Part 16

The breaking out of the War with Spain in the Spring of 1898 afforded another opportunity for the conspicuous display of the spirit of valor and loyalty that at all times animates the officers and men of the 69th. Major General Roe, the commander of the National Guard of the State of New York, at that time was desirous of ascertaining the number of members in the different regiments that could be relied upon to volunteer for service beyond the territorial boundaries of the State, and directed the various regimental commanders to question their officers and men upon the subject. Lieutenant Colonel Edward Duffy was then in command of the 69th, and his answer was immediate and characteristic: “The 69th will volunteer to a unit to serve anywhere that the country might require its services.” Upon his return to the Armory after this interview with General Roe, Colonel Duffy issued Order No. 47, which bears date April 1st, 1898, and contains the following stirring words:

“The Commanding Officer, mindful of the record and traditions of the regiment, rests assured of the enthusiastic support and co-operation of every member, and takes occasion to impress upon all the necessity for the vigorous recruiting of the different companies, so that our ranks may be swelled to full numbers. The example of our heroic predecessors of 1861 should be always before us, and it should be our pride to emulate their glorious conduct if called upon to vindicate the nation’s honor and defend in any quarter the flag of our country.”

The strength of the regiment at this time was thirty-one officers and five hundred and twenty-nine enlisted men. On the 28th of April Colonel Duffy received authority to recruit the regiment to twelve companies of three officers and eighty-one men each, and so rapidly was this work performed, that on the 2d of May the regiment left its armory for Camp Black, Hempstead Plains, Long Island, with full ranks, and was mustered into the service of the United States on May 19th following, on which occasion it was presented with a stand of colors by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of the City of New York. Describing the scene of this presentation in _The Criterion_ the distinguished Irish-American dramatist, poet and journalist, Joseph I. C. Clarke,[4] said:

“The deeper notes in the diapason of history vibrate in us, and Irish brigades of other centuries and other lands seem once more enacting their outlined braveries beneath many skies, under many banners fluttering in a breeze as fresh as that blowing cool and damp in our faces now. In a good round voice a civilian orator, Judge Fitzgerald, is telling without oratorical periphrase what the gathering means. His sentences tell clearly that the thousand men before him love the great land of their adoption, the great State that sends them forth and the land that gave them or their fathers birth—a Shamrock of love, he says poetically. As he speaks, flag after flag is unfurled—first the red, white and blue of the Stars and Stripes, eagle crowned; next the white figured flag of the State of New York, and last the green sunburst flag of Ireland, surmounted by a gold pikehead, all brave and beautiful, and each one flapping and whipping from its staff like a great tropical bird first trying its bright wings upon the wind. Cheer upon cheer rises from the crowd, and rolls back as in echo from the regiment. Colonel Duffy salutes, and says briefly that his regiment thanks the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for their silken gift, and says for his men that they will carry the flags to the war with pride and bring them home without stain. It is all very simple and in proportion touching.”

The regiment left Camp Black, on Hempstead Plains, for Chickamauga, under orders to report to General John R. Brooke, of the United States Army, at that point, and its march through the City of New York on May 24th was a memorable and notable event. The _New York Herald_ of the succeeding day said:

“Not since the stirring days of ‘ ’61’ has New York so thrilled with patriotic fervor as it did yesterday, when the 69th Regiment marched through the city on its way to the front. If they had been battle-scarred heroes of one hundred fights, Colonel Duffy and his boys could not have received a more enthusiastic welcome than that which greeted them. From East to West through the city they marched amid a flourish of flags, and the tramp of their feet was lost in the cheers that roared from tens of thousands of throats. Fifth Avenue and Tenth Avenue united in enthusiasm. Truck drivers and longshoremen did not shout louder than bankers and clubmen, and the fluttering flags in Fifth Avenue were not less numerous than the banners that waived from factories and tenements.”

Sub-joined is a list of the officers composing the Field, Staff and Line of the Regiment as it marched through the City on that bright May day, when, after thirty-five years of peace, the dark shadow of war again clouded the horizon of the Republic.

FIELD AND STAFF.

Colonel—Edward Duffy.

Lieutenant Colonel—Joseph L. Donovan.

Majors—Thomas F. Lynch, Michael J. Spellman, Edward T. McCrystal.

Adjutants—John A. Davidson, May 2–Nov. 19th; Granville T. Emmet, Sept. 21–Jan. 31st.

