Autobiography Of Hubert W. Mealing
1843 - 1917
Drummer
Company F
1st Regiment Engineers, NY Volunteers
Transcribed and donated by Ross Gridley, great-grandson of Hubert Mealing.
Introduction
These are copies of, two sets of, hand written notes. These notes, presumably by HUBERT W. MEALING are of his three years of military duty, in the Civil War, from 1861 to 1864.
The first set of notes were written on, 8 by 10 inch (note), lined tablet paper, in pencil. I have attempted to copy the text as it was written except that I have inserted, in square brackets, i.e. [ note ] or (Ross) names, words or letters to clarify or question marks to indicate words I could not decipher. He was not consistent in his use of capital letters. There are no definite sentences or paragraphs. His notes seem disjointed from page to page. If the pages were not numbered you would assume their were pages missing.
Hubert Gridley, with limited added notes and corrections Ross Gridley.
The second set of notes, a more narrative type, written on 8 1/2 X 14 (legal) paper in pen and ink, with a different penmanship. This may have been copied by, or narrated to, a relative.
On the chance that their might be a book in the public library I visited the Mesa [AZ] library. I found a book titled THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON 1861-1865 by E. Milby Burton of Charleston, South Carolina. This book was a great help in deciphering a major portion of these texts and filling in chronology gaps. A two volumes set titled THE CIVIL WAR A NARRATIVE by Shelby Foote is another source of information. The book(s) should contain an index for the best results. There was one issue of a magazine, The Civil War Times Illustrated, issue of May 1970, which contained an article titled FORT PULASKI by Allen P. Julian, which gave me additional information. I would strongly suggest reading the previously mentioned, and other, sources of information in conjunction with these accounts.
HUBERT W. MEALING, was born in 1843. He enlisted from Sing Sing [now Ossining], N. Y. at the age of 18 on September 27th 1861 in, Co. F., 1st Reg., N. Y. Engineers as a Drummer. He was "Mustered In" on December 12th 1861, and he was "Mustered out" on December 11th 1864. He married Hannah Miller on June 24th 1866 at the 2nd Ref. [Reformed] D. [Dutch] Church, Tarrytown, N. Y.. Hubert W. Mealing died on the 24th of April 1917 at the age of 74. There were two daughters Mabel Ester Mealing, who married Joseph E. Firth, Collette Mealing who married John David Walker and two sons George, and Allan Mealing who married Katherine Shotwell.
Some personal effects of Hubert W. Mealing consisting of a Civil War drum, drumsticks, G. A. R. [GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC] campaign hat, the Mustering Out Roll, Discharge papers, Citizenship papers, Wedding certificate, Pension Certificate, bank book, and Last Will and Testament are in the possession of Ross Gridley, who is the Great Grandson of Hubert W. Mealing.
[Note: The word "Battery" was sometimes used in place of the word "Fort" possibly due to the fact that these were fortified gun emplacements without the more solid foundations needed to qualify for the "Fort" designation.]
[NOTE: The attack, on the batteries of Port Royal, was to begin on the 5th of Nov. but the Flagship Wabash ran aground and by the time she was refloated it was too late in the day. There was a storm on the sixth which delayed the attack another day.]
[NOTE: Discharge, "Mustering Out", papers for Hubert W. Mealing indicate an arrival in Port Royal, S.C. on February 28th 1862.]
The following is the first narrative of Hubert W. Mealing's service in the Civil War.
To quote the first account:
The first slaves brought to Virginia landed at Jamestown [in] 1620 from a Dutch vessel.
On the 29th of Oct. 1861 an expedition commanded by W. T. [Should be: Gen. Thomas W. ] Sherman which was composed of 13 regiments of volunteers. numbering 10,000 men. 13 regiments, [with] 26 vessels for the troops. With [Flag Officer] Admiral [Samuel Francis] DuPont in command of the war vessels, which was composed of 48 vessels, and after a stormy passage, in which several vessels were disabled and 4 lost, the rest of the fleet arrived off Port Royal S. C. Nov. 3rd and 4th.
[NOTE: U. S. S. Wabash, Comdr. C. R. P. Rogers - Flagship for Admiral Samuel Francis DuPont]
[NOTE: The transport ship GOVERNOR was sinking in a storm near Cape Hatteras. She was saved by the Gunboat ISAAC P. SMITH, and was assisted by the SABINE.]
