Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
THE JUVENILE SOLDIERS
REC OF EARLY WASH
INGTON ORGANIZATIONS.

The interesting "reminiscences of Gen. Ho-
ratio c. King in The Star of the 18th in
slant. in which he refers to his boyhood
| days in this city, recalls kindred incidents
| to other natives of Washington General
! hlnS, said one of his contemporaries,
speaks of the junior military company to
which he was attached, and that reminds
ME of others of that and other dates There
were number of such companies in the
CITY, and, as was afterward demonstrated
1t was in the ranks that the boy was the
father to the man, and General King was
not the only boy soldier who earned the
| honor of wearing a generals star One of
| the Irst of these companies was the Rough
and Ready Artillery, Captain S. Robinson.
! armed with two iron field pieces of small
caIiper' drawn by hand and located on
SSaPisoi Hill The guns were housed at the
Soiuhbla engine house, near which the
boys We're drilled, and whence they marched
TO take part i'll the parades and other
events. O>-ioi
In the central portion of the CITY, uas
the Marion Rifles under Captain Schaffe
| many members of which went into the Ma
tohaI RIFLES afterward. some of them he
coming officers in the Union or confederate
service. wv
There was in the navy yard section the
green Mountain Boys of which Donald
,icct5tl1 was the captain. When they
| reached their majority they Cor most nf
tnem> made up the larger portion of the
Mashlngton Light Guard, which entered the
CnIted states service in 1861 Some also
entered the naval service
There was also the Scott Guards ,,pdor
Cdptalh BAKER A. Jamison, which numbered
some who afterWard made renntatinrs ~
otL.r .i ai service on one side or the
ihanced by Captain VIM. p I,aseIIa pbnso
members, like those of the others were dos
1 IN Tor real military duty in the civil war
| mere were others which were formed 80,
H.,
| put those named Were the princfnaI iIIni.
military organizations 1"i4ioi
as mag be supposed. the work of these
companies afforded a pleasant astinoa fo.
the young play soldiers They had sill
D.sl-'iIiisS: IN some instances the ordi-
mary piack jacket and white nantaIoons
-. - "oil were converted into uniforms
ny lacking on trimmings. and adding a hat
or cap and belt. Wooden gums 9ora =.
9oIIe eases used, but in a little time real
a. 80, Iii9 c;ti oIheS or cadet muskets-were
pLoCu.eu Win the assistance of their
friends From these small beginrinos sal
lIillltafy regulations had their start and
more IMAM one prominent character to1aI,
i ~ I! with pleasure how proud when
IN MS teens, he marched on the avenua
keeping time to the tune of Iadv-da-d,b
Qute a number of these young soldiers
formed the nucleus of real military com
pafleS and saw active Service on Tho GaI,
OF battle during the 'unDleasantnass, ~ ~
reaching an executive office in Richmond
~ nun. hummer upon attaining their majority
P nist'.it mo the senior companies of the
Disfict OF that day, the Washington ieht
infantry, National Guards President's
mounted Guards and others
y BESIDES Gen. King can be mentioned
recently retired: Col w H Pou,af1 80, 30
after service of thirty years in the or.nnt nv
was retired and died a few months co..
f"I,r,I German; recently elected for his
lourth term IN the Senate; William p la
seiie, who reached the rank of bripad iar
genera by brevet during the civil war.
now deceased and many others
juvenile military COMPANIES fiftv veors
ago We're not new in the District. in faat
ike the senior companies, they waved and
Waned-some after a few wears as a hovs,
company growing into a regularly enrolled
command OF the uniformed militia ana
others disappearing entirely AS far hanI-
as the days of the Washington Guards in
V 1he ~ S; there was a junior company-the
founS Guards, Col. W. w. Seaton com,
manded the former, and his son Ana,,stira
Seaton, the latter.
Volunteer Flremen, Also.
1T was not the military spirit alone +b.+
was an attraction for the growing Wash
ihsteh boy In the days 'befo de wah.' The
sayly painted and polished apparatus of
lhe volunteer nre companies was the mag
ne iui 1liahy youngster, and when the
Sry OF hre was raised they We're hapnv,
naturally some were ambitions IN ou,n y
machine, but the expense prevented ~ a
ganizatlon of Juvenile fire Companies ana
under the laws of the corporation surh
were not recognized. This however did
NOT prevent the formation of a junior fire
company In the neighborhood Of The Star
once, over eighty years ago, whose VOL.
at ire was highly complimented by the
papers or the day. This was named tho
| Star, and it Is said had a housa and INC a
gfne near E and 18th streets, and. II an
pears, II was succeeded in four or five wears
by the Alert Fire Company. From time IN
TIME attempts were made to form irnior
companies, but few had an existence Of
more than a year or two u
IN additlon to the causes above noticed
a aqtie vi she companies looked more to the
aplhty or a boy to work than to his aaa
ana ana youth a youth above eighteen years Of age
was t re-. as eligible to pull the rope or
man the levers. The last juvenile comnanv
nd feeall was one In the SOS. formed in the
neighDorhood of 11th street and New York
avenue northwest, under the name OF the
Powhatan. 1t was composed of youths
from fourteen 70 eighteen years of age. had
secondhand engine once used 6y the
government, painted up. with cylinders of
copper. and the members were neatly uni
life" 'eafs VI