonel of the 53d regiment. When Gen. Laning died, in 1820, Col. Camp was appointed to succeed him as brigadier-general.
Extended mention has already been made of Gens. Huntington, Goodrich. Laning, and Camp in the biographical part of these papers.
Elijah Shoemaker was a son of Dan- iel Shoemaker, an early settler of the town of Nichols in 1797, and was born
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July 28, 1789. He was a farmer. He became a man of some importance in his town, and when he was appointed colonel he held the offices of justice of the peace and commissioner of deeds. He was sheriff of Tioga county in 1825-8, and in January, 1832, he be- came a judge of the Tioga county court. In 1844 he sold his farm and removed to Illinois, where he died the next year.
In January, 182S, a new militia law was passed by the legislature. The age for military duty was fixed at from 18 to 45 years, as before. The uniforms prescribed by the law were the same as United States uniforms, but round hats with feathers and the American cockade were deemed a part of the full uniform for a captain or a subaltern. and blue pantaloons at all seasons of the year were consid- ered a part of the full uniform.
The time for "training, discipline and improving in martial exercise" was fixed for companies on the first Monday in September at 9 a. m. and for regiments or separate battalions between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15. The fine for non-appearance on a company parade was $2 for non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates, and for a regimental or battalion parade not less than $2 nor more than $5. For failure to appear when called into actual service the penalty was not more than twelve months' pay nor less than one month's pay.
Joseph Belcher, of Berkshire, was appointed to succeed judge Shoe- maker as colonel of the 53d regiment in January, 1832. In August, 1833. Samuel Rockwood. of Owego, who had been lieutenant-colonel of the regi-
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ment, was promoted to colonel. Col. Rockwood commanded the regiment until July, 1837, when he was suc- ceeded by Elijah Belcher.
Joseph and Elijah Belcher were brothers, sons of Joseph Belcher, and were born at New Preston, Conn., Joseph in 1794 and Elijah in 1800. The family removed from Comecticut to Berkshire in 1805. In early life Elijah Belcher was a wool-carder and cloth-dresser and when 21 years of age owned one-half of a mill in Berk- shire. He afterward engaged in lum- bering and built and operated a tan- nery and sawmill. In 1834 he began a general mercantile business at New- ark Valley. Later he manufactured friction matches, and still later he made barrels, butter tubs, etc. lle served three terms as a justice of the peace. His first military appointment was received from Gen. DeWitt Clin- ton, who appointed him cornet of cavalry in 1827. He rose by promo- tion to captain in 1829, to lieutenant- colonel in 1833, and to colonel in 1837. In September, 1840, he became briga- dier-general of the 41st brigade of in- fantry. He died at Newark Valley Dec. 11, 1879. His brother, Joseph Belcher, was supervisor of Berkshire in 1831.
Col. Samuel Rockwood came from Glastonbury, Conn. He owned and conducted the red mills, north of this village. He sold the property to Jonathan Platt some time previous to 1850 and removed to Belvidere, Ill., where he engaged in farming. His first wife was Augusta Goodrich, a daughter of Jeremiah Goodrich. She was one of the organizers of St. Paul's
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Episcopal church. She died Sept. 17. 1839.
May 24, 1840, while Elijah Belcher was still colonel of the 53d regiment, a new militia law went into effect. By this act the fine upon conviction for non-appearance on general training day was fixed at not to exceed $1 and at a regimental or battalion parade at not more than $2.
Benoni B. Curry, lieutenant-colonel of the 53d regiment, succeeded Gen. Belcher as colonel in March. 1841. Nathaniel W. Davis was lieutenant- colonel under Col. Curry. Samuel A. Archibald was major, Hammon D. Pinney adjutant, Dr. Cornelius H. Cole quartermaster, and Dr. Horatio N. Eastman surgeon.
Dr. Cole was an army surgeon in the civil war in Gen. Howard's 11th corps. He afterward lived at She- shequin, Pa.
Col. Curry was a tailor. He was born in Orange county in 1799 and came to Owego in 1824. In 1854 he removed to Manitowoc, Wis., and thence in 1866, to Pleasant Valley, N. J., where he died Jan. 19, 1875.
Dr. Hiram N. Eastman was born in Herkimer county, N. Y., Aug. 17, 1810. He graduated in 1838 from Fairfield medical college and began the prac- tice of medicine at Candor. In Jan- uary, 1840, he removed to Owego. He lived here until December, 1861, when he went to Geneva, N. Y., to become professor of Materia Medica at Ge- neva college. In August, 1870, he was appointed lecturer on Materia Medica and Hygiene at the University of Buf- falo. In Oct., 1874, he returned to Owego where he lived until his death on Oct. 7, 1879.
