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arrested and tried in the municipal court. According to one historian, Judge
Thacher sentenced two of the offenders to three years in the House of Correction, and another to two years. The local press was severe on the militiamen who had deserted their posts, and denounced the rioters as "miserable vagabonds," while the Montgomery Guards were praised for their discipline and restraint in the face of provocation.
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to regular drills and inspections, volunteers attended banquets, dances, and parades, where their smart-looking uniforms attracted envy and attention. For working-class men it was a way to gain social status and attract women, and for immigrants in particular it was a chance to display their loyalty to their new country.
54:, six companies of militiamen marched off the field to protest the inclusion of the Montgomery Guards. Afterwards, as the company's forty members marched down Tremont Street to their armory, they were mobbed by about 3,000 angry spectators who pelted them with bottles and rocks and threatened to storm the building.
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In
February 1838, Governor Everett ordered the disbandment of all six mutinous companies. In April, however, succumbing to political pressure, he ordered the disbandment of the Montgomery Guards as well, on the grounds that their reappearance would provoke "outrages of a dangerous character." Within
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On the morning of
September 12, 1837, at the annual fall muster on Boston Common, the Montgomery Guards joined the other nine companies that made up the light infantry regiment of the Boston Brigade. No sooner had the companies finished moving into line than a signal was given, and the rank and file
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After the War of 1812, the size of the U.S. Army was greatly reduced, and a large number of volunteer militia companies sprang up across the country to fill the gap. The militias protected local people and property during times of war and civil unrest. They also served a social purpose. In addition
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on the fife and drum. Their officers were left standing at attention. Five other infantry companies followed suit: the
Lafayette Guards, the Independent Fusiliers, the Washington Light Infantry, the Mechanics Rifles, and the Winslow Guards. The walkout was intended as a public insult to the Irish
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This auspicious beginning did not reflect the attitude of most
Bostonians toward Irish Catholics. While Boston's elites welcomed the new company, others were horrified by the thought of Irishmen being provided with weapons and military training. Anti-Catholic literature of the time depicted Irish
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Often in cases of mob violence against minorities, city authorities have been known to look the other way, or condemn the offenders publicly for appearances' sake while feigning ignorance of their identities. Such was decidedly not the case in Boston on this occasion. Several of the rioters were
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for permission to form their own company. In the past, similar requests by Irish residents had been declined, but this time the petition came with the recommendation of the highest-ranking officers in the militia, and the request was granted. The new group, composed of eight naturalized Irish
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The riot was a minor one, by Boston standards; there were injuries but no deaths, and not much property damage. Nevertheless, it sent a message, loudly and clearly, to Boston's elites: working-class
Yankees were not ready to accept Irish Catholics into their ranks, and were willing to use
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Another company, also named the
Montgomery Guards, or the Montgomery Light Guard, was apparently formed after the Civil War. In 1868, the "Montgomery Light Guard of the Ninth Massachusetts Volunteers" traveled to New York for a competitive drill. Their armory was located at 544
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102:, who was then a partner in a clothing firm that supplied the U.S. Navy with uniforms. Thus the Montgomery Guards of Boston were provided with custom-designed green uniforms with scarlet facings and gold trim, and caps bearing their own company emblem: an
133:" conspiracy to take over the country. Rumors circulated that the governor had succumbed to "foreign influence," and resentment simmered among the other companies at being forced to accept people they saw as dangerous outsiders into their regiment.
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immigrants and thirty-two native-born citizens of Irish descent, became the Tenth
Company of Light Infantry, Regiment of Light Infantry, Third Brigade, First Division, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia—otherwise known as the Montgomery Guards.
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The
Montgomery Guards went through their planned maneuvers with the remaining three companies, all the while being taunted and jeered by spectators. When the brigade was dismissed that afternoon, the Montgomery Guards marched back to their
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six months, all six of the offending companies had been rechartered under different names, but with the same officers and enlisted men. The
Montgomery Guards were not given permission to reorganize.
235:, they had also begun to be a political force in Boston. If the lyrics of "Montgomery Guards" are any indication, the new company was treated with far more respect than the original had been:
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of wood. One volunteer was knocked down, and his weapon smashed; another was hit with a paving stone. Neither the local constabulary nor the other militia companies came to their defense.
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By the time they made it to their armory, the crowd had grown to about 3,000. The Montgomery Guards were trapped inside as the angry mob threatened to storm the building. Only when Mayor
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121:. City officials and the local press commended their performance, and a week later the governor himself reviewed their first parade, which was followed by a formal banquet at the
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published a song titled "Montgomery Guards." By this time, Irish Americans made up more than 22% of Boston's population. They had proven their loyalty by fighting for the
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City officials and the press strongly denounced the riot and praised the Montgomery Guards for their restraint. Nevertheless, Governor
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ordered the disbandment of the company for public safety reasons. Another company by the same name was formed sometime after the
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The Story of the Irish in Boston: Together with Biographical Sketches of Representative Men and Noted Women
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arrived with a group of prominent—and armed—citizens was the crowd persuaded to disperse.
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516:"Competitive Drill.; Montgomery Light Guard and Company E Twelfth Regiment New--York National Guard"
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of the City Guard marched off the field and back to their armory, playing
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In January 1837, several Irish Americans from Boston petitioned Governor
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555:"For Honors and Gold: The Montgomery Guards Decide to Go to Nashville"
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in 1837 and were forced to disband the following year due to extreme
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Lord, Robert Howard; Sexton, John E.; Harrington, Edward T. (1944).
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company. Even the choice of song was significant, in that the term "
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And shout aloud, "Montgom'ry guards, the chaps that can't be beat!"
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We muster upon Washington street, that's where we make our stand
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We are the famed Montgom'ry guards you've heard so much about
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They were first called to duty on June 11, to help quell the
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We make the street resound with cheers whenever we turn out
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When on parade the people watch the motion of our feet,
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Our Captain's name is Flynn, a finer man you never saw
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Our uniforms are neat and gay, the finest in the land,
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Sure he is always gay and free and ready for the war
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On September 12, 1837, at the annual fall muster on
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366:Boston Riots: Three Centuries of Social Violence
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421:"Montgomery Guards Riot - 1837, Part II"
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329:The Boston Irish: A Political History
211:"Montgomery Guards" sheet music, 1878
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401:History of the Archdiocese of Boston
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278:History of Irish Americans in Boston
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332:. Back Bay Books. pp. 49–52.
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646:1837 crimes in the United States
611:Irish-American culture in Boston
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451:. ABC-CLIO. pp. 155, 552.
494:Cullen, James Bernard (1889).
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535:"Montgomery Guards"
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