Quartermaster—James M. Cronin, May 2–Oct. 17th.

Surgeons—George D. Ramsey, Francis L. Oswald.

Assistant Surgeons—John H. Fuchsius, Robert M. Daly.

Chaplain—Rev. William J. B. Daly.

Co. “A”—Michael Lynch, Captain; Patrick M. Harran, 1st Lieut.; William F. Guilfoyle, 2d Lieut.

Co. “B”—Peter W. Maguire, Captain; John J. Henry, 1st Lieut.; Martin L. Crimmins, 2d Lieut.; Martin O’Neill, 2d Lieut.

Co. “C”—John J. Kennedy, Captain; Patrick J. McKenna, 1st Lieut.; Felix McSherry, 2d Lieut.

Co. “D”—James Plunket, Captain; James J. Tuite, 1st Lieut.; Christopher H. R. Woodward, 2d Lieut.

Co. “E”—Michael J. Ryan, Captain; John F. Bolger, 1st Lieut.; John P. Scanlan, 2d Lieut.

Co. “F”—Anthony J. Griffin, Captain; Phillip E. Reville, 1st Lieut.; James H. Little, 2d Lieut.

Co. “G”—John E. Duffy, Captain; Bernard F. Cummins, 1st Lieut.; William J. Costigan, 2d Lieut.

Co. “H”—Daniel C. Devlin, Captain; Timothy H. Leary, 1st Lieut.; William W. Bryant, 2d Lieut.

Co. “I”—Charles Healy, Captain; Patrick J. Mollohan, 1st Lieut.; Daniel P. Sullivan, 2d Lieut.

Co. “K”—Daniel McCarthy, Captain; Francis J. Keaney, 1st Lieut.; Edward P. Gilgar, 2d Lieut.

Co. “L”—Hugh J. Barron, Captain; Francis J. Cronin, 1st Lieut.; William J. P. McCrystal, 2d Lieut.

Co. “M”—John J. Roche, Captain; John P. Devane, 1st Lieut.; Leo F. Rooney, 2d Lieut.

May 27th the regiment arrived at Chickamauga and was attached to the 2d Division of the Third Army Corps, and on May 30th proceeded to Tampa, Florida, under orders to report to General Carpenter, and was assigned to the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 4th Army Corps. June 5th it was placed in the 2d Brigade of the 3d Division, commanded by General Guy V. Henry, and was sent forward to Fernandina, Florida. The regiment was honored by visits from Governor Black of New York, Governor Shaw of Iowa, and Secretary of War Alger, and took part in the general review of the 4th Corps, at Huntsville, Alabama, September 23, 1898. Impressed with the appearance of the regiment upon this occasion, the Brigade Commander addressed the following note of congratulation to Colonel Duffy:

“_My dear Colonel_:

“I desire to express my admiration of the magnificent appearance made by your regiment today. The Sixty-ninth is certainly a fine example of the volunteer soldier, and you can well, with your brother officers, feel proud of so efficient a regiment. Promptness is the foundation of all military efficiency; your command was halted in position assigned for the formation for review exactly on time. With best wishes for yourself and splendid command.

“Respectfully, “(Signed) JAMES RUSH LINCOLN, “_Brigadier General Vols._”

The regiment remained in the service of the United States until the 31st of January, 1899, on which date it returned home and received a magnificent welcome, significantly demonstrative of the warm affection and pride in which its officers and men were held by the people of the City of New York. On the evening of this day the regiment was honorably mustered out of the service of the United States. Upon its discharge by the general government, the regiment at once resumed its former position in the National Guard of the State.

The cornerstone of the new Armory was laid April 23, 1904, the forty-fourth anniversary of the departure of the regiment for the Civil War. This splendidly equipped building, from a military standpoint, on the west side of Lexington Avenue, between 25th and 26th Streets, was completed within two years. It occupies the entire front on the Avenue, extending in depth over 300 feet, and is provided with every modern requirement. On October 13, 1906, the regiment left its old armory over Tompkins Market, and made its formal entry into its new home, on which occasion it was escorted by the 7th Regiment, the Old Guard, 1st and 2d Batteries of New York, and the 9th Regiment of Boston, that justly renowned Irish-American Military organization of the old Bay State.

