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Praetorium Honoris

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

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

12th 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-  12th 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 61st 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 20th.  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 12th NY was not one of them. 

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

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

 Among other activities, there was a regimental drill competition in September,between the 12th New York, and their future antagonists the 3rd Kentucky and 160th Indiana (more about them in parts 3 and 4).  The 12th New York won the drill competition.  This was followed by a competition between the best company from each of the regiments.  The 12th 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 3rd Kentucky and 160th Indiana.


The October 9th Shooting and Aftermath

The Regiment was outraged on October 9th, 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 12th 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 12th 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

 

 

10 comments:

  1. Another wonderful piece making history come alive.

    How did you stumble onto this? Good stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stumbling (also spelled serendipity) on to the beer theft began when I acquired a "trapdoor" rifle, which a researcher had listed as used by the 160th Indiana Volunteer Infantry (the subject of tomorrow's installment). Pulling on that string, the exact soldier was identified by name, and the genealogical info on him was not hard to find. I also found a copy of the regimental history book published about 1900-1902, which mentioned the beer theft, and partially blamed the 3rd Kentucky. From there it is just following leads, hunches and Google-fu. Being pretty familiar with military history of the period and the sources available provided a good feel for where to look, and I enjoy this sort of stuff. So even though it takes a lot of time, it keeps me entertained.

      Subsequently I discovered an item from the 3rd Kentucky, and have found a second trapdoor from the 160th Indiana, and a Krag rifle from the 3rd Kentucky but I have not been able to identify the soldiers for those rifles (yet). Artifacts in hand really spur an interest in finding out more about who, what, where, when and why.

      A collecting obsession helps old retired folks pass time, but it could be worse. I know people who collect cannons, "20th century armor" (as apposed to knights in shining...) and two who collect examples of toilet paper. Also people who like antique cars, baseball cards, bayonets, cartridges, beanie babies, slot machines, pepper shakers, etc, but those folks are all just crazy people.
      JB

      Delete
    2. LOL! Pulled on a loose thread and got fascinated in the unraveling of the story. The most fun I had with something like that was trying to track the signal/salute gun made from a 3" Ordnance Rifle I saw when driving past the American Legion Post in Clearlake California.

      The John Hartford song, "I Would Not Be Here" comes to mind. https://youtu.be/GkkOKZYYpJI?si=yLcBrOYKqy2tinKf

      Oh...there is a Registry of Existing Civil War Cannon. When I contacted the guy in charge of it and gave him the muzzle markings I got a thank you. Seems it was one of many that were not listed. Watervlete never responded, even though that was where the conversions were done.

      Delete
  2. Very interesting posts JB, thanks. The Lexington railroad officials to the 12th New York....."Now youse can't leave".........holding the train.....:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks JB!

    The reality is that most history is filled this kind of stuff. Oh, the stories we might have had about Alexander's troops on The Granicus or Romans Legionnaires serving on Hadrian's Wall or The Great Danish Heathen Army if only paper and literacy was more abundant (and to be fair, could survive this long).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amazing stuff, JB. Pretty much a chronicle of 90% of military careers. Stuck at some crappy base for too long, then deployed to some other crappy place, get beer, lose beer, get discharged/retired. Even in wartime military life is 90% boredom, 10% stark terror.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed, Sarge. Assuming translating “Crappy Base” into modern English comes out “The Pentagon”.
      Just sayin!
      juvat

      Delete
    2. For "The Pentagon" I would substitute, "The Crappiest Place on Earth."

      Delete
  5. I must be missing something in the casualty report. No KIA or WIA?
    juvat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Juvat- They never left CONUS until after hostilities were over by both the armistice and peace treaty before they went anywhere.
      Disease was the primary cause of death, in pretty significant numbers.
      JB

      Delete

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