USA > New York > The first hundred years : records and reminiscences of a century of Company I, Seventh Regiment, N.G.N.Y., 1838-1938 > Part 15
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There are some things the men will not soon forget. The picture of dear little Allen standing at one end of the car with quaking knees, afraid to come back, and every man in the car with his head stuck out of his berth and a pillow in his hand urging him to "Oh come on," and "We won't hurt you, Allen," until he was at last rescued by an officer and marched to his own quarters, was one to be remembered. Then the sight of our First Lieutenant clad only in his sense of the dignity of his office and a suit of pajamas boosting a small and innocent gingersnap boy off from the platform of a car at four o'clock in the morning, should be done in crayons for the Company Room. It is only fair to our First, to say that he thought that the small boy might be a germinating Jesse James who might be tempted to "hold up" the car if he was given too much leeway; but it was funny all the same.
In car "A" our only Clagett kept the boys laughing so that they could not sleep, and in car "B" the sweet songsters Denison, Wall, Sperry and Blake kept informing all hands that they were in for a high old time with a per- sistency that was truly noble. If these gentlemen study tactics with the same enthusiasm that they warble dulcet strains, they will not stop short of being Major Generals. They have formed a quartette, are studying under a teacher, and will soon be ready for road and stock engagements. Gentle Clarence has made an everlasting reputation for himself with his "Now boys, remember that we have a long hard march before us tomorrow"; he was the first man to go to bed on the outward trip, and the last man to go to sleep.
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THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
The long soak in the rain was a teaser, but Heaven be praised we were well placed during the wait, and with a bakery on one hand, a druggist on the other, and a restaurant just above us, we were well able to keep the spark of life in a hilarious condition. The druggist, we were told, sold $180 worth of medicine during the afternoon yet, curiously enough, we do not remember seeing any of the men so sick that they needed the doctor. We think that it must have been mostly cough medicine that he sold.
It is said that when the Regiment arrived in Washington the agent of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad telegraphed the New York agent of the company that we had been landed in the middle of a mud hole, and asked how he was to arrange for getting us to the sidewalks; the agent in New York telegraphed promptly the reply, "Carry them on your back." We shall all carry vivid re- membrances of our first experiences with Washington real estate for many a day.
To send a Nicoll for pie during the long wait before the parade seemed a promising idea, but for the pie to get to our ranks a little ahead of our mes- senger and be served "à la Street Mud" was heart-breaking; Nicoll personally tobogganed from the gutter to the middle of the street on a large round jelly cake.
The stoop in K Street from which we were saluted with "Captain Harper: How do you do?" "Lieutenant Du Val: How do you do," by someone who knew the names of every commissioned officer in the Regiment, was a pleasant in- cident; it sounded cheerful after a mile or two of marching in the suburbs with a few lonely "culled folks" as spectators. To sum up, the parade was a hard one, full of rain, mud, and general discomfort, but the Company never marched better, got all the fun out of it that was possible, and has nothing to regret.
It is said that our First Lieutenant always travels with a book of tactics in one hand and a corkscrew in the other. One of these articles was in great demand on the trip home; what should we have done without it? Lewis was asleep, and we hadn't the heart to wake him, he had enjoyed so little rest since starting. Quartermaster Sergeant Delafield might have helped us out, but he had con- cluded to come on by another train with Sergeant Folsom and the party of the "extreme left"; the Lieutenant was equal to the emergency and his thought- fulness probably saved many lives.
Private Denison, of course, won the pool on the time of arrival in the Armory. It is rumored that he fell into a mud hole near the cars on Monday night and found a watch and chain. Probably, if he had gone in a little deeper he would have found a piano.
The foot of Liberty Street at 3 o'clock in the morning is hardly the place to look for ministering angels, but there was one there on our arrival, and as Sergeant Clayton is not writing this part of the Gazette article, we mean to say who it was. To wait from 10 o'clock at night until three the next morning in such a cheerful spot to extend words of welcome and other substantial things to his weary comrades, is an act deserving special mention; the Sergeant must again accept our thanks.
157
1
THE 1880's
THE CAPTAIN'S JACK
We were crowded in the smoker, Not a soldier cared to sleep,
For a "jack pot" was in progress, Mid the midnight's silence deep.
And we shuddered there in anguish,
When the Sergeant showed "two pair."
"I am lost," the Captain shouted,
As he viewed the hand held there.
But the First Lieutenant whispered, As he took his icy hand, "Ain't a flush upon the train, sir, Just the same as on the land ?"
