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Keene Town and State Affairs in 1861

TOWN AND STATE AFFAIRS IN 1861
Extracted from “A History of the Town of Keene” 
   by S. G. Griffin, Keene NH 
Sentinel Printing Company 1904

Early in August, 1861, the large building on Court street north of the courthouse, owned by Abijah Wilder and occupied by Samuel Woodward & Co., dealers in stoves and tin ware, (formerly Norwood & Hubbard) and by Joseph Foster for the manufacture of organs and melodeons, was destroyed by fire.  The loss was about $4,000.  That building is believed to have been the first meeting house built on the common and afterwards used as a courthouse.  When a new wooden courthouse was built in 1795 it was placed "on the site of the old one," which was removed, and probably to this spot.

During the winter of 1861-2 the hearts of the people were cheered by the success of Burnside's expedition to North Carolina and the capture of Roanoke Island, by Grant's victories at Forts Henry and Donnelson, and by great expectations of McClellan and his army-then lying idle in front of Washington.

Washington's birthday was celebrated in Keene with ardent patriotism.  At a large meeting in the town hall, Ron.  Levi Chamberlain presided, stirring speeches were made, there was music by a military band and a glee club, and thirty-four girls representing the states, each carrying a miniature flag, sang 11 The Star Spangled Banner." Bells were rung at sunrise, noon and sunset, and there were bonfires in the evening.

At the annual meeting in March, Keene appropriated $3,000 for the relief of the wives and children of its volunteers, and to continue the pay of deceased soldiers to their families for the current year.  It was also voted to accept and adopt the act of the legislature , passed the previous year, enabling the town to establish waterworks, and a committee of seven, of which William P. Wheeler was chairman, was appointed to see what measures were necessary to carry out the act.

As the season advanced and reports of the capture of New Orleans, the movements of McClellan's army and other operations in the field were received, the excitement again became intense.  Frequent public meetings were held, at one of which, on the 19th of July, a subscription paper to aid the volunteers and their families was started, and $3,400 were subscribed on the spot, increased within a few days to $4,000.  On the 26th of the same month there was a mass meeting on the common at which 3,000 to 4,000 people were assembled.  Ex-Governor Dinsmoor again presided, with prominent men of the county for vice presidents.  The principal speakers were Hon.  Daniel Clark, United States senator; Hon.  Thomas M. Edwards, member of congress; and Capt. T. A. Barker, of the Second regiment, at home on leave of absence.  A legal town meeting on the 2d of August voted $50 bounty to each volunteer, and $75 to those who would enlist in the regiments already in the field, in addition to all bounties paid by the state and national governments.  Another mass meeting was held in Cheshire Hall (in the south wing of the Cheshire House) on the 21st of August, town meetings were held in the town hall on the 23d and 25th, and there was another mass meeting on the common on the 29th of the same month.  More troops having been called for -- some for nine months -- on the 6th of September the town voted to increase its bounties to the three years' men to $150, and to pay $100 to nine months' men; and the selectmen were authorized to borrow $22,000 for that purpose.  In June, Jacob Green and Arthur N. Elliot opened recruiting offices, followed soon afterwards by Nelson N. Sawyer, for the Ninth New Hampshire Volunteers.  Charles A. Harnden was here recruiting for the Tenth, Capt.  Solon A. Carter and others for the Fourteenth, and in September, Horatio Colony and Fred H. Kingsbury opened offices for nine months' men.  During that summer and fall of 1862, New Hampshire organized and sent into the field eight regiments of infantry -the Ninth to the Sixteenth - numbering about 8,000 men, besides sending large numbers of recruits to those already in the service.