DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE DOINGS OF COMPANY A, FIFTIETH REGIMENT N. G., S.
N. Y., WHILE PERFORMING ONE HUNDRED DAYS' DUTY AT ELMIRA. NEW YORK.
Taken from the Diary of one of its Members.
In pursuance of Orders as follows:
GENERAL HEAD-QUARTERS STATE OF NEW YORK, }
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, }
Albany, Aug. 28th, 1864. }
SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 348.
Captain Charles F. Blood, commanding Company A, of the 50th
Regiment National Guard of the State of New York, will, by the
5th of September, proximo, proceed with his command to Elmira,
N. Y., and report to Major A. S. Diven, acting Assistant Provost
Marshal General, and Superintendent of the Volunteer Recruiting
Service, who will muster them into the service of the United
States for one hundred (100) days, and attach them to the 58th
Regiment National Guard, of the State of New York.
Requisition for the necessary clothing and transportation will
be made upon Brigadier General S. V. Talcott, Quartermaster
General, No. 51 Walker Street, New York city, and for arms and
accoutrements upon Brigadier General James A. Farrell,
Commissary General of Ordinance, State Arsenal, New York city.
By order of the Commander-in-Chief,
JOHN T. SPRAGUE,
Adjutant General.
HEAD-QUARTERS 50TH REGIMENT N. G., S. N. Y. }
Trumansburg, N. Y., Aug. 27th, 1864. }
SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 3.
Above Special Order, No. 348, is hereby promulgated.
Captain Charles F. Blood, commanding Company "A," of this
Regiment, will immediately promulgate the above Orders to his
command.
Said Captain will immediately report to these Head-Quarters, in
writing, the strength of his command, and the number of men he
will be able to report for duty at Elmira on the 5th day of
September, proximo.
The Captain will see the importance of this Order, when it is
stated that orders must be made at once for clothing,
transportation, arms and accoutrements, at New York city for his
command.
By order of
COL. HENRY D. BARTO,
Commanding 50th Reg't N. G., S. N. Y.
Lewis Halsey, Adjutant.
Company A, 50th Regiment National Guard, State of New York, started at 9
o'clock on the morning of the second day of September, 1864, in
obedience with the above order, with the following officers and men:
CHARLES F. BLOOD, _Captain_.
LEVI KENNEY, _1st Lieutenant_.
JOSEPH ESTY, JR., _2d Lieutenant_.
J. C. HAZEN, _Orderly_.
C. C. GREENLY, _2d Sergeant_.
E. M. FINCH, _3d Sergeant_.
H. A. ST. JOHN, _4th Sergeant_.
B. R. WILLIAMS, _1st Corporal_.
URI CLARK, _2d Corporal_.
J. C. GAUNTLETT, _3d Corporal_.
ALFRED BROOKS, _4th Corporal_.
Frank Betts,
E. E. Barnard,
J. W. Brown,
F. Cheesbrough,
Wm. Crittenden,
A. Dean,
James Faulkner,
John Gay,
M. L. Granger,
T. H. Griffith,
George H. Grant,
S. J. Humm,
T. Hern,
E. K. Johnson,
J. McKinney,
W. H. Kellogg,
S. T. Lewis,
E. M. Latta,
J. Mandeville,
E. C. Marsh,
H. L. Miller,
J. W. Norton,
C. L. O'Brien,
A. Prame,
O. S. Perry,
George Pollay,
W. C. Steele,
C. R. Sherwood,
H. E. Smith,
E. E. Warfield,
Geo. R. Williams,
J. V. Wilson.
We reached Elmira at 2 P. M. on the same day, and were immediately
marched to our quarters at Barracks No. 1, afterwards called the
Substitute Camp. At 31/2 P. M. we were mustered into the United States
service as Company L, 58th Regiment N. G., S. N. Y., Col. R. P. Wisner
commanding, and the same evening, on the requisition of our Captain, we
drew the following articles of clothing, arms and equipments, to each
man:
1 Woolen Blanket,
1 Rubber Blanket,
1 Overcoat,
1 Blouse,
1 Pair Pants,
1 Cap,
2 Pair Drawers,
2 Pair Socks,
1 Pair Shirts,
1 Pair Shoes,
1 Canteen,
1 Spoon,
1 Knife and Fork,
1 Cup,
1 Plate,
1 Knapsack,
1 Haversack.
The arms served us were of the Enfield pattern, known as rifled muskets,
and were said to have been taken off of a rebel blockade-runner, which,
together with the necessary belts, cap and cartridge boxes, made as
complete an outfit as were given to any of the men serving in our army
for the preservation of the Union.