"Goodness gracious!" cried the Captain, " 'Tis a flush, where were my eyes ?"
Then he laid the five cards downward,
And with both hands scooped the prize. -Anon.
MORE 1889 NOTES
The evening of April 13 will remain green in the memory of those members of the Company lucky enough to be at the Armory. It was Company B's night, and their invitation to witness the festival and partake of their hospitality was accepted by all of "I" present.
The gentlemen of "B" played the host to perfection, and once more we were indebted to them for a very enjoyable evening, and they will please accept our sincere thanks. Evidently the gentleman who called so persistently for the heroic song, "Let me like a solider fall!" never went out on a dark night and tripped himself up on a tent pin behind a tent in camp where the soldiers of the legion lay dreaming.
The next morning :
He-"You're always growling about the drills."
She-"Oh, no! the drills are well enough."
He-"Well, my late hours then."
She-"I don't care about that even; but it does annoy me to get up to let you in and find the milkman at the door. It's rather embarrassing."
The rehearsals of "Mephistopheles" go merrily on and are rapidly perfecting all the participants in their various duties. Even Mr. William Goatlet, whose name does not appear upon the programme, but who will most assuredly be there "just the same," is rapidly overcoming his natural tendency to assist the various actors in their exits from the stage, and bids by the promises of unlimited provender in the near future, to permit the other members of the troupe to appear upon the stage without molestation.
"The Devils" are rehearsing regularly and are becoming almost genuine, if we may judge from the manner in which they work. Soldiers to the number of 250 have been recruited, and the return of the victorious army forms a stage picture never before equalled by any professional performance in this city.
Mr. W. W. Thomas, so well known in New York, is drilling the chorus of over sixty trained voices. The music by Neyer's orchestra and our own Cappa. Costumes are all new and especially made for this production.
-A. C. C.
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THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
W. D. Preston Faust
Miss Alice Mersereau Marguerite
MEPHISTOPHELES A Profanation By Mr. John Kendrick Bangs Produced by COMPANY I, SEVENTH REGIMENT, N.G.S.N.Y. Under the direction of Mr. Francis G. Landon AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE, 39th Street and Broadway May 7, 8, 9, 1889
First Night-for the purpose of redecorating Company I Room in Armory. Second Night-for the benefit of The Women's Guild of the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Free Hospital.
Third Night-for the benefit of the Seaside Home and St. Mary's Free Hospital for Children.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Henry V. Keep, Chairman
Alexander M. Lawrence E. Gilbert Schermerhorn
Assistant to Stage Managers Assistant to Stage Managers Prompter Properties Properties Organ
William C. Adams Samuel D. Folsom Stage Manager-Charles Elliot Warren Asst. Stage Manager-Egbert C. Denison John N. Stearns, Jr. Mortimer Osborne Robert M. Lyman Edward Y. Weber Miles C. Palmer Charles H. Hoyt
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THE 1880's
Chorus Master
Orchestra (By kind permission of Mr. Frank W. Sanger) Military Band Cappa's Seventh Regiment Band
Costumes Perruquier
Joseph Horner Charles Meyer
CAST
Mephistopheles, Prince of Darkness, fonder of Sweetness than of Light. In love with Marguerite. In every way a Deuce of a Fellow
Francis G. Landon
Faust, Principal of the Nuremburg Academy for Young Ladies and Gentlemen. About to enter upon his second childhood. Also in love with Marguerite
William D. Preston
Valentine, Marguerite's brother. Captain of the Nuremburg Company "I"
The Janitor of Hades, Vice President of the United Kingdom of Sin
Edward G. Schermerhorn Master Woodward Babcock
Mephistopheles, Jr., The Son of his Father
Martha, A widow, Marguerite's mother, whom nobody loves
John R. Blake
Marguerite, The Village beile. In love with no one, especially Mephistopheles
Dunce
Miss Alice Mersereau Clinton S. Martin
F. G. Landon Mephistopheles
W. F. Wall A Dancer
Will M. Thomas Ernest Neyer
William A. Denison
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THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
Razzle Dazzle Trio
E. Hunt Allen, Jr. Clarence I. Hoeber Clinton S. Martin
Premiere Danseuse
William F. Wall
ACT I Interior of Dr. Faust's Academy.
ACT III
Nuremburg.
Hades. The Summit of the Brocken.
ACT II Nuremburg
ACT IV
Scene 1. The Market Place.
Scene 2. A Street.
Nuremburg. A Public Square.
