The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-06-14
BORN
FIGHTERS
Adjutant- Generals Office Show
Enlistment Of 100000.
Loyal Men of Our Little State take
Part in Every Scrap from 1865
to Spanish-Amerlcan Conflict
An Interesting and Instructive

Story.
There will shortly be issued from the
Adiutant Generals department at the
State House the most complete war rec
ord possessed by any State in the Union.
Thirty one years have been spent in
gathering the material necessary for it,
and SIC, 1000 have been expended in MAX
ing researches and on clerical work.
The work is simply appalling in its
magnitude. In all something over $780,,
900 Jerseymen have been engaged in
warfare at various times within the
States history, and an active effort has
been made to locate the exact record of
each one. The search has been largely
successful, but there will ever remain
several thousands of whom the single
word missing" tells the only story that
will ever be known.
OF the 1870, 900 men, 49, .3O5 engaged in
the Civil War, and the remainder were
scattered over period dating from early
Indian troubles down to the present rec
ord of those now engaged in the Philip
pines,
The work of collecting data for the
records was begun in 1870 by order Of
Governor Randolph, who requested that
complete list of the men in the Civil
War be compiled The late Adjutant
General William S. Stryker at once be-
gan the work and in 1872 two volumes
were issued containing the Civil War
records. That was beginning of the
present work, and the volumes issued in
1879 will ever remain upon tho shelves
of the State Library as monument to
the patience and industry Of the late
Gen. Stryker.
The idea was then conceived of secur-
ing record of every Jerseyman who
ever engaged in war. The work was
then begun and is just nearing its con
clusion. The first record of Jerseymen
being engaged in conflict was in 1865.
The State was then an adjunct of New
Amsterdam, as New York was then
called, and the conflict was merely an
Indian brawl, in which the sturdy colo
nists organized to defend the frontiers, >
Several other Indian conflicts oc-
CURED, serving perhaps better than any
thing else could haye done to prepare
the colonists for the greater battles that
were soon to follow OF these various
fights the adjutant's department. has
secured sundry data, including lists Of
the men engaged in some instances.
Next came the French aud Indian
war. Jersey figured throughout the
strife and furnished about 500 we'll
armed ridlenen who acquitted them
selves nobly. The war lasted from 1867
to 1884, being waged at intervals.
The great revolution followed. OF
this the department has secured large
amount of data, particularly from the
different departments at Washington.
This data is now being compiled, and
will form valuable chapter to the rec
ord. 1t viii be especially handy to those
persons who are anxious to join the
Sons or Daughters of the Revolution, as
they will be better able to locate their
ancestors and their fighting records. AS
near as can be ascertained, New Jersey
sent II ,796 men to aid the cause, which
was a very excellent showing in proper
ton to the population.
After the Revolution came the Whis
key Rebellion, in 1894, in Allegheny
Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland
counties of Pennsylvania. Congress au.
thorlzed President Washington to call
upon the States for soldiers, and directed
him to gather and equip militia. Presi
dent Washington then issued procla
nation, stating the number Of men each
State should furnish. New Jersey.
quota was 4,3lS. The New Jersey Leg
islature at once enacted law to enable
the forces to be raised, and on Augus
%, 1894, Gov Richard Howell issued
orders for a detail of troops to gather
at Trenton. About 1900 did SO ant
were mustered into service for perioc
of three months. At the end Of thai
time they crossed the Delaware to Penn
sylvania, proceeded via Newton, Norris
town, Reading and Harrisburg to Car
isle, where they were reviewed by Pres
ident Washington. The Jerseymen were
headed by Gov. Howell in person HI
had served as a major in the Revolution
and when the call to arms again arose
could not refrain from taking up thu
sword. He was assigned to the com
mand of one wing of the army anC
served with much brilliancy.
After the review by Washington a
Carlisle the army moved on westward t.
the Blue Mountains, which it crossed
and to Pittsburg. The ''Whiskey boys
succumbed readily and the army re
turned, the Jerseymen reaching Tren
ton on November 2l, 1894. The mel
were at once mustered out of service.
: The records of the men who took par
in this march, or whiskey invasion, as /
is called, are quite complete, and con
tain lists of the companies, officers an
/ men, their dates of entrance and depar
ture from service and personal details
In looking over some old papers on