USA > New York > Jefferson County > The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894 > Part 14
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RESIGNED-Alex, Warren Smith, captain; John R. Prince, 1st lieut. : James G. Howell, 2d lieut.
DISCHARGED-Bradley, Mark E., Baker, Joseph E., Colton, James T , Clark, Louis, Coon, John, Ebner, John. Ebner, August, Carter, Hubbard E., Farrell, Michael, Jolly, Enoch. Linn, Johu, Miher, Dennis W., Osborn, Nathan, Phillips, William, Reynolds, Mart, Smith, Silas J., Walter, John C., Wheeler, Addison, Measury, Joel.
TRANSFERRED-Boxer, Jacob. Hughes, Charles E. PROMOTED-Taylor, H. P., Pollard, John E., Doane, Dempster.
DIED -- Negus, George E., Geirer, Fred, Merritt, Richard, Greenwood, W. T., Bann, Charles.
Co. E.
John A. Haddock, captain; John Budlong, 1st lieut .; James H. Crammer, 2d lieut .; Samuel Haddock, armorer; Miner Moran, 1st sergt .; Henry Baird, 2d sergt .; Gustave Porst, 3d sergt .; James Cannon, 4th sergt .; Thomas Farrell, 5th sergt .; William Laue, 1st corporal; Benjamin LaRocque, zd corporal; George Doty, 3d corporal; Edward Mair, 4th corporal; George Gardner, 5th corporal; Bliss, John, Bowman, Wil- liam, Bowman, Joseph, Burnett, Joseph, BrowDe, John, Balf, Thomas, Barron, Denuis, Corr, John, Cushman, Adolphus, Cannon, Henry, Connelly, Pat- rick, Caulfield, Patrick, Danahay. Daniel, Deno, An- drew, Flynn, Patrick, Flynn, John, Flynn, Michael,
Griffin, Edward, Gale, Henry, Gardner, Isaac, Gea- ron, Daniel, Hughes, John, Irvin, William, Kelly, Patrick, Lennox, Edward, Laflin, Edmund G., Mc- Dowell, William, Marks, Frank, Mullin, Charles, Mar- tin, Francis, Marion, Lewis, Neville, Henry, Priddell, Stephen, Reed, Thomas, Shaw, William, Shen, Wil- liam, Weeks, James, Anthony, James, Joseph Allen, Vincent Barber, Burnett B. Bagley, George Boudiett, Ezra Cornwell, Norman Cramer, William Carpenter, Alexander McNaughton, Charles Boyne.
DISCHARGED-John Lacey, captain; Henry D. Rich, captain; Edwin Bingham, 1st Lieut .; George T. Morey, ist Lieut .; Calvin Barber, Alfred G. Broome, Alexander Arthur, Johu K. Ellis, Agan, Patrick, Blair, Joseph, Barclay, Robert, Boudiett, Samuel, Burns, James, Finch, Samuel. Johnston, William, Moore, William A .. Murphy, William, Newman, John, Neville, George W., Pearson, William, Reed, John, Roach, Peter, Ryan, Thomas, Simmons, William, Smith, Richard, Smith, James, Williams, Benjamin.
TRANSFERRED - Kendrick, Albert, Elder. Robert, Marshall, Lewis, McBride, Henry, Rice, John, Tur- uer, Joseph, Cassidy, John, Cotton, William.
DIED -Boylan, Anthony, Christman, Silas, Coen, Martin, Davenport, William, Gleason, Thomas, Hes- lop, Cuthbert. Hazer, Frederick, Lynch, Alexander, Meyer, William. Miller, Frank, Pratt, Gustavus, Reed, Duane, Tifft, Linus.
Co. F.