One can scarcely imagine the ridiculous picture our boys made as they
tried on their new clothes, so generously given them by "Uncle Sam."
Here in one corner you might see a six-footer striving in vain to induce
a pair of pants, by hard pulling and stretching, to reach below his
knees, but finding no virtue in perseverance, he seizes the coat and
finds to his dismay the same difficulty with the sleeves that he found
with the pants--namely, too short. As he sits studying over his
misfortune, he is hailed by another fellow just his counterpart,
hobbling across the floor with a pair of pants so long that they
threaten to trip him at every step.
But, O, dear! Look at that perfect picture of despair; a fellow who at
home wears a number five boot, trying to make a pair of number ten shoes
stay on his feet. Presently, however, a man is found whose fortune has
dealt to him a pair of "gun-boats" a size too small, immediately, with
true yankee spirit, a trade is made, and each is satisfied that he has
made the best of the bargain; so by dint of exchanges, garments are
found to fit, which at first seemed as if they had been distributed by
common consent, the smallest men to receive those intended for the
largest, and vice versa.
But what ails that fellow over yonder? He looks as if he had lost his
last friend, and never expected to have another. We rush up to enquire
the cause of his discomforture, but our anxiety is turned into laughter,
when we behold him who had been congratulating himself on making such a
fine appearance in a suit of blue; brushing off the threads and dust,
and picking up one thread which seemed to be very long, but only
producing the more thread by the greater picking, our fine fellow finds
that he has ventilated the entire side of one of his trowsers legs.
Hark! the Orderly cries "fall in for rations;" although we may not yet
be perfectly acquainted with all orders pertaining particularly to camp
life, yet all seem to understand this one. With a good appetite after
our fun, we start for the mess-house. Some hungry man behind us as we
march along, hopes the beef steak will be tender, and the potatoes well
done, while another hints he does not like eggs too hard boiled, and a
third says he must have his rolls hot, and good butter to eat on them,
or he don't care for any supper; while a fourth never eats pies, and so
of course is anxious to find a good pudding awaiting his ravenous
appetite. But misery me! what a smell! where does it come from? most
certainly from the mess-house, no denying that. As we enter, every man
immediately loses his appetite; but bound to face the music, we all sit
down, place our cups and plates on the table, and await coming events.
Presently there comes a man with a basket of bread, another with a pan
of beef and a third with a pail of coffee. Waiter No. 1 very dexterously
causes a huge chunk of bread to alight on your plate; waiter No. 2 makes
a piece of beef perform the same evolution, and your cup is soon filled.
Here is your meal, now make the attack. Our bread and butter man seems
patiently waiting, although very pale, and is only aroused from his
stupor by a neighbor asking him if he is not going to eat; he meekly
answers, by saying he is waiting for some sugar and milk for his coffee.
But all are soon satisfied, and we go back to our barracks, our poor
beef-steak-and-potato companion feeling very much disappointed.
Our duty at the substitute camp was to perform the guard duty necessary
to keep the men from escaping, and also to act as guard in taking men
from this post to the front. This camp was used as a rendezvous for
substitutes, to equip them preparatory to sending them to the army. The
larger proportion of the men sent to this post seemed to be composed of
the refuse of all society, whose entire aim seemed to have been to
enlist and desert as often as opportunity offered. They were a lawless
set of men, and it was only by enforcing the most rigid discipline, that
they were kept within bounds.
When a squad of substitutes was to be taken to the front, one or two
commissioned officers were usually detached, together with a compliment
of non-commissioned officers and privates, sufficient to carefully guard
against desertions on their way. Ordinary freight cars were used for
transportation, into which were crowded from 35 to 40 men, allowing five
men in each car as a guard. It was a shameful way of treating human
beings, crowded together for two days with barely room to move in, and
being required to assume all manner of positions at night in order to
get a little rest. Although sufficient rations were purported to be
issued for the journey, yet they never sufficed, and the men often
suffered from hunger. Yet in time Baltimore was reached, where all the
men were generally put into comfortable quarters for a day or so, and
then placed on board transports to be taken to different points on the
Potomac or James Rivers.