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Nathaniel W. Davis succeeded Col. Curry as colonel of the 53d regiment in July, 1842, and commanded the regiment during the rest of its ex- istence as a military body.
Another militia law was passed by the state legislature 'May 13, 1846, dividing the state into eight military divisions districts, according to popu- lation, and providing that the major general highest in rank residing with- in the bounds of any such division should divide the division into two brigade districts, according to popula- tion, and each brigade district into four regimental districts, each regi- mental district to be divided by the colonel highest in rank into eight co.n pany districts. Officers then in com- mission were to be commanding of- ficers and when there was any equality in rank lots were to be drawn to decide who should remain in com- mand. Every officer and private was required to provide himself with a complete uniform.
One parade was established in every year for six consecutive days, by bat- talion, regiment, or brigade, and all other company and regimental pa- rades required by the previous law were by this act abolished. The pa- rades were to be held between Ang. 15 and Nov. 1 in each year, on any Monday therein. The penalty for neglect to appear was the forfeiture of annual pay and also the payment of $2 for every day for such neglect.
The number of men for each com- pany was fixed at not more than 65, including all officers, musicians, and privates. Commanding officers were authorized to prohibit the sale of liquor within one mile of the parade
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and also hucksters, auction sales, and gambling.
The act provided that every person who should pay 75 cents to the col- lector of taxes on or before the day of the annual parade should be exempt from military duty during the year for which the amount was paid. The pay, when engaged in full uniform, was fixed as follows: Non-commis- sioned officers, musicians, and pri- vates $1 each day; commissioned of- ficers below the rank of captain $1.25; commanding officers of companies $1.50; field officers below colonels $1.75, and commanders of regi- ments $2.
In 1847 the 20th brigade in the 5th division was commanded by brigadier- general Ephraim Robbins, Jr. The 43d regiment in that brigade was commanded by Col. J. C. Robie, of Union, and the 44th regiment by Col. Nathaniel W. Davis, of Owego.
In August of that year Gen. Rob- bins established the following bounds of the 44th regimental district: "The county of Tioga and all that portion of the county of Broome south of the Susquehanna river and west of the Chenango, and all that portion of the town of Greene in the county of Che- nango west of the Chenango river."
In September, 1848, Col. Davis divided his regimental district into eight company districts, according to population, as follows:
Co. A. The town of Owego, except that portion of the town stiuated east of the Apalachin creek and south of the Susquehanna river. George May- hew, of Apalachin, captain.
Co. B. The towns of Tioga and
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Nichols. Stephen Hollister, of Tioga, captain.
Co. C. The towns of Barton and Spencer. John 1. Sawyer, of Barton, Captain.
Co. D. The towns of Candor and Newark Valley. Lewis Strong, of Candor, captain.
Co. E. The town of Union and that part of the town of Chenango situated west of the Chenango river and north of the Susquehanna river. Marshall Delano, of Maine, captain.
Co. F. The town of Vestal and that part of the town of Conklin west of and south of the Susquehanna river, and all that part of the town of Chenango situated south of the Sus- quehanna river and all that part of the town of Owego situated east of the Apalachin creek and on the south side of the Susquehanna river. John Rounds, of Vestal, captain.
Co. G. The towns of Richford, Berkshire, Lisle, and Nanticoke. Ezekiel D. Smith, of Berkshire, cap- tain.
Co. H. The towns of Triangle, Barker, and all that part of the town of Greene situated west of the Che- nango river. Myron A. Hollister, of Chenango Forks, captain.
This regiment continued in exis- tence until 1854. The disbandment of the militia at this time was largely due to the provision of the act of May 13, 1847, which exempted from mili- tary duty every man who should pay on or before August first in each year to the town collector seventy-five cents. The escape from military duty was so cheaply purchased that nearly every one availed himself of the op- portunity to shirk what had become a
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disagreeable task and the days of the general trainings were soon at an end.
An ineffectual attempt to organize a company of militia at Owego was made in 1858. A meeting was held at the Ahwaga house for the purpose of organization. Gilbert C. Walker, who after the civil war became governor of Virginia, was president, James C. Wright secretary, and Gurdon G. Man- ning treasurer. Col. Chas. W. Warren was appointed drillmaster and Dr. John B. Stanbrough assistant drillmas- ter. The Owego Gazette of July 22, 1858, mentions this revival of the mili- tary spirit as follows: "A military company has already been formed and will soon appear in their beautiful egnipage, properly officered and ready for martial glory. A roll list for an artillery company is about full and will soon organize and become a per- manent institution among the military forces of the state." These companies progressed no further than the for- mative period.
