USA > New York > Dutchess County > The "Dutchess county regiment" (150th regiment of New York state volunteer infantry) in the Civil War; > Part 17
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He was but twenty-three years of age and the blood of young life was tingling with expectation for some unusual experience, which was satisfied at Gettysburg, when he, with the rest of his comrades, received their first baptism of fire.
At the battle known as that of "Culp's Farm " where Lieutenant Henry Gridley, Company A, was killed, he received a wound of his right hand, which although severe fortunately did not shatter any of his bones. His wound was dressed by Dr. S. G. Cook just in the rear of the linc of battle, and he was directed to go to the rear which he found about as dangerous as to remain at the front be- cause of the numerous rebel bullets, but by selecting the protection of one large tree after another he got to a place of safety without further mishap.
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WILLIAM H. BARTLETT.
Having to carry his arm in a sling he was unfit for active duty and was detailed to escort the body of Lieu- tenant Gridley to his former home, but owing to the ex- tremely hot weather this scheme was abandoned. The body was buried, the grave was carefully marked, and it was brought home after the war was over.
Although unable to use his right hand he remained with the regiment until on July 25, 1864, he was made Acting Sergeant-Major. While acting in this capacity, one morning while "mounting guard " he lost the heel of one of his shoes which was torn off by a rebel bullet, making the third tangible " close call " he had during the war, the first being his nose at Baltimore, the second his hand at Culp's Farm, and the third his foot near Atlanta.
On his return to civil life, after a short season of rest, he formed a copartnership with Henry S. Chapman under the firm of Chapman & Bartlett, his father, Wil- liam S. Bartlett, having bought the store building from Dr. L. W. Stanton for his son.
They superseded Messrs. Lawrence and Taylor and for several years conducted a successful business in drugs, hardware and groceries.
In 1873 Mr. Chapman sold out his interest to Dr. Isaac N. Mead and the firm became Bartlett & Mead.
In 1888 he sold his interest to Horace B. Murdock and formed a company for the manufacture of brick in the village of Amenia.
He represented the town of Amenia in the Board of Supervisors for two years and in 1891 he was unani- mously nominated for sheriff of Dutchess County and
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elected. He served the three-year term with credit to himself and the satisfaction of his constituents.
In 1898 he was appointed postmaster of Amenia, a position he still ( 1906) holds.
FRANK V. B. GILDERSLEEVE.
Frank Van Buren Gildersleeve,-a younger brother of Henry A. Gildersleeve, noticed elsewhere in this history- was born November 11, 1842, in the town of Clinton, Dutchess County, N. Y. He enlisted in Company C of our regiment September 1, 1862, was immediately ap- pointed Hospital Steward of the regiment, and, serving in that capacity through all the campaigns in which it took part until the close of the war, was mustered out June 8, 1865.
Soon after the war he began the study of medicine, attending lectures at Pittsfield, Mass., the Medical De- partment of Amherst College, and at the Medical Depart- ment of the University of New York, graduating from the latter in 1866.
Soon after his graduation Dr. Gildersleeve contracted with the government to serve as Acting Assistant Sur- geon, and was immediately ordered to Charlotte, N. C., there to take charge of a hospital in the Department of Freedmen and Refugees, and which also included one Company of the 8th United States Infantry. He served in that capacity until the fall of 1867, when he went from there to Helena, Mont. From that place he moved to Los Angeles, Cal., arriving in February, 1868, and from there to San Francisco, where he again entered into a contract with the government to serve as Acting Assistant Surgeon, this time of the 2nd United States Artillery.
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FRANK V. B. GILDERSLEEVE.
In this service he went with Battery F to Alaska, sail- ing in May, 1868, for the Island of Kadiak, where a fort was established. At this Post he remained a year, and was then ordered to accompany a detachment of his regiment to St. Paul's Island, in the Behring Sea, where the fur-bearing seals were to be protected. He remained there one year, when that Post was abandoned and he was ordered back to San Francisco, where he remained on duty, sometimes traveling with the troops to remote Posts in Oregon and Arizona.
