Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-23

the First City Zouaves. In 1S62-63.
during the Civil War, it served as
company A, One Hundred and Twen-
| ty-seVenth Regiment. In 1S63-72 1t
again took up the name City Zou.
aNes. 1t passed into the City Grays,
being known as such until 1884,
when 1t was enrolled as a unit in
the pennsylvania National Guard.
! making up Company ID of the Eighth
Resiment. For fourteen years it ex-
iste6 without a change of name, but
when the Spanish American War
| broke out and the unit was mus
| tered into the service, ii was known
as Company ID, Eighth Regiment,
United States Volunteers. 1t re-
sunled its place in the Pennsylvania
National Guard after peace had been
declared and only ceased to exist
as such when it was reorganized as
part of Company ID, One Hundred
and Twelfth Infantry.
The Harrisburg Rifles was organ
lzec in the State Library of the old
! State Capitol, in pursuance to a call
for recruits, published in Harrisburg
papers on April Is, 1861, shortly
after hostilities broke out between
! the North and the South The or
ganlzation was completed on May
"a, when DeBenneville Randolph
NSilIl was 0IeCleu captain. Gavin
Dewitt and Gordon S. Berry were
made first and second lieutenants.
An incident of historic interest is
found in the fact that members of
this band of volunteers for service
! to help preserve the Union signed
the enlistment roll upon the table
used for the signing of the Constitu-
ton of Pennsylvania.
Name Soon Changed
The name Harrisburg Rifles stuck
to the organization only short
time. Shortly after the organization
had been completed the proposition
was made to change the name of the
organization as the First City Zou-
aves of Harrisburg. This was done
and the organization first known as
such on June 10, 1861. The uniform
of the Ellsworth Zouaves, of Chi
cago, who had visited Harrisburg
several days previous was adopted.
The Zouaves drilled In the corri-
dors of the Capitol quite frequently
In good weather they went through
their formation and drill work on the
pavement in front of the Capitol and
during the sessions of the Legisla-
turc many members and attaches of
the different departments drilled
with the organization.
The Zouaves soon became quite
proficient in their work and in 1862,
when an invasion of Pennsylvania by
several Confederate divisions was
feared and the War Department is
sued "A call for the enlistment of
volunteer militia for three months,
the body volunteered as a unit.
Volunteering on May 26, they were
mustered into the United States
service at l o'clock in the afternoon
,T In f11l lpx.
eninE aspect of affairs was no longer
alarming the following day and the
War Departm order was rescind-
ed with the result that the body was
mustered out after serving the
United States less than twenty-four
hours. Captain w. b. Lane, United
States cavalry officer. was in charge
of the muster.
The Zouaves resumed it's local or
Ganization. When Governor Curtin
issued his proclamation on July 21,
1862, calling for the organization of
volunteer regiments for nine months
term under President Wilson's call
for 100000 men, the organizations
service was rendered on the day of
the issuance of the order. 1t was
promptly accepted and mustered
into the United States service with
+. Asbury Awl as captain, John S.
Bitzer as first lieutenant and John T.
Ensminger as second lieutenant. On
August 16 the Zouaves were at
tached to the One Hundred and
Twenty Regiment as Com
pany A.
Provided Many Officers
Because of it's previous drilling,
the company was much more pro-
ficient than others of the regiment
and was detached from it. Special
duty work was performed in Harris
burg and Washington. After being
mustered out of the service at the
expiration of its term. ninety-five
members of the body re-enlisted in
other commands, with which they
served until the treaty of peace was
signed Most of them enrolled
either as commissioned or non
IY0urPoc<A A ccoEI