USA > Pennsylvania > History of the First regiment infantry, National guard of Pennsylvania (Grey Reserves) 1861-1911, pt 1 > Part 28
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In the event of an encampment next year it is hoped that the First Regiment may be able to reflect upon itself that credit which it certainly failed to do upon the one just ended.
The time had come when this absenteeism had both a pre- servative and reflective effect. It did not stop with the archives of the regiment, but passed on higher up, to the annual reports of the adjutant-general of the State, where its non-existence pre- served a prestige previously earned and as well reflected a well- deserved credit upon those who had earned it. In 1879 the new system was adopted for measuring with a maximum of 100 the value of merits and deficiencies by a numerical standard. In- cluded in this rating there was introduced a value for percentage present which, if large when added to the other figures, materially increased the general average, and if small measurably im- paired it.
In 1879, with an aggregate of 578 and a percentage present
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of $2.9, the regiment secured a general average of 95. In 1880, at Camp George G. Meade, with an aggregate of 650, present for duty 466, absent 184, its percentage prezent fell off to 71.7, and its general average was reduced to 94.3.
It is interesting to note, not only as illustrative of how sen- sitive the general average is to the percentage present, but how. too, the First Regiment, though its ranks were filled for the in- speetion far beyond its daily attendance, was compelled to lei other regiments from neighboring counties, who kept theirs filled continuously through the entire encampment, surpass it in the general result.
In the Eighth Regiment, with an aggregate of 549, present for duty 474, absent 75, percentage present 86.3, its general aver- age was 95.2. In the Fourth Regiment, with an aggregate of 344, present for duty 309, absent 35, percentage present 86.9, it- general average was 95. In the Thirteenth Regiment, with an aggregate of 526, present for duty 424, absent 102, percentage present 80.6, its general average was 95.1. In the Twelfth Regiment, with an aggregate of 501, present for duty 465, absent 36, percentage present 92.8, its general average was 94.2.
On August 30, 1880, the colonel issued his General Order No. 34, current series, for the resumption on September 3 of the customary routine of duty suspended during the summer, in which he again demanded that to retain the best possible condi- tions and a closer attention to minor details " it will be necessary to insist upon a full attendance at all company and battalion drills, as the large percentage of absenteeism as liretofore will not be allowed, unless commandants can give good and satisfae- tory reasons for the cause of such absence from duty on the part of their men." "A wholesome spirit of enthusiasm " was urged to recruit the companies to the maximum required by law. Special attention was directed to be given to the loading and fir- ing, skirmish drill. and instruction of sentinels. A thorough in- speetion was directed to be made by company commanders of arms, clothing, aceoutrements, ete., and with the united efforts of officers and men it was hoped that the First Regiment at the end of the coming year would be in every way up to and beyond the standard it had heretofore maintained.
The new armory project, shaping itself from time to time
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through many years, was speeded toward its culmination by the successful outcome of a "regimental fair," which after many weeks of preparation was finally opened on Monday, December 6, 1880, at Industrial Hall, Broad Street above Vine, by an ad- dress of dedication by Governor Henry M. Hoyt. Governor Hoyt, among other things, said: " You cannot take chivalry out of history, and you cannot take these soldier boys out of chivalry." . . . "The sword is the power of the law to enforce the law ac- cording to the spirit of the law. You are entitled to the support of the State and the sympathy of this community, and it is my wish and hope that you may reap the full fruition of your hopes. Now I turn over this occasion to the abundant patronage that you deserve and will receive." Ilis Honor, Mayor William S. Stokley, followed, and a large gathering of goodly women and leading men of business and the professions lent their encourag- ing presence and helpful aid, giving to these opening exercises that assurance of support that savored of the best results.
The regiment was in attendance in full-dress uniform. Drills were suspended for the week, that all individual attention might be given to the enterprise, and guard details were sup- plied daily from the respective companies. The fair was a great success, and after dedueting expenses yielded the handsome bal- ance of $31,700. The following " circular " gives a detailed statement of the receipts:
HEADQUARTERS, FIRST REGIMENT INFANTRY, FIRST BRIGADE, N. G. P. Philadelphia, June 13, ISS1.
CIRCULAR No. 12.
