The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 18

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

USA > New York > Jefferson County > The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894 > Part 18

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The campaign called "Burnside's Mud March," took place long before good weather could be expected, and the fruitless Mine Run was the result. Then came Chancel- lorsville under Hooker. Then a long period of camp life, followed by Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania and the battle of Gettysburg. Here the 94th was in the 1st corps, Rickett's division, with General Panl commanding our brigade. He was wounded, and the command of that brigade devolved upon Colonel Root. It was the misfortune of the 1st and 11th corps to meet here on the first day nearly the combined rebel force. The 94th occupied ground adjoining the 11th corps, which was on their right. facing nearly north and about a mile outside of Gettysburg. The 11th corps gave way al- most bodily, as did the left of the 1st, leav- ing the troops near the 94th, which were in the woods, in advance of both wings, so that when they began also to give way, they found the roads so obstructed that escape for many was impossible. Abont one-half of the 94th was captured at this time, and corralled with about 5,000 other prisoners that night. They accepted parole on the

field, and were soon returned to their com- rades at the front.

During the following winter we were or- dered to guard Camp Parole at Annapolis. Stayed here till Grant's campaign of the next year was well under way, and joined the army at Cold Harbor. From thence to the close of the war were identified with the Army of the Potomac, and were in most of its battles. At Petersburg, on the 18th of June, 1864, it charged the fort, which was afterwards mined and blown up, caus- ing such destruction to Burnside's colored division. In this charge Comrade Levi Rel- yea was so badly wounded that he died -a record of his devotion to his country and sacrifice for it, is worthy a place in the his- tory of his county.

During the summer of 1864 the duties of the regiment were both arduous and dan- gerous. In constant exposure from the enemy. with many long marches and much building of earthworks, the tedious days were passed. In August occurred the affair at the Weldon Railroad, in which another large detachment of the regiment fell into the hands of the enemy ; most of them not returning until the close of the war, when Andersonville gave up its almost dead. Among these was William Loan, an honored name both in the army, and afterward as a citizen of Watertown.

Its battle record is nearly that of the Army of the Potomac. The last campaign, which was ended at Appomattox, closed the story of one of the best regiments in the service. Among a noble band of recruits, which joined the regiment just before the seeond Bull Run, was a young man from Buffalo, N. Y., about 20 years of age, named Henry H. Fish. He had joined the army actuated by patriotic motives, and from the first was anxious to know and do his duty. Of a prominent family, his influence enabled him soon to get a commission as 1st lieuten- ant, and then as captain, followed by that of major, which, by the absence of Colonel Moffett, a prisoner of war, made him com- mander of the regiment. His gallant dis- position was manifested in this last cam- paign, and when he might, without re- proach, have sought safety by being less conspicuous as a mark for the enemy by going into action dismounted, he insisted on leading his regiment on horseback. He was wounded early in the action, though not seriously. After a hasty visit to hos- pital, with bandaged head he again ap- peared, to encourage his men, and while cheering them on to the last final effort, he received his death wound. It is recorded upon an historical monument in Groton, Conn., of an uncle of Henry H. Fish's mother : "Left his plow standing in the furrow to take part in defense of Fort Gris- wold, near here, during the Revolution, and next day his remains were brought home on an ox cart." The body of Major Henry H. Fish was carried from the field of battle

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COL, ENOS. CAPT. MAC WAYNE.

COL. SHAW.

COL. DOLAN. GEO. VAN VLECK.

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GEORGE DRESSOR.

LT. MORGAN.

GEN. WINSLOW.

LT. GREENLEAF.

LT. SLOCUM.

THE WAR FOR THE UNION.

across the horse of his chaplain, Rev. P. G. Cook, of Buffalo. Who shall say that the blood of that patriot of '76, flowing through this lad in '65, was not again performing service for its country ? Major Fish's body has honored rest in the family lot at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo.