Col. Davis was born May 10, 1807, at Weston, Conn. His father, who was a miller and farmer, removed to the town of Catherine, Schuyler county, .V. Y., in 1820. Col. Davis studied law in David Woodcock's office at Ithaca and began practice at Owego in 1832 in partnership with his brother-in-law, Ezra S. Sweet. He was a village trustee in 1839, 1842, and 1847; presi- dent of the village in 1859 and 1560; chief engineer of the Owego fire de- partment in 1846, 1858, 1859, and 1860; surrogate of Tioga county from 1840 to 1844, and member of assembly in 1844 and 1863. He died at Owego July 31, 1874.
During the civil war Col. Davis was
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active in raising volunteers, although he took no part in field operations. He recruited more than 1,500 volunteers. May 3, 1865, after the close of the war, he was appointed colonel to raise a regiment of infantry of the national guard in the county of Tioga, to be known as the 46th regiment, 28th bri- gade, 6th division. The county was divided into ten districts. Of these districts the town of Owego was divided into districts 1, 2, and 3. The town of Barton comprised district No. 4, Candor No. 5, Berkshire and Rich- ford No. 6, Spencer No. 7, Nichols No. 8, Newark Valley No. 9, and Tioga No. 10.
As this was at the close of a great war it was supposed that much in- terest would be manifested in organ- izing a military company, but the companies were not filled and the regiment was not raised.
In his centennial history of Tioga county. William F. Warner says of Col. Davis:
"His assiduity in behalf of his clients was remarkable. Once having entered upon a case he was untiring in its prosecution. To him there was but one side to a case, nor did defeat by a court or jury convince him that there might possibly be another. He took his case to a higher court, all bristling with points of exception, and his brief contained full citations of all the cases directly or remotely bearing upon the points. As a law- ver he stood equally well before the court and the jury, commanding the respect and attention of both."
In an obituary written by George Sidney Camp and published in the Owego Gazette after Col. Davis's death, Mr. Camp says:
"No lawyer was ever truer to his clients. He only espoused their casos
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with too much zeal-a zeal so exces- sive that it sometimes served to blind his own perception and judgment. . . . There was nothing small-featured nor diminutive about him. He came up wholly self-educated and self-trained. with an energy and force of will and character that subdued the opposing force of early disadvantages. . . He. was an exceedingly violent hater; a bitter and rather remorseless enemy- but a very slight advance toward con- ciliation often converted him, at once. from the position of antagonism and hostility, into as ardent a friend."
In April, 1798, a new troop of horse was formed in Tioga county in briga- dier-general Oringh Stoddard's bri- gade, composed in equal proportions from the regiments commanded by Cols. Thomas Baldwin and David Pix- ley and from the battalion commanded by major Wm. Whitney. Vincent Mathews, of Elmira, was appointed captain.
Some account of Col. David Pixley has been given in the biographical part of these papers. Gen. Oringh Stoddard settled one mile east of Hooper, Broome county. He was one of the five commissioners appointed in 1779 by the Boston company to treat with the Indians in regard to the tract of 230,400 acres of land known as the Boston ten townships, of which purchase he was one of the pro- prietors. He was a brother of judge James Stoddard, who came to this part of the state at about the same time and settled in the town of Lisle, and who was appointed first judge of Broome county in 1811. Gen. Stod- dard's son, Briant Stoddard, was an associate judge of Broome county and a member of the assembly in 1825.
Col. Thomas Baldwin was born Feb. 23, 1755, at Norwich, Conn. At the
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breaking out of the revolutionary war he joined the American army as a pri- vate in Gen. Morgan's command and served seven years, participating in many battles and skirmishes. He was present at the surrender of Corn- wallis at Yorktown. After the war he emigrated with his father's family to the Wyoming valley in Pennsylvania, whence they were driven at the time of the massacre. After the massacre he joined Gen. Sukivan as a scout, was breveted ensign for meritorious ser- vice, and fought in the battle of New Town, where he was wounded. He died at Elmira, Jan. 14, 1810. Col. Baldwin in 1789 was appointed a cap- tain for the town of Chemung in lieu- tenant-colonel Samuel Tubbs's regi- ment, and in 1792 was promoted to first major. In 1797 he was appointed to succeed Col. Tubbs as lieutenant- colonel commandant and served until 1803.
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