Albany, where it arrived on the 4th, and took quarters in an unused church. The company was accepted on the 7th. WAR MEETING IN MALONE The first war meeting in Franklin County was held in Malone, April 25th. Honorable Albert Andrus, an old time Democrat, presided, and the meeting was addressed by the Honorable William A. Wheeler, the Representative in Congress, Honorable Ashbel B. Parmelee and others, who made ringing speeches, exhorting all to give prompt and energetic support to the Administration in its purpose to enforce the laws. Joel J. Seaver, editor of The Malone Palladium, advised the enrolling of a company under the law recently passed by the legislature, and was the first to tender his services. Ten thousand dollars were raised to aid the families of those who should volunteer. Within a week the company, composed of representatives from nearly every town in Franklin County, was organized by electing Joel J. Seaver, Captain; Frederick F. Wead, a brilliant young lawyer of Malone, First Lieutenant; and Milton E. Roberts, a young business man of Chateaugay, and a descendant of one of the first settlers of Northern New York, as Second Lieutenant; with a full complement of noncommissioned officers, musicians, and sixty-four privates, for whom see roster of Company I, Sixteenth New York. While the recruiting was being carried forward, the women were busily engaged in scraping lint, making havelocks, and knitting socks. A flag was presented to the company by Miss Martha Lindsay, a member of the Franklin Academy, a sword to the captain, and a Bible to each member. On Sunday, the 5th of May, the company attended church in a body. On the 6th, it left for Albany, arrived on the 7th, and was accepted by the Military Board the same day. T CHAPTER II ORGANIZATION OF THE SIXTEENTH HE companies first arriving from Northern New York were invited to join in forming the third regiment, to be commanded by Colonel Frederick Townsend, but they declined all applications and stood out until ten companies should arrive from the north. On the evening of the 7th of May, representatives of the companies of Nevin, Pomeroy, Palmer, Parker, Stetson, Gilmore, Curtis, Gibson, Seaver, and Bartlett met, agreed to unite in forming a regiment, and adjourned until the 8th, when all the officers of the above mentioned companies met to decide upon the field officers, whom under the law they were authorized to select. It had been announced that the Honorable Amaziah B. James would be chosen Colonel, and George R. Myers, Major, of the regiment formed by the northern companies. The chief reason for choosing Judge James was that he had been a delegate to the Chicago Convention and one of the committee to notify Mr. Lincoln of his nomination, and would therefore be able to do more for the regiment than any other man. It was also intimated that he would not remain with the regiment should active hostilities really be inaugurated, as he could not abandon his high judicial position for a colonelcy, but that, after taking the regiment to Washington and introducing it to the proper authorities, he would resume the duties of his position on the Bench. There was no personal opposition to Judge James, as he was known to be one of the most influential men in Northern New York, but the young men in the regiment believed that they should have a colonel who would stay with them, and, if possible, one who could instruct them in the science and art of war. A committee was appointed to wait upon Major Delafield, U. S. A., later Brigadier-General, Chief of Engineers, who was at Albany, assisting Governor Morgan in organizing troops, and to consult him as to the best course for the officers to pursue. In announcing the object of their call, they stated that they thought it would be desirable to choose for their colonel a West Point graduate, or a man who had served in the Mexican War. He heartily approved of their proposition and suggested Henry W. Slocum of Syracuse, Thomas A. Davies of New York City, and Elisha G. Marshall of Rochester, all graduates of West Point. He also stated that Thomas A. Davies was a native of St. Lawrence County. Not one of the officers had ever seen Thomas A. Davies, and they knew nothing of him except what they had learned from Major Delafield. Two or three knew his brother John, a farmer on Black Lake, and a like number had met his brother, Judge Henry E. Davies of the Court of Appeals, while all had used the mathematical text books of another brother, Charles Davies, Professor in the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. It was known to a few of the officers that Dr. Socrates N. Sherman, Representative in Congress from St. Lawrence, was in Albany to secure the election of Judge James, and that he had the active support of Attorney-General Charles G. Myers, also from St. Lawrence. It was understood that these gentlemen would see to it that "the boys" made no mistake. The thirty officers of the companies above mentioned met behind closed doors, and adopted the following resolutions: "RESOLVED:-That every one present at this meeting agrees to preserve as a profound secret the proceedings of this and all subsequent meetings relating to the organization of the regiment, until it is mustered into the United States service." "RESOLVED:-That in selecting officers no one shall be considered who has not had a military education or seen active service." The roll was called on these resolutions separately, and they were unanimously adopted. The name of Judge James was presented, with the statement that he was educated as a lawyer and had been a brigadier-general of militia. The question of qualification, under the previous resolution, was raised, and the chairman ruled out the candidate, as ineligible. The name of Thomas A. Davies was proposed, with the statement that he had been educated at West Point, and had seen service in the regiment commanded by Colonel Zachary Taylor. The vote was taken; twenty-seven votes were cast for Davies, and three for James. Dr. Samuel Marsh of Potsdam, New York, a graduate of a military school at Norwich, Vermont, and Buel Palmer, colonel of a militia regiment at Plattsburgh, were named for the office of lieutenant-colonel. No other names were presented, and an agreement was made that the one receiving the larger number of votes should be made lieutenantcolonel, and the other candidate should be major of the regiment. Under this arrangement Dr. Samuel Marsh was elected Lieutenant-Colonel, and Buel Palmer, Major. The chairman of the meeting was directed to advise the Adjutant-General that the officers were ready to hold a formal meeting to elect officers for the regiment. Early on the morning of the 9th, Dr. Sherman charged me with bringing politics into the organization of a regiment from the strongest Republican section of the State, in that I had been instrumental in having a Democrat elected as colonel. It was then made known for the first time that Thomas A. Davies was a member of the Democratic party. I had never thought of partisan politics, and had never heard the subject broached by a single officer of the regiment, although one-third of them were of the Democratic party. They had all been influenced solely by a desire to promote the public service, and to secure a colonel who was competent and able to instruct them in their new profession. I was greatly incensed, and forthwith notified the other officers that Dr. Sherman was in full possession of all that had taken place at their secret meeting; whereupon a meeting was at once called and each officer asked if he had violated the pledge made the day before. As the roll call proceeded each one answered "NO," until the Second Lieutenant of Bartlett's company replied, "It's none of your d-d business, I do not intend to become the tail of a Democratic kite." A resolution was at once passed, supported by twenty-seven votes, ejecting Captain Bartlett's company from the regiment, and inviting Captain Wood's of Clinton County to join it. On the 9th, Brigadier-General Rathbone, commanding the Albany rendezvous, was ordered to preside at an election of field officers for the Sixteenth New York Infantry, composed of six companies from St. Lawrence, three from Clinton, and one from Franklin counties. General Rathbone filed his return of the election, and on the roth, the following order announcing the organization of the Sixteenth was issued: "SPECIAL ORDERS "No. 162. "GENERAL HEADQUARTERS STATE OF NEW YORK, "On return of Brigadier-General Rathbone, commanding Albany Depot, of an election held pursuant to Special Orders No. 155 for choice of persons to fill the office of Colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Major of the Sixteenth regiment, the following |