The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-07-17
s. SOMERSET, PA, WEDNESDAY JULY IT, 1895.

boots, made tolerable uniform for th
men. For arms, each mans own rifle
musket, smooth bore, and i'm many in
stances in the absence of these, such a
could be improvised odt of wood wer
used. Later commands were bette
uniformed and equipped, and the dres
of the officers was gaudy. 1t was no
my pleasure TO see the ante Aeilum mi
litia in the heyday Of its glory, but
did come upon the scene i'm time Il
witness the last few Of the parades a
Somerset. The knowledge and acquire
ments of military tactics of some of tn,
commanding officers WAS as meagre a,
their acquaintance with the har,iships
and dangers OF actual war. BY way o
| illustration, | remember on one occa.
sion parade at Somerset. The Som.
erset company marched out to what i.
now Tayman's hill TO meet and escort
TO town company from Lavansville.
! Coming down the hill the Somerset
company was in front. The captain
| having given the command, "Right
shoulder shift arms ~ was promptly
obeyed. The captain of the Lavansville
company, after meditating upon the
movement for some time, and being
full of admiration for il, desiring his
company 10 carry their arms in the
same manner, but not having caught
the words of the command, and being
unfamiliar with the movement, in
sheer desperation called out To his
! company: "Do a. the Somerset boys
do"' whereupOn the Lavansville men
immediately came TO a fright shoulder
shift arms 10 the great satisfaction of
their captain and the unbounded admi-
ration of the small boys trudging by
their side. But they were good old
days. We ne'er shall see their like
again.
The state now makes ample appro-
priations for its militia. The National
Guard of Pennsylvania is uniformed
and equipped the same as the Regular
Army of the United States. 1t is an
enlisted body of men and can be made
effective when actually needed to sup
press insurrection, foreign invasion or
TO preserve the public peace.
In 1872 occurred the first war after
the organization of our country. James
Madison, of Virginia, was President.
The government of the United States
was not looked upon with favor by the
rulers of Europe. 1t was departure,
they believed, which BODIED no good
for crowned heads. In consequence,
in the difficulties occurring and then
existing between England and France,
our neutral rights We're violated and
our national sovereignty was attacked,
insulted and despised. In less than
twenty years occurred the insult of
the French ambassador, Genet, to
President Washington, the impress
ment of American seamen, the attack
on the Chesapeake, the British orders
in Council and the French, Berlin and
Milan DEGREES.
The United States closed these scenes
Ofcontempt forever by the war of 1912
"A war made necessary TO sustain na-
tional honor, interests and independ-
ence against continued aggressions and
undeserved contumely.
General Winfield Scott was promi-
nent in the north. He met the British
at Lunday's Lane, and for his gallantry
and success at Chippewa and Niagara
was voted the thanks of congress and
given Il valuable gold medal.
General Andrew jackson fought the
famous battle at New Orleans. January
:, lSij, defeating General Packenham,
who was killed in the battle. The
British suffered the loss of two thou
sand men, whilst the Americans under
jackson lost only seven men killed and
six wounded.
The battle was fought after the
NiNttAN VI HNeANN Aitt&t bfNA II
was memorable victory and made
Jackson the hero of the hour and,
eventually, President of the United
States.
Notwithstanding the fact that in 1890
Somerset county had only one thou
sand, nine hundred and twenty-five
taxables, she recruited and sent To
this war no less than two companies of
soldiers, which We're commanded re-
spectively by Captains Frederick Hoff'
and Jonathan Rhoads.
Our older citizens still remember
number of these patriots. One whom |
personally knew was Jacob Finecy,
blacksmith in Somerset and an old
man when | was child. He was an
object of much curiosity and reverence
to me then, for il was told of him that
he had been with Perry on Lake Erie
and had fought bravely in that famous
victory, cleaving with his own sword
the head of British sailor who at
TO board the ship.
The admission of Texas into the
Union in 1916 led TO a war with Mexico.
There was considerable division of
sentiment upon the annexation of the
state-the South in favor OF il because
it would add slave territory, the North,
for this reason, not 50 enthusiastic.
The northern congressman, however,
voted for men and supplies to carry on
the war and the North sent fair num-
ber of volunteers.
\ company from New York State, on
its way to Mexico, encamped in the
wood directly east of Somerset. In
coming down the hill just beyond the
forks of the road east of town, one of
the soldiers, Samuel Boucher, fell from
the carriage of the cannon, was run
over and killed. He was buried in the
at Somerset. The citizens of
the town raised n tombstone bearing
an appropriate inscription to mark the
spot of the patriots grave
The only men from Somerset county
in this war, of whom | can learn, were
Hezekiah p Hite, of Stoyestown, who
died in Philadelphia, and Charles j.
Heyer, who died from disease contract
in the service,-both of whom were
members of the Somerset county bar
Eli Shoekey, of Greenville; DIR. Smith
Fetler and Samuel Kainworthy, of Adj
Olson and Henry Rink, of Berlin