Montgomery Guards

Last updated
Montgomery Guards Shako Montgomery Guards Hat.jpg
Montgomery Guards Shako

The Montgomery Guards were an Irish-American militia company that formed in Boston in 1837 and were forced to disband the following year due to extreme nativist and anti-Catholic sentiment in the city.

Contents

On September 12, 1837, at the annual fall muster on Boston Common, six companies of militiamen marched off the field to protest the inclusion of the Montgomery Guards. Afterwards, as the company's forty members marched down Tremont Street to their armory, they were mobbed by about 3,000 angry spectators who pelted them with bottles and rocks and threatened to storm the building.

City officials and the press strongly denounced the riot and praised the Montgomery Guards for their restraint. Nevertheless, Governor Edward Everett ordered the disbandment of the company for public safety reasons. Another company by the same name was formed sometime after the American Civil War.

History

Background

After the War of 1812, the size of the U.S. Army was greatly reduced, and a large number of volunteer militia companies sprang up across the country to fill the gap. The militias protected local people and property during times of war and civil unrest. They also served a social purpose. In addition to regular drills and inspections, volunteers attended banquets, dances, and parades, where their smart-looking uniforms attracted envy and attention. For working-class men it was a way to gain social status and attract women, and for immigrants in particular it was a chance to display their loyalty to their new country. [1] [2]

In January 1837, several Irish Americans from Boston petitioned Governor Edward Everett for permission to form their own company. In the past, similar requests by Irish residents had been declined, but this time the petition came with the recommendation of the highest-ranking officers in the militia, and the request was granted. [3] The new group, composed of eight naturalized Irish immigrants and thirty-two native-born citizens of Irish descent, [4] became the Tenth Company of Light Infantry, Regiment of Light Infantry, Third Brigade, First Division, Massachusetts Volunteer Militiaotherwise known as the Montgomery Guards. [1]

The new company was one of several Irish-American militia companies named for Richard Montgomery, an Irish-born general who had served in the Continental Army; others were started in New York, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. Among the organizers of the Boston company was the philanthropist Andrew Carney, who was then a partner in a clothing firm that supplied the U.S. Navy with uniforms. [5] Thus the Montgomery Guards of Boston were provided with custom-designed green uniforms with scarlet facings and gold trim, and caps bearing their own company emblem: an American eagle alighting on an Irish harp. [1] Their motto, borrowed from the Charitable Irish Society, was "Fostered under thy wings, we will die in thy defense." [3]

They were first called to duty on June 11, to help quell the Broad Street Riot. City officials and the local press commended their performance, and a week later the governor himself reviewed their first parade, which was followed by a formal banquet at the Concert Hall. [1] [6]

This auspicious beginning did not reflect the attitude of most Bostonians toward Irish Catholics. While Boston's elites welcomed the new company, others were horrified by the thought of Irishmen being provided with weapons and military training. Anti-Catholic literature of the time depicted Irish immigrants as part of a "papist" conspiracy to take over the country. Rumors circulated that the governor had succumbed to "foreign influence," and resentment simmered among the other companies at being forced to accept people they saw as dangerous outsiders into their regiment. [1]

Walkout and riot

On the morning of September 12, 1837, at the annual fall muster on Boston Common, the Montgomery Guards joined the other nine companies that made up the light infantry regiment of the Boston Brigade. No sooner had the companies finished moving into line than a signal was given, and the rank and file of the City Guard marched off the field and back to their armory, playing Yankee Doodle on the fife and drum. Their officers were left standing at attention. Five other infantry companies followed suit: the Lafayette Guards, the Independent Fusiliers, the Washington Light Infantry, the Mechanics Rifles, and the Winslow Guards. The walkout was intended as a public insult to the Irish company. [1] [7] Even the choice of song was significant, in that the term "Yankee" was understood to mean New England natives of English descent.