The following is published for the information of the officers and men of the conunand:
The net receipts of the fair recently held in aid of the Armory Fund were $31.700, and the amount- received from the tables, including tickets. as follows: Company E. $6.395.53; Field and Staff, $4.136.63; Company D. $3,626.00; Company F, $3.623.30; Company G. $2.585.65: Veteran Corps. $2,472.50: Company 1. 82.283.76: Company C. $2.279.67; Company B, $1,732.63; Company K. 81.478.42: Colonel Taylor and Guardsman, $1.424.90; Company 1, $1.054.48; Company H, $181.50.
By order of COL. THEO. E. WIEDERSHEIM, II. II. GROFF, Adjutant.
Tuesday, February 22, 1881, was Washington's Birthday, and on the nearest Sunday, February 20, a commemorative religious
1881
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service was held at the Church of St. Matthias, with the regimen- tal chaplain, Rev. Robert A. Edwards, occupying the pulpit. The regiment attended in full-dress uniform, accompanied by the band withont instruments and the drum corps without drums.
A military manœuvre never before attempted was to assem- ble in Washington overnight an entire division of the National Guard, the companies and regiments gathered from their several rendezvous at distances varying from a hundred to four hundred miles. This was accomplished when the Pennsylvania Division of the National Guard, under Maj .- Gen. John F. Hartranft, re- ported itself in line on the ground of its formation in the vicinity of the capital ready to break into column and march over the ronte prescribed for the procession at the inaugural ceremonies of Gen. James A. Garfield as President of the United States on March 4, 1881.
A resolution of the Board of Officers and a preliminary order had prepared the command for this event, and on March 3 the regiment, fully equipped in winter uniform. with three days' cooked rations, was moved by rail over the Pennsylvania Railroad to the city of Washington, where upon its arrival its headquar- ters were established at the Washington Market Building, corner of Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. It was in line, the colonel in command, with the brigade on the ground designated for its formation. on the morning of the 4th, and moved with the column over the prescribed route; on the same night return- ing, after many harassing delays, to Philadelphia. The night of the third presented most inauspicious weather indications, but the clouds broke, the light snowfall disappeared before a gen- erous sunlight, and the day stands significant as one of the few good days that March can boast of supplying for a Washington inauguration pageant.
It was a day of all days for Pennsylvania and her soldiers, and what credit and commendation comes to the regiment must come reflected through a body, of which she is by no means an inconspicuous unit, that gained for themselves and their State a high and enduring renown.
General Snowden, in his annual report of the operations of his brigade, referring to its presence at Washington on inaugura- tion day, said: " The order and attention to duty of the com-
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mand were commendable and the delay of seven hours in the streets at night waiting for trains they bore with great cheerful- ness."
The Philadelphia Times, in a lengthy article entitled, "The Procession and Review," said under its subdivision :
PENNSYLVANIA ARMY.
The Second Division comprised eighteen regiments of the National Guard of Pennsylvania, composed of young and well-made men, and commanded by officers of experience in the Civil War. It was really in a strictly military sense a division, numbering about seven thousand men, armed with the Springfield breech-loading muskets, clad in the uniform of the United States Army, equipped with knapsacks, blankets, haversacks and canteens of uni- form pattern and provided with three days' rations. In short, it was a body of soldiers ready for real service in any direction. It took three-quarters of an hour to pass the reviewing stand, and the monotony of its appear- ance, there being no variety save in the color of the blankets and the num- bers on the flags and knapsacks, was a disappointment to the ladies and those who were looking for a bright spectacle; but to a military eye it had that very quality in which militia are usually deficient-viz., an air of reality. It was not so much of a show, but it was very much like business. The railroad riots of 1877 made a strong impression in Pennsylvania, and this division is the outcome of it. The National Guard of Pennsylvania has been entirely reorganized, or more properly organized, since that date, and has had its uniforms only a year. They were obtained from the United States on payment by the State of the cost price. Curiously enough, it is reported that the Pennsylvania Railroad, which. suffered so heavily in 1877, transports the whole division here and back without expense. The corpora- tion appears to have had its eyes opened as to the value of a really effi- cient force in an emergency which may occur again at any moment, and it cultivates a good understanding with the protectors of order.
