Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-05-01

men from the surrounding county
Under the State Law. each year
every male who had attained the age
of IS, was enrolled in company in
his immediate district and was CON-
PEELED to attend four times year.
Once year, by publication, they
were called in a body to the Court
house, where the day was spent in
military exercise The officers were
to assemble in the town four or five
days before the general o. big mus
ter, where each day they were drilled
by the Colonel and his staff On the
day, which was generally Saturday,
of the week of training, every indi-
vidual in the county wended their
way to town to attend muster. Every
available space on the street was oc-
cupied by booths, where was vended
all kinds of cakes and small beer,
the hotels alone vending liquor and
wine. We had no such things as ale
and lager, and very few, if any.
ground nuts; but ginger cakes in the
shape of horses, tangle- britches, etc,
were found in abundance. 1t was a
high holiday to us boys, never clos
ing without fight, resulting often
in black eye, loss of an ear, or oc-
casionally, a broken limb. The Fri
day afternoon before general muster
was the test day of training. The
officers were put through process
of saluting. They passed in a circle,
and at certain points, would salute
by sword one of the staff officers,
who would return the salutation.
The one who was most ungraceful or
failed in making proper salute, was
sure to be the butt of fun of the look
ers-on. They generally had an old
knife without blades, or much dilap-
idated, and just before conclusion,
appointed a committee to wait on
and present the knife to the ungrace-
full officer. Sometimes they would
meet with one who would resent, as
they thought, the insult, if so then
the fun would commence. Body
after body, knife after knife, would
be handed in, until fighting blood
would develope and frequently would
end in a clear knock down or rough
and tumble FIGHT, The military or
der Of our citizens Of Martinsburg
was always good. The Layfayette
Guards was crack company. After
it disbanded company was organ
lied, called the Berkeley Blues.
During it's existence, juvenile COM
pany was organized Of which James
Rust, then with Patrick Cunning
ham, was Captain, in which company
l was honored with the position of
Lieutenant. We enjoyed it very
much, and even now | recall with
pleasure the associates Of my boy
hood in such pastimes. Your Col.
Nadenbousch was a captain of the
Berkeley Blues, as was1 also Philip
Cunningham. After they disbanded,
nothing of military organization
existed, except the militia who met,
as described, until the John Brown
raid, at which time, quite number
of companies were uniformed in the
county, among the number being the
Berkeley Border Guards and Wise
Artillery, both of which organiza-
tions went into the army of Virginia
at Harper's Ferry at the beginning
of the late war.
The last general muster was held
in 1861, during the month of May,
Col. Jacob Sincendiver being in COM
mand One of the Governors aids,
by name of E0mundson, was present,
and advised that as Virginia had
passed the ordinance of secession the
regiment should only use the State
flag, and that the glorious stars and
stripes of our Union should not be
unfurled. Personally, with others,
i waited upon the otficer'in command,
demanding that the flag Of our coun-
try, which we loved and honored,
should wave over us then as it had
in the past, but he was prevailed
upon to not use it. Quite large
with Anderson Henshaw as
the bearer, defiantly unfurledit from
the porch of the then United States
Hotel, and proclaimed that all Union
men would march under its folds, in
defiance of order from Governor or
any one else, and 1 was happy to see
large numbers marching through
the streets with our country's fig
waving over them.
BERKELEY NATIVE.