Scene 3. Garden about Martha's house.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Seldom has the Metropolitan Opera House been more completely filled, and rarely by a more brilliant and fashionable audience, than that which greeted the first production of John Kendrick Bangs' "Profanation" of Faust, called "Mephistopheles," which was presented by the Ninth Company Dramatic Club on the evening of May 7. The travesty occasionally follows the plot of the play it burlesques, but much more often turns the plot completely upside down. The story as unfolded by Mr. Bangs is briefly this :
Faust (Mr. Preston), the aged Principal of the Nuremburg Academy for Young Ladies and Gentlemen, in the performance of his various duties, becomes enraptured with the loveliest of his pupils, Marguerite (Miss Alice Mersereau), and unfortunately for his future peace of mind, refuses to recognize the desirability of a union between May and December. Thereupon, Faust, like many others, figuratively goes to the devil and invokes his mighty aid. As ever, his Satanic Majesty immediately responds to the call, and amid the burning of much red fire, and the crashing of thunder, Mephistopheles (Mr. Landon), accompanied by Mephisto, Jr. (Mr. Babcock), appear from below. Faust makes known to his Majesty his desire to prove "marriage not a failure" and in exchange for his soul, receives back his youth. An extremely pretty tableau was shown of Marguerite at her spinning, and the audience could not find it in their hearts to blame the infatuation of Faust for the dainty little Marguerite. The story then follows the variously interrupted courtship of Faust and Marguerite, while Mephistopheles plays upon the tender feelings of Martha (Mr. Blake) with pronounced success. The play finally ends with the usual "triumph of virtue over vice" and Faust retains his youth, marries Marguerite, and we are led to suppose, lives happily ever after. Martha succeeds in entrapping Mephistopheles into the married state, and thereupon proceeds to rule him and his legions with a decidedly red hot rod of iron. The features of the play !
A-Probably the most spectacular feature was the parade of the Seventh Regiment, composed of 229 men. They gave a dress parade, including the regulation "sound off" by the Band, under Drum Major John McClintock, of Company I, and after doing some fancy marching, finally formed a tableau which for effect has certainly never been approached by anything heretofore attempted on the New York stage. Certainly the rounds of applause that greeted this picture must have been extremely gratifying to "Colonel" Warren.
The military formation, on account of limited space, was in columns of threes instead of fours, three squads to each Company of eighteen men. The uniform worn was gray trousers, overcoat, fatigue cap, the old black knapsack, on top of which was rolled a red blanket.
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THE 1880's
The backdrop was against the brick wall at the end of the building, the wings were hardly visible as they were pushed back as far as possible. In the tableau at the end of this act, there were on the stage over 400 people, the entire troop.
B-The Scene-Hades.
C-The Dances.
The quartette in Martha's Garden, by Miss Mersereau and Messrs. Preston, Landon and Wall; the grotesque devil's dance by twenty-five devils led by Mephistopheles and Mephisto, Jr., Mr. Wall's "pas de seul" as a "premiere danseuse," in the great skirt dance-a la Letty Lind; the skipping rope dance by Miss Mersereau, and a "Razzle Dazzle" trio by Messrs. Allen, Martin, and Hoeber. These got two or three encores every night.
Among those present were ex-President Cleveland and Mrs. Cleveland, Colonel and Mrs. Emmons Clark, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Mrs. Brayton Ives, Mrs. John F. Plummer, Mrs. A. Newbold Morris, Mrs. William Jay, Mrs. Gerry, Mrs. Ogden Goelet, Mrs. W. W. Astor, Mrs. S. V. R. Cruger and many others.
The individual successes were scored by Mr. Wall, who, attired as a girl, danced a pas seul in Act V, and by Mr. Landon, who as Mephistopheles, did some excellent work, and in Act III danced magnificently. Little Meph., who didn't say a word, but just imitated his pa, was capital. The audience on each of the three nights was large. The boxes looked like opera-nights, and "everybody" was present.
CREEDMOOR 1889
Now that the Centennial and Decoration Day parades have become things of the past, our thoughts turn toward the future, and the work to be done at Creedmoor and at Camp. Creedmoor orders will soon be out and the Company will have visited the range long before this article reaches the eyes of our readers, and the "O'Donohue" won or lost for another year. In connection with the subject of rifle practice we give below a table compiled from the Adjutant- General's report for each year since 1879.
