USA > Pennsylvania > History of the First regiment infantry, National guard of Pennsylvania (Grey Reserves) 1861-1911, pt 1 > Part 23
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The remark concerning volunteers and regulars was in a totally different connection. Prince Oscar frequently inquired of me the names of the regi- ments and companies as they passed us. I was unable, always, to answer his inquiry and explained that all the troops that were passing us, the United States Corps of Cadets alone excepted, were volunteers, and that their presence was purely voluntary. Their uniforms were so various that I could not distinguish them except as their titles were enrolled on their flags. Every officer and gentleman on the reviewing stand was outspoken in his praise of the troops. I have no hesitation in saying that in dress equipment, get-up, and march they equalled the corps of United States Cadets that we hold as models.
I regret extremely that some careless correspondent should have used my name in this connection. for I bear willing witness that no officer was thrown from his horse during the review. Your horse fell with you, and I congratu- late you that you escaped without a broken leg or crushed foot. With great respect, your friend,
WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, General.
It was a pretty busy season, these Fourth of July Centennial days, yet there was still left opportunity for anecdote and remi- niscence. There was an incident told of the old war times, by a young fellow, a waiter in a French restaurant in New York or Philadelphia, told of himself and on himself, and repeated by one who had it at first hand. He had fled from his native France in the early summer of 1863 to avoid a threatened conscription- fled from a country at peace with all the world to another, if in- deed at peace with all the world, most decidedly at war with itself. He landed in New York friendless and alone, with no other speech than his native tongue, a callow youth ready for any of the many pitfalls set by the wicked for the unwary. Lured by the substitute broker, purchased, persuaded, or enticed, through the villainous traffic of the time, that placed the inno- cent vietim on the shambles and sold him to the highest bidder, or cajoled by the recruiting sergeant, who may have had ac- quaintanee with his speech, the emigrant of yesterday was the soldier of to-day, the man who had shrunk from the colors in his native land, then at peace, was now on the color line of a country then at war. His lot was cast with the regulars; with a heavy detachment of recruits, he was sent to the army in the West, then fairly launched upon the campaign that culminated with beleaguered Chattanooga. He had left the sunny vales of his native France, swathed as they were in a peaceful, prosperous
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1976
plenty, for the battle-scarred hills and blood-stained fields of fate- ful Chickamauga. Within three months, instead of the French conscript on garrison duty, he was the American soldier in battle. In avoiding his Scylla he had certainly confronted the dangers of his Charybdis. It was certainly for him, in the beginning at least, a pitiful contemplation, but he had won a reputation with his fellows, had the confidence of officers, served his time, and was honorably discharged, and though he might not, as said a soldier in a later war, be willing " to invest another d-n nickel in the enterprise," no wealth could purchase his experience.
Another significant military feature of the Centennial was the encampment of the National Guard of the State in Fairmount Park. The encampment, known as Camp Anthony Wayne, in- eluded the entire force, exclusive of the First Division, and, one regiment from another, numbered some seven thousand men, and covered a period from August 3 to 14. The regiment, though not participating in the encampment, took part with the division in the memorable parade of the whole force on Thursday, August 10. The First Division acted as escort to the visiting troops and had the right of the line. The route of the procession was down Broad from Columbia Avenue to Chestnut Street, thence to Third, to Market, to the eastern front of the Public Buildings, where the escort halted, saluting the remainder of the column as it passed their front, and proceeded thence by the nearest practicable rail- way route to the encampment.
The regiment, under command of Col. R. Dale Benson, ac- companied by Beck's regimental band of forty pieces and a fine drum corps, paraded 375 men, officered as follows: Lient .- Col. J. Ross Clark, Major Charles K. Ide, Adjutant Joseph B. God- win, and the regimental staff ; Companies A, Captain Washington HI. Gilpin; B, Captain Thomas J. Dunn; C, Captain William W. Allen; D, Captain Theo. E. Wiedersheim ; E, Captain James Muldoon: F. Captain T. E. Huffington; G. Captain C. II. Kretschmar; H, Captain Albert H. Walters; I, Captain Rudolph Klauder; K, Captain Isidor Cronelein.
