Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-04

Fifth [El company-Captain, Geo. B. Rhoads.
leutenants, Walter 8. Wilson and Harry E. Zit'
| tel; sergeants. John W. Coady, 90. NJ. VIM. A
Jennings. VIM. E. C. Mayer, Charles W. Kirby
| IT.. and Frank Koch
| ton: heutenants, Wallace f. Peck and Morton
b. STEELE; sergeants, E. w. Brunette, 20. N. \.
James ID. Ford, Theo. Babcock, IT,, r. A Pow
ers and +. L. Van Benschoten.
Seventh tG] company-Captain, James c,
Abrams; lieutenants, J. B. Dewson and John
VIM. T. Atkinson, Henry H. Spelman, Abner L.
Ely and Edgar L. Reynolds.
Eighth tHl company-Captain, Chas. E. Ly.
decker; heutenants, Jno. B. Holland, VIM. j.
| Underwood; sergeants. Saml. NJ Warnock,
Geo. Gregory 60. NJ, VIM. E. Starr, Henry M.
| Clements. Thos. A. BARLEY.
| Ninth comPany-Captain, j. Thorne Har-
per; heutenants, Horace C. Du VAL Geo. H.
| Gould; sergeants, Walter N. Vail, A. Delafield
| lQ M, W. V: A. Mulhallon, Francis G. Lam
don, VIM. ii. Folsom, G. E. Moore.
| Tenth lkl company-Captain. Louis E. Lef-
ferts; heutenants. Eugene T. Kirkland, Robt.
Mclean; sergeants, Fred Van Lennep. C. L..
| Waterbury %. NJ, Henry s. Clark, VIM. G..
Bates, Arthur E. White.
HISTORY OF THE REGIMENT
The seventh regiment was organized in the
year 1906 and at that time consisted of but four
companies. The organization was called into
| being by an event Of more than ordinary his
toricai Importance. In April. 1906, three British
| frlgates appeared of Sandy Hook and boarded
and searched all vessels that entered the harbor
OF New York. On the 25th of April nearly one
| hundred guns were fred by the frigates at
American vessels, and the helrnsman of sloop
was killed. When these facts become known in
/ New York the excitement was intense. The
| press denounced the murder of this American
| seaman, large public meeting was held at the
| Tontine coffee house, and the common council
of the city took charge of the body of the young
| sailor and buried it with great ceremony in st.
| Pauls church-yard.
| The excitement caused by these events and
the public dangers likely to result directed the
| attention of the patriotic young men of New
| York to military organization. and during the
month OF May the first four companies of the
seventh regiment were enrolled and officered
and arrangements were made to arm and equip
| them. The men enlisting were young mer-
| chants and tradesmen and represented the
business and commercial interests of the city.
and their officers were prominent citizens of
distinguished capacity and patriotism The
first captains elected and commissioned
were Henry Morgan, company A; James
| Hewitt, company B; John Fleming, COM
pany c, and John W. Forbes. company
| D. The uniform adopted was the artillery
| the revolutionary style. with tall white
feather tipped with red, blue coat with artillery
buttons and trimmed with red white trousers.
and nigh top boots. The arms were smooth
bore fiint-lock muskets. Application was made
early In June to the governor of the state for
official recognition. and on the 25th day of
June, lSO6, an order was issued from general
headquarters, Albany. incorporating the four
companies as part of the uniformed militia of
the state, and attaching them to the battalion
OF artillery, commanded by Major Andrew
Sitcher.
THE ARTILLERY UNIFORM.
The four companies were armed with mus
kets and drilled as infantry although the
special acts of the legislature (never yet re-
ton.
By special act of the legislature. passed
March, 1907, the commander-in-chief was au-
thorized to organize an additional regiment
OF artillery in the city of New York, and on the
9th day of April, Governor Morgan Lewis, by
general order, directed that the Battalion of
Artillery be organized as u regiment and
called the third regiment of New York artillery.
Major SItcher was commissioned as lieutenant
colonel of the third artillery regiment and the
four companies commanded by Captains Nor
gan. Hewitt, Fleming. and Forbes became the
second battalion of the regiment.
In the spring of 1907 war with Great Britain
seemed imminent, and President Jefferson
called for 1000 troops. volunteers or de-
tached militia, to be prepared for active serv-
ice. The second battalion of the third regi-
ment (the companies of Capts. Morgan. Hewitt,
Fleming and Forbes) promptly volunteered,
and mustered 100 officers and men, This bat
talon, with other volunteers and details from
the artillery regiments of the state, was organ
lied temporarily as a regiment. commanded by
Col. Peter Curtenius, and was thoroughly
prepared for active SERVICE and it remained
detached for that purpose until April 20. 1S09
when it was relieved by general orders. In
August, 1903, Maj. Francis Saltus succeeded
Col. Sitcher in command of the third New York
artillerI.
IN THE WAR OF 1872
Early in 1912 the artillery regiments in the
state were remembered by lot and what had
been the second battalion of the third became
the second battalion of the eleventh. On June
Is, 1912, war with Great Britain was officially
declared, and on July 20 the eleventh regiment
volunteered to aid in the defense Of the United
States and to protect especially the city and
harbOr OF New York and neighboring towns
On September Is the regiment was mustered
into the United States service and sent to do
duty on Bedloe's and Ellis Islands, remaining
at those places until December Is. About the
middle Of 1914 the country was very much dis
turbed over a knowledge of the fact that the
British were making great preparations for send
ing huge fleet to this country and every
effort was made to place the city and harbor of
New York in a proper state of defense. During
this exciting period the second battalion of the
eleventh performed its full share of the work
on the Brooklyn Notifications. The regiment
was mustered in again on September 2, 1914
and on the 5th it was placed in charge of the
north battery at the foot of Hubert street; it
was mustered out December 2, 1914.
AIDING THE CIVIC AUTHORITIES.
The first time the battalion was called upon
to aid the civic authorities was, on November
10, when it kept order at a public execution.
The organization grew steadily. and on May f.
1926, the eighth company was added, Capt.
Andrew Warner at its head. Gov. Clinton at
once, on May 6, directed that the battalion of
national guards be organized into a regiment
to be denominated the 9th regiment of artillery
Ileut.-Col. Wetmore was elected colonel,
Major Stevens Northumberland, and Capt.
John Telfair major. In April. 1897, Col Wet
more resigned his commission, and Lieut.. Col.
Stevens was elected his successor. Under Col.
Stevens, an officer greatly distinguished as o
disciplinarian and military instructor, the regi-
ment acquired the military reputation it has
since maintained, and he long bore the title of
THE Father of the Regiment"
From that time down to the outbreak of the
rebellion in 1861, when Col Marshall Lefferts
was IN command, there were many changes in
the officers OF the '.twenty-seventh."
PUBLIC CEREMoNIALs.
The regiment participated in many Of the
festive occasions in the state during that period,
and was also a feature at the funeral of ex-
President James Monroe Two of its COM
panies were detailed as President Andrew Jack
sons escort in June. 1888, when he was rendered
a reception in New York city In the sseIection