In the winter of 1864-65, many of the three-years men who had not enlisted were discharged; and when the victory was won and the regiment disbanded, so few from Jefferson county were left, that the return was only of a few individual members. Of a regiment whose rolls had contained, by consolidation and recruiting, nearly 3,000 names, it may be said that not a ripple of excitement was made by its absorption into the citizenship of its native county. Ex- cept among the few survivors. its name is scarcely heard, but is surely entitled to the few lines recorded here. To most of its membership the hope that they did not march, fight or die in vain, is all the reward they desire.

The names of many brave men must necessarily be omitted from a record like this. When the final roll is called, the names of Moffett, and Hulbert, and Leonard, and French, and Chester ; of White, Par- sons, Demarse, Chaplain Cook, Drs. Cham- berlain and Derby-and hundreds more will not fail to receive the " Well Done " which is the reward of those who perform their duty and their whole duty.

Major D. W. C. Tomlinson, lately de- ceased, was a special favorite in the 94th. He was a man who could never have ex- celled as a tactician or in the formation of an army- hut as a " good plain fighter " he had no superior. His true place would have been in the quartermaster's department, for his early knowledge of the means of trans- portation, often demanding the best skill of an army officer, would have enabled him to get out of the teamsters all that was in them. Every soldier knows the importance of the wagon train of an army, but it is a curious fact that the teams were usually an hour or two behind the infantry regiments at the end of a day's march, and the tents could not be erected until the wagons caught up.

In closing the record of this gallant regi- ment it should not be forgotten that its early organization and care at Madison Bar- racks were constantly looked after by Col. Walter B. Camp, who was directed by Gov. Morgan to perform that duty - and he dis- charged it in a manner that met the ap- proval not only of the Governor, but of all the men. who were well fed, well housed, and well protected. This much is due to Col. Camp. as part of the history of those times so full of excitement, and which have passed into history, to be looked upon in the future as we older ones regarded Lex- ington, and Bunker Hill, and Yorktown, or as the Revolutionary heroes looked back even to Thermopyla.

OFFICERS OF THE 94TH.

Viele, Henry K., col. Root, Adraiu R., col. Littlefield, C., lieut .- col. Kress, John A., lieut .- col. Moffatt, S. A., lieut .- col. Hanford, Wm. R., maj. Tomlinson, D. C., maj. McMahon, John, maj. Fish, H. P. (killed lo ac- tion), maj.

Parson, Byron, maj. Ernst, J. F., Jr., adjt. Scoville, Chas. E., adjt. Hulbert, Chas. E., adjt. Spragne, Chas. H., adjt. De Wolf. D. O., qr. mr. Shedd, Jerome I., qr. mr. Reed, J. S., qr. mr. Goodale, Charles, surg. Smith, A. H., surg. Avery, George W., surg. Chamberlain, D. C., surg. Seymour, E. G., asst .- surg. Brown. J. T., asst .- surg. Reynolds, J. D., asst .- surg. Derby, E. G., asst. surg. Fuller, W. S., asst .- surg. Reynolds, Porter L. F., asst. - surg. Nichols, Wm. A., chap. Cook, Philos G .. chap. Beebe, Isaac M , capt. White, Horace G., capt. Mason, Orlo J., capt. Snell, Lansing, capt. Gates, Jacob S., capt. Lyttle, Lafayette F., capt. Chester, Walter T., capt. Emerson, James, capt. Searle, B. D., capt. Sears, Dexter C., capt. Comee, Chris. C., capt. Colton, H. S., capt. Hawkins, Oscar F., capt. Kilborn, C. W., capt. Place, Samuel, Jr., capt. Joy, Royal N., capt. Crawford, A. McL., capt. Mesler, Charles V., capt. Bibbins, Harrison, capt. Nichols, Duane M., capt. Dayton, Ed. A., capt. Horr, Austin, capt. Lacy, John, capt. Doolittle, Isaac, capt.