In the summer of 1872, while at Fort Yuma, he re- signed from the service and began the practice of his profession in the city of San Francisco. After a private practice of two years Dr. Gildersleeve returned to Ari- zona, where he was appointed agent of the Walapi Indians, a branch of the Apache Tribe, at Beal Springs, Arizona. He remained in charge of these Indians for two years, and then went to Tombstone, Arizona, where he practiced medicine two more years. From there he removed to Petaluma, Cal., and practiced medicine there four years.
At the end of that time he gave up his residence in the far West, and removed to New York City. Here he entered into a contract with the builders of the new Cro- ton Aqueduct, to give medical and surgical attendance to the men in their employ, and he continued in that service until the work was completed.
After this he entered into another contract of a similar kind, this time with the parties engaged in constructing tunnels and other works for the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. His especial duty in this service (in which he is, at the present time of writing, engaged) is to care for the men
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employed in digging the tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
In 1888 Dr. Gildersleeve was married to Chlorinda Castro, and one son, Frank A., and one daughter, Mary Celestine, have been born to them.
STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER CRUGER. By STEPHEN G. COOK.
Stephen Van Rensselaer Cruger was born in New York City, May 9, 1844. He was descended by both paternal and maternal ancestors from the oldest Dutch families settling in the State of New York. His ancestors came from Holland early in the seventeenth century, and John Cruger, his great-grandfather, was the first mayor of New York City. His grandfather, also named John Cruger, was the first president of the Chamber of Commerce.
His grandfather on his mother's side was Stephen Van Rensselaer, of Albany, who was at one time Lieutenant- Governor of the State.
He received his elementary education at home, and at the age of fourteen was sent to Europe for a University course. When but eighteen years of age, he came home to volunteer in the defense of his country.
He was at once given a commission as First Lieutenant in Company F of the 150th New York Volunteers, not- withstanding the fact that he was barely old enough to enter the service. ' He was, however, of powerful build, standing over six feet in height and had the general appearance of more mature years.
His regiment was assigned to the Army of the Potomac
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STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER CRUGER.
in 1863, in time to take a prominent part in the battle of Gettysburg, where his gallantry and daring while under fire attracted the attention of his superior officers.
The following month he was rewarded by being pro- moted to Adjutant of his regiment. In the spring of 1864 his regiment was transferred to the 20th Army Corps, then under the command of General Hooker, and forming a part of General Sherman's command.
In the early part of the campaign beginning at Chat- tanooga and ending at Atlanta, during the short, sharp and decisive engagement known as the battle of Resaca, he was wounded three times. The first bullet struck him near the top of the left breast and came out at the outer edge of the left shoulder blade, causing a profuse hem- orrhage from the mouth. While being carried from the field a bullet struck him in the right shoulder, tearing away his epaulette and inflicting quite a severe wound, while another caused a slight wound of the left leg. From the position of the two wounds in the upper part of his chest, together with the loss of blood by the mouth, I had then no doubt in my mind but that the bullet had gone directly through the top of his left lung, and I reported him as "mortally wounded." I now believe that the bullet was deflected from its course by striking a rib, passed partly around the body under the skin, and made its exit at a point nearly opposite the point of en- trance, and that the hemorrhage was caused by the con- cussion of the rib against the lung. Either way, it was a close call, and after being sent to the rear no one in the regiment ever expected to see him alive again. But they were happily disappointed. After being honorably discharged by the Secretary of War, who believed him to
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be too severely wounded to be of any further service to the government, and after his wounds had thoroughly healed, he applied for and was given his old position as Adjutant. He was absent somewhat less than four months. He was wounded in May, 1864, and rejoined his regiment in September, in time to take part in the famous " March to the Sea," and continued with it until it was discharged in June, 1865.
His horse was shot under him at the battle of Averas- borough, but he was not wounded again. He was pro- moted to Captain, November 18, 1864, and breveted Major " for gallant and meritorious conduct during the campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas."
At the close of the war, he entered upon a business career and soon developed remarkable executive ability. He became manager of numerous estates, and had com- plete charge of the real estate interests of the Trinity Church corporation. He still retained his interest in military matters, however, and became actively identified with the New York National Guard, and was made Colonel of the 12th Regiment. He brought that organ- ization up to a high standard of efficiency, but was com- pelled to resign, owing to the pressure of business which prevented him giving his command the necessary attention.
He was elected a trustee of the Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1883, and also became connected in positions of trust with other large corporations.
