Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 31

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036

USA > Pennsylvania > Blair County > Altoona > Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 31

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two large pines and two large hemlocks. The pines died but the hemlocks are thriv- ing well. About eighty-five per cent of the trees planted are growing. Several large flower beds were made and planted, and added materially to the general outside ap- pearance.

A truck patch of about five acres was fairly productive. The net profit from same was $602.02. About one-fourth was planted in cabbage and cauliflower, but on account of the extreme dryness of the season, only one-eighth of these plants matured.

With sufficient ground adapted to truck- ing there is no reason why much cash should be expended for green vegetables of any kind, and sufficient should be raised of such vegetables as are easily stores or preserved for winter use. At least thirty acres should be devoted to this purpose yearly.

Eggs were purchased for hatching in in- cubators. This was almost a failure. How- ever, we obtained sixty-eight chicks of which eight died young and seventeen were killed for table use, leaving January 1, 1910, forty-three chickens. Eighteen ducks were purchased. Counting the balance of chick- ens and ducks on hand, together with those killed for table use and twenty-four and a sixth dozen eggs gathered from the hen house since October 7, shows a profit of $35-40 to January 1, 1910. The chicken house is in charge of an inmate. With an adequate chickery our bills for eggs could be materially reduced. Cases of acute in- sanity require the most nutritive food that can be supplied, therefore the consumption of eggs is great, this being one of the best foods in the treatment of mental diseases. In fact, eggs are medicine. When it is realized that thirty to thirty-six dozen eggs are used weekly, measures should be adopted to relieve the county of this cash outlay.

The mattress-room was also a source of profit besides giving employment to several patients; III mattresses and ninety-five pil- lows were made, costing $292.82. The

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wholesale value of the finished articles was $471.62, showing a net gain of $188.80.

The sewing-room gives its usual good ac- count. The following work was done: New articles of clothing, sheets, etc., pieces, entire year. 1,992 Clothing marked, pieces 1,758

Repairs (record not complete) Sep-

tember I to December 31, pieces ... 860

Altered clothing, September I to De-

cember 31, pieces. 88

Total 4,705

All clothing, including shoes, hats, suits, shirts, underwear, etc., for the patients have been marked with the patient's name wear- ing same. All bed linen, towels, blankets, etc., have also been marked. This work is done in the sewing-room.

With patient labor poles were cut in the mountain and put in place on the grounds for an electric light line from the gate to the hospital. The light was a necessity and will prevent accidents on dark nights. Be- sides the above work, patients and attend- ants from the hospital husked most of the corn, picked the potatoes and aided in the hay and grain fields, in acting ensilage and threshing and do nearly all the milking, be- sides other work for the alms-house.

Above all things, this institution should have a hydrotherapeutic plant to treat all acute cases admitted. We cure (or rather, they recover in spite of our old-time meth- ods) about twenty-five per cent of admis- sions. In New York state, where modern methods obtain, the percentage of cures is fifty per cent, and steadily rising as their knowledge is broadened. In other words, in this or in most other hospitals for the insane outside of New York state, the per- centage of new admissions that are allowed to pass into chronic insanity is about thirty per cent. for 1909. Thirty per cent. of the new admissions added to the chronic cases, means forty-two men and women consigned for life to a hospital to remain charges on the state and county for that period.

The following extract from an article in Pearson's magazine for January will illus- trate the ultimate saving to the county: "The state commission in lunacy (in New York) has estimated that, based on the average life of unrecovered patients, the ultimate cost for maintenance to the state is $6,231 per capita. Professor Irving Fisher, of Yale, estimates that the loss to the state from enforced non-employment is $1,700 for each person. Wherefor, from economic view, taking all elements into consideration, it is evident that each recov- ered case results in a gain of the state of $7,931.

"It does not take a mathematician to demonstrate the economic inadvisability of confining and so mishandling cases of men- tal sickness as to make those primarily cur- able incurable. It costs a lot of money not to provide proper care. It is very expen- sive not to provide ample hospitals, modern hgydrotherapeutic and electrical treatment and every possible facility for making the insane sane ; the sick well.

"Fifty per cent. at least of the number of patients annually admitted to the New York state hospitals are discharged, re- covered, or so much improved as to become self-supporting."

Further comment is not necessary other than that it is the duty of those in authority over hospitals for the insane to provide every possible means of cure or ameliora- tion in the condition of the most unfortu- nate class in the world.

