Sullivan County, New York Civil War Newspapers

The Draft.
IMPORTANT ACTION
OF THE
Board of Supervisors.
The Horrors of the Draft Mitigated.
$300 Extra Bounty to the Poor Man!
He can hire a Substitute or
GO HIMSELF!

The Board of Supervisors of this county met on Monday last, and unanimously resolved to pay every drafted man of Sullivan, $300, if he responds in person to the draft; or if he hires a substitute to pay the substitute the $300.
This will go far toward rendering the hateful conscription tolerable to our poor men, and it is hoped that it will prevent rioting and bloodshed in our midst.
Every one here, except a half dozen broken down abolition hacks, breathes more deeply and freely. The abolition Thugs now find that their vocation is indeed gone. They can no longer hope to drive our poor men to desperation—to riot—to bloodshed. They cannot find an excuse to call Lincoln's soldiers to their aid in trampling into the dust the lovers of freedom.
The conspirators are in despair—and well they may be.
Below is an official report of the proceedings of the Board:

Proceedings of the Board.
At a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Sullivan county, held at the court house, in Monticello, on the 10th day of August, 1863: present from
Bethel—Thomas Williams;
Cochecton—Nathan Moulthroup;
Callicoon—Josiah Smith;
Fallsburgh—Isaac C. Knapp;
Forestburgh—Silas T. L. Norris;
Freemont—____ ____;
Highland—F. W. Johnston;
Liberty—B. W. Baker;
Lumberland—Jas. D. Decker;
Neversink—Isaac Grant;
Mamakating—____ ____;
Rockland—Erastus Sprauge;
Thompson—John C. Holley;
Tusten—____ ____;

On motion, John C. Holley was chosen temporary chairman.
On motion, the Board adjourned until 6 o'clock, P. M.

EVENING SESSION.
On motion, John C. Holley was chosen permanent chairman.
Hon. A. C. Niven being present, by request, proceeded to address the Board at some length upon the expediency of raising by tax upon the taxable property of the county, a sufficient amount to pay to each man drafted under the conscription act, the sum of $300, or the same amount to his substitute, should one be furnished. At the conclusion of his remarks, he recommended the passage of the following preamble and resolutions:
Whereas an act called the Conscription Act, passed by the Congress of the United States, approved March 2nd, 1863, about to be enforced in the county of Sullivan, and such act provides for the exemption from military service under the same, by the payment by each person held to service under it, of a sum not exceeding $300 00:
And whereas said act will impose great and extraordinary burdens upon the citizens of our county, and therefore, for the purpose of mitigating the same, should the same be decided to be constitutional by a competent legal tribunal,
1st. Resolved, That the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, ($120,000,) or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.
2nd. Resolved, That the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the Clerk of the county of Sullivan, and the Treasurer of said county, or any two of them, are herby authorized to issue bonds for the aforesaid sum of $120,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, in behalf of and upon the credit of the county of Sullivan, in such sums as they shall deem expedient, not less than $100 00 for any one bond, bearing interest at the rate of seven per cent. per annum, the said bonds to be payable at the office of said County Treasurer as follows: one third part in amount thereof payable on the first day of March, 1864; one third part in amount thereof payable on the first day of Match, 1865; and one third part in amount thereof on the first day of march, 1866; and all interest that shall have accrued prior to and up to the first days of March above mentioned, to be payable upon the first days of March respectively in the above mentioned years, which bonds shall each be countersigned and registered by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, who shall keep an accurate account of all bonds to be issued under the resolution; and the said chairman, Treasurer and County Clerk are authorised [sic] to regulate and sell said bonds, for any sum not less than the principal sum for which they shall be respectively issued, for cash, and pay the proceeds thereof to the County Treasurer of the county of Sullivan, to be used and applied by him only for the purpose hereinafter designated.
3rd. Resolved, That the chairman of the Board of Supervisors is hereby authorized and required to issue and deliver to all citizens or residents of the county of Sullivan who shall be drafted into the military service under the above mentioned conscription act, and mustered into service under the same, or to the substitute of such citizen or resident when duly mustered into service under such act, a check upon the Treasurer of the county of Sullivan for the sum of $300 00, which shall be payable by said Treasurer upon demand out of the proceeds of the aforesaid bonds; and in case said citizen or resident drafted under said act, or the substitute of such citizen or resident, shall choose to have the bonds of the county of Sullivan for $300 00 instead of the aforesaid check, then the said chairman is hereby authorized to deliver to said citizen, resident or substitute, a bond or bonds for $300 00 authorized to be issued under the 2nd above mentioned resolution.
4th. Resolved, That the Senator of the 9th Senatorial District, and the Member of Assembly for the county of Sullivan, at the next Session of the Legislature of the State of New York, are requested to cause and procure such law or laws to be enacted as may be necessary to raise the moneys and to carry out the objects of the foregoing resolutions.
By request, speeches were also made by A. J. Bush, Esq., and Judge Anderson, earnestly recommending the passage of the above resolutions by the Board.
Mr. Decker moved that the resolutions as read be passed.
The ayes and nays were called with the following result:
Ayes—Messrs. Williams, Smith of Callicoon, Moulthrop, Knapp, Norris,
Johnston, Baker, Decker, Grant, Sprague, and Holley—11.
Nays—None.
Absent—Messrs. Buckley, Murray and Smith of Mamakating.
The resolutions were then declared adopted.
Adjourned until 8 o'clock A. M. tomorrow.