Of this parade the Public Ledger, in its leader of August 11, 1876, spoke editorially, in part, as follows:
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THE NATIONAL GUARD OF PENNSYLVANIA
Visitors to Philadelphia from foreign countries who were on the street yesterday afternoon had an opportunity to ob-erve one class of American products that are not on display at the Centennial International Exhibition. They had a chance to see a fine body of that citizen soldiery out of which those gigantic American armies grew which, but a few years ago, were fight- ing through a stupendous and fiercely conte-ted war for four years. . . . In the column which marched along Chestnut, Market and Broad Streets, yes- terday, there were about seven thousand five hundred men. . . .
Perhaps our observing visitors noticed the personnel of the troops com- posing the column. If they did, they saw its varied character. The men are from the agricultural country, and from the mining and manufacturing districts-from the cities and counties bordering on tide-water, and from the mountains and valleys of interior Pennsylvania. They are farmers and mechanics, miners and factory men, merchants and professional inen, clerks and shopkeepers, the men who occupy the places of industrial and useful civic. life-who keep the wheels of civilized society in motion. There were sun- bronzed and athletic men, who-e vocations keep them in the open air, from both city and country-and there were equally lithe and active men, whose trades and occupations keep them indoors, and these also were from both country and city. But they were all, or nearly all, hale and hardy meu, as our visitors could see, worthy representatives of their State, and, if need be, champions for their country. . . .
That body of about seven thousand five hundred men is the nucleus of a powerful army. . .. They are the reserve for the civic force in seasons of commotion and turbulence, which we experience occasionally, as other com- munities. . . . The squads, and companies, and regiments, and brigades, and skeleton divisions, of which it is composed, are just so many battalions of soldier-teachers, ready to organize and train and command the larger force.
The parade was a fine display of our citizen soldiery. and officers and men are entitled to warm acknowledgment. They keep up their organizations under a good deal of discouragement, and a higher degree of credit is due to them on that account.
On October 12, 1876, the regiment participated with the other military organizations of the division in the ceremonies attend- ing the unveiling of the monument erected to the memory of Christopher Columbus on the grounds of the International Exhi- bition in Fairmount Park, commemorating, as the ceremonies did. not alone the dedication of the monument, but as well the anni- versary day of the discovery of the continent.
The life of the soldier, like the life of the citizen, when re- viewed in the future is largely a life of repetitions. Neither can either be said to be a changeless life. A life of daily activities is by no means a life of monotony, its passing incidents, of lively interest to the participants as they happen, cease to be of moment when they lose their place as sequences in their immediate sur-
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FIRST REGIMENT INFANTRY, NATIONAL GUARD OF PENNA, RIOT SFRVN F. 1974-1N27 At'sQUEHANNA IF POT, MARCH, 1874 LIZFRNE COUNTY, APRIL, 1575 PITT ATRI.H. JUL1. 1577
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roundings, or are absorbed by others of equal or greater impor- tance later on. Essentially local, too, they scarcely ever more than survive their time or reach beyond their own environment.
Until the next suminer, the eventful summer of 1877, was well along, the regiment continued to repeat itself, by its unremitting attention to its well-devised methods for drill, discipline. display, and instruction. Its commemorative anniversary celebrations, heretofore so well preserved in annual sequences, was on the occa- sion of the sixteenth anniversary, April 19, 1577, interrupted by a storm that forced a postponement. In countermanding his or- der, Colonel Benson announced " that he anticipated an occasion in the near future when the regiment would have opportunity to demonstrate that the inereasing years in its history had but served to increase its efficiency." The anticipation was soon realized. On Saturday, May 12, 1877, besides a parade of the regiment, there was a formal review by Governor Hartranft and staff, Maj .- Gen. Robert M. Brinton, commanding the First Di- vision, the officers from a Russian man-of-war, then in the harbor, and the Hon. William S. Stokley, mayor of the city. Though a postponed anniversary parade for the organization of the regi- ment, it was in fact a real anniversary occasion, for on this same day in 1864, its earliest offspring, the 119th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Gray Reserves, fought long and lost heavily. The battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse, where Major Truefitt and Cap- tain Warner and many others were killed, was fought on May 12, 1864. Five hundred disappointed men, it was estimated, were ready to respond to the order for April 19, five hundred and eleven well-satisfied men, by actual count, did respond to the order for the parade of May 12.
