Year: 1861




first and highest duty is to my God, my coun.
try, and my home. am citizen of the Uni
ted States of America. / can recognise no au-
thority paramount to the Federal Government
| can fight under no flag but the star.spanged
banner; and can adopt no other war.cry but
" the Union the Constitution, and the laws"
Tremendous cheering.1
1t is not my purpose to interfere with any ar.
rangements which may have been made by the
officers of the militia. ! propose to raise a
company in each ward Of our city, of the young
men who are not already connected with some
volunteer military association, seven in all, and
that they unite and form a regiment, which
shall be put under military training immedi.
ately, and which shall constitute part and por.
ton of our military force in the District of Co
lumbia, just as the other volunteer military
companies Of our city do. The advantage Of
the plan suggest is, that we will then have
trained and reliable band of five thousand men,
more efficient than three times the number Of
raw militia l therefore offer the following
preamble and resolutions, which embody my
views upon the subject, and l earnestly invite
the sincere and cordial cooperation of any man
who is prepared to defend his family aud his
home, his country and his honor. Applause


1t is truly said, "madness rules the hour;'
men have been heard to curse the Union men
have been seen to tear down the star.spangled
banner, and trample it in the dust men have
been heard to defyt authority of the Federal
| Government, and to threaten with invasion the
city which was founded by the Father of his
Country. Their sins cry aloud to the God Of
Heaven, and human gore must be shed to ap-
pease his holy wrath" grim.visaged war be-
gins to show his wrinkled 'front.'" and feel my
Anglo.Saxon blood boil in my veins. l am
eager for the fray. Who would see a onehorse
fay substituted for the star.spangled banner
under which our fathers fought, bled, and died?
Men of Washington, to arms | to arms Your
country and your honor demand your services.
Where is the man who will not rally to the
call?


"Who would be traitor knave,


Who would fill towards grave,


Who so base as be a slave


Traitor, coward, turn and fee."


He then invited their attention to the follow.
ing preamble and resolutions; previous to
which, however, he desired to offer few words
of explanation. He did not desire to interfere
with any laws of the Government. He wished
rather to act as an aid to the Government He
wanted to organize one company in each ward,
making seven in all, which should be known as
the Union Regiment of the District of Colum
bia. We would then have a trained band of
5000 men in the District of Columbia, which
would be of more SERVICE in such a cause, than
twice that number of raw militia. Give him
5000 young Washingtonians, allow him to
drill them for a month, let them become accus.
toned to his voice, and he to them, and he
would pledge himself to whip $4,000 raw
militia. This movement must not be regarded
as a political one, but rather, as was the case
with their worthy President, as meeting of
those who had kept back from the world Of
politics. to protect their fresides and their
homes.


He then proceeded to read the following res
olutions which were received with every
demonstration of approval:


"Whereas threats have been made that the
President elect shall not be iuaugurated in
Washington city, and we have reason, therefore,
to apprehend that, Oh the 4th of March next,
our beloved home may be made the scene Of
riot, violence, and blood; and whereas we,
the young men Of the third ward of Washing
ton, believe that the honor of the nation and
our city demand that the President elect should
be inaugurated in the National Metropolis,
and are determined not to desert the post Of
danger and duty, but to maintain our ground
and defend our homes, our country, our rights,
and our honor, at the peril of our lives: There.
fore,


81. Resolred, That we, whose names are
hereto subscribed, do constitute a volunteer
military company, for the purpose Of preserv.
ing law and order in our midst, and protecting
our families and our friends against injury and
insult by revolutionary and lawless mobs, and
that we unite with similar companies that may
be organized in the other wards of our city, the
whole forming a regiment, to be known and
designated as the Union Regiment Of Wash
ington.'


"2. Resolped, That we proceed Immediately
IN tho alapti0n of nfhpprs fhf
field officers to be elected by the regiment aftel
it has been formed as aforesaid.


"3. Resolred, That we adopt as our uniform
jacket of Kentucky jean, and glazed cap
Of the plainest and cheapest material.


"a. Resolved, That it is the duty of the off
GERS, who may be elected to command US, to
commence Immediately proper system of drill
ing, and to impart to us all the military infor
nation they can between this and the fourth
of March next.


"5. Resolped, That we mutually pledge tc
each other our sacred honor, promptly and i'm
plicitly to obey all the lawful commands of ou
|; officers who may be elected by ourselves, al
aforesaid, and to resist to the death, wheneve
it may be necessary, any disturbance of tn,
public peace within the District of Columbia
and every unlawful invasion of our beloved
city, from whatever section of the country i
may come"


After reading the resolutions, he remarked
that he had Just handed them to friend, and
before he had time to say Jack Robinson, six
teen names had been enrolled thereon.


A voice. That's enough to commence on.
: Gen. Darlington would say, in conclusion
that he did not want to fight under any one
horse flag, whether it was called a palmetto OIL
anything else. If he fell, he would fall with
his face to the enemy. They wanted five thou
sand names in week. For a uniform, they
only wanted a roundabout and glazed cap
J Mr.. j. G. McCutcheon was opposed to the
roundabout system. The weather was too cold
Gen. Darlington suggested that the uniform
| could be determined upon afterwards.