The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-11-17

1- among all classes a desire
t.'s q company which would COM
Haiy .aFora1y with them.
A9aU, he middle of August, 1878,
an enlistment paper was circulated,
.argcly through the influence of Geo.
g. Bentley and William II. Stanton.
In day or two sixty names were
obtained. Nearly all those who had
| been interested in the attempt to
raise company the winter before
signed the paper. There were some
ex' epticns; two of the most notable
being DR.. r. w. Brady and Charles
e. Knapp. In both instances busi-
ness prevented their joining.
August %, 1873, all the signers,
in pursuance to notice, gathered in
Liberty Hall, to meet Major Henry
NJ. 5oies, the mastering officer. The
D. com was filled with spectators.
Major Boies made an earnest and
able address and then administered
the oath of allegiance. Two of the
sixty withdrew before this ceremony
was performed; so the new company
counted just fifty-eight men-the
pick of the town. An election was
held on the spot, under the direction
OF Major Boies. A precedent was
formed that night, which for over
D. Yeas was strictly adhered to-
! here Has no contest; only one can
| l.-ate .Or the same office. George
=. Eehtle. was elected Captain; d.
\. Atn-asCn, First, and Horace G.
Z eng, Second Lieutenants. 1t is
-Hnet 3sa2Ty to speak here of Bent
icy. lie Is dead Of the dead no.
,lirE L.. Socd should be spoken"
- dead +o;
noC can be spoken. Thanks, mainly
% Lis energy and sound Judgment.
al wont well. The non-commission-
ed officers were appointed, VIM. H.
stanton at the head of the list, and
3 better appointment could not have
been made. In Els service he was
the most untiring and jealous of
human beings. There was much to
be done. Order had to be brought
out OF chaos. One or two evenings
were devoted to effecting a civil
organization, The new company be-
came known as the "Honesdale
. ag',' Sergeant Shuman wished
TIE name to be the Irving Blues"
/ his motion was lost. A few DAYS
9fte" The muster in, we were assign
cd to the Scranton City Guard as
Co. e, but we were a company only
in Numbers, s,-unarmed, un-uniform-
ed, ard with very misty notions in
regard to discipline
Drilling soon became incessant.
We labored under great disadvant-
ages. Not the least formidable was
one almost unrecognized by the men,
and only vaguely appreciated by the
officers We were all too well
known to each other and only long
experience taught us the absolute
necessity of laying aside all social
familiarity between officers and
men, the moment we were under or
ders. We drilled for the first four
months sometimes twice a week; oc.
caslonally three times; and twice
Tour and five times each week. And
we did drill, too. Every night meant
one hour squad drill, and one hour
company drill.
The first drills were held in
Weaver's Hall, but the large room.
now converted into T. B. Clark &
cos factory, was soon rented, and
for five years used as our Armory.
1t was badly adapted for the purpose;
IN fact, miserable place, much too
small, and broken up by iron pillars,
but we made the most we could of
1t, and SO did our visitors, for every
drill brought it's host of lookcrson.
Our early efforts must have been
lUdicrous in the extreme. The men
were generally speaking, wholly un-
taught, and we did not have one Of
ficer qualified to instruct a squad in
Upton's Tactics. We did not lack for
veterans in our number. Bentley
and Stanton had both served wnen
mere striplings under an emergency
call. And among the non-commis-
stoned officers, Shuman had been in
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