There was nothing premonitory that disclosed the likelihood of an industrial disturbanee. Rather was the season one of un- usual quiet ; there was a general belief that there was satisfac- tion everywhere, no frietion, no public utterance, no irritation, indicated otherwise. Contrasted with the few years, ineluding and previous to 1875, for the past two years Pennsylvania had been in the apparent enjoyment of an all-pervading peace, not a truce only, as it afterward proved to be. So satisfied was the governor that he could safely be away, that he had left the State capital for the Pacific coast, contemplating an extended absence.
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Indeed, what did happen had its initiative in an industry touch- ing every interest, involving the economics of the whole people -- an industry which, when its wheels cease to revolve, all other industries first waver, then hesitate, linger for the moment, and finally stop altogether. The railways of the country had hereto- fore been exceptionally free from serious disturbance. And yet, in spite of prospects so fair and an industrial atmosphere so clear, without suggestion, warning or admonition from superiors Colonel Benson, with perception, quickened possibly because outbreaks usually come when least expected, or perhaps the better to observe the injunction the organization had adopted for its cardinal ereed, to be always ready, in his General Order No. 11, of June 1, 1877. in which, congratulating the command on the stimulus recently given to recruiting while he suspended through the summer all drills and military exercises until further orders, he specifically provided that " commandants of companies will be held to the strietest accountability that this regiment may be assembled for any duty at any time upon short notice. To accomplish the speedy promulgation of an order to assemble this command, the roll of non-commissioned officers will be apportioned to the com- missioned officers, and the roll of privates to the non-commissioned officers in the several companies. Company commanders are charged with the immediate execution of this order." What on the surface appeared unlikely to provoke more than a demonstra- tion-" double-headers," fewer crews and heavier trains-on the western division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, had, ere mid- summer had gone, plunged the country into an "industrial dis- turbance " of nation-wide proportions more stupendous than it had ever before been called upon to confront, and Colonel Benson's prevision, so far as his own responsibilities were concerned, had thus early borne substantial fruit.
The literature-book, pamphlet, magazine, periodical-that has told of the nation-wide industrial disturbances of 1877, better known and recalled as the railroad riots of 1877, would fill vol- umes; but little, if any, of it, however, has come from the rank and file. There is here opportunity rarely presented for a regi- mental history to utilize the story, never before published, of Ed- ward S. Sayres, then a corporal, afterward a first lieutenant of Company D, First Regiment Infantry, National Guard of Penn- sylvania, entitled, " With the Active Command in 1877; by a
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Non-Com. who was there." The story opens with a copy of the original summons that commanded Sayres to report, illustrative of how effectively the forethought of the colonel, as developed in his General Order No. 11, was made practical in the actual hap- pening. With this story from the ranks, supplemented, as it is to be, by the official report of Colonel Benson, the narrative will be so complete as to need neither authentication from other sources nor enlargement at other hands. The magazine article, a further supplement, from an authorship of the best authority adding the future's confirmation to a cotemporaneous authenticity, assures it honored perpetuity.
From "With the Active Command in 1877. By a Non-Com. Who Was There." Edward S. Sayres:
8 P.M., July 20, '77.
REPORT AT ARMORY AT ONCE-REGIMENT ORDERED AWAY-FATIGUE UNIFORM
Theo. E. Wiedersheim, Captain "D " Co. J. E. H.
These were the words written on a piece of bathroom-paper -- improvised for the occasion as note-paper-that sounded the alarm for the members of "D" Company, in the great railroad riots of 1877, which have passed down to history as the greatest riots the Republic has ever seen.
Little did the writer dream on the evening of a warm July day, the twentieth of that menth in the year 1877, as he walked calmly down Spruce Street to the armory on Lardner Street, which was a favorite rendezvous in those days, that he would not see his home again for three weeks or more and be subjected in that time to the real feeling of hearing the whiz! whiz! whiz! of bullets and see perhaps the stern reality of a National Guardsman's life.
