History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 68

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158

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The ammunition of the company was com- pletely exhausted by the above volley, and it, with the rest of the regiment, marched down Penn Square to the Mansion House, where a fresh supply was received. The regiment was then marched back to the Reading depot, where it was quartered until next day without anything to eat. Here the regiment did guard duty and

protected the depot and property of the railroad company. This was a hazardous undertaking, as the place was surrounded by a turbulent and riotous mob, which tried in every way to swerve the soldiers from their duty and enlist their sym- pathy. The mob succeeded in their efforts with a portion of four companies of the 16th regiment who were united with the 4th for this duty, to such an extent that they handed their ammuni- tion over to the rioters and gave the men of the 4th to understand that if they attacked the riot- ers these members of the 16th regiment would join with the rioters in resisting the attack. This added to the gravity of the situation. The regi- ment had been materially reduced by sending home the wounded, and by stragglers and de- serters, but with its inadequate force in the face of angry thousands and treachery on the part of those who should have aided and assisted them in maintaining law and order, the officers and men of the 4th, without exception, remained faithful to duty. What would have been the result if an attack had been made no one can tell. Fortunately there was no attack, and about II o'clock on Tuesday morning the welcome or- ders were received to vacate the depot and move to Temple, about five miles east of Reading. No time was lost getting on board cars and pro- ceeding to Temple. Arriving there orders were received to continue on to Allentown. Upon ar- riving at Emaus, six miles west of Allentown, the engineer of the train refused to proceed any further, saying that a large mob was gathered at the East Penn Junction, of which he was afraid, and pulled the fires of his engine.

The regiment thereupon disembarked and pro- ceeded to march overland to Allentown, arriv- ing there about 10: 30 p. m., and just in time to quell an incipient riot on Centre Square, where a threatening crowd had gathered and was evi- dently only waiting for a signal or excuse to begin trouble. However, when the solid ranks of glistening bayonets appeared coming up South Seventh street, the crowd melted away more sud- denly and far more silently than it had appeared. The various companies were quartered in town over night, and next day pitched camp on the old fair grounds, where they remained for six days and were the magnet of attraction for all the surrounding country. The regiment was then sent to Harrisburg, where it guarded the State Arsenal for eleven days and at the expiration of this period was sent home, which ended the first and famous campaign of twenty-one days. While guarding the arsenal, an important and lasting change was made for Co. B. New uni- forms, the regulation United States army uni- form, were issued to all companies for which

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

each man was charged $5.50, which was deduct- ed from his pay, and the Allen Continentals bade a sad farewell to their distinguishing and unique Revolutionary garb.

On June 12, 1878, an Act of Assembly again reorganizing the National Guard and making many changes and improvements in the service was approved. By it the former divisions were consolidated into one, with only one officer rank- ing as major-general. The brigades were not to exceed five and the number of infantry com- panies were limited to 150, with five additional companies of cavalry and five batteries of ar- tillery. This was declared to be the peace foot- ing of the Guard, with power on the part of the commander-in-chief to increase this allot- ment in case of war. Under this law the Guard was divided into five brigades and the 4th regi- ment, together with the 6th, 8th, 11th, the Washington troop and Griffin Battery (now known as Battery C), formed the Second Brig- ade, commanded by Brig .- Gen. Frank Reeder. Col. T. H. Good still continued in command of the regiment, which was composed of Cos. B and D of Allentown; E, of Hamburg; F, of Easton ; H, of Slatington; I, of Catasauqua, and K, of Portland.

In 1881, the brigades were reduced to three and the 4th, 8th, 9th, 12th, and 13th regiments formed the Third Brigade, commanded by Brig .- Gen. J. K. Siegfried. As thy became inefficient the Easton, Portland, Catasauqua, and Slating- ton companies were disbanded and their places taken by A, of Reading; C, of Columbia; F, of Pottsville ; G, of Pine Grove, and H, of Lebanon, which, with B, and D, of Allentown, and E, of Hamburg, now compose the 4th Regiment.

Co. B attended all the regular encampments, beginning in 1876, and invariably turned out with full strength of officers and men, and, upon all drills and parades in camp, it regularly ex- ceeded the average in the number of men turned out, and was frequently conimended by the regimental officers for this reason. The com- pany also participated in the following extra tours and ceremonies, viz. :

The reception to Gen. U. S. Grant, at Phila- delphia, Dec. 16, 1879; Constitutional Centen- nial parade, at Philadelphia, Sept. 16, 1887; Cen- tennial of Washington's inauguration parade, at New York, April 30, 1889; the inauguration parades, at Washington, of President Garfield, 1881; President Cleveland, 1885; President Harrison, 1889, and President Cleveland, 1893; the inauguration parades at Harrisburg, of Gov- ernors Hartranft, 1875; Hoyt, 1879, and Beav- er, 1887; and the parade in honor of the dedi-

cation of the 9th regiment armory at Wilkes- Barre, in April, 1886.

