Rome Free Academy - De O Wain Sta Yearbook (Rome, NY)

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16 Tar SENIOR ANNUAL Orchestra furnished us with music, and dancing was continued until 2 o'clock, except for a slight intermission. Since it was ungenerous to reserve all the pleas- owing to the class is ures for ourselves, and select number with blessed, we shared our good time with some of the under classmen. After the old chestnut waltz, “Home, Sweet Home,” all departed, tired but happy, feeling that they had spent a most de- which our lightful evening. Senior Annual Banquet N ONE rainy night in Marchif a pass- er-by had been standing near Stan- wix Hall he would have said: “Ah! just landed from Salt Lake City. a Mormon accompanied by four wives, There goes and it is a pity, too, for he looks so young and unsophisticated to be bur- the cares of matrimony.” quite with Nevertheless, he dened scemed to be happy and gave each one the most care- ful attention. 3ut, forsooth, this was only our editor, Gilbert R. Hughes, accompanied by his assistants, to whom he gave a banquet heartily enjoyed by all present. ‘This done in the his- from has never before been tory of the R. F. A., and, aside being novel and original, it was one of the pleasantest functions of the school year. A carefully prepared menu was served in a private dining-room, decorated for the occasion, and a souvenir was pre- sented to each in the form of menu card. Mr. Hughes proved himself equal to the occasion as toastmaster, and the follow- “How the Miss ing toasts were responded to: Annual Should be Conducted,” MacFarland; T’he Future of the Board of Editors,’ Miss Marriott; ““The Stu- dent’s Duty in School,” Miss Graves; ‘“How the Faculty Should Conduct the School,” Miss Waldo. After the ban. quet each assistant editor was carefully escorted to her home by our worthy edis that he could not be phased by four girls, and each one pro. tor, who proved nounced the evening a most enjoyable one. D. A. R. ORATION The Battle of Oriskany p THE month of August, curred one of the most important bat- 1777, oc- tles of the American Revolution—one that was the most decisive and bloodiest it was the battle of Oriskany. The con- flict which makes Rome so rich as an his- torical site and the results of which were later seen in the battle of Saratoga. had arranged an General elaborate plan of campaign in London, He proposed to sever the connection be- Burgoyne tween the New England and Middle States, because it was in their union that the colonists gained their power. To provide for this undertaking, Burgoyne secured a force of four thousand British and three thousand Germans, assisted by some Canadians and a body of Indians. Another force, under St. Leger, was to leave Montreal for Oswego at the same time Burgoyne marched through the Champlain valley, and there body of Tories commanded by Sir John Johnson and Indians under Brant. These were to clear the Mohawk valley and meet Generals Burgoyne and Howe at Albany. In 1758, at the head of boat naviga- tion, where our city of Rome is now built, a fort was erected for the protection of the settlers against the French and Indi- ans during the last French war. This was Fort Stanwix. It was built well but was found to be undesirable for living quarters, and in 1776 a new fort was joined a

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THE SENIOR ANNUAL 15 SOCIAL FUNCTIONS Junior Reception The streets of Rome were resounding with the rumble of many carriages about 9 o’clock in the evening of May 1. A few days before the Seniors of the R. F. A. had received invitations to a tion to be given to them by the hospit- recep- able Juniors on this night. Happily did the girls don their party and their flowers; cheerfully did the fellows array them- dresses gather up selves in evening clothes and grasp some the our city promptly at 9 o’clock gathered greenbacks. From far corners of at Seegar’s dancing Academy wise men and learned women joining a brilliant assembly of green, freshmen, gay young sophmores, jolly juniors and wise, digni- fied Seniors. Dance programs were furnished, and for none Yor- merry the there were few wall-flowers, music of All and happy, especially those cold resist the excellent don’s Elite Orchestra. were near punch bowls, which beverage was guard- ed by our pious Leo’s fostering care. novel fea- The first moonlight There were two or three tures of the the second the barn dance, in this year’s ‘prom.’ was interesting dance; which our President displayed his customary dig- nity in falling gracefully (7), and last, but not least, was the unusual care with which the ever thoughtful juniors, un- able to procure Stanwix Hall, had sup- plied their guests with comfortable rest- ing places (sofas) in the upper hall and on the stair landing. These were duly appreciated by all—particularly by a few couples too well known to require men- tioning. It was with regret that the familiar strain of “Home, Sweet Home” Every one departed tired out but was heard. contented. orated hall and the arrangements in gen- Moreover, the tastefully dec- eral, proved to the Senors’ sati sfaction that the ability importance of of 1908 were not underestimated by the the class Juniors who gave their upper classmen in this party one of the most pleasant and successful functions of this school year. Senior Hop ip HAS been customary for the Senior class to have a sleighride each year, but owing to the lack of snow and the bad of 1908, de- cided to have an informal hop. Aftera series of class meetings we assembled on the evening of February 11, at that well- known place—the nucleus of, many good times—Seegar’s Academy, prepared for a jolly time. At 9 o’clock Yordon’s Elite weather we, the class

