EARLY LAWS--TWO COMPANIES IN GOFFSTOWN--MUSTERS--NATIONAL GUARD--MILITIA OFFICERS--TAGGART GUARDS

The word militia is derived from the latin word "miles," which means a soldier, particularly a foot or infantry soldier; and by the word militia we commonly understand the infantry soldiers. After the union of New Hampshire with Massachusetts in 1641, the laws of the Massachusetts colony controlled New Hampshire, and there was no organization of the New Hampshire militia until New Hampshire became a distinct province in 1679.

Until 1718 the organization of militia was left to the governor and council, and the first militia law of the province was passed this year. This law provided that all male persons from 16 to 60, except Negroes and Indians, should perform military duty; each captain should call out his company four times each year for drill, and there should be a regimental muster once in three years. Neither the militia law nor the militia underwent any great change, except the militia was constantly increasing, until the Seven Years' War, treated in Chapter XI, aroused the citizen soldiery of New Hampshire, and at its close in 1763 there were nine regiments of infantry and one of cavalry. Successive changes were made in the militia law in 1776, 1780 and 1786. The law of 1776 provided for two classes of soldiers, a training band and an alarm list. The training band contained all the able-bodied men, except Negroes and Indians, between the ages of 16 to 50.

The alarm list included men from 16 to 65 not assigned to the other division. The alarm band was supposed to be called out upon sudden emergencies. By the law of 1786 the training band should consist of male persons between the ages of 16 and 40; and the alarna list should consist of all persons capable of bearing arms between the ages of 40 and 60. The alarm list shall be called together by the cap-tain once in six months for an inspection of arms. The captain of the training band shall call his company together four times a year to examine their arms and accoutrements.

When it should happen that there should be an immediate call for a number of soldiers, and a sufficient number did not appear by voluntary enlistment, the captains of the several companies upon receiving orders were empowered to draft the number specified in their warrants.

On the 5th of September, 1792, the new State Constitution was adopted. This contained important provisions in regard to the militia. In the bill of rights it announced the truth that "a well-regulated militia is the proper, natural and sure defense of a state"; and provides for the appointment of officers. The governor or this state should be commander-in-chief of the army and navy. Under the new constitution new militia laws became necessary, and on the 27th of December, 1792, the legislature of New Hampshire passed a law arranging the militia into battalions, regiments, brigades and divisions, and defined their territorial limits.

In the state of New Hampshire there were twenty-seven regiments, six brigades and three divisions. The law of 1792 made some radical changes; it provided for the enrollment of all male citizens from 18 to 40. Commanding officers should call out their companies twice a year. The duties of the various offices were defined.

By this act the companies in the towns of Derryfield, Goffstown, Dunbarton and Bedford formed a first battalion; the companies in the towns of New Boston and Weare formed a second battalion which constituted the ninth regiment. The ninth regiment, with four others, composed the fourth brigade, and the fourth and fifth brigades formed the third division.

In 1793, 1795 and 1796 additional acts were passed; the act of 1793 providing that the state should provide a standard for each regiment in the state, and one suit of regimental colors for each battalion. The act of 1795 provided that all free, able-bodied white male citizens from 16 to 40 years of age should be enrolled in the militia. By the act of 1796 the militia in the state was reorganized and the laws were further amended in 1808; the same companies constituted the ninth regiment after each change as in the previous organization.

At this time the ninth regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Col Stephen Dole, John Butterfield of Goffstown, major of first battalion, and Ithamar Eaton of Weare, major of second battalion. Goffstown was divided into two companies, known as the fourth and fifth; the limits of the fourth company were defined by the west line of said town, on the south by the south line of said town;, on tbe north by the Piscataquog River from Bedford line to the mouth of Harry Brook, and Harry Brook shall be the northeasterly boundary to Dunbarton line, then on Dunbarton line to the west line of said Goffstown; the fifth company shall be limited and contained in the remaining portion of said Goffstown situate wholly upon the northerly side of the river.

Every man was warned out to train by the orderly once a year. In May of each year the fourth company met on training days either on the muster field or the fair-ground near the old Taggart Hotel. Some of the warrants were issued requiring the soldiers in the fourth company to meet near the residence of Rodney G. Stark, which is the house now owned by the heirs of Mrs. Lewis Sargent, and was then the only house upon that side of the street east of where Mrs. George Sargent now lives, and west of Mrs. Lucy Perley's.

The fifth company met on training days at the center meeting-house, or the old townhouse. These May trainings or, as they were sometimes called, little training-days, were a preliminary or a practice for the September muster. In addition to the two militia companies, there were two uniformed companies in town, one was known as the Goffstown Light Infantry and the other as the Amoskeag Phalanx. The former belonged to the westerly section of the town, relatively speaking, was a handsomely uniformed company and made a very creditable appearance. The light infantry was said to be very proficient in military tactics and excelled in drill and discipline.

Quite a rivalry existed at times between this company and the other uniformed companies in the regiment. The members of the Amoskeag Phalanx belonged largely to Amoskeag and the easterly part of the town.

