COLUMBIA AXD MONTOUR COUNTIES R o ck fever/* many dying from its effects. The portion of the roll o f this company preserv*ed contains the following names: Isaac Blue, C ap tain : Isaiah Blue, Herbert W. Best, Daniel Cam eron. Colin Cameron, Alexander CampJohn I> u « n, Edw ard Morrison, A sa M oore, A bn cf aloore, John Mills, John M c C o y, David Petrikin, S u i^ o n; -----------Sand ers, Samuel Y orks, Lieutenant; Jacob Sechler. The Danville M ilitia w as a company flour ishing and well organized at the close of the w a r with England m 18 15 . We know little of it except that it had one hundred men on its roll and was commanded by Capt. Samuel Y o rk s, who had been lieutenant in the Dan ville Hlucs. T h e Columbia Guards was a company organ ized in 18 17 and on its roll were some of the .m ost prominent among the younger citizens o f ihc community. T he Guards, together with the Northum berland Artillerists (Captain P riestly ), the tVarrior R un Infantry, and others, constituted the Northumberland and Columbia Rattalion o f Volunteers commanded by M ai. R . Coleman Hall. In the summer of 18 2 3 there w as a battalion parade on the then open ground between Bloom and Center streets. Dr. W. H. Magill. then a young man, w as surgeon of the tottalion. T he parade is said to nave been the grandest military dis play ever witnessed in Danville. T h e following is the muster roll of the guards soon after their organization: John S. Wilson, captain; Clarence H . Frick, first lieutenant; Edw ard E . LaClerc, second lieutenant: William Brindic, second lieuten a n t; George S. Kline, first sergeant; Jam es D. Slater, second sergeant; Rolwrt Clark, third sergeant; Charles Evans, fourth sergeant; Jo h n Adam s, first corporal; Jam es Oliver, sec ond corporal; John Smith, third coiporal; A rth u r Ctearhart, founh corporal; Thomas C lark, drum m er; Jesse G. O ark, fifer. The private soldiers w ere: Charles W. A dam s, A lvin M. Allen, Jacob A pp, George W . Armstrong. Frederick Brandt. Samuel H um s, Elam H. Bonham, William Banghart, Jo h n Birkcnbinc, Samuel D. Raker, Francis Row er, Francis B . Best, WiUiam Brunner, W illiam H. Birchfield, Randolph Ball, Peter Brobst, Abram B . Carlcy, Michael Corrigan. Wm. Wctcrich (D ietrich), Wm. Erie. Daniel S . Follm cr, Charles W. Fortner, Robert H. Forster, 5?ewcll Gibbs, Edw ard Grove, George G am er. Thomas Graham, Shepherd W. G ir ton, ^ m u e l Huntingdon, Adam Hcislcr, H enry H cm castle, O liver Hclme, William S.
297
K crtz, William King. Jerom e Konklc, Charles Lytle, Ira Lowmsbciry, Robert Lyon, John A. Low ery, Beniamin L afo m i, Benjamin J . M ar tin, Jasp e r Mussclman, Edw ard McGonncl, George Miller, William Moser, Archibald Mooney, Mahlon K . M anly, John G . Mellon, A lex. McDonald, Daniel M artial, Richard H. M cKean, Charles Moynthan, Robert McAlinont, Hugh McFadden, Jam es McClelland, Norman U. Mack, William McDonald. Casper Oaten welder, Daniel Poorman, Peter S . Reed, Philip Rake, Jam es A . Stewart, Peter M. Space, Jona R . Sanders, O liver C. Stevens, Daniel Snyder, Edw ard Sclcr, Peter Seigfried, John C. Snyder, John N. Scofield, W il liam Swartz, Joseph Stratton. William W. Sawancy, John A . Sarvey, Benjamin Tumbleton, Adam W ray. William White, George W agner, Jaco b W illct, Jerom e W alker, George W ingar, Peter W . Y am cll. In 1846 the Columbia Guards offered (heir scrx'iccs to the United States government, then in the midst of the Mexican war, and the offer was accepted. Under Captain Wilson the Guards numbered over ninety, rank and file. T lie company w as mustered into the United Stales service Dec. 28, 1846. The departure of this band o f brave patriots made a deep im pression upon the community. W ar never seems as real as when one's own flesh an<l blood arc involved in its horrors; or men, well known in the community, march to join the ranks o f those engaged in the contest. For many years these men had l>een "holiday soldiers/* but now that war was real and the country needed their services, they were no longer holiday soldiers: they now marched through the community where, fo r a long time, they had paraded and played at war, as real living, fighting soldiers, and the coinniunity, with mingled feelings o f jo y and sorrow, cheered them as they marched to the field of carnage. A number o f citizens accompanie<l the soldiers as fa r as INttsburgh. This com pany w as placed in the 2d regiment o f Penn sylvania volunteers, commanded by Colonel Wyncoop, later by Col. Jcdin W . Geary, after wards governor of the State. These heroes soon saw real ser‘icc. They were engagc<l in the storming o f V era Cruz. Here Captain Wilson died. A pril to, 1847, and D r. C . H. Frick assumed command and gal lantly led the Guards through the campaign. T hey were engaged in the battle o f Cerro Gordo, where (hey lost one man, John Smith. A t the battle o f (Thapultcpec they lost two more men, William Dietrich and John Snyder. .As General Scott appraiched the city of