COMPANY I, 7TH REGIMENT
Year
Strength of Last Inspection
Marksmen
Position in State
General Figure of Merit
1880
101
46
6th
54.45
1881
86
30
10th
52.10
1882
80
52
15th
68.94
1883
101
76
11th
70.63
1884
100
61
21st
65.84
1885
101
62
27th
66.48
1886
101
66
15th
71.48
1887
101
92
6th
83.28
1888
101
100
3rd
84.94
Now for 1889. Our shooting strength at last inspection was 101; our strength at the opening of the season remains at the same figure, with a member-elect list of twenty-six men. Certainly at the outset we have every opportunity to go far ahead of any previous record and but one thing remains to be done. We must start in now and keep at it until every enlisted man becomes a marksman.
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THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
THE LOST SHOT
Shooting one day at the targets, In a steady 3 o'clock breeze, I watched my score rise quickly- I was making bulls' eyes with ease.
I knew well what I was doing, And what I was thinking then, As I fired my one last bullet And awaited the signal again.
It sped thro' the Golden Ether With the speed of an angel's wing,
And it must have pierced the target, For I'm certain I heard the "ping."
I waited with utmost confidence For the signal that never came; I paid and entered my challenge, But the marker ignored my claim !
I raged with perplexed feelings, And swore like a big dragoon ; Then I fretted away into silence, O'er the loss of the golden spoon.
I have sought, and I will seek vainly The value of that one last shot, For which I claimed the bull's eye, Only the scorer said it was not.
It may be that playful zephyrs Wafted it over the plain; It may be that only in dreamland I shall find my lost shot again. -Corporal.
BULLS AND MISSES
"Cease to lament for thou can'st not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."
As we predicted in the June number, the "O'Donohue" is lost to the Com- pany for this season; readers will remember that we distinctly stated that even before the June issue reached them, the "bronze gentleman" would be won or lost and we feel, perhaps, a pardonable pride in the success of our horoscope.
Seated in the midst of an admiring group, our First Lieutenant helped us pass the rather tedious morning, while awaiting our turn to shoot. Many a hearty laugh greeted his latest, until one particularly good one awoke old Grandpa, who utterly oblivious of all the noise and racket, peacefully slum- bered. Stretched at full length upon the grass, "Harry," quoth he, "are you up on international law?" "Fairly so," replied our First. "Well," says Grandpa,
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THE 1880's
"what I want to know is this; an Englishman comes to this country, stays here ten years, takes out his naturalization papers and goes back to England, stays there a month and dies, what is he?" "Why, an American of course," says Harry. "Not a bit of it," replies Pa. "What is he then?" asks the Lieutenant. "A corpse," murmurs Grandpa, and once more resumed his disturbed slum- bers. A silence almost oppressive settles down upon the group, and one by one we steal away and try to dispel the chill that has fallen upon us.
Bang! goes the gun-ping! the bullet reaches the target, the trap flies open, the disk appears, and Grandpa has qualified as a marksman, and great is our joy. Now, Quartermaster, it is your turn. Show us what old '71 is made of. We met Miles hastening back to the firing point upon the completion of the celebration attending his success, and he assured us he was going back "to coach the boys." Well, we can quote from "Billy Shakes":
O good old man; how well in thee appears The constant service of the antique world, When service sweat for duty, not for meed ! Thou art not for the fashion of these times When none will sweat, but for promotion.
The long promised lecture on the "Assassination of President Lincoln" was delivered by Chaplain Paxton at the last Company meeting, and we regret exceedingly that we had no stenographer present. We should have been glad to reproduce portions of the discourse, as we believe they would prove of much interest to many of our readers. The Chaplain was an eyewitness of the whole terrible tragedy.
THE 1889 CAMP
For the benefit of those who did not go to camp we may commence by stating that this Company, accompanied by the balance of the Regiment, took formal possession of the State Camp, on Saturday, June 22, about 5 o'clock p.m. To the great majority the Camp exhibited a very familiar and "we've all been there before" look, but withal, having a decidedly improved appearance.
"Hurry! men, won't you PLEASE hurry !! " Who will ever forget the be- seeching tones' of our "dapper little orderly" as he stood at the head of the street and warbled the above remark before every roll call, and who will ever forget "Little Lord Fauntleroy" Allen, "Don Whiskerando" Montgomery and "Bromo-Caffeine" Blake as they sleepily wandered down the long street to answer to their names. "Bromo's" usual bedtime is 8 p.m., and he could not understand for some time why he should remain up until 10 o'clock just to say he was there.