L. B. Shattuck, captain; N. N. Lord, 1st lieut .; Albert Kendrick, 2d lieut .: Merrett, James C., 1st sergt .; St. John, William H., 2d sergt .; McDowell, William H., 3d sergt .; Garrison, Reuben M., 4th sergt .: Wilcox, Charles, 5th sergt .: Walder, John, 1st corporal; Morey, Victor, 2d corporal; Everett, James H., 3d corporal; Lovell, Carlton H., 4th corporal; Curtiss, Guy W., 5th corporal; Greaves, John, 6th corporal; Spike, Oliver P., 7th corporal; Hill, Moses B., 8th corporal; Ames, Phineas, Babcock, John H., Bailey, John M., Brown, John, Beebe, Giles R., Burmster, Gotfried, Brownell, George E., Brooks, John, Burrows, Charles H., Briggs, Martin, Briggs, Joseph F., Cunningham, George, Cook, Jonathan, Cole. Martin, Colton, Enoch. Colton, Harvey V .. Cobb, James E., Cranker, John P., Chapman, Henry, Draper, Frank M., Eply, Franklin, Foley, Peter J., Field, Joel A., Frazier, Geoge, Gill. John, George, Irving, Graves, Dexter, Hirr, Benjamin, Hughes, Charles E., Hastings, Nelson, Lane, James, McIntyre, Newton, Morse. Joseph, Miller, George, Morehouse, Ira H., Parker. John O., Ryan, John, Robinson, Ebenezer M., Rice, Peter, Stevens, Ira, Snyder, Johu, Stanton, Beverly, M., Sherman, Benjamin, Tompkins. John W., Truax, Albert, Taylor, Ebene- zer O., Uphass, Jobn, Van Dusen, Charles H. Wright, Amos.
RESIGNED-George W. Elwell, captain; L. A. Davis, 2d lieut.
MUSTEREn-OUT - Richard R. McMullin, Ist lieut .; Timothy Eagen, 2d lieut.
TRANSFERRED-Caleb Slocum, 2d lieut.
DISCHARGED-Brown, Gaylord, Geer, James, Gas- by, Oswold, Snell, John G., Casey, James, Williams, Reuben S., McIntyre, Daniel, Smith, James E., Cheney, David, Tompkins, Nathaniel, Pike, Lemuel W. Lucus, William B., Blackman, Samuel H., Dunn, Daniel, Beebe, Albert E., Saulsbury, Alexander, Bur- gis, Hiram.
TRANSFERRED-Price, James B., Frauegell, Alpheus, Calgreghan, John.
DIED-Randolph, George, Fisher, James L., Field, Milo H. Zeller, Joel B., Knapp, Myron, Wheeler, Hiram, Ward, Dennis. Welden, Charles L., Laidlow, James, Carmer, William L.
Co. G.
E. J. Marsh, captain; Sidney J. Mendell, captain; Caleb Slocum, 1st lieut .; Graham Dukehart, 2d lieut. ; John Budlong, 2d lieut .; Cary. William W., 1st sergt .; Dolan, James, 2d sergt. ; Ripley, Josiah, 3d sergt .; Banks, George, 4th sergt .; Parham, John J., 5th sergt .; Harrington, Myrou J., 1st corporal; Hall, Rufus C., 2d corporal; Thayer, Walter P., 3d corpo- ral: Collins, John B., 4th corporal; Algate, John, B., Banks, Lewis D., Baldwin, James A., Bauder, George, Barber, George, Cummings, Allen, Carter, James, Cooper, James A , Cummings, Alonzo, Dixon, Johu, Davenport, Edwin, Erskin. William, Earl, Alonzo, Eighmay, George H., Fisher, Robert, Fluro,
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THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
David H., Goddard, Josiah L., Green, John H., Gilson, Alden, Harrington, Brainard B., Horr, Otis L., Ham- mond, Alverso, Hyde, Edwin, Hodge, Dempster G., Hodge, James H., Hart, Judson C., Jones, William C., Kelley, William, Kellogg, Harvey A , Kenyon, Thomas M., Kellogg, Eli, Lovett, Thomas, Luven, Patrick, Ladd, Byron P., Lair, Jerome B., Loomis, George, Myers, John, Miner, James, Horr, Dudley G., Norton, George, Nutting, Milo A., Nutting, Albert C., Price, Austin H., Price, James M., Palmer, Chil- lingsworth, Rogers, Alfred, Randall, William, Robin- son, Josiah N., Rogers, Niles V., Salisbury, Willard B., Storrs, George, Tuttle, Charles, Van Buren, Joho A , Wilcox, Miles S., Wright, Harvey C., Wheeler, Allen A., Williams, Stephen, Wilson, James, Wil- liams, George W., Waldron, Joseph, Wakefield, Wm. PROMOTED-Sidney J. Mendell, captain ; John Bud. long, 2d lieut.
DISCHARGED - Budlong, Caleb, Freeman, Joseph Inglehart, Byron, Draper, LeCompton, Robinson, Peter, Ripley, Horr Z, Reynolds, George, Lane, Horace S., North, Edwin. Staplin, Andrew J., Liskun, Willaby Faulkner, John E., Price, Abram, Nutting, Edwin. Looker, John R., Hubbard, George C., Hub- bard. Ezra H., Brown, George, M. D., Burdick, Elias J., Bissell, William B., Yockel, Adam, Nichols, War- ren, Stewart, John A., North, Edgar.
TRANSFERAEn-Keats, John H., Spaulsbury, Alexan- der, Spiers, William C. W., Arnold, Ethan A., Graves, Samuel, Graves, William T., Gibbons, An- drew J., Loucks, David, Nichols, William, Pierce, Ansel S. VanDuzer, Legrand.
DIED-Whitney, Erastus, Barrell, Frank, Babcock, Matthew G., Staplin, Oscar. L., McIlvan, William, Banks, John W., Parham, George R., Derosia, Michael.
Co. H.
John G. Todd, captain: James R, Barnett, captain William W. Beckwith, captain ; Edwin D. Messinger, 1st lient ; George C. Brown, 2d lieut .; Edwin G. Fink, 2d lieut .; Edward H. Cummings, 1st sergt .; John Lacy, sergeant ; John H. Currier, sergeant ; George E. Davis, sergeant ; Walter C. Ainsworth, sergeant ; Samuel T Jackson, corporal ; Sylvester Haseltine, corporal; Jacob M. Bowen, corporal: Peter Rice, Jr., corporal; Samuel J. Hopkins, corporal ; Henry M. Stafford, corporal ; Barber, Frederick, Bulkley, Schuyler, Bishop, Daniel K., Browning, John, Bodine, Charles B., Brusel, Asa, Barrett, Charles W., Cranson, George W., Carpenter, Orlando H , Chapin, Francis W., De Clercy, Alexander, De Clercy, Austin S., Devern, William W., Elmer, Har- vey R., Fleming, James, Fitzpatrick, John, Freeborn, Palmer H., Hopkins, Charles W., Hinckley, John R , Hicks. John S., Jackson, Charles, Marvin, Wheeler W., Medbnry, Lucius, Mott, James, Moochler, John, Meeker, George L., Morrison, Joel W., Nellis, Clark S., O'Brien, Nicholas, Pangborn, John W., Pierce, Edwin O., Phillips, Henry C., Phinney, Andrew J., Roberts, Evan W., Robinson, Arnold, Steedman, Horace, Sheppard, Wm. Giles, Short, Patrick, Sephens Stephen J., Shaw, Wesley H., Trogood, Henry G., Tarble, Samuel A., Torrey, Robert E., Wagner, Harrison W., Way, A. B. Freeman, Warner, Calvin P , Wilson, Hugh, West, Joseph.
DISCHARGED -- Richardson, Willard, Hatch, Erastus H., Patterson, Jesse E., Hitchcock, Samuel B., Allen, Morell B., Beirs, Nelson A., Bump, William H., Brown, David, Clark, William, Cleaveland, Alanson, Devern, Henry, Devern, Truman, Forbes, Isaiah, Holmes, Sylvanus S., Holmes, William S., Josselyn, George H., Johnson, Lemuel T., Pierson, William A., Pierce, William S., Payson, Edward, Rogers, Isaiah, Ramsdell, Charles, Thompson, Joseph, Woodworth, Damon, Shaffer, William J.
TRANSFERRED-Ralph Wallace, Henry O. Jewell, George C. Smith.
DIED-Setb M. Ackley, Charles Elphick, George W. Smith, Boliver W. Strong.
TRANSFERRED-Card, Clark N., Carr, Thomas, Kee- gan, Charles, White, Michael.
Co. I.
Edgar Spalsbury, captain; Lafayette Little, cap- tain ; Joseph H. Simpson, 1st lieut .; Edwin R. Butterfield, 2d lieut .; John H. Keats, 2d lieut .; Adam J. Cratsenburgh, 1st sergt .; Nelson Hough, sergeant ; Gilman Evans, sergeant ; John B. George, sergeant; Levi Annable, sergeant; Edwin J. Pauling,
corporal; Joseph A. Lewis, corporal; Calvin J. Ripley, corporal ; Germon Reed, corporal; Mark Agur, cor- poral; Kendrick Brown, corporal ; Joseph Turner, corporal ; Albert Baird, corporal; Frederick Van Amburg, musician ; Alexander, Edward, Arnold, James, Allen, Lucien F., Austin, Charles C., Bray, James. Brooks, William H., Bartlett, Alonzo, Caswell, Abial, Colton, William H., Crabb, Alonzo, Davids, James, Dingmond, Robert, Dnclon, William, Dawson, Robert, Eddy, George A., Flanagan, John, Forrest, Joseph E , Forbes, William, Gartland, James, Green, Peter, Gardiner, Ebenezer, Knights, William M., Kenyon, James, McAllona, Robert. McCollops, David, MeBride, Ai, McBride, Henry, McNett, Nelson, Mc- Nett, Duane N., McNett, Dewitt C., Noyes, Frederick, Otis, Helon A., Otis, Henry, Padget, Alonzo, Peck, John, Palmer, George, Rexford, Andrew, Rachford, James, Robertson, James, Robinson, Thomas H. Ray, Robert, Russel, Lemuel, Simpson, William K., Scott, James, Steele, Edgar B., Smith, Darius B., Wright, James, Wiser, Hiram.
DISCHARGED - Gilmao Knoulton, Jobn_Higsoo, Charles A. Thompson, Bray, Henry A., Burnside, Nelson, Bassett, John, Bowhall, Nathan, Croisant, Lewis, Campbell, Allen, Ford, Peter R., Fisher, Stepben R., Hager, John B, Howard, Daniel, Robin- son, Henry, Fitzsimmons, John, Spaulding, Charles N., Simpson, Silas, Thompson, William H., Thornton, Arthur, Winters, Andrew, Wilcox, Elias.
TRANSFERRED - Panghorn, John M., Albertson, Josiah H., Price, James B , Choate, George R., Gleason, William N., Toy, David, Lane, Zabina, Leasure, Emery, Fitzgerald, Joha, Smith, Wells B., Sawyer, Charles, McOmber, Frederick, Bradley, Mark, Lord, Nathan N.
DIED-Sprague, George H., Leasurc. Sylvanus, Locie, William, Ray, William B., Johnson, Francis, Morgan, Joseph J. E., Lawrence, Edward.
DaOPPEn-Caswell, Thomas, Dyke, George W., Eddy. Jenks, Garrison, Cornelius, Marshall, Louis E., Venier, John, Jr., Youngs, Julins.
TRANSFERRED-Barr, Wolcott S., Flanders, Squire, Keysor, Nathaniel G., Lacey, Martin, Parkinson, William H., Post, David E., Scott, Emerson, Strong, Stephen, Thompson, William.
Co. K.
Erskine M. Camp, captain; Charles E. Zimmer- man, 1st lient. : Jay D. McWayne, 1st lieut .; John O'Hara, 2d lient .; Asahel B. Westcott, 2d lient. ; Pat- rick Fitzpatrick, Ist sergt .; Henry Malone, 2d sergt. ; William Lee, 3d sergt .; William T. Clark, 4th sergt. ; John Keenan, 5th sergt. ; Albert Foster, 1st corporal; Valentine Warr, 2d corporal; Daniel Van Allen, 3d corporal; William Bunker, 4th corporal; Ozumber W. Douglas, 5th corporal; Henry C Cook; 6th corporal; Augustus Van Allen, 7th corporal; Benjamin Worth- ingham; 8th corporal; Dermott McNeil, musician; Auldrick, Hiram W., Alexander, Sherman, Allen, George W., Ault, David, Bowers, Charles B., Browne, Benjamin, Brennau, William. Ballinger, Wallace, Baldwin, Sidney D., Conden, James, Conden, Oscar, Countryman, John, Cook, Mineris F., Cominold, Ezra, Dexter, Foster W., Derby, Henry, Duke, James. Foster, Charles, Fredenberg, Joho, Freden- berg, David, Fuller, George, Graves, John, Gardiner, Edward, Hart, William, Hare, Thomas O., Happ, John, Hunter, Franklin, Hoover, Josiah, Hungerford, Elbert V , Hare, Daniel, Johnson, John, Jackson, William W., Kelley. John, Keenan, William, Long. Robert J., Lizil, William, Lonetol, Alphonso, Mobbs, George, McDonald, Frank, Miller, Abe, Phelps, Rob- ert B., Potter, Newman H , Potter, John S., Ros- sell, Edward, Rafter, Edward, Robbins, Maitland S., Robbins, John L., See, Byron, Savage, Thomas, Smith, Martin, Switzer, Charles, Stokes, Joseph, Tomlinson, Richard, Wright, Henry J., Wait, John.
DISCHARGEO-Anlt, Hiram, Dolan, Patrick, Fish, Charles C., House, George, Harlow, Charles, Jeffrey, Thomas, Lago, Benjamin, Muldoon, Franklin, Marks, Joseph, Patrick, Jacob, Patrick, Marcus, Powers, Thomas, Robbins, Isaac, Stanton, George D., Sam- pier, William. Tripp, William C., Weller, Hazell, Wiley, Mark, Wright, Chester, Wright, Henry, Van Allen, John, Alexander, Wilbert.
TRANSFERRED-Barnes, Friend, Demarsh, Francis, Pill, John, Latimore, William.
DIED-Broadbent, Juling, Carpenter, Orville, Har- rison, William H., Lowe, Stephen W., Sheely, Wil- liam, Stevens, Oliver B., White, George.
72
THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.
RECRUITING FOR THE 35TH.
WHEN Fort Sumter was fired upon I was running the old Jefferson Cotton Mill on Factory Square in Watertown, having pur- chased it and put in about $5,000 worth of new machinery, and had got it in shape to spin No. 16 yarn, and weave it into common unbleached sheeting. All I had saved in my newspaper experience during ten years of earnest effort was put into that factory-but my dwelling was clear of debt. The war affected me in many ways. I only hesitated as to how I could be of the most service to my country, for my business was tempo- rarily ruined, and I had ample time in which to discharge my duties as a citizen. It seemed clear to me that I must go into some infantry regiment, perhaps as a private soldier, but having decided to go, I was naturally inclined towards the 35th, which had taken with it to Elmira many acquaintances. and two valued friends, General Bradley Winslow and Captain George W. Flower. As to slavery and its relation to the struggle which was now be- gun, I had been little disturbed. It was a gangrene sure to die of its own accursed- ness. But the thought of a dismembered country, and what was especially exasper- ating, the insults at Sumter, settled for me (as it did for so many thousands) what I ought to do. I sold the cloth I had on hand to Norris Winslow at a low figure, paid my debts and started for the front. I took time to look over the field at Washing- ton, but did not join the 35th Regiment until it was encamped beyond the Potomac. Col. Lord offered me the position of 1st lieu- tenant. On presenting my detail for recruit- ing duty (duly made out by the Colonel), at the adjutant-general's office in Washington, I was in citizen's clothing, but there being a friend in the office who identified me as the man named in the detail. Col. Samuel Breck (just now retired from the army for age) duly authenticated my papers, and I proceeded at once to Watertown to recruit for the 35th. Probably I was the greenest 1st lieutenant in the world at that time, but I thought I knew what I was to do. At Albany I got my commission and an army uniform, and in its disguise approached my home on High street. My wife burst into tears when she saw my blue coat and shoulder straps, and throwing her apron over her head, refused to be comforted. "Why, my dear," said I, " I felt it my duty to do something in this emergency. If not now, when would you be willing to have me join the army?" Turning her tear-stained face towards Rutland Hill, she said : "I would be willing you should go when the Rebels come marching over that hill," and it was so with many others-they wanted the war kept as far from their own fireside as possible.
I was possessed of considerable energy but
not overbalanced with judgment, and soon found that my efforts to secure men for my regiment were to meet with more or less opposition from the few " copperhead " Democrats-though the local leaders of that party were almost, without exception. favorable to a vigorous prosecution of the war. James F. Starbuck, an able lawyer, and a life-long Democrat, took an active part in recruiting, while Governor Beach and Levi H. Brown gave liberally to aid the Union cause, as did also Governor Flower ; and Lysander H. Brown made patriotic speeches whenever asked to do so, in aid of recruiting. The opposition I was to encoun- ter was of a peculiarly mean character, as this incident will illustrate : When I had raised ahout 40 men and my son had drilled them a few days, I sent word to the U. S. mustering officer at Syracuse, to come on and muster them into the service-a duty not then relegated to any volunteer officer of low rank. When he came on, and hefore he had met me, he called at a store in the Arcade and was told that I had no commis- sion or military status, but was enlisting men upon my own authority. When he came to my office, in the Hayes block, he frankly told me what he had heard. I immediately produced my commission and the detail from the adjutant-general's office at Washington. His apologies were profuse, and he gave expression to pretty strong language in denouncing the man who had volunteered to post him up. He mustered the men, and they were immediately for- warded to the front.
I will relate another incident to show the characteristic " back fires" which were heing set by a few unpatriotic men in their efforts to suppress enlistments. I had en- listed a young man from Ellisburgh, but his family overpersuaded him, and he kept away when the detachment to which he belonged was ready to go to the front. I promptly arrested him ; but his counsel, an Ellisburgh lawyer. who has lately died, sued out a writ of habeas corpus, and a trial came on. Some one was found ready to swear that I had no authority to enlist men, and that this recruit was unlawfully held. The judge took a few days to adjust his thinking apparatus, in the meanwhile, instead of having the recruit locked up, committed him to the care of his counsel. When the judge at last decided that the enlistment was binding, and that the man must he given into my custody, the recruit had gone to Canada, and his counsel said he was "real sorry " at not being able to produce his client ! This was in the early days of the war, when the newspapers had not taken that higher patriotic ground which they afterwards attained, and neither of the Republican newspapers in Watertown made any allusion to this outrageous legal
73
THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
farce, but the Democratic organ thought it a good joke.
Here is another instance, but in this were involved higher and better men than those who aided in trying the habeas corpus dodge. I had enlisted a peaceable young Dutchman from the town of Pamelia, but his grandfather, a life-long Democrat and party pillar in the Dutch settlement where he lived, bitterly opposed all enlistments, and brought strong arguments to bear upon his grandson to induce him to run away. The young fellow, however, was not willing to go. At last his grandfather came to Watertown, and sought counsel, as had been his custom, of a leading and conspicuous Democrat. What was then advised I learned afterwards from the recruit himself. It was for the old man to send his grandson away to Canada. Yielding at last to his grandfather's importunities, the young fellow disappeared. The second day after that I resolved to follow up a clue which involved a similar case on the border of St. Lawrence county. and set off at dark with a horse and buggy. About midnight I had reached a point beyond King's tavern in the town of Hammond, where I overtook a fellow on foot, and asked him to ride, as I was lonesome and sleepy and desired com- pany. Would you believe it !- this was my young Dutch recruit. The recognition was mutual. He was glad to see me, for he was tired, and made confession that he was on his way to cross into Canada from Morris- town. Gradually I drew out all the facts in his case, which seriously implicated the Democrat hinted at above. But he was a personal friend and I did not take any steps to make him trouble ; but the language I used when I told him what I could prove, induced him to desist from further opposi- tion.