" I wish the officers and men of this command to understand that when we leave this armory we leave it under the strictest military discipline." were the words of Colonel Benson, when he gave his first command. "Right for- ward! Fours right! Mareh! " Going out over Market Street Bridge, we took a train at 32d and Market Streets about 2 o'clock on the morning of the 21st. Our first thought when we left the Company's armory was that we would never go farther than the regimental armory; our next belief was that we would go to West Philadelphia and be held in readiness. Before we could hardly realize it. however, we were eating some sandwiches and coffee at Altoona, and at 1:30 of July 21st we were in the Union Depot at Pitts- burg, where we >tacked arms and had some more coffee and sandwiches. I recollect well passing the stock-yards some miles out of Pittsburg. Although no real rioting was attempted, the brows of the lookers-on were elouded and did not betoken a kind welcome for us in Pittsburg.
We moved out of the Union Station in columns of fours and walked down a long line of traeks upon which the sun was heating unmercifully; anl accompanied on either side by a motley crowd. On various tracks were standing rows and rows of freight ears, and walking on top of a line of these, I recolleet well seeing the tall form of Mr. A. J. Cassatt, at that time, I think, vice-president or general manager of the road. He had a tall white
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hat on and seemed perfectly oblivious to the faet, which seemed apparent to me, that he was a delightful target for a cobble-stone; I suppose he was interested in the thought of getting his trains moved, irrespective of personal discomfiture.
Arriving at 28th Street we were met by an immense mob. On one side of us were several rows of cars and back of them the round-house; and on the other was an immense bluff; at the ba-e of the bluff was some artillery pieces and artillerymen, but the citizen- seemed to have as much to do with the pieces as the artillerymen. as they seemed to move in and out amongst them at will. Below the artillery were troops seemingly intermingled with the crowd. Our front rank faced the bluff and the rear rank faced the cars and round-house. Firing and stone-throwing were constantly heard on the right. I never knew and I don't know that any one else in our immediate vicinity ever knew what started the firing, excepting I knew it started on our extreme right by other troops than the First Regiment. We had already been given the order to load, and in some way firing by files seemed to com- menee in our right wing. The writer withheld his fire because he had heard no order to fire, and before he had time to think much one way or the other about it, the order to cease firing was heard, and he then called to the men the order as heard-the men promptly obeyed. The mob in the meantime had scattered or thrown themselves on the ground flat and shots went over them.
I recollect well one member who had been in the doctor's hands before he left the city becoming nearly frantic with the heat and excitement, and being ordered by my superior officer to take away his gun for fear he would damage himself or others.
After the firing and the smoke had cleared away, several persons conld be seen lying on the side of the bluff, being either killed or wounded by the firing. There was quiet for some time and then parties came and removed the bodies. At times there seemed a desire in the mob to take vengeance on us for the shooting, but the men making the motion of "ready " soon qnieted them. The heat was intense, and before sundown we were moved into an adjacent round-house, the approaches to which were strongly guarded, the main approach by the gatling gun. "D" Company was assigned to duty on one side of the round-honse facing the mob, and where they eventually brought up a cannon to discharge at us, but which was never fired owing to the fire of our men from the round-honse windows. I recollect being detailed Corporal of the Guard, and desiring to show my men that there was no dan- ger passing the windows without stooping; but having at one time a whole volley of small shot and bullets break out the upper sash. it is unnecessary to state that the writer stooped and was glad he did. The Guard at that window at the time was a man from another regiment, and immediately after the firing 1 inquired for him and only heard a confused murmur from the ash-pit where the engine stands. I thought he had been hit, but was reas- sured by his voice saying that he had fallen into this at the time of the bombardment and had dropped some of his cartridges. I found on inquiry, however, he had plenty left, but it required great argument and some little military discipline to get him out of that ash-pit and at the window again. The night was a perfect hedlam; the rioters got possession of all the locomo- tives, and putting the steam on made the most unearthly whistles all night long-one moment low and the next shrieking. By getting on to a window of the round-house facing the bluff we could see the mob carrying away im- mense masses of merchandise-furniture, etc., which they had obtained by
