It Was a Grand Sight! 
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The Men of Co. G, 2nd Regiment, return from Spanish-American War Service  |
The 2nd Regiment's Company G was composed of quite a few men from Herkimer and Montgomery counties. The company left for service on May 2, 1898 and returned as a group by train to Herkimer NY for a 30-day furlough on September 16, 1898. Due to political maneuvers made by New York State Governor Frank S. Black, Company G never left the country and spent most of their time in the service drilling at a camp near Tampa, Florida. As stated below, "The public, however, should regard the will as the deed and accord the members of the regiment merited praise." Their boys stepped up to serve their country as soldiers in wartime, and at least 10,000 people gathered to acknowledge their bravery and love of country.
A gala Welcome Home parade march and greeting to the returning troops extended from the village of Herkimer to the village of Mohawk, where a celebratory banquet was held at the State Armory. Among those participating in the festivities were the attendees of a G.A.R. joint reunion of Civil War veterans of the 16th NY Heavy Artillery and the 34th NY Volunteers, held at Little Falls NY. According to another article in the paper, the "old veterans" were invited to participate in the festivities at Mohawk, and decided to forego having their own parade so that they could join in honoring the service of a new generation.
The men assigned to Company G had enlisted at the State Armory at Mohawk NY. All of the men of the 2nd Regiment Infantry were given a 30-day furlough on September 15. The members of Company G mustered out as a group at Herkimer NY on November 1, 1898.
It wasn't stated whether this list includes every man who'd ever enlisted in Company G, or only names those soldiers in the service on September 15, 1898.
Source: The Evening Times, Little Falls, NY, September 16, 1898
OVATION FOR COMPANY G.
BIG CELEBRATION IN HONOR OF RETURNING SOLDIERS.
Herkimer Never Had Such a Crowd
- Joyful Greetings of Relatives and Friends
- Boys in Good Physical Condition
- Little Falls Sends a Big Crowd to Welcome the Boys.
Herkimer, Sept. 16.- Herkimer and Mohawk are in gala day attire today. Nature herself seems to be in sympathy with the friends of Company G in their endeavors to do honor to the boys who left for the front on the 2d day of May. When the boys left nature wept with their friends, and today she has her brightest smile. Everything is in readiness, and the demonstration in honor of the returning soldiers promises to be the greatest ever held in the county.
The parade forms on West Main street with right resting on West Albany. The Little Falls Rifle Corps acts as the immediate escort of Company G, and the balance of the representation from Little Falls, under command of Gen. Lansing, has the right of line. Headed by the Little Falls band the line of march is thro' Mohawk street to the village of Mohawk, thro' Main street in that village to the electric light power house and counter march to the armory.
Herkimer, Sept. 16.- The train bearing the members of Company G arrived at 2:45. Never has there been such a crowd of people in this village. Little Falls sent up her fine civic organizations and when the special train bearing them arrived at 2:10 there was much cheering.
The crowd about the station may have been 10,000, perhaps 20,000 people. Nobody could estimate it; it moved about, in its excitement and joy, too much. It was certainly a most interesting sight as the train slowly puffed in. The soldiers crowded to the platforms and windows. As somebody in the great mass of humanity on the walk, in the road or about the cars, would spy a relative, friend or acquaintance, a shout of "There's John," "Oh, I see Jim," or "Hurrah, there's my boy," would go up. As the boys piled out onto the soil of Herkimer, which many of them had not seen or trod upon since May 2, mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers, friends, acquaintances, in fact any body or everybody, grabbed them by the hands, hugged them, kissed their bronzed and bearded face, and caring nothing for the spectators gave vent to their feelings of delight. It was a grand sight.
Six members of the company are in a Troy hospital, being too ill to be moved. All the others, with the exception of Arthur Putnam of Little Falls, who is ill of rheumatism, are in good physical condition. It was nearly 4 o'clock before the parade moved, and it will be 6 o'clock before the banquet is served in the armory.
WHY THEY DID NOT FIGHT
Cohoes Despatch: The persons composing the Second regiment are of course disappointed because they were engaged in no actual fighting. Conceded to be the best drilled and best appearing regiment at Camp Black, they were the first to be ordered to Chickamauga and they concluded they would be among the first to be sent to Cuba. Unfortunately, however, there was one company in the regiment, known as the Sixth of Troy, in which there were persons whose relatives were friends of Gov. Black, and the governor was importuned by such friends to do all he could to keep the members of said company out of danger. The governor evidently granted the request and the Second regiment, tho' twice ordered aboard transports for Cuba or elsewhere, were not permitted to leave the country. The public, however, should regard the will as the deed and accord the members of the regiment merited praise.
Little Falls overflowed with martial enthusiasm and sent an overflowing delegation to assist the demonstration in Company G's honor. It is estimated that 3,000 persons attended from this city. A more than Fourth of July crowd swarmed on the depot platform and extended down the tracks when the train reached here with the volunteers about 2:30. The boys' uniforms were a bit faded but the wearers looked neat and wholesome. There was considerable handshaking with Little Falls friends and the crowd shouted vociferously as the train moved away.
