The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-10-27

about the old time military COM
pan,es of Fulton county, their
company drills, their annual bat.
Gallon drills, reviews and inspec-
tions, their response to the Pre-
sldeRt's call for $4,000 men IN
April 1851, together with some of
the events in which they had part
during those exciting momentous
never.to. be. forgotten days follow.
ing the fall of Fort Sumter, and
something of the record they
made during the great struggle
there begun. might be interest.
ing to the old comrades of '57 to
'65 and perhaps to those of the
present generation, therefore, l
send you this.
In 1880, I went to the Adjutant
Generals office in Harrisburg to
find the date of organization of
Washington Blues and Fnlton
Riflemen and that of some other
companies organized far back as
1920 to 1910. | vas informed that
there were no records of military
on file in the department, of date
prior to 1862. The reason as
signed for this was, that at the
time of the rebel invasion of Penn
sylvanla, all records were boxed
and barrelled and sent up intoNew
York for safety; that they were
afterward brought back, stored
IN the Capitol building, but never
filed IN place. In 1895, l went
again in quest of records with
same result. The boxes and
barrels containing records were
still IN cellar and attic of the
building Every body knows what
became of those records when
the Capitol building was burned
IN 1897. With no better success
| went to the office of DR.. Egle,
secretary of the Historical So.
clety of Pennsylvania. Therefore,
I shall have to depend on my old
diary and my memory, and that
of two others for what l shall
write 1 am indebted, for lnforma
tion, to the late DR.. FL. S. Wish
art of Johnstown, Captain of the
Fulton Rlflemen and Mr.. M. G.
Greenland, of Wells Valley, Isl
Sergeantof thew ashington Blues,
The old boys will not be slow tc
correct me, hope, in case l am
mistaken In anything I write
about our old military organlza
tlons.
OF the military of Fulton cour
ty prior to 1852, 1 know but little
not more than as a boy of from
Is to II years of age learned
from old men in Wells Valley.
At one time, 1910, perhaps
there were at least three military
organizations IN the County part
of Bedford county them one a
Warfordsburg with which the
late Major Abner and Colone
Amos Stlgers were prominently
identified; one in Wells Valley, O.
which the late John B. Alexander
Esq, was Captain, the only sui
vlvor of that company being Mr.
George Fessler, of Wells Tannery
now 80 years old, and one at Hal
risonvllle, the Washington Blues
and, in 1852, the only one IN th'
county, a distinction it had helc
for years. The late General j;
cob Mum ma, of near Harrison
vile, and Major Rowland Austin
of Saluvia, were prominent In thu
affairs of this company.
IL is more than probable tina
each had been Captain long b.
fore 1852. At that time Majo
Austin was Brigade Inspector
He was succeeded In that offic,
by David d. Mellott In 1855. Ii
1858, James @. Austin was elect
! ed Captain of the Blues, and a
once, began, with characteristic
energy, to improve the drill, dis
} cipline and general morale of tn
, company. This resulted IN tn
} addition of the names ola larg
, number of recruits to the cor
) pany musterroll, an entire chang
: of uniform and thorough REQ
r ganizatlon of the company i
} 1859.
/ When j. g. Austin was captai