At the Dinner given by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on the evening of May 20, 1902, in honor of the representatives of the government of the French Republic, at the unveiling of the Rochambeau Statue at Washington, the delegates were escorted by the 69th to Delmonico’s. In response to a toast, Admiral Fournier of the French Navy said: “The 69th Regiment reminded me by its very appearance of a crack French regiment on parade.”

[Illustration:

CAPTAIN JAMES CONNOLLY,

of Coronado, Cal.

Vice-President of the Society for California. ]

Again on the 17th of March, 1905, the regiment escorted the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt to the 121st Annual Dinner of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the first appearance of Mr. Roosevelt at any public function in his native city after his installation in the high office of President of the United States for the term for which he had been elected. In his address upon that occasion President Roosevelt said:

“I wish to express at the outset my special sense of obligation—and I know that no one present will grudge me doing so—my special sense of obligation to Colonel Duffy and the officers and men of the 69th, who were my escort today. I shall write Col. Duffy later making formal acknowledgment to the regiment of my appreciation, but I wish to express it thus fully tonight.”

Colonel Duffy commanded the regiment during the Spanish War and for many years after its discharge from the service of the United States and return to its position in the National Guard of the State. He is entitled to great credit for the energy, industry and persistency with which he labored, happily successfully, to secure for the regiment the new armory into which he had the pleasure of leading it. Colonel Duffy enlisted as a private in Company “E,” June 3, 1867; promoted Corporal May 14, 1868; Sergeant, September 10, 1868; First Lieutenant, March 14, 1871; Regimental Adjutant, December 31, 1874; Major, September 10, 1875; Lieutenant Colonel, March 25, 1896; Colonel, April 13, 1898, and was brevetted Brigadier General August 14, 1903, for long and meritorious service, and after forty-two years of continuous service was retired, at his own request, in 1909, with the rank of Brigadier General, since which time the regiment has been under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Louis D. Conley, a young officer of experience and capacity, who is zealously laboring to maintain the high record of the regiment for efficiency.

A grave injustice has resulted for years owing to the defective records of the Adjutant General’s Office, no mention appearing therein of the services rendered during the Civil War by the 69th Volunteers of the Irish Brigade or of the Irish Legion. These omissions are about being supplied, as appears from the following letters, composing a part of a correspondence upon the subject, and as it is a most interesting matter of recent occurrence, I give them in full as kindly furnished me by the courtesy of Colonel Conley:

“SIXTY-NINTH REGIMENT INFANTRY NATIONAL GUARD, NEW YORK,

“68 Lexington Avenue, “New York, December 17th, 1909.

“LIEUT.-COLONEL CHAUNCEY P. WILLIAMS, ALBANY, NEW YORK.

“_My dear Colonel Williams_:

“Under date of August 9th, 1909, we forwarded to the Adjutant General, S. N. Y., a summary of the record of the regiment for insertion in the official register, together with a list of engagements for which we requested authority to place silver service rings on our colors.

“Receipt of our communication was acknowledged over your signature on September 3, 1909, and further information was asked in regard to certain engagements, and as to difference in dates of others. We sent the required information through the channel on October 8th, 1909, together with a revised list of engagements, and we have not heard anything further in regard to the matter.

“We would like very much to have the matter adjusted in time to permit of its being included in the official register for 1909, and to have the required authority as to the silver rings published in orders before the end of the year.

“Knowing your familiarity with the subject and feeling that had you remained at General Headquarters the matter would have been favorably acted upon by this time, I am taking the liberty to ask if you would be kind enough to use your good offices with the Adjutant General to have the matter approved before January 1, 1910.

“With best wishes, I am, “Yours sincerely, “(Signed) LOUIS D. CONLEY, “_Lieut.-Colonel_.”

“HEADQUARTERS DIVISION NATIONAL GUARD, STATE OF NEW YORK, “CAPITOL, ALBANY, December 20th, 1909.

“COLONEL LOUIS D. CONLEY, 69TH REGIMENT, N. G. N. Y., NEW YORK CITY.

“_My dear Colonel Conley_:

“I have just received your favor of the seventeenth instant, having been on duty in New York City on Friday and Saturday last.

“I have submitted the matter to Captain Reagan, Adjutant General’s Office, who has such subjects in hand, and he tells me that the record has been accepted and will appear in the official register when published, and that the authority for the silver rings will be published in the next General Orders, which cover changes in organization and in which I believe silver rings are generally authorized.

“With best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, believe me,

“Yours sincerely, “(Signed) CHAUNCEY P. WILLIAMS.”