On Oct. 29, 1885, Captain S. D. Lehr was elected colonel of the regiment, Col. T. H. Good declining to be a candidate. Capt. Lehr had served continuously as captain of the company for over sixteen years, with the exception of a brief interval. On Dec. 2, 1875, he had been elected major of the regiment and been commis- sioned.

The company had made attempts to elect his successor without success. In order to avoid a bad feeling and possible detriment to the com- pany, a unanimous call was extended to Major Lehr to accept a re-election as captain, and the committee selected to deliver this call, was made up of the several aspirants for the captaincy. Coming as it did, the major found it irresistible and resigning his office of major he was unani- mously re-elected captain on June 6, 1876, and served as such until his election as colonei. First Lieut. George B. Roth was elected captain on Nov. 23, 1885, to fill the vacancy caused by the promotion of Capt. Lehr, and served his full term until Dec. 29, 1890, when, upon his de- clining to be a candidate, James L. Schaadt, Esq., was elected captain. Capt. Schaadt had been a member of the company from 1884 until June 17, 1889, when he was appointed regimental quartermaster on the staff of Col. Lehr, and served in that capacity until the expiration of the colonel's commission in October, 1890, when he re-enlisted as a private in Co. B, and on Decem- ber 29, 1890, was elected captain of the com- pany. He served a full term and brought the company up to a high standard of efficiency in every respect, and was a popular and, at the same time, proficient officer. In spite of the urgent requests to accept a re-election, he de- clined to be a candidate, on the ground that the demands of business prevented his giving suffi- cient time to the duties of captain.

On January 20, 1896, First Lieutenant James A. Medlar was elected captain. Capt. Medlar was one of the charter members of the Slatington Rifles, Co. H, when that company was mustered into service in 1874, and remained with it until 1879, when, upon removing to Allentown, he enlisted at once with Co. B, as private and rose step by step in that organization to his position as its commander. He was a faithful and cap- able officer and popular with the men, and with the aid of his two lieutenants, Chas. B. Rhoads and Orlando Miller, not only maintained the high standard of efficiency attained by Capt. Schaadt, but moved it upward, the company hav- ing received the unusual rank of "very superior"

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WAR PERIODS.

upon every point at the spring inspection of 1900, which placed it as the second highest company in the entire state.

On the morning of July 10, 1892, the com- pany received orders to move at once to Home- stead, to assist in quelling the riot at the Car- negie Mills. By noon, the time for the leaving of the train, every officer and man had reported for duty, and left with the command. The sudden summons, the rush of preparation, the excitement and crowd attending the departure, the tearful good-byes of wives and sweethearts, the long ride, the uncertainty of destination and of what might occur before it would be reached, the arrival at Swissvale, and going into camp, the two nights bivouac on the bare ground, the second of which was made unpleasant by a pour- ing rain, against which the boys had no protec- tion except the improvised shelter tent formed by stretching rubber blankets, all too small, over brush-wood and crawling under,-sleeping in a system of rivulets beneath a leaky roof, the three days without food other than adamantine hard tack and black coffee-all of these, and many more, are the incidents which will not soon be forgotten.

The officers and men, with the usual spirit of the company, bore all these and more, without complaint, and probably rather enjoyed the ex- perience of being tired, wet, and hungry as a novel and necessary accompaniment of a sol- dier's life. The company with its regiment, and the 10th and 14th and Battery C, formed a pro- visional brigade under command of Col. Haw- kins, and remained on the hillside at Swissvale, directly opposite to Homestead during the en- tire tour of duty, excepting when sent across the Monongahela river to do guard duty at the Car- negie Works and City Farm Lane. The camp of the 4th was distinguished from that of all the other regiments by being the only one laid out in ac- cordance with the regulations of the new tactics. Much hard and disagreeable work had to be done and Col. Case improved the opportunity by holding drills. The work was all willingly and uncomplainingly done and much valuable ex- perience was gained by officers and men. On July 28th, the company was relieved from duty and with the regiment started for home, arriving at Allentown next morning, bronzed, bearded, and weather-beaten and looking like veterans, but happy, healthy, and in excellent shape gen- erally to settle down to their customary civil duties as private citizens.

