John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History – Halloween 1898- “Who Stole the Beer?” - Part II

12^th New York enlistments at their armory in 1898
Source: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-lost-12th-regiment-armory-columbus.html

The Crime; the Victims; and the Perps.

Part 2 of 4-  The Victims-  12^th New York Volunteer Infantry

The only image found for this unit is one of enlistments taking place at their New Yawk City Armory at Columbus Avenue at 61^st Street.   This armory was opened in 1887, and “[t]housands of invitations were sent out, it is said, but after about 3000 people were admitted to the armory, the rest were kept out at the point of the bayonet.”   

The 12th New York Volunteer Infantry was mustered into service on May 13, 1898 at Peekskill, New York. At the time of muster in, the unit consisted of 43 officers and 978 enlisted men. Initially, the unit was first sent to Camp Thomas at Chickamauga, Georgia. Conditions in this camp were terrible. It was overcrowded, unsanitary, and disease-ridden.

Following muster into federal service at Peekskill, NY on May 13, 1898, they arrived by choo-choo near Chattanooga, TN at Camp Thomas on the Chickamauga battlefield on May 20^th.  Life at Camp Thomas was grueling with limited water, poor food and lots of disease.   Many units were quickly sent to Tampa for the Cuban invasion, but the 12^th NY was not one of them. 

As the summer passed, Spanish forces world-wide suffered defeats and the likelihood of the 12^th being needed for combat swindled.  So, they remained at Camp Thomas until August 24^th when they were sent to Lexington, KY.

At Camp Hamilton, even prior to the shooting and beer theft, the 12^th’s conduct was not exemplary.

 Among other activities, there was a regimental drill competition in September,between the 12^th New York, and their future antagonists the 3^rd Kentucky and 160^th Indiana (more about them in parts 3 and 4).  The 12^th New York won the drill competition.  This was followed by a competition between the best company from each of the regiments.  The 12^th won again, but it was discovered that their “company” was actually selected men, mostly NCOS from across the regiment.  The prize was taken away from the cheaters and split between the 3^rd Kentucky and 160^th Indiana.

The October 9^th Shooting and Aftermath

The Regiment was outraged on October 9^th, when one of its members was shot dead by the Provost Marshalls (Military Police) in Lexington, as reported on the front page of the New York Times:

Source:  New York Times, October 11, 1898, page 1. (Clipped and made to two columns)

Apparently a similar story ran in the Lexington Herald (copy not found) but this incensed the Commander o the 12^th New York, who defended the conduct and honor of his troops with the following:

Source:  Lexington Herald-Leader, October 13, 1898, page 5.

As the uproar over this shooting was calming, Halloween arrived, and so did the shipment of beer for the 12^th New York to enjoy.    But, someone else got most of it!

 

Although some sources suggest that the theft was widely reported and the brewers dropped their charges due to free publicity, I found nothing to confirm that, but it sounds plausible.

 

After the beer theft, their enlistments continued to drag on.   Finally,

… on November 13th the regiment departed Lexington for Americus, GA where a new camp was set up. On December 26th the 12th Regiment left camp en route for Cuba, where it arrived on the 1st of January 1899 and took up garrison duty at Matanzas and Cardenas. On March 20th, 1899 the regiment was sent home to New York City where it arrived on March 27th and was mustered out on April 20th, 1899.
Source:

 Their service in Cuba was pretty much the same as the other occupation troops, show the flag, keep any remaining Spaniards from interfering with new local governments, and provide security and public works support.

The unit was mustered out of service on April 20, 1899 at New York City. At the time of muster out, it consisted of 46 officers and 945 men. During its term of service, the unit suffered from high losses. Twenty-three enlisted men died of disease, one man died as the result of an accident, and one man committed suicide. Forty-seven additional men were discharged on disability. Ninety-one men deserted!

Losses by unit.  All started with about 50 officers and 1,000 enlisted, with some
replacements arriving during their service period.  Source:

	12th New York	160th Indiana	3rd Kentucky
OFFICER losses
Resigned or discharged	30	7	7
ENLISTED losses
Transferred	13	69	27
Discharged-disability	47	59	60
Discharged- courts martial	-	-	8
Discharged by order	210	117	129
Death from disease	23	11	17
Death- accidental	1	-	2
Murder or homicide	-	1	1
Suicide	1	-	-
Deserted	91	15	56
TOTAL ENLISTED LOSSES	386	272	300

Part 1 looked at “The Crime” of the beer theft

Part 3 will look at “The Perps” from the 160th Indiana

Part 4 will look at “The Perps” from the 3rd Kentucky