These transports were often condemned, or at least unsafe vessels in the
employ of the Government, with no conveniences for the accommodation of
the number of men crowded on them. The writer had the misfortune to be
on one of these miserable crafts. On the night of Friday, Sept. 9th, we
left Baltimore with 1100 men, en route for City Point, on an old
condemned English emigrant steamer. We were 55 hours making the trip
(more than twice as long as we should have been), and twice the vessel
was turned to be run ashore, as she leaked so badly, and the pumps
giving out for a time, it was feared by her commander the water might
put out the fires under the boilers, and at no time could the old tub be
kept on an even keel. There were only a few casks of water, and no
provisions of any kind on board. The rations issued to the men on
starting were all gone long before we reached our destination, and not a
little suffering was experienced by the poor fellows for want of
something to eat. This is but one of many instances in which one portion
of the men in the Government employ were made to suffer by the neglect
and ill-treatment of another portion.
But to return to our camp at Elmira. Our duties were about the same
thing every day; doing guard duty when it came our turn for detail, with
the diversion of an occasional squad to the front. This began to be an
old story to us, and we had to use our best endeavors to get up some
little excitement to break the monotony of camp routine.
On the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 10th, orders were issued to our
Regiment to move to Barracks No. 3, without delay. It was a rainy day,
and all felt more like staying quietly in the barracks than like packing
up and moving; yet go we must, and go we did. The last squad left at 8
o'clock in the evening. Tents, of which each Company had twelve,
including one officer's wall tent, were pitched for the night, and all
made themselves as comfortable as possible. In the morning, although it
had ceased raining, it was very wet, and the nature of the ground made
it very uncomfortable. We arranged our camp with a little more care,
building a stockade of boards two feet high, on which we pitched each
tent, and also making a floor on the bottom. Later in the season we
provided each tent with either a camp-stove or fire-place, which made
our quarters very comfortable, even in the severest weather.
We also built a cook-house capable of seating our entire Company, and
furnished it with a good stove and such other apparatus as was necessary
to carry on our culinary operations. We were indeed the envy of the
entire Brigade, and it is undoubtedly true that by our own exertions we
possessed the best _arrangement_ for promoting our own comfort of any
Company on the ground. We were enabled by our advantages to provide all
the variety possible with the rations served us. There was hardly a day
but we were supplied with some delicacy by the kindness of our officers,
that was not on the regular bill of fare. Indeed, our Table d'Hote
gained such a notoriety, that in less than two weeks we had some of the
staff officers as regular boarders, and our worthy Colonel considered
it quite an honor when we gave him a standing invitation to partake of
any meal with us when he did not see fit to go to his boarding house--an
invitation that he often accepted and seemed quite to enjoy.
Our principal duty at Barracks 3, or the rebel camp, as commonly called,
although the correct name was Camp Chemung, was to guard the rebel
prisoners confined at this post. Almost every day, however, men were
detailed and sent off on extra duty. The prison was formed of a stockade
built of boards 14 feet long, placed perpendicularly on a fence frame,
having the posts on the outside, thereby giving a perfectly smooth
surface on the inside, quite impossible to scale. There were two
entrances to the enclosure, one called the Main Gate, which was placed
on front, and was the principal means of entrance, the other was called
the Rear Gate, and placed at the rear of the prison on the river bank.
All around this stockade, four feet from the top, there was a platform
and railing for the guard to walk on, with sentry boxes about 240 feet
apart. Besides the guard "on the fence," there was a line of sentinels
on the ground outside the stockade. During the day men armed with
revolvers were posted at different points in the enclosure, and at night
were formed into a patrol guard. This patrol walked around the entire
enclosure about 15 feet from the stockade, there being an interval of
three minutes of time between each man. The guard on the fence and those
outside were relieved every two hours; the patrol was relieved every
four hours. It was the duty of the guard to challenge any of the
prisoners who were approaching the stockade, a second challenge was
given if the first was not sufficient, and if they still persisted and
were evidently trying to effect some means of escape, the order was to
fire on them and give the alarm.
There were about 300 men detailed for duty each day. These consisted of
eight commissioned officers, 32 non-commissioned officers, and 260
privates. This number was distributed to four different positions,
allowing an equal number of officers to each, but the men were
apportioned to each post according to the amount of duty to be done.