A separate silver engraved ring will be authorized to be placed upon the Lance of the National Color for each of the following engagements:

CIVIL WAR, 1861–1865.

Blackburn’s Ford, Va., July 18th, 1861. Bull Run, Va., July 21, 1861. Rappahannock Station, Va., March 28, 29, 1862. Yorktown, Va., April 16, May 4, 1862. Fair Oaks, Va., June 1st, 1862. Savage Station, Va., June 29, 1862. Gaine’s Mills, Va., June 27–28th, 1862. Peach Orchard, Va., June 29, 1862. White Oaks Swamp, Va., June 30, 1862. Glendale, June 30, 1862 (Va.). Malvern Hill, Va., July 1st, 1862. Antietam, Md., Sept. 17th, 1862. Charlestown, W. Va., Oct. 16th–17th, 1862. Snickers Gap, Va., Nov. 2d, 1862. Hartwood Church, Va., Nov. 17th, 1862. Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 11th–15th, 1862. Deserted House, or Kelly’s Store, near Suffolk, Va., Jan. 30, 1863. Suffolk, Va., April 11th–May 4th, 1863. Chancellorsville, Va., May 1–3d, 1863. Holland’s House, near Carrsville, Va., May 16, 1863. Blackwater, Va., June 15th–18th, 1863. Gettysburg, Pa., July 1–3d, 1863. Auburn Mills, Va., Oct. 14, 1863. Bristoe Station, Va., Oct. 14, 1863. Mine Run, Va., Nov. 26, Dec. 2d, 1863. Wilderness, Va., May 5–7th, 1864. Po River, Va., May 9–10th, 1864. Spottsylvania (angle), May 8–21st, 1864. Landron House, Va., May 18, 1864. North Anna River, Va., May 22–26th, 1864. Totopotomoy Creek, Va., May 27–31, 1864. Cold Harbor, Va., June 1–12th, 1864. Petersburg (Assault), Va., June 16, 1864. Welden Rail Road, Va., June 21–23–26–29th, 1864. Deep Bottom, Va., July 27th–29th, 1864. Strawberry Plains, Va., August 14–18th, 1864. Reams Station, Va., August 25, 1864. Boydtown Plank Road, Va., Oct. 27–28th, 1864. Hatcher’s Run, Va., Dec. 8–9th, 1864. Hatcher’s Run or Dabney’s Mills, Va., Feb. 5–7th, 1865. Skinner’s Farm, Va., March 25, 1865. Crow’s House near Petersburg, Va., March 31, 1865. Hatcher’s Run, Va., March 31, 1865. Siege of Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864–April 2d, 1865. Sutherland Sta. Boydtown Plank Rd., Va., April 2, 1865. Sailor’s Creek, Va., April 6, 1865. Farmville, Va., April 9, 1865. Appomattox Court House, Va., April 9th, 1865. And for the Spanish-American War, 1898.

Also on the Lance of the State Color for meritorious services, as follows: Quarantine Riots, 1858; Draft Riots, 1863; Fire Island, 1892; Brooklyn, 1895.

I am also indebted to Colonel Conley for the following copy of the Roster of the commissioned officers of the regiment at the present time (January 7th, 1910):

FIELD AND STAFF.

Lieut. Colonel Commanding—Louis D. Conley.

Majors—Michael Lynch, John E. Duffy, Philip E. Reville, F. L. Oswald.

Captains—John J. Phelan, Thomas F. McGuire, William M. Ford, Bernard J. Glynn, John W. Elmes, Thomas J. Barry.

First Lieutenants—Patrick J. Mulcahy, Elwyn G. B. Riley, Felix A. Donnelly.

Second Lieutenants—Percival E. Nagle, Rhinelander Waldo. Chaplain—Rev. James D. Lennon.

LINE.

Captains—Co. “A,” Michael J. Dwyer; Co. “B,” Edmond M. Dillon; Co. “C,” Felix J. McSherry; Co. “D,” John P. Everett; Co. “E,” John J. Scanlon; Co. “F,” Patrick J. Maguire; Co. “G,” Bernard F. Cummings; Co. “H,” W. Clayton Woods; Co. “I,” Charles Healy; Co. “K,’’ William J. Costigan.

First Lieutenants—Co. “A,” William B. Stacom; Co. “C,” T. Harry Shanton; Co. “E,” William E. Morris; Co. “F,” Michael A. Kelly; Co. “G,” Edward Kirkpatrick; Co. “H,” Thomas J. O’Reilly; Co. “K,” James E. Dillon.