On Nov. 7th they went into the harbor and commenced fire on the Rebel Forts, [at] 9 [?] A. M. in the morning. Bay Point [location of Battery Beauregard] and Hilton Head on the other side with a battery called Fort Walker. The battle lasted nearly 5 hours. The Fort contained about 40 guns. We only found one white man on the island and he [was] drunk.
[NOTE: True BROTHER against BROTHER. Comdr Percival Drayton, U.S.N., commanded the U. S. S. Pochahontas. His brother Brig. Gen. Thomas Drayton was commander of the Port Royal Confederate Forces.]
On July 25th [NOTE: SEE BELOW. I question the month.] we were ordered to [Tybee Island near] Fort Pulaski [,GA.]. The brick work of which was 7 and a half feet thick, 25 feet above ground, with 40 guns [and] 385 men in the fort. We built 11 batteries on Tybee Island with 36 guns in all. 10 TO 13 inch mortars and rifled guns. The farthest 2 miles and the nearest less than a mile [from Fort Pulaski]. After orders for surrender of [the] Fort [was refused], at 8 A.M, fire was opened on the Fort [Pulaski] until dark and after that time through the night the mortars fired about every 15 minutes. At 2 P. M., the next day they ran up a white flag and surrendered.
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: May 27, 1861, first Union blockade ship arrived.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Nov. , 1861, Confederate rearming of the fort.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Nov. 24, 1861, Union occupied Tybee Island.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Feb. 20, 1862, Union battery placed on Bird Island.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Feb. 21, 1862, Union batteries started on Tybee Island.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Apr. 9, 1862, Union batteries completed on Tybee Island.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Apr. 10, 1862, Surrender of Ft. Pulaski requested.]
[Re. Ft. Pulaski: Apr. 13, 1862, Surrender of Ft. Pulaski.]
[NOTE: The following ships were used in the attack on Ft. Sumter and Ft. Moultrie in Charleston Harbor, Apr. 7, 1862]
[Monitor, U. S. S.] WEEHAUKEN, ColonelJohn Rodgers
[Monitor, U. S. S.] PASSAIC, Capt.Ferdinand Drayton
[Monitor, U. S. S.] MONTAUK, Capt.John Worden
[Monitor, U. S. S.] PATAPSCO, Commander Daniel Hynman
[Frigate, U. S. S.] NEW IRONSIDES, Commodore.Thomas Turner - [Flagship of DuPont]
[Monitor, U. S. S.] CATSKILL, Commodore.George W.Rodgers
[Monitor, U. S. S.] NANTUCKET, Commodore.Donald M.Fairfax
[Monitor, U. S. S.] NAHANT, Commodore.John Downs
[Monitor, U. S. S.] KEOKUK, Commodore.Alex C. Rhind - [Sunk Apr. 7, 1982]
and 5 Gunboats.
[Gunboat, ISAAC P. SMITH, LT. J. W. A. Nickolson, U. S. N.]
[NOTE: The following ships were used in the July 10, 1863 attack on Little Folly Island.]
[Monitor, U. S. S.] WEEHAUKEN, Colonel John Rodgers
[Monitor, U. S. S.] MONTAUK, Captain John Worden
[Monitor, U. S. S.] CATSKILL, Commodore George W. Rodgers - Flagship of Admiral Dahlgreen.]
[Monitor, U. S. S.] NAHANT, Commodore John Downs
[In the] charge [maybe first attack on July 11, 1863] on Fort Wagner [originally called "Neck Battery", on Morris Island] our men were formed in three brigades. The First [Regiment was] led by Gen. Strong; the 54th Mass., [was led by] Colored Colonel Robert Shaw; the 6th Connecticut, [was led by] Colonel Chatfield; the 48th N.Y., [was led by] Colonel Barton; the 3rd New Hampshire, [was led by] Colonel Jackson; the 76th Pen[nsylvania?]., [was led by] Colonel Stanbridge; the 9th Maine, [was led by] Colonel Emery. In this assault [were] 1000.500 [? 6,000] men. While the Rebels [had] not much over one hundred more. We commenced a regular siege on Fort Wagner. We were about 2 miles from Fort Sumter. The "SWAMP ANGEL", 16 pounds[?] powder[?] [_ _??]getlite 150 pounds[?].