The guard was formed and reviewed each morning at 8 o'clock, preparatory
to going on duty; the new guard usually relieved the guard of the
previous day at 10 o'clock, and were kept on duty 24 hours. Each squad
was under command of two officers, and was divided into three reliefs;
these reliefs alternated with each other in a duty of two hours, thus
allowing each man four hours' rest out of six.
The field officer of the day was accustomed to make a complete tour of
the camp during the day, and usually visited each guard post at least
once during the night. Whenever he was seen approaching any of the
principal posts, the entire guard had to be turned out in order to be
inspected and reviewed by him.
During the night, from 8 o'clock in the evening until 6 in the morning,
every half hour was called by the guard on the fence, at the same time
giving the number of each post and the word "All's well."
The prisoners were divided into companies, each company being under the
charge of an officer detailed for that purpose. Roll was called morning
and evening, at one of which the officer was required to be present and
to make a daily report to the commandant of the post. Two meals per day
were given the prisoners, one at 8 A. M. and one at 3 P. M. They were
furnished with good, wholesome food, prepared in an immense cooking
establishment. Each company marched to this house at the regular hours,
and were served with their rations, going immediately back to their
quarters to eat them.
Several large and commodious hospitals were provided for the sick,
arranged with all possible convenience, and attended by a corps of
competent Surgeons.
One might draw a grand comparison between the way in which our men were
treated in the different prisons of the South, and the treatment of
rebels at the hands of our Government. We who have seen the worn-out,
hobbling rebel prisoner, go forth exchanged, after a few months'
imprisonment, a strong and healthy man, cannot but feel the contrast
when we see old friends, who, months ago were freed from Southern
prisons, even now unable to stand the burden of any daily toil, and
still wearing in their deep-lined faces the marks of past hardships. And
when we think of those who once filled the vacant places in our homes
and in our hearts, who might now be with us but for such hardships, we
can reflect only with shuddering upon the treatment they have received,
and feel grateful that we are at peace again. Verily, many a tale that
we might tell were better left untold.
On the morning of Friday, Oct. 7th, one of the guard on the outside of
the fence discovered a hole, through which it was evident some of the
prisoners had escaped. The alarm was given, but it was too late. On
investigation there were found to be 16 prisoners missing. They had made
a tunnel about four feet under ground and sixty odd feet long, large
enough to allow a man to crawl through. The night in which they made
their escape was very dark and stormy, and taking advantage of this,
they completed their excavation, crawled through, and were free.
This mode of escape was afterwards often tried, but the above is the
only instance in which any reward was obtained for the great amount of
work thus expended. A fellow put into practical operation one day a
novel method of escaping. It was customary on the death of any of the
rebels, to carry them to the dead-house; here the bodies were placed in
coffins, marked, and a register kept. From the prison they were carried
to the burial-ground, where the coffins were placed in long trenches,
with a head-board marked to correspond with the register kept at the
prison. One day one of the assistants at the dead-house arranged with
one of his fellows to be placed in a coffin, and have the lid lightly
nailed on. He was carried to the burial-ground, and unloaded with the
other bodies. As soon as the cart drove off, our sharp fellow easily
kicked the lid off and made good his escape.
Our camp life was beginning to be very monotonous. Each day the same
routine was observed, and we were at our wit's end to produce some sort
of amusement. We were provided, however, with the following incident
which served us as a fund for some days: On the night of October 15th,
all the camps being quiet, and no sound coming through the still night
air, save the steady tread of the guard, or the hoarse, hollow cough of
the prisoners, at 11 o'clock we were all suddenly aroused from our
slumbers by the report of the alarm gun, the long roll soon followed and
instantly the officers were out ordering the men quickly into line, each
Company was marched on the parade ground on a double quick, the line
soon formed and every thing was in readiness awaiting orders. Presently
an orderly came riding up assigning to our Regiment a position, then
quickly to another camp he went, and we started at quick time for our
position, just as we set off the battery came thundering down the road,
the bugle sounded, men dismounted, pieces were unlimbered, quickly
loaded, and ready for action. From the opposite direction came more
field pieces which formed a battery just in front of our halting place,
then by us rushed a Regiment, and to us again came the orderly, and we
were divided, one Battalion went in one direction and the other in an
other. Thus the different commands were manoeuvred for about an hour,
finally a rest being allowed, the men began to enquire if we had not
been "sold," as it was evident there was no disturbance in the prison
camp nor any signs of an outbreak. But no one could give a solution to
the problem, until the next morning we found it was all done by our
Brigade Commander, to see what reliance could be placed on the men in
case of an emergency.