The percentage cured or paroled conva- lescent of the new admissions to this hospi- tal in 1909 was 28 2-10 per cent.

Much work remains to be done about the grounds, additional grading and filling, to- gether with the planting of many additional trees, shrubbery, etc. A hot house should be built not only to care for plants used in beautifying the grounds during the sum- mer months, but also to furnish cut flowers and plants for the wards during the winter months. This I regard as a necessity and

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HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY

not as a luxury. Plants and flowers give to a clouded mind something that nothing else can touch.

From July to date, the artesian well and pump installed for an auxiliary water sup- ply, furnished about seventy-five per cent. of the water used by the hospital and home. No water could be stored as it was used as supplied. I most earnestly recommend that a storage basin be made in the mountain at the end of our pipe line, sufficiently large to store water sufficient for at least six months' use. This would remove a great danger in case of fire, and add water for the truck patches during the dry season.

With the hope of your continued support and interest in the welfare of the hospital and with my sincere thanks for past courte-

sies, the above report is respectfully pre- sented.

H. J. SOMMER, JR., Superintendent.

January 1, 1910.

The year 1909 goes into history as famous for the severest drouth that ever visited this county. But in spite of its sever- ity, the almshouse farm gave the following splendid results.

10 horses and 27 cows kept. 64 hogs slaughtered. Wheat, 809 bushels. Corn, 1,800 bushels. Oats, 617 bushels. Barley, 241 bushels.

Beans, 45 bushels. Peas, II bushels. Hay, 90 tons. Cabbage, 2,000. Potatoes, 9,050 bushels.

Stock hogs, 61. Stock cattle, 5.

CHAPTER XIV.

BLAIR COUNTY IN THE WARS.

The Revolutionary War-Description of Pennsylvania Riflemen in 1775-Act of April 9, 1799 -War of 1812-The Huntingdon Light Infantry-Militia Law of March 28, 1814-Mexi- can War-The "American Highlanders"-Wayne Guards-The Civil War-Brief Histories of the Regiments Engaged Containing Blair County Men-Spanish-American War-Blair County and the Militia.

At the time time of the revolutionary war the territory now embraced in Blair county was part of Bedford county. It was but sparsely settled and did not furnish very many soldiers for the continental army. At a meeting of deputies chosen by the people of the several counties, held in Philadel- phia, July 15, 1774, in which Bedford county was represented by George Woods, the Boston port bill and other parliamentary measures affecting the people of the colo- nies were denounced, and a congress of dep- uties from the several colonies to consult together and adopt some measures for the relief of grievances recommended.

Congress, June 14, 1775, authorized the raising of six companies of expert riflemen in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland and two in Virginia, to join the army near Boston. On the 22nd the colony of Pennsylvania was directed to raise two more companies, making eight in all, which were to be formed into a battalion. Lancaster county furnished two companies, instead of one, and thus the battalion, which was com- manded by Col. William Thompson, was swollen to nine companies. Besides the companies from Lancaster, there were two from Cumberland, and one from each of the counties of York, Northumberland, Bed- ford, Berks and Northampton. This com- mand passed the Hudson above West Point

about the Ist day of August, and a few days thereafter reached Cambridge. Thatcher, in his Military Journal of the Revolution, under date of August, 1775, thus describes this battalion :

"They are remarkably stout and hardy men, many of them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts, and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim, striking a mark with great certainty at 200 yards' distance. At a review, a com- pany of them, while on a quick advance, fired their balls into objects seven inches in diameter at the distance of 250 yards. They are now stationed in our lines, and their shots have frequently proved fatal to Brit- ish officers and soldiers who expose them- selves to view, even at more than double the distance of common musket-shot."

This battalion was designated as the sec- ond regiment, and after January 1, 1776, the first regiment of General Washington's army. At first it was under the command of General Charles Lee, but subsequently became a part of General Putnam's depart- ment. The British abandoned Boston March 17th, and soon after the regiment, under Lieut-Colonel Hand, marched to New York, and was stationed at New Utrecht during May and June. The term of enlistment had been for one year, and at

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the earnest solicitation of General Wash- ington, congress made provision for their re-enlistment, and most of the men con- tinued in the service.