In 1888 he was nominated for Lieutenant-Governor on the ticket with Hon. Warner Miller, and though defeated, he made a very creditable showing.
He was identified with no less than thirteen clubs,
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among which were the Union League and Republican Clubs of this city.
He was appointed a park commissioner by Mayor Strong in 1895, and was elected president of the Park Board. He was sent as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1896, and was an ardent sup- porter of McKinley's nomination.
He married Miss Juliette Storrow, a grandniece of Washington Irving and a beautiful and accomplished young lady, who has since won distinction in the literary world under the nom de plume of " Julien Gordon."
At the time of her husband's death she was in Europe, and he was making the necessary business preparations to join her. He left no children.
HENRY GRIDLEY.
By CHARLES E. BENTON.
Henry Gridley was born September 17, 1836, in Amenia, Dutchess County, N. Y. He was the eldest son of Noah and Emeline ( Reed) Gridley. His father was a large owner of real estate, and extensively engaged in the mining and manufacture of iron, and Henry's early years were passed in strenuous activity, in the schools on the one hand, and on the other hand in giving assist- ance in the various branches of his father's complex busi- ness activities.
He received his education at first in the public schools, but later at the Amenia (New York) Seminary, at which institution he was prepared for college, entering Amherst (Massachusetts) College in 1858.
Upon the breaking out of the war in 1861, it was with difficulty that he could be prevailed with to stay and
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complete his course. He did, however, complete the course, and graduated with honors in 1862, being presi- dent of his class, and a general favorite with both the faculty and his classmates.
He returned to his home in June, finding the community well awakened by the floodtide of patriotism then spread- ing over the country, and when Mrs. Lossing's appeal for the formation of a Dutchess County Regiment was pub- lished in the Poughkeepsie Eagle, Henry Gridley was one of the first to respond, requesting of the General War Committee which had been appointed by the Governor, permission to recruit volunteers and enter the United States service in a Dutchess County Regiment.
Permission was granted, and, in cooperation with Joseph H. Cogswell of Poughkeepsie, he immediately en- tered upon the work. The company thus raised event- ually became Company A of the 150th New York State Volunteer Infantry, of which Joseph H. Cogswell was commissioned Captain, Henry Gridley First Lieutenant, and James P. Mabbett Second Lieutenant.
Entering the service with the regiment Lieutenant Gridley passed unscathed through the battle of Gettys- burg, but in Virginia he was stricken down by the malarial fever of the country, from which he barely escaped with his life.
Upon his recovery he again joined the regiment, fol- lowing its fortunes and activities until June 22, 1864. This was during the close and constant fighting of Sher- man's army on the memorable Atlanta campaign. On this particular day a fierce assault was made on our line by Confederate General Cleburn's Division.
The attack was handsomely repulsed, but Lieutenant
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HENRY GRIDLEY.
Gridley, who was in command of his company at the time, fell, pierced by a shot which passed very near his heart, killing him instantly. He was standing in the line at the time, and had directed Gollenbeck-a member of his company-to fire at the tall Confederate color-bearer. Gollenbeck did so, bringing him down, and it was just as Lieutenant Gridley was commending him that he was struck by the fatal bullet, the first of the regiment's com- missioned officers to be killed in battle.
In his home life Henry Gridley was widely known in business circles, and was greatly respected for his thor- oughgoing business abilities, as well as for a certain in- tegrity of character which was expressed in what he did, rather than in what he said.
His patriotism was of the purest type, and in eagerly choosing hardship and chances of battle in behalf of his country's defense he was not prompted by selfish love of adventure, for he was of a quiet-loving and retiring dis- position, and the ostentatious side of military life had no attractions for him. He knew that he was leaving all behind at the very threshold of a most promising career, and he gave his services promptly and gladly.
The same integrity and purity of character which won the respect of his home community also won recognition in the regiment, and alike among his fellow officers and among the enlisted men of his company his death was sincerely mourned.
At the time of his death Lieutenant Gridley was buried on the field, but after the war his father brought the remains home and laid them in the family plot, in the South Amenia Cemetery, where the members of that family circle are now all at rest.
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CYRUS SWAN ROBERTS.