.
This continual flight to Canada by recruits who changed their minds after being en- listed, had gathered near the Canada border, but safe within that country, many of these " deserters." The most conspicuous camp was upon a large Canadian island quite near the American shore, near Clay- ton. Here they had adopted a code of signals which told those fleeing to their camp from the United States when it was safe to cross over, and when to keep off. Their frequent raids across the narrow channel of the river in pursuit of young pigs and chickens, and the threats they had unade against American citizens who op- posed their forays, at last attracted public attention, and I was appealed to, as an army officer, to break up the nest if possible. Remembering the attack made at Schlosser, on the Niagara river, under an English officer during the so-called " Patriot " war, where he had cut out an American steamboat and set her on fire over Niagara Falls ; and that the British government had approved of the act and knighted its officer for his bravery, I concluded that it would be
meritorious (and I still think so) to break up the nest of deserters who had so audaciously made their headquarters within speaking distance of our shore. I organized a small but resolute party and crossed the channel one night, broke up the nest, bringing away one man who had deserted from the 94th regiment, and quietly returned to Water- town. Some months after this I was called upon (when in the field) by the War Depart- ment for a statement of the facts in the case. This I forwarded, and in due time was dismissed from the volunteer service for " having crossed into the territory of a friendly power and made an arrest there." This dismissal was upon the demand of the British minister, though in a much more flagrant instance his government had ap- plauded its officer's act and promoted him. Possibly the matter would have a different turn it such an occurrence were now to transpire. At that time Mr. Seward greatly feared English influence against the Union cause, and as only one man would suffer by my dismissal, he complied with the British demand.
There were many other discouragements in that recruiting business. Notably when I was attacked by an Irish mob, while arresting a deserting Irishman, a worthless fellow, but defiant-in which I was struck by a stone on the head, causing a permanent thickening of a skull already thick enough. In this episode I was patriotically aided by Calvin Decker, Hon. Geo. A. Bagley and a Colonel Martin, son of the Martinburgh banker of that name, and by several other good friends, who kept back the attacking force until I was able to collect my senses and get my enlisted man behind the bars at the jail. In this connection I will also mention the threatened raid upon my home on High street during the New York draft riots, which would have met a peculiarly warm reception had it been made
As I look back upon these occurences, I am filled with wonder at the manner in which certain Democratic citizens opposed recruiting. They seemed possessed of a kind of madness, and under its influence forgot the needs of the country and their own duty as citizens. The name of Lincoln was like shaking a red rag before a mad bull. I remember that a quarrel was forced upon a party of soldiers who were armed and in uniform at the Woodruff House, where they were waiting for a delayed train. A blatant copperhead who chanced to be there sneeringly denounced them as "Abe Lincoln's hirelings," which wound up by his being shot to death -- a disaster he had brought upon himself by attempting to disarm one of the soldiers his libelous tounge had abused. A Democratic clothing merchant when the murdered body of the great and patient Lincoln was being taken through the North on its way to Springfield (after Lee had surrendered and the war was at an end), unfolding a morn-
74
THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.
ing newspaper in front of his store, one morning, made a remark peculiarly and disgustingly offensive.
Yes, in loyal and beautiful Watertown just such scenes occurred It was hard work to enlist .men under such discourage- ments. Yet I enlisted over 300 recruits for my regiment-some of whom were doomed to perish in the great struggle, leaving memories and names that are proudly cherished. Many of them returned, and some are yet alive, drawing, I hope, suitable pensions for their services.
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