French G. (killed in ac- tion), capt. Leonard, Michael, capt. Briggs, I. E., capt. Carpenter, Levi, capt. Whiteside, Joho C., capt. Mallison, Joseph, capt. Nutting, Abel M., capt Tyler, Wallace W., capt. Rodgers, Chas. F., capt. Parker, Edward C., capt. Cooley, A. E., capt.

Field, Augustus, capt. Moore, Abraham, capt. Benham, Willis, capt. Currie, James, ist lieut. Thomas, Jas. P., 1st lieut :. Johnson, A. A., Ist lieut. Phillips, Jas. O., Ist lieut. Philes, H. H., 1st lieut. Moore, John D., 1st lieut. Colton, H. S., 1st lieut. Hatch, Junius H., 1st lieut. Strong, Hayden, 1st lieut. Timmerman, C., 1st lieut. Mather, George, Ist lient. Osham, Geo. H., 1st lieut. Swan, Henry, Ist lieut. De Marse, S .. 1st lieut. Mayhew, E. V., Ist lient. Cole, John B., ist lieut. McComber, G., 1st lieut. Whiteside, B , ist lieut. Holley, Jas. D., 1st lieut. Mansfield, J. M., 1st lieut. Coltier, Robert, Ist lieut. Massey, F. J., Ist lieut. Merriam, R. B., 1st lieut. Woodward, W. J. M. (died of wounds), 1st lt. Wodell, Isaac P .. Ist lieut. De Graff, John, Ist lieut. Crawford, P. (killed m ac- tion), Ist lieut.

Hendricks, Jas., 1st lieut. Ludlow, M. H., Ist lieut. Knowles, Wm., Ist lieut. Brainard, O. H., 2d lieut. De Forest, C. L , 2d lieut. Rundell, C. R., 2d lient. Cook, Horace S., 2d lieut. Ford, Wayland, 2d lieut. ; Locklin, A. W., 2d lieut. Burns, E. M., 2d lieut. Washburne, Levi, 2d lient. Swan, Henry, 2d lieut. Roseboom, H., 2d lieut. Smith, Warren S., 2d lieut. Burrows, Thos., 2d lieut. Merrill, E. M., 2d lieut. Smith, Frank, 2d lieut. Shuttis, S. G., 2d lieut. Ryan, P. R., 2d lieut. Sloat, Chas. W., 2d lient. Young. Richard, 2d lient. Ludlow, M. H., 2d lieut. Mercer, D. D., 2d lient. Flattery, John, 2d lieut. Quildthrite. W. W., 2d lt. Williams. W. H., 2d lieut. Crane. W. E., 2d lieut. Hay, Alexander, 2d lient. Patterson, A., 2d lieut. Smith, John R., 2d lieut. Wilder, G. D , 2d lieut. Brewer, Allen, 2d lient. Hafie, Jonas, 2d lient. Whalon, Daniel, 2d lieut. Longmire, G , 2d lieut.

SOME SOLDIER BIOGRAPHIES.

The likenessess which appear on the pre- ceding pages are fair representations of the type of volunteer citizen soldiers who com- prised the famous 35th Regiment. These illustrations are here mnade use of as being a fair group of those veterans who have added to their military honors by success in civil life after passing into the history of the War of the Great Rebellion with a record as brave private soldiers or as distinguished officers. Several of these men were severely wounded-notably George F. Dressor, who lost a leg at Fredericksburg, and General Bradley Winslow, who was shot through

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

the body while gallantly leading his men at the successful assault on Fort Mahone be- fore Petersburg.

GENERAL BRADLEY WINSLOW.