On the first day of July this body entered its second term of service as the First Penn- sylvania regiment of the continental line. The enlistment was for two years, but was subsequently changed to "during the war." This regiment participated in various bat- tles during the continuance of the war up to its close. How many of the soldiers which made up the regiment were from what is now Blair county is difficult to say, as Bedford county then embraced a large area. Among them, however, were John Holliday and John Bowman. Holliday was the first lieutenant of one of the companies and died in Frankstown township on August 19, 1823, aged 76 years. Bowman also resided in Frankstown township.

On March 17, 1777, an act was passed to regulate the militia of the commonwealth, by which the president of the supreme exec- utive council was authorized to appoint one lieutenant and more than five sub-lieu- tenants in each county, and provision was made for organizing the male inhabitants between the ages of 18 and 53 into com- panies and battalions, as well as the adop- tion of a general strict military code. In 1780 another militia law was passed sup- planting the enactment of 1777, but retain- ing many of the provisions of the former laws. The office of sub-lieutenant was abol- ished after April 1, 1783. Among the sub- lieutenants under the first mentioned acts in Bedford county were William and Thomas Holliday.

An act was passed April 9, 1799, mate- rially changed the military system of the commonwealth, and provided for its more complete and efficient organization. The white male inhabitants between the ages of 18 and 45, made subjects of military duty, were arranged into divisions, brigades, regi- ments, battalions and companies. Nifflin and Huntingdon, the latter now including Blair,

formed a division, the tenth. The fifty- eighth regiment, under command of Lieut- Colonel Holliday, was composed of Blair county men, and Hollidaysburg was the regimental training place from 1803 to 1812.

WAR OF 1812.

With the exception of North Woodbury and Greenfield townships, the territory now embraced in Blair county, was included in Huntingdon county when the war of 1812 occurred. The county furnished several companies of soldiers that rendered service during the war, in all of which were men who lived within the present boundaries of Blair county.

On Monday, May 4, 1812, the Hunting- don light infantry, a volunteer company, officered by Robert Allison, captain, and Jacob Miller, first lieutenant, voted unani- mously to tender their services to the presi- dent in the then impending war with Great Britain, more than a month in advance of the formal declaration of war, which was is- sued June 18th. The tender was accepted. and Monday, September 7, the company marched from Huntingdon to Niagara and reached Buffalo on the 2nd of October. The company took part in several engage- ments in connection with the invasions of Canada by the American forces. The names of those who formed this company have not been preserved.

Governor Snyder, by general orders, dated May 12, directed a draft, in the man- ner prescribed by law, of 14,000 militia, to be formed into two divisions, four brigades and twenty-two regiments. The quota of the eleventh division, Huntingdon, Mifflin and Center counties, consisted of two bri- gades, one of 255 men and one of 431 men. The captains of these companies were Wil- liam Morris and Edmund Tipton. The other officers of Captain Morris' company were as follows: Lieutenants, Daniel Wea- ver, William Isgrig, Cornelius Crum and John McIlroy; ensign, William Love; ser- geants, Alexander Cresswell, Henry New-

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ingham, John Stratton, Joseph Metzbaugh, William Wilson, John Brotherland and Jo- seph Eckley; corporals, Samuel Hollings- head, John McNamara, John B. Riddle, John Mack, Benjamin Scott and John Gal- braith. The officers of Captain Tipton's company were as follows: First lieutenant, John McCabe; second lieutenant, Isaac Van Tries; third lieutenant, John Cox; fourth

lieutenant, Christian Denlinger; ensign, Patrick Madden; sergeants, John Calder- wood, Benjamin McCune, Jesse Moore, Peter Hewit, Jacob Shafer; corporals, James Mathers, Thomas Rees, Abraham Law, James Parks, Zaduck Westover; drummer, Elisha Ross.

March 28, 1814, another general militia law was approved by the governor. Six- teen divisions were created. The tenth em- braced Mifflin and Center, constituting the first brigade, and Huntingdon and Clear- field, the second brigade. These men did not see any actual service. After the com- pletion of the vessels that were to consti- tute Commodore Perry's squadron on Lake Erie, in the fall of 1813, volunteers were so- licited to complete the required force on board. A number of Pennsylvania militia tendered their services, and were accepted. The legislature, approved by resolution ap- proved January 31, 1814, after expressing the thanks of the government of the com- monwealth to the commodore, his assistant commandants and the Pennsylvanians who volunteered on board the squadron, di- rected the governor to present each of the latter, "in compliment of their patriotism and bravery, a silver medal of the weight of two dollars," with his name thereon. A number of Huntingdon county men were the recipients of these medals.