In pursuance of orders received a day or two previous, our Regiment,
together with the entire Brigade, started at noon of October 19th for
the general parade ground, to take part in a Brigade review, it was an
informal affair and only occupied two hours, it was a sort of
preliminary or drill to fit us for a grand review to take place some
time in the next month.
Messrs. Tolles and Burritt came over from Ithaca, reaching camp the
morning of October 20th, to take views in and about the camps, they
succeeded in getting a great many fine views of the different positions
occupied by the troops.
At inspection on the morning of October 23d, orders were issued to each
Regiment, to hold themselves in readiness to fall in at a moment's
notice. It was understood that Governor Seymour was in the city and
would visit the different camps during the day. It being unknown at what
time we would have to fall in, our boys went about the camp with their
equipments on, ready to take their places in line at the first call. In
the afternoon at 3 o'clock the roll was sounded and our Regiment was
soon in line, presently Gov. Seymour and a few members of his staff,
accompanied by some of the post officers, passed and were saluted by the
Regiment; there was no pretentious show of any kind, merely a
recognition and compliment to the Commander-in-Chief of the State
forces.
On the evening of October 24th, our boys arranged one of their
characteristic performances--a minstrel show. We had indeed acquired a
great reputation during our life in camp for being possessed of an
inexhaustible store of fun, and had the material for engaging in
anything that might offer which could be turned into a source of
amusement.
On the evening mentioned we built a staging of rather large dimensions
of material furnished us by the Quarter-Master of the Regiment, sticking
bayonets in the ground with a candle placed in them to serve as
foot-lights, seats were provided for our audience, and every convenience
added as far as possible in order to make our entertainments popular. We
were richly rewarded on this occasion as our performances had been
growing very much in favor, and on this night many came up from the city
in carriages until we had an audience of which many a more worthy
showman might have been proud.
It would be impossible to enumerate all the sources of fun that were
introduced and carried out, but it is sufficient to say that there was
not an hour in the day but that one might enjoy a hearty laugh over the
pranks of one or more of the boys.
The 2d of November was a great day among the different Regiments
stationed at Elmira. A grand review had been ordered to come off at
noon, to consist of all the troops not on duty, to be reviewed by
General Diven and staff. There were nine Regiments and two Batteries on
the field, viz: the 12th Regulars, 1st V. R. C., the 54th, 56th, 58th,
77th, 98th, 99th, 102d Regiments N. G., the 4th Regulars, and Rochester
Batteries. The line was formed at noon, on the large field in the rear
of the regular parade ground. Soon after, General Diven and staff came
on the ground, receiving the customary salute from the Batteries. We
were marched in review, first at common time, then at quick time. After
going through some minor evolutions, we were dismissed, reaching our
camps just before 6 o'clock. Everything passed off well, and the
reviewing officers expressed themselves highly satisfied with the
appearance of the men, and their proficiency in drill. There were about
4,500 men of all grades, who took part in the review, and those who
witnessed the parade considered it a fine affair, as well as being a
creditable appearance of our State troops.
It was now drawing near the time when a great many of the Regiments were
to be mustered out of service, having served the time for which they
enlisted.
On the 3d of November the 54th Regiment was mustered out, and left for
home. On the 5th, the 56th, 77th, and 99th Regiments were also dismissed
from service, and each set out for their respective homes. This made our
duties very much harder, as no troops were furnished in place of those
leaving; consequently those who remained had to do double duty. We did
not mind that much, however, as we knew our time would soon come for
going home; although it would be near the middle of December before our
100 days were completed, yet our time was out with that of the remainder
of the Regiment, who were mustered in some 20 days before we were.
The evening of November 16th was occupied by our Company in giving an
oyster supper as a complimentary entertainment to the officers of the
Regiment. The table was set and supper served in our cook-house. Among
our guests we had the Colonel and staff, and nearly all the line
officers of our Regiment, together with several members of other
Regiments. Everything passed off finely, and both guests and hosts
seemed to enjoy the evening's fun to the fullest extent.
