The Lambertville press., 1860-01-11

tiicf, Wnlte IL lncneS With four lnc1e
red on the top. remember with wha
pride used to step forth at the drill
and as my position on the march wa
often in the rear, with what precision
these plumes waved, while the com
pany marched to the music of the band
Oh, that band, with James Nimo, Pc
ter 9. Apgar, George Bangart, Clari-
onets; Phillip Fosse, with his symbols
John Apgar, with his tambonrine lit.
! tie Ira Fritts. with his triangle, and
more supple than all the rest Jacot
/ Fritts, (familiarly known as old Bog
/ gie) with the base drum besides sew
eral others, fifers, drnmmers. &c, who
deserve especial notice-snch music I
have never heard since, and | fea. |
never will again--it makes Inc fe el
young-it makes me feel like " going
the whole fotch. y
| Fox is ready-I mount my wagon
solitary and alone amidst the won
derings of the family, that so old man
should ride so far to see a General
Training" But the people of this day
know but little abont the excitement of
an old fashioned training day, and
leave it for my good cold woman" to
explain it all to them when am onmy
road, humming to myself "O'er the
hills and far away" or Old Zip Coon, .
or the 8 White Cockade, /" or some 9th
.er good old march--How these
rail roads alters the face of our beloved
country in my revery | hardly knew
where | was, but I am approaching
" Soddie. /" SoDDIE, . more lately
known by the name of Clarksville-
there in the mansion house lived and
died Peter Eveland, one of our Lieu
tenants, and just over Spruce Run,
where the tannery used to be kept,
Jacob Mckinney, another of the Lieu
tenants of our company, both of whom
were out under Capt. Fell, founder of
the company in the war of 1912, and
here where they used to keep the toll
gate and Spruce Run, tavern, lived
Uncle Tom, (not he oflog cabin memo
ry, but Uncle Thomas Banghart) at
that time the first Lieutenant of the
company This brings to my mind
Frederick Fritts and John Sager, and
Others who died from diseases con-
tracted in that campaign-I feel like
taking something t.. their memory
Fox is dry and so am I've stop.
1t was customary in old times to take
a little on training days, and this was
always said by our Zealously religious
people as being the worst feature of
the whole system, but whiskey was
better them days than it is now Fox
quatfs away-it does him good-most
excellent water but the whiskey tho
as good as the common run, is most
yillianous oh, shocking shocking !
how do they contrive to make such
stuff Fellow Soldiers, beware of it !
especially on training days, it is the
worst enemy you have to contend with.
If the liquor that we used to treat our
men with on parade day had been such
stuff as we have nowadays, | even
would not have escaped to tell the sad
tale the catastrophe would have been
worse than that which befell the chill
dren of Job-we would all have been
killed lou understand that my be-
ing military man has not prevented
me from reading my Bible 90, nor it
won't any other man all good mill
tary men will read their Bibles.
must pass on. There is the little field
that lies between the orchard and turn
pike, the place we held company train
ing. This road on the left used to
pour down on parade days Captain
Benjamin Fritts' company by scores, a
lively set of fellows living in the neigh
borhood Of Apgar's tavern, since known
by the name Of /" Peggy's Puddle ("
Grey Rock off to the left was Captain
Peter Ten Eycks company, afterwards
commanded by Captain Fulkerson-
they belonged to the first regiment and
was large, fine company. What
could have become of them all All !!
here is Hunts Mills. pardon me, l
mean Clinton Here Captain Cam
field commanded the Washington
Blues, as fine company as was in the
Brigade, according to numbers. At
tention, men of that company ~
Do you remember the letterread to you
on your parade containing the news of
the death of your late Captain, while
on tour out West. How many wet
cheeks there were in the ranks that
day F! Military knowledge does not
steel the heart against the sympathiz-
ing feelings of humanity, else why
those tears? Clinton Clinton !! J can
not you raise another company p
Young men of the place, call on Capt.
Foster, or rather President Foster,
Colonel A. w. Dunham, Captain Sam
uel Bonnel. and all other good citizens,
and take their advice / know it will
be to raise a company And spend
some of the hours Chat you now spend,
I think, rather foolishly) in preparing
yourselves for the defence of our be-
loved country. Our liberties are GER
tainly worth defending. Fox you are
not dry, we won't stop here, we must
hasten on. We are now in the second
regiment, and used to have our Gen
eral training" " mostly at Pittstown. |
remember once we drilled at the Hick-
ory, and had a very fine parade, but
after the parade was over they had en-
tirely too much fighting. Fighting in
that day was fashionable, and what is
fashionable, you know is always con-
sidered respectable--so far this was a
most respectable affair. Once we were
drilled by Colonel Andrew Banghart,
at Everittstown, and the most war-hke
part of that days work was the bend
ing Of gun harIel over the head Of a
man who was playing fantastic tricks
and had frightened the other (They
have both paid the debt of Nature.
AS / before said, we mostly drilled at
| Pittstown on General" days. When |
first trained the review was taken by