in the Civil War
Source: Child's Gazetteer and Business Directory of Oswego County, N.Y., 1866-67. Many thanks to Dianne Thomas for transcribing this article, and to Martha Magill, Coordinator of Herkimer/Montgomery County, for contributing this information.
April 15 The President of the Untied States called for 75,000 men to put down the rebellion in the Southern States. May 3, the President also called for 82,748 men, consisting of 42, 034 volunteers, to serve for a period of three years unless sooner discharged, and to be mustered into service as infantry and cavalry. Also 22,714 officers and enlisted men, to serve in the regular army. Also 18,000 seamen, (see copy of proclamation in appendix to Adjutant Generals report to Legislature State of New York, 1862). On these calls the State of New York furnished thirty-eight regiments, or 30,000 men. The county of Oswego organized and sent forward at once, the 24th Regiment, N.Y.S.V., under Col. Timothy Sullivan. This regiment left Oswego in detachments, commencing April -, 1861, and after having served two years, were mustered out at Elmira, May 29, 1863. In the fall of 1861, Alderman John McAmbley commenced raising a new regiment, and on the 20th January, 1862, the 81st Regiment, N.Y.S.V., started for the depot at Albany, and March 5th, 1862, started the seat of war, under Col. Edwin Rose, 1,025 men. July 2, 1862 The President made a call, on the recommendation of the Governors of the Northern States, for 300,000 men. Aug. 4, 1862 The exigencies of the government required, and the Secretary of War, by direction of the President, directed a draft for 300,000 men immediately. These men to be militia and nine months men; a government bounty of $25 to be paid in advance. This made 600,000 men wanted, and the quota of Oswego county on these two calls were 2,348. This quota was based on a population in this county, by the census of 1860, of 75,958 persons. The county furnished 2,409 men on these calls, being an excess of sixty-one men. (See Adjutant Generals report for 1863, page 1,156). On the 5th of July, 1862, Gov. Morgan appointed the Military Committees of the several Senatorial Districts of the State. In the 21st Senatorial District, said committee consisted of Hon. Elisa Root, Chairman, and Messrs. Hon. D.C. Littlejohn, D.G. Fort, Hon. Henry Fitzhugh, Delos DeWolf, Hon. Enoch B. Talcott, Hon. Richard K. Sanford, to which were subsequently added the Hon. Abner C. Mattoon, Benj. E. Bowen, Willard Johnson, Albert F. Smith, Thomas Kingsford and Cheney Ames. Henry L. Davis, Clerk of the City of Oswego, was appointed Secretary. Enlistments were at once commenced, and public meetings were held throughout the county. The result was, the organization of the 110th Regiment N.Y.S.V., Col. DeWitt C. Littlejohn, and the 147th N. Y. S. V., Col. Andrew S. Warner. The former left for the seat of war Aug. 27, and the latter Sept 27, 1862. About the same time, the 12th Regiment N.Y. Cavalry, under Capt. John Ward Gasper, and the 21st N.Y. Battery, under Capt. James Barnes, went as Oswego county regiments, besides large numbers of men sent into other regiments. About the 12th of July, 1863, the following circular was received by Provost Marshall Addison L. Scott, at Oswego:
WAR DEPARTMENT
To the Board of Enrollment, Twenty-Second District of New York: In accordance with section six of the Enrollment Act, approved March 3, 1863, I hereby communicate orders as follows, from the President of the United States, in reference to calling out the national forces, viz: - I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy thereof, having taken into consideration the number of volunteers and militia furnished by and from the several States, including the State of New York, and the period of service of said volunteers and militia, since the commencement of the present rebellion, in order to equalize the numbers among the districts of the said States, and having considered and allowed for the number already furnished, as aforesaid, and the time of their service aforesaid, do hereby assign two thousand and sixty-eight as the first proportional part of the quota of troops to be furnished by the twenty-second district of the State of New York, under the first call made by me on the State of New York, under the Act approved March 3, 1863, entitled An Act for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes, and in pursuance of the act aforesaid, I order that a draft be made in the said twenty-second district of the State of New York, for the number of men herein assigned to said district, and fifty per cent in addition.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal
of the United
Signed, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The Board of Enrollment in the twenty-second district of the State of New York, is hereby ordered to make a draft, with the least possible delay, on the first class of the national forces in said district, for the number of men stated in the Presidents order, the draft being made separately on each enrollment sub-district for the number of men hereinafter assigned to each of said sub-districts, and which assignment is as follows, to-wit: To the 1st sub-district, 1st and 3d Wards,
Oswego City, 310 men.
These are the quotas of the sub-districts,
with fifty per cent added.
*NOTE. The 24th and following sub-districts were in Madison County. - PUBLISHER Accordingly, on the 4th day of August, 1863, the draft commenced at the City of Oswego, and was continued daily until the whole number, 3,102 men were drawn. It will be understood that from various excuses, many persons drawn were afterwards exempted from duty. The following is the result of the draft. The figures are totals for the 22nd district: Exempted for physical disability, 762. Only son of widow, 118. Only son of infirm parents, 116. Election, 42. Only brother, 4. Father of motherless children, 24. Two men in service, 39. Felony, 2. In service, March 3, 1863, - 37. Aliens, 206. Over 45 years of age, 18. Over 35 and married, 205. Under 20 years, 85. Non-residents, 125. Commuted for $300, 768. Substitutes furnished, 125. Held for service, 92. Not reported, 334. Of this number 27 substitutes and 16 drafted men, subsequently deserted; so that this draft resulted in furnishing the Government 174 men and $230,400 in currency. October 17, 1863 The President called for 300,000 more men and Feb. 1st, 1864, he made an additional call for 200,000, and March 14, of the same year, he called for 200,000 more, making in all, 700,000 men to be raised forthwith. The quota of Oswego county on these three calls, was 3,341 men, and there were furnished 3,561 men. June 15, 1864 The President called for 100,000 three months men to repel the invasion of Pennsylvania. New York City furnished the States share of this force, Oswego furnished none. July 18, 1864 The President called for 500,000 men for one year. The Military Committee again went to work and raised in Oswego county, the 184th Regiment, Col. Wardwell G. Robinson, detachments of which left for Elmira, commencing Sept. 5th, 1864. They also furnished a large number of men for the 12th Cavalry, under Col. Wm. C. Raulston, formerly of the 81st Regiment. The quota under this call, for the county, was 1,425 men, deducting a surplus of 220 men we had under former calls, we had to furnish 1,205 men, but sent forward 1,245 men, a surplus of forty men. Dec. 19, 1864 The President called for 500,000 more men, and the quota of the county, after deducting the excess furnished under the call of July 18, was 1,142. Of these there were furnished 881 men. Events which soon after transpired, made it evident to all that no more men would be needed. During the war, many men from this county straggled into other localities, and being enlisted, were credited elsewhere, so that all told, Oswego county sent 12,500 to the war, out of a population of less than 76,000; an excess of about 5,000 men, over her entire quota for the war. After four years of fearful war; after one of the greatest struggles the world ever knew; success crowned both right and might, deciding that This Union is one and inseparable, and that freedom and universal liberty belong to all who dwell in this great country where good and bad, the great or poor, and oppressed of every land, find shelter and a home. Peace, smiling peace! Returned to bless
us, and those who outlived the great fight, returned home, their breasts
filled with rapture, for it was their day of hope and pride; but ah, how
many did not return!
Copyright © 2000 Dianne Thomas / Laura Perkins
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