The subject of this sketch comes from good New England stock, who were promi- nent pioneers in settling Northern New York. He is a direct descendant in the seventh generation of Knelm Winslow, a brother of Edward Winslow of Mayflower fame. Bradley Winslow was born August 1, 1831, at the home of his father, the late Hon. John Winslow, on the Winslow home- stead, 24 miles from the city of Watertown. He was educated in the common schools near his home, until, in his 16th year, he went to Cazenovia Seminary. Ilere he enjoyed the advantages of an excellent faculty, and made good progress in all his studies. In the winter of 1850-51 he at- tended school at Falley Seminary, in the village of Fulton, Oswego county. In 1852 he entered as a student at Wyoming Semi- nary at Kingston, Pa., where he spent a year. This covered his school life, and he laid the foundation of an excellent educa- tion, and was famous in his accomplish- ments as a forcible and polished writer and effective orator. He began the study of law in the office of Hon. James F. Starbuck, in the fall of 1853, at the age of 22. Here he continued till the fall of 1854, when he en- tered the Poughkeepsie Law School, where he remained until the following spring. He was admitted to practice in all the courts in the State in 1855. He remained with Mr. Starbuck until Jan. 1, 1856. Mr. Winslow was married Nov. 15, 1855, to Miss Geraldine M. Cooper, daughter of John C. Cooper, of Adams. One son and two daughters were the offspring of this union. The son, John Cooper Winslow, graduated from Dart- mouth College, and after a promising career in the law, died of consumption in Pas- adena, California, in 1890, whither he had removed on account of failing health. January 1, 1856, Mr. Winslow opened a law office in Watertown. In the same year he associated with L. J. Bigelow in law prac- tice under the firm name of Winslow & Bigelow. In the fall of 1859 he was elected district attorney, and entered on its duties January 1. 1860. He at once came to the front as an able official, and proved his eminent fitness for his high position by several importaut cases which were de- fended by the first talent of the bar - notably the Sprague trial. The opening of the ever-memorable Civil War in 1861, found Mr. Winslow a first lieutenant of the Black River Corps, a military organization of the village of Watertown. Shortly after the news came of the firing upon Fort Sumter, Mr. Winslow met John A. Had- dock in the Paddock Arcade, who, with some asperity of tone, asked " what the Black River Corps intended to do in the

emergency? " and remarked that the organi- zation was in the way of other people's go- ing to help the government. Young Wins- low keenly felt the sting which this ques- tion carried with it, and the full responsi- bility of the situation burst upon him. He at once sought Captain Potter, who was in command of the Corps, who, after much earnest persuasion, consented to calling a meeting to see if the organization was will- ing to offer its services for the war. The result was that a company was organized, made up largely of the Corps; Captain Pot- ter was made captain and Mr. Winslow first lieutenant. The company proceeded to Elmira, one of the depots for assembling troops, where a regiment was organized, mostly of Jefferson county troops. Wil- liam C. Browne became colonel of the 35th N. Y. Volunteers, and Captain Potter lieu- . tenant colonel. On the promotion of Cap- tain Potter, Lieutenant Winslow was com- missioned captain. In July the regiment passed through Baltimore on its way to the capital at Washington. Only a few days before, Massachusetts troops had been cowardly shot down in the streets of Balti- more, while on their way to Washington, and great excitement prevailed when the splendidly-equipped and gallantly-marching 35th regiment passed through that disloyal and decidedly pugnacious city. The first file of Co. A on that day was composed of D. M. Evans, W. W. Enos, A. D. Shaw and Milton Converse. On the resignation of Lieut. Col. Potter, in August, 1861, Captain Winslow was promoted to the vacancy. Col. Winslow was a daring, energetic and brave officer, and kept the rebels on the alert in front of his command. He partici- pated in all the marches of the regiment to relieve General Banks at Cedar Mountain, and his command effectively covered the retreat. During these experiences he con- tracted typhoid fever, and his health became so impaired that he was forced to resign, in December. 1862, receiving an honorable dis- charge. Rest and care brought back good health, and when the call for 500,000 men was issued in 1864, he helped raise the 168th regiment N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, and in September of that year was commissioned and mustered into service again as its colonel. The regiment, soon after its organization, joined the army of General Meade, then making its last great campaign against the rebel army under Gen. Lee, and was assigned to the second brigade, second division, ninth corps. During the re- mainder of the campaign the regiment was actively engaged in the trenches or in picket duty in the lines before Petersburg ; took part in the affair of the 31st of October, in the attempt to force the Weldon railroad. On the morning of the 2d of April, Col. Winslow's regiment led the attack upon the fortification known as Fort Mahone, in front of Petersburg, and by a gallant charge captured the work. In an attempt to get