ROSTER OF COMPANY G |
Captain |
Horatio P. Witherstine |
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First Lieutenant |
Delos M. Dodge |
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Second Lieutenant |
Wilbur Eddy |
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First Sergeant |
Peter J. Krug, Herkimer |
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Quartermaster Sergeant |
Jonah P. Holden, Herkimer |
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Sergeants |
Ulyses G. Lints | Mohawk |
Clarence F. Burdick | Ilion |
Harlin P. Hamlin | Ilion |
Charles I. Rasbach | Ilion |
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Corporals |
Albert E. Richard | Herkimer |
John Murray | Mohawk |
George Wilfert Jr. | Ilion |
John H. Shackelton | Herkimer |
Geo. W. Rulison | Mohawk |
Roy D. Baker | Ilion |
John L. Klock | Herkimer |
Irving S. Day | Mohawk |
Orange J. Fikes | Herkimer |
F. W. Crisman | Herkimer |
Ralph G. Davis | Mohawk |
Frank E. Hartigan | Herkimer |
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Musicians |
George C. Steele | Herkimer |
Robert G. Coleman | Ilion |
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Artificer |
John F. Goo | Ilion |
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Wagoner |
George Lovell | Mohawk |
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Privates |
John J. Amon | Dolgeville |
Philo Atwell | Ilion |
Jacob H. Barger | Ilion |
Orville Bates | Herkimer |
William H. Bower | Ilion |
Leonard A. Brennan | Mohawk |
Jacob Brunner | Utica |
William Burnham | Ilion |
Ivan T. Burney 2nd | Little Falls |
Eugene F. Bussey | Ilion |
Frank Casler | Herkimer |
Pearl C. Clark | Ilion |
Fred E. Coe | Mohawk |
Elvill D. Crim | Ilion |
Floyd Crim | Ilion |
Noah O. Davis | Ilion |
Clifford Dawley | Mohawk |
Clarence Day | Ilion |
George F. Delong | Herkimer |
Leonard S. Diehl | Ilion |
Benj. F. Doxstater | Mohawk |
Roy E. Doyle | Ilion |
Arthur E. Earl | Ilion |
S. Ward Franklin | Mohawk |
Fred Fuller | Mohawk |
Charles E. Garlock | Herkimer |
James W. Goo | Ilion |
Ivan B. Green | Ilion |
Fred G. Hamlin | Ilion |
Burton C. Harter | Herkimer |
Charles J. Hartigan | Herkimer |
Joseph G. Helmick | Herkimer |
Charles D. Horner | Herkimer |
Cyrus W. Ingraham | Utica |
Charles S. Jackson | Litchfield |
Paul Jones | Ilion |
William C. Joy | Ilion |
Vaughn Kent | Herkimer |
Thomas M. King | Richfield Springs |
Charles H. Knopka | Herkimer |
Frank Mallet | Herkimer |
Charles McCoy | Herkimer |
Brent Miller | Ilion |
Charles D. Morse | Mohawk |
Paul Neipel | Dolgeville |
Jas. Nesbitt | Ilion |
John E. Noonan | Mohawk |
Frank O'Brien | Frankfort |
Frank O. Penfield | Ilion |
Arthur Putnam | Little Falls |
Charles E. Rhodes | Ilion |
Delevan D. Rhodes | Ilion |
Benj. F. Richards | Ilion |
Frank R. Rix | Ilion |
Frank F. Rowland | Herkimer |
Harry H. Rowland | Herkimer |
Daniel W. Scanlon | Ilion |
Mark M. Schall | Little Falls |
John J. Shaul | Columbia Center |
Le Roy F. Shineman | Ilion |
Earnest C. Shoemaker | Mohawk |
Franklin Shoemaker | Mohawk |
George D. Shoemaker | Mohawk |
Liberty L. Shoemaker | Mohawk |
Ernest F. Sitts | Herkimer |
William E. Small | Herkimer |
Robert H. Smith | Herkimer |
George M. Snyder | Ilion |
William J. Soper | Ilion |
Snowden F. Spedding | Mohawk |
Stanley M. Spohn | Mohawk |
William H. Spurr | Ilion |
Edward J. Stone | Dolgeville |
James O. Stone | Dolgeville |
William Taft | Mohawk |
Filmore Tuttle | Mohawk |
Harold H. VanDeWater | Ilion |
Henry Voigt Jr. | Herkimer |
Worden A. Watson | Ilion |
Byron D. White | Herkimer |
Francis E. Williams | Mohawk |
Harry J. Williams | Ilion |
W. T. Woods | Little Falls |
NOTE: All spellings are as given in the original article and might not be "correct." This listing has been alphabetized for easier reference.
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