Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-07-19
HOW A REGInENr WAS FORHED.

Days.
On the southeast corner Of Fourth
and Thompson streets, just Fellow
Washington Square, several buildings
that have stood for generations have re-
Gently been removed to make place for
q church. At the western boundary on
Fourth street the farthermost wall of
an old residence is still standing, with
the fre-plsces of the several stories ex-
posed to view, almost pathetic In their
suggestions, solitary and on the verge
of final dissolution.
Lets walk over and take look 1T
that hole in the ground, said Major G..
A. @. Barnett to the reporter as they
were passing through Washington
Square. NThat corner has q personal
historic interest to meas it would
possess historic interest to all New
Workers if they knew the facts" con-
tinred the Major.
%In 1861, he explained, ~the second
floor of the old shop that occupied this
corner, Fourth and Thompson streets,
was used by the New York ZouaYes as q
drill-room. We met regularlylonce q
week, and hired a sergeant from Gov
ernor's Island to drill Us. We often
met early IN the morning besides, and
used also to drill on the grass in Wash
iugton Square.
We reached very high degree Of
proficiency; whenever we parsded
crowds turned out to see Us. We we're
considered rivals to Ellsworth's Zou-
ayes, and ours was a. regular zouave
uniform-blue, with red fez and red
trimmings. Ours was a civic orgsni-
zation, Independent in every way; we
had no regular officers, each man in
, turn filling the different positions for q
certain length of time, until he had
acted as captain, then he would go to
the foot again and do duty as high
private in the rear rank.
April II, 1861, President Lincoln's
call for $4,000 volunteers was issued.
One company had then been in exist
ence year, or year and a half, and
had about sixty men. Rush G. Haw-
kins was president, and I was secretary
of the company. At that time 1 was a
clerk In law Office. got the morn
ing paper on that April 18th about 6
C1OChs Ao SOOA a. pOoS1O4C odN
Hawkins and suggested that we recruit
our company up to the maximum
strength and volunteer.
That's just exactly what I had
been thinking about myself, said he.
Go ahead and see what you can do
%By 9 o'clock that same morning 1
was at our barracks, drill-room, armory
whatever you may choose to call it
in full uniform, with a placard of my
own lettering, RECRUITS WANTEDP
boldly displayed on the outside. When
night came, I had enlisted several
hundred men and had rejected as many
more. That night saw Hawkins, and
reported progress
What's the matter with going ahead
and making up regiment, instead of
company, for the front?' 1 asked.
Go ahead he said, and I went
ahead. The second day 1 enlisted as
many men as on the first, with an even
larger proportion of reflections, and
they were nearly all young men-the
old men we didn't want-the average age
of the regiment subsequently mustered
IN being twenty-five years and three
months. On the night of that second
day Hawkins went to Albany and ten
dered q regiment to Governor Morgan.
The offer was promptly accepted. The
next day he came home and we dis
cussed the situation. Who would be
the Colonel? Who would be the Off
GERS? Several prominent names were
suggested for the first position, includ-
ing Farnham, Shaler and Ellsworth.
None of the gentlemen would or could
accept, the latter for the reason that he
was himself recruiting a regiment.
why not take command yourselfP
1 asked Hawkins, and select the other
officers from our companyY
%The idea struck him favorably.
Hawkins became Colonel, and I got my
commission as First Lieutenant of Com
pany B-the position I asked for-of
which my brother was Captain.
The regiment-the North New York
Volunteers, or Hawkins ZouaYes'--
was mustered into service April 10,
1861. By special arrangement the
regiment was uniformed the same as
our company had been. June 9Th we
started for the front, with regiment
very nearly OF the maximum number OF
men, after medical examination and the
usual causes had reduced the original
record of enlistment. We went South
on the transport steamers Marion and
Peabody.
June we reported to Gen. Butler
at Fortress Monroe and Col. Phelps of
Vermont, and subsequently at Newport
News. When Colonel-afterwards
General-Phelps first saw us, he queru-
lousy demanded of Col. Hawkins, In
his high, falsetto voice:
What in thunder do you expect me
TO do with these boys?
%He soon found out for himself
what he could do with these boys, and |
ever after he swore by-not at-them. |
7. Y. NelUs.
A Strange Adventure.
@The strangest adventure of my life,
says a traveller. happened to me in