TUESDAY, Aug. 11th, 1863.
Roll called. Quorum present. Minutes of yesterday read and approved.
Mr. Moulthrup offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Supervisors of each town of the county of Sullivan, as certain the number of men volunteered in the service of the United States, since the commencement of the war, and up to the present time, and report the same to the board of Enrollment of the 11th Cong. Dist., on or before the 17th day of August instant. Also their names and the number of Regiment in which they enlisted, in order that each town may be credited with the number of volunteers heretofore furnished.
Adopted.
On motion John D. O'Neill was appointed a committee of one to superintend the repairing of the Clerk's office.
On motion; voted that the Clerk notify the absent Supervisors of the action of this Board, and send to each a copy of the Resolution offered by Mr. Moulthrop.
On motion adjourned.
D. G. STARR, Clerk.

SULLIVAN COUNTY —The Board of Supervisors of this county met on Monday last, and unanimously resolved to pay every drafted man of Sullivan $300, if he responds in person to the draft; or if he hires a  substitute, to pay the substitute $300.

"Archy Niven."
Archibald C. Niven, a seedy politician of Sullivan county, one of the fogiest of the old fogies, and always since his political advent, the leader of the Democratic party in Sullivan, is now a member of the State Committee of Fernando Wood's wing of the party—the extreme Copperhead portion. "Archy" is consistent, whatever may be said of him otherwise. He is carrying out the policy of his master—King Fernando. At a recent meeting in the town of Lumberland, in that county, "Archy" was the chief manager and speaker. The meeting was called a Democratic one, though loyal Democrats of Sullivan repudiate it and "will have none of it." A series of resolutions was adopted evidently of Niven's own drafting, of which the following is a specimen:
"Resolved, That the arrest of individuals, and their trial and sentence by any tribunals except such as are recognized by the constitution and common law, as well as the forcing of citizens into the army of the United States against their will, are gross outrages practiced only by tyrants, advocated only by tools of despots, and submitted to only by cowards; that we warn all persons against attempting to force any unconstitutional laws amongst us, believing, as we do most sincerely, that we have a lawful right to defend ourselves and our houses even at the price of blood."
The first point in the resolution is a humbug; "forcing citizens in the Army" means drafting; "unconstitutional laws" is another humbug; while the latter part is mob! mob! and the whole is an invitation to the cowardly thieves and murderers in the party to resist the laws of the country. "Archy" has been out of office sometime, and we suppose he is quite hungry by this time. Therefore, anything to get at the "spoils"—even treason! riot and bloodshed!