It was fully expected by the authorities that the Regiment would be
relieved from duty by the 20th of November, but all hopes of reaching
home before the first of the following month were given up, for we
certainly could not be spared until some Regiment should come to take
our place, as there were barely men enough to do the duty required, and
even those were virtually over-worked. It made little difference with
us, however, as we had some time yet to serve, but then we had expected
to be relieved from duty the same as the rest of the command to which we
were attached, and felt some little disappointment at the delay. All
were anxious to be home at Thanksgiving, the 24th of November, to eat
the time-honored roast turkey and plum pudding, but we found it was of
no use to raise any expectations, as they were not to be realized. We
were not forgotten, however. There arrived from home the night before
several boxes and barrels, well filled with all the delicacies, as well
as substantials, that are necessary to makeup a grand Thanksgiving
dinner. These were spread and partaken of by our boy with seemingly as
much pleasure as if we had been at home.
After many disappointments and vexatious delays, orders were issued on
the 1st of December to the effect that any Company having the proper
papers drawn up and showing no deficiency as regarded equipments, should
be mustered out on the 2d day of December, or as soon thereafter as all
necessary papers were completed.
You may imagine that a great amount of writing was done during that
night, as the next morning found us ready for the mustering officer.
Quite early in the morning we began to pack up and make preparations to
break camp.
At 10 A. M. the Captain was in possession of the Quarter-Master's and
Ordinance officers' receipts for arms, accoutrements and camp equipage
returned, and at 11 A. M. we were mustered out of the United States
service, having been Uncle Sam's boys in blue just ninety-two days. We
soon after set off for the Depot with what baggage we had, and at 7 P.
M. reached Owego where we had to remain until morning.
At about 7 o'clock we were in sight of home and soon at the Depot, here
we were received by a large number of citizens and marched directly to
the Armory where we were welcomed home in a short speech by _M. R.
Barnard_, neatly responded to by _Captain Blood_, after which we
separated to don a citizen's attire and citizen's employment.
Although our three months' work, in the mere point of dollars and cents,
was a loss to every man, yet I doubt if there is one who regrets having
spent this much time in the government service. Each man received a
regular discharge which in years hence he may refer to with somewhat of
pride at the thought of having done even his mite in serving his country
and contributed a little towards suppressing the rebellion. We were
regularly enlisted in the United States army, and subject in every
particular to the same treatment and usage as any of the men in the
government employ. Our duty, it is true, was not attended with any of
the dangers which accompanied the duties of the men in the field, yet it
was work that had to be done, and could be as well performed by State
troops as to take veterans from the field. Our Company as a whole were
well treated in every instance, enjoying many advantages which the
social position of the members secured to them, and we were allowed
privileges which were hardly expected; in fact our standard of
capabilities was raised so high that our men were constantly being
detailed for some special duty, requiring men of more than ordinary
intellect and foresight to accomplish. Soon after moving to Barracks No.
3, two of our men were detached from the Company and placed in the
capacity of chief Clerks at Brigade Head-Quarters, another was made
Clerk and Assistant to the Post Inspector, each retaining his
responsible position during our stay in camp. Another was appointed to
the position of Ordinance Sergeant, while a fifth member held the rank
of Sergeant Major for a number of weeks, during the absence of the
regular occupant of that office. Any one at all acquainted with the
duties devolving upon an occupant of either of these offices, may judge
of the honor extended our Company, and the preference shown its
particular members, by the appointments to such positions of
responsibility and trust.
It may be a fact worthy of mention, that there was not a duty imposed on
our men that was not promptly fulfilled; every detail called for was
forthcoming, and that, too, without hesitation or caviling, which was so
common among a large number of the Companies. This is the more
noticeable, as during the last few weeks of our stay at Elmira our boys
were called on to do double duty. There were so many of the Regiments
going home, and no provision made for supplying their places, yet every
duty was cheerfully performed, although some men did 40 hours actual
duty out of 48.
Every man had a pride in keeping everything in and about our quarters
scrupulously clean. Our cook-house, with all its cooking apparatus,
presented the appearance of a model kitchen, and each tent was swept and
arranged with all the care that could have been taken by a tidy
house-wife.
In appearance and proficiency of drill, as a Company, we soon attained a
place second to none, and which we easily retained against all
competitors.
Through the exertions and faithfulness of our officers, we had the
pleasure of receiving from Captain Carpenter, the Post Inspector, the
compliment that we were finest in appearance, and most proficient in
drill, of any of the Companies stationed at Camp Chemung.
Our officers were ever watchful to promote the comfort and best interest
of the men, striving in a hundred different ways to lighten the duties
imposed on the men, providing everything in their power to relieve the
sick, besides, at a personal expense, contributing many articles of food
or camp furniture, so that, by their exertions, the irksomeness of our
duties was destroyed, and every man considered it more of a pleasure
than an obligation to obey their commands.