Mr. Roberts was born in Sharon, Conn., August 23, 1841, and was the eldest of his parents' five children; four sons and one daughter. His father was Virgil B. Roberts, a grandson of Captain Samuel Roberts who served during the war of the Revolution as Captain of the 9th Company, 18th Regiment of Connecticut Militia. His mother, Harriet Rachel (Swan) Roberts, was descended through several lines of ancestors from mem- bers of the Mayflower Colony.
Mr. Roberts received his education in the district schools of his native town, and at the Stratford Academy, Stratford, Conn., with the intention of entering college, which, however, pecuniary reasons prevented. The years 1859 and 1860 were spent as a clerk in country stores in Sharon, Conn., and in Millerton, N. Y. In April, 1861, he became a law student in the office of his maternal uncle, the late Cyrus Swan, Esq., of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
Soon after the attack on Fort Sumter, S. C., he be- came a member of the Ellsworth Grays, a local military organization formed in Poughkeepsie for the study of military tactics, and exercise in military drill. It is worthy of note that of the sixty-five members of that organization more than forty subsequently served during the war.
Early in May, 1862, a call for three-months service was made on the militia of the states, and May 20, 1862, he joined Company A, 22nd Regiment of New York Militia, and left the same evening from New York City for Baltimore, Md., where the regiment was mustered into the United States service May 28, 1862. From that day his life has been the life of a soldier ;- a soldier who has served his country well on many fields.
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CYRUS SWAN ROBERTS.
Early in June his regiment was ordered to Harper's Ferry, where it remained in camp until the expiration of its term of service, when it was ordered to New York City and there mustered out September 6, 1862.
The same day on which he was discharged from that regiment he enlisted in Company A, 150th New York Volunteers, and was mustered into the service with the regiment as Sergeant-Major. On the 11th of October, 1862, he left with it for Baltimore, Md., and here he was on duty until May, 1863 (having in the mean time, February 13, 1863, been commissioned Second Lieuten- ant), when he was detailed as Assistant Commissary of Musters for the 3rd Division, 8th Army Corps, and reported at Charleston, Kanawha County, W. Va. He remained on duty with the division under command of Brigadier-Generals Scammon, Duffie and Crook, taking part in several expeditions against the enemy in West Virginia, and also against the command of General Mor- gan during his raid north of the Ohio River.
During this period he was many times under fire in affairs with the enemy, of relatively small importance, up to the end of April, 1864, when he served as aide-de- camp for General Crook in his expedition against the Con- federate forces on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. He took part in several affairs between advanced and rear guards, and on May 9, 1864, in the battle of Cloyd Mountain, and in subsequent engagements at the New River Bridge, May 10, 1864, and affairs of less im- portance at Blacksburg, Va., May 11th, at the Salt Sul- phur Springs, at Union and the Greenbrier Rivers on the return of the expedition to Lewisburg, West Va.
About June 1, 1864, he served with General Crook's
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command in his expedition to Staunton, Va., where he joined with the command of General Hunter in his move- ment against Lynchburg; took part in affairs at Middle River, battle of Hot Springs, and Buffalo Gap, en route to Staunton, and at Lexington, Va., and near the Peaks of Otter, en route from Staunton to Lynchburg.
At the battle of Lynchburg he was severely wounded, June 17, 1864. But his convalescence was rapid, and he joined General Crook's command which had again taken the field at Harper's Ferry about the middle of July, and was operating in connection with the 6th Army Corps against the forces of Confederate General Early. On July 18th he took part in the battle of Snicker's Ford on the Shenandoah, and on the 22nd and 23rd of the same month was engaged in several attacks on outposts, and on the 24th in the severe battle at Kernstown between the troops of the Department of West Virginia under General Crook, and those of General Early's command.
He was with the rear guard during the retreat from Winchester and took part in a sharp action at Martins- burg July 25th, where General Early's pursuit was checked. He also accompanied the troops under General Sheridan in the movement from Harper's Ferry up the Shenandoah Valley in August, 1864, and was slightly wounded in the leg in an affair between advanced and rear guards near Middletown. He was engaged in a severe action between troops under General Crook and General Kershaw's division of Longstreet's Corps near Berryville during the latter part of August, and in the battles of Opequan (Winchester), September 19th, and Fisher's Hill, September 22, 1864. For both these
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actions he received, for his gallant conduct and service, brevet commissions.
