Morning journal and courier., 1893-08-10
THE GOVERNORS FOOT GUARD.

! AAc NuATCn LO AeXlu&tOAs
 Major J. M. D. Hendrick of Hendrick & Newcomb, this city, has in his possession a very interesting old book published in New Haven in 1846. It is ''The Orderly Book; History on the Guards, Grays and Blues, from their first organization to the present time, with notice of the Cadets and other Volunteer corps and list of the Field and Staff officers of the Second kegi- ment Infantry and third battalion Light Artillery" The author was Ofin Ct. Wu- son, and the book was printed by the late John H. Bsnham at 55 Orange street. After a short preface by the author his- tory of the Second company, Governors Foot Guard, is given. The company, the reorganization of which just now is exoit- ing so much interest, was founded Decem- Der 2S, 1774, in the armory over City mar ket on Union street. The organization at that time is given as follows: Major com mandant, Benjamin M. Prescott; captain and first lieutenant, R. W. Norton; sec ond lieutenant, Elihu Meyers; third lieutenant, Walter Stickney; fourth lieutenant, vacant; ensign, vacant; John M. Hendrick, first sergeant; Hart z. Norton, third sergeant; George h; Foot, first corporal; A. J. Wilhelm, third corpo- ral: l.. Mansfield, second sergeant; Samuel , Green. ir fourth sergeant; George Evarts, second corporal; L. A. Dickinson, fourth , corporal.
 The first entry in the record book of this company is the following article of associ , tion:
 , New Haven, December 28, ,;;1774.-As we, , the subscribers are desirous to encourage , the military art in the town of New Ha- ven, and in order to have a well disciplined , company in said town, have agreed with Edward Burke to teach us the military ex- ercise for the consideration of f3 pounds lawful money per month, till such time as , we think ourself expert therein. We then propose to form ourselves into company, choose officers, and agree upon some mill tary dress, such as red coat, white vest, , white brooches and stockings, black half } leggins, and any other dress that there may be thought proper. We also agree that we will endeavor to furnish ourselves l ! with guns and bsyonets, as near uniform as 3 possible, and other accoutrements as then 3 may bs thought necessary. (But no per t son shall be obliged to equip himself as f above by signing this agreement, if he de- sires discussion before he signs other 8 articles) This agreement only obliges B ! every signer to pay his proportional part 8 of the expense of instructors, etc. l The signers of this agreement were as : follows: Hezekiah Ssbin, jr., Samuel - Greenough, Elias Stillwell, Thaddeus Beech
 CT, Amer Bradley, Gold Sherman, Ezekie = Hayspin, William Moves. Abraham Futile
 jr. ,Isiah Burr, Jonathan Mix, jr., Jeremiah
 Parmerle, Joshua Newhall, Russel Clarke
 William Lyon, Amos Doolittle, John
 Townsend, Ezra Ford, Nathan Geers, jr.
 Nathaniel Fitch, Barnabus Mulford, Par
 sons Clarke, James Prescott, Hanover Par
 ney, Stephen Herrick. Jonathan Austin
 David Burbank, Daniel Bishop, Elijal
 Austin, Samuel Nevins, Amos Morrison
 Roseiter Grif6ng, Jsbez Smith, Seabur,
 Champlin, James Hillhouse, Wm. Lsrmsn
 Hezekiah Augur, Pierpont Edwards
 man, Jonas Prentice, Francis Sage, Archi
 bald Austin, Eliskim Hitchcock, William
 Atwster, Jsmss Higgins, John Beckwith
 Eleazar Oswald, John Thatcher, Benon
 Shipman, Hezekiah Bailey, Samuel Wi
 Hard, Jesse Leavenworth, Timothy Jones
 jr., John Sherman, jr., Elisha Painter
 Benedict Arnold, Hezskish Bseohsr, Amo
 Gilbert, Kiersted Mansfield, Elias Towr
 send, Joseph Peck. Caleb Trowbridge
 James Warren.
 At meeting of the company held Marc 16, 1775, the following officers were elect ed: Benedict Arnold, captain; Jesse Lea1
 enworth, lieutenant; Hezekiah Sabin, jr
 ensign; Samuel Greenough, Eleakim Hitcf
 cock. Nathaniel Fitch, Jeremiah Parmeles - sergesnts; William Lyon, clerk. The fo
 lowing account is given of the famor march to Lexington: The news of tt battle of Lexington reached New Have : on Friday, the 2lst of April, about noo1 E and Captain Arnold immediately called 0, his company and proposed their starti1 $ for Lexington to join the American arm f About forty of them consented to accor pany their commander. Being in want 2 ammunition, Arnold requested the tov E authorities to furnish the company, whi m they refused to do. The next day, il
 mediately before they started, Arno 3 marched his company to the house whe
 the selectmen were sitting, on the gi H of the old state house, and, aft
 forming them in front of the buildin E sent in word that if the keys of the powde , house were not delivered up to him in fl 2 minutes he would order the company g break 1t open and furnish themsslve , This had the desired effect a, { the keys were delivered up. I'm sgs stopped at Wethersfeld the second nig ] where the inhabitants vied with ca, & other in their attention to them. Th' s took the middle road through Pomfret, ; which place they were joined by Gener { Putnam. On the Guards arrival at Car k bridge they took up their quarters at II E Oliver, who was obliged to flee on accou k of his attachment to the British caus E The company was the only one On t 8 ground complete in its uniform al
 equipments, and owing to their soldier IL g appearance were appointed to deliver t
 body of British officer, who had be- , taken prisoner by the Americans, and h. q. died in conse equence of wounds received the battle of Lexington. Upon this occ s sion one of the British officers, appoint, F to receive the body from the Guards, @ pressed his surprise at seeing an Amer k can company appear so we'll in every T S speot, observing that in their militia, k movements and equipments "they we k not e1celled by any of his majesty troops," After remaining nearly thr < weeks at Cambridge, the Guards (exce ', those that remained in the arny) returne x to West Haven.
 < The company, for certain reasons, we 2 to Cambridge under the name of "Tl E New Haven Cadets"
 < Then follows copy of the agreemsl subscribed by Captain Arnold and b
 company of fifty persons when they g . out from Connecticut and went voluntee
 to the assistance of the provincials at Car
 bridge.
 Then follows copy of the memorial pr
 ferred to the general assembly March
 1775. The biographical sketches whit s follow may be of interest:
 Hezekiah Sabin, jr, the second COT su; mandant of the corps, kept crockery sto iesi on State street on ground now occupied fl,i. the house of H. Mulford, eeq., next u sS. St"i corner of Chapel street; afterward reno h ing to Providence, R. l., where he died. e;nf Gn Samuel Greenough lived in the Eerri, 'n',- house, where Divinity college now stand ape afterward removed to Boston.
 y Elias Stillwell, school master, lived in
 house where Booth & Bromham's store nc
 stands.
 Thaddeus Beecher, grocer, merchs1
 etc, store on the corner of Church al
 Chapel streets, where the Exchange bull
 ing now stands.
 John Townsend, trader, living corner
 College and Elm streste; house still stan
 ing opposite the First Methodist church.
 Ezra Ford, on opposite corner; hou
 yet standing; kept tavern there for tin A Nathaniel Beers, jr., only survivor ' the company, ninety four years of az
 became captain, etc, in the revolutio
 ary army; lives on Elm street few doc
 above College street.
 Nathaniel Fitch, the fifth commando
 of the corps, selectman in 1794