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Volume 068-1 - January 2014 (6 pages)
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Page: of 6
NCHS Bulletin January 2014
The Nevada Rifles had been formed on January 26,
1858, and sixty-nine men were present at the first meeting of the organization on February 13th. Fourteen officers were elected; Henry Meredith was named the First
Captain and Nat Brown the Fourth Corporal. In March
Henry Meredith resigned and Rufus Shoemaker was
elected Captain.
One of the first official orders of the company was to
assemble at the courthouse on February 26th to attend
the execution of Major C. Bolin, alias David Butler, who
was tried and convicted in the murder of Robert Moffatt
at Downieville in September of 1855. The Rifles’ duty
was to form protection around the carriage carrying the
convicted man and keep the crowd at a respectful distance as the procession went from the courthouse to the
gallows that had been erected on the other side of Lost
Hill.
On Sunday, May 13th word was received from
Virginia City that seventy-five Americans had been
killed in an Indian attack. Immediately a meeting was
called to discuss how to send assistance to the people of
Western Utah. Volunteers were called for and a committee was appointed to collect money and outfit a Company
with arms, ammunition and provisions.
A recess for two hours was called so that members of
the committee could collect what was necessary to send
the men immediately. A total of $2,245 was quickly collected along with a large quantity of arms and ammunition and twenty men were pledged to go. The group took
60 rifles, 49 belonged to the Nevada Rifles, 125 pounds
of powder, 100 pounds of lead, 60 pounds of rifle balls,
1200 cartridges, and 18,000 caps. The cartridges were
manufactured by Nevada City’s first gunsmith, Zeno
Philosopher Davis, during the long afternoon and evening. A large quantity of caps to fit the U.S. Rifles arrived from Sacramento with O. T. Ganong, who rode
the distance in five hours. The Washoe had plenty of
men but were “destitute” of arms and munitions. Later
a second party of men would leave from Nevada City. It
would later be learned that Nevada City’s beloved Henry
Meredith was killed in the battle and Andrew Hasey was
wounded. Meredith’s body was brought home and buried
in Pioneer Cemetery under a large memorial. The procession through town was the largest Nevada City had
ever seen and the beloved Meredith was mourned by all.
Fourth of July Celebrations
While other towns and cities in California celebrated
the Fourth of July with civic and military processions,
bands and other festivities, Nevada City’s celebrations
were not what you would have expected from a California
mining town where men dominated and guns and power
abounded. From 1852-1855 the celebrations consisted of
picnics, a tea party put on by the ladies to raise money to pay for a new parsonage in 1853. In 1854 a large
procession of the “Cadets of Temperance, turned out in
numbers that astonished many of those that witnessed
the procession” (about one hundred) followed by the M.
E. and Presbyterian (Congregational) Sabbath Schools
holding banners as they marched through the principal
streets ending at a grove at Woods’ Ravine, then followed with a speech from Rev. Stone, a picnic and later
that day a social party at the concert hall.?
The Fourth of 1855 proved to be more exciting. The
day started with a salute of thirteen powder flasks fired
by George Jacobs at sunrise. At Thomas L. Hughes place
where foot and horse races were held, a bull and bear
fight, and the Lee & Marshall Circus was in town with an
afternoon and evening performance. There were so many
people in town that many could not find a place to sleep;
all the beds available were sold out by the middle of the
afternoon and the remainder how to sleep outside.
The previous year’s Fourth of July celebrations may
not have been what the town’s leaders had in mind for the
occasion. Nat Brown served on the Independence Day
committee in 1856 with Lewis Teal, Isaac P. Williamson,
Clement F. Wood, John Pattison, and A. W. Potter. The
Nevada Journal reported that “The citizens of Nevada
have never yet celebrated the Fourth with appropriate ceremonies. Other smaller towns have shown no lack of the
anniversary of our Independence, but his city has always
neglected to have a patriotic blow out. As it is about time
to make preparations we call the attention of citizens to
the propriety of making some sort of a demonstration.”
The celebration that year was held at John Turner’s
ranch at Woods’ Ravine. The Sabbath Schools of Nevada
City, Grass Valley and Rough and Ready had children
carrying banners and singing as they march through, followed by a procession of school children. From town carriages transported the young and old to the grove. They
celebrated with a band. A grand dinner was laid out and
cannons fired. The well-publicized and invited guests,
Hon. W. I. Ferguson and D. T. Bagley, of Sacramento,
who were to read the Declaration of Independence and
give speeches failed to show up. With the VIPs not arriving the attendance was not what had been expected.
It was later reported that the projected celebration at
Woods’ Ravine proved a total failure and there were
tables left “...loaded down with pigs, turkeys, chickens
and et ceteras ready to be eaten but wanting the eaters.”
Nat Brown was a charter member of the Nevada