About 1880, the company left its quarters at the corner of Seventh and Linden streets and rented the third floor of Nos. 42 and 44 North Seventh street, which gave it a largely increased

floor space for drilling purposes. The rear por- tion of the second floor was comfortably fitted up for a company and meeting room. Here the company remained until January, 1894, when jointly with company D, it rented a portion of the new Central Market building, at the north- east corner of Sixth and Court streets, which it still occupies. Here each company has a com- modious and beautifully furnished company room for reading and meeting purposes, convenient and ample store-rooms for accoutrements and equipments, and one of the largest halls in the state for drill purposes. The clear floor space" of the drill hall is 155 by 68 feet, is upon the second story with large windows along each side, lighted by gas and electricity, with adjoining cloak rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, etc.

In rifle practice, Co. B has always taken a leading place. In 1884 the first attempt at target practice was held and seven men were qualified as marksmen. In 1885 the number was increased to ten. In 1886 none were re- ported as qualified. In the spring of 1887, Col. Lehr appointed Private Morris Hoats, of Co. B, inspector of rifle practice on his staff. The members of the company gave the inspector en- thusiastic support in his efforts to stimulate in- terest in the matter of rifle practice. A good 500-yard range was secured at Schreiber's mills for the joint use of the two Allentown compa- nies, and Co. B qualified 22 officers and men in this year, two as sharpshooters.

In 1888 this number was increased to 32 with 5 sharpshooters, and before Inspector Hoats was promoted to adjutant of the regiment, he had the pleasure of reporting every officer and man of the company as qualified marksmen and sharp- shooters,-an honor that the company has held year by year since then.

In 1890 the company secured an excellent 600- yard range on Kline's Island. Since 1887 the company has always been represented on the reg- imental team at the state matches on Coleman range (Mt. Gretna, Pa.). Probably the great- est distinction ever received by Co. B was the awarding to it of the rating of 100 on every point by the state in 1879. This was the first time in the history of the State Militia that the perfect mark was given to any company, and Co. B was the only one that received it. In 1880 the company again received the same av- erage grade, together with another company, and in 1886 it, for the third time, received the high- est possible grade with several other companies to share the glory.

During the night of the 10th of September, 1897, the telegraph flashed over the State, the news of the shooting, by sheriff's deputies, of a

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

number of miners at Lattamore in the Hazle- ton coal district. Next morning at four o'clock Co. B received orders to assemble and proceed at once to Hazleton, via Sunbury and Milton. When the call to assemble came, the men respond- ed promptly and by 8 o'clock in the morning all except two had reported. These two men were out of the state, but reported by the morning of the 12th of September. The regiment reported to the general commanding at Hazleton, on the afternoon of the IIth and was ordered to go to Audenried. The company arrived there at about 7 p. m., too late to put up tents, so the men used the company mess tent for the night. After a stay of two days at Audenried, the regiment was ordered to go to Drifton. Here the company re- mained until the 28th of September, when or- ders were received to break camp and return home. Co. B participated in two practice marches over the mountains while at Drifton.

The service of the company in the Spanish- American War will be found under that head.

Colonel Case having entered the regular army, Lieut .- Col. C. T. O'Neill, of Allentown, was, on November 18, 1899, elected colonel and is still in command of the Fourth Regiment (1914). Captain Medlar retiring to private life at the close of his term as captain, First Lieut. Charles D. Rhoads was elected captain on February 8, 1901, and re-elected February 14, 1906.

Captain Rhoads was promoted to major and ordnance officer, 4th Brigade, and former First Lieut. Orlando C. Miller was elected captain, June 6, 1910.

Twice since the Spanish-American War, in 1900 and in 1902, has Company B, together with the other companies of the Fourth Regiment, been called upon by the governor to suppress the violence and lawlessness of a frenzied mob.

In 1900 the regiment was ordered to Shen- andoah, where it encamped at Columbia Park. From there it was ordered to the Panther Creek Valley, where it stopped and dispersed a mob of over five thousand marchers who were coming to terrorize the workmen of the Panther Creek District. The excellent discipline of the regi- ment is evidenced by the fact that not a single shot was fired nor a single person injured in this trying and arduous duty.

In 1902 the regiment was sent first to Mount Carmel and later to Nanticoke. During this tour of duty it again demonstrated its training as citizen-soldiers and the innate love of law and order born in every true American citizen.

