Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-07-20

, | tnat MS steady manu- Deiu tHe HeAui vi Jul
ship of state as it was dashed amid the
troubled waters.
On the 4th day of March, 1861, as the
duly elected President of the United
States, he had taken his official oath had
raised his hand to heaven and sworn "to
protect and defend the Constitution and
Government of the United States" Now
in April, 1861, eleven states are in open re-
bellion, the authority OF the Government
is set at defiance, Fort Sumter has been
fred upon and after gallant resistance
by its small garrison has been compelled
to surrender, the stars and stripes have
been hauled down and the stars and bars,
of the Southern Contederacy, run to the
top of the flag staff.
In the face of such events, with his Of
fetal oath resting upon him, with MS du-
ties as the Chief Executive OF this nation
pressing upon him, there was but one
course for the President to pursue, the
time had passed for parlying or discussion,
the time for action, decisive action, had
come. Promptly the call for 1000 men
for three months was sent out. Although
we did not at that time have the railroad
or telegrsphic facilities that we do now,
vet that call soon reached Butler county.
| Our quota for that call was one company.
Scarcely had the call reached here ere the
/ drum beat was heard on your streets and
the Young men from Butler and the sur
rounding country came forward, enrolled
their names, and within few hours from
the time the news reached here that
| first company under Capt. John n. Purvl-
| ance an honored and respected citizen OF
our town who has since gone to his rest,
started for the front. You speak of John
| n. Purviance as General, well did he de-
serve that title and all the honors that
were conferred upon him, and which he so
| gracefully bore. But to me John n. Pur-
| viance never appeared grander and nobler
than when as Captain of that first com
pany from Butler county, at his country 3
first call he went forth to the post OF duty
and danger in defense of our flag and the
un ion he loved so well. That company be-
| came Co. Fl, of the 18th Reg, Pa. Vols,
and became part OF the army under uen;
Patterson, operating in the vicinity OF
Harper's Ferry, Martinsburg and Shep-
herdstown. .
But events thickened, it was soon dis
covered that you might as well try to dam
up the waters of the Allegheny with reeds
| as to trv to crush that rebellion with TO-
900 men. Again the call goes out, 200, 600
more, for years. Capt. Samuel Loudon,
sterling patriot, who loved his country,
had recruited a company at SunbuIy and
from that section of the county IN May,
| lOOly anu W dS dh dltlhS NHf-' " -
Stewart. gallant, patriotic young man,
had also in May, 1861, recruited company
at Evans City from that section of the
| county These companies promptly offer
| ed their services to the government and
were accepted They entered the service
on the 10th day of June, 1861, and became
Cos. and D OF the 11th Reg, Pa. Re
serves. This regiment was assigned to the
Army of the Potomac, and became part
of the old First Army Corps, and after
wards of the Fifth Army Corps.
In mentioning the companies from this
county as they left our county and went
out to the front we will, at the present fol-
| low them no further than the army to
which they were assigned, we Will go
with them until they enter their corps, we
will then for the present bid them good
bye and let the curtain drop--behind 1t are
the scenes of battle and carnage and death,
| the rent and trodden field, the hospital OF
| pain and the gloomy prison pen. In
| August, 1861 Capt. Thomas Mclaughlin
recruited company from the central por-
tiDn of our county. This compsny was
promptly accepted by the government,
and entered the service as Co. Ii, 102d
Reg Pa Vols, was assigned to the Army
/ of the Potomac. and became part of the
grand old Sixth Army Corps.
Also in August 1861, Capt. james b.
| Cornelius recruited q company in the west
ern and north western part of the county.
/ This company was at once accepted and
became Co. q of the Tooth Regt Pa. Vols.
| This regiment, with other regiments, was
| ordered, to Annapolis, Md, there they
| were placed Oh steamers; sealed orders
were given to the Colonel, not to be open
| ed until out upon the ocean. When open
| ed these orders read "Sail for the entrance
to Port Royal Harbor." We will there, out
| on the ocean, bid Co. G of the Tooth good
bye-their faces are turned away south
ward their orders take them to the front
| of Charleston, the hot-bed of secession
the birthplace of treason.
| IL Sept, 1861, Capt. VIM. S. Jack re-
cruited company from the vicinity OF
Butler borough, Harrlsville and other parts
of the county. This company was prompt
| ly accepted by the government and be-
| come Co. H of the 18th Regt., Pa. Vols.
| This regiment with the 77th and 10Th Pa.
| were organized into brigade. under the
| gallant Gen. Jas. S. Negley; at Pittsburg,
| Pa. were placed on steamers and ordered
westward to join our gallant Armies OF
the West They were assigned to the
grand old 14th Corps. in the Army of the
| Cumberland. This company was the rep
resentative OF Butler county in western
| fields and in the Armies of Thomas, Rose
Grams and Sherman
| In October, 1861, company in the
southern and central parts of the county
was recruited and organized under Capt
Samuel Martin also at the same time one
| in the northern part of the county under
Capt. WIN. Fielding. These companies
we're accepted by the government and be-
came Cos. 4 and | of the 1881 Regt., Pa.
Vols, and were assigned to the Army OF
the Potomac, where they became part of
the old Fourth Army Corps, and were
afterwards transferred to the coast of
North Carolina in the vicinity of New
berne.
Following the disaster of the Peninsula
the call tor mole troops was again made
| by the government. And how did Butler
county. depleted by those who had gone
out in 1861, respond to that calls
In July and August, 1862, Capt. c. E.
Anderson, in the central part of the cOun-
| ty Capt A. g. Riddle, in the western part
of the county; Capt VIM. o. Brecken-
ridge, in the north western part of the
county; and Capt. Edwin Lyon, at Butler
and in the central part of the county, each
recruited a company; rendered their SER
vices to the govern ment; were accepted,
and these four companies became Cos. G,
+, G and X Of the 134th Regt., Pa. Vols.
were hurried forward to the Army of the
| Potomac, and became part of the Fifth
| Corps Also about the same time, to- wit
| in August, 1862, Capt. G. w Hays, in the
southern part of the county; Capt. Henry
Pillow, in the vicinity of Prospect and the
western part of the county; and Capt.
Allen Wilson, in the northern part of the
| county, each recruited COMPANY. These
companies were at once accepted by the
| government and became companies ID, +
and G of the 18th Reg, Pa. Vols were
sent to the Army of the Potomac and were
assigned to the old First Army Corps.
Also in 1862 Capt. john G Bippus' Co.
| Il, 169th Regt, Pa. Drafted Militia, enter
ed the service and were assigned to duty
ON the coast. The term of service of this
| company was nine months
| Also in 1862 company WAS recruited in
the south eastern part of the county by
Capt. VIM. II. Fibbles. This company be
came Co l. of the l4th Regt, Pa Cav.
and was assigned tn duty i'll W. Va, when
| it became part of the cavalry command
ed by Gen. Averill.
| We have thus niue companies from But
Ter county entering the service in lS6 go, but
there were more than that | want, on this
occasion, tn do Justice, so far as | can, to
every organization that went out from our
county-to every man that went out from
our county, whether he was in a Butler
county company or no., and to every pat
riotc effort made by our people in defense
| of the government.
After the battle of Bull Run, fought on
the 29th and Both of August, 1862, the rebel
| fal lavi IN .z..1 hn Dp-