THE WAR FOR THE UNION.

possession of still another fortification to the left, and in the same line with the one already taken, Colonel Winslow fell, shot through the body - a minnie ball entering between the lower ribs on the right side, and coming out to the left of and near the spine. The following letter will speak for itself, from the commander of the second division. It imperishably fixes General Winslow's name on the great records of the war. It was an unsought and unsolicited tribute to as brave an officer as ever faced a foe on any battlefield of history.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND DIVISION, NINTH ARMY CORPS, ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 13, 1865.

My dear Colonel :- It is with sincere pleas- ure I inform you that I have recommended your promotion to the rank of Brigadier- General by brevet, for bravery and gallant conduct on the field at the assault on the enemy's lines in front of Petersburg, April 2, 1865. . . I am very happy, Colonel, to make this acknowledgment of your meritorious services as commander of your regiment, and of the gallant and judicious manner in which you handled you regiment in my presence, during the engagement of the 2d of April; an engagement that will be forever memorable in our nation's history.

With sincere esteem, I have the honor to be, yours, etc.,

S. G. GRIFFIN, Brigadier-General Commanding.

Col. Bradley Winslow, 186th N. Y. Volunteers, Water- town, N. Y.

His wound compelled his retirement from the army, and he returned to his home, where he slowly recovered from his almost fatal injury. Unsought by him, he was appointed a lieutenant in the regular army, in the 22d regiment of U. S. Infantry. This rare appointment he declined, preferring civil to military life in time of peace. In 1868. Gov. R. E. Fenton commissioned bim Brigadier-General in the National Guard, and appointed him to the command of the 16th Brigade-a position he admirably filled. He was elected district attorney for the second time in 1865, and served the term of three years with distinguished ability. As a lawyer, General Winslow has won a high position at the bar of Jefferson county. He was admitted to practice in the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New York, December 10, 1869. In politics General Winslow is a Republican. In 1856, in his early manhood, he espoused the cause of that party, and has ever since been a stalwart supporter of its principles. He has long since been a favorite campaign speaker over a wide range of this State. In December, 1875 he was elected mayor of the city of Watertown, which office he filled to the general satisfaction of all the people. He was elected State Senator in 1879, and served two years, winning the confidence

of his colleagues, and the high esteem of all, for his integrity, dignity and usefulness as a legislator.

General Winslow has always been con- spicuous for his high ideals of public duty. No man ever questioned his business integ- rity, his perfect uprightness in every trust committed to his hands by his clients, and his unfailing loyalty in his profession. As a soldier and in his professional life, he has won enduring fame in the circle of his life- work.

¡ALBERT DUANE SHAW.

The limits of local history, not wholly bio- graphical, will not permit so complete a sketch of the life and achievements of Col. Albert Duane Shaw, as a man and citizen would justify. His career has been so closely identified with current events for the last thirty years in this section of our State, that its history would be incomplete without copious mention of the honorable and distinguished part he has borne in that respect.

He comes from patriotic stock; his great- grandfather, on his mother's side, was a major in the Revolutionary War, and his grandfather, on his father's side, although he was but a lad, also saw service under Washington. His mother, Sally Ann Gard- ner, was the daughter of Mr. Samuel Gard- ner, and his father was Henry Shaw, son of Thomas Shaw, descendent of the Shaws of New Jersey. Albert Duane was born in the town of Lyme, Jefferson county, N. Y., De- cember 27, 1841, and was educated in the common schools, at Belleville Union Acad- emy, and at St. Lawrence University, at Canton, N. Y.