Company B bore its full share of the trials and hardships of these two tours of duty and fully maintained its reputation for discipline and

training. Its present officers are: Captain, Or- lando C. Miller; Ist Lieut., Carrol H. Hud- ders; 2d Lieut., Harry A. Hall.

Company D, Fourth Regiment, became in 1874, as the Allen Rifles, one of the eight com- panies of the Fourth Regiment, National Guard, commanded by Captain Nagle and Lieu- tenants Mertz and Roney. In 1876 Lieut. Roney was promoted to the rank of major, and aid-de-camp on second division staff (Gen. Boul- ton, commanding), and Oscar T. Hoffman was elected to fill the vacancy.

This company did active duty in the labor riots in July, 1877, being ordered to the city of Read- ing, were marched through the P. & R. R. cut to Penn street, where they came in contact with the mob, who had possession of the tracks, and had overturned a number of the cars loaded with coal and merchandise, and had also an engine in their possession, and running it backward and forward; in this engagement there were a num- ber of citizens killed and some of the company badly wounded by stones thrown by the rioters. The regiment being relieved by United States Regulars, were ordered to Harrisburg, Pa., to guard the State Arsenal, and from there re- turned home after the disturbance was at an end. July 11th to 19th, 1892, the company was or- dered to Homestead, to quell the disturbance at the Carnegie Iron and Steel Works, and was encamped opposite the works, on the north bank of the Monongahela river, near Swissvale. On two occasions the company was ordered across the river to do provost guard duty in the town of Homestead, and was carried across in the famous steamer, "Little Bill," on which the Pinkerton men were fired upon, and a number of them killed and wounded.

On the evening of Sept. 10, 1897, the com- pany was ordered to proceed to Hazleton. They left on the morning of the 11th, arrived at Au- denried about 4 p. m., and were detailed for duty at Drifton, six miles north of Hazleton, where they remained until relieved on September 28th. The service of the company in the Spanish-Amer- ican War is given in the history of that war, after which they were again mustered into the service of the state on Jan. 12, 1899. In 1900 the company was in service at Shenandoah and Panther Creek Valley and in 1902 at Mount Carmel and Nanticoke.

Lieut. Hoffman was promoted to Ist lieu- tenant on the resignation of Lieut. Mertz, and private John L. Stiles was elected 2d lieutenant on Oct. 11, 1878. Capt. Nagle resigned May 5, 1879, and on June 19, 1879, Major James R. Roney was elected and commissioned captain. Lieut. Stiles resigned July 28, 1880, and Lieut.

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WAR PERIODS.

Hoffman died Sept. 18, 1880. On Nov. 26, ley was elected major in 1886, and was succeeded 1880, Sergt .- Maj. A. J. Reichard was elected by Captain Charles Spangler ; 2d Lieut. Wite- meyer became Ist lieutenant, and Sergt. Charles Chubbick 2d lieutenant. Capt. Howard M. Hersh succeeded Capt. Spangler and was suc- ceeded by the present commander, Capt. Wm. C. Gessner. The present lieutenants are John E. Dillinger and Arthur A. Barber. Ist lieutenant, and First Sergeant William D. Mickley, 2d lieutenant. On June 27, 1884, Lieut. Reichard was elected captain; 2d lieuten- ant Mickley, Ist lieutenant, and First Sergt. Winfield S. Troxell, 2d lieutenant. Capt. A. J. Reichard resigned Dec. 2, 1884. William D. Mickley was elected captain on Feb. 24, 1885, The staff officers of the Fourth Regiment from Allentown are (1914) : Colonel, C. T. O'Neill; major, Frank D. Beary; adjutant, Capt. Henry A. Reninger ; inspector rifle practice, Capt. Wm. A. Ruch; battalion adjutant, Ist Lieut., Guy P. Brown; assistant surgeon, Capt. E. H. Dick- enshied ; battalion quartermaster and commis- sary, 2d Lieut. Clarence J. Smith. The non- commisssioned staff officers are: Regimental Col- or Sergeant, Chas. M. Uhl; battalion sergeant- major, Wm. S. Fink; drum major, Sergt. Bern- ard F. McNulty. and re-elected March 28, 1890; 2d lieut Troxell was elected Ist lieutenant, and First Sergt. George G. Blumer, 2d lieutenant, who resigned Dec. 23, 1890. Sergt. Charles Spangler, who had been elected 2d lieutenant, was elected Ist lieutenant April 17, 1891, and Sergt. Evan S. Witemeyer was elected 2d lieutenant. Sergt. C. T. O'Neill, who had been appointed sergeant- major of the regiment, Aug. 16, 1884, by Col. Lehr, was promoted to adjutant Aug. 3, 1887; was elected lieut .- colonel, and Nov. 18, 1899 elected colonel of the regiment. Captain Mick-

CHAPTER XVI.

