USA > New York > Albany County > Cohoes > The history of Cohoes, New York, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 13
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" If displaying colors is a manifestation of patriotism the people of Cohoes are not wanting in devotion to our glorious union, for the national banner floats from every prominent building in the place, while nearly every man, woman and
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1861.
child wears the red white and blue rosette. On Saturday last a beautiful flag was raised over the mill of J. G. Root & Co., and impressive speeches were made by L. Sprague Parsons, J. W. Miller, C. II. Adams, S. II. Foster, and II. B. Silliman, Esqs., while Green's Cornet Band enlivened the occasion by playing a number of national airs. A large crowd was in attendance whose repeated cheers gave evi- dence of their heartfelt appreciation of the sentiments uttered by the speakers."
During the same week flags were raised on nearly every factory and store in the village, in many instances with similar exercises.
The first detachment of volunteers, consisting of 84 men under F. Temple, left here for Camp Willard, Troy, May 11th. Unfortunately the number of companies called for in the state had been offered and accepted before Capt. Temple could muster a full complement of men, and instead of going as a company from Cohoes, his men were forced to join companies already formed, or else stay at home. Many of them accordingly enlisted in the differ- ent companies stationed at Camp Willard, and went with Col. Carr's regiment from Troy. About 45 men went from Cohoes, who enlisted in Waterford in Co. A., Capt. J. L. Yates, which was assigned to the 22d regiment, and 25 more went with the 5th regiment, Gen. Sickles's brigade. A large number of men were enrolled in other ont of town companies during the year. In August recruits were enlisted for the U. S. Vanguard Reg't, organizedin New York, and for the Cameron Light Infantry, Capt. P. R. Chadwick, formerly of the 7th Reg't, of New York, being agent for the latter. Recruiting offices were also opened in September by Egbert J. Wilkins and Peter Manton, and in October by Lieut. Frank Keating, each of which did a large business. A number of men who had enlisted in the 4th Heavy Artillery, Col. Doubleday, left Cohoes in the latter part of January, 1862.
On May 10th, the Ladies Aid Society effected a perma-
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1862.
nent organization. Much useful work had been done during the preceding year by many ladies who belonged to it, in connection with the Ladies Central Association for the Relief of the Army, the headquarters of which were in New York. During the year regular meetings were held for the purpose of making articles needed by the soldiers, and contributions from private parties or business firms were packed and sent to their destination.
Recruiting continued during the summer. In July, an office was opened by Wm. Shannon, who enrolled some sixty men.' A number of Cohoes men also enlisted in Co. H. of the 115th Reg't, then being organized in Crescent by Capt. Smith - which drew forth the following com- ment from the Cataract: "While we have none but the best wishes for Capt. Smith's success, we regret that Albany county loses so many from its quota. It seems un- fortunate for Cohoes that her volunteers are scattered among so many foreign companies, when if they had eu- listed together they might have numbered a half regiment." Even at this early stage of the war it was seen that it would be very difficult to obtain accurately the number of soldiers which Cohoes had furnished. Frequent requests were made in the editorial columns to friends of men who had enlisted to hand in their names for publication, and in August a notice was published urging the preparation of a complete list of soldiers and sailors, and requesting that names be left with Postmaster Chesebro. The call of Secretary Stanton for 300,000 men was issued August 4, and steps were immedi- ately taken to fill the quota of the town, so that a draft might not be necessary. A recruiting office was opened by S. V. Trull, and some 80 men were enrolled, who joined
1 Most of the men enrolled by Capt. Shannon joined the 113th N. Y. Vols., which was afterwards known as the 7th N. Y. V. Artillery, to which they are credited in the list at the close of this chapter.
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1862.
the 30th Reg't ;' by the efforts of Wm. Conliss, some 12 more enlisted in the Corcoran Legion, and a number of other recruits joined different companies.
The militia enrollment of Cohoes, for which the draft was to be taken, was as follows :
Total number enrolled, 768
Affidavits of persons whose names were enrolled :
Active firemen, 63
Exempt,
5
All other claims for exemption, 15 83
685
On Aug. 21st, the board of supervisors voted to con- tinue the county bounty to every man who enlisted until the quota of the county was made up.
An enthusiastic war meeting was held at the Cohoes Hotel during the same week of which Wm. Leckie was president and Michael Monahon, secretary. Addresses were made by Prof. Baerman of Troy, Wm. M. White of Canaseraga, and L. S. Parsons of Cohoes. Among the reso- lutions passed was the following :
" Resolved, That we recommend to the committee (at Albany) to offer an additional bounty of $20 to each man who shall be enlisted in any company and accepted, and that for that object we pledge our liberal contributions."