We were sorry to part with many of our own Regiment, as well as members
of other commands with whom we had formed an acquaintance, much to our
profit, but our work had been done, and we were honorably discharged,
returning home feeling that the time had been well spent, and with no
regrets that we had been in the United States service for three months.
* * * * *
December 26th a delegation of the Company attended the funeral of M. G.
Phillips, a late member. January 5th.--Annual meeting and supper at
Captain Esty's. Washington's Birth-day, February 22d, 1865, was duly
honored by the Company by a parade. May 28th--Attended the funeral of
the late Lieutenant George Fisk. June 27th--Were inspected at
Trumansburg by Colonel H. D. Barto. July 7th--A number of members were
expelled for violation of By-Laws. Attended the funeral of Captain
Bartholemew, at Etna, who was killed in the United States service.
August 3d--Attended the funeral of Major Belcher, who died from disease
contracted while in the army of the United States. Target shoot August
15th, 1865. The prizes were taken and awarded as follows:
1st. William S. Crittenden--a splendid Revolver, presented by Captain
Esty.
2d. Walter C. Steel--a pair of rich, gold-lined Silver Goblets,
presented by Lieutenant John C. Hazen.
3d. L. S. Mackey--a beautiful Silver Castor, presented by the Sergeants
of the Company.
4th. Sergeant E. M. Finch--an English silver-steel, pearl handle Pocket
Knife, presented by L. R. King, Esq.
5th. Geo. R. Williams--bottle of French Perfumery, presented by Geo. E.
Halsey, Esq.
6th. John Young--a magnificent box of Herring, presented by J. B. Taylor
& Co.
7th. Geo. M. King--a Glass Pipe, presented by Messrs. J. B. Taylor & Co.
After the prizes were awarded, Captain Esty was presented with a
magnificent sword, belt, sword-knot and case, by Capt. B. R. Williams,
on behalf of the members and ex-members of the Company.
The Company was reviewed and inspected by Colonels H. D. Barto and K. S.
Van Voorhees, at Trumansburg, Oct. 19th, 1865. January 23d, attended the
funeral of Chief-Engineer Joseph Sidney, U. S. N., who died while in the
service of his country.
We now come in the history of the Company to the dedication of the new
Armory and Drill-Room, which are located in the Cornell Library
building, and which were dedicated by one of the finest entertainments
ever given in Ithaca, February 10th, 1866, at which time the Company
were assisted by Miss Louise St. John, Mrs. J. S. Granger, Miss A.
McCormick, Mrs. Joseph Esty, Jr., and Miss Frankie Atwater; also Gen. H.
A. Dowe, Gen. William Glenny, Col. Charles F. Blood, Col. K. S. Van
Voorhees, Capt. B. R. Williams, Quar. Mas. J. C. Heath, Hon. B. G.
Ferris, Hon. James B. Taylor, F. M. Finch, Esq., F. K. Andrus, Esq.,
Charles Curtis, Esq., Edward Hall, Esq., Thomas Crane, Esq., Edward
Moore, Esq., L. V. B. Maurice, Esq., Elijah Cornell, Esq., and Master
Fred. Summers.
The entertainment was liberally patronized by the citizens of Ithaca,
enabling the Company to cancel a large proportion of the indebtedness
incurred in furnishing their Armory. The expenditures of the Company in
this direction, and expense attending their exhibition, was six hundred
and twenty-eight dollars and fifty-four cents.
The present indebtedness of the Company is less than two hundred
dollars, which amount they hope to cancel entirely by the profits on the
sales of this History.
The furniture of the Armory will compare, we think, with any room in the
Library. A fine photographic likeness of each of the officers of the
Company, taken by the celebrated Artists, Messrs. Beardsley Brothers,
occupy a prominent position. The Drill-Room is one of the finest in the
State. For the present superior advantages enjoyed by the Company, they
are much indebted to Hon. Ezra Cornell, whose name is connected with
every enterprise which has in view the prosperity of our village.
We have endeavored to give, as we stated at the commencement, a full,
true and concise history of the DeWitt Guard, our task is completed; and
in closing, we only ask that a generous public will remember the present
and former members of this Company, who sacrificed so much for their
country in the hour of her peril, and to bestow honor where honor is
due.
* * * * *