Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-11
FIRST TO VOLUNTEER
Honor Claimed for National
Rifles of This City.
EARLY CIVIL WAR HISTORY
Controversy as to Earliest. Defenders
Of the Union.
J. c. CLAYToN's RECOLLECTION
Washington Company Presented It
self May 10, 1861, and Was
Mustered in May Is.
EARLY CIVIL WAR HISTORY
J. c. CLAYToN's RECOLLECTION

Joseph Culbertson Clayton of Brooklyn
| maintains that the very first volunteers
| to enter the service of the government at
| the beginning of the civil war were
| neither the 9th Massachusetts, nor the
Pennsylvania companies, but the Nation
al Rifles of the District Of Columbia.
Following Is his statement of the case in
the New York Sun:
The writer of this paper has been so
greatly interested in the article 1.-The
First Defenders" in the Sun that he can
not refrain from presenting some recol-
lections and facts Of the momentous days
of April, 1851, in which he had share.
District Men First.
The National Intelligencer of Washing
ton, D. c., January 10, 1866. said truly:
I'VE would remind the public of the
fact that the first regiment, the first COM
pany and the first soldier ever raised to
defend the Union against the rebels was
in the city of Washington, and were
composed almost to man Of natives
and old residents here, as the original
| rolls will show, the most active men In
recruiting them being natives of the Dis
trict and Virginia.
Let it be known, toog, that the first
Union company to cross the Long bridge
was the National Rifles, who. with other
shore prior to and also at the imposing
and dramatic spectacle of Crossing Into
the Sacred Soil by Moonlight of the
celebrated 7th Regiment and 1000 other
troops. But they had no Winthrop to
describe the scene, no artist to engrave
1t, no poets to sing it, no Atlantic Month
ly to glorify it.
ITO be loyal imposed sacrifices here,
and here the stern test was applied with
result which should cover US with honor
and to which no chaplet is accorded. Here
we had the trial, but elsewhere they got
the acquittance. Here the first drum
beat that called the nation to arms, but
elsewhere they had the glory"
Honor for National Rifles.
I do not agree with all the statements
in the Sun article. and especially not with
that of Secretary Cameron to the effect
that 1.-THE Pottsville National Light In
fantry was the first company Of volun-
teers whose services were offered for the
defense Of the capital" and that that
offer made April ID was the first" On
National Rifles Of the District Of Column
bia, which actually presented itself to be
mustered In April TO-
This was an old company, but its ranks
had been SO greatly depleted by the res
ignations Of those who sympathized with
secession that less than the needful forty
were present for the muster April 10.
April Is President Lincoln issued his first
call for volunteers. Subsequent to April
10 the National Rifles recruited first rate
men of social standing. and April 10 fifty
two members-I being one of them-were
formally sworn in at the War Department
as volunteers This was the very first
body of defenders mustered in under Lin
~ In rot fnr ynyr INF IN
next week the membership was increased.
Col. Stones Order.
Some few days before, without waiting
for the presidential call. several other
companies of the District of Columbia
volunteered and performed special duty
in the defense of the city Of Washing
ton. The first man sworn in was Col.
Charles p. Stone. inspector general of
the District Of Columbia. April 10 he
handed an order to the captain of the
National Rifles, then First Lieut.. John r.
Smead, I'd United States Artillery, direct
ing him to march. his command to the
War Department to be mustered into the
service of the United States. This was
done. but the number present was too
small.
was the first company of citizen troops
ordered into the United States service
In 1861; it was also the first to attend
for the purpose Of muster these dates
being April 10. 1t was also the first to
be actually mustered in under Lincoln s
first call: this was April IL. The Penn
sylvania companies were mustered April
10.
These facts are. with modest pride,
remembered by the fifteen survivors Of
the fifty-two mustered April ID. Of whom
the writer Ia one, and is matter of OFF,
cial record.
Rivalry Among District Men.