He accompanied his command in the advance up the Shenandoah Valley to Harrisonburg, and October 19, 1864, took part in the battle of Cedar Creek, or Middle- town. This battle finished the campaigns of 1864, and he then accompanied General Crook, who had been as- signed to command the Department of West Virginia, to Oakland, Md., as aide-de-camp. January 1, 1865, he was promoted to First Lieutenant in his own regiment.
The latter part of March, 1865, reported to General Crook at City Point, Va., he having been assigned to command the 2nd Cavalry Division of the Army of the Potomac, and served with it in General Sheridan's opera- tions. In this service he took part in the battles around Dinwiddie Court House, March 29th, 30th, and 31st, at Five Forks April Ist, at Jettersville April 5th, at Sailors' Creek April 6th, at Farmville April 7th, and at Appomattox Court House April 9, 1865. He continued to serve with General Crook, who was in command of the Cavalry Corps, until early in June, when he joined his regiment, and was mustered out of the service with it June 8, 1865.
June 22, 1865, Lieutenant Roberts was appointed Cap- tain and Aide-de-Camp, and accompanied General Crook to Wilmington, N. C., where he remained on duty until December 7, 1865, when he was mustered out of the volunteer service.
On May II, 1866, he was appointed Second Lieuten- ant in the regular army, being assigned to the 17th United States Infantry, and in the September following he re- ported for duty at Newport Barracks, Ky., where he
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organized a company for his regiment, and proceeded with it to Galveston, Tex. He served in command of his com- pany until July, 1867, when he was detailed on the staff of Brevet Major-General Griffin. His service in Galveston, Tex., was during the yellow fever epidemic in August, September, and October, 1867, during which General Griffin, nine officers, and a large number of the men of his regiment died from the fever.
About January 1, 1868, he was appointed as Aide-de- Camp for Brevet Major-General Reynolds, and served with him until he was relieved from command by Brevet Major-General Canby, with whom he served as Adjutant- General and disbursing officer, "Bureau Refugees and Freedmen," until his assignment to the command of the Ist Military District.
He joined his regiment at Richmond, Va., in April, 1869, and served with it in Virginia until April, 1870, when it was ordered to Dakota Territory. He was de- tailed as Aide-de-Camp for Major-General Crook in August, 1880, and served with him in the Department of the Platte until August, 1882, when he accompanied him to Arizona. Here he served as Adjutant-General of the troops in the field during the Indian troubles of 1885 and 1886 (the Geronimo campaign). Upon the relief of General Crook from the command of the De- partment of Arizona he. asked for and received orders to join his regiment at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming, in August, 1886, and served with it until the summer of 1888, when he was detailed as Aide-de-Camp for Major- General Crook, and served with him until his death in March, 1889, at Chicago, Ill.
In December and January, 1890 and 1891, he served
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in the Sioux Indian campaign (" Ghost Shirt ") troubles. In 1894 his regiment was ordered for station at Colum- bus Barracks, Ohio, where he remained on duty with it until the war with Spain. In May, 1898, he was ap- pointed Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-Gen- eral of Volunteers, and assigned to duty with the 2nd Army Corps, where he served as Adjutant-General of the Corps until the end of August, when he resigned his volunteer commission and took command of his regiment at Montauk Point, L. I.
In August, 1899, he was assigned to duty as Adjutant- General and Judge-Advocate of the Department of Texas. He served in these capacities until July, 1901, when, having been promoted Colonel 2nd United States Infan- try, he was ordered to join his regiment in the Philippines. He reached Manila in August and was assigned to station at Lucena, Tayabas Province, where he was in command of his regiment and the district until his regiment was ordered to Manila and he was placed in command of the city and garrison of Manila. In August, 1903, Colonel Roberts was promoted Brigadier-General, United States Army, and upon his own request was retired after more than forty years of active service.
January 31, 1870, he married Nannie R. Duval, daughter of Thomas H. Duval, United States District Judge, Western District of Texas. As the issue of this marriage there were : Charles Duval, now Captain United States Army, born June 18, 1873; Cyrus Swan, Jr., born May 11, 1876, died November 19, 1903; and Laura P., wife of First Lieutenant Tilman Campbell, United States Artillery Corps, born October 12, 1882.
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