The Montgomery Guards went through their planned maneuvers with the remaining three companies, all the while being taunted and jeered by spectators. When the brigade was dismissed that afternoon, the Montgomery Guards marched back to their armory in Dock Square near Faneuil Hall. As they marched down Tremont Street, a hostile crowd followed them, shouting epithets and pelting them with stones, lumps of coal, and billets of wood. [4] One volunteer was knocked down, and his weapon smashed; another was hit with a paving stone. Neither the local constabulary nor the other militia companies came to their defense. [1] [2]

By the time they made it to their armory, the crowd had grown to about 3,000. The Montgomery Guards were trapped inside as the angry mob threatened to storm the building. Only when Mayor Samuel A. Eliot arrived with a group of prominentand armedcitizens was the crowd persuaded to disperse. [1] [2]

The riot was a minor one, by Boston standards; there were injuries but no deaths, and not much property damage. Nevertheless, it sent a message, loudly and clearly, to Boston's elites: working-class Yankees were not ready to accept Irish Catholics into their ranks, and were willing to use direct action to achieve their ends. [2]

Aftermath

Often in cases of mob violence against minorities, city authorities have been known to look the other way, or condemn the offenders publicly for appearances' sake while feigning ignorance of their identities. Such was decidedly not the case in Boston on this occasion. Several of the rioters were arrested and tried in the municipal court. According to one historian, Judge Thacher sentenced two of the offenders to three years in the House of Correction, and another to two years. The local press was severe on the militiamen who had deserted their posts, and denounced the rioters as "miserable vagabonds," while the Montgomery Guards were praised for their discipline and restraint in the face of provocation. [4]

In February 1838, Governor Everett ordered the disbandment of all six mutinous companies. In April, however, succumbing to political pressure, he ordered the disbandment of the Montgomery Guards as well, on the grounds that their reappearance would provoke "outrages of a dangerous character." Within six months, all six of the offending companies had been rechartered under different names, but with the same officers and enlisted men. The Montgomery Guards were not given permission to reorganize. [1] [2]

Later incarnation

"Montgomery Guards" sheet music, 1878 Montgomery Guards Sheet Music Cover 1878.jpg
"Montgomery Guards" sheet music, 1878

Another company, also named the Montgomery Guards, or the Montgomery Light Guard, was apparently formed after the Civil War. In 1868, the "Montgomery Light Guard of the Ninth Massachusetts Volunteers" traveled to New York for a competitive drill. [8] Their armory was located at 544 Washington Street, [9] and they were reportedly "one of the best drilled companies in the Ninth Regiment." [10] They were also known as Company I. [11]

In 1878, White, Smith & Company published a song titled "Montgomery Guards." By this time, Irish Americans made up more than 22% of Boston's population. [5] They had proven their loyalty by fighting for the Union, which had helped to dispel some of the prejudice against them. With strength in numbers, and the rise of ward bosses, they had also begun to be a political force in Boston. If the lyrics of "Montgomery Guards" are any indication, the new company was treated with far more respect than the original had been:

We are the famed Montgom'ry guards you've heard so much about
We make the street resound with cheers whenever we turn out
Our uniforms are neat and gay, the finest in the land,
We muster upon Washington street, that's where we make our stand
Our Captain's name is Flynn, a finer man you never saw
Sure he is always gay and free and ready for the war
When on parade the people watch the motion of our feet,
And shout aloud, "Montgom'ry guards, the chaps that can't be beat!" [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Defense Force</span> Military unit

The Virginia Defense Force (VDF) is the official state defense force of Virginia, one of the three components of Virginia's state military along with the Virginia National Guard which includes the Virginia Army National Guard, the Virginia Air National Guard, and the unorganized militia. As of 2023, the VDF has approximately 275 personnel. The VDF is the descendant of the Virginia State Guard, the Virginia Regiment, and ultimately the Colonial Virginia militia of the Virginia Colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massachusetts National Guard</span> Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is today's Massachusetts National Guard evolved through many different forms. Originally founded as a defensive militia for Puritan colonists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the militia evolved into a highly organized and armed fighting force. The Massachusetts militia served as a central organ of the New England revolutionary fighting force during the early American Revolution and a major component in the Continental Army under George Washington.