"BARKIS IS WILLIN'."
The Monticello Watchman announces, "by "authority," that "General A. G. Niven "will accept the [Democratic] nomination "for Justice of the Supreme Court in the "Third Judicial District," "if it is tendered "to him."
"We may also say that his friends have given out that the General would not only accept the nomination for Justice, but, failing this, would take up with that of Senator from this District.
There is not the remotest doubt that the General covets the honors of a candidacy of some kind at the hands of the Democracy—indeed his "itching palm" has been held out at several of the past Conventions of the Democracy with an abandon that showed that our political "Barkis" was not only "willing, but excessively anxious to receive the endorsement of his political associates.
Our impression is, however, that hereafter, as in so many instances heretofore, Archie will be "left out in the cold," with "nary" nomination; and left out, we may say, much to the regret of his Union opponents. If the Democrats of this district would do a "clever thing" for the opposition candidates, the chance is before them in the nomination of that embodiment of all that is bold and audacious in Copperhead treason, Archibald C. Niven.
But they dare not do it, notwithstanding Niven more truthfully represents the dominant faction among the Democratic wirepullers in this state than any other man in the district. What Seymour and Fernando Wood are to the state, Niven is to this district.
— The Company of Home Guards, enrolled in this Town under the auspices
of Capt. Terry, held a meeting at the Assembly Room, Montieello, on
Saturday evening, for the election of officers, with the following result:
Captain—John C. Terry.
First Lieutenant—Samuel I. McWilliams.
Second Lieutenant—William H. Curry.
Orderly Sergeant—Wm. J. Monroe.
Other Companies have been formed in various parts of the County. We learn that Lieut. McAllister has raised one in Bethel; Sergeants Bradley and Kimball, another in Rockland and the northern part of Liberty; Russell H. Hurd another in Liberty village; and Capt. Ira Dorrance another in Wurtsboro. We do not know how many of these Companies are in course of organization, though we presume there are enough well started for a full Regiment.
There is an obvious propriety in the Regiment of Home Guards being raised by the men who have thus taken hold of.
They have all seen service—and hard service too—in the field, either as officers or men; and several of them were promoted while in the field.—Their experience will admirably qualify them for making a new Regiment efficient in drill and discipline; while their early response to the call of our imperilled [sic] country, entitles them to the distinction.
—A meeting was held in the Court House, on Saturday evening, under the auspices of A. C. Niven & Co., to organize a Company to aid in carrying out the Wood programme in the State probably, which failed in the City of New York, by reason of the military.—The speech made by Mr. Niven is spoken of as having been equally destitute of patriotism, equally disloyal and equally revolutionary with his Middletown fulmination, his Watchman pronunciatmento and his Lumberland resolutions, either of which is equivalent to an immortality of infamy in any patriotic community.
There were loyal men present and a little loyal leven was sought to be introduced in the Secession Lump; but, of course, that did not harmonize with the purposes of the moving power.
Public sentiment is rapidly reaching a healthy state on the subject of northern sympathisers [sic] with rebels and traitors. Abhorrence of disloyalty and treason cannot be too strong. An enemy to his country in this struggle—a carping, fault-finding rebel sympathiser [sic]—is an enemy to mankind as will and richly merits the blistering indignation of loyal men everywhere.
But we have digressed somewhat.—The officers elected by this Company of the 'Fernandiwud' Legion are said to be
Captain.—Charles W. Barnum.
1st. Lieut.—David G. Starr.
2n. Lieut.—John K. Kooper.
It is reported that a pledge was exacted of the officers, that they would in the event of a collision between the Federal and State authorities, take sides with Gov. Seymour's "friends;" certainly the antecedents of the gentlemen named give probability to the suspicion. At all events, the subject commends itself
to the serious consideration of the Provost Marshal for this District.
We learn that several Robisonville Copperheads reported to O. B. Grant, of Liberty, for the purpose of joining the Regiment that was organizing to resist the draft, and were inferred that if they came down for any such purpose they had better go back, for they were just as liable to be drafted as others.
As indicative of the ulterior object for which disloyal men are pushing the organization of a militia regiment forward, this forshadowed [sic] "resistance to the draft," is timely. We trust that no National Guards will be organized to co—operate with rebels and traitors.