The sun., 1897-02-22
NEW YORK'S WAR RECORD.
THE SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF
THE STATE HISTORIAN


Troops Took Psrt-The Great Services o
den. slocum and other New York Omcer,
At Gettysburg Overlooked by Gen. Meade.
The second annual report Of tho State Histo
rian, Hugh Hastings, will be sent TO the Lcgisla
ture this evening. II will embrace a report OF
Company ID. Ninty.ninth New York. that was on
the United States frigate Congress when she
was sunk by the Merrimac in March, 1852
This report is not TO be found in the official
records Of the rebellion, has never been printed
before, and is one Of many like reports that have
beon obtained by tho State Historian during the
last year.
All tho colonial official records from 1904 TO
1871 have been copied, In addition to all tho
muster rolls Of troops In tho province Of New
York from 1904 to 1888. There are from 1000
TO 5000 names on these rolls and to the lover OF
colonial history valuable mine of information
Is opened by their publication. Owing to tho
lack Of funds tho work of transcribing tho
colonial records had to DO abandoned, as thore
was no appropriation for translation. Those
Dutch records are not only interesting. but, his
torically, exceedingly valuable, and represent in
minute and detailed manner the history of the
times In which they were written. Much of tho
matter contained has never boen issued in his
torical form.
In the policy Of gathering missing reports Of
battles that Now York troops were In, the His.
torian takes Cedar Mountain as an instance
On that sanguinary field New York State was
represented by fifteen organizations-one cav
airy regiment, i've batteries of artillery, and
nine regiments Of infantry-yot not q single rc-
port was ever received at the War Department
at Washington from any one Of the fifteen New
York organizations. The Twenty-eighth New
York took $50 men into action and brought out
hnr
killed, wounded. or captured. out Of 200 who
went in. The only record of an official character
relating to our New York troops at Cedar Noun.
tain Is found In tho reports Of Gen. A. s. Will
liams and Gen. $. w. Crawford, and they allude
only to the Twonty-eighth New York, which
lost all Of Its field officers; and every company
officer was killed or wounded.
In tho Historians report Is found q letter
from Capt. A. p. Bates Of tho lO2d New York,
which was written Immediately after the battle,
and 1t gives an excellent account OF the work OF
his command. First Sergeant Albert Baur OF A
company OF the same regiment, in u lettor to
Col Louis II. Stegman OF Brooklyn, narrates
how the colors were saved from falling into the
hands Of the enemy.
The report squclches, 1t is hoped for oil time,
the slanderous stories that have been In crcula-
ton In North Carolina for thirty.three years, In
New York scalped the Confederate wounded at
the battle OF Batcheldor's Creek in 1854. In
teresting letters are printed from tho late Gen.
+. J. Claasson Of Brooklyn and Capt. Cusick, U.
s. A, OF the 132d. Tho scalping theory arises
from the fact that SO accurate was the aim Of
the Indian sharpshooters that every Confederate
who raised his body above the line OF the en-
trenchment was shot through the head.
The report also contains q list OF the members
OF the 1Ilst New York Volunteers who arc
buried in the National Cemetery at Marietta,
Ga. n description OF Crown Point, and with
north view Of the Castle, drawn on the spot,
copied from the Royal Magazine, London, for
January, 1850, with map Of this great work
as It then existed.
The appendix will contain a list of engage
ments In which New York State troops took
part during the year 1861. This list is different
from any Of the kind that has ever been com.
piled. In addition to the organi zation. IL often
gives the names Of the companies engaged. with
the names Of the commanding officers. The re-
port Is set OF by spirited little incident taken
from the archives Of the 1ilst New York Vol
unteers, showing how Capt. Archie Baxter laid
the flooring OF bridge In North Carolina In tho
face OF lively musketry fire during the last
days Of the war.
The State Historian pays his respects to those
critics In and out Of the State who took excep-
ton to the paragraph in his report Of last year,
in which he asserted that New York contributed
forty thousand troops to the patriotic cause
during the War Of the Revolution. He says:
From documents and rolls, whose authentic
ity cannot be questioned, of which each ono
bears the stamp OF official accuracy. tho state
ment can be iterated without the fear Of sue
cessful contradiction that the number Of troops
ft,r nod hx Na, Gt H.. VI.
the Revolution will aggregate between 10000
and Al 200. In addition to these muster and
pay rolls there are other records bearing the
name OF regiments, with their field staff, and
line officers, without tho name OF a single pri-
vate, thus indicating that there were skeleton
regiments, duly officercd. whose ranks, 1t Is
safe to assume, were only partially filled. Then
again. in the State .Comptroller's possession
d % Sas sas
whose names cannot be found on any OF the ex-
istinE muster or pay rolls; The fact that they
they must have seen service In the considera-
tion of the lists of regiments and organizations
question that Il all the facts could be brought to
light IT would be found that Now York State
supplied nearer a, 900 troops than 10000"
NEW YoRKs SONS AT GETTYsBURG
The report says that Gen. George q. Meade, in
his report Of the battle Of Gettysburg, overlooked
the magnificent services rendered the army of
the POTOMAC and the country by Gen. Henry w.
Socum and other eminent soldiers from this
State, and TO demonstrate the truth Of this as.
sortion says:
Gen. Slocum, by an order OF Cfen Meade's,
was placed in command OF the right wing OF the
Army of the Potomac, after the death OF Gen.
Reynolds, July i, 1868, Gen. Alpheus 8. VII.
liams succeeding Gen. Slocum to the command
OF tho Twelfth Corps; yet Gen. Meade-who,
though born in Spain, was u Pennysl vanian-
In his official report carefully refrained from
mentioning Gen. Niliamss name as the corps
commander or giving Gen. Slocum credit for
commanding the right wing OF the army. Gen.
Meade iSsa in his his prrejudices even went fur.
Gen.. Meade insisted that Gen. Slocum
should strip Culps Hill of all troops OK.
cept tho fragments OF the First Corps, and
he ordered the entire Twelfth Corps from
this ALMOST imprcgnable, position over to the
Round Tops. He refused even to leave divl.
on Gen. slocurn's part Meade finally consented
to permit Greenos small brigade which con.
sisted OF Ave New York regiments!;the sxtieth,
Seventy eighth, lO2d, 18TH and 149th New
York vounteers-to remain. And every stu
dent OF Gettysburg Is aware of the fact that
when the Confederate General, Edward John
son. under cover Of darkness, Cropt forward to
capture Culp's Hill. he found a sturdy line OF
blue, whose rapid, withering fire checked his
come upon tho main army. THE enemy