The Broad Street Riot was a massive brawl that occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 11, 1837, between Irish Americans and Yankee firefighters. An estimated 800 people were involved in the actual fighting, with at least 10,000 spectators egging them on. Nearby homes were sacked and vandalized, and the occupants beaten. Many on both sides were seriously injured, but no immediate deaths resulted from the violence. After raging for hours, the riot was quelled when Mayor Samuel Eliot called in the state militia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th New York Militia Regiment</span> Military unit

The 7th Regiment of the New York Militia, aka the "Silk Stocking" regiment, was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Also known as the "Blue-Bloods" due to the disproportionate number of its members who were part of New York City's social elite, the 7th Militia was a pre-war New York Militia unit that was mustered into federal service for the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14th Regiment (New York State Militia)</span> Military unit

The 14th Regiment New York State Militia was a volunteer militia regiment from the City of Brooklyn, New York. It is primarily known for its service in the American Civil War from April 1861 to 6 May 1864, although it later served in the Spanish–American War and World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">71st New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 71st New York Infantry Regiment is an organization of the New York State Guard. Formerly, the 71st Infantry was a regiment of the New York State Militia and then the Army National Guard from 1850 to 1993. The regiment was not renumbered during the early 1920s Army reorganization due to being broken up to staff other units from 1917 to 1919, and never received a numerical designation corresponding to that of a National Guard regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the Union Army

The 11th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the early years of the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in New York City in May 1861 as a Zouave regiment, known for its unusual dress and drill style, by Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a personal friend of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Drawn from the ranks of the city's many volunteer fire companies, the unit was known alternately as the Ellsworth Zouaves, First Fire Zouaves, First Regiment New York Zouaves, and U.S. National Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artillery Company of Newport</span> United States historic place

The Newport Artillery Company of Newport, Rhode Island was chartered in 1741 by the Rhode Island General Assembly during the reign of King George II of Great Britain. It is the oldest military unit in the United States operating under its original charter, and the company maintains a museum in its historic armory. The company has served in wars ranging from the French and Indian War to the First World War. Individual members of the Company have served in every war fought by the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">211th Military Police Battalion</span> Military unit

The 211th Military Police Battalion is a unit of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment is descended from the First Corps of Cadets, initially formed in 1741. It is one of several National Guard units with colonial roots. Its motto is Monstrat Viam – "It Points the Way." While it has served in five wars, the sub-unit's primary contribution to Massachusetts and to the United States was as an officer-producing institution for new regiments from the Revolutionary War through World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Corps of Cadets (Massachusetts)</span>

The First Corps of Cadets of Massachusetts formed in 1741. Its motto is Monstrat Viam - "It Points the Way." While it has served in several wars, the sub-unit's primary contribution to Massachusetts and to the United States was as an officer-producing institution for new regiments from the Revolutionary War through World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Militia in the Civil War</span>

The units of the Arkansas Militia in the Civil War to which the current Arkansas National Guard has a connection include the Arkansas State Militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas. Like most of the United States, Arkansas had an organized militia system before the American Civil War. State law required military service of most male inhabitants of a certain age. Following the War with Mexico, the Arkansas militia experienced a decline, but as sectional frictions between the north and south began to build in the late 1850s the militia experienced a revival. By 1860 the state's militia consisted of 62 regiments divided into eight brigades, which comprised an eastern division and a western division. New regiments were added as the militia organization developed. Additionally, many counties and cities raised uniformed volunteer companies, which drilled more often and were better equipped than the un-uniformed militia. These volunteer companies were instrumental in the seizure of federal installations at Little Rock and Fort Smith, beginning in February 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas State Guard and the Spanish–American War</span>

The history of the Arkansas State Guard and the Spanish–American War begins with the reorganization of the state militia following the end of Reconstruction. In 1879 the Arkansas Legislature had abolished the office of Adjutant General in retaliation for the use of the state militia to interfere in local political matters during reconstruction. During this period the Governor's Private Secretary performed the duties of the Adjutant General as an additional duty, and the legislature provided no appropriated funds for the state guard. Several companies existed during this period, including the Quapaw Guards and the McCarthy Guard in Little Rock. In 1897 the Arkansas State Guard was reorganized to consist of four infantry regiments, two artillery batteries and a cavalry squadron. In 1897, the state provided two volunteer infantry regiments for the Spanish–American War and although these two Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiments were not deployed overseas and did not see actual combat, they did suffer a number of casualties from disease.