And concludes with this:
SOLUTION OF THE MILITIA PROBLEM.
If the present organization of the National Guard in Pennsylvania can be kept up for a few years longer and constantly increase its efficiency in points of' detail, as it naturally will if the organization is undisturbed, it bids fair to at last solve the militia problem in a satisfactory manner- i.e., to provide a body of soldiery really efficient in case of emergency, either for State or National purposes, and yet not wholly to abstract its members from the productive energies of peaceful occupations. From a population of about four and a quarter millions, Pennsylvania sent here to-day seven thousand well-equipped and organized soldiers, or about one in six hundred of the population. Could the great States of New York. Ohio. Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky, with their population of fifteen to sixteen millions, have an equally well-organized force in proportion to their numbers we should then have in reality a National Guard as well as a State guard in each State, greater in size than our regular army. Is it not worth while
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for the larger and more thickly settled States to soberly consider whether such a force organized on a uniform basis would not more than repay it- cost ?
And the following from the general commanding the army, from the highest source, conelusive and exhaustive, is of pro- nonneed value:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES
Washington, D. C., Mar. 14, 1881.
MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN F. HARTRANET
National Guard of Penn-ylvania,
Philadelphia.
General: 1 have the honor to acknowledge receipt of the consolidated report of the Division of the National Guard which bore so conspicuous a part under your command in the inauguration ceremonies of March 4 in this, the city of Washington, and to compliment you both on the organiza- tion and strength of that division and the perfect order they displayed throughout.
That the State of Pennsylvania could put into Washington a full divi- sion of five well-organized and well-commanded brigades, aggregating 7,50G well-armed, well-clothed, and well-instructed officers and men, in a single day without accident or confusion was to me a matter of surprise and of in- finite satisfaction.
1 congratulate your State and you, the commanding general, for the skill which produced this result and I beg to add my own professional ad- miration of the bearing and soldierly behavior of your entire command on inauguration day. I watched them closely as they passed me in review on Massachusetts Avenue and I hare no hesitation in saying that a finer body of men was never seen by me. [Italics the author's.]
I have no doubt that the knowledge of the existence of such a body of men, subject to the call of your Governor and under your orders, will add largely to a sense of security for life and property in the great Common- wealth of Pennsylvania.
With sentiments of great respect, Your friend and servant,
W. T. SHERMAN, General.
And General Hartranft voiced the consensus of military opin- ion when in his annual report of the operations of his division for the year 1-51, referring to its participation in the inaugural ceremonies at Washington, he said: " The encomiums paid to our troops by the most distinguished military erities are a proper subjeet for pride and congratulation for all Pennsylvanians."
The observance of the twentieth anniversary followed the usual course, and in its commemoration the regiment was paraded
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in full-dress uniform, field and staff mounted, band and drum corps, on Tuesday, April 19, 1881, at four o'clock in the after- nool1.
To the spring inspections, always so rigorously conducted by the brigade inspector, usually held at the Rink Building, there were added, as General Snowden had first prescribed, others by battalions for special instruction in guard mount and skirmish drill.
In mid-June a eautionary regimental eircular was issued to the effect that, as it had been determined that the brigade would go into camp during July or Angust, officers and men should recognize the importance of making their arrangements to report for duty at that time. " The men," so read the circular, "will receive pay for five days, and the adjutant-general will base his report upon the strength, appearance, and discipline of the differ- ent commands during the encampment, and, as there is a proba- bility of reducing the number of men in the Guard, companies not meeting the requirements of the law will be disbanded."
The State encampment this year (1881) was by brigades. The camp of the First Brigade, from Saturday to Saturday, July 30 to August 6, was located at Mill Creek Farm, near Potts- town, Montgomery County. In honor and memory of Maj .- Gen. Jesse I. Reno, an officer of the regular army, a distinguished soldier of Pennsylvania, it was named " Camp Reno."