A town meeting was held Sept. 6, at which it was voted to raise by tax 860,000 to enable the payment of a town bounty of $100 to every man enlisting until the quota was filled. Committees were appointed to make arrangements
1 This company joined the regiment at Sharpsburg, Md., Oct. 14th. In May, 1863, it was transferred to the 76th Regt. N. Y. Vols. Having made the campaigns of '63 and '64. the men were transferred to the 147th N. Y. Vols .. Feb. 1st, '65, the term of the 76th having expired. With this regiment they made the campaign of '65, ending in Lee's surrender. On June 5th, they were mustered into the 9th Reg't N. Y. Vet. Vols., with which they returned to Albany, July 6th. In the list of soldiers at the end of the chapter the men who enlisted nider Capt. Trull are all credited to the 10th Reg't, with which they were longest connected
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HISTORY OF COHOES. 1802.
for procuring the funds at once -that from Cohoes consisting of Egbert Egberts, Wm. G. Caw, L. S. Parsons and Win. Burton. Besides these bounties, extra inducements to volun- teers were offered by numerous private parties ; among whom may be mentioned T. G. Younglove, who agreed to pay John Stephens of Wm. Shannon's Company $10 per month for three years, and paid $10 each to the first ten recruits of Capt. Smith's company, and Alfred Wild, who furnished six men, two for Albany and four for Columbia Co. regi- ments. The result of these efforts was that the town of Watervliet was exempt from the draft which was made Nov. 10th, having furnished over 800 men since July 2, and paid a town bounty of over $35,000.
The local columns of the Cataract at this time contained · much interesting matter. Letters from soldiers and sailors, either to the editor, or published by permission of friends, were a prominent feature and continued to be so during the war.' Considerable space was also occupied with re- ports of relief committees, lists of subscriptions and other matters of the kind. Among the enterprises mentioned were two promenade concerts and festivals, held in Sep- tember by the ladies of the Aid Association, Miss E. Howe manager, which cleared $260 for the Soldiers' Relief Fund. Such efforts as these, however, were but a part of the work in which the ladies were engaged. Boxes of goods or pro- visions were being continually packed and sent to the Washington hospitals, the headquarters of committees in New York, or the soldiers in camp ; money was raised in large amounts for contribution to the U. S. Christian Com- mission and similar patriotic funds, and in fact every call on their benevoleuce and industry was liberally answered.
Material, for pleasant paragraphs was furnished when
I Among the contributors at different times were Messrs. Joseph and P. R. Chad- wick, Myron and James D. Van Benthuysen, L. H. Vermilyea, J. W. Himes. Almon E. Stone, Zalmon Van Ness and A. C. Musgrove.
ف رائعة
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1863.
popular officers were presented with swords by their friends, an event of quite frequent occurrence. Among those thus favored were Messrs. Hiram Clute, Silas Owen, Jas. O'Hare, Wm. Shannon, Frank Temple, A. T. Calkins and Malachi Weidman.
Another subject foritems was the scarcity of small change, which began to be felt here early in the summer and by fall had become a serious inconvenience. A number of business firms, among them Alden & Frink and H. Thompson & Son, issued shinplasters for fractional amounts redeemable at their establishments and at different localities in Troy and Albany. Smaller concerns issued pasteboard tickets, or tokens, and these, together with postage stamps, were made to answer the purpose of specie.
During the early part of 1863, few volunteers left Cohoes, the ordinary course of business was resumed, and aside from correspondence, war matters occupied a comparatively small space in the columns of the local paper. It was announced March 7th, that at a meeting of the supervisors it was found that there was a surplus of $18,000 remaining in the fund which had been raised for payment of extra bounties, and it was voted to appropriate this sum to the support of families of needy volunteers. The amount to which Cohoes was entitled under the allotment was $782.