The 138th Infantry Regiment is an light infantry regiment of the United States Army and the Missouri National Guard headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 19th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Artillerists</span> Military unit

The Reading Artillerists was a militia organization formed in Reading, Pennsylvania during the late 18th century. Mustering in for the first time during the presidential era of George Washington, members of this artillery unit went on to serve tours of duty in the War of 1812, Mexican–American War and, as members of the Union Army during the American Civil War, before later disbanding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Massachusetts Militia Regiment</span> Military unit

The 5th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was a peacetime infantry regiment that was activated for federal service in the Union army for three separate tours during the American Civil War. In the years immediately preceding the war and during its first term of service, the regiment consisted primarily of companies from Essex County as well as Boston and Charlestown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Massachusetts Militia Regiment</span> Peacetime infantry regiment

The 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was a peacetime infantry regiment that was activated for federal service in the Union army for three separate terms during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The regiment gained notoriety as the first unit in the Union Army to suffer fatal casualties in action during the Civil War in the Baltimore Riot and the first militia unit to arrive in Washington D.C., in response to President Abraham Lincoln's initial call for 75,000 troops. Private Luther C. Ladd of the 6th Massachusetts is often referred to as the first Union soldier killed in action during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Zouave Cadets</span> Military unit

The United States Zouave Cadets was a short-lived zouave unit of the Illinois militia that has been credited as the force behind the surge in popularity of zouave infantry in the United States and Confederate States in the mid-19th century. The United States Zouave Cadets were formed by Elmer Ellsworth in 1859 from the National Guard Cadets of Chicago, established three years earlier. The unit's 1860 tour of the eastern United States popularized the distinctive zouave appearance and customs, directly and indirectly inspiring the formation of dozens of similar units on the eve of the American Civil War.

The Montgomeryshire Militia, later the Royal Montgomeryshire Rifles, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in Great Britain and Ireland during Britain's major wars. It later became part of the South Wales Borderers until it was disbanded in 1908.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 O'Connor, Thomas H. (1995). The Boston Irish: A Political History. Back Bay Books. pp. 49–52. ISBN   0316626619.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Tager, Jack (2001). Boston Riots: Three Centuries of Social Violence . Northeastern University Press. pp.  122–123. ISBN   1555534600.
  3. 1 2 Lord, Robert Howard; Sexton, John E.; Harrington, Edward T. (1944). History of the Archdiocese of Boston. Sheed & Ward. pp. 251–252.
  4. 1 2 3 "Montgomery Guards Riot - 1837, Part II". Donahoe's Magazine. 18 (6): 540–544. December 1887.
  5. 1 2 Byrne, James Patrick (2008). Ireland and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History: a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia, Volume 2. ABC-CLIO. pp. 155, 552. ISBN   9781851096145.
  6. "The Boston Montgomery Guards - 1837". Donahoe's Magazine. 18 (5): 415–419. November 1887.
  7. Cullen, James Bernard (1889). The Story of the Irish in Boston: Together with Biographical Sketches of Representative Men and Noted Women. J. B. Cullen & Company. pp.  72–74.
  8. "Competitive Drill.; Montgomery Light Guard and Company E Twelfth Regiment New--York National Guard". The New York Times. July 31, 1868.
  9. "Montgomery Guards" . The Boston Globe. October 23, 1873.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. "For Honors and Gold: The Montgomery Guards Decide to Go to Nashville" . The Boston Globe. April 16, 1883.
  11. Dunigan, David Ronan (1947). A History of Boston College. Bruce Publishing Company. p. 112.
  12. Birch, Harry (1878), Montgomery Guards, White, Smith & Company