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breaking into the freight trains,-barrels of flour, provisions, furniture, pianos, ete., etc., ete. Repeated attacks were made on the round-house dur- ing the night, but amounted to nothing. In the meantime, during the night, various lines of freight ears had been set on fire, illuminating the heavens for miles around; at about daybreak it was found that the mob had fired a building adjacent to the round-house stored with wood -- this fire, after several futile attempts to extinguish it with hose, communicated with the round- house, and soon the troops were formed in columns of fours ready to march out. I was sent by the officer of the guard to take a last look where our guard had been stationed to see that no one was left behind. It was a terri- ble sight-fire on almost all sides, except one, and lighted fagots falling around in all directions. We marched out in good order and on Penn Avenue the streets were lined with infuriated men, women and children-in some eases merely looking at us and in others reviling us with violent language. Marehing on the right of a four, the writer had good opportunity to see what was going on, and recollected well a man from one of the other regi- ments getting a fit of some kind and his friends having great efforts to control him, which was probably induced by heat, fatigue and hunger and excitement combined. I recolleet passing a church on this Sunday morning further down Penn Avenue, where the worshippers were going into early church quietly, and children were all in their nice Sunday clothes-it seemed almost a mockery, for in a few moments after passing this church I heard shots and shooting from the left and we were soon run into and almost tram- pled down by soldiers of other commands.
I recollect one big fellow who nearly trampled all over the writer, and when I asked him with considerable warmth, and some adjectives interlarded, " what he was running from?" he said, "Don't you see them?" and fired, nearly blowing off the writer's ear, but never hitting anybody else, except the man in the moon, as in that direction his piece was pointed.
I recollect sceing two men of the Sixth Regiment fall almost simul- taneously, and seeing poor Captain Dorsey Ash, of the Battery, lying on his gun carriage with blood all over one side of his face; I thought he had been shot in the head, but no doubt he had placed his hand to his leg where the shot had entered, and from which he died, poor fellow, a few days after- ward.
I recollect halting at the U. S. Arsenal and not getting in. And I recol- lect soon after the firing. seeing Colonel Benson, our Commandant, coming through our ranks. Our Regiment had stood still when the rush eonunenced, and I recollect well how cool Colonel Benson looked, and how Slemmer, drum- mer of "D" Company, beat the long roll, and how quickly our men found their positions. I think, after that, Captain Wiedersheim took command of the left wing and protected the gatling gun, which was said to have been fired at a horse-car which passed us and from which we were shot at. A long. all-day march then ensued. I recollect stopping at farm-houses for milk, and resting at a stream where we bathed our feet and arose weak and dizzy from long marching and want of food. Reaching Allegheny County poorhouse, where the inmates yelled at us from the windows, and where we went into encampment on the side of a hill and slept all night on the ground. eating a few ginger eakes, which had to suffice for breakfast, dinner and supper.
Next morning we took cars to Blairsville, where we eneamped in the fields for two weeks without tents, and afterward returned to Pitt-burg hills, where we encamped for a week or more. I recollect trying to make a tent
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on the Pittsburg hills, out of a small piece of gum; Comrades H. O. Hastings and R. Wilson McCready being my messmates, and how they said I knew nothing about tents, and how awful hot it was under that tent in midday. It had no sides, and one night it rained frightfully hard and we three slept very close together, but McCready thought he was a civil engineer, and he said the great thing in a tent is to have a gutter on the outside to carry the water away-so he sat down and made this gutter, and then we all calmly went to sleep with the idea that Civil Engineer McCready had settled the ditliculty. I was awakened in the middle of the night by a sense of pro- fanity in the air and found it was McCready. Asking him what was the mat- ter, he replied: "The damned gutter had filled up and the water had been running down his back." I recollect getting up about 4 o'clock as the storm cleared away, and changing my flannels to some dry ones, I luckily had in my knap-ack. and my overcoat was so wet that it weighed about a hundred pounds.
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