Hark ! was that the assembly in all the rain? and it was raining. "Fall in," shouts the orderly, and twelve files from "I" with overcoats slung, march out, down the steps, past the outpost, and presently disappear down the road towards Annesville. "Route step," comes the order, and toiling along the wet and muddy road, arms at a secure, they march along, the advance guard carefully feeling
164
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
Inspection for Guard Mount, Peekskill, 1889
the way, for the Peekskill mud is a fearful enemy to trousers and very loath to let go once it fastens its hold upon you. Halt! sounds the bugle, and in- stinctively the troops close up as a courier is discovered madly tearing down the road toward them. "Enemy in front, sir," he breathlessly reports.
The C. O. muses for a moment, and then commands, "Call in the advance," and so to the regret of the troops, they carefully skirt the enemy and continue their search for knowledge, and they get it. Climbing the side of a four-story brick house will not seem so very much of a feat after the climb up the side of that very wet and slippery mountain, and there it was the C. O.'s old baseball tendencies came upon him in full force, and how he did slide for second, third, and home plate, and he got 'em too!
On, on, they go, carefully watching every step, for the Camp knows Billy Denison has his rubbers on, and will do the "sneak act" on them if he can. Hist! what is that? Lieutenant Du Val on hands and knees, signalling to keep back. "Right upon the enemy, sir," he reports, and we must now take to the open, as "skirmishers by the right flank take intervals; march!" comes the next order just as they are at the last stone wall between them and the guard tent. "Billy, if anything happens to me, you may have my pie," chokingly
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THE 1880's
remarks Wall. "Have you a grudge against me?" stiffly replies Billy, whose mouth is filled with chewing gum to keep his teeth from knocking each other out in one round. "Commence firing," merrily sounds the bugle, and puff after puff of smoke springs from the fence right at the guard tent.
The guard turns out lazily and discovers the line advancing in battle array, and lazily turns back again. "It's Company I," they say, and knowing they won't hurt them, quietly go on with their various occupations. Back into camp come the travel stained troops, wet to the skin. "Ten grains of quinine and a glass of whiskey for each man," is the Captain's last order, and they break ranks and seek the seclusion of their tents, happy in their experience in cross- country marching, and feeling that in spite of all drawbacks, the morning has not been spent in vain. The Sun says: "Somebody got the Captain's last order mixed." No, the order went all right, but he forgot to mention the size of the glass.
A slight rustle in the grass, a gleam of something white, and "who goes there?" rings out in manly tones on the still night air. Again comes the chal- lenge in sharp, decisive voice, followed by click of the lock as the piece is brought to a full cock. Dead silence ensues, and the gallant sentry, piece at charge, and finger on the ready trigger, approaches the stealthy intruder. Once
Non-coms at Peekskill, June 1889
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THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
-
Nº15
The Banjo Club, Peekskill, June 1889 Warren, Landon, Weaver, Lawrence, Fox, Weber, Schermerhorn H. Allen Borden
I
Peekskill, 1889. Premier déjeuner
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THE 1880's
more "who goes there?" startles the gnats and millers that swarm about him, and now the sharp bayonet is within an inch of the challenged party, and then the answer comes. It is a plaintive meow! and Borden has for a companion a stray cat from the mess hall. You kept that very quiet, Harry, but the Gazette is in all places, at all times, and lucky indeed is he who escapes our ever watch- ful eye. And now, it is all-over ! -A. C. C.
THE FALL OF 1889
Prompt formation for drill or parade has long been Sergeant Landon's aim and pride, and his roll call from memory has long excited interest and admir- ation; but it has remained for Sergeant Clayton to "smash" the record of quick formations all to pieces. September 25 the Sergeant formed the Company, called the roll (from memory), and put his company on the march, in the City-of-Paris-like-time of six seconds. That the Company at this time consisted of Private Stewart, is no fault of the Sergeant, and the record still stands for ambitious non-coms to shatter. From forty-eight or fifty files down to one-half file is quite a drop, but undaunted, Private Stewart and the Sergeant marched out of the Armory, second in line for the first time.
Thursday, October 3, the drill season of 1889-1890 opened for us. "Present for duty, six sergeants, forty-seven and one-half files," so ran the report, which with three officers added, gives us one hundred and four members present. This was not bad for a starter, but can, and will be, decidedly improved upon in a week or two.
Creedmoor, October 5, gave us another decided lift on our list of marksmen. Burtnett, Coe, Hamlin, Hobart, French, Keep and Groesbeck covered them- selves with glory and filled the "coaches' " hearts with joy, by going through in the prettiest possible manner-and right here let us say to the older shots, and the Company in general, that the new members are coming to the front in splendid shape and making better than good scores. Every new member has qualified and qualified easily-query-is this because they are better men, or because they will believe the Rifle Committee know just a trifle about shooting ? It is worth thinking over.
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