MEXICAN WAR.

Blair county furnished at least one com- mand and possibly 200 soldiers for service during the Mexican war. Congress, May 13, 1846, declared that "by the act of the republic of Mexico, a state of war exists be-

tween that government and the United States." Troops were called for, and the president made a requisition on the gov- ernor of Pennsylvania for six regiments. Over ninety volunteer companies, number- ing 8,374 men, responded to the call. One of the companies, No. 60, known as the Williamsburg Blues, was recruited in Blair county. Thomas K. Fluke was the captain ; James M. Kinkead, first lieutenant; Alex- ander McKamey, second lieutenant, and seventy-six non-commissioned officers and privates. The company saw but little serv- ice.

A detachment from Blair county, raised in the fall of 1846, joined the "American Highlanders," a uniformed company which had been organized in Cambria county be- fore the opening of the war, and of which the captain was John W. Geary, afterwards governor of Pennsylvania, but at that time employed at the Summit, now Cresson, in the office of John Snodgrass, superintendent of the old Portage railroad.

Captain Geary offered the services of his company to the governor of Pennsylvania, and they were accepted, but as the strength of the Highlanders was considerably below the standard required, he desired to fill their ranks by recruitment, and in order to do this he proposed to William Williams of Hollidaysburg, who afterwards, during the civil war, was appointed and commissioned major in the fourteenth United States in- fantry, to raise twenty-five men for the company, and for which service Williams was to receive the appointment of sub-lieu- tenant. in the Highlanders. Under this agreement twenty-two or twenty-three men were enlisted in Hollidaysburg and vicinity, among which were Thomas Hurd, Freder- ick Nesser, James Nealy, Washington Stone, Andrew Dripps, Don Revalon, Rob- ert McNamara and John Campbell. Major Williams and John Campbell lived until quite recently.

The detachment of men raised at Holli- daysburg and vicinity left that place in De-

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HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY

cember, 1846, and joined Geary's Highland- er's, the strength of which company was raised by this accession to about eighty-five men. At Pittsburg it was assigned to duty as company B of the second Pennsylvania regiment, of which Captain William B. Roberts was elected colonel, and Captain John W. Geary lieutenant. Upon the pro- motion of Captain Geary to the lieutenant colonelcy of the regiment, the following named were elected to the commissioned officers of company B: Captain, John Humphreys; first lieutenant, Samuel W. Black; second lieutenants, Elisha Luckett and William Williams.

The company embarked at Pittsburg on the steamer Cambria, and with the regi- ment proceeded down the Ohio and Mis- sissippi rivers to New Orleans, encamping for a time at Plaine Chalmette, a place some miles below the city, and where General Jackson fought the British forces under Packenham, January 8, 1815. Here the sec- ond Pennsylvania lay encamped adjoining a Mississippi regiment commanded by Col. Jefferson Davis, afterwards notorious as presi- dent of the so-called Confederate States of America. From this camp the regiment embarked on sailing-vessels bound for Mex- ico, Companies B, D and G taking passage on the ship General Veazie, Captain Fair- field. The Veazie was driven from her course to the coast of Cuba, and was at sea twenty-five days, during which time the small-pox broke out among the men on board, and in consequence they were landed at Lobis island, while the other transports. with the remainder of the regiment, pro- ceeded to Vera Cruz.

The three companies which were landed at Lobis island from the ship Gen. Veazie re- mained there in quarantine for about a month, at the end of which time, the smallpox having disappeared, they sailed for Vera Cruz, where on their arrival they found that the strongly- fortified city had surrendered to Gen. Scott, who had already marched with the main body of his army on the road to the city of Mexico.