The regiment, preceded on the 28th by its fatigue detail under Lieutenant H. C. Roberts, of Company D, left the armory at eight o'clock on the morning of July 30, and by noon-the journey is a short one-was in eamp. The routine of camp duties-roll-ealls, drills, police duty-varied but little in hours or requirements from the usual practice. The afternoons were reserved for brigade manœuvres, ceremonies, and reviews, and tattoo and taps were carried a little farther into the night. The heavy duties imposed were rigorously exseted, with but little leis- ure, and but few complaints. Though at a season to expeet a liberal allotment, the heat was intense and protracted. What- ever could be done without materially disturbing the schedules was thrown into the early morning, and when it came the regi- ment's turn to be inspected, it was summoned for a very early hour. The ranks bore up well under the strain, and hut few were
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overcome. With an aggregate of 584, 443 present, 141 absent, a percentage present of 75.9, the regiment made a general average of 91.2. The Thirteenth Regiment led all in the State with a general average of 96.4. Out of an aggregate of 505, there were but 4S absentees, and the percentage present average was 90.5.
On Wednesday, the sixth, Colonel Wiedersheim, as the senior - colonel, was placed in command of the brigade to conduet a prac- tice review preparatory to the formal review which was held by the governor as commander-in-chief and Maj .- Gen. Hartranft, the division commander, on the following day.
For Saturday, July 30, Captain Huffington, of F, was de- tailed as officer of the day, and Lieutenant Deacon, of A, as officer of the guard; for Sunday, July 31, Captain Good, of B, and Lieutenant Kensil, of H, Lieutenant Thomas, of D, relieving him after 10 o'clock; for Monday, August 1, Captain Collins, of H, and Lieutenant Beck, of F; for Tuesday, August 2, Captain Rose, of A, and Lieutenant Filley, of E; for Wednesday, August 3, Captain Gilmore, of K, and Lieutenant Kensil, of H; for Thursday, August 4, Captain Kienzle, of G, and the Guard re- ported to the adjutant; for Friday, August 5, Captain Hastings, of D, and Lieutenant Ewing, of B.
The camp was broken on Saturday morning, the sixth; tents were dropped all at the same time, as signalled from regimental headquarters, and packed in accordance with instructions pre- viously given the men. The command was promptly marched to the station, and thence proceeded by rail to its city destination.
In his report on the operations of his brigade for the year 1881, General Snowden sums up his references to Camp Reno as fol- lows : " Of the beneficial results of this encampment too much can scarcely be said. The improvement shown at the close in drill, discipline, including military courtesy, morale, and efficiency, was very marked and proves beyond all question the propriety of establishing the yearly series of encampments."
On September 21, 18$1, a General Order No. 20, of the cur- rent series, was issued directing the regiment to assemble at the regimental armory, Broad and Race Streets, at seven o'clock P. M. on Thursday. September 22, 1881, in state uniform, fully equipped, and provided with one day's cooked rations, to pro-
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ceed to Washington " to participate in the funeral ceremonies of our late President, General James 1. Garfield." To this order, why issued and how suspended, General Snowden makes this reference in his annual report: " The services of the brigade had been tendered and accepted, transportation procured, and full at- tendance of troops secured, but at the last moment it was decided that the ceremonies were of a character too modest to allow such a large display, and much to the disappointment of the soldiers the orders were recalled."
But regimental General Order No. 32 announced that " Mon- day, September 26, 1581, having been set apart by the President of the United States and the Governor of Pennsylvania as a day of humiliation and mourning as a tribute of sorrowful submission to the will of Almighty God, and of reverence and love for the memory and character of our late Chief Magistrate, James .1. Garfield, this command will attend divine service in full-dress uniform, with arms, at the Church of St. Matthias, Rev. R. A. Edwards, chaplain, officiating."
In obedience thereto the regimental line was formed on Broad Street north of Cherry Street at 3 o'clock, and at 3.20 the column, moving left in front, marched directly to the church, Nineteenth and Wallace Streets, arms were stacked on the outside, placed under proper guard, retaken at the conclusion of the ser- vices, and the regiment returned to the armory. The colors were properly draped and the usual badge of mourning worn upon the sword belt and left arm.
The Yorktown Centennial, October 19, 1881, of significant import in the series of centenaries, had its patriotie incentive, that summoned to its commemoration representative men of civic, military, and naval affairs from at home and abroad. The President of the United States, foreign diplomats, governors of States, notably of the original thirteen, congressmen, legislators, jurists, soldiers of the army, the militia of the States, sailors, marines, ships of our own navy, officers who commanded and sailors who manned a squadron from the French navy, and a vast concourse of the people generally.
