Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-31
A LIVELY LETTER.
SOME "REMINISCENCES ABOUT GENERAL
HANCOCK AND ARMY OFFICERS.
Mining stocks-C California Wines in New
York-sutters Claims-Avoiding
Taxation-Other Matters.
NEW YORK, July 20, 1850.

NEW YORK, July 20, 1880.
West Point and the regular army, oh +"
appear to be pretty active in promoting
the interests of General Hancock as Pres
identiaI candidate, judging from indications
in this vicinity. Officers stationed about
New York harbor, among whom are sew
eral who served in California prior to the
civil war, seem to have taken the cue
from their chief, who, the newspapers
inform us, uses his headquarters clerical
staff to write the answers to his political
correspondence, and are electioneering
openly for the General. The Times, day
or two since, contained a savage
attack on General Gibson, commanding
Fort Wadsworth and.acting President of the
California Pioneers in this city, because
the General has been essaying to bring
into line for Hancock the Mexican War
Veterans, of whose organization he is also
a member. The article was hardly credit
able to the Times, but then the Times Of
late has not always done credit to its ira
ditions or its party. The majority of army
officers in the Department belong to the
old school of what for better term we
may call the West Point aristocracy,
strongly imbued with the principles of
that Institution when it was the favorite
training school for scions of the proudest
Southern families, of the days of slavery,
and the effect of the dominant political
sentiment of that day and of association
with the naughty Southrons, has never been
entirely effaced from their minds. There is
no doubt, from all | can hear, that Han
cock belongs to the class whose allegiance to
the Union was suspected at the beginning
of the war. He came out boldly enough
afterward, to his great honor let it be said
but when hostilities begun he was refused
by the Governor of his own State an ap-
pointment to the State militia for which he
had applied. And, by the way, this was
while he was stationed in California as a
Quartermaster of the Sixth United States
Infantry.
HANCOCK IN CALIFORNIA.
1t will be remembered by old Califor-
mans familiar with army matters at that
time, that Captain Hancock, as he was
then known, was ordered to California
in November, 1858, and assigned to
geles, where the 'secesh" element
was stronger and more threatening than in
any other part of the State. 1t is remem-
bered, too, that not until well along in the
summer of 1861, after the wonderful up
rising of the North that followed the firing
upon Sumter and the opening acts of the
war, did Hancock catch the contagion of
Northern patriotism and ask to be trans
h lnI of I,n1o
ment to the active and stirring scenes of the
war. While in Los Angeles he was as open
and avowed an enemy of Black Republi-
canism," as the gathering sentiment of the
North was then called by the Democracy,
as any fire-eating Southern-born West
Pointer that afterwards cast in his lot with
native State recalled him to sense of his
duty, and he applied for Colonelcy
of one of the regiments then being
raised in Pennsylvania, but only, as
already stated, to be refused. He
afterward petitioned for active service in
the East, and strong influence was
brought to bear in his favor which resulted
in his being ordered to Washington. Here
he received his appointment of Brigadier-
General of Volunteers, and was assigned
ID.
of Washington. 90 Badly" Smith, as he is
Familiarity known, is the New York Police
Commissioner, who has been having such
a fight for reinstatement, and who recently
made some pretty damaging assertions
regarding Hancock S attitude just after the
last Presidential election. But of Han
cocks record during the rebellion, from
the time he entered the field, / have yet
to hear the first disparaging word spoken.
1t is part and glorious part OF the ma
tional history.
OFFICERS UNDER HANCOCK WHO SERVED IN
CALIFORNIA.
Besides General Gibson, now command
ing at Fort Wadsworth, ON Staten Island,
and who was Lieutenant stationed at the
Preside, near San Francisco, in 1850, the
following are among the officers serving
under Hancock in the Department of the
East who were stationed In California In
very early days. Most of them are gray
haired vetrans now Colonel John Hamil-
ton, in California from 40 to 81 Genersl
n. H. Davis, from 40 to 50 ; General
Richard Arnold, 81 to Sc; General r. B.
Ayres, "a to sc, and Colonel G. J. Sprague,
Paymaster, " forty. miner" who was cit
zen of San Francisco until 1861, and served
there until few years ago. There are also
Colonel A. G. Wildrick and Major j. r.
Myrick, now on duty at Fort Wadsworth,
who were in California, the former from
1853 to 1865, and the latter from 1851 to
about 1864. And at Fort Hamilton there
is Colonel E. r. Warner, who was sta
toned in California from 1859 to 1861. To
some of your readers whose memories en-
brace the early periods referred to above,
in California, and recall incidents of army
life in those days, the names may awaken
some interesting associations. The mill
tary partisans of Hancock are, as | have
said, in high feather over his nomination.
| think the army generally reioices over
the prospect which it insures of stopping
the mouths of their Southern opponents,
and of heading off schemes of reduction.
"They can't do without us " said au old
army officer to another when they met in a
hotel saloon on the evening after Hancock s
nomination. Lets take drink to Han
cock-the next President and the old army
forever !"
CALIFORNIA WINES IN NEW YORK.
l see by Bonfort's last wine and liquor
circular that the quantity of California
wine landed here during the six months
ending with June, was 66S, 296 gallons,
against sos. 1913 gallons during the first half
of 1879. 1t is stated that the falling off is
not due to any abatement in the demand
for this wine, but to the failure of the Pa.
cific Mail steamers, which are now its prin- |
cipal carriers, to furnish transportation for !
all the packages for which they had signed |
bills of lading There is much complaint |
among the consignees and others interested |
in the trade at the action of the Mail Com
pany in their freight contracts. The de-
mand for California wines is growing in this
market, and prices are fully sustained.
An importer informs me that the total |
amount of French, Spanish and German
wines landed at this port last year was
2,4O3, s5S gallons. and the aggregate of
California wines 1876 7S gallons. During |