The Second Pennsylvania had marched inland with Scott's forces, but the three companies which had been quarantined at Lobis, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Geary, joined the division of General Quitman, which had not yet left Vera Cruz, and marched with it- to Cerro Gordo, where they arrived after Gen. Scott's battle and victory at that place. The army had moved on from Cerro Gordo to- wards Jalapa, where it was overtaken by Quit- man's division, and where the three companies from the Second Pennsylvania, under Geary, rejoined their regiment, encamping about three miles from the city. When the army moved on - towards Orizaba, the three companies of the Second which had come on the Gen. Veazie re- mained at Jalapa, being ordered into the city on garrison duty. Here Lieutenant Williams was in command of the company. Capt. Humphreys and Lieuts. Black and Luckett being on the sick list. Williams afterwards became first lieutenant of the company by the resignation of Lieuts. Black and Luckett, First Sergeant Frank McKee being at the same time promoted to second lieutenant. From Jalapa Lieut. Williams was ordered to Pennsylvania on recruiting services, and did not return to the army. On his way home, when in New. Orleans, he met two companies, respectively commanded by Captains Taylor and Caldwell who were on their way to join the Second Pennsylvania regiment in Mexico.

The companies commanded by Capts. Taylor and Caldwell formed a part of the Wayne Guards, mustered into the service at Pitts- burg, May 19, 1847, contained a number of Blair county men. Captain Caldwell's com- pany was recruited in Blair, Huntingdon and Mifflin counties, the largest part being from Mifflin. There were about twenty-five from Blair, most of them from Williamsburg and vicinity.

Captain Taylor's company was raised prin- cipally in Bedford county, but contained sev- eral men from Hollidaysburg and the south- eastern part of Blair county. The company was raised in the spring of 1847, and organized under command of Captain Taylor of Bed-

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ford. In May, 1847, it proceeded by March and by transportation on the canal to Pitts- burg, where it was immediately joined by Capt. Caldwell's company, and two embarked on board the steamer "Colonel Yell," and moved down the river to New Orleans, where they arrived early in July, and were there met by Lieut. Williams on his return from Jalapa, as already mentioned. They encamped at Blaine Chalmette, Camp Carleton, below the city, where large numbers of men in other com- månds were sick with measles. The disease, however, did not spread to any great extent among the soldiers of the two Pennsylvania companies. After a short stay at Plaine Chal- mette the companies of Capts. Caldwell and Taylor embarked on the ship Florida, and pro- ceeded to Vera Cruz, whence they marched with the division of General Franklin Pierce, afterwards president of the United States, to Puebla, where the division joined the army of General Scott, and where the companies of Capts. Taylor and Caldwell were assigned to the Second Pennsylvania, the former being designated as L and the latter as M company.

The Second Pennsylvania regiment having marched with its division (Gen. Quitman's) from Jalapa, by way of Orizaba, to Pueblo, where it received the two new companies, as above noted, moved thence with the army of General Scott towards the Mexican capital. During the campaign that succeeded it took part in all the principal battles, including those of Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, San Pascual, and at the storming of the Belen Gate (in which last-named engagement, as also at Chapultepec, it lost very heavily in killed and wounded), and was the first regiment, to enter the city of Mexico after its surrender, Sept. 13, 1847. The commanding officer of the regi- ment, Col. W. B. Roberts, died in the city on the 3rd of October following, and upon his death Lieut. Col. Geary was promoted to the colonelcy. Not long after the occupation the second regiment was moved outside the city, and was posted successively at several neigh- boring points in the valley of Mexico, where it remained until May, 1848, when it marched

to Vera Cruz, embarked, and proceeded by sea to New Orleans, and thence by steamers up the Mississippi, and Ohio rivers to Pittsburg, where the men were mustered out of service on the 29th day.

At the time this is written, so far as known, but one of the men from Blair county who served in this regiment survives. He is Fred- erick Liebig, of Altoona, also a veteran of the civil war. He is eighty-five years old, hale and hearty, in possession of all his faculties and apparently good for many more years. He has a perfect recollection of all the stirring events of which he was an active participant. He proudly asserts that he was one of the first men to enter the city of Mexico after its cap- ture by the American forces.

THE CIVIL WAR.

In no county of the state were the portentous events that preceded the civil war watched with more interest than in Blair, and few coun- ties in the entire country gave more men to save the union. The first shot directed against Fort Sumpter had hardly ceased to echo in the north before enlistments began in the county, and from the time when the first call for troops was made known until the surrender of the southern armies made further calls un- necessary, the young men, the middle-aged men, and not infrequently the old men of Blair county responded to each appeal with a pa- triotic alacrity not excelled in any other part of the state or union. Men of every walk of life came forward and offered their services to the national government, and altogether about 4,000 of the flower of the county donned the blue at one time or another during the progress of the war, of which number between 400 and 500 laid down their lives on the altar of their country.

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Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 31

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Number of Pages: 1036

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036