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

Few counties of the State can claim as . were offered before the next meeting was held on large a number of charitable institutions and so varied and far-reaching in their scope as Lehigh county. Within its borders are found the fol- lowing charitable institutions: The County Home, in South Whitehall; St. Luke's Hospital, South Bethlehem; The Children's Home, in Salisbury township; Allentown Hospital, in Al- lentown; Good Shepherd Home, in Allentown ; Phobe Deaconess and Old Folks' Home, in Al- lentown; Rescue Mission, in Allentown.

COUNTY HOME.

The project for the establishment of a "House of Employment and Support of the Poor of Le- high County" was set on foot as early as 1831. The Legislature was petitioned to pass a bill authorizing the people of the county to vote upon the question of opening such an institution, but a strong opposition was manifested to the measure, which was expressed in numerous re- monstrances. On April 11, 1844, a bill author- izing such an election was passed by the Legis- lature, which was shortly afterwards approved by Governor David R. Porter. At the October election in 1845 the people voted "Poor House- yes" or "Poor House-no." The result of the election was 1,200 majority in favor of the estab- lishing of a poor house.

The commissioners, twenty-eight in number, named in and appointed by the act to select and purchase land on which to erect the necessary buildings were: Lewis Schmidt, Michael D. Eberhard, John S. Gibbons, Caspar Kleckner; Philip Knappenberger, Daniel Bastian, Solomon Fogel, John Lichtenwalter, David Follweiler, Assa Krammes, Benjamin Breinig, Peter Trox- ell, Charles Ritter, Jacob Erdman, John Ritter, Martin Ritter, Charles Burkhalter, Charles Foster, Conrad Knerr, John Weida, Benjamin Bear, Jesse Grim, Tobias Schmidt, Michael Harter, George Levan, Solomon Knauss, John Peter, Henry Yeager.

At a meeting held in Allentown on Oct. 28, 1844, for the purpose of effecting an organiza- tion, Lewis Schmidt was appointed chairman, and Michael D. Eberhard, secretary. A com- mittee of eight was appointed to receive pro- posals for a suitable farm. Thirty properties

December 4. The full Board of Commission- ers met in the court house and voted on the differ- ent farms that were offered. The election re- sulted as follows: For the tract owned by Charles and Solomon Mertz in South Whitehall, the present county farm, 22 votes; for the farm of John Ritter, 3 votes; for the farm of Wil- liam Wenner, I vote. The tract selected by the commissioners consisted of the Charles Mertz farm of 106 acres, for which $100 an- acre was paid, and the Solomon Mertz farm of 97 acres, for which $90 an acre was paid. Later on an additional tract was purchased, making a total of 254 acres, at a total cost of $27,662. Previ- ous to the erection of the buildings the overseers of the poor, as they were then known, were in- structed to report at the next meeting the num- ber of persons who were seeking admission to the institution. A meeting was held in Allen- town, March 28, 1845, by the Board of Poor Directors for organization. At the next meet- ing, which was held April 7, the report was received from the different districts in regard to the number of paupers in them: Allentown, 44; Upper Macungie, 17; Lower Macungie, II ; Upper Saucon, 11; Salisbury, 3; South White- hall, 6; North Whitehall, 15; Weissenberg, I ; Lowhill, 5; Hanover, 7; Upper Milford, 25; total, 145. Three townships, Lynn, Heidelberg and Northampton failed to report.

On May 1, 1845, proposals were received for the erection of a building. The contract was awarded as follows: Joshua Seip and Stephen Dornblaser, 'carpenter work; Thomas Becker and Daniel Smith, mason work; Nonnemacher & Fatzinger, bricklaying; Robert McDowell, slates and roofing. The main building was erected in 1845 at a cost of $4,893, and $1,044 were expended for fixtures. The building was opened for the reception of inmates, Dec. 29, 1845, when 24 inmates were admitted. In 1847 a hospital was erected and an addition to it in 1861, and still another addition in 1878. The original cost of the several buildings was $51,- 154. The capacity of the home is 475 inmates. The following have been the stewards up to the present : On April 9, 1845, Thomas Faust was appointed the first steward and Mrs. Faust the first matron. Mr. Faust served until 1873.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 68

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1158

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158