The son of a farmer, and in youth himself a toiler on the farm, produced in him ready sympathy with the efforts of the farming class for improvement and the advancement of agriculture. His active interest in this behalf has won for him the highest esteem of the farmers. When farmers gather in the interest of their calling, on public occa- sions, the eloquent and instructive speech of Col. Shaw, always demanded, is an inspira- tion, and makes the future brighter and more hopeful to all who experience the charm of his eloquence.

In youth, in his eighteenth year, the slave- holders' rebellion, formidable in dimensions. its promoters maddened by the poison of chattel slavery, threatened the destruction of both liberty and the Union. This his patriotic soul would not brook, and so, with no thought of gain or fame. but of sacrifice for his imperiled country, in June, 1861, he enlisted at Watertown asa volunteer soldier to serve in Co. " A," 35th regiment of New York volunteers, being' the first volunteer from the town of Cape Vincent. With his regiment at Elmira. N. Y., he was mustered into the service of the United States in July, 1861, to serve two years. His career as a

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

soldier is a part of that of the noble 35th, elsewhere chronicled in this history. Dur- ing the term of service of his regiment he was never for a day absent from the ranks of his company (except for a couple of months in the winter of 1862, when on de- tail in recruiting service, while his regiment was in winter quarters at Taylor's Tavern, Va.), and he never failed while on a march, to be present with his comrades when they stacked arms, except on two occasions, when, owing to the severity of the march, only two were present, himself and another, and so they reversed arms and stuck their bayonets into the ground.

In 1863 he was appointed special agent of the provost marshal's office in Watertown, under Capt. Fred Emerson, and was dis- charged at the close of the war, in 1865, re- ceiving the warm thanks of the command- ing officer for his "able and faithful performance of every duty." In 1866 he was elected member of Assembly from the Second district of Jefferson county, and served one year with credit to himself and the district. During his brief legislative career, the writer well remembers a notable speech upon the tariff question, made by Col. Shaw, which was an earnest promise of his subsequent fame as an orator.

In 1868 he was appointed U. S. consul at Toronto, Canada, and his consular service at that point was made conspicuous by his consular reports, which Hamilton Fish, Sec- retary of State, declared were " the very best of any consular officer in the service."

In 1878 he was appointed to the important consulate at Manchester, England. Just before his departure for England, the citi- zens of Toronto tendered him a public dinner at the Queen's Hotel. The Prime Minister of the Dominion, the Honorable Alexander Mackenzie, sent a laudatory letter from Ot- tawa, complimenting him for his ability and impartiality in the discharge of his official duties. Hon. Oliver Mowat, Premier of On- tario, was present, as was the Hon. George Brown and Mayor Morrison, who presided, and many other leading citizens of Canada, and of the United States. An address was presented to Col. Shaw, couched in warm terms of approval, for his services as an offi- cial, and his good qualities as a man.

In 1885, owing to a change of administra- tion at Washington, he was superseded by an appointee of President Cleveland. Upon his retirement from Manchester, a public meeting was held in the town hall of that city, at which the citizens presented him with a silver casket and an illuminated ad- dress, both of great intrinsic value and beauty. The speeches on that occasion were freighted with good words, and some eigh- teen hundred of the leading citizens were present.

In 1880 he was elected a member of the famous Manchester Arts Club, and from time to time delivered addresses before it. This Club represents the highest type of

English art and literature. To be elected a member of it is an honor awarded to but few foreigners, and Englishmen only of social distinction and culture are admitted.

At the Saint Andrew's Society dinner in Manchester in 1882, he presided in the ab- sence of the Earl of Aberdeen, the first time an American ever took the chair at a dinner of that society. The Colonel made two speeches, which were highly complimented. Soon after the death of General Philip Sheri- dan, a memorial meeting was held in Lon- don, England, in his honor, by members of the United States army, past and present, temporarily sojourning in England. Colo- nel Shaw made the principal address, and it was eminently worthy of the occasion and of the memory of the distinguished soldier in whose honor the memorial meeting was held.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 18

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098