The return of the regiments which had enlisted in 1861, was made the occasion of public demonstrations. The 2d Reg't of Troy, under command of Col. Carr, which had enlisted with 900 men, reached home May 16th with less than 300, having been engaged in fourteen battles. The Cohoes members received a hearty welcome from the citi- zens, which was described as follows :
"In anticipation of the arrival of the regiment our citizens determined to give the Cohoes boys such a reception as would prove to them that their gallant deeds in defence of their country were appreciated. Messrs. Wm. Burton, Peter Manton, H. B. Silliman, D. J. Johnston and the officers of
20
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1863.
the fire department acted as a committee of reception and in their arrangements spared no pains to give our brave soldiers a most cordial welcome ; while our citizens generally suspended business to give all an opportunity to join in the festivities. Early on Thursday morning Mohawk and Cataract engine companies, headed by the Cohoes Cornet Band and accompanied by large mimbers of our citizens marched to Troy to take part in the reception there and escort our heroes home. A special train was chartered on the Central Road and about four o'clock they left Troy, arriving at our station at half past four, where hundreds of friends had gathered to greet them. They were received amid the booming of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the most earnest manifestations of joy."
On June 5th the 22d Reg't, which had been organized May 14, 1861, under Col. Phelps, and left Albany 825 strong, re- turned with 500 men, having been engaged in ten battles. Company A, composed of men from Waterford and Cohoes, arrived in the former village in the afternoon and was hospitably entertained. In the evening the company was formally received by the people of Cohoes. The train was met at the depot by an immense concourse of citizens, and the fire department bearing torches. A procession was formed, that paraded through the principal streets, which were brilliantly illuminated. The exercises were concluded with an address of welcome, delivered by H. B. Silliman. The return of the 10th (or 177th) Reg't was spoken of as follows in the Cataract, Sept. 5th:
" The anticipated joy with which the return of the 10th Reg't was to be welcomed was sadly marred when they appeared on Tuesday, by their wretched condition. Worn out, decimated by battles and fevers, sick and dying, tot- tering feebly or borne by others to their homes, it was almost impossible to believe that the splendid regiment which left Albany nine months ago over 1,000 strong had indeed returned. Not over 250 men could be numbered who were in the enjoyment of even moderate health."
In the latter part of September announcement was made of a draft, the quota from Cohoes being given as 93, though the enrollment was made for 140 to make allowance for all
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1868.
who might be exempt. The Cataract made the following comment :
"Cohoes, like all other wide-awake towns, has its periods of local excitement, which she enjoys or disrelishes, accord- ing to their character, with the same zest or repugnance as other large towns or cities. The fact that the draft was to take place, and had actually commenced, threw many into consternation who had lulled themselves into a sort of un- easy security because it had been so long in coming; others took the matter philosophically and began to cast about for some expedient to relieve themselves from its worst con- sequences. Early last week an association was formed, pledged to pay $75 each for the relief of such of its mem- bers as should be drawn. This organization grew rapidly in numbers, and before the result was announced, had se- cured a membership of thirty-two. Of this number eleven were drawn. If from these the usual proportion are ex- empted the amount pledged will cover the commutations."
The drafted men, 138 in number, were as follows :1
John Trim, Alexander H. Frink, John Clute,
Silas Owen, Edward Nichols, John Cahill,
John Thompson,
John Webber, John Bisconner,
Thomas Dallas,
Joseph Chadwick,
John A. Lynch,
James Acheson,
Michael Higgins,
Charles Maguirk,
Alonzo Van Arnum,
Charles W. Orelup,
Joseph Parker,
G. Vandermark,
Ammond Winnie,
George TenEyck,
William F. Jones,
James L. N. Cranston, Sylvian Pattric,
Albert Ten Eyck,
William Claffey,
Robert Jackson,
William Walsh,
Lorenzo D. Sanborn,
Robert Cleachem,
Thomas Mahar,
James McMurray,
Patrick Fay,
John Maguire,
John S. Crane,
Louis Solon,
John Mitchell,
Patrick Gilligan,
Francis Leboeuf,
Thomas Scott, John Brian,
David Colegrove,
John McCoun,
Levi W. Lamb,
Charles Gregory,
Henry Hunt, George Brider,
John Condley,
William Fonda, V
Thomas Hogg,
Isaac Auringer,
Joseph Booth,
James Kemp,
William Sheridan,
1 Up to January 1st, 1864, the following disposition had been made of the drafted men :
Held to service. 40, of whom 1 procured substitute, and 4 paid $300. Discharged for disability, 16
Aliens, 13
Only sons, 10 Over age .. S
Other causes, 8
Jacob Bishop, Frank Lebard, Elias David, William Smith,
Peter Masta,
John Cassidy,
HISTORY OF COHOES. 1863.