Yorktown had no better accommodations for " strangers and travellers" than it had when Cornwallis, under pressure of his
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allied adversaries, had hastened his departure on this same day just one hundred years before .. It had, however, a fine water front and splendid harbor, and all who could had come afloat and remained aboard. For others and those who preferred, the general government had erreted quite a canvas city.
The National Guard of Pennsylvania was represented by de- tachments from the several regiments of the State, organized into a three-battalion, twelve-company regiment under the command of Col. Presley N. Guthrie, of the Eighteenth Regiment. Major John W. Ryan, of the Battalion of State Feneibles, was assigned to the command of the first battalion, and to that battalion was also assigned the quota supplied by the First Regiment : Company F, Captain Thomas E. Huffington, with 3 officers, 5 sergeants. corporals, 33 privates-a total enlisted of 46 and an aggregate of 49.
This well-selected regiment, ordered to rendezvous at Phila- delphia. was embarked there on board the steamer Galatea, char- tered specially for the occasion as a transport. Favored with good weather and a fairly smooth sea, without accident or detention. the vessel reached its Yorktown destination in due course. There the troops debarked, going into camp under the canvas already provided for their accommodation. Participating in the variou- military events incident to the anniversary, the men permitted reasonable liberty, they and their officers satisfied with themselves and their performances, leaving behind them the record of a duty well done. the regiment after three days broke its camp for re- embarkation on the same transport. Again favored with a clear sky, but the sea a bit rougher, after a voyage devoid of ineident. the vessel made her Philadelphia moorings, where formally dis- missed, with the commendation of the commandant, the con- panies returned to their several rendezvous.
Of this expedition General Hartranft spoke officially thus: " While the trip was attended by some personal discomfort to the troops, I am happy to say that the reputation of the Guard for good conduet and efficiency was well maintained."
In the abolishing by law (the Act of 1551) of the two offices of paymaster and commissary, the regimental staff was seriously impaired. Two officers whose services had been of especial valne
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were deprived of their commissions. Captain William H. Taber, " who," as the order of July 11, 1581, announcing his retirement, stated, "always faithful, had been of so much service to the regi- ment," had at the request of the colonel commanding consented to remain as a volunteer staff officer, " and will be obeyed and re- -peeted accordingly." And of the withdrawal of the commissary, the same order spoke as follows: " In the retirement of Captain Henry L. Elder the regiment loses one of its oldest and most respected members. His faithful service of twenty years and his devotion to the interests of the corps have justly merited the con- fidence of the officers and men of the command."
Advancement and retirement had followed and were to fol- low in the line. Captain Horace See, of Company K, who had re- signed April 3, 1880, was succeeded, February 28, 1881, by Cap- tain J. Campbell Gilmore, who meanwhile had been in command as first lieutenant. Captain George K. Snyder, Jr., of Company I, had resigned June 20, 1851, and the vacancy was not filled. the company meanwhile remaining in command of First Lieu- tenant F. W. Weightman until February 13, 1582, when Captain Frederick P. Koons was elected to the captainey. Captain Wm. S. Poulterer. of Company C, resigned October 4, 1881. The election of Captain Pearson Serrill Conrad as his successor fol- lowed, November 22, 1881. Captain Poulterer had contributed of his personal worth and soldierly efficiency to the upkeep of the regiment, wherever it had been his lot to serve. Besides he was of that group-Gardner, Allen, O'Callaghan, Ferguson, MacCar- roll, Ogden, and others, " diarists," as it were, of Company C -- who preserved the records of its old regime as invaluable chron- ieles for to-day of the doing- of the many yesterdays.
The more than ten years' time-honored custom of holding a commemorative religions service at the church where the regi- mental chaplain was the rector or the minister was again remem- bered when, as postponed from February 19 on account of the inclemency of the weather, on February 26, 1892, the regiment and Veteran Corps were in joint attendance at the Church of St. Matthias. The Rev. Robert A. Edwards, the regimental chaplain and reetor of the parish, with his assistant, Rev. W. M. Harrison, condueted the services, and the rector preached the ser-
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