Second Lieutenants-Co. “B,” Jeremiah A. O’Leary; Co. “C,” John E. Chicquette; Co. “E,” James L. Doyle; Co. “G,” John E. O’Brien.

Any sketch of the 69th would be incomplete if it failed to call attention to the Veteran Corps, an organization which has always kept in close touch with the regiment and has done much for its welfare throughout all these years. Not many of the heroic followers of Corcoran and Meagher are within its ranks today, but a few, thank God, are still happily left among us. Each year their diminishing ranks are being still further thinned by the inexorable ravages of time. They are but few indeed, and all the more for this reason we delight in honoring them. Brave veterans, may you long be spared to illustrate by your simple lives the virtues of patriotism and courage, and to inspire the soldier sons of the Republic with a desire to emulate your daring and sacrifice. Captain O’Connell, the President of the Corps, has kindly furnished me with the names of the survivors at present upon the roll of those who followed the colors from ’61 to ’65:

Captain James J. Smith. Captain John O’Connell. Captain Garrett Nagle. Captain John R. Nugent. Captain Thomas M. Canton. Lieutenant Richard R. Bermingham. Sergeant John Lonegran. Private John Kevill. Private Thomas Smith. Private Thomas Burns. Private Richard Keyes. Private Richard Finnan. Private Patrick Barrett. Private Charles E. Neilson. Private John Fallon.

For very many years the writer has been favored with the friendship of the 69th Regiment; it has conferred honors upon him, of which he is very proud. He had the privilege of delivering the oration upon the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone of the new armory, and was called upon to preside at the memorable ceremonies attending the formal opening of the completed building. The great consideration at all times shown him will be ever gratefully remembered, and it is his hope that this paper, prepared at the request of the American-Irish Historical Society, may serve in slight degree to perpetuate the well-earned glory of an historic and gallant corps, which we trust may long remain a notable and reliable unit in the military forces of the United States. Neither the elements of social disorder laboring from within to undermine the fabric of our Constitution, nor the international complications possible to arise, by which our people may be subjected to the perils of foreign war, can menace our beloved country with permanent danger as long as the manhood of the Nation is animated by the spirit and courage associated with the history and traditions of the 69th Regiment.

[Illustration:

JOHN LOUIS SHEEHAN, LL. D.,

Of Boston, Mass.

Author of paper on Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson.

Member of the Society. ]

THOMAS JONATHAN (STONEWALL) JACKSON.

_A Paper Read at the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the American-Irish Historical Society, January 8, 1910, at Hotel Plaza in New York, by John Louis Sheehan, LL. D. of Boston University School of Law._

In scanning the pages of American history, one pauses at the name of Stonewall Jackson. In imagination the reader goes back more than half a century, to fields of fierce conflict where a nation was drenched in human blood. He hears the cry of the torn and mangled, the roar and shriek of the bursting shell, and when for a moment the flash of cannon clears away the smoke of battle, there is seen the form of one admired by all, the ingenious, the courageous, the redoubtable Jackson.

Nerve and a spirit of independence appears in his great grandmother, Elizabeth Cummins, a woman over six feet tall, who quarreled with her father and left for America, after throwing a silver tankard at his head, while he was keeper of “The Bold Dragoon” in London. On her arrival she married John Jackson, a man of Irish birth. Later on, when young Jackson compared notes, he found that his ancestors came from the same parish in Londonderry as those of President Andrew Jackson. The married couple settled on a farm in northwestern Virginia. It was out of this stock that our hero was born about January 21, 1824.

Jonathan Jackson, the father of Thomas Jonathan, retained little of the mettle of the early pioneers. His health, credit, and fortune were gambled away, and he died leaving his widow and four children to the care of his relatives. Stonewall was three years old at this time. Four years later, called to the bedside of his mother, he witnessed all that was mortal of her pass out of this life.

The orphan went to live with his uncle, Cummins Jackson, who gave him complete freedom in the open air. The boy became a good rider and grew fond of all out door sports. These days spent among remote kin were looked upon by him as the saddest of his life; he never cared to talk about them for this reason. Yet his temper as a boy was cheerful and generous. He had a high regard for truth, and his sense of justice was very strong. He was quick to resent an insult, would never yield to defeat, but when fairly treated was always gentle and kind.