[NOTE: There were over 300 Union casualties and 12 Confederate troops killed or wounded. Fort Wagner was evacuated at night and Fort Wagner and Morris Island were in Union hands.]
End quote of the first account.
The following is the second and more detailed narrative of Hubert W. Mealing's service in the Civil War.
To quote the second account:
In the year 1861, I was out of the United States as the saying goes for I was in Jersey learning a trade with my oldest brother, and as business was dull with him on the account of the war I had to come home. Fort Sumter had been fired upon and Sing Sing [Ossining, N. Y.] had raised a company of young men of about 100 which was called, Co. F, 17 New York Vol., called the "Sing Sing Tagers [?]". Now you can imagine by taking one hundred men out of a town like Sing Sing was 35 years ago [1896 - 1861] how lonesome it would make the few that remained, so in September, [27th], 1861 I enlisted in the 1st N.Y. Vol. Engineers. or better known as "Serrells Engineers." as Colonel Edward W. Serrell was Colonel of the regiment.
[Note: He was "Mustered-In" on Dec. 12, 1861.] (Mustered into regular army?)
After enlisting I was sent to Camp Washington, Staten Island, and from there we were ordered aboard transports, under sealed orders, bound for we did not know where, until after we arrived off [Cape] Hatteras. Then the orders were broken and found that we were bound for Port Royal, South Carolina. [He arrived at Port Royal on Feb. 28, 1862.]
[NOTE: The preceding dates, as recorded on his "Muster" records, throw doubt on his participation in the November attacks on Beauregard and Walker as recounted. Then again. What did he do from September (enlistment) to December (Muster-In)? Then again. He arrived at Port Royal on Feb. 28, 1862.]
[NOTE: The attack, on the batteries of Port Royal, was to begin on the 5th of Nov. 1861, but the Flagship Wabash ran aground and by the time she was refloated it was too late in the day. There was a storm on the sixth which delayed the attack another day.]
The naval fleet was under the command of [Rear] Admiral [Samuel Francis] DuPont, who made the first attack [on] the 5th November to find the enemy positions. On the 7th [Nov.] they again attacked their forts and captured both Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard, both very strong earth works. The troops were then landed in small boats, who were commanded by Generals, [Brig. Gen.] Thomas W. Sherman, Viele, [Brig. Gen. Isaac I.] Stevens, and [Brig. Gen. H. G.] Wright with about 15,000 men. The enemy retreated leaving about 40 cannon in our possession. Our loss was eight killed and twenty five wounded while theirs was heavier. This was the first landing of troops in South Carolina. After the engagement we had several engagements in that vicinity on the different islands.
I well remember the first clothing that I drew from Uncle Sam and with the rest a pair of shoes which was a pair of government fives and a good size five. I tell you up to this time I had worn a No. three as I was not a man but a boy seventeen years old so you can see this was not a very good fit for a boy.
From South Carolina we were ordered to Tybee Island, Georgia, at the mouth of the Savanah River, to build breastworks to bombard Fort Pulaski. After the breastworks were built General Quincy A. Gillmore, who was in command of our troops, sent some officers to the fort for the surrender of the same which was commanded by a Colonel by the name of [Charles H.] Olmstead. Our Lieutenant Colonel was one of these officers that went to the fort and asked Colonel Olmstead for the surrender of the fort. He said that he was not sent there for the surrender of the fort but to protect it and our Lieutenant Colonel said to him "yes you are sent here to protect stolen property". They came back with their message and the General gave our men orders to get their batteries ready for action and we were not long in doing that. The eleven batteries was soon firing shot and shell lively. During the day they ran up a white flag and our men were ordered to cease firing and a small boat was again sent back to the Fort to see what was wanted and Colonel Olmstead wanted to know how Gen.Gillmore wanted him to surrender and the Gen. sent word to him "an unconditional surrender". Colonel Olmstead told him if he would let him take his men and go to Savanah he would surrender the fort to him. He told him he wanted everything in the Fort. Olmstead would not accept these terms so Gillmore again opened fire on them and the mortars were fired all night to keep them from making any repairs. The next morning they again hoisted the white flag and the fort was ours with 380 prisoners. Our loss was one killed and three wounded. We had knocked a hole in the fort that you could drive a two horse wagon through.
We were on Tybee Island fourteen days and fourteen nights and did not have a change of clothing in this time. After the capture of the fort we were ordered a little farther down to the end of the island so me and another fellow from Sing Sing, by the name of Van Wart, thought we would fix up for the night so I proposed to him that, as it was raining, we dig a hole and cover it with Salt Grass and such other stuff as we could collect, so after we had some hard tack and coffee we thought we would turn in for the night and get one good nights rest, but in about two hours and a half I thought I felt a queer sensation around my feet and legs.
Come to find out the cause, the tide had risen and had come in on us and we were the first to find it out in the company as we were lower than the rest on the account of digging the hole so we got the rest of the men up and got on higher ground. We then went to work and built some fires and made ourselves as comfortable as possible.
[About April 12, 1862.] Next morning we were ordered over to the Fort [Pulaski] with the 48th N.Y. Vol. which was afterward called by Colonel Fox [?] as one of the famous fighting regiments commanded by Colonel Perry, a Methodist Minister. I have a little silk flag that was carried in this regiment by a brother-in-law of mine. He carried it as a guide flag. We stayed here at the fort some time. The Rebs did not bother us much but there used to be lots of Contrabands [Dictionary: A negro slave who escaped to or was brought within the Union lines.] come in here while we were here.
I recollect one morning, I was out by the dock, I saw a small boat coming down the river and when it got near enough the sentry on the dock hailed them and called for the Corporal of the Guard. He came and [they] landed and there was four of them and a young officer. They had got the officers pistol from him while on picket duty on the Savanah river that night and made him come down the river in place of going to Savanah. The four men had got enough of the war but the young Lieutenant had not but they made him come along. The young Lieutenant was a nephew of Commodore [Josiah] Tatnall [Port Royal, "mosquito fleet" consisting of 3 small river steamers and one Tug, each with 2 - 32lb guns.] of the Rebel navy from Fort Pulaski. He was ordered back to Port Royal finally.
One morning we were ordered to get on a steamer to go to, we did not know where, but we were finally landed at Folly Island South Carolina and from there marched to the other end of the island and from there crossed to Morris Island where after three unsuccessful charges on the rebel breastworks [of Fort Wagner. July 10, 1863 ] with heavy losses of our men. We then had to make a regular siege on their works as we could not take them in no other way. The Rebels had torpedos in the sand to blow our men up and wires fixed to trip them up. Colonel [Robert Gould] Shaw of the 55th [Should be 54th] Mass Colored Regiment was killed in one of these charges and the Rebels buried him in a trench with about 50 of the colored men on top of him. Brigadier General George C. Strong, who had the Post of Honor, was wounded and died from the effects from the same in New York.
While we were laying here at Morris Island the Rebels used to fire pieces of old railroad iron and old bottles at us. (and)
While there a man of one of the regiment killed between the breastworks who was a negro Corporal of the 3rd United States Colored Regiment and the Rebels attached a torpedo to his body by means of wires so that when our men tried to get him to bury him they would be blown up, but the Yankees was to smart for them. That night when it was very dark a Sergeant of Co. B of our regiment crawled out to him and disconnected the wires from the torpedo and we buried him.
While Sanitary Fair [the Sanitary Commission was the for runner to the Red Cross] was going on 1863 in New York our Regiment sent one of these torpedos to have on exhibition at the same.
It was our Regiment that built the famous Swamp Angel. [The Swamp Angel was an 8 inch Parrott rifle mounted on a wooden platform.] It was built in the swamp and our Colonel got orders to build it. He sent for one of our Lieutenants and told him about building this Swamp Angel and told him to make out a requisition for what he wanted to build it with.
He made out the requisition and with the same he wanted seventy five men, fourteen feet tall, as it was almost impossible to work in the soft muck. We got at the job and finished it and mounted a three hundred pound Parrott gun. (That same old gun is in one of the parks at Trenton N.J..) Besides there were two mortars in the batteries and we used them to throw shells into Charleston which was about five miles distant.
[NOTE: The Swamp Angel was fired a total of 36 times. Liquid and solid Greek Fire were in the shells. 30 rounds landed in Charleston. 6 rounds exploded in the gun and eventually destroyed the breech.]
While we were building this battery the Rebels got the range and they commenced to shell us pretty lively and our Colonel proposed to build a "Quaker" battery [mock gun emplacement - unmanned - without guns] which we did. It was built out of plank and swamp grass and built very high. After that they did not bother us much as they commenced to shell this battery and there was no one in that.
I recollect going up to work with a detail one night and the man on the lookout hollered to us to get under cover from a shell from Fort Moultrie. ( Fort Moultrie was abandon by the US Army Dec. 26, 1860 for the more defendable Fort Sumter) While we were getting under cover from the shell I heard laughing from the men and looked a little way from where I was and saw a colored man who belonged in the 1st South Carolina Regiment getting under a rubber blanket supported by four sticks and three or four more men on top of him to get out of the way of this three hundred pound shell.
We had already [Aug. 1863] commenced to sap [ Dictionary: "a deep narrow trench constructed to approach a beseiged place or an enemy's position"] to Fort Wagner S.C. which was a hard job. We had to roll a round Gabion, [a wicker cylinder] made like a basket and filled with sticks and rolled along the ground [ Dictionary: as a defense] and dig a trench and throw the earth up on both sides. Finally we had worked up so close to Fort Wagner that we could toss a stone in to the same.
One afternoon while working there a young man from Sing Sing who's name was Shaffier[?] and who's name is on the monument here was shot by a Rebel sharpshooter. He was shot in the back of his head and the ball lodged over his eye. He lived twenty four hours with this ball in his brain. You can imagine what the news was to his poor widowed mother. He was a brave, nobel fellow about twenty two years old. We made a rough pine box and buried him with as much respect as we could.
One of the most brilliant events that occurred while we were on the island occurred on Wednesday night. 24th Mass Regiment bore a worthy part and which resulted in success for our men. Colonel Osborne [?] was on duty in the trenches at the time and just before dark according to orders our batteries that is our parallels on the right commanded by Capt. Joseph J. Comstock and Capt. Charles G. Steakes [?] and Albert Green and Lieutenant George Green of the 3rd Rhode Island Artillery also Capt. Skinner 7th Conn. who commanded batteries of mortars were opened on Fort Wagner and after fifteen minutes of deafening cannonading, our guns having been replied to by the Rebels, the 24th Mass was now ordered forward on a double quick to seize a nole [knoll] that the Rebels were behind which they did and captured one company of the 61st North Carolina Regiment. What our men had the most to fear was Fort Wagner as that was only 150 yards distant from where this engagement took place and after this had happened it took some lively handling of shovels to throw up the sand to protect themselves from Fort Wagner. Finally on the 6th Sept. they vacated Wagner and Gregg as the 1st N. Y. Engineer were getting so close to them they thought we were going to blow them up. That morning the Engineers flag waved from the top of Fort Wagner. This gave us the entire island.
While lying here on Morris Island there was a man of one of the regiment trying to desert but in making the attempt he got lost in the swamp. He had not been with the regiment long and he did not know much about the place so in the morning when daylight came he was in front of a small island, called Block Island, and one of the sentries saw him out there and hailed him and told him to come in. After he got in they began to question him and he said that he was a rebel deserter. Of course they did not know him as he had nothing on but his underclothing. They usually sent any prisoners or deserters to Port Royal but in his case it so happened that he was sent back to Morris Island, where he had deserted from, so there were quite a number of our men went to see him and among the rest some of his own company and he was tried for desertion by what they call in the Army "Drum Head Court Martial", was found guilty and sentenced to be shot in 24 hours. The next afternoon he was brought from the guard house in an ambulance with his coffin in the same. He was setting on the coffin with a guard of three men and in that order he was taken out along the beach where the men were all drawn up in line to witness the shooting. The ambulance went along the entire line which was about half mile long and after it had went the whole length it returned to the center. While this was going on the drums were beating the "Dead March" and after they arrived at the sentence [? center] the word "halt" was given and the condemned man jumpt out and helped the guards take out his coffin. He then took off his outside shirt and that left him with nothing but a thin under shirt. He was next blindfolded by the officer in charge and told to kneel on his coffin. Then the twelve men that were to shoot him were brought up in line. There were eleven guns that were loaded with powder and ball and one only with powder. Then the officer gave the signal with a handkerchief and he was dead in an instant.