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Tue SENIOR ANNUAL 17 erected and named Fort Schuyler in honor of General Philip Schuyler. In 1777 General Peter put in command of Fort Schuyler, and when he found the work in an unfinished condition. But about a month later Colonel Marinus Willett and his regi- ment were assigned to the fort, and with Gansevoort was reached there he the assistance of General Gansevoort had the fort existing conditions would permit, being totally the strength of the besieging forces. in as defensible a state as the character and The garrison consisted of 950 men who had plenty of ammunition for their rifles but an insufficient amount for the cannon. In June, Thomas Spencer, a friendly Oneida half-breed, son that a body of troops comprising seven hundred Indians, under Joseph Brant, hundred and six hundred Tories, under Sir John Johnson ignorant of informed the garri- four regulars and Colonel St. Leger, were assembled at Oswego, and thence march to the Mo- hawk valley with Fort Schuyler as their objective point. This news did not arouse the slow Ger- mans of the upper valley, but seemed to paralyze them with fear. To counteract their timidity, Herkimer in- formed the inhabitants of the assembling of the asked all between the ages of 16 and 60 to be in readiness to go into battle at a moment’s notice, while preparations were made for the care of the women, children and invalids. His appeal had its intended effect and soon the militia and people who had be- of the nearness of the enemy moved with a degree of alacrity, which contrasted strongly with former fear. On the 3d of August Colonel St. Leger reached the fort with his forces of Tories and savages and demanded immediate surrender. No notice was taken of this General enemy’s forces at Oswego and come conscious their - command, and on the following morning St. rather confident, for he assured that Fort Schuyler would soon be in his possession and they hostilities commenced. Leger ap- peared General Burgoyne would meet as victors at Albany. St. Leger’s Fort Schuyler soon became known throughout the Mo- hawk valley and the inhabitants nobly with General August 4 Fort arrival at responded in accordance Herkimer’s appeal, eight hundred Dayton, now the town of Herkimer. When the Fort Schuyler and tried to scare the gar- their yells, General Herkimer and on had assembled at Indians gained access to rison by at Whitestown, the fort with was only eight miles from men. During the party’s stay at Whitestown General Herkimer sent Adam Hilmer and two scouts to inform General Gansevoort nearly a thousand of his approach and arrange matters for ry The ar- messengers was to be the co-operation of both armies. rival of the nounced by of cannon, but the couriers experienced an- three successive discharges considerable trouble in reaching the fort and did not arrive until 10 o’clock the following morning. The signal guns then fired, and General Herkimer made immediate plans for advancing, by which he hoped to divert the enemy’s at- tention. But on the morning of the 6th mutiny broke out in Herkimer’s camp. The junior officers and men became impetuous and denounced the slow movement of the General who would not march until he had some evidence that an advance would be made from the fort; but, finally, the taunts of his soldiers were incensed him so that he jumped upon a log and cried, “‘If you will have it so, the blood be upon your heads.” his sword he shouted in a voice all could hear, ‘“Vor- warts.” Waving For a few moments everything