156 Daniel Lanegan, Henry Bedford,
Edward Kenney Edward Bullock, Fred. Brigamuel,
Malachi Ball,
John Galvin,
James Miggins,
Samuel Lemerick,
John Purdy, Alvin Clark, Cilem Labe,
Peter D. Niver, Daniel Simpson,
Richard Wilcox,
Daniel McIntosh,
L. Underhill,
David Wheelwright,
Daniel Seiler,
James Lackey,
William Smead,
Edward Ryan,
James McGafferney,
Samuel Maguire,
Patrick Lacy,
Matthew Sinophy,
George Thomson,
William Williams,
Hugh Johnson,
Albert Carr,
William Keffa,
David H. VanAuken,
Francis Staats,
William Wild,
John Childs,
James Finigan,
Frank MeMarr,
Timothy Moore,
John Darmond,
Michael Carter,
Maurice Whitney,
Thomas Jackson,
Patrick Rabbett,
Alexander McElroy,
William Kinder,
Charles Sims,
Adolphus Juber,
Jolin Fulton,
George Hume,
James Traver,
Albert M. Brown,
Charles Webber,
George H. Wager,
W. Irving Blakely,
Michael McGuire,
Patrick Cane,
Robert Boler,
Charles Vail,
Joseph Stephens,
Thomas Griffenty,
Sidney Deitz,
Samuel Jackson,
William Conliss,
Thomas Nuttal,
Samuel Candly,
Edward Bumhower,
Patrick Scully,
Lawrence Fitzgerald,
William Mulcahy,
John Hude,
John Johnson,
Theophilus Fountain.
The reason of such a large draft being levied in Cohoes, was that no especial inducements were made to encourage volunteers, so that many men from here enlisted in Troy where large bounties were offered. In the latter place no draft was made, their quota being filled, with a hundred men to spare.
Another call was issued in October by the president for 300,000 men to be furnished before January Ist, 1864, and earnest efforts were made to enroll sufficient volunteers in the town to avoid the necessity of another draft. New re- cruiting agents were appointed by the committee at Albany, Malachi Weidman and John Doyle being among those in Cohoes, and additional inducements were offered. The bounty for veteran recruits was fixed at $552, and for new recruits at $377. In addition to this, the supervisors offered an extra bounty to volunteers of $300. A town meeting was held Dec. 10, recommending the raising by tax of a sufficient sum to enable the payment of the same allowance
1
Artemus Pennock, John Johnson,
John Robertson,
Kearan Agan,
George Grierson,
William Benedict,
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1864.
to those who had been drafted, as to those who might be drafted under the new call. A meeting was held in Cohoes a week later, of which W. F. Carter was president and D. H. Van Auken, secretary, to protest against such action as unjust, since in many cases the extra compensation would be unnecessary. The citizens were in favor, however, of granting such relief as might be needed by men drafted from this village, and, among others, passed the following resolution : " On motion of Win. G. Caw, seconded by S. A. Becker, the sum of ten thousand dollars (the amount recommended by the trustees for the relief of the drafted men of this village), be and the same is hereby ordered to be raised by tax upon the taxable property of this village." A committee of six was appointed to ascertain the number of enlisted men which should be credited to the village . quota, and see that their names were duly entered. The quota under the new call was 71, one-third of which had been secured by enlistments since the last draft.
In January, 1864, a call was made for 200,000 more men, the quota for Albany county being 993. The county bounty of $300 was continued, and the efforts to obtain recruits renewed with vigor ; and on March Ist it was an- nounced that the quota of the county was filled, with a surplus of several hundred.
In July 500,000 men were called for, to be furnished before Sept. Ist. Under this call the quota of Albany county after deducting the surplus above mentioned was 1,600. Messrs. Weidman & Doyle were reappointed recruiting agents in Cohoes, and the work commenced in earnest. The supervi- sors offered a bounty of $900, for volunteers for one year, and the sum of $100 to every person who should bring for- ward an accepted recruit. This proved a strong inducement, and the county escaped the draft, Cohoes having done her full share in contributing recruits. Eighty-six men left in the 21st Reg't, about ten in the 12th N. Y. Cavalry, and a number of others in different regiments.
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1865.
The continued successes of the Union army during the campaigns of the ensuing fall and winter, and the series of brilliant victories in the spring of 1865 which marked the overthrow of the rebellion, awoke general enthusiasm. The news of each triumph was received here, as elsewhere, with the greatest rejoicings. The demonstrations on the occa- sion of the capture of Richmond were thus described in the Troy Daily Times, April 3d.
" Yesterday's war news so completely surprised the peo- ple of Cohoes that they were unable to control themselves. In honor of the occasion the flags were raised from nearly every staff, and some of the mills hung flags from their roofs. Bells were rung and whistles blown for about half an hour. In the evening there was a grand demonstration by the citizens generally. They formed a procession headed by a band and paraded the principal streets, the band play- ing patriotic airs. Illuminations and bonfires in the evening. The operatives in some of the mills turned out to help honor the event. Richmond is ours !"
