Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-01-06
FIRST REGIMENT FORMED
A History of the Rise and Progress
Of the American Rifles and
DUPONT Guards Of
This City.
THE COMPANIES DOWN THE STATE

pOuCerueu, Out tut uhtteT OF forming COLL
panies of non commissioned privates had
but little attraction In 1t, and the officers
had no men to command. OF our pres
ent militia force, which is purely volunteer,
the Governor is Commander in Ohief,
Adjutant- General ]. Psrke Postles being
his chief Of staff and right-hand man in
military matters. The Major General Is
Henry DUPONT and the Brigsdier-G Generals,
Thomas Holoomb and John Dale, Briga-
der General Burpite died last summer and
no one has been appointed in his place, so
that there are only two Brigadiers where
there usually are three.
Leaving the generals, we come to the
reeimental offices, which are filled as fol-
lows: Colonel, Samuel A. Macallister;
Lieutenant Colonel, Samuel M. Wood;
Major, Arthur Boyle; Adjutant, G. J.
Hart; Surgeon, DR.. William Marshsll
Drum-Msjor, Thomas Gray. These
officers were chosen in the early part of
the present year, when the regiment WAS
formed, consisting of Companies and o
of this city, B of Milford, and d and E of
Dover. Company d has been disbanded,
but with this exception the State organi-
cation is as given above.
The first attempt toward the military
movement which resulted in eur present
force was made in October 1874, by 8. M.
Wood, j. P. Edwards, f. L. Buckmaster,
L. FL. II. Messenger, Thomas O. Appleby,
William H. Hanna, and several others.
Some of these gentlemen had been men,
bers of the Smyth Zouaves, of which
Joseph L. Killgore was captain, and which
ingioriously collapsed in 1872. The at.
tempt to organize company in 1874 was
a failure, but another effort was made in
January, 1875, with more success, few
of the above named men meeting together
aud organizing, after which members were
taken in until in July of that year there
were 80 names on the roll. The company
adopted the name, American Rifles"
Company A, d. V. NJ, and rented room
in the Friendship ers'ne housA, where
drilling WAS actively begun. Here the
alecticn Of company officers was held,
resulting in the choice of 8. M. Wood for
captain, j. P. Edwards for first lieutenant,
and +. l.. Buckmaster for second lieu
tenant.
The company procured guns after much
trouble, and in February, 1876, on Wash
iDgton's birthday, turned out without
uniforms. About Thanksgiving day, 1876,
the company gave its first fair in Odd
Fellows Hall, netting a profit of about
$G50, which, with the contributions By
public spirited people and its own men,
eers, enabled the orga Iizstion to purchase
uniforms. These were procured through
V. e. Holmes just in time for the first ball
on the 29th of March, 1876 The first
turnout in uniform was on Decoration day
of 1876.
On the Fourth of July of the Gen.
tennial year the company went to Phila-
delphia to represent Delaware in the Gen.
tennial Legion, composed Of 13 military
organizations, one from each of the
original states. On the Sunday following
the company turned out at the funeral
services of John Bsylis, who was killed on
the Fourth of July of that year by the
premature discharge of cannon on
Eighth street hill.
The company has made parades every
Decoration day since its organization. 1t
also made one on Thanksgiving day 1876.
On the Fourth of July, 1877, it received
the Hartranft Rifles of Chester, made a
street parade and rendered the guests a
banquet 1t was present at the one hum
dredth anniversary of the Battle of the
Brandywine, at Chsdd's Ford, on the l1th
of September, 1877. In August of this
year it held its frst company target match
at Pennsgrove. 1t moved its armory from
the Friendship house to the Saville build
ing the spring of 1877.
On the llth of September, 1873. the
Rifles received Company O, Sixth New
Jersey Regiment, of Camden, entertained
it, and had target match at Tatnslps
woods, in which the Camden heroes came
off victorious. In January the company
attended the Inauguration of Governor
Hall at Dover. Later in the same year
1t attended the reunion of the old Fourth
Delaware Regiment at Mt. Cuba. On the
llth OF September, same year, the Rifles
went to Camden and returned the visit of
@ company in the target match at
Camden the Rifles winning the match. In
the same year they moved from the
SaVille building to the Masonic Temple
aud commenced drilling In the battalion
armory there. The one hundredth ami
yersary of the evacuation of Valley Forge,
which was celebrated in June 1873, was
attended by the Rifles at which time they,
together with the other military organiza-
tons present were reviewed by General
Hancock. On the evening of Decoration
day, 1879, the company gave pleasant
entertainment in the Opera House, and
last May, they joined with the DUPONT
Guards in battalion entertainment at the
same place.
In the early part of 1879 Lieutenant
Edwards resigned, wherespon Lieutenant
Buckmaster was promoted TO the first
ieutepantcy and Edmund Mitchell, Jr.,
m6de second lieutenant. The fifth ami
versary of the company was celebrated
last January, when delegation of its
friends from Camden was present.
When the regimentsl organization was
I J.,.t .t,.l 4 n a
to the position of Lieutenant Colonel,
another election of company officers was
held, resulting in the choice of f. l..
Buckmsster as captain, the promotion of
Lieutenant Mitchell and the election OF
Charles Hobson as second lieutenant.
This took place on the 2S!h of last March,
since which time no changes have been
made and no events of Importance have
taken place, except that the company
turned out on Decoration aud Thanksgiy-
ing days.
The American Rifles were two years
old when number of gentlemen met in
SAEille building to look over the field and
discuss the advisability of recognizing
new militia company. Among them we're
s. A. Macallister, Esq, P. T. e. Smith,
L. l.. Rice, Jr., +. l.. Holmes, j. B.
Robinson, W. 81. Wickersham and others.
The outlook being promising the project
was pushed at once and good member
ship was secured. This WAS in June, 1877 !;
in September the large room in the fourth
story of the Masonic Temple was secured
and the officers were elected as follows:
Captain, S. A. Mscsllister First
Lieutenant, j. NJ. Curtis; Second
Lieutenant, Walter Burk. The nsme
chosen was DUPONT Guards" Company
O, d. V. M. The drilling was pushed at
once and the uniforms were secured from
Reed Il Son, Philadelphia, in the follow
ing February. The first company reception
was given in the same month and they
have been regularly kept up since,
becoming quite a feature of the socisI
season. The first appearance of the
Guards upon the street was on Decoration
day, 1878.
During the first half of this year the
two companies CA and o. were formed
into battalion and Captain Macallister
chosen Major. This caused a change to
be made in the officers of the Guards,
who chose Lieutenant Curtis as Captain,
Lieutenant Burk as First Lieutenant, and
F. L. Holmes as Second Lieutenant. In