The ninth regiment before mentioned, generally mustered at Goffstown, sometimes on what was for many years known as the "Muster Field," which was the land south of the Mast Road and west of Kendall, Hadley and Company's shop, and other times near the present Shirley Station.

The Goffstown muster was the event of the year and was looked forward to with eager anticipation. Upon that day all classes and kinds of people, representing every walk in life, with every mode of transportation, and some on foot, were travelling toward the rendezvous. Soldiers, citizens, women and children, pedlers and showmen of every kind, were wending their way thither. Most of the forenoon was occupied by an inspection; in the afternoon came the mock battle, which was the great event of the day.

These musters, although looked forward to in eager anticipation and indulged in almost universally by the inhabitants of those towns composing the ninth regiment, were fraught with more that tended toward degeneration than elevation. There was little of military discipline, and as the day advanced the intoxicating effects from excess of "refreshnnents" were too plainly visible.

Licenses were granted in the year 1801 to five people to sell liquor on the 15th of October, in addition to sixteen licensed to sell for longer periods; this leads one to infer that a thriving business must have been carried on upon the 15th of October, which was "muster day."

This probably was the same as occurred in all the towns at that time where musters were held. From the history of a neighboring town we learn that the amount of "grog" drank on "training day" was wonderful.¹ The grounds were often infested by gamblers, rogues and thieves, to whom the unsuspecting farmer fell an easy prey. It was on account of this class becoming extremely obnoxious at the muster of 1839 in Goffstown that Jeremiah Johnson met his death. A company of militia was ordered to clear this gang from the fields. The gamblers resisted, and Johnson was struck upon the head with a club and died the following day. The murderer was convicted of manslaughter and, after serving a portion of his sentence, was pardoned. Generally speaking, an old-time muster resulted in little for the benefit of the state, and there was much that was detrimental to the day.

Previous to 1850, eighteen was substituted for sixteen and forty-five for forty, and the enrollment consisted of those between the ages of 18 and 45. The militia laws of New Hampshire remained substantially unchanged upon the statute books for forty-two years, when by an act of the legislature of July 5, 1851, the old militia system of the state was abolished, and as a result there ensued in New Hampshire a lack of interest and an absence of military spirit.

There were a few volunteer companies which maintained their identity. The Amoskeag Veterans of Manchester, The Wilson Rifles of Keene and The Lyndeborough Artillery of Lyndeborough, were about the only companies who maintained an organization in New Hampshire. It seems incredible that the military spirit of New Hampshire was at such a low ebb, and that there was no organization of the militia on the 14th of April, 1861, when President Lincoln issued his call for 75,000 volunteers to serve for three months. The enlistments in many cases consisted of untrained boys who knew nothing of military drill or tactics. Imagine, if you can, a more deplorable state of things than then existed "for defense" in the state of New Hampshire.

July 8, 1862, an act was passed by the legislature entitled an act to enroll the militia of the state and to provide for the organization and discipline of an active force of a volunteer militia. The law required the enrollment of all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 in the month of April. The volunteer militia was not to exceed in peace footing two thousand men, officers and privates, and was uniformed, armed and equipped the same as United States soldiers except the letters N. H. were used in place of U. S.

On the day following the passage of this act another act was passed, requiring the enrollment to be made immediately and to include all soldiers in the field in the service of the United States. But soldiers in the field were exempt from military duty and omitted in call for quota or draft. The volunteer militia was composed of volunteers to do duty for five years, and each company of infantry was composed of fifty privates, of cavalry eighty, and artillery seventy-two.

This statute remained in force until 1878, when the militia laws were somewhat changed. The active militia was known and designated as the N. H. National Guard, and should consist on a peace footing of three regiments of infantry, two four-gun batteries of light artillery and one squadron of cavalry, and the uniforms, arms and equipments were furnished by the state. There should be an annual encampment for at least four days during the month of September. This law remained in force until 1895 when it was repealed entire by the law passed that year.

The act of 1895 was a decided improvement over anything preceding; it had more requirements and brought the National Guard, as was intended, to a higher standing and greater efficiency.

Wonderful advancement has been made in the arts of war; the citizen soldiery of today and that under the old militia laws bear little comparison. Every man must pass a physician's examination, and his uniform, arms and accoutrements are of the most improved pattern.

It has been claimed by military students that as the arts and sciences of war advanced, and the instruments for the destruction of human life were improved, the chances of death were in inverse ratio thereto, and further until within the last five years that the chances of war occurring between the great powers of the world were waning, and that the time was approaching when there should be no more war or rumors of war, but all this has been set at naught by the present conflict, and the destruction of human life has been greater than ever before known.

A list of the old-time officers of Gofistown militia companies as far as can be ascertained is here inserted:

4TH COMPANY 9TH REGIMENT N.H. STATE MILITIA

5TH COMPANY 9TH REGIMENT N. H. STATE MILITIA

The following is a list of the officers of Company C, 1st Regiment N. H. N. G., otherwise known as the D. Arthur Taggart Guards, organized June 28, 1883, disbanded April 4, 1891: