VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
257
present time. Some of the companies
were organized at a much earlier date.
The Richmond Grays were organized on
June 12. 1844. and under the com-
mand of Captain Robert G. Scott volun-
teered for service in the war with Mexico,
1846. In 1858 the regiment took part in the
ceremonies incident to the removal of the
remains of President Monroe from New
York and contested honors with the crack
Seventh Regiment of New York, which
came down as escort on that occasion. Ii
185Q the regiment was ordered out to assist
in quelling the disturbance created by John
Brown in his raid at Harper's Ferry. After
the capture of Brown the regiment was re-
called, but two of the campanies, the Rich-
mond Grays and Company F were detached
to attend the execution of Brown. In April,
1861, when Virginia called upon her sous to
rally in her defense, the First Regiment
promptly responded to the call. The Rich-
mond Grays, Company F and the Richmond
Blues, then a part of the First Regiment,
being fully equipped, were detached. The
Richmond Grays, being the first company
ordered out of Richmond, were sent to Nor-
folk and assigned to the Twelfth Virginia
Regiment. The regiment participated in
the following battles : First Manassas, Falls
Church, Seven Pines, Second Manassas,
Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Five Forks,
Gettysburg, Crater, High Bridge, Appomat-
tox. After the close of the war in 1865, the
regiment was out of commission until De-
cember, 1 871, when it was reorganized with
John A. Sloan as colonel. Colonel Sloan
was succeeded by General Bradley T. John-
son, who was succeeded by John B. Purcell,
who was succeeded by Charles J. . Ander-
son, who was succeeded by M. L. Spotts-
wood, who was succeeded by H. C. Jones.
After the war with Spain, the regiment was
again reorganized in October, 1900, under
the command of George Wayne Anderson.
Colonel Anderson was succeeded by Wil-
liam J. Perry, August 6. 1906.
The old armory of the First Regiment, which occupied the present location, was built in 1881, the city of Richmond appro- priating moneys for the bare foundation, walls and roof, the members of the regiment raising sufficient funds to construct the in- terior. The old armory, because of its pe- culiar architecture, was one of the buildings
VIR— 17
of special interest in the city. The three
stone balls which are at the three corners
of the lot are of peculiar interest. The
Sultan of Turkey thought to use cannon
larger than any other nation, which he had
made, and these granite balls to be shot
from them. A practical demonstration
proved that the idea was worthless as the
balls would break to pieces after being fired.
About 1870 a Turkish trading vessel used
these balls as ballast and they were thrown
cut on the banks of the river at the wharf
in Rockets. The gentleman owning the lot
upon which the armory is built brought
three of these balls up and erected them on
the pedestals where they have remained
ever since. In March, 1910, the building
was condemned as unsafe for military pur-
poses. The common council of 1912 appro-
priated $136,000.00 for the erection of a new
building to cover the site of the old armory.
Work was begun on January i, 191 3, and
the new building was completed in March,
1914. The new building is Gothic architec-
ture, its very looks portraying it to be a
military structure. The bell on the center
tower was a present to the Grace Street
Presbyterian Church in July. 1881, by Mr.
David Sutton, at a cost of $3,000.00. The
city purchased this bell from the church in
1906, and put it in the Blues Armory, but
because of the tower there being bricked
in the bell was useless. It was removed
and erected on completion of this building at
its present place. It was through the per-
sonal eft'orts of Dr. Price that the First Vir-
ginia Regiment Armory was rebuilt.
Dr. Price married, at Richmond, October 28, 1913, Louise Critchfield, born in that city, November 16, 1887, daughter of George Critchfield, living a retired life at Thelma, Virginia, his wife being deceased.
Benjamin Watkins Wilson is of the old Huguenot blood, which has contributed so many fine old names to the early history of the United States and of the American colo- nies before their independence. Of that stern type which preferred death or banish- ment to surrendering their personal rights and convictions, the Huguenots made ideal colonists for a new land where the hard- ships of the wilderness must be encountered and peril faced. They combined with their indomitable courage another quality scarce-