While laying hear on the islnd the Rebels had a boat they called the PLANTER, a propeller (a propeller driven craft) they used around the harbor. One day the crew had been taking some of the rebel officers some where and after they had landed them the pilot, who was a colored man, ran out past Fort Sumter and blew the signal and ran out to the fleet and gave him [self] up. This colored mans name was Robert Smalls who went to work after the war and educated himself and was sent to Congress from South Carolina.
The first two years of my service was spent down in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. From there we were ordered to Virginia on a big ocean steamer called the "Northern Light". We arrived in the York River opposite Yorktown and was landed at a place called Gloster Point Virginia. We lay there for a few days and were again ordered to get on steamboats which started up the James River. We were landed and marched inland to a place called Burmuda Hundred. This was called Butlers Expedition [? Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler].
We then went to work strengthening our position. We built a line of breastworks from the James River to the Appomattox which was six miles long and mounted the same with heavy guns. This was the spot where General Grant once said General Butler was hermetically sealed. There we made several advances from this point. One time we advanced toward Richmond by way Fort Darling [?] but were driven back. At another time (Aug. 18, 1864) we went out and tore up quite a piece of the Weldon Railroad.
It was near here that Butlers Dutch Gap Canal was dug. There was hardly a day that we had some fighting or skirmishing going on hear.
I saw another young fellow about 18 shot here who went to sleep on the picket post. There were two other men on post with him and they told him to lay down and go to sleep and they would watch while he was asleep. They drew the charge out of his gun and deserted. They were what we called "Bounty Jumpers" so this young fellow was shot. The Articles of War says if you are caught asleep on post you shall be shot.
While hear Grants Army crossed to the south side of the James River. They crossed on pontoon bridges built by the 1st N. Y. Vol. Engineers. One at Pochoantore [?] Landing and the other at Deep Bottom (Landing) and marched to Petersburgh to commence operation on Richmond.
I remember one day while along the breastworks at Burmuda Hundred before General Grant crossed to that side that he came over there to inspect the breastworks. I then saw him for the first time. As he and General Butler came along one of the men who stood near me said, "Here come General Grant" and I laughed at the fellow because he did not have a fancy uniform on. Butler had a very nice uniform on and General Grant only had on an army blouse with a soft slouch hat and dark pants and the stump of a cigar in his mouth.
Things got very lively after that I can tell you. My brother, younger than myself, was with Sheridan in the Shanandoah Valley and was there when Sheridan wiped [whipped?] the Rebel General Early and when Grant crossed the James, Sheridan came with his men too. After they had been up in front of Petersburgh some little time I got a pass to go and see my brother [ in 6th N. Y. Heavy Battery] who was lying up near Petersburgh in camp in a piece of woods. I staid with him all of that night. About four o'clock in the morning they got orders to fall in. Orders were given by General Grant that morning to open all of the heavy guns along the line which was about one hundred of them so you see I was in a very hot place visiting. I tell you you would have thought the world was coming to an end. This was the morning (July 30th) that the mine was blown up under one of the rebel forts at Petersburgh. I did not have a very pleasant visit I can tell you.
We exchanged stories together of what we had went through and I saw quite a number of Sing Sing boys that were in the same regiment which was the 6th N. Y. Heavy Battery. I was telling him of what I had seen in the department of the south and also in Virginia. The only satisfaction I got was I had not seen anything as I thought after they had told of some of their engagements in the valley with Sheridan and in Grants campaign before Richmond, North Anna, Spotsilvania, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor where they said they piled the dead men up and made breastworks of them. I then thought I was not in it with them.
That morning I again returned to my regiment and while laying on the James River near Akens Landing I saw quite a number of Union prisoners brought down from the Rebel prisons. At Richmond the most of these men were unable to walk and had to be carried on stretchers on the boat that was to take them to Fort Monroe, but the Rebel prisoners that were exchanged for them were all able to go back in the ranks and fight against us again.
I was discharged at Varina, Va. Dec. 1864 after serving three years and three months in the service and I am glad to say that Old Glory now waves or the land of the free and the home of the brave and also glad that same old flag waves over about every schoolhouse in the Empire State."