Similar demonstrations followed the announcement of Lee's surrender, April 7. Another public meeting was held, and appropriate speeches were made by H. B. Silliman and other citizens. The village was yet in the midst of these rejoicings, when like a thunderbolt came the news of the assassination of the president, which cast a gloom through- out the place. Private residences, stores and factories were draped in mourning, and on the day of Mr. Lincoln's funeral there was a general suspension of business, and ser- vices were held in the different churches. On April 25th, when the remains lay in state in the Capitol at Albany, they were visited by hundreds of our citizens.
The restoration of peace added unusual interest and sig- nificance to the celebration this year of the 4th of July, and in Cohoes the demonstration was unusually large. The following is a summary of the account of the exercises given in the Cataract :
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1865.
" The weather was all that could be desired, clear and pleasant. As no pains had been spared by the Hon. C. H. Adams, president of the day, and the committee of arrange- ments, the details of the celebration were perfect, and nothing occurred to mar the harmony of the occasion. The day was ushered in by the national salute and ringing of bells. At half past ten, the procession, under direction of the marshal, H. Brockway, Esq., and his assistants, Adj't Malachi Weidman, Capt. Thomas Calkins, Capt. F. Keating, Capt. Wm. Shannon, W. Mallery, Wm. Manning, Wm. Conliss, C. Houlihan, Jas. Acheson and Michael Monahon, commenced moving in the following order :
1. Co. I, 7th Heavy Artillery, N. Y. V.
This veteran company under command of Capt. Jas. O'Hare, made a fine appearance and commanded the plau- dits of the citizens along the entire line of march.
2. The Car of Liberty.
This contained the Goddess of Liberty, surrounded by her guardians, art, science, agriculture, etc., and thirty-six young ladies representing the states.
3. Fire Department.
4. Committee of Arrangements, Orator, Reader and Village Officials.
5. St. Bernard's Sunday School.
6. The Trades.
The exercises on the island were opened with prayer by Rev. A. J. Bingham. The Declaration was then read by P. D. Niver, and an oration delivered by Rev. A. T. Pierson, of Waterford."
Soon after the close of the war, a number of prominent citizens of Albany commenced making efforts to procure the erection in that city of a Hall of Military Record, in which should be preserved the names of all soldiers who had enlisted from this state, accounts of the services of individuals and regiments, and all documents, relics or mementoes in any way connected with the war. Circulars were addressed to the different supervisors, and contribu- tions solicited. The Cataract, in commenting on the enter- prise, said : "We trust and believe that this town, which occupies so prominent a place among those that contributed largely in men and in money to bringing the late struggle
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1865.
to a successful and glorious close, will not be behind in an undertaking, the design of which is to perpetuate in memory not only the noble deeds of her heroes, but also those of the entire state." The project, which was carried out, was in many particulars very successful. It was found im- possible, however, to obtain accurate records of the soldiers, and in spite of years of labor the lists of many places are to this day imperfect- Cohoes, unfortunately, being among the number. The census of the village in 1865, gave the number of soldiers residing here at the time of their enlist- ment as 514, but no complete record of their names and the regiments to which they belonged has been preserved. As before mentioned, Cohoes received no credit for much that she did towards the suppression of the rebellion ; many men, because no company was forming here, or for the sake of large bounties, went to other places - in some cases out of the state - to enlist, while others who were enrolled in Cohoes, are credited to Waterford, Albany or Troy, and very often under the general head of Watervliet.
The names given below have been obtained, for the greater part, from scattered notices in the columns of the Cataract; some in response to advertisements published in the city papers during the past autumn, and a number of others from miscellaneous sources. The list is very far from being com- plete, and it seems impossible at present to obtain one which shall be so. The preparation of a full and accurate record will demand a great deal of time, and careful research, and it is to be hoped that some one with leisure to devote to it, will undertake the labor:
Albion, James, Aug. 1863, Co. I, 7th Vol. Artillery.
Alston, Wm.,
also 2d Regt. N. Y. Vols. Ablett, James W.,
Augsburg, David. Sept. 1864, Co. K, 91st N. Y. Vols.
Adams, Daniel M., ..
Arthur, Win. Jr.,
C'o. H, 4th Heavy Artillery.
Arnold, Jonathan D., “ 66 6. Abbey, Chas. E.,
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